"They like to moon ya!....No. We. Don't!"

"Wait, are you sure that's my stomach?," I asked the ultrasound tech as she began her scan yesterday morning. She chuckled slightly and continued on. I know each woman's pregnancy is very different. For me, I do not yet feel like anything is inside of me. My body doesn't feel any different (besides the slight pudge that's starting to protrude from my abdomen). And so to see a human, a moving life, inside of my stomach...was absolutely breathtaking.

The tech started with the head and the brain, pointing out the ventricles of the brain and structures of the skull. That part was cool and neat, but the reality still hadn't quite sunk in. . She immediately moved to the profile. And my mind stopped. My breathing froze. And my heart melted. I had no control of the tears that began streaming from my eyes. "There's your baby's face," she softly stated. And in that moment, my entire world as I've known it completely changed forever.

The rest of the scan was fascinating. Each little body part and organ, so perfect and petite. She moved from head to toe and after she had finished showing us the spine, she rolled down and quickly said "Looks like we have a boy!" And I fell in love all over again. There was definitely no denying it. He had no trouble showing us his perfect little boy parts.

The rest of the day was somewhat a blur. I was so distracted and consumed with my baby. MY baby. I had such a fun time getting ready for our "gender reveal" party with my mom. We shared many tears of joy and pure excitement as we talked about tee-ball, trucks, and dirt :)

The party was a really good time. We had boy food (pizza, nachos, meatballs, and soda) and girl food (pasta salad, fruit salad, spinach salad, and water). Everybody who came wore pink or blue to show their vote for a boy or girl. When it was time for the big reveal, we gathered everyone together. I had made cake balls with a blue filling. On the count of three everyone bit into the cake balls and saw the blue. The room was immediately filled with hugs and shouts of congratulations. We had about 30 people there and people from around the world (literally!) on the phone. Friends and family joined us through skype and phones calls from Germany, New York, Missouri, Texas, and Utah. It was divine.

I have been blessed with an extremely happy and love-filled life, but there have been few experiences that compare to the pure joy and deep, undefinable love that I felt yesterday. There is no denying Heavenly Father's perfect design. I know that family IS the center to God's plan and is the definition of all that is important. I feel humbled and honored that Heavenly Father has entrusted me with one of his little soldiers, and for this I am eternally grateful.

It's a boy!

Team Pink

Team Blue

Peugnet Family

Komenda Family

Captivated

Dear world,

We'd like to introduce the love of our lives:

Baby Komenda

Expected date for our hearts to melt and be stolen forever:

September 2011

O is for the only one I see

Some things I love today:

• Eric Keith Komenda :)
• Picnics in the park
• Peach Sprite...holy heaven!
• Sales at the grocery store.
• Anything to do with cupcakes.
• Afternoon naps with the windows open.
• Getting mail!
• Letters from friends.
• Blueberry streussel muffins
• Life :)

If this isn't the cutest face you've ever seen...

...then I don't know what is!

Happy holidays!

I stand in awe

After a whirlwind of emotions this weekend, I have been wanting to write a few thoughts down. I still can't bring my mind to gather a comprehensive summary of everything that has gone through my mind in the last 72 hours, but instead I have had very deep sporadic thoughts.

The most important thing that I have learned more of, thought about, and come to a greater understanding of is Heavenly Father's awareness of and indescribable love for each of us individually. As soon as Eric and I got the official report from the ER Dr. I was obviously overcome with incredible emotion but at the exact same time, I had the strongest feeling of love and peace. I remember thinking "how can this be happening to us?" in my mortal mind but thinking "Heavenly Father knows exactly why we need to experience this" all at the same time. I knew, and have never known stronger as the weekend went on, that Heavenly Father knew exactly why this baby was not supposed to come to this earth at this time. My testimony of the plan of salvation and of truly trusting in Heavenly Father's will has been strengthened more than ever in my life.

I know that families can be together forever. I am so grateful for this knowledge and the strength that it has given me this week.

I have the most loving, gentle, and compassionate husband. I have obviously been a wreck for the past 3 days and Eric has not left my side. He has endured all of my crying, wailing, whining, and complaining with loving arms wrapped around me. He has been my rock. I could not have done this without him. Eric gave me a blessing on Friday night that words cannot describe. I will never be able to describe how grateful I am for the priesthood and how very very thankful I am that he is worthy and in tune with the Spirit to know exactly what I need. We know without any doubt that Heavenly Father is in complete control of our situation and wants nothing but the best for us. We know that He is fully aware of our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We have found the most overwhelming peace and comfort in this knowledge.

