Graduation

FINALLY I can post about my masters graduation.....that happened 8 days ago! Whew!

I started my masters degree program in 2005. It was a distance learning program, where you are placed in a group of currently teaching teachers that are within 25 miles of you, and then you meet twice a month to discuss questions (on tape to send in for your group grade) and then at home you do most of the work, in the form of essays. It's basically ALL WRITING, which I've heard is the norm for most masters level classes, no matter what area your degree is in. This program is 5 semesters long, about 18 months, and I dropped out after 4 semesters because I thought getting my masters degree MIGHT hinder getting into a public school teaching position. Huh. I was wrong for several reasons, the biggest reason being that THERE AREN'T PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHING POSITIONS AVAILABLE. Anywhere. So I "sat out" of the program until 2 girls I work with were ready to begin their fifth and last semester of the same program, and I joined their group to finish this up and get the raise I had been waiting for. If I'm not getting into a public school anytime soon, might as well get the raise, right?? So that's how I finished my masters degree!

The weather last Saturday started out rainy, you'll see in the pics, but ended up beautiful, couldn't have asked for more! Despite being 8 1/2 months pregnant, not comfortable in the shoes, the LONG processional, the long sitting and waiting period, and the speeches, the ceremony was awesome. I had to pee SO BAD but I held out till the end of the ceremony, I didn't want to miss a thing! My dad and step-mom were there, but they only stayed until I got my degree because they had a wedding to attend, my mom and her friend and of course my inlaws and my cute cute hubby were there! Kenny was SUPER excited because he wasn't around for my high school graduation or when I got my undergrad, so he took a bazillion pictures.

You can see in some pics how prego I am and in other pics the gown hides it, either way, I look huge, but ask me how much I care because I got through the ceremony without going into labor AND I make more $$$ now, so it was all worth it!!

It was for sure one of those days that goes down in history as GREAT!

Quick Update

Funny Things Said In My Classroom Today

• How do you spell MANURE?
• Is it mismatch day (this was said TO ME because I have on comfy shoes with dress clothes.....shame on me!!)
• ______ won't stop looking at me! (my response was: So look at him back!)
• Which room are you going to live in this summer? (some kids still think teachers live here year round)
• How are you feeling? (asked by an adult, and my response was: Do you really want to know?)

I have graduation pics and prego pics to post and cute little stories for each...just let me get my hands on my own computer and they will be blogged about!! My husband has taken over my computer! My mom bought me a brand new laptop (my first laptop ever) for graduation and it should be delivered very soon, and I can get back to regular blogging, which I miss. Stay tuned for pics!

Grandpa

It's taken me a couple weeks to actually process that my Grandpa passed away. He died peacefully in his sleep on April 27th, he was 93 1/2 years old. My dad called me the afternoon he died (he passed early in the morning) and because my grandparents' minister was out of town on a retreat that weekend, the funeral/memorial service wouldn't be for 2 weekends. He was creamated, so that time span wasn't an issue. I was sad right away, especially thinking of my grandma, they had been married 63 years and were still very much in love. It was common for them to be holding hands several times a day. They were (are) so cute. Anyway, of course I thought about how sad it is to loose a grandparent and how it's even harder to watch the other grandparent try to cope in a world that is lonely to them. It's not easy. The memorial service was this past Saturday and it's then that it hit me how much he is missed. My aunts and uncles had words to say at the service and it was beautiful, and it's obvious just how much they and my dad will miss their father. I miss my grandpa. He was a man of LONG stories that often I didn't know what the moral was, and he was a man of many interests and talents, he was a veteran, a cherished and very involved member of his church including the choir, and he was an all-around family man. My aunts and uncles and my dad ALL have their father's sense of family and have passed that on to their own children and nieces and nephews. The best part of the service was the end, when the choir stood in front of the congregation and sang Amazing Grace. It was truly amazing. And another neat bit of info....when the organ was being played, the baby kicked HARD (and I mean he really whomped me in both sides!!!!). It actually made me move in my seat...Kenny was next to me and he looked at me and mouthed, "What was that??" and I whispered to him, "That was your son kicking his momma....he isn't used to the organ playing....apparently we need to attend church more." When I heard my grandpa had stopped eating a week or so prior to his death (he wasn't sick with cancer or anything, there were several things keeping him from feeling well and I think he was just ready to go) I immediatly became sad because this would have been his first great-grandchild. I kept thinking, just a few more weeks and he'd be able to hold his first great-grandchild. But I know that wasn't in the cards, my grandma will have that distinct honor all to herself (she is my last grandparent) and there's something magical (in a strange way) about the passage of my grandpa and the birth of my baby so close. When I told my friends that my grandpa had died, most of them remembered him at my wedding just one year ago, in his wheelchair, smiling, having a great time, and not wanting to leave the reception to go lay down even though everyone thought he would be tired. He was SO HAPPY I was getting married and he loved getting dressed up and attending formal ceremonies, especially his oldest grandchild's wedding. So there you have it. That was my grandpa.

Almost halfway through the week

Can't wait for the weekends....that's what I keep telling myself EVERY SINGLE MORNING when I drag my ever-expanding body out of bed 30 minutes after the alarm. And I keep repeating that as I take a shower, waddle around the house trying to get ready in adequate time to beat the kids to my classroom door. And then I say that same mantra ALL DAY LONG with my class, who is absolutely driving me nuts 8 hours a day. I'm still only 15 pounds up from pre-pregnancy, and it's still all in my stomach, but it feels like 50. Take a look. I think I was 32w4d when I took them.

And here's a picture of my current child, the 4-legged kind, who has no idea how much her life is going to be disrupted in a few weeks. She's so cute.

I am graduating with my masters degree on Saturday.....I would be so much more excited if the gown I ordered DIDN'T HANG OFF MY SHOULDERS AND MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A LARGE BLACK COW! I am really happy to be getting this degree and the accompaning raise, however, I'm not excited about how I'll look when handed the diploma. Is that just a girl thing, a prego thing, or am I completely crazy??????

Spring!!

I didn't mean to go SOOO long without posting! Honestly, I thought about it every day last week and just didn't make it to my computer!

Spring has sprung around here! There are buds and blossoms and good smells everywhere. It's beautiful! We were outside with the dog today and here's a 32w3d shot:

8 months pregnant and still not that huge....how long till I pop way out there? That's the question everyone keeps asking. I don't know, but I'm not complaining!

We dogsat last weekend for our friends' 6 year old chocolate lab, Bella. Here are the girls togther, aren't they cute? It was entertaining to say the least. We saw a side of our dog that wasn't so pretty...she is a complete B$&*# when it comes to dinner time. We tried feeding them at the same time and that was not happening. Our dog growled at Bella, so we fed the separately the rest of the weekend. Our dog hasn't been around other dogs during meal times enough to chill out, so it was actually a good practice time for her. We will be working on that! Other than that, the dogs went to the park and had a blast. I actually took them both myself on leashes and walked for almost an hour. They didn't pull my arm out of the sockets or make my back sore, which I actually expected to happen. It was great! Any thoughts of getting a second lab have been squelched though, especially with our baby on his way here and a small house. Too much dog to trip over! It was fun having them together for a few days though.

