So fun!!

This is so fun to do. My sister Karalee sent us the link and had made a video for Nathan. Wayne then went and made a video for Nathan, himself & me. Nathan LOVED it and couldn't stop talking about what Santa said to him. I watched my video later on and it seriously made me feel special...like Santa was talking to me.

So here's the link: Santa video

The verdict is in....at least for now.

So if you've been reading this blog for a while you may know my little saga with Siast and trying to get into Nursing. If you haven't been reading or forgot here's what has happened so far: In the beginning, update, update #2

So I thought everything was good, but then I received a letter in the mail... Siast is changing their requirements for entrance into the program. The "old" way was if you had the core classes and your average was above 65% then you were put on the "list", so first come first served. Well now that the Practical Nursing program is a high demand program they have changed the requirements to highest average of the core classes gets in first (which makes sense but sucks for me). At first I didn't think that was a big deal because I had all my classes, my average was good, and I had challenged my Math so I was good their too... Ummm no. Because of the new requirements the Accuplacer (the exam that I challenged my Math and was fine the old way) is no longer valid for this program and so I have to take my Math.

I found out this information too late to take my Math this semester so I just hoped and prayed that I would get in this year and not have to worry about upgrading my Math. I reapplied and was told that I would know by the end of November whether I got in or not. Well November came and went and nothing. Yesterday I called and got the person's answering machine. Uggg...waiting all day for her to return the message was horrible. Today I was going to be gone for most of the day, so first thing this morning I called the lady.

She had gotten the information from the school people for who was in or not just last week and is sending out the acceptance/didn't make it letters today. I finally just asked if I didn't get in where I am on the waiting list. She looked and said that she thinks I am in the top 15. OHHHHH MAN!!! I asked her if she thought there would be any hope that being in the top 15 I would get in this year. She said that some years a lot of people decide drop out of the course but because of the new criteria next year she doesn't expect many people to drop out this year. :o(

I'm sad, actually really sad, but at least I can now figure out what to do next. I don't want to have to upgrade my Math, I would have done that a year ago if I had known what was going to happen. Just because I haven't gotten in now doesn't mean I won't this year, but my chances are slim to none. But the most thing that makes me sad is that I have to miss a good chunk of time at night away from my boys. :0( I know that when I'm in school I will miss a lot of them, but missing them now sucks because I could have already had this class done. I know that it's worth it, and in the long run this is what is best for our family, but it just SUCKS!!!!

I know that everything happens for a reason. I really do believe this but right now it's hard to be okay with that. Oh well...tomorrow I will be registering for the Math class and hopefully I'll pass with high marks to pull my average up even higher and then I guess we will just wait and see.

If I don't get in again next year I am going to start taking some of the classes in the program like, Anatomy & Physiology and Sociology. Every one of these classes I take, if I pass, can be used to help raise my highschool average by 1%/class. So I can add a total of 6% by the time I'm done the classes that I can take beforehand. Plus, then I will be done those classes and won't have to take them once I'm in the program.

Okay, enough of my ranting... I'm feeling more at peace with this now. Now I just hope I can get into the Math nightclass.... cross your fingers for me PLEASE!!!!

Growing up too quick.

Today in Primary Rylan was laying beside me on the floor on his back while I played the piano. I looked at him a few minutes later and he was on his tummy...ummm..how did that happen!?!? :)

Then tonight Wayne was playing with Rylan and Rylan kept trying to roll and reach for the toy Wayne was holding, but his stinkin arm kept getting in the way. Well, Nate was tired of watching so decided he could be of help and teach Rylan how to do it. This is what I caught:

(Sorry about the quality...we don't have much light in our living room)

Wayne and Nathan left to go do something else, and Rylan was talking like crazy so I pulled out the camera again and I'm glad I did because I caught this:

I'm not sure if I am ready for this next stage...

#1-I can't believe Rylan's already big enough to be rolling. :(

#2-We REALLY need to baby proof this house, and quickly.

" I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I'm out of control sometimes and hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." ~Marilyn Monroe

That's all I have to say...hehe.

(Thanks Becki for posting this, it's a gooder)

My new favorite picture!!!

Isn't he just a doll?!?!

A little yummy hint.

So I have a yummy little somethin somethin to tell ya...

SPINACH!!!!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Remember this

Well, I still like to have my "swamp" smoothies (that's what Nate named them, hey, whatever helps him to drink it I'm totally okay with it). We usually have at least 1 bag of spinach in the house (bought from Costco for less than $4/bag).

I know, I know....it's not like I am the first to figure out that it's a great idea to put veggies into things . But I get tired of having salad or cut up veggies with EVERY meal so throwing in some veggies in different places is exciting to me. I LOVE to throw some spinach in soups, scrambled eggs, quiches, stirfry (at the VERY last second, like when you are pulling the stirfry off the stove), sauces, really ANYTHING!!!

I don't really like the taste of frozen spinach...to me it has a weird taste to it, but fresh spinach is soooo yummy and it cooks down SOOOOO easily.

Tonight I made spaghetti and meat sauce and threw in 4 BIG handfuls of spinach and not only did it make the sauce look prettier but it added to the yumminess!!! :0)

Beautiful moments.

There are moments in my life that I WISH I could take a breath and pause everything and somehow take in every smell, movement, sight but mostly the feeling and then I'd want to breathe and to take in the next breath and start over again.

Tonight was one of those moments.

Nate & Rylan had both been put to bed but both were having troubles sleeping. I had just picked up Rylan because he was acting like he needed to burp (which he did) and then Nate asked if I would come and cuddle with him for a few minutes. In my mind I quickly debated just telling him to go to sleep or cuddle....

