Ginger Bread Men and 6 months pregnant

Kent had this great recipe called "Stub Toe Joe" cookies; basically a gingerbread recipe. It was so fun and tasty we ended up making a bunch of ginger bread men and women for our neighbors. Somehow during the process of our baking Kent made a pregnant ginger bread lady cookie without me seeing and wrote LGS, "Little Girl Slack" on the belly. He gave it to me after words and I laughed. It was cute.

So now I am 6 months pregnant. Yep our Little Girl Slack is getting big and it is kinda hard to bend over now. It is bit strange having someone kicking around in my belly. Maybe it's all them ginger bread men I ate.

Nightmares

Why am I up reading my friends blog posts at almost 4:45 in the morning? NIGHTMARES!!!

I feel like I am a little kid again these days waking up to scary dreams, but it is true. I don't know if it is the pregnancy thing or what but these dreams are so real and scary. For example I just woke upbecause all my friends, family, and I caught some horrible disease where the blood stopped flowing to the extremities of our body and started moving backwards to the vital organs and little by little we were dying. I can't handle this! Has anyone else had this crazy dream problem while pregnant?

Kent's Birthday & Picacho Peak

So Kent had a Birthday last week. He is now getting old- 27! That night we got Thai food, one of our favorites and went star gazing.

The next day we went and hiked Picacho Peak near Tuscon. There were metal rods at some points where the rock was really steep.

An amazing view at the top!

Camelbacks and a Belly Pack

We decided to hike to the top of the Superstition Mountains to Flat Iron and the Hoodoos. Yep there is the Mountain! Cool huh?!
We started up the canyon as it began to rain...Oh well the weather always does that to our plans.
I never realized how hard it was to hike 2800 ft up a mountain being 5 1/2 months pregnant. I had to stop and rest a lot to say the least. Kent was awesome.
We finally, emphasis on finally, made it to the top and the Mesa AZ valley was below us.
We ate lunch as the clouds and wind kept rolling in.
Going to the Hoodoos at the top was the coolest part
expect when a cactus got Kent, and another punctured into my leg.
We went climbing and bouldering around a bit through the Hoodoos.
Before it started raining heavy again we made our way back down. I was so tired and sore I could barely keep going. But it was all worth it!Six hours later we were out. A good celebration of our 1 year anniversary of our Engagement Nov. 14 2008, where I was proposed to on top of Camelback Mt.The Superstition Mountains, Arizona!

A Trip to Sedona

Kent and I took a day trip out to Sedona, AZ to get away from the cactus. It was amazing a beautiful out there. Red rocks and fall colors. I recommend fun get-away trips.

After seeing the red rocks, we saw Cathedral Rock which was quite amazing; A chapel built into the rock. We even went inside.

We then went hiking on the most gorgeous trail which looked like Zion's NP, the Subway, and Provo Canyon all in one.

After blizzards at Dairy Queen we went to the famous Montezuma's Castle. I don't know why we have to pay $5 to see a National Monument but it was cool anyway.

Halloween

Yep, we carved a pumpkin. My favorite part is after opening the top, when I get to put my hand inside and scoop out the gooey slimy pumpkin seeds, then bake them. You can see my budda belly pumpkin tummy.
We went to our ward's trunk or treat party and made my car into a monster...
Kent got in it and when the little kids came by he scared them, then gave them candy. It was great.

You're Going to Miss This

I was sitting here thinking about the fun times I had up at BYU, great friends, late nights, roomates, dating, crazy activities, always going, going, and doing something fun. I do miss it.

I also just love this new stage of life being newly married and pregnant, in a family ward here in AZ. We live in a one room apt. and Kent is trying to get through school. It is a happy time and fun to do things together as a married couple.

I caught myself thinking today, I can't wait for the baby to come and to have a real house one day; that will be fun. Then I thought about something me dad told me: that this time in our lives is a precious time when it will be just us two and to enjoy it. After this baby comes life will never be the same for us.

It reminded me of this song by Trace Adkins You're Going to Miss This.

Oh ya, I live in Arizona...

It is nearing the end of October and I am hearing about the beautiful leaves in Provo Canyon, the cold chill taking hold of New York, the snow starting to flutter around the country, the beautiful crisp fall air.

But yet here, something seems a bit wrong. Our air conditioning is still running. The weather report today states it is 100 degrees !!!!! The only change in color Kent and I can detect in the trees is the citrus fruits turning yellow.

The cactus' around me seem to be laughing, " ha ha ha there is no fall in AZ, cactus' can't loose their leaves. No crisp fall air, no sweaters, or colors, it will be hot forever in this desert." ahhhh!!!!

Ultrasound

Well, today was ultrasound day, and we found out that it is a little Girl! The baby was very active and was moving all around. Here are some pictures.

4 Months Pregnant

Yep this week I am officially 18 weeks along/ 4 months! The weird thing is that my belly just popped right out this week too. I looked totally normal last week, then BAM this week I popped right out and my pants don't even fit.

