Christmas and Washington Trip

We celebrated many times for Christmas this year, and enjoyed each one very much. We started with Christmas Eve at my mom's, with a very special dinner, stuffed pork loin, salad, creamed onions (my favorite!) asparagus, and more. We shared Christmas with two of her good friends as well, and sat by the fire, had dessert, opened gifts, laughed, and had a great time! Then we had our Christmas together, waking up and having hot chocolate while we opened stockings and gifts before we headed to Tim's parents house. We had Christmas with them, and cinnamon rolls, enjoying the sunshine, yet still crisp and cold weather. A few hours later we headed back with our bags packed for the airport, and visited with Tim's grandparents, and had an early Christmas dinner! Off to the airport after that for an evening flight to Washington, to visit my dad and step-mom, and have my first baby shower. My brother Korbe, and my sis-in-law, Traci surprised us by showing up a day early and were already at the house when we arrived from the airport. We did Christmas again the next day with all of them, as well as my step-brother and his wife, who are also pregnant with a baby boy due in February! Sunday, my step-mom put together a small shower for me and my aunt and cousin, dad's cousin, and a couple friends of theirs celebrated with me and we had a nice brunch, cake, and gifts. It was very nice!
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Tuesday, before we left, it started to snow! We made it home delayed, but safe, last night to a very happy puppy! It was a wonderful Christmas, and we can't wait until next year!

Heirlooms

In the last few weeks, we have been fortunate enough to receive a couple special items from family. The first, being Eddy the Elephant:

Eddy was a gift to my Grandma Gail from her daddy for her 4th birthday back in 1930. It was during the Depression, and my Great Grandpa wanted to buy it for her, and my Great Grandma was upset at him for spending the money. My Grandma gave him the name Eddy the Elephant, and used to hold him by his trunk, and being only four, his feet used to drag on the ground (as you can see from his "scars"). She has been carrying him around for nearly 80 years now, and when I was up there visiting at the beginning of this month, she told me she wanted me to have him for Gracie if I wanted. I was so excited to bring him home and put him in her room. He used to play music, and one day, I would like to find a place where I could see if the music box inside him could be restored, I would love to hear what song he played that my Grandma Gail listened to so very long ago.

The second special item we have been given was this cradle. My dad made this cradle 28 years ago for my oldest cousin, Erin, before she was born. She and my Uncle Rick and Aunt Nan enjoyed it while she was a baby, and then held on to it all these years. I have one too, but it's up in Washington at my dad's, waiting to be enjoyed by Gracie when we go to visit. So I received a call from mu Uncle Rick a few weeks ago asking if we would like to use Erin's cradle, and especially since my dad made it, I was delighted. Uncle Rick got it out and spent a lot of time getting it back to the condition it was in when it was enjoyed by his baby girl. We took a drive to Chico a couple weeks ago to pick it up, and now it is in our room waiting for the baby who will occupy it in just 3 more months.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by things that have stories and memories.

Slumber Party

So Tim told me the other day when we were organizing the DVDs that he had never seen The Polar Express. What?!! Being Christmas, we thought it the perfect time to make sure he doesn't go any longer without seeing one of the best Christmas movies (next to Miracle on 34th Street and Home Alone) So last night, we decided to drag the guest bed mattress out to the living room, light a fire, have some hot chocolate and cookies,

and enjoy some Christmas movie magic and sleep out in the living room by the fire...

Update!

I can't believe next week will be number 28...where the time has gone! I feel so blessed to be pregnant at Christmas-time, there is something so special about it, knowing that the tree decorating, cookie making, and present wrapping next year will involve a 9 month old crawling around! Tim's brother, Tony,

was gracious enough to take pictures of us for our Christmas cards (they were taken at almost 25 weeks...) and Lacie didn't make the cut this year for our card...so I decided to post the rejects, though they are still very good pictures.

Christmas break officially began yesterday at 11 am, with my 6th graders finishing their first finals ever, and not being okay with the fact tht the week before Christmas no longer means parties...what??!! Wait till they get to the last week of school in May and find out their "End of the Year" party has been replaced with more finals...

That means 16 glorious days off, beginning with a trip to the Auburn Country Christmas with my wonderful husband tonight... there's nothing like holding hands walking down streets filled with carolers, smells of kettle corn, and crisp air. Then it is a few days of finishing prepping for Christmas, baking with friends, visiting family, hopping on a plane Christmas night to go to Washington, my first baby shower, and time to rest from all the fun before going back to school January 4th!

