The Haughey's

Have you heard?

2011-01-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dos.

Two.

2.

2nd.

Yup, we (more specifically, me) are pregnant with number 2! and no, it's not twins, the doctor only saw one baby in there!

We are calling the baby, Baby Dos, also known as Dosie.

We found out about two weeks before Christmas, told all our families on Christmas and spilled the news to everyone else on the 26th!

This was Evelyn's Christmas outfit. I had to make the shirt since you can't find "big sister" shirts in 6-9 month size!

We thought we were about two months along, 8-10 weeks-ish. Had our first ultrasound yesterday. Um. Nope.

16 WEEKS!!!

Yikes! Where did the whole first trimester go?!

Apparently I have fairly easy pregnancies, since, you know, I couldn't even tell until I was 3 months in! ^_^

Let's see, Questions you might want answered:

Yes, Evelyn is only 9 months old
The babies will be about 15 months apart
Yes, this is sooner than we were planning
Yes, Dosie is a big (but welcome!) surprise
I had only had one period and so didn't realize that I had gotten pregnant because I assumed that one was just a fluke, since I was still nursing, and there were no other periods for me to "miss"
Yes, we got pregnant pretty much immediately after that period, which is why I didn't have anymore. Oooooh! that all makes sense now! oops.
Yes, I am aware you can get pregnant while nursing, everything I had read though told me we were still in the "safe zone" but we still used protection 95% of the time...
That 5% will get you every time!
That's how we got Evelyn too! haha!
No, I am not nursing Evelyn anymore, my milk had started drying up before we got pregnant and wasn't coming back, and the (unknown then) pregnancy probably contributed to that
We will find out the gender in about 3 weeks
Yes, we will share the Gender
No, we will not share the name
Yes, we already have names picked out
Due date is June 18

I think that's it. If you have anymore questions, leave them in the comments and I might answer them... :)

Photo Challenge Day 13

2010-11-21T18:05:00.000-08:00

Linking up with Jenny and the 30 Day Photo Challenge!

Day 13 A photo of your best friend(s)

Me and my hubby, a little blurry, at Hearst Castle. Wouldn't have married him if he wasn't one of my best friends, he knows me in and out and we just become closer the longer we are married, as it should be!

Me and my Seeester! She will probably be much happier about my photo choice since she is all done up in this one, rather than the other one I almost used.... Bestest friends for 26.5 years and counting! don't know what I would do without her!

Photo challenge Day 12

2010-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

day 12. a photo of you

This is me, driving Kyle's grandpa's fancy-schmancy convertible sports car when we had been married less than a year, my that thing was fun to zip around in! and Kyle didn't want to drive at all, so I got to drive it the whole time! wheee! We just took it out for about an hour, but it was marvelous!

Photo Challenge Day 11

2010-11-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

day 11. a photo of your favourite film(s)

Seriously. I LOVE this movie! If you didn't see it, you really have to! We were laughing soooo hard! Those little minion dudes, yeah, I want one.

Photo Challenge Day 10

2010-11-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

day 10. a photo of you as a baby

So, I looked and looked on my computer, and I have no pictures of me as a baby... My mom has some, at home, but I would need to scan them and such, I will try to remember to update this post at some point...

Photo Challenge Day 9

2010-11-17T18:10:00.000-08:00

day 9. a photo of your family

Taken at Kyle's cousin's wedding this summer. Poor baby girl was so tuckered out, it was the longest I think we had really ever had her out.

Photo Challenge Day 8

2010-11-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

day 8. a photo of your favourite band/musician

credit Google Images

*sigh* I heart listening to Michael Buble. His style of singing is so soothing to me, very mellow and fun!

Photo Challenge Day 7

2010-11-15T08:24:00.000-08:00

day 7. a photo of someone you love

This is me and my "sister" Sarah, she is the Tan Sister, I am the White Sister, for obvious reasons... I love her to death and hate that I don't get to see her hardly at all because she lives in Fres-yes going to school.

Photo Challenge Day 6

2010-11-14T08:21:00.000-08:00

day 6. a photo that makes you laugh

Oh, Angry Baby, I am sorry mommy giggles at you and takes your picture instead of picking you up, but your little indignant faces are just too funny!

Photo Challenge Day 5

2010-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

day 5. a photo of you

I was in need of a new profile picture for something or other, and this is what I got after a little cropping, there was a baby in that picture when I first took it, but it is the most recent picture of just me that I have... Still tired, Evelyn isn't even 3 months old yet according to the date of this picture. :)

Photo Challenge Day 4

2010-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

day 4. a photo of the last place you went on holiday

We drove up to Oregon to see family up there, Evelyn's only living Great Grandparents are there, and to drop Kyle's youngest sister off at George Fox to start college there. Not everyone is looking, but oh well... It was a great vacation, we had a couple people almost convince us to move to Oregon... it is a lovely part of the country!

Photo Challenge Day 3

2010-11-11T11:29:00.000-08:00

Linking up with Jenny and the 30 Day Photo Challenge to post a bunch of pictures!

Day 3

Post a picture that makes you Happy!

*sigh* Sorry for all the baby pictures, but truly, that is what my life is right now, and without these two in my life I would not have had a Mother's Day this year.

This picture was taken at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Mother's Day 2010, it was all I really wanted to do, go to the aquarium and go eat at Vivollo's in Pacific Grove for Clam Chowder, with a toasted Garlic Cheese Lid, delish!

It was a wonderful day, minus the poopy diaper moments after I had changed her into the last diaper we had with us, and the smallest size the nearby grocery store had was size 3! for my 1.5 month old, yeah, that's gonna fit... eh, we made it work and still have them, waiting for her to get big enough so we can actually use them :)

Photo Challenge Day 2

2010-11-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Linking up with Jenny and the 30 Day Photo Challenge to post a bunch of pictures! I am a little behind, so there will be two posts today...

Day 2

A Photo of yourself a Year ago

Here I am at our Christmas Picture shoot, in all of my pregnant, swollen, puffy, double chinned glory. I was just so happy that my belly was finally starting to look more pregnant than fat, or like I had eaten a big meal! ^_^ Timing on this one is a little off, but as I was looking, I realized that I have no decent pictures of me where you can see my face from November... October, yes, December, yes, November, no. Cest Le Vie....

Photo Challenge Day 1

2010-11-10T08:13:00.001-08:00

Linking up with Jenny and the 30 Day Photo Challenge to post a bunch of pictures! I am a little behind, so there will be two posts today...

Day 1

Your Facebook Profile Picture

This little munchkin has been my profile picture for the last 7 months with varying pictures. This one is our "fall" shot. Basically, no one knows what I look like since I have had a baby. Sort of... Although I wouldn't mind keeping it that way until I lose the weight I want to lose... eh.

worry

2010-10-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is what has been weighing on my mind lately.

At Evelyn's 6 month check up she had lost weight. Now, she had just started crawling that month, so I wasn't too concerned about the .5lb loss, but the doctor was. She ordered me to be feeding my baby no less than every 3 hours and to make sure she was getting enough. Babies Evelyn's age are supposed to be getting about 24 oz of milk or formula every day. I made an appointment to come back in a month to get her weight checked again. She measured only in the 10-25th percentile in everything, which I also wasn't as concerned with, because Kyle and I aren't big people, we are short, small statured, and when I am not stuffing my face, we are both fairly light weight (not that I have been that way since we started dating and got married, ugh. That's another blog post.)

I obediently started pumping after every other feeding to make sure I got every last drop out to try and help boost my supply. We went to SLO about 2 weeks in and I didn't bring my pump because I had no way to store what I would pump. Well, when we got back, she had been eating for longer stretches so I figured I was good without the pump anymore. yay! It is just so hard to pump when you have a clingy child, and a husband who works, so he can't watch the baby... Not that I mind doing it, it is just easier to not, and I am all about ease.

Well, the other night I am nursing and Kyle notices that, yes Evelyn is eating longer, but she seems distraught, like she is trying her hardest to get whatever she can out. I just figured it was her being a pill, but from an "outsider's" perspective, it looked different. So we decide that I should start pumping again, just to make sure. But rather than pumping after the feedings, pump and then feed her that so we can see how much she is getting each feeding.

First feeding of the morning, 4 oz, pretty darn good, right on track. Next 3oz, and then it just kept going down from there. by the time we got to her bedtime feeding I could barely get an ounce out, our freezer stock is running low because we have been supplementing her bottles to make sure she is getting a full bottle. She is also freaking out when we take the bottle away because it is empty.

Of course, by now I am feeling like a horrible mother because I haven't been realizing that my baby hasn't been really getting enough food. Poor thing is just hungry! and I am freaking out because I am not sure how long this might have been happening, no wonder she wolfs down the solids we feed her at dinner time, that and she just wants what ever we have...

All that to say, we have our weight check appointment on Friday. Pray for a weight gain for Evelyn, and pray that we would have good advice from the doctor. I really don't want to have to go the formula route, even though I know there is nothing wrong with it, i just want to be able to provide for my child! It kills me to think that I can't be the one to nurse her and give her what she needs.

When did I get a 6 month old?

2010-09-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Little Miss is now 6 months old. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was preggo? Didn't I just give birth to her?
cute as ever though.

She sits up so well now! Can't get herself up to do it, but if you sit her she will stay up!

She is crawling very well too! Doesn't have the leg/arm coordiation yet, so she mostly just sort of launches herself, but it's very purposeful movement.

She got her first tooth a couple weeks ago! bottom Right front. Sharp little bugger, thankfully she hasn't learned to bite with it yet...

Newest trick is blowing raspberries with her tongue! Super cute, super drooly, she is super proud of it! No video, as soon as we pull it out when she is doing it she stops immediately... stinker.

Eating solids, she loves it! give her any and all food, she wants it! Faves are, Mum Mums (rice crackers for babies), Avocado, bread, Vanilla Fro Yo. Not so sure about Carrots, Re-fried beans or Squash yet. Asparagus and Brussel Sprouts are on the menu soon!

If you are at all interested in making your own baby food, I HIGHLY recommend the Magic Bullet! That thing is a pro at making pureed baby food! so quick and you know exactly what you put in it! and it's not too pricey either, especially if you get it at Bed Bath and Beyond and use a 20% off coupon! Did you know you can use as many of those things as you have merchandise you are buying? You can! It's wonderful! Do it! Save those coupons, they are like gold in my book!!!

Got professional 6 month shots taken, will scan them and post them soonish...

Lisa

2010-08-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

It's Lisa Leonard's birthday! and she is giving someone else a present! http://bit.ly/bP1RVF

Lisa is the wife of one of our former pastor's and she is such a creative person! I adore her jewelry and own several pieces and have given a few pieces too!

In honor of her birthday she is having a fabulous giveaway! What a sweet idea!

training

2010-08-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

We are thinking of sending our daughter to the circus.

Or at least Sea World to train with the seals.

What do you think?

Yes, she did that completely on her own. Don't know how, just took pictures!

so big...

2010-08-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Evelyn is 4 months old. I just pulled all of her 0-3 month clothes out of her closet today and all that is in there now is 3-6 month stuff. When did my baby get so big? and who okay-ed it??

she has been rolling over for couple weeks now. Consistently back to front, to the left side, i think the right side might be coming soon too. Still hasn't figured out how to get back onto her back, but that will come with time.

I think she is officially too big for her bouncy seat, she can sit herself up in it, since it is on an incline... so that will get stored away for whenever we have the next baby.

She is very interested in her toes, but only goes for them if we are holding her in a sitting position so she can lean forward to them, she won't pick them up when she is laying down.

