Awaiting the Arrival of Baby #2!

So, we have 5 and a half weeks til the due date of the newest addition to our family and I am sooo ready to have this baby in my arms. I am not quite sure if I am ready to be the mother of 2 or to deal with Miss Brenna and her new attitude that seems to be forming quickly. We hope that she will take to this baby the same way she has taken to some of our friends children, but that would be asking a lot from a 21 month old when a new person moves into her house and takes her Mommy. I just keep praying everyday that this newest addition will just fall into place.

Brenna's New Swing Set

On Tuesday Dec. 2 Brenna's new swingset arrived. I probably shouldn't call it Brenna's swingset, but since I am not revealing the name of baby number 2, I will refer to it as Brenna's. The guys got here around 11 am to put the swingset together, but somebody forgot something clear back in Omaha. So what should have been about a 2 to 3 hour project turned into about 6 hours. I thought that Brenna would get to play for hours that afternoon, but it was almost dark when they finally finished. We have only been able to play a few times since the weather hasn't been that great. Brenna loves to swing and to go down her slide. I have included a few pictures of Brenna and Daddy swinging. I will have to say that this swingset has changed Morgan into a different person, when I see him and Brenna playing together out there it just makes my heart melt. I never new that a simple thing like a swingset could change the way I look at my husband as a father.

Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is just a few days away I thought I would make a list of things that I am thankful for and share them with the few people who read this.

1. God, that he is a loving and forgiving God and that he has richly blessed my life and given me many more things to be thankful for.

2. My family, Morgan for being a hard worker and that allows me to be able to stay home with our children. Brenna for being the most precious gift anyone could ever get and that she always has a hug for her Mommy. New Baby, for always reminding me how blessed I am.

3. My Mom and Becky and Alan (Morgan's parents), for being such a wonderful support system for Morgan and I. And for being the best grandparents any child could ask for.

4. Friends, for always being there to cheer me up, even if it is usually through reading their blogs.

5. For my health and the health of my family.

6. For the wonderful life God has provide for me.


Let me know what you are thankful for during this holiday season!

Halloween, a little late

So, I was loading pictures onto my computer today and realized I have not yet share Halloween pictures of Miss Brenna. So here you go.

God's Plan

This week I found out that one of my friends was going to have to deliver her baby stillborn. This really got me thinking about how precious life really is and how sometimes we take it for granted that our children will be born healthy and without and problems. I look at my daughter and think that this could have so easily been us and now that we are expecting baby number 2 in late January I am just reminded that we could still go through a great loss. It seems like we always think that of of course our children will be healthy and that once we make it through the first trimester without miscarrying we are home free, but we're not. I know that God has a greater plan than anything we could ever imagine and I know for this friend it does not make her loss any easier or less significant, and I know that little Peyton is with the Lord looking down on her Mommy and Daddy with love, and I pray that this family will be surrounded by God's love in this great time of loss.

Mommy's Group

I just wanted to thank the Mommies who came to our group this morning. I had a lot of fun just listening to everyones stories about there children. I hope that we are able to meet every week just to let our kids play. It was nice to get out and visit with adults for awhile. Thanks again.

Stupid People

I have decided that stupid people should not be allowed to travel on airplanes, or possibly even leave there homes. During our trip to Las Vegas I observed the marvels of these stupid people. Now I don't me to offend anyone, so if I do I apologize in advance.
When you are flying first of all your carry on luggage should be of standard size, ie. they make bags that are specifically called carry on for a reason. Along with these stupid people, the airlines should not allow anyone to carry on over sized baggage, this just makes it difficult for the rest of us travelers that are trying to follow the rules. Other people that may fall into this category are the flight attendants, telling Morgan and I that we might have to check our carry on luggage, that is of the correct size but not making somebody who has brought on the plane with them a duffel bag the size of my body and that's no small duffel bag.
We also ran into many stupid people just walking and touring Las Vegas. The many drunk people that you see along with the girls who are so caught up in what they look like that they can't even walk and talk to each other at the same time. These are the girls that are walking right in front of you and stop for no reason in the middle of the street or hotel lobby and then when you say excuse me to try and get around them they just let out an enormous sigh. There are also the people who can't figure out that you should always walk to the right, maybe this is just me, but I think that you should walk in public how you drive, stay to the right and you shouldn't run into oncoming traffic. You don't get on the road and drive wherever you want to to get where you are going, at least most people don't, so why should you walk this way. My husband is one of those people who refuses to walk to the right, he just shoves his way through, and when you are trying to follow him it is very irritating.
I could go on forever about stupid people but I should probably stop. It just seems that when you travel you really find out that there are people who should be required to stay at home. Sometimes I find myself included in this category!

