I always start posts.
And somehow they don't get finished. They sit in my "drafts" area....waiting to be finished and published. But it doesn't happen.
I don't know what could possibly be keeping me busy?!
But I WILL update SOON....things to look forward to:
*Our Trip To Coronado
*New Baby Updates (my next dr appt is next Wednesday, Sept 2nd)
*Kenzie and Ryken Updates
Soon. For real.
First I just have to:
*type a tape of dictated letters for work
*do a BUNCH of billing work that piled up over the past week while we were gone!
*finish unpacking
*get groceries
*keep the house in a normal running order
HA. It will be soon......
At least the things I keep busy with all the time are all things I love ♥ All the many blessings that God has poured upon us.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Just another day....and loving it.
Currently.....it is 7:18pm.
There are dirty dishes in the sink...along with soggy bread and tops of strawberries and other yucky things. There are also dirty dishes on the counter. And the table. The dishwasher is full of clean dishes. There are also clean dishes on a different counter.
There are toys and puzzles all over the kids' room. In the midst of the many toys there are crushed up goldfish crackers.
The living room is also a mess. Toys and crumbs scattered about.
I have work waiting for me....work that I have to concentrate on...which means starting the work when the kids are in bed.
There is an empty pizza box on the chest freezer waiting to be taken out. And diapers stacked in the hallway that never made it to their final destination in the kids' closet.
The bed is unmade. And there are clean clothes to be folded and put away. And dirty ones to be washed.
There are coupons from the Sunday paper waiting to be filed away....in hopes of saving a little bit of money here and there.
I am still in workout clothes from earlier.....in need of a shower for sure.....unsure of when that shower might actually become a reality...and unsure of where on my priority list it should go.
I need to wash the trays of the kids' high chairs...and clean up the food that was inadvertently (or sometimes purposefully...) flung on the floor.
I sit here in the bathroom...while the kiddos get cleaned up in the bath.
They still need to be washed. And dried. And diapered. And combed. And Pj-ed. And hugged. And kissed. And prayed with. And then bedtime.
I am a mother of toddlers. A pregnant one at that. Pregnant with twins to top it off.
I am tired. I feel like I was go-go-going all day....and have very little to show for it now...as I sit here with all these messes around me.
Many others know this feeling well. And I think it depresses some. But not me. When it all starts blending together...and I feel like my days are all the same. I stop. And I say thank you to the One who blessed me with these messes and this work and these tiny little people to love.
I sit here watching Kenzie and Ryken splash and giggle and enjoy each other...and it is more than worth it.
I sit and pray that I will know when to be strict..and when to show mercy...and how to love with patience and grace. I pray that I will show them Christ.
I am so blessed to be living this life.
There are dirty dishes in the sink...along with soggy bread and tops of strawberries and other yucky things. There are also dirty dishes on the counter. And the table. The dishwasher is full of clean dishes. There are also clean dishes on a different counter.
There are toys and puzzles all over the kids' room. In the midst of the many toys there are crushed up goldfish crackers.
The living room is also a mess. Toys and crumbs scattered about.
I have work waiting for me....work that I have to concentrate on...which means starting the work when the kids are in bed.
There is an empty pizza box on the chest freezer waiting to be taken out. And diapers stacked in the hallway that never made it to their final destination in the kids' closet.
The bed is unmade. And there are clean clothes to be folded and put away. And dirty ones to be washed.
There are coupons from the Sunday paper waiting to be filed away....in hopes of saving a little bit of money here and there.
I am still in workout clothes from earlier.....in need of a shower for sure.....unsure of when that shower might actually become a reality...and unsure of where on my priority list it should go.
I need to wash the trays of the kids' high chairs...and clean up the food that was inadvertently (or sometimes purposefully...) flung on the floor.
I sit here in the bathroom...while the kiddos get cleaned up in the bath.
They still need to be washed. And dried. And diapered. And combed. And Pj-ed. And hugged. And kissed. And prayed with. And then bedtime.
I am a mother of toddlers. A pregnant one at that. Pregnant with twins to top it off.
I am tired. I feel like I was go-go-going all day....and have very little to show for it now...as I sit here with all these messes around me.
Many others know this feeling well. And I think it depresses some. But not me. When it all starts blending together...and I feel like my days are all the same. I stop. And I say thank you to the One who blessed me with these messes and this work and these tiny little people to love.
I sit here watching Kenzie and Ryken splash and giggle and enjoy each other...and it is more than worth it.
I sit and pray that I will know when to be strict..and when to show mercy...and how to love with patience and grace. I pray that I will show them Christ.
I am so blessed to be living this life.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
WOW. Ready or not......
So I had my first pre-natal appointment today. I found out I was pregnant 6 weeks ago and purposefully made my appointment for this far out, just because I didn't want to go to the doctor more times than I needed to. The first few weeks went by fine. Then a couple weeks ago I start to get a little bit antsy. By the beginning of this week I couldn't WAIT to get to the doctor and see what was up with my little peanut. I knew that most likely my doctor would be doing an ultrasound and I couldn't wait : )
Chip's mom came over to babysit for us so that Chip could come. We left at 9:35 and got to the office about 5 minutes before my appointment time. I filled out paperwork and we sat and waited. It was fun to be back in the office....it brings back so many memories : )
When I turned in my paperwork, the wonderful receptionist informed me that the ultrasound machine hadn't been working and that they were HOPEFULLY getting it fixed RIGHT THEN and that HOPEFULLY I'd be able to get an ultrasound...but she just wanted to give me a heads up. I have to admit...I was a little disappointed, but I knew either way it would be fine and eventually I'd get to see my little kiddo..even if it wasn't today.
