September

September has come and gone so quickly, I can't even believe it.

Utah football started, and I love it just as much as I ever have. 

This last weekend's game was one we don't need to talk about, but other than that, we've been great.

Riley's girlfriend was in town, from Houston, so we took her along to the Fresno State game. Poor thing had planned to come into town and then it just so happened to be the weekend that our Grandfather died, so she was thrown into the mix REAL quick. Kate kept poking my belly during this game, and the lady in front of us was like, "Uh, why are you touching her stomach?" It was actually kind of hilarious because she totally thought Kati was just patting my fat. 

We found out that baby Lawrence is a GIRL.  We were very surprised, and I think John is still a little disappointed. He really thought that he was going to break the Lawrence trend, and have a boy first. We should have known better. We are super excited though. I can't wait to buy all the cutest outfits that ever existed. We have a couple names picked out that we really love, leaning toward one more than the other. I keep telling people what the name is, and some people's reactions kind of are not very nice, so I don't know if I'll keep telling people.

  I got too antsy to wait for the doctor, so I ended up going to Fetal Foto a week before going to the doctor. John couldn't believe that I couldn't wait another 10 days, but I really couldn't. I was nearly half way through my pregnancy, and I still didn't know what I was having! J didn't end up going with me to Fetal Foto, so I got to tell him what it was. She was so active during that ultrasound! As soon as the tech put the thing on my stomach, she started like flapping her arms. It was hilarious. Even though she was very active, she still didn't want to show us her gender. She kept those little legs closed very tight. Good girl. 

She wasn't as active at the ultrasound with the doctor, so John didn't get to experience that, but we saw all her cute little features, so we loved it nonetheless. Speaking of active, I still can't feel her. Okay, maybe I can, but I have NO idea what I'm feeling for. So maybe she's kicking me all the time, but I sure as heck don't know that it's actually her kicking.

We got a cute new (to us) wardrobe for her. Actually, it's an entertainment center. The second bedroom in our house doesn't have a closet, which is outrageous to me, but it's the truth. So, we had to think on our feet a little bit about how and where we were going to hang up her clothes. So, we bought an entertainment center off KSL, and painted it coral, and we're going to put a bar in the TV portion of it and make it into a little wardrobe! I'm pretty excited about it. It was a great little DIY project.

John and I have been talking about remodeling our kitchen for probably a year now. Slowly accumulating little pieces of the puzzle before we really started to tear things apart. We have most of our supplies now, and so the demolition has begun. We are going to try and do it in pieces, so that we aren't totally without a kitchen for a long period of time. John started with the tile, and will go from there. We have no flooring in our kitchen for a couple of days, and it hurt my feet a lot more than I would have though. He just told me to wear shoes all the time. Thanks babe. He has since put most of the tile in, so at least I have tile to walk on when I need to get from the stairs to the rest of the house. 

Week 19 of pregnancy (last week) was not nice to me. Monday night John and I were watching the new show "Gotham" on TV, because, Batman, duh, and all of a sudden my nose started to burn, and I just gradually got more congested and super tired. All within a single hour. I decided I would go to bed, because sleep is the best cure for everything in my mind, except I couldn't sleep. I slept until about 1AM, and then was up until 5AM, when I had a panic attack because I was so tired, and I couldn't breath, at all, and my poor husband was half asleep and didn't really know what to do with me. Being pregnant, I didn't really know if I could take anything, but I was just so tired I didn't care. I ended up taking some NyQuil so I could sleep. Word to the wise, this is the biggest no-no when you are pregnant. I talked to my OB, and he said NyQuil is pretty much the only cough medicine you should NOT take because of the amount of alcohol in it. Whoops. Unfortunately, I was not getting better as the week went on, so I called my doctor again Thursday. He ended up telling me I needed to be taking these certain medications, and get a humidifier, and be using Vics all the time. By the way, did you know there are Kleenex you can buy with Vics in them? The most amazing thing ever. He told me to page him Saturday morning if things weren't better by then. I kept medicine in me, and was drinking insane amounts of water, and sleeping like I had never slept in my life. Luckily by Saturday morning, I was feeling better so I didn't have to page him. I'm still recovering, and definitely don't feel 100% but I'm getting there. It's hard, because I am constantly worried about baby girl; she's probably so hyped up on medicine, that she doesn't know what's up. I missed almost a whole week of work, and Saturday morning I got pretty flowers delivered to my house with a card that said "Get well soon. We miss your smile and laugh around the office." Super sweet of them.

