It's official.

I'm finally a Parr. 

I've been meaning to change my name since we got married. 

But only got the motivation to do so when I realized that if I didn't act fast, our child would have a different last name than me. 

How embarrassing. 

It is a little strange to lose my maiden name. That's been my identity my whole life ya know? I will always be an Aukema, in spirit and personality, I'm sure ;)

Next up: new drivers license.

P.S. We loved General Conference today! Can't wait for tomorrow :)

I found my inspiration

I completely attribute my recent abundance of posts on the lovely weather. Here is the proof:

We took a bike ride on Sunday afternoon down to the duck ponds and the gardens on the south end of campus. We weren't alone to say the least. Everyone was taking advantage of the lovely afternoon. The gardens aren't quite as green as they will be in the summer, but they were so many cherry blossoms blooming! 

 And my very favorite tree in the whole world, the Japanese Magnolia. I'll take three in my front yard, thank you.

Once again, Happy Spring! 

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

I am so excited about General Conference this weekend! I love hearing our leaders speak. The whole world is invited to listen. Learn more at gc.lds.org.

What happened before the Hunger Games

I won't lie, I did enjoy the Twilight books (in high school). But I can't help but gag at the movies. But seriously. The Host was amazing. It's such a good novel. The story fascinates me. So at about 00:40 in this trailer, when I realized what this movie was, I pretty much started screaming. Half of the theater was right there with me.

I'll have to re-read the book before next year. (We have to wait a whole year??!) Funnily enough, I had the book at one point. But I gave it away because I was embarrassed to have a Stephanie Meyer book in my possession. How silly. Obviously, you should watch the trailer if you haven't already.

Saturday

On Saturday, we went sailing for a bit. The wind wasn't really cooperating, so it was a little boring! But I had fun taking some photos...

Better luck next time Harriette!

20 weeks!

Squinty face!

*My belly is rounder than this photo shows!

As my belly becomes more round, so does my face!
And I've started to experience the delights of acid reflux after dinner. Yay.

We saw our little boy on the ultrasound last week. 

He is growing and developing just like he should, which is a relief. 

We are so blessed!

We counted all his fingers and toes!

And confirmed that he is indeed a boy! (And he wasn't so shy about that this time! ;)

 The round circle thing in the middle of the image is the umbilical cord. Below that is his foot :)

I don't know why, but this is my favorite! Look his little ear and shoulders!

I love him so much already!

Hunger Games

met my expectations...and then some!

The book nerds. Erika & I

The camera was a little too shaky for me in the beginning.

The violence was more bloody than needed.

Peeta was more of a man than he was in the book.

And where was Gale the whole time?
I feel like they really downplayed their relationship/friendship. Lame.

But...for the most part, they stayed pretty close to the book.

Katniss is exactly as I pictured her.

She's such a beast!

And I think I teared up during Rue's death scene.

District 12 was basically how I imagined.

You know I pictured Haymitch really fat?

But I liked his character more than the one in my head!

And I liked the behind-the-scenes games-orchestrating in the Capitol.

I thought the costuming for the Capitol citizens was spot-on.

I always had a hard time having a good picture of what Cinna looked like.

The movie Cinna was really good, I think.

There were a few people dressed up as characters in the theater...how can you do that if you haven't seen the movie yet? Weird.

I don't think Nate was really happy about waiting for so long at the theater with a bunch of book nerds ;)

But for me, it was well worth the 3 hour wait in the theater for the midnight showing!

In honor of...

the Hunger Games premiere tonight, here are some of my favorite Hunger Games inspired things floating around the web:

Source: Uploaded by user via Lulu on Pinterest

source

Source: tumblr.com via Lacey on Pinterest

 (on etsy here)

And if you haven't heard Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars' song from the soundtrack, watch the video here. (Don't you love her dress?!) Also, a great wedding inspiration shoot based on the books.

***

While I haven't made a cool shirt or outfit for tonight, I am super excited! Let's hope it's as good as all the hype! And if it's not, we still have the books, right? :)

Happy Hunger Games!

Still awake

Why am I still awake and looking at strollers? It's midnight. I can't tell you the last time I was up past 11 for no good reason. But here I am, in my pajamas, researching strollers yet again. Why is it that I am so worried about finding the right one? Is our baby really going to spend a great deal of time in a stroller? Why am I not researching baby monitors or child birth for crying out loud? Instead of learning more about the nightmare miracle of child birth, I am researching strollers of all things. I can't explain it. Crazed nesting phase maybe? But in case you are wondering (or extremely bored), here is what I have learned so far tonight:

I really, really like the Stokke Xplory. But it doesn't have a car seat adapter. And I would love to have our baby higher and looking at faces instead of knees. Found a good used one for an amazing price nearby.

Quinny Buzz is my other favorite. It does have a car seat adapter. And it's just gorgeous. I deny it to Nate, but I really just want a pretty stroller.

Valco Tri Mode is starting to look like a nice option, but I can't find many reviews on it except for this video by BabyGizmo. (That lady has a crazy Minnesota accent!) Seems really versatile which I like. They claim it's 4 strollers in one.