I think I will be starting her on some solids soon. Maybe Rice Cereal, although I have heard that most babies really don't like it, any suggestions to alternatives? She is highly interested in what we eat when we are eating. I have given her little tastes of basic things and she is fascinated! tiny tastes of Vanilla Fro-Yo, nibbles of wheat bread, she eats them up and then looks at me as if to say, "Okay mom, can I have some more now? Keep it coming!"

Here are her stats

Weight: 14lbs 4oz (50-75%)
Height: 24 1/2 in (50-75%)
Head:41 3/4 cm (50-75%)

clingy

2010-07-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Mommies, how do you deal when your baby is at the stage when all they want is to see you, and you can't leave them alone for a second without them screaming?I try to give her lots of things to entertain her, but she just freaks out, I try to change her environment periodically, but I can't be constantly doing that... I am at a loss... and not getting much done!

I have tried leaving her to cry it out, and come when she calms down, that doesn't work so well, she just seems to scream harder and longer.

If I am sitting right next to her, she is happy, for a while sometimes, if I am holding her she is fine usually. If I walk out of her sight, she freaks.

I really don't know how single parents' do it... I am soooooo glad some nights when Kyle comes home so he can take her and I can get a break from all the fussing!

Speaking of, the light of my life has woken from her nap and is crying in the next room, so I will go and get her now.

PS. She was up and crying pretty much alllllll last night, I think Kyle and I got 3-4 hours of sleep, which is weird for her, because she has been sleeping through the night consistently for a few weeks now... girlfriend would not sleep! She wasn't hurt, hungry, stuck, etc. Finally we just had to let her cry until she conked out, and then she slept like a dream!

PPS. Because she is normally a sweetheart and a joy.
See below....

Miss America

2010-07-05T09:15:00.001-07:00

I don't know why these loaded in sideways... argh, just tilt your head to the left and they will look right...

Here is Evelyn's Fourth of July outfit, my mom bought it for one of the baby showers, SO cute!!!!
I added the bow...

This is her glamor shot. Yes, I'm fabulous, who wants to know?

Mom, are you really taking my picture during church?
Why yes I am. I don't want to risk losing your good attitude before I can get a cute picture of you, and you are playing so happily!

Oh.My.Gosh. The bow. The bow just completes the outfit! I love it. It's darling. I may make her wear one every.day.for.the.rest.of.her.life. so cute!

The heat makes her so sleepy! luckily it means good naps though!

God's proof that I NEED. yes need. a fancy shmancy DSLR. my point and shoot's shutter speed is for the birds. Anyone want to buy me one?

We went to church in the morning, had a potluck afterward, went home and tried to cool off. Went to Kyle's parent's for a dinner barbecue. Left the camera at home next to the couch after I took her sleeping picture, so there are no pictures from the rest of the day. bummer!!! Well, my mom took a couple pictures, so maybe I can get them from her... Walked to a local park where we could watch the fireworks going off. Evelyn slept through the whole show, only slightly starting when a few of the big ones went off all right in a row, but never waking up, yay! Kyle was convinced it was a bad idea to take her to the actual location where they were shooting off the fireworks, instead of watching from a distance where we couldn't really hear them. I am glad she was able to prove him wrong. there is just something wrong about watching fireworks and not getting to hear or feel the booms!!!

I love Independence day! It is one of my favorite holidays!!!

3 months!

2010-07-05T08:55:00.000-07:00

I have been a mother for 3 whole months now! Craziness!!

Little tipsy!

Oh mom... do I have to take more pictures?
Yes. Yes you do.
Oh, hello!

Fallin' down here mom! Are we done yet?

Why, yes, I would like to discuss the ramifications of...

She is such a big girl! No stats, since she doesn't see the Ped. this month, but I got on the scale with her and then without her and I think she weighs about 13 lbs now. No, I will not tell you how much I weighed when I got on the scale without her. That is none of your business!

Also, this is how she sleeps in our bed, is it any wonder that I prefer her to sleep in her own bed? and she tends to roll to my side. Only my side. Not Kyle's. Stinker.

And this is our new dinner seating arrangement, it works very well for us, thank you.

I have started something...

2010-06-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last night on Facebook I posted that my baby girl was sleeping in her room, in her crib, for the very first time since we brought her home. The first time she would sleep in a room that I wasn't in too. Now I knew it was for good, but it still made me sad. Kyle posted essentially the same thing...

Well, that brought about comments from a few of my friends, from each end of the debate on the Family Bed.

it got me thinking, and here are my thoughts on the whole thing, disjointed as they may be, because they would not fit on a Facebook comment...

I am all for the Family Bed. I think it's a wonderful idea and I read about my friends who have their kids all snuggled in with them and it sounds beautiful! But... I also need my space. I like to have room to sleep as I want, to roll over and not move a child.

To this point Evelyn has slept in her cradle right next to our bed, at first on Kyle's side, and then when he started work again and needed his sleep, on my side so we could get her right away when she would wake at night.

For the last month she has been consistently sleeping through the night (yay!!!!) through no part of me, (I dunno how she did it, she just did and I am not going to stop her!). Well, if she is not going to need to be fed in the middle of the night then there is really no reason for her to be in my room when she has her own... plus she is getting a bit too big for the cradle.

Now, I know to some people, whether or not their baby/child sleeps through the night they will keep them in their room for as long as they can. I have friends with two small children, with two small beds in their parent's room, and they all love it! (they have room for the children to have their own rooms, but choose not to utilize it right now) I don't know that I could do that.

My parent's had my brother in their room until he was two, then he moved into my sister and my room until we remodeled and we all had our own rooms. I don't know what they did for my sister and me, as I was too small to remember, but I am sure it was similar.

I am all for babies in bed with mom and dad, to a point. If my baby girl comes toddling down the hall and says "mommy up!" then by all means I am going to pull her into bed with me and snuggle until it is time to get up! My parent's did with me (until I decided sleeping sideways in the bed with my head in one's ribs and my feet in the others was the way to go, hehehe! sorry mom and dad...), I loved that security knowing they were there for me to go to. I want my kids to feel comfortable crawling into my bed in the morning and knowing that we can have that time together as a family, to slowly go into our day. My friend Lindsey does that and I love it!

One of the things that came up was how do you go about your "marriage business" if your babies are in the same room as you. Well, I don't know about older children, but for us, Evelyn is a fairly good sleeper, also, when we *ahem* we aren't exactly swinging from the rafters. We did try to keep it down, but we also didn't feel as though we needed to take it to another room, and by the time we got around to it, she had usually been asleep for awhile.

Now I know I had a lot of other thoughts on this matter, but when I was composing this in my head earlier I didn't take good notes and have now forgotten what I was going to say... so that's all I got for now. Take it or leave it. Start new debates... Just please keep it civil people!

and here is a picture of the cutie who started the debate... because it's my blog and I can!
she's so cute!

sleep

2010-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Any tips on getting a baby to take proper naps without you holding them the entire time? Evelyn naps, but when put her down she wakes up screaming in about 10 minutes. We have started night time sleep training (letting her scream it out, going in to comfort her, but not picking her up on the doctor's recommendation). I have started trying that for her naps today, and it has been hard. I am currently holding a sleeping baby who fell asleep as soon as I picked her up... *sigh*
The last two nights have consisted of an hour of crying before she falls asleep, with the last 15 minutes or so being really MAD cries, and at that point she doesn't settle down when we come in anymore.

Any books or tips you can recommend would be welcomed!

We have already been recommended (I am using that word a lot this post!) "on becoming baby wise"

Also, any tips on getting her to sleep longer? She goes for about 6 hours at night (not bad) but wakes up at 4 or 5 like clockwork convinced she is going to starve! She is 12 pounds, so I know she isn't going to starve and she is plenty big enough to go without a nighttime feeding. Should I just try to conquer one thing at a time? I would love to be able to sleep through to 6 or 7 or even 8.... bliss!

Evelyn's 2 month stats

2010-05-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hi, My name is Evelyn and I am 2 months old! Aren't I cute?

Evelyn is growing so fast! she needs to stop now... *sigh* but she is so cute! Promptly after taking these pictures she spit up all over her cute, previously clean, outfit... at least she waited until after?

Height 22.75" (75th percentile)
Weight 12lbs (75th percentile)
Head 39.5(cm???) (75th percentile)

I am amused that she is 75% all around, Kyle likes that she is above average :) he is hoping she will be a prodigy...

She is trying to roll over already, don't know that I am ready for that... and she can sort of scoot herself around in circles or very short distances when she is doing tummy time!

Evelyn is getting closer to sleeping all the way through the night, she currently will go about 5-6 hours (which she started doing on her own!) but no longer...

If you think about it, around 10 pm PST we will be putting her in her bed to put herself to sleep... it is going to be a looooooooong night. The doctor said this will be the hardest night, and then it gets easier and after 3 nights she should be fine... We have been rocking her to sleep, but as soon as we put her in her cradle she wakes up and starts screaming, so now we start this. We were going to start last night, but she had shots yesterday and I figured she had had a hard enough day already...

Mommy Rhapsody

2010-05-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Mommy Rhapsody from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Oh, this is so life now... ^_^ What a creative bunch of women!

HT: NerdMom

One month!

2010-04-30T17:42:00.001-07:00

okay, so technically she is 5.5 weeks now, but I have been busy!!!

This is Bea, the Bear. She was given to me by my Grammy. Evelyn's middle name of Beatrice is in honor of her, I thought it was only fitting to use Bea as the Growing Toy...

Evelyn's One Month Stats

Weight:
10lbs 8oz,
90th percentile (whatever that means... all I know is she's healthy and growing and that's good enough for me!)

Height:
21.5 in,
50th percentile (not too surprised here, have you seen us? we are a short people in this family!)

We had Evelyn dedicated at church last Sunday.
It was kind of exciting because it was our pastor's first baby dedication! He also got to dedicate his brother's youngest daughter who is just over a year old. Having both Kyle and my families there doubled our normal congregation size, woohoo!! yay for church planting!!

Picture (heavy) post

2010-04-23T09:03:00.001-07:00

In the Hospital

First week home

Easter dress! It was so chilly and rainy that day, so we added a onesie and tights, but she was still cute!

Chillin on the blanket

Making faces at mommy

Learning how to play Peek-a-boo?

All dressed up for a party

What a sleepy girl! Kyle really likes the crease in her bottom lip, he thinks it's adorable...

I have a few videos of her too, just need to figure out how to post them on here... I know I can do it on FB

Oh, and she is going to be a month old tomorrow!!!! Who let me have a one month old?!?!
Love you my little Evie B!

Birth Story

2010-04-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Going to try to get this down quickly while the babe is sleeping!

Any men that read this, this is your warning that this post will talk about labor, female parts of the anatomy, bodily functions and other things that go along with all that. Continue at your own risk. You have been warned....

So, Tuesday the 23rd we went in for a scheduled induction at 12:30 PM. As of that Monday I was still only 80% effaced with no dilation, when we went in on Tuesday I was 80% effaced and 1cm dilated! They started me on the cervix ripening drug which is administered every 12 hours, so once I started the first dose I would have to wait 12 hours until we could see how far along we had come. At this point we were just hanging out in the hospital waiting... and waiting...

Because of the delay on the hospital pharmacy's side we didn't start the drugs until 2:30 PM, so that meant rather than be able to sleep mostly through the night the nurse came in at 2:30 AM to check me. The drug hadn't worked yet, but I had started contracting, and the contractions were too close together to give me another dose so they had to give me another drug to stop the contractions. It was nice to know that my body was able to start the birthing process though!

