our little guy

in all his glory. obviously there was no question what we were having

a profile shot. it's pretty incredible to see how he actually looks like a little human now (it wasn't as clear in our earlier ultrasounds). he has one of his arms above his head and you can see his little fist.

cute little feet!

it's a...

our little man wanted us to know he was a boy. he had those legs spread WIDE open! he is healthy and quite the mover. jackie, who did our ultrasound, said he was quite the "showboater." he clapped for us and at one point we caught him just chillin', laying back with his feet crossed at the ankles. we can't wait to meet him! let the planning begin!

it's also my first day wearing maternity clothes (well the shirt is maternity). it's actually more to accommodate my boobs than my belly (tmi?!). it's a big day all around!

sweethearts day

for valentines day dave took me back to a place that has been special throughout our relationship...the aquarium in downtown denver. it was there that we went on our very first date in september 2005. it was also there in may 2007 (picture below) he made me think he was going to propose (i was certain it was going to happen. imagine my disappointment...and frustration when it didn't happen).

but it was all part of his plan to throw me off. instead he proposed to me 2 days later when i wasn't even expecting it. 

so we headed back down and enjoyed wandering through the exhibits and had a delicious dinner at the restaurant (which has a great ambiance. one whole wall of the restaurant is an aquarium and you can watch fish and sharks swim by while you eat. and just in case you were wondering, no, they don't pull your food out of the tank and kill it if you order seafood). 

 

dave also got me flowers (he knows his wife well) and some great stuff from bath and body works (i thought the box below was so cute so i took a picture). the night ended just the way every night should end (but doesn't end). with me getting a nice back massage and foot rub! 

love you baby!

arizona

we spent a lovely weekend in arizona with dave's grandparents. they hosted us at beautiful "hotel del muir" and the accommodations and service were top notch!

the fantastic host and hostess - they sure spoiled us

one of the many amenities at hotel del muir: fresh fruit and i mean fresh! picked right off the tree in the backyard (i actually liked the grapefruit, although i am not sure if all the nutritional value was nullified by dousing it in sugar) and eating it in the sun on the back patio by the fountain. 

plus i got to spend all day with my sweet husband for 4 days straight! that made the trip the best! 

arizona: day 1

we couldn't venture so close to an in 'n out without stopping in. it was out first stop after we landed (it seemed to foreshadow what would be a main part of our trip...food). dave looked forward to this stop from the moment we booked our flight.

 

dave's grandparents both have their concealed weapons permit and are regulars at the shooting range. i was so excited to go and give it a try. i preferred grandma's revolver and got lucky with a few semi-decent shots. dave was awesome and even got a bulls-eye or 2 (and just looked dang hot shooting a gun)! i must admit, i felt pretty tough. 

cruisin' in the golf cart over to the country club to go swimming. dave and i were definitely the whitest people there (pasty white). those old folks were pretty dang tan.  i have spared y'all pictures of us in our swimming suits. you're welcome.

yes, i know i happen to have my eyes closed in the picture above. i swear i am a safe driver though.

arizona: days 2 & 3

our days continued to be filled with fun...

we attended a session at the mesa arizona temple and it was beautiful, inside and out!

 

we enjoyed a little pampering by grandma. she had this cool nail buffer that made your nails super smooth. even the guys got in on it (probably the first and last time dave will get his nails done :)

while looking through hilarious old family photos we ran across one of grandpa sporting a killer hat (complete with long hair). i was dying! it must have been my lucky day because he pulled it out and modeled it!

we couldn't resist another jaunt around the neighborhood in the golf cart. check out the sign they have posted. i couldn't resist a picture.

i felt like we were eating the whole trip. lots and lots of really good food non-stop. a cute little neighborhood italian place, a fantastic mexican restaurant, paradise bakery and texas roadhouse. we felt like dave looks below...stuffed the whole time.

 

me eating my last (and best) orange of the trip. it was heaven being able to pick it right off the tree.

the best host and hostess busy in the kitchen. they made this trip soo fun. thanks grandma and grandpa! we can't wait to come back and visit again!

baby steps

remember how my last post was about how dave and i are trying to eat a little more healthy? well today he had top ramen for lunch and i had macaroni and cheese (yes, the kind that comes in a blue box and the "cheese" actually comes from orange powder). but you know what? it tasted good...at least in the moment. afterward i was feeling a little sick which could also have been a result of me feeling a little disgusted with myself (but i must admit those "awful" foods like mac 'n cheese and top ramen have sounded good to me during my pregnancy). anyway, baby steps to healthier eating, right?! tonight mongolian beef is on the menu. i don't know if it's actually healthy, but it doesn't come in a box and boy is it good. 

