Liz's Baby Shower

My Aunt Debbie, friends Jane and Erin threw me a baby shower...so sweet of them to do so! I had a blast and it was so much fun...little girl things are just too cute!

Our Ward's Far-Out 70's Christmas Party!

Doug and I are members of our church's activities committee and this year to mix it up the committee decided to have a 70's themed Christmas party (not our idea). That's right! So here are Doug and I decked out in 70's gear. Doug is sporting some skin-tight royal blue polyester pants and some sweet aviator glasses..control yourselves ladies...he's taken!

Twister, hula-hooping, a white elephant gift exchange, lots of casseroles, and chocolate fondue were all a part of our evening's events. It definitely was memorable.

Go Utes!

Doug and I went with our friends Brad, Lisa and baby Morley to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego last night to watch the Utes play against the Navy Midshipmen. And yes...the Utes were VICTORIOUS! It was chilly but lots of fun. Final score 35-32.

A trial run to labor and delivery...

On Sunday evening I came down with a stomach bug or the flu. Not fun even when you're not preggers. So after keeping nothing down for a few hours and having some nice regular strong contractions, we called the doctor who said to come in. Hopefully the baby wasn't ready to come out just yet cause we sure are not ready for her. Doug says he needs another 6 weeks to prepare.
Anyways, so we arrive at labor and delivery and I get hooked up to everything, contraction monitor, fetal monitor and an IV with lots of fluids. My new best friend is the anti-nausea medicine they put in my IV. My contractions were still pretty strong after I drained a bag of IV fluid, so they gave me a shot to stop the contractions. So after a few hours they discharged us and I'm feeling a lot better. Doug calls this experience our trial run so we know what to expect when the real deal happens.

Cutie Petutie

Hello hello..yes I've promised pictures and I assure you they're on the way. My Aunt and friends threw me a shower and my friend Mary gave me this beautiful blanket. Her sister makes these blankets. Here's her website http://www.cutiepetutieoriginals.com/

Anyways my blanket is a bit different the cow print is light and dark brown instead of black and white, but it is so dang cute and so so soft...I absolutely love it!

We passed!

Congratulations to Doug and I for passing the Preparation for Childbirth class! I find it very humorous that they give you a certificate of completion; considering that regardless of whether you pass or fail you still are going to have to go through childbirth.

So I've managed to avoid all child birth videos in all of my health classes...so not the case here. They made us watch THREE...evidently one video wasn't scary enough. I'm not sure what was more disturbing having to watch the videos or seeing the expression on Doug's face as he was watching each video. Of course Doug was like couldn't they find attractive people to film the birth...maybe the miracle of life wouldn't be so uncomfortable to watch if Heidi Klum and Seal were the main characters. Either way, I give mad props to anyone who's gone through natural child birth. For me..I say bring on the drugs...nubain an epidural, let me have it! Doug says he's willing to test out the pain meds just to make sure they work alright.

60 Days and Counting...

So I've been a slacker with blogging lately, but I noticed today my ticker was at the 60 day mark until the arrival of our baby girl. Crazy! I never thought we would see the day when the countdown would be in double digits when we were in the 100-200 and so days. This weekend Doug and I have our "birth class". I'm not looking forward to it, hopefully it doesn't scare me too much cause it's a little late now.

Thanksgiving was spent in Tucson, Arizona where we saw lots of Highams and saguaro cactus. It was fun to see Tami and her kids. She introduced us to a fun new card game. Doug's sister Rachel and her family were there, Jimmy and Christi, Adam, Debbie, and the kids on the mission (Becky, Liz and Michael). Lots of fun! We went to a drive-in one night and saw Enchanted and the Game Plan (it was 45 degrees when we left the drive-in after the double feature). Doug and I were snuggled together in the back of our SUV with blankets and pillows...brr.


We also celebrated Doug's birthday in mid-November. I have some pics from his birthday I will try and get posted.

Hawaii 2007

Aloha! We made it back from the land of surf and sun. Hawaii was absolutely wonderful. Doug and I went to the Dole plantation for yummy pineapple ice-cream...so good. We then went to Sunset Beach and of course Matsumato's for shave ice. I recommend the guava, strawberry and watermelon. We also visited Lanikai Beach which has the softest sand imaginable.

We spent a few days at Waikiki and Doug was able to do some body boarding. We also rented some snorkel gear..sorry no pic of me looking like a beached whale with my fins and snorkel mask..Doug did take a pic at this moment it's still on our underwater camera.

We spent one day at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) where we ran into AJ and his wife Bibian. It's always fun to run into people you know, but haven't seen in a long while. The luau and shows were amazing at the PCC. Doug did awesome in his spear throwing at one of the villages.