At 5 AM and after 2 doses of the contraction stopping drugs they were finally able to give me the next dose of the cervix drug. By that time I was dilated to 3 cm and had bloody show (TMI?). The contractions started in pretty well by then, and I was finally able to start to feel them. We continued to just ride through the process waiting to birth this baby! The contractions got worse and worse, and they gave me Fentonal (sp?) to take the edge off of the pain since I wanted to try to do labor naturally with no epidural. The first couple doses worked great, and then they didn't do anything!!

Oh, PS. No one warned me that you might puke when you are in labor... everyone warned me about having a BM while you are pushing, but nothing about puking up your dinner from the night before... ugh. and apparently Fentonal can aid in that...

So the pain keeps getting worse and worse. Kyle is being a trooper this whole time sitting by my side as I writhe in pain helping me focus on breathing and allowing me to squeeze the living daylights out of his hand. Also he got me a orange popsicle that I promptly proceeded to evacuate out of my body... dang it, I like orange popsicles too!

Finally about 11AM the pain is just too much for me to bear anymore and I beg for an epidural. Of course the anesthesiologist is in a C-section just then and can't come to me promptly. As they are calling for the back up anesthesiologist to come I happen to mention that I feel like I have to go to the bathroom, they promptly check me and lo and behold I am dilated to 8 cm!!! woo!! so they also call the doctor to come and break my water.

All of a sudden everything is moving quickly, the nurses start setting everything up for delivery, they hook me up to an IV drip of Pitocin, the best anesthesiologist in the world comes and gives me my epidural and the world suddenly is a much nicer place, my OB comes and breaks my water changes me to the internal monitors and tells me to start pushing. whew, are you tired yet?

After 1.5 hours of pushing, at 1:31 PM, less than 24 hours after we started this whole process and less than 12 hours after labor really started, Evelyn Beatrice was born.

Just about everything that was in our birth plan got thrown out the window, but then we kind of knew that would happen when we had to be induced instead of everything proceeding "naturally". We are happy to have a healthy, happy(for the most part) baby.

Also, I am happy to announce that we have successfully weaned off the nipple shield as of today. We never needed it really, but she was having trouble latching at the hospital and so they gave it to me so that she would eat... it only took hanging out in bed all morning with her feeding her every hour and listening to her cry like I was torturing her by nursing her to do it, but we did it!

...and now we return to our regularly scheduled programming that doesn't include talk of the female anatomy, bodily functions and labor... enjoy.

Evelyn Beatrice

2010-03-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

Evelyn Beatrice was born March 24, 2010 at 1:31 PM.
She weighed 8lbs 13oz and is 20ins long.

Mommy was very tired after labor, can you tell?

Going home

Mommy is ready. (man they aren't kidding when they say you go home still looking like you are 6 months preggo! belly has gone down a bunch since then)

Love love LOVE! this picture!!!

tummy time

Evelyn just woke up. will post about the birth later when I have both hands free...

Martha!

2010-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

I know many of you ladies who read my blog love you some Martha.

Well....

I just found out about a fabu offer to get a year of Martha Stewart Living (the magazine) for FREE!!!!!!

Go here and get yours, I just did...

http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/ms_living/sg_ms_living_pg1.htm

Hurry though, I don't know how long this offer is going to last!!!!

By Request...

2010-03-13T10:48:00.001-08:00

39.5 weeks
Come on baby! It's time to leave. I promise you there is much more room for you to stretch and kick out here... please?

Goings on...

2010-03-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

My birthday was on Friday, Kyle was sweet and planned a little surprise family party for me... Chinese food, birthday cake, 3 kinds of ice cream, presents and family! a good night!

Today Kyle went to the grocery store and came back with the groceries and GIRL SCOUT COOKIES! I love me some Caramel Delights!

Still nothing from Baby Girl. She is hanging out and not looking like she is coming out anytime soon. Don't know if the Castor Oil is doing anything yet, hopefully it has, we see the doctor on Monday again, I hope it's good news! I have been doing "research" online for ideas on how to start labor. So, I have been periodically bouncing on my yoga ball, since I can't go curb walking or jumping on trampolines like Kate did. I also had Kyle pick up some Pineapple, (Mango was expensive and there were no Kiwis) they are supposed to help start labor. I will probably have him go to Jamba Juice tomorrow and get me a Mega Mango smoothie, it has Mango and Pineapple Juice... Tried having spicy food yesterday for lunch, but spice just gives me heartburn now (which is a bummer since I like spicy!) Planning to ask the doctor about Red Raspberry Leaf tea, it's supposed to help start things too. I know we are only at 38.5 weeks but I am so ready to be off of bed rest and for this baby to be born! I am hoping for early next week... *sigh* patience is not a very strong virtue in me.

Oh! I got my diapers this week too! I found them for about 2 dollars cheaper than anywhere else I had seen from an Amazon.com store. We had wanted to get all white ones, but these came in a "gender neutral" color pack so we have a few different colors, some I wouldn't have picked as "gender neutral" but diapers are diapers and I am glad we have them before Baby Girl gets here!

Off to finish watching The Sound of Music with the Sing-Along setting turned on!! and maybe to eat half of my box of Caramel Delights!! with a Pineapple chaser... ^_^

It's about time!

2010-03-03T20:25:00.000-08:00

Kyle finally got full authorization today to work from home! He has had 1/2 the permission that he has needed for about a week and a half now, but it was for a project that he isn't so focused on currently, which did us no good at all! But now he can be at home which will make life quite a bit easier for the next couple weeks until this girl decides to show up!!

Thank you Lord for all that you give us in your good timing.

Quilt help

2010-03-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hi my friends!

For those of you who have made quilts for your littles, or just in general, do you have any tip, hints, ideas, or links for pretty quilts that are easy-ish to make?

I want to make a quilt for Baby Girl but am not sure where to start.

Do you have a particular pattern that you just love?

Note: I have only ever done a basic patch block quilt and I never fully finished it, no binding, backing or anything, just the top.

I don't know if I want to do a twin size or crib size yet... or something else.

Castor oil is...

2010-03-02T14:56:00.001-08:00

...DISGUSTING! absolutely and completely gross and disgusting!

At least it doesn't taste bad. But the texture, the slime, ugh.

At my 38 week appointment yesterday I wasn't dilated or anything, and because of the toxemia worries she really wants to get stuff moving along, so she told me to start taking castor oil every day.

I am happy that she is letting things progress more naturally, rather than just sending me in to be induced, but the castor oil is just nasty.

I tried taking it "au naturale" last night because the bottle says to preferably take it on an empty stomach without anything, but the slime texture was just too much for me, I ended up spiting it out in the sink and gagging a bit. It didn't help that Kyle was reminiscing about when he was a kid and his mom would punish them by making them take castor oil and how gross it was and how he hated it (after I took it he remembered that it was probably cod liver oil instead because it smelled and tasted nasty). I then mixed it with orange juice and chugged it, only 1T, and tonight will be the same, and then starting tomorrow night I "get" to take 2T each night. *shudder*

I really hope this works... she didn't recommend anything else, so this is pretty much it for now, and since I am still on bed rest I can't really do the other things to jump start labor, like going for walks, light exercise, etc. (I am seriously considering doing jumping jacks when I get up to go pee and stuff though... anything to get this going!)

Speaking of bed rest, I was a little shocked and hurt and amused yesterday. The doctor said that she has her bets against me that I would do well on bed rest. She thought I wouldn't behave and stay down, keep my BP looking good, or get as far as I have. Well, I showed her! ^_^

That's all I got for now... hopefully I will have good news soon!

Latest

2010-02-25T19:57:00.000-08:00

Had our (presumably) last ultrasound this evening.

The latest stats on Baby girl

She is head down, settled right in on top of my bladder (honest, we saw her head and my bladder making contact!) Thankfully I am laying down all day long, so I don't really feel the pressure of it!

According to the calculations that they do she is weighing in at about 7.75lbs!!!! I am a little freaked out by that! she is getting so big already and we still have 3 weeks of growing to go! Besides that, we had an ultrasound right after I was put on bed rest (hang on, let me check... about a month ago) and she was weighing only 5.5lbs. Okay, never mind. Put into perspective like that she hasn't grown that much, but it still seems like a lot!

The ultrasound tech also showed us where her HAIR!!!! was showing up on the scan! yay! this makes me really happy, because my sister and I were baldies (ultra short, ultra blonde) until about 18 months, my brother not as much, but his hair was darker so it showed up better. Kyle had hair when he was born, so it looks like she got that from her daddy!

BP's are still looking good at home. We see the doctor on Monday (she has been out of the country for about 2.5 weeks, she's from India and her mom was having surgery), we have been seeing the midwife that practices with her, but it will be nice to see what the doctor thinks about everything since the midwife always defers to our doctor. I also feel more comfortable having the doctor back in town so that if anything happens during labor she will be the one to come in, even if the midwife is the one on call, and not some random doctor that I haven't ever met and doesn't know me from Eve.

That's all I got for now. PS. Figure skating wasn't on last night (so I got to go to bed early!!!) but it is on tonight, so that's what I will be doing...

Ramblin' (wo)man

2010-02-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

So tired.

These have been messing up my schedule and I haven't been going to bed until 12:30 or later every night... despite the fact that they are in my time zone they insist on delaying everything 3 hours anyway... blah.

The hospital bag is mostly packed, except for the last minute stuff...

This is not our bag, but isn't it cute!? I wish it was our hospital bag!!!

Had bible study last night. Forgot to ask someone to bring snack, so I whipped up a box cake mix really quick, so I wouldn't be on my feet too long. We didn't have any canned frosting, so I searched online and found this super easy and tasty!!!! recipe for chocolate frosting, the cake was Yellow cake, and I ::heart:: yellow cake with thick chocolate frosting!!!!!
Also, we are now at 37 weeks, 3 more to go!! we have an ultrasound tomorrow, I guess to see what position Baby Girl is in, although I am pretty sure she hasn't dropped yet... she is still pretty wiggly in there.

Getting a little stir crazy lately, there is just sooo much to do, and I know I could do it and do it pretty quickly, but I know I shouldn't be up... gah!

I have turned my nesting towards online shopping...not much, but some cute stuff, like a giant flower headband to put on Baby Girl, hopefully for her first portraits, I love the pictures of little baby girls in just a giant flower headband and a diaper, oh the cuteness!!!!!

I have also been entering a lot of giveaways... to my FB friends and Twitter friends, I apologize for the non relevant tweets and updates that are "Required" to enter these things... but there is just sooooo much fun/pretty/shiny stuff to win! and I want to win it! and I really don't have much else to do all day, I hang out on the couch with the laptop open beside me with FB and Twitter open waiting for new updates... a little pathetic... but I do other things besides wait for new updates, I read, I watch the Olympics, I get some visitors! and I think about all the stuff I could be getting done right now... ^_^

Alright, figure skating should be starting soon, so I have to go now...

Organization

2010-02-20T18:00:00.000-08:00

Aren't these the cutest?!?!

I was planning on making something to separate Baby Girl's clothes, most of which is already on the itty bitty hangers and in her closet, all separated by age grouping. But being on bed rest makes that a bit harder, and so I went searching online and found these darling little things at Bed Bath and Beyond! They come with some pre-printed stickers with the age groupings on them already and then a bunch of blank ones so you can label them how you want if you want something different. It is going to make organizing her clothes soooo much easier since we already have so many hand-me-downs from one of my friends (her baby Diane is Baby Girl's best Friend, we have already decided) and a lot of what we are getting is varied in age size, so I am trying to keep it organized now so I can grab the right sizes quickly and easily. $14.99 was a bit pricey for a set of 5, shipping too (bleh, it was an online only item) but I didn't find any others online that I thought was as cute or that looked like what I wanted, so I will suck it up. I am wondering if I should buy another set so that down the road when we have another babe I can sort out both kid's clothes... I think it will be fine though if I get a different set then. Yup. It will.

