Remembering Christ at Christmas

I recently recieved a gift in the mail from my wonderful mother. It was a book "A Christ Centered Christmas" by Emily Freeman. One paticular story made my heart melt. The author tells of driving in the car with her little girl. They were listening to Christmas music and just as one song ended her daughter exclaimed, "Mom, I believe in Santa Claus, and YOU believe in Jesus Christ." You can only imagine how this poor mother's heart must have felt. Yet, it was true. They talked of Santa, they wrote letters to Santa, they were counting down the days until he would come and the wonderful gifts he would bring. After all, who doesn't love the jolly old man?
As my husband and I have conintued to read this little book, we have decided to make our own traditions for the Holiday Season that bring us closer to our Savior. The Man who is truly, the reason for the season. We want to unwrap and display the nativity set on December 1st, to sing Christmas carols and take goodies to our neighbors and loved ones; perhaps do the 12 days of Christmas to a special family, and most of all, every Christmas Eve, we want to bare our testimonies to our children of our love for our Savior and Testify of His birth, life, antonement and resurection. We want them to know that they have been given the most precious gift by Christ sacrificing his life so we may have our own, temporally and eternally with him in Hevean one day.
We are anxiously awaiting the drive to Utah. It has been too long without their warmth and laughter. I am SO grateful for the family and friends I have, and for their examples in my life.
We wish EVERYONE a Merry Christmas. And encourage you to rember Christ this Season and all year long.

Much Love,

The Meads

Carmel Beach is one of our favorite gettaways !! We really enjoyed ourselves this trip. It was not warm at all, but was still absolutely beautiful !!

An Expression of Gratitude... Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving !! I would have snapped a few more pictures, if I wasn't too busy cooking !!! Ryan and I made dinner for the Missionaries in our ward. We had turkey, of course, homemade rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, salad, homemade potatoes and turkey gravy, and THREE pies: pumpkin, razzleberry, and cherry. SO yummy !! I truly learned to appreciate all the work my Mother went to when it was her turn to prepare for this event. We have so very much to be grateful for!

Our Baby Girl... Maylee Drew Mead

Today was a very special day for Ryan and I. We found out that this precious child of ours is going to be a girl AND that she is perfectly healthy !! We are SO grateful to have had such a stress free pregnancy, and I am especially grateful to have felt as wonderful as I have. :) Thanks Mom for the "good pregnancy" genes !!

Enjoy the pics !!

A day with MOM... a LIFETIME of love ...

Happy Halloween! Mom surprised Ryan and I with a whole day in Sacramento before her next flight!! We walked up and down Old Town Sacramento and had lunch on the "Captain's Ship". Such a fun day for all of us! I love you Mom and miss you already!

MORE BABY NEWS!!

We are 75% sure we are having a baby girl!!! I couldn't decide just how to scrapbook this news, but, after a huge mess and 2 hours went by, I think I did okay.

At the Dr. appointment yesterday, we discovered our baby is a shy one. She kept putting her tiny hands in front of her face and around bottom so we couldn't see exactly what the gender was!! It was adorable. You probably can't read the names we've chosen very well, but they are Mason if it is a boy (We haven't decided on a middle name yet) and Mayley Drew if it is a girl.

I have been feeling the baby move and I had no idea it was so amazing. I still crave peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on a daily basis. And for the first time last night I wanted this pregnancy to go by faster so I can hold my baby! It felt wonderful.

I received very a very smart idea from my wonderful mother-in-law, Penny the other day. She said, "You should probably start packing up the house now, because it's when you feel the best." I was so excited to hear this advice, because Ryan has already been annoyed with my persistent "nesting and rearranging". HA! Now I can do it because there is a solid purpose. I am going to start packing to move back to Utah!! I can't help but smile from ear to ear when I think about it!!

Love you all!!! We are coming home for Christmas!!!

happy birthday whitney!

Happy Birthday to Me!!! I had a wonderful day, and want to thank everyone for the phone calls, texts facebook posts in my behalf. I sure feel loved!

