it is what it is

Bwooks and Bwody

2010-07-13T15:26:00.000-07:00

These two little guys are going to have so much fun growing up together. Hopefully they will get to play football and baseball together in high school for the Ricebirds. Brooks became good friends with Brody when we rode with he and his mom to get his haircut in Sugar land. Wish I would have gotten pictures of the two of them in the backseat.

On June 2nd, we all got together in El Campo to visit with Grandpa Popp's sisters, Sister Adalaide and Sister Anna Marie. They got a kick out of all the kiddos.

Sip N See

2010-07-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

We are very blessed to have an amazing church family. I grew up Catholic and in Shiner, nearly everyone is Catholic. I still consider myself Catholic, and always will, but in order for Nick and I to attend the same church on Sundays, I attend with him at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Wharton. I really love the people there. It is a very small, tight knit church. Mamo was never happy that I married outside of the Catholic religion...she's obviously a very old school, hard core Catholic. I think she became more accepting of it when she attended Brody's baptism. Anyways, on May 16th, we along with 5 other families were honored with an old fashioned "Sip and See." It was absolutely adorable! Here are a few pictures from the event! I cannot wait for all these kiddos to attend Sunday school together. Should be very interesting!

Brodster's Life

2010-06-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Everytime I start a post it goes...since I have been a terrible blogger....blah blah blah! I just hate taking time away from Brody to actually sit down and type anything out. I spend very little time on the internet...if I can't do it on my phone, I just don't do it. Watch out when I get an iphone! I have been writing little blurbs on a calendar and will transfer some of it to the blog, which mostly consists of stuff about him!

APRIL:
2nd-3rd we were in Shiner to celebrate Brody's 1st Easter. We took a few pictures that didn't turn out very well because it was just toooo hot outside for the little fellow. We picked Easter flowers in Mom and Dad's ditch to make Brody's 1st Easter nest. Most people don't know what an Easter nest is, but it's a tradition we have done since we were all little bitty. The Easter Bunny comes and puts gifts and candy in the ring of flowers, much like St. Nicholas. Brody's 1st nest didn't consist of the mother-load of gifts like we usually got because there really isn't anything he needed. We gave him a swing for the tree and my parents gave him a super cute Gymboree tractor outfit. We left early Sunday morning to make it in time for church in Wharton. Brody were his Easter suit and was such a ham. Nick held him at the end of the pew during communion and he jabbered to everyone as they walked back from communion. He seems like quite the politician...full of bull corn!

11th- What an amazing day! It was my birthday and Brody's baptism. What a wonderful birthday gift. We had lots of family and friends to celebrate the special day with us. Auntie Jamie, Auntie Jill, Uncle Luke, and Uncle Jake were chosen to be Brody's Godparents. Each one of these people are soooo very special to us, we know that they will help guide Brody and be there for him whenever he needs them. After the baptism, we had a catered meal at The Lodge in Wharton. It ended up being Staff's fried chicken with trimmings. I was disappointed at first because it was supposed to be chicken fried chicken and they made the wrong meal. It was still very good, but not exactly what I wanted! Those that attended Brody's baptism were: Granny and Popo Chumchal, Uncle Jaace, Auntie Jamo and Uncle Robert, Auntie Jill and Uncle Tom, Mamaw and Papa Chumchal, Mamo Migl, Great Auntie Carolyn and Great Uncle Allen, Grammy and Papa Popp, Uncle Luke and Aunt Jenna, Eli, Uncle Jake and Auntie SBG, Great Grams, Great Grandma Popp, Great uncle Ken Mattheaus and Beverly, Joe, Julie, and Jennifer Mask. Brody got lots of very generous gifts....several Bibles, a rosary, lots of money, a life insurance policy, clothes, a personalized cross and frames. He is abundantly blessed and loved.