I really hope they work and look as cute in real life as they look on the computer....

::EDIT:: oops! I just realized I didn't say what they were! They are called "closet dividers" and you hang them between the hangers on the closet rod.

36 weeks

2010-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

and as my mother said "so the countdown begins." and it really does!
We now have only a month left until our due date, and Baby Girl should be big and strong enough to come anytime now and not need any special care.

I have really come to a sort of peace about being on Bed Rest, and I suppose that is a really good thing. I have my little daily routine down and have finally got all my pillows in a configuration that keeps me comfy and is easy to arrange when I need to shift. It has been a little bit harder the last week or so, because it has been so GORGEOUS! outside, and all I can really do is look out my window at the gloriously blue sky and the trees gently blowing in the breeze... I try to make sure to open the patio door in the AM before I settle in if I can tell it's going to be nice, so at least I get some fresh air and can appreciate the niceness a little bit.

The Friday Evening shift of nurses in the Labor/Delivery wing at the Hospital are starting to recognize me and Kyle and remember my name (that's a good thing, right?) I am kind of hoping that we go into labor on a Friday evening/afternoon so that they can all meet the girl they have been checking on and monitoring!

Our fridge is PACKED with food! which is a good thing. Kyle hasn't had to cook anything at all this week, which makes coming home a little nicer for him, since he can start to relax pretty much as soon as he gets home. People bring us dinner and there is usually enough for leftovers the next day, and I guess we just don't eat that much or something, because we seem to be forever playing catch up, trying to clear it out before the next meals are coming! It will be good for the weekend though, since we have nothing scheduled to be brought.

We still haven't heard anything about Kyle working from home yet, that is frustrating. We do joke about it though, the latest one is that by the time we finally hear if he can work on stuff from home that Baby Girl will be 3 months old. "oh, really? thanks! that's great, but you know, we really don't need that anymore... no worries." ^_^ We are however looking into if he can still take his Paternity leave retro-actively, which would be awesome and make summer travels much easier! We are going to Oregon in the summer to see Kyle's maternal grandparents and some his aunt and uncle and their kids to introduce Baby Girl to them (Oma and Opa don't travel anymore really, so it is better if we can go to them). Because his Paternity leave doesn't kick in until you have worked at the company for a year we are having to take Vacation and Family Care sick days so he can be home with us for the first couple of weeks after Baby Girl comes, but it is going to deplete all of our saved up vacation days, bummer! But if he can take the Paternity leave retro-actively then we can still have a decently long-ish vacation without having to rush back and use up all the vacation days this summer as soon as we build them up again!

One of my girlfriends was saying that if she were me at 36 weeks right now and on bed rest she would start doing everything she could to get that baby out sooner and get off of bed rest. While I see her point, I told her that I figured we were made to have a 40 week gestation period for a reason, and I am going to try to keep Baby Girl in there for as long as possible! I know she might come early, and that is okay with me (lots of babies come before their due date, it's just a fact of nature!), and I know I might get induced, and that is okay with me too, but if I am healthy and she is healthy then I think we will hang tight. Like I said earlier, I am starting to have a peace about the whole bed rest thing... that doesn't mean I don't push my limits and try to be "up" more, or that I don't take longer than 5 minute showers (seriously! who can take a 5 minute shower?!?! I can barely wash my hair in 5 minutes! and then you have to dry off, and I hate lying on wet hair, so I have to blowdry it too... crazy people...) but I do know my limits and I can tell sometimes when I have been "up" too long and really need to relax back into my little nest on the couch. For the most part I am really a good girl and stay glued to my couch and only get up to eat and pee and refill my water bottle, and I will continue to try to be as healthy as possible so that I don't endanger this precious little girl growing in me.

PS. It sucks not being able to go to church!!!!! I think this will be 4 weeks straight that I haven't gone now! At least we host Bible Study here so I get to see people and get that fellowship and "food"

Hymns

2010-02-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Do any of you know of good recordings of hymns being sung? Just simple, no fancy trills or anything, or super fancy accompaniments... I really want to learn the words to more hymns, and perfect my memory of those I already know, and play them for my kids (well, starting with our daughter) so that they will learn them and love... them too... CD's are preferred most, MP3/4's work too...

1 week down

2010-02-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

only 5.5 more weeks to go...

So far bed rest has been going okay so far. Still working on keeping comfortable on the couch, it is a fabulous squishy couch, but you just sink down too far when you are on your side, so my hips have been hurting from all the pressure that is put on them. I have started putting pillows at the areas where my hips are, but if you have to readjust at all you have to move EVERYTHING! yikes. I am trying not to do my bed rest actually IN BED so that way when I go to bed at night it's like a respite, and for sleeping only, and I try to not nap during the day so that I can actually sleep at night, and I have been sleeping really well at night! thank goodness!

A friend brought over a collection of Rogers and Hammerstein movies for me to borrow, those will keep me entertained for the next few afternoons. Watched the King and I yesterday and am watching Oklahoma today! Another friend who has an extensive DVD collection has offered to bring me a bunch of movies to borrow as well, plus I have been getting stuff on Netflix.

Kyle has set up the laptop out here in the living room on some boxes so it is at the right level next to the couch so I don't have to get up to use it.

I just wish that I could be a little more mobile so that I could do productive things while I am stuck here, like cutting out quilt pieces, or knitting (it's hard to knit when you are supposed to stay on your side, even in a reclining position), or working on the crib bumper and skirt, or sanding and painting the nursery furniture. *sigh* it's really hard to stay on bed rest when you are in full blown nesting mode and in your last month and half of pregnancy!

We are still waiting to hear if Kyle can work from home and how that will all work out. My mom has started a meals calendar for us, so there will be a little bit less for him to do when he gets home from work some days, because dinner will be waiting for him! yay! My mom has also been able to come over a couple of afternoons this week and just hang out so I am not completely alone and she has done a little bit of housework for us, which helps Kyle out a bunch too. Poor man, he is getting a whirlwind education in what it's like to be a wife and mother and housekeeper all at once, while still having to be husband and breadwinner.

We had another ultrasound on Monday just to make sure Baby Girl wasn't having any issues from my high BP before. She is looking really really healthy and already 5lbs 6oz! We got to see her full face, it looks like she has the Anderson/Svindal (my mom's side of the family) chin, and she has the cutest chubby looking cheeks! I want to squeeze and kiss them so much! We only have 2.5 more weeks until we are full term and then anything can happen... but if we can go 40 weeks full term that will be good.

Until next time... I will still be here.

the cutest little hangers!

2010-02-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

and you could win one on Jeannett's blog! My luck has not been too good lately with these giveaways that I have been entering, but maybe this time I will win something...

Go here

To win one of these

How could you tell me you wouldn't want one of those, even if you don't have a nursery to hang it in, you could put it in your laundry room with your last name on it, or get it for a bride with MRS on it, so cute!!

For The Best Part of My Day

2010-01-30T12:56:00.001-08:00

This girl is amazing! I love her voice and can't wait for her to get a CD out! I would buy it in a heartbeat!

I love you Babe!

At least I will be well rested?

2010-01-29T19:34:00.000-08:00

So I am now on bed rest... Full and complete, only a five minute shower a day, you really shouldn't be getting up for anything except to pee bed rest.

I am not really sick or anything but my blood pressure has just been higher than what the doc wants (but not that high) so it is preventive bed rest, but most likely until she is born :( but I feel fine... And!!! my blood pressure is fine when I am at home, it is just when I go into the doctors office that I get nervous and it goes up! grrr.

We
*get*
to go to
the doctor's twice a week
for check-ups

and

the hospital once a week
for monitoring for a couple hours!
exciting!
The labor and delivery nurses are going to know me real well before this little girl comes out!

Currently (if you look at my sidebar widget pregnancy counter thingy) we are at 33 weeks. The doctor warned us that we might have to get her out of there sooner than her due date if things don't clear up, so I am just hoping and praying that everything will be fine (it was for the monitoring at the hospital today, go me!) and that we can at least make it to 37 weeks (the end of Feb) so that she is considered full term and won't have to go to the NICU.

Pray that we can figure out a schedule, Kyle is going to try working from home so he can be here to help me. He is also going to have to take care of all the housework and errands since I am not allowed to do any of it. Also that I will be able to be "good" and stay in bed and let others do things for me. That baby and I will stay healthy and that I can carry her to full term. We are trying to figure out all that we will need, help-wise and baby preparedness-wise so we can get help from friends.

I know God has a reason behind all of this, and I am trying to look for that. I think I have found a few... I really need to learn to let go and let others take care of things, and not try to take it all on myself to do. I need to lean on God for my strength. I need to remember that he will never give me more than I can handle. That's what I have so far, and I am sure much more will come out of this as the weeks go by...

Appointment

2010-01-29T09:03:00.000-08:00

Going to the Doctor's this morning to hear results...

Hopefully my BP is low enough that I get taken off of house arrest. It's been looking pretty good the last few days, at least in my untrained eyes.

Hopefully too, they have the results of my 3 hr(ugh!) glucose test from yesterday and all the results are normal so I don't have to see the dietitian.

I have this itching feeling in the back of my mind that all is not going to fall in place how I want, but maybe that is just my pessimist side trying to get me to not be so disappointed if everything falls to pieces...

...Update later today hopefully...

House arrest

2010-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

That is what I am on this week. It kind of sucks.

At my last OB check I had gained 12lbs in the one month since I had been in (it really doesn't feel like it) but I was swollen too, so they think it might be some water weight too. I passed protein (or glucose? don't remember which) in my urine sample; I hate those! and my blood pressure was a little high.

So what do they do? Put me on house arrest...

I am not even allowed to go for a walk!!!!!!

and they really don't want me going out shopping or anything, so Kyle gets to do that when he isn't at work, poor man.

They are basically monitoring me to see if I am heading towards Pre-eclampsia (which is no bueno for me or the baby and I would rather they catch it early, but it is just such a pain!), so I get to take my blood pressure 4 times a day and will go to see the doctor again on Friday to assess where I am at.

I am really hoping and praying that they don't put me on bed rest!! I don't think I could handle 2 months of that! it's hard enough being stuck at home, but being stuck sitting/reclining allllllllllll day long?!?! ugh.

That and I feel like there is just so much to do still before she comes! I just got a bunch of supplies so that I could work on nursery stuff, and now I might not be able to do any of it. I know it doesn't matter if the nursery isn't all together, and baby doesn't care or notice, but I really wanted things together before she came so that I wouldn't have to think about it after... *sigh*

Oh yeah, I also "get" to take another 3 hour glucose test... blech!! The last one they had me do (right after Christmas) had one abnormal reading, so they wanted me to wait a month (because they thought the holidays might have affected it) and then do another one to see how it panned out. That is on Thursday. If there are any abnormal readings on it, then they send me to a gestational diabetes counselor/dietitian to see if I do have GD or if I just need to be monitoring what foods I eat. Pray for normal readings!

Sorry for the grumpy downer of a post. Just wanted to let you all know what was going on..

On a more positive note!

We went to have a very detailed ultrasound to scan for any clefts in Baby Girl since I have a family history; my sister had a cleft lip and I had a cleft lip and palate. Her scans were all clear and she looked very healthy!

Also, I have just started being able to see my belly move when she kicks! Really cool and really creepy all at the same time! I was telling Kyle last night that I feel like an alien is going to pop out of my stomach and grab at us!!!!

So that is what is going on in Haughey Baby land. Updates to follow, hopefully with good news!

Lisa Leonard giveaway!

2010-01-18T11:27:00.001-08:00

Lisa is giving away another one of her gorgeous necklaces! This is the newest design that she has unveiled! Go check it out and enter to win!!

