What I love most about summer

Summer is my favorite season. Here are a few things I love about it:

- LOooooong Days
- BBQ's!!
- Swimming
- driving with the windows down
- Slurpies
- riding bikes at night
- cute summer clothes
- cute summer toes :)
- popsicles
- sprinklers
- warm breezes
I could go on and on. I seriously wake up every morning with a smile on my face. Oh ya, I almost forgot... Last night I felt KICKING for the first time! Kicks! It was incredible. I can't wait to be a mommy.

My brother Mike grilling like a pro

Keith being a man

My baby bump!!! 20-weeks

Millie and Roscoe playing in the sun

Oh BOY Oh BOY oh BOY!!!

You know that feeling you get the day after Christmas when you re-realize that Christmas really happened and you have new wonderful things to play with? Sleep lets you forget for a few hours, but when you wake up and remember you get butterflies all over again. Thats how I felt this morning. So many feelings running through me right now. Having the ultra sound yesterday was the highlight of my pregnancy so far.

I was shaking a little from excitement as she put the warm jelly on my tummy and the face of our little bun popped on the screen. Keith held my hand as the wand scanned over the perfect little parts of the miracle inside me. Keith was positive it was a girl. His certainty of that fact was unwavering. He told everyone it was a girl. In fact, we had only come up with girl names, looked at girl things.

When she told us we were having a little BOY, a wave of shock struck us both! If only you could've seen the look on Keith's face! A BOY!!! What?! How did our little girl grow a boy part?! Haha!

I couldn't be happier. My first child, a son. To set the example, to protect his younger siblings. All I could think about was how it was possible to feel so much happiness. I'm going to have a son. Keith Dyer's baby boy. Unbelievable. The rest of the ultra sound was sort of a blurr. Baby is healthy, heart looks good, everything looks normal. We are having a BOY. New due date is October 31st, halloween. I can't wait to meet him.

Youth Conference 2010

A little taste of the fun we had at Youth Conference:

We stayed here. Pineview Resevoir.

We split into tribes and made cheers.

Played games. Relay Raced to our hearts content.

Stuffed our faces.

Visited with the Elderly, and put on skits for them.

Entertained ourselves!

Smiled a lot.

And studied the good word.

More pictures to come...

A tribute to those who bought our freedom

I got online this morning and came across this picture:

I don't know if the pregnancy hormones are kicking, but this image made me cry.

Her fiance died fighting for our country 3 years ago and this was her first time to his grave since his passing. The photographer said she laid there and sobbed. They were going to get married when he returned.

Broke my heart. 

I found this quote and thinks it is so perfect:

"...I'll never know what it feels like to leave my family behind and fight for our country.

But I do know how it feels to exercise freedom. I know what it feels like to fly a kite, eat berries fresh off the vine, wade barefoot down a cool stream, skip rocks at the lake, go to a rodeo, sing on stage, watch animals at the zoo. I know what it feels like to count the stars, sip lemonade during a Maui sunset, eat at Taco Bell for lunch and again for dinner, and write my name on the sand at the beach. I know what it feels like to have a pillow fight, hit a home run, lie in a meadow and watch the cloud races, ride a good horse on a beautiful mountain, and listen to bluegrass music while lounging on the hammock.

I know what it feels like buy an ice-cream cone on a scorching summer day and try to eat it before it melts down my arm. I know what it feels like have a milk moustache contest with my kids. I know what it feels like hold my dear wife close and dance the night away in a parking lot during a rainstorm.

In short -- I know what it feels like to pursue happiness. I feel confident in saying that I would not know that pursuit without the service of all of the fine men and women who now, and in the past, have worn the uniform, bore the burden, and bought our freedom. The men and women who are cut from the cloth that puts honor above personal desire, those who have chosen an occupation guaranteeing our emancipation; those who daily sacrifice for our daily freedoms.This holiday weekend -- between the burgers and the dogs, and with all of the civilian respect I can muster -- I salute all of the veterans and soldiers who courageously have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice their time, lifestyle and lives in the service of this great country."

- Tug Gettling

Summertime Gratitude

Summers are a little crazy.

Keith travels with work every week and is gone for 5 days.

Its hard sometimes.

I miss having him around.

The phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is absolutely true in our case.

By the time Saturday rolls around I am bouncing all over the house deciding what to make for dinner, what the weekend plans are, and how to squeeze the most of our time together into 2 short days.

Sometimes I feel like we did when we were dating.

You know, back when we were still trying to impress each other. :)

Last week I was the one who left on a little vacation with my mom and brother. 

 Keith was home by himself feeling what I usually feel in his absence at home.

I came home to a sparkling clean house.

Fresh white roses on the table.

And my boyfriend got a hair cut.

He still manages to melt my heart.

So even though I keep myself busy while he is gone with family, friends, and random projects around the house, its moments like these:

that remind me just how lucky I am.

Being away from each other so much isn't easy, but I know that at the end of the day,

I am only grateful.

Grateful to have him.

Grateful for life.

More appreciative of the time we do have with each other.

Grateful he has a job and works to provide for our family.

Grateful there will be another little face in this picture pretty soon.

Millie Jean is not my lover...

Okay. Thats not true.

She is my lover.

ANNOUNCEMENT TIME!!!!!!!

Yes, the rumors are all true. We are expecting a BABY here at the Dyer residence. Coming this November the 8th, and we are thrilled! I still can't believe I am going to be a mommy! We couldn't be more excited about this addition to our family! I'm 15 weeks along, finally out of the  first trimester! I had quiet the scare at about 8 weeks. Turns out the placenta ripped away from my uterus, resulting in about 4 weeks of bed rest. What a relief it was to see the baby at that first ultra sound. Since then I've been able to see it 2 more times, hear that little heart beat, and feel the amazing feeling of knowing I am assisting Heavenly Father in creating a life. Its such a miracle! The placenta re-attached thanks to the power of the priesthood and all the prayers from our loved ones. I'd love to post the ultra sound pictures, but we don't have a scanner and I even if we did I'm not sure I would know how to post it. Either way, here is a bit of what I've been feeling:

1) AWE.  That every human being comes into the world this way, you can't call the stork. That woman actually put themselves through this more than once. That my life will never again be the same, and I don't care because I am so happy.

2) FAT.   You can't tell that I'm pregnant yet, it just looks like I've been eating cookies for every meal the past few months. Some of my favorite clothes just don't fit anymore.

3) EXHAUSTED.   Taking a shower feels like running 6 miles. And I can't run 6 miles anymore. I am lucky if I can jog for maybe 1 mile without needing a nap. Sleep has never been so good, so deep, or so frequent.

4) LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP W/ FOOD.     Couldn't stand eating some of my favorite things! What is that? I had the weirdest cravings only because those things were the only things that didn't make me want to throw up.

5) ALL DAY SICKNESS.   Morning sickness is a lie, it lasts all day. My two favorite "T"'s - Tylenol and Tums. Bad headaches and heartburn from you know where.

6) EXCITED.  Its really happening. I am going to be a mother. Pinch me.

Okay, sorry for venting. The past couple weeks have been wonderful, my energy has come back, and food and I are becoming friends again. People always tell me that the reason why woman get pregnant again is because they are built with an eraser in their brains. After the baby is born you magically forget all the bad things about pregnancy and thus fall into the baby trap again. My eraser must be already working because these past couple weeks have been so good I found myself actually forgetting how miserable the first few weeks were.  

So that's it. I am blaming my lack of blogging on the little apple in my belly. (Does anyone else love how the sizing charts are based on fruits?)