So they called me back. We did the normal routine....weight....pee in a cup....and they put me in the exam room with the u/s machine. AS we were sitting in their the receptionist came and looked at the machine and whatever "update" or "fix" they were running on it had completed and it was FIXED! Hurray!!!
So...the medical assistant came in. Asked all the routine questions....history, current symptoms, etc. She took my blood pressure....104/69. Good. And then we waited.
Dr. C came in...it was so fun to see her! As she was getting things ready Chip made some comment like "Ok...do the ultrasound and show us we're having twins." We've been joking this whole pregnancy about twins....we've joked about it every pregnancy, in fact. Chip always tells me how nice it would be to just get two out of the way with one pregnancy.
So she starts the ultrasound and we see this right away:
Dr. C said "Sorry Chip...one baby". Everything looked great....she measured....listened to the heartbeat. Such GREAT and AWESOME things to see and hear.
As she's looking around a little more she started to say "hmmm". She then pointed out two circles to us. This:
She said- See these two circles?
Me- Yeah
Her- These are yolk sacs...there are two. You don't have two with one baby. This is sorta freaking me out a little bit.
Me- What? (In my head I am thinking...whatever..she is just messing with me because we were talking about twins)
She continued to look at the baby and move around to different angles....as she did this she was telling us about the one time that she "missed" seeing twins at an early ultrasound. She said that it was because one baby was directly behind the second. They didn't find out until the "big" 20 week ultrasound.
So then she shows us a different angle that was from the top of the head. Only there wasn't 1 head. There were 2. She went on to say...."see, sometimes ultrasounds can do like a double picture type thing...but that looks like 2 separate babies"
Then she went back to the yolk sacs again and said "see...that's definitely two yolk sacs...that's not a double picture"
By this point I was thinking...Wow...there really might be two in there. WHAT?!?!
She went on saying..."yeah, I really think this is just like that other twin pregnancy....your second baby is just laying right behind the first". She told me that she was sending me for a confirmation ultrasound, but that she was pretty sure there were two babies.
So by this time I am thinking...wow...there ACTUALLY REALLY might be two. I am thinking she's like 75% sure or something. So I asked "Like...in percentages....how sure ARE you?" She responded "I'm 99% sure". That was when it really hit HARD. 99% sure is like REALLY REALLY sure. She started talking to us about twin pregnancies...what to expect....what extra vitamins to take, etc. I sat there the whole time talking about all of it, but feeling like it wasn't really ME we were talking about....not OUR twins.
So we left the office. We called our families and told them what was going on. I called to make my follow up u/s appointment and they told me they could see me today! Woohoo!! I wouldn't have to wait to confirm this 99% sure news!
So we went home and let Chip's mom leave. We had lunch. I felt like the minutes were DRAGGING by until I could leave for the ultrasound. Chip stayed home with the k ids. I was getting antsy so I left a little early to drop off a prescription for my extra vitamins. I got to the ultrasound place right on time.....filled out paperwork...and waited. They finally called me back. This was it. The confirming moment.
The ultrasound tech introduced herself and asked what exactly they were looking for. I explained what had happened earlier and showed her the two ultrasound pictures from above. The she started the ultrasound. Right away we saw this:
Two babies. No mistaking it. Definitely two. TWINS!!
She told me they were sharing a placenta. From what I have read....shared placenta = identical! They each have their own sacs though, which is good since sharing a sac makes them even more high risk. They are already higher risk because of sharing the placenta.
She got their heart rates. Baby A was measuring at 9 weeks 1 day and the heart rate was 185bpm.
Baby B was measuring 9 weeks 3 days and the heart rate was 169bpm.
Both looked GREAT and perfectly on track! Here are babies A & B...side by side pictures:
So. That was our day. I made lots of phone calls and had fun sharing the news with the masses on Facebook. It's still sinking in....lots of emotions...mostly great and wonderful ones, with a few anxious ones mixed in. But our hope and trust in God and His Sovereign plan helps to calm those anxious feelings. We know that He has given us these two precious gifts and we can't wait to meet them both. We are SOO thankful for the "extra" blessing and we know that Christ is the provider of strength, patience, love, and so much more....He promises to give us all of the things we need if we trust Him and place Him first. So we know that He will equip us to raise these little blessings. There will be hard times....but there will also be SO many times filled with fun, laughter, and extra joy :)
It's a good thing we really wanted 4 kids : ) God just allowed us to get there even sooner than we expected.....and we already thought we were on the SUPER FAST plan...just goes to show that "A man's heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9) These weren't exactly the "steps" we were planning on...but we're ready.....or trying to be!
PS- I guess it makes sense now why I have been SOOOO tired (see previous post..hehe)!
Chip's mom came over to babysit for us so that Chip could come. We left at 9:35 and got to the office about 5 minutes before my appointment time. I filled out paperwork and we sat and waited. It was fun to be back in the office....it brings back so many memories : )
When I turned in my paperwork, the wonderful receptionist informed me that the ultrasound machine hadn't been working and that they were HOPEFULLY getting it fixed RIGHT THEN and that HOPEFULLY I'd be able to get an ultrasound...but she just wanted to give me a heads up. I have to admit...I was a little disappointed, but I knew either way it would be fine and eventually I'd get to see my little kiddo..even if it wasn't today.