15th-Brody and I made our first trip alone to Shiner to help decorate for Auntie Jamo's wedding. The great grandma's did most of the babysitting while we decorated. Daddy was not thrilled about being without us at home, but he survived.
16th-During the day, we met up with lots of Jamie's out of town guests at the Spoetzl Brewery. Brody went on his first of many tours! He slept through the entire thing.
17th-Brody had a huge day! He got to be the ring bearer at his auntie's wedding. He was absolutely adorable in his little tux. I got to walk him down the aisle and handed him to Nick at the end of the aisle. Nick held him throughout the ceremony and walked him down at the end. I was one very very proud Mommy when I walked him down. It took everything I had not to burst into tears. You could hear all the oohs and ahhs as we made it down the aisle. Brody slept throughout the mass.....such a good little boy. The wedding was fabulous and everyone had a wonderful time. Mommy had a really really good time! Grammy and Papa had a room at the Bed and Breakfast so they took Brody with them for a while until we left the wedding. We cleaned up the hall the next day.
24th-Mommy went to Shiner to attend Auntie Jill's Pampered Chef showers. Brody stayed at home with Daddy for the 1st time. They had lots of fun riding around and visiting people.
28th-12 weeks old. We transitioned him from his pack and play to his crib. He did a wonderful job and continued to sleep through the night. He usually goes down at 9:30pm and wakes up at 6:30am for a bottle. Again, what an awesome baby!

MAY:
1st-Jill's bachelorette party at the Longhorn Saloon in Shiner. Nick, Popo, and the rest of the guys babysat while we partied!
4th-We went to the WCYF steer show. Brody was thoroughly impressed with all the animals. He just stared and stared! The love of cows and tractors are in his blood!
7th-Brody went all day and night without his paci and has not had one since! We went to Great Grandma Popp's for Mother's Day dinner.
8th-Went to the WCYF sale.
9th-Mother's Day! Such a beautiful day, that I never fully appreciated until this year. Being a mother is the BEST job on the face of this Earth. I would give anything and everything I have for this handsome little boy. He makes our world go around! Nick and Brody took Mommy to lunch at PF Chang's and then shopping to the Galleria where we bought lots of clothes for Brody. I have more fun shopping for him than myself so that was my request! Brody gave me a "B" charm for my necklace. I absolutely LOVE it!
11th-Brody was antsy in bed and clawing at the sheets. A put a "lovey" in bed with him to grab and he was immediately soothed. This began his love for his "snoozie rag!"
12th-Brody, Mommy, and Grammy went to El Campo to pick up his 1st little Red Flyer Wagon that he actually got as a gift from Grammy and Papa at Christmas. It just took a while to come in. While we were there, we fell in love with a John Deere "big" wagon so Grammy spoiled him with that too. He loves being in both wagons!
13th-Brody and Daddy went to check cows in Pledger and Brody was amazed again at the cows. He just sat stared at them the entire time.
14th-Uncle Jake graduated from Texas State. We had lunch with everyone in Wimberley. Brody had his 1st hotel stay in New Braunfels that evening.
15th-We shopped in Gruene and all had a "bottle" at Gruene Hall. We went through Shiner and stayed the night.
16th-We left very early Sunday morning to be back in time for church. The people of our church put on a Sip and See for the 6 babies that were born this past year. It was absolutely precious. They really outdid themselves. We are very blessed to be members of a church that is so close knit and loving. Brody will have lots of little pals to attend Sunday school with. They gave us a monogrammed blankie, a ceramic plate that says, "For this child, I prayed," and a willow tree statue.
18th-Brody really found his "monster voice." It is so funny to hear him growl and funnier to watch him figure out how to do it when he forgets and we make the sound to him.
19th-Granny came up to go shopping and take pictures with Brody. They are adorable. We also got his baptismal pictures taken.
20th-We bought Brody and blow up pool for the summer time. It was too cold to get into so we waited until the next day. He absolutely LOVES the water. I was always a water baby and we hope he is as well. I think knowing how to swim is one of the most important things in life.
21st-Moved up to a size 3 diaper. They look huge! There is nothing cute about a big ole size 3 diaper compared to the itty bitty size 1s. He has grown entirely too fast! Nick and I had to go to Sugar Lanf for tires for Nick's truck so Brody stayed with Grammy, Papa, and Uncle Jake. We ate dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It was nice to have a little alone time together, but we sure missed our little B-man....especially when the people next to us had a baby about the same age. It made me feel guilty for not having him with us. I'm sure that feeling will subside when he starts daycare.
22nd-San Marcos trip! You were going to stay with Granny but she had lots of work to get done for Auntie Jill's wedding. You came with us and boy, was that interesting! The trip there was fine. We forgot your float so we went to Target to get a new one. We swam all day at Uncle Jake's apartment and you LOVED it! We went to Shiner that night and it took us about 2 hours to get there. You screamed the entire way to Shiner. It was HORRIBLE....so unlike you. We would stop and pull you out of the carseat and you were fine. My stomach was in knots! We knew it was the carseat, but we had no choice. You HAD to be in the seat. The next day, I went to get you a new big boy carseat! You were a-ok when I put you in that one!