My heart won.

So I laid down with Rylan in between Nathan and I. Nathan was lying on my arm and had his one arm wrapped around Rylan. We layed there for a few moments and then the sweetest, most beautiful thing a Momma could see happened...

Nate's teeny tiny hand came up and his tiny little finger slowly started tracing circles on Rylan's face. I layed there and watched as the loving/sweet circles continued, and I was amazed as Rylan's eyes slowly got heavy and then closed. I quietly whispered to Nate that Rylan was sleeping and Nathan popped his head up to see for himself, which of course woke Rylan up again...hehe. I whispered that we needed to stay calm

The little finger started it's gentle circles again....this time moving down to Rylan's nose. I knew that I should put the baby to bed and get Nate to sleep but my body wouldn't move, maybe because my heart was too full. All I could do was lie there and watch as my sweet sons shared a moment with me a moment of selflessness, a moment of tenderness, a moment of love

I cried.

My head finally won over my heart and I told Nate that it was time to go to sleep he informed me that when I picked up Rylan I needed to "tickew his nose because he yikes it" I kissed Nathan goodnight and as I lifted Rylan to my chest

I tickewed his nose because he yikes it.

My INCREDIBLE Family.

What can I say?!?! I love these guys more than life itself!!!

LOVE this picture!!!

This was Nate's idea.

Yay...we all look kind of normal.

Oh these 2 kill me!!!

Okay, this kid is hilarious....I am happy if we can get 1 "normal" picture out of 20 pictures because this kid believes he is a model....do you think I take too many pics?

Can you tell he loves his Daddy???

Itty Bitty's turn.

My 3 studs!!

Ahhhh....how can you not want to kiss this face??? Boogers/drool and all.

Oh Nate!!

Nathan and Rylan were laying on my bed (I was in the other room) and Rylan was cooing to Nate. Rylan started fussing and I overheard Nate say in the sweetest voice....

Nate-Rylan, if you're sad all you have to do is say a prayer. Ya, that's right, you just have to say a prayer to Jesus and then you will be happy. Sometimes if you have a nightmare you can say a prayer too and then you won't be scared. Otay?(that's how he says okay and I LOVE it). Otay buddy???

Rylan-oaooooagohhaoogggg

Nate-Just have to say a Jesus prayer and then everything will be otay.

Awwww.....I LOVE how Nate is already trying to teach Rylan the things that are important to Nate. Plus, it's pretty cool to know that what we are teaching Nate he actually hears. He's such a sweet boy and I love him like CRAZY!!!!

Doing a test.

Plus, I LOVE this picture of my sweet nephew Eli!!!

Every once in a while I will be looking through my pictures on my camera and think "Where the heck did these pictures come from?" or "Why did I take a picture of/like that?"
Here's some of the pictures that I am talking about....

Was I taking a pic. of my new rocking chair??


Or spying on my neighbours?


Maybe practicing my Depth of Field!!!


???

Whoops, cut off his head

That's a little better...lost the legs but that's okay, who needs those anyways. I love this picture though because Rylan has THE scowl and I am sure he's thinking "What the heck are you doing?"

Hmmm...this might be a clue.

Love this one...Rylan's joining in on the fun.


Little feet????hmmm.....


Ohhh...could it be???


It's NATHAN!!!!!

What's with the smiles buddy??? hehe.


This kid cracks me up!!!

Nathan is such a WONDERFUL big brother. When I was pregnant I wasn't too sure how Nate would adjust to this new role of his but he has been phenomenal. He LOVES Rylan more than anything. He loves kissing, hugging, bugging, tickling, kissing, talking to, kissing, holding, rocking, kissing, cuddling, kissing, loving, oh did I say kissing his little brother? In fact, I am surprised how much Nathan (being a tough and sometimes too rough little boy) has been interested in Rylan and willing to help with anything I need (when it comes to Rylan). I couldn't have hoped for anything more from him....he's been great!!!

Cuddles after bedtime stories


Nathan babysitting & showing his Leapster to Rylan


Nathan yelled to me "Mommy, Rylan's cuddling me" :)


Rylan falling asleep, what a good babysitter!!!


Nate telling Rylan a story, this was when Rylan was only a few days old


Nathan, You ROCK!!!!

Nate's last day of Preschool 1.

This last year has been a LOT of fun with Nate going to Preschool. He goes to a cooperative preschool so I've been able to be parent helper quite a few times and Daddy got to go once, which Nate LOVED. It was so much fun seeing the change in Nathan over the year and watching him grow and develope both socially and scholastically. We are so proud of our big boy!!!

For the last day the kids had learnt quite a few songs and poems that they performed for us including, Baby Bumblebee (this is my favorite song ever I think) and a bunch more.



After the program Nathan's teacher, Mrs. Christiansen, gave all the kids a little memory book with some of the fun things they've done over the year.


The preschool had rented a bouncy castle and the kids (boys) had tons of fun crashing into eachother...hehe.
Here the kids are all getting ready to give Mrs. Christiansen flowers.


Nathan & Mrs. Toni Christiansen (she was AWESOME, Nathan loved her and we are sad because she isn't teaching next year)


BTW, I know the posts for the next little while should have been done a while ago but oh well...they are getting done now. :)

So I've started a new blog Pretty Shabby and would LOVE it if you took a little wander over that way to check it out. It's just in the VERY beginning stages, I would like to decorate it up my own style and add way more posts but I'm excited about it.