So they called me back. We did the normal routine....weight....pee in a cup....and they put me in the exam room with the u/s machine. AS we were sitting in their the receptionist came and looked at the machine and whatever "update" or "fix" they were running on it had completed and it was FIXED! Hurray!!!
So...the medical assistant came in. Asked all the routine questions....history, current symptoms, etc. She took my blood pressure....104/69. Good. And then we waited.
Dr. C came in...it was so fun to see her! As she was getting things ready Chip made some comment like "Ok...do the ultrasound and show us we're having twins." We've been joking this whole pregnancy about twins....we've joked about it every pregnancy, in fact. Chip always tells me how nice it would be to just get two out of the way with one pregnancy.
So she starts the ultrasound and we see this right away:
Dr. C said "Sorry Chip...one baby". Everything looked great....she measured....listened to the heartbeat. Such GREAT and AWESOME things to see and hear.
As she's looking around a little more she started to say "hmmm". She then pointed out two circles to us. This:
She said- See these two circles?
Me- Yeah
Her- These are yolk sacs...there are two. You don't have two with one baby. This is sorta freaking me out a little bit.
Me- What? (In my head I am thinking...whatever..she is just messing with me because we were talking about twins)
She continued to look at the baby and move around to different angles....as she did this she was telling us about the one time that she "missed" seeing twins at an early ultrasound. She said that it was because one baby was directly behind the second. They didn't find out until the "big" 20 week ultrasound.
So then she shows us a different angle that was from the top of the head. Only there wasn't 1 head. There were 2. She went on to say...."see, sometimes ultrasounds can do like a double picture type thing...but that looks like 2 separate babies"
Then she went back to the yolk sacs again and said "see...that's definitely two yolk sacs...that's not a double picture"
By this point I was thinking...Wow...there really might be two in there. WHAT?!?!
She went on saying..."yeah, I really think this is just like that other twin pregnancy....your second baby is just laying right behind the first". She told me that she was sending me for a confirmation ultrasound, but that she was pretty sure there were two babies.
So by this time I am thinking...wow...there ACTUALLY REALLY might be two. I am thinking she's like 75% sure or something. So I asked "Like...in percentages....how sure ARE you?" She responded "I'm 99% sure". That was when it really hit HARD. 99% sure is like REALLY REALLY sure. She started talking to us about twin pregnancies...what to expect....what extra vitamins to take, etc. I sat there the whole time talking about all of it, but feeling like it wasn't really ME we were talking about....not OUR twins.
So we left the office. We called our families and told them what was going on. I called to make my follow up u/s appointment and they told me they could see me today! Woohoo!! I wouldn't have to wait to confirm this 99% sure news!
So we went home and let Chip's mom leave. We had lunch. I felt like the minutes were DRAGGING by until I could leave for the ultrasound. Chip stayed home with the k ids. I was getting antsy so I left a little early to drop off a prescription for my extra vitamins. I got to the ultrasound place right on time.....filled out paperwork...and waited. They finally called me back. This was it. The confirming moment.
The ultrasound tech introduced herself and asked what exactly they were looking for. I explained what had happened earlier and showed her the two ultrasound pictures from above. The she started the ultrasound. Right away we saw this:
Two babies. No mistaking it. Definitely two. TWINS!!
She told me they were sharing a placenta. From what I have read....shared placenta = identical! They each have their own sacs though, which is good since sharing a sac makes them even more high risk. They are already higher risk because of sharing the placenta.
She got their heart rates. Baby A was measuring at 9 weeks 1 day and the heart rate was 185bpm.
Baby B was measuring 9 weeks 3 days and the heart rate was 169bpm.
Both looked GREAT and perfectly on track! Here are babies A & B...side by side pictures:
So. That was our day. I made lots of phone calls and had fun sharing the news with the masses on Facebook. It's still sinking in....lots of emotions...mostly great and wonderful ones, with a few anxious ones mixed in. But our hope and trust in God and His Sovereign plan helps to calm those anxious feelings. We know that He has given us these two precious gifts and we can't wait to meet them both. We are SOO thankful for the "extra" blessing and we know that Christ is the provider of strength, patience, love, and so much more....He promises to give us all of the things we need if we trust Him and place Him first. So we know that He will equip us to raise these little blessings. There will be hard times....but there will also be SO many times filled with fun, laughter, and extra joy :)
It's a good thing we really wanted 4 kids : ) God just allowed us to get there even sooner than we expected.....and we already thought we were on the SUPER FAST plan...just goes to show that "A man's heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9) These weren't exactly the "steps" we were planning on...but we're ready.....or trying to be!
PS- I guess it makes sense now why I have been SOOOO tired (see previous post..hehe)!
Friday, July 24, 2009
SOOOOO Tired!!
I am now somewhere between 8 & 10 weeks pregnant and HOLY COW is this baby WIPING ME OUT! I know that it is common to be super tired in your first trimester...it is just strange for me as I didn't experience being THIS worn out with me first two pregnancies.
I am thinking it is a combination of things.....one of those things being the fact that I have a 2 year old and ALMOST 1 year old. The other being the fact that I have never been newly pregnant at this time of year and I think the heat is really adding to my sleepiness!
All of that to say.........I HAVE A WONDERFUL HUSBAND! And I want to take a second to brag about him a little bit : )
This week Chip has been AMAZING (not that he isn't ALWAYS amazing...he really is, but this week he has just had extra hard circumstances to work with and he's STILL being amazing). He has been letting me sleep in every morning....he gets up with the kids and makes them breakfast and plays with them. He lets me take naps..sometimes multiple a day! He doesn't complain AT ALL when he gets home from work and the house is a disaster....instead, he comes in and immediately starts cleaning up and asking about how my day went. He is being so understanding and such a servant and I am SO thankful that God gave me Chip as my partner in this journey of life!
