America's Next Top Model

Alright so Tyra Banks probably won't be calling me anytime soon but we did have a photo shoot. I never thought I would want to have maternity photos done but I am so glad we did. I guess I just thought why would I want to have pictures done when I feel like a whale. Well I didn't feel like a whale at all. In fact Mindy made me feel really pretty, and anyone who can make a pregnant women feel pretty is a hero in my book! This is me at a little over 29 weeks, I am currently 30 1/2 weeks. Enjoy the photos!!!

Now its time for some shout outs.......

I would like to thank my sister Ashley for cutting my hair. It was her first time cutting my hair and I think she did a great job. Anyone looking for someone to do your hair just let me know and I can give you her info. Thank you sister! I would also like to thank our wonderful photographer Mindy. She was wonderful to work with, did a great job, and like I said she made me feel pretty. Thank you so much Mindy we love our photos!!!! Visit Mindy's website at www.redrockstudioslv.com She does great work for a great price!

Unexpected

So I got a flat tire. It stinks right? Yesterday Ryan and I went to the tire store to see if they could fix my tire or if we would have to buy a new one. So the plan was to spend anywhere from $50.00-$120.00 give or take a few dollars. So we get to the tire store and the tire was not able to be fixed so time for a new tire. Ok this is a bummer but we knew it was a possibility. So they looked at my other tires and come to find out two of the four tires are legally bald and the other to were almost there as well. So I didn't need one new tire I needed FOUR! So they tell us what the price would be (over $600.00) and ask us how we would like to pay for it. I was freaking out,  I was still trying to process the fact that I needed four new tires. Ryan had to leave because he was running late for work so I needed to take care of it by myself. Before Ryan left he told me to call a couple of other places just to make sure it was a ok price for the tires. I called Sam's club because I heard that they sometimes have really good deals. After telling them what kind of tires I needed they gave me a out the door price of $354.99. GREAT this was half the price of the place I was at so I headed to Sam's Club. When I got there they were writing up my bill and then they asked me some more questions. They then told me that the tire were wrong for my car and they didn't have the right kind for my car. They said maybe there other location might have the tires I needed but they would about the same price as the place I had just left. Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated I drove home to do some more research. As soon as I got home I cried, I just couldn't take anymore!!! I was not planning on spending that much money. We have been spending so much money trying to fix up the house. Well I pulled myself together and got myself some new tires. I was helped by a great guy named Rocco at Discount Tires on Sahara and Torrie Pines and he gave me a good price. So it was still a lot of money but its done. So let me backtrack and tell you about when I got my flat tire....... It was the most wonderful way I could have got one. I was turning onto Rainbow from Flamingo and my Dad was right behind me to save me! After I found out how bad my tires were I felt very blessed that I hadn't had some horrible blowout. I was driving around not knowing how dangerous my tires really were. I could have gotten into a accident that could have hurt me the baby or both of us. I went from feeling upset about the money to feeling blessed that I was safe. It really has made me wonder how many times do "bad" things happen to us that really protect us from something really bad. So from now on I am going to try and find the good in the unexpected mishaps. 

Not much

I have had a lot of people wondering what is going on because I haven't posted anything in awhile. Well the title speaks for itself but I will try and give a little update.....

HOUSE: We are so close and yet so far! It has come a long way but it is not yet livable. Ryan has been working so hard to get it done but there are only so many hours in a day and only so many dollars in the bank. We need to just get the countertop finished and one shower done for it to be livable. If anyone has a tile saw CALL ME! The rest of the house can be taken care of while living there.

BABY: Well I am happy to report that are little guy is doing great! His heartbeat is really strong and he is still moving around like crazy!!!

RYAN: Besides being absolutely worked to the bone he is doing well. Nothing new at work but no news is good news in his line of work! He has been such a wonderful support though this pregnancy! I can't say enough about how wonderful he is!!! I feel so blessed to have a husband that is so involved. He is doing a great job at taking care of us! We have been so fortunate that Ryan has been able to come to every baby appointment. I can't tell you how wonderful that has been!

BRITTANY: Like I said before Ryan is doing a great job at taking care of us but I am not doing very well at being taken care of. Ryan has been trying to get me to take it easy more but I am a very disobedient patient! I am constantly trying to do more than I should. I think I am finally getting somewhat better. My body is very tired! My back and belly have been hurting really bad to the point where I just want to cry (sometimes I do). We knew that with my back problems this pregnancy would be a challenge but we have always hoped for the best. I am working on not trying to be superwomen and admit that I need to rest. This is really hard for me because I don't want to be this lazy sit on her bum pregnant lady! I guess I just need to realize that I have a special problem and that I am not being lazy. I am still swimming and doing yoga. I look forward to these activities so much, they get me through the long days!