Can you get any sweeter?!?

This video is self explanitory (is that how you spell it?), and to this Mommy Nathan can't get ANY sweeter.... I LOVE the very end.

Our little angel baby!!!

On May 30th (my due date, thankyou baby) our sweet little angel boy joined our family.

The story (this is going to be long but I want to write it down while I remember all the little details..): **Most of the pics in this post were taken by my friend Jen**

Wayne and I stayed up late Friday (29th) night with Darryl & Juanita (Wayne's brother & brother's girlfriend) watching a movie, in fact we stayed up till 2am. I know, stupid, and I actually thought at 10pm that I should go to bed but didn't. So at 2am we went and climbed into bed and almost instantly I felt a "weird" pain

....hmmm....

then 5 minutes later another weird pain...

"Wayne. What time is it?"

W-"2:13"

5 minutes later...ummm.... "Wayne. What time is it?"

W-"2:18"

Me-"I think I might be having contractions."

Another 5 minutes went by and the pain was there again.. "OH CRAP!!!!"

So I layed in bed for a while and since I couldn't see the clock and couldn't time the contractions I got up and finished packing my hospital bag and Nate's sleepover bag. I then wanted to keep busy so I showered and did my hair and makeup (have to look good while pushing the baby out...HAHA...ya right, my hair was in a ponytail before we left the house) The contractions were then about 3-5 minutes apart and 45seconds-1.5 minutes long and hurt enough to make me stop and focus through them but really they weren't CRAZY bad. I decided to call the doctor on call and had a contraction through the conversation and was told to come in.

4:30am- I woke up Wayne and told him it was time and then Wayne got Nathan up and ready to go. I called my parents and Wayne called his parents, both sounded oddly awake like they were excited or something to get "this" call. On the way into the city there were 2 BEAUTIFUL rainbows that helped keep my focus while I tried to stay focused.

Sitting in the car was NOT fun because sitting was NOT comfortable at all, but I didn't want to scare Nathan or let him know that I was in pain so I tried to stay SUPER calm.

(This was while I was having a contraction... I look really happy don't I..haha)
We dropped Nathan off at Auntie Jen's and then headed to the hospital, the contractions were still 3 minutes apart but closer to 1.5 minutes.

5:00am- Wayne dropped me off at the Emergency room doors and then quickly went to park. I had a contraction right before entering the hospital and quickly was surrounded by 2 EMT's and a security guy.... I felt REALLY special. We were quickly admitted and headed upstairs to assessment.

5:30am- I layed down in the bed to get hooked up to the monitors, and a few minutes after the nurse left the room I suddenly had an urge to push. "OH CRAP" I sent Wayne to get the nurse because I really didn't want to deliver a baby on my own. The nurse VERY quickly came into the room and checked my cervix.... 5-6 cms. I must have scared the nurse because I was moved to Labor & Delivery RIGHT then...in fact, I think within 5 minutes I was over to the other wing.

5:45-11:45- I tried incredibly hard to focus and control the INTENSE urge to push. The nurses informed me that if I pushed while I wasn't fully dilated that I could cause some major problems and make delivery a LOT harder. I climbed into the shower and Wayne tried to keep the water spraying on ONE spot while I swayed back and forth.... you would think his hand eye coordination was better but he needs some practice. The shower felt really good but the urge to push was still REALLY strong...in fact I don't remember really feeling the contractions because I really was just trying not to push. I then climbed in the jacuzzi which was FABULOUS and in between contractions I actually almost fell asleep. I then got out of there and went back into the room. My nurses were wonderful and kept saying how great I was doing, that I could do this, that I was strong...etc. etc. I got to the point that my body just started to push on it's own and then I was FIGHTING off the urge. I decided at this point that I was done... I NEEDED an epidural... not because I was in SOOOOO much pain but because I was so scared that I was going to hurt myself and cause problems. The nurses gave me the mask thingy that has some drugs in it and I thought I was going to suffocate myself... I was sucking those drugs in as HARD as I could and nothing was happening. After a while the nurses put some medicine into my IV, whatever it was made me feel loopy but still didn't help with pushing. Finally, the anesthesiologist came into the room and I was in heaven.

Noonish- The drugs started working and the urge "subsided" so I sent Wayne off for lunch. Wayne's family arrived and we chat for a while. They all left the room so I could be checked again and I was only 7cms.... SOOOO DEPRESSING!!! I used the excercise ball for a while to help get baby moving down and after a while the doctor came in to see how things were going. She realized that baby was facing the wrong way (baby's nose is suppose to be facing the bum and baby's nose was facing my belly button)...ohhhh...that's why I've been wanting to push and things have been feeling soooo different. So the nurses had me get up on my hands and knees to try to get baby to flip over.....didn't work. I was starting to feel the contractions again and the urge to push returned. Transition phase things started happening, including the fabulous puking that I do ohhhh so well.

2:30- My parents FINALLY arrived..hehe.. The doctor came back in to check me since I REALLY needed to push again and told me I was only 9 cms and NOT to push. She left the room and during my next contraction baby's heartrate dropped. The doctor instantly came back in and checked me again and suggested we do a test push...so I pushed and she decided that we were going to go ahead and get this baby out. She informed me to be prepared because since baby was facing the wrong direction that it was going to be a LOT harder to push baby out, but after hearing that my baby could be in trouble I didn't care what it took or how much energy....I was going to do EVERYTHING to get baby out.

