One Year

Yesterday Keith and I celebrated our one year anniversary. So much has happened in such a short amount of time for our little family, here's a quick re-cap:

1 postive pregnancy test

75 lbs. gained (between the two of us)

1 baby girl

1 Bachelor's degree- I graduated in Health Science with an emphasis in Public Health and a minor in Marriage and Family Studies

2 different apartments we've lived in now

6 weeks we were apart while I completed my internship and Keith played the role of breadwinner

14 applications filled out and sent to dental schools

7 interviews across the country

1 acceptance into dental school at Louisville

5 semesters of school completed between the two of us

Add it all up and you get one crazy year filled with plenty of hormones, tears, and love. We never could have gotten through it so well without the support of our friends and families. I can't express how grateful I am that my parents moved to Idaho Falls. What an amazing blessing they are in our lives. We wish Keith's family was closer but they do so much for us every time we see them and we really appreciate their support.

I'm so grateful for Keith and all that he does for me and Mackenzie (the girl has him wrapped around her finger). He's an amazing father and husband and I'm so lucky to have married him. Through everything this year, our marriage has been strengthened and we both decided that if marriage is like this the rest of our lives, we'll never regret it because it truly is wonderful.

Our smilin little girl

Kenzie still loving the fetal position

We're going to Dental School!!!

This started out as a one month post for Mackenzie but exciting news that we received at 12 AM this morning took precedence. We are definitely going to dental school next fall! The first round of acceptances started today. Keith stayed up until midnight in case any of the schools were on the ball with e-mail and it turns out they were. Keith came in to wake me up at midnight incredibly giddy to tell me he had been accepted to Louisville in Kentucky. We both love Kentucky and would love to go there for school. We're just waiting now to hear from a couple of other schools and then we have 45 days to make a decision. I'm so proud of Keith and his hard work and am so excited to embark on a new journey.


I can't believe it's been 4 weeks since our little girl was born! These have been the longest and shortest weeks of my life and I think Keith would say the same. I sincerely apologize to those of you I haven't called back, life has been crazy and I will try to stay in contact better. We are so thankful for Mackenzie and the wonderful blessing she is in our lives. She's still such a sweet baby who really only cries when she's hungry. She is gaining weight well and seems to grow longer every day. Everyone comments on her long fingers and toes; we have high hopes for her height!

One of our few pictures together (that I'm somewhat ready in anyways) and Mackenzie's gas caught on camera:

Today I took her into the doctor because she's been really congested for over a week now and she threw up a couple of times this morning. I guess there's a virus going around right now that he's seen a lot in little kids which makes them experience cold symptoms along with throwing up. Poor thing, we're hoping she is able to get over it soon. She has gained quite a bit though, tipping the scales at 8 lbs. 4 1/2 oz which isn't bad considering she's gained almost 2 lbs. since birth.

Keith and I had a fun week off of school for Thanksgiving break. We decided spur of the moment to surprise Keith's family in Utah for a few days. We were there for Keith's sister Katie's birthday which was a lot of fun.

Kirk and Joy came with their kids so we could have the whole family together. Joy, Katie and I saw Twilight that night and we loved it. I think the casting was really well done and I can't wait to see it again.

While in Utah we were able to get a picture of 4 generations: Keith, his mom, and his grandma Lovell:
Tuesday, we came back from Utah and stayed in Idaho Falls with my family until Saturday. My whole family including my grandparents came for Thanksgiving which was really fun.

Mackenzie with Great Grandma Anderson

With Grandma and Grandpa Brower

With Kate and Taft

"All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good" D&C 122:7

Seeing as how it's Sunday and I'm here at home with Mackenzie instead of at church, I thought I would just express my love for Heavenly Father and the blessings he has granted unto me. This week has been the best and the worst. I have never felt so much pain and I also have never felt so much happiness. Before Mackenzie, I didn't realized how special life is and how great the love a parent has for a child. I was so selfish and prideful. Pregnancy was difficult and so was the labor, breastfeeding, waking up in the middle of the night...but a couple nights ago it hit me; I need these trials to make me appreciate my sweet little girl and my incredible husband and to understand the sacrifice of a parent. Keith and I didn't get much time alone as a married couple and for most of it, I was pregnant. I was not a very happy pregnant woman and yet Keith put up with me and loved me through and through. During the labor, he was the most amazing supportive coach I could have ever asked for. My love for him has increased tremendously and I'm so grateful he will be my partner for this life and for all eternity. I don't know why the Lord felt I was worthy enough to bless me with such a beautiful family but I'm so grateful for them. Mackenzie has brought the Spirit into my life in a way I have never felt before. I know that God lives and I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know that there is a Father in Heaven who loves us all tremendously and wants each and every one of us to return to him. I know that he listens to our prayers. I know the Savior suffered for all of our pain, sickness, and sin. I am eternally grateful to him and hope that I might live up to the expectations he has for me.
I heard again a talk given this last LDS General Conference and highly recommend it to those who are struggling. It's by Elder Quentin L. Cook and is titled "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time." You can click the link and it will take you to it.

