Girls Night Out

Okay, so first let me start out by saying how much I love having my best friend home for a few months! Dodie has been living in Germany for about 3 years and I have missed her so much! It's wonderful being able to spend some time with her again. We went out tonight just the two of us to catch up. We had dinner and then bought a few baby outfits at Carter's which was really fun! Then we went to watch Twilight. Dodie has read the series and has now seen the movie twice. I absolutely loved the movie! Now I'm going to get the books so I can catch up!

It's A Boy!

Todd was able to come with me to my ultrasound last Wednesday. I was 12 weeks 3 days but the measurements put me up to 13 weeks 2 days. Even though it's still really early, we were told that we are having a boy! We are both so excited! It was so much fun to see the growth of the baby, it's amazing how fast they grow! He was really active and even did a little turn around flip for us. He also relaxed for a second putting both hands behind his head. I am so grateful to have had so many ultrasounds so far, it's been very exciting. I've had 3 ultrasounds and have heard the heartbeat during those and also one extra time. I love getting to see and hear our little baby and know that everything is going well. I actually look forward to every doctor appointment I have:) We are just so grateful for this wonderful blessing and opportunity that has been given to us. We have two trimesters left but I know the time will go quickly.

Todd and I have been talking about baby names for quite some time now. We had a girl name picked out already but we were struggling with boy names. Since all five grand kids on Todd's side are girls, I guess I was thinking it would probably be a girl. Anyway, we've looked at names and have received many ideas from our families. I was thinking about each of the names on Thanksgiving night but my thoughts kept returning to a name that Todd and I have talked about for quite some time...Matthew. Todd and I both like the name, I've just been hesitant because I wasn't sure how I liked Matthew Todd together. I looked up the meaning of Matthew in our name book and found out it means "gift of God." I instantly decided that this is going to be the name of our sweet baby boy. We have such a strong testimony of prayer and know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. We feel like this baby is a miracle and is most certainly a gift from God. We look forward to meeting Matthew Todd Eichelberger next June!

Our baby boy with his hands in front of his mouth

Baby Eichelberger

Our families and some of our friends know that we have been trying to have a baby for a few years. It's been a long, tough journey and we are so grateful for the little one growing inside me! Todd and I have grown closer to each other and to our Heavenly Father during this time and we have learned so much during this period of waiting. We are very thankful for the many prayers that have been offered in our behalf and also for all of your support!

We found out that I was pregnant about a month ago...it was a Friday and Todd was at school. I wasn't planning on doing a test but I was going through some things in our closet and found a pregnancy test. I decided to go ahead and try it. I prayed before I took the test, I did pray that I would be pregnant but I also prayed for strength if I was not. I am ashamed of my lack of faith, I was sure I wasn't pregnant. I was just trying to save myself from the heartache. When I saw two lines appear in the window I was so happy. I think I laughed, cried, and prayed! It was wonderful.

Of course I was so excited to let Todd in on the news so I ran off to the store and bought a baby book called, "Daddy Loves Me." I put it in a baby gift bag and left it on the table along with the pregnancy test. It was a good thing I had the pregnancy test on the table because when Todd first came home from school he thought the gift bag was just something for my sister's baby shower:) When he realized what was on the table and that the gift was for him, he was so happy! Todd has been so wonderful through this whole process and he was just as excited as I was.

We wanted to wait until our first ultrasound to tell our families and friends so we could make sure the baby was healthy and everything was going well but keeping this news a secret was just way too hard! We ending up spilling the news about 2 weeks after finding out ourselves. I had to tell some of my family members over the phone but for most of them we held up a baby boy outfit and a baby girl outfit and asked which one they thought we would be using. I thought it was cute and everyone caught on very quickly. Kim and Rexford bought us our first baby gift the next day: baby blocks!

We also told a few of our friends early and today we are telling everyone! We are having a baby! My first ultrasound was today and we found out that I am 8 wks 1 day along. The baby is 1.69 cm and has a healthy heartbeat! The heartbeat was absolutely amazing to see/hear and it just makes everything so real. It was just so reassuring. My due date is June 7. We are so excited that our baby will be coming to earth at the beginning of the summer. Todd won't be busy with school and we will have so much time to spend together as a family!