It was so lovely to just lounge at the beach, probably one of the last times we'll be able to both relax and sleep at the beach. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was definitely hard to come back to work. Our flight back was a red eye from Honolulu to LAX...not something I recommend to anyone ever, especially if you're 7 months pregnant.

Birthday wishes and a Halloween Party

We finally downloaded our pics from my birthday and the ward Halloween Party and Hawaii. The ward Halloween party/trunk-or-treat and my birthday were on the same day. Doug says he invited the whole ward to my party at the church...so anyway here are pics of us in our costumes. Doug as Rocky Balboa (who won the Manliest Man award) and me as a surgeon....no cows for Liz. Also excuse the pjs in my birthday pic...we finally celebrated with some gifts and red velvet Sprinkles cupcakes at mid-night.

In the land of Surf and Sun

Aloha!

After a very busy week with southern California wildfires, ward Adult Conference, and trunk-or-treat Doug and I decided to get out of smokey California and head to Hawaii. Well we had this tripped planned a few months ago, but it seems like perfect timing after a long and busy couple of weeks.

We will have lots of pics to post once we return. Doug was Rocky Balboa for the ward Halloween Party and I was a surgeon. Doug won the Manliest Man award at the ward party for his costume...such a stud!

Hawaii has been perfect the whole couple of days we've been here so far. We're loving it!

Fire!

Hello, hello! So fires are raging through southern California. San Diego and Valenia are facing the worst in regards to homes being burnt and families being evacuated from their homes. The fires in the OC (the Santiago Fire) came awfully close to a lot of our friends homes in Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills. As I look out my back window I can see the flames and dark grey smoke billowing off the foothills (fortunately traveling away from our house). I'll post a picture tonight. Doug and I are good and from where our house is positioned we should be safe from the fire. (The pic above is from the 241 toll road which Doug drives to work everyday...he says it's been surreal.)

The farmer and the cow...

Doug and I are on the activities committee in our ward, which means we basically plan parties...fun! We have our first event this Saturday, an Adult Ward Conference, followed by a Halloween party trunk-or-treat next Friday night.

So Doug and I have to dress up for the Halloween party since we are a part of the committee. I am so bad at costumes, and most of the couples are having their costumes coordinate with their spouse. Our committee chair and her husband are going to be the Spartan cheerleaders from SNL...too cute. I told Doug that we needed to brain storm and I'm sure you can see where this is going right? So Doug suggests that we go as a farmer and a cow...I guess I'm supposed to be the cow in this freakish painfully wrong suggestion of his. I'm already feeling not so cute as my tummy seems to get bigger. I told Doug he was completely insane to think that I would willingly dress up as a cow...he couldn't fathom why I was so put-off by his suggestion when he thinks it would be hilarious. Yeah, hilarious for him!

Fight for Kisses

My friend and co-worker sent this link to me of this digital short. It's pretty funny for those of you who have kids or are expecting.

http://swissmiss.typepad.com/weblog/2007/09/new-wilkinson-c.html

Catching up with pics

So a lot has been going on and we haven't uploaded any pics until today. Liz, Sarah and Rachel posing with our bellies (mine looks like a nice beer belly at this point, so not attractive) Sarah is due at the end of November and Rachel is due October 19th (both are having boys).

Here is my sister-in law Debbie opening her mission call. She was called to serve in the Netherlands speaking Dutch..pretty awesome...ways to go Debs! She reports to the MTC after the 1st of the year.

Doug and I visited our friends Scott and Andrea who live in San Diego for a day at the beach. Scott and Andrea just returned from a fishing trip in Alaska and cooked some excellent salmon with mango salsa for us...so yummy!

Here is my brother Dave, we celebrated his 26th birthday with his favorite dinner and some birthday cake.

What's in a name?!

So I thought finding a name for our little girl would be so easy...wrong! Seems like Doug and I have very different ideas on names. I'll send him lists of possible names throughout the day and he will reply with "Veto" or "No chance in (blank)-Veto" or "You can't be serious-Veto" with an occasional "like" or "stay on the list". So we have a list of names that are just okay. I keep one or two names on our list because they are my favorites and Doug has not declared any favorites just yet to me..to him they all seem so-so....who knew this would be so hard.

Ohh and here's his opinion on one particular name I sent his way:
"Death rockers (dark, pierced and tatted), a crooked-nosed scowling author, a nappy-headed princess and an enormous singer.....you honestly don't think my daughter is better than that???!!!!"

Yes...lovely...so we'll see if we can agree on a name here..fortunately we have 17 weeks left to decide.

New Moon and Eclipse

So my sister-in-law Debbie was so kind to let me borrow the sequal to Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. I finished both books this last week...loved them! Easy and quick reading, I definitely stayed up way too late reading every night, but that's half the fun right?!