3:04-I started pushing. The nurses and doctor were awesome....Wayne was WONDERUL, but kept petting me..hehe. I should add that Wayne was INCREDIBLE the whole time...he did EVERYTHING I needed him to do... hold my hand, get away....can you get me some water, no ice, no water....rub here, don't touch...but he mostly just gave me the look like, you can do this and it REALLY helped...he was the PERFECT partner and coach. I don't really remember a whole lot at this point other than trying to find that perfect spot to push but I do remember seeing the head doctor come into the room and the vacuum was started up. I pushed a few more times and then I heard the nurse say "He's right there Jackie, RIGHT THERE." I waited for that last contraction and out HE came. The dr. told me later on that while baby was crowning and right before that last contraction she watched his little head turn all the way around and baby then came out the right way....why didn't he do that 6 hours earlier?!?! :)

3:17- They took our sweet baby instantly away to the warming table, not onto my chest, not where I could see him but away from me. I held my breath waiting for that little squeak of a cry...nothing. Then in walked the Neonatal nurses/dr..... my heart stopped beating! I asked my dr. if everything was okay and she said that baby just had a hard time coming out. Still no crying. I looked at Wayne as if he could make it all better and the look of fear is all I saw. That's when the tears started and all I could do was pray out loud that he was fine...please be fine. I don't know how long it really was, but it felt like eternity until finally we hear the faintest noise but boy was it THE most beautiful noise I have ever heard. After a few minutes the nurse finally brought me my beautiful baby and everything was fine... HE WAS PERFECT!!!!

So I would like to FINALLY introduce our sweet angel baby:

Rylan Jack Shutra
9lbs 6oz
23 3/4 inches long





He is a WONDERFUL baby and has already brought soooo much happiness to our family. It's amazing how much we all love him already and it feels like he's ALWAYS been here.

Late night blogging.

So, right now it is almost 2am and I am awake. Would I like to be asleep?...For sure, but there is a little boy in the room next to ours (Nate) who is NOT having a good night which means this Mommy gets to have a bad night too... oh JOY!! :)

My poor boy Nate has had the horrible luck of having growing pains for the last few years and even though they aren't all the time when he gets them it REALLY sucks!!! The growing pains will sometimes happen and we might have clues that they will be happening when he starts eating like a crazy man and showing signs of growing. However, sometimes (like tonight) they will come out of nowhere...no growing signs, just pain.

I remember having growing pains when I was a little kid and they were horrible (Wayne had them as well)....and now to have my little one go through them is sooooo not fun. The poor little guy will go from sleeping to screaming and when you rub his leg/s the muscles can be as hard as a rock (like a charlie-horse) or sometimes they just hurt. All we can do for him is gently rub his legs, wrap them with a warm rice bag, and if they are REALLY bad we will give him Tylenol.

So right now our poor little guy has both legs wrapped with a rice bag, has had a dose of Tylenol, a good rub, and is trying to fall back asleep and until he does this Mommy will just wait. I've learnt that going to sleep before he is in a deep sleep on nights like this isn't worth while because he can be crying and needing me every 5 minutes until he gets past the worst part of them. So I figured, this is one of those things that even though it sucks I would like to remember that we went through it when Nate was younger.

Do you see it?!?!

That little ticker over there as I am writing this says 9 days left!!! WOOHOO!!!! That means at the VERY most 19 days left...woohoo!!!

Like I've been saying so much lately, it is a very bitter/sweet time for me right now. I can't wait to finally meet this little angel that has been growing, and growing, and growing in me for the last 9 months. I can't wait to smell, kiss, hold, and love my sweet little angel. But, again, I don't want to ever forget all the little movements, the "secret" moments that the baby and I have together when noone else knows baby is awake but me, and just being THE ONE that is responsible for the well being of this sweet little spirit.

So for the next....possibly 19 days.... I am going to savour every sweet moment of this pregnancy, even the aches and pains. In fact, it was funny the other day I was having some good little cramps but rather than being like any other typical 9month pregnant woman that would be doing jumping jacks, I layed down in my bed.... I just wasn't quite ready to be done.

9 days... CRAZY!!!!!

Mommy's Day

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys
Or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not My plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on.
Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind And my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child
So doctors could do tests. Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night Watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby
just because I didn't want to put her/him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling
of Having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel
To feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
Between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
Could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
The joy, The love, The heartache,
The wonderment Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
Before I was a Mom .

-author unknown
(Thanks for sending this to me Jen)

Yesterday was a nice day for 90% of the time. I got breakfast in bed (Frosted Flakes..hehe..mmmm) and then Nate brought in a beautiful card that he had decorated with stickers but my favorites were the Stanley Cup, and Pittsburgh Penguin stickers... LOVE IT!!! My sister Karalee and her family were over and we hung out. I had a MAJOR freakout/breakdown... I'm sorry boys for snapping at both of you and sorry Kar/Dennis for having to be witness to it. Later on I had a nap and then cuddled with Nate and watched cartoons. I was told not to leave the room and when I was finally released I enjoyed a DELICIOUS dinner....yes, all of you that know my husband know this is SHOCKING!!! For you that don't know...

Wayne does NOT cook, ever...
okay that's not true,

sometimes...
VERY rarely

and his specialties are mac n' cheese, perogies and sausage, cereal or hashbrowns. But yesterday he made homemade burgers and they were REALLY, REALLY good, better than I've ever made. He called his Grandma to see how to make them properly and then informed me not to ask him to make them again because he had already forgotten how to do it..hehe.. I reminded him that he could call his Grandma again...WOOHOO!!!! After supper, Nathan served me the dessert he had made, vanilla pudding...very yummy! We chilled for a bit and I talked to my ADORABLE, FABULOUS, BEAUTIFUL, INCREDIBLE, WONDERFUL Mom and then my boys kicked my butt at the game Sorry, you think they could have at least given me a chance...hehe.