Saturday night it was raining like crazy, and John decided he was going to see if he could tell what was going on with our rain gutter that has water constantly pouring out of it. He got up on a ladder to look into the rain gutter, and decided removing one of the screws would be the best idea because it would release all the water. What he didn't plan on happening was it gushing out of the gutter, all over him; he thought he would have a second to get out of the way. I unfortunately didn't get to witness the event, but he said it was straight out of a movie. He came inside, drenched in water from head to toe, and said he nearly drowned, and that the rain gutter had water-boarded him. I was laughing so hard, I didn't even know what to say. As you can see, if wasn't really clean water either! He talked about it all night. 

I really can't believe September is over, but I am excited for October. I love fall, and especially love October because it's my birthday month!

Pregnancy Brain

Pregnancy brain is a real thing people. 

Today, I left my office to get lunch.

I have to go at least 15 blocks south to any restaurant out here in the middle of nowhere Utah.

I got all the way to Kneaders, ordered my food (in the drive thru, mind you), got to the window to pay and realized I had left my debit card at my desk with my phone.

Who goes to get food and doesn't remember a form of payment?

A pregnant girl, that's who.

Luckily the nice people at Kneaders held my food for me while I ran back to the office to get my debit card.

Ridiculous.

Russell Eugene Grow

We laid my sweet Grandpa to rest yesterday. 

Grandpa has been struggling for a while, ever since he fell and broke his hip, and then his other hip.

About a month or so ago, he had a stroke and was in the hospital. After breaking both hips, he had experienced the Rehab Facility ordeal, and didn't want to go back, so when he was released form the hospital, he went home. Unfortunately after that, he never got better. He was back in the hospital, and then home again. On Labor Day we had a barbecue at their house, and it was the first time in a long time that we had so many family members at my Grandparents'. Grandpa looked like he was doing better, he had one of his classic smirks on his face, and was eating. The next day, I got a text message from my mom around 3:30 saying that Grandpa was back in the hospital and the doctor had said it could be a couple hours, or a couple days, but that he was on his last leg.

I think I cried about six times before I even made it to the hospital.

When John got home from work, we went up to the U and sat with the family. And just waited. 

He passed away about 9:20 PM. 

It was a hard day.

We had a viewing Sunday night, which I feel are always so awkward. I'm not sure anyone knows really what to do at a viewing. 

The funeral was at the Parleys Stake Center, and I was asked to speak.

Sure...make the pregnant girl with raging hormones get up and speak. 

It wasn't too bad. But, I did cry through the whole thing. 

Friday night my Mom was kind of freaking out because the program wasn't done yet. So, I went home at 11 PM on Friday, put together this program, woke up early on Saturday, got all the information in there, got it to Mom by 10 AM so she could get it to the printer, and it was all done.

Phew. It was hurried, but I feel like I did a good job.

Grandpa was buried at Mt. Olivet. I didn't even know you could still buy burial plots there, but, you can! We had a full military service, which was a first for me, and super cool. I totally jumped while they were doing the 21 gun salute (which was really only 18).

The Roos Family. Minus Boo and lots of children.

The first time all Roos children have been together since before Riley left on his mission. Jeez.

Like I mentioned, I spoke at the funeral. Because this acts as our journal, I decided I would put it on here. You don't have it read it, this post is already wordy.

Who is Russell Grow? A father, a son, a husband, a grandfather, a friend. An avid golfer, bowler, and a man who loved watching the Jazz. While looking through old photos, I came across one that described Grandpa perfectly. In this picture, Grandpa was laying on his stomach on the ground,with one grandchild sitting on his back, and four others surrounding him while he played with a remote control race car. Grandpa was so devoted to his family, especially his grandchildren. He did anything and everything for his family, and was always there to support his grandkids. Whether it be lacrosse, soccer, dance, or basketball, you could always find him in the audience cheering us on. Even toward the end of his life, he made sure he was there to support his grandkids. Elliot's wedding was about a month ago, right after Grandpa had his first stroke. Grandpa had just gotten out of the hospital, and wasn't able to eat solid food, so Elliot wasn't expecting to see him at his wedding dinner. He said it was the best surprise of the night when he saw Grandpa come through that door.

Because of his love for his family, I have decided to share stories and thoughts shared with me by different family members about our Dad and Grandpa.