IT'S A GIRL! Birth, According to the husband!

Well we did it! Well Natalie did it, I just told her to push and complimented on the size of her birth canal. It was an exciting moment you can't really put in words, seeing your child come out, especially since she is covered in amniotic fluid. Natalie had a pretty rough labor. We checked in Sunday night around nine and at this time they put a catheter in her to help her dilate. She was in excruciating pain until about five in the morning when they finally took it out. She dilated from a 1 to a 4 and the nurse informed her the great news that she could receive a epidural. Natalie said the pain was terrible when she had the blown up catheter but once that was removed she said the contractions were easy. She was feeling a lot of back labor and finally got the epidural around eight. And once she got that she was out, sleeping a lot of the day. I was able to sneak out for a few hours and go to some of my classes. I got a call from Nat around 2. She said she had finally jumped from a 4 to a 6 and to hurry over. I ran to the car, took off and got there when she was at a 7. She did not change until about five, which she dilated to an eight. The nurse said Nat could start pushing around 8:15 P.M. Around nine she checked around the cervix and realized that it had not effaced all the way and told Nat she had to stop pushing until about 9:30 when the doctor would get there and see if she was good to go. Ya, you try telling a pregnant women to hold it for 30 minutes after she had already been pushing for 45 minutes. Oh and by the way her epidural started leaking we think, about 45 minutes before she started pushing. So Nat had to do the last couple of hours without the anesthethesia. But Nat conquered what no man could do and can I say how thankful I was at the other end. Mackenzie had a cone head coming out, probably because she was in the birth canal for so long. She is an angel though and has hardly cried. Well I better end this and get some pictures posted for all you eager women! Love you all and thanks for all the support.

Happy Halloween!

8 inches and counting

Here's the pregnancy update: she's not coming! At least that's what it feels like at this point. In just 2 weeks my belly has stretched 8 inches! I didn't think I could get any more stretch marks and boy was I wrong. Every day my clothes get tighter and my back and stomach ache a little more. At my 39 week appointment last week, the Doc gave it to me straight. The baby is very high (which I've heard a lot this last month) and dropping does not seem to be in her plans. Here's why: I haven't made any improvement for a month now (my cervix is not effacing and dilation not occurring), the baby is posterior meaning she's facing the wrong way which makes it hard for her to drop and if anyone has experienced "back labor" it's most likely because the baby was posterior, and the doctor thinks I have bony protuberance blocking the path. So what does this all mean for Keith and I? A likely c-section on Monday. I wanted to avoid an induction but after pushing off dental interviews for so long in hopes the baby would come early or on time, Keith scheduled 3 interviews and will be gone from the 7th through the 12th. Since it's our first and my emotions are running extremely high, I absolutely want Keith there for the delivery. So the doctor and I decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for Monday the 3rd in hopes that some good changes occur this week. Please pray for us and the delivery of a healthy baby!

Baby Shower

Last Saturday was full of baby! After attending my friend Meagan's shower (her little girl is due about a month after mine) I headed off to a shower thrown by the amazing girls I work with in the archives. It was so fun to see my friends and open up packages of adorable baby goods. Thanks to everyone that came and for all of the wonderful gifts. Special shoutout to Natalie Groen for heading up the shower!

Keith's rendezvous with the car door

Keith is a real man now and he has the scar to prove it! Last week Keith was getting into the car after a little shopping trip and smacked his head on the door frame. He got into the car and had blood running down his face which sent me into panic mode as I frantically searched for something to stop the bleeding and my nausea. I don't typically handle blood well and being pregnant has only amplified that. Luckily we had some napkins in the glove compartment (I know they're not necessarily sanitary) and we were able to save the car interior from a new red dye job. Seeing as how it was after 5 pm and being poor college students on DMBA insurance, we opted not to go to the ER for stitches-probably not the brightest idea but we saved a little money right? The next day the wound was still bleeding so Keith went to the health center to get it stitched up:


Notice the bruising underneath, that looked pretty nasty for about a week. Unfortunately, the stitches were put in pretty late and he is going to have a good scar from it. Luckily he has fun with it and likes to tell people that he got between me and my ice cream which really isn't all that far fetched.