We are just very excited for this wonderful blessing. Baby Eichelberger is a miracle and we thank Heavenly Father everyday for the gift to be parents to this special spirit. Here are the pictures from the ultrasound today...the first one is when they measured the baby and the second is the heartbeat! Enjoy! We are so excited for this new journey!

I have a hard time seeing what's in these pictures but the baby's head is on the right. You can see little arms and legs forming too...very neat!

Here's the heartbeat that we were so excited to hear!

A Few More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures I had on my camera. Kim and Austin were finally released from the hospital today and got home around 5:30 this evening. Rexford was so happy to see his mommy, daddy, and baby brother!

Papa and Austin

Welcome Home Austin

Rexford: "It's my baby brother!"

New Nephew!

Little baby Austin came to earth on Tuesday (10/14) weighing in at 7 lbs 9 oz! We were all so very excited to meet him! It's been an interesting past few days for Rexford but he's been handling everything so well! Kim and Brian had to be at the hospital at 4:30 Tuesday morning so I went over to their house to stay with Rexford. Rexford woke up at 5:00 am and it took me 45 minutes to get him back to sleep! He was crying for mommy and daddy so I took him to Kim's bed for a little while. He kept asking questions like, "Where the sun?", "Where Uncle Todd, Aly?", and "Where the water at the hospital?" Finally I tried his crib again and told him I loved him. He said, "I love you too, Aly" and went right to bed. He has really missed his mommy and daddy and each time we were on our way to visit the hospital he would say in the cutest voice, "I can't wait to see my mommy and daddy." He has really missed them and at one point he said the hospital is were mommy lives. It was so sad, it is interesting to see his thought process in all of this. This is the third day being at home without mommy and daddy (although Brian has done the nighttime routine with Rexford each night) and Rexford is so excited that they are coming home today. He keeps picking up these little cards that mommy wrote him and pretends like he's reading them. He says, "Rexford, I love you so much. Bye Bye. Mommy." It is really cute to watch and almost made me cry! Rexford loves his mommy and daddy so much and is missing them tons! I am so grateful I could help watch him along with Papa.
I am on Kim's computer while Rexford is napping so I don't have many pictures uploaded yet. Here are the few I started uploading yesterday morning before we went back to the hospital. Hope you enjoy and I'll have some more later.

Trying to keep Rexford entertained at the hospital for an hour while mommy was in labor. We should have called before we went up there! Buying some Cheetos took up a little bit of time:)

Austin Ursic

Kim and Rexford holding Austin

Happy Birthday Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday but my sister and I visited her on Saturday to celebrate. Kim picked mom up and they went to the Kanga Room with Rexford. It was a special morning for Rexford to spend with Grandma. When they were all done playing, I met them at McDonald's for lunch. After that we went back to my grandma's house for ice cream and cupcakes! Mom opened her cards and also her present which was from all 5 of us kids. It was fun and I enjoyed spending some time with my mom! I didn't take many pictures but here are a couple.

Mom blowing out her candle

Rexford loves icing!

Lunch With Dad!

Sometimes I feel a little left out living way over here on Turkey Lake! It's really only about 30 minutes from both our families but considering that both my married sisters live less than a minute from my dad's house, I'm pretty far away:) Recently I've had 3 family members come spend time at my apartment so it's been super fun for me. Today I had another special treat! My dad's office is only about 8 minutes from my apartment so he came over to pick me up and off we went to have lunch together. We went to Chic-fil-A and I enjoyed spending the time with him. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful dad and I hope he knows how much I love him! Here are a few pictures I found of us together.

Alyson's Diploma Has Arrived!

Most of you are probably tired of hearing that I have graduated. After all, it is 1 1/2 year old news right?! Well, my online class finally counted toward the August 14 graduation date at BYU and two days ago I received my Diploma in the mail! I had already opened the envelope and had it ready to show Todd as soon as I got back up to the apartment. I felt so proud, it was an awesome feeling. I definitely couldn't pass up a picture! Now I am seriously done with college. Yay!

