Baby Lasley Update

No doubt he's a male

Today we went to my doctor's appointment to have our anatomy ultrasound. We already knew what baby Lasley was going to be because of the genetic testing. Even though we knew what we were having, little dude really wanted us to see that he was a boy.

Fun fact: Guy sleeps with his hands up as well

It was fun to see how big he's gotten. We were joking around with my doctor about comparing baby's size to fruit and how they should instead be compared. My doctor walked us through all the organs and things as he checked to make sure everything looked good. We had a hard time looking at his face because he kept his hands up most of the time. Eventually he got him to move and was able to check and make sure everything looked good. He looks healthy though. When we were done with the ultrasound we went to take one last profile picture and he gave us a thumbs up. Apparently little man has a sense of humor. We didn't get a picture of it but it was still fun to see.

Last trip to COS

Immediate family (minus Katie, Brian, Calvin)

At the end of September we made one last trip to Colorado Springs for my dad's promotion to Major General. It was a
crazy weekend. Guy finished and outage Thursday night and then we drove all night arriving early Friday morning. After a few hours of sleep Guy went to go pick my brother up from Denver. While he was gone, the rest of us worked to set up the church building for the promotion. The ceremony was nice we had most of my family in attendance. Guy's aunt Pam is serving a mission in my parents' ward so it was fun to be able to see her and Doug. They came to dinner Friday night at my parents house.

Friday night we were able to let the rest of my family know that baby Lasley is a boy. They were all excited!

Aunt Pam, Guy, Uncle Doug

At the Denver temple

Saturday we went to Denver as a family for my brother to receive his endowment. It's the only time the entire family (minus Katie) have been together in the temple. It was a really neat experience. After we went to lunch to celebrate. When we got home, my grandma took us to Joann's to pick out some fabric for a quilt for our little guy. Saturday night the women went to the World Wide LDS broadcast. It was fun to have 3.5 generations in attendance (2 babies in attendance but not born yet).

Sunday was a typical Sunday. My sister and brother in law left earlier that day. Guy and I stayed an extra day and went to church with my parents. That night the ward threw a going away party for my parents. It was a nice event and we got to use some of the left over food from the activity.

Monday morning we helped my mom clean out the garage a little before we left for Texas. My parents ended up moving back to Virginia the following week.

Here are some additional photos from the promotion:

Adding the new rank on

Miscellaneous Pictures

We had dinner on 10/21 at the Mill Manager's home. He owns an 87 corvette. He let some of the engineers take it for a test drive. 

Guy driving the sports car

Here are a few miscellaneous photos of what we've been up to.

Sometimes Finn doesn't want to move when it's bed time

Napping after working on the patio

Our Patio! Almost done

"Um...am I not suppose to be up here?"

"Why am I in the rain coat?"

Watching for Guy to come home

"Dad you have some sweat on your head. I can get that for you!!"

Growing by another two feet

Baby Lasley at 10 weeks (bottom picture him at 6 weeks)

In August, Guy and I received some exciting news. We found out that we were expecting! After trying for a while to get pregnant it was some pretty exciting news! Baby Lasley is arriving around the end of March. Guy is hoping for an April Fool's Day baby. We kept things mostly to ourselves for the first trimester. We started telling family and friends when I was about 11 weeks along.

Since I'm a planner we decided to go ahead and do the informaseq genetic testing. At 10 weeks, fetal DNA is circulating in the mom's blood. The genetic testing will tell you if there is are any markers for genetic diseases (down syndrome, terminal diseases, cystic fibroses, etc). If the results came back negative it means that we don't need to worry about any of these being a problem. The down side to the test is that it can be pretty expensive ($1200 test!) and a lot of times insurance won't cover the test. The upside is that you can negotiate the price down a bit AND you can find out the gender of the baby early. While we did the test for the genetic reasons, it was nice to also know early what Baby Lasley will be.

Baby Lasley at 10 weeks

We have a house full of testosterone because Baby Lasley is a BOY!