I woke up this morning with an amazing feeling. My hubs was next to me (doesn't always happen because he works at night) snoozing, our baby was kicking up a frenzy (I LOVE that!!!) and our dog was snoring on my feet. I was completely content, like a really happy scene from a movie. I kept thinking, "This is MY family" and THANK GOD for my blessings. What an amazing feeling. I took Kenny's hand as he slept and put it on my stomach to feel the baby kick, and he actually woke up and said, "WOW!" He's felt the baby kick and move several times, but not when he was that energetic! Feeling him move like that sure makes all the aches and pains of being pregnant worth it. SO very worth it. I have been feeling pretty awesome though, even with little bouts of feeling sick, I can't complain. I'm getting very excited!

One Year Ago

One Year Ago Today:

I woke up without much sleep....

Anxiety (the good kind) ran through my body....

I was surrounded by people that loved me and supported me....

A calm took over my body in a way I had never known because I knew I was marrying the person that was created to be my partner in life....

I spent hours getting beautified with some of the most wonderful women I know....

I put on a gorgeous gown....

My dad walked me down the isle without tears....

I said "I do" to my new husband and kissed him in front of 180 people....

We became united in Christ, all while the Tigers and Red Wings games were on TV (our friends REALLY love us)....

We enjoyed the best wedding reception with 300 people (Kenny knows a lot of people and I have a HUGE family!)....

We danced, laughed, and thanked GOD for all our blessings on the first day of our life together as husband and wife....

All this happened one year ago today. It's hard to believe it's already been 365 days, but it has, and here are starting year #2, almost 8 months pregnant, and about to embark on parenthood. Who could ask for more?

My gift to Kenny...this is actually his little gift. His REAL one will be here on the 30th. I was a slacker on ordering it, but it's WELL worth the wait!

And this is his gift to me. Now you see why I love him so? He has wonderful taste!

Shower Game

The best shower game ever?? Well, it's really not a game, it's a project. Each person gets either a plain colored onezie or a white bib. They use fabric pens and draw or write whatever they want on the onezie or the bib. Now, keep in mind, my hubs has pulled some pretty sneaky, rotten, goofy, completely crazy pranks on people over the years, so some of the messages on the onezies and bibs were CRAZY, but you can see how fun it is!! He also was heavily into ebay back in the day, hence the ebay bib made my my step-mom:

Here are a few more...

It was really fun bringing them home and showing Kenny. He actually made a couple of his own!!! Go to my flickr badge on the side to see some other pics of the shower.

This week has been exhausting, I've probably already mentioned that, but it really has been. I need to take a nap but instead I'm going to tell the tale of our baby's crib. My mom was coming out on my spring break to help me assemble the thing, so I went to Babies R Us a few weeks back, picked it out, and they had exactly one in stock. Awesome. Bought it, brought it home and happily awaited my mom's arrival to put it together. She drove out, painted the room, and opened up the crib box. Apparently, someone else had already had the crib, put it together, and wripped it apart. The screw holes were not only stripped but there were chunks of wood missing from around the screws. I had a small melt-down, not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it was distressing. So I called the store and they said they did not have another one in stock anywhere, and wouldn't be ordering one for months. So on to plan B. They ordered me a new headboard, which is where all the damage was. It came in a few days later, actually right when we got home from my shower on Saturday, and by that time, we decided to take the whole thing back, get our $$ back and start over. So Kenny, Beth (the BFF staying with us for the weekend) and I drove to Babies R Us, I returned the crib and Kenny went to talk to customer service. The new person there said they would have the crib that we wanted (exactly like the one we had just returned) in a week! I told her I was mislead about them reordering the same crib, yada yada yada. So they signed us up for the same crib and we'd get a call in a week to pick it up. Problem solved. Keep in mind, this crib was a standard drop side one, not a fancy crib that converted to a full size bed. On our way out, Kenny spies a beautiful convertible EXPENSIVE 100% mohagany crib that he likes, asks me what I think, and I say, yeah, it's nice, but look at the price. He said he didn't care, he wanted it because it was all solid wood, no particle board or junky materials in it. I thought he was crazy with the price, but he said he didn't care. So back to customer service we go! The ONLY one they had in stock (here we go again, right????) was in the clearance section because it had a ding in it. Because of that itty bitty ding, it was actually the same price as the original crib we wanted. So they shrink wrapped it, put it in the bed of Kenny's truck, and away we go. Just like that. We got it home and discovered it had to be take apart to get it into the house, with Bethy did in like 15 minutes. Then she put it back together in about 15 minutes. The woman is a genius! And that's the dramatic saga of the crib. Which I don't have pictures of yet, but I will!!!

Spring Break Blur

I think spring break was the fastest blur of a week ever in my life. I did get a lot accomplished, including a crib (loooong story for the next post), an overnight with my mom, one of my BFFs staying with us for 3 nights and the best baby shower ever. That was a great week!

Here I am after my kick-bootie baby shower with some BFFs....

I got so much baby stuff that I never even knew I would need!! But thank goodness for the ladies in my life to keep me on track with what I need (or is strongly recommended). We got hooked up! I feel SO completely lucky and blessed! Kenny couldn't even believe his eyes when he saw all the gifts we received! I am going to get some individual pictures of a few gifts including what one of my BFFs did as a game at my shower...it was adorable! I'll save that for my next post and I'll leave you with a picture of me at 30w4d sporting pink pjs and a black lab on my feet, her favorite spot ever!

Prego Chatter

Happy Belated Easter!

Yesterday the weather was so beautiful here! Just like it was supposed to be. Still cold, but no complaints here!

I went for my last 4 week OB appointment, from this point on it's every 2 weeks. Eeeek. Can't believe I'm already to that point. Here's what I was told.....until this point in my pregnancy, I've not gained much weight. No concerns, right? Right. The first trimester I lost pounds because I was puking all the time, then in the middle trimester I gained a total of 12 pounds, and then I lost a pound in the last month. Crazy, eh? I'm still exercising 3 times a week (walking and swimming, NOT in the same day!) and eating super well, almost NO sugars to speak of thank you very much! The doctor measures my stomach and says I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead of time, that this is going to be a big baby and that I'm in for it. WTF? First of all, those of you who know me know I was already overweight to begin with, however, I am NOT as big as most women who are 29 weeks (supposedly more now). I'M NOT! My husband was a 10 pound baby, I was a 6 pound baby, I don't know what to expect at delivery, but holy crap there isn't room in my belly at this point for a baby that is measuring 31 weeks! Here's what I think, and since I'm a rookie, correct me if I'm wrong all you pros out there....from the day I found out I was pregnant I have been ahead of the game in the way of symptoms....and I know that the symptoms they talk about in the pregnancy books are not considered the bible, but I have always been around 2-3 weeks earlier than what the book says I should be experiencing. For example, morning sickness is SUPPOSED to kick in (if you are so lucky to experience it) around 7-9 weeks, and I was puking at 5 weeks. That's just one example, there are many many more. I won't bore you with them, except to say that my cycle is longer than most women's, usually 33-34 days, and that may have something to do with calculating my due date. With all this said, it is possible I'm farther along than we've thought this whole time? I truly feel that I am, and I guess it really doesn't matter in the long run. When this little boy is ready to be here, he will! I'd love to hear opinions on this!