SLO bound!!!

2010-01-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

Going to be in SLO next week!!!! Kyle has been asked to work the job fair at CP again for Apple and so we are headed down for a whirlwind trip! We will leave here Wednesday after work and be there until Thursday Afternoon sometime! I would love to see any and all of you if I can! I will be free all Thursday AM while Kyle is recruiting his heart out! I know a lot of you will probably be at Bible study at Grace, but maybe I can sit in the back or something, or you could ditch with me and we could go on a great adventure to Avila or somewhere! Don't worry, Jesus will still love you! ^_^ If you are free or want to hang out, let me know!!!! I am so stoked! eeee! I have missed you SLO-town!

PS. we had a scare there for a minute! I check the calendar after Kyle had agreed to everything, and I am all pumped to go, and lo and behold there is my OB appointment staring me in the face! On Thursday AM!!! NOOOOOOOO! one quick call later and we are rescheduled and set to go! yippee!

Vanity...

2010-01-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

...Thy name is Carrie.

So, yesterday while getting ready for church I am blow-drying my hair and looking at myself straight on in the bathroom mirror and I realize...

...wait for it...

...

I STILL HAVE A WAIST LINE!!!!!!!

Yup, that's right folks! Despite my burgeoning baby belly, I still got my curves in the right spots! Just don't look at me from the side, or you will see all the junk I got in my trunk!

It made me feel so good about myself yesterday.

It really is the little things, right?

Now it is time for this curvy mama to do the laundry. yay?

PS. What do you all wash your baby's clothes in? Do you have a special detergent? I have received a bunch of (ADORABLE!!!!!) hand-me-down baby clothes from a friend and want to wash them before I put them away. I am sure they are already clean, but I like to have stuff washed in my soaps before I use them if they are given to me.... Mostly because I use unscented soaps, my mom always did and I like that my clothes don't smell like other stuff.

I used Trader Joes Plant based Laundry Detergent, unscented, and OxiClean... I know the OxiClean should be good, because the makers of the diapers I registered for (Fuzzi Bunz) recommends using it to clean the diapers thoroughly, but I am not sure about the TJ's soap... I think it will be okay because it is plant based and unscented. Thoughts? I know Dreft is really recommended for baby's sensitive skin, but if there are no scents or anything else, you should be okay, right?

So not ready!

2010-01-09T19:43:00.000-08:00

30 weeks preggo this week...

10 weeks left to go (give or take, I still don't buy the OB's due date, but will continue to go by that for continuity's sake).

The nursery is nowhere near ready. At least all the random boxes are slowly being cleaned out of there!

We only just finished (and started) registering this week. I think we have registered for everything that we need. Only just decided on a crib today, after much deliberation, that was the hardest thing I think!!!

I think I am finally starting to really get a vision for what I want this nursery to look like, (Jeannett's girl's room was very helpful with that!) now I just need to hunker down and get going on it! I haven't liked any of the bedding sets that I have seen, so that means going to the fabric store and picking stuff for the bumper, bed/crib skirt and curtains! and then making them! For those of you who have made them, did you make the bumper and skirt from scratch or build on to/cover existing ones (specifically the bumper)? I think I can manage the skirt, and I KNOW I can do curtains! Does anyone know where I can get a cute smallish chandelier for cheap? I so want to hang one in the nursery!

Realizing that I need to paint the furniture that we already have, rocker, ottoman, dresser, nightstand... oh, just realized I should make a slip cover for the rocker and ottoman cushions... The cradle will be fine, as it will live in our room for the most part... Plus, I don't know how my parent's will feel about me painting it, since it is theirs and my dad and grandpa stained it...

I also haven't had any showers yet... my sister is planning one, but we are trying to figure out if my parent's church (the one I grew up in, seriously, since I was 3 months old and until I moved to SLO for school) will be throwing me one, and if the church we are attending now will be throwing me one, because if not, the guest list is HUGE!!!! and I have pared it down as much as I can! But at this rate it's not going to be thrown until the end of February and that is pushing it really close to D-Day... Makes me nervous. Don't people usually approach the expectant mom and offer and try to set these up early on? I don't know the protocol for baby showers... I had three bridal showers and they all just kind of happened.

Okay, that's enough of my ramblings for now... If you are still reading this, you are a saint!

Love Languages

2010-01-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

I was reading this post by Sarah Markley this morning and it got me thinking... It was really apropos because I had just been mulling over similar thoughts earlier this morning. So I left a comment letting her know my thoughts, and by the time I was done I realized I had a whole blog post! wheee! I love copy/paste...

Read her post first, then come back and read my comment on it...
or you can find my comment at the end of her post. Your choice!

I was totally just thinking about the same thing as I was driving my husband to work this morning! I over slept and so by the time I got up, I had to leave right away to take him to work, no time for breakfast or a shower first, no time to really wake up and get in my groove. I hate when that happens, because then my morning gets thrown off and subsequently it feel like the rest of my day does too! My husband is such a gentle loving spirit, and often times he just wants to hold me and say hi, good morning, I have missed you, etc... Just for a couple of minutes, and I let my mind get focused on what needs to be done and just want to go go go that I pull away from him and don't take a minute to love him back how he wants to be loved and show me love. To just be still. I do it with the cat too... :) He pulled me in this morning as I am focused on getting out the door, because he has to get to work! I was moving and not paying attention to the fact that I could take a few seconds to really say good morning and he accidentally stepped on my bare toes, not too hard, but I acted as if it was, and I let it make me grumpy, and pulled away from him and finished getting ready so we could leave NOW! You know, because we had to. We are expecting our first baby in March and I was realizing as I was driving that I could end up doing that to her too. To let my needs and the list of things that I think are important get in the way of just being, and loving on her when she needs it, to take a minute and not get the dishes done, or not have to finish watching a TV show because it is SO important that I know how it ends, but just play and snuggle and love, and get things done later. I need to get that mindset now, for my husband, for my marriage, for my baby girl, and even for the cat.
PS. My love language is Things/gifts. Bought things, given things, special just because things that you have put a lot of thought into just for me...

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

Luke 2:1-20
¹Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth.

²This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

³And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.

⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

⁵in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.

⁶While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.

⁷And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

¹⁰But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

¹¹for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

¹²"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

¹³And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
¹⁴"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

¹⁵When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."

¹⁶So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.

¹⁷When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.

¹⁸And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.

²⁰The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Isaiah 9:6
⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Who doesn't love free stuff??

2009-12-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Especially when that free stuff makes your life cheaper, faster, and easier???

Go here to enter to win the $5 dollar dinner mom cookbook!

Stretching

2009-12-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

I found this blog through my suggested blogs on Google Reader... This one was especially poignant...

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2009/12/pains-of-true-christmas.html

yay!

2009-12-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

He felt her last night! Kyle finally got to feel our baby girl kick and move last night! So fun for me to have him finally experience that too! He was pretty excited too!!

25 weeks pregnant

2009-12-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Please ignore my chubby face and that fact that my butt is currently the same size as my belly, and just look at the belly. Thanks.
Can't wait for this little girl to get here so I can start to really exercise and lose this weight!!! Plus I want to hold her in my arms!

PS. Did you see on the side bar? 26 weeks today! wheeeee!

Diapers

2009-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Wow! two posts in one day?! I should really pace myself, I might pull something!

In all seriousness though.

I am pretty sure that I want to do cloth diapers. I think Kyle is on board with it too. He has never really dealt with diapers, so I don't think he really knows what to expect either way.

But I don't know what brand/kind/design to go with!

We have this fabulous place practically down the street from us called Tiny Tots, they are a diaper service. They will drop off fresh diapers for you weekly and take away the dirty ones (kind of fabulous if you ask me), my mom had it when my brother was born and it was pretty nice not to have to wash all those diapers. But it is expensive and the diapers are the baby burp cloth style diapers. Not that there is anything wrong with those, because they work just fine! I was just thinking that I wanted to get ones that have an insert or something like that, and that we could wash ourselves, since I really don't think it is going to be that big of a hassle (I don't think).

SO, Tiny Tots also has a boutique where you can go and buy other cloth diaper styles. But I don't know what to get! and that's where you all come in!

For those of you who have looked into cloth diapers, and/or are using them, which brands/styles stood out to you? Why or why not?

Thanks for all of your help ladies! I really appreciate it!

PS. Expect more posts like these as we get closer to D-Day... This having a baby stuff is confusing!

6 months

2009-11-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am 6 months pregnant today!

wow.

It is such a crazy feeling! To know that I have a little baby growing inside of me, and that in 3 months (give or take) she will be here and in my arms!
I know I haven't posted any belly pictures yet, that's because I don't have any! I am planning on taking some this weekend and will hopefully be able to show you my growing belly after that.
Oh! I started feeling her move this last week! That's crazy too! All of a sudden a little touch here, a bump there... Really surreal!

The nursery is starting to come together a bit. We really don't have much yet, but we have cleaned out all of the "extra" stuff that doesn't need to be in there and so that helps. I have also started arranging the furniture that we do have so that it is positioned where I want it. I got the Borsgard cradle from my mom, the one that my siblings and I all slept in when we were first born, and set it up in the nursery. Right now it is where I think the crib will go, when the baby is born the cradle will go in our room, but for now it can be a place holder. ^_^ Besides, it really makes the room look more like a nursery than a spare room!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my friends and I will hopefully update you again before too long!

Pachabel Rant

2009-11-21T12:10:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this I highly recommend you watch this! Pachabel Rant by Rob Paravonian. There are a couple of spots that might not be kiddo friendly so, watch it first before you share it with your kids too.

and yes, I walked down the aisle to Pachabel's Cannon in D. I love this piece ^_^

Doula

2009-11-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hi Ladies,

I have a question for you all, I guess guys could answer this too if they read this blog and have input, but it is mostly geared toward women...

Did you use a Doula when you gave birth?

What was your reasoning behind using or not using a Doula?

This is something that I have been pondering lately, and even more recently because I just found out that my sister in law's boyfriend's mom is a doula and in training to become a midwife (but not for another couple years)... So if I had someone that I could easily pick, rather than having to research Doula's in the area, it would be easier, but I really don't know if we need or want one.

So again, the questions are:
Did you use a Doula when you gave birth?
and
What was your reasoning behind using or not using a Doula?

I have lots of other baby related questions too (mostly surrounding labor and what needs to be done) but those can wait for another day...

It is...

2009-10-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

...no longer ambiguous.

It has pronouns!
It has a gender!

And It is a GIRL!
The little cross in the middle of the picture, if you go to the right of that, those are HER feet, and to the left is HER bum, with nothing in between, we are having a GIRL!

SO so so sooooo excited for the little dresses and bows! Kyle is too! Maybe not for the dresses and bows, but for the fact that we are going to have a sweet little girl!

oh, and just because it is almost Halloween, our little princess decided to get dressed up too...

A little creepy... That's her head to the right if you can't tell... sort of looks like an alien or something.

Pumpkin time!

2009-10-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

When going to the Pumpkin patch it is always best to take the back roads...

...because then you see things like old water towers against a gorgeous blue sky!

Not yet... But I will soon!

Love pumpkin patches! It was actually pretty warm today! I was surprised!

At the Pumpkin Patch you can find lots of corn stalks!

and dried Indian corn...

And baskets of little pumpkins!

and bins of multi colored squashes!

and Mini pumpkins with cute names like We-B-Little!

and HUGE piles of pumpkins!

My Pumpkin chariot driver!

Picking the perfect Sugar Pie pumpkins...

Almost done...

Our bounty! Not the white ones, just the ones in the wheelbarrow... ^_^
Did you know that if you go to the Pumpkin patch the week before Halloween that they put the pumpkins on sale for buy one get one? I got more than twice as many pumpkins than I was planning on! Yay for sales!!!

