Gender Reveal

Hello all! As most of you know, we found out the gender of our little babe this week. I liked the idea of waiting until baby is born, but we were okay with finding out and decided if people were going to buy us stuff or make us stuff, it might as well not be gender neutral. Sorry Beal sisters - I had to make that hard on your for my Idaho shower ;)

Monday I had my ultrasound. It took FOREVER. Hopefully baby doesn't come out a monkey after that exposure to all those high frequency waves...can you tell how I feel about ultrasound? Ha...anyway, I told myself to calm down and it will all be fine. Baby is healthy other than the kidneys aren't draining like they're supposed to, which means there's blockage somewhere in the "plumbing." I'm not worried in the slightest as they say this typically resolves itself within pregnancy (9 times out of 10). So whatever - don't put me on the prayer roll or anything. I had my nurse tell me when she was going to "the nether-regions" so I could close my eyes and she could record everything she needed so I wouldn't know the sex. She put the picture of the anatomy in a different envelope for me. I picked Justin up and we took our envelope to a bakery in downtown Tacoma. We told them to make us a cake so we could reveal that weekend.

The rest of the week was busy busy. I started coaching track. I am only in charge of 6th grade girls so that is great because they are totally clueless as to what different events are so it's very low-key, and there are only about eight girls. We practice M/W/F. I'm teaching about photosynthesis right now which is fun content for me - I feel like I will finish the school year strong. 9 weeks to go!

Justin and I went craigslist crazy this week. We bought a car seat/stroller set and a dresser for baby's room. We love second-hand! We got another car seat for free, so we'll have one for each car and then we have one for later down the road when baby is sitting up - also for free. #winning I'm 28 weeks and I feel great! I am soaking in the time that I feel great since the weather will be getting hotter and I will be getting bigger and bigger every week from here until baby comes.

Saturday we picked up our gender cake - still unaware of boy or girl. We had all of Justin's family over at our house for a potluck and croquet. The plan was to serve everyone cake at dessert time and just let them figure out why it was blue/pink. I let Laura in on the secret so she could take pictures and record us cutting the cake. I was SO NERVOUS! All week I've been so nervous to find out! People would ask me if I HAD to guess, what would I think, and my guess was a boy. The heart rate was very strong and fast which I hear can indicate a boy, and baby is carrying low which I also hear can indicate boy. But in the end it's all 50/50, right? Plus, Justin was partial to a boy (what man isn't?) so it made me hope for a boy. We cut the cake to find blue in the middle - oh my goodness! It just makes it all so much more REAL. We served grandma first - it took her a minute but then she figured it out! Fun times were had by all. As you would expect, nesting is in full swing. We put the crib and "baby stuff" in the boy's room. The dresser we bought is also for that room but it needs a little TLC before it goes up there.

The cake was amazing by the way...vanilla cake with raspberry filling and cream cheese frosting. We froze the remaining cake and we'll eat it when we bring baby home :)

my next painting project

28 weeks

Jackson is doing well - we sure love our puppy. He is going through a stage right now so we are working with him extra hard to get him trained and well-behaved. He's a little (or not-so-little) ball of energy! Justin bought me some hanging plants and hung porch lights for me - our yard and deck are almost summer ready (we are on the lookout for some patio furniture; hopefully second-hand ;)).

Youth Conference

This last week was my spring break. It didn't feel like much of a break because every day I was working on getting ready for youth conference. But I prefer being busy over doing nothing all week. Tuesday I gave a modesty presentation for New Beginnings for the Young Women. Thursday night Justin and I got all the last-minute things packed and Friday was the day! We got up early and put signs in the parking lot for wards to gather and get their youth up to Panhandle Lake. On the way we had misty rain which made me nervous. But we didn't have any rain, just cloudy skies. Thank goodness, because three of our four break-out sessions were outside with no cover!

Friday we had four breakout sessions for the youth that were a total hit. Following orientation and lunch, we put the youth into groups with adult couples we had called as "Ma's and Pa's." They rotated stations, alternating between a spiritual class and a fun activity. Our two classes were based on the theme: one was about "Press Forward" and the other was about "Having Steadfast Faith in Christ." They were also split by age, so we had four sets of teachers and they did an amazing job. We could only catch glimpses of each class as we oversaw all the activities, but we also heard great things from youth and Ma's and Pa's. The two fun activities were human foosball and creating a video based on one of the standards in the "For Strength of Youth." They had dinner and free time and then we had our fireside. Originally we planned to do it around an actual fire at the amphitheater, but we had the wonderful problem of having so many youth come that we couldn't fit so we had it inside. This whole time Justin edited all the videos and put them together for the kids to watch after. President Barker spoke - he brought a backpack full of miscellaneous objects and talked about how we have spiritual baggage we need to repent of. After that we served doughnuts and hot chocolate and watched the videos the kids made - they loved it!