Watching my husband serve me so willingly during this time has been such an encouragement and inspires ME to be more of a servant. I know that he isn't doing it for me...he is doing it for the Lord, and that makes it even sweeter.
I am praying that God gives me energy soon. Hopefully I will remember to be more thankful for the energy He gives me daily and stop taking it for granted....because it really isn't easy being a wife and mom when you just want to sleep all the time!
I am ESPECIALLY praying for some extra grace and energy for the next two days......and if you happen to read this maybe you can pray for me as well : ) Chip is participating in a golf tournament for our church tomorrow morning and he has to be there at 6am which means he'll be leaving around 5:30 or 5:45am. Then, right after the golf tournament he works from 3-11pm. SOOO....that means I am home with the kiddos all day. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal at all, but just pray that I have extra patience and extra energy to deal with my little ones : ) Sunday won't be much easier because Chip has to be at work at 6:30am. He will get home around 3pm and we have to be finished with dinner by 5:30 to leave for church at 6pm. So it will be another full day. I also have work to get done before Monday.......
SOOO......I know I will make it through it......maybe the kids will get to have a brain frying TV marathon this weekend....haha. I'll try not to use Woody and Buzz Lightyear as my babysitters TOO MUCH...but we'll do what we need to do!!
Thank you Lord...for my husband and his servant's heart.
Thank you Lord...for my sweet babies that you've allowed me to raise.
Thank you Lord...for the new little one you are growing inside me.
Thank you Lord...for the other COUNTLESS blessings you've poured upon me!
I am thinking it is a combination of things.....one of those things being the fact that I have a 2 year old and ALMOST 1 year old. The other being the fact that I have never been newly pregnant at this time of year and I think the heat is really adding to my sleepiness!
All of that to say.........I HAVE A WONDERFUL HUSBAND! And I want to take a second to brag about him a little bit : )
This week Chip has been AMAZING (not that he isn't ALWAYS amazing...he really is, but this week he has just had extra hard circumstances to work with and he's STILL being amazing). He has been letting me sleep in every morning....he gets up with the kids and makes them breakfast and plays with them. He lets me take naps..sometimes multiple a day! He doesn't complain AT ALL when he gets home from work and the house is a disaster....instead, he comes in and immediately starts cleaning up and asking about how my day went. He is being so understanding and such a servant and I am SO thankful that God gave me Chip as my partner in this journey of life!
Watching my husband serve me so willingly during this time has been such an encouragement and inspires ME to be more of a servant. I know that he isn't doing it for me...he is doing it for the Lord, and that makes it even sweeter.
I am praying that God gives me energy soon. Hopefully I will remember to be more thankful for the energy He gives me daily and stop taking it for granted....because it really isn't easy being a wife and mom when you just want to sleep all the time!
I am ESPECIALLY praying for some extra grace and energy for the next two days......and if you happen to read this maybe you can pray for me as well : ) Chip is participating in a golf tournament for our church tomorrow morning and he has to be there at 6am which means he'll be leaving around 5:30 or 5:45am. Then, right after the golf tournament he works from 3-11pm. SOOO....that means I am home with the kiddos all day. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal at all, but just pray that I have extra patience and extra energy to deal with my little ones : ) Sunday won't be much easier because Chip has to be at work at 6:30am. He will get home around 3pm and we have to be finished with dinner by 5:30 to leave for church at 6pm. So it will be another full day. I also have work to get done before Monday.......
SOOO......I know I will make it through it......maybe the kids will get to have a brain frying TV marathon this weekend....haha. I'll try not to use Woody and Buzz Lightyear as my babysitters TOO MUCH...but we'll do what we need to do!!
Thank you Lord...for my husband and his servant's heart.
Thank you Lord...for my sweet babies that you've allowed me to raise.
Thank you Lord...for the new little one you are growing inside me.
Thank you Lord...for the other COUNTLESS blessings you've poured upon me!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Big News and Birthday Time!
We're going for it.
Baby #3 is on the way.
3 children. Under 3 years old.
A challenge? Yes.
Exciting? For sure.
A blessing? Indeed!
I haven't been to the doctor yet, but we're thinking that our third little one will be joining the family sometime in February of 2010. We didn't "try" for the baby or "not try". We left it completely 100% in God's hands. And He blessed us. And we're thankful!
We told our families on the 4th of July. I made the kids t-shirts. Kenzie's said "I'm the big sister".
Ryken's said "I'm the little brother" on the front and "AND the BIG BROTHER" on the back.
Here's a cute shot of the kiddos swimming on the 4th of July at their great grandma and grandpa Brown's house:
I go to the doctor on August 5th. So I will be able to update more specifically then. But for now. I am somewhere between 6 & 8 weeks along and feel great. I get queasy in the mornings, but as soon as I eat something I feel much better. My super-sniffer pregnancy nose is back in full force...wonderful for changing those stinky diapers. And my belly is already getting quite bloaty and round in the evenings. I'm not sure that I am ready to be huge again so soon....but there's not much I can do about that.
So that's about it as far as baby news goes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Part 2 of this post = my 24th birthday
I turned 24 on July 9th. It was a great day : )
Ryken woke me up early. Really early. 5am to be exact. But it was ok. I needed to get some work done by 7:30 and it was a good thing he woke me up because it ended up taking me longer than I was thinking it would and I finished at about 7:15.