What else is new? We have a new nephew he was born on Tuesday and his name is Tage. We will get to meet him at Thanksgiving. He came after his due date and I told Ryan he didn't want to come down because he was having fun playing with our baby. I think it is fun to have cousins that are close in age. I love my cousins, they are some of my best friends! Unfortunately Tage lives in Arizona so the boys won't get to see each other much. I think that is it. Ryan and I have a photoshoot on Monday so keep a watch out for those pictures. By the way Happy Fall! I am loving the weather!!!

Tagged by Tiff

I can't live without....

My wonderful husband Ryan

Church

Family

Friends

See's Chocolate (or any other chocolate I can get my hands on at the time!)

My red high heels 

Fun music to dance to

Ice cream

Swimming

Cinnamon scented candles (I love spicy smelling things)

Crafts

Yoga

Spell check (I can't spell to save my life!!!)

Cafe Rio 

The biggest looser (this show makes me cry)

Dance

The color red

I tag Allison, Chelsea, Melissa and anyone else who would like to play. Write things that people might not know about you. 

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This pretty lady is my grandma Colleen. 

Grandma Colleen is my father's mother. Today is her 71st birthday. This is a picture of her at our family party last night. I have been very fortunate to live in the same town as her most of my life. Because of this we saw a lot of each other. She has come to every play, choir performance, dance recital and any other event I have ever done! She has taught me many things throughout my life. One thing that she taught me that I have used so much and love to do is how to crochet. Below are pictures of a few things I've made. Thank you Grandma for all your love and support. Happy birthday!

These are scarves I made and sold December 2005, I made $200! I used the money to buy Ryan a GPS for Christmas.

This was a gift for baby Kaden made October 2007.

This is a gift for baby Broderick made July 2008.

25 weeks and 1 day

Well it's been asked for and I try to give the people what they want...........

Another belly shot!

September 14, 2008

A close-up of my shoes. My sister Brennan bought these for me while she was in china. 

I LOVE THEM!

Things are going really well with the pregnancy! Little baby boy is moving around like crazy. His newest thing is moving when I am trying to sleep. I move from one side to the other to try and make myself more comfortable. As soon as I move he thinks it is time to play and starts swimming around. When I say moving I mean moving so much that it wakes me up completely and sometimes I can't go back to sleep for hours. It's a good thing I love him or I would be really upset. I love feeling him move around, especially when I am not sleeping! He is also now responding to Ryan. In the beginning I would say to Ryan  "The baby is kicking come feel!" As soon as Ryan would his hand on my stomach he would stop moving. I felt SO bad for Ryan! Now even if he is not moving at the time Ryan will put his hands on my stomach and start talking to him and he will move for him. He loves his Daddy! Ryan and I are getting really excited!!! We just started are childbirth classes and are really enjoying them! We are also doing a lot of reading on are own trying to prepare ourselves as much as possible. 

How am I feeling? I feel great! My body sometimes just wants to give out on me. I can only do so much before my back and stomach hurt so much that I can hardly walk. I have been doing to much lately and I have been paying the price. It is hard because we are trying to get stuff done with the house and I really want it to get done so I push to much! I am really going to try not to do that anymore. I am still swimming and doing yoga. Both these activities make me feel great! Also I visit my Chiropractor often. Thanks Dad, your a lifesaver!

How is Ryan doing? He is doing really well! Work is going well, no more scary accidents! In his "free time" he has been working on the house and taking classes at work. He is always amazing me with what he does at the house. He is a trained plumber so I expect him to do a really good job at that. What really amazes me is how well he picks up new skills. He is always teaching himself how to do other things on the house and does a really great job! He is the most handy guy to have around! 

Utah Vacation

August 26th- September 1st

We had a wonderful time in Utah! These were a few of our favorite things.......

Mom, David, Mission Reunion, Sub Zero, "The Game," Corn, The weather, Wind Turbines!

Mom 

Ryan's mom Gail lives in Spanish Fork, UT (a very cute town). She was very nice to let us stay with her! The best part of the trip was just relaxing and talking. It was fun for me to get to know more about Ryan and what he was like as a child. Ryan's mom and I made salsa, and I learned how to make zuchini bread. ZUCHINI bread, I know it might sound weird or gross, but it is REALLY good! Thanks for everything Mom. We love you!