If you look really closely at the woman in white, you will see that in her Baby Bjorn she has a pumpkin instead of a baby...

A Letter

2009-10-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Blankety-blank Squirrels,
Just because I fill in the holes that you dig up in my yard, does not mean that I am trying to help you bury whatever it is you are digging for, I am trying to protect my just barely starting to grow lawn! It's a hint... Take it!

PS. Any one have a BB gun I can borrow? I am about ready to start sitting out there in my lawn chair with my gun across my knees waiting for any furry little trespassers!

Dang squirrels....

SLO bound!!!

2009-10-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hey all you SLO-ites (-ians?) ....erm... people! ^_^

Kyle and I are going to be in SLO this weekend! I can't tell you how excited I am to come back and visit and see everyone and go everywhere (well, almost everywhere, we can't go to all the places I have on my list, it is very extensive! Splash, Firestone's, Montana De Oro...)

Kyle is working the Job Fair at Cal Poly for Apple on Thursday, so we come down Wednesday night, and after he is done just after lunch we are free to do what we want! yay! We will be there until Sunday, so excited to worship at Grace again! I have missed the fellowship there, although we are getting some great fellowship at our new church now!

Hey Penny! Want to try your Baby Gender Ring Trick thingy on me?? I am up for it if you are! and the cool thing is that we get the Gender ultrasound about a week later, so we will find out really quick if you are right or not... Kyle is a skeptic, but I think it sounds fun!

We might be going to the CP homecoming game (Saturday night?) so if anyone wants to come along, that could be fun! I want to go to Pismo or Avila too, even if it is super chilly! I miss those beaches!

I would love to see all of you! But I know that it just isn't feasible, and I will probably have to settle to seeing most of you at church on Sunday but if any of you are available and want to get together we would love it! *coughcoughBadgerscoughcough*

I will be antsy until we pull into SLO... See you Soon!!!

smokey

2009-09-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

Good news first...
I found and bought a glider rocker and ottoman for only $75 on Craigslist!!!!! This was the only thing on my **Must have for the nursery** list, the ottoman was key, I can fall asleep in one of those rocking a baby to sleep so easy!!!

Bad news...
I forgot to ask if it came from a smoking home... it did... so now I am trying to get out all the smoky icky cigarette smell. I have already doused it with Febreze,
but in case that doesn't work...

Do you have any idea's/tips for getting cigarette smells out of the cushions? They are removable (if that makes any difference) except for the one on the ottoman.

Also, this is the first piece of baby furniture we bought! wheee!!!

Win a $30 gc to Jewelry by Artwark

2009-09-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Go here
http://www.sandierpastures.com/giveaway/fall-into-fashion-a-jewelry-by-artwark-giveaway.html
to find out more about this jewelry give-away.

This jewelry is soooo beautiful!

You really need to go here and look at all of her things, beautiful, trendy, and kind of vintage too...
Etsy site is here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5762558

Here are some of my favorites....

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24980354

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30740928

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30579933

Good luck to you if you enter... I hope I win one!!!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30416300

Guess what???

2009-09-01T17:46:00.001-07:00

We are going to be parents!

I am about 12 weeks along right now (according to baby's size) and due March 17th, although I am a bit skeptical about that since they tell me something different every time we go see the doctor...

We wanted to wait until the first ultrasound to tell people (other than immediate family) just to make sure the baby was okay... so that is why we are only telling now... Personally I think the due date is the first week of April, but size wise, the doctor says earlier (never mind the fact that we are pretty dang sure on conception date because we track my temperature). So for now we go with what the doctor says and we will see who's right!

We are beyond excited!

Got to see the baby for the first time today at the 1st trimester ultrasound (that's the picture above). I was so excited that we got a really clear picture right off the bat, as soon as the doctor turned on the ultrasound I knew exactly where the head was and could make out the little feet and hands!!!! It was so amazing when they switched it over to the 3D picture, so clear! Baby is already camera shy, turned it's back to us real quick when we switched to 3D! Baby also was moving, a lot! Not even 3 months and they are going to be a kicker (I am wondering if they will want to take Tae Kwon Do like Daddy did)!

I haven't had too much pregnancy symptoms, some nausea, no throwing up though (a blessing and a curse), tiredness, highly hormonal... you know, the usual. But so far I have felt really good! I hope it continues!

Sew sew

2009-08-07T19:38:00.001-07:00

I really really ~~need~~ want a new sewing machine. I can't really spend more than $200. I am looking for something that is simple to operate and adjust. I know how to sew and can do complicated things, but don't really do anything more complicated than simple garments and hemming and a little bit of quilt piecing. I want it to sew well and smooth (which probably just about any new machine will) and not need a lot of attention. Something that will last me for quite a few years... currently I have a hand-me-down Brother that's okay, but I have never learned really how to adjust it right... I am thinking of switching to a Singer, but really have no clue how to tell what is good or not. Any help is appreciated!

Still Alive

2009-07-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Hi my bloggy friends!

I know, I know, it has been entirely too long since my last post, yikes! I just checked, over a month! oops! In my defense, I was in the midst of packing, and then moving, and then unpacking (which is still in progress by the way...blech)

Anyway, we are settled here in the Bay Area, family comes over all the time! I love it!!! I have missed my sister, who is also my Best Friend, my bigger than me little brother who is working on hauling over the back yard (landlords said we could do whatever we wanted!!). I am getting even closer to my sisters in law because I actually get to see them on a regular basis! I have seen multiple old friends who I haven't seen in entirely too long.

Our little duplex is almost put together, I wish I could show you pictures, but the camera cable is still MIA. I have painted a couple (big) pieces of furniture and they turned out sooooooo pretty! I really like the colors, which is good, because I really didn't want to have to repaint them just yet!

Since I am home all day I hope that I will start being able to get crafty again, Kyle takes the car to work, so I am stranded (sort of) here all day. I have quilt squares that I have been cutting out, just to cut them out, a dress pattern that Kristen posted that I want to make because apparently it looks good on everybody and I really want a cute summer dress!

I will try to get on and post pictures sooner than another month from now. Hey! Maybe since I am home all day I will blog more... although, if all I do is stay at home, I won't have much to blog about... unless I do some back blogging... that could work! we will see... stay tuned!

PS. so it looks like I am a big fan of parentheses and ellipses today.

2 years...

2009-06-23T15:25:00.000-07:00

...have flown by.

It seems like only yesterday we were barely dating and so very very young!
This picture is from my Jr. College graduation... (we had been dating for only a year!)

And then just after I graduated from Cal Poly you asked me to marry you and I said yes!

And then a mere six months later (and 2 years ago today) we became Man and Wife, linked together forever in our love and God.

It has been such a fun ride, and I love looking back and seeing just how much we have grown in our relationship, our walks with God, and in ourselves.

I love you Babe! Here's looking forward to the new adventure we are beginning!

PS. We have been together as a couple for over 6 years now!

Master's Degree

2009-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that my husband graduated with his Masters Degree in Computer Science?

There were doves that flew out and over the crowd after the "Big" ceremony in the football stadium. This is the best picture I got of them...
The Computer Science graduates (at least the ones that participated in the departmental ceremony) Can you find Kyle?

I am so proud of you Babe!!!!
Love you and all your quirkiness!

5 boxes

2009-06-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

We have decided (meaning I suggested it would be a really good idea and Kyle figured he would go along) that we are going to pack 5 boxes minimum each day for the next 1.5 weeks. If we do that we will be more than ready when the movers come to load up our truck and we will be able to get everything out of here and have a wonderfully empty apartment to clean for a week before we officially move out on July 5. We got 9 done last night in about a half an hour (just books, DVD's, video games, and CD's so it went quick). I would say we would be packing all weekend, but we have a wedding to go to, that Kyle is in, so no luck there, will just have to pack extra hard before and after to make up for it!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

2009-06-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

So, Kyle has his thesis defense in the morning (prayer would be appreciated, it starts at 10) then a final from 7-10PM (what kind of a horrible time for a test is that?!?!) and then graduation on Saturday with both of our families coming out!! Wow, 8 years after he graduated from High School (He graduated when he was 16, little smarty pants!) he is graduating from college with his Masters Degree. Two years after we got married we will finally be done with school and we will move forward with our life...

That moving includes literal moving, from our life here that we have come to love in SLO back to the Bay Area where our families are. We move in 3 weeks, crazy! Between graduation, moving, a wedding Kyle is Best Man in, and packing, there is just so much going on in the next 3 weeks. The stress definitely piles up on me, I have been trying to slowly begin to pack things up and because Kyle has had so much work to do for his thesis it has pretty much been all me. Can I just say... Packing sucks!!!! I do know that this is going to be one of the easiest moves of our lives, still only the two of us, moving out of a two bedroom apartment, easy, right? in a sense... but it still is no fun.

::okay, apparently this is turning into a poor Carrie post, please disregard my whining; I will try to be a bit more upbeat now::

So, we are super excited to be moving back near family! We will be about 10 minutes from my family and about 30 minutes from Kyle's family. My brother's school is about 1 mile from us, so he can come over and hang out after school! ...when school is back in session that is...

Searching for a new church will be a bummer, we have really come to love Grace!!! Kyle's parent's, and my parent's churches are both 30 minutes away from us, and we have really loved being in the same community as our church here, so we are going to look for something as close to our new home as possible. The nice thing though is that we know the area already, and know the names of some churches that are good in the area, so it won't be too hard (I don't think...)

I can't wait until I get to decorate my new home! I have all these wonderful ideas in my head, we will see how many of them translate well... Lindsey and Lisa have some amazing eyes for simple and chic! I love their style! I want them to come and help me garage sale and flea market and make my home look fabulous! I already have some great ideas for painting a couple pieces that I have. Someday I will have brand new couches and a dining room table with matching chairs and a "real" bed frame and matching bedroom furniture, but until then, I will dream and plan... ^_^

Miracle Miles For Kids

2009-05-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Next Saturday, May 30, I will be participating in the Miracle Miles for Kids 10K Walk/Run (it will probably be more of a walk for me...) along with my good friend Cassie.

The Family Care Network of the Central Coast works to provide much needed services such as Therapeutic Foster Care; Family Support Services; Prevention and Early Intervention Services; Transitional Housing Services; and Community-Linked Services, the agency works in collaboration with the community to strengthen and preserve families and individuals.

All proceeds earned through pledges at the event will help support direct services that benefit the community's youth and families!

* $100 buys school supplies and clothing.
* $500 helps a youth join a sports team or purchase a musical instrument.
* $1,000 helps furnish an apartment for an older teen about to transition from foster care to adult independence.

I have never participated before but I am so excited to do it this year! If you want to support me and help raise money for this organization and cause, you can go here it is my personal pledge page. I am trying to earn $100. Thanks so much!

and if you think about it, you might want to pray for me the day of the race that I don't die!! ^_^

marrow

2009-05-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

I just got a call from the National Marrow Donor program. I signed up when I was 18 at my community college, they were having a donor drive and it was about 6 months after 9/11 and I was trying to do all I could for my country. I haven't heard anything from them since... but apparently I am a potential match for someone! This is all kind of sudden, exciting and scary all at the same time. I give blood all the time, just about as often as I am eligible, but marrow is just so much more daunting, they stick big needles in you for that one!!! Maybe my nurse-y friends can soothe my rattled nerves? Emily? Lindsey? is it as bad as I am making it out to be?

I won't know for 1-2 months if I am an exact match, so there is definitely time to get calm about this, and it may be that I am not a good match for this person anyway...

