Colby, Nicole, and Devri

As of late...

2012-02-04T17:06:00.009-06:00

Nothing too new is going on here...just school, work, church, and Dev. Colb got his schedule for next year when he starts his hospital rotations, so that was pretty exciting. We're almost half way done! We also just finished up an eagle project that happened in almost three weeks. We made 60 fleece blankets and put together care packages for Children's Hospital. (He is the YM pres in our ward). Winter came and already melted in Wisconsin, so we have enjoyed the warmer weather. We are staying busy and happy!

And then she was done smiling for the camera...

Sad Dev, Happy Dev

2012-01-22T21:20:00.005-06:00

I tried to take a picture of Dev tonight for my mom, but Dev had just woken up and wanted to be held and not photographed. The result...

Sad Dev

Once I set the camera down and picked her up to put on her jammies she was back to normal.

Happy Dev

Look at what I come home to!

2012-01-12T19:08:00.014-06:00

So I'm still working for Ernst & Young. After maternity leave I went back to work part-time which in public accounting is still a lot of time. A couple days a week I have to be at the client, and yesterday was one of those days. I have the hardest time leaving Devri. She stays with Colb the days I work, but I still miss her so much! I left first thing in the morning yesterday and put in a lot of hours. I called Colb on the way home to check on he and Dev. He said Dev had just fallen asleep, and he thought she was out for the night. I was so sad! However, when I walked in the door guess who was awake to greet me...

I feel so blessed to have this in my life!

and this...

and this!
Also, today it snowed in Wisconsin. It has been a very calm winter so far so we haven't had much snow. I guess winter is really going to come now.

Yep, I'm a lucky (blessed) girl! These two are who I come home to!

Christmas Break 2011

2012-01-06T21:59:00.028-06:00

I think the best part of being a student forever is that we still get a Christmas break. It did get a little trickier when I graduated and started working, but the accounting world usually slows down toward the end of December and we've been able to take about a two week break every year. As soon as Colb finished up finals and I got wrapped up at work we headed to Utah to spend the holidays with our families. We had such a wonderful break and so much fun with our families. We are so thankful for the holiday season and our knowledge of the gospel and our Savior. For all the partying and playing we did, we didn't take enough pictures but here are some of our fun break.

Above is a picture our favorite gift under the tree that we received in 2011. She has been such a blessing in our family and brough so much joy to Colb and me.

I think our families were most excited to see Devri. She spent a lot of time with all of her aunts and uncles.

Aunt Halli and Devri

Uncle Tim and Dev

Auntie Kate and Devri Kate

We spent the first few days with Slater before we dropped him off at the MTC. He is serving a mission in Russia.

All of Colb's siblings (and me and Dev). It had been a long time since we were all together.

(Tieker, Braxton, Slater, Katie Devri, Brynlie, Tim, and Colb)

I love this picture of Colb and his brothers. Colb is the oldest, but you can't really tell that by height. (Tim, Colb, Slater, Braxton, Tieker)

Devri and Great Grandma Shela

At our annual Swain Christmas party, I moved down another spot in height. I am the oldest and used to be at the top! We left a space for Mitch at the top for a bit longer.

Our sweet baby Dev on Christmas

Christmas morning at the Hales

It was extra early because we had 9 am church.

Hales Family Christmas Day

We really missed Mitch who is serving in a mission in Ukraine.It was so fun to talk to him that day though!

Christmas afternoon at the Duncans

Our attempt at a family picture

Our happy Dev

Visiting Santa

2011-12-28T06:47:00.003-06:00

On our way to Utah for the holiday break we ran into Santa at the airport (in both Milwaukee and Denver). I wasn't sure about handing my baby to a stranger, but it was Santa and she needed to tell him what was on her Christmas list so I relented. I think she must have whispered that she wanted lots of cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, and ribbon because those were her favorite things on Christmas and she was a happy camper!

Baby Vader

2011-12-05T21:37:00.005-06:00

So Grandma informed me that Halloween was a long time ago so I needed to update the blog. It seems like we have done a lot lately and so I would have a lot to blog, but I haven't taken pictures of anything. I looked on my camera for something I could post and and there was nothing so I'm recommitting to take more pictures. In the meantime I snapped a picture of Dev tonight before I put her to bed. As of last night she came down with a really bad cold (that she got from Colby who probably got it from the hospital...probably not the last time that happens.) We've been calling her Baby Vader because she is so congested and has the Darth Vader breathing. She has been a little frustrated, but is still so sweet! She turned 7 months this week! I can't believe how fast the time is passing. We love our sweet Dev!

Cute as a bug

2011-11-07T13:45:00.003-06:00

Halloween was super fun this year with a little one to dress up. We enjoyed time with friends, carved our pumpkin, and went to the Halloween party at Colb's school. All of the offices decorate and the kids go trick-or-treating to each room. Dev loved playing with the noisy packages although she didn't get to eat any of the candy this year.

We love our little ladybug!

Quick update

2011-10-31T10:28:00.002-05:00

I will post Halloween pics soon, but in the meantime here is an updated Devri picture. She is growing up so fast!

Feeling Fallish

2011-10-14T14:31:00.017-05:00

I love fall! It is a perfect time of year in Milwaukee. It cools down enough that you don't have to have the air on all the time and melt when you walk out the front door, but the chilling cold of winter hasn't quite arrived. We have tons of trees so the fall foliage is amazing! Last weekend the weather was beautiful so we enjoyed some fall festivities outside with some friends. Last year a bunch of people at work had told me one of the best places to go and see the leaves changing was Holy Hill. We didn't make it last fall because I was traveling for work most of the season, but we finally made the trip. It is a church with an observation tower you can climb and get a view of the surrounding landscape. We also ventured to a cornmaze and spent the afternoon traipsing through cornstalks and answering questions about the Greenbay Packers (who by the way are still undefeated this year). We eventually found out way out without losing anyone. Now on to the pictures!

Holy Hill

On the way up with Gessels and Brunsons

View from the top

Me and Dev enjoying the fall weather

Our sweet Dev

Family Photo at the cornmaze (This was at the end. Can you tell Dev is ready to be done?)

Taking it in

Group photo at the cornmaze with Cieslaks and Gessels (minus Stacie who is taking the picture)

Yum!

2011-10-01T14:52:00.006-05:00

Dev will be five months tomorrow! We started her on rice cereal recently. She really likes it, but is still trying to figure out eating from a spoon. I think she ends up with more on the outside than the inside.

Before:

After:

Medical School Anxiety

2011-09-26T08:16:00.001-05:00

It was the first day of my 3rd year of medical school. I was starting my surgical rotation along with a 4th-year medical student. The resident came into the room to discuss the procedure with us.
"This will be a very relaxed surgery and it will give us plenty of time to teach Mr. Duncan some of the basics of surgery."
I am thinking, "This will be great, a nice laid-back surgery for my first day!"
Just then a nurse rushes in.
"Doc, we have a car-crash victim, a 5-year-old boy, who is in very bad shape and you are the only team available. We need you now!"
The resident turns to the 4th-year student and says, "You help Mr. Duncan scrub in, I will get started. Hurry!"
I wash, get my gown, cap, gloves, booties, etc. all ready to go and just as we are rushing to get to the operating room I look down to see my Skullcandy earbuds drooping down the front of me. The 4th year screams, "You can't go into the operating room like that! Your gown isn't sterile anymore! Hurry, we have to get you changed!"
We rush to change my gown but only manage to contaminate her gear as we tried to untangle the headphones to remove them.
She frustratedly yells, "You have to get this right or you are going to be the one that kills that kid!"
I feel completely horrible and sick to my stomach as I try to get things right. That's when I wake up. Luckily it was just a dream. And luckily I am only in my 2nd year of medical school.

Momma's Helper

2011-09-15T21:10:00.006-05:00

Colb and I have been super busy with school and work this week. Dev has been a trooper! This was how she took her morning nap today while Colb was at class and I worked. (Don't mind me in my very unattractive plaid pants sporting the unshowered morning look).

Also, here are a few updated photos of our growing girl! Isn't she kissable?

Oh Bill!

2011-09-08T18:23:00.002-05:00

Nicole has been begging me to put this story up on the blog because she laughed so hard when I told it to her.

I was sitting in class one morning and my phone buzzes. So naturally I think, "That is probably Nicole texting me to check in." I discretely whip out my phone and check the message. It is not Nicole but rather a number whose contact information is not in my phone. I have to preface this by saying that I recently got a new phone because my other phone went crazy and I haven't re-entered a lot of my contacts yet. So I see this 801 number and figure it is probably someone I know. I open the message and this is what it says,

"Hi Laura.
I have to work the day shift today. Can I get a rain check? I'm really sorry.
Hugs Baby.
Bill........"

