Hermana Funch

I am so excited that this lovely lady is home! 

She has been serving a mission for the past 18 months in Washington, D.C., and today I was lucky enough to welcome her home at the airport!  

(I realize that I look enormous in this picture.  I really haven't put on 50 pounds during this pregnancy.  I promise. Ellen, however, looks adorable!  Of course.) 

Ellen has been one of my best friends since high school, and I have missed her so.  She really is amazing.  She got baptized during our junior year of high school, has served a full-time mission, and her example has led to both her parents getting baptized, too!  I love her and both her parents.  The spanish-speaking people of D.C. were lucky to have her, but I am glad she's home!  

She was, however, a little alarmed to see that I had gained a little weight...  until I told her that I was 7 months pregnant.  He he... surprise! 

Oh, Christmas Tree

Long time no blog. 

Christmas is almost here!  I love Christmas.  The smells, decorations, family, food, all of it.  It makes me happy.  The other night I said something to Kirk like, "I love Christmas.  I'm more into it this year than I have been in the last few years, for some reason...."  And he responded with the perfectly logical answer: "It's because you don't have finals."

Duh.  

December is waaay better when you don't have deadlines and papers and projects and lovely finals hanging over your head.  Then, by the time you finish, you go home and enjoy Christmas for about 4 days.

 Big woop.  

Anyways, this year is especially tender because it's the last one with just Kirk and I, before this little guy comes in March.  I'm sure next year will be a whole lot different with a little baby around!  

So, a couple weeks ago Kirk and I went and picked out a little tree for us.

Don't let his nonchalant smile fool you.  Kirk was REALLY excited to pick out our tree.

Found it!  And now he sits in our window, with a nice view of the ocean.  

Merry Christmas!  It really is the best time of year.  Especially with no finals.  

Noviembre

It's November.  

November decided to welcome us with some very warm weather last week.  And while 90°+ temperatures make it unbearable in our non-air conditioned house come 4 pm, they make for perfect beach days.  

Last Saturday, Kirk and I had a busy day planned, running boring errands and taking care of stuff that can't be taken care of during the week.  (I.e. car stuff that I make Kirk take care of, mostly.  Because I hate dealing with car dealership people who look at me like a poor, naive blonde chick who will let you charge her a million bucks for stuff she doesn't need.  Anyways.) But when a couple of things fell through and we found ourselves with the afternoon free, we headed our butts down to the beach.  

And it was oh, so worth it.  We ran into Kirk's cousins, went for a swim (in the ocean, in November), and Kirk even caught a couple waves while I watched from the beach.  We like to think we are instilling a love of the ocean in this child early on.  

All in all, it was a blissful day.  Summer kind of sucked this year what with no sun and me generally feeling like I was going to toss my cookies every other moment, but fall has been awesome, especially these last couple weeks.  My morning sickness finally passed completely at around 20 weeks (knock on wood), and I am really enjoying the second trimester.  The little guy is kicking lots these days, and Kirk has been able to feel him for a little while now.  The other night we just sat and watched as my stomach  jerked and twitched from his little kicks.  The bump is growing slowly but surely.  That's the other great thing about going to the beach - digging a hole for my belly and being able to lay flat on my stomach!  Hah.  

Moral of the story is, we are really enjoying California in the fall.  I missed the leaves and crisp air of Provo for a while (which may or may not have had to do with me missing wearing all my sweaters and boots), but can you really complain about perfect weather at the beach in November?  I don't think so.

Proof.  And my almost-23-weeks baby bump...ish. 

The Bump

Can you see it?  

It's taken a while for my baby bump to show up.  

I'm still kind of waiting.

I think one of these days I'm just going to wake up and be enormous.  Shoot, what will I wear??

But I'm ready to look a little more pregnant.  I'm growing tired of the is-she-fat-or-is-she-pregnant stage.

Weird thing is, at my doctor's appointment last week, she said this baby was in the 95th percentile size-wise.  There's hardly any range at this point so it doesn't mean much (or that I'm having an 12 lb baby, thank goodness).  But still, this little guy could beat up the rest of the 21 week fetuses on the block. 

Oh well, he's in there somewhere.   

And I'm here, 21 weeks and already past halfway!  It's all downhill from here, right? ;)

Drumroll, please.

And it's a BOY!

