Christmas Cheer at 24 Weeks

A few highlights from Christmas:

Savior of the World at the Conference Center

Colton's favorite toy

Cameron's reindeer grin

A cute, little reindeer

24 Weeks - Christmas Eve

I loved Christmas, but it was definately busy! Between shopping at the last minute, family Christmas parties, and bad weather, I was ready to rest after my vacation! I'm heading to Las Vegas for the weekend. Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

3 Years Ago

On a Saturday morning 3 years ago, December 16th, I woke up just like any other day. Benj and I were dating long distance (he was in Bountiful and I was in Logan), and I would stay at his house over the weekends. After getting up, Benj asked me what I wanted to do that day. I asked him the same question. He said something like, "Mmmm, I don't know." After breakfast, he told me he had an idea but wouldn't tell me what we were going to do.
We left the house and he started driving toward West Bountiful. I pointed out an airplane overhead, not knowing that minutes later we would turn into an airport parking lot. He told me that we were going for a ride for an early Christmas present. Yes, I was starting to wonder it this was THE day. I started getting really excited. The secretary casually said there was a plane waiting for us, and we got into a little 4-seater plane. Our pilot was making polite conversation as I kept looking outside for a "sign".
We were able to see Benj's house, the Bountiful golf course, and the Bountiful temple. It had just snowed so it was beautiful and white. Benj had a video camera out (yes, that was a good hint). I wasn't seeing any sign on the rooftops and the pilot started us back to the airport. I truly started thinking, "I guess this WAS just an early Christmas present."
As we started descending, the pilot told me to look out my opposite window. I was shocked to see a red sign saying WILL YOU MARRY ME right along the runway. Benj's sister, mom, nephew and our 2 friends Tony and Chris were waving both arms as we flew by! Truth be told I didn't see all of the sign and we were going so fast I couldn't make out who the people were! I looked at Benj, who was smiling and holding something in his hand. Our headsets weren't working all that great so I saw him mouth the words, "Amanda, will you marry me?" I had imagined this day all my life, thinking I would just scream "YES, YES!!!" However, I was speechless . . . couldn't mutter a word. Literally couldn't breathe. When I could say something that's what I said, "I can't breathe!" I was in shock to the point that I hadn't even looked down at the ring yet! Finally I shook my head up and down and quickly hugged him and started crying. I looked at the ring as he took it out of the box and placed it on my finger. At this point, the pilot asked, "What did she say?" He saw us kissing, which I think answered the question. We flew around again and I got a better view at the sign.

When we landed we just stood there and hugged for a good 10 minutes. We motioned to the family and friends to come over and we got to share our happiness with them.

It seems so long ago, but it's still a very clear, wonderful memory in my mind. I couldn't ask for a better husband. We are a "perfect fit" as we've told each other many times. We have grown and learned so much about each other the past 3+ years. I look forward to sharing every special moment in my life with him.

I love you sweetheart!

Christmas Cards

So I have kind of a wierd question. I'm debating about making Christmas cards this year. It's always cute to include a picture, to make it more personal, but Benj and I haven't changed all that much (ok, maybe I have a little). I always like the pictures and newsletters of the cute kids and updates on what's going on with the family. However, no kids yet, and do people really care what Benj and I are doing?

So question: should I do a personalized card with pictures or a letter or should I stick with a generic card? I think sending Christmas cards is a lost art. People just don't send them like they used to. It's sad! I want to fill up my card holder this year! I want to send you one too!

Thought you might like to see some of the Bradshaw Christmas cheer.

We don't have a fireplace so we opted for something different. We have one for baby too (but we haven't gotten his name embroidered yet).

I love having a real tree in the house. This year and last year Benj and I picked a tree that was a little big for our living room! We love it though. The first thing I smell when I get home is evergreen. It is so heavenly!

Now all we need is snow!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's my 20 week belly shot for you to peek at. Taken right before the UTAH game. :) It'll probably be even bigger after the Thanksgiving dinner I'm planning on eating!Thought I'd also favor you with a candid of my hubby (this was his game face).
Hope all of you have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

WE'RE HAVING . . .

A BOY!!!