This week I'm on vacation, and by that I mean not going to work. As far as vacation and doing nothing, not happening here. Today I have to get a new cell phone (long story and it involves Kenny and Coke, the kind you drink) and then go to the dentist. Then N is coming over to help me move some heavy stuff from room to room to basement....thank GOD for her! Tomorrow my mom is coming to stay with me for a night to get the baby's room whipped into shape and that new crib put together. YAY! Then we're going shopping for various things, my mom lives in the boondocks so when she comes here, we shop! Wednesday evening I might get that pedicure I've been craving, Thursday not sure but MAYBE stay home?? Friday I'm picking up a BFF at the airport to stay with me all weekend and Saturday is my baby shower. Whew!

I will be posting pics of the rooms I'm working on too, just in case you are curious!

The Best Field Trip EVER!

Today was the last day of school before spring break. Our team planned a field trip to a museum, one that we go to often and it's a pretty structured trip, which makes the whole day run smoothly. From a teacher's standpoint, field trips are like holiday parties....depending on parent involvement, they can make or break you. This was literally the best planned trip ever, the parents were even having a great time! NO behavior issues to speak of (I had to leave two kids at school in another classroom because of behavior in the last couple of weeks, unfortunetly, but I suspect that was why the trip for my class was flawless). Anyway, one part of the trip included a 30 minute visit to a domed theater where the seats move kind of roller-coaster like, in time with what was happening in the movie. There are specific rules for this theater, such as NO PREGNANT PEOPLE in the moving chairs. So I had to sit in the front row NEXT TO some moms in the moving chairs. I was bummed, but whatever, I've been to Cedar Point, no big deal. As long as the kids are happy, so be it. So the show begins, the seats move with the movie, the kids are loving the show, and the seats also blow air and water throughout the program, an extra special feature. We leave the theater and it's time to go back to school, so we head out to the buses. A few teachers are talking about the moving seats and are commenting on how they vibrate...in THAT area. I'm thinking to myself that I can't be hearing things correctly, are they really saying what I think they are saying??? And then one of them starts telling me about the chairs and how she needs to get one in her house....and I'm putting two and two together and realize that YES, they are talking about how wonderful these vibrating chairs are and they are all flushed and smiling......OMG it was a SCHOOL field trip!!!! That's not supposed to happen on a school field trip!!! Apparently my idea of this being the best field trip ever is much different than the reasons my coworkers are thinking it was the best field trip ever. At least my head isn't in the gutter!!!!

Prego Pics

Pictures, as promised, are here. Not the greatest, I warn you though! I don't have a glow nor do I feel like I'm glowing. The correct terminology of how I feel every morning is like a beached whale! But I know it's for a good cause. So here I am at 28w4d, or 7 months:

Nothing like C H U B B Y legs to go with pregnancy!!!!

Here's another one, in my bathing suit and yoga pants. LOVELY!!!! It's dark, but you can see the baby boy belly!

Kenny and I went to the dollar store tonight to get table clothes. I have heard rumors of dollar store pregnancy tests, but I've never actually seen them. They exist, right next to the oral gel, camping lighters, and dental picks in the check out lane. FOR REAL! I'm not kidding even a little but. Kenny snapped a picture with his phone but couldn't get it to send, so you'll just have to take my word for it, or better, visit a dollar store near you! Kenny asked the clerk if many chicks buy them, and she said yes, but they never buy just one, usually five or six at at time. AHHHHH!

In other news, I'm completely done with my masters and got my final portfolio back and I PASSED! Just waiting for graduation!!!

Spring break is almost here thank goodness. No school Friday and ALL next week!!! I'm counting hours here.

Catching Up

I've tried to start a new entry a bazillion times but the interruptions at work and at home are so continuous!!!! I'm such a bad blogger! I'm 27w3d and counting....still feeling pretty good. I get really sluggish in the late afternoons, then a small energy spurt, and then NOTHING by the evening. I just want to lay down. So I've been getting as much done at work in the morning as I can and as much done at home as I can early in the day. There are 5 pregos at my work right now (can you tell last year was a rough one at work? hehehe) and I've crocheted two baby blankets so far. I didn't get a picture of the first one, but it was super cute, a medium blue and a navy blue striped baby size blanket. The second one is for a baby girl whose mama doesn't "do" pink, so it's a lime green blanket and after I finish the last row tonight I'll get a picture...it's also super cute! Make fun of crocheting all you want, but I love it! Especially when I'm pretty much couch-bound from 8pm on! I think I'll work on my own baby's after that! All these things I've made other babies and now I get to make something for my own!! I'm so excited! One last bit of baby news, we ordered the crib yesterday....here's the link to it.

It's gorgeous! And not THAT pricey. I really like the look of the standard crib, not so much the sleigh convertable ones, plus my mom has bunk beds, two twin beds, and a full size bed waiting for me to put to use when our baby outgrows the crib, so I decided to get more of a plain crib and not a convertable one. It reminds me of my own crib (I remember from pictures)! My mom will be here on spring break to help me put the baby's room together and any painting or finishing of the room we have to do, including putting the crib together. I'm looking forward to that!!

I have been swimming at the gym and not walking lately. The treadmill makes my stomach hurt and so does the eliptical, so I have given in to exclusively swimming. I feel great when I'm in the pool, and exhausted when I get out, but my OBGYN says that's fine as long as I'm not overexerting, which I'm not. I gave up walking the dog for now, she's still so hyper on the leash and she pulls and runs too fast for me. So she runs her paths in the backyard and at the parks we take her to.

I do have pictures to post of my and my prego self, but I have to reserve a time to get to my own computer at home! Imagine that!! Kenny needs to hurry up and get his office situated and OUT OF MINE soon!!!! Pictures coming soon, I promise!

Scrambled Saturday

Whew! First of all, what a week. Secondly, I'm so glad it's the weekend. My mind is racing. I am SO CLOSE to being finished with my masters stuff that I actually got up early today (plus the baby starts his usual morning acrobatics around 6am, which really is why I had to get up, plus a run to pee!) to do a little more work. I am in the HOME STRETCH! I have worked a couple hours this morning and I'll finish it up tomorrow sometime. It feel so great to say that!!

If you aren't a regular reader of Lori, check our her new blog, with her NEW hubby Kevin.....CONGRATS!!! This has been a long time coming!

I'm off to visit my grandparents today and enjoy ALMOST being done with my masters!!!

Not a sinus infection!

The verict is in about me being sick...

It is allergies! Thank GOD (instead of a sinus infection)! I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER now. I was super miserable and couldn't take much. Yesterday i went to work and it was horrid. The kids were angels the day before for the sub, and then I come back and they were monsters. I mean it, MONSTERS. They took no pity on me (and why would they???????) and their behavior was rotten. So today I took no allies. It was "follow the rules or out you go" and it took exactly 10 minutes for them to knock the junk off and get their booties in gear. Thank goodness, because even though I was feeling a ton better, I was still upset with them from yesterday. They know how to behave!!! Ugh! Anyway, today was a great day, we even had a birthday celebration at the end of the day and YUMMY cupcakes. That always makes everything better. Tomorrow is a PD day, so the kids stay home and I sleep through meetings. Or play hangman to stay awake, whichever is easier to pull off. Heh. At least I get to wear my favorite item of maternity clothing: jeans! And bonus...one of my good buddies and I are getting pedicures at a fancy shmancy spa in the afternoon....are you jealous?? These toes have not been properly taken care of since DECEMBER. That's way too long! I can't wait!

