Can't Hardly Wait!

I can't believe that our Christmas vacation is finally here! It seems like we started planning it so long ago and it snuck up on us so fast!

The thought of not having to return to work until December 29th is a dream come true! I always look forward to going back to Iowa, but it is especially exciting over the Holiday's. I love being with my family, both immediate and extended, and Christmas time makes it that much more fun. I look forward to giggling with all my cousins and my Grandma's Christmas candy. It is also wonderful to wake up on Christmas morning in the house that I grew up in because it brings back lots of fond memories! Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope that you all have an enjoyable and safe holiday!

Half Way Already?!

Here I am at 20 weeks pregnant...

...time is FLYING by! I can't believe that we have made it to the half way point already. This little guy is going to be here before we know it :) I finally am starting to look pregnant instead of like I have eaten too many cheeseburgers! Last Saturday night Travis and I were relaxing watching a movie when I felt him move FOR SURE. It was 3 distinct kicks that felt like someone was flicking me from the inside of my belly. The next night about the same time I felt 2 more of the same sensation. Now I love when about 7 pm rolls around because I know at anytime our little guy is going to wake up and move around for a little while. It is the COOLEST sensation (a little weird), but simply incredible.

As far as how I have been feeling...just GREAT! As if running around exercising with patients all day isn't enough, I have continued to manage to go to the gym 3-4 times a week for an hour or so each time. I feel so much better after I have exercised! So far I have still been sleeping sweet and sound. The last couple of nights it has gotten more comfortable to sleep with a pillow between my knees. I don't really get cravings lately, I just tend to go from not hungry to starving in 10 minutes flat! At our last doctors appointment we were told that everything looks great and our little one is growing right on schedule and measuring to the day.

We are looking forward to Travis finishing up with finals this week so that he can have a break from the school grind and we can get going on the baby's room/guest room. I haven't decided on a theme or exactly how I want to do our little guy's room other than that I have picked out/purchased the crib (more on that in a later post...it's quite the story!)

Each day the fact that we will be welcoming a baby into our lives in a few short months becomes more and more real. We are excited and nervous all at the same time. We hope that we can be good parents and that our baby will be happy and healthy.

This week we plan on getting all registered at Babies R' Us and Target...on that note I would love for everyone to leave a comment or drop me an email (sarahatwood02@gmail.com) and let me know the "can't live without" items for a new baby. Thanks! :)

Happy 28th Birthday Travis!

Happy Birthday to the love of my life! I don't know what I would do without you. You are such an AMAZING husband. Thank you for being the rock in my life. I love you more than anything and hope that you have a wonderful day! :)

Our Little Man

As many of you know we found out earlier this week that our little one due in April is a BOY!! We are both super excited! The ultrasound was simply amazing. Today's technology is incredible! We were able to see his heart (all 4 chambers), his brain (all the different lobes), his stomach, kidneys, and spine. My favorite part was watching the 3D portion of the ultrasound and especially seeing him give the ultrasound tech a hard time when he kept wiggling around! Here are the pictures...



Since finding out that we are having a boy, Trav and I have had such a fun time thinking of all the things we will get to experience with our son...potty training aiming at fruit loops (Travs' department for sure), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Football, Hot Wheels, and a Spiderman bike on Christmas morning just to name a few :)

We also have been brainstorming names. So far the list includes Cesar, Brutus, Corneilius, Reinhold, and Octavious. We figure if we name him after a Roman warrior there is NO WAY he will get mocked or beat up on the playground!...Just Kidding :) We would never be that cruel!

My Latest Project

With the winter months closing in on us I decided that I had better think of something to keep my hands and mind busy. So I decided to crochet a blanket for our little one on the way...problem is it only took me a couple days so what am I going to do now??

JUST KIDDING! :) This is actually a picture that I stole from the Internet...I WISH I were that good! In all seriousness, I really have decided that I am going to crochet our baby a blanket, and I am SURE that it will take me AT LEAST until April when the baby gets here!

I have never actually crocheted anything before. I learned HOW to crochet once, and didn't have the time and patience to practice and get good since I was still in school. So that poor spool of yarn and crochet hook got stuck in a box and forgotten...until now.

