:: family visit ::

Brady and I love having family and friends in town for a visit. The past few weeks we have been really lucky and had lots of visitors to keep us busy and keep me on top of cleaning my house. I don't know what happened to me and my love of capturing every event and moment on camera. Lately I have been really bad about remembering to get my camera out. I am trying to be better! Last weekend we had a full house - mom, dad, Ben, Georgia (family dog), Megan, Weston, Liam, and Lyra all came down for the weekend to support Ben at his race. We did luck out and have a beautiful sunny Friday and got to enjoy playing outside at the park. Too bad Saturday had to be yucky weather. The race ended on this huge hill - Weston decided to run along Ben to the finish line!
Sunday we all headed up to Gunlock Reservoir for the final race of the weekend. It was crazy windy and freezing. But we still managed to have a good time. Liam loved sitting on the center conceal eating oranges with Nanna and Papa while watching the riders.
We had so much fun hanging out with everyone all weekend. Monday morning I had a harsh reality check that I wont get to see my family very often anymore. This is the worst part of growing up and having your family spread across the world. I am very excited for our move to Atlanta I am just not excited that I wont get to see these beautiful faces once a month.

Brady and I have been playing tennis a few times a week and I am loving it! It makes me feel very pregnant because my body cant move as fast as it once did but we still have a good time. When we played this week I noticed I had no pockets for the balls - so I thought I would put my belly to good use. Brady kept laughing at me and thought I looked so silly and had to take a picture. I think it almost looks like I have little puppies in my belly instead of a baby.

22 weeks and feeling great! The past 2 weeks have been wonderful. I actually feel like me again. I think it is because it has been so warm and sunny and I have been outside and exercising again. Its amazing how a little bit of exercise and sunshine can make you feel so good. I even tried a Zumba class this week with Courtney and it was a blast! I totally recommend it to everyone as long as you have a friend to go with you and you can laugh at yourself for being so silly.

:: kick kick ::

Last night was so amazing - I felt my little bambino kick for the first time!! It was the strangest/best feeling ever to feel my little guy. He was even active enough to let Brady feel him kicking around. I guess its starting to "kick" in that we are really going to be having a baby in a few months. The thought is still CRAZY!!!!

:: here we come Atlanta ::

Brady was accepted to Emory University today and that was our top choice school (a top 10 DPT program in the country). So we finally know where we will be moving - Atlanta!!! We are both so excited. I love the south and Brady was very impressed with the school and with the city. The humidity will take some getting used to but it will be a fun change. Hey and the nice part is we will be only 12 hours away from Peter/Shellie and Kelsey/Anthony. That means we could would actually be within driving distance of some family. Wahoo!!!

So the next few weeks will be crazy applying for grants, student loans, scholarships, insurance, finding a place to live, and finding a new doctor to deliver our baby. So if any of you know anything about Atlanta (Janine I know you do) please email me anything I need to know about the area.

On a baby note yesterday we had our 20 week ultrasound and they ran a bunch of test on our baby. He is growing right on target and all of his organs are developing as they should be!!! Such a relief to know my baby is healthy thus far. Oh and he is 11oz. already - so crazy to me he is almost 1 pound already.

Yeah for change and a good news week! We are so blessed and thank you everyone for all of your prayers and support through this process.

:: half way there ::

I never thought this day would come but I am now half way done with my pregnancy - 20 weeks!! I did manage to survive being home alone this weekend and Brady LOVED Atlanta. We now have a new number one school on our list. Brady says the university, staff, program, area, and city were all wonderful and would be thrilled to go to school there.

I even managed to keep my goal and start my sewing project. Much to my surprise I really enjoyed sewing - other than threading the machine wrong and getting VERY angry that I could not figure the problem. I finished the quilt and it turned out super cute. I will post pictures later this week. I even got to enjoy having a day full of chick flicks while sewing. Saturday reminded me of my childhood with my mom - sewing, chick flicks, and junk food. The only thing (person)that I was missing was my mom. I am so excited she will be coming down in 2 weeks!!

Today was a beautiful spring day. While at work all I wanted to do was go to the park and bask in the sun on a blanket with a good book. Good thing I get off work at 3pm so I can enjoy this beautiful weather some :)

:: missing my man ::

This is me! And this is my man!

And he is on his way to Atlanta right now for an interview with Emory Un. and I am really going to miss him this weekend. I guess I will really start my sewing project! Good luck Sweets! I know you will rock their socks off.