Green Day!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

I celebrated today by staying home. Not by choice, of course. I started feeling this nasty cold/allegy attack coming on Friday night. I got through the weekend and TONS of hours working on masters stuff at the computer unscathed, however, Monday morning came and I called my copilot and told her to drive alone, there was NO WAY I was going to last past lunchtime at work with the kids. Well, once I was at work, it's much easier to just stay than it is to explain you are leaving....when there're kids involved, you can never just say you are sick and go home. Ever. So I muddled through, even stayed for the staff meeting and came home and crashed. I left lesson plans for today in case, and thank goodness I did because Kenny woke me up at 3am to see how I was (he was still up working) and turned off my alarm and announced I was NOT going to work. I don't really do as I'm told, but I wasn't fighting this one. However, unlike the self-employed man I married, I still have to be responsible and call in by a certain time, which required the alarm clock. So I turned it back on, called in, and then went back to sleep. It's a full blown cold I have now, which under normal circumstances makes you feel like crap, but since I'm knocked up, not so much. I FEEL LIKE DEATH. UGH. This is NOT FUN. I haven't taken anything, not even Tylenol, which to my knowledge is all I can take, and I'm saving that for if/when it turns into a sinus infection, which it always does with me. I will get up and get through the day at work tomorrow, but I don't want to. Just resting today and not having to be responsible or answer 3000 questions helped, but I know tomorrow is going to suck. Oh yeah, a little something I never knew about being pregnant......sneeze=peeing my pants. WTF????? Cough=peeing my pants. WTF again????? Ick.

On a positive note, I am ALMOST done with my masters work. The coursework is completed and I'm awaiting the final grade on my last set of assignments. I'm putting together the professional portfolio and that's even coming along nicely....it's not due till the end of the month, but I'm going to try to finish it up this weekend so I can get back to life as normal! Yay!! That's my bright spot in between sneezes and pees!!!

Buried

I'm still here.....working on the final masters assignments AND putting together my final portfolio to be graded as well....AND still going to work every day and doing parent teacher conferences and making it home and barely to bed every day.....be back soon!

'Tinky Tuesday

Is this a sign of bad day ahead??? A parent dropped this off this morning along with his child....uh-oh!!! Are we in for a stinky day or what? At least I'm prepared with ammo. Heh.

In baby news, I'm feeling him move around constantly now. Especially when I'm eating! Not that I ever forget that I'm pregnant, but it's so cool to have that reminder several times a day that he's growing in there! I'm still grasping on to the fact that I'm going to be a momma, let alone that I'm six months pregnant! Where has the time gone? We still have the baby's bedroom to put together and a guest room to move. Lots of work! But I'm looking forward to it. I'm off to tend to my smart class.

Honey I'm Home!

Monday morning, my first day back to work after a week of luxurious vacation. You know the feeling. Not wanting to get up to the alarm, not wanting to be in charge all day long, just wanting to stay home. Kenny was just settling into bed when I had to get up and into the shower, which makes it that much more difficult! But I got up, showered, and went downstairs to get my clothes out of the dryer and iron them for work. I get to the basement door and it's locked. I didn't even know we had a lock on it until that moment. Hmmmmm, Kenny must be playing a trick on me. So I go back upstairs to see if he's laying under the covers laughing. Nope, he's completely asleep. So I take my Kroger card and go back downstairs to the door, the door that's between me and ALL my clothes (our clothes are all hanging in the basement by the ironing board and the washer and dryer....I hate dressers!!!). I try to open the locked door with the card, no luck. Then I get a couple different keys and knives to try to open it, still no luck. My copliot is going to be pulling up in my driveway at any moment, so I call her and tell her I need an extra 15 minutes because I can't get to my clothes...that had to sound ridiculus! Anyway, I'm completely out of options except for.........the ax that my brother gave Kenny for Christmas, which was still under the couch. When we opened Christmas presents, Kenny slid it under the couch because there was a lot of people in our house, so we thought it was better there and out of the way. We had since forgotten about it, until now! I knew we were replacing the door anyway to match the new ones in the new room in our basement, so what the heck? A girl's gotta get her clothes for work!! So I took the ax downstairs and lifted it up and then remembered that I'm pregnant and feeble and shouldn't be doing ANYTHING of the sort, so I went back upstairs to wake up Kenny. He doesn't really like to be woken up, in fact, he's a bear if you wake him up. But this was a serious situation. I would have literally not been able to go to work if I didn't wake him up. So I did. It took a little while, and he never really completely woke up, but after about 10 minutes he got up and stumbled down the steps to assess the situation. I never told him that I had gotten the ax, but he saw it sitting next to the door, so he picked it up, made sure me and the dog were well out of the way, picks the ax up over his head and screams all Jack Nicholson like, "Honey, I'm Home!!!!" and slams the ax into the door about 10 times. The dog freaked out and put herself in her house, and I was trying hard not to laugh and completely regretting not having my video camera running. What a photo op!!! Needless to say, Kenny reached through the gaping hole in the wall and unlocked the door and went right back to sleep. I couldn't believe what had just happened!!!! When I got home from work, I dubbed him my He-Man and took his picture, once again, all Jack Nicholson like!!!

Another Couple Meme

What are your middle names?
Andrew & Marie

How long have you been together?
We were together 5 1/2 years, got married, and we've been married for 10 months.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
2 years

Who asked whom out?
Neither, it just kind of happened, and then he told me he was falling in love with me, and that was it!

How old are each of you?
I will NOT reveal the ages, however, he's 7 years older than me.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
His, they live closer than mine.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Kenny's messiness. Wait, that's what's hardest on ME! Hehehe. I don't know, that's hard to say. We really agree on most things. I'll keep you posted on this one.

Did you go to the same school?
No, we grew up hours away from each other. I'm GLAD I didn't know him in high school or even college. I would have NEVER gone for him!

Are you from the same home town?
Nope

Who is smarter?
Kenny. He's a business man who can wheel and deal with the best of them!

Who is the most sensitive?
Me!!!!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Outback Steakhouse....yum!

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Florida

Who has the craziest exes?
Not me!

Who has the worst temper?
Kenny BY FAR!

Who does the cooking?
Me, only sometimes.

Who is the neat-freak?
Duh, me!

Who is more stubborn?
I am!

Who hogs the bed?
Kenny & the dog when she's allowed to sleep with us.

Who wakes up earlier?
I do. Kenny doesn't go to bed until I get up in the morning.

Where was your first date?
Kenny snuck me into the movies!!!

Who is more jealous?
Kenny.

How long did it take to get serious?
We were always serious.

Who eats more?
Since I'm the pregnant one, I do.

Who does the laundry?
I prefer to do it all!

Who's better with the computer?
Depends on what we're doing, I'm good with Microsoft stuff and Kenny's better at internet stuff.

Who drives when you are together?
Kenny!

Wedding Survey

This is a survey for all of you married folk. Fill it out & don't forget to tag other married couples on your friend list. Don't forget to tag back the person that sent it to you.

1) When was your wedding day? April 26, 2008

2) What day of the week was it? Saturday

3) Did you get married in a church? Yes, our church.

4) How many in your wedding party? I'm not even kidding about this, but we had 26 people up there with us!

5) Where was your reception? A big place close to home!

6) How many guests were invited to your wedding? 330

7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal? 7 months.....after dating 5 years, no need to wait!

8) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer? Someone local....AWESOME work, pricey though:)
9) Did you have a DJ or a band? Yes!

10) Did your father walk you down the aisle? Of course!

11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests? Girls wore red strapless gowns and the boys wore black tuxes with mossy oak camo vests and bow ties...they looked awesome!

13) Did you have a Bridal Shower? I was lucky enough to have two of them!

14) What type of limo did you get? We were surprised with my BIL's bright red Thunderbird!!

15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party? Ladies went to Bahama Breeze for dinner & drinks and then a dance club with a live band which ROCKED!! Gents went downtown to the casino after playing 18 holes of golf.

16) What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear? White strapless gown with pretty crystals all over it, black tux (he owned it already!!) with a mossy oak camo vest

17) How was the weather? 60 degrees and sunny

18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon? Oceanfront condo in South Carolina

19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day? EVERYTHING!

20) Funniest thing I remember from the day? Kenny auctioned me off at our wedding reception....I brought $250 from the best man to dance with me!

21) How long have you been married? 10 months

No really tagged me for this, I stole it, but I'm tagging Tasha, Lindsay, Stacey, Tana, Bethy, and Krystyn!

Vacation Day Tuesday

I was reading my pregnancy weekly update this morning and this is what it said:

Hi Lindsey,as you progress through your second trimester and your belly grows, you may begin to feel less and less comfortable, more swollen, and out of breath more quickly. Remember to always pay attention to how you feel and slow down or take a break if you need. You've still got a long way to go in your journey towards motherhood - there's no need to push yourself to exhaustion!

I can't believe how accurate it is! I have been uncomfortable for a couple weeks now, and out of breath a little bit too. Whenever people ask me how I'm feeling, I usually answer with "fine, just uncomfortable." That's the best I could come up with....guess I'm right on track!

I love vacation. LOVE IT. I did nothing on Valentine's Day (Woo-Hoo!) and then on Sunday and Monday I worked in the basement putting things away, dusting them off, throwing things out....Today I'm spending the day with my mom for her belated birthday. So it will be nice to leave the house, but I have to admit that I do like being home every day and just working around here. There's so much still to do before June with the basement project and moving things around that I am perfectly content to be here! And Kenny loves it that I'm home too. So does the dog. She's on my heels ALL DAY LONG!

It's amazing the stuff you find in boxes you haven't opened in a couple years....pictures of people from your last life, students I barely remember their names (I've been teaching 7 years now!), pics of Kenny & I when we looked like babies (it seriously wasn't that long ago), family, college days (again, not THAT long ago). And then the STUFF I found. Oh the stuff! Every time I go through it, I throw more and more away, but I can't just get rid of it all at one time. Sentimental reasons keep me from pitching it all.

I'm off for a fun mom-filled day!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

This year Kenny & I decided to go out to dinner Friday night and beat the Valentine's night rush when everyone is out to eat. So we enjoyed a quiet dinner (as quiet as it can be with Kenny) at a small family place 2 miles from home. It was YUMMY. I had potato pancakes. AWESOME! Anyway, then we went carpet shopping again for the new room in our basement (not much luck there) and then home to watch a movie on the couch. It was the perfect evening. Kenny even fell asleep before I did, which never happens. He did surprise me earlier with flowers even though I said NO FLOWERS this year. He just couldn't resist. They are gorgeous! However, his gift from me was to clean out his truck this morning before he woke up. Easy task, right? Wrong. Here's the where the drama starts. Kenny's truck is trashed. Not only dirt, food wrappers, and the junk that accumulates when you work from your truck most days, but also dog hair. Eck. So I knew it was going to take a few hours. But since he sleeps late on the weekends, no problem. I got up at 730 and walked outside to start in on the cleaning project and there was 2 inches (or more) of snow. Hold crap. That's okay, another obstacle, no biggie. I emptied out all the trash and the stuff that wasn't trash into garbage bags and put it in the house. Then I got all the cleaning products, more garbage bags and paper towel and went to the car wash where I could use their heavy duty vacuums. Once I got there, I stepped on a ketchup packet that fell out of his truck and it squirted all over. Lovely! After that crisis was adverted, I started vacuuming....and realized the vacuum was not taking up the dog hair. I came prepared with this big sticky sheets that my MIL gave me earlier. They are supposed to pick up anything. Didn't work. The upholstry in the the truck isn't regular fabric and it's not leather, it's some kind of slippery crap that holds every piece of dog hair and lint imaginable. I can't stand it!! And even if you just spill water on the seats, it leaves a water mark. So needless to say, there is still some dog hair, but he's so used to it (mostly in the back seat) he won't even care. Then I started WASHING out all cupholders, surfaces, glass, whatever, you name it, I cleaned it. Keep in mind IT'S STILL SNOWING. So it's a bit challenging! Then I went to Walmart to get some new heavy duty truck mats (he was WAY over due) and a plastic bin to keep papers and all his junk organzied in the backseat, and out of the dog's grasp too. On the way there, I run out of gas. AH! Luckily I was yacking to N who immediatly came and saved me from distress. Another crisis adverted. So then she follows me to Walmart where I get everything I needed for the truck including windshield washer fluid (I stole his this week for a refill on my car) and some Valentine chocolates, and some confetti hearts to put in the truck too. I get home and it's still snowing!!! Ahhhh! I can't catch a break today! Normal people would pull into their garage right?? Not me. Our garage is our storage unit at the moment. So I kept on cleaning things in the snow. The truck looks pretty good. I couldn't get all the little things, you know how commercial vacuums are so big and you can down in those crevices in vehicles...who makes those crevices anyway?? What a pain! The truck looks 100 times better, especially with candy and hearts all over it!!! We exchanged sappy cards last night and his was still in the truck, so I set it out with the candy too. Oh yeah, I filled up his gas tank on top of everything else!! So that's my Valentine's Day story. It's now 11:30, so it only took me a couple hours....not too bad considering all that! He's still sleeping and he knew he was getting something this morning, he just had no clue what it was!!

One more thing....I mentioned in my last post about 2 friends that are battling cancer....here's the story of one of them...he stayed with us this week and this was taped right before he came to our house...get some kleenex!

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/running-her-father/

Catching my breath mid-week

Holy cow does time fly! This week has already been a blur. Today was the 100th day of school, which in elementary terms means PARTY to the 100th degree! Everything is 100 themed at school, and tomorrow is our Valentine's party, well, sort of, because we're not going to be at school most of the day. My class is walking 5 blocks to go ice skating for a couple hours, and then 5 blocks back. If there's time to celebrate Valentine's day, fine, if not, even better. I'm not a party person at school! They are huge headaches! We have a professional development day on Friday which means no kids and then we're off ALL NEXT WEEK for midwinter break. Can you saw YEE HAW!?!?!?! I just have to get through tomorrow and the torture of walking with 6 and 7 year olds who COMPLAIN EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. I love 'em, I really do, but they do tend to drive me crazy, especially during weeks like this!

Kenny is still painting the basement....carpet man in coming tomorrow to measure, and then during my week off we'll be putting things in their places and MAYBE I'll get my space back in the basement where I can scrapbook. Lord knows once this baby gets here I won't have time for scrapbooking very often, so I really want to get to it now. Here's to hoping!

That's my midweek update. If you are doling out prayers, say one for our baby to be a healthy, happy little dude, and a couple more for two of our near and dear friends who are both battling cancer in its finest hour.

