I guess it's about time...

Well, I have been avoiding the blogging scene now for quite some time. Seeing as how our lives just became a lot more interesting with a new baby girl and all I figured it would be a good idea to share the love with friends and family. I guess I will start with our story.
Robby and I became friends during our time here at BYU-Idaho nearly 2 and a half years ago. Robby knew who I was from an "almost" encounter with me when we were 14. He wanted to ask me to dance during the pioneer weekend celebrations in Lund but chickened out, and instead I was asked by Kelvin Christensen. Anyways, school up here in Idaho dragged on and Robby and I were best friends by the end of the summer. The night before the 2011 fall semester started we decided we wanted to go do something fun before the inevitable exhaustion of another semester set in. The night started with friends but by the time 9pm rolled around Robby and I found ourselves, once again, left alone to entertain ourselves. We decided to go for a drive and we ended up out at the old haunted swing just outside of Rexburg (we didn't know it was haunted at the time). After swinging and talking for a while it started to get cold. There was only one blanket so we sat there on the grass and shared it. Soon we were singing new and old country songs, laughing occasionally at each other's singing voice, and swapping funny stories. Needless to say, the night ended with an unplanned and unexpected kiss, and 2 years later here we are!

Bon fire about a week after we started dating 2011

Saint George Temple 2/4/12

Six Flags Magic Mountain trip 2012

BYU game and conference weekend 2011

I have got to say I highly recommend falling in love with your best friend. Now I am not saying that we are some shining example of a perfect relationship or that our marriage is visionary fairy tale, but i would confess we are doing our best and are pretty dang happy. We spent our first 6 months in our first little home (a single wide trailer) in Lund with our pup Nana. Those were some good times, one's I will treasure forever. We then returned to Idaho for school and have been here ever since, we try to visit home as frequently as our funds will allow. Our first semester back we cut, split, and delivered firewood for people to get by.

Our trailer and our newly laid yard (we were pretty excited!)

Our firewood set up

Almost a year ago I started to get some feelings that we should start having kids but brushed them off and chalked it up to a bad case of being baby hungry. Soon these feelings became more and more intense over the course of a couple of months. I began to pray and fast for an answer and received it several times that having kids right away was something we needed to do. Robby was always excited to have kids but wasn't exactly thrilled about starting too soon. We had originally agreed that we would wait two years after we were married to do so, but the Lord seemed to have a different plan. Robby suggested we visit the temple, and on the way out he turned to me and said 3 little words that would end up changing our lives forever, "let's do it".

3D ultrasound at 27 weeks

River rafting (Snake River) 6 months

Sand dunes 6 months

Asateague Beach 7 months

Cy's wedding reception almost 8 months

Bowling 9 months

Pregnancy was a wild ride! I had a great one and although I enjoyed becoming a sacred vessel, I was ready to have this baby girl by the time she came. I was surprised at how much I could still do while pregnant. Mom came up here a week before my due date out of fear that she might miss the delivery. Berkley, the little stinker, came right on her due date, October 28th 2013. Contractions started the night before, but due to several prior false alarms I didn't think much of it. I was up all night as the contractions became more and more unbearable. We made it to the hospital around 8am, I was dilated to 4cm. I got my epidural and Berkley joined us here in the world at 7:28pm. She weighed 8 lbs 12 oz and was 22 inches long. She had a thick and full head of hair and a face that melted my heart. 

Right after my epidural

Our first family picture!

Berkley's first picture

Berkley and her daddy

Becoming a parent has been an amazing experience. It is really awesome to feel the changes that are happening in my life. I am humbled and ecstatic to be this little girls mama, and so grateful to be entrusted with her by our heavenly father. Despite our recent battle with thrush, she, for the most part, is still a happy and healthy baby. She smiles a lot and loves to be awake and exploring this new thing called the world. I love her and my husband more than anything and in my state of infatuation it seems to me that we are the happiest little family there is! 

More to come soon!

One week old:

Our good friends Brent and Amanda got us this photo shoot as a gift :) Love those guys!