A Much Needed Update

Blogging has been pretty low on my priority list lately especially when posting simple pics on Instagram seems to be much easier.  However I'm making a resolve to be a better blogger :) Starting with an update of the past few months...

First and most exciting.... At the beginning of March, Phil and I found out BABY LAMOREAUX is due on NOVEMBER 8!!!! We are thrilled and can't believe I'm already 2 1/2 months away from my due date.

One of the perks of having a father-in-law who is an OBGYN is frequent ultrasounds!  And no... he will NOT be delivering me.  At 15 weeks we found out our angel is a little GIRL!  We can't wait!

Here is the progression of our baby...

 6 weeks

 11 weeks

 15 weeks

21 weeks

25 weeks

27 week belly & exactly 3 months away from my due date!

I'm now just a few days away from that 30 week mark and I'm so excited.  The end is nearing!

It honestly has been a great pregnancy so far!  I was extremely tired during the first trimester (which is kicking back in now that I'm in the third trimester) but no vomiting or morning sickness.  At 24 weeks I started getting some pretty bad back pain, which turned out to be a pinched nerve at 25 weeks.  Not sciatic nerve pain but a pinched nerve that causes a pins and needles like tingling and numbness around the front of my belly.  Father-in-law Dr. Lamoreaux says the only cure is to have the baby...yay (sarcastic).


Phil ran the Spartan Beast race in June with his cousin, his sister, and her friend.  It is a 13 mile course with 25 obstacles.  He seriously cruised through the race in 3 hours (that sounds like a really long time but it was comparatively short).  I supported him like a champ ;)

We also celebrated Phil's 26th birthday in June!  Among other bday events, we spent an evening riding trax to a Real Salt Lake Soccer game where the sun was blazing in our faces for the first 3/4 of the game.  Not necessarily my idea of fun but Phil loved it.  Take away the sun and I would've been a happy girl too haha.

 Following the tradition I started last year, I baked Phil a fondant cake again.  This one was much more simple than last year's soccer ball cake, but it still turned out great!

In July we celebrated our 4 year anniversary!  It's crazy how time flies.  Phil planned the whole anniversary trip and surprised me.  We left Saturday morning and drove to St. George where we spent the first night.  Our favorite St. George memory is when we asked the front desk guy where a good place was to have dinner.  We told him that we wanted to go some where we couldn't go at home.  His first suggestion was "The Painted Pony" where dinner is around $50/plate.... pass.  He was having a hard time thinking of anywhere else (obviously his job title does not include concierge) when he suddenly said, "Oh, oh, oh... you know where you should go, this place called Kneaders!"  We found that suggestion and the way he said it quite humorous especially since we live 7 minutes from a Kneaders and can go whenever we want.  He wasn't too helpful that night.  Especially since we ended up at Chilies.

We went to a married student ward the next day for church and then continued on to Las Vegas.  Phil has a travel agent cousin who hooked us up with a sweet deal in the Balcony Sweet at the MGM Signature Towers.  We loved our room and our view!

We spent the days by the pool and the evenings out to dinner, walking the strip, pretending like we belonged in the casinos, or staying in to watch a movie.  Our one big even was seeing the new Michael Jackson Cirque Du Soleil show.  It was incredible and definitely worth the splurge!  We arrived early so rather than sit in the theater, we decided to watch this woman play roulette.  After blowing through her money she left and another couple sat down.  The husband gave the dealer $200 for his wife to play (seriously...!!!).  This couple was really nice and educated on the rules and strategy of roulette.  Shortly after this woman started, the original lady came back to the table with and additional $200 to play.  There soon became a nice little crowd around this table and Phil and I just enjoyed in the excitement of watching people win and loose.  But as we all know, the house always wins!

July also consisted of our annual Lamoreaux Lake Powell trip.  I enjoyed riding the boat and floating in the water, but it was a bummer not being able to do anything because I was pregnant.  We marveled in some beautiful sun rises and sun sets, I had fun playing with my nephews and niece, and Phil brushed up on his back flip!

That about wraps up the high lights of our summer.  I can't believe it is over.  I started teaching Health at Lone Peak HS last week and Phil started the second year of his Masters program in Occupational Therapy today!  It will be a crazy next couple months as we work, go to school, and prepare for Baby Girl to arrive!  

Thanksgiving!!!

The past 3 months have perhaps been the busiest Phil and I have ever been (an update blog to come...eventually).  But after a pretty long blogging hiatus, I've returned to share 10 things I've been thankful for over the past year.

These are in no particular order...

1.  Relaxation Time with my Hubby

Because Phil and I have been so busy, my favorite time of day is when we get to sit down together and just relax.  We are no longer thinking about student teaching, drill, soccer, or school.  It is OUR time where we can relax and read a conference article or watch an episode of our latest Netflix TV show.  I've learned that although there is probably something better we could be doing like grading papers, studying for a test, or falling asleep a little earlier, we need this time for our marriage and our sanity!

