Good News!!!

Well we went to the doctors today and we received an 85% chance that we are having a little baby GIRL!!! They gave us that percentage because the baby was being so modest that she was covering up her little parts with her foot. They said looking from behind and in between her legs it did not look like a boy so they guessed a girl. They will do another ultrasound on Jan. 17 to recheck but they were pretty sure. It was so neat to see the whole baby and how much it has grown, we have a really cute picture of her hand as she was totally waving to us. She was definitely moving around a lot and it was so incredible. Well we are getting ready to leave for our Christmas vacation and hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!

The Koester Dancers

I know I emailed this special dance message, but I just had to post it. So Merry Christmas from Natalie and Kyle. Watch and Enjoy!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1339137430

Thanks for the Tag!

Tag #1
1. Where did you meet your husband? At a bonfire, cooking smores! yum
2.What was the first thing you said to your husband? Probably Hi, he came up to me that night
3. Where was your first date? Ate at a steak house and then went to a party
4. Where was your first kiss? On my front porch
5. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement? Dated for about 2 years, engaged for 3 months
6. Where did you get engaged? Ventura Beach
7. Where were you married? We were married in the LA Temple
8. How did your reception go? Fun, but went by too fast
9. How was your honeymoon? Great. Sat on the beach in Mexico

Tag #2
Four Places I've lived....
1. Valencia, California
2. Provo, Utah
3. Lansing, Michigan
4.

Four jobs I've had....
1. Magic Mountain
2. Camp Counselor
3. Server at an elderly home
4. Art teacher

Four things I'd like to do before I die....
1. have children
2. travel more
3. live at the beach
4. win Mrs. America contest

Four favorite desserts....
1. brownies
2. chocolate chip cookies
3. Lemon cake
4. rainbow sherbert ice cream

Four facts about me....
1. I love to shop
2. I am very interested in art history
3.I really like John Travolta and would love to meet him
4. If I could be born again I would want to be Polynesian

Four favorite TV shows....
1. The Office
2. The Hills
3. The Price is Right
4. HGTV and TLC network

Tag #3

6 facts/habits about myself...here's the good and the ugly!
1. I just wrote 4 facts above this
2. I love teaching art to kids
3. I am considered a professional in partner dancing; waltz, east and west coast swing, cha-cha, two-step
4. I love to dance and perform my favorite is tap which I have done since I was 5 years old, I taught partner dancing to adults for 3 years
5. I am very laid back and easy going
6. I love playing sports, and I still hold the record at my Junior High for the fastest time in the 400, which is one lap around a track.

Christmas Season, my favorite!!!

These past couple of weeks I have had to remind myself that I still have a husband since I have not seen him very much as he diligently studies for finals coming up. I can't wait till they are over so he's not so stressed and that means we leave for Christmas vacation. This really is my favorite time of year, I love winter and the Christmas season. I put all my decorations up and love how all the lights look. I think it would be cool just to leave the lights up all year round. I am counting down the days till the 17th when we hopefully find out if we are having a boy or girl!! The only problem with counting down is it makes time go by really slowly so I try not to think about it too much. There are only 11 days left!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Well Kyle and I had a great Thanksgiving Holiday. It was so nice to spend time with friends and family. Thursday we had a great meal with our friends over at the Taylors home. It was really good, the turkey and all the sides were delicious. I contributed with homemade cranberry sauce and made some yummy chocolate cream pies. We definitely filled ourselves up on that meal.












It was nice to have a relaxing day and enjoy great food. I did miss my family, I have probably only missed one Thanksgiving my whole life with my family, so it was different being away but it turned out to be a great day.

Friday night we left for Richmond, Virginia. We met up with Kyle's family to go see his brothers football game on Saturday. It was Eastern Kentucky vs. University of Richmond. It was a lot of fun just to get away for about 2 days and be somewhere different. We had fun with Kyle's whole family. The game was really cold, but it was enjoyable to watch them play and eat popcorn and drink hot chocolate. The trip ended short and we came home Sunday evening, but overall it was a great holiday and now I am super excited to get ready for Christmas!!