Those of you that know me well, know that I don't do crafty. I don't sew, I don't quilt, I don't scrapbook. I don't have a problem with any of these things...they just simply don't interest me enough to spend the time doing them. However, with the baby on the way what a PERFECT motivation to make something. And I figured if I posted it on my blog I would have to follow through since all of you reading this are holding me accountable and I am sure expect updates on the progress.

Therefore, with the help of you tube videos I, Sarah Atwood plan to crochet our first born a cute little blanket...wish me luck! :)

What Happens in Vegas...

So remember how I told everyone I was so excited that my Dad surprised my Mom for her birthday with a Vegas vacation? Well the other part of that story, and why I was so excited for them, was that Travis and I, as well as my brother and his girlfriend were ALSO in on the surprise...in fact, we WERE the other half of the surprise. We showed up at my parents hotel Friday morning as the "shuttle"they were waiting for and gave my mom the surprise of her life. Needless to say she was shocked and even shed a few happy tears :)

We had a great weekend as a family! We spent lots of time exploring Vegas, walking for miles, eating great food, watching interesting people, and sharing plenty of laughs. The end of the weekend came much to fast, and I was sad to see us all part ways on Sunday morning. The only thing that made it easier was knowing that Travis and I will be back in Iowa for Christmas in a few short weeks. Here are some pictures of all the festivities...


Matthew, Jana, Dad, Mom, Travis and I in front of Ethel's Chocolate factory. We got to watch how the little Dove chocolate hearts were made and even got a few samples...YUM!

Hoover Dam from the parking garage...this was REALLY amazing to see in person. It makes you feel so small! Unfortunately, we did not see any Transformers while we were there :)


The bridge that they are constructing that will be a new route over the dam..it is MASSIVE!

The Wynn and the Encore...VERY classy hotels, some of my brother's favorites. I also think he said that these are where the show "Las Vegas" take place?

Trav and I in front of the Excalibur. I just think this is the NEATEST building all lit up at night...it made me feel like I was in a cartoon or something.

This talking animated tree was part of the conservatory display inside of the Belagio Hotel. I took lots of pictures in this place, none of which does it justice! B-E-A-UTIFUL!

View of the Paris hotel from the stairs at the Belagio.

My mom would have had no idea that this "statue" inside of the Vinitian was a real person if we hadn't pointed it out to her...it is INCREDIBLE how these people can stand so still for so long!

The Stratosphere. We all decided that we would rather NOT fork over $16 a person to take the elevator ride to the top...so we just admired it from the ground :)

The Trump Tower...no significance, other than that I think I took an awesome picture of this building as the sun went down!

Coincidentally, one of my lifelong BFF's and her husband were in Vegas at the same time as we were! Our trips only overlapped by a day, but they were able to join our family for dinner on Saturday night.

Such a fun trip! I have the BEST family and I really wish that we would have had more time to explore, see a show, and spend more quality time together. Love you guys and let's for sure do it again sometime!

My Knight in Shining Armor...

Here he is and some other guy up on a pedestal sporting a metal suit...

10 reasons why my husband is the best husband in the world:
1. He loves me unconditionally, through all my bad days and crazy hormonal moments
2. He INITIATES cleaning 80% of the time or more. I am a good housekeeper, but he has to jump start me most of the time
3. He helps me clean our 3 bathrooms, even when he has plenty of homework to do of his own...because he knows how much I LOATHE that chore
4. He compliments me daily and tells me he loves me multiple times a day
5. He makes an effort each day to make me smile and laugh
6. He makes me feel beautiful
7. He tells me that I am an amazing wife and that I will be an amazing mom (I hope he is right!)
8. He is a gentleman..pulls out my chair, opens doors, etc
9. He is kind to others (he is never afraid to help someone in public that looks like they need it)
10. He usually has my lunch ready and waiting when I come home for lunch hour each day

Please take note that this is only a small list of reasons why Travis is the best ever! I would keep going, but I may make him blush. I wish that all women in the world could be as lucky as me, and I am not sure what I did to deserve him. Thanks for all you do babe! I love you mucho grande!

