So, it's been a while since I've talked about what Steve and I have been up to this summer. First of all, thank you to everyone who voted for my sister Abby.... she has moved on to the semi-finals in the summer music showcase concert. In a couple of days the voting starts back up again. Please continue to vote for her so she can have the opportunity to perform.... she's made it so far already. All of your votes are appreciated :)
Well, here are some updates from the past month or so. Everything is going well with my pregnancy. Although, I don't really look pregnant, I'm sure my belly will "pop" soon. I haven't gained any weight yet, but everyone reminds me it will come soon enough and to be grateful now. I am about 18 weeks along. We find out in 2 more weeks what we are having! My guess is a boy, but we'll have to wait and see. I'm feeling a lot better than I was early on. This pic was taken today... I'm actually wearing maternity clothes for the first time... the shorts are so much more comfortable than button up shorts.
Steve recently finished his latest wood-burning. For those of you who know Steve well, you are aware of his hobby for art. His free-time this summer has allowed him to enjoy many of the things that school kept him from doing (including playing his X-Box... I think he plays
excessively, but I know he won't have another break for a long time).
A couple of weeks ago, my two friends Lizzie and Kendra came to visit. We had a blast even though it was
extremely hot here that week. I'm so grateful that even with the hot summer temps they spent part of their summer hanging out with Steve and I. Living away from home is not always easy and it was so much fun to have some of my close friends here. Thanks again Kendra and Lizzie!
Here we are at the Phoenix Art Museum (enjoying the children's exhibit)...
About a month ago Steve and I went to visit my sister and her family in North Carolina. It was so much fun to see my two nieces... I miss them already.
Here we are at an
incredible Italian sorbet shop... it was
soooo yummy :)
Kayla loves her uncle Steve...
We went and visited the Biltmore mansion... this place was amazing. I've never seen a home so huge! Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside.
The kids enjoyed the petting zoo they had there. I think they were more comfortable touching the animals than me.
After spending a few days in NC. Steve and I drove down to Charleston, South Carolina. Steve served his mission here, so he was an excellent tour guide. Here we are with one of the families he baptized. They are still very active members in the church.
Everything was so green here... what a change from Arizona.
We went to the Slave Market museum in downtown Charleston. You learn a lot more about slavery than they teach you in a history book.
Here we are visting the pier...
The weekend we were there, Charleston was doing a historical celebration and there were tons of old battleships in the harbor.
It was fun to see all of the cobblestone streets... it's like stepping back in time. Many of the buildings are extremely old, but cannot be torn down because they are considered historical sites. The homes in down-town Charleston are very well preserved, but others on the outskirts of down look as if they are about to collapse.
We went to Market Street. This is where slaves and other goods use to be sold. Now it is an extremly crowded shopping area where people sell crafts, art, and other home-made things.
There were also many old cemeteries. I thought they were really cool because they reminded me of the grave yards you see in movies. We were able to walk through a few of them. Some of the head-stones date back to the early 1700's. Little did we know, mosquitoes were attacking us during this little adventure.
After spending time in Charleston, we made our way up to Myrtle Beach, SC. We stayed at the most beautiful hotel (we scored an awesome deal on Hotwire.com!)
Steve enjoying the ocean waves... it always makes me nervous when he swims out really far.
So far our summer has been lots of fun. It's so nice to have Steve around especially since I can't get as much done being pregnant (working usually takes up all my energy). School starts in about a month, but we are making one more trip up to Utah before things get hectic again... I'm so excited to see family and friends!
The baby was bouncing around in my tummy... I hope it wasn't too loud for her, but I think she enjoyed it. Steve luckily took the night off from studying and was able to join us.
Our camera has a pretty good zoom, so we got some close up shots. They are a little blurry because of the lights, but I think they turned out pretty well. 
They had this gigantic screen that was segmented so it could stretch/grow... kind of hard to explain, but it was pretty cool.
And of course... the long awaited prego pics... or should I say "super hero" prego pics. We all dressed up as super heros at work. I wasn't quite sure on what super hero I wanted to be so I just threw this together. Everyone thought it was pretty funny... especially the emphasis on my ever growing belly. I got the name "super-prego" for the day.
And here's another at 31 weeks (without all the glitter accessories).
Although, I had no intentions to run the entire marathon (and risk going into labor), I still wanted to participate in the race. So at mile 23 I put on my number and joined my sister Abby on her last 3 grueling miles. Abby ran her very first marathon and I am so proud of her! I knew how tough it is to run those last few miles and I'm so glad that I was able to share that experience with her. I got off the course before the last 100 yrds. and gave her a pat on the back and said, "you made it, you did it Abby!" I always say that to myself at the very end of a race, but it was an awesome experice to cheer my sister on... WAY TO GO ABBY!
Here I am at 27 weeks... people are finally noticing now that I'm pregant and not just thick around the middle.
I flew up for the wedding 2 weeks ago. Luckily the weather was beautiful and we all had a blast at the reception (which really was an awesome PARTY!).
We found out about 2 weeks ago, but I've been so busy that the blog was put on hold for a while. This summer has been a little crazy, but we've had so much fun. Being in the Primary presidency has kept me pretty busy. Our primary president was out of town for most of the summer which made things a little hectic, but now that summer is nearly over things should calm down. We also did some camping in Flagstaff. Steve and I then went up to Utah for about a week. It was so much fun to see our family and friends. We had 2 family baby showers while we were there... can I just say that baby girl things are sooooo cute!!!!
I'm not really showing, but Steve and I are going to take pictures of my belly profile every couple weeks and make a flip book in the end.
So, it's been an entire month since my last post... I'm so sorry for the lack of updates. This past month has been quite eventful. About 2 weeks ago we had the first Lake Powell Paulsen Family Reunion... it was a blast!!! (Thanks mom & dad). All of my nieces and nephews were there. My sister and her family even flew all the way from North Carolina to be there. 
Steve testing his wake-boarding skills after a hard year of med school.
I love to ski on glass... what a treat!
My brother Isaac... the pro wake-boarder in the family. He always gives us a show.
Miss Makayla enjoying the water.
My brother Josh just being himself :)
Jane loving the wind in her hair.
Emma and my sister Abby showing off her cool shades ("I got them for only a dollar!").
Audrey making sure the sun stays out of her eyes.
Emma is always ready to set sail!
Isaac with his lovely girl Megan along with my two sisters. It was so fun to have Megan there!
Bryce Canyon
Salt Lake Trip
It was a beautiful day... just the way it should be.
When we arrived someone else in the family had purchased 80 white balloons. So after a countdown everyone let go of the balloons... it was an unforgettable moment.
We'll miss you Bestamor!