I almost bust up laughing right in the middle of lecture! So a few minutes later the lecturer takes a 5 minute break and of course I pull out my phone to show my friends. I really don't know at this point what the accepted protocol is. Do I politely tell him it is the wrong number? Or do I just ignore the text altogether? I decide against both of those options and begin typing.

"Oh Bill, you romantic..."

I glance at Sean who immediately adds, "Stallion".

"Oh Bill, you romantic stallion! This is the wrong number!"

The text I receive in response simply says, "oops."

Here's to you, Bill!

Spitting Image

2011-08-29T14:54:00.011-05:00

Since Devri was born I don't think we've had anyone say that she looks like me. Most people's first comment is she looks just like Colby. I completely agree! I found a picture of Colb when he was a baby and they look quite alike. What do you think?

Spitting image?

Devri

Colby
And me...just for fun, but not a spitting image
Colb started school again last week, so our summer is coming to an end. Here are a few pics from the weekend. Dev is spending a lot of time laughing these days! It is so funny! She is growing up so fast!

3 Whole Years!

2011-08-14T21:10:00.009-05:00

It has been three whole years since we were married! As I am sitting here writing this I keep thinking to myself, "Has it really been 3 years?" It is hard to believe that it has been that long. Sometimes it is also hard to believe that I am married to my best friend, the most beautiful girl in the world! She is the most amazing woman and now mother as well! Nicole is actually in Utah right now visiting our families and I am in Milwaukee finishing up my research before classes start in a week. I knew that it would be hard to be away from her and Devri, but it is harder than I thought! I miss them, especially on this day and want them to know how much I love and appreciate them! I love you two!

August 15th, 2008

August 15th, 2009

August 15th(-ish), 2010
Happy Anniversary!

Smiles, Slobbers, and Strawberries

2011-08-02T19:06:00.009-05:00

So our blog has turned into a baby blog all about Devri. We have had a busy summer and done a lot in the last few months, but Devri is definitely our favorite activity! Today she is three months old! Thankfully she still loves to cuddle, but she is also turning into a busy body. She much prefers being held up and looking around and everything she can grab goes straight to the mouth. She still looks a lot like her daddy and saves some of her special smiles for him. Thankfully she has some of those for me too! I couldn't stop laughing the other day when she looked up at me and smiled exactly like Colby. I have yet to catch that smile on camera, but she's a spitting image. :)

Wisconsin is known for its MANY festivals. We've made it to a few and ventured to the Strawberry Festival a couple weeks ago with our friends the Brunsons . It wouldn't be a festival without some deep-fried something, so of course we tried the deep-fried strawberry cheesecake. Yum! Dev was a trooper in the frontpack, and Colb was a trooper carrying the frontpack. I laughed at this picture of Scott and Colb in front of the "man cave". See picture here on the Brunson's blog. True manliness!

12 Weeks

2011-07-26T13:07:00.004-05:00

Devri is 12 weeks old! I don't know where the time went. I took her into the pediatrician for her 2 month check-up a couple weeks ago and she was in the 95 percentile for height, 70 percentile for weight, and 98 percentile for head circumference. Colb and I do practically anything for her smiles and coos (including but not limited to baby talk, silly faces, and even breaking out our dance moves). She is so sweet and we are very thankful to have her in our family! Love you Dev!

An Interview With Devri

2011-07-12T06:33:00.002-05:00

Our Photo Shoot

2011-07-02T12:42:00.006-05:00

The other day Dev and I got home from the doctor and she looked so cute while she slept that I decided we would have a little photo shoot. When Colb saw the pictures he said he felt bad for her getting moved so much in her sleep, but she was so out that she didn't even know what was happening.

She is two months old and definitely not looking like a newborn anymore. She is very alert and gives us lots of smiles. She has been trying out her voice a lot as well and makes some extra cute noises (just ask her mom)!

We're Back!

2011-06-24T14:56:00.000-05:00

We're back from Utah! Actually we've been back a couple weeks, but since the baby and housework have been the priorities I'm just getting around to a post now. We had a great time in Utah and the trip went by way too fast as usual. Devri and I left Colby in Milwaukee to finish finals and flew to Utah on May 25. Yes, I was slightly crazy to take my new baby to a germy airport and fly by myself. She was only 3 weeks and 2 days (I started rounding up to a month when people asked), but I kept her covered, used LOTS of hand sanitizer, and she was an angel baby!

One diaper malfunction, a security pat-down, a layover in Vegas (yes Vegas is on the way to SLC from Milwaukee), and three dropped pacifiers later, we arrived safely to Utah.

Colb joined us the next week. It was so much fun to introduce all of our family to Devri. Being the first grandchild on both sides, she was definitely miss popular with the grandparents, aunts, and uncles. We almost had to set a timer to take turns holding her. Katie said to someone, "if you hear about a baby being ripped in two this week, you'll know it's the Duncan-Hales baby." She is a lucky baby and very loved!

While we were home we were also able to attend so many fun and neat family events. We went to Mitch and Slater's high school graduation, went through the temple with Mitch and my cousin Kamille, went to Kamille's sealing and reception, blessed Devri, and celebrated Colb's birthday. All of it was wonderful and reminded me what a blessing families are.

We were also able to bless Devri in our Roosevelt home ward where both of our families live and where Colby and I grew up. I couldn't believe that our brothers are old enough to stand in the circle and it was really special to have them participate. We are so thankful to be surrounded by such wonderful and supportive family! I've watched many baby blessings throughout my life and it was a little surreal to witness the blessing of my own child. Also, still a little crazy to me that my child is also Colby Duncan's child...that fourth grade boy I used to square dance with. I'm so thankful to be living my dreams and that they are both mine for eternity!

Thanks family and friends for a wonderful trip! Of course I wish we had taken more pictures, but below are a few from our travels.

Two Weeks

2011-05-17T22:03:00.005-05:00

I can't believe how quickly the first two weeks have passed! Devri and I spend pretty much all of our time (night and day) eating, sleeping, and changing. I love it! I didn't know how it would be to go from long, busy hours at work to full-time mom, but it's been the greatest part of my life. I could sit for hours and just hold her and watch her (and I do).

Colb is done with his first year of classes and just has finals to go which start on Thursday. Although he has to study, it has been so fun to have him home with us most of the day.

I love my little family so much and I'm thankful for all we have been blessed with in the last year! It has been an amazing first year!

Devri Kate - One Week Old

2011-05-14T11:24:00.000-05:00

Introducing Devri Kate Duncan

2011-05-08T10:39:00.005-05:00

We are so excited to have our little Devri home with us! Devri made her grand entrance Monday, May 2 at 7:47 pm. My water broke in the shower that morning (how convenient!) so I called Colby who was already at school to tell him the news. He didn't believe me at first since it was 4 days before my due date and we were not expecting her to come early. However, he came home and we made our way to the hospital and 9 hours later had a baby. Everything went very smooth during labor and delivery, and I felt enough to know that I am very thankful for epidurals! The baby was originally posterior, but the doctor got her to turn as she was born. We all had guesses for how much she would weigh. The doctor and Colb guessed 7 pounds 4 ounces, the nurse guessed 7 pounds 1 ounce, and I guessed 7 pounds 8 ounces. She came in at a whopping 8 pounds 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long (which was a big baby for her momma). She has been such a good, sweet-natured baby. She cries very little and gives us lots of cute facial expressions. She looks a lot like her daddy, but is starting to look more like her momma as she changes each day. We are so thankful for her sweet spirit in our home and adore her! I think she already has daddy (and momma) wrapped around her finger!

It has also been so fun to have Grandma Darc (my mom) here with us. As soon as she got news that little Dev was coming early, she changed her flight and jumped on an airplane and arrived about 1 am the night Devri was born. We have had lots of fun playing dress up and catching up since we've been so far away. We are also super excited to take a trip to Utah so we can see the rest of our family and introduce them to our Devri. We love you Dev!

Belly Bump Update!

2011-04-12T21:32:00.013-05:00

We hit the 36-week mark last Friday and we are so excited for this little girl to get here! Nicole has been experiencing some contractions as of late so we know that it is really getting close! Here is a slew of updated pictures of Nicole's belly.

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

39 Weeks

I have also made some other posts that we have been wanting to add but we just haven't had time. I back-dated these posts over the last several months so, even if you have been following the blog, check back and see if there is anything new!

Calf Pulling With Dad

2011-03-21T21:00:00.002-05:00

While home over spring break I was able to help my dad do surgery on a baby foal who had broken its maxillary sinus. It had pieces of the bone stuck inside and it was quite the challenge! Well, for my dad anyway. All I did was hold the foal and try to keep it from running away!

Then we spent one evening delivering a baby calf. I also did not do much here besides hand my dad the chains, gloves, etc. It was fun though, and a really good experience! But for some reason I could not talk Nicole into coming with me...

