Monday, February 23, 2009
Quick Update!
Well, I am now exactly one week away from my due date! I went to the doctor today and I'm dilated 2 cm and 80% effaced. It is just good to know things are progressing like they should! Everything is looking good!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The girls
Hanging out with some of my favorite people Saturday afternoon (Krystal, DD, Sam & Lucy). I have very few memories from jr. high and high school that don't involve at least one of them. I miss these girls! Can't wait until our next get together!Sunday, February 8, 2009
37 Week Pics
Jared thinks he can win the biggest belly contest, but no matter how much he tries to stick it out I still win. :)
This one is my favorite! We have been meaning to get some pictures taken for several weeks, and we got a few yesterday. Connie, my sister-in-law, took them for us, and she does a great job.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Change
Lately I have been thinking a lot about change...
I have been trying to figure out how I feel about change. Change is good. It seems like I spent a lot of time growing up waiting for change. I couldn't wait until I turned 8 so I could get baptized, 12 so I could go to Young Women's, 14 so I could go to all the boy/girl dances and parties, 15 so I could take Driver's Ed., 16 so I could date, 18 so I could be an "adult"... I wanted so badly to progress from Jr. High to High School, then I couldn't wait to graduate and go to college, to really be on my own. Once I was in college, I started counting down the number of semesters I had to graduate. Do you see a pattern here?
I realized that I am still like that. I am an impatient person, and "can't wait" for change to happen. But I realized that sometimes I lose a little bit of the excitement of just being in the moment and enjoying where I am.
I spent the first couple months of my pregnancy impatiently wishing that I could just hold this baby already. I just wanted to get my cute little baby clothes on her. It hit me a couple of weeks ago that as much as I want to have the baby here, I really do enjoy being pregnant! I love this experience, being part of such a miracle.
I will be excited when she gets here and will have tons of things I will appreciate then, but here are some things I am appreciating today that I won't be able to in a few weeks:
I have been trying to figure out how I feel about change. Change is good. It seems like I spent a lot of time growing up waiting for change. I couldn't wait until I turned 8 so I could get baptized, 12 so I could go to Young Women's, 14 so I could go to all the boy/girl dances and parties, 15 so I could take Driver's Ed., 16 so I could date, 18 so I could be an "adult"... I wanted so badly to progress from Jr. High to High School, then I couldn't wait to graduate and go to college, to really be on my own. Once I was in college, I started counting down the number of semesters I had to graduate. Do you see a pattern here?
I realized that I am still like that. I am an impatient person, and "can't wait" for change to happen. But I realized that sometimes I lose a little bit of the excitement of just being in the moment and enjoying where I am.
I spent the first couple months of my pregnancy impatiently wishing that I could just hold this baby already. I just wanted to get my cute little baby clothes on her. It hit me a couple of weeks ago that as much as I want to have the baby here, I really do enjoy being pregnant! I love this experience, being part of such a miracle.
I will be excited when she gets here and will have tons of things I will appreciate then, but here are some things I am appreciating today that I won't be able to in a few weeks:
- Arranging and re-arranging all the cute baby stuff (which I'm assuming I won't have much energy to do, plus I'll have a cute little baby distracting me from silly stuff like that)
- Sleeping through the night
- Feeling Emma's hiccups several times a day
- Getting to read all the parenting magazines at the Dr.'s office (I know, kind of silly, but even though I don't subscribe to them, I enjoy reading them for free)
- My thicker hair and stronger nails
- Having all the old ladies in stores and church give me the sweetest looks- I'm assuming this is just because I'm noticeably pregnant
- Having a little belly "shelf" to rest things on (ok, I might not really miss that!)
- The small amount of laundry I have to do right now in comparison to what it will be
- All the time Jared and I are able to spend together
- ALL the movements I get to feel everyday from her (even the jabbing elbows, knees and feet)
- Getting to listen to her heartbeat at the Dr.
- Having an excuse to be a little bit lazy :)
- My crazy, vivd dreams- sometimes I feel like I get to watch my own personal movies every night
- My job! (I really feel like I learn something new everyday and I enjoy all the people I work with- I am lucky to have found such a great fit for me)
- I enjoy most the quiet moments when I get to feel her move around and react to my voice, Jared's voice and everything else. There are just very few things as cool as that.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Cost of Raising Kids
My sister-in-law Connie posted this on her blog the other day and I really loved it so I thought I would re-post it and share! Thanks Connie!
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!
The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month, or
* $171.08 a week.
* That's a mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.
What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs, and
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.
* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* first step,
* first word,
* first date, and
* first time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll make!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
6 1/2 Months!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Black Friday
I have to say that after working retail for several years I never thought I would have the desire to actually shop the day after Thanksgiving. Long lines outside in the cold, people pushing and shoving once the doors open, running down the aisles of the store like crazy people and standing in long lines again. It really doesn't sound all that appealing. But I had a purpose this year. The rocker glider chair that I have really wanted was 60% off the day after Thanksgiving at Shopko. I don't know if it was the hormones or what but I was determined to get this chair and get a good deal on it. Luckily, I have a great mom and great sisters who decided to go along with my craziness. It actually turned out that Julie and Katie were wanting to go shopping that day, too. You can only imagine how relieved all of our husbands were that we had someone to go with so they got to sleep in and avoid shopping!
We were in Howe for Thanksgiving, so we got up at 2 a.m. to be in line by 4 a.m. in Idaho Falls. I know, even as I type this that sounds ridiculously crazy! Once we got there, two of us lined up by one set of doors and three at the other. We had a game plan to conquer and divide. Katie and I were to head for furniture and electronics, while Kelsi, Julie and Mom were to head for the games and toys. It wasn't as cold as we had expected, and a church group came and handed out hot chocolate to everyone, which we really appreciated. We stood in line and chatted with a lot of very friendly people. At first, someone asked me what we were going for and I kind of gave her a vague answer. As if just because I told her I wanted a rocker glider chair she was going to steal them all before I could get there or something! I did eventually tell her after we had talked for a while longer.
When the doors opened, it was a little like being in a mosh pit. No one was mean, but everyone was pushing forward so you just had to go with the crowd. But none of us got trampled or knocked down, and we ended up getting EVERYTHING that any of us wanted and made it through the check-out in less than an hour. We all had our arms full of stuff, but Mom and Kelsi definitely win the prize for getting the most. They had more than 20 board games between them and when they each took half to carry, they couldn't see over their stack to walk. We did encounter a little setback when we attempted to load everything into Mom's van and then later when we were loading Julie's stuff into her van, but we were able to eventually get everything to fit in with some effort.
Anyway, our little adventure turned out to be a success! I think Katie, Julie and I are all done with our Christmas shopping now and we had a lot of fun! And I'm definitely on board for next year since I will have a kid to shop for and to spoil so I can't wait!
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