Where'd the sunshine go?

Well I'm not sure if I'm ready for the cold weather, I really am going to miss the warm sunshine. Now that my little one inside is growing, consequently I'm growing. I don't know if the combination of realizing I'm slowly growing out of my clothes and the onset of the winter blues is such a good idea. Guess I will just have to go shopping for some new cute clothes. Kyle had a good time with Craig on Saturday, they went to the MSU vs UofM football game and said it was a lot of fun. That boy really loves his football and is getting sad that it is coming close to the end of the season. Monday I went to my water aerobics class at the YMCA. It was really fun and actually a pretty good workout, I just wish I could have gone and sat in the hot tub afterwards.
Wednesday was another yummy cooking night. I enjoy going and learning new things to make since my meals usually end up being the same. This morning I had another doctors appointment. It is always exciting to go and see what they have to say. I was able to hear the heart beat and it was at 166. Everything seems to be going well so that makes me happy. My next appointment will be the ultrasound to find out if it's a boy or a girl so hopefully the baby will be ready for their debut. It will be at 18 weeks which is a little early but I really wanted to find out before we went home for the holidays. Now I will just be counting down until that time.

Superpower!

Well this past Halloween weekend was filled with a lot of fun activities. First Friday Kyle and I went to a Halloween party which was really fun and we loved dressing up as Superwoman and Superman. There was a band made up of members from the ward that played sweet music and fun costumes to check out. Later that night we went and picked my parents up from the airport in our costumes which was awesome cause everyone was staring at us and I'm sure thought we were so cool.

It was so fun having my parents here for the weekend, it is so nice having family around. We took them all around. We took a tour of the Capitol with a group of elementary kids so that was fun, I felt like I was on a field trip. I can't wait to go home for Christmas and hang out with the rest of the family. Halloween night wasn't too eventful, had a few kids come by for some candy and enjoyed some myself. But in all it was a fun little holiday.

Koester Chili Recipe

The Koesters have a really good homemade chili recipe so for all those who would like to have a nice bowl on a cool autumn day here's how to make it.
3lbs. ground meat
chili seasoning
2-3 large cans of diced tomatoes
2 small cans of tomato sauce
1/2 chopped onion
1 chopped orange or yellow pepper (optional)
Top it with some cheese and or fritos chips and enjoy!

Yeah it's almost Friday!

I am so excited to have my mom and dad come this weekend, it will be so fun to have some guests. There was a little scare with my mom that still isn't completely taken care of but the good news is that the doctor said she is okay to fly. I just hope the long day of traveling doesn't totally wear her out. But knowing her she would never show it. My parents will be at church on Sunday so you'll all have to be around so I can introduce all my friends. I am so glad the weather has been actually quite nice this week so I can continue my jogs in the morning. Yesterday I went out with the Taylors and took their family pictures. It was a lot of fun and the leaves were so pretty. Their kids were so easy to work with and knew exactly what to do in front of a camera.

I have been watching the news a lot this week following the fires since they are so close to my family. My brother and his family had to evacuate their home for about a day and half. They said the fires were so close to their house, luckily the wind was blowing away from their home so their house was saved. My uncle and aunt and cousins had to leave their homes for a few days down in San Diego. I'm still not sure if my cousin is back in her home. Every year it seems L.A. county gets hit with fires I just wonder if there is someway they can prevent it rather than waiting for it to come. I am also excited to get dressed up this Friday for the party I love putting on costumes, and I definetely can't wait to hear the band play.

When does the joy of eating ever return?

When will food ever taste good anymore? I am just waiting for the day I can eat something and actually feel satisfied, cause this really is just not much fun. Could somebody remind me why people have so many kids and so close together, I just don't understand how they do it. I really wish I could have my Del Taco right now, I could live on that stuff for a long time. My mom said when they come next week she will bring me something on the airplane, so we'll see how that turns out. My parents are excited to meet my lovely friends so we will have to get together while they are here so I can prove you all do exist. Unfortunately they can only stay for a few days because my mom can't miss more than one day of her radiation treatment which is five days a week. She is such a strong woman and I really can't complain about my ailments for I know she is going through it 10times worse than me.