We Are Thieves

2011-03-21T16:52:00.001-05:00

I totally stole this picture from one of our friend's blogs! It was a nice little picture of some of our first-year medical student friends, Trevor & Teresa, and Sarah & Scott (taking the picture).

Roosevelt Baby Shower

2011-03-16T15:19:00.009-05:00

Nicole and I went to Utah for spring break and we had a great time. While we were there, my sisters, Katie & Brynlie, organized a great baby shower for Nicole. There were a lot of family and friends there and it was awesome! Everyone was so generous and amazing!

Spring Break!

2011-03-12T15:21:00.012-06:00

Finally! After a couple of busy blocks of school and busy season, we have a spring break to help us regain our sanity! We arrived in Salt Lake and went to dinner with Nicole's family at Red Iguana, which was very tasty! The next day we got up early for Brian and Heather's wedding. It was a great day, the ceremony was amazing, pictures were fun, and the dinner afterwards was fantastic! We even saw Donny Osmond at the temple as he was attending another sealing ceremony.

On Wednesday we received another treat. Nicole's little brother, Mitch, received his mission call to the Donets'k, Ukraine mission. We are very excited for him!

On Friday we finished off the week with the reception which was awesome. Here are a few pics since they will do it a lot more justice than I could describe!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:25:00.007-06:00

We had a great Valentine's Day! Actually, we celebrated it on Saturday instead because it was easier for us on the weekend. Nicole and I split up the Valentine's Day responsibilities, she was in charge of the activity and I was in charge of dinner. Nicole debuted "Nicole's Spa" and she gave me a great spa treatment and massage! I didn't do quite that well but I did make a raspberry/oreo cheesecake for dessert and it actually wasn't that bad! Check it out!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Pictures and Packers

2011-01-21T18:26:00.012-06:00

Disclaimer: Colby started this post (complete with a slew of pregnancy pictures), but is heading into test week and hasn't had time to finish it. I decided to finish and post and have strongly considered deleting all pictures of myself below. However, due to popular demand and since we really are far away from you, I consented and the photos remain. Enjoy!

January has brought a lot of changes--the most obvious probably being my belly. While the Energizer bunny keeps going, and going, and going, I just keep growing,

22 Weeks

and growing,

23 Weeks

and growing,

24 Weeks

and growing!

25 Weeks

When Halli saw the last picture of me, I think her exact words were "Holy Cow!" We still have a few more months to go, but Colby and I can't wait for our baby girl to be here! Colby is getting to be the pro researching baby furniture, discussing baby names, and even giving an occasional opinion on baby girl clothes. I love it! In the meantime, we are staying very very busy with school and work and enjoying our time in Milwaukee.

In other news... Colby and I are becoming true Wisconsians as we cheer for the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl next week. Go Packers!

The Holidaze!

2011-01-05T20:30:00.019-06:00

December really went by in a blur, but it was such a good, full month and there is lots to catch up on! The first couple weeks flew by as Colb was studying like crazy for the last block of tests to finish up his first semester of medical school. I stayed busy working lots of hours to get all of my audits wrapped up before the holidays. As soon as we got to the night of December 16 the party began. Colb took his last final and I put in my last day at work (for the year). That night we celebrated with our med school friends making gingerbread houses, eating treats, and watching The Grinch. And yes, mine and Colb's house is not technically a gingerbread house. It's a gingerbread U-Haul. They are a gingerbread family in between homes.

Me and Colb

Trevor and Teresa

Sarah and Scott

Ashlyn and BK

The next day was one I had been looking forward to for months. It was our 20 week ultrasound and I couldn't wait to see our baby again and find out the gender. The baby was growing well and right on track. For the first little bit the baby decided to keep its legs crossed, but then SHE let us get a glance and we found out we are having a baby GIRL! We are so excited to be parents and welcome this little girl into our family!

I think she is so cute with her little legs crossed!

Another snapshot of our baby girl

Another fun and crazy thing is that one of the other medical school couples (Trevor and Teresa) that we are good friends with is having a baby and due the same day as us. They also had their 20 week ultrasound, and so we all celebrated our news together!

The next day had also been long awaited as we flew home to Utah. After a few delays, changes in itinerary, and missing luggage, we eventually made it to Salt Lake and even retrieved all of our three suitcases, two backpacks, and one duffle bag! Yay for holiday travel! We spent two weeks in Utah and it went by SO fast! That fact that our families live down the street from each other definitely has its benefits and we truly enjoyed spending time with all of them! We had fabulous food, company, and entertainment the whole time! We thoroughly enjoyed the holidays and the time we had to reflect on the ultimate giver of gifts--our Savior.

At the end of the two weeks we loaded up our FOUR suitcases, two duffle bags, and one backpack and flew back to Milwaukee. Now we are back to real life as Colb started into another semester of school and I am headed into busy season.

In all of that luggage Colb and I still managed to forget a camera to go to Utah. Here are a few holiday photos that we've been able to gather from other people. Sadly we don't have any pictures with the Duncan Family!

The growing Hales Family

The Lovebirds - We are so excited to welcome
Heather into our family and have a wedding in March!

The Swain Grandkids
The Swain Family Christmas Party is always December 26. We have a tradition that all the grandchildren line up along the wall to get their pictures taken. We take two pictures - one is oldest to youngest and the other is tallest to shortest. I am the OLDEST, but continue to move down the line as everyone passes me in height.

The Girls

Me, Mom, and Halli

19 Weeks
20 Weeks

21 Weeks
Us at the Hales Family Christmas Party

18 Week Progress Report

2010-12-05T19:08:00.008-06:00

So... Just a quick progress report on the beautiful mother-to-be. She is 18 weeks along and doing great! I thought that I would post a few before pictures starting at 4 weeks and the current picture at 18 weeks for a little side-by-side comparison.

4 Weeks

5 Weeks

6 Weeks

7 Weeks

8 Weeks

9 Weeks

10 Weeks

11 Weeks

12 Weeks

13 Weeks

14 Weeks

15 Weeks

16 Weeks

17 Weeks

18 Weeks

I know that it might not seem like a big difference yet, but that baby has been doing some growing the last few weeks! And I am sure that anytime now that belly is going to start really poking out there! We are so excited, especially that in less than 2 weeks we will find out if it is a boy or a girl! If anyone cares to make a wager on what the gender will be, please feel free! (I am going to add my guess right after I post this.)

In other news, Nicole has been really busy with work, like crazy busy! I have one week left of class and then tests the next week. We got our first real snow of the season, only about 3-4 inches, but it definitely helps us to be in a more festive mood. We are plugging away for these next two weeks before finishing the first semester of medical school and we get to fly home to Utah for the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T17:48:00.007-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving and a wonderful break this past weekend!
I have to write this one post really quickly because it was definitely the funniest part of the weekend. We were driving back from Thanksgiving with some friends when the two pregnant ladies in our car decided that they ABSOLUTELY had to have some sweet potato fries! We stopped to get some dinner when the following conversation occurred at our table:

Nicole (after our food arrived at the table):

Wow! I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach!

Me:

Yeah, but pretty soon your stomach will be bigger than your eyes!

(Laughter from the four of us at the table)

Complete and total stranger sitting at the table next to us with his little boy:

Wow! Did you really just say that to her?

Nicole:

Oh! It's OK, I'm pregnant.

It was really funny and we all got a really big laugh out of it, especially after the guy and his son left!

Family: Isn't It About Time?

2010-11-14T20:02:00.009-06:00

Yes, indeed it is about time for Cole and I! We are so excited to announce that we will be having a baby in May! And it is ABOUT TIME we started this family, right?! Many of you may have already heard but we wanted to make the official blog post and to give the full story to those who may not have heard it.

Nicole and I moved to Milwaukee the first week of August. Nicole started work again for Ernst & Young in the Milwaukee office and I started medical school at MCW. After a few weeks Nicole started having the "feeling" that she might be pregnant so we made the long drive to Target to pick up a few tests before making the even longer drive home! When we got home she took the test and put it on the bathroom sink for the required 3 minutes. She went in first to look at it before I came in after her. She tried very hard to hide her expressions but I knew right away what it said!

Pregnancy Test

We were so excited for this news! After a few weeks Nicole made her first appointment with the doctor and we got our ultrasound pictures which were so amazing! I never really thought ultrasound pictures were anything too great to look at but it is way different when it is your kid that you are looking at! This was one of our favorites that they took at 11 weeks (4 weeks ago).

11 Week Ultrasound

And of course I made Nicole pose for a pregnancy picture this morning. There really hasn't been much to show up until the last few days. Nicole is just over 15 weeks along today! She wanted to keep her cardigan on but I told her that would not work for a belly shot so she had to hold it back. She looks great!

15 Week Pregnancy Photo

Fall Fun

2010-10-26T22:26:00.012-05:00

Fall has been a busy, busy time for me and Colb this year! Colb spends most of his time studying, at school, and studying. He's made it through his first two blocks of tests and is getting ready for the next batch in a week and a half.