If my dreams really came true, we would be getting a Bugaboo. In my opinion, they're seriously just the best all around. Found a good used one near PCB. Maybe I'll get mom to pick it up for us...maybe.

Or maybe I'll just keep looking and never find one and we'll just carry our baby around in this.

Spring!

According to my calendar, today is the first day of SPRING! Now it may be a little chilly here in Utah County, but the forecast does promise a few 60 degree+ days at the end of the week. (As much as I claimed I was going to love winter this year, I still bear it grudgingly). This is a cause for celebration! Too bad I am writing a paper and studying for a final this week! BUT we are going to see the midnight showing of the Hunger Games and possibly sailing on Friday.  I won't hold my breath for a little color brought back to my skin, but you might just see this preggo lady in (unbuttoned) shorts this weekend.

Photo from Ontario's spring when we visited last June.

Books Reviews: Harry Potter

Based on their worldwide fame, I don't think I need to recommend Harry Potter to anyone. But I recently completed a fun little goal that I figured should not go unblogged. Thanks to my friend Holly and her collection of books and movies, I re-read every Harry Potter book and after completing each book, I watched the corresponding movie.

I haven't read the first 3 or 4 books in years. I really enjoyed reading and watching them all again. Watching the characters grow up was really fun. Rowling did such an amazing job at depicting true friendship. I can't wait to read them with our children!

image

Weekend wrap-up

Our week looked a little like this...

 Sweet little baby feet.

Seeing Nate's dad Ryan working this week reminded me of my dad. So quirky! :)

Another sale at Gymboree. Couldn't resist the little moose cords!

And a growing baby bump! There really is a baby in there!

We've really had a lot of fun with Nate's family in town this week. There really is nothing better than family. We have eaten like kings all week thanks to Aunt Lora. And my decision to have only 2 desserts a week has been seriously interrupted thanks to Aunt Wendy and her delicious creations. 

I'm getting really close to finishing my class! Thank goodness! Nate has heard some positive things from jobs this week, so maybe we won't be homeless this summer! (Always a good thing when you're having a baby and all! Yikes.)

Other randomness from around the web this week:

Wish I could find this swimsuit at Target! Out of stock online :(

Love this print. I can totally make it myself.

I love the illustrations (and the message of course) in this video.

Have a lovely weekend!

On parenting

Made this on Picnik after reading a talk tonight by Richard G. Scott. 

I know it's going to be the hardest thing I have ever done, but I really can't wait to be a parent. I won't be perfect. I will make mistakes. But I will love our kids with everything I have. That is a promise.

The latest bits & pieces

It's weird to me that now that I have all the time in the world, I blog much less. Last semester it seemed like I had at least a half-decent post 3-4 times a week. Now you're lucky to read a half-decent post once a week from me! I don't have any excuse except...it's winter. Gray skies were never very inspiring to me. However, lately it has been really sunny and slightly warm. (Come on spring!!) So here is a quick-ish summary of my life lately.

As has become the pattern, I subbed twice this week. Both times at Provo High. Can I just say that I definitely do not miss high school? And I just laugh at the seniors who think they are the coolest things on the planet because in just a few months as they start their freshman year, they will be the least cool thing on the planet, or at least on their campus.

In other news, a fire has been lit underneath me and I am finally getting around to finishing my online class. I won't say if that has anything to do with it being due in two weeks.

I have also been researching strollers a good deal lately. I thought I was settled on the Bumbleride Indie, but why I kidded myself into thinking I needed a jogging stroller, I'm not sure. So I think we are going to go with a Quinny Buzz. That is if we can find a decent used one. No way am I paying $600+ for a stroller.

Last night I attended the BYU Blogger Meet-Up with Erika. It was at The Chocolate, so of course I enjoyed it! It was good for me to go out and be social. And it was fun to meet with other bloggers, even if I hadn't heard of most of them. I couldn't help but laugh (to myself and out loud at times) at the trendiness of all who attended. So many trends in one room! All the barrel-rolled curls and colored jeans and lace tops and heeled oxfords! It's more than one can stand! (For more than two hours at least). But maybe I was just jealous that I can't fit into my skinny jeans anymore and that I can never afford Anthro. (More photos and info about the Meet-up).

photo via

In happier news, Erika and I made friends with a fellow blogger, Kirsten. We spent our time chatting about married life, hoping to win the 3B Yoga gift bags and cursing the ones who did win them. But I can't be too upset, I did win $50 to Quincess Boutique in AF. And we all snagged a couple free passes to 3B Yoga. I'm gonna try the prenatal class soon!

Other random things that have been intriguing me lately:
Selling modest wedding dresses on eBay. Check 'em out!
Snow art.
Read this if you are interested in the purpose of KONY 2012.
These wooden toys for our little man.

As the weekend approaches, we are looking forward to more warm temperatures, movie night with friends and perhaps even a little fondue :)

Have a happy weekend.

Let's make it happen in 2012.

KONY 2012.

Learn more at their website.

18 weeks

Other highlights of being 18 weeks include even more tightening of pants and the use of the rubberband trick to keep them buttoned :)

Also, an increased amount of huffing and puffing during any exercise. 

For Sale [[sold]]

This thing is fabulous, but we never use it.

It works phenomenally.

If you are in the area and interested, let me know!