Welcome to the Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

We left for Vegas last Thursday out of the enormous Grand Island airport. We luckily had no problems traveling except for all of the stupid people, but I will have a lovely post about this special topic later. We stayed at the Mirage which was great, the most comfy beds in any hotel I have ever stayed at, but with the smallest bathroom I have ever seen at a hotel. On Thursday afternoon after checking in we decided to venture down the Strip, not a good idea when you are 7 months pregnant and you forgot to put your tennis shoes on for comfort. We started our journey at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and if you have ever been here you know that we did not buy a thing because the only retailers here are ones you see on the runway and no one in their right mind can afford or even fit into the clothing offered. We did however decide to have some gelato and sorbet, this lovely vendor did not have the prices posted in what I would consider the usual spot, so we ended up paying almost $30 for two small cups. This was not our only ridiculous purchase.
On Friday (Halloween) we pretty much played it low key, we took the city bus downtown for some small time gambling, I played $20 on penny slots and cashed out $100, lucky me. That night we went to the first round of the PBR finals (bull riding), that was pretty exciting.
Saturday we went to Madam Tussuad's Wax Museum (not sure on the spelling), that was another waste of money and then we just hung out for the rest of the day.
Sunday we returned home to our little Brenna who we missed terribly. Sorry no pictures of Vegas, we left the camera at home and of course what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Harvest Moon Farms

On Saturday Oct. 18 we took Brenna to Harvest Moon Farms for her first pumpkin patch adventure. She had a great time going down the truck slide and playing in the corn box. She also enjoyed wondering through the pumpkin patch. The highlight for her I think really was eating popcorn with Mommy and Daddy.

The Mommy Handbook

I was just thinking today about all of the things in my life that have changed since the day my beautiful daughter Brenna was born. The many things that I have willingly given up and the many things I look forward to gaining by being a Mommy. One thing I have noticed about a lot of my single friends that are moms is that they get to choose when they want to be a Mommy. They go out and party still, they leave their children with grandparents every chance they get, or they are at their Daddy's house on weekends, so it is quite convenient for these Mommies. I just want to know where in the Mommy Handbook does it say that you still get to "Road Trip", go out and do stupid things and leave your children at the drop of a hat for something better. I am pretty sure that when I received my Mommy Handbook the most important rule was to spend quality time loving and nurturing your children and that your children are a gift from God. I understand that some mommies have to work, I worked for the first year of Brenna's life and am sad that I missed out on some major moments for her, but at least I was at work and not out partying with my friends.
Morgan and I used to go away for a weekend or go on vacation at the drop of a hat, now we take a little more time planning and even give up some fun things to do together in order to do something fun with our daughter. I just want to know how it is that my life and many other mommies that I know lives have changed with the birth of their children, but for some it just seems as though there children are burdens and shouldn't get in the way of mommy's fun. Well I can tell you one thing, my life is fun in a whole new way being a Mommy.

Cinnamon Rolls

Today I tried my hand at baking something new, as in I have never made anything like this before. Not bread or rolls or any other food item containing yeast and flour. I made my first batch of cinnamon rolls today, and you know what they were pretty tasty. My husband's only critique was the caramel that I put on them, it was not as good as Grandma Fouts' but then again who can make anything like Grandma. I am pretty proud of these rolls because if they passed the Morgan test, they were pretty darn good.

We also went to Harvest Moon Farms today, but I will blog about that later when I get some pictures uploaded.

