30 Weeks...only 10 Weeks to Go

 This picture was taken in the morning, so that is why I look fresh and energized. We had a baby doctor appointment this morning, so it was fun to go and hear our little guy's heartbeat. He is doing really good, growing at the perfect rate, and measuring well. It was funny, this last month I have suddenly put on a ton of weight, well, not a ton, but extra weight (6 pounds instead of 4)...more than I and the doctor want me to.
So, it was funny, I got on the scale and gulped...then when I got into the office, the doctor was really nice and suggested that the extra weight was from water retention, but I was like, "nope, it is weight." He checked my ankles, which was funny because I didn't have any swelling. So then he told me to keep drinking lots of water, exercise, and eat healthy. I've been doing all of those things, except eat healthy. Sure, I've been staying within my 1300-1600 daily calorie count, but sometimes those calories are more on the empty side, like cake, ice cream, cookies, etc. Oops...
So, after the doctor appointment, Ted and I went to the grocery store and bought all fruits and vegetables, with some yogurt and milk. I am now throwing out all the bad (empty calorie) foods from the house so I won't be tempted to eat them instead of the healthy stuff. Wish me luck. :)

On a completely different note, Ted is now a temple worker (ordinance worker). He goes to the temple on Wednesday afternoons and works until the temple closes. It's a huge opportunity, and he gets to work with some incredible people, including his dad! It's way good for him, and he's extremely happy when he comes home.
Ted also just got done with his seminary teaching training. He is waiting to find out if he is going to be student teaching this next year. There are so many different things that have to happen in order for him to get the student teaching position. It's way hard to get into seminary teaching. Who knew? We sure didn't until we got into the training. But, we hope things will work out.
Well, everything is going really well! I have been feeling great, working out lots (if you are pregnant or get pregnant, Lindsey Brinn's Pregnancy DVDs are AWESOME), helping on the farm, and then keeping busy with preparing for baby. Only 10 more weeks until Baby Hesston David Garling arrives. We are so excited!!!

Babymoon (A Baby Honeymoon)

 I am going to start with mine and Ted's favorite part of the weekend. This picture is at the very top of the Jackson Hole Ski Hill. We took a morning tram ride with about 450 other people to the top of the mountain for an early morning worship service on Easter Morning. It was 6:15 am, and we only expected maybe 50 people there, so when we saw hundreds, it was incredible and very uplifting. It was a non-denominational service, and all ages of people were there, from tiny kids to aged adults. Always inspiring to see how many people believe and are willing to get up early and freeze their socks off to pay respect to a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. And, the sunrise was breath-taking! Worth every second of the cold wind.

 Here is another photo of us, all bundled up. Love the majestic mountains in the background. Amazing how God loves us so much that he created this beautiful world for us to live, grow, and enjoy.

 Jackson Hole, Wyoming

 The tram. I can't believe how many people it can hold. It held 125 people, so with 2 of them, they both made 2 trips to carry us all the way up to the top of the mountain. The ride lasted about 15 minutes. Talk about fast, going from 6,300 elevation to 10,500 at the top.

 This is the resort we stayed in. It is the Four Seasons at Teton Village. Now, for those of you who are like me, I had NO IDEA how nice this hotel would be. I had heard of the Four Seasons before, but just thought it was another hotel, like any other. So, when we pulled up to the front of the hotel and people come right out, ready to park your car and take your luggage up to your room, I was surprised. The whole weekend was full of pampering. I didn't quite know how to handle it. They offered superior service, and I don't think I've been in a hotel that has offered the same quality. I mean, they cleaned our room twice a day, and we never saw the cleaning crew. They would slip in as we went to breakfast and dinner. We were so perplexed by how they knew we were gone, and when to sneak up to our room. Maybe they have cameras, or the front desk person keeps track of us and sends the crew up when we leave. Ha ha, however they do it, they have the system down.