All in all it was a fabulous day... thankyou!!!

Ok, I need your help....please!!

I've been trying to make some food to freeze or have ready when this baby comes along but I am stumped on what to make. I was trying to think of the food that I take to people that need a meal but it's usually the same thing...lasagna.



So what do you take to people that need meals, whether it be because they've had a new baby, had surgery, or just even need a meal????

I would LOVE to hear all suggestions...including side dishes, desserts, treats, anything to help us get prepared for this next phase of our life!!! :)

WHAT?!?!

We are now officially under the 30 day mark...only 29 days left....AGGHHH!!!!

Actually, I am SOOOO ready to meet this baby NOW. Yesterday we had our ultrasound and being able to see in detail the arms, hands, nose, legs, etc. made me want my baby NOW. I can't wait to hold baby in my arms, examine EVERY little detail as long as I want to, cuddle baby, nurse, everything, I just can't wait to be a mom of 2!!!!

WOOHOO!!! Only 29 days left!!!!

Baby #2

This pregnancy has been quite challenging but SUCH an incredible blessing.... our little miracle baby. Sometimes I forget what we had to go through to get to this point and last night as I layed in bed feeling horrible(sick) I started to think about how grateful I REALLY am. I am soooo grateful to be pregnant, to be growing this sweet little angel in my tummy, and to have this opportunity to bring another little spirit into this world....thankyou sooo much Heavenly Father.



Since we are quickly running out of time before this baby will be joining our family and the craziness REALLY begins, I thought I would write down some things that I have enjoyed/not enjoyed this last 9 months.



Enjoyed:

-feeling the baby moving in my tummy, I LOVE all the movements, the twitches, the stretching, the rolling, the hiccups

-actually being able to feel the little "parts" of the baby, tonight I felt the toes and OF COURSE had to tickle them, which caused the baby to pull back and then kick me super hard..hehe. I have felt my fair share of elbows, knees, bum, head, fingers tickling, back, everything and I love playing guess that part.

-seeing the baby at the ultrasounds from the first one that just was a blob and heartbeat(oh how BEAUTIFUL that heartbeat was that day). We actually have our last one (hopefully) on Thursday and I can't wait to see how big baby is going to be, and just the changes it's gone through over the last few months...plus, we are hoping to find out (finally) what gender the baby is going to be.

-talking with the baby... I LOVE to talk to the baby, ask it when the heck it's coming out, tell it how my day is going, tell it how excited I am for baby to meet it's big brother, sing to it, anything that I feel like saying to baby

-going through this experience with Nathan. It was wonderful to go through my 1st pregnancy with Wayne but there is something so special about experiencing it with my son and husband. Nate has been soooo cool through this whole thing. He has understood that at times Mommy just feels like crap and needs to lay on the couch or in bed for a while. He knows that a baby is in my tummy and he already loves this baby so much. He LOVES to give baby hugs and kisses, and most nights/naptimes when we are reading, he wants to cuddle with "baby"/my belly. He LOVES feeling the baby move and comes up with the most funny reasons why baby is squirming, like baby wants a cookie, or baby says it needs to go pee..etc...hehe. His attention/noticing other people's baby has been amazing to me... he always wants to hold the babies and when holding his cousin Farrish last week I loved watching him stroke her hair, hold her hand, kiss her, he was just soooo wonderful and it made me soooo excited to see how he is going to be with HIS own baby.

-the attitude/personality this baby already has. This baby knows what it wants already and wants it NOW. If baby wants it's back/butt rubbed it will push out like crazy till I finally rub it, and once I do and baby is satisfied then it relaxes. But when it doesn't want to be touched the feet start kicking and baby lets me know FOR SURE that it's done, and if I don't stop then the feet move up to the ribs and that's the end of that...hehe. It will be interesting to see if this baby comes out being a fiesty one from the get go...oh dear to have 2 kids that are sooo strong-willed...ai, ai, ai.

-other than being sick I've been really quite comfy...there's been the pain here and there but for the most part I have been truly blessed to be in very little pain.

Don't enjoy:

-The WORST part of this pregnancy has definately been the feeling sick almost ALL the time. These last few weeks have been really bad as I haven't been able to sleep because I've been so nauseous and puky.

-People asking me if I am SURE that it's not twins...thankyou, I really appreciate you hinting that I am HUGE!!! Oh wait, I am huge (I'm measuring 3 weeks bigger than I am), but still I don't want to hear it.

-Getting stuck in bed. You know the times when you've been laying in one position and the big belly just won't get out of the way?!?! No? Oh.... well, Nate has had to push me a few times to help me get some momentum to get up.

-Swelling....oh my. When my sister Lisa was pregnant over the summer she swelled up SOOO much and I felt so sorry for her, then I got pregnant and I guess it was my turn. It is amazing to see my little hands looking like balls with sausages on the ends, and my feet, oh boy, they are sooo big sometimes that the ONLY shoes that fit are my flip-flops...this wasn't a good thing when there was still snow on the ground.

-the knowledge that this baby HAS to come out and the memory of how it's going to feel/happen. I definatley am not uncomfortable enough yet because I am NOT ready to give birth. Nathan has been really interested in this process, and we've been able to have some good talks about where babies REALLY are in my tummy and how they really come out. The other day he said "Mommy, the baby is going to come out of your vagina, right?" I said." Yep." He said, "Oh man, that's going to hurt!!" Yes, little buddy, it really is...hehe.