Brenna's first sentence

Last night we had my Mom over for supper and Brenna decided she was going to let us all hear her first complete sentence. We were talking about going bye-bye and I asked Brenna if she wanted to go bye-bye, her response "I want to go bye-bye". It was soo cute. She has never said more than maybe 2 words together, usually just one word with the right tone gets her what she needs. I am guessing that we will not here anymore complete sentences for awhile, but I now know what my daughter is capable of.

New Season of TV

As I was watching Desperate Housewives last night I noticed quite a few things had changed since they decided to jump ahead five years. I am okay with some of the changes but one change that I noticed was that the Scavos had 2 less children. So what happened to Penny and the other boy, whose name has left my mind? Did they go off to boarding school, did they die what happened? Or did their mother dump them off at the hospital under the new Nebraska safe haven law? I mean in real life you don't just to get rid of two kids because they no longer fit the storyline you are trying to portray. I guess we may never know exactly what happened in those five years in between last season and this season.

18 month Checkup

We went to see the doctor today for Miss Brenna's 18 month check up and Mommy's 22week check up for. Miss Brenna thought everything was fine until the nurse called us back and she realized that this might not be fun. She gave the nurse one look and yelled NO! She was then fine until the nurse tried to weigh her and wanted to check Mommy's blood pressure. It was quite an ordeal, luckily no shots had to be given today. Brenna now weighs 22 lbs 13 oz and is 32 inches tall. She is growing up so fast.
Everything with Mommy and the new baby is good except for this little thing called vertigo that Mommy is dealing with. It really is an inconvenience to feel dizzy when you bend over, roll over in the night or simply move too fast. I'm not even sure if some days that it is safest to drive. Mommy goes to the ENT on Monday to see if they can help her out cuz this is getting to be ridiculous.

Brenna and her Laundry Basket

As of a few days ago the newest and best toy in Brenna's life is a laundry basket that her toys are kept in. She will fill the basket completely with toys and then dive in. She also likes to turn it over and stand, sit or climb on the basket. Sometimes she even stands on it and gives a sermon to her Mommy and Daddy, it is quite a hoot, cuz for the most part we have no idea what she might be telling us about.

The Joy of Motherhood

Brenna and I have now been home together for over a month and I still believe this is the hardest job I will ever have. We are trying to get out and do more fun things but the last few weeks have kept us cooped up in the house. Brenna has learned so many new things in the past few months, especially new words. Her newest words are shoes and Yeah. She can also show you where her belly button is and often says belly button. She has also begun running and walking on her tip toes, I am not sure what the tip toe walking is about, but it is awfully cute. She still doesn't say Mommy very often, but I know it will come soon.

On Thursday, Sept. 11 we had our ultrasound done. The baby looks great and seems to be growing at the desired rate. I was really hoping that my due date would be changed to a few weeks sooner but it is still January 27, 2009. I can not wait to meet this new little bundle of joy. And for all you avid readers out there we do know the sex of the baby, but you will have to wait until its arrival, unless Brenna starts talking big.

First Week Home With Brenna

Well, today is the last day of my first week home with Brenna. Staying at home with a 17 month old is a lot harder task than I envisioned, but well worth it. I have learned so many new things about my daughter, like when she wants to go outside to play there is no stopping her, short of her throwing herself on the floor and screaming. When she is ready to go outside, usually around 8 am she might still be in her pjs but she will bring me her shoes and her sunhat and literally try to drag me off the couch. After getting her in to proper outdoor attire we usually sit on the front step and "draw" with sidewalk chalk, Brenna's drawing consists of a few lines and then she throws the chalk into the dirt. After a drawing we usually walk down the driveway and pick up every single rock that we see and Brenna hands each one to Mommy, it is quite the adventure. We are trying our best to limit TV watching, but sometimes we need it so that other things can get done around the house.
Not only has taking care of Brenna been a new adventure, so has trying to cook a good meal every night, so far I have not done too bad. I have also begun making cookies for my hubbie, the first batch didn't turn out the best but today I made peanut butter cookies and I think they are pretty darn good if I do say so myself.
We have to get ourselves prepared for the big Elm Creek Stampede Days, we get to go to a parade in the morning, I can't wait.

NO MORE WORK!!!

As of yesterday at 4 pm I am no longer gainfully employed, but I have decided that my true life's work has just begun. Brenna and I will now be abled to get reaquainted with each other and hopefully will not drive each other over the deep end, LOL. Well I can't wait to see what God has planned for us now. 5 months til baby number to arrives, yeah!!!

NO SLEEP!!!

We have finally begun to get settled in our new home, except for Miss Brenna when it comes to sleeping at night. She loves all the space we now have to run and push her shopping cart around the house. The bedtime things has got to change though, Brenna goes to bed sometime between 8 and 9 as usual but for some reason she thinks that she needs to wake up at least once during the night to join her Mom and Dad in their bed. This usually happens around 1 AM, not exactly the most pleasant time of night to be so rudely awaken by the screaming of a 16 month old. It is getting better, we have been here for two weeks and it seems that Brenna is getting up less often and is not requiring that she stay in our bed all night, but we have got to get some sleep. I was told by my lovely grandmother that this could last at least a month, I hope she is wrong.

Even though Brenna is having some trouble sleeping at night she is still the biggest joy in my life, she makes me laugh at least once a day if not more. She loves to dance and sing to herself, she has this wonderful little song that she sings over and over again, I just wish I new the words. Brenna is just filled with the love of Jesus and spreads it wherever she goes. Her favorite thing to do when we are out is to smile at strangers and say HI, I just love this, there is nothing like the smile of a toddler to make someones day. I just pray that this joy in her heart continues throughout her life, and that she always wants to make someone else smile.

BIG NEWS!!!

Morgan and I have some great news to share with everyone, Brenna is going to be a big sister in January. I am sure most of you who read this already know, and I would have posted this sooner but we have no internet at home and I have not been at work until today. We also moved into our new home this past weekend, I am completely exhausted.

Sick Baby, once again

Today was Brenna's 15 month checkup, this should have been a quick trip to the doctor to get weighed, measured and have a few shots, wrong! I picked Brenna up from Grandma Becky's at around 2 pm, she was napping at the time so I had no way of knowing that she wasn't feeling well. We got the doctor's office and let the receptionist know we were there and Brenna throws up on me, right there in the waiting room. We go to the bathroom to get cleaned up and of course now Brenna feels a little better so she runs around the waiting room like she has no care in the world. We finally make it back to the exam room and get a height and weight check, yeah Brenna has finally reached 2o lbs, 2o lbs 5 oz to be exact and she is now 31 3/4 inches tall. The nurse then proceeds to take her temp, 102.3, great just what we needed another virus. Brenna got to have her blood taken which is a lot more traumatic than getting shots. Since she had a fever she couldn't get her shots, so now we have to go back next week for shots. On top of it all Brenna threw up on her mama again as we were leaving the doctors office. It was one of those crowning moments of motherhood, when you want to cry or throw up yourself, but instead you go to the bathroom, clean yourself up and get on with your day. I do have to say she is feeling a little better tonight and I kind of like the cuddly girl I get when she is not feeling so well, cuz usually she is running around non-stop and it is nice to just slow down.

House Update

Well our new home is nearing completion, we now have a kitchen minus the appliances (they will be delivered on Thursday). The bathrooms are finished and we are awaiting carpet. The lighting was hung yesterday and today, I think. It has just been a long wonderful road to seeing our new home come together. Our deck was completed yesterday, minus the stairs which will be put on after the final dirt work is done, which will come after the bricklayer gets finished. We are also getting a new roof to replace the new roof that had hail damage, what fun. I just thank God everyday for his many blessings, even if those blessings make me want to scream and rip my hair out from time to time, they are blessings none the less.

Lightbulbs

So today I went with my friend Tara and my daughter Brenna to go pick up a few things for the new house. On my list were lightbulbs and bath accessories, not a big list but an expensive one none the less. Who in their life has had to buy new light bulbs for an entire house all at one time, well I did today. I bought 8 packages of 4 lightbulbs, and not the cheap ones, no I was given specific instructions from Morgan, the 'great one' as he likes to be called, to get those lightbulbs that look like pigtails, that are like $16 for a package of 4. Now I know that these bulbs last a long time, but I never thought that I would purchase that many at once and spend over $100 on lightbulbs. I know I shouldn't whine about the price when they are going into a new home, but come on lightbulbs should be the least expensive thing going into a home, now I feel like I have made a huge investment into the lightbulbs and GE should thank me for my enormous purchase today.

Brenna's Water Park

Since the lovely pool in Elm Creek is being redone this summer I decided to get Brenna a little pool for the yard, but Daddy doesn't want it in our yard here in town so it is at Grandma Pat's house for now. Here is a look at Brenna's first time playing in her new pool. Note: The water was absolutely freezing cold, but Brenna doesn't seem to mind. Mommy on the other hand couldn't stand in it for very long.

The Zoo

On Saturday, May 31, Morgan, Brenna and I went to the Henry Doorly Zoo with Shannon, Noah and Aden. We had a great time, it was hot and extremely exhausting. This picture of Brenna sums it up.

Rain Rain Rain

Will it ever stop raining??? It has been raining here for close to 24 hours, and it is supposed to last until next Wednesday. Well other than the rain life is going great, my hubby and I got are appliances ordered today; one more thing to check off my to-do list. I worked on packing up things in Brenna's room this morning, so many memories from the last year, and so many clothes. I have never seen a 1 year old with so much clothing, I have filled one enormous plastic tub with clothing that no longer fits this little girl. I don't even want to imagine the amount of money that is in that tub, that may or may not be used again. Oh well, I guess if Brenna has a little brother someday he might have to embrace wearing pink, and dressess, LOL!!! We are about a month out from moving, the house is looking great. I can't wait to show everyone our new home!!! May God bless those of you who read this!!!

Sick Baby

Today my baby is home sick with the flu, no fun. Only good thing is that we have spent the morning snuggling on the couch, I love this time with her. Right now she is napping, I just pray that all of this sleeping is really doing her good.

When Daddy's Away the Girls Will Play!!!

This is what happens when Daddy is out in the field planting soybeans, Mommy and Brenna get silly and the tickle monster appears.

Paint, Paint, Paint

These are just some lovely pictures of the inside paint job. The first picture is of the east great room wall. The second picture is Brenna's room which is actually a bright yellow in person, the picture doesn't do the color justice. The bottom picture is looking west into what will eventually be our kitchen. NOTE: the door on the left is a walk in pantry, how great is that.

OUR NEW HOME

Today we ventured out to the new house to check out the progress. Looks like its coming along just fine, interior painting was finished this week and it looks like the brick will be done soon. I can't wait for all the wonderful memories we will make here.

There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on the main floor. We will have an open dining, livingroom and kitchen. Praise the Lord I will now have a laundry room, an attached garage and one of my most favorite parts is a coat closet. Yeah, I know you are thinking who cares about a coat closet, well I do because in our current home we have no closets other than the ones in our bedrooms. We also have a full basement that will not be finished for a few years.

My beautiful baby girl, sittin in her rocking chair at Grandma Fouts' house with her dolly. What a wonderful gift.

No More Work

I have officially resigned from my job and my last day will be August 15, 2008. I can't wait to spend more time with my daughter. I also am looking forward to finding time to explore other passions in my life, yet to be determined. I am so richly blessed.

Building a new home

We have been in the process of building our new home for about 2.5 months, and we are about six weeks out from move in, I can't wait. I never realized how much work building a house is, even when you're not the one picking up the hammer and nails and doing the physical labor. There are so many choices to make that at times I have felt like I wanted to pull out my hair. Well the decisions are almost over, I have to finalize the appliances as well as pick up my lighting fixtures and buy a storm door, but those are kind of minor details. I just praise the Lord everyday that he has blessed our family so richly. I can't wait to see what His plans are for us.