Ryan took the day off and decided to make me my first "Real Birthday Cake". We made the fondant and decorated the cake in about 3 1/2 hour... It was yummy!

Dinner came next, which was a chicken cordon bleu/crab and shrimp combo. It was fantastic as well. We finished the night with our friends coming over and watching a movie. SO much fun!

I have a dr. appointment in the morning and they will schedule me for my ultrasound to find out the gender. So just a few more days and we will all know what is coming. I am very excited.

Love ya!

Ryan & Whitney

Time to Grow

Well, as you can see from the ultrasound... We have a little one on the way (currently 14 weeks along)! Exciting is filling this special time of our lives. The BEST part is that all is normal and healthy. Ahhh, such a a relief! This past check-up we were expecting to find out just which gender we would be having, but they rescheduled on us for our next appointment. So we will try to wait patiently. I have had hundreds of names and decorating ideas going through my head, but most important, I am SO greatful to have the opportunity to be a mother. I have so many wonderful examples before, Grandma, My own Mother, Sisters, Aunts, Cousins, In-Laws, Friends... I hope to shadow them in some small way.

Life in Fresno hasn't changed much other than our pregnancy news. Ryan is working very hard with his Water Sales and is doing fabulous. He is currently attending University of Pheniox, online and loving it. I finished school, plan to graduate officially in November. Yay! I obtained a job for a couple weeks, but had clashing views with the Dentist on sterilization protocol and patient care, and suddenly had severe back problems, so I gladly resigned. I found out I was pregnant and have not wanted to risk the X-Rays, and mostly be able to walk and bend over WITHOUT pain. It has been a much needed break. I have been to a Chiropractor and have been doing a lot better. I have applied to a couple jobs, and hope to start working just part-time at Bath and Body Works again. I love that place!

Now that we have internet again, I will gladly be posting away in my free-time for everyone to be updated about our lives, and pregnancy. We love you all and are SO excited to make a trip to Utah in just a couple weeks to see our immediate families again. Until then, take care!

-Ryan & Whitney

Sweet Sweet Summertime

It's time for a picnic !!! Ryan and I loaded a backpack full of food and headed of to Woodward park for a day. It was so much fun!! I think cali enjoyed it best. She could run as much as she wanted and as fast as she could. It was super cute.

After our picnic we decided to enjoy our luxurious pool. I love to swim and lay out and can't believe I can do it everyday if I had time. Ha ha.

We want to send out a congrats to Trisha and Jared. :) You guys really are the most adorable couple!

We are really looking forward to the fourth of July weekend and to spend it with both our families !!!! We miss you all so much and feel that this family time will be sacred time.

After a lot of prayers and fasting Ryan and I have decided it is time to start our own little family. Any prayers from family members and friends would be much appreciated as we start this journey together and hope for a new happy beginning.

What will happen next ???

FAMILY & FRIENDS,

Ryan and I have been very blessed these past few weeks. We are all moved into our new apartment and LOVE the opportunity of having a large golf course behind us. Cali especially enjoys her daily walk, and without it, will sit whinning at the door until we let her out. It's been so good for us.

We have a washer and dryer ! It has been so wonderful to finally get our own. We also got a really cute table and stools for our breakfast nook.

As far as Ryan's job goes, we are still employed !!! YAY!!! He is no longer a driver for delivering water, but has recieved a promotion to the sales team. He is very excited to build the company and we are so grateful for the securtiy it has brought. :) I love him and am so grateful for his amazing devotion to working hard and providing so much for us. We have all we need and couldn't ask for more.

I am looking forward to graduating from Kaplan College with my Dental Assisting Program. I will be finished in less than a month !!! It's gone by SO fast, but we are looking forward to a rewarding career for me. So everyone smile and don't forget to floss !!!

Blogging will be happening a lot more since I have the internet now. I love being able to connect so quickly to family and friends. It is so fun to see all the pictures and read what is going on. I miss my family like crazy, but look forward to a trip in July. (:

WE LOVE YOU ALL !!

