Mina Alyson is here!!

you can read her birth story here

Wes and Travis' Christmas Shirts

Wes and Travis got semi matching shirts for Christmas. They light up with the beat of music. They had fun demonstrating them for us.

Sometimes I am clumsy

I dropped an entire carton of eggs today. I blame the ginormous belly

Tour of the Casa de Speight

I figured it was time i posted some pics of our new apartment! 

We don't have all the rooms decorated yet but you get the gist!

our family room

view from the front door

Our Hallway of doors...i tried to make it easy to understand. there are 3 bedrooms, a bathroom, a linen closet, and pantry

kitchen view from front door. there are two closets on the right. One is a laundry room the other is a front closet.

Our guest bathroom

Our Guest bedroom (not decorated)

What one day will be Mina's Room

Our bedroom (not decorated)

2 Years Ago...

I have been meaning to write this post for a couple days now but i have been busy unpacking and making my apartment all cute and stuff...

Wes and I started dating on February 22, 2009. We quickly fell in love.

2 Years Ago in June Wes and I started looking at rings....we knew we wanted to be together forever...just didn't know when was the right time. 

2 Years Ago in October on Conference Weekend: Wes texted me and asked me what size of ring i wore. (subtle is not his cup of tea lol)

2 Years in October later that month...can't remember the exact date... Wes came to Monterey to visit me! 

He called my bio dad on the cell phone to ask if he would be okay with him proposing. 1 down 1 to go. lol. 

this is us on cannery row waiting to eat at Bubba Gumps

2 Years Ago on November 26th : Wesley asked my dad for permission to marry me. My dad  scared the bejeebus out of him when instead of saying yes right away he asked for a spreadsheet. with a budget. and a plan of our life. After i stopped the hyperventilating and taught Wes how to effectively use Excel to his liking...Wes was given permission. lol

2 Years Ago on November 27th: My family went to go see the lights at temple square. My family and i kept waiting and waiting expecting he would propose sometime that night....it didn't happen....shows me for thinking men are predictable.

2 Years ago on November 28th: Wes and I were on our way to go look at some reception halls....WHAAAAT??? you ask. We weren't even engaged yet. Well, I was in Monterey California at the time and just on a week of medical leave. At that time we thought we would only have a few weeks of me actually being in Utah to plan the wedding so we knew we needed to get a move on! lol. When we arrived at the reception hall I was about to get out of the car...and 

Wes turned to me and said, "you can't go in there"

 I asked "why?" 

Wes said, "It's not official yet" (when he said this i knew what was going to happen but i tried to keep my composure and act oblivious to what was about to happen." 

We kissed....and as we were kissing he was trying to get the ring out of his pocket and....IT GOT STUCK! not wanting to hurt his ego or ruin the moment i kept kissing until he got it out of his pocket. He then asked me to marry him. 

-We joke about our proposal story every time someone asks about it. There were no flash mobs, there were no horse drawn carriage rides, we weren't at some fabulous restaurant. but it was better! We were just being us. just being casual us. laughing on the way there. singing to songs on the radio. It was perfect. Truthfully I wouldn't change anything about it. It fit Wes' personality, it fit mine. It was perfect. he was perfect. Everything about it was perfect. 

This is the picture i took of my ring on my cell phone a couple days after he gave it to me. I love this ring. it is exactly what i like. simple  yet GORGEOUS!!! Another sign that Wesley knows me well. 

I would also like to point out that 2 years ago....the holy war....BYU beat the U of U 26-23... It was an amazing game and that should have been my first clue that weekend was going to be AMAZING!

all the fans rushing the field after an amazing play by Max Hall.

40 Days Closer To Christ

When the first presidency challenged us to read the BOM in a few months a few years ago...i did it...i did it mostly because i felt obligated...(sounds bad...but i choose to be honest)

Since that time i have a renewed faith in Christ and my church. I love the gospel more now then i ever have in my life. It is important to me and with a new baby on the way...i think it is even more important. 

my friend Brittany posted on her BLOG about a challenge...its alled 40 Days Closer to Christ.

What makes this challenge different??

It starts today! But i am sure if you read this late you can catch up and start!

The challenge comes with a booklet telling you where you ought to be (which is always my problem)

The booklet also lets you know of important scriptures in that reading....

So here is the booklet

You can do it on your own or with someone. 

So comment here if you are going to take the challenge! Maybe we will all go out to dinner and celebrate finishing afterwards!! 

If you need a Book of Mormon...let me know and i can direct you where to find it.. you can download it for free with the LDS Gospel Library as well on any smart phone!

NEW APARTMENT!

I am actually excited to move. I love our new apartment.. I don't want to move ever again after starting to pack and everything but this apartment is totally worth the hassle.

I feel like an adult moving into a three bedroom apartment with a DINING ROOM. do you know how badly i want a kitchen table and chairs where people can sit down when they come over....we have TV TRAYS right now. GhettoFabulous! 