Those who voted boy are correct (which was 75% of you . . . good guessers)! Benj and I can't express how EXCITED we are! Being pregnant has been the most thrilling experience of my life. I have learned so much about myself, my relationship with my husband, and what it feels like to have someone to watch over. I know I have a lot more to learn, but I feel like there are some wonderful experiences ahead.

Thursday morning we went in for our appointment. I was nervous, but I was feeling like everything was going to be ok. Almost the very first thing we did was get directed to the ultrasound room. Benj had a notebook and started writing in it. He planned on "taking notes" and list details about our experience. The doctor and tech both asked us what we wanted and if we wanted to know what it is. Our answers were both the same: we would be happy with either one and definately YES! Benj added that he had feelings that it was a boy.First of all, our darling babe has grown a ton. I couldn't believe what I saw on the screen. The profile of his face is so adorable and I couldn't get enough of watching him yawn. I love his little belly too. I have a feeling he's gonna be so handsome. :) He was kicking away, stretching, and flailing his arms anywhere (we didn't know he was a he yet). I had a couple pieces of chocolate right before and I think he had quite an energy spurt. About 10 seconds into it, the nurse said, "Well, dad is right!" Benj and I were both like, "How in the world did you see that?" A closer view indicated this:

Yep, definately a boy. The nurse said I could be so confident as to start painting the nursery blue and tatoo his name on my arm. I was relieved that it was so obvious!

Here's a shot of his legs stretching. He did this multiple times. It looks like he has long legs. We'll see if he grows into them before he's born.
The nurse checked all of his organs and we even counted his little fingers. His measurements were right on with his due date, so we're still planning on April 16th. Our baby now weighs 7 oz. and is approx. 6 inches long! Quite a change from 1 oz and 2 cm.

We got to take a DVD home with the whole ultrasound on it. I have a feeling I'll be watching it many times!

Favorite Fall Things . . .

Thanks Natalie for giving me something to write about on my blog!

8 Favorite TV Shows:
The Office
Heroes
Ugly Betty
Prison Break
Grey's Anatomy
Who's Line is it Anyway
So You Think You Can Dance
American Idol

8 Favorite Restaurants:
Biaggi's
Olive Garden
Cafe Rio
Benihana's
Mandarin
Paradise Bakery
Texas Roadhouse
California Pizza Kitchen

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:
Worked Out
Cleaned the house
Went to Work
Went grocery shopping with Benj
Called my YW girls
Watched Heroes
Did Laundry
Ate Dove chocolate

8 Things that I Look Forward To:
Seeing my baby on the ultrasound :)
Having Benj feel the baby kick
Telling everyone what the sex is!
Decorating the nursery
The weekend
BYU v. UTAH game (go Utes!)
Benj being done with school
Decorating for the holidays

8 Things I Love About Fall:
Taking long walks
Driving through the canyon
Dressing up for Halloween
The colors
The smells of pumpkin and spice
Football games
Crisp air
Thanksgiving

8 Things on my Wish List:
That our baby will be healthy!!!
That I can stay home when the baby is born
Buy a house next year
Benj find a good job when he graduates
Fun holiday season with the family
Material: video camera
Crib and Dresser
Cruise in the next year or two

8 Friends I Tag:
Whoever reads this blog!!!

Kick Baby Kick

I felt the baby kick for the first time a few days ago! It was absolutely amazing! I was having a hard time winding down after a long day so I stuck my headphones in as I was lying in bed. I decided to try the whole idea how babies can hear music, so I put one of the ear pieces down on my baby. Within minutes I felt our little one dancin' away. Apparently he/she likes Josh Groban. I would giggle each time I could feel it. I just wish Benj could feel it too! Hopefully soon! 7 more days til the ultrasound!

Here are a few more pictures from Halloween. The first few are from my office and the last two are Benj's.

I won the costume contest as a "Tiger and cub".

The felines.


Benji as a handsome 70s basketball player. What a babe!

His group got 2nd place in the costume contest!

Party 'n Pumpkins

Last weekend Benj and I went to a Halloween party. Can you guess who we are?If you guessed Rogue and Wolverine from X-men, you are correct! Benj's chops are the real deal!
One of the games was wrapping a group member in toilet paper. Whoever was the fastest and most covered was the winner. We spent too much time perfecting Benj. He makes a good mummy, don't ya think?

