A Women's Early Spring Backpacking Trip

Well I did it. I went on a backpacking trip. Without Kyle. With ALL women. And it was amazing. 

It's a big deal to say I went without Kyle because Kyle loves the outdoors and any chance he can get to hike through Shenandoah. A few of the women in our ward and other wards nearby get together every April and October to hike to a location overnight somewhere in Shenandoah. They camp and head out the next day. I decided it would be a great way to get in some exercise at 14 weeks pregnant. 

We got our gear together and headed out around noon. I didn't realize that the hike in was almost uphill most of the way! By the end, my legs were burning but it felt very accomplished as we set up for camp and got our food ready for the night. Since it was the middle of April, it was actually pretty cold and we huddled around that fire but other than that, I loved being out in nature and learning more about the women in the group!

The leaves were just starting to come out after a long winter. 

I was so impressed by those that were able to keep up a quick pace in the front. 

We reached the top of a hill and could get a glimpse of the valley through the trees. 

We set up camp at a beautiful spot called Emerald Pond. It had an amazing shade of green, hence the name. 

We noticed someone had made a little cove to swim in but it was far too cold for any of us to go near the water.

Here we were the next morning, after somehow surviving the freezing night.

Baby's first backpacking trip....kind of. 

I loved capturing this photo once we had found this vista...I also loved how they were all wearing the best and bright colors of spring. 

We got out to see the view on our hike back down and it was amazing. Shenandoah has had a little fire scare lately but I think they are getting it under control. Being out here made me appreciate how close we are to such a magnificent national park. I can't wait to go on another outing with Kyle and ESPECIALLY to take our little one camping for the first time. 

Bumpdate: 14 Weeks

I can't believe we are already up to 14 weeks! It's been so surreal to know that there is a little one inside me but not really seeing proof until most recently. Yes, a tiny bump has been showing up and it's so fun to see it starting to poke.

AND.....the bump! It's barely there, but you can definitely tell through my workout clothes.  

And I got this little gem the other day and it made me so happy! I know most moms to be look forward to getting out of the first trimester due to morning sickness and being tired but for me, it's just exciting to see this little one keep growing!

This Week's Details:

How far along? 14 weeks!

Size of baby? A lemon!

Stretch marks? Not yet. I have a ritual every morning and night of rubbing in cocoa butter. Who knows if it will work, but it's a nice thing to do just in case.

Sleep? Last week I was pretty sleepy and felt like I wasn't getting enough rest but this week so far has been fine.

Best moment this week? Seeing the beginnings of a bump!

Maternity Clothes? Not quite but I think I may need a couple of new skirts soon.

Missing? Turkey Subway sandwiches! Isn't that funny? We have a Subway right by our work and I always have to remind myself that it's just safe and smarter not to get one. You never know with deli meats.

Movement? Nothing yet.

Food cravings? Besides turkey sandwiches, I haven't had any other major cravings. I do find that if I get hungry, I tend to want crackers and cheese but I think that may be my body's way of saying it needs grains and dairy? Not sure.

Food Aversions? Meat is still a little hard. Kyle had friends in town the other day so we went to Good Stuff Eatery and looking at the hamburgers was starting to make me a little sick. I'm happy to stay away from them for now.

Bump? Tiny tiny bump! It shows more when I'm in exercise clothes.

Gender? Still thinking it's a boy but who knows? We have less than a month before we find out!

Names? We circulate different ones every now and then but we definitely have our favorites!

Labor Signs? Nope.

Looking Forward To? Our next ultrasound in May where we will find out whether our baby is a He or a She!

A few more details as of late: 

General Conference is my favorite. We love listening to the prophet speak and the opportunity to be inspired the whole weekend. Kyle's cousin Mary stayed with us on Friday night so we still had our second mattress set up...which made a nice spot to lay back and watch from.

My work got us free tickets to the Washington D.C. filming of Jeopardy! It was so cool to be there in real life and see how the filming works. It was kind of like a celebrity edition but these were 'power players' or big political talk show hosts from nearby. They each played to win money for a certain charity. I keep telling Kyle he needs to get on the show because he does really well anytime we are watching at home.

Alex Trebek was really great and would come down during the commercial breaks for audience Q&A's. Filming took place in the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall. We had to wait about an hour and a half in line, with a rainstorm hitting halfway through but we were lucky enough to be moved down to the floor since they needed some extra people to fill the spaces. It was so cool to be so close!

Afterwards, we stopped in Georgetown to grab some brunch and I saw the most beautiful scene of these tulips in front of this old church with a bright red door.

We went out with some friends to visit GlowGolf, a glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course. I hadn't been mini golfing for a while so it was fun to figure out the best angles to hit the ball. Kyle and I made a bet...whoever lost would be cleaning the bathroom for a month. Let's just say, by a lame 2 points, that I lost that bet.

Boo Radley LOVES Kyle. Anytime Kyle is on the ground, he likes to cuddle up by him. They both fell asleep like this the other day. I can't wait for this to be our baby!

A Visit From Winter Storm Jonas

#2016Blizzard has been blowing up on social media the past 5 days and counting. Yes, Storm Jonas visited and dropped off 2 feet of snow, making it the largest snowstorm on record for several locations in the East but especially everywhere from Washington, D.C. to New York City. Luckily, Kyle and I were able to work from home on Friday and prepare for the snowfall  starting in the afternoon. I've always found it funny that people here get really anxious about snow until I realized why. They just aren't prepared for it and when it hits, driving becomes almost impossible with all the ice hitting the roads. Wednesday was the start of a small flurry and I found myself stuck on our road for 2 hours waiting for people to try to get unstuck. It was crazy and I'm glad we were home in time to get ready. Kyle went out and bought some firewood for our fireplace in case the heat went off and I cooked up an extra meal to have ready in case we lost power. It's funny how your thinking changes when you realize what you can't do if you don't have electricity. While working on Friday we watched small flakes turn into bigger flakes and we watched a wall of snow start to accumulate at the base of our door. It was exciting and fun to witness history but not so fun when it was time to dig out our walkways and car. It was also fun to get some snow days off of work the following week. Yay snow days!

I visited the grocery store Thursday night and managed to grab the last lonely skim milk on the  bottom left. The only other milk available was almond milk and chocolate milk.

Almost all of the produce was gone too.

Kyle and Boo waiting for the first flurries to hit. 

And hit they did. 

I got out before it got too bad to get some pictures. 

This is the sight we had the next morning. By dawn we had received at least 20 inches.

We couldn't even open the door to get out and had to climb out the window to start shoveling!

This guy thought he wanted to come out at one point but I could see it would turn the other way real fast. 

Kyle snapped this shot and I thought, "That's how I feel after all of this shoveling."

We got the walkways done enough to walk through and turned to get some of the sidewalk next to our house.

No one had even started shoveling the sidewalk so I caught this moment where we sat down not wanting to keep going. 

 Boo back inside safely and warm.

Our good friends came over in the afternoon and got us out of our cabin fever by taking us sledding across the street.

We found the perfect hill and actually ended up getting quite a bit of speed. 

Our buried car. This took at least 2 hours to dig out.

I guess I should say "Thanks Jonas for the memories!".