Happy Birthday Laurel!

Today is Laurel Walker's Birthday! Laurel and I met for the first time in the dorms at BYU. She ended up being my roommate throughout much of BYU & she is still one of my favorite people and friends. She lives in New York so I don't see her nearly as often as I'd like....but I look forward to seeing her in NY in a few weeks!
Laurel is so fun to be around....she has a great laugh/giggle! She's the type of person that is always thinking of others. She's a great mom to Avery & I'm grateful to have her as a friend.
Happy Birthday Laurel!

Roommate Reunion

Lindsay, Trisha, Laurel & Macie 2007



Lindsay, Laurel & Trisha at BYU



Laurel, Trisha & Lindsay at BYU




Lindsay, Trisha, Laurel B. & Laurel W in Vegas 2006

We had a roommate reunion this week! Laurel Bogner came to Vegas as the first stop on her 2 week road trip so Trisha and I got to see her. She stayed with me one night and Trisha the other. We went out to dinner & basically just talked and laughed for hours and hours. We even watched a video that I made for them of our 4 years at BYU. Definitely brought back some fun memories!

The three of us were roommates for all 4 years at BYU so you can imagine how well we know each other. We got to live with Laurel Walker for a few years too before she got married. We missed you this week Laurel! It's definitely not the same without you!

I'm so grateful for these three girls. They truly are such wonderful people & great friends. I'm glad we are still so close! Love you girls & wish I could see you more often.

A bridal shower for Tara

Ali threw a bridal shower for a mutual friend of ours, Tara, on Saturday. Sam & I helped on the actual day get everything set up. We had it in my parent's backyard so there was quite a bit of clean-up to do prior to the shower since they are out of town. All of the work was totally worth it. It was a perfect day. Sunny....no wind....just perfect.
Ali does such a good job when she throws a shower. Wonderful food, great favors, beautiful flowers, and we even played a game called Whoopi where she had great prizes! I won a Nordstrom gift card! It was nice to be able to do something nice for Tara during this exciting time!

100%

It was confirmed on Friday morning....we're having a boy!

My good friend Anya called me on Thursday night to tell me her mom (Lori) would be at the hospital right by my house on Friday morning and she could squeeze me in for an ultrasound to see if she could confirm that it's a boy. Within 15 seconds....we knew for sure! Definitely a boy in there. It was great because in the two ultrasounds I had last week, we spent most of the time waiting and hoping he would uncross his legs. In yesterday's ultrasound....he was moving around ALOT! He was opening and shutting his mouth, waving at me, etc. It made it so easy to see! It also gave us time to look at everything else. Lori was great - we looked at everything up close and she was so good at explaining what everything was. Wes was out of town so my sister Sam came with me!

Coulda Woulda Shoulda - For all you moms out there

I've hit my half-way point in the pregnancy & I've been looking at all of the baby gear that is out there to buy. That's when I decided to ask all of you what you found helpful! What baby gear items did you find crucial? Which baby gear items are you sure you could do without? Which ones did you wish you have?

I'd love your insight on anything from slings/carriers, strollers, high chairs/boosters, travel system, did they wear "outfits" when they were just tiny or just endless onesies?, bouncy/vibrating seats, swing, an actual changing table, wipe warmer, diaper genie, playpen, exersaucer, breast pumps, etc.

Any brands you loved or hated? Look forward to hearing from you!

From one desert to another

Wes & I went on a road trip this weekend. We went down to Palm Springs to see some of our favorite people....Lillie, Ross & Sophia Biesinger.....as well as the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament. We had such a great time! On Friday we spent the evening at Lillie & Ross' beautiful home. Saturday morning was so relaxing just hanging out at their house before the tournament.

My family is definitely a tennis family ~ I played for quite a few years myself so watching it is something I've always enjoyed. My coach took us to the Pacific Life Open when I was in Junior high and I've always wanted to go back. The tournament was really fun, even in 102 degree heat! It's a good thing we're used to that! We watched Nadal beat Roddick, Djokovic beat Murray, and a great women's final between Hantuchova & Kuznetsova. It was a long afternoon outside but our huge frozen lemonades got us through the heat!

Saturday night we went out to eat with Lillie & Ross at Macaroni Grill. Once again, just great to be around them & the food was delicious too! We don't see them nearly as often as we should so it was great to see them again. I've posted a picture of their beautiful little girl, Sophia, who is growing up so fast. Lillie & Ross are the perfect hosts. They have a beautiful guest room that truly makes you feel like you're on a vacation. Thanks Lillie & Ross for letting us stay with you! Your home is beautiful!

