another week gone by...

Life has gone by fast in the last 7 days.  After saying goodbye to Mom and Dad in the hospital parking lot after we found out that Baby Gabe is not Baby Genevieve, we started what was to be a pretty busy week.  Well, Ross' life is always hectic as an upper level music student, so I guess I just felt busier than usual:)  I was able to substitute twice last week for a 5th grade class at Madison Middle, which I've come to realize is ALWAYS an adventure.  Day 2 was easier than day 1 since I already knew the schedule, the kids, the routine, etc., but I will admit that 5th graders are quite animated little creatures.  And I KNOW FOR A FACT that discipline in the classroom is up to the teacher.  Mrs.Mitchell is supposedly a pretty strict teacher, and I could tell the difference between this class and the first class I taught (totally out of control, no discipline, etc).  As a substitute, I'll take a strict teacher any day!  The kids just know how to listen better, they follow directions, and they DO THEIR WORK.  When a teacher is a good teacher, their substitute is very grateful!!!

I am also teaching 2 voice students, and in the last week I've had 4 more students/parents show a lot of interest in starting lessons.  3 of them are girls from our ward who I know from Young Womens, and the 4th was a referral from a fellow voice teacher.  So I hope to add them to my schedule before too long!  

Here are a few pictures we've taken this last week:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Baby Gabe and Mommy, 19 1/2 weeks

Our gorgeous temple on a foggy/snowy evening. We love it here. 

Okay, I went with Mom and Dad to Walmart so they could re-stock our pantry (thanks guys!)  We spent the highest percentage of time in the fiber aisle so that the 'rents could make a decision as to which fiber supplement was best.  They ended up going with the Equate brand...

Pops found the elastic headbands and tried them on, although they're usually used when one actually has hair ;)

So life is good here in Rexburg, though it is cold, snowy, and windy.  It's about 16 degrees outside at the present moment and the wind usually drops the temperature several degrees.  But we're happy, healthy, and staying warm (when we're inside)!  This will be our first Valentine's Day as a still-completely-in-love married couple, so there's another to celebrate life!  Hope all is well with all of you!

*T  

Moment of Truth!

Well, as many of you know, yesterday was a BIG day for us.  My parents came up from Utah on Sunday, we ate some yummy food and watched a lil' football, and although I took a Unisom (doctor prescribed for the nausea) at midnight on Sunday, I was awake at 6:30 yesterday morning.  I was so excited to finally find out what was going on with my little butter bean that I was like a kid on Christmas morning!  After breakfast with mom and dad, we did a little grocery shopping and restocked the pantry (which was awesome, parentals!  THANK YOU!).  I was giddier with every passing hour (waiting til my 3 pm appointment was not easy!), and I don't know if I've ever been so insistent to leave so EARLY for an appointment.  And to test my patience even more, the ultrasound technician had to take an emergency patient who showed up in the ER and we had to wait another hour before she could see us (which was okay because we didn't exactly have an emergency).  Our technician, Jessica, was awesome and she really knew her stuff!  It amazed all of us when she pointed out Baby's kidneys, the four chambers of the heart, the two halves of the brain... incredible stuff!  And then came the moment of truth... Jessica stood up and, using the little wand thing like a microphone, smiled and said... 

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

I could NOT believe it!  I really thought I was having a little girl!  It seriously took me a while to wrap my head around it, but we are SO EXCITED!   We could not be happier to have little Gabriel Ross on the way.  I was actually relieved to see him wiggling around so much because I haven't felt him move since last week.  In fact, he was so active that it took the tech longer than normal to get a reading of his heartbeat just because he wouldn't sit still!  He was kicking, waving, and rolling around all over the place.  It was such a neat experience to see him.  And the interesting thing was that I had a Braxton Hicks contraction during the ultrasound and we could SEE the contraction!  Like I said, Jessica was awesome.  Not only could she see every little thing, but she explained it to us and showed us exactly what we were supposed to be seeing.  Right now, Gabe is about 5 inches long and weighs 8 ounces... so he's got QUITE a bit of growing to do:)  And Jessica said that his growth shows a due date of July 3rd.  So there's a possibility that we could have an Independence Day baby!  We'll just have to see what happens!

Other than that, I had my first lesson with another voice student and got a referral today for someone looking for a voice teacher.  And I'll be substituting for the next 2 days at the middle school, so I'm staying busy!  Ross is, of course, busier than ever and just trying to stay on top of it all.  He finally admitted that he secretly wanted a boy all along, so although he's a busy man, he's excited to have a son!  

Life is great!

*T