Wow. I never really thought that they would call me. But if I can help, I am glad to do it. This is one of those things where I feel that if you are eligible to do it, you should be signed up and doing all you can, ie. donating blood every 8 weeks... That's just my personal stance on it, although I understand if you are terrified of needles.... that would just suck! (haha! vampire pun!!! sorry. I will stop now.) *stepping off of my soapbox now*

Pray for this person that they will find a match, and that I might be a match for them, and if I am that it would all go smoothly.

::EDIT::
This post just brought back to mind one of my favorite Rascal Flatts songs, Skin (sarabeth). Makes me cry just about anytime I hear it!!!

Rebecca's Shop

2009-05-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friend's sister (who is becoming a dear friend as well) has a sweet blog called Traveling Light that is so sweet with pictures of her and her husband and families. Her name is Rebecca and she has just started her own little Etsy shop called Rebecca's Shop where she is selling sweet pendants, frames, magnets and notepads.
The reason I am telling you this is because she is having a giveaway right now where you can win a necklace and a frame in honor of SUMMER!!! coming! So go! Now! check out her blog and store follow the directions and maybe you could win (but I hope I do...)

NEEDED...

2009-04-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

A local pickup truck to borrow for a couple of hours...

Do you have a truck we can borrow? We have a loveseat we want to get (it's FREEE!!!!!!) but the owners can't move it for us, and all we have is a little bitty Honda Civic....

Please let me know!
Thanks....
Hugs and Kisses!!

~Carrie~

PS. A minivan with removable bench seats might work too...

Taylor the Latte Boy

2009-04-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite Singers/Actresses Kristen Chenoweth, singing one of my favorite songs. I recently rediscovered it, and it makes me smile every time that I listen to it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Here are the lyrics too, in case you want them... ^_^

There's a boy who works at Starbucks
Who is very inspirational.
He is very inspirational because of many things.

I come in at 8:11, and he smiles and says, "How are you?"
When he smiles and says, "How are you?"
I could swear my heart grows wings!

So today at 8:11
I decided I should meet him
I decided I should meet him
In a proper formal way.

So today at 8:11 when he smiled and said "How are you?"
I said "Fine, and my name’s Kristin"
And he softly answered, "Hey."
And I said "My name is Kristen, and thank you for the extra foam…"

And he said his name was Taylor,
Which provides the inspiration for this poem:

Taylor the latte boy,
Bring me java, bring me joy!
Oh Taylor the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him…

So I’d like to get my nerve up
To recite my poem musical.
He would like the fact it’s musical
Because he plays guitar.
So today at 8:11, Taylor told me he was playing
In a band down in the village in the basement of a bar.

And he smoothly flipped the lever to prepare my double latte,
But for me he made it triple! And he didn’t think I knew
But I saw him flip the lever, and for me he made it triple,
And I knew that triple latte meant that Taylor loved me too!
I said, "What time are you playing? And thank you for the extra skim…"
He said, "Keep the $3.55," because this triple latte was on him.

Taylor the latte boy,
Bring me java, bring me joy!
Oh Taylor the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him…

I used to be the kind of girl who'd run when love rushed toward her.
But finally a voice whispered "Love can be yours, if you step up to the counter, and order."

Taylor, the latte boy
Bring me java, bring me joy
Oh Taylor the latte boy
I love him, I love him, I love him.

So many years my heart has waited,
Who’d have thought that love could be so caffeinated?
Taylor, the latte boy,
I love him, I love him, I love him.
I love him, I love him, I love him.

Why?

2009-04-05T22:52:00.001-07:00

Why was I totally stupid and didn't take a shower as soon as I got home from hiking in Poison-Oak-infested Montana de Oro?

Why did I brush aside the knowledge that I am massively allergic to Poison Oak and should not touch anything until I had showered off and thrown my clothes in the laundry?

Why did I choose to sit on the couch for 45 minutes and eat and watch TV before cleaning up?

Why did I then sit on that couch after my shower probably transferring all the nasty oils back onto my body?

Why didn't I think of all of this before climbing into bed last night and probably transferring those nasty oils into my bed and all over me again?!?!?!?!?!

Why did I take a nap on said potentially infested couch?

Why did I not realize all of this until just a while ago when my arm started itching?

Which then of course set off itching on other places on my body, which gets me even more paranoid that I am covered in the nastiness....

Off to do laundry and hopefully get rid of the rest of it....

PS. I am still itchy...

Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Granny Smith....

2009-04-01T21:26:00.000-07:00

...notice a trend?

We (and by we I mean Kyle) are going to be working with them. Well, One in particular.

Yup, that one.

We just accepted a job offer from them and after Kyle graduates in June we will be moving up to Cupertino so that he can begin working for Apple Inc.

It is a little bit of a bittersweet thing for us.

We have come to love San Luis Obispo county dearly, our relationship has grown here, we have had our first years of married life here, and we have gained some sweet friends.

But it also feels like we are finally "growing up" by moving, leaving behind the view of us that we are young college students, but rather we are a young couple just starting out in a career and life.

It will also be nice to be back in the Bay Area where we both grew up, me in Los Gatos and Kyle in Morgan Hill, and where our families both still live.

It will be nice to have old friends nearby again and to have family nearby when we start a family.

I will treasure these last few months we have here though, and it is nice to know that it will only be a 3 hour drive away!!!

Anyone want....

2009-03-27T16:47:00.001-07:00

A coffee table or a mini trampoline???

I just posted them on Craigslist
Here http://slo.craigslist.org/fuo/1095330378.html
and here http://slo.craigslist.org/spo/1095336676.html
but if you are interested let me know and I will put you at the top of the list!

:::EDIT::: The coffee table is no longer available.

Selective Hearing

2009-01-25T15:08:00.001-08:00

So, I am sitting in the office, Kyle is at the desk next to mine (no more than 3 feet away) looking on the internet for ways to fix our car, and I am perusing facebook. I start to speak...

"I have a goal, I want to lose at least 10 pounds before Josh and Jennie's wedding in June so I can buy and wear a sexy dress"

At the word's "Sexy Dress" Kyle's head pops up.

"Huh?"

"Were you listening to me at all?"

"Yeah"

"All you heard was 'wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah wah Sexy Dress ' huh?"

"Maybe..."

Oh men...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Christmas Eve 2008

2008-12-24T08:40:00.001-08:00

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement Clarke Moore
or Henry Livingston

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Lets Say Thanks!

2008-12-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

just checked this on www.snopes.com and it is true! I sent my postcard and encourage all of you to do the same...especially at this time of year!

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!

It is FREE and it only takes a second.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's. Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

"Australia" at "Twilight" Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend was so jam packed with stuff to do. Which wasn't really a bad thing, just kind of crazy to keep up with. We drove up to my parent's house on Wednesday night, didn't get in until about 10:30 or 11 and so went straight to bed. Thursday we got up and helped get things ready for Dinner later, then we dashed of to Kyle's family gathering for a few hours before dinner started at either house, Kyle has lots of family (his dad has 8 siblings and they almost all are married with at least 2 kids... you do the math) but it is a lot of fun, you are never really alone when you are with the Haughey's.... ^_^ Then we dashed back over to my parents and waited for my cousins to show up and had dinner, a very very tasty dinner! My dad grills the Turkey on the bar-b-que whole and it gets this delicious smoky flavor, and makes the gravy taste great too!!! Then around 9 PM when my family dinner was done and everyone went home we went back to Kyle's family celebration until about midnight. I succeeded in getting a family tree made up for them with birthdays and anniversary's so now I might actually keep them all straight... maybe... Kyle's aunt Kathy tried to convince me to get up and go black Friday shopping with them (at 4 AM!!!!) I slept in...

We did have to go to the mall though on Friday, we had a wedding on Saturday, so we went to Macy's. The mall itself wasn't too bad, it was trying to navigate the parking lot to find a spot that was horrid! Oh! and we stopped at Tiffany's to get my ring cleaned, it sparkled so pretty!! From there we dashed to Kyle's parent's house where I met his mom, sisters, and two aunts and one of my SIL's friends and went to see Twilight for the second time, Kyle stayed at home... But in his defense, he did take me the first time... (what a good hubby!!)

I definitely like the movie the second time around. The first time I saw it I had JUST finished the book and so I was comparing it way too much and bummed at parts they left out or tweaked. The second time I could just enjoy it for what it was, a really fun chick flick!! and I think it was easier to gush when Kyle wasn't sitting right next to me, but I was surrounded by my SIL's and could squeal with them. I do have to finish reading the books by Christmas though, because they want to know if I am Team Edward or Team Jacob, and I can't give a definite answer without knowing all the facts, although when I am going to fit that in with all the making of Christmas Presents I don't know....

THEN, Kyle and I went to meet up with a friend for Dinner, pretty much the only time that weekend that it would fit. At dinner we were talking about movies we wanted to see, and Australia came up, well, it just so happened to have a 9:30 showing at the movie theater we were near, so we went. We didn't realize it was a 3 hour movie though... but that was okay.

Oh My Goodness! I loved this movie! It was sooo good, Poor Kyle's hand just about got crushed at a couple spots, but he was a good sport about it. I really didn't have any clue about what the movie was really about, they were kind of vague in the previews I think. The movie is almost two movies in one, the first bit ends and you think it is over, and that it ended pretty good, but then it keeps going!! It is essentially a love story at heart, and a Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) production, which means great cinematography and amazing scores! Nicole Kidman didn't sing in the movie, although I think she did sing one of the credit songs, along with Hugh Jackman... I highly highly recommend this movie, it is a great date night movie, with enough love story for the ladies, and plenty of action for the guys to "protect" the ladies. It is also a great girls night out movie.

Then on Saturday we drove to Hollister for the wedding, the third Catholic wedding I have been to this year, I think that is the most I have been in Catholic churches in my life. The service was beautiful, the reception was so much fun, and it was great to see a friend so happy in love with her new husband.

Sunday was church, and then spending time with family before driving home that night and collapsing in bed. Kiko was so glad we were home... ^_^

Tonight we go to the Christmas parade, anyone else going? Maybe we will see you there!
::Edit:: The parade starts at 7 PM downtown SLO, in case you didn't know...

Tomorrow we get our Christmas tree!!!!!!

Sunday, the Christmas parties start! I don't think I have ever really been invited to "real" Christmas parties before, I am a little excited!

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

While I am not necessarily endorsing this particular group, the message is one that should be heard and pondered... I know we (I) am trying to make more gifts this year, more because we are short on cash, but also because it is something that is just more heartfelt... If we had extra money to give to charity too, I would do that as well. Think what you can do, if you just stop and push aside all the commercialism of Christmas and look at the CHRIST in it instead...

15

2008-11-26T14:32:00.001-08:00

Here's how you play:

Once you've been tagged you have to write a blog with 15 weird/random facts about you. At the end you choose 15 people to tag. List their names and the reason why you're tagging them. Don't forget to tag them! Let me know when you are done, so I can come read yours.

1. I have had plastic surgery

2. I have only ever had one boyfriend

3. I married the first man I seriously dated

4. I am missing a piece of my skull

5. I love the smell right before it rains

6. I go rain dancing with my sister until we are soaked

7. I don't really like bananas but I love banana bread

8. I love dogs but own a cat

9. I am a Mac and married to a PC

10. I am a bit of a pyro

11. I hate bugs

12. I have had 9 surgeries all for my mouth

13. I have only been to the east coast once

14. I am a control freak

15. I am secretly a geek

I am supposed to tag, but can't decide. If you read this, consider yourself tagged!

I Just

2008-11-25T17:10:00.001-08:00

bought gas for under $2/gal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going on a...

2008-11-21T11:27:00.000-08:00

Treasure Hunt!!

More details and pictures to follow later!!

