Texas

April was the month of weekend getaways and it was AWESOME! I finally made it down to Houston for the weekend to visit my dear friend Natalie and her cute family. They were such great hosts and it was so fun to see their beautiful home and have my first Texas experience. 

One night they were nice enough to get a babysitter so Natalie, Jackson and I could go downtown for some dinner and shopping. It's so fun to stay in someone's home when you're friends with their husband too. We had a blast and Jackson was kind enough to be our photographer.

Hello HOT MOMMY! I hope I'm this hot when I become a mother in a few months. Nat is so stylish and as you can see, has such a cute family. These two cute girls were both sick while I was there but were still troopers and took me around to all the great sites. I miss them so much!

I thought this duck had some awesome hair on top of his head. Hope it isn't the result of some awful accident. Either way - he was the coolest duck at the pond by far.

On Saturday Natalie and I decided to check out the butterfly conservatory at the Museum of Natural History. It was awesome and there was also an orchid display going on. I know I totally sound like a nerd, but I was in heaven. So this might bore you, but I'm kind of in love with flowers and these were BEAUTIFUL. The butterflies were amazing too, except that when we walked in, we were hit by a wave of hot, sticky humidity. As I was dramatically telling Natalie that I couldn't breath she said she was happy I could experience what true Texas weather feels like (they had abnormally comfortable weather while I was there). So, I now have complete appreciation for what they deal with during the hot summer months. I don't know how they do it! 

This place was awesome. I felt like I was on the movie Bio-Dome. If you haven't seen it, you're missing out (if you are a Pauly Shore fan that is).

The temperature was much more comfortable at the bottom of the conservatory. 

 And seriously folks, how were we supposed to walk by this perfect photo opportunity and not take advantage? It was just like we were 12 years old again :)

THANK YOU Natalie and fam for such a fun weekend! I loved every minute and can't wait to see you again soon. Although I loved Texas, it is still too far. I need Natalie time much more often. I wish I could make a monthly visit at least :) You just don't find friends like Natalie every day!

What Do You Do For Girls Night Out?

Well we figured out that all you really need is a bag of pipe cleaners - we are easily entertained. Thanks to my niece for being such a fabulous model.

Then we turned the camera over to this brightly accessorized princess . . .

And in a very rare moment, I got a kiss from this little munchkin. Love her! 

We also went out for a lovely dinner while the men were at the Priesthood session. Thanks for the fun gals (and my cute nephew, holding down the fort with all these women)!

We Are Norwegian

We had a little Norwegian family dinner before Heidi moved back to England. 

We miss you Heidi!!!

Big News

I guess this is the month of large announcements for the Ingebrigtsens. We are really changing things up at our house, which is why we will be having one of these in October!!!

CRAZY!!! I know! We are so excited and terrified and everything in between. We must have done a really good job convincing people that an Ingy Baby was a LONG ways down the road, because we got some really surprised reactions. It has been so fun to share our secret with friends and family and we can't wait for this new adventure!
The night I found out I was pregnant, Erik was at a Bachelor party at a cabin in Sundance, which meant he didn't get home until 2 AM! I was dying!! He thought it was very strange that I kept texting to ask when he'd be home, seeing as I've usually been unconscious for hours by that time of night. When he finally did get home, he was greeted with this:

And here is the proud father the following morning, with his gift, after letting the idea soak in for a few hours. His face isn't showing the complete shock that it showed the night before :)

I just can't wait to find out if this little baby is a girl or a boy so we can get down to some serious planning/shopping/decorating!! 

Congratulations

I just want to congratulate my hubby for recently being accepted to the Global MBA program at Thunderbird. I am SO PROUD of him for working so hard and achieving this goal. 

CONGRATULATIONS ERIK!!!

Michael's Winter Adventure

A couple of months ago my brother Michael announced that he would be planning an awesome winter adventure for anyone who dared participate. My first reaction wasn't super positive, but my husband was psyched, so we were in. The date was set for President's Day and the plans began. Michael settled on a snow shoeing adventure which was a first for Erik and I. Luckily my sister-in-law's parents have a basement which is apparently like their very own REI (so I hear, I haven't had the privilege of seeing it first hand) so we had plenty of snow shoes to go around.
When the day finally came it was down to our fearless leader, Jeff, Eliza, Erik and I. I think the 6:45 am start time may have deterred some of the others :) So, we were off on a beautiful hike up Millcreek canyon. 

Spirits were very high at this point - the camera was out, we were enjoying the scenery, no big deal.

Unfortunately somewhere along the way when I started to realize that this hike had become much longer and harder than I expected I began to murmur (don't you just hate that word, yet it's such a good description of what I was doing). I hate being a negative nelly but I just don't know that I'm cut out for winter hiking .... luckily though when we finally reached the top it was all worth it. AHHHHH, the heavens opened and I was happy again. It was a winter adventure miracle!

Best winter adventure leader ever! Thanks for an awesome morning Mike. Maybe one day I'll grow to love climbing mountains as much as you :)

We also returned to an amazing breakfast cooked by Vera. It was just what we needed . . . and then a nice nap. 

THE END.

Sunset

My sister-in-law started a tradition in our family of monthly temple night. I love it because it helps us all keep up on our regular temple attendance. A couple of weeks ago when we pulled up to the Bountiful Temple, we were greeted by this sunset.

An inspiring way to enter the temple!

And here are the happy campers at dinner after.