IT'S A....

BOY!

Check him out! He is perfectly healthy and plenty active. Doc says he already has quite the personality and that he is destined to be the class clown- Already taking after his father :)


Aaron can't stop smiling :)

I am in shock! With mostly sisters, I have been surrounded by girls my entire life. I don't know what I am going to do in a house full of boys! It will be quite the adventure. I can't wait!

Although deep down I knew all along that it was going to be a boy, I have been dreaming in pink lately. Our first order of business was to get me immersed in all things baby boy so I could be in the right mindset. So we headed to the store and we came home with these...

Our first official baby purchase:



Update on me: I still haven't gained any weight. In fact I lost a pound-(Aaron says the baby is eating me). So I am on strict orders, from the doc, to pig out for the next two weeks otherwise I have to start seeing a nutritionist. Other than that I am doing much better. I am still pretty weak and I have a few sick days every once in a while. But I do actually have days now where I can walk on my own for sort of long periods of time!

The future is looking good!

Jack-O-Launch

Last Saturday I needed to get out! I didn't even care that it was below freezing and snowing outside. I didn't care that the time it took me to prepare to leave my house would be longer than the time I could actually be away from my house. It didn't matter, nothing mattered I was getting out!

So I got online and did some research. What could be going on in Denver? I wondered. Then I came across the 10th annual Jack-O-Launch! An actual competition where people spend hours and days and maybe months to create contraptions just for the sake of shooting pumpkins out of them. I thought this sounded quite hilarious. Aaron thought this sounded seriously cool.

Here is how it went:









It was cold... but it was fun!

The catapults came in all shapes and sizes... air compressed cannons, traditional trebuchets, and some sort of motor driven tower that was surprisingly powerful. Distances ranged from 20 feet to over 2000 feet... seriously. One of the air compressed cannons was so powerful that if you blinked, you missed it. Teams received different awards for style, distance, and creativity... not that we stayed for the awards. Between being weak and it snowing, we couldn't stay long.

Besides the main event Jack-o-launch there were traditional fall festival events like a pumpkin patch, scarecrow making, brewing apple cider, etc. Even a live country band to liven up the atmosphere (although with the weather there were about 3 people dancing to it). It really would have been a great event if the weather had cooperated. There's always next year, - we'll see you at Aurora's next Jack-o-launch.

Back to reality...

I seriously have to make a case here for Disney World being one of the happiest places on earth. Especially if you stay on Disney World property. For however long your visit is, you are completely encompassed in a World of Disney. I think it is just fabulous. And everyone really is so happy! Everyone is smiling and saying hi. And of course all of the Disney workers are required to be nice to you, but seriously why bother working for Disney if you didn't want to be friendly to people.

Well the reason I bring this up is because you kind of forget for a few days while you are there that there is a world outside of Disney that isn't always kind and friendly. Literally within 30 minutes of getting off of Disney's Magical Express(the shuttle that takes you from your hotel to the airport) I had been yelled at for going too slow, being in the way and for going the wrong way. I think I actually said to Aaron, "Well I guess we are no longer in Disney."

And the night we returned from Disney didn't get any happier. As soon as we returned home, Aaron went inside the house while I waited in the car. Apparently, with my new super smelling pregnancy power, I have developed a strong dislike for the smell of our new home. Aaron went inside to freshen up the smell of the house so I wouldn't get sick immediately upon entering. Well about 30 seconds after Aaron was inside, I got a phone call from him. "Someone broke in! Our T.V. is gone!"(That was a fun phone call) Aaron then proceeded to call the cops. I don't know if it this was a good thing or a bad thing but within 30 seconds we had two cop cars show up at our house. I don't know if I should feel extra protected knowing that they were so close or extra worried that they needed to be so close. Anyway they showed up and checked out the rest of the house to make sure the burglar was gone. Once we got the all clear, we had to then search the house for anything else the burglar took. In the end he didn't get away with much, he took some jewelery and some credit cards that we had left on our night stand.

It turns out the T.V. wasn't taken it had just been moved. Along with our play station, xbox, and laptop. He had started to move our desktop computer but it didn't make it far. This guy went through everything. All of our drawers, closets, he even went through our temple bags, he dumped out all of my purses.

That night Aaron was in panic mode. I, who had just come off of a very turbulent and long flight, was exhausted and sick. And I was obviously not myself, because all I thought was, oh well that's too bad, can I go to bed now? And then I seriously thought it was cool when the CSI team showed up to fingerprint the house. (I think I watch way too many crime dramas.) Although now that this event has sunk in, I still think it is kind of cool that my T.V. was dusted for fingerprints. And who knew that fingerprint powder was orange. All this time I thought it was black. Maybe it is a special Halloween blend. (Again obviously I'm not thinking like a normal person yet.)