It's a....

BABY GIRL!

Baby Boy or Baby Girl?

So tomorrow is the big day where we find out whether we are having a boy or a girl. Pretty exciting! We're hoping the baby cooperates and decides to show us the goods. Don't think we can wait another 4 weeks to find out what we're having. We'll definitely post an update tomorrow.

twilight

So after seeing so many friends blogging about Eclipse, I thought I would see what the craze was all about with these books by Stephenie Meyer. I started and finished Twilight over the weekend. It was so good, a quick and easy read. Now I'm addicted and have to get my hands on copies of New Moon and Eclipse.

Tagged!

Tag..I'm it! I've been tagged by Deidra..so here's the scoop!

Favorite Vacations:

~Hawaii (Doug and I have been to Oahu, Maui and Kauai) and I have been to the islands multiple times before that. My parents now live on Oahu and Doug and I have plans to visit this October..yes!

~Tahoe trip with the Highams

~1995 trip to France

~Carribbean cruise

Jobs I've Had:

~Blockbuster video service rep

~Abercrombie & Fitch sales rep

~Nordstrom Sales

~Accounting Rep for Construction Co.

~Property Management customer service rep

~SCU School Loan Rep

Favorite Foods:

~Love, love, love dark chocolate (yum!)

~Dr. Pepper (it's a food right?)

~French fries..so good...especially Houston's

~The Cheesecake Factory (pretty much everything there)

~Sprinkle's red velvet cupcake

Places to get away for the weekend:

~The beach (Newport, Huntington, Laguna)

~San Diego

Movies I can watch over and over:

~Goonies (an 80's classic)

~Tommy Boy (I laugh every time)

~The Notebook

Guilty Pleasures:

~Doug would have to say sleeping for me, cause I could sleep forever

~Shopping

~Pedicures and massages

~Haagen-Dazs ice cream (my favorite coffee flavored ie cream)

Places I've Lived:

~Bay Area (East Bay: San Ramon, Walnut Creek, Moraga. South Bay: San Jose)

~Orange County

~Malibu

~London

~San Diego

What were the first things you thought of when you met your significant other for the first time?

~A definite hottie!

~Cocky, confident, dates A LOT of girls...definite player!

If in a “jam” with your spouse, what tactics do you use to get out of the “doghouse”?

~ Hmmmm, this one is hard. I've found that a sincere I'm sorry and being extra nice usually does the trick. Also any activity like basketball or mountain biking usually helps him forget.

Websites I visit daily:

~Yahoo

~Nordstrom

~Babystyle

~My friend's blogs

Places I’d rather be right now:

~The beach reading a good book

Who sent this to me?

~Deidra

Now I get to pick three other blog buddies to survey:

~Amy Nielsen

~Kathy Lehrschall

~Rachel Bruschke

The Office Season Three

It's finally here, The Office Season Three. Doug is so excited, that I had to go out and pick it up yesterday so he could start watching some episodes.

Hotter than Hot Labor day weekend

So is anyone else melting from the heat? Doug and I left Mission Viejo and headed to the beach Saturday and Monday to escape the sweltering heat. The high for Labor day at our house was recorded at 111 degrees...seriously! The beach was lovely, a refreshing 85 degrees. We went with the Yee's and Bruschke's and had so much fun. By Wednesday we're supposed to get a break from the heat...one can only hope.

In an Instant

So I just finished reading "In an Instant". I really enjoyed this book, and found it to be really interesting. The book is formatted with both perspectives of Lee Woodruff and Bob Woodruff; how they met, started their family, Bob's journey from attorney to journalist and becoming co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight. The book's foremost focus is on how the Woodruff's overcame the trial and tragedy that affected their family when Bob was hit with an improvised explosive device that went off near the tank he was riding in while he was reporting in Iraq in 2006. It's an amazing story and a quick read.

You be the Judge!

So Doug is having a tough time deciding which picture to choose for his firm profile. We've narrowed it down to two pics Happy Smiling Doug or Serious Brooding Doug. So we thought we would get your opinions. Cast your vote for your favorite pic!

5 Things You should Eat Every Week

So I was watching Oprah and Dr. Oz mentioned 5 things that we should be eating every week. So any of you who didn't catch the episode here ya go. Doug and I are definitely need to eat more spinach and almonds. Fortunately right now I have been totally craving and making caprese..so yummy. It's fresh sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil with some salt and pepper and olive oil (I even add some balsamic vinegar)...yum!