2.  My Nursery Kids

My calling has been in nursery for almost a year and a half.  Even though it is often tiring go to church, I love it and I love the kids.  I have come to find the saying, "Out of the mouth of babes"to be pretty true.  Some of these kids say the funniest things.  I loved the day when a visitor joined us... he brought his own backpack with toys, yet he decided he liked the nursery toys better so he "stole" them by putting them in his backpack.  I was onto his little trick so I kept my eye on him (and he knew I was watching him).  In his little mind, as soon as he put them into his backpack, they were his.  He kept is backpack on the rest of nursery so I couldn't take them.  At the end he gave them back to me in a "tada" manner.  Like, "Oh look, I found the lost toys!"

However, my absolute favorite part of nursery are when the little girls come and sit on my lap and cuddle.  They often start playing with my hair and my necklaces and touch my nail polish and tell me how pretty I am.  Then they stand up and twirl around and say "Do you like my dress?  I'm a princess, just like you!"  If I'm every feeling down about myself, I know just where to go to feel better!

3.  Our Living Arrangements

I'm so thankful that my in laws have been so generous to let us live in their home for the past year.  It has been a huge blessing to be able to spend money while Phil started his Masters program and I was student teaching.  Plus we have had a lot of fun being here with them.  Some of my favorite memories are with my sister-in-law Corrie.  I absolutely LOVE Corrie.  We have had several fun, crazy and random moments together.  I'm definitely going to miss that when we move out in a month.

4.  Our Educations

Phil and I have been very blessed in our educations.  I'm so thankful that Phil was accepted into his Masters program on his first try.  He was one of 34 selected.  He was also chosen by his classmates to represent their class for the next three years as the Occupational Therapy program President.  Yes, he is my husband.  He is almost done with his first semester and he has done so well!  He loves his program and has already made some great friends.  I'm so proud of him!

I had the opportunity to walk in the August graduation ceremonies at BYU.  I didn't officially graduate at that time, but if felt like I did because this semester I haven't been taking classes on campus.  I'm a student teacher at Lone Peak High School and I will officially graduate with my bachelors in December.  I'm Thankful for the journey that my education has brought me.  In a way I'm sad to be done.  But I'm also really thankful and excited to finally be done!!

5.  Friends

In particular, I'm really thankful for my best friend, Natalie Willmore.  We were next door neighbors for 2 years right after Phil and I got married.  After 2 years we both moved in with our parents (us in Highland and them in Springville).  It was sad to not spend as much time together but we still stayed in touch.  This past summer Drew and Natalie moved down to Cedar City for school.  But even still, we see each other when they come up, we text regularly, and have long phone and Skype sessions.  Natalie has really been there for me the past 6 month through the ups and the downs.  I'm so lucky to have a friend like her.

6.  My Team

I'm so thankful for the chance I have to coach these incredible girls.  They are beautiful girls inside and out.  I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to interact with them on a daily basis and be apart of their lives.  Although drill keeps me super busy and is often times the cause of much stress in my life, I love coaching and I'm thankful for the blessings it has brought.

I'm also thankful that my husband is such an incredible soccer coach.  I love watching the influence he has on the little boys he coaches.  The really do love him.  He is such a talented coach.

7.  Tender Mercies

Life is hard.  Phil and I have experienced our own sets of trials over the past while and I times it is really easy to feel all alone.  I'm so thankful for tender mercies given to me by the Lord.  They remind me that He knows me, He loves me, and He hasn't forgotten about me.

The other day was a difficult day at school.  In some ways I was really frustrated with my students, and in other ways, I felt like I wasn't being a good teacher.  A student came by after school to turn in an assignment.  We started talking about random things like Thanksgiving break, marching band, the school musical... He was turning to leave the classroom and I was wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving when he paused, turned around and said, "Mrs. Lamoreaux, I'm grateful that you are teaching us.  You are a really great teacher!"  Tender Mercy!  That was exactly what I needed to hear.

The next day another student was in making up a quiz.  Her friend was also sitting in the classroom waiting for her.  As they were leaving, my student's friend said, "I'm going to have you for health next semester."  I told him that I'm just the student teacher so I'll be gone in December.  I told him that he would have Ms. Ross, the real teacher ha.  My student jumped in and said, "That's too bad for you.  You want Mrs. Lamoreaux as your teacher.  She's awesome!"  Those are the moments that make teaching worth it!

8.  Family Time

Phil and I both really love our families.  We are thankful for their influence in our lives and the fun we have with them.  We love all of the time we get to spend with them like at Sunday dinners.

9.  Gracie

Gracie has been my little dog for almost a year.  I know this sounds stupid, but she really is my best little friend.  She has been the best dog we could ask for.  She potty trained so quickly and she doesn't chew on things she's not supposed to.  She seriously is loyal and she loves us so much.  She has been so fun to have around.  I'm really grateful for her!  (Stay tuned...I've been meaning to devote an entire blog to Gracie.  You better believe we've taken a lot of fun pictures over the year that need to make it on the blog).

10.  My Husband

I'm thankful that Phil loves and supports me in everything I do.  He is constantly so sweet to me.  Whether he is rubbing my feet, massaging my back, or doing the dishes, I always know that the thing that makes him the most happy is when he gets to make me happy.  I love that we can laugh and have fun together.