However, he has had plenty of alone time to study as I have been working on the road for the last month. I have been in Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Canada, and California. Thankfully, this is my last week out of town (for a bit) and I get to go home to Milwaukee!

In the short weekends that we have together, we play really hard. We love our new friends in Milwaukee and spend a lot of weekends with the other M1 couples doing anything from temple trips to game nights. On the weekend before test week, I usually party with only the girls (since the guys are way too busy studying).

We haven't been very good at remembering the camera, but here are a couple pictures from our Mario Cart tournament/pictionary/breakfast-for-dinner night and a few from intermural flag football. (Long story, but you won't see any flags in these flag football pictures...)

The Gang (or part of us) eating dinner

The guys intense on their Wii game

Teresa and Ashlyn slaving away in the kitchen

The team

My flag football player

The huddle

Seven-Eighty-Eight

2010-10-05T18:19:00.003-05:00

(Days married to my best friend. Love you Cole!)

Loving Wife!

2010-09-30T23:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to make a quick post with a picture of me and my amazingly beautiful wife! She is the best and I love her so much! I can't wait for her to get back from Canada tomorrow!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

2010-09-22T00:47:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago I won the office tickets to watch the Milwaukee Brewers, so Colby and I and some medical school friends went to the baseball game. We had great seats just behind 3rd base on the third row. It was a beautiful day at Miller Park, and we enjoyed being outside and watching some baseball.

Trevor, Teresa, Nicole, and Colby
(Trevor and Colby had their first round of medical school tests the next day, so we were glad they took a study break to watch some baseball.)

Miller Park

Sausage Racing: A Brewer Fan Favorite
(Every home game after the 6th inning, these five sausages race from third base to home plate and end at first base. It's pretty entertaining to watch.)

Just us

Thankful

2010-09-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

I think it was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I don't know if we would say that there was any fondness absent, but our move to Milwaukee has given Colby and me an even greater appreciation for our families. It's kind of a crazy feeling when you can't jump in the car and see them in a few hours.

We are so thankful for the love and support they give us. We appreciate all the help and sacrifices they made to help us make this move and start this new phase of our lives. We miss being close and watching soccer and football games, school programs, violin and piano recitals, and everything that's going on in their lives. However, we are very thankful for cell phones, Skype, text messaging, e-mail, Facebook, and blogs. We love you all--Dad and Mom Duncan, Dad and Mom Hales, Katie, Brian, Braxton, Tim, Mitch, Slater, Brynlie, Tieker, and Halli!

Below are a couple of family pictures right before we moved.

The Hales Clan

The Duncan Clan
(minus Tim who is serving a mission in Scotland)

Big Changes Coming To The Blog!

2010-09-02T22:30:00.001-05:00

This is Colby, just checking in on the blog. Nicole has done a great job keeping it updated lately! I thought I would try to contribute a little bit by adding the new picture to the top of the page. Nothing special. Look for more awesome updates in the weeks to come!

White Coat Ceremony

2010-08-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

Colb is officially on his way to becoming a doctor. We attended his White Coat Ceremony a couple weeks ago where the new medical students are "robed" in their white coats. During the program they talked about the the sacrifice required to become a doctor and the compassion it takes to be an effective doctor. It was really inspiring, and I might have even shed a fear tears. Colb is going to be a great doctor!

He has now completed his first two weeks of classes and loving it. I asked him if it has been everything he expected and he said it was more intense than he thought it would be, but he is doing great, studying a lot, and looking forward to the rest.

White Coat: Check!

Two Years Down and an Eternity to Go

2010-08-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

As of last Sunday, Colb and I have been married for two years! I can't believe it! In a way it seems like the time has passed so quickly. On the other hand, it feels like it's been forever that we've been married.

It has been a wonderful two years, and I'm so thankful for an eternity ahead of us! Can't wait to share this new chapter of our lives with an amazing man and my best friend! Love you Colb!

Colb heard a song on the radio that was stuck in his head for a few days. I really liked the chorus and thought it voiced some of my feelings after two years together!

You and me together, we could do anything, Baby
You and me together yeah, yeah

Welcome to Milwaukee

2010-08-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

Colb and I have officially moved! We packed our bags, loaded the truck, and started the long drive to Wisconsin last Wednesday.

Colb is attending medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). He was told yesterday that MCW could also stand for Mormons, Californians, and Wisconsinians which seems quite fitting after meeting some of the other students. I transferred offices and am still working at Ernst & Young.

We will miss our families and friends, Sugarhouse Park, Café Rio, and the mountains, but we are excited for the new adventures that await us here in Milwaukee. Although life continues to be busy and crazy, we will try to be better about keeping the blog current with updates about our journey.

The Last Hurrah

2010-07-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

Colb and I decided that we needed one last hurrah before he started medical school, so we decided to go on a cruise at the beginning of July. Our cruise left from Miami and went to Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. We had a blast! The absolutely only sad part of the cruise is that we didn't get to go to Belize because we were following hurricane Alex, and it was too windy to get into port.

The water was amazing! We went to beaches that I only thought existed on postcards and relaxed to our heart's content. We shopped, snorkeled, and explored these amazing parts of the world.

Hunkin' Duncan

2010-06-10T18:51:00.000-05:00

Some days I still have a hard time believing that I am actually married to Colby Duncan—the talented, smart, good looking, funny, caring guy that I grew up with. Among some of the Union High School girls, he was also known as “Hunkin’ Duncan” and pretty wonderful. He is still pretty wonderful, and I am so grateful to be married to him!

He turned 25 on Monday and so I thought I’d share 25 (of the billion) things I love about him and that he’s done in the last year.

1. He was accepted to medical school and starts this fall. He’s going to be a great doctor!

2. He is the most patient person I have ever met in my life. He never gets mad or loses his temper (which is a lot more than most of us can say). ;o)

3. Ran a marathon last month (and did a lot of other running) and did a great job! He is very self-disciplined. We trained for the marathon together, and he always kept me going. I am not as fast as him so he would run back and forth past me so he was still close to me when we were running in the dark. I really appreciate all the extra laps he ran around Liberty and Sugarhouse parks, the late night and early morning pep talks, and the thumbs up every time we passed.

4. He’s done more dishes and folded more laundry than I have in the past year, and he’s good at it! (maybe we should keep this going…)

5. He can fix anything especially computers and keeps me and the rest of the family in good computer condition.

6. He is unselfish and spends his extra time volunteering at two hospitals, working with the young men, keeping chores done, etc.

7. He tells the best jokes ever and always makes me laugh.

8. He has a strong testimony of the gospel.

9. He is a consistent exerciser. It is one of my favorite things to do with him (although he may not always believe that).

10. Smart, intelligent, and always has the answers

11. Family man

12. Optimistic

13. He is a great cuddler (my justification to him for why we only sleep on ¼ of our already small bed). ;o)

14. Good listener

15. Very supportive and encouraging--brings out the best in people

16. Values educations and learning

17. Attractive—tan skin, big green eyes, nice muscles, dark hair

18. He can do a little bit of everything—sports, music, building, cars, cook, books, etc. This always gives me a huge sense of security and is also really fun because he has lots of interests.

19. He can name songs, music groups, etc. with the best of them!

20. Great team player—I always want him on my team when we are just playing games with the fam and especially in life. Glad he’s my partner!

21. He is a great goal setter and accomplisher.

22. Thoughtful (and loving, respective, caring, considerate)…

23. He graduated with a degree in Chemistry and minors in Math, Physics, and Biology. (Refer to number 10).

24. Kind—they always told us as young women that when we were looking for a spouse we should watch how a guy treats small animals, old ladies, and his mother and sisters to see if they would be kind of respectful. That is Colb. He is extremely gentle with small animals, all of the older ladies in our ward and condos adore him (we live in a retired community), and he treats his mom, sisters, and me like queens!

25. He is a hard worker. Whether it is doing physical labor, writing medical school essays, exercising, working at the U, reventing the dryer, or formatting a computer, he gives 110%.

Yes, I’m lucky enough to be married to this amazing guy. Love you Colb! I am so thankful for an eternity with you!

Race Time!

2010-05-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

Run a marathon: Check!

Medical College of Wisconsin?

2010-05-25T10:02:00.001-05:00

Yes please! I am in!

The Primary President

2010-05-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

So today at church we were sitting in the chapel waiting for sacrament meeting and I was up in front of the chapel waiting to pass the sacrament. As I passed the sacrament I noticed that Nicole had left the chapel, or so I thought. When I finished passing and returned to our seat I found that she was still absent. I continued towards the door to see if she was outside when I spotted her at the back of the chapel sitting next to one of her primary kids.
After she got up and we returned to our seats I asked her about her odd disappearance. It turns out she had seen one of her primary girls crying at the back of the chapel and Nicole had gone to comfort her and to sit by her until her brothers returned from passing the sacrament as well. It just reminded me of how great Nicole is and how much she cares about others. She is the best primary president!