JUNE
3rd-Brody, Mommy, and Grammy went to Shiner to decorate for Auntie Jill's wedding. Grammy watched you most of the time, while Mommy decorated. Friday we all hung out and went to the brewery gift shop.
5th-Brody had another VERY BIG day! He got to wear a tuxedo and be the ring bearer AGAIN! The next time we go to a wedding, you are not going to know how to act without wearing a tux! ;) You were the cutest little guy around, once again! You were an angel and slept through church, but woke up in time for pictures. Mommy held you throughout the entire mass, and let me just tell you, you are HEAVY!!! The wedding was a blast! We cannot believe that both weddings are over....very sad!
7th-4 month checkup. 19 3/4 lb. 28 in. Doctor Schafer says you are comparable to an average 10 month old. Jeez, son....please slow down!
9th-12th--FRIO RIVER FUN!!
12th-Back home and went to the Leopold Family Reunion in Nada. That night we picked up Uncle Tom and Auntie Jill from the airport. They had arrived from their honeymoon in St. Lucia.
14th-You started eating pears and we introduced you to your 1st sippy cup. You loved the pears and the apple juice!

I'll expand on several of these important days when I can pry myself away from you, you spoiled little boy!

Mommy's Last Brody Check-up

2010-03-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, February 20th, I had my last doctor's visit for this pregnancy. We had started seeing Dr. Cone in November of 2008. We very quickly got familiar with he and his staff as things did not progress the way they were supposed to and we were at the clinic LOTS of times within about 4 weeks. I don't even want to know how many times we made that trek to Houston in the past 16 months. The good thing is that we have a break for an entire year! Wooo! This is very bittersweet for us. We absolutely LOVE Dr. Cone and the people who work for him. I was on the verge of tears when we walked out on Tuesday. They have all been very helpful and supportive throughout our trials and tribulations. They were never frustrated when I would call with silly questions. We appreciate everything these great people did for us. We couldn't leave without pictures.

Nurse Becky and Brody~She wanted to steal him from us, but she only got away with a kiss!

Dr. Cone and Brody

Nurse Angela and Brody-Angela is the floor nurse so she knows EVERYTHING about me.

Nurse Lynn-When I was 38 weeks preggo, Mom, Jamie, Jill, and I saw Lynn and her daughter shopping at Memorial City Mall. It was neat that she knew my name outside of the clinic. That may seem silly to some people, but this clinic sees lots of people. There were 9,300 babies delivered at our hospital and most of those are OGA patients.

We are very blessed to have these wonderful nurses and doctor. Can't wait to use them for the next baby.....yearssssss down the road!

My Preppy Little Redneck!

2010-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I like boys in sweater vests or button downs with jeans. The "preppy" outfits are my fave. Nick has (very surprisingly) let me dress Brody in whatever I pick. He had even agreed with me on not putting Brody in John Deere baby clothes. When he's a little older, I'm sure he'll have a JD t-shirt or two, but it was just something I didn't want to subject him to as a teeny little infant. Well, today we got a very cute, teeny tiny little cap from the Schaefer's for Brody's birth. He looks sooooo cute in it, but we still aren't running out and buying him a JD onesie!

Nick Jr.

Brody, your Mommy DOES exist!

2010-03-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

The only time I am in a picture or video is if I ASK someone to take a picture of Brody with me. How sad! Here are a few of you and me, little man!

Businessman

2010-03-20T20:23:00.001-07:00

How can you NOT laugh at this??

Happy St. Paddy's Day

2010-03-20T20:10:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of Brody with something for every holiday. Well, I missed the first holiday Brody was around for. Brody was only 12 days old on Valentine's Day so I was unable to take him shopping. I would have bought an outfit early, but we didn't know to go girl or boy so we will just pretend it didn't happen this year! ;) Nick and I did get to sneak out of the house for about an hour on Valentine's Day. He arranged for his mom to come watch Brody while we went out to eat. Of course I trust her, I just didn't want to leave him! It was a nice little outting though.

