Quarter of a century

This is going to be my super cheesy, sappy post just because I can. 

This guy ^^ turned 25 on January 21st. He HATES celebrating his birthday and didn't want to do anything big. So we had a very relaxing night sledding with our young men's and young women's and topping it off with some lemon dessert and New Girl. Quite possibly our favorite way to end a night!

As a little tribute to how amazing this guy really is, here are 25 things that I LOVE about my Grant!

1. He is by far the most positive person I have ever met in my life. Nothing seems to ever get his spirit down.

2. His work ethic is something to look up to. He works so hard for our family and it means the world to me.

3. Grant has such a fantastic sense of humor. He is known as the guy with all the random facts and purposefully making situations awkward.

4. He is so helpful! From ALWAYS doing the dishes, to helping people move, he is always there to lend a helping hand.

5. This one I owe to his parents but Grant is such a gentleman, in every way possible. The end.

6. He has such a strong testimony and desire to have a relationship with his Heavenly Father. Honestly the best example of true dedication to the gospel.

7. He is a good big brother. Grant's mom always tells me she was grateful Grant was her first son because of the example he has been to his younger brothers. He is someone to look up to and I know that his brother's definitely do.

8. He is a motivator. This may sound silly but honestly Grant motivates me to be healthy and active, to read my scriptures daily, to kneel in prayer as a couple etc. He is the one person that can push me to be better.

9. His singing voice, it is beautiful and I really wish he would sing more often.

10. He is naturally good at everything. I am definitely hoping our little boy takes after him..in everything.

11. He honestly cares about everyone. He loves everyone he meets and never speaks bad about others.

12. He puts up with me. I know it sounds cliche but really..I know I probably complain too much about being "nose goesed" or being cold but he never stops loving me.

13. He loves my family and they love him.

14. He is a FANTASTIC uncle. From day one my nieces and nephews have loved him more than they love me. I am serious here. One day I walked in to my parents house, my nephew Nathan walks up to me and says, wheres Nant?? I am clearly not good enough for them..

15. Because of him I have made some incredible friends. I love that he chose such great friends in High School and has stayed close with them all.

16. He is smart. I love that he worked hard in school and is starting his Masters soon. He is dedicated to learning and to making our life better.

17. He loves traveling just as much as I do. He gets points for this one.

18. He is fun and silly. He makes life fun even if we are sitting on the couch watching endless amounts of football.

19. He is so giving. He would much rather have everyone's needs around him be taken care of over his. 

20. This sounds weird but he was named after his Grandpa Grant, who I hear was an INCREDIBLE man. He has lived up to the name and it makes me very proud.

21. He is athletic. Not only do I find it attractive but I cannot wait for him to teach our little boy how to play sports.

22. He is so excited to be a dad and it makes me SO excited to see him become a dad!

23. He is so patient. In every situation.

24. He protects me. I have never felt scared or afraid if he is by my side. He just puts off that protectiveness and I love how safe he makes me feel.

25. He loves me. I have never doubted this guys love for me. He shows me each and everyday in his own little way.

Bump progression

I am posting these just for Grant's and mine sake. Clearly we have been very forgetful in taking pictures so we only have a few.. oh well. ha

12 Weeks

17 Weeks

18 Weeks

22 Weeks- Don't mind my swollen face, it was a rough night sleep haha

Our little pumpkin

When Grant and I found out we were pregnant we were SO excited to tell our families! We chose to wait till I was a little closer to my second trimester to tell people for obvious reasons. We wanted to share the news in a fun way and realized we had so many holidays coming up that we could choose from.

Baby Butters apparently wanted everyone to know about him because I started showing pretty early on so we knew we couldn't hide it for too long. That is why we chose Halloween, I was about 11 weeks a long.

We first headed out to Sandy to tell the Bench side of our family. I knew that my parents were headed over to my sister Lindsay's house to see all of the grandkids in their Halloween costumes. We placed this little poster on my sister's door step and doorbell ditched them. My sister was the first to find out and she was really excited and shocked by the news. My favorite part is that my niece Hailey is beginning to read and she did not understand why my sister was excited..she thought it said Butler baby haha. Once my sister explained it the kids were all excited but at the same time not really understanding it. We left the sign inside of the front door for my parents to see when they walked in, and typical parents walked right over the sign. Eventually my dad saw it, looked up at me and said "Did your mother see this???" Both my parents were super excited and shocked. We had kept us "trying" a secret from everyone so no one really had any idea that this would be happening soon. 

