It’s been a busy year, as you would probably expect me to say. We made it back to Rexburg in January, and became very busy. Haha.. School.. Who would have thought you’d be busy?

So, let me give you the run down of the year. January through April was the Winter 2018 semester, and my husband and I worked very hard to make it through. I had a lot of classes for my major, including Literacy I, which had been daunting to me until I actually took it. That being said, I had an amazing teacher who really had it together. She is the kind of teacher I want to become. She is straightforward about what she teaches, and isn’t afraid to try lots of different activities and methods to help her students succeed. She has a big CAN-DO attitude that pushes us along.

I took an art class, also for my major. Honestly, I don’t remember much else, except that I was really tired! Walking around really brought it out of me. But! It was during this semester that I made it back down to my pre-pregnancy weight! (YES!!) So, I guess I have BYU-Idaho to thank for being on a hill. We also had many friends help watch our daughter, because trying to schedule classes so that my husband and I were completely alternating class times just hasn’t worked out. We have been relying on our wonderful friends in those cases that our classes overlapped, and I am SO grateful for good, trustworthy friends.

Next, during the break between semesters, we all drove out to visit family. We wanted to go to the big birthday celebration. I definitely felt that it would be worth it. I also got a haircut (pixie!) there and we let our daughter have her first cake. And she ate ALL of it! ^^ She was definitely a little roly-poly after that, with a giant protruding stomach and everything.

My husband and I also went into our cousin’s first grade classroom to tell them about Japan (they were doing a unit on Japan). Of course, once I mentioned the killer bee that they need only get stung by twice to die, that’s all they remembered… Why on earth did I mention the giant red killer bee?

Oh well, fun facts.

We came back to Rexburg, and got back into school. I had a PE course for my major, which had me exercising five days a week for the whole semester. It was definitely beneficial. My endurance is way down. I can’t run worth anything! It could be that we’re at a high elevation, and I can hardly breathe here in the first place, or it could be that I just haven’t exercised for a couple years (on account of being pregnant and breastfeeding)?

It took me 21 minutes to do a mile and a half, and THAT was pushing it (nearly passed out afterwards)!

My husband and I decided that we wanted to try having as much fun during this summer as we could, despite being knee-deep in school-related mud. Rexburg Rapids was a frequent location of respite, as was the park. We played tennis often, and kicked around a soccer ball a lot. He joined a soccer team on campus, too! It was incredible to see him play!

Well, we also found out about the Rexburg Mile. I had a fire to push myself and redeem myself from the poor performance of the mile and a half challenge. So, we signed up. We also invited our friends from the ward. She came with her stroller, baby, and a friend. And so, it became more of a fun “run” than a redemption for past miles. But it was incredible nonetheless. We did the mile in 18 minutes, walking most of the way. My husband decided he was going to run the last stretch to the finish line. As he began running (most of the runners had long since passed the finish line), I heard some people cheering him on to encourage him. It was those who had come early to claim a good spot for the parade. Then, he started swinging his arms, inviting the cheers of everyone along the way. He then ran dramatically as if he was going to be the first to cross, slowing for effect as he reached the finish line. I almost collapsed from laughter!

Well, the semester ended. And I started getting a feeling. It was a feeling I hadn’t had in a while, considering. Occasionally, I wondered if it had come, but nothing. There was something different about this time, however. And I knew… I was pregnant again!

We began plotting–who should we tell? When should we tell them? My husband thought we should hide it from everyone until after the baby was born. I… didn’t feel right with that idea. I have too much of a big mouth to keep something this big to myself for that long. Plus, I thought my family would feel a bit betrayed if I kept such a secret. So, we devised a different plan.

We had a vacation coming up in a couple weeks–a three-week trip to see my family. Could we keep it a secret from them the whole time we were there? I certainly wanted to try! So, I hid my morning sickness as best I could, and we tried to get out with the family as much as possible. They could tell something was different… but they had no idea what!

On the second-to-last day with my family, we were at a large family gathering (well, we had gathered to celebrate a birthday, but I turned it into a family council… haha), and after we had finished a deep discussion on family matters, my husband slipped the news casually in a lull moment, almost as if it had been meant to tag on to what the last person had said, “Oh, and she’s pregnant… Alright! Should we go for cake and ice cream?”

There was a dead silence, and all eyes were on us. “Wait, are you serious?” My second oldest brother was the first to verbally react. My husband replied nonchalantly, “Of course! I mean, we’re celebrating a birthday, so the cake and ice cream are a great idea!”

That got everyone on his case, and we officially announced that we were expecting our second child.

And then we were on our way back to Rexburg. We stopped this time, and stayed the night at a wonderful campsite. I LOVED camping as a family, and our daughter kept crawling around our sleeping bags. She liked it too. The whole thing had her VERY excited.

Before I knew it, we were back in Rexburg. We got one week of rest, and then drove out to my husband’s family again, this time for labor day weekend. By then, we had let his mother know about the baby on the way, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t surprise his grandparents, who were also coming up to visit! It was my first time meeting them in person, and I am very glad I did!

We had a very relaxed weekend with them, and drove again back to Rexburg. School started, and I struggled through the first part, because of the morning sickness. One thing I can happily report, however, is that I did it! I made it completely through without throwing up once! What a blessing!

This last semester has been really good for me. It was the first time I took less than 12 credits. This semester, I only had 7 registered credits–3 classes. I had time to do a lot of things that I just couldn’t do before–keep a consistently clean apartment, cook good meals, take time to play with my daughter, and so many, many other things that I had been putting off just because I couldn’t fit it in and still be sane.

I thoroughly enjoyed my practicum classes this semester. I worked hard, and did well, even at the middle school. Instant bonding! Then, I took my Praxis Exams, and passed them all on the first try (also a blessing, because those exams are very pricey). Now, I’m preparing for my last semester at BYUI. I have my work cut out for me, but I have a teacher who has told me not to worry, that he would do his best to make sure that I graduate on time.

God willing, we will finish up here at Rexburg in April, my husband will walk, and we’ll move back with my husband’s family for a short bit before heading to Arizona for student teaching in the Fall. Then, we’ll reevaluate our situation, and apply to teach English in Japan. We want to go back, and live there. We’re determined!

Merry Christmas!

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