-feeling like someone has kicked me between the legs every once in a while...not a fun feeling.

-knowing that this is coming to a quick end and this could very possibly be the last time I am ever pregnant again. This is probably THE biggest reasons why I don't want this baby to come yet, I would LOVE to be pregnant forever.

-not being able to do everything I want to physically, including walking more than a few feet at a decent pace....I can't wait to get my body back.

Less than 5 weeks to go, I am EXTREMELY excited to finally meet this little creature that has been boarding in my tummy for the last 8 months.

My dear sweet husband came home tonight with this:



I have been wanting one for SOOOO long and Wayne was able to get this one which is 6 quarts....WOOHOOO... I would have been happy with a 4.5 quart one.

Of course, I HAD to play with my new toy tonight and made my favorite cookies, and I would love to share the recipe with everyone.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

5 cups blended oatmeal
2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
3 cups chocolate chips
1-8pz. Hershey bar (grated)
3 cups chopped nuts, or 1.5 cups nuts and 1.5 cups coconut(this is what I normally do)

Measure oatmeal and blend in blender till fine powder. Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts/coconut. Place on cookie sheets (I usually do tbsp size). Bake for 10 minutes or till just turning brown @ 375.

I have made these with M&M's thrown in as well and they were yummy too.

SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

Wayne and I decided to do some renovations this year and because baby #2 is coming, well anytime now, we thought "Hey, let's get it all done before baby comes." Sure, great idea. But Wayne and I forgot that we have THE WORST luck sometimes.

This house, which we LOVE, has been owned by quite a few people before us. Unfortunately, these people (whichever ones they are) had NO CLUE how to do certain things properly.

For instance:

Our basement shower wasn't installed properly and so it leaked for probably years. We moved in everything looked great and after a few months a baseboard got knocked off and low and behold.... MOLD. So Wayne and my brother Russ ripped apart the bathroom, cleaned up the mess, and then Wayne and Mark built a new room. Yay, we have a new bathroom. Annoying problem turned into a pretty bathroom. :)

The electrical work in this house, oh boy, my poor husband has been having to fix SOOOO many different issues it's been crazy...but at least our house won't (hopefully) burn down now, and our lighting and electrical looks better. :)

The deck in our backyard was wobbly(scary to stand on because it wobbled so badly) because it wasn't built properly and was totally rotted out, which we didn't know till we started ripping it apart. Now we have a beautiful new deck that is soooo pretty and doesn't shake. :)

There have been other problems but our "favorite" so far happened this weekend. (BTW, I will be posting pictures once everything is done.) On our main entrance stairs we had tile and on the nosing we had a metal piece that unfortunately was sharp and not installed properly and was REALLY dangerous. From the day we moved in Wayne and I wanted to remove the metal because we really have been afraid that someone would fall down the stairs and break/cut their head open. I slipped up the stairs, yes up... it was pathetic, and ripped up a chunk of my toe, ouch. Dangerous. We talked to a couple different trades guys and they both said...if you take it off, hope that there is 1/4 inch piece of plywood that the tile is stuck too that you can remove or it will be a HORRIBLE mess. Guess WHAT?!?!?! They cemented the tile to the subfloor/actual stairs.... AGGHHHHHH, no 1/4 inch piece of plywood!!!!! My sweet husband spent 3 hours grinding down the cement on the part of the stairs that you actually step on but the grinder was too big for the"up" part of the stair. So last night he tried to chip away the cement to make it smooth for HOURS.... all that happened was that he was ripping apart the stairs to the point that we might have to replace the whole stair, expensive and SOOO time consuming. We decided at 3am to just go to bed and hope it was good enough for them to do the stairs this morning.

This morning the flooring guys came in, took one look at the stairs and pretty much said "Not good enough". CRAP. Wayne is not a happy camper and honestly neither am I because I am soooo tired of our house being ripped apart and just want stuff done. So now we have to figure out some way to fix it and get it done well. If only the previous owners had done it properly we wouldn't have this problem, things would be done and we would be happy home owners. :)

The bright side of all the renos is I have BEAUTIFUL new carpet in our basement that is soooo pretty and new.... YAY!!!!

We keep telling this house that it better be good to us because we have been SOOOO good to it. Hehe... Well enough of my vent, hopefully VERY soon I'll be showing you some GORGEOUS new pictures of all the work we've (Wayne's) done.

Another fun survey.

How old will you turn in 2009? I will be 29....my last year of my 20's!!! :(

Would you date someone 8 years older than you? Not now for obvious reasons.... but when I was single I really thought I was going to date an older man that had kids already...so ya... I think I could have in the past.

What were you doing at 4am? Trying to fall back asleep after being up puking...fun huh!!! :)

What were your first thoughts this morning? Oh man, just 5 more minutes PLEASE!!!

Are you a jealous person? Not normally, but everyone once in a while I can be and it's usually if I am PMS'ing or pregnant... I use to be horrible but my self esteem had been beaten down (a HORRIBLE relationship I was in) and I really didn't think I was worth anything or anyone would REALLY want me. I am TOTALLY past that and know what I am really worth so no... I'm not a jealous person.

Is there anything that has messed up your life? I wouldn't say messed up my life... made me who I am today? for sure, but not messed up my life...

Do you have a best friend? Yes, I have been VERY blessed to have a few BF's in my life.