We will find out in a week or two what the gender is. Make a guess. Yea I can't wait. Kent thinks it is a boy for sure. I think every dad thinks their unborn baby will be a boy though. I am still back and forth. We shall see....

Beach Bums

We headed out to California at the end of the summer before Kent started up school again to visit my folks and and the beach. It was fun, though a abnormally chile day at the beach.

Kent and I went boogy boarding and even tryed out skim boarding but couldn't get the thing to work for us, even though all the kids around us were skim boarding like pros.
My parents got in the water with us for a little while but ended up changing back into their normal clothes and reading the rest of the day. I remided my dad that your not supposed to wear long pants and socks to the beach. He said he didn't want to blind everybody with his white legs. They are fun. My dad played some frisbee with us. It was a good trip to California.

Beware of the Scorpions

The past few days we have found two different scorpions in our apt. One on the door frame; I screamed and Kent Killed it with the end of a broom stick. And the other on the shower curtain this morning; I am glad Kent took his shower first. All I can say is this is getting kinda scary.

Cinnamon Roll Night

This last weekend, we went over to one of our friends homes for dinner. As part of this, they asked us to bring a dessert. Sometime in the previous week we had eaten a yummy cinnamon roll, but there was only one so we decided to make more. These are pictures of our cinnamon roll making endeavors. They turned out really good, though they made for a really messy kitchen.

The Heart Beat

Kent and I went to our ob appointment last week and the most exciting thing ever happened. The doctor put the doppler up to my lower abdomen and there it was....a quick little heart beat, beating 162 beats per minute. It was so amazing!!! Wow, now it doesn't seem like I am making the whole thing up anymore.

The unknown rule of pregnancy

So, I guess there is a rule out there...I have never heard of this rule before, but everybody else obviously knows about this rule except me...that you aren't supposed to do flips off the diving board when you are pregnant.

After doing a flip off the diving board the other day and huring my upper back/neck a little, I have been kindly informed about this rule by many people.

They ask how I hurt my back and I say, "I did a flip off the diving board." And every time I get the same look or expression of disbelief and horror. Then they say, "I can't believe it, you should know you aren't supposed to do flips off the diving board when you are pregnant."

I really did not know this rule. I am not even showing yet either.

Anyway, to inform any other unknowing people out there: There is a rule that you are not suppossed to do flips off the diving board when you are pregnant.

You know you live in Arizona when...

1) everyone in your neighborhood has rocks in their front yard instead of grass and cactus' instead of trees.

2) the coldest glass of water you can get out of the faucet is the temperature of bath water.

3)you put a pair of gloves on whenever you get into your car so the steering wheel does not burn your hands.

4) it is still 100 degrees outside in the middle of the night.

5) you think going swimming will cool you down but the pool water is even hot.

Protest/ Rally

There definately needs to be some change in the health care system but Kent and I think the proposed Health care bill has some faults so we decided to join Granddad in a rally to protest against it. It was fun and interesting.

SPEAKING THEIR MINDS: A large group of protestors wave their signs at the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale roads during a protest of President Obama's health care plan. Aug. 8, 2009.

Ralph Freso, Tribune

Our Summer

Our summer has been HOT and fun. It is a whole new ball game in Arizona. That is why we made our way up back to Utah 3 times this summer. Here are some photos:

The arizona lake to cool down

Zion's National Park with my family and friends. We are greatful we are still alive.

Hanging out with the family in Utah. Brigham cooked us hambergers on the 4th of July. Caving in the peppersauce caves near Tucson, AZ.

Kent's sister's wedding, my brother's wedding, a family reunion, online classes, work and a lot of hot sun. Good summer and it is not over yet.

Life

So our house smells better now! Kent and I our craming in our last few school assignment between work trying to get ready to go to Utah for Brigham's wedding. Kent bought me tickets to go see the broadway Wicked, that is in AZ now, for my birthday tonight. AZ is soooo hot the only form of exercise I can think of doing is lap swims in the city pool. And it is now monsoon season here in AZ, that was scary with the thunder and lighting. YEa for life.

The Mystery of the Wierd Smell

So a few weeks ago our apt all of a sudden started smelling funny. It is a total mystery of where it is coming from; we've checked everywhere, drains, sinks, plumming, hinden corners. Nothing! I told Gabe and he thinks it's my shoes- it's not. Grandad came out to check it out and he got down on his hands and knees trying to stiff it out....nothing! We have no clue. This is really embarassing too. What do we do?

Revenge of the Nerf Gun

So, I was preparing a lesson for the Young Women about forgiveness and not seeking revenge. I discussed with Kent, for a moment, the principle of not seeking revenge and the harm it can do to someones life who seeks revenge. A minute later Kent disappeared from the living room... then I heard the shots of our nerf gun and saw balls flying at me. I screamed and jumped up to get the other nerf gun and nail Kent as he was shooting me. Through laughs he said, "Stop, Wait, I want you to practice the principle you teach and not seek revenge on me." Oh no he was GOING DOWN!

