2 Months to Motherhood

Apparently I've forgotten how to blog...

That & to be honest this whole pregnant while trying to finish school thing has been slightly more demanding than I had thought it would be. Thankfully, I will be finished (with school) in just 4 short days. 

I've had so many wonderful things happen to me these last few months as I have been preparing for baby to come. The most exciting was my trip home to Virginia for the most precious baby shower thrown by my extremely talented mother. 

My biggest regret is forgetting my camera...these iPhone photos hardly do this shower justice,  but they will have to do. 

The cute dessert table. (I so wish I had more pictures to show just how adorable.)

 The guests were provided onsies, bibs, and a variety of materials to create personalized items for baby. 

 The most adorable treats. 

 & what's a party without a photo booth?

I received such adorable gifts and thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend time with family and friends. I'm a lucky girl to have so many wonderful people in my life. 

Coming up next...

• Graduation (this weekend)
• Moving (this weekend)
• Christmas ( 11 days)
• Baby (2 months) 

Despite being the most overwhelming time in my life, it's also the most exciting. Can't wait to spend my days kissing little toes and holding that little guy in my arms knowing this has all been worth it. 

oh BOY.

It's a BOY! Looks like my "maternal instincts" are malfunctioning...I was almost certain my little "it" was a girl, but I was wrong (fancy that.) And I am completely okay with it! We could not be more excited, really I don't think we could be. 

My sweet as can be sister put together a little "gender reveal" for us as opposed to the traditional finding out in the doctors office. It was PERFECT. She, with the help of some friends, put together a little box full of blue to tell us that we're having a boy. I must admit, from the time I entered the doctors office to the moment we stood beneath that tree seemed like the LONGEST 3 hours of my life. Dave and I almost gave in and told the nurse to just tell us already, we were so excited. But I am SO glad we decided to do it this way. We were able to share the moment with family via FaceTime and close friends. One friend was good enough to catch the moment on film for us:

Now knowing that he is a he, this whole pregnancy thing seems SO much more real. I feel bad because I've been calling him her for a while now and singing Taylor Swift's Shake it Off telling her (who is really a him) that I can't wait to have dance parties with her (him.) Hopefully he'll still be down for that...

I've become one of those women who start their baby shopping the moment they find out the gender. I've already picked out the majority of what I want for the nursery (Peter Pan themed, obviously,) and I have a bunch of adorable little outfits in my basket online on numerous sites. My next step is to create a registry! 

Now it's just a matter of us finding the perfect name for our little guy. I can't wait to see you in just 4 months my little man! (Ah, I'm going to be a mom in 4 months...is this real!?)

Just a little DIY

Lately, I've been in love with the idea of DIY projects. My Pinterest board is full of wonderful & beautiful things that I dream of one day creating for my future home. 

While I've dabbled in projects here and there--(most of which including the simplicity of mod podging scrapbook paper to wooden objects & feeling so artsy)-- tonight I completed a project with the help of some friends that I am in LOVE with.

We started with some old barn wood, nails, a hammer, & an outline of Idaho. We simply taped the outline where we wanted it & began hammering away along the outline. (This took a little bit longer than expected...but, in the end--totally worth it.)

After hammering nails along the outline of the state, we hammered nails along the outline of the board. (& this took much longer than expected...mostly because I was too focused on aligning them perfectly. Which was very unnecessary in the end because, with the yarn you cannot even tell how well aligned the nails are.) 

After hammering all those nails in the wood, we took some colorful yarn of our choice and began weaving it back and forth between the outline of the state & the outline of the board. (Naturally, I struggled with this and many times ended up morphing my Idaho becoming to weave crazy...so if you're planning on trying this out--don't do that.)

We decided to add a little heart where we live & met our sweethearts to add a little personalized touch, which is my favorite part!

I think the reason why I loved this project so much is because it was SO simple, and turned out SO adorable. If you're looking for a fun & easy DIY project, give this a try!

PS- I can in no way take any credit for the creativity behind this project. That pretty thing in the middle, Aubree, is basically a DIY goddess. I mean, check out that wall behind us, all her. 

Bun in the Oven

Yes, the title means exactly what you think it means…I’M PREGNANT. While some of you may be surprised by this, I’m sure none of you are as surprised as we were…While this was not a planned pregnancy, we could not be more excited & the timing is kind of perfect. I just finished up all my classes at BYU-Idaho (after taking 18 credits 3 semesters in a row I could not be more relieved). And I will begin student teaching here in the this week where I will intern until December 19th. Baby Sorensen will arrive in February.