David, Brittany,Ryan, and Mom

David 

Ryan and David were mission companions and roommates. While Ryan and I lived in Utah I got to know David really well. We had a great time hanging out. We love our David!

David and Ryan

Mission Reunion 

Ryan LOVES Brother and Sister Holdaway (Ryan's old mission president and his wife). It was great to see them! Unfortunately most of the guys Ryan served with didn't come. We did get to see Justin and his wife... and of course David.

David, Sister Holdaway and Ryan

Sub Zero 

Our favorite ice cream place in the whole world! This is a really cool ice cream place, they use liquid nitrogen to make the ice cream right in front of you! 

The Game or not. 

While we were in Provo there was a BYU game so we decided to go. When we get to the game and it was sold out and the scalpers were selling tickets for $40 each. While we didn't make it inside we did get to sing the fight song while sitting on the grass outside the stadium. Now don't worry we are STILL Rebels. We just really enjoyed going to the BYU games while Ryan was attending the school, so we thought it would be fun to go again.

Corn 

Amazing; that is the word I would use to describe it. One night we just ate corn for dinner. One of the great things about Utah is the fresh produce. That and ittle road side stands, is there anything more quaint? Well, yes there is..... There is a little old man and he sells produce from his front porch. When we went he wasn't there so you just leave the money in a little box. Oh, the honesty system! This is a picture of the little old man's house. Sorry I didn't get any corn pictures.

The weather 

BEAUTIFUL! It was nice and cool. Every night we would open the doors and let the fresh air in. The last night/morning we were there there was a great rain/hail storm. I can't wait for the cool weather to get here! 

Wind Turbines 

Ryan's favorite! It was so neat to watch them working. Ryan LOVED them so we had to get a closer look. When we got out of our car to take a look, two police officers pulled over next to us. They thought we were having car trouble.

Ryan's Accident

Ryan was in a very bad accident at work on August 24th. His car was totaled and caught on fire! The amazing thing is that he came away without a scratch!!! His body was very sore of corse and his wrist was hurting pretty bad, but he is all better now. He was being watched out for, there is no doubt in my mind! I am so thankful to our Heavenly Father for keeping him safe!!! We feel so blessed! There were so many variables: that if he would have been two inches more to the left or if his car would have hit another way he would not be injured, he would be dead. He was taken to the hospital on a backboard via ambulance. Here is a picture of him in the hospital. Thank you Heavenly Father for your protection! 

Kaiaking Trip

August 19th 

A couple of months ago the guys from Ryan's work planned a kaiaking trip. I can say that when Ryan came home talking about a kaiaking trip I thought he would say that it was next week or something. I was so impressed that one, the trip would be in a couple of months, and two, it was so well organized. We kaiaked 11 miles below Hover Dam. It was so much fun! We hiked to different places and saw a few different hot springs. Everyone was worried about me the whole time. "Don't let the pregnant lady fall in the water!" "How are you?" "Are you sure you're ok?" I must say I was impressed with my little five month pregnant self. The only not so fun part was the wind. There were times that it was so windy that you were rowing, but not moving forward. And, if you stopped rowing you quickly moved backwards. I hope to do the trip again on a not so windy day!

Just the two of us

The water coming out of the rock was boiling hot. Our feet were burning!

Beautiful waterfall

Ryan and the waterfall

Resting on the beach

It's a......

BOY!

The Doctor says everything looks great! The baby is really healthy and he has all his parts and they are in the right places. I am currently 22 weeks but the baby is measuring at 24 weeks. I have been thinking the whole time that I was a little bit further along. I also think he is just going to be a big boy! It was really neat to see him moving around and swallowing. Both the Doctor and technician said he was very photogenic and cooperative, they were able to get the shots they needed really easily. I might as well answer the question I know I will be getting.... "Do you have a name?" We do have names in mind but we will not set a name for sure until he is born. We are very exited!!!

The Answer is NO!

So I have been getting two questions a lot so I thought I would answer to all......

Question #1 "What are you having?"

WE DON'T KNOW! We were supposed to go last week but they could not get us in. Then I was scheduled this week on the availability I had given for the previous week. They scheduled me for yesterday but Ryan and I had a kayaking trip planed with the guys from work. Next Monday we are going for sure. So I haven't holing out on you I don't know either!

Question #2 "Is your house done?" or "How is everything going with your house?"