Even though we were rudely awakened from our magical happy vacation, we got pretty lucky. The cops still aren't sure why he didn't take more. They think either he got spooked or realized that it was too big of a job for one man. The cops were pretty sure who was behind our break in, a guy who just broke out of county jail, because unfortunately we weren't the only ones in the neighborhood who had this experience.

But we now have learned our lesson and have a burglar proof house. Aaron has spent many days making sure our house is extra protected!

Where I've been...

I have officially done three things in the past 2 1/2 months:

1. Gone to Disney World! (Good news! I only threw up twice on the airplane ride there and once on the way home. And I only passed out once in the airport. Although that did get kind of awkward when they had to call in the paramedics. Bad news! Since I have acquired this new habit of passing out or nearly passing out, I did have to hang out in one of these (see pic below) the entire trip. And if baby Kate couldn't go on a ride, neither could I.)



2. Baked chocolate chip cookies. (In reality, I sat at the Kitchen table and read Aaron the recipe while he mixed all of the ingredients together. But he still gives me credit for making them so that event makes it on this list.)

3. Gone to the Jack-O-Launch. (I'll blog about it sometime in the near future.)

*2 of the three things on this list were accomplished on Saturday.

Now I guess we could add to the list my occasional visits to the Emergency Room for IV fluids. Or maybe my semi-weekly doctor appointments. But I would have to say that is about it.

Now why has my life suddenly taken a turn for the pathetic? Why would I ever need that much doctoral attention? Well for those of you that do not know... I AM PREGNANT!

So yea, I have been sick, and then sick some more and then sick again. I am currently 15 weeks and 4 days and I am almost passed the "pukey" stage, I can only hope. I am down to vomiting only 2 times a day, which is a significant decrease from any day during my first trimester. But I am still awaiting the day that everyone keeps telling me will come. The day that I apparently wake up and feel all better and have tons of energy. My only problem is how weak I have become. According to the doc I have lost 15% of my body weight. I am now down to a weight that I have not seen since I was in middle school. (Pregnancy, the ultimate diet, who knew? ha) I lost this weight all within the first three weeks of the pregnancy and I have officially gained 1 of those pounds back. Although at my last appointment I was wearing a rather heavy sweater, so who knows if that is even accurate. (But the bright side is I won't have to buy maternity clothes for awhile. I now have to fit back into my regular clothes first.) So anyway this whole weight issue, along with the fact that my body will only retain limited fluids everyday, has lead to this fun new side effect of almost passing out about every five minutes if I attempt to walk around.

* I'll make note here for anyone who is wondering... I am not opposed to medication, but medication is opposed to me. I am either allergic, the medication made me go crazy(seriously I have stories), or the medication made me sicker than I already was.

But in some twisted way, my saving grace through these past two months has ironically been a little complication(won't go into details, it is kinda gross), and don't worry about the baby it is perfectly healthy, it just has to do with the baby's super sick momma. Because of this complication, I have had to get an ultrasound every two weeks. To see our baby moving and flipping around and waving at us (or so we like to think) keeps me going. I am frequently reminded that there is a reason that I am sacrificing so much right now.

I can't say that I didn't expect this pregnancy, but I can say that I wasn't ready for it. I never felt a huge overwhelming desire to have a child. I knew that I would be a mom someday. I knew that day would be sooner rather than later. I knew that I wanted to be a mother someday. But there was nothing that made me want motherhood right now. I can't say the same for Aaron. He has been begging me since we got married to have kids.

We would have this little argument over and over:

Aaron: "Let's have a baby."

Angela: "Not yet. We just got married."

Aaron: "But I am almost 30!"

Angela: "Well you shouldn't have waited so long to get married."

Aaron: "Well did you want me to marry someone else?"

He wins that argument every time. And it's not really an argument. Aaron and I seriously never fight. I really think the only time that we have ever fought was last year at Disneyland, because he didn't like it as much as I wanted him to like it.

Anyway, Aaron even went as far as buying me a subscription to parenting magazine so that I would read about all of the fun things that I could do with my children and hopefully that would somehow inspire me. But I was too content with my life. I loved teaching and I wasn't ready to give it up. I loved just being Aaron and I. Plus, I loved that we could just pick up and go on vacation.

But now that it is here and even though it has been hard, I am thrilled, we are thrilled! We still have a long journey ahead of us. But luckily my husband totally rocks. He cooks, does the dishes and the laundry, he grocery shops and cleans the house. And he has not complained once (well at least to me, so if he has complained to you just forget to tell me about it :)

So there you have it. That is where I have been. I wish I could have titled this post, I'm Back, like I am finally back to myself again or I'm finally back to the land of the living, but maybe next week.