One Word Answers

Where is your cell phone? Desk
Your significant other? Sleeping
Your hair? Messy
Your mother? Honest
Your father? Dedicated
Your favorite thing? SewingMachine
Your dream last night? None
Your favorite drink? Powerade
Your dream/goal? Mommy
What room are you in? Office
Your hobby? Crafty
Your fear? Many
Where do you want to be in 6 Yrs? RightHere
Where were you last night? Inlaws
Something that you aren't? Patient
Muffins? Cranberry
Wish list item? BabyRegistry
Last thing you did? Dishwasher
What are you wearing? PJs
TV? Plasma
Your pets? Puppy
Friends? BEST
Your life? Expanding
Your mood? Fiesty
Missing someone? Mark
Drinking? Prego
Smoking? Ick
Your car? Teeny
Something you're not wearing? Socks
Your favorite store? OldNavy
Your favorite color? Green
When is the last time you cried? Friday
Where do you go over and over? Gym
My favorite place to eat? Outback
Favorite place I'd like to be right now? SC

Fridays are the best

It's Friday and I've never been so happy to sink into the couch and sleep. I have Grey's Anatomy all fired up on the DVR and the remote is inches from my hand. Do you really think I'll make it past the first 3 minutes? It's unlikely, but we'll see. I know it will still be there in the morning! It's been a crazy week around here. Kenny is still priming the new room in the basement as I type, and I can hear the roller on the wall right this very minute. He wants the carpet laid this week which means he has to get his butt in gear and get the blue paint (yes, I said blue!!!) on the walls ASAP. Then carpet. Then MOVE IN which I cannot wait to happen, because it means I'm several steps closer to getting my house back in working order. There is stuff everywhere, has been since December, and I think I've hit my quota this year of stuff taking over the house, at least until the baby (and all HIS stuff) arrive! That's the kind of "stuff" that I look forward to! Tomorrow entails a clean out (or shall I say relocate?) of the stuff in the guest room as we're having a guest this next week. It will quite possibly take me all day in there. But it needs to be done, because eventually that will be the baby's room, and the sooner I can get in there, the better. Kenny originally asked me to HELP him clean out the room because it's all HIS CRAP in there, paperwork, inventory, and just his STUFF that he cannot live without considering he's a packrat. I can't work WITH Kenny when clean-outs are done. He's too ADD for me and I have a system and he's just all over the place. But the man is smart, I'll give him that, because he KNOWS I can't help him with a project like that, I'll just end up either taking over or we'll argue about him not getting rid of anything. So I will just take over the clean-out before it begins, and I think he knows that, which is why he's a smart dog....he won't have to clean AT ALL!! But seriously, if it's to be done right, I'm the woman for the job...send him in there and it will end up looking like our garage...no thanks! The joys of cohabitating with a pack-rat! I'm just happy it's the weekend! Woo!

We're having....

A BOY!!!

That blue font actually says boy parts, but it's too small to read. You get the idea!!!

He was super hyper when we saw him on the screen, rubbing his eyes and flipping around. It was the first time Kenny got to see him so it was pretty cool. Then I went and bought this bib because this is what Kenny says just about every week....

Laced with Complaints

Caution....complaints are a comin'!!!!!!!!!

I had a hellacious (SP??) day at work. And it wasn't even the kids. It was the phone calls. From parents. Before 730am. I knew better than to answer the phone. I really did. But I answered anyway, and I paid the price.

Phone call #1:
Parent: Hi. ____ was absent on Friday and you didn't give him his test yesterday (Monday). Why not???
Me: (to myself of course....BECAUSE I HAVE ABOUT 3,000 MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN GIVE ONE KID A SPELLING TEST!! I HATE SPELLING, IT'S NOT A GRADE, WE DON'T EVEN GIVE GRADES, LIFE GOES ON WITHOUT A STUPID WEEKLY SPELLING TEST!!!!!!!!). Oh sorry, things were hectic, you know how Mondays are. I'll take care of it today.

Phone call #2:
Basically it was more of the same "why didn't you????????" from a parent, the same parent who delivers their child to my room over an hour late EVERY SINGLE DAY and has no valid excuse other than they wanted to sleep in....kids do tell everything you know.

Encounter #1
As I'm speaking to a coworker in my classroom with the lights low (because if parents know I'm in there they come in, even before the time allowed, because I shouldn't be allowed any private work time EVER) what happens?? Oh, you guessed it, a parent barges is, interrupts with hands waving in the air and goes on to whine about how I gave her a wrong date on something that can be fixed in 2 seconds. It was SO NOT THAT SERIOUS PEOPLE.

And this was all BEFORE 730am. Hmph. So much for getting to work early and getting some work done. Yeah right. But that's how it is. It's never right for me to get any work done for my self or my class, make copies, make phone calls, return parent emails (yes, they get me there too) and the like. And the truth of the matter is, I LOVE my job, I LOVE teaching, I even love my students, well, most of them. Hehehe. But I don't love losing all my preparation time to freak-outs from parents on matters that are not crucial. Emergencies? Of course call and interrupt. Problems? Yes, call me! But a missed spelling test? Come on people! I'm human!

And then, to top off the day, another coworked reminds me at dismissal that I need to stay calm all day long for my baby. Yes, I know that in theory I should, but is that humanly possible when I teach 6 & 7 year olds? I mean, seriously? I do slow down, relax, have calming music on, and usually keep from getting worked up about things. I really do that, but once in a while, my undies get in bunch.

Uncomfy

This has been a week of uncomfortable-ness. I mean physically, as in my ever expanding body. Always being weight challenged, I am forever conscious about how my clothes fit, look, how I feel about it, you know the drill. I lost about 30+ pounds 2 years ago and have kept it off successfully. Until I got pregnant, anyway, but that's to be expected. It's kind of hard to look in the mirror and remember that IT'S OKAY to be getting bigger, I'm suppose to outgrow my clothes and be like this. But it's still uncomfortable. I'm getting over it though, because I know the payoff is going to be awesome! Here I am, 19w2d.

I know I'm going to get much more uncomfortable as time goes on, right all you mommas? I'm still just getting used to it. About half the clothes I wear to work now are maternity, some are just loose-fitting shirts with a camisole under it for extra coverage, which has been pretty comfy so far. I'm sure I'll be shopping for more new BIGGER clothes very soon! And that's the prego update! Other than that, I'm still feeling really good every day. I just pray is stays that way as long as it can!

Chapped Lips

I should be fired from blogging!

My NEW New Years Resolution is to be a better blogger.

Time just gets away from me lately! Kenny has been so busy and I'm working with him on weekends and doing masters class stuff and trying to spring clean early. Why, you ask? Not really sure, maybe all the construction dust from our new room in the basement. I just feel like it needs to be done. I promised a video of the pup going crazy in the snow last week...here she is in all her glory, happy toting around a stupid pale...it doesn't take much to make her smile!

On the pregnancy topic, I'm still feeling WONDERFUL. I think I felt so miserable for so long that just feeling normal again is even better than I ever thought possible. I can't tell you how great it is to NOT have my head stuck in a toilet every day! I will do a couple prego pics this weekend. My excuse today is the camera is charging, that's the truth too. I will capture the moment this weekend though. I have some pregnancy questions for all you momma pros out there. I drink lots of water, especially now, and even though I use chapstick every single day, it's as if my lips aren't registering that there's chapstick on them and are constantly stinging. What is this??? Anyone ever had this problem? I put vasaline on them at night sometimes, but nothing is really working. I mean the chapstick works a little, but really, my lips are burning all the time from being so raw. Not fun. Any suggestions?