Next we headed over to the Butters' side. We placed it on my in laws door step. Both of Grant's parents saw it and first thought that Ryan, Grant's little brother, was getting asked to the dance, then they thought it was Grant's older sister announcing she was pregnant. It took them a moment for the "Butters Baby" to click. Grant and I popped out and my father in law ran to me and picked me up in this giant hug! Needless to say, Brad and Karen were thrilled to hear we were expecting. It was just the expression and reaction we were hoping for.

We were so excited to tell our family and friends! There is nothing quite like sharing big news like this and to have everyone excited and supportive.

Finding Out

I am trying to catch up on our last year mainly because I feel I have forgotten so much of what has happened in mine and Grant's marriage and it makes me really sad. This is a memory that Grant and I do not want to forget so I better write it down before it is gone forever.

In July, Grant and I decided we were ready, well as ready as you can be, to start our family. I had told myself many times that the process probably would take awhile and so I didn't get my hopes up or turn into a crazy, constantly taking tests kind of gal. We had taken all of the steps to really prepare ourselves for this journey and were feeling pretty great about our decision.

On Wednesday September 25th I was at home and to be completely honest, wasn't feeling any different than my usual self. I had no signs or symptoms of pregnancy. I have never been "regular" so I couldn't even base anything off of that..but I had a feeling that I should take a test. I happened to have a dollar store test and figured that it was suffice ha and sure enough it came back positive. My heart literally stopped for a brief moment, I can say that I was NOT expecting that at all. I got the biggest grin on my face and couldn't wait to share the news with the mr. The only downfall was that I found out at 9 in the morning and didn't really want to tell Grant on the phone while he was at work so I had to wait all day.

Finally 5 came around and I got to share the news and he was completely surprised, excited, shocked and a little bit nervous :) It is a big deal and to know there is no turning back adds a bit nervousness to the mix of emotions.

Grant and I are more than stoked to have this little boy join our family. We know life is about to change in a HUGE way but are so ready to go on this adventure together.

Bump Update Week 21

How Far Along:  21 weeks! We hit our halfway mark last week! All I can say is whoop whoop!

Size of baby:  Size of a large butternut squash! 10.5 inches long! At our 20 week appointment the doctor said he has the heartbeat of a little boy. I am carrying him very low and all out front.

Total weight gained/lost:  I'm  sitting at about a 7 lb gain. Proud moment is when the doctor told me I am following the "line" for weight gain perfectly and he never sees that. Lets hope it continues that way.

Maternity Clothes:  I wear all my normal shirts but have switched to maternity pants. Occasionally I still wear my pants with rubberbands.

Gender:  BOY!! We have verified it twice that it is a little boy in there. We are so excited! Now we just need to decide on a name

Movement: He is moving like crazy! He definitely wants me to know he is in there. He is the most active in mid morning and late eveningish. Grant just felt him move for the first time yesterday! That was a neat moment for me.

Sleep: I sleep great! I usually don't wake up in the middle of the night and I am pretty comfortable for the most part.

Symptoms:  My lower back gets really sore by the end of the day and I have been more tired this trimester than I was the first.

What I miss:  Feeling good in clothes. I hate getting dressed because I don't feel "cute" in anything.

Cravings: I am still craving pizza! I could eat it everyday. But for the most part I am good to eat just about anything.

Best Moment this week:  When Grant felt the little guy move.. like I said it was a sweet moment for me.

What I am looking forward to: Having this little guy continue to grow and to have Grant and myself feel more distinct movements.!

2013 in a Nutshell

I know that I have zero followers but I have to start blogging again so I can actually remember everything that we have done! I am so sad that I didn't keep this updated because we did so many great things that I wish I would have written about and documented but here is my way to at least remember some of the things!

January

-We celebrated Grant's 24th birthday

-We hosted foreign exchange students, Peter and Stego. They taught us so much and we learned a lot about   different cultures.

