Life Update

Our announcement t-shirts

My fifth grade class on Halloween - I was a basketball game

Halloween

Our pumpkins

Ok! I am really bad at keeping up with this thing!! Hopefully I will have more time soon.

SO! Here is the update:

Derek:

Derek is doing great. He is in his second-to-last semester at school. He is doing well (as usual). At this point he has been applying to lots of jobs and consequently he has been having lots of interviews! We were in Utah last weekend for an interview he had with BD medical. We are going to Austin, TX on Thursday because he has an interview with National Instruments - they are flying us both out! Then he leaves again next Wednesday for Ohio because he has an interview with Honda! We have been extremely blessed so far! We will see if anything comes from it!

He just registered for his last semester in school and among other things he is taking Bowling, Archery, and Weight Lifting. It should be pretty difficult.... :) His internship from the summer called him last week and asked him to come back. He was a hard worker over the summer and they felt the void! So, he will be working a couple of days a week. We are glad for the opportunity because we've got a baby coming! He will probably work till Christmas. He is still tutoring when he has time as well.

Amanda:

I have been student teaching in the 5th grade for the last 3 months! I only have a week and a half left! I can't even believe it. I have been going to school for the last 16 years of my life!! It is about to end! Student teaching has been WONDERFUL! I have the best class. I love my students and I have learned so much about myself as a person and as a teacher. It has been nothing short of a blast.

Oh yeah! I'm pretty sure anyone who reads this already knows, but I'm pregnant! I will be 24 weeks tomorrow! I am progressively getting bigger and it has been sooooo much fun!! I have had a wonderful pregnancy so far. I haven't ever been sick, I feel really great. As I get bigger my back has been hurting a little, and today my hips felt like they were about to pop out but that is just recently!

Derek and I were called to be Sunday School Teachers in the Marriage and Family Relations class. We had the same calling in our last ward so we know what we are doing! yay! We are extremely excited for the Holidays. We are spending Thanksgiving with my family here in Idaho and then we will head to Farmington for Christmas! It will be great!

Baby Whipple:

Our baby boy has been kicking up a storm. He knows how to move! I have been able to feel him for about a month now. Derek can feel him move too! It never gets old. It is so wonderful to be able to feel him moving together. I know that Derek feels more a part of the pregnancy now that he can feel our son moving too. It gets more and more real as his due date gets closer. February 28th doesn't seem too far away considering we've got the Holiday season to get through. After that its just 2 months away. We have started to buy things here and there for him. We've got some clothes and other random things. There is a lot to buy for someone so SMALL! We just got a cradle off of Craigslist today for 20 bucks! Worth it! We won't buy a crib until we know when and where we are moving after Derek graduates in April.

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

22 weeks

24 weeks

We Are Still Here!

I know it has been a LONG time.... a really long time.... almost a year but we are still around! Life has been busy! I am going to start updating my blog regularly so that people can know what we are doing with our lives! At this point in our lives:

1. We are living in Idaho Falls for the summer - with my parents (to save money). We made a little home in their library downstairs so we are surrounded by books!

2. Derek is doing an internship for a company called CH2M which is working to clean up nuclear waste out at the INL site. He gets up at 4:30 every morning and works 10 hour days but he enjoys himself. It is nice that he is not selling this summer. We actually get to spend weekends together! This is our first summer not selling and it has been an awesome change.

3. I am working at Play It Again Sports here in town! I sell sporting equipment all day and go home smelling like rubber. I am learning a lot about sports. It's a fun job. I have the best bosses. I got really lucky. I work Tuesdays-Thursdays 12-8. It is the perfect job. Derek works Mondays-Thursdays so we have three-day weekends together!

4. So far this summer we have had lots of bbq's (Derek is awesome at grilling), we took a vacation to Las Vegas/Mesa/Farmington, we went camping, we went to the drive-in, we go on lots of dates, we work out every day, we are eating healthy, we watch lots of movies, we are reading lots of books (a current favorite of ours is Dean Koontz - Odd Thomas series) and more! We are having a really good time.

5. We are taking an online class together (Teachings of the Living Prophets) so that takes up some time. Derek is taking another class online, and English class which has kept him pretty busy. It is awesome for us to be able to learn about the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve together.

6. It was pretty chilly for the first part of the summer up here but it finally warmed up! Now it is almost too warm haha! Last week the air conditioning was broken in the store that I work in! It was like sitting in an oven. It was sooooo hot! But no worries, it's fixed how.

7. Derek and I have been watching Boy Meets World through Netflix which has been lots of fun! It brings back lots of memories of my childhood!

8. At this point in school - I am student teaching starting August 29th here in Idaho Falls! This means that I will graduate in December!! I am so excited and ready to teach! I had great preparation the last two semesters. Derek has only two semesters left and so he graduates in April! After that we will see where Heavenly Father needs us to go! Derek takes the GRE at the end of this month which will help him get into grad-school so we will see!

This is just a quick up-date. I will follow up this post with more details and some pictures (once I find them!)