**UPDATE!!**

Yeah!!! So I went and talked to my doc today and she said that she looked at my most recent ultrasound and she said that my cervix actually looks longer than it did last time! Which means I'm not on partial bed rest now! Yeah!!!!!!!!!! Still gotta be smart about my activity level, but I'm just happy to have a little freedom back :) Merry Christmas to me :)

Resting---Easier said than done!

So, for anyone who actually reads this and doesn't know, I'm on "partial bed-rest". Meaning, for the time being, I'm allowed to go to work, due to the fact that I sit at a desk most of the day, but after work, it's feet up! This is because during my 20 week ultrasound when we found out we were having an "Ella" and not a "Jack", the ultrasound tech also noticed that I have what is called a short cervix. A normal, ideal length for the cervix of a pregnant woman is 4 cm. Mine is measuring at 2.8 cm. When Adam and I first got this news, we were a bundle of nerves to say the least. Of course we were both on the internet looking at the risks involved with the diagnosis, and the internet did a darn good job of scaring the crap out of us! Fortunately we were able to go talk to my doctor and she assured us that while it's not the best news, it's definately not the worst news either. I have since had a follow up ultraound and I'm still at 2.8cm, which is great news :) If it get's shorter, there's the possiblity of having to go on full bed rest and maybe even surgery to close my cervix until baby Ella is ready to join us.

Now, there was a time when if someone told me, "After work, I don't want you lift a finger! Come home, kick your feet up, and relax." I would have thought I had won the jackpot. It turns out that's not the case. It's a lot harder than it sounds to depend on others to do things for you that really you feel perfectly capable of doing yourself. Not only that, but my mom just had a total knee replacement and I'm not able to help her out with anything, which sucks. Lucky for me, I have a great support system which is making this a little easier. Adam has been busting his butt working two jobs, doing all the dishes, all the laundry, and the food prep. He get's to bake cookies for the neighbors and make food for Christmas day lunch. I don't know what I would do without his constant concern and support. I've also had my mother-in-law over here to clean, which was a HUGE help. And I'm sure I've had many prayers and thoughts on mine and Ella's behalf as well. Hopefully we can continue the trend of staying the same and Ella can stay put as close to my due date as possible.
Luckily I was able to go to Midway before I was put on pbr and have dinner at my friend Britney's house. Her place looked beautiful and we had a lot of fun eating and talking :) We try to get together every Christmas.

I went to Festival of trees with Phyllis and Ellie earlier this month. This is when I was still quite cocky about the fact that I'd had such an easy, sick free, complication free pregnancy!! Life has a funny little way of putting you in your place, doesn't it?! I had a great time with my friends though :)

My friends Phyllis, Liz and Ellie (who was taking this pic) came over to my place and did our Christmas tradition. Ever since we were little (as far back as I can remember!) we've watched a series of vintage Christmas cartoons and exchanged Christmas gifts. We did it a little early this year because they were going to Las Vegas the week of Christmas. They are such great friends and have been so supportive and concerned for mine and Ella's well being through this!

Girl!!!

So I went to my 20 week ultrasound yesterday, and they informed us that we are going to be having a baby girl! Adam said he already knew, because he had a dream about her about a week prior. Everyone had some kind of intuition except for me! Oh well, I know who's in there now and I'm so excited to be welcoming a daughter into my family next year. Adam couldn't be happier either, he kept saying "I can't believe I'm this excited!" He's been such an amazing support system to me during this pregnancy. He's really been there for me to help out with chores and just be there for me emotionally when I'm having a hard time with something. I'll try to keep updated on how the second half of my pregnancy goes!

Thanksgiving/Moab 2010 (warning: lots of pictures!)