The Countdown

2010-05-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

It is Friday the 14th and there are only 21 hours left until the marathon starts! We have our running gear, shoes, music and headphones, gummies, and we are way excited to get going! Today we will drive to Ogden and visit the Expo to pick up our race bibs. Then off we go to bed! We will wake up tomorrow at about 4 AM to eat breakfast and start getting ready. The bus leaves at 4:45 and then we are off! Wish us luck!

Ogden Marathon

2010-05-13T11:50:00.000-05:00

So it has been awhile since the blog has been updated...again. Sorry! Life has been pretty crazy since the last post. I interviewed at the Medical College of Wisconsin on March 5th and flew to Virginia to interview at Virginia Tech on March 6th! We have heard back from those two schools and the University of Utah and I am currently on the wait-list for all three. In March Nicole spent three weeks in Fresno, CA working hard on an audit there. All-the-while we were putting in the miles for our marathon training.
The marathon is in two days and we are getting very excited! We have worked really hard and put in hours and hours of running to be able to do this. It is going to be an awesome experience and I know that we can do this. I can't believe that it is already here. We will have more pictures and stories to tell after this weekend, I am sure. That is the basic update on our lives right now. The marathon has been a big focus for us these last few weeks. We will post again this weekend and share our experiences from the marathon!

BYU Vs. Utah Game

2010-02-03T16:48:00.000-06:00

So, it has been an interesting month! Since the last post Nicole and I have been pretty busy. Nicole started her busy season and has been working like crazy! I was supposed to go on the Klondike camp but was sick and it was snowing hard so I didn't end up going. As I recovered from my sickness I developed the nice cold sore that you can see in the picture. That weekend we went to Avatar in 3D and had a great time. The young men also took first in the Klondike sled race so we threw a short pizza/wii party for them and had a blast!

Nicole and I went to the Jazz Vs. Kings game on Friday night and then the BYU Vs. Utah game on Saturday. I love to watch the Jazz, especially when they play well which they have been. And of course Nicole had fun watching Kyle Korver! Saturday was actually really busy and as you can see from the picture I clearly love Nicole to pieces because I wore a blue shirt! I still cheered hard for the U though! I am going to try harder to keep the blog up-to-date, but I have a hard time posting without pictures which means I will need to take more pictures.

In other news, Nicole and I are making it through the winter with hopes of a sunny vacation sometime in the coming months. We are also training hard for the Ogden Marathon on May 15th. It is really exciting to be doing it but it is going to be a lot of work! I have an interview at the Medical College of Wisconsin on March 5th and as of yet we have not heard back from the U. We hope that whenever we hear back that it will be good news!

Home for the Holidays

2010-01-10T20:16:00.000-06:00

This year we had a special treat for the holidays. Colb and I both had brothers serving missions who returned home. Brian Hales arrived home two days before Thanksgiving from the Argentina, Buenos Aires West Mission. Braxton Duncan returned a few weeks later on December 15 from the New York, Rochester Mission. We are so excited to have them back!

We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in cold Roosevelt and really enjoyed the time, good food, visiting, games, late nights, traditions, and family. We missed Tim who is in the MTC learning Chinese and preparing to serve in the Scotland, Edinburgh Mission. We also missed Grandma Lamb who passed away Christmas Eve returning to our heavenly home for the holidays. We are so thankful for the gospel in our lives and our knowledge of eternal families.

We had wonderful holidays and thoroughly enjoyed the time together and not working!

We don't have pics right now of Brax getting home, but I'll go ahead and post the a few holiday pics.

Our first moments with Bri and the airport

Rise and shout the cougars are out!
BYU vs. Utah football game

Cheering on our teams

Playing some Wii over the break
(I love Mom in the background folding laundry)

Making Christmas sugar cookies with Colb
This is my least favorite part as you can see by the mess (where are you when I need you LeAnn)!

The finished products!
We made over four dozen--way too many!

The guys talked Halli into giving them a back rub after dinner

11 Minute Abs = Distraction

2009-10-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

First off, we will be going private within in the next week so if you haven't already given us your email please do so.

Next, I want to tell you about a funny story that occurred last night. Nicole and I were doing 11 minute abs together and got onto the topic of Nicole's birthday. I had gotten her gifts earlier that day but she didn't know anything about it. This is how the conversation went:

Nicole: Will you promise to tell me one thing and be honest?
Colby: Sure.
Nicole: How many birthday presents did you get me? Was it just one or was it more than that?
Colby: Hmmm. I don't think I can answer that.
Nicole: Why not? You promised to tell me!
Colby: Yeah. I can't tell you that now though.
Nicole: Please? It's really important for me to know!
Colby: Why? What does it matter if I got you one gift or if I got you thre.... Oops.
Nicole: What?
Colby: Nothing, I didn't say anything.
Nicole: Yes you did! What was it?

Well, after deciding that it really didn't matter if I got her one gift or three gifts, I finally told her what she had missed. And we had a pretty good laugh afterward. I couldn't believe that I would be so easy to fool!

Following the Trend

2009-10-18T22:14:00.000-05:00

P.S. We're following this smart trend and going private, so comment with your e-mail if you want to view our blog.

Where did the time go?

2009-10-18T20:56:00.000-05:00

Has it really been two months since we last posted? Life has been wonderful and busy. I don't think there's any way to fit in everything we've been doing, but we will try to share a few of the highlights.

I am the primary president in our ward and today was our annual primary program. It was such a neat experience and something that I am also glad is now over. I was a little nervous about it all coming together, but it always does. It was another testimony building experience that this is truly the Lord's work. The primary theme this year is My Eternal Family. I'm so thankful for all of my family. My parents, Mitch, and Halli came out for the weekend and it was so fun for Colb and me to spend some time with them.

Colb is starting to volunteer at the new Riverton hospital in the emergency department. He starts in a couple weeks and is really excited for this experience.

I've been helping with recruiting at work and love it. I went up to Utah State about a month ago for Meet the Firms. About three years ago, I was a student at USU attending my first Meet the Firms and learning about internships. Three years later, I've come full circle and was now doing the recruiting instead of being recruited. We went to the Ryan Shupe concert at BYU for recruiting last night. I really enjoy meeting the students, plus I have to say that it is great to be on the other side! We love Ryan Shupe, and they are so talented.

In case you didn't know, last week was National Chemistry week (I'm married to a chemist, I now know these things). We spent last Saturday at the city library doing science experiments for children. Colb has been volunteering at this event with the American Chemical Society for three years (and I've even been twice now). Playing with fire, liquid nitrogen, and slime is right up Colb's alley so he loves it and is great with the kids! My personal favorite is shaving cream art.

One of the great benefits of marrying someone that you went to high school with is that you know the same people and have lots of the same friends. We were excited that one of our high school friends got married a couple weeks ago, so we could catch up with him and a bunch of our high school friends. It was crazy to see everyone (and kids) and talk about school and jobs and realize how grown up we all are.

It's official! I passed the CPA! I have everything done and am now just finishing up all the paperwork. It feels so good!

There's actually a ton more that we've been doing, but I realized this could go on forever if I keep going. We helped tile the clinic, went to the Scarlet Pimpernel, went fishing and four wheeling, worked lots, took an institute class, played with the Duncan's new puppies, and lots more. Our days and evenings are all pretty full, but we are happy and really enjoying this stage of life. Hope everything is going well for all of you!

Colb volunteers at Primary Children's Medical Center every week.
The kids are very entertained as you can see!

1 Year Anniversary!

2009-08-14T16:12:00.000-05:00

So, I don't really have any pictures to post at this time. I have been working a big post of the things we have been up to lately and there are some good pictures there. However, the coolest thing happening right now is that we will have been married for a whole entire year tomorrow! I can't believe how fast it has gone by. Since we got married Nicole has finished her last semester of school to get her Master's degree, started working at Ernst & Young and has been there for more than 8 months. I finished my bachelor's and have been working the University of Utah for 2 1/2 months. It is crazy! I wanted to update everyone on this amazing accomplishment and milestone for us. I know that one year is not that long but it is our first anniversary and we are so excited for it! Next, I want to thank Nicole for being such a great wife and friend. I know that I am not the easiest person to live with by far (and I eat cereal for dinner. OK?! I admit it!), but she loves me still the same. She is the best and I couldn't ask for anyone better! I love her so much and she is the greatest and best part of my life! I couldn't live without her! Here is to a great year and many more (plus eternity!) to come!

Nicole Vs. The CPA

2009-08-03T23:15:00.000-05:00

So Nicole has been studying furiously for the CPA and takes the third section this coming Friday. She has been listening to lectures and one of the lecturers, Pete Olinto (who, by the way, actually has a few pretty funny videos on YouTube), says that there is an inverse relationship between happiness and passing the CPA. Well, it also has been making me feel bad for her! And thus the sad face at the beginning of the post. I also have things I am working on as well but it does give me a little time to catch up on our blog.