I have been blessed with the most supportive, caring, and loving family members. I am so grateful for the countless texts, phone calls, and visits from them. I am grateful for a mom that has given me so much advice and has been there to listen when I just needed to cry. I am grateful for a sister who showed up without notice, because she knew that I needed someone here, even when I thought I didn't. I'm grateful for a loving brother and sister-in-law who texted and called this weekend and who have continued to check up on me. I have been so touched by this. I am grateful for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law who offered love and service to us. I will never be able to tell each of these people how much their love, concern, and support meant to us. We could not have done this without them.

I have such wonderful friends. I have 3 incredible friends from work that have not let a day go by without calling or texting me, offering love and support. I am so thankful for a sweet friend in my ward who happened to come over on Saturday and unexpectedly find out about everything that had happened. She just happened to be here and as a result got to experience my emotions first hand. I will never forget her genuine love and concern as she sat and listened to me talk and talk. How sweet she was to bring dinner to us on Sunday. I have the most wonderful neighbor and friend (who is also in my ward) who without knowing what was even going on stopped by with the sweetest note and cookies. The love I felt from both of these girls in my ward will forever remain with me. They are truly Christlike friends.

I have learned more than I ever thought possible about this experience. I am so humbled and in awe of my Heavenly Father. I feel closer than I ever have to Him. My heart is so full with love towards all of those who have offered us love, support, and kindness this weekend. I am filled with hope for the future and have so much peace that Heavenly Father will continue to guide and direct us as we continue to turn to Him and seek His help.

Everyday Celebrations

Sometimes I have to slow down and count my blessings, remember what's important. I was talking to an old roommate last night about life. We were saying how it's funny because every time we talk we ask, "so what's new?" And every time we respond, "nothing, just work and life." I was thinking about that today and the reality is that I've let life feel like that a lot lately...just the same ol same ol. However, as I thought about it more I thought I'm 23 years old, and if I let life be boring, monotonous, and routine, it's going to be a loooong road

So I'm changing my mind set. I have so much to be grateful for, so many things to celebrate. Everyday can be a party. There's no need to have a big occasion. It's important to celebrate the little things.

Recent things to celebrate...

• Eric's birthday! We had so much fun together. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner together and then celebrated with family that night. One year older and wiser too, happy birthday to you!
• This past weekend Eric took me on a weekend getaway. It is always so good to spend time together away from the normal everyday distractions. The first night we ate a nice dinner, went to a comedy show, and spent the night at a resort in Scottsdale. Then we headed up north. On our way up to Flag we humored ourselves by watching the temperature gauge slow drop as the car climbed up the mountain. I'm slightly obsessed with Christmas music and Eric surprised me with Christmas tunes all the way up. When we arrived in town we rode the ski-lift skyride up to the top of the peaks. After getting over the rickety feeling of the ride and our stomachs dropping, we were taken back by the stillness of the quiet mountain scenery. It was heavenly. Unfortunately after we got back to the hotel, I got a nasty fever and killer sore throat and was down for the rest of the trip.
• After being married for a little while, it can be easy to take each other for granted. However, I always feel so blessed with how lovingly Eric takes care of me. Planning a big weekend; sacrificing fun plans to take care of a sick wife; going to the store in the early cold morning to get me throat lozenges and a thermometer; driving me to urgent care; going back to the store to get chloreseptic spray, a humidifier, and popsicles. I haven't felt that crummy in so long. While I sat on the side of the bed crying and drooling (because it hurt too bad to swallow) for 2 days he patiently rubbed my back and constantly asked what I needed. What a dream :)
• Yesterday I did a session at the temple. I was struggling with the above mentioned "boring-ness" and needed an uplifting. I left refilled with love and peace in my heart, exactly what I needed.

We may not have the most exciting lives. We may not have a lot of cool things. But we're happy. And we're going to celebrate today...and you should too :)

Life :)

Summer 2010

Waterparks:

4th of July:

Visits with friends:

Vacation!:

More visits from friends: