{ We did something CRAZY }

This story begins back in December when we babysat this little puppy, Oscar, before Katie gave him to Adam for Christmas. We had so much fun with the little thing that after he was gone we started to feel some major puppy hunger.

So innocently we browsed some classifieds for puppies just to SEE what was out there. Nobody just looks at puppies though...
One day I had sent Jared a link to an ad of a cute little maltipoo. (Jared refuses to call it that... it is a mix of a maltese and a poodle.) When Jared got home at 7 I hadn't so much as spoken to the owners of the dog, but by 8:00 I had a puppy on my lap! It all happened so fast. I felt rushed. I was excited/nervous/regretful/in shock- pretty much just an array of emotions. (If I called you frantically in the moment you know I was being a crazy person!)
So we brought home this little girl.

We named her Pippa. She was so worked up the first night and I wasn't a fan of that. She diarrhea-ed on my kitchen floor and I really didn't like that. She cried in the night. I wasn't sure I could deal with that. Jared and I layed in bed that night and confessed to each other that we were afraid we didn't love her. :) We thought it was a bad sign that we loved Oscar more.

So the next day before Jared left for work he told me to make the ad. (He claims that he just meant make it in case, he wasn't thinking I'd actually post it!) He helped me take a few pictures before he left for work and by lunch time the ad was posted!

In those short hours I had her, I realized I had a very NEEDY puppy on my hands. She literally cried if I wouldn't hold her when I was going to the bathroom. When I got in the tub, even though she was right next to it and I was even petting her, she about had a heart attack. She was always right there wanting me to hold her. It was so silly.

( I don't let her get on my white rug, but she LOVES it

So before we sold her we let her nuzzle into it! She was so HAPPY)

Well within hours of posting the ad I had TONS of people wanting her! Again I didn't even really have time to think about it. Before I knew it Jared and I were on our way to meet her new owner with her crate etc. in our hands. Of course the girl wanted her. Who holds a puppy and doesn't buy it?

The story doesn't end there... Our 24 hour dog turned into our permanent (or permanent for now) dog.

The next day I woke up kind of sad that she was gone. I was regretting that I didn't give it more time. It was this little puppy's first day away from her mom and sisters so I should have given her some slack. When I came home from the gym to an empty house I was really sad. I was thinking a crazy, needy dog is better than an empty apartment all the time. So after talking to my sister, she said I could just text the girl to see how it went. I was sad when she responded that it went well. BUT....
a few hours later she texted me to tell me that she was worried because she works 6 12 hour shifts every other week. We texted back and forth a little more, with me trying not to steal the puppy back but desperately wanting her.

I went that night and got our puppy back!

Ashley LOVES puppies! -Especially ones that love to snuggle-

We love her so much now! We still have to work out some issues with her. She is slightly psychotic. :) Anyone that is pro at training dogs I'd love your advice!

I know we are crazy! Who gets a puppy when they are pretty much 6 months pregnant?!?

My belly has popped & I couldn't be more in love...

Pippa already looks so much bigger and cuter to us after just about a week.

"I wouldn't want to be married to someone smarter than me, or even as smart as me. But I wouldn't want to be married to someone as dumb as a pile of rocks either."

The Husband.

Glad to know he loves me because not only am I not as smart as him (so he thinks), but I am indeed smarter than a pile of rocks. :)

This made me laugh a lot.

Christmas cookies

Wow. I tried telling Jared that just because they were on sale we didn't need 7 boxes of cookies. He disagreed.

{ thanksgiving }

We drove down to San Antonio for Thanksgiving! It was lots of fun! We enjoyed lots of yummy food, games, and shopping. What more could you ask for? Heather is the best host. I just love her.

I made these candy turkeys with the girls. Jared was giving me a hard time that I was taking over the project. :) They were just a little harder to make than I thought. Peyton definitely helped me eat the candy though.

We also made these turkey cups. This was a little more their element.


Black Friday shopping was exciting for us this year! We have been wanting and waiting to make a few purchases in anticipation of this night! We scoped out the ads and Jared headed out to Target at about 6:00 to wait in line. It was so exciting. They only let 30 people in at a time and we were in the first 30! I was the first one to the camera counter, which was pretty thrilling. Jared says he could definitely see himself doing this every year.

This was our best trophy! There were only 7 left when they put this one in Jared's cart. It definitely felt like victory!

{ Halloween }

I LOVE that Heather and her cute family live just 3 hours away. I only wish it was closer, like next door closer; oh and that my whole family was there. Is that too much to ask? We were able to go to her home and celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. I just love being with her and her cuties! We had fun!


Is he not the cutest? He was not happy that we were mean enough to put him in that pumpkin.


Hallie was a puppy this year. That costume has been in the family a LONG time. Dustin wore that when he was little and so did I. Peyton wanted to be something scary.

Our pumpkins.
Jared is so great to clean out our pumpkin every year. Sharing is awesome. :)

{ am i the only one? }

I noticed I did this the other day.

When I'm in someone else's house that is immaculate I literally tell myself that their drawers and cupboards are stuffed full of crap. :)

This may or may not make me a bad person.

Hopefully it just means I'm a slob.

{ Trip Highlights }

We were able to go to Rome and on a cruise in October with the Meier's. It was such an amazing experience! I still can't believe I was actually in these places. I'm so grateful for a beautiful world full of diverse people and places. It's simply incredible.

Here are just a few sample photos from the trip.

{ Camel Ride in Cairo }

{St. Paul's Basilica}

{ The Garden of Gethsemane}

{ Jerusalem }

{ The Vatican }

{ The Colosseum }

{ The Pantheon }

{ The Sea of Galilee }

{Pyramids at Giza}

{Turkey}

We feel so lucky to have been able to go to all these places!

{ Dear Neighbor }

Dear Neighbor,

Please do us both a favor and quit smoking. I can smell you.

It gives me a headache and makes me want to vomit.

Thanks,

Your neighbor with a pregnant nose.

{ so much to be grateful for }

I feel like these last few months have been so full of sweet tender mercies, miracles, and grand blessings that we are not deserving of, but so very grateful for!

I am {grateful} that:

We could live in Utah for 3 1/2 months! I loved being home! I was so spoiled. I love every person in my family so much! It felt like a non-stop party!


Jared and I celebrated 3 years of marriage in Vegas!


We could go to Park City and stay in a condo with my family. I love being together!


Our friends from Chicago came out to Utah for a visit.



I could spend some holidays with my family.


Heather and her cute family could come party with us for a month in Utah!


We could go on an amazing trip with the Meier's!



That I was able to find the most amazing doctor in Utah! (Dr. Hatasaka at Reproductive Care Center just fyi) I was able to have my left fallopian tube removed. His office was so wonderful to us!

I had this good man by my side through it all! Even though the last year and half of fighting infertility was one of the most difficult and emotional ones for me, it is also a time that will always be precious to me. Our marriage and relationship is forever changed.


The surgery + prayers + fasting + blessings
+? +? +? = positive pregnancy test! I was and still am in shock and so overwhelmed with gratitude.


I'm now 4 months pregnant and the worst of the sick part is over! Yay! Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us and supported us! We love you!


Jared wanted a picture of him in the same pose. ;)

{ jared's occupation dabbling }

Jared will start work as an attorney on November 14th, but as we wait he seems to be trying out a few other occupations. (Let's just say I'm grateful we will be sticking with attorney)

Job #1- Babysitter.
He has been SO good to my nieces and nephews while we've been living in Utah. One day when I got home this is what I saw in the middle of the street.
At first I was thinking who in the world is that... then as I got closer I realized they belonged to me.
The one time we left a couple of kids with him by himself Peyton came out as they were doing fireworks pulled down her panties and said "Look what I did" revealing some poop. He was pretty great to clean it all up.

Job #2- Entrepreneur
This began his last quarter of law school. The entire way to Utah I got to listen to awesome business idea after awesome business idea. Don't worry I talked him out of golf courses in the middle of nowhere for truckers. I assured him the market for truckdrivers has already been covered. But the brainstorming for his BIG IDEA still continues... maybe one day it will pay off?

Job #3- Doctor
Jared hurt his wrist at the beginning of the summer. I think it had to do with the 6 days in a row of golf with his dad. I try not to laugh at his self medicating. He has seen a doctor for it and they did not tell him anything about wrapping it or using a brace. But he knows best and is very particular about which brace he wears in the day, and when to wrap it at night. I'm not sure how long this will go on. When I ask if it feels any better he says he doesn't know. And he's going to job-shadow his brother at the hospital.

Job #4- Hairstylist
Jared wanted to color my hair for me. I figure it's a good investment to have him learn. So he did it! The whole time he kept saying, "how much is this going to cost to fix?" He actually did a good job, besides pulling my hair!

Job #5- Car Mechanic
Jared thought he would do some maintanence on the car. We had just had it serviced at the dealer and they didn't even mention the engine filter needing changed, but Jared came home got on google and decided he'd watch a little video and change it anyways. Well now the car is hissing... Not normal. He is pretty persistent that he didn't break it and that he can fix the new problem. Am I a bad wife for wanting him to stay away from the engine? Yikes! I'm glad he saved us $40 though, because they want to charge $100just to see where the leak is in the vacuum. I love him and think he's funny even if he broke the car.

Oh and the best part is he told the dealer that "his friend" put in the new filter and now it was making that noise. After looking at it and realizing how expensive it'd be to just diagnose it he said, "If I were you I'd just have your friend take a look at it."
Luckily he'll be an attorney in just a little while. I think that is the best fit for him!

(More pictures and updates to come. I am officially the WORST blogger.)