Chip let me go back to bed at 7:30 until he had to leave for work at 8:30. I was grateful for the extra rest! Chip worked from 9am-5pm that day. Kenzie and I watched TV and played while Ryken took his morning nap. When he woke up I packed the kids into the minivan and headed out into the EXTREME heat to get some free birthday food : ) First we went to Joes Real BBQ where Chip happened to be working the To-Go window. I got a quart of mac n cheese, a kid's sized bun, and a piece of lemon cake in place of my "birthday meal". So it was FREE : ) Then we headed across the street to Liberty Market. You get a $10 credit for your birthday there. I ordered the vegetarian pizza which is $9.50 and a water. So again. FREE : ) I fed the kids their mac n cheese and enjoyed my delicious pizza. We had enough leftovers for another meal....BONUS!! We shared the lemon cake and went on our way.
We got home at 1:30. Both kids fell asleep in the car. Both kids woke up as I transferred them inside. Both kids got completeley WOUND UP and would NOT go back to sleep. I think they FINALLY fell asleep about 2 hours later. It was an ordeal.
Chip got off work at 5. His mom came over to babysit at 5:15. We left at 5:30.
We got to go to dinner AND a movie! We usually do one or the other. So it was pretty special : ) We ate at Brio, a nice Italian restaurant. We had a gift card so we splurged and got things like appetizers and lemonade. I got way too full. I felt pretty miserable. But it sure tasted GREAT!
We went and saw The Proposal. It was a dissapointment. I had heard from a few people it was really good. And it wasn't bad. Just not that great. But it was still fun to sit with Chip and hold hands and be somewhat entertained for a couple extra hours with no kids.
We stopped on our way back to the car and took some pictures. Just goofy stuff. But it was fun. And it felt like a date.
We got home at around 10pm. Ryken was crying. He apparently woke up and missed his mom. Poor guy. And poor grandma. Not very fun trying to take care of a mad screaming boy. But I nursed him and he went back to sleep and that was that.
The next night Chip's parents and grandparents came over and brought Buster Bars from DQ. YUM. Chip's mom got me an H2O mop to steam clean the floors. She must notice how dirty they are every week when she babysits! (Just kidding...I know that isn't true and I was not offended by the gift AT ALL...I'm actually really excited about it!) I used it tonight and it worked really well. And when I am 8 1/2 months pregnant it will be REALLY NICE not to be down on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor!
Ryken had a little birthday surprise planned for me that night...he started taking steps...2-3 at a time...back and forth between everyone as we sat on the couches talking. It was fun for so many people to share in such an exciting accomplishment for him!
Last night we went to Red Robin for my free birthday burger. Chip and I split it and bought a kids meal for the kiddos to split. Then we headed to DQ with my birthday buy one get one free blizzard coupon. Yum!
So I think now that it is the 13th my birthday festivities have finally come to an end. It sure was a wonderful birthday though!
Baby #3 is on the way.
3 children. Under 3 years old.
A challenge? Yes.
Exciting? For sure.
A blessing? Indeed!
I haven't been to the doctor yet, but we're thinking that our third little one will be joining the family sometime in February of 2010. We didn't "try" for the baby or "not try". We left it completely 100% in God's hands. And He blessed us. And we're thankful!
We told our families on the 4th of July. I made the kids t-shirts. Kenzie's said "I'm the big sister".
Ryken's said "I'm the little brother" on the front and "AND the BIG BROTHER" on the back.
Here's a cute shot of the kiddos swimming on the 4th of July at their great grandma and grandpa Brown's house:
I go to the doctor on August 5th. So I will be able to update more specifically then. But for now. I am somewhere between 6 & 8 weeks along and feel great. I get queasy in the mornings, but as soon as I eat something I feel much better. My super-sniffer pregnancy nose is back in full force...wonderful for changing those stinky diapers. And my belly is already getting quite bloaty and round in the evenings. I'm not sure that I am ready to be huge again so soon....but there's not much I can do about that.
So that's about it as far as baby news goes.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Part 2 of this post = my 24th birthday
I turned 24 on July 9th. It was a great day : )
Ryken woke me up early. Really early. 5am to be exact. But it was ok. I needed to get some work done by 7:30 and it was a good thing he woke me up because it ended up taking me longer than I was thinking it would and I finished at about 7:15.
Chip let me go back to bed at 7:30 until he had to leave for work at 8:30. I was grateful for the extra rest! Chip worked from 9am-5pm that day. Kenzie and I watched TV and played while Ryken took his morning nap. When he woke up I packed the kids into the minivan and headed out into the EXTREME heat to get some free birthday food : ) First we went to Joes Real BBQ where Chip happened to be working the To-Go window. I got a quart of mac n cheese, a kid's sized bun, and a piece of lemon cake in place of my "birthday meal". So it was FREE : ) Then we headed across the street to Liberty Market. You get a $10 credit for your birthday there. I ordered the vegetarian pizza which is $9.50 and a water. So again. FREE : ) I fed the kids their mac n cheese and enjoyed my delicious pizza. We had enough leftovers for another meal....BONUS!! We shared the lemon cake and went on our way.
We got home at 1:30. Both kids fell asleep in the car. Both kids woke up as I transferred them inside. Both kids got completeley WOUND UP and would NOT go back to sleep. I think they FINALLY fell asleep about 2 hours later. It was an ordeal.