I'm off to work on masters stuff. Now that I have grown out of my regular pants, when I come home, I put on Kenny's favorite fleece pants and a big ole sweatshirt that he also loves....I think by the time I have this baby, I'll have taken over his whole wardrobe. He's isn't minding yet.

One more baby thing ('cause it's all I talk about apparently)...we are slated to find out what we're having NEXT Thursday...any guesses??

Inauguration '09

We are watching the inauguration in our class ALL DAY LONG today. My kids are at lunch and I just watched the new first lady give the former first lady a journal and a pen....THAT gave me goosebumps. No matter who you voted for or who you think should be president right now, I think you just can't help but be involved in the aiauguration today. My students are loving having the TV on. They got to wear red, white, and blue clothes today instead of their uniforms, and they are really getting into the history that is on TV today. Pretty cool moments, watching the kids get into it like this. THEY are giving me goose bumps!

I'm here!

I am still here, just buried in snow and masters class work. I knew it would be hard to go back to finish up the last semester, I just never knew HOW hard, and I certainly didn't count on being pregnant while doing it. That really isn't a good excuse right now, but it's the only one I've got aside from being busy with my own job and Kenny's too. I'm actually lucky, I'll be done with the regular assignments by March 18th. That's less than 2 months away. And then after that it's just perfecting my portfolio (I use the word JUST loosely) and turning that in the first week in April. I can do it, I'm so close, it's just that not being in this program for 2 years and going back, when I should NEVER have stopped in the first place is really kicking my butt. Ugh. Oh well, live and learn, right?

I've spent 3 days of this 4 day weekend working with Kenny, so today I had to crunch in hours of work. Not fun. Especially when the laundry pile is taller than me. Where's that maid I ordered?? Tasha emailed me to find out if I was still kickin' over here....I am!! I have a cute video of the dog in the snow I took just to post here....it's going to have to wait until after tomorrow when my assignments are done for this week. Then I can slow down for a minute. Whew!

I blinked and the week was over

Already the first week back to school is over with, wow, time does fly! It was actually a great week. My nausea has almost completely subsided and I haven't been sick in a while, things are looking good these days! I have spent most of today putzing around the house between cleaning, laundry, and the TV. I need to finish the cleaning and start working on masters stuff, since I re-enrolled for this one last semester and have to get my butt in gear and get things going with it. Ugh. Nice timing, eh? I enrolled BEFORE I knew I was pregnant. I suppose it's better to do it now because once the baby is here, I'm told I won't want to do it. I am done with this class in April, and I'll graduate with the masters degree in May, and I'll be one FAT graduate at 8 months pregnant!

Being back at work was actually nice, especially since I'm in a good mood because I feel great. Before Christmas, I was miserable there. I had zero tolerence for anything, and I felt bad but my students probably couldn't stand me then. They don't know I'm having a baby, I'll probably hold out as long as I can to tell them. They will go crazy when I do!

Things are really moving along in our basement....we have drywall! At least half of it's done, and Kenny went and picked out paint last week. I'll keep it a surprise until it's painted though, and I think this is one project I can safely say I will have nothing to do with the choosing of the paint AND the actual painting....it's all on Kenny! This is HIS thing, not mine! I'll just be glad when it's done.

My students begged me to let them make gingerbread houses this week. The week before Christmas they were all assigned a certain item to bring in and we were all going to make gingerbread houses...then we had that snowday on the last day before vacation, so we didn't get ot make them. So we did it on Tuesday. They turned out really messy but really cute. I have to thank Tasha for the idea. Her daughter's class did the same thing and she put the bug in my ear to do it. Here's how they turned out:

First Post of '09

It's already Day 4 of 2009! Happy New Year!

We were VERY lame on New Years. Evening is when I am the sickest, so going to our friends' annual New Years party was out of the question. We stayed home. I made homemade nachos and drank sparkling juice. At 11:45pm we drove to Kenny's parents' house to watch the ball drop with them and then it was lights out for me. Nothing too spectacular! But if I had to redo the evening over, I would have done the same thing. It was comfortable and relaxing.

On New Years Day we had a dinner for Kenny's parents....their wedding anniversary is January 3rd, this being their 53rd year of marriage! So I made them dinner and got them a cake....here they are....so happy and so cute together!

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Today is my very last day of vacation. I have to say this has been the most relaxing, PJ-wearing, hair-in-ponytail, stay-at-home-and-hide vacation I have ever had. I loved EVERY minute of it. I'm sad to go back to work tomorrow, as in any other end of vacation. But I do like schedules and routines, so it will be nice to have that back. I'm not looking forward to dressing up every day, ironing, dress shoes, and all that, but at least we have casual days every Friday and I can wear my beloved jeans (now maternity style).

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I visited my grandpa in the hospital a couple days ago. He and my grandma live in assisted living in a cute, teeny apartment and have been very happy there for about 5 years. My grandpa isn't seriously sick, but at 93 years of age, any sickness is an issue, and he was hospitalized just before Christmas. My grandma is able to visit him just about every day there too through the shuttle service or my aunts and uncles drive her. My grandpa was discharged yesterday, but not home, instead to a rehab place because he's so weak from being in bed for about 10 days. The problem is no one knows if he will be able to come home after that because he may need around the clock care. My grandma will not take that well, being without him, so when you say your daily prayers, say one for my grandparents. Thanks:)

Misc Post

Last day of 2008! No News Years Resolutions here.....I just want to keep what I have!

Last night, after our contractor (aka Kenny's high school buddy) buddy left, we snuck down to the basement to take a peek at the progress. In all seriousness, I'm down there constantly with the washer and dryer, so I walk past the construction all day, but I really don't pay attention to it. I'm waiting for the finished product, if you know what I mean. Anyway, Kenny got EXTREMELY happy when he saw that the lights and electrical were done and immediatly ran upstairs to get the 15 lightbulbs needed to turn on the lights. See for yourself....

Please excuse the butt-sniffing dog in that picture, apparently she can't help herself! So that's the progress is the basement. I'll explain it to you, but it really doesn't matter till it's all done. This is one half of our basement, and it will be one giant office space for Kenny with a wall dividing his half of the basement (the finished part) from the other half, which may be finished too, after we assess the financial part in a couple months. Anyway, of his half of the basement, it's literally one giant room for his work space, game space (cause every dude needs that Boston Bruins pinball game, right?), and TV space, of which I am allowed to be part of...but ONLY the TV area, everything else is totally off limits to me....I'm not complaining. LESS TO CLEAN!!! There is a closet on his side, which you can see in the pictures, a HUGE closet for all his crap. It's also another bathroom possibility if we need one later on down the road. We have two full bathrooms upstairs, and in our small ranch home, that's plenty, but our wise contractor told us that another bathroom (or the possibility of it) is always a good thing. So that closet was strategically placed near the bathroom/water pipes for future use. Good planning? Of course! And that's what's happening in the basement right now. I'll spare you the pics of the other half right now, which is jam packed ceiling to floor with all our worldly (crap, junk) possessions. Oh and my craft stuff, that is the only stuff worth keeping.