Oh and I forgot to tell ya'll Brady got accepted into Temple Un. in Phillie!!! We are very excited about the offer but Miami and Emory are ranked higher so we will see what they have to offer us. It looks like we have things narrowed down to 3 places - Phillie, Miami or Atalanta. They all sound like fun places to live to me so I will take what we can get. We did decide that we will be moving no matter what in May because of the baby. I will keep ya'll posted on the final decision.

:: weekend visitors ::

Brent and Jenni came down south for a sunny St. George visit. Only the sun decided not to come out... it rained their entier trip. But that is ok we were still able to have fun playing games (they even managed to keep me up past my 9pm bed time) and eating good food. Dont these two boys just look like they are the best of friends? Well guess what they are! And they had not seen eachother in person since June - yes Brady and I have been home since we moved but everytime we did it didnt workout to meet up with our friends while Brady was there. They had so much fun just being boys!
I have missed Jenni and our fun conversations. It was so wonderful to catch up on everything and laugh our heads off together. I just love how whitty she always is. The funny thing about our relationship is she and Brent were dating at the same time Brady and I were and she NEVER spoke to anyone much. Then they get married and out of no where she starts talking and making us all laugh and we are so happy she warmed up to us. Love you Jenni!

Oh and check out my tasty king cake. It was a few days late for Mardi Gras but having guest in town brought my love of cooking back. I am so glad for it also. I love this sweet bread and only get to make it once a year.

:: Baby Project #1 Here I Come ::

Any guesses what this adorable fabric is for?? Ok ok I will tell... after searching and searching for crib bedding that I LOVED I finally gave up and decided I am going to sew my own (with help from my mom and sweet friend Lashel). I have never been a big sewer but I have always wanted to... SO why not learn/practice now. Wish me luck with this BIG project!
Here is my prego belly at 17 weeks. I feel as if I am growing daily.

What I think of pregnancy thus far:

Fun Things:

• Finally having a cute baby bump (silly I know)
• Having Brady talk about being a daddy - he is going to be so good
• Getting to buy baby things
• Talking about names - much to my surprise we agree on most names
• Being 4 1/2 months closer to being a mommy - I have wanted this since as long as I can remember - my mom says when I was little if anyone asked me what I was going to be when I grew up I would say "a mommy" and my heart has never changed - I LOVE babies
• Getting a back massage just about every night
• Bought my diaper bag after months of searching - to most this may not seem like a big deal but to me it was. I love my purses and this diaper bag is going to everyday so I knew I better LOVE it

Not So Fun Things:

• Not feeling like myself
• Back pain - worse than normal
• Being sensitive to smells
• Potty breaks at 3am
• Baby things being so expensive
• Having such a limited wardrobe
• Not being able to stand or sit for long periods of time
• Not being able to wear heels - my feet too tired too fast
• Taking prenatal vitamins
• Being so tired all the time

its a BOY!!!!!!

This morning we found out we are having a baby BOY and we are so excited! Brady said all along that it was a boy and he was thrilled that he was right. So here is my baby bump at 16 weeks.

:: Brady & Lindsay Sitting in a Tree ::

Brady and Lindsay sitting in a tree k.i.s.s.i.n.g first comes love then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage! Yep we are going to become parents on July 20th. 2010 is bringing us all kinds of change and fun! Brady has received many interview offers and one acceptance letter to ........................ Touro in Henderson, NV. So now I can officially say we ARE going to PT school this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is not one of our top pick schools but now we have something if nothing else pans out. I am so proud of Brady for all of his hard work and cant wait to find out where we will be moving in just a few months.

{Best week EVER!}

We could not have asked for a better week to finish out 2009 and start 2010. Christmas was a blast and it was so wonderful to be able to spend time with all of our siblings on both sides of the family minus Pete and Shellie {we missed ya'll}. I was lucky enough to be able to stay in Springville until Wednesday to spend more time with Kelsey and her family. We had so much fun just hanging out in our jammies all day and playing games. I love vacations like that :)

Monday night I received the best phone call from Brady .................... he was just offered an interview at Temple University WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tuesday night I received another call from my sweet heart and he had more great news for me he has an interview with University of Miami also!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so excited to be getting good feed back like this from schools. We still have 11 more schools to hear from so we hope to have more good news like this. All our our months of hard work and studying is starting to pay off and it is such a good feeling. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far!!

Our good week news does not stop there - I told you this has been the best week EVER for our family. Wednesday night on my drive back down to St. George I received a phone call from my bishop and he had a job offer for me to be his administrative assistant! So I start my new job on Monday and could not be happier.