This year was such a great Thanksgiving!!! I started it out with a little tradition. Every year on the week of Thanksgiving I go to my Grandma Pinson's house and have a sleep-over with my cousins from California. We drove up to Logan and put some Christmas flowers on my Grandpa's grave and told little memories about Grandpa. He was a very colorful guy!!! We miss him a lot and miss the house that Grandma and Grandpa used to live in. We drove by it just for old times sake :) My cousin Haley is pregnant too, so we got to swap prego stories! Her little boy Jackson is so stinkin' cute, he has so much personality! I had a lot of fun spending that time with my family. Me and Haley at Logan Cemetery
My second cousin Jackson and my cousin Kelli


Jackson checking out the Kindle

Jackson getting a smoocher from his mama Haley


The night before Thanksgiving, I went to my mom's to help her cook. My sister Amy and her family were there as well. We stayed up lating cooking, baking, and laughing :) I didn't get any actual Thanksgiving feast pictures, but it was AMAZING! We had 8 different pies, two rotisserie turkey's, yams, potatoes, carrots, jello, rolls, and so much more! Adam said it was the best dinner he has ever had (I think he says that every year though!) After dinner we had a little birthday party for out November/December Birthdays. It was a busy, fun, noisy, yummy day!
I caught a glimpse of the couch and saw all of my nieces piled on top of Adam while he was reading them Rudolph. Soooooo stinkin' cute, right???



The day after Thanksgiving, we woke up bright and early and headed out for Moab with the Millers. They go every year, but this was my first year going. My brother-in-law Greg rents out a beautiful condo for us to stay in. The first day everyone wanted to go repelling. Due to doc's orders, I was not allowed. So me, Steph, Mandi and baby Jude hiked off trail down to the slot canyon where they would be landing. Not the easiest hike in the world for us! I did manage to twist my ankle in the slot canyon, so I had to hike back up injured, but I toughed through it :) The next morning Adam and Greg went on a bike ride, then we all hiked to some beautiful arches. Adam was there to help his pregnant, injured wife, so I managed pretty well :) We had so much fun outdoors and we played lots of games and ate good food indoors. This is definately a trip I will want to repeat!

The whole clan (minus Steph, who was taking the picture)

Just the girls :)

Me (5 months) hikin' it up in Moab!

Nate enjoying the amazing view

Mandi, Josh and baby Jude(who was such a good little sport, considering it was like 20 degrees!)

Josh and Jude hiking

Josh and Jude again :)

Greg checking out the sites

Brian taking in the view

Brian and Nate

Brian(the mountain man!) and Kelli

Me and Adam. He was such a big help helping me get through some of the tougher spots of the hike! Thanks babe :)

Adam needed a rest after lifting me through a lot of the hike!

Of course he had to find a boulder to climb!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE!

So last night I got to go to the So You Think You Can Dance Concert. It was awesome! I went with my sister Amy, and we met my sis-in-law Kelli there. We were all dancers and we LOVED the show, so it was great that we got the oppurtunity to go see the dances we loved so much LIVE! One of my favorites was a western Hip-Hop dance to "My Chick Bad" by Ludacris. It was performed by Lauren and Russell. There were SO many great dances though, I really enjoyed watching all of them. I'm greatful I got to spend some time with my sisters! I wish that my other sis-in-law Amanda had been there though. She put it all together and then ended up having to go out of town. We missed you Amanda!!!!

So Much Halloween 2010!!!

Wow! I think this year was the most eventful Halloween we've had in a long time! We had so many fun Halloween activities to go to. The first one was the annual Pinson Family Halloween party. I was Edward Scissorhands this year and Adam was Mr. Clean. My fam always goes all out for Halloween and I love it!! We get together at a cabin in Harrisville and the whole Pinson extended family parties it up :) What a great family I have, right?!?!

Then we had a Trunk or Treat at the Twin Peaks ward. This is the first Trun or Treat that I've participated in, and it was really fun. I left the Edward costume at home for this one, since the little ones at my family party were not a fan, I didn't want to scare my primary kids! After the Trunk or Treat, we had a chili cook-off in the church, and Adam made and served home-made root beer. We had a great time with everyone!
On Halloween Day (or the fake Halloween I should say!) I went to the Millers for our Mystery Lunch and Party. Everyone looked really cute!! Adam had to work but I had a great time with our fam. We had things like "bloody tumor" and "eye of newt" for lunch :) Then the kids bobbed for apples and we played some other games and had a great time!

