Long Needed Update

So we have been absolutely horrible about posting, I know. Life just gets busy, and in all reality, I'm not very good at making sure that I journal, let alone blog. Life is going pretty well for us these days. We moved out here to Lincoln Nebraska at the very end of July, and we've been here for I think almost 6 months? We found out just before we moved that we are having another baby! I am actually due a month from today. I can't believe that I only have 4 weeks left until my due date. I'm not counting on this little boy actually making his appearance on that day, but it's good to have a general idea of when to expect him. I'm sooo ridiculously excited to be having another baby. Eliana is getting extremely big these days and is amazing! I am finding more and more that she is one of the biggest joys in my life (though some days I think that she is also a challenge. Mostly because we are cutting molars right now). I have been keeping myself very busy with being a stay-at-home mommy, and am finding that I really enjoy it. So Eliana is 2 years old now, as of November, and we are going to be adding a little boy probably next month in March. Hopefully he will be in March, because my mom is planning on coming out and I really want her to be here for his birth. We are really excited about it, and I am hoping to be able to have an unmedicated and natural labor this time (I was induced and had an epidural for Eli). I wish that I could do a home birth with a midwife, but that is actually illegal in this state, and Brian and I decided that it was important to follow the law. We did a lot of praying about it, and we ended up finding an amazing doctor who I think will be just what we need for this birth. So I know that the Lord is looking out for us, and I am so grateful for the blessing of personal revelation in our lives!

Lincoln is definitely a different experience. To be honest, I have a horrible love/hate relationship with this city. Firstly, it is crazy hard to get anywhere! The planning is just plain bad. Mostly because it is an old city that was never expected to be as big as it is. The newer parts are easier to get around in, but the older parts, you are lucky if there are two lanes each way in traffic. And don't get me started on all the one-way streets. It's enough to drive you crazy! People here are pretty friendly, but it has been hard making actual friends. We have some friends in the ward, and we are super happy to have them, but I really miss everyone back in Provo. It's hard making new friends. Our ward is small, but it's pretty good. I got called to be the primary chorister, and Brian is one of the counselors for the Elder's Quorum. We are enjoying our callings for the most part, and I absolutely love the kids in our primary. They are a joy to work with.

Brian is doing really well in his Master's program. He really enjoys what he is doing and I am so happy that he is. He got a 4.0 for his first semester, and is working really hard this semester. We are hoping that he will continue to do as well. We are so blessed that his tuition is being paid for by an assistantship, and they actually externed him out to the state DHHS. That came with a pay raise, so no complaints from us. We are hoping that he will be able to write a paper for something that he is working on there, but there are no guarantees. We really want to make sure that he is able to get published again in his master's degree, because right now he is looking at doing a doctorate and it's easier to get accepted and funded if you continue to be involved in research. That being said, two of the papers that he co-authored during his undergrad have been accepted for publication! Woohoo! It is also extremely likely that we are going to be going to Washington DC for the summer for an internship for Brian with the National Science Foundation. We are just waiting to hear for sure at this point, and then we will be able to start looking for a place to live for the summer. Then we'll have to find another place here in Lincoln for next school year. Hopefully we will be able to find something a bit bigger than what we are in now. When we moved from Provo we lost 300 square feet, which is really a lot more than you would expect. Everything will depend on finances and what we can find though, so we will see.

I have been keeping busy with a lot of sewing projects, and have finally finished with a pair of knitted shorties for Eli! Woohoo! It's taken more than a year to finish them though, silly me! I am working on a quilt for the new baby, which I am really excited about. One of these days I will have to post my project pictures. Not sure when though. I am also finishing a major purge of our stuff. We have way too much! So I'm going through and getting rid of the stuff that I know that we don't need. Of course, with adding a bunch of stuff for a new little one, we are probably breaking even on amount of stuff, but at least we won't have to haul even more around with all of our moving.

So that is most of the major stuff that has been going on here in the Wells household recently, and here are some gratuitous cute pictures!