Here's the other mummies in the group. Right after this picture was taken, there was an explosion of TP. Apparently toilet paper keeps ya nice and warm. Who knew?

This isn't just the classic bobbing-for-apples game. There were colored thumb tacks on the bottoms of the apples for cash. I won $20 bucks!

Benji made an excellent attempt and got an apple at the last second. Unfortunately he didn't win any money. He was drenched and sad to say his wolverine hair went a little flat. However, we had a blast!

Tonight we carved pumpkins, which we haven't done since we were dating! We'll definately carry on the tradition each year.

The finished products. You can probably guess which was is mine and which one is Benji's. We got a wee little pumpkin for our soon-to-be number 3. It was too little to carve. :)

We had most of our Halloween fun already. We'll probably end up watching movies and staying home on Friday. Happy Halloween!

P.S. Make sure to vote on if we're having a boy or girl. We find out November 13th!

Ouch!

Two nights ago I called my doctor because I was feeling some abdomen pain. He said if it got worse to go to the E.R. but otherwise he wanted us to come in and check things out. Our visit revealed that everything is going great (we got to hear the heartbeat again) and that I'm feeling ligament pains because of all the stretching. No one told me about this part! I was told drinking a lot of water helps but that's even more trips to the bathroom! Ha ha.

Another note: a patient saw me today in my scrubs, came over and said, "Look at you, you're showing a little!" That made me smile. Then someone else in the office asked me, "Amanda, where's your belly? I can't even see it!" I suppose to some I look pregnant and others not. The doc said plan on showing at 20 weeks because of my long torso.

Anyway, just a couple a couple pregnancy thoughts . . .

Fantastic Fall Weekend!

I hope everyone had a fun weekend just like we did. It was so BEAUTIFUL! The epitomy of what fall weather should be. Enjoy it now because Utah seems be warm one minute and snowing the next.

Even though this wasn't technically the weekend, we went to our 2nd doctor appointment on Thursday. It was short and sweet, but I once again left feeling much more happy and relieved. We didn't do an ultrasound, but we did hear our sweet baby's heartbeat. The most beautiful sound in the world. I can't help but get emotional when I hear it. We also set up our "big" appointment for finding out the baby's sex! I can't wait to be able to call our baby a "he" or a "she" instead of an "it". I've had a couple dreams lately where I see a baby boy, but I don't know if that's my crazy dreams or my motherly instinct. We would be extremely happy with either one! Oh, by the way . . . has anyone been daring enough to make their own baby quilt? I have some extreme ambition to do a quilt, bumper, crib skirt and curtains. If you do, please show me your patterns or finished project!

On with the weekend. On Friday I drove up to Logan to hang out with Ann and Sheena. We missed Jenelle because she got Lasik the day before. We had a blast catching up. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures (I need to be better) but it was so fun. I hate how time flies and we don't see each other in months. I'm like that with everyone! I get caught up in "life" and before I know it, it's been way too long.

Saturday Benj and I went to the Utah game against Colorado. It was one of the most entertaining games I've ever been to. Not just because of the actual game (we killed them 49-16) but because of where we were sitting. I was wearing a black shirt and carrying my red jacket when someone yelled, "put your jacket on!" I yelled back, "it's too hot." Their reply was then, "take off your shirt then!" followed by hoots and hollers. I held onto Benj and walked faster up the stairs. Benj just laughed. While watching the game I heard Benj laugh (again) and there was suddenly a guy in a red speedo who stopped directly in front of us and gave us a little dance. I diverted my eyes until he ran away!

If you can see the screen, you may recognize the "crazy lady" who does a little dance before the 4th quarter of every home game!

After that we saw John McCain and Sarah Palin walking down the stairs. Ok, it wasn't exactly them but these two had pretty good costumes. I didn't get the best picture, but it was hilarious. Palin was holding a baby doll and McCain continued to shake everyone's hand. They met Obama down the stairs. Some people have a lot of time on their hands. Even when we were in the car leaving some guy came up to my window, yelled something about the Utes winning and gave me a high five. I felt like I had a sign on that said EMBARASS ME!