Halloween night Adam and I went to the backstreet club for a Halloween Party. It was good to see everyone dressed up! Here's Mr. Clean and Joe Dirt playing Foosball :)

After the Backstreet Club, we went over to my best friends house (the Holmes) and did our traditional party. Jill always makes awesome food for everyone and we just hang out and talk and laugh. Phyllis and Ellie are moving to London come January, so this may be the last one of these we do for a little while :( But we had a great time and love haning out with them whenever we can!!!

All in all, we had such a fun Halloween season this year, and now I'm ready to move on to Thanksgiving! (Hopefully I'll have a bigger baby bump by then!! I totally have bump envy of other girls I know that have bigger bumps than me!)

The most amazing picture I've ever seen!

So I guess this is my "OFFICIAL" blog announcement. There've been some clues here and there, but I had my first ultrasound at 12 weeks yesterday, and it was INCREDIBLE! My little baby was wiggling up a storm when the tech wanted it to hold still, and when she wanted it to move, it fell asleep. Very disobedient!! It must take after it's father :) I had to close my eyes through a lot of the ultrasound, because I would just start laughing, it was so crazy. I've been so lucky to have an easy pregnancy so far. And now that I've seen the baby and heard it's heartbeat, I can just sit back and relax and enjoy the ride!

If You Really Knew Me.....

So, a couple of things have spawned this post recently. First, a conversation I had with my brother and sister-in-law last weekend. We were discussing a few things, such as blogs, facebook posts, and those awesome "Christmas Letters" people send out at the end of the year. It feels as though some people write things that are just so ewy gooey my life is so wonderful and perfect in everyway, that you wonder what the real intention is. Is it to brag, boast, or make themselves feel superior? While I don't feel as though everyone has to air their dirty laundry, I do feel it is important to be real. I've expressed this before, I believe it was my very first post.
Second, there was recently a talk in the LDS conference address that caused a lot of discussion. So, I feel the desire to express some of my thoughts and feelings. There is a show on TV where a group of people go to Highschools and try to break down the cliques, and they play a game called "If you really knew me..." So, here goes.

If you really knew me, you would know that I have been through A LOT in my marriage. I'm married to a recovering addict, and the first few years of my marriage were some of the darkest, scariest times of my life.

If you really knew me, you would know that I would not have made it through those years without my family, friends, and most of all, my Heavenly Father, who literally had to pick me up and get me out the door some days.

If you really knew me, you would know that there are many things I DON'T care about. I don't care what color your skin is. I don't care what religion you are. I don't care if you love men or women. I don't care where you came from, what your family is like, or if you have "a past". If you are willing to open your heart to me, mine is open to yours.

If you really knew me, you would know that I am devoted to my faith. It has been a foundation that, without it, I honestly don't know if I would be here today. I believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. Nothing will EVER shake this belief.

If you really knew me, you would know that deep down I'm a very insecure person. Some people have slipped out of my life without so much as an explantion, and it makes you wonder about yourself. I am, however, working on these insecurities, and hope to become a confident, positive person for myself and for the baby that will soon be a part of my life.

If you really knew me, you would know that I LOVE my family and close friends. I would go to bat for each and every one of them, everytime, regardless of what they've done. I'm very protective of these special people in my life, so don't mess with them!!!

These are just a few of my thoughts, I don't want to make this a mile long post, but these a some of the most important things about me. I hope that I never post or express anything that would make someone feel lesser than. If I do, don't hesitate to let me know. In the words of one of my favorite hymns, "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly? In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see. Who am I to judge another? Lord, I would follow thee."

California 2010!

Wow, I am so lazy today! I did not want to upload all of my vacation pic's individually, so a collage is the best you're gonna get!

Adam and I had such an amazing time in California. We started our trip in a small town called Mariposa, which is where our Aunt Mary and Uncle Robert live. They were great hosts, feeding us wonderful food and making sure we had a great time! We got to go the the Mariposa Fair, complete with demolition derby. (If you haven't been to a demo derby in Mariposa, you haven't really been to one at all!) We got to meet all of their friends from church, and Adam got to fish the Merced river while Mary, Robert and I lounged in the beautiful clear water.