PUPPPS

No I have not developed a love for puppies as the title may entice some to believe, I have instead developed a beautiful rash with the name of Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. As my family knows, I tend to have a knack for developing weird illnesses and this is just another one to add to my list. Funny enough, I knew on Saturday as I ran my hands across my bumpy belly exactly what had happened overnight. I remembered in my pregnancy class reading about some disgusting rash that could develop inside of your stretch marks and I thought to myself, "well thank goodness only 1% of women get this and most of the women who do are carrying boys." How wrong I was to think that I wouldn't be in the 1%. Just a brief description, the rash starts in your stretch marks (which makes them extremely red, bumpy and itchy) and then typically progresses its way down your thighs and arms. It develops in the third trimester and stays until after the delivery where it can linger for weeks until disappearing. Let's just say, it's like having permanent hives on your body. The reason I share this is so that all of you can know that if I am itching my belly, it's because I can't help it. And if the next time you see me I am covered in zit like sores all over my body, don't be alarmed I am not contagious and I have not developed some flesh eating disease. Because I don't want to scare those of you who are thinking of getting pregnant, I will not put a picture of the nasty rash on here but feel free to google it, I'm surprised how much I found. If anyone has any ideas on how to relieve the crazy itchiness, I'm definitely open for suggestions!
Besides PUPPPS, everything is as expected with the last month of pregnancy. We are so excited to bring the baby into our home. The doctor checked me on Friday and said I'm dilated to a 1 and my cervix is thinning so let's hope this baby wants to come a little earlier and let's hope that she comes out a girl!

Good samaritans and butterfingers

Today I was waddling my way up a hill on campus towards my car when I saw a construction worker pull into a parking spot right next to the sidewalk where I was passing. I noticed him because he pulled into a spot I knew was specifically designated for workers, he had a hard hat on and because his long locks and mussy stash were a little foreign to my Rexburg eyes. I continued on my way and becamea little alarmed as I heard brisk steps behind me. The next thing I knew I found myself walking in stride with this big burley man. He asked "what happened to your belly?" "It just keeps expanding on me." With that he laughed and handed me a package of peanut M&M's and turned around to meet up with a fellow worker. I could not keep the smile off of my face I was so overwhelmed with the kindness he had showed me. Such a simple act truly made my day and motivated me to reach out to others in such small and simple ways. I've noticed this happening much more often with my pregnancy and am grateful for all who have helped in any way. It truly makes the pregnancy more bearable (let's face it, this last month is not fun) when you constantly hear kind words, witness sincere smiles of sympathy and love and have unkown strangers reach out a helping hand.

Today also marked the third day in a row of my breaking a glass item. Tuesday, I broke a picture frame which was not too upsetting because I didn't really like it. Wednesday however, I dropped a jar of jelly in the fridge and shattered, and I mean shattered, the glass crisper cover in the fridge. Keith was sweet enough to spend an hour cleaning up the mess. This morning was probably the most upsetting. I was loading the dishwasher and got a little too aggressive. I ended up breaking my favorite glass pitcher that Keith and I received as a wedding gift. So moral of the story, do not allow me into your kitchen (where all three incidences occured) and do not let me touch anything glass.

Finally! A post worth reading - Keith learns how to blog

Well Natalie finally did it, she got me to write on the blog. Things have been going pretty well for the Shaw family. We're staying busy with school, internships and dental interviews. I am happy to say that I have gotten a few more interviews and am excited to see the schools, not pay the money to fly out there. I visited Nova in Ft. Lauderdale a couple of weeks ago and liked it a lot. The campus was really nice and I was impressed with their facilities. I interview next at Louisville in Kentucky, then Case Western in Ohio, UNLV and Marquette in Wisconsin a little later. I will post pictures later from the Florida beach. One of the dental students I stayed with rushed me over there after my interview, we jumped into the ocean for 10 minutes, then jumped back out. I changed into some dry clothes there in the parking lot then he took me to the airport and I flew out. It kind of stinks that I fly out to these places and can only stay for a day or two. I wish I was not going to school so I didn't have to rush back to my classes.

Natalie and I like our new apartment besides the fact that we are on the first floor and get to deal with the company of ants. Natalie opened up our pantry last night to find ants all over our shelves and they had eaten through are oatmeal cream pie wrappers which caused Natale to go into shock, saying "Why, why my oatmeal cream pies?" They had also gotten into our chip bag which Natalie had been eating earlier with salsa-she still can't get that out of her mind.

We like our new ward and have a new calling with the activities committee. We had an activity this past Friday that was amazing. They fed us dinner and had scones with honey butter that was to die for. Nat told me to put the recipe for it on here so here it is: 1/2 cup of butter (it has to be butter, not the wimpy margarine stuff), 7 oz. marshmallow cream and 1/4 cup honey. Whip it all together and you'll be eating it by the spoonfulls.

Both of our internships are going great. Natalie enjoys working at the obgyn office and is learning a lot. She really enjoys it when she can be in the ultrasound room helping with that. It has been fun having family so close. I love going down to Sunday dinner at the in laws. I always give my mother in law Lynette a hard time with all the sweets she cooks, but man is it good. Natalie and I are still learning new recipes each week.

My sister in law Rachel and her family are still moving in right across from us and we can't wait till they are officially moved in. The kids and I like to lay on the grass and pretend we know what constellations we're pointing at. Kate just names the stars after the members of the family. I think she pointed to the same star for me and Natalie so I am going to have a talk with Kate about renaming me a star.