Later that night we hung out with our friends. Chris and Ashley (on the left) got engaged the night before! We're so excited for them! Natalie and Tony are always willing to let us come over to their cute house and hang out. You guys are so much fun!

On Sunday we went up to Mantua (near Brigham City) and listened to my cousin give his homecoming talk. Spencer went to a Chinese speaking mission to London! He was glowing! It was also so fun to see family. Even though most only leave an hour away, I haven't seen them in a year. Sad! I have a big family so me and 3 other cousins are pregnant! I also met about 3 new babies who have joined the family. I have to get my practice in right? Ha ha.

Can You See It?

We're now at 13 weeks! Last week in my first trimester!

I know that my bump is there but it's still very small. I know that first pregnancies take longer to show, but I kind of wish I was showing more! Perhaps it's from all the times I've had to tell people I'm pregnant. I just wait to point to my tummy and say, "See, can't you tell???" My husband will be the first to tell you that I'm not the most patient person. However, I'm realizing now that I'm a 1/3 of the way through my pregnancy and I still have a lot to do before baby Bradshaw comes! Here are a few nurseries I like:

Zion Weekend

What a weekend! Not at all like I planned, but fun none the less. There is never a dull moment in a Croft/Bradshaw family vacation. I learned a couple lessons:

1 - Always book your hotel in advance. Needless to say we did not know the St. George marathon was going on that weekend and EVERY hotel was booked. We ended up finding a hotel in Cedar City (40 mins away) which wasn't very impressive. What I mean by that is that they booked my parents a SMOKING room when I clearly ordered a non-smoking one. I couldn't even stand by the door it was so bad. The little foreign front desk guy would not take the blame. Oh, and the maids look my pajamas and Benj's shorts when they changed the sheets. Lovely.

2 - Be prepared for the weather. We knew it might rain on us but we didn't think all day long! Saturday we went into Zion National Park and I wasn't too excited to be wet the whole time. It let up later that night when we went to see Les Mis. To those who haven't been to Tuacahn, it's an outdoor theater. The performance was amazing except the last hour downpoured! I felt bad for the actors, but they didn't miss a note. It really made the play more dramatic!

3 - Remember to have fun. At first I was kind of sulking because of the hotel and the leaves hadn't changed yet and it was rainy, but I seemed to be the only one with that attitude. My family taught me to forget about the unfortunates and have fun! Generally vacations don't go as expected but it still is a vacation and something to enjoy!

Benj and I were nice and wet by the end of the day. You'll see from the picture above that I look like a turtle. We had to keep our backpack dry so I put in on under my poncho. My hair was nice and frizzy and I was a "grumpy gus" as my husband nicely put it. This was one of the sweet moments.

The family in their rain gear. I even saw some people using garbage bags!

Despite the rain, it was very beautiful.

This pic of Sam was taken Friday when it was nice and dry.

Andy's hair frizzed up like mine. Still a cutie.

One other GREAT thing about this weekend was conference. We listened to what we could in the car and it was so positive and uplifting. Definately a nice way to travel.

Mini Vaycay

We are off to St. George to enjoy a little R & R.

We hope to see some beautiful fall foliage . . .

as well as watch a bit of this . . .

The Bradshaws need a break! Have a great weekend everyone!

WE'RE PREGNANT!

We've been trying to keep it a secret for a month now and we can finally tell everyone! WE'RE HAVING A BABY! We went to the doctor this morning and we saw our baby for the first time! Baby Bradshaw was kicking and moving like crazy as soon as the technician found it on the ultrasound. Benj said, "It's no wonder you've been feeling nauseous." It was the cutest, sweetest little thing ever! I think Benj and I were just struck with awe as soon as we saw it. The baby has a nice, strong heartbeat and as soon as I heard it beat, I started tearing up. What an amazing experience! The doc says that it's about 3 cm or 1 1/2 inches. The estimated due date is April 16th, 2 days before Benj's birthday. So we're about 10 weeks along. We look forward to the months ahead and will keep you posted with any new info!
Oh, and for those of you curious, I've been feeling pretty good this trimester. I have my nauseous moments and definately a lot of tired moments, but I can't complain. P.S. For any moms out there, I greatly appreciate any advice you have. This is all very new to me!