NO, NO, NO and TERRIBLE! So here is the short version of the story. We hired a guy back in May to do some work on our house. He had been working really slow so Ryan had to light many fires under is bum. So Ryan had just gotten after him and he was working. Until.... he was put in jail! This is not a joke!!!! He does not even have a court day set he will probably be there for a while! So what do you do when the guy you have working on your house is thrown in jail? CRY! Yes, I  had my very own pity party but know it is time to move on. Lately I have been feeling like I want to nest. This is very common for a pregnant women.  I think this has all been a little harder for me because I don't have a nest. It is really hard to not know where we will be when we have the baby. Our plan was to rent out the house and live somewhere else and this would all be done before the baby came. Now we don't know. So for those of you who feel sorry for me and would like to help please make checks payable to the Brittany Needs a Nest Fund.....

Just kidding.

Now for some better news. My sister Brennan is coming home tomorrow! She has been living in China for the past year working at The Venetian as a Gondolier. We have missed her and can't wait to see her!

BOY or GIRL?

Next week Ryan and I go in for our first ultrasound. I have some people that say I am having a boy and others say girl. I thought it would be fun to hear everyones guesses. My little brother Alan wants me to have a girl for Ivy but thinks I am having a boy. I thought that was interesting.

People ask what I am craving/can't stand to help their guess. Well sorry I am not craving  anything in particular. I really feel pretty normal. 

So make your guess.... BOY or GIRL

Catching up!

Make sure you look at all the new posts. I had so many things I hadn't posted. I am trying to use this as a family journal so I decided to post anyway. Better late then never. Enjoy!

Pregnancy

Well I have had many requests so I am finally caving......

 Heres a belly picture!!!

July 27, 2008

 18 weeks and one day

Thank you to everyone for all the well wishes. I am doing well. I guess I will back track a little to give you the full story. It took us longer then we wanted to get pregnant. I was really starting to worry!!!! I was a mess, poor Ryan. He would alway tell me that it would all work out and not to worry. Did I mention he was telling this to Brittany Ann Petersen the QUEEN of worrying! Well as soon as I REALLY stopped  (I pretended many times) it happened. So we were having a baby, that means no more worrying right? Yeah right, it was just the beginning.  I had some blood problems and thought I might have a miscarriage, I was so afraid! I was teaching dance at the time but had to quite because of the problems I was having. Thanks to the power of prayer and Priesthood blessings the baby is fine. We waited to tell family and friends for awhile. I couldn't handle my own worrying let alone having others worry. 

So for those of you who don't know Ryan and I are currently living with Ryan's parents. So I was trying to think of a creative way to tell Ryan's Dad and Diana. In the front room when you first walk to their house they have pictures of all there children. On top of Ryan's photo we put two snap shots. One of Ryan holding the pregnancy test and the other of the close up of the word PREGNANT (we did a digital test) I also made a little sign that said "we're having a baby." Well we put this up Sunday afternoon thinking they would see it when they woke up from their Sunday naps. This was not so! They did not see it until Wednesday afternoon... and I think it was our niece Lauren who really saw it first.

Baby and I are doing well! The baby is moving and kicking me all the time. Lots of people have been asking me how my back is doing because of my scoliosis. I do have back pain but I have been able to manage it pretty well with Chiropractic (Thank you Dad, I am a lucky girl to have such a talented Dad!) and yoga. I am also really enjoying swimming!

Ryan and I feel so blessed to be having a child and look forward to being parents! Thank you for all your love and support!!!!

The Fourth of July

The fourth was so much fun! Well at least it was for me. Ryan had to work. My parents stayed at their time share here in town. I spent the day with my family at the resort enjoying the festivities, Food, Fun and Games!

Face painting.... well Ivy had shoulder painting done. She did not like to have her face touched

Don't worry Alan is ok just a really cool looking "scar" 

Alan and Andrew in line for the cannonball contest

Bethany after her cannonball

I won the adult women's cannonball contest. Here is a pic of me and my prize..... No not that guy, the shirt and bag

Here is a pic of Karen and the chocolate cheese cake I made for her birthday.

That night I ate dinner with David and Karen, we went to my cousins and did fireworks, then back to David and Karen's to eat cake. It was a great day.

 Happy Birthday Karen! Thank you for being a wonderful friend!!!

Happy Birthday America...... Happy Birthday Karen!

P.S. Karen is already planning my baby shower. It will be held on November 15th. I need addresses for invitations. I know it is still a few months away but if Karen can be so ahead of the game so can I.... or I will try.

Nieces

This is Ivy's swimsuit pose

Aunt Brittany braided  Ivy's hair for the first time. She's a gangsta!

This is Miss Mya Marie Avila

This is Mya on the day she was born June 30th 2008.

 She was 6 pounds 10 ounces and 19 inches long.