It’s funny because just one week before we received this news Dave and I had a serious talk about what our plans were short term. We’re getting ready to spend a couple years in northern California and I decided I wanted to go to graduate school to pursue a masters degree in speech and language pathology. We were going to spend our summers vacationing through Europe and preparing ourselves mentally to start a family within the next 2-3 years. Clearly God had different plans for me. 

Since the day Dave and I decided to get married I thought about what it would be like to start having children, and how I would feel when I found out I was pregnant. I thought about all the cute ways I would tell Dave the news and how excited I would be. However, nothing…and I mean nothing went as planned. Poor Dave came home to me sitting on the couch balling my eyes out with two positive pregnancy tests in my hand crying vainly “I’m going to be so fat.” (I know, I’m a horrible person…I’m blaming it on the hormones…)  However it’s not like Dave’s reaction was any better. “Are you sure those things are right?” “It’s probably a false positive.” After letting it sink in for a few minutes. We looked at each other frantically and booked it to the grocery store where we stalked up on prenatal vitamins and any healthy food item we could get our hands on…we went a little crazy to say the least. I don’t remember much of the rest of that evening. I remember feeling scared and excited at the same time. I remember Dave holding me as I cried trying to laugh silently as I blabbered about how I’m not ready. At this point though, we were not yet completely sold on the idea that I was actually pregnant.

The next day we went to the doctor where the news was confirmed. He said “if you took 2 tests and both were positive, you’re definitely pregnant! There we sat in silence. Dave & I didn’t even make eye contact at this time. We didn’t really know what to say or how to feel. The doctor just smiled and said “oh, I see this wasn’t planned.” Gosh, was it that obvious!? We knew then the next step was to tell our parents because we were so scared out of our minds we didn’t really know what else to do.

I decided that because I blew it with David, I was going to tell our parents the news in a cute and fun way. So I sent them each a package and had my sister & sister in law video tape them opening them. 

Here are their responses: 

After seeing these, how could we not be excited about this!? 

We ended up getting an early ultrasound to make sure that I was in fact pregnant, and to see exactly how far along I am. Seeing my peanut sized baby with a tail for legs was one of the most special moments of my life. It really was a beautiful moment between David & I to officially come to the realization that we are going to be parents and entering this exciting time in our lives together. The nurses could not stop laughing at how much the little one was moving around. (It's definitely Dave's child...)

I am now in my second trimester and have been a little sick lately...but all in all I've had a healthy and happy pregnancy! I hope things continue to go smoothly! 

Thanks to all my family & friends for the love and support we have received so far. We're blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Mother (& Father) Knows Best...

I did it Mom & Dad! Despite the fact that you literally had to pry me out of the car to get me here 4 long years ago, and I came the whole way kicking and screaming. I did it. 

Today was my very last day as a student at BYU-Idaho! I'm student teaching in the Fall so I'm not technically done...But I consider student teaching to be the beginning of my career just not being paid for it. (Which isn't ideal, but it's fine.) 

For those of you who know me well, you know I can tend to be overly sentimental about things. The majority of my day was spent holding back tears as I walked through campus, presented a final project, and took my last few finals in the testing center. Yes, I actually had to hold back tears thinking about the fact that it was my very last test I'll ever take in the testing center, the place I loathe most on campus.

This just goes to show how wonderful my experience here at BYU-I has been. Now, I'm not going to tell you it was all rainbows and butterflies. My first semester here, I spent countless nights homesick missing my friends and family. It was a difficult adjustment to become used to such a monocultural environment. I had some questionable professors and met some peers with differing perspectives (something I know I'll find everywhere.) But,  I'm proud to say that despite my time spent here in this Mormon bubble, I did not become a crazy, self-righteous, perfection seeking stereotypical Mormon girl like I'd thought I would if I stayed here for too long. I mean sure, I did what you all said I would do, but never thought I would, and got married at the ripe young age of 20...But I'm okay with the fact that I upheld that stereotype because it turned out to be the best decision of my life.

This little town of Rexburg Idaho has surprisingly been one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Here, I found the love of my life, friends that I will have forever, gained a wonderful education, and learned so much about myself. 

These past three semesters were the most influential & stressful of my college career. Note to students- going three semesters back to back taking 18 credits is never an ideal situation, EVER. But you know, because I was so engrossed with my education I found myself learning in much more depth had I had more time on my hands. I could not have made it through though without my awesome professors. You know, that is my number one favorite thing about going to school here. Every professor you have knows you by name. They know your strengths and weaknesses and go above and beyond to help you in whatever ways they can. 

Anyways, I could go on and on about how much I loved my time here as a student...(wow, high school senior Katie would never think those words would ever come out of her mouth.) I am thankful for parents who had my best interest at heart and gave me the extra push I needed to become the person they knew I wanted to be. 

Turns out, Mother & Father really do know what's best...fancy that. 

