Peanut's Debut

We got our official 20 week (even though I'm almost 22 weeks) ultrasound done today. It was so awesome! The technician gave us a 15 min video on DVD of our session plus a bunch of pictures. She even gave us a few 3D pictures for free! She said she liked us so much and thought we were so cute that she wanted to throw them in. Hurray for us! We're cute! haha. I guess any doctors office you go to will charge for 3D pictures. At least that's what I've heard. The pictures are pretty cool.

I'm only going to post a few of my most favorite pictures because there are just way too many photos to post.

Our little Peanut is healthy and strong. I guess for his age he is two days ahead of schedule which would move, for the time being, my due date to June 11th. About a month ago I had a dream that my baby was born two days early, on June 11th. Crazy! I guess we'll see if my dream comes true.

During the ultrasound, Peanut yawned for us and we got it on video. It was so adorable!! Our little guy is so stinking cute and I can't WAIT to meet him!!

I've been meaning to take another picture of my belly so I could show all of you how I'm progressing but I keep putting it off. Maybe tomorrow I'll have Preston snap one and I'll post again. I'm really seeing a difference and I really show when I wear my baby doll dresses. I had someone ask me at church on Sunday if I was pregnant. Yay! I'm so glad she noticed but she is a brave women to ask that sort of question. Thank goodness she was right.

Peanuts Big Debut!!





I love his little feet and long legs!
I think he's going to have Preston's sexy long legs :D

Week: 21 and four days
Cravings of the Week: Raspberry Lemonade
(especially the Raspberry Lemonade Freeze at Olive Garden)

OOOOhhh We're Half Way There ooooOOOO...

Yes, I'm singing Bon jovi! Today marks the half way point of my pregnancy. 20 weeks along and I can see my baby belly growing more and more everyday.

I can't believe Preston and I just found out 4 short months ago that we were expecting. Time has flown since then but it hasn't flown fast enough. We are both so anxious to hold our little guy. We have a lot to do to prepare for him so I guess it's a good thing we have more time.

I'm so lucky to have so many people in my life to prepare me for becoming a mother. A special shout out to Amanda Nilsson (my cousin-in-law) who is an amazing Douala and has studied and knows so much about parenting. She is an incredible mother and I'm so lucky to have her by my side to guide me during this exciting time in my life. My own mother and sister-in-laws have also been giving me wonderful, helpful advice that I can't wait to put into action. Preston and I are so blessed to have our family and friends. I couldn't ask for more loving and inspiring people in my life.

This week Peanut is supposed to be six and a half inches long from head to toe. That's the size of a cantaloupe! It doesn't look like something the size of a cantaloupe is in me. He's kicking ALL the time. I love not just feeling my tummy but watching it too. It looks so weird when he kicks! Peanut is also tasting the things I eat now which means I'm forcing myself, whenever I have the chance, to eat tomatoes. I HATE tomatoes but I really want my baby to like them.I haven't been experiencing any pain which is wonderful and I attribute that to my daily work out. Since I've drastically reduced the distance of running I do down to one mile, I've decided to run five days a week instead of just three. Okay, okay so I usually end up going only four days a week but I need to tell myself that I go five that way, hopefully one day, I might get up the stamina to actually do five. Preston has helped me with a little weight lifting as well. Doctors suggest not to start weightlifting during pregnancy but I've got to build a little muscle in these weak arms before my baby arrives. It's mild lifting and I don't feel like it's strenuous but I also feel like I'm getting a descent workout in my arms. It's great! I want to encourage all of those who are pregnant to do some form of exercise. From my own experience I don't think I would be feeling as great as I am without it. Hurray for staying healthy!

Week: 20!!
Cravings of the Week: Raspberry Lemonade

Baby Bump

Obvious outward signs are starting to appear.
Our little Peanut is growing and so is my belly
... FINALLY!



This last Tuesday I came home from running and noticed that my bump was starting to appear. I can still hide it in most outfits but there is no hope when it comes to my spandex Capri's and white t-shirt. My jeans don't fit anymore so I'm always wearing my workout clothes, leggings, dresses or PJ's.

I finally went shopping yesterday for some maternity clothes in efforts to find pants that fit but instead I walked away with 5 new shirts that I can't wear until my belly grows a bit more and two more pairs of leggings, one of which I may return. Maternity clothes are expensive, especially pants! Does anyone have suggestions one where to shop? I hear the Forever 21 in Salt Lake has a Maternity section and their pants are really cheap. I'll have to find some time to head up soon and check them out.

Week: 19 and five days
Cravings of the Week: Meat, Orange Julius
and Raspberry lemonade

Before

I found this video on my computer today. Preston and I made it right after we were engaged. How fun! I completely forgot about it.

I love that Preston totally misses his pool shot and right after bowls an awesome round. Gosh dang my husband is the best! I also love that Wayne randomly pops up twice in the video with his "good luck booty shake".

We had so much fun back then but nothing compares too how much fun we have had every day since. I cherish every moment I have with Preston. I'm so blessed to have found such a wonderful, fun, loving, perfect for me, man. He puts a smile on my face everyday :D I'm so lucky he picked me!

Whippersnapper!

We're going to have a son!!!!

We got our wish! Preston and I both wanted a boy. I thought our Peanut was going to be a girl just because I wanted a boy so badly. We are very excited and seeing him on the ultrasound was so neat. I didn't want to turn it off. I love my Peanut so much already!!!

We went and had an ultrasound done yesterday morning but it wasn't the medical ultrasound so we won't know details on Peanuts size and weight until we get the medical ultrasound on Feb 3rd. Preston and I didn't want to wait another month to find out the gender so we popped on into another doctors office and had them check it for us. Yippeee!!!! They only printed off 3 pictures for us. The disc of photos and a video would have cost an extra $20 and our doctor will be giving that to us for free so we will wait and have a video and digital images soon!

Preston felt the baby move three days ago! It was only one kick that he felt even though Peanut is moving all the time now but it was a big one. Preston actually thought that I had flexed my stomach on purpose because it was such an obvious movement but the baby is still below my belly button and my abs aren't down there so I can't really flex that area without moving my whole stomach. Proof!

Ever since Preston has felt the baby kick and now that we know the gender, I can tell this baby thing seems more real to him. I love seeing the excitement on his face when we talk about Peanut. I love that Preston is just as thrilled as I am about the idea of being a parent and having a family of our own. I am one lucky girl!!

Week: 17 and six days
Cravings of the Week: Chinese food!!!

Squiggle and Squirm

Felt baby move for the first time last night.

Great way to end the year!
We also bought our crib last night from Ikea.
It is SO perfect.
It was rated #1 on ConsumerReport.
Just the look I was going for.
Sturdy.
Cheap ($100)
On sale.
$80!

We celebrated the coming of the New Year with my brother, Evan, and our best friends Cherylyn and Matt. It was a relaxed evening with lots of conversation and fun. Cherylyn is also expecting a baby and she is due in April. We are looking forward to raising our little munchkins as first time moms together.

Week: 17

Cravings of the Week:
That one restaurant in that
one town, in that one state,
that we had that one time.

A New Addition

We're Expecting!

Due: June 13, 2011
Current Week: 16th
Gender: We'll find out Jan 8th

After trying for several months, Preston and I finally have our very own peanut on the way!
We're hoping for a boy but I think it's a girl which we are just as excited about.
Names have been picked but will not be divulged until baby's birth day.

(Picture taken by my sister-in-law, Annie)

It's been difficult for us to keep our big news on the down-low for so long but this Christmas we finally spread the word to our family and friends. We told my parents during our visit to Washington for Thanksgiving. Here are a couple of pictures of the announcement we gave them. My parents are thrilled and needless to say, we spent Black Friday at Carter's and Children's Place.

Prestons family found out on Christmas day when Preston's youngest brother broke the news during his phone call home from his mission in Argentina. We wanted Landon to be a part of that moment and Preston felt that because Landon is always the last to hear any sort of news, it would be wonderful for him to be the first to know our exciting news. The family was gathered around the phone on speaker and as the call came to an end, Landon said to his mom, "momma, you better go through my closet and pick out some hand-me-downs just in case Preston and Kara have a boy", and the news was broken. Christmas was extra special for us this year :)

As for my pregnancy, things have been going very well. I haven't been too sick which I am so grateful for. I was queasy from weeks 7 to 10 and only had my head in the toilet once. We've heard the heart beat which was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had and we're looking forward to the ultrasound on January 8th.

I'm not showing yet but I'm expecting to see some slight changes in my figure over the next couple of weeks. I can't wait for my baby bump!

Week: 16 and two days

Cravings of the Week: tangerines and garlic bread


Oh, and a Merry Christmas from Duke!

Military Man

My big brother, Evan, is home from Basic Training!!!
We love him and missed him SO stinking much!



My two big brothers are so handsome!






(please forgive me, I don't have any makeup on)




I forgot to get a picture of his dog tags. I'll be sure to do that the day he heads back out.

Nilsson Family Favorite

Egg Sandwiches!

Preston and I cannot get enough of our egg sandwiches. They are super quick and easy to make and most importantly, they are delicious! We have lived off of these for the past two years and we still love them! I'm sure most of you know how to make egg sandwiches but I'll toss out our recipes anyways. We have three different versions, one with just the egg mixture, one with avocado and one with relish. Sometimes we'll splurge and pop some sprouts in there. :)

Serves: 2-3 (makes two sandwiches)

5 boiled eggs
2 Tb mayonnaise
1 tsp. ground peppercorn
4 pieces bread

1/2 Avocado (optional)
1 Tb Relish (optional)


Peel shells from hard boiled eggs. In a small bowl crush up eggs with a fork into fine pieces. Add mayonnaise and mix well. Stir in peppercorn. Toast the bread. As the bread is toasting, cut up avocado into thin strips. Once the bread has finished toasting, layout avocado strips and spread a thick layer of egg mix in between two pieces of toast to make the perfect egg sandwich. Enjoy!

Home for the Holidays

Preston and went home to Seattle for Thanksgiving. It was our first time spending Thanksgiving with my parents and boy did we have a blast!

My parents had no idea we were coming up so when we walked into my Dad's office at 10am two days before Thanksgiving, you can only image how shocked he was to see us. We had traveled all night in a horrible snow and ice storm and with lots of prayers and blessing, arrived safely at our destination. It was a stressful and tiring drive but more than worth it when we saw the look on my parents faces. After surprising my Dad, we all headed over to my mom's office. Boy was she thrilled! I must tell you that surprising my mom is not an easy task. She always catches onto some little hint or clue (I guess she's where I get it from) but this time I totally threw her off. I had called her a couple days prior to hitting the road to get a hint for exactly what their plans were for Thanksgiving. I gave her in depth details of our Thanksgiving and Christmas plans leaving her to fully expect that we were spending Thanksgiving in Utah.

(I only took pictures of everyone in their PJs on Thanksgiving so I will only embarrass one of us on the blog although this is hard to do with Preston's massive muscles and striking good looks. I love his morning hair although I think he fixed it before this picture was taken.)

This was without a doubt the best Thanksgiving I have ever had. The only thing I would have changed if I could was how long we stayed. I wish we could have stayed through the weekend but instead we had to head back the day after Thanksgiving. It would have been a lot more fun to have Bret with his family and Evan there as well. Hopefully next year we will be able to get the whole family together on Christmas or Thanksgiving. It's been a few years since we have been lucky enough to do that :(

We're looking forward to spending Christmas with Preston's family this year and most of all, Landon's last phone call home before he returns in February! YAY!

We are so blessed and grateful to have all of our friends and family in our lives. We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Picture Perfect

Preston and I had some Fall pictures taken in October. We love them! Our friend and photographer Whitney Lewis was able to get us a few of the pictures as a little preview to the shoot this morning. We're looking forward to seeing the rest of the photos next month.



I have a little project in mind that I want to do with these pictures but I'm afraid it won't be executed for a a couple of months. I'll be sure to post pictures when I get going on my project. :)

The Holidays are Upon us

We are very excited for the holidays at our home. Yes, the tree is not only going up this month but this week! Call me crazy but I love Christmas that much. I consider the tree to not only be Christmas decor but Thanksgiving as well. Absolutely essential. I love the feeling of giving and love the tree brings into our home. You can't argue with that!

There is no better time of the year that I love more then the holiday season.

Pup

Our pup isn't so pup like anymore but he always will be in my heart.

We don't feed him anymore so he eats grass now.
We figured it was a good strategy to keep the lawn mowed without having to do more yard work.
haha :) Just kidding.

TWO

I love you, Preston Nilsson!!

Life doesn't get better than you.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

A New Direction

First off, I should have mentioned this a few weeks ago but Preston was accepted to the University of Utah and will be going back to school for his masters degree next fall. On top of that, he tried out and made the stunt team! He has already started practice and is loving it. Can't wait to get great seats at the games!

Also, I am no longer working with Muddy Boys!! Yesterday was my last day. I am happy to be done and excited for my own start....
I got my business license in the mail today!

Red Petal Photography, LLC
by Kara Nilsson

I consider myself an amateur but on my way to professional wedding and landscape photographer. I've got two weddings this month and starting in June, I will be selling prints to the government. My photos will be displayed as decoration in VA hospitals and adult family homes. As I get my name out there, I hope to expand and sell to more branches of the government.

As for this month I will be busy getting my website up and running, a logo created, and building my portfolio more.

Oh happy day!
I mean weekend... I mean month... no...
I mean year!

Vacation!

Preston and I were finally able to get a break from our busy life for a week. We headed down to Arizona for a few days to visit friends and then went on to California from there to visit Natalie and Tim (Preston's sister). It was very nice to get away for a little while. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip.

From Kara Nilsson Photography

I think this picture is hilarious!! Little Alexa sat in the sand making it look like she had an accident. I didn't want to embarrass Natalie by posting it to my public photography blog but I did want to at least share it with the rest of the family and a few friends :D. Alexa is the most adorable innocent little girl. I would be lucky and honored to have a daughter like her one day. She is so very precious.

From Kara Nilsson Photography

On My Mind

There has been a lot on my mind lately...

things that I am looking forward to
things that I am bummed about

things that I can accomplish

and things that I wish would be over with.

But most of all, the things that I LOVE!


Spring Time
I am very much looking forward to the
flowers blooming
and the sun shining. I am ready for it to be
warm and green again

Japan
I miss Japan so much.
I mostly miss my friends.
They were and always will be my best friends.
I love them all so dearly.

Babies

Over the past 2 years I have fallen in love with
babies and children.
They are all so very precious.
Many of my friends have either recently
had a baby or are expecting.
It has been so much fun meeting these new
innocent souls that I will get to see grow
and become such amazing people just
as their parents are.

The Gospel
Because of the gospel I have been blessed beyond
imagine. I am thankful to have
the guidance and support of our Heavenly Father
through the Holy Ghost.
I love the Temple and the feeling I receive
when I am inside.

Photography
I love Photography because the learning is endless
Everyday I learn something new and exciting to
improve my own photography.
I crave it just as a "phat" kid craves cake.


Bike Trips
I can't stop thinking about our annual
Nilsson Family Bike Trip!
I am so pumped for our June trip this year.
We're headed to CANADA to visit family!

Only Fitting

There is so much love to be shared this month, this new background is only fitting.

February 4th:
- Landon's Hump Day

February 6th:
- Coby's Birthday

February 11th:
- Kayo's Birthday

February 13th:
- Baline's Birthday

February 14th:
- Mom and Dad Palsson's Anniversary
- Valentines Day

February 24th:
- Big B and Manda's Anniversary
- Gavin's Birthday

Happy New Year!

The first post of 2010! How exciting!

2009 was a fun year for us. We celebrated our 1 year anniversary; bought our first home; we did our first remodel in our home by fixing the upstairs bathroom; we welcomed our first puppy to the family, purchased a few fancy gadgets such as my first professional camera and a flat screen TV; Preston now works for Adobe who bought out Omniture and to end the year we were delighted to find out that we are expecting a new member of the family! ... no... not me, everyone knows that I wish it were me but I'm still ecstatic for my brother and sister in-law who are expecting their second baby boy! Hip Hip Hurray! I'm so excited to meet my new nephew in April :D

We really have been spoiled this last year. We have such a wonderful family who are so giving and selfless. We are eternally grateful for each and every one of them and love them all so much. Preston and I really have been blessed this last year and are very much in debt to our family and Heavenly Father.

Although 2009 was full of so many fun memories, experiences and stepping stones we are very anxious for the new and upcoming year. We have many things planned which we are looking forward to.

To start it off, I have planned to organize our blog a little more. We are splitting it into two separate blogs. One for our personal progress, events and achievements and another for my photography.

My new photography blog site is, http://karanilssonphotography.blogspot.com/

I'm still working on my new blog. There are a few things that need to be adjusted but hopefully I will be able to work out the kinks quickly.

I want all of you to know how much fun I have reading your blogs and I'm looking forward to reading everyone's new post's as 2010 progresses.

The Nilssons - Edited!

I've been doing some more editing on photos and I thought I'd post some of my creations! I'm a little excited about them :D