Chip got off work at 5. His mom came over to babysit at 5:15. We left at 5:30.
We got to go to dinner AND a movie! We usually do one or the other. So it was pretty special : ) We ate at Brio, a nice Italian restaurant. We had a gift card so we splurged and got things like appetizers and lemonade. I got way too full. I felt pretty miserable. But it sure tasted GREAT!
We went and saw The Proposal. It was a dissapointment. I had heard from a few people it was really good. And it wasn't bad. Just not that great. But it was still fun to sit with Chip and hold hands and be somewhat entertained for a couple extra hours with no kids.
We stopped on our way back to the car and took some pictures. Just goofy stuff. But it was fun. And it felt like a date.
We got home at around 10pm. Ryken was crying. He apparently woke up and missed his mom. Poor guy. And poor grandma. Not very fun trying to take care of a mad screaming boy. But I nursed him and he went back to sleep and that was that.
The next night Chip's parents and grandparents came over and brought Buster Bars from DQ. YUM. Chip's mom got me an H2O mop to steam clean the floors. She must notice how dirty they are every week when she babysits! (Just kidding...I know that isn't true and I was not offended by the gift AT ALL...I'm actually really excited about it!) I used it tonight and it worked really well. And when I am 8 1/2 months pregnant it will be REALLY NICE not to be down on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor!
Ryken had a little birthday surprise planned for me that night...he started taking steps...2-3 at a time...back and forth between everyone as we sat on the couches talking. It was fun for so many people to share in such an exciting accomplishment for him!
Last night we went to Red Robin for my free birthday burger. Chip and I split it and bought a kids meal for the kiddos to split. Then we headed to DQ with my birthday buy one get one free blizzard coupon. Yum!
So I think now that it is the 13th my birthday festivities have finally come to an end. It sure was a wonderful birthday though!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
It's been WAY too long......
How does this happen? I can't believe how time flies by.
There were several things I was INTENDING to blog about as they happened....and somehow all of those events have come and gone and still no new posts. So this will be my sorry attempt to recap a little bit!
Our first big event since I last wrote was my little sister's wedding! It was such a great time. We spent a great week catching up with family and friends and meeting and enjoying many of Cassie & Zach's friends from Taylor. Cassie was a beautiful bride, and God really blessed the whole entire weekend. I can't believe she has already been married for over a month!!
At the beginning of June we decided to re-join our local YMCA and start working out again. The membership includes childcare, which is a HUGE plus for us! We've been able to go 2-3 times a week to workout since we joined and I've also enjoyed taking the kids swimming on a few occasions in the evenings.
The next note-worthy event was our 4 year anniversary on June 18th! An especially fun part of Cassie's wedding was the fact that it took place at the same place and time that we had our own wedding. Chip and I were able to stand together and walk down the aisle together, and it was such a fun reminder of our own "big day" 4 years ago. And as exciting and fun as a wedding and "new love" is, it is so much fun to know that it only gets better and that I am much more in love with Chip today than I was 4 years ago (and I loved him A LOT 4 years ago!) We just did "normal" things for our anniversary. We worked out and ate lunch and played with the kiddos and just had a regular day.
The following Sunday was Father's Day. We had a FULL DAY that day! We went to church in the morning, came home and made a VERY yummy lunch (almond halibut, vegetable rice pilaf, broccoli and a raspberry cake. MMMmmm!) Chip's dad and sister came over for lunch (his mom was in Ohio visiting his other sister) After the kids woke up from their nap we headed over to Chip's grandparents house to swim and have a bbq. Chip's aunt, uncle, and cousins were in town from Tucson and we had a great time catching up with them! We headed home that night and got the kiddos to bed.
About a week ago we got motivated to get this place organized! We did a few different things to accomplish this:
- We cleaned some of our junk out of Chip's parents garage
- We put up a new cabinet in our "dining area" above our chest freezer for more storage space.
- We bought a bunch of gray storage bins and I organized our closet so it is no longer looks like a huge heap of junk.
- We put shelves in the babies' closet.
I think those have been our main organizational accomplishments. It feels nice, though, to find places for things. It is constantly a struggle to keep things from piling up, especially when you're working with small amounts of space. God has blessed us with just about the maximum amount of "stuff" that our cozy home can comfortably hold! For that we are thankful but it can also be a challenge sometimes!
So that's that. Time to start a new post. Time to try to be consistent again. Starting fresh.....NOW!
There were several things I was INTENDING to blog about as they happened....and somehow all of those events have come and gone and still no new posts. So this will be my sorry attempt to recap a little bit!
Our first big event since I last wrote was my little sister's wedding! It was such a great time. We spent a great week catching up with family and friends and meeting and enjoying many of Cassie & Zach's friends from Taylor. Cassie was a beautiful bride, and God really blessed the whole entire weekend. I can't believe she has already been married for over a month!!
At the beginning of June we decided to re-join our local YMCA and start working out again. The membership includes childcare, which is a HUGE plus for us! We've been able to go 2-3 times a week to workout since we joined and I've also enjoyed taking the kids swimming on a few occasions in the evenings.
The next note-worthy event was our 4 year anniversary on June 18th! An especially fun part of Cassie's wedding was the fact that it took place at the same place and time that we had our own wedding. Chip and I were able to stand together and walk down the aisle together, and it was such a fun reminder of our own "big day" 4 years ago. And as exciting and fun as a wedding and "new love" is, it is so much fun to know that it only gets better and that I am much more in love with Chip today than I was 4 years ago (and I loved him A LOT 4 years ago!) We just did "normal" things for our anniversary. We worked out and ate lunch and played with the kiddos and just had a regular day.