I love you so much Phil and I'm so thankful for you!

These are just 10 of the things I am grateful for.  There is so much in my life to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy 25th Birthday Phil

Alright so I'm realizing that the summer is almost over and I have failed to stay on top of my blog.  I'm going to start catching up with Phil's birthday back on June 12.

It was a simple birthday but we had a lot of fun!  Phil's morning started by coaching soccer for about 4 hours.  [I don't think I've mentioned this on the blog, but Phil has gotten really into coaching soccer over the past several months.  He coached the Lone Peak boys freshman/sophomore team and is now coaching 9 & 10 year old boys with an Alpine soccer club.]  Phil got home from soccer around noon and we drove to Draper to meet Phil's mom and sisters for lunch and Noodles & Co.  After lunch, we went to the Hogle Zoo with Phil's sister, Jamie, and her fiance, Michael.  We had a lot of fun walking around and looking at the animals.  The highlight was definitely the Dippin' Dots that are probably more expensive than they are worth......No, they are worth it!  We ended the day with dinner at Chili's (you can't beat the 2 for $20 deal!)

For some reason we are extremely pink.  No, not sunburned

Phil's family celebrated his birthday the following Sunday.  Leading up to his birthday, I had been thinking about what I wanted to give him.  It has always been a dream of mine to make a tiered fondant cake.  So I decided I would try.  I knew my friend Amber was a cake decorating expert, so I solicited her help!  I came up with the design and Amber walked me through the rest.  We baked a chocolate cake with raspberry filling, buttercream frosting, and covered with homemade fondant.  The fondant recipe was simply melted marshmallows with powdered sugar.  Store bought fondant is never the best, but this stuff actually tasted good!

After 10+ hours (not including time in the oven) of mixing batter, rolling out fondant, and decorating....my masterpiece was complete!  I couldn't wait to surprise Philip with it.  Phil knew I was making him something for his birthday, but he had no idea what it was.  Me, Amber, and Amber's family were the only ones to see the cake complete before Phil.

Needless to say, Phil was very surprised & impressed!

I'll be honest... I am very proud of how this cake turned out.  It was a lot of work but it was a lot of fun!  I can't wait for another opportunity to create another cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PHILIP!!!!!

Lunch with Heather!

Phil and I met Kade and Heather Fowers while living in our Provo apartment.  We always had so much fun hanging out with them so we were sad to see them move to Virginia last summer.  We were lucky enough to see them this past November when they came home to Ogden for their baby Jameson’s blessing.

In the middle of March, I was pleased to open my email and find a message waiting for me from Heather.  She told me that Kade had a two-week business trip so she was coming home to visit her family during that time.  I was honored when she thought of me and asked if I would be available to meet her for lunch.
We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen at the Gateway.  It was so good to see Heather and her darling Jameson again!  He is adorable.  It was fun to just catch up with one of my best friends.

The Best Weekend

Two weekends ago, Drew and Natalie invited us to go to St. George with them for the weekend.  When Natalie first called and invited us, I got so excited.  Even though Phil was scheduled to work over the weekend, he worked some magic and made it possible for us to go!  We ditched Gracie with my parents on Friday morning and met Drew and Natalie in St. George that afternoon.  Drew's cousin was nice enough to let us stay in their condo!  It was beautiful.

One of the first things I had to do after arriving was brag about my new water bottle that my mom gave me.  The thing is a freakin igloo that keeps water cold for hours (the box says 20 hours to be exact).  Plus it has a fun button that pops up the spout.  Natalie decided she had to have one and Phil has been begging for once since I got mine.  This was perfect because Costco sells them in packs of two...one for Phil and one for Natalie!  That day we found a Costco and bought some water bottles.

These water bottles are so sweet, that it was necessary to go back to Costco the next day and get Drew one too.  Phil was especially vocal about his love for his new Contigo water bottle.  At least every hour he would say something to the effect of, "Man... I LOVE this water bottle!"  Needless to say, we drank so much water on that trip!

Other events throughout the trip included delicious food, sun, pool, manicures, movies, and games!  Chef Drew provided us with French toast and bacon for our breakfasts and his famous quesadillas for one of our dinners.

Phil deserves some credit too.  He cooked the tortillas while watching the Real game.  Yes, he is quite the multitasker ;)  We also enjoyed food at the Olive Garden, a Brazilian restaurant, and cupcakes from the Sweet Tooth Fairy.

This was my first manicure since my wedding (almost three years ago)!!!

I'm glad I got to do it with Natalie.

And of course, one of the best parts of the trip was being able to relax by the pool.  It was essentially empty both times we went, which was perfect!!  Phil worked on his farmers tan while I tried to get sun for the first time this year.  I got the perfect amount of burn.  You know, the kind that is tan the next day. Unfortunately, not everyone was quite as lucky.  Poor Natalie got uncomfortably burned, and Phil fried his chest.  All part of the experience I guess.

Drew and Natalie are moving to Cedar City next weekend for school.  I'm so glad we got to enjoy this trip together before they move.  They have been our best friends for almost three years now and I know that our friendship will always continue.