My Pretzel Baby

The baby was in a totally different position today during my 2nd ultrasound of the week. Actually, an ideal position with legs open and all. Except….the legs were crossed…..again...like a little pretzel! The only nice thing is that she’s 90% sure that it’s a ….. little boy! She’s pretty sure she saw something dangling but she is having me come back in two weeks to confirm that it wasn’t a cord. While it’s not a “for sure” yet – it’s better than having no idea! Wes is in California today so I had to wait for 2 hours to tell him our 90% news since he was in a meeting!

It was actually a pretty cool morning. There have been a few times where I thought I felt the baby but second guessed myself. While I was laying on the table waiting for the doctor to come in, I am almost positive I felt the little guy moving around in there. It was a really neat feeling! It’s nice to know that I’ll start feeling it more and more as the weeks go on.

I have to say that my doctor and the office staff are the best. I absolutely love my doctor & the nurses & especially Hope, my ultrasound lady. She came in a little early today so we could try again & since she couldn’t give me a for sure answer, she gave me her cell phone number so I can call her in two weeks and she’ll squeeze me in again at no charge. How cool is she? You can tell that she loves what she does and just wants to make all these moms happy!

Trucks or Dolls?

We’ll hopefully find out tomorrow if our world will involve trucks and trains or dolls & princesses.! We’ve had a lot of people ask us if we have a preference on a boy or a girl….which we don’t. But it got me thinking. Part of me would love a boy because at some point I want Wes to have a son. While he will be a wonderful dad with either, I know how much he’d love tee-ball games & doing all of the things with his son that his dad did for him. Plus, little boys are just funny. Most toddler boys come up with the funniest things to say and I just love it.
On the other hand, girls are beautiful & adorable. For the same reason I hope Wes has a boy at some point, I hope to have a daughter as well. I see how many things my mom can do with her daughters and I would love that some day.
I can honestly say that we will be thrilled with either….we’re just anxious to know either way!

Rascal Flatts Concert

My love for Rascal Flatts started in college with Brandon & Lance in my backseat singing "These Days"....hand motions and all. They are one of the few groups where I actually buy their physical CD because I love every song.

My mom is a recent fan of Rascal Flatts so we went with my parents and Sam to the concert last night at Mandalay Bay. IT WAS AMAZING. They did such a great job. We were closer to the speaker than I've ever been so it was extremely loud, but I loved it. They are such great performers!

Being there reminded me of another fabulous concert that we went to end of last year. Tim McGraw & Faith Hill. They too, were fabulous! They do such a great show together. Another two of my country favorites! Here are some pictures from that concert.....

Dana Point, California

Last weekend we took a trip to Dana Point, California. Our friends, Ryan & Leslie, won a trip through her work so we decided to join them. For those of you who don't know, Dana Point is a little town just south of Laguna Beach.

We had a such a nice weekend! We arrived early Friday morning in enough time for Ryan & Wes to play a round of golf while Leslie and I went to the spa to get manicures. Leslie & I then went down to the Harbor to walk around and have lunch and ended up sitting on the beach for an hour or so, enjoying the beautiful weather, sand, and the view of the ocean.
On Saturday we decided to venture about 20 minutes south to Carlsbad where we went to an outlet mall. I lucked out! They had a small maternity section in the Gap outlet where I found my newest and most comfortable pair of capris. I love them! We went whale watching that afternoon. We saw a few whales and about 5 sea lions. I just love being out on the water. We had a great dinner that night at a Japanese steak house.
Wes & I enjoyed Sunday by going to church and then sitting down at the harbor for a few hours, enjoying each others company before I had to leave. Wes stayed in California because he "had" to play in a golf tournament for work on Monday and Tuesday. :)

We had a great time together. It was a nice get-away ~ probably our last besides a few family trips before we have another Griffeth running around!

A Hotel Snob

Trisha's post of her OCD confessions & our trip to Dana Point this last weekend reminded me that I am a hotel snob. I have a real problem with hotels unless they are absolutely top of the line and they can "hide" the germs & the fact that thousands and thousands of people have been there. The problem is, those hotels are out of my price range.

It's a real problem for me & it gets worse every time I travel! It hasn't always been a problem - it has really come to surface in the last few years or so. I hate knowing that hundreds of people have slept in the bed I am about to crawl in to. Even though they are clean sheets and clean pillowcases, that doesn't matter to me. I typically bring my own pillow & a fleece blanket to wrap myself in. The floors gross me out, bathtubs are just plain nasty to think about how many feet have been in there....even the shower heads creep me out. While I know they clean these places daily, do they really sanitize them? I don't think so! I can only imagine what we'd find if everything like the remote, the door handle, the blinds, the carpet, & the bedspread were tested! The only time I'm not bothered by a hotel is if it is close to a 5 star. I know, it means I'm a hotel snob, but I can't help it. I blame my mom for part of this problem! Trisha - your obsessiveness over things makes me feel a little better!

I will post our trip to Dana Point very soon! Just waiting for the pictures....