Surprise!

Well, it may be for some of you, but we weren't totally surprised. We are excited though.

Baby Number 2 is due to arrive October 27th. I had an ultrasound yesterday to find out that I am 10 weeks along. Since I only found out I'm pregnant last week, that was pretty thrilling. Nothing like almost being done with the first trimester unknowingly.

I've felt pretty good except for being extremely tired. We are excited and probably don't know what we are in for, but thats okay. We've have loved having Easton so much, we can't wait to have another!

News About Dad

This week has been a great one for Soren. We are so excited for him! He received this in the mail......

After a year and half of hard, hard work and studying, he is officially a CPA! He has really done a lot to earn this and it is very impressive. I'm really glad for all of the attention he is receiving at work for it. It's quite an accomplishment! Even more impressive was how well he did on each test. The tests are all pass/fail with a 75 being the cut off. Soren averaged more in the high 80s or low 90s on all of them.

He also had a another piece of good news yesterday. He found out that he had won a contest he had entered months ago on Moosejaw's website. He won a three day trip up Mt. Baker in July. The trip itself costs $500, plus he won a $500 Visa giftcard to pay for any other expenses related to the trip. Mt. Baker is one of the biggest mountains up here and this will be such a treat for him. You can see in the picture below how big it is. It is almost in Canada and about 2-3 hours away from us. Way to go Soren!

Lake Washington

We went on a little hike/walk on Saturday down to Lake Washington. Easton had so much fun in the water. He tried to just crawl/dive right in. It was so adorable I had to put up a few pictures.

Alki Beach

Saturday was nice weather and we were all pretty much feeling better, so we took a chance and went outside. It was the first time in three weekends we weren't sick with something!

We drove down to Alki Beach in West Seattle and walked along the waterside. We took a few pictures and got some fish and chips. Easton loved the birds and chased a pigeon around for a while. There were tons of people out running, biking and rollar blading. Hopefully this summer we can go down while the water taxi is running. It takes you over to downtown Seattle and the Market. We didn't know it was seasonal until we got there, otherwise we would have had a few pictures from the boat.

First Flu

Easton has his first flu. Obviously this sick stuff isn't going away. Thrown up twice this morning and has the runs too. Poor kid.

On a lighter note, business is going well. I'm really excited to see our business grow and have more orders coming in.

On Sunday Soren and I spoke in church and then I taught Young Women's. It went well, but it is nice to have both of those done. We both really enjoy speaking and teaching, but keeping the two lessons seperate in my mind was a little tricky.

I am getting an elliptical this week from a dear friend. I am super excited to start exercising in home. I canceled my gym membership last year and have really missed it. Its so hard to get exercising in without that gym time. We don't really have room at our house, but we are moving things around to make room.

Easton is almost walking now. He takes quite a few steps on his own and is great at balancing himself. He can go up and down the stairs on his own and just cruises around. At 10 months he is doing pretty well.

Thats the happenings for now. Hopefully we'll have more good news to come.

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

The newest news around here is that we've all been SICK. Soren had it, then gave it to Easton who took it to a new level with an ear infection. He gave it to me- the worst/longest cold I have had an an adult. (2 weeks!) Then Thursday night Soren started coming down with something again! He has been home from work ever since and says he has never been sicker in his life. (He also had an ear infection.) Last night he was afraid if he fell asleep he would wake up with his eyes crusted together. Its been pretty ugly.

So we are just waiting for Soren to recover and sanitizing everything in his path. What a way to use vacation/sick days.

All I can say is that I am looking forward to book club tonight for a little break. I made some yummy cupcakes, we'll be at my friend Melanie's wonderful home, and discussing a great book. Let's hope I make it there!

Wish List

We need more church/religious art in our home. I have loved this painting for a while, so now that I have found it on sale, I just may buy it.

These shoes are not the hottest, but who couldn't use the extra workout while in the grocery store? Tried them on this weekend and they do wonders for your posture.

A Friendly Reader

I decided to start a new blog for the books that I read. I can never seem to remember what I have read and if I can, I can't remember anything about it. So for my own sake at least, I am blogging about the books I read in attempt to remember more and have a record of what I read.
I can't promise that I am very good at reviewing books, but hopefully I'll get better and someone else can benefit as well. I know I am always looking for new books to read, so maybe you can get an idea of a new read or one to avoid. :)

Here is the address...

http://afriendlyreader.blogspot.com/

God Lives

Recently I have been reading a book called What's So Great About Christianity for my Book Club. (I plan to write a review on it as soon as I am done on my new Book Blog. More to come!)

Anyways, it has really opened my eyes to how much hate, disbelief and atheism there is out in the world. I live in a very sheltered place/part of the world where everyone I come in contact with has basic moral values and respects mine. I think I also interact mainly with people who do believe there is a God. But this book has gotten me thinking about where the world is headed. As the last days get closer, I think more of this blatant ridicule for my beliefs and the things I hold to be true will be coming my way. I am really not looking forward to it.

So when I was reading the Ensign today (our church's monthly magazine today), I found a talk that I think disputes all of the anti-Christ and anti-God arguements out there. Here is a quote that rang especially true to me.

"Without God, life would end at the grave and our mortal experiences would have no purpose. Growth and progress would be temporary, accomplisment without value, challenges without meaning. There would be no ultimate right or wrong and no moral responsibility to care for one another as fellow children of God. Indeed, without God, there would be no mortal or eternal life."
Elder Robert D. Hales, Nov. 2009 Conf.

I really believe that people who have no belief or concept of God are missing out on so much. No wonder the morals of today are disinegrating around us. I just hope that I am strong enough to withstand and actively fight the problems that are rapidly approaching; I am also grateful for the knowledge that I have that makes my life meaningful and gives me purpose everyday.