The next holiday to celebrate with Brody was St. Paddy's Day! Not that special of a holiday, but it did give me an excuse to take these funny pictures. Isn't it terrible how I torture the poor guy? He actually was very sweet and didn't get mad at me at all.

I love me little leprechaun!

One Month Update

2010-03-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Sweet Brody,

This coming Tuesday you will be 6 weeks old. The time we have spent with you has flown by way to fast. You are constantly changing and Mommy is always telling you to slow down, but you are obviously not listening. I'm very glad that you are healthy and growing the way you are supposed to, but it's just tooooo fast! Since your birthday you have done so much and have grown in so many ways. Since your Mommy has been a bad blogger because she NEVER puts you down we've got to put all sorts of stuff in one post rather than a daily update. (I'll try to be better!)

At your 2 week check-up you weighed 9lbs. and 22 1/4 inches long. That means you gained 1/2 lb. and grew 1 1/4 inch. Your pediatrician is Dr. Shaffer and we absolutely love him. He is the team doctor for the Rice Owls. He knows alot about Texas State because the coach from Rice used to coach at TX State. (This is what sold your Daddy on keeping him instead of getting someone closer.) We think you will love him too. He sang to you and you stopped crying when you were freezing cold (naked) in the room and he was checking you. Although you weren't very happy with him when he pulled your rotten umbilical stump off because it just wasn't coming off on it's own. Mommy wasn't happy either, but I he didn't really warn us that it was going to happen. After your check-up with Dr. Shaffer, we had to go to the hospital for your 2nd PKU test. Only one person got to go to the back to witness the poking so I immediately nominated your Daddy. He will get to do all this manly stuff with you from here on out.

Since your 6 weeks of life, we have made 2 trips to Shiner with one being our 1st overnight stay. Daddy joked that we packed everything but the kitchen sink. Even though we packed MORE than enough of everything, we were still afraid that we were going to run out of formula because you were just sucking it down so fast. We ended up with the exact amount. I'll be bringing a brand new can from now on. That weekend you got to meet lots of relatives and friends that weren't able to come see you in Wharton including your great grandmas and great grandpa. Saturday we attended your great great aunt Delores and great great uncle Sylvester's 50th wedding anniversary. You were a sweetheart as usual. You have attended 3 birthday parties...Lexi Joines' 1st (she's our cute little neighbor, your future girlfriend ;)), your great uncle Louie's 56th birthday (we are sooo very blessed that you have been able to meet him), and your Uncle Luke's 30th birthday. Tomorrow we will celebrate Auntie Jamo's birthday and Auntie Jill and Uncle Tom's wedding shower in Shiner. I almost forgot to mention how much these Auntie's love you. They spoil you rotten! Seeing how much they love you touches my heart beyond words. It is really the neatest thing to see. Mommy loves her sisters more than ever and I thought that wasn't possible.

You have gotten to go out to eat with us several times. We really love taking you out when the weather is nice and showing you off. People always stop and tell us how handsome you are. You are always very sweet and usually sleep the entire time right until our food comes. You must feel left out so you demand that you eat right then too. Speaking of eating, you are up to 6 ounces of formula. You don't eat the full 6 every time, it just depends. You usually go 2 1/2 to 3 hours in between each feeding. At night you eat the full 6 before you go to bed at about 10:30. You seem to always wake up at 2:20am, 6:30, and 9:30. This past Monday we started you on a Level 2 nipple because you were giving me a run for my money. You woke up almost every hour and ate about 2 ounces. It took you about 45 minutes to eat it and you would fall asleep. It was our first bad night. We fixed that problem real quick. You are a happy camper again. When you were first born, the plan was to strictly feed you breastmilk, but like everything, plans were changed. Breastfeeding was painful! You had two little bumps where your two bottom teeth were going to come in. When I told the lactation consultant that you had teeth, she was rude and didn't believe me. You were at the nursery getting something done at that time so I told her to go look for herself. Boy was she shocked! This made me give up breastfeeding rather quickly had home. We pumped for 4 weeks. You are now on formula only. Dr. Shaffer told us that they weren't teeth, but they would come in sooner than most babies. Well, they are officially in!

Because you are such a long boy, you are in 3 month clothes. Most open foot pant onesies look like shorts on you. 3-6 months are way to big. You also bypassed the cute little newborn diapers and are still wearing size 1.