Saturdays

I just love Saturdays...Tim goes to work early and I have the whole day to get a lot...or a little...done. I love that I can sit in silence and just watch life go by outside the picture window. I love that I can take my time sweeping (my favorite chore) while I listen to music of my choice. I love that today I could put away the empty boxes from the Christmas decorations we got out last night, and now everything looks clean. I love how peaceful the cats look when they curl up in the big chair by the window in the sunshine. On previous Saturdays, I have started with very early garage sale-ing, followed by cleaning, and then a late morning nap. I am enjoying that while I can...only 4 more months! Today I was overwhelmed by the mess we made with the Christmas decorations, so I was able to organize, and then clean the windows (especially the one which will frame the Chrsitmas tree we will put up tonight). I love not knowing what the rest of the day will hold....i.e., not having a plan, which is very unlike me. I am completely done with Christmas shopping, so I may move on to baking some Christmas goodies...who knows...that is what I love about Saturdays, mine are completely unpredictable.

Happy Birthday Auntie!

Happy Birthday to my Auntie Dearest, whom I got to spend the first 25 years of my life being adored by...you will be missed, never forgotten, and I wil tell Gracie all about you as she grows up and how special you are!

I can do this

So it has now been 5 days with no soda...let me explain why this is such a big deal to me. When I turned 21, I tried a drink here, a margarita there, but nothing tasted as good to me as a tall glass of pepsi with ice and a straw. So when we would go out to dinner and friends or family order their fancy drink, I was perfectly content with a pepsi. Not only is it bad for you, but being pregnant and trying to stay away from caffeine has put a kink in mine and pepsi's relationship. I love it, but want to do what is best for the baby. But at the end of a long day at work, nothing tastes better! But I am determined to kick this habit one day at a time...the fact that I am almost 6 months pregnant and just now deciding this is ridiculous! But you have to start somewhere?....So here is goes, I think I can I think I can...

It's been awhile

So I am still new to this whole blog thing, and I admire those that keep theirs updated regularly. I figured since we have big changes happening in our house that it would be a good idea to get used to getting on a little more regularly. So, a little update...Tim and I found out we were expecting back in July, with baby #1 due in March. Come to find out, our due date is St. Patrick's Day (many family members' favorite holiday...)!! Then, a couple ultrasounds later we found out it's a GIRL! We couldn't be happier, especially since girl names were the ones we agreed on a long time ago. We chose the name Gracie Lynne. Gracie because we have always liked it, and then come to find out it was my great-great-grandma's name! We chose Lynne because it is my mom's middle name, and my Auntie Dearest who passed away two years ago was named Kaycie Lynn. I have had what most would say a very easy pregnancy so far, with no morning sickness. Just last week I felt her move, little flutters, which in the last couple days have turned into kicks, which Tim has been able to feel twice now (it feels like popcorn popping on your hand) and we are very excited that it is beginning to feel "more real". That's all for now, will work on more updates later.

About time...

Okay, so I decided it was about time for us to jump on the blog bandwagon. Have to admit, this is pretty complicated! But I know it will get better. We are doing so many things and this way, everyone can feel a part of it. Tim just started at a new company working with developmentaly disabled adults, which is completely his calling in life. This position will be full time very soon, where the other was part time and he balanced 2 other jobs on top of it. He is officially a Independent Living Skills Facilitator, helping his people reach their goals and doing all the paperwork for it. I have been offered a full time teaching position for next year at Capital Christian Middle School, where I have been substitute teaching since March. I will be teaching 6th grade Language Arts core. The school is amazing and the administration even better. This summer, I am back at Rollingwood coaching the Rockets for my 10th year as wel as doing all the swim lesson scheduling and teaching some here and there as well. I also squeeze in a little tutoring in the evenings. Between all that, Tim and I have been working in the backyard trying to get it ready for summer barbeques and fall fiestas! The other night Lacie was playing hard and decided the ivy was a good place to lay down and cool off. (The ivy will not be around much longer...) Notice her grungy soccer ball that she always chooses to play with...ewww. After working in the yard the other night, we relaxed on the swing and enjoyed the unusually cool June weather.