So I must admit I am a succor for the she The Hills on MTV, I just love those girls and can't help but see what they do each week. It just makes me want to be in L.A., go shopping, go out to dinner at really good restaurants and be out at the pool. I love watching the drama between them and all the boys and seeing who likes who. If you have MTV you should check it out sometime, though you probably will think I'm a little off for liking the show so much. Monday nights and 10pm. Well I guess I go stand in front of my fridge and cupboard for a while and see what I possibly could imagine eating.

Finally in Our New Home!

Kyle and I are so excited to finally be in our new house. Being sick and all I wasn't sure if I was going to make it through the move. We love being in the new place it is so comfortable and much more convenient for Kyle to get to school. I don't have to pick him up much anymore since now he can just walk or ride his bike. It is fun to be downtown for now I can walk to stores or do a nice jog to the capital. Kyle is also very excited to watch his football games on his new LCD t.v. I can't wait for my parents to come in just a couple weeks to have some guests use the new guest room.

The past couple weeks have been pretty busy with the move and then our ward has a cooking group once a month and I taught how to make chocolate pudding cake. It was really fun to share one of Kyle's favorite desserts with the others. Last Friday I had a party at my place for one of the girls that moved out of the ward and is expecting her first child in April, it was a lot of fun to have all the girls over. Kyle went to see a movie since he wasn't too sure about being the only male in a womanly environment. Well now that all is more organized with the house I will be keeping up better with my blogs.

Visiting the beach and feeling sick!

Well it has finally hit me, yup I'm sick. This is really not to much fun, I thought I was going to be able to get through this with no problems. It all started Friday morning. Kyle and I went to Grand Haven Beach in MI and it was so nice, it just reminded me of how much I miss California and the nice sunny weather and sandy beaches. I was really enjoying the day until I felt this cramping and flu like feeling coming upon me. Well it continued through Saturday and Sunday and that evening I just couldn't handle the pain anymore so Kyle and I went to the hospital. After spending 9 hours there I came home to bed with tylenol. I have been told to basically be on bed rest for the next week or two and take it easy. It has been hard cause I am not someone who likes to sit around inside all day. I guess this is part of being pregnant and I will just have to get through it. I don't really have to use my tivo anymore since I am home all day and evening to watch my shows right when they're on and browsing the internet has become something somewhat enjoyable. Well here are some pictures from our trip to Grand Haven and a picture of my belly at about 5 1/2 weeks pregnant.

Mackinac Island

Kyle and I went to Mackinac Island and it was so fun. It reminds me of Catalina Island off the Coast of California. We rode our bikes everywhere. I guess when they say no motor vehicles they really mean it. It is such a cute and quaint little place, the fudge was definitely a favorite of mine. The weather was so nice and I loved being so close to the water. I think if you have a chance all should take a couple days and go visit, it is a good place to sit and relax.

Oh the Cutest Kids Ever!

Well I just love showing off my cute nieces and nephews, I love them all so much. I just have to have some pictures of them on my post so all can see what I am talking about. There's Gracie, Olivia, Ricky, Juliet, and Zach. I just can't wait to have one of my own. So far I am doing really great. I haven't felt one bit of sickness and hope that it continues to be that way. Kyle and I are just trying to slowly organize our house right now for when the time comes to move, in just about 2 weeks, I am so excited.

Zachary!

My nephew Zachary is one of the most funny little boys I have ever met. He loves to get the "bad" guys and be like Nacho Libre. I really miss not seeing all my nieces and nephews but here he is being Nacho and acting tough!

That's right we're expecting!!

Kyle and I are so excited, we really can't believe we will be parents in just about 9 months. I really can't wait and 9 months never seemed to be so long before as it does now. Well we are here in Michigan trying to enjoy the last few weeks of sunny days before the cold begins to set in. We will be moving in just about 3 weeks so I have a lot to do before that can happen. It is hard being far from family but it has helped us depend more on each other and become closer as a couple. We will definitely be keeping all updated with pictures as the pregnancy continues on.