Christmas!!

Dave finished his first semester of Law School!! I'm so proud of him! We won't know his grades until February--but I'm sure he did very well :)  Finals week and the week prior were stressful for Dave--and I tried to make his life easy and not bug him to much. We were so glad when it was all over. And spending two weeks with just him has been really great for us. We won't get much of that after January :) But we're so excited for baby Marcus to join our little family.

Dave and I had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was definitely quiet since we stayed here in Cambridge. But being 8 months pregnant, we decided traveling wouldn't be very fun.

On Christmas Eve we planned dinner with our awesome neighbors, Amanda and Jonathan Stradling. It was a lot of fun! Amanda made an amazing Julia Child recipe and we had wassail and fondue. It was nice to have someone to hang out with on Christmas Eve---we're glad we weren't the only ones staying in town :)

 Our amazing table - thanks to Amanda and her crystal/china :)

 Amanda and Jonathan!

Liz and Dave!

Christmas morning we slept in, and opened presents. We felt very spoiled this year by family---so thank-you everyone! We received everything from games to movies to clothing to emergency preparedness. Marcus received some gifts too! I'll put some pictures below (not everything though). We then went to our sacrament meeting and enjoyed the great service. I love Christmas time and talks about Christmas. Then the rest of the day we spent video-chatting with family and playing games. It was a perfect Christmas.

 This is me 37 weeks pregnant---almost there!!

 We thought this game was so cool---monopoly Boston style. Thanks Brooklyn!

 Wheat grinder---plus lots of wheat :)  Thanks mom & dad Geiger!

And I just had to get Dave a Harvard beenie :)

 My amazing mom made this beautiful blanket for Marcus--and another one too!

We received a changing pad and wipes warmer for Marcus from Rachel :)

And I'm so glad that we already have the greatest gift of all---the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We hope everyone had a great Christmas and remembered the reason we celebrate Christmas.

33 Weeks and Christmas decorations!!

I am now 33 weeks pregnant. Here's the picture:

We also put our crib together. And I've been painting a dresser we bought on craigslist---so final pictures of baby room will be soon :)

And we put up our Christmas tree and decorations and took a family photo:

Thanksgiving

First of all, Dave and I are so grateful for all we have. We have wonderful family and friends and have been given many great opportunities this year. We are most especially thankful for the gospel in our lives and to be members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints---and grateful for the atonement of the Savior, Jesus Christ. We would be not be as happy and enjoy life as much without this knowledge.

For Thanksgiving our Bishop and his wife invited us and a couple others from the ward over to celebrate with them. It was an amazing feast and we're so grateful for their hospitality and kindness. Here are some pictures to highlight the day :)

The bishop cutting the turkey---yum yum!

The feast begins!!

Dave took most of the pictures, but this one. So here's Dave! Love him so much!!

Juliana's Visit

Dave's sister Juliana came out for a couple days for a job interview. So we didn't have a lot of time. But we took her to Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetary and to Bunker Hill. Here are some pictures from the weekend. It was so fun having her here!!

Juliana and Dave at the Bunker Hill Monument.

Juliana, Dave and Liz at the top of the monument. Yes, I walked all 294 steps! I took it slow though and met them at the top :)

To prove we made it, or at least Juliana made it---and either Dave or I took the picture :)  We all made it, I promise.

I look weird in this picture---but Juliana looks pretty and so do the pretty fall leaves :)

Juliana at Regina's Pizzeria. So yummy!!

Glad you could visit us Juliana!!!!!

30 Weeks!

I'm am now 75% of the way through the pregnancy!! Thirty weeks! I've definitely gone through a growth spurt---or Marcus has :)  So here is the very unflattering picture to prove it. Everything is going well so far and we're excited to meet Marcus in a couple months--time is flying!!

Amber & Sarah's Visit!!

My good friends Amber and Sarah were able to come out and visit for a couple days!! It was great having them here. We were able to go to the Boston Temple, walk the Freedom Trail in Boston, drive down to Plymouth and see some cool cemeteries and Harvard campus/Harvard Square. They also went to tour Fenway Park (go Red Sox!!).

So here are some pictures from the weekend, enjoy!!

 Statue of George Washington at the Public Garden in Boston.
 

Liz & Sarah at the Public Garden.

Sarah visiting Mary Goose AKA Mother Goose's grave.

Staying on the path :)

Liz & Sarah visiting Plymouth Rock.

After seeing the Mayflower replica and Plymouth Rock we ate some clam chowder at Cabbyshack. Amber loved it :)

Sarah, Amber & Liz at Duxbury Beach.

Sarah, Amber & Liz on the Mayflower replica.

A chapel at the Mount Auburn Cemetery. 

The Tower at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

A beautiful pond and gazebo at the Mount Auburn Cemetery.

The Charles River, near Harvard.