Grow barbecues have been a tradition for as long as I can remember. I think during the summers growing up, we spent every Sunday in that backyard as a family. Grandpa was the grill master for a long time, always the one to cook the hotdogs and hamburgers for the whole family. His ability to make different foods is something we'll all miss. He made some of the best treats. Kati relayed to me that she remembers, every time she would be at his house, and the recipe for his banana bread was on the refrigerated, she would make a comment about how good banana bread sounded. Without fail, our mom would receive a phone call within a couple of days from Grandpa telling her that he had a loaf of banana bread for our family. His banana bread wasn't his only baked good that we all loved. His cinnamon rolls, and his pull-a-parts are still raved about today, and we all try and fail to make them taste just like his. My favorite was always his raspberry jam. When we would get a jar of that at our house, it was something that you wanted to eat immediately, but didn't want it to end. I think I tried to hoard it at the dinner table so I could have it all to myself.

When asking different families members, a couple different things repeatedly came up. Grandpa had very colorful language, so much so that Steve and Kathy's friends called him Cuss Grow. He had one phrase that he said often. It's not something I will be repeating, but if you knew Russ, you know what it is.

Secondly, everyone told me about Grandpa's farting, especially while golfing. While I never had the opportunity to go golfing with him, I experienced this several times. A time I remember specifically was when I was standing in my Grandparent's kitchen, and my Grandfather walked passed me, stopped, lifted his leg closest to me, farted, and walked away. As flabbergasted as I was, apparently this wasn't abnormal. While golfing, whether he was teeing off, or putting, this was his routine before hitting the ball. As my uncle Kelly put it, "It was like he was getting a little extra oomph to hit his ball"

Grandpa always had a way to keep people smiling, even if it may have been deemed inappropriate by some. Every time I saw him, no matter how he was, he had a smile on his face, and wanted to know how I was doing. He treated everyone around him as his family, whether or not they actually were. Carol Stringham, a friend of my Mom's for years, wrote my parents this sweet card that said all of the things she remembered about Grandpa, including his colorful language, but more importantly, she wrote that she remembered that Grandpa ALWAYS had a place at his table. That is so true, he was always so welcoming to other.When I first introduced my husband to Grandpa, I was more concerned about him liking John than the rest of the family. My grandfather meant so much to me that I wanted him to love John as much as I did. I couldn't have asked for a better response. To see my Grandpa welcome my husband into his family with open arms, and love him as his own grandson meant the world to me. It's since become a joke that Grandpa may have liked John a little more than he liked me. I will never forget dancing with Grandpa at my wedding. He made me laugh the entire time as he told me that he couldn't dance, and melted my heart when he told me that my new husband was a lucky man. I am so grateful that he was healthy enough to dance with me, and that I got the opportunity to do so. I felt so honored when my Mom told me that he would be buried in the tie he wore to my wedding, it made that memory so much more special to me. By the way, he was a great dancer. Even at 83.

As hard as it is to see such an amazing man go, it is comforting to know that he is in a better place and no longer hurting. I see so much of him in my cousins, uncles, and my Mom that I know that he will live through all of us, and is with us every day. We miss him, we love him, and we can't wait to see him again.

Wicked

This last Thursday (the 21st) John and I were so lucky to attend Wicked that was playing at Capitol Theater! When tickets went on sale my mom mentioned that she was going to get tickets for her and my dad, and Riley, Kati, and I all chimed in that we wanted to go, so that they should get tickets for us. So, they did, and we all went! Riley ended up buying two tickets, because he said he would have a date, but, seeing as his girlfriend lives in Houston, she wasn't able to come with us so we offered the ticket to Tom's mom, Drew. She had never seen Wicked before, so she was so thankful that we asked her to come along! We love her, even though she isn't my MIL, she's pretty much a sweetie. 

John had never seen Wicked either, and I was so excited about that. He hadn't really ever been to a big production like this either. We've been to a couple shows and Hale Center Theater, but nothing this big. I have been trying to convince him that we should go to New York, so I was hoping that this would do the trick. 

He loved it! He, like always, was more interested in the mechanics of all of the props, like the giant dragon, and how Capitol was built, but he loved the show. When we got home, I said to him that now we need to go to NYC and he replied with an ugh...does it have to be New York? Can't it be another big city? And I said no. It has to be NY. But he agreed that if, and when it happens, we need to plan on going to at least three shows. Which I am TOTALLY okay with! I've seen Wicked and Les Miserables in NY, but I would gladly see both again. Or Phantom, Mary Poppins, Mama Mia, or about any other show. 