We left Mariposa and headed to San Francisco with Aunt Mary (she works there). She played tour guide for the day and took us to The Japanese Tea Gardens, which were breath taking, this was one of my favorite places. We also went to the Golden gate bridge and drove down "the crookedest street". Then Adam and I headed to our hotel in San Mateo (provided by my awesome brother Randy).

The next morning we woke up and headed for Half Moon Bay. It was cold and foggy, but that was ok with us because aside from a couple of people we had the entire beach to ourselves. I don't think we've every really just walked a beach together, it was awesome. That same day we headed to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. We had an authentic San Francisco Sour Dough Lunch at Boudin's (oh my, so good!!). Then we noticed that there was a break dancing circle starting, so we got right in the front and enjoyed the show. For the grande finale, they used Adam and another "tall white boy" as they referred to them, to flip over. It was pretty awesome!

The last day, we headed to the Muir Wood Red Wood Forrest. It was so peaceful and beautiful there. It is amazing to see just how big these trees get and how long they have been there. We did a hike called "The Lost trail". It was a little rough for my out of shape and currently very busy body, but I made it through it! (there were probably a million stairs, I'm just sayin'). All in all, I don't think it could have gone any better. What a blessing to be able to spend quality time with extended family and with my husband.

Thanks again to mom and dad for the extra dough that made it so we could really just kick back and enjoy ourselves, and to my brother Randy for generously donating the Hilton nights to us. It was a long awaited and much needed trip for us!!!!

Catch up time!

Well, since I've posted last, I've turned 26. (grr) Not a huge fan of that number for some reason. It just doesn't sit well with me! Makes me feel old. Anyways, my friends Phyllis and Ellie made me and Liz dinner (liz's b-day is on 8/7, mine's 8/10). It was so nice of them, they had put up decorations and everything. Then we did each other's make-up and laughed and took pic's. Thanks P and E for a great dinner!!

Me, Ellie and Phyllis after our makeovers :)

A couple of Sunday's ago, Adam and I decided to spend some time outdoors, so we headed to the Provo River. Adam did what he did best (fly fishing) while I took some pictures of him and did some reading. All was beauty and nature and greatness until we were walking back to the car and I twisted my ankle. Dang it hurt so bad!!! Not 10 days before that I had hurt my knee on the same leg. Gotta start working on the whole clumsy thing!! Adam was so nice and gave me a piggy back ride back to the car. It's still a little tender and bruised, but I think I'll survive this one :)

Love this shot of him casting

Ooh, nice back babe!

Me trying to be artistic. I think it's a pretty cool shot :)

Then last week I babysat my sister Amy's three kids from Wednesday to Saturday. The first night after I put the two girls to bed, me and my nephew Zach stayed up late and looked for meteors. It was so great to spend some quality time with him and contemplate the universe with him until nearly midnight :) Adam came up Friday and took Zach to Seven Peaks (some much needed guy time after being surrounded with girls!!) and I took the girls to the local pool where they spent two hours going down the slide over and over!! I also gave the girls makeovers one night, which the LOVED!!! They begged for makeup every day after that. I think I may have created some monsters :) Sorry Ame!!

Gorgeous girl Abbey

What a pose!

Sweet Sophie

Such a pretty face!

Zachy flying a kite. He got it up pretty dang high at one point!

I also got a Kindle for my birthday, which I LOVE!!! If any of you were thinking of getting one, I would say go for it. It's such a great thing to have if you are a bookwork like me :) Thanks for everyone that went in on it!!

H.O.P.E.