That's right, Kirk will get his little surfing buddy!  We are so, so excited and can't believe it's really a little boy in there, not just some gender-ambiguous being.  With this being our first, we really weren't hoping for one or the other, and now we are just getting excited for all kinds of fun boy stuff in the future.  

The ultrasound was fun - it seemed like the second the technician touched the probe to my stomach, she said, "Oh, it's a boy!  Definitely!"  It happened so quickly, Kirk and I were both a little caught off guard.  But we recovered quickly and were happy our little guy was so cooperative!  That being said, he was moving around all over the place, and quickly!  The technician got all the pictures she wanted, but remarked that she had to take them quickly or he would move the next second.  He's going to be an active one, that's for sure.  

 Uh, yep.  Definitely a boy in there!

He's just adorable already.

We are overjoyed and can't wait to welcome this little guy into our family.  Kirk is already planning his first surf sesh.  Welcome little man Lindahl!  We can't wait to meet you. 

Vote on our Poll

What do you think we will have? A boy, a girl...a surfer, or a princess? Please vote and the winners just might get a surprise... We find out if it's a boy or girl on Wednesday so hurry up and vote.
(the poll is on the right side of this page ->)

Big Bear, Tall Trees

A few weekends ago (last month, maybe?), Kirk and I went to Big Bear for the weekend. 

We had a grand old time and enjoyed the peace, quiet, and fresh mountain air.  

We took a little bike ride down to the lake.

And rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain. 

The trees there are tall, by the way. 

It was quite a relaxing little getaway, despite the nasty bit of morning sickness that I still can't seem to shake.  We are excited to go again soon!

Preg, preggers, pregnancy.

Whew.  I'm glad the secret is "officially" out.  It already was, but now that it's out in the cyber world a lot more people know.  Anyways, I thought I'd do a little pregnancy update post so I can remember these things next time I'm thinking about getting preggers.  Which won't be for a good long time after this little babe is born.  


As of right now, I'm about 15 1/2 weeks along.  I am glad to be out of the worrisome stage of the first trimester, but not a lot has changed since then.  I'm still not really showing, although some days it feels like I am.  


I still fit into all my clothes just fine and am kind of dreading when I won't.  My favorite experience by far is now that a lot more people know, I get some not-so-discreet looks from those checking out my stomach/figure.  Like when I had my shirt tucked into my skirt the other day and someone gave me a "knowing"look, pointed at my stomach, and smiled.  Sorry, no, that's not my pregnant belly, that would just be my shirt.  But thanks for playing.  People are funny.  


I think the question I most often get is how I've been feeling.  The short answer?  Meh.  I don't like to complain and whine about how my morning sickness has been terrible, since I'm sure that others have had it way worse than me and I have nothing to compare it to. But it all honesty, it has been a lot worse than I was expecting.  From about weeks 6 1/2 to 9 it was everyday, all day nausea, although I never threw up more than once a day.  Since then, it has been off and on.  Lately, I have about a week of good days and then a few bad days.  A lot of times I get sick right after I eat something a little different.  Secretly, I think that this baby is just plain picky.  He/she knows what they like and don't like and is not afraid to say so (hmmm.... where do they get that from??).  Subsequently, they kick whatever they don't like out of my stomach.  Not fair.  I really hope that this part of pregnancy completely goes away soon.  


Speaking of food, I don't have any really consistent cravings.  Mostly I just want one thing for a long time and am not really satisfied until I have it.  Just ask my sister, Cindy, about the Shock-tarts episode.  (Which apparently are now called Shockers, who knew?)  It's safe to say, Shockers are really hard to find these days.  Like, the closest place to me where they sell them is at the Albertson's on PCH in Laguna. And I won't go into anymore how I know that.  


We find out in just a few weeks whether we are having a boy or girl, and we are really excited for that.  Neither Kirk nor I really care whether it is a boy or girl, we will be happy with either.  I just want to know already. And I don't have any motherly intuition on which it will be, either.  Just as long as it's a baby, I will be happy.  For the record, Kirk is camping out on the girl side.  Not because he really thinks it will be a girl, but because he figures his odds are good so he might as well pick one.  


I think that's about it!  All in all, we are just so happy to be expecting a little one.  And when he or she gets here, I know I will totally forget about all the not-so-fun stuff of pregnancy, and everything will have been totally worth it.  Right?  Right??  

Announcing...!

Kirk and I are so thrilled to announce that we are expecting a baby!!!

