We Loved 2012

Okay, so back at Christmastime I wrote this massive post, but never published it. So here it is now. :)

This post is just a splattering of events that have happened since our last post.  The last half of 2012 was full of fun things I want to remember.

We had an amazing time in Europe!!  It went by so fast, but we were ready to come home by the end.  It’s fun to look back at our pictures and be like “Wow!  We were really there!!”  We bought Lion Bars and Lion cereal for Tiffany because she loved Lion Bars when she went to Europe a few years back.  Well, come to find out, Colby went to our local Publix and found a huge stack of Lion Bars in the foreign foods section…. Guess we should have checked that out before our trip. J

A couple weeks after being home, the beehive class brought me a cute card and a heart shaped cookie.  I was really sad to be out of young women.  I balled my eyes out in front of them for the first time the Sunday we got back from Europe.  It was cute though because a couple of them had tears too, so it was a gushy moment all around.

Now I’m teaching the sun beams and it’s an adventure every Sunday.  Some of those kiddos don’t come to class very excited, but they usually lighten up once they get their treat and start coloring.  My favorite lesson to teach was “I Can Be Kind to Animals.”  It’s a low-stress calling most of the time and makes the last 2 hours of church fly by.

I am also on the Relief Society Activity committee.  My first activity that I helped plan was a self-defense night.  Can I just say AWESOME!!!!!  The ladies LOVED IT!!!!!  I had recruited 3 young men to watch the nursery that night.  My favorite part of the night was when one of the young men walked by the room where we were at right as the bishop’s wife was “fighting” our instructor and screaming “GET BACK!!!!”  He got this funny smile on his face like “This is what you do at Relief Society activities?”  

Colby went repelling with the young men and young women in September.  I was totally bummed that I couldn’t go, but he had a good time. 

Colby and Mark Dunbabin got together to construct a pinewood derby car for scouts.  It was a beauty...

We LOVE to have friends over to play games.  One night this fall we had several couples and their young kids over.  Colby decided it would be funny to show everyone how he can blow up a rubber glove on his head.  One of the 18 month olds was emotionally shattered by Colby’s trick. But everyone else got a good laugh out of it.

Colby and I have found an amazing restaurant called Thai Ginger.  We go there every chance we get.  It’s a small, family owned business.  We have loved everything we’ve ordered there so far.  

The dish in front is called Rama King.  It is MUY BIEN!!!!!

Back in October, Colby and I drove our friends car and U-haul trailer out to Denver for them.  It was really fun!  While driving through Kansas at night, there was an amazing lightning storm!  So beautiful!  While driving through Eastern Colorado, we ran out of gas (twice, actually).  The first time we met this nice couple who drove 8 miles back to get us gas.  While we waited, we watched as Felix Baumgartner got ready to jump from 128,000 feet (24 miles).  Right as Felix stepped out of his capsule and was getting ready to jump, our life-savors arrived with our gas.  Their timing was so perfect that we missed the entire jump except for the landing.  J  It was funny. 

Our GPS took us off the interstate to some small town roads somewhere in Alabama or Mississippi.  The traffic was stopped because a super small dog was on the loose.  The owner was next to her vehicle and poured dog food in the middle of the street in order to entice the puppy to return.  To say the least, it was ineffective and the dog ended up running off into the trees.  Colby is the man in the red t-shirt.

Colby achieved his lifelong dream of visiting Colby, Kansas. 

This past semester was probably the most stressful semester of my entire college experience.  But one day in my literacy class we did this fun activity where we watched the news clip of the exploding whale and then we had to create a representation of what we saw.  I'm not exactly sure what the point of the lesson was, but my friends and I had a great time!  

My beautiful poster.  This was my favorite assignment from this semester
(that's not really saying a whole lot, but  we're trying to keep this post positive). 

In early November Tyler, my mom, Alene, and Grandma came out to visit and to go to Baby Jesse’s farewell.  I was super overwhelmed and stressed with school, so I didn’t get to play as much as I wanted to, but it was still so fun to have them out!  We went to dinner at Bubba-Que’s, played Yahtzee, went to Nashville, and played more games.  I ran with Alene one day and that was great!  My mom and Alene had a good time at the Amish store.  I enjoyed walking with my mom and taking Grizz and Nala to the ponds with Colby and Tyler.  And the highlight of the trip was when Tyler and the guys caught a baby possum and brought it back to the Thurgood’s house.  It was a cute little thing (though not everyone else would describe it that way) and had a very nasty smell. 

Grandma having a great time playing Taboo and wearing Uncle Jess's possum-hunting hat!

Tyler found a new friend for his posse.  

The weekend my family came to town Colby and I got our first ultrasound of Baby Bumpy Rampton!!  We’re so thrilled!!  The little lemon (that’s how big it is right now) has been so good to me!  I haven’t barfed once.  I’ve felt nauseous a lot and I have been sleeping a lot, but that’s it.  I love salt anyway, but since we got pregnant salt has become an even dearer friend of mine.  Vegetables, on the other hand, have become an enemy.  We’ve just begun rekindling the friendship.  Baby Bumpy is scheduled to arrive around June 24^th or so.  The day after we got the first ultrasound, Colby created Baby Bumpy’s Facebook page.  But since Facebook is bossy, we had to name him “Little Bumpy Rampton” instead.  Colby has created the cutest page, filling out Bumpy’s interests and he has Bumpy post funny things like “Just chillin in my hot tub.”  It’s been so fun and Bumpy has over 200 friends! 

Bumpy's First Picture

My mom bought a mini blender when she was out, so Colby’s become a smoothy master.  They’re a great alternative to ice cream and always sound good, especially when I’m nauseous.

We call our baby "Baby Bumpy Rampton" or "Bumpy" for short because, when I texted Michele the picture of the ultrasound she replied with the most bubbly text of all time and was the first to call our baby Bumpy:

"What? What? Oh my HECK!!!! There is a tiny bean in your tummy?!?!? Congratulations!!!!! Baby bumpy Rampton! I love you guys!!!!!!!!"

As for our furry adopted children, Grizz and Nala are doing good.  They are good little companions, but we’re not sure how long Grizz will be able to stay with us.  Grizz has become much more territorial and growly over the past several months, enough so that we’re not comfortable keeping him with Bumpy running around.  We made the decision that Grizz needs a new home the night our friends 2 year old jogged up to Grizz’s crate and said “Puppy!!”  and Grizz growled at him.  Grizz hasn’t bit a child yet, but has bit Colby and has growled several times at us and our friends.  I’m totally crushed, but hoping that we’ll find a nice home for him between now and June.

But Nala is just as sweet as ever.  She stands her ground with Grizz, but still would never hurt a fly.  I am pretty sure she'll be a good friend to Bumpy.

They sleep together like this all the time, even when it's 80+ degrees outside.

Grizz, sound asleep, with his head out the doggy door.

Grizz after a haircut.  He's so cute!!

Grizz and Nala sleeping on their way to Nashville to visit their cousins, Jake and Addie.

Last week was our Relief Society Christmas dinner.  We had Mexican food at a members beautiful house.  Colby came over and helped set up and then he and 3 other guys came and sang Christmas carols to us while we ate dessert.  It was really fun!  I'm so sad I didn't take pictures of the actual event because it turned out to be so nice, but here are the beautiful invitations I made (with much help from Colby).

Colby also sang in 5 numbers during our ward Christmas fireside.  I think everyone’s favorite was when he played guitar and sang “Silent Night” in German with 2 other men.  It was cool.  Afterward everyone kept telling me “You have such a talented husband!”  I know, he’s amazing.