The following Sunday was Father's Day. We had a FULL DAY that day! We went to church in the morning, came home and made a VERY yummy lunch (almond halibut, vegetable rice pilaf, broccoli and a raspberry cake. MMMmmm!) Chip's dad and sister came over for lunch (his mom was in Ohio visiting his other sister) After the kids woke up from their nap we headed over to Chip's grandparents house to swim and have a bbq. Chip's aunt, uncle, and cousins were in town from Tucson and we had a great time catching up with them! We headed home that night and got the kiddos to bed.
About a week ago we got motivated to get this place organized! We did a few different things to accomplish this:
- We cleaned some of our junk out of Chip's parents garage
- We put up a new cabinet in our "dining area" above our chest freezer for more storage space.
- We bought a bunch of gray storage bins and I organized our closet so it is no longer looks like a huge heap of junk.
- We put shelves in the babies' closet.
I think those have been our main organizational accomplishments. It feels nice, though, to find places for things. It is constantly a struggle to keep things from piling up, especially when you're working with small amounts of space. God has blessed us with just about the maximum amount of "stuff" that our cozy home can comfortably hold! For that we are thankful but it can also be a challenge sometimes!
So that's that. Time to start a new post. Time to try to be consistent again. Starting fresh.....NOW!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Blessed Days.
I am thankful to report that our little family is once again healthy and happy : ) Here are some of the highlights from our week:
*Last Friday, we got a second vehicle! Hurray! We got a '98 Honda Odyssey. We found it on Craigslist at about 3:30pm.....met with the people to test drive it at 4:15pm.......went to the bank and got the money and met to transfer the title a little bit after 5pm. We got a GREAT deal on it and I am so happy to have more space in my vehicle...and even more excited just to HAVE ANY vehicle again! Kenzie loves the "van" and is always super excited to ride in it. We had the engine looked at, and it has been taken care of and is in good condition...plus it just had a new transmission put in 2 months ago! God blessed us SO much and I am thankful for the luxury of having two cars again : )
*Saturday was a fun day! Kenzie seemed to be feeling better. My mother-in-law babysat and I was able to go and celebrate the upcoming arrival of a new little boy! My wonderful friend Melissa is 8 months pregnant with her 2nd. Her little girl, Sydney, gets along great with Kenzie and we're both excited that she is having a little boy who can be friends with Ryken! Her friend Lisa threw a beautiful shower for her and I had a great time just being out and getting a little bit of a break. That afternoon when I got home, we had some visitors : ) Our friends' parents were in town and they came over to catch up with us and see the kids. They were actually Kenzie's VERY FIRST babysitters when she was 2 weeks old! We get to see them about twice a year and it is always fun to see them! After they left, I loaded the kids in the car and we went to see daddy at work. I didn't have any plans for dinner and it was a nice day. We got to Joe's Real BBQ and the line was out the door! So....I called in our order for carry out and we went across the street and played in the water at the splash pad at the Watertower Park while we waited for our food. We went back over to Joe's and picked up our order and ate it out at a picnic table while Kenzie's clothes dried out!
*Sunday and Monday our poor little Kenzie got sick...AGAIN! This time she had a high fever (around 103) for both days. Chip and I took turns going to church on Sunday and staying home with her. Monday I went and did the title and registration on the van. It was probably the BEST MVD experience I have ever had. We had printed off the paperwork and filled it out ahead of time. I walked in and got my number and had barely sat down when my number was called. It was quick and painless : ) Hurray!
*Later on Monday, when Kenzie's fever had broken and she seemed to be feeling up for it, we made a trip to Costco to get gas in the van and a few other purchases. We got some yummy strawberries and raspberries and a GINOURMOUS bag of spinach.
*Tuesday morning we took the van to be looked at....then we took Ryken to his 9 month well baby check up. He was 18lbs 15oz (25th percentile) and 27.5 in (24th percentile). He got one shot, but did great. He is a healthy, happy baby boy....I can't believe he is almost 10 months old already!! Kenzie was feeling much better by Tuesday (FINALLY!) and she had a great time playing on the slides at the doctor's office while I was getting Ryken all checked out.
*Wednesday we met a lady to sell her a cold seat. Then we picked up Chip's mom and we all went down to Joe's Farm Grill for an early lunch. It was DE-LISH! The day was GORGEOUS! It was overcast with occasional light sprinkles. Nice and cool. Wednesday night we had small group and it was great seeing some good friends and having a wonderful encouraging time of fellowship.
*Thursday we went to the zoo in the morning...it was another BEAUTIFUL day and the kids had a great time playing in the water caves and at the splash pad and seeing a few animals too. We got home and Kenzie was dead asleep. We decided to put her in her bed and the rest of us ate lunch. She slept for a couple hours and then woke up and ate lunch while Ryken took a nap. When he woke up, we went to pick up our car (which we had dropped off earlier to get new tires) and the went over to Chip's parents house. It was windy and Chip wanted to try out his kite. It kinda flew...but not very well. We decided to take advantage of Buffalo Wild Wing's special on boneless wings on Thursday nights and picked up food to eat with Chip's mom and dad. We spent the evening with them, and left around 8pm. The kids had a great time seeing Grano Lulu and Papa B.
