totally awesome

Thought #1: God knows me! He prepares me. He loves me and wants me to be happy.

He allows me my agency, but guides me and gives help when I ask for it. He has allowed

me to be in situations where I'll grow, meet new and amazing people, become better, 

and screw up, too. This is all pretty amazing.

#2: How did I get so freaking blessed to have this dude as my no.1? 

And furthermore HE LOVES ME! INSANELY! UNCONDITIONALLY!

ETERNALLY! Oh man, this is blowing my mind. I'm so grateful. He is awesome. 

He's just amazing. Just look at him. 

Hahahah, this guy makes me laugh.

Boy oh boy, I'm going to be without him for 3 weeks, and it's 

going to be really really really rough not to sleep by him and 

hold him and hug and kiss him and everything else. 

But thank goodness for cell phones, skype, and email!!

And at least I know that my going is right and that I'll have a good time. 

CS and Monte will have each other to keep company, but I hope 

lots of people have CS over for fun and games so he doesn't get lonely.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK, SMITH! Love of my life!

Partner! Companion! Best Friend! Super hot dancer!

Father of my babe :) :)

Life is so good guys, so good. 

Highlights.

My mother and brother, Sandy and Joseph Money came last week for their spring break. It was excellent. I love them so much. I've missed them so badly. We just hung out and were together. It was wonderful.

They had a very interesting start to the trip as their plane wing flaps malfunctioned and they had to make an emergency landing using the breaks only, FREAKY! haha, but they survived. THEN on the way home we got a flat tire! Sheesh! Collin and Joe put on the spare and once again, our trip continued.

 This was us in the Planetarium watching BLACK HOLES! It was pretty freaky and awesome to virtually go into space and through a black hole. Space is nuts, man. NUTS.

Our tour of the birth center. Loved it.

Probably the highlight of the week: visiting Mount Vernon:

George Washington's home.

We loved being there; it was so peaceful! We

loved learning about Washington and his family.

He had an incredible life and was such a humble man! 

It was pretty inspiring.

The tour of his mansion was AMAZING. 

We couldn't take pictures, and this was the only 

room I got to sneak a shot of. None of the walls 

were white. ALL color and all picked out by 

Washington himself. He would love our decorating! :)

But back to the tour...it was so intimate. 

We were right there in the rooms. They were just so cool. 

And even though it was pretty crowded, everyone

was really quiet & respectful, and I could feel an 

amazing spirit there. 

One of the greatest gifts that George Washington gave 

this country was to give up his power after after two terms,

establishing this from that point on so that no man would gain too 

much power. What a great man.

"I am the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord, he

that liveth in me, though he were dead, yet shall

he live' and whosoever liveth and believeth in me

shall never die." -Inscription from St John above

George and Martha Washington's tombs.

So peaceful.

It was St. Patrick's day and we went to 

lunch in downtown Alexandria at an Irish pub.

Fish and chips there were AMAZING. The 4

of us shared one and were stuffed!

 Then some shopping, and shamrock shakes 

(tradition for Joseph and me)

and home after a great long day.

Love you, Mom and Joseph. Collin, Monte and I had the best time with you and we miss you.
See you in June!!!

thinkin

1. Mom and Joe just left

2. Collin is driving friends to the airport

3. Monte is sleeping

4. I'm left alone which is sad, but also feels really good and cleansing. I'm alone with my thoughts. It's so warm today. Feels amazing. 75 DEGREES!! Feels like 90. I love it. Time to get ready for the Relief Society birthday dinner tonight. COOL!

A visit to the birthing center

Tonight we visited the birthing center in Annapolis. I had the best experience. The people were so warm and extremely knowledgeable and I just felt so good about it all. They answered ALL of my questions. I could have cried out of happiness.

I'm going to do it! As long as my pregnancy stays healthy, I'm going to have a water birth in a birth center with a midwife! I feel great. My husband has taken his role as protector really seriously, which is pretty cute. My mom and brother had a great experience too.

Family oriented. Mother and Baby skin to skin. As little medical intervention as possible. Giving birth is not a sickness, but can be a wonderful experience. I'm pretty much getting excited. I loved seeing all the pregnant moms (also on the tour) with their bellies all different sizes.

Birthday birthday birthday!!

It was a great day!!

Iron Chef: secret ingredient: PISTACHIO!!!

Delicious, incredible, amazing, stupendous drinks made by my lover, Collin. 

He's amazing, incredible, delicious, and stupendous!!!

By the Tolleys: Grapes covered in goat cheese and then 

rolled in pistachio crumbles! GENIUS!

With goat cheese and blue cheese spread,

my heroes.

Rice with lots of good stuff and pistachio sauce

by the fabulous host, Purvi!

Ohhhh myyyy gosh. This pizza was SO GOOD. 

From the crust to the simple and tasty toppings. PERFECT.

By the Hubands.

Erin, gettin serious.

Loves.

sunny, ice cream cone, boat, cookie

So one day I was going to have a baby, and I wasn't super nest-y or mom decorating-y by nature. Then I came across some adorable onesies with super cute prints on them and was like, awwwww, they are so little.

Problem: each one was $38-45 and I just couldn't get myself to buy something for that expensive that would be potentially barfed on, pooped on and grown out of. 

But thanks to craft expert, Erin, http://ohthehubanity.blogspot.com/

a consignment sale with Natalie, http://meandmavie.blogspot.com/

craft night for Relief Society, http://radio.lds.org/eng/programs/relief-society-episode-2

and my crafty skills, OH YEAH, I made my own masterpieces and man I'm in love with them.

Photos!!

Babe Money-Smith, you will be awesome.

Let's just make it official.

I'm having a babe!!! He/She is coming sometime in September.

Super, super happy am I.

ABOVE PHOTO:

Babe Skittlecore at just 7.5 weeks. He's the shrimp puff that's being measured. The circle thing at top that looks like a head was actually the feeding sac. 

She/he is now 12 weeks, has mostly all parts, a placenta, and is the size of a LIME!

Growing SO fast, at the end of this week he'll be the size of a PEACH! Whaaa??  So cool. I've been reading and learning a ton about being pregnant and giving birth. Now I'm done reading.  I'm just going to enjoy and experience and try to figure things out. But I'll still listen intently to any mother's birth story. 

I'm not afraid of child birth, for some crazy reason. Maybe I will be later, and I know it'll hurt insanely, but I'm sort of excited to experience it. I just want to be calm and relaxed.

Collin is the best ever. He loves me, feeds me, listens to my complaints and even takes the blame when my hormones are going CRAZY and I'm SUPER MEAN to him. Seriously, it is nuts.

Monte knows something is up. He's acting more babyish and needy and cuddly than ever. I sure love it.

Anyway, this was the perfect time for us. Heavenly Father really knows me and is preparing me and loves me. 

Ps. My mother and youngest brother are going to be here in 4 days.

I MISSED NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?

Happy MARCH!!!

MARCH!

My favorite month! The best month ever! Beautiful, wonderful spring is coming!!

I'm turning 27; Collin is turning 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mom and Joe come out to visit. 

Lots of other very good things. 

March brings so many good memories. I just went through about a million pictures from 2003, 4, and 5. Boy, were things different then. The boyfriends! Haha. Ahhh, the past, eh?

happy, sunny things:

I miss you, AZ.