Yes indeed, we are pregnant!  And couldn't be more excited about it.  As of right now I am 14 weeks along and just very very excited.  Our first little one is due March 8th.  

We found out a few months ago, just a few days before my birthday, and it was the best birthday present I've ever gotten!  I took a digital pregnancy test, and when that little timer icon turned into "Pregnant" I almost did not believe it.  This is something we had been hoping for for a while, but I was still shocked!  So was Kirk.  We were ecstatic but decided to keep the secret to ourselves for a while.  Mostly because I am a worrier and a tad bit paranoid.  But after a couple doctor's appointments where everything looks great, I can worry less and we can tell everyone!  Which was a big relief for Kirk.  He doesn't like keeping such big secrets. (Or little secrets, for that matter.  He always wants to tell me what my birthday presents are way before my birthday.)

These ultrasounds are from my last doctor's appointment, at 12 weeks.  Hearing that magical little heartbeat and seeing that little babe moving in there makes me feel better every time!

Guess that's really not just a food baby in there...

In the one on the left, our baby is looking at us!  So cute, right?  Kirk saw it and thought it looked a bit alien-ish.  How rude! Okay okay, it does, but it's still adorable.  I think it looks like Kirky! :)

So Kirk and I are just overjoyed that we are pregnant!  We feel extremely blessed and love this little baby so much already.  We know that this great blessing has come straight from our Heavenly Father and we couldn't be more grateful. We have both had very spiritual and personal experiences where we have felt that this is the right choice and at the right time.  I am so grateful to have Kirk and know already what an amazing father he will be.  He is far more patient, kind, and understanding than I am, which is probably why he can put up with me!  (Especially a pregnant-me).  He is so excited to be a father and it makes me so happy.  I love him more each day, and feel very blessed that our children will have him as a father. I certainly couldn't do it without him! 

We are so excited to meet this little one!  March 8th can't come soon enough.  We love you little baby!   

Twenty-Six.

This guy turned 26 today:

Taken last October, 2009, Provo Canyon.  

He is getting old!  

I tease him by telling him I can now say he's in his "late twenties," and he doesn't care much for that.  It's okay, Kirk.  You and I (and most people that know you) know that you will perpetually be 15 at heart.  

Besides, for an old guy,  you still rip.  

Costa Rica, 2010. 

Happy Birthday Kirkman!  I am glad you were born 26 years ago.  You are an amazing husband, a great friend and brother, and the love of my life!  I am so very lucky that you married me. 

 (I mean, really, who else could put up with me on a daily basis besides Kirk?) 

I love you! 

Summer?

This summer has been a strange one.  Not like a real summer at all.  

The sun has been rather stingy with it's warmth.  The majority of the summer has been cloudy, with a few teaser days of sunshine in between.  I guess it's better than the 100º+ summer days I grew up with, but still, just doesn't feel like summer.  We've been waiting for the warmth to hit... through June... and July... and now it's halfway through August, and summer is over.  Supposedly we'll have a "really nice September," but we'll see.  I'm skeptical.

Anyways, this summer is also weird because Kirk and I are watching our siblings and others pack up and head back to Provo for fall.  And we're not going.  We're are both ecstatic to not go back to papers and tests and homework and a Utah winter, but (not surprisingly) I'm a little nostalgic for Provo.  The new books, new classes, and new semester.  Yes, I am a dork.  We know this already.  With that said, I am still very happy that we are staying put here in California.  And very much looking forward to enjoying California during fall and winter, which we've very much missed.  (Kirk is especially looking forward to not going back to surfing Utah lake.)

Anyways, as the summer months wind down, here are a few random pictures to remind me that we did, actually, have a summer this year.  

Kirk surfed in a fun local surf contest at the beginning of summer, held in memorial for a friend from high school.  

He also tried his hand at modeling, hoping to relive his YM days.... 

This is us, sitting in the lovely Miami airport, after getting up at 4 just to catch a flight from New Orleans to Miami in order to get on our flight from Miami to Costa Rica, only to find out that the flight to Costa Rica had been cancelled for no particular reason.  And we would have to stay in Miami for an entire day.  I look cute, right??

In Costa Rica.  Much happier.  And no, I did not do my hair or make-up that entire trip, hence the sunglasses.  

At dinner one night in Costa Rica.  Yummy yummy sushi at a restaurant on the top floor of one of the buildings in Tamarindo.  However, not to be confused with the other sushi place way down the street that also happened to be a discoteca.  No, thank you.

