Mac

I am loving our new apple computer. Stephen got this as a Christmas present from work for getting so many sales this year! Way to go babe... I love you!

...

I am not a complainer... I'm really not... but can I just write a couple of my feelings down right now and maybe I will feel a little better.

1. I am not a very emotional person... I don't cry very often and if I do no one will usually ever see it. Now I feel like the smallest things will make me cry! I don't know what these pregnancy hormones are doing but I don't think I like it.

2. I felt so confident about this semester and knew I could finish even though my baby is due in the middle of my practicum. Now that school has started and all the work is piling on I feel so overwhelmed and I am scared of how stressful and challenging this semester will be. I hate the thought of having my baby and having to go right back to school as soon as possible. I think it is going to tear me apart being away everyday right after she is born. Finishing my education is SO important to me but so is being a mom...

3. My body aches and I am not sleeping well... some nights I am so uncomfortable I feel like I hardly slept because I was tossing and turning all night. Not to mention that I get up at least 5 times to pee. My lower back and right hip must be out of adjustment... when I sit to long I can barely walk normal when I stand up.

4. Now to top it all off... I think I am getting sick which is not a good way to start the semester off. My head is pounding and every inch of my body aches. I can't take any medicine besides Tylenol because I am pregnant but Tylenol isn't doing a thing.

Thank you for letting me complain for a minute. I really don't normally do that. I think I just needed to write that down and get it out of the way. I shouldn't be complaining though because I have so many things to be grateful for such as:

1. I have a wonderful, loving, generous, and thoughtful husband who works so hard everyday to support our family.

2. I live in a beautiful home, in a great neighborhood, with the best ward.

3. I have a little baby girl growing inside of me who I have so much love for and can't wait until I can finally hold her!

4. My Parents moved out to Utah which made the start of 2011 a GREAT year.

5. I have amazing teachers who are working with me so that I can finish school and graduate as soon as possible with a baby.

6. I have the gospel and the Savior to rely on when I am not feeling 100% which brings me so much comfort.

Thank you for letting me vent a little bit. Like I said I am not one to complain especially when there are so many people going through so many more challenges than I am right now. Mine are just minor but sometimes it just feels good to write them down.

One last Christmas in Georgia!

Stephen and I flew to Georgia for one last Christmas! Both of our parents have moved to Utah which we are thrilled about. It is so fun to have family so close. We had a wonderful Christmas Break relaxing and not having to worry about school. It was so fun to be with my family and be in Georgia one last time.

While we were out there I decided to cut my bangs. I wanted some kind of change but I wasn't brave enough to cut my hair short so I decided I would do something a little less drastic and cut my bangs. Bangs grow back fast so if I didn't like them they would be long again in a couple weeks! :)

Here is my Dad and two of my brothers making breakfast one morning. How I enjoyed that home cooking... I have deff missed that!

Here is my wonderful Mom before we went out for a girls day to shop. One thing I have loved about being the only girl is going out shopping and spending all day together. We always have so much fun and I love the relationship we have. I have an amazing mother!

You can't go a Christmas without making gingerbread houses from scratch. We tend to get quite creative and I love seeing what everyone comes up with.

I forgot to put a picture of me and Stephen's finished gingerbread house... I guess you will just have to imagine it.

Elysse and I have been best friends/ best cousins since we were little! We grew up together in Georgia and always had so much fun! I love getting to spend time with her.

Christmas Eve at the Allmans!

One of my favorite presents I got Christmas morning. Thanks Travis and Spencer :)

Christmas Day it snowed. We couldn't believe it. It never snows in Georgia and it was so fun to have a white Christmas!

Handsome handsome boys!

Stephen and I drove to Peachtree city with Ben and Christy to visit their grandparents. It was so much fun to spend time with them. We even got to go on a little golf cart ride.

We love seeing and spending time with Ben, Christy, Emma, and Matthew!

Kelly and I have always been really close friends growing up. She is pregnant with her first baby as well. YAY!

Christmas was so much fun in Georgia and it was so nice having a break from school! I am even more excited for this New Year now that my parents have moved out to Utah... it is so nice to have them close by.

Ginger Bread Houses!

Christmas time isn't complete without gingerbread house making. Even when you eat half the candy while you are making it. ;) We had everyone over for broccoli and cheese soup before we began the gingerbread house making competition! :)

Here is our house. We weren't completely finished but here it is half way done!

Adam and Amanda's masterpiece

Philip and Theresa's gingerbread village!

Happy Birthday STEPHEN!

Stephens birthday was last Thursday and he turned 25!! We had such a fun day! I woke up early to make his favorite breakfast before he headed off to school. We had bacon, eggs, toast, and Orange Juice. Then he opened his birthday presents and was off to school. That night we celebrated with his family at Carrabas for dinner and then everyone came to our place for cake and ice-cream. Happy Birthday babe... I LOVE YOU!

We didn't even mean to match!

Right when he woke up... getting reading to open presents and eat breakfast.

On Friday I made Christmas treats for friends, family, and neighbors. I put them in little baggies with red, green, and gold ribbon. They were super easy and super yummy! ;)

All you need is:
Bite size waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M candy

*Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

*Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

*Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

They are DELICIOUS! Some people also use Rolos in place of the kisses and put a pecan on top instead of an M&M. Both are great!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Clutter Free

I LOVE organization. This is deff a quality I got from my Mom. I just feel so much better when my home is organized and free of clutter. I wish I would have taken a picture of the garage before we organized it and built shelves. It was a complete disaster because we just threw everything in the garage when we were remodeling and things just continued to pile up. One Saturday we took a huge load of stuff to the dump, a load to DI, and then organized the stuff we kept. Stephen built these amazing shelves with my Dad's help and we LOVE them. Eventually we will build more when we run out of space. Now we can park in the garage and enjoy an organized, clutter free garage! :)

Jen and Steve!

Stephen is writing a paper tonight and I got caught up looking at the million pictures we have together. They brought back so many fun memories of dating, getting engaged, and getting married. I thought I would share a few... well a lot. Enjoy! ;)














Good luck with finals!!!!! I won't be able to post again until after finals are over... then I will have a life again! :)