Where was your default picture taken? I don't think I have a default picture on here, do I?

What is bothering you right now? That my room is "hot" and I can't cool it down....blah.

Is there any meaning behind your profile song? I don't have a profile song.

Do you believe what goes around comes around? Ummm... maybe.

Do you trust people easily? Partially... I might want to trust people and I definately give everyone a chance but you screw up or break my trust and it's REALLY hard to get it back.

One thing you're looking forward to? Holding this sweet baby in my arms.... Seeing Wayne with his 2nd child...Watching Nathan meet his brother or sister for the 1st time.

What was the last thing you drank? Water... at night I have to drink at least 3 cups of water within the hour before I go to bed or I am sick ALL night... the only downfall is that then I have to pee a few times in the night.

Are most of the best friends in your life new or old? New.

Do you like pulp orange juice? I LOVE extra pulp... Wayne HATES pulp, so I usually have to buy one of both.

Which could you tolerate more, a sleep walker or someone who snores? A sleep walker... I can't stand snoring because I am not a deep sleeper and it drives me insane if I am having troubles sleeping and Wayne's having a GREAT sleep... I actually usually poke him until he stops.

Would you ever parachute off of a plane? Yes, I WILL go skydiving once my kids are grown if I can... I should have gone before I had kids, and I don't think that it would be fair to go now....just in case..but once they are grown I would LOVE to.

Is your birthday on a holiday? Depending on the year it falls on Mother's Day.

Do you want to hit something? Ummm...what kind of question is that? NO!!!

Is your ex still in your life as a friend? Ya, I have a few that I have kept in contact with.

Would you ever get a tattoo? I don't think so.

What's your mood? Content.

Who's the last person you hugged? Nathan, always before he goes to bed.

Day been rough? Ya, it was NOT a good day. I was up around 7:30 and by 11:30 I realized that I hadn't felt baby all morning. I poked the baby, pushed it around, drank some cold water, layed down, and finally drank a glass of root beer. Baby still didn't move. I called my dr. and they told me to come in. Not even 5 minutes later the baby moved around a bit. I then called my dr. back and they still recommended me coming in, just in case. I had a non-stress test and baby was still being a bum, the heartrate was staying pretty even, which isn't what they want to see I guess. After 3 juice boxes baby started behaving and the nurse said that baby is just being lazy and having a REALLY good sleep today. That's fine but next time baby, please let me know that everything is fine by twitching or something while you're sleeping. So ya, this morning was not fun.

Is there someone you want to be with right now? Wayne, he's working on things in the basement again though and I will probably be going to sleep before he's done.

Plans for your next birthday? Not to have the baby. Jen & Mark and Russ & Beth will all be out of town and they are the people that Nate will be staying with if we have the baby. So hopefully baby doesn't make an appearance at that time.

Tell me about the shirt you're wearing? It is an orange maternity shirt that Jen loaned me and I LOVE it.

Do you remember who you liked in 7th grade? Oh man, I had soooo many crushed growing up... I really don't remember any specific time frame/guy until Grade 9.

What are you up to this weekend? Putting our basement back together... the carpet will be installed on Friday...WOOHOOO!!!!

How do you vent your anger? I am a yeller, and I am really trying to work on this... and if I am REALLY mad I will start crying (this drives me insane because there have been times that I needed to be mad and needed to be strong and I break down crying). Also, if I am really angry I will say exactly what I am thinking, again this is something that isn't good sometimes.

Can you crack your knuckles? Sure can.

What color is your mouse pad? I am using my laptop right now, and our desktop has a plain black one.

What time did you wake up this morning? Which time? Each time I peed? The time I puked? Or when I actually got up?

How many different people of the opposite sex have you REALLY cried over? Too many that I cried over. But there are only a small handful that I REALLY cried over, or that I had REAL feelings for.

Would your parents be mad if you were in a relationship? Umm... I hope they like that I am married... ;)

What was the last thing you did before you went to bed last night? Snuggled with Wayne, had a drink of water and ate saltine crackers (the same thing I have done for the last 8+ months)

Do you feel comfortable with answering personal questions? Depends on the person that I am telling but usually I am VERY open.

Do you think age matters in relationships? No. Maturity does though.

What will you do after this? Get ready for bed and watch some t.v.

Are you open about your feelings or closed off? Open

What are you listening to? TV.

Are you gonna be home alone tonight? Noppers, I have both my boys here.

Is it okay if you kiss people when you're single? Uhhh... YA!!!! That's the best part of being single...kiss whoever you want...hehe...just kidding.

Would you go in public looking like you do right now? No, I am missing some articles of clothing that might get me arrested if I went out in public....being HUGE and clothing being tight just isn't working for me right now... sometimes my body needs to "breathe".

What's something that can always make you feel better? A hug, kiss

Do you think your best friend and you will be friends in 10 years? Absolutely.

Did you laugh a lot at something today? Ya, Nate makes me laugh every day.

Oh the things kids think...

My BF Jen and family were over the other day (last post was my ode to Jen & family). Jen and I were talking about how often we need to wax our legs and she put her leg up on Nate's chair to show me how good she was doing. Nate looked at her leg and then said "WOOOOOOHOOOOOO". We laughed sooo hard and Nate turned BRIGHT red...hehe.

Tonight while I was getting Nate ready for bed he said, "Mommy, Jesus has a GRRREAT plan." I said, "Really? What is it?" Nate then said so sweetly," To make Ninja Turtles stop fighting the bad guys." Ummmm.....okay, I guess that's a great plan...hehe...funny little guy.