Here are some early pictures of the little guy. We have our anatomy scan right after Halloween (I'll be almost 20 weeks) so we'll be able to see him better than.

June's Update

Before we painted

Around Memorial Day my mom was able to come out and spend the weekend with us. One of the things we did was participate with the youth service project through Habitat for Humanity. We helped their organization paint a home for a family. There was a pretty good turnout at the activity. It only took us about 2 hours to get 90% of the house painted. Afterwards the Habitat workers finished painting up by the roof. Someone from our ward brought hot dogs afterwards. We had an impromptu picnic in the yard.

At the end of the month I flew to Utah to help my grandparents clean out my great-grandma's house. It was a busy weekend. We had a lot of stuff to go through. It was great to be able to look back and see all the family memories of the things she had kept. I loved being able to read through the family journals and seeing some of the stuff from my great-grandparents siblings. I also saw some stuff from my great-great-grandparents. Got to love looking through all the family history items.

Balloons, BBQ and Boats

In July Paris had a balloon festival in conjunction with the Tour de Paris. The Tour de Paris is a bike race that goes around most of the county and starts/finishes in Paris. The weather wasn't very good so they weren't able to launch the balloons but we were still able to go and see a few of them get blown up as well as watch the bikers leave.

Someone from our church congregation gave us tickets to a drag boat race and BBQ cook off. After checking out the balloons we went to the drag boat races for lunch. It was nice being able to sit in the shade and watch the races. The BBQ wasn't too bad. We ended up both voting for the same cook. He had one of the best pulled porks I've had and his brisket was a very even flavor. There was a nice smoke ring on the brisket as well. Here are some pictures from the activity.

Allison's 26th birthday

Last week was my 26th birthday. It was a pretty easy day around the house. I went to lunch with a few sisters from work at a BBQ place in town. We had a lovely time. That evening my back started hurting. I've been having what my doctor believes are muscle spasms on the right side of my back. So I was pretty much down for the count the rest of the evening. Guy had to work late that night as well so we just kept things simple around the house.  When he got home, we had burrito bowels for dinner, and then enjoyed DQ Ice Cream cake for dessert. Our DQ in town doesn't have any ice cream cakes so Guy stopped in Powderly (~15 minutes from where we live) to pick one up. I opened a few presents that night and then essentially went to bed exhausted.

Goodbye Rusty

At the end of July Guy was in a car accident. He was driving home late from work one night on the highway and some gentleman ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of him while Guy was going 55. Luckily both drivers were ok and Guy swerved and avoided T-boning the gentleman. The other driver was at fault in the accident (good for our insurance), but both vehicles were totaled. It happened after I had gone to bed so I got up and went to pick Guy up (about 30 minutes away). We had to change our 5 year plan but we were able to find a good deal on another vehicle pretty quickly. USAA also handled the claim pretty fast so we were able to get our money within 2 weeks.

We replaced Rusty with a Honda Ridgeline (name still pending). We miss our red frontier. It was the first big purchase we made after getting married (1 month into our marriage) so it was hard to see him go. RIP Rusty.

Here are some of the photos of the damage to Rusty.

DisneyLand Half Marathon Weekend

Guy, Allison, Rachel and Keith

The first weekend of September (Labor Day weekend) we went to DisneyLand to run the race weekend. One of the items I had on my bucket list was running in the coast to coast challenge. To finish the coast to coast you must run one race of at least a half-marathon or higher in both DisneyWorld and DisneyLand in the same calendar year. Since we ran in January at DisneyWorld and we had gift certificates we figured this was the perfect time to do it. **Side note: Disney cancelled all RunDisney events in California in 2018. So it was a good call to do it this year***

It was a little rough getting to California. We ended up getting there pretty late at night since each of our planes got delayed and we ended up with a ground stop in LA while we were in SLC so we had to sit on the tarmac for a while.

