26 weeks and counting...

6 and 1/2 months...14 weeks to go...oh my goodness. I keep thinking to myself every weekend "Man I better hurry and get some maternity pants..." But before I know it this pregnancy is going to be over!!! I'm feeling great and am continuing to exercise...and continuing to put on the weight...oh well I'll just have to work extra hard afterwards!!! We've FINALLY made progress in the baby's room! We've moved out and given back the queen bed that was in there. So next comes the paint and organization of Benson's things. We only have 13 weeks left!!! Baby continues to grow and make my belly very heavy...big 1/2 Samoan boy growing in there...whew he's wearing me out already.  I love him very much and we are anxiously awaiting! My nephew Jaxon is so sweet, he loves to say hi to baby, kiss my belly and tell me my tummy is as hard as a rock. He seems excited for the new addition. His twin Abbie is a little wary. I don't know if she likes the idea of her auntie having a baby, but she's slowly warming up to it. I think because her mama is having a baby as well in August!!! Babies all around!! Here is the updated belly picture 26 weeks. Also a picture of the twins kissing my belly :)

Benson's update, along with waiting for baby we are also waiting for the acceptance letter from BYU. Bense has decided to go back to school and we are so happy. There was a stressful weekend at the beginning of the month where Bense was running around trying to get everything together to get his application in on time. He was able to get it all in and now it's just the waiting game. Benson continues to work full-time, but now has Sunday's off. I am so excited to start attending our new ward. We've been warmly accepted and I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father and the gospel in our lives.


VALENTINES DAY!!!
We kept it really simple this year. I had to work later than I expected and was in a grumpy mood because of it, then I had to drive home in Valentines day traffic. I just wanted to be home with my loves. I completely procrastinated Valentines day and it ended up being real simple and we celebrated at home. I was craving L&L's katsu chicken, Bense grabbed a kalua pork plate. We went home watched a redbox and chilled in our jammies. Bense gave me a gift basket of bubble bath supplies and to have a home bath night. It was so sweet and I'm very excited to use the basket he he he :) Bense rubbed my feet and legs and it was so nice!!! He made a grumpy girl into a happy girl. The weekend before Valentines we went had bought Bense some new sharp looking church clothes. He is so handsome, I love him in a shirt and tie. So that was his Valentines gift that we decided on.

All in all things are going amazingly well. I can't wait to be able to take some time off working to learn and grow to be a mommy. Then I'll start looking for work again to help with finances again. How we'll do it in the mean time? No idea but I trust that the lord will guide us along.

The Nesting Is Setting In...

I feel so anxious...ALL THE TIME. I hate when things are mismatchy, all messes throw me for a loop and all of Benson and I's things... well lets just say we are already outgrowing our apartment. We don't have a ton of storage space and it is starting to drive me crazy. We were using our spare bedroom to store everything that couldn't be put into the front closet, hall closet, our bedroom closet (which my things has TOTALLY consumed), and our spare bedroom closet (Benson's clothes are now housed here). I am getting so anxious to start on baby's room, but we have NO where to put our things. We truly don't have a lot of junk either so it's not things we need to get rid of. So I've decided now that I have weekends off, I'm going to start consuming myself in home projects to get things decorated, organized, and kept tidy just the way I want so I can cut out some of this anxiety.I just feel like I constantly need to be consumed in a project so I've made a list of things I'd like to get done before baby comes :) Lets just say my nesting instincts are setting in and I need to do something about it. Hopefully Pintrest can help me out with cute, cheap, DIY things to help me out. Here is my own personal list of things that NEED be done...here we go and wish me luck!

1. Clean out spare bedroom and find places for Bense's things.
2. Pick out and Paint Baby's room.
3. Find chic organizing tubs, containers, or baskets that go with the theme of our rooms.
4. Refinish our bedroom dresser to match our bed.
5. Get bedding stuff for our bed (it looks so plain) pillows, new sheets.
6. Paint our bedroom to add some flavor to our little space.
7. Make a weekly "duty" list for Bense and I.
8. Start designing and decorating baby's room.
9. Go through my things and see what I can donate or get rid of.
10. Reorganize all closets and spaces.
11. Get more creative (if you see a fun project start it and finish it).
12. Create a work out list to keep mommy and baby healthy :)

I'd die if my house really looked like this...but this is what I feel like right now! Too much stuff not enough room!