So in the hustle and bustle of a busy weekend, I got to experience some HOPE. Adam and I attended a charity dinner for The Backstreet Club, which is a recovery/meeting place for recovering addicts and alcoholics. We had the pleasure of hearing from two amazing speakers. First, Alema Harrington from KSL Sportsbeat, spoke. He is a recovering addict/alcoholic. It was so great to hear his story, and my favorite part of his message was that of H.O.P.E. in recovery. This can apply to any struggle that you are going through.
H stands for Humility. If you yourself or someone you know has gone through the recovery process, you know how humbling it is for all involved.
O stands for Openmindedness. For the person in recovery, keeping an open mind that it IS possible, and that they can overcome the need for that habit with God's help. For everyone else, keeping an open mind about those who struggle with addiction of any kind. None of us are perfect, so don't condemn other's for their imperfections.
P stands for Patience. Because recovery doesn't happen overnight. Trust me! It's a L-O-N-G process, and it's not easy for anyone involved.
E stands for Enthusiasm. Once you've got your head above water, be enthusiastic about what you've accomplished, and share your message of hope!
The second speaker was Tiffany Berg, who was Mrs. Utah 2007. She is a mother of 7, a widow, and a recovering addict/alcoholic. She ran for Mrs. Utah on the platform of recovery. How gutsy!! And she won! She wanted to raise awareness especially for the addiction problem with mother's in Utah. 65% of people admitted to rehab are woman, most of which are mothers. The majority of woman in jail are there for some drug related offence. Most of which are mothers. I could go on and on about her message, but what I really took from it is this. Everything we worry about in life- The money, the job, the car, the clothes, the trips, that's all noise. Relationships with our loved ones and our relationship with God, that's what really matters. That's what we'll take with us when we leave. And let's be honest, none of us know when our number will be called. So don't get caught up in the noise! I was really touched and amazed by their stories, and so proud of my husband, and really myself too, for all that we've overcome together. Trials suck, but they do make us stronger!!!

St. George/ Las Vegas Weekend

Last weekend my Dad had a young men's activity in St. George, and he decided it would be good for me and my mom to go stay down there and have a little mother/daughter weekend. We headed out Thursday morning and arrived around 1pm. We had lunch with my dad, then me and my mom headed over to the Hotel. We started out our trip with some relaxing pedicures! It was sooooo nice! We had some really nice ladies doing them. I've decided that is something I need to indulge in more often! Then we went out to dinner and decided to visit the St. George Temple visitors center. We ran into a really sweet Elder Missionary names Elder Davis. He told me and my mom lots of stories about that temple and walked around the temple grounds with us.

Friday morning we decided it would be best if we ventures over to Las Vegas :) We had a lot of fun talking and reminiscing in the car ride there. When we got there we parked at MGM because we had made reservations to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. Our reservations weren't for a while, so we decided to go visit the M&M factory. Lots of cute stuff there if you had lots of money!! I had noticed Madame Tusouds on the way in, so we went to a discount ticket booth and bought tickets for it. Then we walked back to MGM for our lunch. The atmosphere of the Rainforest Cafe was really fun! After lunch, we ended up getting lost-extremely lost- inside the MGM! It is grand for sure!! When we finally made our way back to the strip, we asked someone how far to the wax museum. They informed us it was at the other end of the strip!! So we got to walking in the 108 degree weather. We had to make pit stops in little shops along the way to cool off!! My flip flops were actually melting! We finally made it to the wax museum and had to sit down and rest for a while once we got inside!! Me and mom had a great time taking pictures with all of the celebrity wax figures. I was impressed that I convinced mom to get in better with Hef!!! Once we were leaving the museum, someone told us that there is a monerail you can take back to MGM. (would have been nice to know at the beginning of the day!!!) Once we got back to our Hotel, we hopped in the pool to cool off, then proceded to Spoon Me for some frozen yogurt.

We had such a great time!! I loved spending all that time with my mom, and was thankful that my dad provided us with such a great weekend!! We will definately have to go back with the rest of the sisters soon :)

Me enjoying my pedicure

Mom enjoying HER pedicure

Me and mom at the St. George Temple

M&M World

Mom in front of the Rainforest Cafe

I ran into Jack Sparrow on the strip!

Mom as the new bond girl :)
Me and Brit ( in her better days! )
Elvis serenading Mom

Al Roder and mom talkin' about the weather

Watch out Arnold, she's pretty tough!
Peace and love :)

Mom looks so tiny next to Shaq!

Watch out Angelina :)

Chuck's the only UFC fighter I like :)

He looked pretty stinkin' real!

Chest hair on a wax figure, interesting.....

D.O. double gizzle and me :)

Singin' some Jazz with Tony

No Hef, we will NOT be your new girlfriends!!