Halloween Party

Last weekend a group of us headed into Sammamish to listen to my Dad's band play at a costume party.

Eric as Trash, Alycia as Glinda, Gabe as a Chinese Man, Matt as a UFC Fighter, Sarah as the PO, Me as Elphaba, Tiff as a Witch, Chris also as a Chinese Man, Master Lee as a Rocker and Shelby as a Fairy.Its a really fun venue, and people go ALL OUT with their outfits. Its a great place to see them play. This year they dressed up as "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Don't they rock!!?

Alycia and I went dressed as Elphaba and Glinda from the musical Wicked. There were a select few who figured us out, but we felt good about our creativity. I had a hard time with the green, but it worked out pretty well.Check out my belly in this shot! You can tell that this "Fiona" woman is trying to figure out if I am pregnant or just muffin topping out of my costume. I cant wait until its obvious!

Matt went as a beat up UFC fighter, and he had a little too much fun drawing on scars and blood.

I hope that he never REALLY looks like this...

My mommy was there too, and came as a super hot hippie. She even got to play the tambourine on stage :)

Happy Halloween to everyone!!

2nd Amendment

Some friends in our ward took us out Skeet Shooting with the Loftus's and we all had a great time! This was my first time shooting a gun, and I wasn't prepared for the "kick". I have the bruises to prove it!

However, I shot 8 out of 25 Skeets! I am pretty cool if I do say so myself. In the picture below, if you look really close, you can see the clay exploding from my shot. I didn't expect Alycia or I (Marlene had been a few times before) to shoot any since it was our first time, but we got plenty! Check out these ladies!

Matt got to start and he shot 9 "clay pigeons". Of course this event only solidified his want for a Remington, so that is what he will be asking for until Christmas comes. You can see the flame coming out of the barrel in this picture.

Eat a moose's heart out, Sarah Palin! Even though the picture is blurry, I had to share. I was feeling pretty tough with that shotgun.

Thanks to the Nebekers for taking us! We had a BLAST! (Get it?)

Routan Baby Maker

Thank you VW for giving me a Jetta, creating funny commercials, and for creating a website where I can see what my unborn baby is going to look like.

http://www.vw.com/vwhype/babymaker/en/us/

Do you see any resemblance?

Its kind of creepy...

Election Party

We have been very frustrated lately with the lack of information that the media is providing in this upcoming election.

So Matt and I held an election party at our home with about 20 of our friends. The point of the get together was to discuss hot topics regarding the presidential election. Everyone was given a topic to present (either for or against) and then we debated and discussed each one individually. It was a lot of fun, and I think that everyone walked out that night talking about how much they had learned.

And I walked away with TONS of great left over food! Thanks everyone who was able to attend!

Acupuncture

I (Matt) have been receiving acupuncture treatment for the past few months for a pinched nerve in my neck. When I made the appointment to receive the treatment, I did it without really thinking about what actually happens when you're receiving acupuncture. Specifically, the "puncture".

The first treatment I received, I was fine with the situation- dimly lit room, soothing music, calming fragrance in the air- until I heard the acupuncturist unwrapping the needles. I immediately sat up, and let the questions fly. "Wait wait wait, does this hurt? How deep do they go? How big are the needles?"

My questions were soon answered. The needles are tiny, no thicker than a human hair. They go as deep as they need to go, the acupuncturist can feel when they've hit their mark. And as far as hurting, it depends on the location of the needle, and whether or not that specific point on your body has anything to do with the problem for which you're receiving treatment. I usually get three needles in the back of my neck, 10 to 15 across my entire back, and one or two in each leg, directly above the ankle or above the knee.

The pain level ranges from a zero, where I can feel the needle going in, but feel no pain associated with it, to maybe a 3 out of 10. The worst pains I've felt were in my lower back, and inside my thighs, just above the knee. For some reason my whole back spasmed when needles were placed in those locations. The discomfort leaves within a few minutes, and after that you can't feel the needles at all. Other than the minor discomfort when the needles are placed, it's a very pleasant experience.

As soon as the acupuncturist starts placing the needles, I get almost giddy. I have to physically restrain myself from laughing out loud at nothing at all. It's really strange, I know. Once the giddiness subsides, I feel very calm, and very relaxed. In every session but one, I've fallen asleep for nearly the entire 45 minutes, and wake up feeling extremely rested. The pain and stiffness in my back and neck is always gone as well.

It's been a foreign experience for me, as I think it would be for most people in our culture, but once I got over the initial trepidation, it's been a very rewarding experience. I'd recommend it to anyone!

A human resemblance

Sorry for the major lack in posting. This week has been packed full of chores and other responsibilities. I haven't even had a chance to take any pictures of anything. :(

We had an amazing ultrasound on Friday. When the Dr found the baby, it looked nothing like I had expected it to at this stage.

No body. No head. No appendages. No gummy bear.

I couldn't see anything! Dr. Sharmahd kept assuring us that everything was there and tried to point out all the body parts to me, but I just couldn't make them out. It simply looked like a cashew. We could clearly see the heart beating, which was wonderful, but I was hoping to finally see a little baby inside of me. I was heartbroken.

And then the doctor offered to wake the baby up. He put pressure on my stomach, and moved things around a little, to no avail. Then, I thought that I would give it a try. I softly poked at my bulge, when the Dr announced "You have to do it harder than that!".

So, I pushed and prodded and said, "Wake up baby!"

And then there it was. 2 legs. 2 arms and a beautiful little body. It stretched out in its little black space, kicked around a little attesting to the sudden shoving from his/her curious mother and then got comfortable again, and folded back up into the nut shape.

It was amazing. I couldn't do anything but cry, which not surprising is what I am doing now typing this. I loved that we were able to experience this together. Matt and I have not been able to stop thinking about what a blessing this was, and how thankful we are to finally have this little life, in ours.