Isn't she lovely?

Can you believe that this lady is turning the big 5-0 tomorrow?


...I can't either! I don't think that she looks a day over 25! :) I just wanted to give a shout out to my fabulous mom and tell her how much I love her and that I hope she has an awesome birthday! My dad threw her a birthday party tonight and can you believe that it was the first birthday party that she has ever had in her adult life? Trav and I wished so much that we could have been there with them to celebrate (but since we are flying back for Christmas this year there was just no way we could afford it) She also got the very first BIG surprise of her life for this momentous occasion. My dad planned a Vegas getaway for the 2 of them! With temporary loans from my brother and I (in order to keep the purchases from appearing on his bank statements and such) he was able to keep this a secret from my mom. He arranged her time off from work and everything! My parents have never been to Vegas and they are SO excited! I am so lucky to have such great parents! Have a great trip you guys! I can't wait to hear all about it!!

Happy Halloween!

We had our traditional Atwood Halloween party last weekend, and as usual we all got decked out in costumes! We had a delicious dinner of soup, bread sticks, pasta salad, homemade root beer, and pistachio pudding with oreos on top for dessert. After dinner we carved pumpkins and played cards. As always it was a great time had by all!

Trav and I as pirates..ARRGH!

Bryan and Shallon as Shrek and Fiona (Bryan was relieved that the green paint washed off!)

Heidi, Keith, and Derek as Jasmine, Aladdin, and Abu (Heidi MADE the costumes=Impressive!)

Ben, Heidi, and Kyla as the Three Blind Mice...too cute!

Parker as a Mad Scientist...CREEPY!

Kyla and Derek with their favorite auntie :)

Hard at work carving pumpkins

Travis' final product...LOVE the teeth and hair!

Sarah's final product. Scraping the pumpkin thin enough to make sure the candle would glow through ACTUALLY gave me a small bruise on my wrist!


Halloween morning Travis and I made and frosted 4.5 dozen sugar cookies! We took some plates of cookies to a few neighbors, ate some ourselves, and intended on taking the rest to a Halloween party later that night. We ended up deciding not to go to the Halloween party since it was clear in Salt Lake and didn't feel like driving. Instead we decided to stay home to hand out candy to trick or treaters....that NEVER SHOWED UP! That's right, we didn't have one person ring our doorbell! Which meant we had lots of candy and lots of sugar cookies left over! It's a good thing that a girl I worked with brought her kids by later on. We loaded them up with over half the candy that we bought and sent them home with 2 plates of cookies!

Thanks to Melissa for the yummy sugar cookie/frosting recipes that she posted on her blog last week! They turned out great!

One Down, Two to Go!

My doctor tells me that only 25% of women have NO morning sickness during their first trimester...well folks, I have somehow managed to be part of the slim statistic! That's right, I officially am into my 2nd trimester! I can't believe how fast time is already going. At this rate April 21st is going to be here before we know it! Here's a picture of me at 14 weeks...my belly may still look small to some, but to me there is QUITE a difference from the flat stomach that I have always been used to:

Some highlights from the first trimester...cravings for food that I haven't wanted in YEARS (i.e. cheeseburgers), feeling hungry all the time, eating more than Travis some of the time (he will tell you MORE than some of the time!), random crying for no particular reason, laughing hysterically at Travis' jokes for minutes at a time, hearing our baby's heartbeat and seeing the first ultrasound, having to pee constantly, bed time being my favorite time of day, and feeling so lucky that I had enough energy to continue with my workouts 3-4 times per week.

So far this pregnancy stuff hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. The toughest part for me has been the weight gain/figure changing aspect of it all. Trust me, I KNOW it's for all the right reasons and I have even come to terms with despite my healthy eating and exercising I WILL gain weight gradually. I guess since I haven't had to worry about sickness I have just had time to worry about that instead.

Today we had my 14 week appointment. Doctor says that everything sounds great. We heard our baby's heartbeat for a second time and I recorded it on my cell phone so that I could listen to it over and over again. It's simply incredible! If you want to hear for yourself click HERE (Hint: The page may take a little time to load and you may need to have Quick Time installed on your computer for it to play for you)

Another GREAT weekend!