On Monday, your Grammy rode with us to Sugar Land so that I could do a little shopping. It was your 1st trip to Babies R Us. Thursday your Granny came to visit and we took you on your first REAL shopping trip. You got to ride around the mall in your awesome stroller and you were such a little angel. Just fyi-we are breaking you in as early as possible because you have LOTS of shopping trips ahead of you with Granny and Aunties, even though you are a boy. It's our favorite past-time together! Yesterday Granny and I shopped for a tuxedo for you to wear to both auntie's weddings this year. You are going to be the cutest ring bearer ever and the busiest baby too. We decided to wait a few more weeks until we buy you one.

As of yesterday, we decided that we need to start calling you by your name. Mommy always calls you handsome and Daddy calls you his little pal all the time. It would be very cute to us in the next few years if you told everyone your name was handsome, but everyone else might think you are a little conceited.

Daddy has Spring Break next week so we are going to take you to San Marcos and Gruene on Sunday and Monday. We are soooooooo pumped about showing you our old stomping grounds. Daddy has been wanting to buy a mini TX State baseball cap for a loooong time, it will be the 1st thing we do when we get into town. We will also be taking our first round of family pictures with one of our awesome wedding photographers named Efro. We can't wait to see how you do.

Brody, you are such a sweet little angel. Mommy always wonders how and why we were blessed with such a perfect little sweetheart. You don't give us much trouble at all. You have such an amazing little personality, but we knew that when you immediately waved at us at our first ultrasound. You are a smiley-boy and people love holding you because you never cry. You do a fake little whine and that always means, change me or feed me. You have had one major crying fit and that was because you were freezing cold when I was changing you at Uncle Luke's birthday party. You are also such a little cuddler. You love being held. I just love the way you tuck your legs under your little booty. You are just perfect in every way possible. Our life has completely changed with you in it. We love you more than words can say. We are so very blessed to have you as a son!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. I think your Daddy is a little jealous because you are a Mommy's boy! :) (That's just what I wanted!)

Welcome Brody Nicholas!

2010-03-09T07:49:00.000-08:00

Sweet little Brody entered the world on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 4:51pm. He tipped the scales at 8 lbs. 8ozs. and was 21 inches long. He was delivered naturally without any complications. He is the most handsome and sweetest little man I've ever met!

Here's my delivery story:

At my last doctor's appointment they told me that I would be an "on-call" induction. Because of the high blood pressure, I would take precedence over anyone else scheduled for induction. I liked the sound of this! I was to call the hospital at 5pm on Monday, the 1st, to make sure they had a room for us. I started my morning pretty early. I had to fast at 9am so I went and had breakfast at Diamond S. While I was at Diamond S, I got a call from the hospital asking when I was going to be there. ???? I was confused and didn't know if I should tell them I'd be there in an hour and rush around like crazy or just wait until 5. I decided to tell her that I was told to call at 5pm. Evidently, she thought I was supposed to call at 5am. The rest of the day went by rather quickly. I hung out at the house and just made sure that I had everything we needed for the big day.

4:45 came so I went ahead and called the hospital. This call did not make me happy at all!! The lady said that I could call back at 7, but they probably wouldn't be ready for me until 9 or 10. Not good news! Especially since I was already hungry and I had no idea when the next time I'd be eating would be. All I could have was water and apple juice. I usually hate apple juice, but came to really like it since that day. I was sick of being in the house so Nick and I rode around Wharton for a while and then made our way to Wal-Mart for a 6 pack (of apple juice!). We shopped around and visited with several people and ended up walking out at exactly 7pm. I called on our walk to the truck and much to my surprise they told me to start making my way there. We went back to the house to switch vehicles and were off! We stopped at Kroger to fill up and Nick got dinner at Sonic. He was nice and didn't eat it in front of me. When we arrived at the hospital, we were admitted to our room immediately. We met our nurse and she did more registering in the room. Unfortunately, our night nurse wasn't all that great. She was moody and snippy from the get go. Not at us, but at everything else. She hooked me up to an IV after a few pokes and then checked me. I was still 1cm dilated and thanks to the castor oil and evening primrose oil I was 70% effaced. She went ahead and started the induction process and we tried to get our last night of sleep!