And this picture is for my mom. She gave BB that Christmas squeaky toy as her present last week, and BB has never destroyed a squeaky toy, but she did that to this one! I just had to show my mom what her grand-dog did!! Excuse the messy look I have going on...I'm still on vacation. And pregnant, the sick kind of pregnant, so cut me some slack:) One question about that....I'm almost 15 weeks prego...when will the puking end??????????

Happy New Year! Be safe!

My 3 Christmases

And we're still counting....

So far we've had 3 of them....my inlaws, my mom, and my dad. Whew! Today we are traveling for one last party, the extended get-together for my mom's whole family. And then we're DONE! Here are some pics from our 3 celebrations so far....

Kenny's family:

My mom, my brother and me:

And my dad's family:

This year, Christmas was just plain fun. Not too much driving, I did a lot of cooking (but really, not that much) and hosting, but the good thing about that is when the party is over, I can go to bed! No driving home! We have a lot to be thankful for FOR SURE this year. My MIL, my mom, and my stepsister all slipped in baby gifts...they just couldn't resist! How cute. I know there is more to come as this baby grows too. Like I said, we have so much to be thankful for!

Here's one last picture of us. Merry Christmas again!

Merry Christmas!!!

Enjoy every moment!

Love,

Kenny & Lindsey

PS: Here are a few of my new favorite ornaments this year.....

Dad, Lights, and Bump

Yesterday my dad came out to our house to take me shopping for my Christmas present....at Homedepot! Oh yes he did!! He said he was going to get some ceiling lights for us AND install them....bonus! We had two rooms left to find lights for, so off we went. And these are the results....

The computer room (soon to be the baby's room)...

And then our bedroom light....

I love 'em. It just puts that finishing touch on the room. Thanks dad!

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Here's my attempt at a first belly shot. Ignore the baggy shirt (I pulled it tight so you can sort of see the bump there, and also ignore the dark circles and....you know why they're there. The bump is there, just barely!

3 Days Left!

Three more days until Christmas? Are you kidding? I'm done shopping and wrapping, I just can't believe the big day will be here in three days and then it will be over. Just like that!! Every year it amazes me how much time we spend getting ready for Christmas Day and then how quickly it comes and goes. Kind of like a wedding day. Heh. We have several Christmases to have this year, and they won't be over on Christmas Day, which I like because it spreads the holiday out to just more than one day. We actually are having two Christmases AT OUR HOUSE this year. That's right. And we don't even have kids (yet) and we live an hour from my parents...how lucky are we? We are having Christmas with my mom in the afternoon on Christmas Day and then with my dad on the 26th. Now, that's a lot of cooking and preparing for someone who doesn't do that on a regular basis, but I'm going to make it easy on my self....one meal is lasagna and the other is potato soup....I can handle those! I'm just thrilled to not be traveling on Christmas Day this year. On the 27th we are going to make a 90 minute treck to have an extended family Christmas party, but no complaints here, that one is long overdue and I'm looking forward to it. Really, this Christmas is going to be great!

I can't sleep in very well. I don't know if it's the baby not letting me sleep and preparing me for the sleeplessness that comes with motherhood or my body used to getting up so early for work. I just can't sleep in, as much as I want to! And the update on morning sickness?? Still there, still going strong, still unpredictable and pretty much all day. Ugh. I'm almost 14 weeks so I'm hoping that soon I'll get some relief!!

Christmas Came Early!

And in the form of a snow day!!! I am home today, first day of vacation unexpected!! Getting that call in the morning to just stay in bed is more than music to my ears, let me just tell ya. Most of the county knew yesterday that kids in every school wouldn't be going in today, and that vacation was coming early, but it didn't really start snowing until 430am, so it was kind of hard to determine if I should get up or not. Then the call came.....whew!! So I slept in big time, something I never do, and I'm still in my PJs. It's going to be a lazy day around here. Kenny declared this morning that he wasn't going to do anything today too. I think someone has the case of jealousy....when I get to be home, he doesn't want to work, heh, heh, heh! It's now almost 11am and it's STILL snowing, and it's so beautiful. We actually went out and bought a brand new snowblower last night at Sears and Kenny put it together and when he gets up I'm sure he'll be outside using it. It's much bigger than we actually need (you know how guys are about that kind of thing) but he is looking forward to using it!

In other news....

I'M PREGNANT!!!

I'm 13 weeks today! Due date is June 24th. I had an ultrasound at about 9 weeks and here is our baby....

And then at my appointment yesterday I got to hear the heartbeat again....what an incredible sound. I've been absent from blogging as often as I used to because I've been incredibly sick every single day. Ugh. Not fun, but ALL for a good cause!

11 Days 'Til Christmas!

I'm another year older....ah! Oh well. My birthday was on Wednesday and I celebrated on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with friends and family. I'm so spoiled. But it was great!!

Yesterday I spent some time at Tasha's house just chillin' out. It's so relaxing to do that, it something that I don't think either of us get to do very much. Baby Ben is adorable, I can't believe how big he's gotten. He's got to be the happiest smiliest baby ever!! And when she says he doesn't cry, she means it!! He's the perfect little man!!

I stole this meme from Tasha, I may have done it before in previous years but I'm sure no one remembers:)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both, wrapping paper for those who open gifts at our house, bags for those whose presents we have to deliver.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
When I was a kid we cut down our own trees from our farm, but since college, artificial!
3. When do you put up the tree?
It gets earlier every year! This year it was Thanksgiving Day.
4. When do you take the tree down?
After the new year.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Love it! But don't drink much of it, stomach ache central!
6. Favourite gift received as a child?
There were so many toys....pound puppies, my barbie dream house, my little ponies...
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Kenny. He never tells me what he wants, only that he wants to keep what he already has. I end up buying him practical things and nothing fun.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
My mom. She loves everything I do!
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail!!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don't think there was one.
12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
Charlie Brown's Christmas, and Frosty.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually December, but every year I swear I'm going to start earlier.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Of course!
15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
We don't have a food tradition, it's always a surprise. But I guess Christmas cookies are something I always look forward to.
16. Lights on the tree?
Duh!!!!
17. Favourite Xmas song?Favourite carol?
O Holy Night.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Both.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
I tried this last year and failed:)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Nothing....it broke and we haven't bought something new yet.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Kenny cannot wait until Christmas morning, so both.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Traffic & parking.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
My ornaments aren't themed, most of them are hand-me-downs from when Kenny and I were kids, plus we have bought some news ones along the way. Our tree is pretty eclectic!!

I have the spirit!

Off to a Christmas party today!

This will be the first one of the season for us. I'm getting excited about it too! Even though we put up our tree last week and I've been doing some Christmas shopping, it just hasn't felt like the season yet. Now it is. There is snow and I love it!

The students have been EXTRA squirrely at school, which is to be expected. In my book that means KEEP THEM BUSY WITH MORE WORK. Can you tell my students love me? They lost their "Fun Friday" movie privileges last week because of their constant interrupting of the teacher, so they had to write instead that they would respect my rules. I'm so mean. But they need it. I promise. 2 more weeks of teaching before the break. I'm counting every single day down too. Woo-hoo!

If you aren't a daily reader of Tasha's website, click over there and give her some love. She and her family are going through a really rough time right now and I know she could use all the support she can find.

I hope you are all finding the Christmas spirit like I finally did this week:)