Man I love my little Nater Pater.

Friends, no Angels!!!

Remember these guys?!?!



No? Well they have been our angels the last little while.

Wayne and I decided that we wanted to do some renos before baby comes. Great idea right??? WRONG... I am 8+ months pregnant and really relatively useless when it comes to do heavy lifting or ANY of the things that we need to do. So a few weeks ago these guys...

came over and helped my sweet husband get rid of our ugly furniture (I'll post pictures later on, once all the renos are done) and move all of our family room and play room stuff up into our upstairs living room and Nate's room... not fun but needed to be done so we could start with the "real" work (and I say we VERY lightly).

This week Wayne did a bunch of electrical work in the basement, and ripped up carpet and underlay in both rooms. I filled holes/scratches/dents, washed walls, painted trim well the trim around the windows because all the other trim had to come down, but I'll be painting that when we put it back on. Then yesterday, these people....

came over and this woman...

came over and within 3 hours painted the first coat of my family room ALL by herself (and it's not a little room). I am soooo blessed, she is soooo wonderful and SUCH a great friend. I felt pretty pathetic because all I did was sit on a chair in the room, chat with her, take care of her baby sometimes and watch. (Oh I did do what I do best, I fed everyone as well but while I wasn't cooking I felt really pathetic) She did this as a favor to me knowing that physically I could have done the room (it would have taken me 4 times as long) but I would be REALLY hurting right now. Plus, we've painted together before...

and she painted the 3 green walls while I painted the 1 blue wall....hehe...she likes me keeping her company MUCH better than me "helping" her. I think it's like when your kids want to help you and you KNOW it will just be easier to do it yourself...ya... she likes me sitting on the chair...hehe.
Mark and Wayne put together our new BBQ (which I am SOOO happy about) and dealt with our 3 boys.

Then again today Mark & Jen came over again and Jen painted the 2nd coat in 2 hours.

I HATE asking people for help, but Jen didn't even give me a chance to ask...she knew we wanted it done, she asked me what weekend would work for us and she showed up ready to go. I wish there were some way that I could say THANKYOU and I know that we will have the opportunity to pay them back, but I REALLY am soooo grateful for having such WONDERFUL friends who love us enough to help us.

So Mark and Jen.... Thankyou!!! Thanks for giving up your weekend and spending it with us, working. Thanks for being SUCH wonderful people that we have fallen in love with. Thanks for loving us and putting up with all our "differences". Thanks for being SOOO great and helping us make our house more of a home!!! We REALLY do love you both!!!!

Beautiful!!!

I don't know if you've seen this video yet but it has REALLY got me thinking the last few days.

***This is Susan Boyle. *** (click on the colored words to go to the videos)

She is a contestant on Britain's Got Talent.
Warning: if you watch this video you may find yourself watching it again, and again, and again.

Another video I have really enjoyed for quite a while is of this man,

***Paul Potts***

another contestant on Britain's Got Talent from last year.
(Watch specifically at 2:24 when his face goes from smiling to blank... breaks my heart EVERYTIME)

These are 2 people that before they walked onto that stage had NO IDEA how amazing they are or how they were going to affect everyone that saw them.
Sweet Susan Boyle- When she walked on the stage I thought... Girl, you need some serious help with that hair...I admit, just like everyone else I instantly judged her and was curious to see what kind of trainwreck she was going to perform. I did have a GREAT laugh when she shook her booty though...haha... you go girl!!! But then...
then like one of the judges said, she taught me SUCH a valuable lesson. When she started singing the warmth just flooded my body and ran out with my tears...she was INCREDIBLY beautiful!!! Her voice, as you've heard, was angelic, her determination and belief in herself was sooo intense I couldn't help but fall in love with this funny little poofy haired lady.

Then I had to go and watch Paul's performance. This little phone salesman who made me cry because of his inability to see how amazing he really is and his awkwardness. Seriously, everytime I watch it and see him go from being proud/happy to unsure right after he finished singing sooo amazingly breaks my heart.

After watching both of these amazing performances I thought about a few things:

One...how shallow and judgemental I can be. I know there are times when I will look at someone and judge them because of their outwardly appearance. I also should know by now that this is SOOO wrong and I have been put in my place many times. Some of THE nicest people I have ever met don't look like what is "normal" per the world's standards. Susan looks like one of "those special spirits" that I have joked about in the past and maybe she is a little quirky but who cares...why is it my place to judge her? Oh right, it's not!!!

Another thing is how amazing it is how Heavenly Father has hidden these amazing talents in the most interesting places. Both of these people would NEVER have gotten a 2nd look if they had walked into a normal agency and said "I want to sing for you, because I have an amazing talent." They would have been laughed out of the room. But what an amazing opportunity they have to share their talents and to teach us all a lesson. I really want to stop next time I look at someone and start to judge them and think... I wonder what their hidden talent is?

What's shocked me the most was when watching both of these performances I think that I got a teeny tiny view of how Heavenly Father sees all of us. Here we are on the earth, going about our day to day things, sometimes feeling ugly, awkward, not confident, unsure of ourselves or unsure of the way we are going in our lives. However, Heavenly Father is up there waiting for our performance, and he sees who we REALLY are and sees past all the "poofy hair", self doubt, and sees our talents and knows how TRULY BEAUTIFUL we really are. I wish/hope that I can stop when things seem to be spinning out of control and I am judging myself and see that in myself Heavenly Father has hidden VERY specific talents that are JUST for me. Hopefully I will be able to stop and see how BEAUTIFUL I REALLY AM!!!