The first day we got there we spent in Disney California Adventure. During the middle of the day we had to go pick up our packets for the race. Rachel, Keith, Guy and I all decided that we were going to avoid the heat of the day and head back to the hotel. After napping and cooling off in the hotel we went back out to the park and met up with my parents for a few more rides. We also saw one of the shows that night. We saw color of wonder. It was FANTASTIC! It was a water/light show that also played music from several different Disney movies. Even though it was a late night. This is a video on youtube of what we saw.

Pre race start (10k) with the pizza planet car

Post 10k finish

The next morning was the 10k. We got up early and walked to the start of the race. Based on our times in January we were all in different corrals. It was HOT running! I think when we started the race it was in the upper 60s and nearly 80 when we finished. After we all were done and had our medals we went back to the hotel to shower and get cleaned up. Afterwards we all went into DisneyLand for the day. The parks weren't too crowded since it was so warm. We were able to pretty much hit all of the rides on our list without waiting to long in line. We ended the night a little early since we were hot and tired and had the half-marathon to do the next morning.

Before the Half-marathon

Post Half-marathon

The following day was the half marathon. The good part about it was that most of the run was over cast with clouds and it sprinkled a little on the run. Downside...the run was HARD! I trained in Texas in the summer and I kid you not, there were parts on it that I had to remind myself the goal was just to finish. When the sun came out we all got cooked running. Guy ended the race with bloody nipples! We were real glad when the rest of the family crossed the finish line. Guy and my mom were both able to get their coast to coast medal even though they technically didn't run in DisneyWorld but they still got their medals. Guy didn't care either way about getting his coast to coast but It's still fun since we both have it and it was the 10th year of the challenge.  We hustled back to the hotel to get breakfast before they closed. After breakfast we all showered and got cleaned up. Most of the family took a nap. By the time we rolled out of the hotel it was the afternoon. We hit up our favorite rides in both California Adventure and Disney Land. As a family we all met up a little later for ice cream at the Ghiaradelli place. Guy and I stayed in DisneyLand that night for the firework show. 

Post Run family photo with our medals

Ice Cream to end the trip

 Here are some other photos from the trip. It was fun being in cars land and watching the Neon lights come on. We rode one of the rides while we waited for Colors of Wonder to start.

 

4th of July

We celebrated most of the weekend for the 4th of July. On the 3rd we went to Dallas with two of Guy's coworkers (Chris and Alex). First we stopped in Mckinney and went to do an escape room. I had gone with my coworkers a week before and I convinced everyone else to come try it. For our room we were locked in a penthouse trying to get the jewels before the cops showed up to bust us all.  I thought the room we were in was a little easier than the one I had been in with my coworkers. I also thought it helped that I had at least been through one room so I had an idea of the kinds of things to look for. We made it out of the room in about 45 minutes. Not too bad. 

After we finished we went to eat lunch at a BBQ place (3 Stacks) in Frisco. Chris said he had been there before with his parents. I would say by far it was the best BBQ I've had since we've moved to Texas. It reminds me a lot of Jethros in Iowa. The portions were also huge too. 

After we finished lunch we went to Allen and went to Top Golf. Top Golf is basically a driving range with a tracker in the golf balls. You can set it so that you have different games that you're playing. Our game was set so that we just had hit the balls to try and land them in the different colored zones to earn points. Guy and I are not nearly as good as Chris and Alex. We played for about 2 hours. Surprisingly on our very last game Guy didn't think, he just hit the ball. Turns out when he stopped thinking he got the most points out of everyone. Way to hustle all of us G! After we finished playing we made our way back to Paris.

On the 4th of July we started out the morning with a bike ride. Later that day, Chris hosted all of us for game night. Some of the other new REACH engineers came as well. We played Ticket to Ride. I lost spectaciously!! The fireworks in Paris are launched from the Junior College. Chris lived just down the street from the college so when it was time for the fireworks we just went into the front yard and watched them. Kind of convenient to not have to deal with any of the crowds. Chris recently moved to Houston so we'll have to find a new location for next year. 