We also had some cute house guests a couple of times.  Above, resident mermaid Cadence, showing off her seaweed jewelry that her uncle Kirk so kindly made for her.  We think Kirk has a future in seaweed jewelry.

And Maya came, too.  Chillin', workin' on her tan like the other chicks on the beach.

And for my birthday, we drove down to San Diego and rode our bikes around Coronado.

Where Kirk tried...

several times to get a picture of both of us riding our bikes.  

There, we go.  Kind of.  

It was fun. (Like my new bike?  I heart it.)

Despite my whining about the weather, it has been a great summer.  Close to family, friends, and the beach, what more could we ask for?

22 years young.

via  

In honor of the balloons and flowers Kirk surprised me with this morning, which I completely missed when I stumbled out of bed and into our living room while he was taking Leo for a walk.  I didn't notice them until he came through the front door and pointed them out.  I'm not a morning person.  

I am 22 years old today.  

So, so very old.  

Not really.  I still feel like I'm 16 most days.  Thank goodness I'm not.  

It has been a wonderful week and an even more wonderful day! I am a very lucky girl.

I would write 22 things I love about myself but I don't think that's how it works.  Plus that would be weird and a tad self-absorbed, don't you think?  

21 was a good year, I graduated from BYU, Kirk got an awesome job, and we moved back to California for good.  It's tough to complain about much.  

What will year 22 hold?  

Who knows, maybe I'll work my way onto this show.  Wouldn't my mother be so proud?  

Beach Day

Last Saturday, after a long, hard week of work (uh...for Kirk, anyway), we headed down the street to the beach.

It was a long walk.  ;)

We (especially me) are glad the June gloom is over. 

Have I mentioned we love summer?  We love the beach, time spent with families and friends, surfing, bonfires, bike rides, the sun, the Lakers winning the championship, all of it.  (Alright, I guess Lakers isn't technically all summer long, but we still love it).

And I am grateful for such a hard working husband.  Kirk started work a couple weeks ago, and it is promising to be every bit as grueling as we thought.  

But for now, we are happy to spend Saturdays at the beach.  Or any day, really.

Costa Rican Lovin.

We took a little vacation to Costa Rica.  It was a graduation present to ourselves/last hoorah before the real world trip.  After taking 3 planes and getting unceremoniously stranded in Miami for a day (which, by the way, is the sweatiest, hottest, stickiest, and dare-I-say grossest place I've ever been),we finally made it to Costa Rica.  And it was extremely pleasant. 

We stayed on the northern-pacific side of Costa Rica, near Tamarindo.  

We stayed at a beautiful hotel right on the beach.

We enjoyed lots of time on gorgeous deserted beaches, laying on the beach and swimming in the warm warm ocean water.

We didn't stay on this beach.  But apparently these people really dug it.  So much so they dragged their chairs right into the water....

Almost everyday, we ventured into nearby Tamarindo, a small surf town with some of the most amazing fish we've ever tasted.  

Kirk wore a purse.  Not really, that's the camera bag.

We also made friends with some sea horses... 

and metal horses.

We also rode some real horses!

The ride was beautiful - up through the Costa Rican forest and then ending up on the beach at sunset.

And of course, Kirk got to do lots of surfing.

Lots...

and lots of it.

That's okay, because he's pretty good at it.  I guess. 

Overall, it was an amazing trip.  Definitely one we would do again.  The hotel, beaches, people, and food were all we could have ever wanted.  And like I said before, the best part was hanging with the hubby all day.  It was like we were newlyweds again.... Oh wait...

We miss you, Costa Rica.  I'm still trying to convince Kirk that we should join the surfer ex-patriot community down there... maybe some day.

Strange Pheromone, Maybe.

I have Costa Rica pictures that I want to post.  I'm getting to those soon.  

But the past few days, we've spent some QT at the Crockett house.  And a strange phenomenon has manifested itself yet again.  

Kids LOVE Kirk.  Love him.  Adore him.  Case-in-point: my niece, Maya.  And don't even get me started on nephew Luke.  Kirk and Luke are best buds when Luke's in town.  

What is it about him?  We don't know.  Possibly some strange pheromone.

It is pretty cute, though.  

Leo was nearby, too.  

This also happened.  Not staged.  

They're twins, just different species.