*Today, I got to go see a brand new baby : ) Our friends had their third baby early this morning (like 3am) and I got to go to the hospital and meet him! Both mom and baby were doing well...a little sore and banged up.....but nothing TOO horrible. He was a cute little guy! I came home and Chip had already fed the kids lunch...nice! We put the kids down for a nap around 1:45 and Chip left for work at 2:30. I decided to try to get a couple minutes of sleep before Ryken woke up.....and I woke up 2 hours later and the kids were still sleeping! YAY FOR AMAZING NAPS! Kenzie didn't end up waking up until after 5:30!! We went outside to play and ended up staying outside for over 2 hours! The neighbor kids came out and played with Kenzie and we just enjoyed the amazing cool weather, something that we know will be rare for the next few months.
So that was our week. So many amazing blessings!
And now....we're gearing up for my little sister Cassie to be married...just ONE WEEK from tomorrow! Woohoo : )
*Last Friday, we got a second vehicle! Hurray! We got a '98 Honda Odyssey. We found it on Craigslist at about 3:30pm.....met with the people to test drive it at 4:15pm.......went to the bank and got the money and met to transfer the title a little bit after 5pm. We got a GREAT deal on it and I am so happy to have more space in my vehicle...and even more excited just to HAVE ANY vehicle again! Kenzie loves the "van" and is always super excited to ride in it. We had the engine looked at, and it has been taken care of and is in good condition...plus it just had a new transmission put in 2 months ago! God blessed us SO much and I am thankful for the luxury of having two cars again : )
*Saturday was a fun day! Kenzie seemed to be feeling better. My mother-in-law babysat and I was able to go and celebrate the upcoming arrival of a new little boy! My wonderful friend Melissa is 8 months pregnant with her 2nd. Her little girl, Sydney, gets along great with Kenzie and we're both excited that she is having a little boy who can be friends with Ryken! Her friend Lisa threw a beautiful shower for her and I had a great time just being out and getting a little bit of a break. That afternoon when I got home, we had some visitors : ) Our friends' parents were in town and they came over to catch up with us and see the kids. They were actually Kenzie's VERY FIRST babysitters when she was 2 weeks old! We get to see them about twice a year and it is always fun to see them! After they left, I loaded the kids in the car and we went to see daddy at work. I didn't have any plans for dinner and it was a nice day. We got to Joe's Real BBQ and the line was out the door! So....I called in our order for carry out and we went across the street and played in the water at the splash pad at the Watertower Park while we waited for our food. We went back over to Joe's and picked up our order and ate it out at a picnic table while Kenzie's clothes dried out!
*Sunday and Monday our poor little Kenzie got sick...AGAIN! This time she had a high fever (around 103) for both days. Chip and I took turns going to church on Sunday and staying home with her. Monday I went and did the title and registration on the van. It was probably the BEST MVD experience I have ever had. We had printed off the paperwork and filled it out ahead of time. I walked in and got my number and had barely sat down when my number was called. It was quick and painless : ) Hurray!
*Later on Monday, when Kenzie's fever had broken and she seemed to be feeling up for it, we made a trip to Costco to get gas in the van and a few other purchases. We got some yummy strawberries and raspberries and a GINOURMOUS bag of spinach.
*Tuesday morning we took the van to be looked at....then we took Ryken to his 9 month well baby check up. He was 18lbs 15oz (25th percentile) and 27.5 in (24th percentile). He got one shot, but did great. He is a healthy, happy baby boy....I can't believe he is almost 10 months old already!! Kenzie was feeling much better by Tuesday (FINALLY!) and she had a great time playing on the slides at the doctor's office while I was getting Ryken all checked out.
*Wednesday we met a lady to sell her a cold seat. Then we picked up Chip's mom and we all went down to Joe's Farm Grill for an early lunch. It was DE-LISH! The day was GORGEOUS! It was overcast with occasional light sprinkles. Nice and cool. Wednesday night we had small group and it was great seeing some good friends and having a wonderful encouraging time of fellowship.
*Thursday we went to the zoo in the morning...it was another BEAUTIFUL day and the kids had a great time playing in the water caves and at the splash pad and seeing a few animals too. We got home and Kenzie was dead asleep. We decided to put her in her bed and the rest of us ate lunch. She slept for a couple hours and then woke up and ate lunch while Ryken took a nap. When he woke up, we went to pick up our car (which we had dropped off earlier to get new tires) and the went over to Chip's parents house. It was windy and Chip wanted to try out his kite. It kinda flew...but not very well. We decided to take advantage of Buffalo Wild Wing's special on boneless wings on Thursday nights and picked up food to eat with Chip's mom and dad. We spent the evening with them, and left around 8pm. The kids had a great time seeing Grano Lulu and Papa B.
*Today, I got to go see a brand new baby : ) Our friends had their third baby early this morning (like 3am) and I got to go to the hospital and meet him! Both mom and baby were doing well...a little sore and banged up.....but nothing TOO horrible. He was a cute little guy! I came home and Chip had already fed the kids lunch...nice! We put the kids down for a nap around 1:45 and Chip left for work at 2:30. I decided to try to get a couple minutes of sleep before Ryken woke up.....and I woke up 2 hours later and the kids were still sleeping! YAY FOR AMAZING NAPS! Kenzie didn't end up waking up until after 5:30!! We went outside to play and ended up staying outside for over 2 hours! The neighbor kids came out and played with Kenzie and we just enjoyed the amazing cool weather, something that we know will be rare for the next few months.
So that was our week. So many amazing blessings!
And now....we're gearing up for my little sister Cassie to be married...just ONE WEEK from tomorrow! Woohoo : )
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