Goals for now:

1. Gain as much weight as possible. (Never thought I would hear those words come out of my mouth.)

2. Actually be able to drink (and retain) 64 ounces of fluid in one day. (So far I have made it to about 40 ounces before my body starts to reject it.)

3. Stand up for longer than five minutes without the need to pass out. (I would really like to be able to leave my house all by myself someday.)

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

P.S. I just got to give a shout out to the best nurse in the world, my mother. I told her I was moving in for the week so she could take care of me. Then the entire month of September went by and I was still living at her house. Whoops! Thanks for letting me crash your house for a month :) Love you!

To Eternity and Beyond

Hello all! I know it has been a while. I have a perfectly good excuse for why I have been slacking on the blog, but I will get to that later. First I have to tell you all about the 1st annual Wray family reunion!

Now where would be the perfect place to start our family reunion tradition? Disney World, of course! We tried to go somewhere else. We looked into Washington D.C., various beaches, and even Bear Lake, but Disney won in the end! I am so glad that it did!

It was the 7th time that our family has gone to this happy place and even though we are all grown up Disney still has not lost its magic. We had a blast. All 9 of us were able to attend including the most adorable 14 month old that this Wray family has ever had the privilege of being related to! I just want to kidnap her!



Unfortunately I didn't get any shots of us in our official reunion shirts but they looked something like this. Each of us got to pic our fav Disney character. My dad's shirt even sported the official reunion theme... to eternity and beyond!



So what did we do while at Disney? Well let me show you. (Now I took 600 pictures so trying to narrow them down has been tough so I apologize if I put you on picture overload.)


Magic Kingdom:



Splash Mountain:
'

It's a Small World:


Jungle Cruise:


Pirates of the Caribbean:


Buzz Light Year! My brother actually conquered this game. He reached 999,999 points! Way to go Jeff!


And we did our fair share of shopping:

"Mom can I have this?"

"And this?"

"Oh and I think I'll take one of these too."

And the lucky winner... Woody with a nap!


Gotta love the parades!



Hollywood Studios:

Back Lot Tour:


Indiana Jones Show:


American Idol Show: (This was seriously cool!)


Fantasmic:


Beauty and the Beast Musical: (My family loved me for dragging them to this one!)



EPCOT:

Monorail:


Spaceship Earth:


Baby Kate playing in the water fountain:


Segway Central:



Animal Kingdom:

Tree of Life:


African Safari:


Expedition Everest:


Disney Dining Plan:

Disney does not skimp on the food! Since we partook in their dining plan option, everyday we got a quick service meal and sit down meal and both consisted of entree, desert and drink. These were not small entrees. For lunch, Aaron would get a 1/2 roasted chicken, slab of ribs, mashed potatoes and green beans with carrot cake for desert plus like 2 gallons of soda. Then would be expected to do it all again for dinner. Plus the dining plan includes one snack a day. We were permanently stuffed all week!

We ate at some great places! Captain Jacks sea food restaurant in Downtown Disney, Le Ceilier a steak house in Canada, 50's prime time cafe at Hollywood Studios that took us back in the past and served good southern fried chicken and pot roast. Chef Mickeys breakfast buffet with all of our favorite Disney characters. I think our favorite meal was at a place called Ohanas at the Polynesian resort. Within 5 minutes they had served us our salad, appetizers, and entree which was just giant skewers of meat and then they just kept on bringing more food!

Chef Mickeys:


Gummy Bears for breakfast! Only in Disney World.


Ohanas- This is just before they attacked us with never ending amounts of food.


Love this photo! I can just imagine her saying:

"I'll go ahead and order for myself tonight. For an appetizer I'll take two crayola crayons to suck on and that napkin over there looks pretty tasty. For dinner I'll have the beef low mien but who are we kidding here it is all going to end up on the floor anyway. I'll take an orange juice to drink. Thank you."



Disney's Contemporary Resort:

I can't finish this post without mentioning our hotel. We have always had the privilege of staying at a Disney resort, but we always stayed at a place called Coronado Springs. I was excited to show Aaron the hotel that we always stayed at. This time we decided to switch it up and stay at a new hotel. I was a little bummed at first, but all that sadness went away the second we walked into the hotel. It was incredible! The room was so big it fit us all. It had two bedrooms, three bathrooms, plus a huge living room and kitchen!

And check out this view! The Magic Kingdom! We were so close it was only a five minute walk to the park or you could hope on the monorail to another one of Disney's parks because the monorail came right into the hotel.


Nighttime and Daytime view from the hotel:


You could even sit on the hotel balcony and watch the fireworks show! It was incredible!