Well said, Eleanor.

Recently I encountered a situation in which my beliefs (particularly my beliefs in the Mormon church) were criticized (surprise, surprise.) At first, this left me feeling offended and angry. But then with time, I realized the importance of being questioned in what you believe, because it helps you to either become more firm in your beliefs, or realize that maybe you need to reconsider some things. For me, I became more firm in what I believe as I thought critically about what it is and why I believe it.

Now, I do not want this to be a post preaching what I believe and why. But rather I'd like to share a "fancy that" moment I had from this experience. I came to realize that no matter where I go or what I do with my life, there will always be someone there to say "Hey! You're not doing it right." No matter if it is religion; choice in occupation; how you raise your children; your political views; the way you spend your money; the type of food you eat; the sports team you support; etcetera, there will ALWAYS be someone there to disagree. And the fact of the matter is, who cares? I believe it is healthy and important to engage in debate to reassure yourself of what you believe and why. However I do not believe in forcing what you believe on others. 

How lucky are we to live in a world (especially here in the United States) where we are able to make decisions for ourselves and to live the way we choose; the way that makes us happy. For those of us here in America, I feel this is something often taken for granted. We spend so much of our time fighting for the changes we want to make, or to keep things the same, that we forget to step back and be thankful for the fact that we are able to engage in these debates. We are all entitled to our own opinions and have the right to share them (not to force them upon others.) 

I could not have said it better than Eleanor herself. "Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you will be criticized anyway." How true this statement is. I believe that we should all live the way that we feel in our heart to be right. Because there is no happier way to live. I can't imagine living a life where I felt in my heart I was doing the wrong thing. I hope that nobody lives this way because I imagine it is a very unpleasant and empty way to live. At the end of the day, don't worry about living in a way to just please the views and opinions of others. Maybe you don't all believe in a God. And that is okay...but I do. And I believe that God does not want us to live unhappily. As for me, I feel that the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true. It is what makes me happy, it is the way I choose to live, it is what I feel in my heart to be right. 

PS: I finally figured out how to make the text larger, so no need for the magnifying glass this time friends. 

Dear Virginia,

Lately I've been quite homesick for you. Not because I am unhappy here, I have really grown to love Idaho. It's beautiful here. There's lots to do, the people are wonderful. (& I met the love of my life here.) We have awesome adventures together. We go on hikes up in the mountains and camping trips where we see the craziest wild life. I've been on countless cabin trips. Oh, and the fishing here is great (according to Dave.) But nothing compares to your rolling green hills and the depth of history found everywhere you go.

I miss the people, (especially my family.) I miss summer nights eating dinner on the deck with the sky full of stars and fireflies. Gosh, I miss fireflies. I miss bonfires & barbecues. I miss taking the back roads everywhere, especially on drives through Middleburg. I miss driving past the beautiful wineries. I miss malls, real malls with stores I actually like to shop at.  I miss days spent swimming at the Redding's pool, & game nights at the Kidds.  

And the museums... I think I miss D.C. more than anything else. No matter how many times I've visited, I learn something new every time I go. 

I'm convinced that there is not a prettier place to be than you during the Fall. With all the trees, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. I love your winters too. The perfect amount of snow, not too much, but we always get at least one snow day. Your seasons in general are just perfect. I mean, you could ease it on the humidity...but other than that you're perfect.

While I miss all of those things & more, I am happy here. It took time, but I eventually grew to love Idaho. 

(Hiking beautiful Palisades with my Dave)

(Enjoying an Idahoan adventure with my sister, Meg.)

What I've learned my past four years away from you is that you can find beauty and happiness wherever you go. It is truly up to you to choose whether or not you want to love where you are. You'll always have a special place in my heart, Virginia. I hope to see you again real soon. 

Love always, 

Katie 

PS: Virginia, you also have the best state moto ever:

I'm a Blogger, fancy that...

Hello blogging world! (Insert "can't believe I jumped on the blog bandwagon" cliche introduction here...) I've found lengthy Facebook statuses to be something I would like to avoid & sometimes I have more than 140 characters worth of thoughts, so I decided to give blogging a try.

I wish I could tell you honestly that I came up with the name for my blog all on my own without any outside inspiration at all. But that would be a lie. You see, as I began my blogging journey I was listening to Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" (shamefully on repeat.) And I thought to myself, "oooh let's incorporate the word fancy in there somehow!" And thus, "Fancy That" was born. I want my blog to be full of interesting facts about myself & the world around me. Facts that make you think "hmm, fancy that!"

Wish me luck as I begin this blogging journey! I'm sure it will take me time to figure this all out. In the mean time, here's a little Iggy for you to enjoy...

IGGY AZALEA--Fancy