We had a great time the past month with the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, the The Fray concert, and the Swain Family reunion. The Fray and Jack's Mannequin were awesome in concert and we got some great pictures, especially of Nicole's cousin, Dave, who was crowd surfing. I was glad to see Nicole get down in the crowd and toss those crowd surfers around! The temple open house was incredible, I would say my favorite part was the chandelier in the celestial room. For the reunion we went four-wheeling and it was awesome! I finally got some sun on my arms and legs and we all got incredibly dirty. Nicole's uncle Mike took us on this steep cliff, or maybe it was a hill, and we made it down after sliding a little bit. Actually we were sliding and Mike came running back up the hill saying "Use your back breaks!" and I was like "Oh yeah! I have back breaks too!" Anyway, it was kind of funny and we had such a great time being there with her family.

We also went to the MLS All-Stars vs. Everton FC soccer (futbol) game at Rio Tinto Stadium. The MLS All-Stars lost in a great game and an intense shootout at the end! We have had a great summer, except for the CPA part, and we are looking forward to more fun things to come!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-08T12:27:00.000-05:00

Colb and I really enjoyed our long 4th of July weekend. We spent time with both of our families and had a great time. The Hales Family Reunion was this weekend so we were able to see my Hales grandparents and my dad’s four sister’s families. We swam, rock climbed, hiked, played games, did skits, sang, ate lots of food, and visited. It was so fun to see everyone and we lucked out this year at only having four people in the whole family not there which is pretty good once you get up to around 50 people. We spent the rest of the weekend at Duncan’s doing fireworks, playing games, and having fun. I also learned that at the Duncan house 4th of July weekend is also full of helping dogs that got ran over by four-wheelers and had run-ins with porcupines. We are so grateful to have such wonderful families and appreciate the support and love the give us! We hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!

Nicole and Colby at Moonshine Arch

Dad, Halli, Colb, and Nicole on the arch

Hal and I thought it was pretty high!

The Cousins

Dave, Allie, Linsday, Nicole, and Colby

Graduation Weekend

2009-06-23T17:04:00.001-05:00

I realized time was passing and I hadn’t posted anything about our graduation weekend. The last weekend in May we drove to Roosevelt for Tim’s (Colb’s brother) graduation from Union High School. Tim was the salutatorian and did a fantastic job speaking. Of course, he even made me tear up a bit. It was really fun because my cousins, Kamille and Veronika, were also graduating. We are so proud of all of them! Tim is getting ready to turn in his mission papers, Kamille starts college at BYU in the fall, and Veronika moved back to Germany. I can’t believe how fast we are all growing up!

Colby, Tim, and Nicole

Nicole, Kamille, Mom, and Mitch

Veronika and Tim

We woke up very early on Saturday and drove back to Salt Lake for Colb’s graduation from Westminster which was that afternoon. Colb graduated from Westminster College with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and minors in math, physics, and biology. Of course, he is amazing, extremely intelligent, and I am really proud of him. There was a graduation brunch that morning that we went to with Nelson and Trudy and then we all celebrated afterwards at Little America for dinner.

It was a great weekend full of family and celebration. Good job graduates!

Colby

Colby and Nicole with the Griffin (a.k.a. The Peep)

Colby and Nicole at Westminster

3-11! 3-3-11! 3-11! 3-3-11!

2009-06-12T01:23:00.000-05:00

So 311, in my opinion, is one of the best bands ever! Last summer Mark and I went to the 311 concert and since then we have really been wanting to go again. Nicole has also been wanting to go to real concerts (UBIC doesn't count) and so we had contemplated buying 311 tickets but they were 50 bucks! Well, one sunny Saturday morning (which means it must have been in May because I don't think those days exist in June this year) I check my email and what to my surprise, but 311 tickets were on sale for only 10 dollars a piece! We got six of them and so Nicole, Mark, Sarah, and my little bros, Slater and Tim, and I all went to see 311 live!

It had rained all day and I was worried that we were going to get soaked. We didn't care too much about seeing the opening acts so we arrived promptly at 9:00 (the concert started at 7:00) at which time the rain stopped and the clouds departed. We got there just before 311 went on stage so it was perfect timing!

We rocked and jammed until 11:30 or so and then headed home, our ears ringing. We had such an amazing time and 311 is so good live! I really like their music but it is a huge adrenaline rush to hear them and see them play! And to get to enjoy it with my cute and wonderful wife was the best ever!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

2009-05-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

April kind of showered down on us and was a very busy month. We took a trip to Roosevelt for Easter weekend and had a blast. It is so hard to get our fill of being home and seeing both families in such a short weekend. We were lucky enough to get two Easters. We colored eggs twice, hunted for eggs twice, and ate tons of good food.

Easter at the Hales

Since we've been older Easter egg hunts at my house have started to change. Instead of just candy, mom and dad put money eggs into the mix. This year I missed the memo but all of the metalic eggs were money eggs. Dad hid over 100 eggs around the backyard and then the four of us (Colb, me, Mitch, and Halli) started to hunt.

Colb and I used a bad strategy this year and me, Colb, and Hal all went to the same side of the yard while Mitch wiped out the eggs on the other side. It gets pretty wild and Mitch and I even wrestled to get a metalic egg out of the bottom of the big black garbage can. (I did win that one with a little bit of dad's help!) Next year with Bri home too we better make a different game plan.

It started to rain on us at the end of the hunt and we went inside and colored eggs. We colored all of the hardboiled eggs and then started coloring raw eggs. Don't worry, we only dropped one!

This is a picture of the Easter egg fruit basket. Colb made a yellow egg that said, "I'm a banana" and that started it. We then made a strawberry, watermelon, even a gourd (not really a fruit), and an apple.

Easter at the Duncans

At the Duncan's, Katie is incredibly creative and we had all kinds of Easter decorating materials. We tie died eggs, painted eggs, tied blown out eggs, glittered eggs, and even beaded eggs. I was also given multiple University of Utah red eggs.

Later we had our Easter egg hunt. We all had an egg with our name on it to find. This time Colb hid all of the eggs so Brynie, Katie, and I decided to hide Colb's egg. I was worried that he would find it while he was hiding the rest of the eggs, but it was the very last egg found in the hunt.

Of course, Slater was the first to find it since it was behind the license plate of the Buick. We finally played the hot or cold game with Colb to help him find his special egg.

Halli and Sissy's Girls Night Out

Everyone was still on Spring Break the Monday after Easter. Mom, dad, Hal, Mitch, and Grandma Shela came out to Salt Lake to go to the Jazz game. Halli, at 6-years-old, wasn't too thrilled about going to the Jazz game and Colb had class so Hal and I stayed home and had Girls Night Out. Halli planned our activities for the night. We made and decorated spring sugar cookies and gave ourselves pedicures.

BYU Graduation

I graduated in December with my Masters of Accountancy, but at BYU there is no December graduation so I officially walked last week. It was fun to get back and see a lot of my friends and have a reason to celebrate. I was so excited to have a hood and then didn't even remember to take any pictures of it.

Colb and I have so much family support. Mom, dad, Nelson, and Trudy all made the drive out and sat through three hours of graduation. I love and appreciate them so much!

Colb recorded a little so you can see graduation without having to sit through all three hours! It was kind of fun to move up in the alphabet and be a "D". We were the very first.

I am so thankful to have attended school at BYU. I was talking Colb (and he even agreed with me) that there is something really neat about being at graduation and being able to really talk about the future I want. The speaker talked about how to have success in life. However, it wasn't just about our future careers, but about family and living gospel-centered lives. I met and interacted with amazing people and professors while I was at BYU and loved the wonderful spirit.

After graduation I was taking back my gown when we passed the statue of the cougar. As tradition goes, I had to get a picture. (The cougar was a lot easier to climb on!)

Master's Degree Brigham Young Unviersity

Bachelor's Degree Utah State University

Test Time

Colb and I finished up the April showers by taking tests. Colb had finals this week and had tons of papers, projects, presentations, and tests to finish up. Even though I graduated and thought I was done taking tests I joined him and took the first section of the CPA on Thursday. It was kind of nice that we were both studying and had stuff to do, but I don't feel like we've really seen each other for a couple weeks.

Outstanding Chemistry Student

Yesterday we went to an awards night at Westminster for Colb. Once again we had wonderful family support as Trudy, Nelson, Katie, and Mom, and Dad came out to attend. The awards ceremony was for graduating seniors. The professors had voted on the outstanding student within each major. Colb received the most outstanding chemistry student award. It was really neat to hear his professor talk about him. His professor said what we all know to be true about Colby. He talked about what a smart young man he was and all of his accomplishments that could be put on a resume. Then he spoke about what impressed him most were the things about Colby that could not be put on a resume. He talked about the way he served others, went the extra mile, and treated people around him. Mom commented how normal it seemed to be there since we've been watching Colb get awards since we met in the 4th grade. I am so proud of him and thankful to be married to such an amazing man! He is wonderful!