This past weekend was Travis' fall break from school. Originally, we were supposed to take a trip with John and Angela either south toMoab, UT or north to Jackson Hole, WY. Unfortunately, neither direction worked out for us, so we decided rather than cancel our highly anticipated vacation that we would have a trip right here in Logan.

John and Angela got here Friday night. We went to dinner then came home and played a couple of rounds of Seinfeld Scene It...the Atwood's kicked butt!

Saturday we slept in, ate a yummy breakfast of whole wheat blueberry pancakes, took the dogs (all 4 of them) for a nice long walk, watched the USC play Notre Dame, then had delicious Mexican food for dinner. After dinner we went to a corn maze that took us nearly 45 minutes to find our way through! It wasn't haunted, but I thought it was creepy enough just as it was!

John and Angela left for home Sunday morning. Since we moved to Logan we don't get to see the Barlow's as much as any of us would like. It was SUCH a great weekend with our friends and even though we didn't go anywhere out of the ordinary we all just had a good time hanging out again!

Best Grandpa and Grandma EVER!

Last weekend we were so excited to have Grandpa and Grandma Haskin here with us as house guests. We have been trying to get them out to see us for some time now and we LOVED having them here. It was so nice to have so much quality time to spend with them.

After they arrived on Friday night we took them to dinner (or rather they took us to dinner) at a local family style diner. After dinner we came back to the house, visited for a while, and then Grandpa and Grandma went to bed early since they had been up early and on the road all day.

Saturday morning I got up early and made everyone blueberry waffles, bacon, and sausage for breakfast. I also got some yummy chicken noodle soup going in the crock pot so that lunch would be ready when we returned from our adventure. We decided that we were going to take them for a ride up Blacksmith Fork Canyon to Hardware Ranch.


In the winter time herds of elk migrate to Hardware Ranch where they are fed throughout the winter months. They come back each winter due to limited vegetation for them to feed on naturally at the higher elevations. Although the elk weren't at the ranch yet, we still had a wonderful time looking at the beautiful fall colors in the canyon and visiting with a real life mountain man at the festival that was going on up at the ranch.

Next we went to the Raspberry farm not far from our house in hopes that we weren't too late for some fresh raspberries. Unfortunately, the only raspberries we found were in the decomp pile. Good thing we had much better luck at the pumpkin patch! Grandpa and Grandma helped Travis and I pick out the perfect pumpkins and we also got some fresh apple cider that had been made only a few hours earlier that morning.

We got home later than we planned and had a late lunch. So by dinner time we weren't that hungry. Grandma and I decided that we would make her famous homemade chocolate pudding for dinner with some bread and butter. It was delicious and I am thrilled to know how to make this childhood favorite of mine! Saturday night we stayed up late (until 11:30) watching CSI repeats. Who knew that Grandma loved that show so much?!

Sunday the weather was dreary. We had hoped to take Grandpa and Grandma up another canyon, but seeing as it was SNOWING in the mountains that wasn't going to work. We took it easy most of the day. Grandpa enjoyed watching Animal Planet and Discovery Channel and Grandma helped me with my massive amount of laundry. For lunch we made homemade pizza...YUM!

It cleared off just enough in the afternoon for us to take the dogs across the street to run out some of their energy. Grandpa and Grandma both got a kick out of watching them run after the tennis ball time and time again. They even took some turns throwing the ball with our Chuck-it toy

Grandma and Roxy

Grandpa and Noobie (funny how the ball is on the ground

Funniest quote of the weekend came on the way back from the school. Roxy was visibly exhausted and stopped to take a poo. Grandma says "Well look at that, you ran the crap right out of her!" We all cracked up! :)

Dinner Sunday night was grilled hamburgers, chips, and snickers salad...Grandpa's favorite!

"I might as well polish off the rest of that salad"

After dinner, Travis and Grandma continued the CSI marathon while Grandpa helped me hang some decor in our bathroom. I was QUITE impressed with the agility of this naerly 78-year old!