 This is the view from our balcony. The ski resort is right next to the hotel, so skiers come right by the hotel, which is super fun to watch. I couldn't believe how small some of the kids were, and they were out skiing the whole mountain with their parents. Some of the kids had to be around 2 years old, or even younger. It was amazing to see their balance and talent for skiing on their own.

 The bar and pool area of the hotel.

 It was a really nice, warm weekend. It snowed on Friday, the night we went up, so the fresh powder brought lots of skiers with it. This was the last weekend the ski resort was opened, so lots of people were taking advantage of their last weekend ski.

 All ready for breakfast. The restaurants in the hotel were incredible. It was a dining experience! Breakfast took an hour to get served and eat, and dinner took 2 hours. And, it was delicious! Definitely worth the wait and experience.

 Ted said he thinks he enjoyed the Babymoon even more than I did.But, I doubt it! The trip was very relaxing. We toured the streets of Jackson Hole, did some shopping, went to see The Hunger Games (which we LOVED), enjoyed a concert, swam in the outdoor heated pools, slept, got a free tram ride, saw an Easter sunrise from the top of the mountain, and ate some amazing food.

 Here we are at the Westbank Grill, waiting for dessert that they make fresh when you order (Homemade Blackberry Pie with Honey Homemade Ice Cream). We frequented this place a couple times a day, and even though it was expensive, the food was worth it. The service was great too! All the waitresses were prompt, happy, and genuine.

 The pool and hot tubs were one of Ted's favorite places to frequent. I think he also liked the free Powerade that came complimentary with swimming. Thankfully the outdoor bar served non-alcoholic beverages for people like us!

 There were 3 hot tubs, and they waterfalled into the pool. Ted loved to swim from one to the next, as they all connected in a cascading way.

 The view from the pool. It is literally right next to the ski run, so people zoom by as we swim.

The view from our room. Loved it! The room was first class too! I would upload pictures, but they don't do it justice. Just go to the website and check out the rooms. Their cameras do a much better job than mine or Ted's.
http://www.fourseasons.com/jacksonhole/

As you can see, the Babymoon was a splendid weekend. We really enjoyed ourselves, and our last vacation before the baby gets here. We can't wait for our little guy to show up! Only a couple more months and he will be gracing us with his presence! Yippee!

Funny story, I got onto the I-Pad BabyCenter App last night and went through the instructional Birthing Classes. I made Ted listen to them with me, and it was hilarious. He kept laughing at all the female terms, and gagged a few times.
 I guess he dreamed about me having our little guy all night last night. When he woke up, he said the delivery went smoothly, so hopefully his dreams come true! I would love to have labor and delivery like my mom and Morgan! They make it sound so easy, but they are some STRONG women!
I am sure everything will go great though. We have a good doctor, and I will have Ted, my mom, Ted's mom (who is a NICU nurse with lots of experience having children), and my foot zoner, Jackie, there to help me through the pain. Yes, a room full of people to help me out! Ha ha, who knows, maybe once the day gets here, I'll only want Ted and the doctor in there with me. I guess we will see when the day gets here!
Does anyone have any suggestions on who to have in the room with me? What were your experiences? Who did you have in the room? How did you feel (comfortable or uncomfortable with people around)?
Is it bad to have too many people telling you how to feel and what to do? I've heard some different opinions, but don't know what to do...would love any suggestions and comments!

27 week pictures (from last week), Pierce and Baylen

 We got to hang out with Pierce yesterday since Adam and Morgan had their little girl in the morning. It was a blast! Thanks to my dear friend Miriam, I knew just what to do while we had the day together. Now, I am sure Miriam is thinking she has no idea what she's done, but whenever I go to see her, we take her kids to the park. So, Ted and I took Pierce to the park. He'd only been to the park once before, and it was in Aberdeen, so it was small. But, the Jensen's Grove Park in Blackfoot provided lots of fun and activity. 