The Road Trip to Iowa (x2)

Playing in the Park

April was a BUSY month. We started the month by making the drive to Iowa for Jim's birthday party weekend. This year Shari decided to just have it be immediate family.  Guy and I thought it would be fun to make the trip and see everyone, especially since Amy and Alden were coming up from Mississippi. Guy was able to use his 980 and have that Friday off so we also didn't miss out on any vacation days. We left after Guy got off work on Thursday and drove all night to Chillicothe. Guy, forgot to tell his mom when we would be arriving (and he didn't know where the house key was) so we slept in the car for 2 hours while we waited for everyone to wake up. Finn wasn't to thrilled about sitting in a parked car. He did do a great job watching Guy and I as we slept. We were sad Sam, Amber and family weren't able to come down but we were glad we got to see everyone else from the area. The family all showed up Friday afternoon. Some of Guy's siblings and his nieces and nephews weren't sure if Finn was the same dog we had since he was much bigger now.

Friday night we busted out the ice cream and a few close friends came over to celebrate as well. It was nice to be able to spend time and catch up with several people. On Saturday the weather warmed up and so we were able to spend a good chunk of the day outside in between watching sessions of conference that is. The men worked on improving the antena and I took the kids to the park in the afternoon. The little boys and Finn had fun chasing each other back and forth. The little girls thought it was great when Finn helped them dig in the sand. While the men were at the Priesthood session of conference the women and kids went and got grahams ice cream. Guy and I both miss being able to get Graham's. We haven't found an ice cream place we're really fond of down here yet. Hopefully we can check out a few places in Dallas.

On Sunday we made the long drive home. We were blessed to be able to stream conference on the drive so we were able to hear all the sessions. I thought it helped the drive go by faster as well. We got home at a decent time so we were able to unpack and walk Finn before going to bed. We found out a few days later that my former bosses' wife (Janell Palmer) wasn't doing well and that she was deteriorating quickly. She had been suffering from multiple myeloma for about 2 years. A week after we got back from our first trip to Iowa we found out that she had passed away and that her funeral would be the following weekend.

Please can I be out of this car

I had said from the beginning that I wanted to go to the funeral whenever she did pass if it was a feasible option. Guy wasn't sure if we wanted to or not so he went around and around about joining us or not. Ultimately he decided to go with, so we loaded Finn and left early Friday (Good Friday) for Iowa. We wanted to beat the Easter weekend traffic so we left at 3:30 am. It was a long day but it was nice getting to Ames around lunch time. We stayed with my grandparents. They were thrilled to see how big Finn had gotten. It was crazy to see how much Ames has grown in almost the year we've been gone. It was fun to drive around our old stomping grounds.

Friday night we met up with Kirsten and Scott Radke (again) and went to Jethro's for dinner. Man, I had been craving some ribs and it HIT THE SPOT! I really should find out how to get the BBQ sauce. After visiting with them we came back to Ames and went to bed...exhausted from the long day.

Saturday was Janell's funeral. Guy's brother and family came up from Missouri for the funeral. It was nice to see them again. I enjoyed seeing some of the people I had worked with and around at the lab who came for the funeral. Kind of like a mini reunion. It felt a little bit like coming home. The service was lovely. Each of the girls spoke for a little bit. They also had Janell's former consolers from her Relief Society Presidency participate. I also enjoyed being able to see and chat with Mitch (my former boss) for a little bit. After the service we went to lunch with Pete, Emily and family (Guy's brother) at Hickory Park (another Iowa classic). It was nice visiting and catching up with them again. We visited some more with my grandparents. And then that night went and had Mexican for dinner.

Easter Sunday started off early. Finn got lose from Guy and I and went and jumped on Grandma waking her up! Sorry grandma! We left shortly after that since it's a 12 hour drive from Ames to Texas. So the bulk of our Easter Sunday was spent on the road driving. It was a short trip but it was nice to be able to see lots of friends and family. Even if the circumstances weren't great.