Powerful: Derek + Laura

So after weeks of begging I finally tricked Derek in to attending the SLC Farmers Market. I've always wanted to go and have heard great things about it. Plus I happen to be a huge fan of farmers markets. I thought over the years that Derek had started to like them to. Our trip is one I always want to remember and forget at the same time. So I had finished feeding Brooklyn and we got ready and headed down but that took longer than expected so I knew I was going to have to feed Brooklyn at the Farmers Market. I packed some water for her and we were on our way. We found parking pretty easy and managed traffic just fine. Once there we started to slowly walk around and we weren't minding the heat too much. Then Brooklyn was getting hungry so we found a shady spot on the grass and sat down. We went to change her diaper and she had pooped. Naturally. Well wouldn't you know that we forgot our diaper changing pad which had all the wipes. So we had some tissues and used them by ...

There is just something about a beach vacation that sets your soul free. True relaxation. Not doing your hair everyday. Hiding your un-makeuped face with sunglasses. Wearing dresses everyday. The sun. The breeze. Waves crashing. I could go on and on about why my heart will always belong to the beach. We are truly blessed. My grandpa and grandma Fairbanks own a beach house in Newport Beach, CA and I have been vacationing there for over a decade now. Some of my most fond family time memories are found in this house. This time our little family was lucky enough to catch a week before the summer started to pick up. We wanted to celebrate Derek's graduation and enjoy some much needed family time. Derek was so busy with school that we really wanted to hang out, relax, and re-coop before work and finding a job started. Derek was able to spend so much time with Brooklyn and it was awesome. She loves having her dad around. For the first part of the vacation we stayed at Grandma and Gran...

Ok so I have been wanting to blog about Thanksgiving for a while now but I have just run out of time. I also need to do a 35 week update so everyone bear with me as I combine a lot of random happenings into one post. Thanksgiving was so nice and relaxing. Spent some much needed time with family and Derek. I couldn't have asked for anything better. We spent Thanksgiving afternoon with my mom's side of the family enjoying quite the feast. I was loving the stuffing, sweet potatoes, french silk pie and rolls this year. I couldn't get enough. Meat still makes me pretty sick and I knew the turkey wouldn't sit well with my pregnant body so I just skipped it all together. However I still had a rough night and later learned the french silk pie was made with raw eggs. ha So much for my good efforts.   How cute are they? Love this picture. My Aunt Carolynn and some of her girls. Love them! Almost family photo. Missing Scott, Kim, and kids. I also apolog...

Why can't weekends last longer? Good news though - Tomorrow is Friday! This weekend will go by way too fast as Derek and I are taking a weekend getaway to visit the Power family. We are so excited. All of his family will be there for the first time in a little over a year. We can't wait.  So this last weekend was fun. I had a chance to decorate our house. We don't have much room to decorate a lot but a few things go a long way in our lovely spider basement apartment. Good news is the spider only add to our decor...ha Later Saturday afternoon our friends Jackie and Par stopped by with their cute little baby Henrik. It was fun to see them and to see how much Henrik has already grown in his first month of life. Such a cute family. Later we joined my parents and Nathan for a nice dinner. It was fun to get to spend a little bit of time with them in Provo. That night we enjoyed the Pumpkin Patch. It was such a cute place. We plan to go back to do they straw maze t...

Derek and I are truly blessed. We feel so overcome with gratitude and love. Thanks to all of you for your love, support and excitement through the pregnancy and my recent promotion. We have such great family and friends. Thank you. While I am on the subject of blessings I would like to mention that is hast been such a blessing not to travel in a while. I have traveled at least once/month since February this year. It has been a blast and I love it but I didn't realize how much I love being here with Derek on the weekends. I haven't had to travel the whole month of September and won't start traveling again until next weekend. Thank goodness that's a fun trip to CA for Derek's birthday and his mom's birthday. We are pretty excited. The whole Power family will be together. First time since Cassie's wedding. Then it's off to NYC. That will be a work trip but I am more than excited for the following reasons: Kate! She's the best. I get to visit her ...

So fall officially started on Saturday so I find it only fitting to write about our fall activities from the weekend. Not all are fall related mind you but we had such a fun weekend. I am so grateful that Derek is being great at organizing his time between school and his two jobs so that we can spend some time together before the baby comes. Take a look at our weekend full of fun. {Derek all dressed up for the career fair} {Chalk The Block Festival at The Riverwoods} {The UP House}  {Oktoberfest at Snowbird} {Derek was loving the German food} {Best sauerkraut he's ever had. Way to go German's in Utah} {Listening to the Alperhorns. They were awesome!} {My mom, the fun German teacher, and Nate getting in on all the Polka action} {Paula Deen's Peach Cobbler. Delicious} Ok so here is my pregnancy update section: We actually took some nicer pictures this weekend. I am glad I have these to capture my belly growth. People are still sayi...