Amber and Sarah sitting by the Charles River, resting their feet. But I think it was me that really needed the rest :)

Apple Picking

Dave and I went apple picking last Saturday with our friends Jesse & Sarita. It was a lot of fun! We drove to Tougas Farm, about 40 miles west of Cambridge, MA. Then, just like it sounds, we picked apples from their orchards. It's a pretty popular thing to do around here. We also had a picnic and got a pumpkin and some cider and donuts. So it was a great Saturday activity! We were glad Jesse & Sarita could come up from Rhode Island to share the experience :)

Dave, Liz, Sarita and Jesse on the wagon ride to the orchard.

 Dave and Liz in front of a pumpkin tree. Okay, not really, pumpkins grown on vines---they just attached these to the tree to confuse people :)

 Lots and lots of apples!

 Dave picking an apple! Twist and then pull :)

Pregnant lady trying to pick apples without falling off the ladder :)
 

Dave and Liz apple picking, how cute :)

Fall Break - Dave's parents visit!

Dave's Fall Break was 5-10 October. It was nice to have some time with him! And even better, his parents were able to visit that weekend. We were able to take them to a few museums: Harvard Museum of Natural History, MIT Museum and the Science Museum. We also went to Mount Auburn Cemetery because of the great view, to the northern part of the Freedom Trail (Bunker Hill and U.S.S. Constitution), and to the New England Aquarium. We spent time relaxing a bit too, and going to the Boston Temple. It was a great weekend!

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

 A great view of Boston from the Tower at Mount Auburn Cemetery.Dave, Mom and Dad.

 We aren't smiling very well in the picture---but we really were happy :)  This is Liz, Dave and Mom at the Bunker Hill Monument.

 Dad standing in front of the U.S.S. Constitution. It's a cool boat to tour!

Dad, Mom and Dave in front of the New England Aquarium.

24 Weeks!

We decided to name our baby boy Marcus David Geiger. We're pretty set on it! I can't wait for Jan. 16 to get here!

I had my 24 week doctor visit today and all is going well so far. I got to hear Marcus' heartbeat and the heart rate is great. I've been feeling pretty good. Just tired, in part from not sleeping very well. I keep waking up on my back---but I talked to my doctor about and she said as long as I turn to my left side when I realize it I should be fine---it's okay to spend some time on my back. I am using a body pillow, but I'm not really enjoying it so far. Maybe the bigger I get the more I'll like the body pillow.

There are a lot of women in my ward expecting babies too, so it's fun to talk to them, and excited to know Marcus will have friends. It's also nice that Marcus will have some cousins close to him in age!

Okay, here you go. You can now see how big I'm getting :) I just started to "pop" more. After we ate a big dinner the other day my stomach looked huge. And instead of shrinking back down like it normally does, it has stayed the same. Bring on the back aches! :)

This one below I look ridiculous in, but you can see my belly better :)

The Best Year Ever!

Yesterday Dave and I celebrated being married for one year! Since our anniversary was on Sunday, we spent part of Saturday celebrating too. We went candlepin bowling. It's very similar to 10 pin bowling, but the ball is about the size of a botchy ball, weighing about 2-3 pounds. And the pins are not curved, just tall and skinny. And they're not staggered like bowling pins are---so you can only hit one row if you throw it straight on. It makes getting a strike impossible, in my opinion :). Candlepin bowling is only in parts of Canada and New England area. So it was fun to try it!

So after we went bowling we went to what we now are calling our favorite restaurant, Bertucci's. It's delicious Italian food. And they have amazing rolls. Plus they gave us free dessert for our anniversary :)

Then we just came home and watched the movie "RED". It's a pretty funny movie. Oh and we ate some Oreo Mud Pie that I made for Dave. Oh, and we both got each other movies as a present (great minds think alike!).

On Sunday morning, our actual anniversary, I went downstairs and Dave had red and white roses on the table for me :)   He surprised me since it was Sunday. He had hid them at our friends house (smart man!).

The rest of the day was great, just church and I made a pot roast for dinner. And our home teachers came (first time that has happened since we've been married). So it was great!

Dave and I are both amazed at how much more we love each other now than we did a year ago. We didn't know it was possible! But it's definitely true. We've made a lot of big changes together so far, and we're so close to being parents now. It's crazy. But I look forward to it. And I'm glad I have Dave with me now and forever to share life with. He is so much greater than what I imagined my husband would be. I feel very blessed.

Please notice the water pitcher, it was my favorite part!! Love you Dave!!

Law School and Red Sox!

Dave started Law School on Aug 31. He's enjoyed it so far. He definitely stays busy. He really likes to learn and be at school though. He's actually going to start a blog about Law School, so we'll post that link soon.

His section went to a Red Sox game on Sept 13, so I went with them. It was really fun. I've been to several Bees games, in Salt Lake, but watching the Red Sox is so much more fun! We stayed until the 8th inning----which is really good for me. We would have stayed the whole game, but it was getting late and we were afraid of being stuck in a huge crowd leaving. Plus, the Red Sox were ahead, and did win. They played Toronto. To complete the Red Sox experience we bought hot dogs. It was a fun night!!