Natalie and I are so excited to have our little girl and cannot believe how fast it has gone and as you can tell by the pictures, Natalie is packing. Anyways I can't believe I have typed up this much and feel like that time has come for me to end this post. Hope everything is going good for everyone. Love Keith and Natalie!

The Incredible Shrinking Brain

Keith and I have decided to take a birthing class with a couple of our friends to prepare for the inevitable. Last week in class, our teacher informed us that women's brains truly do shrink a bit during pregnancy. Let me tell you, Keith and I are convinced she was telling the truth. Let me relay just a few recent moments:

Saturday we helped Rachel unload her moving truck into the new apartment. Before they left she handed me an extra key and told me not to lose it. Well, a minute later I found myself bewildered as I stared at the strange key in my hand. I turned to Keith and asked where it came from. He didn't know so he asked the family and Rachel relayed the whole scenario for me-told me I looked her in the eye and even responded. I still have no recollection of this happening.

Sunday, my family asked where Keith was. I told them he was outside and they informed me that he couldn't be because he had just come in, sang a little song (as usual) and even talked to me. Once again, I have no recollection.

Today I started school. trying to be prepared and studious, I packed my bag the night before with my books and packed a lunch. Minor detail, I completely forgot a writing utensil. A little important considering it helps to take notes on the syllabus which by the way, I didn't print out for class. Not because I was lazy but simply because I don't remember getting the mass e-mail sent out last week telling the class to print it off and to have it read for the first day. It sits in my inbox now and reminds me that I have lost my mind. Pray that my teachers have mercy on me this last semester!

Home Again

That’s right, I’m actually calling Idaho home. I’ve finally come to peace with the idea that my life is officially and completely in Idaho. I’m a resident with a driver’s license and a home address. Our little girl will forever have the privilege of telling people throughout the duration of her life that she is an Idaho baby. 3 years ago I don’t think I would have been okay telling people that I lived in Idaho. Not that there’s anything wrong with Idaho, my heart just wasn’t tied to the potato state. Well, 3 years of school in Rexburg and a move from Spokane to Idaho Falls with my family and I find myself quite attached to this state that easterners are completely unaware of.
This attachment actually presented itself quite suddenly. I always felt homesick for Rexburg after a summer of working but I was always quick to attribute the feeling to the nostalgia for my college life. But let me tell you, flying out of Vegas and back to Idaho Falls made me more excited than I could have ever imagined. Yeah I was sad to leave Keith for a couple more weeks but I was excited to be back with my family and into a routine. I was tired of a big city and the traffic, smog and irritated drivers that accompanied it.
Wednesday that welcoming embrace of home enveloped both Keith and I as we saw the sign declaring we were officially in Idaho. We have truly grown to love the wonderful, kind people that make up Rexburg. Although meager, we love our small strip of downtown shops and the clean pedestrians that walk the streets in any type of weather. We love the fact that we can count on bumping into friends and professors at Broulims, Albertson’s, Wal-Mart, campus, basically anywhere we go in this town.
So does all of this mean that we plan on permanently living in Rexburg after dental school? Unless the average winter temperature increases at least 40 degrees, I’m going to have to say no. But I hope that we will be able to find a town in a state that is as lovely and welcoming as Rexburg has been.

Time Flies

I am so bad at keeping up on this blog. I wish I had some pictures to post but our camera is acting up and I completely forgot to bring it with me when I went to see Keith in St. George. He is supposed to take some pictures of the places we went but he's been busy with work so I don't know if we'll ever get any on here. Here's a re-cap of the trip which was a BLAST:

Monday the 4th I flew into Vegas to visit Keith after three weeks of being apart. Keith picked me up in Vegas and took me straight to get some much needed food and do some shopping. We went to the outlets with the intention of looking for cologne for Keith. Keith was sweet enough to take a detour and let me look at the maternity store. He went so far to help me pick out clothes and patiently wait in the dressing room with me as I tried on outfit after outfit. Needless to say, I was the one who went home with shopping bags, not Keith. Later, my sister Nycole and her husband Scott took us to BJ's for some deep dish pizza and to see the "Dark Knight" which we both thought was amazing.