I can say that our prayers have truly been answered this week and we are feeling the blessings of Christ in our lives daily. We have been so blessed and I know with all of my heart that if we always have HOPE, keep paying our tithing, fulfill our callings, attend the temple, and always strive to be more like Jesus everything in our lives will workout for the best. We may not always understand at that moment in time WHY we are having to go through something but Heavenly Father can see the big picture and knows what is best for us.

:: hope ::

Yesterday I was at my good friends house and she has a "hope" Christmas tree and it inspired to to have more hope towards life at the Christmas time of year. About 2 weeks ago I was laid off of my job at Henriksen/ Butler and now am back on the job search. This has been a rough year for me and employment. I have spent more months unemployed than employed and to some that may sound glorious but for me I am on the verge of loosing my sanity. I feel like a failure and that I can not help support my family. I am doing my best to try and find any form of work and trying not to be picky and I am still not having much success. The days are long and I am trying to keep myself motivated to have hope that everything will workout as long as I keep trying and doing my best.

my hope list for the day:

• being more hopeful about getting a good job
• keeping high hopes that Brady gets accepted into PT school
• hoping Brady's job continues going well
• hoping to be a better friend
• hoping to be a better wife and pay more attention to my sweet husband
• hoping to have good health
• hoping to be more productive daily
• hoping to cook dinner daily
• hoping to remember Christ daily and thank my father in heaven for all he does for me and my family
• hoping to be kinder and less judgmental
• hoping to start exercising daily again

Hope is a desire with an expectation of accomplishment!

:: weekend of firsts ::

Yesterday Brady and I decided to head down south to Las Vegas to finish up our Christmas shopping. We had a fun time spending all day with each other. It was also a day of many firsts.

Brady's first time shopping for 8 hours (mind you much of that time was spent getting lost and trying to find our way around Vegas). I must say thought Brady did VERY well for shopping for that many hours. He is such a good support to me :) I love you hunny.

Both of us made our first appearance in Bloomingdales - I was actually very disappointed with this store. We all know its supposed to be a very high class, expensive store but all of their furniture was falling apart, the wood was split, and scratched with the paint flaking off. I guess they don't know that the appearance of the showroom = people liking their products and wanting them in their home not showing us how poorly they really are.

It was also our first time in Neiman Marcus as well and yet again I was not thrilled by the store. I was searching the entire day for a new pair of black boots. Don't get me wrong I found hundreds of black boots at the 3 malls and DSW that we went to but nothing was hitting the spot for me. I for sure thought with such a wide variety of stores I would be able to find the perfect pair. 8 hours later I did finally find a pair I love and of all places that I found them it was Bakers.

It was also my first time ever stopping in Mesquite and my first time eating a whopper at Burger King in about 12 years.

Merry Christmas friends! Oh and we can't wait to see these lovely people in 13 days.

:: tis the season ::

Last night Brady and I were feeling the season of Christmas. We went to a Christmas concert at the tabernacle and it was so wonderful. I love listening to Christmas carols. It makes me wish I could sing...
Last night was my first time in the tabernacle and it was very nice. I did find the eye on the wall interesting... can you find the all seeing eye? Brady said it is God's eye - he sees everything.

Merry Christmas to all from the Wood's!! We love our HUGE tree and how it takes up half the living room. Ooops! I guess we went big and went home :)

:: Thanksgiving in Springville ::

We had such a fun time in Springville this year for Thanksgiving. We ate lots of yummy food, played tons of games, laughed a lot, danced, sang, cooked, talked to our hearts continent. We missed you Peter and Shellie and Kelsey and Anthony. We hope to see ya'll soon.

Nanna feeding Lyra her first roll at her first Thanksgiving. She loved it!

The Rabner family Thanksgiving dinner 2009

Happy Thanksgiving sweets I love you and I am so grateful for all of your hard work and all that you do to provide for our family. You always know how to make me smile and you are the best at knowing how to have fun and stay out of the drama. You rock my world!!

Liam and his friends, baby otoa, ducky blank, and bear.

I love my pappy! He is the best and take such good care of us. He is such a strong, faithful, hard working, family oriented, good man.

Lyra loves uncle Brady and he was so good with her. He will make a good daddy someday.

The pie monsters!

Liam and Nanna fell asleep while watching Harry Potter after a long fun Thanksgiving day.

Lyra was so cute just hanging out in her bed smiling and cooing away. She is such a happy fun baby to be around.

We love Julio and Natalie they are so much fun to play games with and to hang out with. We love Natalie and how well she fits in with our family.

The after math on the cook top after boiling apples for 8 hours. Yeah the clean up was not so much fun.

We had a great team to make 6 bushels of apple sauce = 8 hours of slaving away for yummy organic apple sauce for our food storage. Funny how cooking like that can be so tiring yet so fun when you are doing it with people you love. Thanks everyone for all of your hard work.

Liam was living the dream on Friday while we were making apple sauce all day. He got to stay in his dinosaur jammies all day long, play trains with his auntie and uncles, eat treats, and watch movies. What a lucky little guy.

Lyra bean is getting so big and so much fun to cuddle with. I love just holding her all day long. Oh how I can't wait to have one of my own someday. Don't you just love her little minny mouse dress?

My little Liam guy and I had so much fun playing all weekend long. He is my best friend and I miss hanging out with him everyday. We danced, played trains, cuddled and watched a movie, ate gold fish, and read bed time stories. Oh the life of a two year old. Love him!

Saturday morning it was so fun to get together with my Paris gals and Terry. Thanks for being our photographer Terry you always do such a good job. This was really sad saying good bye to these girls because all four of us live in different states and we are unsure when we will get to see each other again. This is the worst part of growing up... saying good bye to good friends. I love you girls!!

:: where in the USA ::

Alright everyone it is official. Brady is all done with his PT school applications. We applied to 14 schools across the USA. Now we play the waiting game... so where do you think/want us to end up for the next 3 years?

Miami, FL

Atlanta, GA

Albuquerque, NM

Boston, MA

Tacoma, WA

Las Vegas, NV

Salt Lake City, UT

Wheeling, WV

Norfork, VA

Richmond, VA

Downers Grove, IL

Philadelphia, PA

Detroit, MI

:: happy friday ::

- First of all I just want to put it out there that I don't believe in doctors! After months of not sleeping and a weird lump in my throat I decided to go to the doctor. Well they got me no answers and just lots of bills for a million labs. LAME is what I think. No wonder my mom never took us to the doctor growing up!

-Brady does not work today - so we get to hangout when its still day light.

- It's raining and I LOVE it!

- I get to use my new cake cook book for the Relief Society retreat tonight. As women the in ward we are all going up to a lodge tonight and playing games, eating yummy food, having a GIANT slumber party, and getting to know each other better. I am so excited and think it will be so fun. NO boys aloud! It will be really good for me to branch out and make more friends in the ward because none of my close friends will be there.

Let the fun times roll on in for the weekend!

:: good week ::

*I just got a second job working for the Dixie Igloo {the temporary ice arena they are building here} and they don't have a clue what they are doing. So I am very excited to have a new challenge and make my afternoons go by faster.

* I have lost 3 lbs. this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess working out with Jillian is starting to pay off!!!!!!

* My face has started to clear up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* I am going to the doctor this afternoon and I hope he has good news like he knows what is wrong with me!

* The weather down here has finally decided it's time for fall and I LOVE it.

*Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks - MMMMMMMMmmmmmm!

*6 weeks until Christmas and I get to see Kell-a-bell and Ali Jo

:: Lyra Jenevive - welcome to the blog ::

Little miss Lyra now makes her fist appearance into the blogging world. She was born October 23 and I just got to meet her for the first time this past week. It was love at first sight! I could not get enough of holding her and she was 100% ok with that. I even got her to give me some good smiles. See that is just how much she loves me too :)
The beautiful Rabner gals minus a few... Kels Christmas is almost here!!!

Look at how happy of a big brother Liam is to be holding his baby Ly. He loves her so much and is always so sweet and kissing on her.

Does she not look amazing? Yes she did just deliver a baby 2 weeks ago and she doesn't even show it. Love you Mugs.

I love fall and I was so happy that I got to see the fall leaves while home for the week.

Mom super cute new hair cute - good job Kelsey! My mom just got high lights for the first time in her life.

I'm so glad that I "had" to be in SLC for training all of last week so I "had" to hang out with these beautiful ladies all week and have so much fun. St. George is fun and we really do like it down here but I really do miss living so close to all of my family especially with this new bundle of joy. Good thing Thanksgiving is in 2 1/2 weeks and I get to see them again. I love this time of year!!

Baby Ly brings such a smile to my face. Can I pre order one just like her?

She looked so precious in her petty skirt on Sunday. I was very tempted to just bring her home with me.

Thanks for the wonderful week family. I love you all and can't wait to see you all again soon.