OH CHRISTMAS TREE...

Tonight we put up our Christmas tree for family home evening. We listened to our favorite christmas music we call 'the stripper christmas' which was a record that my dad used to play for us when we would put up our tree as kids. We call it the stripper christmas because it is christmas music, but sounds like strippers should be dancing to it...it is pretty funny. Anyways, I made a homemade soup which turned out yummy, sweet potato and spicy sausage soup. I love making soups, reminds me of my childhood with my mom's soups.  We put up our tree and the traditional ornaments, including our 'first ornament' tradition which mark has adapted from his parents. It is where mark and I put up our first ornament together. I love it. I love getting ready for christmas, I am excited to be able to enjoy this family tradition with our future children!

 I am putting up the Pickle Ornament While Mark is putting up his basketball and football ornaments.

The end result. The mighty Ontiveros Christmas tree...'thar she stands!'

Good times. Excited for christmas!

SHE GROWS!

I have now reached my seventh month and am going into the thrid trimester...YAY! We have been blessed so far in the pregnancy with no issues, so we will pray that this will continue. I am noticing that I am growing everyday more and more. People are now noticing I am pregnant instead of just chubby, which I like.The other day two of the managers I work with came up to me and said ' Andrea, please don't be offended, but we need to ask. Are you pregnant?' I thought about saying 'NO!' just to make them scared, but they were sweet to ask instead of assuming. It is funny how people are afraid to ask these days...to many beer bellies out there I guess.

Well, so far my baby is a tumbler and enjoys waking me up in the early mornings like her daddy. I love the girl and can't wait to meet her! Oh wait, yes I can...just 12 more weeks!

I am Thankful

Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I don't feel like going to bed yet, I figured I would mention a some of the many things in which I am grateful for this Thanksgiving. So here it goes:

I am thankful for...

-Mark, he is my greatest blessing! He is always doing everything he can to make me happy, stay at ease and know that I am loved. He finds ways to serve me everyday, keeps himself healthy and compliments me on my beauty (dispite the fact that I look like a balloon right now). I just love him so much!

-My heavenly father for helping me to have the knowlege of the gospel and the atonment of Jesus Christ. And providing me with the opportunity to create an eternal family with Mark. I know he truly loves me.

- A growing, healthy baby girl! She moves so much, giving me power kicks and punches to my ribs every hour...and I LOVE IT! I can sense her little spirit, I speak to her often and I know that she will be a true blessing to her family...especially to her daddy. I love her so much and I am grateful she has been healthy thus far in the pregnancy...13 weeks to go!

-My family. Especially my mom. She is such a strength and continues to look out for me and my happiness even as a grown adult. I know she will always be there for me. And I know, that the rest of my family members would do anything for me. And for that I am grateful.

-My little brother serving a mission, Andrew. He is one of my best friends and i am so proud of him for making the right decision to serve a mission. I know his life will be truly blessed for that decision as mine has.

-Marks family...actually, they are my family too. I am very grateful to have such amazing in laws to be with forever. They are always doing what they can to help mark and I out with our needs. They are constantly giving and are true examples of charity.They are fun and love mark so much! I know that they would do anything for him, and to me that is a blessing.

- A great job. Though it can be stressful, it is providing for our needs at this time. We are able afford the things we need while still being able to have fun. They are also patient when I make mistakes and have provided me with many career opportunites.

-A warm home!

- My health. No matter what sickness I am paronoid I may have, the test always come up that I am completley healthy.

- A car that takes me from point A to point B...some people have to take the bus or get a ride, I am grateful I do not.

Okay, I have a lot more things to be grateful for, but if I continue I might say that I love carpets and lamps...so I will end here. Oh, but I am grateful for thanksgiving food...yay for glutney!!

Twilight Saga = Memories

This week was the midnight premier of 'Breaking Dawn pt.1'. As tradition in our family, we went to the midnight showing wearing our self made t-shirts and prepared for a 5 hour waiting in the theater till the movie started. We had lots of fun! Sarah won a Twilight bag for answering a quiz question in line. We got a free slice of wedding cake for the Edward and Bella wedding reception...which was a great idea. The movie was great, they did an excellent job of portraying the events in the book. I am proud of them. It is always fun to share these memories with my sister and nieces, I am hoping that we will always remember the fun that the Twilight saga has brought us. And it was especially to be pregnant at the same time as Bella was in the movie...made it easier to come up with an idea for a shirt.

I love my little Vampire baby

My water broke and the vampire baby made a run for it. There were rose petals in the water...awww.

We support a losing team.

Tonight Mark and I went to the UofA vs. UoU football game. This is the second game we have been to this year, the first we blew out UCLA, this game, we got creamed. But we still had tons of fun being loud...even when the crowd is full of quiet, grumpy old people. And we had almost the entire section to ourselves after the 3rd quarter. One guy shouted to people leaving 'early leavers are non belivers.' I thought that was hilarious and so true. What lamos for leaving. You purchased the dange tickets...why not stay till the end. Oh well, they have their reasons. We had lots of fun without them. BEAR DOWN!

I can't seem to get this photo rotated, but this is an epic photo of mark wearing jeans...he looked so hot in them. He needs to wear jeans more often! What a sexy man!

Another Moment of 'AWWW'

Last night while mark and I were lying down for bed, we were talking and the baby started kicking like crazy! I grabbed marks hand and placed it on my stomach so he could feel her kick. She was sutler at first, which he could not feel, but then she gave a big soccer kick to his hand. When I asked him if he felt it, he was silent and only nodded his head. He then felt a couple more kicks, stayed silent and then put his arms around me and gave me a few big hugs telling me that he loved me. I could tell he was moved by this experience, as was I. Last night will definitely go down as one of the more beautiful moments that mark and I share together. I love him so much, and am so excited for him to be a daddy.

Halloween...done.

We had a fun Halloween this year in the Ontiveros home. Well, some of us at least. Mark had to study all weekend, but at least we got to hit up the corn maze. It is tradition after all! We did not manage to hit all of the check points, cause we are lazy and would rather skip to eating kettle corn, but we did have some fun together in the maze...as always. Here are some pictures of the fun.

And this is the traditional Corn Maze photo. It will be fun to bring our kids here someday. The pumpkin is already looking at my belly.

We carved pumkins with Tina and made caramel apples with the kids. On Halloween, Mark had class, but I got to take the kids trick or treating with my family. Overall it was a fun Halloween. Looking forward to next years Halloween when we can take a little someone around.