Well that catches everyone up on the April showers. We're glad to be through all of that and really looking forward to May flowers!

Mission Reunion

2009-04-04T16:12:00.000-05:00

So, my mission reunion was last night as are most mission reunions. It was the 3rd one that I had been to since I got home and already the crowd is getting thin. I really only knew a handful of the kids there. I got to see several of my mission buddies and took a few pictures. I didn't get pictures with everyone that I would have liked to and some of the pictures were dark (gyms aren't great picture taking places!) but I got a good one with Joey Rich:

This picture is kind of dark but I wanted to put it in as well. Pieter and I got a chance to chat and catch up a little and it was good to see him again.

And with my trainer (Leaf Knotts) and his wife. It was great to see them and talk to them again. We had some great times and we have really enjoyed getting to know them better.

And of course I got a pictures with my favorite and final companion! She is the best and I love her to pieces. I really don't know what I would do without her!

If at first you don't succeed...

2009-03-02T20:16:00.000-06:00

Colb and I have now been married for over six months. In that entire six months, I think I can count the number of meals that I've prepared on a couple hands (I may also need my feet, but it hasn't been a lot). Not that Colb has ever complained. I think he prefers a bowl of frosted mini-wheats to about anything, but I still want to be that good, cook-meals-for-your-family wife.

I started working at Ernst & Young in January and this has only made matters worse. It is busy season at work and we work and eat out a lot. Now my idea of making dinner for Colb is bringing him home my dinner from the restaurant of the day.

I decided it was time to change this fact and start cooking more. A couple months ago we received a free turkey that has been taking up freezer space so I decided to make turkey for a Sunday dinner. The first week I planned on making turkey didn't work because I didn't realize that big turkeys need a couple days to thaw out. However, the next Sunday we were prepared and had the turkey thawed and ready to go. We woke up early Sunday morning to put the turkey in the oven so it would be ready to go when we got home from church. We did pull the insides out because I had talked to Mom the day before. Everything was going well until I didn't read all of the directions. Instead of the turkey being ready when we got home from church, the turkey was completely done and ready to come out at about 9 am, just as we were headed out the door. We pulled it out and came back to a much cooler turkey than we were previously expecting. I can say that I didn't mess up the BOXED stuffing and Colb made mashed potatoes. As for the gravy...let's just say the gravy was very interesting. All in all the meal wasn't a complete failure. However by the time I am finished cooking at least something is already cold and I'm pretty much unappetized. Also, I've decided the rest of the cooks in the world must use lots of salt and butter or know some pretty good secrets that I'm missing because the food I cook tastes a bit bland.

The scariest part was that I was also asked on that Sunday to take dinner to a family in our ward that had just had a baby. I can make cookies and follow a recipe, but meals/dinners are not my strong suite. After much fretting (and many phone calls with mom), I did take the family a meal (and I don't think it killed them).

I decided part of the solution is practice so I actually made three meals this week...lasagna, a casserole, and chicken chili (ours was actually turkey chili). All turned out fine, but required lots of effort and time. Colb always says he really likes it, but I'm curious to hear what he'll say about these meals in 20 years. I guess in the last six months I've grown to appreciate my mom's (and all the other women in my life) time and patience in cooking so much more than I used to. I saw a quote that said..."If at first you don't succeed, order pizza." I was tempted to go for that, but for our waistlines I think I will keep practicing my cooking skills. In the meantime, I welcome any advice or yummy recipes. Happy Cooking!

Bob That Head With Rascal Flatts!

2009-03-01T08:54:00.000-06:00

My little brother Tim went to the Rascal Flatts concert last year and absolutely loved it so this year for Valentine's Day Nicole and I went to the Bob That Head tour with Jessica Simpson and Rascal Flatts. We were so excited the whole week and we had a great time there! Jessica Simpson did well but we both agreed that she needs to stick to her old style of music. Rascal Flatts came out with a bang; lights, fireworks, and cool backdrops. They played a bunch of songs including Life Is A Highway which I recorded a clip of below. I know, I know, I should have recorded more and I should have gotten the chorus but I was too busy rockin' out!

They finished the show and left the stage. Everybody kept yelling and screaming and then on the big screens they showed an animated guitar player. He started playing parts of songs from Guns 'N Roses, Jimi Hendrix, etc. (it was really the Rascal Flatts guitarist backstage) and then they came back out and played Me And My Gang which was awesome! We really had a great time and it was so much fun!

A Big Day

2009-02-20T09:30:00.000-06:00

Friday I had a busy, major (cold sore creating) day. It started early as I got ready for a medical school interview at the U. I spent the first part of the day in orientation and interviews for med school. Orientation was great and then we got started into the interviews.

I had two interviews, one with a doctor at the U and another with a fourth year med student. Both interviews went really well and then we had a chance to tour the new medical school building and see a little bit of the campus. We ate lunch with a few second year med students and then the day was over!

Right from my interviews I went to Westminster for the research fair that i was presenting at. Nicole took off some time from work and came to surprise me, which she succeeded in doing! She took a few pictures and I had a great time presenting all of the hard work we put into the project.

Nicole's Training In San Jose

2009-01-17T19:06:00.000-06:00

For the last two weeks Nicole and I spent our nights talking on the phone because she was in California for training. She left Sunday the 4th and came back Friday the 16th after two long weeks! There really isn't a whole lot that happened for the two weeks but I am so glad to have her back! She has been really busy with work as it is busy season. We can't wait until spring to get out of this cold weather and have some time together!

New Years Eve!

2009-01-01T18:18:00.000-06:00

Nicole and I spent the week after Christmas in Roosevelt and were able to attend our old family ward on Sunday. It was fun to see everyone and to be together there. We took a few pictures and the one above was one of our favorites. Our families spent New Year's Eve together at my house. My family got a Wii and Rock Band for Christmas and we had a blast playing it!

We decided that the four parents just had to try it out. We weren't going to just let them do it normally though. We wanted to them to have the full Rock Band experience so we added the wigs for effect:

Sheryl Crow & Bob Dylan

Maureen "Moe" Tucker

Slash

After seeing the picture below I am really thankful for a couple of things.

1) Nicole has long hair and not short, spiky, black hair.
2) I have short hair and not long, curly, brown hair.
3) I don't do drugs or my eyes would look like that all the time!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-27T15:18:00.000-06:00

So this post is kind of a catch-up because I just barely ran into these pictures, but thought they would still be fun to share. One day over Christmas Break (which seems like such a long time ago!), we went sledding. However, we now sled very differently than I did as a child. Instead of sledding down a hill and having to haul yourself and your sled back up we just use four wheelers. This eliminates pretty much all forms of physical exertion, adds a new element of wet and cold snow in the face, and is still really fun! We were there with lots of family (Hales, Duncans, and Hackings) and had lots of fun!

Halli had lots of fun with Brynlie sledding down a small hill and playing in the snow. We made lots of snow angels and even had a few snowball fights.

Mom and Lisa are usually right in on all of the action, but they stayed a little warmer and drier this time.

Tim, of course, is looking pretty stylish...

We had a lot more people on the sled, but about this time we figured out that we didn't put in the card for the camera so we were done taking pictures.

Christmas Break!

2008-12-26T15:53:00.000-06:00

Yay! Christmas break is finally here! Nicole and I finished school around the 19th and so we had a few days to really get into the Christmas spirit. We also had the opportunity to attend a small ceremony for Paul Curtis. We were so happy for him and his wife. We have known Paul forever and it was way fun to see him making that step.
We had the opportunity to go to the First Presidency Devotional earlier in the month and we happened to make it to Ring Wild Bells (the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Program). It was amazing! We went back to Temple Square that Sunday night and took a few more pictures with the lights.

We left for home with our car packed completely full of gifts and everything we would need for almost two weeks! We spent Christmas Eve at Nicole's house and we had a blast! We had been cooking all day too and we had a great dinner with chicken cordon bleu. We opened our gifts there and then went to my house to spend the night. We got up at a decent time and lined up in the hallway to open our gifts! We all got some pretty amazing things. I must have been half asleep (and Nicole must have gotten a camera!) because she managed to get this picture of me on Christmas morning:

The day after Christmas is the traditional day for the Swain Family Christmas Party. We had it at the Technology College where Nicole's uncle works. We had fun playing games and exchanging presents and just catching up with everyone there.

We had a great Christmas and were very lucky with all of the gifts we received but especially lucky to be with our families and to talk to Braxton and Brian (both on missions). This last picture we actually took at Thanksgiving Point on the 2oth but I thought it was a nice one to finish out this Christmas post. "And to all a good night!"