 Ted is amazing with kids, and very hands on. It was so nice having him with me all day so we could team up with Pierce. Not that he is hard, but he has lots of energy. We kept Pierce super busy with going to tractor dealerships and looking at tractors, visiting Grandma at work, playing at the park, going for a stroller ride (yes, we tested out our BOB stroller and LOVED it), and getting yummy food to eat at Rupe's.
It was hilarious, as we pushed Pierce in the stroller, he would tell Ted where to drive (he is already a navigator). He didn't like being on the smooth, paved road, so he told Ted to go right, which meant on the side of the path, which is loose gravel and rock. Pierce must love the bumpy road, because he sat back and relaxed once Ted pushed him on the gravel.
We were very pleased with the suspension and shocks on the stroller, and Ted said it was easy to push. We also love how easily it folded up, and how lightweight it is. We watched another mom try to stash her stroller in her car, and it looked awkward and bulky. But ours is compact, easy to lift, open, and close, and super durable. Very happy with our stroller purchase! We also got to try out having a car seat in our Venza. It worked like a dream! The Venza is the ultimate "mom" car, just like I envisioned! I am so glad we got it!

 This is such a cute Pierce face. He loved the slide!

6 months along! Can't wait for our little man to get here! He is starting to really grow and push out on my belly. It makes me laugh at how big I am getting! I am already starting to feel the whole, "I can't breathe," sensation when I lay down on my back. It is a little scary.

Front view...I love these pictures, because my camera makes me look so good pregnant. Really, I am quite short, stocky, and with my big belly sticking out, I look like an overfed horse. But, it is all good. I will just keep looking at these pictures and admiring the way I wished I looked.

Here is the precious new addition to the Hales Family. Adam and Morgan had their little girl yesterday morning at 6:42 am. She was 6 lbs, 13 ounces, and 19 1/2 inches long. They named her Baylen Dawn Hales. She is adorable, and such a good little baby. She has a set of lungs on her, and is a hungry little thing, but sleeps peacefully. Getting their little girl here makes my pregnancy feel much more real. I am not just getting fat...ha ha. I think Ted and I felt like we had forever. As long as Morgan didn't have her baby, we had plenty of time before our little guy came. Now since Baylen is here, it feels like 3 months is only a blink of time away.

It is hard to see in this picture (Ted tried to get up top as best as possible, but the angle is still off), but Baylen was sleeping so cute, with her little arm out and resting on my belly. It was precious! When I was holding her, our little guy started kicking, like he knew she was there. Too cute!

Hesston, LOVE this name...if you don't already know, we are planning on naming our little guy, Hesston David Garling. It was funny, when Adam told us Baylen's name, Ted said, "What's up with your family and names?" In other words, we name all of our kids either family or farm names. Of course, Ted wants to name our little guy, Theodore James Garling, Jr., just like him, but I think our little man needs his own name. Besides, Hesston is strong, and David is brave, and Garling is warrior. So, how much better can you get?

I added in this photo, because it is something to do with our lives other than babies or kids. Ted actually won an I-pad 2 this last week. He was so excited (I am too, because this will actually become my I-pad, because Ted uses my I-pad more than I do). Now we have 2 I-pad 2's!

Well, life other than kids, family, and growing a baby is great! We started foot zoning classes this last weekend and LOVED them! If anyone wants a FREE foot zone, call us! We need lots of practice, and would be willing to throw in a foot soak too! We don't plan on charging for our foot zones until we learn the complete zone, which won't be for another 3 months. If anyone doesn't know what a foot zone is, it is like reflexology, but with energy work. It is awesome! It is what helped me get pregnant, so I of all people can say that they work!

Ted is still substitute teaching seminary. He just got a job that will go for the next 6 days! Yea! Huge blessing!

Farming is starting up here in Idaho. The farmers are out discing

Well, God bless! Happy Spring! And enjoy this Easter Weekend. We like to remember Easter as Resurrection Day at our house, to keep it a little more spiritually centered. But, if you are having an Easter egg hunt and coloring eggs like we are, have fun!