Tuesday, Nycole and I dragged Keith out to do some shopping (I swear I haven't been shopping this much in a long time) which was a lot of fun. Me and Nycole both found some really cute jeans and we rummaged through the baby clothes for quite some time. That night I surprised Keith with tickets to the Blue Man Group for an early birthday present. It was a lot of fun and definitely different. We both liked how small the theater was and appreciated the clean acts. On Wednesday we headed up to St. George to stay with Keith's cousin Becca and her husband Mike. We drove through a pretty good lightening storm which was fun to watch and a little scary when our car hydroplaned a couple times. Thursday we went Jet Skiing with a couple of Keith's friends and got fried despite the sunblock. The water and beach felt amazing though and we had a really good time. Friday was our relaxing day, we just hung out with Mike and Becca. Mike's mom was so sweet and took us all out to lunch and knitted us the cutest little hat and booties. We ate mexican for dinner and let's just say I won't be doing that again anytime soon. Poor Keith was up with me in the middle of the night as I begged for tums and felt my esophogus wear away in a pool of acid. Saturday we walked around the temple grounds and checked out the visitor's center, toured Brigham Young's winter home, played lots of Nintendo, ate some amazing pizza at "2 fat guys pizza", watched some Olympics and relaxed. Sunday we took a tour of the tabernacle on the way out of town then headed back to Vegas to visit some awesome friends- Holly, Kathy, and Mellissa. We loved seeing everyone and really appreciated everyone for letting us into their homes.

Keith and I are meeting up this Saturday in Utah and I finally get to bring him home with me! We are both so grateful for his work but we have hated being apart.

We have been so blessed lately. BYU-I requires most students to complete internships for their majors and Keith and I both needed to find one in order to graduate. I was lucky enough to get one at Targhee Women's Clinic and Keith scored a spot with the free dental clinic here in town. Both should provide plenty of learning opportunities and real world experience. Keith has also heard back from two dental schools- Nova (in Florida) and Case Western (in Ohio). Both have asked him to come for interviews which is really exciting. So our lives this fall will consist of school, internships, flying across the country, and a baby. I think we both feel up to the challenge now and we are anxious to see where life will take us this next semester.

47 Questions from Mel (actually 44 b/c I didn't want to answer 3)

Quick update: Keith is officially in St. George selling pest control and it already feels like he's been gone for weeks! In reality, he left yesterday morning. We debated this for so long but we both kept feeling like this was the right thing for him to do. I would have gone with him but I have to do an internship and the school wants to make it as difficult as possible by making me drag it out for ten weeks in the fall. I didn't want to worry about it after the baby came since I'll already have classes to attend and I have to do ten hours a week, so the school is letting me start it 4 weeks before school begins and I can finish October 23rd. I've been stressed about finding an internship but really lucked out at my doctor's appointment today. I asked if they allowed interns and they said they could accommodate for me. Thank you Targhee Women's Clinic! By the way, I love that clinic and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an OB in Rexburg. Both Doctor Lovell and Doctor Meredith are amazing and the staff is so incredibly nice. I had to wait especially long for my appointment today (they were busier than usual) and was a little upset, but all was forgiven when I was taken back and treated so respectfully. I've gained another 5 pounds and am measuring right on for 24 1/2 weeks. It seems like my belly grows every time I wake up so it was nice to know I'm not measuring above average. Another reassurance that it's a girl: her heartbeat measured 152. I learned today that babies heartbeats measure between 120 and 160 with girls being closer to 160 and boys being closer to 120.

Here's my answers to the 47 questions and hopefully Keith can find time to do this too:
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My dad’s cousin Natalie. Both my parents were good friends with her and she passed away in a car accident right after she got married.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday? My hubby left me for 6 weeks
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I used to but now it’s all scribbles because I only write to take notes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey, you can never go wrong
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Currently growing one
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I hope so
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Absolutely. Especially with Keith it’s the only way I can defend myself
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Nope, I’m a wimp
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? What isn’t my favorite! I love cereal, toasted oatmeal squares is one of my all time favs but it’s way too expensive to buy unless it’s on sale
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically, I used to be but not anymore. I need to hit the gym more often. Emotionally I think so…unless Keith leaves me to stay alone for a night (or 40!) and being pregnant I don’t feel like I have as much control as I used to.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything with chocolate. I love Reed’s Dairy- fudge brownie is my favorite right now. And when I can get it, half-baked Ben and Jerry’s beats anything
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Probably the way they carry themselves and what kind of attitude they portray
15. RED OR PINK? Red but I’m sure with our little girl coming everything is going to turn pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I’m a total wimp when it comes to doing anything risky like cliff jumping, roller coasters, skydiving, I have no desire and sometimes I wish I did.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? The Beckers! Connecticut is just too far away
18. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Brown
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? 2 sandwiches (my appetite has definitely come back) and a whole lot of veggies
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nothing
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Teal because it’s my favorite color right now
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Bread baking, cookies baking, vanilla, cinnamon, rain
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Keith
24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I love Mellissa and will totally miss our prego talks when the semester ends
25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Basketball, gymnastics, tennis is actually good when it’s Wimbledon
26. HAIR COLOR? Naturally I’m pretty sure it’s dirty blonde, and I’m normally blonde but right now it’s nasty bronzy blonde
27. EYE COLOR? Blue
28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Legally blind without them
29. FAVORITE FOOD? The food I eat most is cereal and I love anything sweet. I love anything dairy and I’m really craving Chinese right now
30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I used to love the scary ones, now I love the happy endings. But I am soo excited to see “The Dark Knight”
31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Fried Green Tomatoes
32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black
33. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
34. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses from my hubby
35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice cream and just about anything covered in chocolate.
36. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Currently I’m not reading a book because it’s finals week and I won’t study if I have a book to read. The second school’s out though I’m starting “Eclipse”
37. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don’t have one
38. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? It must have been bad because I can’t remember at all
39. FAVORITE SOUND? Rain falling, the lake when it’s calm and no one is around
40. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles
41. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Washington DC but I don’t remember it.
42. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can roll my stomach now that it’s big!
43. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Logan, Utah
44. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE? Europe