1. Garlic

2. Tomatoes

3. Olive Oil

4. Spinach

5. Nuts

Miss Teen USA

So on Friday night Doug and I were bored and caught the end of Miss Teen USA. They had just narrowed down the contestants to Miss South Carolina, Miss North Carolina, Miss Colorado, Miss New Jersey, and Miss West Virginia. If you haven't heard or been to You Tube lately, check out Miss South Carolina's answer to her question from one of the judges. Classic! Her answer had Doug and I rewinding our TiVo and laughing hysterically. Poor girl!

My favorite part is when she randomly adds "such as" in the middle of her answer, when it has no relevance whatsoever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZABeQ5vkpXM

Top Chef

So I am totally addicted to this show. I love the quick fire challenges and seeing the new creations the chefs make each week. If you feeling extraordinarily ambitious they even post the recipes from that episodes on their website. I was bummed to see Tre go last night, I thought he was one of the better chefs. The one draw back is that new episodes are at 10PM on Wednesday nights...so late. Thank goodness for TiVo!

Doug's ACL Surgery

For those of you who may not know, Doug had surgery on his ACL last Thursday. Doug has been doing really well. The Bruschkes and Yees stopped by to hang out for a bit, which was so nice since he's been recouping at home for the last few days. Rachel's' peanut butter cookies I'm sure helped him on his road to recovery.

Doug's first physical therapy appointment is this Friday. He's anxious to get his knee back at 100%. Below are a few snapshots of Doug pre and post operation.

Caution the Doctor took some pics from surgery so for those you who are squeamish you may want to look away.

Happy Anniversary!

Today Doug and I have been married for 6 years. We celebrated by going to Houston's, an amazing bbq rib and burger place (thanks Mom and Dad). It's hard to believe 6 years has gone by already.

Doug was trooper, he had suregery on his ACL this last Thursday (pics coming soon). He took some pain killers and propped his leg up in the booth. You can see his set of crutches behind me.

Jimmy and Christi's Wedding

On Saturday August 11, 2007 Jimmy (Doug's younger brother) and Christi Penrod (a fellow THHS alum and RSM stake girl...cause that's where the best of the best are) were married in the San Diego Temple for time and all eternity. The wedding and reception were beautiful. Jimmy is the seventh Higham to be married...only five more to go.

It was fun being with so many family members. We spent many late nights at Rachel and Brett's playing games and mostly talking and eating lots of good food.

Congratulations Jimmy and Christi! We wish you all the best in your new life together. There's no better way to start out than a Honeymoon in sunny Jamaica...lucky.

Vegas baby Vegas!

There has been a lot going on the past couple of weeks so I'm way behind on updating the blog. At the beginning of August we visited Mike and Shelley in Vegas. Mike just finished taking the BAR and Doug and I are celebrating our 6 year anniversary this month. So we decided we would go see "O" as a big Yay Mike is done with the BAR exam and an anniversary gift for Doug and Liz. "O" was absolutely amazing!!! I seriously am still awestruck at some of the acrobatics that were performed. The show was awesome and something we will not forget.

While waiting for the show to start we walked around some of the hotels and shops in Vegas. We had a little too much fun at FAO Schwartz. Not sure what Mike and Doug saw in that Polar Bear...scary!

We also had some amazing gelato...I highly recommend the Mango, which Shelley and Mike let me taste...so good! Doug is in love with the stratachella (forgive my spelling), which is basically like chocolate chip but 100 times better.

Family Photo

For those of you who didn't know, Doug is the second oldest of 12 children. Last Christmas the whole family was together and so we were able to take a family photo. By the time Christmas comes around again we will have four new additions...crazy!

Baby's 1st Ultrasound

Doug and I went to the doctor yesterday and we were able to hear the heart beat and get some ultrasound pictures. So far everything looks good!

Moving Day

Ahhh yes....moving day! For those of you who have not heard Doug and I are moving. My parent's decided to sell their house, so we have been busy packing once more. We were fortunate to find a pretty large 2 bedroom townhouse (1350 sq. feet), which we will be renting for at least the next year. Our new place is only a few miles down the road, so not too far, still moving is not fun. Once we get things set up I'll post some pics.

Pageant of the Masters ~Young at Heart

Last night Doug and I attended the 2007 Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. Growing up I had heard about the pageant, but had never been , so this year I reserved some tickets for Doug and I.

It was amazing!!! Basically the pageant re-creates works of art with real people posing to look exactly like their counterparts in the original pieces. You sit in an outdoor amphitheater, and the works of art are set to a live narration and an orchestra provides the music. It truly was incredible! If you are ever visiting Southern California during July and August you should definitely get tickets.

We're Pregnant!

Yes, it's true Doug and I will be expecting baby Higham around February 3rd. We were completely caught by surprise. Doug didn't believe me at first and so I had to take another test, just so he could be sure.

I've been lucky so far and have only felt sick in the evenings. In a week and a half I have my 12 week appointment, where we get to hear the heartbeat. We are super excited!