24 weeks and counting...and name explanation

We went for babies 24 week appointment! I feel like things are flying by...too fast. It's crazy to think that by Memorial Day we'll have baby boy!!! But our little Kymani let us see his cute chubby cheek face and his sweet little heart...FINALLY!!! I just sit and stare at the ultrasound pictures and try and make out his features. I try and imagine what he may look like and who he'll take after. I wonder if he's going to have fairer skin or dark like his daddy. Will he have hair? (with this plague of heartburn he better have hair!!!) Will he be chubby? or skinny? I am sad to think that I seen him probably for the last time until he arrives in May :( My favorite part of the appointment was watching him yawn on the screen. It was so stinking cute!!! My favorite thing to do is to just lay down in bed and place my hands on my tummy and just close my eyes and feel his movements. One minute he'll kick at the top of my tummy then next kick is at the bottom. He's a little mover...all over. I love knowing that I am capable of creating this little miracle inside by body and I'm sooooo grateful!!! So everything is still going well and I truly can't complain other than still the limited wardrobe (and it doesn't help that my work told me that I can no longer wear my black leggings). 

So we have come up with our name most likely. Kymani Mosese Powelson Purcell.
Kymani- It is one of Bob Marley's son's name that Benson and  I really liked and it isn't very common.

Kymani Marley

Mosese- This is Benson's best friend that passed away a few years ago in a tragic accident. He is sorely missed but he had a huge impact on Benson's life. I didn't know him very well myself but Benson said he was an amazing person and an excellent example to all. So we couldn't think of a better person to name our first son after.

Mosese

We made sure he was present at our wedding day and trust me he was in spirit.

Powelson- This is where my family and influence comes in. Powelson is my Dad's middle name. I didn't care weather or not Powelson fit, it was going to be in our first son's name. I love my Dad so much and he has done SO much for me in my life and he STILL takes care of me to this day. I don't know any better way to thank him other than to name our first son after him (and the first one in my family to name our kids after our dad).

My hero

Purcell- I am so happy to be able to carry on the name of such an amazing family. I truly am so grateful for the relationship I have with my in laws. I know too many people who just don't care for their in laws, and it makes me so sad because I love mine so much.

Tumu and Vaelua Purcell

Some Changes for the Purcell's...

OUR FUTURE CHANGES...

As for an update on my sweetheart he is working at the Utah State Hospital. He's been there for about a year and a half to two years. Benson works so hard and keeps us going as a family. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father everyday for his hard work and love for me and our soon to arrive Kymani. But the good news is... He is going back to BYU!!! I'm so proud of his decision to work more towards a degree. He is so smart...I mean really smart and he deserves to go to school to be happy with his working future. So he'll be working full-time and probably school almost full-time. Crazy but he wants whats best for us and our growing family. GOOOO COUGARS!!!!

As for the new year Benson and I are headed back to the gym. I really feel like a fatty slob when I don't work out. I was running at the beginning of my pregnancy but got really sick and just was a big baby that didn't want to do anything but sleep. Now I feel amazing and ready to hit the treadmill (maybe not as hard) again. I'm determined to get my prepregnancy shape back after our Kymani comes. Starting this Monday we are getting back into shape as a couple and I'm so excited!!! Confession...I weighed in today...and my jaw dropped to the floor...I'm kind of ashamed. So I'm making some eating habit changes and we've started at the gym again so hopefully I can slow down the weight gain or lose a couple unnecessary pounds that I've managed to put on.

Pregnancy is still going ever so well and we have another appointment coming up!!! Hopefully our little Kymani will let us see his face and move around so we can get some good pictures of him. I love feeling him kick and squirm in my tummy. It is my constant reminder that he is doing well and continuing to grow. Still every time I ask Benson to come and feel my tummy Kymani will stop moving and daddy doesn't get to feel him. I think he can here me in my tummy and so now I don't say a word and just grab Benson's hand so he can sneak attack and feel him. I can't believe how fast everything is going...next thing I know he'll be here! My nesting  instincts have kicked in and I really want to get his room done.

I love this picture! Is it even possible?

But all is well with us and we are just enjoying our time together as a couple and loving every (well almost every hahaha) moment of it. 

Feeling like a million bucks...health kick

Benson and I have started going back to the gym. He needs a little coaxing and inspiration to jump up out of bed from our after work nap or getting away from madden 12 for a little bit but he is an AMAZING work out buddy when we get to the gym :) He's very knowledgeable about certain weight lifting exercises and I know I can always ask him for help with a good work out. I tell him what he needs to do for cardio and he tells me how to work the muscles. I use to go running a couple times a week before my pregnancy and now I'm just getting back into working out. It's amazing how different it is to attempt to jog when pregnant and not doing it for a while... but I'm doing it and it's going well. I started with biking, then to walking, then incline walking, now jogging. I have advanced to jogging at 4 MPH!!! Yes!!! Benson has accrued a little fan club of guys who ask him "how do I get big arms like you?" , "Can we see your tattoo?" and "Dang your hair is tight, can we see it?" (Benson currently has a Jedi rat tail braid thingy mixed with a kiwi cut. I think he is the only one who can get away with it and still look sexy he he he he.) I'm feeling like a million bucks... and I'm sure Benson is thanking me deep down inside for getting his butt to the gym. I hope we can keep this going to benefit us both and create a more happy healthy family.