Did i mention how awesome the complex is yet...no?? oh let me tell you

Inside the apartment we have a dishwasher! WOOT! We also have Washer and Dryer hookups which means  when we get our tax return .... WASHER AND DRYER! no more laundromats and wasted saturdays!

Outside of the apartment??

• Clubhouse Includes:
  • Pool Table
  • Swimming Pool
  • Hot Tub
  • Fitness Room
  • Laundromat
  • Free Wireless Internet
  • TV/Lounge Room
  • Kitchen
  • Office
• Amenities Include:
• 2 Playgrounds
• Half Basketball Court
• Covered Parking (1 vehicle per apartment)

Yep...thats awesomesauce.. not only will i have a fitness center directly across from my front door complete with elliptical, treadmills, and cycles....but we also have a hot tub and pool!

Yes we are very excited!! YAY!!! 

Las Vegas and Arizona

Well we went to Vegas and Arizona last weekend and had a blast...i must have overdone the fun because a couple days later and I was on Bedrest...yucky! We went with our friends Tiffany and Brandon and loved every second of it. Minus coming back to the cold Utah part.

i got very few pictures because i was so tired out!! BUT enjoy the ones i did get! still need to get some from tiff! Check out our swanky hotel in Vegas. i scored a sweet deal of 60 bucks for this gem on priceline. so when we split the cost it was a grand total of 30 each. FABULOUS! thats right folks...it was a suite...and it was GORGEOUS!

We walked around Vegas for a bit

 I gambled a quarter...and lost a quarter. dang it.

The next morning we started on our way to Arizona

That night we went to a carnival and had a lot of fun. The next day we got to the conference got our swag bags and went to classes. Brandon very much enjoyed his Tassi from his swag bag lol.

I also got to see my buddy michelle masterson who i love dearly and she is also stunningly gorgeous. and of course Tiffany and i had a blast with our dorky husbands who kept us wildly entertained.

Why Dads Are Important

i have a lot of amazing male figures in my life.

i have 2 fantastic dads. several awesome uncles. an amazing father in law. several best friends' dads. josie's dad. grandpas. bishops. etc.

as Mina is coming (and coming quick) i have thought a lot about fathers and their importance. 

i had a dad until I was three. then my parents divorced. he was still in my life but he wasn't there everyday for whatever reasons. during those years without a constant dad i had to rely on other male figures. i had support. i was able to get a blessing if i needed one. when my mom remarried i had a constant dad in my life again. i had a coach for Jr. Jazz. I had someone to deal with my tantrums during math homework (embarrassingly enough those lasted till i graduated high school). i learned about missionary work. most importantly i learned about respect, hard work, and love....

when i found out i was pregnant with Josie. i started to REALLY think about the importance of a father. a baby, a child, a person...they all deserve a father. the person who had contributed bringing Josie in this world was not a father, not ready to be a father. i knew she deserved more than that. she deserved a coach for Jr Jazz or whatever it is she chose to be in. she deserved someone to help her with her math homework (i knew i couldn't unless i wanted to also teach her about tantrums lol). i was so happy to find Johnathan for this reason. he is an amazing dad. he works full force to keep his family taken care of and happy.

after i placed Josie i started to REALLY think about the importance of the males I dated. i wanted them to be MEN not boys pretending to be men. When I met Wesley...i knew he was a man. he was respectful, responsible, he honored his priesthood. the more i get to know Wesley the more i come to learn just how much of a man he is.

he is a man that doesn't call in sick....even when he has mono and bells palsy and a doctors note to miss four days.

he is a man that walks into the door and the first thing he does is go to the garbages and takes them out before he even sits down for a snack after work

he is a man that remembers to do scripture reading and say prayers every night.

he is a man that makes sure to do his home teaching.

most importantly he is the kind of man who is willing to give me a big hug and make me laugh till i stop crying when i am having a hard time about anything.

yes folks. i married a wonderful man. .. and because i married such a wonderful man i know that he is going to be an amazing father. i can't wait to raise children with this man. i am so thankful that Heavenly Father led me to such an amazing father figure for our children. Fathers are fabulous.

Our New Buddy!

So we got accepted to move into a beautiful 3 bedroom apartment and we are so excited!! We have a dishwasher, a pool, a hot tub, a fitness center...its really amazing! Another great feature is now we can get a second dog again. We were really really sad when we had to give Bailey to my dad (even though they were stoked lol) Luckily our landlord has let us foster puppies to keep our second dog fix a going (which to me is crazy that he allows that but not a second dog haha) anywhoo...now we have a second puppy!!

Meet Chewbacca...aka Chewie! Chewie is a toy australian shepherd. he will not be bigger than 12 inches tall and no heavier than 10 pounds. he was the runt of the litter so i doubt he will get even that big. He is so cute and Rupert loves him already! Both of his parents are winning show dogs and beautiful as can be. We are so happy to have this little guy! Toy Australian Shepherds are very good dogs, highly intelligent, and amazing with kids and other dogs. They are also extremely athletic, but because of there small size also make great lap dogs.