February

-We took off to St. George and Las Vegas with our great friends Maddie and Weston. We stayed at the    Coral Springs resort, if you haven't been, you should definitely go! We ventured around and enjoyed some    time away!

-We celebrated Valentine's day and Grant surprised me with tickets to Kauai!! Holy Cow best surprise!

-I sadly went to Reno with all of my siblings for my Grandma's funeral. Although it was a sad setting, it was    nice to spend time with family we hadn't seen in years.

-We also got a new niece Ashlynne! She is adorable and has the cutest grin you ever did see!

March

-We went on another weekend get away with Maddie and Weston to the amazing Zermott Resort up in  Midway! We had a blast eating at this cute little pizza parlor, playing lots of shuffle board and swimming in  the warm crater!

-My old boss gave us free 4th row tickets to the Jazz game and we loved every minute of Jazz beating those  Bobcats.

April

-Honestly I cannot remember much of what happened in April but I know we had a blast  at the first Bee's  game of the season:)

May

-We finally got to go to Kauai!  We flew out on May 16th and returned on May 24th. The was such an  amazing vacation and deserves it's own post, so I will get around to blogging about it because it was that  INCREDIBLE!

June

-We got a new nephew names Joshua! Boy is he a cutie and constantly sucking on his little fingers.

-We celebrated my 21st birthday with squeeze its and a new Bosch!

-We enjoyed another Bee's game with our friends Ali and Mike and finished the night off with our favorite,  Nielsens!

-We also found the closest thing to a real Hawaiian shaved ice and it was the size of our head.

-My cute friend Maddie and I started our company Love Hadison and enjoyed Thursday nights at the  Bountiful farmers market!

July

-We spent the fourth of July with family watching fireworks and enjoying summer BBQ's. Hit up the    Bountiful parade and took lots of pictures!

-We utilized Grant's parents pool and their boat multiple times! I am slowly but surely getting better at wake  boarding!

-We went to the world cup qualifier games at REAL stadium and had a blast even if it did down pour like  you wouldn't believe.

August

-We celebrated 2 years of marriage with some Italian food and delicious creme brulee!

-The Butters took us to the fabulous Lake Powell where we enjoyed warm water, great company and  awesome tan lines!

September

-This month was the most exciting thus far because we found out on the 25th that we are expecting our first  little one. Grant has officially titled it the dobbleganger for now.

October

-We made delicious caramel apples and dressed up as a box of nerds for Halloween!

-We attended many fun Halloween parties.

-Booked flights to Washington DC with Maddie and Weston (are you seeing a pattern here?) We clearly  love our travel buddies!

-And my favorite part of October was telling our families about the little one on the way! Our families gave  us the exact reaction we were hoping for and we are so blessed with all the love and support we have  received!

November

-On the 1st, we boarded our flights to DC and took off to the East Coast! We had another amazing vacation  that deserves its own post as well!

-We had our first ultrasound and got to see and hear the heartbeat! Words cannot express the love I already  have for this little human!

-We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Butters and my mother in laws side of the family! It is always a blast  when you are with the Williams and this year did not disappoint!

December

-We were spoiled again that our doctor let us do a random appointment just to simply see the baby again!

-Grant and I are both in the youth programs in our ward and were lucky enough to take the amazing kids we  work with to temple square to see the lights!

-We decorated for another wonderful Christmas holiday and made a gingerbread house that Grant took very seriously!

-We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family eating delicious Chinese food!

-We spent Christmas day with Grant's family and got to skype my cute brother in law Dallin. He is serving in  the Boston Mass mission and loving it!

-And we spent our last day of 2013 up in Eden, UT with Maddie and Weston. We enjoyed Maddie's  parents cabin and snowmobiles. We had a fabulous relaxing New Year's Eve.

It is so easy to say that the Butters have been blessed ten fold this year and my gratitude for life, the gospel and my family are growing each and every day. I am so excited for the year 2014. I know our lives will change and that becoming parents is not going to be easy but I can honestly say there is no one I would rather be enjoying this journey with than Grant. My life is so full of love and joy and I am eternally grateful for everything that I have.

Happy 2014 everyone. I hope your year is the best yet!