It's time for the honeymoon

On Monday March 29th Matt and I departed for our long awaited honeymoon in Playa Del Carmen Mexico.
This trip consisted of 9 amazing days with relaxation, adventure, and sun! The all-inclusive resort that we stayed at was great. There were multiple pools to choose from, at least 5 buffet style restaurants that could be visited throughout the day, and cabanas right on the white sand beaches. We couldn't have asked for more on our vacation. On top of it all we had iguanas and monkeys to watch during our daily walks around the resort.
Matt and I spent plenty of time by the pool and relaxing on the beach but we also took time to leave the resort and "explore" a little bit. I have to admit that I was apprehensive about leaving the resort because of the things I had previously heard. Luckily downtown Playa was very safe. It was definitely entertaining watching all of the vendors try to entice us into coming into their stores. Our favorite line was "hey Mr. mustache man", this was how they tried to get Matt's attention. Matt got pretty burnt and we decided to take a trip to Wal Mart and pick up some more SPF 50 for him. We got pretty good at converting the peso to the dollar after a while when trying to figure out how much we were actually spending on things.
We ate at 2 fantastic restaurants in downtown Playa. Karen's was a steak and seafood house with Mexican cuisine of course and Matt admitted that it was the best steak he had in a long time. Who knew that we didn't neat to go to over priced restaurants in the U.S. we just needed a trip to Mexico! I had my typical shrimp fajitas but they were out of this world. The 2nd restaurant was "The Big Lobster". Matt's meal was prepared right at our table and was extremely delicious. I went big and had the surf and turf with a fillet Mignon and lobster. Mmmmm!
There were so many different excursions to choose from that it was difficult to pick just one. Since we were trying to enjoy our vacation without spending a ton of extra cash we decided to go with the Alltournative tours. This was a tour through the jungle on a unimog (giant 4x4 army truck), snorkeling in cenotes (underwater caves), and an authentic Mayan lunch. It was well worth the money and we were so glad that we chose this tour.
We met some very nice couples on the tour who gave us directions on how to find our way to Akumal which was a great destination with a lagoon where we could do some snorkeling. This was definitely an experience because it included us taking a public bus. The day was beautiful and we were able to see all sorts of beautiful fish. Our hope was to see a sea turtle but unfortunately it wasn't in the cards for the day.
This was a much needed vacation and couldn't have come at a better time. Next on the list is Hawaii!

1+1=2

The discussion of children happened within the first few conversations that Matt and I had while dating. Matt knew that he wanted children and I of course wanted more. The big questions was "when?". Well it sure didn't take us long! On February 14th (It just happened to be Valentines and this was completely unplanned) I took a pregnancy test. I truly never thought that we would get pregnant so quickly. Sure enough...it was positive! Matt was still living in the Tri-cities and because there was no way I could keep a secret until I saw him next I immediately called him.

It took some time for the idea to sink in that Matt was going to be a father. He was excited but I don't think he was jumping up and down. I'm pretty sure that only women get that excited about having babies.

This pregnancy has been great so far. I haven't suffered from any morning sickness or any other serious issues. We have decided to visit the Midwives at the Providence Midwifery Center. I had such a great experience with them when I had Griffen that Matt and I knew it was a good choice for us.

Matt has come home for all of my appointments, he doesn't want to miss a thing. At our 12 week appointment we heard our baby's heartbeat for the 1st time. Matt had a huge smile cross his face and gave me the biggest kiss. He was so proud!

Griffen rubs my belly and says "please be a boy". I'm sure that no matter if this baby is a girl or a boy will truly make no difference to him. We visited a friend, Sarai, with a newborn and Griffen was so helpful. I know that he will make a fantastic big brother!

12-12-09 The big day!

Matt and I tied the knot on 12-12-09. We only planned for 4 1/2 months and I could not have been happier with our special day. We were so blessed to have the help of our loving family and friends to make our day perfect. The ladies from the Relief Society made sure that our food was spectacular, Serena created floral arrangements which took my breathe away, and Holly captured all of the memories of the day perfectly. Our wedding day was absolutely gorgeous! It was 36 degrees and sunny. We couldn't have asked for better photo opportunities to capture all of the moments.

It was wonderful that Heather and Max could be with us to stand as our witnesses and provide great friendship as well as support.

Bishop Bresciano married Matt and I in the chapel at the Lake Stevens building. Following our ceremony we had our reception in the cultural hall and everything went off without a hitch. We wanted the day to be simple and not overdone. This day was about how much we love each other and nothing else.

The beginning of the rest of our lives

Matt and I spent an amazing weekend together. We had the opportunity to travel to Portland so that I could meet Renae, Ryan, and the boys. We also spent plenty of time in the Tri-cities and it was so nice to relax and get to know the Demiter family.

On Sunday 7/19 after driving back from Portland Matt promised me that we would drive to the Temple to see it all lit up. We were both tired from the drive and I told him we could go another night but he insisted. Seeing the Temple on that warm July night was absolutely beautiful! We both sat in awe. As I was taking the moment in I felt a little tap on my right shoulder. I looked over and in Matt's finger was a ring! I was completely shocked and I broke down in tears. It was an unforgettable moment! We had only been dating for 2 months but we had both received confirmation that the rest of our lives should be spent together.