I always get a little emotional when I go to broadway shows because as I tell John, being on broadway was my dream, and I never really even tried. His answer to that is, "You weren't even in musical drama at Highland!" ...I don't think there was a musical drama class at Highland. Just drama. Oh, well. I got married instead, and get to spend every day with my best friend slash crazy husband. 

Ruth's Diner

On the 13th, the girls and I all headed up Emigration to Ruth's diner to have some girl time. I planned the dinner, and told the girls it was for Melissa and Marianne's birthdays, which are both that week, but I was planning (with Melissa) that I would tell them all that night that I was expecting. Except, I got too antsy and told them a week before that because I just couldn't hold it in anymore. So it turned into a celebration for two birthdays and a baby. 

I love these girls so much. We decided that they are all going to be "third degree aunties" to Baby Lawrence, and I couldn't be happier that our baby will have such great examples around them! They all have expressed how excited they are for us, and how they want to come to the hospital to meet the baby as soon as he/she is born. (Btw, we find out the gender at 19 weeks, so 4 more weeks and we'll know if it's a he or she)!
I am so grateful for these six ladies, and am so happy that we keep in touch with each other even though life gets in the way. I know I can always count on them, and I love them all for that.

Baby Lawrence

That's right. BABY LAWRENCE. 

We are expecting our first little one in February. 

Valentine's Day to be exact. Great timing, I know. 

I am currently 15 weeks along, and I am finally feeling like myself again. 

I was extremely sick for about the first 10 weeks, and then it tapered off, and I feel great now!

Being sick all the time was rough for me. The random odors my nose would pick up would instantly make me sick, and when you are work with a lot of people who smoke, the smell in constantly in the air, and it was 100x more strong at the beginning. 

My acne was one of the first signs I got that something was different with my body. It seemed like I woke up every day with a new dot on my face, and I haven't had that problem in like 10 years. 

I found out June 9th that I was pregnant, and I was going to tell J for Father's Day which was that following Sunday but I couldn't hold it in. I ran downstairs at 7AM screaming his name and he thought I was dying. When I told him, he didn't even say a word, just got back in bed and went back to sleep.

We have been trying for a baby since November, so we are both very excited that we finally got a positive test. Our first appointment was the second week of July, and our doctor did an ultrasound to see if we could see the little parasite, and sure enough! Tiny as can be, but we got to see him/her, and even see the pulsing of the heart. Super neat. We heard the heartbeat at our second appointment and it easily is top five coolest things I've ever experienced. Everyone tells me wait until I feel the baby move, but I am still tripping out over hearing the heartbeat. It was so surreal. 

We told my Mom and Dad on my Mom's birthday. (And Riley, Kati, and Tom, because they were there). Her birthday is the last week in June so we told them way early, but as you can hear the video, they all kind of already knew anyway. After we told my mom she goes into her bedroom and comes walking back out with this onesie that she had bought that day while she was at Carters for another reason. She's crazy. 

We told the Lawrence's the Sunday we celebrated Patty and Olivia's birthday, which also happened to be our anniversary. Two of our sisters-in-law are pregnant also, due five days apart from each other at the end of November/beginning of December. So we will have THREE new babies within four months on that side of the family and Patty couldn't be more excited. She has been asking for new babies for what seems like forever, and now she's getting three in a year. 

We couldn't be more excited to be adding a new baby to our family, but it is honestly one of the scariest things! There is so much to do, to buy, before February, and it is overwhelming. Luckily we have amazing families and friends who are around to help! 

Elliot & Lexi

We had another Grow wedding this week. Elliot and Lexi got married on Thursday, the 7th.

Their reception was in Provo, and unfortunately John was stuck working so I was on my own. Lucky for me, Tom was also stuck working so Kate needed a date also and we just went together. 

The Riverside Country Club in Provo is crazy beautiful. Seriously, the view you have when you are outside of that place is so amazing. And there were so many people there, which was impressive seeing as half of us live in SLC! 

Kati told me when we got there, "Okay, let's find Samantha and Rosie, and take a picture." That was her only goal for the night, so we made sure it happened. And we got some pretty dang cute pictures out of it. Probably because we matched quite well. 

Riley was stuck at work also, and feels like we left him out of our photos. But as you can see, Ted is all about being the center of attention. 

We are so excited to have Lexi as part of the family, and so happy that Elliot found someone who is 100% perfect for him. We love you both!