i love us.: i measure my life in weeks now!

cory's training was extended an extra month, so instead of being apart for just six weeks, it's now ten weeks! and i'm now 22 weeks pregnant, with only 18 to go. which means 16 weeks until christmas and six weeks till my birthday....it's all about the weeks, people.

that being said, i have so much to look forward to and i'm trying not to focus solely on the future. we had a great fast and testimony meeting (lds.org) at church yesterday where many people expressed feelings related to the passage of time and living without regrets. for me, that means savoring these weeks of relaxation and the lack of stress! i've never had a time like this in my life and it's so foreign, but i'm really trying to appreciate the openness and spontaneity each day can bring. even if it's just making a meal or going to target :)

updates on cory: he is still in indiana and will receive his placement around the third week of september depending on his sales. he is loving what he is doing, so i'm SO grateful and happy because he is still by himself in the extended stay living off costco salmon or leftovers from his lunches. when we found out he'd be staying for another month, cory got some tickets and flew up to minnesota for labor day weekend to be with his clingy wife and needy dog.

it was kind of weird picking him up at the airport and holding him again! it'd been a month and how could holding someone's hand, that you've held millions of times, feel so new and different? we went to the minnesota state fair with my family, which is legendary. it's all anyone talks about and it's on all the news outlets for months. it covered many blocks and was mostly food, and rides and typical fair things. we actually stayed for fourish hours. we got sweet martha's chocolate chip cookies (not as good as their reputation) and then erik ate a corndog, dad ate alligator on a stick, cory ate deep fried reeses' and shared cheese curds with me. apparently the day we went had record number of people-over 200,000 attendees! it was intense.

we got tacos that night from my favorite place here-la taqueria la hacienda and cory and i finally started the latest season of "parenthood" which he forbade me from watching until we were together. sunday, we went to church and then went swimming! sienna loves when cory is here because he actually plays with her and encourages her to swim. i usually do everything in my power to keep her out because she always splashes me and sometimes gets me with her sharp nails. mom always spoils cory with his favorite foods, and made him a huge breakfast on saturday and his favorite meal of salmon and homemade mac and cheese on sunday. everyone has to suffer through that weird combo for cory. even though i love those two things too, it grosses me out thinking about eating them as a meal.

monday morning was sad cause we knew he'd be leaving, but we went to the outlets where ainsley works and cory and erik got some good deals like $19 oakley swimsuits! i actually had gotten cor one the week before, and we got another cause they were such a steal. amongst other things, cory also got his first bow tie that weekend :) before he left we had a "last supper" so to speak, where of course, cory got wonderful steaks grilled for him. all in all, it was a sweet weekend and i'm so grateful he spent the money to come up here. we miss him so much!

update on ash: and baby: i stopped throwing up when i came up here (with the exception of three times) and i've felt pretty good during this second trimester! my body's exterior is definitely changing-rounded belly and all. i'm more tired and sometimes i eat a lot more than i usually can (a whole chipotle burrito bowl in one sitting, foks!) and other times, i don't have much of an appetite. i consistently go to the bathroom about three times a night and i HATE side sleeping. i'm pretty sure it aggravates lower back pain too, which is another side effect of pregnancy, which since i'm not super far along, isn't bad yet. my sense of smell is killer though. i want to be nesting, but i don't have a home yet! i've got all our rooms planned out and have bought pillows and am going to reupholster my mom's kitchen chairs (cause we get their dining set, woohoo!) and have made a fabric-covered magnet board. a few more projects and i should be set till the beginning of october!

baby bump pictures