WHITNEY & RYAN

March 3, 2010- My mole was removed !!! Yay !! Man, I didn't realize how hard it could be to schedule an apointment and get that thing off. I was able to go to a wonderful office, however, when I got there and the doctor actually looked at it (my last appointment was just a cost estimate) she realized how severe it was and almost didn't do it ! She said the amount was going to tripple ($1200)and that I would need to be sent to a specialist. Since we had to pay out of pocket, I couldn't handle it. I had been waiting for three months to get this thing off. We had great insurance until I went to schedule this apointment and then Ryan's company got bought out. The new insurance kicked in Monday, but we didn't have the cards to prove it. I started to cry when they left. Another nurse came in and instantly comforted me and said they would work it out. It ended up costing only $160 to get it off ! (We were quoted $250) I was so grateful ! I am now mole-free and will have a check up apointment on the 15 to make sure it isn't anything too serious. Thank you for all your concern, family and friends. We are so grateful for you all !

On a lighter note, Ryan and I will be moving out of the wonderful home we have been living in and into the Palm Lakes Apartments. We mutual agreed with Jeff Bennet, the owner of the home that it was time for us to move out, since rent was getting a little expensive. He has plans for another family to move in and we get the upgraded amenities of a large pool, spa, work out room, and tanning beds ! Not to mention our two bedroom apartment is upstairs and has a large deck that outlooks a golf course !!! We couldn't be happier. :) We have taken Cali to the golf course and she has had so much fun running around. We are moving this weekend (3/5/10) and will have pictures up shortly.

I just want to tell my Mother CONGRATS !!! She made it into Flight School ! I am so proud of her and have had 110% faith that she could do it. :) Way to go ! Ryan and I will continue to keep you in our prayers as you tackle the work ahead. Good Luck and We love you Mom !!!

We miss everyone dearly, but soon hope to take a two week vacation in JULY !!!! We can't wait !!! Love you all !!!

-Whitney & Ryan

Another Month of Life..

Family and Friends,

We have had yet another wild ride of events the past few weeks. To start off, the pictures are of our 1 year anniversary trip to Monteray Bay. We had such a great time. We stopped on the way to an ice cream shop and were served 3 lbs of ice cream EACH ! I was so full afterward. We really had a great time and loved seeing our puppy go crazy at the beach. The video of her shows how excited she was. :)

Recently, Ryan and I have been trying to figure out what to do about a cyst that has grown on my head. It's most likey a red mole that has filled with fluid, and really wasn't an issue until it grew to be the size of large grape. We were getting ready for Ryan's work to open their bennefits program when the company go bought out. So the insurance we were paying for is no longer avaliable and Ryan may not have a job on the 19. His interview is tomorrow Feb 10, at 6 in the morning ! Wish him luck. We feel confident that he will get the job with Alhambra Waters and that nothing will really change as far as what his job position is. He does a really good job and just yesterday got 8 new customers. Way to go honey !!!

As for the cyst, I called my mom- the woman who can make everything all better. And she did. Since I am at work and school I didn't have time to research doctors and call one. She has made me an appointment and I am excited to get this thing removed. I will keep everyone updated as to how that goes. Thanks Mom !!!

As far as our callings are going, we are doing great. Ryan still goes out with the missionaries and we feed them regularly. It's been so fun to be a part of that and for me, to learn how to better help my future children when they serve missions. I am so grateful for Ryan, and that he served an honorable full time mission. The young women's has kept me very busy as well. Teaching lessons a couple times a month, planning parties and personal progress activities. The girls I work with are adorable and each one has so much to give and desires to be happy. I learn so much from them and admire how hard they work to live what they know. The leaders I work with are incredible as well. They are all so organized and willing to reach out, as with everyone in our ward. We have truly been blessed here in Fresno.

We love you all and can't wait to see you this summer. We plan on making a trip out if all goes well. Much love to everyone ! We miss you !!!