That evening got slightly stressful with sleeping arrangements...getting boys and girls to their respective sleeping quarters and getting them to stay there...I discovered only a few girls sneaking into boys cabins. I do not like to play the bad guy but oh baby...when I need to, watch out. It helps that I have plenty of practice #teachermode

Saturday we originally were planning a huge game that was going to be epic but also was turning into a big headache so we changed things up and spent our entire morning on the service project. I figured the youth had plenty of time to play the day before, and we were going to focus on someone else instead of ourselves. The 4-H camp where we stayed had a boat house facility that we totally cleaned up. There is a path that goes around the perimeter of the lake that had tons of branches and debris that we cleared completely. And we ripped out their old nasty fire pit and installed a new one donated by our stake YM president with "Panhandle Lake" welded onto it. It was great! We gave kids time to pack and clean facilities, then had lunch. We organized a "Spirit Challenge/Faith Walk" that was to be the climax of the conference. This was something I did at BYU-Idaho as an I-Team leader. Ma's and Pa's gave their kids a mini devotional, then blindfolded them and led them to the path we had constructed during the service project. We put stakes in the ground with rope tied around them creating an "iron rod"-like path. Youth leaders were placed along the way and had the job of either trying to get kids to let go of the rope (satan) or encouraging them to "press forward." We had amazing youth leaders who were really good at getting kids to let go of the rope! At first I was getting so mad - what are they saying to get the kids to let go?!? But it was so cool to watch them try to get back to the rope once they figured out it was the wrong way. Wow it was really powerful to watch. We were all bawling like babies but trying to suck it up so we could execute it for everyone. The end of the path led to the amphitheater where we immediately had our testimony meeting. Kids bore really amazing testimonies of their faith and knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel.

Everyone went home after that and Justin and I gave each other a mighty high-five when it was all over. It was a very successful youth conference. We planned the whole thing, but when it came down to it, we had great teachers, Ma's and Pa's, and youth leaders that made the whole thing happen. I was so tired after it was all over. My feet and back were aching. Hello third trimester! I decided I would treat myself to a pedicure when we got home, and I somehow talked Justin into coming with me. I've seen husbands go with their wives before - no polish of course! But it was just what the doctor ordered with the massage chair working my back and the Asian ladies working my feet.

Now that it's over I'm plotting what our next project will be. The next big event is of course our baby! I think I will do some more painting in my house in the meantime. I have an electrician coming to see if we can get more lights installed in our living room.

Today was the first day of church with the boundary changes. With all the confusion, I ended up teaching the 12-16-years-old in Sunday School. That's 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16 ... ha! Today is a beautiful 80 degree day and I am soaking it all in before I have to go back to school tomorrow #stillindenial.

I will post pictures and video once they all get uploaded to the cloud.

Baby Shower

This last weekend I traveled to Boise for my family baby shower. My sister Mitzi offered to throw me a shower, so I agreed to fly out at the start of our spring break.

Thursday when the 2:15 bell rang I kicked my kids out, locked my door, and got myself to the airport. I checked  an empty bag to carry all my goods home in for the flight back from Idaho. I saw two other teacher friends at the airport flying to Maui, HI so that was fun to see them. Six of seven teachers peaced-out early for spring break. I was nervous about getting in trouble because I left without a sub, and for no good reason other than I wanted to get out of school early - but Friday morning it magically worked out that I had a sub. Booya! I was nervous about my flight because I was congested all week with a cold and sore throat. I thought for sure I'd blow an ear drum, but I drugged up enough that I only had mild discomfort while we landed in Boise. My teacher friend Casey gave me some essential oils to use in case my ears hurt. I figured, why not? Boy did I become a believer. While waiting for Mitzi at the airport, I applied just a bit of crazy voo-doo oil next to my ears and almost instantly the pain was gone. Whaaaat? I don't even know what kind it was but I will definitely be getting some of that for myself. Mitzi graciously picked me up from the airport and hosted me the whole weekend. That night we watched [the edited version of] Pretty Woman.

Friday Mitzi and I hung out all day. We went for a walk in the morning, then got ready and had breakfast at Kneaders. It was amazing! Best breakfast I think I've ever had. We ran errands and did a little shopping - I found the cutest maternity top at Ross which was fun! Mitzi got some cute summer clothes for herself. We took a nice nap in the afternoon, made fish tacos for dinner, and went to a reception that night. I also convinced Mitzi to get an ice cream cone at Delsa's which was most delicious. After that I drove over to Gabe's to enjoy his evening fire with whoever decided to show up. Those kind of memories with my family are my favorite - just hanging out around the fire visiting. I stayed until midnight and drove back to Mitzi's for the night.