20 weeks update and a little bit of a boo whoo post...

20 week update!!!I think we've come up with a name as well...Kymani Mosese Powelson Purcell. The story behind that is to come soon!!! This morning Benson and I were able to go and see our little Kymani again :) I made sure I drank a Mt. Dew before we went so I could get him moving. He was just squirming all around while in the waiting room. But the second we were called back for our ultrasound...He decided to go into the fetal position facing down and DID NOT BUDGE! He did this to us last time...so I still have not seen his sweet profile yet :(. His arms were up around his face and would not move. So our tech took measurements of all the necessary things such as the head, kidney's, bladder, diaphragm, femur etc. I loved being able to see him for so long up on the big screen. He is forming and growing correctly he has all his appendages. It's a relief knowing that this pregnancy is going so well :). Since we didn't get to see his face and our tech wants to be able to get a more accurate look at his heart we get to have ANOTHER ultrasound in a month YAY!!! I've been so spoiled, every appointment I've had I've been able to have an ultrasound. So hopefully he behaves himself and lets us see him, and lets us get more pictures. Here are some pictures we did get, and I'll be posting belly pictures again. It's been 6 weeks since I've taken any.


Thumbs up to his Daddy :)

His feet are getting bigger!!!

Now for my own documentation of how I'm feeling. This is kinda me complaining so if you don't want to hear my sob story don't feel obligated to read.
I technically feel GREAT, normal feeling, no more constant head aches,and normal appetite.But I'm having a hard time gaining weight...previously I said "It feels good to not care" ummm that's a lie now. It's hard not to fit in my cute clothes... and be so limited to certain articles of clothing. I have not worn denim in about 2 months...Oh how I miss my jeans. My belly is getting much bigger and I really haven't gained much weight (about 12 lbs in 5 months) but I was someone who always had to stay under a certain weight.My fat shirts are starting to get a bit tight ha ha ha. So I just feel unattractive. I love just sitting around in my sweats and Benson's t-shirts.I know I needbe selfless and remember that I'm growing a miracle inside and he is Heaven sent. I am slowly accepting that I have all the time in the world to work on my physical body so this point in time is to just stay healthy for our little man to grow. I love our little Kymani SO MUCH!!! It is getting hard to sit up from laying down, it feels like I no longer have any tummy muscles to help me pull me up. I am an old Grammy and get exhausted by 9:30-10:00 pm and have to go to sleep. I love sleeping on my back and still do so as long as Kymani will let me. It's hard to stay on my side all night long. My back hurts So bad in the mornings from the excess weight and where the uterus is now sitting. I no longer am able to fit in small spaces...my belly or hips definitely get in the way. I currently am on a salad kick (thank goodness something more healthy). Fast food now makes me sick and slow feeling. Now that I am feeling better Benson and I plan on hitting up the gym again. People are constantly touching my belly or asking if they can touch it (especially at work). It's kinda weird, but I'm definitely not afraid to say "No" if I'm not comfortable with it. People don't believe me when I say I'm 5 months their reply is "Really? Your belly is so small"...ummm people I feel like a whale.
Other than my boo whoo moments and me just being a big baby Pregnancy is amazing. I LOVE feeling him move, it is a constant reminder letting me know he's doing good. He moves a lot when I'm really hungry and when I'm eating. He loves Samoan food :)he he he. We are starting to get things in order for his nursery. I've found some fabric from Western Samoa that Benson and I both agree on. Benson wants the room "Black and Yellow" for the Steelers...me I want to stay more neutral so we'll what we come up with. If anyone has any suggestions, ideas or tips on havingsuper cute nursery please let me know. Oh and I did just sign up for pintrest so hopefully that helps!!!



Inspiring quote...

I was reading my Mom and Dad's ward newsletter and I came across this quote in the Relief Society section. I love it so much and it is a great inspiration for me to become a better wife and soon to be mommy :)

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. They are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity." - Margaret D. Nadauld

"Add your Faith Virtue; and to your Virtue Knowledge."
By Walter Rane

Love this picture :)