Sunshine and Summertime

Wow I have a lot of catching up to do since the last time I posted! Summer is flying by, Jake will be starting back to school in about another month and we have been doing so many fun things this summer! The summer started off with me graduating from SUU with my Bachelors degree in Elementary Education. It feels so good to be done with the student phase of life. I am looking forward to the next phase of my life of being a wife and a mother. Although I guess with Jake still having several more years of school, I still might feel like a student in some ways!

It was so fun to be friends with these girls during the block/student teaching.

About a month after graduation we went on vacation to Disneyland/California with my family. I loved being able to go on one last vacation with my family before the baby comes. We drove down to Anaheim, California on Tuesday after Memorial Day. That evening we got ice cream from Cold Stone (mmm....my favorite!) and walked around Disneyland. The next two days were spent inside the two parks, California Adventure and Disneyland. It was a little bit different experience for me. I was 28 weeks pregnant and was unable to ride a lot of the "fun" rides. I sat out during a lot of the rides. I think the most adventurous ride I was allowed to ride was "Pirates of the Caribbean." Even though I had to sit out on a lot of the rides, I still really enjoyed being in Disneyland and just enjoyed being with Jake and my family. On the third day we went to Huntington Beach and spent the afternoon playing in the ocean and laying out in the sand. I was a little bummed that I couldn't go out and play in the waves with Jake and my Dad. I love being at the ocean and it was hard to just sit on the beach. The next day my family left for Utah, and Jake and I headed to San Diego to visit Jake's brother and his family. We were able to go to the beach in San Diego and Jake got to kayak out in the ocean to see some sea lions. It was such a fun vacation, and a great way to start the summer.

Some highlights from our trip!

I love this picture! The last night in Anaheim, we went to dinner
at the Cheesecake Factory. I wanted a picture of the two of us, and
classic Jake pulls a silly face. It is just classic Jake, I love it!

One thing I was able to do this summer was make my first quilt ever! I am so proud of myself for finishing it. I wasn't sure how I felt about quilting, I thought I wouldn't have the patience for it, but it turns out I really liked it, and I was a little sad when I finished it. My mother-in-law helped me to make a quilt for the baby. It turned out so cute and I am excited for him to use it!

At the end of June/first of July we were able to go on a couple of trips to Lake Powell with Jake's family before I got "too pregnant." We love being at Lake Powell and look forward to going every summer. We were excited to get a couple of trips in before the baby comes. I didn't get to participate in the water sports, but I did enjoy working on my quilt and swimming. Jake also took me on a slow jet ski ride, and a canoe ride. Jake was so great about being considerate of me and not being able to do everything we normally do. He sat out a lot on the water sports in order to swim with me or take me on rides. He was such a good sport, and I love him for that! Jake loves being at the lake more than anywhere else, and I know how hard it must have been for him to sit out on some of the activities such as wake surfing and wake boarding in order to spend time with me. I did not take any pictures at the lake because I looked terrible in my swim suit being pregnant. So unfortunately there are no pictures of our trips to the lake. 

A few weeks ago we attended a family reunion with the Garretts at Bryce Canyon. It was so fun to be with all of my aunts and uncles on that side. I had never been to Bryce Canyon before so it was fun to be able to see that. 

Bryce Canyon

And last, but not least, we have spent much of the summer preparing for baby boy. We are getting so excited for him to come. I am due in about 3 weeks, but I would okay if he decided to make his appearance earlier. Being pregnant in the summertime hasn't been as terrible as I thought it would be, but I am definitely feeling more uncomfortable and ready for this little guy to come. We have had a couple of baby showers which we are so grateful for, we are feeling more prepared for him to come. We have also spent some time setting up the nursery and getting things set up such as the crib, car seat, and stroller. I am really excited for how the nursery turned out, I painted the letters of his name and hung them up, which turned out really cute. I waited to post what his name will be just in case we changed our mind, but with only 3 weeks left, we are confident in the name we picked. The letters are hung in his room, and we along with our families have been calling him by the name we have decided on. His name will be Kason Kyle Grant. 

Everything kind of just came together and we ended up with a jungle theme for his room. 

The blanket/bedding, swing, and bouncer are all jungle themed. It was not even on purpose! It just sort of happened, and I am so excited about it!