Prayers for Rashad

Life can hurt sometimes. Tragedies take place and they are far beyond our understanding. Today I attended a funeral that left a nine year old boy without his mother. Before Todd and I moved out to Utah three years ago, I worked at the Dover Shores Community Center as a recreational counselor. I was a first grade counselor in the after school program and one of the children under my care was Rashad. Rashad had so much energy and was full of life. The boy I saw today was hurt and in pain. It breaks my heart to think of the situation. I am grateful for the faith of Rashad's family and that he has loving aunts and a grandma to support him and take care of him. I pray for Rashad's family as they have lost a daughter, sister, mother, and friend. I pray often for Rashad specifically, that he will have strength and courage in life. That he will find happiness and that he will lead a good life. I can't imagine what he is going through right now. I wish I were still a part of his life, that I could do something for him. So I pray for Rashad, not knowing what else to do. So these next few days and weeks as Rashad moves forward with his family, extra prayers and thoughts are welcome. He is a precious boy, a child of our Heavenly Father, and I pray he will know how special and loved he is.

Rashad and I at morning S.P.A.R.K.

Mary Ray Eichelberger

I have to post about the birth of our beautiful niece! She is now almost two months old and we look forward to the day we get to meet little Mary (hopefully around Christmas!). We need to get copies of some of the pictures Mom and Dad took while they were out in Utah but I did find a couple that were saved on our computer. This is just a week or two after Mary was born. We love you Mark and Jen! Give Mary a kiss for us!

2 Years Old!

My sister reminded me today of how long it has been since I last posted. I don't even have an excuse since I have pictures of several events that I need to put up here. So look for new posts these next few days as I catch myself up!

On July 11th we celebrated Rexford's 2nd birthday! He is growing so fast and is so much fun to be around. One of my favorite things about Rexford right now is how sometimes he'll ask to say prayers. I was taking him to Kanga Room one day and even though we were already half way there Rexford wanted to say a prayer. So driving down Goldenrod we said a quick prayer asking to have fun and to bless mommy that she would meet us there safely. It might seem silly but I loved that moment with Rexford!

Birthday Boy!

Blowing out his Candle

(Kim's awesome cake!)

Siesta Key

Every year Todd's family goes to Siesta Key for the 4th of July. They stay for a week and anyone in the family able to come down is welcome. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy time together this past week. Dad brought the sail boat which was actually really fun. Todd and I enjoyed throwing the football around before going for a swim in the ocean. The firework show was incredible and the whole atmosphere just made me so grateful for all the blessings in my life. I am so grateful to live in America and have the freedoms we enjoy. I'm grateful to those who fought for those freedoms and for those who continue to fight for them. I love our families more than anything and I am grateful for my life with Todd. He is the most amazing friend and husband and we look forward to all that lies ahead of us. Thanks mom and dad for a wonderful week, we love spending time with you!

View from Siesta Royale

Playing Dress up!

Brad, Ali, Sydney, Avie and Rowan are staying with Mom and Dad E. while in town. There are lots of fun things for the girls to play with including clothes for dressing up. It was so cute and we couldn't resist snapping a few pictures.

I had to join in the fun even though very few things fit me! (Sorry it's so blurry)

Fun at Disney!

Last week we were able to spend a wonderful day at Disney with Todd's family! It was so much fun to be with everyone, especially with our nieces since we don't get to see them very often. Brad and Ali live in Ephraim, UT and were able to bring their family down to Florida for two weeks. Here are some of the pictures we took while spending the day at Magic Kingdom.

Mom, Sydney, Ali, Rowan, and Avie

Tommy and I are in the back

Brad, Rowan, and Ali

Riding with Brooke and Tommy

Of course Todd has to be goofy:)

Sydney with Grandma

Sydney

Sweet Avie

Tommy, Mom, and Dad

Todd and I on the magic carpet ride!

Memorial Day

Here are a few pictures and a video that I found on my camera from Memorial Day! These pictues are of Rexford (my nephew) before we went over to Shannon's pool.

Rexford loves playing in the balls

Running under my legs

Rexford loves to drive around in his car

He loves when Papa pushes him in his swing

This is the bike that all of us learned to ride...Rexford will be next!