a bit of a bust

tonight i decided to try a new recipe for dinner. i was pretty excited about it. i have been trying to find some healthy recipes and this one had whole wheat pasta and a light sauce made from fresh lemons (rather than the thick, creamy sauces i am usually attracted to). it seemed like it might be a winner...until we took the first bite. it didn't take long to see that dave was not digging the new recipe. i told him i wouldn't be offended if he wanted to throw it out and have something else. he was practically out of his chair on the way to the kitchen by the time i finished my sentence. i tried to stick it out for a few more bites, but in the end we both ended up with a dinner of honey nut cheerios. oh well. it was worth a shot. i would welcome any healthy recipes that could be appreciated by a non-health nut family. but for the time being i will feel good about the fact that we are eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables (sunflower market, i love you).  

glory days

the last few saturdays we've had young women's basketball going on. it has really brought me back to intense games in the easter building many, many years ago. i don't know if they can really qualify as "glory days," but i must say the littleton 2nd ward girls rocked the house when it came to basketball.  seriously, we didn't mess around. we were out for blood and victory! things are a little more low key with our young women and they're just happy to be playing and learning. today we didn't have enough girls to play so we recruited a little sister to play (a 9 year old representative from primary) and me and mindy (another leader) got to play! i think we were more pumped than the girls to play. i must say my skills were definitely rusty and i missed more lay-ups than i would care to admit, but boy was it fun to be back on the court again!

oh the difference location can make when defining "winter"

we spent last weekend in arizona. it's hard to go from this:

to this:

more az pictures to come!

twenty-eight

the years keep flying by. i don't know how i've gotten all the way to 28 (i'm not complaining. i'm happy to have made it this far). my birthday was all a birthday should be...lots of celebrations and lots of love from family and friends. i'm a big fan of all the ways birthday wishes (aka love) can come...i got text messages, phone calls, cards, emails, blog comments and facebook messages. they all sure made a girl feel special!

the celebration started days before my real birthday and ended days after it (just the way it should be!

celebration #1

dave went all out again this year. he invited a few lovely ladies (as seen below) and served cheese and s'mores chocolate fondue. above you'll see him in action welcoming everyone and taking drink orders (he sure knows how to ham it up). he shopped, cleaned, decorated, prepared and served the food. yes, i know he is amazing and i am one lucky girl!

his "subtle" tip jar. it didn't really work though. all he got was a few jelly beans and a chewed squishy square thing (chewed compliments of payton smith). i don't know how far that's going to get him. don't be deceived though...he provided great service. i wish i would have taken a picture of the delicious (and beautiful) spread. it was a great night eating and chatting (2 of my favorite things)!

celebration #2

we had a special birthday dinner with my parents and it was delicious! my mom decorated the table so cute (as she always does) and i loved it. i even got to eat off of the "special" red plate!

my beautiful mom!

celebration #3 

see picture at the top of the blog. dinner with my sweet hubby at a thai restaurant i love!

celebration #4

dinner with pete, kathy and kari (dave's fabulous family) at cpk. they spoiled me and even brought me these gorgeous flowers.

if all birthdays are like this one i can handle getting older each year!

REALLY, REALLY excited

disclaimer: i am a total nerd. for those that don't already know it, this post will confirm it.

i have often joked about making a paper chain to countdown to an event i am excited for. well i have actually done it this time. dave and i are sooo excited to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl. i honestly don't know how people don't find out. i think they're crazy! so i made the official paper chain countdown. hopefully baby wessler will cooperate at our 20 week appointment!

 

one of those moments where you can only shake your head at your own stupidity

friday i was leaving work at 5:20 pm, grateful that a *long* work week was finally over. i started digging around in my purse for my keys and couldn't find them. i moved onto the pockets of my jacket without any luck. and then i had a sinking feeling. i ran out to the parking lot and peeked in the window of my car and there were my keys, safe and sound in the ignition of my locked car (i must have pulled them out enough so the car didn't ding at me, but not enough to actually make it into my purse). at least it wasn't running (yes, i have done that before at valet parking at a hotel...i will spare you the whole story). so i called dave and explained the situation. he was about 15 minutes from home and headed there to get the spare key, only to find that it was missing from it's usual place (later i discovered it in the middle compartment of my car. it didn't do us a lot of good there). he ran to my parent's house and picked up their spare key and crawled his way through particularly bad rush hour traffic to rescue me. he arrived and hour later and i was so grateful to finally be heading home (i have to say there were a disturbing amount of cars still in the parking lot on at 6:30 on a friday night). it was a rough start to the night, but ended up great with some $5 little caesar's pizza and epidsode 3 of star wars. needless to say, we are heading to ace hardware on a key making spree (and i am even going to keep a spare key at work).