I woke up this morning and found this on my computer....
In case you can't read what it says...

"I want to Kiss you all over...
There are 10 more of me hidden around the house.
Can you find us all?"

And so I began to search...

Found the first one in the dining room on top of the sliding glass door blinds.

Second was behind Kyle's alarm clock.

Third was in my favorite star lantern.

Forth was in the DVD rack.

Fifth was in my sewing desk.

Sixth was in the shower.

Seventh was in the china cabinet

Eighth was on top of the fridge.

Ninth was in our closet.

Tenth was in the medicine cabinet.

Here is my final bounty!

Plus I got a couple real kisses when Kyle came home for lunch!

I love little romantic surprises like this!

Election 2008

2008-11-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

I voted today.

Did you?

North Carolina

2008-10-31T12:47:00.001-07:00

We went to NC a couple weeks ago for a vacation with family. Sorry it has taken so long to get pictures up and blog about it, but the battery on the camera was dead and wouldn't upload pictures... It was a great time to be with family and just relax, and a lot of fun too, because I had never been to the East Coast before and the last time Kyle was he was 4 and so he doesn't really remember anything, except that he got sick and couldn't go to the Kennedy Space Center (which is all that really matters anyway, right?) We were in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you know the movie "Nights in Rodanthe"? yeah, that's where we were. We could walk to the house they used in the movie, and the pier thats in the movie as well, from the house where we were renting. SUCH a beautiful area! I could definitely go back there again, plus there are so many other touristy areas to go to that we missed. Virgina/NC is such a gorgeous area, I kept telling Kyle "I wouldn't mind living here", although it would be really far from family and that would not be nice.

Here we are at the Elizabethan gardens in Roanoke

Kyle being a fierce soldier at the Lost Colony settlement

My now bigger than me little brother Ben and me

A recreation of the first powered plane at the Wright brothers memorial in Kitty Hawk

The views we had pretty much all week... aren't you jealous?

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Where the Gulf Stream Meets the Atlantic (the Labrador current), the waves crash sideways!

Pretty Shells in the water

And the main reason we were there... My cousin Elizabeth got married to Ralph!!!!

Yay!!!!

Flash Mob

2008-09-30T23:42:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia:

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a Public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

I think Flash Mobs are great! I have been browsing them all evening on YouTube.

There is one group in particular that is very prevalent. Improv Everywhere is a fairly well organized group that sets up Flash Mobs in the New York area, if I were there I would so join up!! One of their best Flash Mobs in my opinion is the MP3 Experiement. All these people knew to meet at a certain area, on a certain day, at a certain time (like any other Flash Mob), the only difference is that they had all downloaded an MP3 and put it on a player and hit play at the same time (synchronized watches, some were a bit sooner or later... but I digress) and follow the directions. So fun! They are a bit long, but so fun to watch. If you don't want to watch it all go to the 3rd video and watch the time lapse one.

PART ONE

PART TWO

TIME LAPSE

I just found out that they will be doing an MP3 Experiment in SF this weekend!!! Unfortunately Kyle and I already have plans for this weekend and so I can't go... :0( But if I weren't busy I would try so hard to go!

Another of my favorite Flash Mobs that they did was the

FROZEN GRAND CENTRAL STATION

I looked around the web and couldn't really find a dedicated SLO group... Maybe some day...

Musing on life lately

2008-09-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

::This is not a post looking for sympathy, even though I sound sort of whiny, just doing what the title says::

I have been really tired the last couple of weeks. Not sure why. I have been taking my vitamins, so it's not that... It's getting to a point though where I have headaches from it (at least I think that's why I have headaches). The bummer of it all is that even though I am so tired I can't fall asleep at night, so I stay up late and then still have to get up at the same time which adds on to the problem. My back has been tight too lately, maybe from the lack of sleep? But I think that adds on to the headache bit, the muscles are just too tight leading up my neck and shoulders.

School... I LOVE ASL!! That class is a blast. When the teacher comes in we are not allowed to talk at all. We can only communicate in sign. So far I am doing really well in that class. Some of the other people seem to be struggling a bit to keep up, I think I am doing okay because I already knew some ASL before. I have been contemplating having a little group study session to help everyone practice and learn the signs better, maybe have dessert or even dinner for them... hmmm, I may have to limit who I invite as our house isn't very big.... Kyle has been trying to push me to open up more and let God use me, and I am not really all that comfortable playing the hostess. I mean, I love having people over, but getting prepared for them and remaining engaged while they are here is a struggle, I like to fold up into my own world more. This could be a good trial... If I can convince myself to do it.
Photography is fun, I love taking pictures and developing them myself, but it is becoming more and more difficult to stay caught up. I feel like I am fighting to get my pictures taken and turned in on time. It is past the deadline to withdraw from a class without it showing on your transcript, not that I need a good looking transcript since I already have a degree... Also, we will be going on vacation for an entire week during the semester and since I won't be able to develop or print anything I will fall way behind and have to really push to catch up.
I don't know how people do it, working full time and going to school full time, and making good grades! I am only working part-time, and taking two classes, but feel overwhelmed. I think it has to do some with being married and having to keep house too. But some people have done that too, on top of work and school, and I REALLY don't know how they do that!!!

And then there is God time which is practically non-existent sometimes lately. My heart feels it, a deep longing for something that is missing from my life, but I feel like there is just so much else that I have to do in this world and in this day, so God gets pushed aside. I know that if I put him first, everything else will fall into place, but that means letting go of my hold on things and letting Him direct life, and I desire that control too much, just ask Kyle.

There is a great demonstration of how this all works that I remember from Kids Club growing up. You have a Jar (your life) and put in Sand (free time, extra activities, family, friends), then some Gravel (Church, school, work), and then you have a Big Rock (God). The big rock doesn't fit in the jar! So you take everything out and then start with the Rock (God), then add the Gravel (Church, school, work), and then the Sand (free time, extra activities, family, friends), and there is plenty of room left over in the jar, so the teacher pulls out a pitcher of Water (extra blessings), and pours that on top of everything until it is overflowing.

I want to put God in the jar first (drivers seat, ships helm, at the wheel, in control, etc.) but I know that it means that I have to step back and merely observe, and that terrifies me. I like to be in control and I don't want to give that up, and yet I know that it will benefit me so much! Jenny posted a hymn that moved me and made me really think. It is one of my favorite old hymns

...Just from Jesus simply taking
life and rest, and joy and peace...
...Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him
How I've proved Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus
O for Grace to trust Him more

Dear Jesus, Give me Grace to trust you more. Turn the desires of my heart into your desires, and help me to love as you love.

Change...

2008-09-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

...is good.

Before.

After.

I like it!

There was a little girl, who had a little curl....

2008-09-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

I like having curly hair.

My hair is naturally wavy, and used to be pretty curly when I was little, read: it went away by the time I was 8.

If I heat curl my hair, I can pretty much expect it to go flat in about an hour, even if I spray the heck out of it, the one exception, my wedding hair that was done with a ceramic flat iron (it was amazing to see hair get curled with a flat iron!) and sprayed and pinned, that stayed in!

So, if I ever really want my hair to be curly and stay that way mostly I have to put in foam curlers while it is wet and wait for it to dry, usually overnight, which means sleeping on it. and then I look like this

Which isn't comfortable to sleep on at all.

Also, I have a TON of hair, it gets commented on EVERY time I go to the salon to get it cut, even if the lady has cut my hair a bajillion times before I get "wow! you have so much hair!" so that means that it takes longer to curl and more curlers, because I try to take much smaller sections so that it drys faster. Plus all the time that goes into it, and I have to be sure that I won't be going out the rest of the evening so the public isn't terrified by the sight of me in curlers....

All that to say.... I have been thinking of getting a perm. Not one of those little teeny curls perms, but with bigger curls, like you would get with 1-1 1/2 inch foam curlers ( I am told that you can do this) and if I don't like it I can always wash it out within the first 24 hours to get rid of it...

I had a perm once before, my mom did it for me my freshman year of High School, it was tiny curls, but SO CUTE! until it started growing out... then it got annoying... and I didn't want to re-perm it so I had to wait for it to grow out so that I could cut it out... But I think with bigger curls it wouldn't be so bad if I let it grow out.

I had my hair curled on Sunday, and told Kyle I was thinking about getting it permed and asked his opinion. Poor guy, looked like a deer caught in the headlights!!! I asked if he liked my hair better straight or curly, and then had to reassure him that I like it both ways, and was trying to make sure that he wouldn't be absolutely opposed to me getting my hair permed. Mollified he then proceeded to let me know that he likes my hair a little bit better curly. So I am now considering it, but am terrified!!!

What if I don't like it after a week?! I don't want to have to straighten it every day!

What if it looks horrible, or isn't how I pictured it at all?!

So my dear bloggy friends, what do YOU think? Vote on my poll and let me know....

A Bloggy Meme

2008-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Father's Grandmothers

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? um, a day of two ago, frustration grabs me too well, stupid female hormones...

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Depends on the day, some days it looks really really good, other days not, but I have people tell me that they like my writing... I have people that I want to emulate though...

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? um, I have a Cat, does she count? I call her my baby...

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? too much sometimes

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes, but I would be terrified before I went

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? mmmm, cereal!!! Fruit loops, honey nut cherrios, kix, corn chex

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? not usually.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? no... but I can still wrestle my brother to the ground!!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? cookies and cream or chocolate chip cookie dough

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? looks usually. How shallow of me.

RED OR PINK? Pink

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? my nose, and my internal heart attitude

WHOM DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Abi-goo

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Honey nut cherrios

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The band Downhere

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? dark purple

FAVORITE SMELLS? fresh flowers, the smell of asphalt right before a rain!

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mrs Keil

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? swimming, baseball, gymnastics, the OLYMPICS!

FAVORITE FOODS? Potatoes, peanut butter, cold tortalinni

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Rattatoullie

SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer

HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs

FAVORITE DESSERT? mmmm, desert!! any!!

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? the Staples logo

FAVORITE SOUND? Baby giggles!!!!!!!!!!

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles!

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? um, not sure, probably Mexico

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Minneapolis, MN

MN trip and a Wedding

2008-07-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

I got to go out to Minnesota last weekend to visit family and go to my cousin Rob's wedding! This was the first time that I had seen my cousins in about 6 years! It was wonderful to see them and catch up, I miss them dearly, but on the bright side I get to see them in October in North Carolina for my cousin Elizabeth's wedding! Seeing them again in less than 3 months is unheard of in our family!! I don't think we have ever managed that, but it is so exciting and wonderful, I can't wait! That trip will be great too, because Kyle will get to meet all of them for the first time!

Anyway, on to the pictures....

The first night in MN we went to the Guthrie Theatre to see a play "The Inspector General" it was very funny!

The Sibs at the Guthrie Ben, Me, Abby

Mommy and Daddy

The Bridal Party

The Groom's Party

Rob and Mo

First Kiss!

They were very nice when it came to the cake

Cousins!

That's Laura in the Middle, the youngest in their family

Elizabeth's on the right, she's the oldest and that's Rob Hugging Aunt Jill on the Left

Aunt Jill and Uncle Jeff

Their House.

Hume Lake

2008-07-25T11:25:00.000-07:00

I had a great time up at Hume Lake with the Student Ministries group a couple weeks ago. The speaker PJ Lewis was phenomenal! very convicting and straight forward. He spoke on just the basic christian truths that we so often forget in our lives, who God is, What/Who Sin is and how it controls us, ect.

I had a cabin full of Sophmore girls, that was interesting! and so fun!

Yay Spirit Day! and silly boys who don't wait for you to finish posing before they take your picture...

I got a lovely stripe down my forehead from the makeup after I got burnt...

I love this lake!!!!