Tag: Rachel cuz she didn’t do the last one and Aimee

Random news

I officially have a foot long baby growing inside of me which is crazy! Keith and I were able to see her kicking tonight, it was really fun to watch my belly as she practiced her soccer skills.
I feel like I need to share an experience I recently had. I read a note written on facebook by a friend from high school who fell away from the LDS church. Appearantly he was really upset with a statement issued by the First Presidency of the church regarding same-sex marriage in California. He ended up twisting the message around and really bashed on the church using previous statements that were made in the 1980's. It made me so sad that he would go out of his way to do something to hurt the church's image and it frustrated me that he cared so much to put that much effort into something he should no longer care about. His note also made me realize how important it is for people to stand up for what they believe in. I hesitated in responding to his note but finally did, defending my beliefs in modern day revelation and the sanctity of families. I don't normally do that but after reading the article in the Ensign on using technology to share our beliefs, I really felt prompted to do so. I would encourage everyone to always "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places" and to heed the counsel given in the Proclamation to the Family: "we call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."
On a lighter note, we had an awesome 4th of July weekend with Keith's family. We stayed with Keith's sister Katie and her husband Brandon on Thursday and Friday night. We played so many games and had a blast with them. For the 4th we went to Keith's brother Kirk's house. The boys helped sheetrock the basement while the girl's chatted upstairs. I was able to hold baby Sophie a lot and loved every second of it. She is such a sweet and beautiful baby!
I only have a week and a half of school left. I cannot believe the semester is almost over but I'm so ready for that 7 week break. Keith is debating right now whether or not he should sell pest control these last months of summer. Hopefully we'll decide within the next couple of days whether or not it's worth it.

The Newest Member of the Shaw Family

Keith's brother Kirk and his wife Joy just had their third child!

Sophie Isabelle was born yesterday and we just wanted to say how excited we are for them. We're glad that our little girl will have a cousin so close in age.

DAT

It's official, Keith has finally taken the DAT (Dental Admissions Test) and he passed with flying colors! Really is anyone surprised? Keith has been under so much stress preparing for this test but his hard work has really payed off. He got a 20 on the science overall and a 19 on the academic overall. Both are above average and with his competitive GPA and early submission, he should have a good shot at securing some interviews this fall. I am so proud of him and so happy that he can enjoy the rest of his summer.

Last Monday we found out that

I guess it's not official until the baby actually comes but we can hope that three different doctors told us the correct gender. We had our ultrasound on the 16th when I was a little over 20 weeks. It was so fun to see her moving around and see the growth she's made in the past few weeks. Right now she's measuring a little smaller so they're thinking the baby probably won't come until the first week of November. My due date is still October 31st but we're not counting on a Halloween baby.

Christmas in June

I'd heard the stories but I had never witnessed it until yesterday...SNOW in JUNE!! Keith and I both thought it was pretty chilly when we left our apartment yesterday morning at 7:30 to go to class. Thinking it would warm up I didn't bother to grab a coat. Who would have thought that at approximately 10 AM as I walked out of the library to go to class I would find myself in a mini blizzard! Luckily, it only lasted for about a half hour and the snow melted quickly. With the arrival of our stimulus check that afternoon I had the thought that perhaps Rexburg was really just treating us to an early Christmas. For those of you who worship Al Gore and believe his ridiculous global warming theory, I think you just need to spend a year in Rexburg where the average yearly temperature is just below zero...even in June.

Dance Dance

Our sister-in-law Joy and her two kids Gideon and Ava visited us on Monday which was so fun. We realized how boring our apartment was when the kids couldn't find anything to do. Keith is a pretty good entertainer though and kept the kids busy rolling dice, eating chocolate (ok that was my doing) and dancing to the guitar. The second Keith started playing, little Ava started swaying her hips and Gideon quickly joined in.

Thanks for stopping by Joy! We loved seeing you and the kids and hope the rest of your pregnancy goes good.

1964 The Tribute

On Saturday, Keith and I went to The Tribute concert on campus. The group dresses up like the Beatles, they talk like them and act like them, and best of all, they sound just like them! They were great entertainers and you absolutely can't beat the $5 student ticket prices. We had a blast and took a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure. The second video cracked us up when we watched it! Keith was holding the camera and needless to say, most of what you get to hear is Keith's umm beautiful voice. I apologize in advance...