Seven Month Catch-up

2008-12-19T20:02:00.000-06:00

So I have been convinced to start blogging. Colb and I started this blog a while ago when we were dating, but have never done anything with it. A lot has happened in the last seven months so we decided to make a few posts to catch things up and then we will try to be better at keeping it updated.

Hales Family Christmas Party

2008-12-13T21:34:00.000-06:00

December 13th was a very snowy Saturday in Salt Lake City but we all managed to brave the storm and travel to the Hales Family Christmas Party. We had a great time, the food was really good and we had a blast taking pictures (as you can tell). Here is a picture of the boys:

And two of the girls (the other one was dressed up as an angel for the nativity scene and was running around somewhere):

This is a picture of us with Nicole's Great-Grandma. She is still with it and she throws a great party!

This is Nicole in her "eskimo" vest. Isn't she the cutest thing ever! I am such a lucky guy!

Christmas Tree (And Cookie) Decorating!

2008-12-06T17:26:00.000-06:00

Nicole and I are spending our first Christmas together this year! We got a tree and I literally smothered it in lights, over 1500 in all! Nicole's Grandma helped us out with decorations and they looked great!

We also decided to make some Christmas cookies to take to some of our neighbors. Nicole made some great looking cookies and everybody loved them! Needless to say that the cookies I decorated were left home for our own consumption...

Thanksgiving Break

2008-11-27T16:22:00.000-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my house and we had a great time! Nicole and I were apparently exhausted after making dinner and had to have a little snooze on the sofa. We were eventually found out and someone managed to get a picture.

That weekend we took a trip to the south and cut down the family Christmas tree! As we were driving there (through a complete desert) my little brother, Slater, texted me and asked if I knew whether or not pine trees grew on the moon. We finally found one after a huge search and triumphantly carried it back to the truck.

Nicole's Birthday

2008-11-06T18:09:00.000-06:00

Today was Nicole's Birthday! We went to the Dodo Restaurant and had our favorites (smoked turkey and honey ham) with a nice big slice of Tollhouse pie! We didn't take many good pictures but Nicole got some great new workout clothes and we had a great time together!

National Chemistry Week

2008-10-11T16:14:00.000-05:00

Today was National Chemistry Week at the Salt Lake City Library. The American Chemical Society at Westminster volunteers every year to go to the library for a Saturday and do demonstrations for kids. Nicole and I spent the day there and we had a blast! (we also sharpened a lot of pencils!)

Regional Conference/One Month Anniversary

2008-09-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

Today was a beautiful September day and we were having regional conference at the conference center! It was awesome and we got to hear from President Monson and Elder Uchtdorf as well as many others. We then took a few photo opportunities at Temple Square.

We then celebrated our one month anniversary by eating (some of) the top tier of our wedding cake! The lady who made our cake includes a fresh tier one year later so we ate the original while it was still somewhat fresh. I still owe Nicole for the whole "shove-the-cake-in-your-face" thing!

August 23, 2008 The Reception

2008-08-23T15:56:00.000-05:00

We had the reception the weekend after the wedding. It was great to have only one reception and timing was perfect. I was amazed when we walked into the UBET building at how it had been transformed. Our colors were pink and brown and I loved it! Thanks to everyone who did so much to help! Colb and I both have brothers on missions (Brian and Braxton) so we really missed them, but we are happy they are there. As you can see below, the girls are a little out numbered!

Our Girls

Our Boys

August 16 - 21, 2008 The Honeymoon

2008-08-16T23:05:00.000-05:00

Our honeymoon was the best ever! We had so much fun and we have really wanted to go back. Nicole did not know where we were going until we were on our way to the airport and I handed her a folder with all of the travel details in it. We flew into Portland on Saturday morning, picked up our car (they didn't have the car we had reserved because it had been in an accident so they gave us a Cadillac SRX for the same price!) and we drove to Cannon Beach, Oregon (near Haystack Rock shown below).

We spent several days there and also visited Astoria and Tillamook. We had a great time at the beach, the cheese factory, the morning market and we definitely had the best clam chowder at the Baked Alaskan in Astoria!

We had such a great time that we were a little sad to leave but we knew that there were many more exciting times for us ahead. We loved the honeymoon and we love Cannon Beach! And...

August 15, 2008 The Wedding

2008-08-15T22:12:00.000-05:00

This day was definitely one of the best days of my life. We always hear that saying about marrying the right person, in the right place, at the right time. I think I really got it right! Being married to Colb in the Salt Lake Temple has been the best decision I ever made!

Colb shared something with me the other day from Truman G. Madsen's book called The Temple that I hadn't ever really thought about. It says, "When the question is raised, 'Why be married in the temple? Why not just elope?' we often say, 'Because only temple marriages are forever.' But that puts all the emphasis on extent and duration. It says nothing of the quality and power and intensity of love which can alone justify such duration. So let us rather say: 'Because only in the temple are you placed in covenant-harmony with divine power which will eventually so infuse and fuse your love that it will be worth perpetuating forever.'" I really like this thought and already agree with it after only being married for a short time.

Our sealing wasn't until 4:20 in the afternoon so it was a really relaxed day. I felt like I was walking on clouds all day long and couldn't keep the huge grin off my face. Even though it was August, the weather was perfect and it couldn't have been a better day. We had more pictures and then a dinner with our family and friends.

The day was absolutely perfect and the best part was that I was now sealed to my best friend! I am so happy and think married life is the best thing ever!

August 2, 2008 Vernal Temple

2008-08-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

I went through the temple for my first time a couple weeks before we got married. We went to the Vernal Temple and it was so wonderful to be there with all of my family and soon-to-be family. Later that afternoon Katie and Bryn threw me a bridal shower.

July 29, 2008 Bridals

2008-07-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

I seriously debated about whether I should have Bridals taken. I had no clue what I was going to do with so many pictures of myself. I was eventually talked into it and really enjoyed the day. It was such a wonderful, fun, girl day with my mom! Plus...how many times in your life do you get to put on a gorgeous dress and feel like a princess? I'd say it was definitely worth it. However, we do now have lots of pictures of me that we have no clue what to do with! (So now I'm letting you look at them...)

July 18, 2008 The Dress

2008-07-18T21:23:00.000-05:00

As far as frills and worldly wedding details, the dress was the other item on my list. Mom had been really sick, but Grandma Shela brought her out and the three of us had a wonderful day shopping. Wedding dress shopping is definitely one of those things that every girl needs a chance to experience. It was kind of a hard decision, but I quickly fell in love with my dress. Of course it was almost the first (actually the second) I tried on, but you still have to try on at least half the store. I have to admit that I was a big fan of the veil too!

June 18, 2008 Engagement Pictures

2008-06-18T22:50:00.000-05:00

Say cheese! Since we decided to get married on August 15 (2 month engagement), we had to get right on wedding plans. I was just so excited to be marrying Colby that I wasn't really into all of the TONS of wedding planning details. (Mom was wonderful and took care of most of that!) However, I did pick the two frills that were most important to me--the dress and the pictures.

We had to hurry with engagement pictures because we needed to start on announcements, and I was trying to schedule a time to get my wisdom teeth out (and not have chipmunk cheek pictures). It was a great day full of hot sun, big smiles, and kissing pictures. We were pros by the end of the day. Smile--Look--Kiss!

June 7, 2008 Colby's Birthday Surprise

2008-06-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

So June 7th is my birthday and I was really excited for it. I was planning on taking Nicole four-wheeling in the mountains that morning and proposing (we had looked at rings a little bit in the previous weeks). I woke up that morning and it was pouring rain! I had to think fast so I called her dad and had him pick up the ring. Her mom then wrapped it and put it inside of her gift for me. I took Nicole to lunch and kept her just long enough that she called home to have her mom wrap her gift (which she had already done). Her family came over to my house for dinner and then I started opening gifts. I got some pretty cool stuff and some really nice cards. I opened Nicole's gift last and pulled out the shirt she had gotten for me. Then I pulled out a little wrapped box and the look on her face was priceless! She was so confused about where it had come from. I told her maybe her mom wrapped it up by accident and it wasn't really for me. I handed it to her, she opened it and then her face lit up. I knelt down, shaking quite a bit, and popped the question. It was such a great and memorable moment with both of our families there. And I will always remember what day we were engaged on, my birthday! (It's kind of hard to forget that date!)

One Sunday In May...

2008-05-18T18:05:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile and a lot has happened since Valentine's Day. I thought I would post a picture and then I will make a post later that has a few more updates about what has been going on.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T20:20:00.001-06:00

Yeah, so it's Valentine's today and I just surprised Nicole with a bunch of flowers. We are starting this blog and will hopefully keep it up to date as much as possible with pictures, video and other, um, stuff. Yeah. Nicole, would you like to add anything? Happy Valentine's Day everyone!