Now I am sure if you have made it this far in the past that you are wondering what kind of souveniers that I picked up on this trip. Well I got plenty of t-shirts and magnets and even a mick mouse pancke maker. But when it came to my Belle souveniers, I sort of exhausted all of my options. I have endless picture frames, jewelery boxes, t-shirts, blankets, pillows, pens, pencils, notebooks and I could go on. There wasn't much to choose from becasue I already had it. So I had to get a little creative on this trip and I was inspired one evening as we made a trip to Goofy's candy store... there it was, a Belle Carmel apple! It was so simple. Carmel, whilte chocolate and yellow sprinkles! It was perfect!



It was another successful trip to Disney World. We were spoiled and we had so much fun! Yes even Aaron had a good time!

Triple Bypass

(Soon to come... a post about the Triple Bypass written by Aaron himself. Until then enjoy this preview of his journey.)

July 11, 2009- Aaron, his brothers and his dad completed the Triple Bypass...

...a 120 mile bike ride over 3 mountain passes- Squaw, Loveland and Vail.

Race day began at 4:30 a.m.

5:00 a.m. they were off with bikes in tow.

A full day of riding began at 6:15 a.m.

12:00 p.m. - Aaron and his brother Ryan on top of Loveland pass. Half way there!

While Aaron and Ryan were riding through heavy rain and cold wind... we were anxiously awaiting their arrival at the finish.

6:00 p.m. Aaron arrives in Avon. He did it!

Way to go!

After burning 8,000 calories, Aaron was ready for a good meal!

Total riding time took somewhere between 9:21 and 10:03. Aaron and his brother Ryan, who he rode with the entire time, had differing finish times, one forgot to stop the clock at a rest stop, the other forgot to start after a stop... so let's call it 9 hours and 45 minutes!

Congrats Hunt men! You sure are incredible!

Did you see a Hunt?

Maybe at the Park...

Maybe at Coors Field...




Maybe in the mountains...


The Hunts (most of them) were in town the other week for a fun family reunion! We ran, did yoga and zumba, rode bikes (triple bypass), had a baptism, a baby blessing, there was camping involved, as well as hiking, and swimming, we ate too much food and played way too much, and of course we had a great time!

Did you see a Hunt?

Firecracker 5k Race

Running is my worst enemy.

I have tried to battle this fierce competitor. Sometimes I go as far as to get my workout clothes on and walk down the street to the park. Then I stand and I stare. I stare my enemy down. I give it the squinting eye like it is high noon and we are about to show down. The heat from the sun pounds down on my face. Drops of sweat start to trickle down my forehead. When the moment of truth arrives, I always seem to find myself a little slow on the draw because I lose every time. I’ll do a few stretches for appearances sake. I’ll bend down to “tie” my shoe mostly to keep myself from passing out at the thought of what I am about to do. Just as I am about to take that first step… I remember that something urgent needs my attention! My stoves burner was left on. I must leave before my home goes up into flames. Uh oh, I forgot to roll up my car windows and it looks like it is about to rain. Oh no, I left the water running from when I took a bath earlier. I don’t want the house to flood that would just be so inconvenient. So I turn around and go home, but not before I stop at the “Daily Scoop” for some ice cream. Comfort food is always needed after this experience.

Although laziness plays somewhat of a roll in my dislike, don’t mistake my entire hatred for running on my casual workout attitude. This dislike for running actually started in High School when my best friend who was star of the track team decided she wanted to quit. The more the coach begged her to stay, the more she begged me to join the team. All she wanted was someone to hang out with. I eventually caved. Let me tell you, I was pathetic! I was beaten by everyone! People would finish and then 10 minutes later I would come along and be only half way done. It didn't matter how much I practiced. I was so slow! Now, the real humiliation came when I was assigned to run the 400 meter during a meet. Somehow my shoe fell off during the race. I panicked but kept running, if you could call it that. It was more like hobbling along. I came in last, way last! Like I said, I was pathetic!

Now I have successfully avoided running for most of my adult life. I also found myself pretty busy these past ten months with school, so not only have I not run but I haven't even got in a workout in a while. So when my wonderful sister-in-laws thought it would be fun to run a 5k, I will admit that I panicked a little. I figured since I'm not in high school anymore that it was about time to face my enemy. So I put on a brave face and tagged along. I did not prepare for this at all because in case you forgot, running and I don’t exactly get along. So the fact that I even survived and finished in under an hour is pretty amazing. Thanks everyone for cheering me on! I actually had a good time. I think running and I might become friends someday.

Check out our efforts. (And you can take about two minutes off of our times since we didn’t cross the staring line right away.)

July 4, 2009

And we're off...



Rebecca- 32:25

Katherine- 32:46

Victoria- 32:52

Christina- 36:43

Honey and Angela- 39:43

We Did it!

The kids even got a little taste of the action!