It was such a GREAT weekend and the only part that I didn't enjoy was telling them good-bye on Monday morning. My grandparents have always been so special to me and I cherish every minute I get to spend with them and every conversation that we have. I have made it part of my weekly routine to call and chat with them to keep up on the latest happenings in all of our lives. I look forward to each time we chat and now I look forward to the next visit!

Our "practice children"

I just don't understand how people can NOT like dogs. We love ours. They are our source of entertainment a lot of the time. I love watching them run and play at the park or going on walks/runs with them. They are just great companions and I am glad that I have them, especially when I am home alone. I am not as good at disciplining our dogs as Travis is. In fact, sometimes he gets upset with me because I laugh when he is trying to discipline them. He tells me that I have to learn not to do that or else our child is going to manipulate us someday! Both of our dogs we rescued from the shelter and we had such great experiences with the two we have that we will DEFINITELY save another dog from the shelter someday.

Roxy REFUSES to look at the camera!

How can you not smile at that face?

They are trying to look sweet and innocent...

Travis and I are hoping that since we had dogs first that our transition into parenthood will be an easy one! :)

Yes...we are SERIOUS!

So IT all started the day we got back from our wonderful vacation to Antigua. We were sure that IT had to have something to do with the stress from the last month...living away from Travis, moving into a new house, starting a new job...so to put our minds "at ease" I decided to take a test to determine that IT couldn't be happening....

...and according to test #1 IT definately was happening! So...I took a couple more tests (of a different brand because somehow I thought that it would make a difference in the outcome)....

...and IT still was happening...I AM PREGNANT!!! I am 11 weeks along and feeling great! This was QUITE the shock to us AND everyone else...in fact EVERYONE that we have told so far has said (without fail) "Are you serious??" Yes, we are serious. This is REALLY happening people! :) The shock is wearing off now and the excitement is moving in. I have felt great all along. No morning sickness...just feeling tired and having cravings for things that I haven't had cravings for in years (cheeseburgers, tator tot casserole, goolash, etc) In fact, it all has been like a dream that I should wake up from at any time. It hadn't really hit me until last Thursday that there really was something going on inside of me. We had our first appointment with the doctor and she did an ultrasound and we got to hear the heartbeat! What an AMAZING sound! It was so fast, so perfect, and so REAL! It all hit home when this came up on the screen...

...isn't IT just the cutest little peanut you have ever seen?? I for one think so! I have heard so many others before me say that you don't realize how the love for your own child is so much different than any other kind of love out there...and that you have to experience it before you can fully understand what it's like...I am beginning to understand. I can't believe how much love I have already for this little peanut, and how happy it made me to see it wiggle during that ultrasound! This is really happening.

Since this new venture was completely unplanned we have had to step back and rethink what our plan will be. And believe me, it is definately still in the planning stages. Good thing that babies take awhile to get here. There is so much to think about and so much to do with a baby on the way. Sometimes so much to think about and do that I just don't think about it at all because I get overwhelmed. (which will totally solve everything right?) Those of you that know me well, know that I like to have a plan...or rather I NEED to have a plan.

Although this is a different path than what we were thinking we would be on at this point, we feel very blessed and we know that it will work out...because it always does. The day we found out Travis was so great. I was a mess. He was calm and collected like he always is in stressful situations and all I could do is cry and say "it wasn't supposed to happen like this, it wasn't supposed to be a surprsie!" Since then I have come full circle. I am excited for all there is to look forward to. I can't wait to find out what we are having, to get all the baby gear, and see what he or she is going to look like. HOLY COW! We are going to be parents! :)

I never thought I would be so excited about GRASS!

So who would have thought that the day would come that we would be SO excited about getting grass around our house? Has our life really gotten that uneventful or are we just getting old? Either way, it is SO nice to finally have our grass and landscaping in and to have more to look at then the stupid dirt. Here are some pictures...

Side of house from the back

Side of house from the front

A playground that they built instead of the pavilion that was supposed to be here according to the developer's renderings...not sure what happened there...

View of our front patio...we are still waiting for our pillars to be painted...hopefully tomorrow!

View of the front lawn from the mailboxes

View of the front lawn from our house