Catching Up

Here's what the Linfords have been up to over the past few weeks:


We drove 4 hours to Fort Worth to watch TCU crush BYU. It was fun being ranked number 9 in the polls while it lasted...



Scout turned two and has acquired a new habit of playing hide 'n' seek.


I'm getting rounder and rounder by the minute. This picture was taken a few weeks ago when I was 25 weeks along. Also, our sweet little baby girl has become more active. Sometimes I think she is going to be a master of the martial arts with all the karate chopping and ninja kicking she does.


I'm looking forward to Halloween. I love having the Halloween village out on display that my mom made when I was little, carving pumpkins, eating pumpkin cake, shamelessly dressing up Scout, and passing out candy to the little trick or treaters (even though we don't get too many here in the Bible Belt because most families take their kids to church "fall festivals" or "Jesus Celebrations").

Worst Week

While I was in Utah last week Brandon discovered the funniest new comedy on network tv-- Worst Week. Since I've been home I caught up with all the episodes through comcast on demand. It is Hil-Ar-ous! Basically, it's the story of a guy who gets himself into lots of ridiculous misunderstandings around his future in-laws (think of a cleaner version of Meet the Parents). Ya'll have to check it out for yourselves. It airs on Monday nights on CBS. In the meantime, enjoy this clip.

A Fun Extended Weekend

Hello from the Happy Valley! That's right...I'm still in Utah. I got here on Thursday and am going home tomorrow morning. I've had a great time hanging out with the fam and visiting with friends. Here's what I've been up to:

FRIDAY:
*pedicure and shopping (So fun-- I LOVE baby clothes!)
SATURDAY:

*baby shower (It was over the top and fantastic-- thanks Mom and Grandma for all of your hard work.)

*play date with my niece at the Thanksgiving Point Farm
SUNDAY:

*unexpected snow (My niece was delighted. When she woke up and looked out the window she said, "My dreams came true!")

*Chris' 10th birthday (I can hardly believe how grown up he is! When I first met him he couldn't live with out his binky and was toddling around the house.)
MONDAY:
*a trip down memory lane (I visited the school I taught at for 2 years. It was fantastic to see my teacher and student friends. Nothing beats being swarmed with hugs by past students).
*girl's night out (facials with mom and her friends)
TUESDAY:
*lunch at Cafe Rio with my adorable cousin Cheri

It has been a great little trip, but I'm ready to go home and see Scout and Brandon. I miss my little family.

Can you see Scout hiding behind Brandon? He is such a snuggle bug!

Random Thoughts

Yesterday was the anniversary of the day that Brandon asked me to marry him. I know most people probably don't remember that day, but we do because he proposed to me between Sunday sessions of October's General Conference. It was really special to reflect back and realize how lucky we are to have each other. We may not be perfect, but we're perfect for each other.



In other news, I hosted a baby shower for my good friend Lesley last week. Thanks to everyone who came. I hope you all had a great time. I think you'd join with me in wishing her a speedy delivery. She's due on Saturday and I don't think she wants to wait another day. I can hardly wait to meet her little man!



On Thursday I'm flying up to Utah for my family baby shower. I'm most excited to see my sister, sister-in-law, and niece-- all of whom I almost never get to see, but love to death. It will be great fun to have a girl's weekend. My sister and I even get to share a room- just like in the good 'ol days! Hopefully I'll also get a chance to visit Sage Creek also. I'd love to see my old friends and have one last opportunity to see the kiddos I taught-- next year it won't be possible because some of them will be in seventh grade. How is it that they grow up so quickly?

Baby Bump

I haven't posted man baby bump pictures until now because I thought I looked more fat than pregnant. Yesterday at Wal-mart the cashier asked me if I was having a boy or a girl. So, I guess that means that I finally look pregnant to others. YEAH! To celebrate here are a few baby bump pictures (taken around weeks 22 & 23).

Florida Vacation, Part 2

After being away from home for nearly 2 weeks we're glad to be back home. While I'm taking a break from cleaning the cave I thought I'd finish filling you in on our vacation to Florida.

After my last post Brandon and I realized that migrating manatees frequented the bay behind our hotel. They are the gentlest creatures. Every chance we got we stopped by the dock to look for our friends. We found that if you sit real still they swim up directly underneath your feet.


Besides taking 2 snorkeling cruises (the best snorkeling is off shore a few miles), we also kayaked through a mangrove forest and hung out at a few beaches.

A favorite beach of ours (Sombrero Beach) was about an hour south of our island. The water was super clear and beautiful. We spent most of the day playing in the water and sunning on the shore. It was fantastic!



On Saturday we went to Theatre of the Sea (a sea animal rescue center where they put on shows and teach the public about marine life). I really wanted to swim with the dolphins, but couldn't since my eggo is preggo. Instead, I got to participate in a small training session with the dolphins. By the time we left I had gotten kisses from a sea lion, dolphin, and Brandon. I'm such a lucky girl!

The last day we were in Florida we went to the Everglades National Park with a mission -- to see aligators in the wild.

Mission accomplished (we saw 3)!

One last thing-- we LOVED our rental car (a red mustang convertible)! Now we're back to driving slow boring cars. Sniffle, sniffle...