Appointment #1

---April 15, 2013---

This was the day we were able to meet with the doc for the first time and have an ultrasound. The ultrasound experience was so incredibly amazing and unforgettable. I'm so grateful Josh was able to be there as well and see/hear our little bean. At this time I was about 8 weeks along and had been feeling great. It was hard to believe I was actually pregnant because my body felt just like normal.

This picture was taken a few weeks prior to our first appointment at about  6 weeks along

There is our sweet baby measuring in at about 7 mm

"...an extra egg in my basket!"

---Sunday, March 31, 2013---
We were originally planning on waiting to tell our families the exciting news before Rachel's wedding weekend, but on Easter morning Josh couldn't keep it in any longer! With much begging from Josh, we decided to tell our families this day. Since we weren't able to share the news with Josh's family in person he came up with a clever way of doing so. We used the line, "Joni has an extra egg in her basket." It took a moment for some of the family members to understand what we really meant (especially Jason who is the brainiac). Rachel's reaction (as you can imagine) involved a lot of screaming, excitement, and over enthusiasm! For Megan and Ryan we had Colin tell them that he was going to be a cousin.

As for my family, we had my mom in on the secret to help us play it all out. We got some plastic Easter eggs and put a piece of paper in each one that read, 'Baby McDonald coming November 2013!!!' After dinner my mom passed around the eggs to everyone and told them she had a little present for each of us. As my siblings opened the egg they found out it was not quite a present but surprising news!!! (We weren't planning on starting a family for at least a couple of more years).

Mandee was extremely shocked

Charlie was confused

Cort and Jade were excited

How It All Came About

Ok first of all we need to flashback to about 5 months ago (January). Josh and I were able to join my mother's side of the family (The Hawkes') to do the temple work for my Grandpa Bob and  Grandma Iris. We met one January afternoon at the Brigham City Temple. This sealing was extra special to me because I am named after my Grandma Iris (my middle name is Iris) and although I was young when she passed away, I've been able to learn a lot about her through writing her history and hearing stories from family members. I even wore one of her pearl necklaces that my mom gave me to remind me of her (picture below).

This whole entire experience was absolutely amazing and indescribable. Being at this beautiful recently built and dedicated temple with family who have been my example my whole life was so powerful. After the endowment session, we met in a sealing room. While we waited for the sealer to get there, it was so humbling to sit in this pure white room and feel the spirit so strong. As we did the work to seal Iris and Robert Lawrence Hawkes together I got to stand in as proxy for my grandma, which meant the world to me. Through this experience and many others I know that families can be together forever through the proper power of the priesthood.

A few days later as we were laying in bed (and I was just about asleep) Josh said something along the lines of, "Hey, I want to talk about something." Those words got me excited and nervous all at the same time so I was instantly awake and ready to listen. He explained to me that as we were in the sealing room, the sealer was discussing eternal families and multiplying and replenishing the earth, he felt a strong feeling that we needed to start a family. I didn't quite have those same feelings in the temple, but I knew if those words came from Josh, a worthy priesthood holder, and through much prayer and fasting, we knew this was right for us at this time.

To make a long story short, and to leave out unnecessary details ;)  within a few months I found out I was pregnant according to the pregnancy test. When I broke the news to Josh, we were filled with joy and couldn't wait to bring a little one into the world.