Think Pink!

Yesterday Keith and I went to the doctor's for my four month exam which was supposed to be pretty routine with a blood pressure and weight check. Dr. Lovell being, the nice man that he is, asked us if we wanted a sneak peek of the baby. We were incredibly excited when he told us to go into the ultrasound room and wait for him. He looked at the baby for about ten minutes and half of that time was spent trying to get the baby to show us its gender. The doctor declared the baby hyperactive because it was moving so much! Finally we got a pretty good shot and the doc declared it a girl. It's not a definite and Keith is still hoping our little fetus grows some extra genitalia, but in the meantime I'm taking his advice and thinking pink. While he was doing the ultrasound, the doctor turned on the 3-D view which is amazing! He had an aerial view of the baby on the screen and it turned it's face upward so we got a shot of her eyes. He also pointed out the baby scratching her ear at one point. It's amazing what technology can show you! I felt the baby for the first time a couple of nights ago which was also really fun. She's always moving around when I'm at rest and I love to be able to feel it.


Here's the ABC Tag that I keep putting off:

A = ADVOCATE FOR: Warmer weather in Rexburg. I think I'll be waiting on this one for awhile.

B = BEST FEATURE: That's a hard one considering my ever changing body at this point...Keith says it's my smile but I think he's been a little obsessed with teeth lately because of all of the shadowing he's been doing to prepare for dental school.

C = COULD DO WITHOUT: Throwing Up!!!! And I totally agree with Nycole on the acne thing. When will they find a permanent cure for that?

D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: Be a good mom and finish my bachelor's this fall.

E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: Aquiphor healing ointment. It's essential in this completely non-humid climate.

F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Recently it's sudoku and crossword puzzles but I always love a good book. Yes Keith, I'm a nerd

G = GOOD AT: Spelling

H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: Drugs, alcohol

I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: Definitely I would put it away for dental school and a practice because we'll need every penny of it! And I would probably buy a ridiculous amount of baby clothes and supplies.

J = JUNKIE FOR: Ice cream and anything chocolate

K = KINDRED SPIRIT: Keith

L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: The girls in my fam don't have middle names. I belch better than Keith (sorry mom!)

M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: Our wedding and seeing and feeling our baby for the first time tops them all but here's a funny one I blame on the pregnancy: First week of classes I was sure my class started at 10:00, so I showed up around 9:52 only to find class in session. How odd, I thought as I continued to walk into class. It was packed and I started pacing the back looking for a seat. My teacher (quite rudely) told me I could come up front and sit. So she paused class as I walked up to the front of the classroom and sat down on the piano bench with every eye on me and the whole time I'm thinking how weird it was that she started class so early. Already embarrassed that I interrupted class, I became mortified when she dismissed class at 10. Yeah I had class at 10:15 and somehow that never registered in my mind!

N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: Go to Cajun Bob's. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience I could have done without.

O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: On-line shopping

P = PICKY AT/WITH: Pictures. I usually hate taking them and then I hate the results

Q = QUOTE: Here's a good one I heard today in my religion class: "The day we become totally obedient (to the Lord) is the day we become free." Sorry I didn't catch who said it.

R = REASON TO SMILE: Rachel, Kate, and Taft coming June 6th!

S = SORRY ABOUT: The stupid things I've done which have hurt myself and others. But I guess I've grown a lot from my mistakes so it's better to learn than to keep doing the same stupid things over and over again.

T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Katie and Joy. Rachel still needs to do this too.

U = UNINTERESTED IN: Gory movies. I know they're Keith's favorite but I cannot stand them.

V = VERY SCARED OF: Spider and throwing up. I think I'm phobic of both

W = WORST HABIT: Crossing my legs. I'm doing it right now and I know I'm going to make the varicose veins worse but I don't even realize I'm doing it most of the time.

X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Europe

Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: I don't really have a preference, they all have their pros and cons.

Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius

Tribute to Mom's

I know this is a day late, but I wanted to post this video in honor of Mother's Day.

This is for you mom...

On Sunday my mom informed me that my last post is titled "March Madness" and it's almost May so I guess she was right when she said I needed to update! Here's the thing, mine and Keith's lives are incredibly boring right now because I'm going to school and he's studying for the DAT so really our lives revolve solely around homework and going to my parents on the weekend. Except for last week when I was at my parents 5 out of the 7 days of the week because Keith was out of town and I am way too big of a baby to sleep in my apartment on my own. It's pretty pathetic considering I live in Rexburg and have nightmares about people breaking in. But I definitely want to give a little shout out to Kaleena and Stephanie for crashing with me because I'm a weakling! You girls are amazing and I owe you! I didn't know how awful it would be to be separated from Keith for a week. All I can say is that I'm glad it's over but I'm grateful that he was able to take care of his grandma while his parents were out of town. Speaking of Keith, I need to brag about him a little bit. He had a HARD semester in the winter and he ended up pulling all A's. He's such a hard worker and he really does accomplish anything he puts his mind to. I'm so proud of him and grateful for his good example.