Saturday morning I agreed to help babysit Gabe's kids so Gabe, Keaton, Dad, and whoever else wanted to could go golfing. Amanda helped babysit too, and by "helped" I mean she did all the work while I visited with Trisha and Mom until they went to help Mitzi set up for the shower. 1 o'clock came and Amanda and I joined the party. Mitzi had us play two baby shower games and then I got to open my gifts. We had amazing food as well - we enjoyed eating and talking all afternoon until Mom, Amanda, and Trisha left for home. We had pizza at the park for dinner. That night we tried to pick a new movie to watch but settled on 500 Days of Summer - always a good choice.

Trisha and Jory won the two games so they got the prizes

So happy so many sisters could come! Getting to see Amanda and Trisha was an extra special treat since they are on the other side of Idaho and it's not often they come to Boise.

The most amazing climbing tree I've ever seen!

 Ryan was chasing ducks around; I thought it was so cute!

Sunday at church I helped Mitzi teach her primary lesson to her crazy 10/11 year olds. Yikes I'm glad I have 16 year olds to teach in my calling - those girls are a handful. I helped keep the girls quiet so Mitzi was able to give a decent lesson while the primary president observed. She drove me back to the airport for me to fly home after that.

I say this every time, but I feel like this was one of my favorite trips home. I love to see all my family and spend time with them. This will be the last time in a long time that I see everyone so easily, so I am really grateful I got to spend at least some time with the majority of the Beal family. I got home in time for our last youth conference meeting. This week is going to go by way too fast as we get everything ready. Pray for us to have decent weather!

Our stake got new ward boundaries while I was gone. I feel like most of the friends I've made in my ward are now in a different ward, but I'm excited about all the new people we'll be getting from another ward.

Here are the blossoms on our trees from last week - they are already gone and the leaves surrounding our house have returned! I love our house in the summer - it is so beautiful.

April 1, 2016

April 11, 2016

I got these flowers for free from random people walking down our street - awesome!

Our wisteria is coming back!

Update

Happy spring everyone! We've had the most beautiful weather lately. Last week it got up into the 70's, and this week they project it will get close to 80! I am loving it. The trees around our house are finally getting their leaves back which means we'll have our backyard privacy again. I love having the trees around us - it was totally part of what made me fall in love with this house.

In other news, we got rid of Rocky the Dog. This last week he was especially barky and whiny. We just couldn't figure out why he was being so crazy, so we gave him to the couple that is currently house sitting his regular home. What was interesting was when we were packing up his stuff, he got really happy and excited all of the sudden. In the car he was super well behaved and happy.  I thought...you know exactly what is happening, don't you? Sure enough - we got to the house and he happily trotted around his familiar home. We are happy and he is happy - win win. We thought Jackson would struggle with the transition, but he doesn't seem to miss Rocky at all. I'm glad we were able to make the switch when we did. And we love having just our regular family with the two of us plus Jackson. We love our puppy so much! He is so smart and so well behaved! He never barks or whines like Rocky did, and he is very good at commands. He is obedient and getting more dependable every day. Our next project will be fencing the back yard - right now he has a make-shift fence that works ok for now, but we'd like a normal fence eventually. We'll see about when we get that done.

Jon and Laura threw Clara a 3rd birthday party on Saturday. That was fun to see all of Jon and Laura's family and friends that we don't normally see along with Justin's parents.

Youth conference is upon us. It is taking over our lives much like the cabinets did. It is just 10 days away and we are feeling the pressure as we depend on others to get their assignments done. It is a lot of work. All during conference weekend we were working on different documents and putting youth groups together. It is also exciting - we have some good stuff planned. I think it's going to be great!

I am 25 weeks pregnant now. It is fun to feel baby kick quite often. I feel like I have a person with two personalities by the way he/she moves. I feel this kind of "gurgling" motion at some times and then more rapid movement at other times. Last week a kid hit me in the face with a door (long story) and I became the most livid I ever have in my life - I got all up in his face basically spitting in my anger and baby did NOT like it - I walked away and he/she was squirming/kicking like crazy. Ha - sorry baby! I will try to be more calm!

In other ridiculous Cascade news: our assistant principal took a "leave of absence" for the remainder of the school year and our Dean of Students tried to break up a girl fight that resulted in a fractured ankle and a head CT that thankfully came back clear. She has been out all week for her injuries. We have "guest" administrators but nobody stays for long. Today our principal emailed all of us asking if one of us would like to forgo our teaching duties to be an administrator until our Dean gets back...hahaha. No thanks! I'll stick to the crazies I have, thank you, not the million crazies you have to deal with every day!

25 weeks pregnant