And the call it a "hike"

Pinnacle Peak, a majestic name. Dayna heard of this peak and we both decided that it would be fun to hike this peak in north Scottsdale today. It would be a great way for us to get to know the area we live in a little more.

We had to park a quarter mile away due to a lack of parking. This turned out to be a good thing because this extra walk just about doubled the length of the hike.

The first sign that this would not be a 'real' hike came when we entered the main parking lot.
There was not a single car in the parking lot that was not brand new and fancy. Therefore, this must be a classy hike. This was not too much of a surprise because of the classy nature of Scottsdale, but still not a good sign for a hike.

We started up the hike by walking past the Visitor's Center. Wait, what kind of random, one trail, hike has a visitor's center? It's not like this is a state or national park. May I re-emphasize that there is only a single, short, trail.

Then at the trail head there was this sign... It says something like "grab a rock or two to make your hike challenging".

If you need to carry rocks for a hike to be challenging it makes you wonder, weird....

We hiked for a little over a quarter of a mile and came to a offshoot trail for rock climbers. Dayna couldn't resist the temptation to check out the rock climbing routes, so we took this side trail. We were able to see some cool, expert level, rock climbing routes and this trail took us up to the base of the big rock outcropping that makes up the top of Pinnacle Peak.

We decided to see if we could find the main trail and see how it makes its way up to the top of Pinnacle Peak. We scrambled around for a few minutes before we realized that the Pinnacle Peak hike does not hike Pinnacle Peak. Instead, it winds around the base of the hill, as can be seen in the picture below.

We were shocked. We wanted to hike a peak, and the trail doesn't even attempt to approach the peak. Fortunately, we were among the fortunate few who actually got to hike up Pinnacle Peak due to our explorations and curiosity.

Downfalls of Night shift

Downfalls of a Pediatric Night shift Nurse:
Being a nightshift nurse makes me feel like a vampire sometimes; sucking patient's blood in the middle of the night (for labwork of coarse, or is it?). Anyway, sometimes I am a little slow at 2:00am, I think any normal person would be, like I am sleepwalking around the unit. After coming out of a spanish speaking patient's room, I went into my next patient's room. I asked the mom how the baby was doing and she just stared at me with a concerned face. I thought, oh no, something is wrong with the baby. I asked again again what was going on and she even had a more concerned face. I went over to the baby thinking something must be terribly wrong and then...... the mother asked, "what language are you speaking?"

Thirst

Have you ever been so hot and thirsty after a fast sunday in Arizona that you drink two full glasses of water mixed with punch, then a third, then a forth and you are still thirsty but nothing else will fit in your stomach? Then what do you do? It's a crazy thing I'm telling you.

The "Orange" and the prankster husband

After a long night shift I arrived home to a yummy waffle breakfast and orange slices my husband had so kindly made up for me. Oh what a sweet, caring, loving husband, I thought as I finished my waffles and started munching down on the juicy sweet orange slices. I picked up the next orange slice, bit into it, and the thoughts I had of a sweet, caring, loving husband suddenly changed. I looked up, with a cringed face, to see Kent with a big grin. He had stuck a lemon slice amongst my oranges, just waiting for me to take a bite...He's going down.

The defeat against the SCORPION

So, I was out on our balcony, just cleaning and minding my own business, when a scorpion almost killed me. It didn't actually sting me but it was a close one. Then the nerve, it tried to excape with it's creepy little legs and curved tail and get into my apartment. Kent was't there to save me; so I knew right then and there it was either me or the scorpion, one of us was going to die. I mustered up all my courage. I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth and headed for the enemy. I felt the crunch under my shoe and saw the juice as it squished. UUUHHHHH! It was so awful and scary. But I am still alive to tell of my defeat against the scorpion.

It's a New Life

This is our new blog, as we start out our new life as a married couple. We were married and sealed together for time and all eternity in the Provo Temple on March 7, 2009.

OUR LIFE SINCE THEN:
We then moved into a little one bedroom apt in Scottsdale, Arizona near ASU.
Dayna began her new job at Banner Children's Hospital in Mesa on the infant unit which she enjoys, but got stuck night shifts where she feels like she is sleep walking. Kent is finishing up his Master's degree at ASU in educational technology while working for a professor on a physics educational project.
Kent just got called to the activities commitee (this ward has a lot of activities) and he continues to serve on the ASU institute council. Dayna just got called to be young women president in her new ward.
Kent just got accepted to the ASU doctorate program in his same field and Dayna to the ASU master's program in nursing education for the fall.

When we have free time we like to go to the park around the corner to fly kites, throw frisbee's and jog, play racket ball, explore the new places here, camp amongst the cactus', visit family, have nerf ball gun wards and just have fun.