Mya is our eleventh niece. Ryan and I also have ten nephews and one on the way.

Our New Babies!

Well after a very difficult and long labor Ryan and I are now proud parents of the new iphone 3G.  Ryan has been wanting the iphone ever since the first one came out. We had contracts with

T-mobile and we didn't want to pay the $400.00 it would take to brake our contract so he has been waiting a very long time. It worked out well because the new iphone is better and cheeper (which makes it better to me, I don't know much about all the fancy stuff). Our contract ended on the 10th of July and the new iphone came out on the 11th. Well it has been crazy to try and get these things! They are sold out at every AT&T store in Las Vegas. Trust me I've been there or called them multiple times. Each morning at 9:00 am I would call to see if they had a new shipment. I tried to be extra polite because I figure they are getting lots of grumpy calls from others wanting the phone. The other place I would look each night was online on the Apple website. Each night at 9:00 pm they would post if there would be any available to purchase the next day at the Mac stores. One day I saw that there would be some available so I made the trip to the Fashion Show Mall. When I got there they didn't have any. Yesterday I did my calling rounds as usual, still sold out. I decided to call the Mall even though on the website they said there were none available. Me " Hi I was calling to see if you had any of the new iphones in stock?" Mac Worker " NO." Me "OK thank..." Mac Worker " What ( he was talking to someone else) "oh, we do have some. We have the black 8g and the black 16g, no white." After thanking him and hanging up the phone. I ran (really I did) into the bedroom where Ryan was sleeping woke him up (my hast made him believe someone had died). We got to the store as fast as we could. By the time we got there the line was already formed. We got there at about 10:30 and were done at about 12:20. It took a while but we did it! So now we talk free to anyone who has AT&T. This is good because the people I used the most minutes talking to are AT&T customers (My Family & Karen). We love are new phones!

We also had something else cool happen yesterday. After we took Ryan clothes to the cleaners I wanted to stop by the JC Penny to do some window shopping. There wasn't much exciting so I was walking through the store pretty fast (to Ryan's dismay! He was playing with his new phone. The one time he was ok with me taking my sweet time.) We went to the baby section to look around. This was a favorite activity of mine even before we were expecting. Everything is cute when its small! Ryan noticed a sales rack everything was $1.97. Well it turned out there were about ten racks where everything was $ 1.97. We bought LOTS of stuff! We don't know what we are having yet so we bought girl and boy stuff. We will have both someday and if not we can give it away. We feel so blessed to find such a good deal!

My Wonderful Husband!

Ryan

I just wanted to take a time out to say thank you to my husband. He has been so wonderful during this pregnancy! I know I have not always been fun to be around..... crying at the drop of the hat..... to crazy happy...... to just mean. He has been so supportive, kind and patient! Thank you to the most wonderful husband in the world!!! Thank you for working so hard for our family! I love you!!!!

You know it is so easy to complain and nit pick, but how often do we take the time to find the good? I know that sometimes I get upset at the littlest and most meaningless things. Sometimes they might seam like a big deal at the time and maybe they are. But I look at them in the eternal scheme of things they really are so unimportant! What does matter is are loved ones and are relationship we have with them. My goal is to let the little things go. Also to thank others for the things they do instead of finding fault for the thing they don't do. The world would be a better place if we all said thank you a little more!

The Middle Wife

A funny story in "Celebration" of all us having babies!!!

The Middle Wife

By an anonymous 2nd grade teacher

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.
She holds up a snapshot of an infant. "This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday."

"First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord."
She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

"Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. "She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

"My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this." (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

"And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!" (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

"Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there."

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another "Middle Wife" comes along.

Looking for work?

My friend's cousin is looking for someone to watch her children. She would like if the person would come to her house which is on Tanya and Flamingo. She has two children a boy who is five and a girl who is two. The hours are 7:30 am to 3:30 pm Monday- Friday and it pay $40 a day. If you have your own children that is ok (just not too many). She is looking for someone as soon as possible! If you or anyone you know are interested please e-mail me and I will forward it to the mother.... dancingqueenlv@yahoo.com

We're having a BABY!

Well there is not much else to say!

Here is a picture of the proud Papa.

So I guess I will give you a little more info... Our due date is our four year anniversary Dec. 28th.

We are so happy and can't wait! We got to hear the heart beat for the first time last Wednesday, it was so cool. So when you see me don't be thinking gosh Brittany is really getting fat. I'm not fat I'm PREGNANT! Thank you for all the love and support from everyone. P.S. I was trying to match Ryan's shirt, I think I did a good job.