FYI

I just added 4 more posts to Mina's Blog!

http://babysp8.blogspot.com/

Halloween: A Michael Jackson Moment

Wes has to dress up for work. So what does my husband want to be??

MICHAEL JACKSON OF COURSE! 

He is a dork but I love the fool!

Cancun--aka picture overload

Wes and I are back in America....although several times we considered having Rupert Fed-Exed to Cancun so we could just live there.

It was beautiful!!! 

First we flew to Denver then to Cancun. During our 2 hour layover i ate and Wes played Temple Run and Angry Birds on his Ipod.....we both got on the plane happy. 

 

We checked into our room and were greeted with Strawberry-Banana smoothies....they were delicious! The room was huge and the staff always left us cute little animals made out of all our towels and washcloths and a mint everyday. We also had a balcony (which i forgot to take a picture of) overlooking the Nichupte lagoon which was gorgeous!! One of our favorite things about the room was the fridge they kept stocked with juices, waters, and sodas everyday! 

                                     

We then threw on some swimsuits and went for a walk on the beach! The water was beautiful! Wes kept saying that it felt like bathwater it was so warm! We found a huge conch shell and then I enjoyed a colada :)

We I woke up early the next morning (made Weskley wake up) and we went for a walk on the beach and saw the sunrise! It was sooo pretty! We then took a walk along the beach then went in for breakfast. The rest of the day we sat chillin on the beach and by the pool...we also took some incredibly long naps. wonderful naps. i enjoyed being able to hibernate in the sun and occasionally wake up for some more smoothies, fresh fruit, and french fries. 

 The next day we went on a fun little excursion to several different places. The first place was a Cenote called Ik Kil. it was gorgeous. The 1st pic is the view from the top, the second from the middle of the cave, and the third is from the inside. The last picture is Wes jumping into the Cenote (150 ft deep). i was not allowed to cliff jump for obvious massive belly reasons. But Wes did enough for the both of us! it was awesome! We went back to the top of the cenote and ate lunch at a Mayan Restaurant. They provided us with a massive delicious buffet. AHMAZING buffet. Their habanero salsa was the best i have ever tasted.

The vegetation in the jungle was incredible! It was extremely green and it was perfect weather so after lunch we went for a stroll through the trees.

 The next day we went to Chichen-Itza...if you have never been there and you have the chance to go i HIGHLY recommend it...especially if you love history. It is very neat to learn about it! The tour guide was very knowledgeable in the subject matter. The picture above is one of the hieroglyphs.

 This is the pyramid. Wes really understood a lot of the different symbols and history behind it a lot better than I did and explained them to me. Its crazy to think that we were standing somewhere that Jesus Christ may have been many years ago.

 This is an Iguana that Wes spotted and was extremely proud of for sighting. the tour guide made fun of him for being so impressed calling iguanas "pollo" saying they were as common as chickens.

We walked around and saw the rest of the buildings Including the Observatory. One of the crazy things about this place is all the mayan people trying to sell you things. We did get a sweet Mayan Calendar carved out of bone for 5 bucks because I still had mad Spanish speaking skills i forgot about and bargained with the guy. I also caved and bought a hanky for a dollar that was embroidered from a little mayan girl who was too cute to say no to. Dang those people and their well thought our ploys. We thought it was hilarious that the vendors kept saying "1 dollar...almost free. lady buy this. its almost free" They also kept yelling to us saying "honeymooners...buy this for your mother in law" All in all it was awesome! 

On the way back we stopped to see the city of Valladolid They have a very old church there that we walked through then we walked around the town a little bit and took a walk through their park. It was a neat little city to visit. totally worth going out of our way a little bit to see it.

The next day we went Snorkeling in Puerto Morelos...we were going to go to Isla Mujeres but we had it suggested while we were at our hotel to go to Puerto morelos instead. We loved it! They took us out on a small little boat with 5 other people and the guide took us to some beautiful places. I thought I would get tired before anyone else on the boat but Wes and I were the last ones out there with the guide. We didn't have an underwater camera so we didn't take any pictures ... not that i think pictures could ever do it justice. it felt like we were in a nature documentary. The guides showed us a small shark in a cave of coral, a live conch shell, beautiful schools of fish, and some of the prettiest plants i have ever seen. After snorkeling we went and ate at a very yummy restaurant where we got some chicken taquito thingys and some beef fajitas with homemade salsa. It was delish! That night we went to the Isla Village Mall

 To get around town we took the bus. Its 85 cents to ride a bus and a heck of a lot more for a taxi. Things you should know about the buses in Mexico. A new one comes every five seconds, they give you about 5 seconds to get on, you have to stand up when you want to stop, and they drive like mad people through construction zones and traffic.

 I liked the frog statues. they made me happy.

La isla is a huge open air mall and it was gorgeous. the lagoon ran right through it. Later that night we went to an aquarium...again i was unable to get pics. It was really cool because we attended the dolphin show and we were pretty impressed with the mad skills they possessed.

The last day we chilled on the beach till we had to leave. I miss the glorious weather already.