So I am getting over the sickness and definitely showing a belly! It's kind of fun but at the same time kind of awkward because I know I look like I've just put on some (okay a lot of) weight and my clothes are too tight. What's funny is how much I bloat after eating! I start out somewhat normal in the morning, then the stomach expands throughout the day. Let me just show you how it gets at nighttime and I'm really not exaggerating this: Not even 14 weeks pregnant so we'll have to see just how big I get! Katy asked if we think it's going to be a boy or girl. I'm saying a girl and Keith's saying a boy but we both don't really care. We just want a happy, healthy baby and if that's not possible we just want to be able to accept the Lord's will. We're so grateful for this pregnancy (as unexpected as it was) and feel blessed to have the privilege of bringing a child into this world.

March Madness

As you can tell by my lack of posting, March has been a crazy busy month for Keith and I. The new shortened semesters at BYU-I can really kill you! We can see the end though, our official last day is April 10th and at this point, it really can't come any sooner. I've decided to go to school this summer and finish up in the fall with my Bachelors in Health Science (emphasis in Public Health) which I'm really excited about! Keith is going to take a little time off and study for the DAT (the dental test) then hopefully get an internship here in Rexburg. It's been so cold and we cannot wait for the snow to melt.
So I've been pretty sick lately and at first I joked about it being morning sickness. A few weeks later, the naseua wasn't so funny anymore and the pregnancy test came positive!! You could definitely say it was an unplanned miracle but Keith and I are really excited. I'm glad that we dated so long and knew each other so well when we got married. I think it really helped prepare us for the news. Keith and I weren't going to say anything until 3 months but my mom happens to have a pregnancy radar and can detect it like you wouldn't believe.
I had my first ultrasound on Tuesday with Dr. Lovell and will post the picture as soon as I can get it to my parents and transfer it to the computer. It was so scary to know that I was pregnant until I saw the ultrasound and the little heart beating. What an amazing thing! The due date is October 31st which makes me 9 weeks today. I can't complain, Keith's been really good helping me out around the house because I've honestly been so tired. If I can, I go to bed around 8:30 and don't wake up until 7:30. Poor Keith gets to experience all of my wrath when he wakes me up from my naps! The morning sickness is almost at it's end though, just one more month and it should get better. The Doc. told me to stop taking prenatals until I'm out of the first trimester and that's definitely helped.
Did I mention we're so excited! We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be parents. If anyone has advice for good exercise to do while pregnant, it would be greatly appreciated, actually I could use any advice at all!

Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I have been searching on-line for a good chocolate chip cookie recipe because mine always turn out flat or just don't taste very good. I made this one this weekend and Keith and I both made ourselves sick! The bonus part of this recipe is that the dough is as good as the cookie. Keith and I made the first batch extra big (I used a large ice cream scoop and only fit 6 on the cookie sheet)and made ice cream sandwhiches which I highly recommend, but make sure you have an empty stomach because they are so filling. The trick to this recipe is to slowly melt the butter- I cut my butter into pieces and stirred them on low heat for about 10 minutes- and then mix it with your sugars. I also made sure to refrigerate my dough beforehand which is supposed to prevent burning and take them out right as they're turning brown. One other tip I loved, I chilled my cookie sheet by running cold water on it before my first batch and between my others. Doing that will prevent burning and a more perfect cookie. Enjoy!

Big, Chewy chocolate chip cookies
INGREDIENTS
· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
· 1 cup packed brown sugar
· 1/2 cup white sugar
· 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
· 1 egg
· 1 egg yolk
· 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2.Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3.In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4.Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Refrigerate dough before baking, leave on cookie sheet until cool, pull out of even when edges are just starting to turn brown

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Here are a couple pictures from the wedding:

Our Cake

Since I don't have pictures of the wedding yet, I thought I would find a picture of our cake. We found our "cake lady" (Alissa Fuller) in Orem through UtahWeddings. com and loved her. Our cake inspired her to begin a new company that rented wedding cakes. We wanted fondant because of the look but knew we probably wouldn't serve it. That meant we were going to spend $325 on a centerpiece! We signed for the cake but a few weeks later she called and said she had been thinking about making cakes for rent (for 1/3 of the price!) and wanted to know if we would be interested. I was all for it and am so glad I did it because our cake looked beautiful and if you can tell by our picture, it still looked like we were cutting into the fake cake.

It's finally open!

I'm so excited for our temple to be open, it's so beautiful! Keith and I went to the dedication on Sunday. They started half an hour late and Keith and I woke up ten minutes before we were supposed to be seated and you all know how I get on an empty stomach! But overall, it was a really amazing dedication. President Monson was so funny and the talks were all very inspiring.