February 2nd-Dr. Cone came in at 7:45am to check progress and we were STILL 1 cm and 70 %. I just knew that we were going to have a c-section. Dr. Cone went ahead with another type of gel for induction. At about 8am I was in PAIN. I had immediately vomitted. Not much time went by and I felt a little snap. I told our new,VERY sweet nurse, Melanie, that I needed some pain medicine and that I thought my water had broken. She told me that I didn't want any yet because it lasts about 1.5 hours and I had a long road ahead of me and she didn't think my water broke. A few minutes later it went everywhere and she said that indeed it did. At one point, I got up to go to the restroom with Nick's help. I think I was in tears and told him there was no way I could do this and if I could please just have a c-section right then. I kept asking for drugs and she finally gave me something after about 1.5 hours of pain. Since it was my first baby, I didn't know what the pain should feel like and I think she thought I was over-reacting. It was very painful to me. The pain medicine took the edge off a little. I could feel when each and every contraction was coming at about every 2-4 minutes. I pretty much put myself in a zone where I didn't speak to anyone. I just couldn't do it. When family members came to visit I ignored them and I didn't want to hear them talk either. Mind you, I was VERY nice through all of this. At one time, when my very excited Mom and very excited Mom-in-law came in talking a bunch like they did several times before, I kindly whispered to Nick to tell them to stop talking. :) They started whispering to Nick. The nurse had to wait 1.5 hours after giving me the pain medicine before she could check me again. The time finally went by and we surprisingly made progress. Lots of progress....5 cm and 90%....time for the epidural! Thank you Jesus!

The anesthesiologist came in to administer the shot. Immediately after the epidural, I was absolutely pain free. We visited with everyone one last time before we started the pushing. I was in much better spirits with everyone. I even got to put makeup on. After chatting with everyone, we got the ball rolling with Melanie. I thought the pushing part would be the painful part, but it was a piece of cake. The only thing that I felt was the onset of each contraction. It wasn't pain, it was just a very very little amount of pressure. I would tell Nick and Melanie that one was coming and she would look at the machine and say, "Yep, let's push." After a few practice pushes, I had it figured out. There's definitely no need to take a class for it! We pushed a little while and we were then at a 9 and 100%...time to call Dr. Cone. Between each contraction we visited and laughed. It was a very pleasant experience. Somewhere at the beginning of all of this, Melanie suggested that I watch with a mirror. Ehhhhh! We decided to go for it so that, I could see the actual birth. It was amazing, once you get passed the ick factor. Not knowing the sex and seeing the progress we were making made me give 110% with each push. I gave my last push, which I didn't know it was going to be the last, and the first thing I noticed was that Brody was definitely a HE. Nick cut the umbilical cord and they placed the baby on my chest. Sooooooooo amazing. There was so much going on in the room, but it seemed like time stood still at that moment. Like it was a dream...he was in my arms and the hustle and bustle continued around me, but all I could do was stare at him and smile. After a little while, they took him from me and got him all cleaned up in the room. Nick then went out to announce that HE was here! We fed him and then everyone got to come and meet him within the 1st hour of his life. He was then taken to the nursery for a good cleaning and everything else that they do.

THE BEST DAY OF OUR LIFE!!!

Last day of being pregnant!

After the epidural....all smiles!

Popo and his first grandson!

It's that time!!!

2010-01-27T10:40:00.001-08:00

I do have lots to blog about, but I'm either cleaning, subbing, getting baby things ready, or SLEEPING!!! Seems like most of my days are slept away, but I'm not complaining.

Monday we went for our last ultrasound and found out that Baby Popp is weighing in at 8lbs. 2oz. Believe it or not, this is actually smaller than what I thought. I will be very happy to have a baby that weighs less than 9 lbs. considering Nick weighed 8lbs. 6 oz. and me, a huge 9lbs. 11oz. Tuesday we had another check with Dr. Cone. We are still sitting at 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, which is where we have been since "the checks" were started at week 37. It was quite frustrating, but we made a "plan" and that made me very HAPPY!!! Monday evening we will call Labor and Delivery at 5pm. They will tell us if we are allowed to come in at that time to get the induction process started. We are "on-call" but should get in since our chronic hypertension status preceeds other inductions. The only way we wouldn't is if they have a full house already, which I know has happened to several people in Nick's family before. We are soooo ready to meet Little Popp! I'm so ready to shower him/her with kisses and cuddles. I love this little munchkin sooooooooo very much already....I can't even imagine the feelings we will have once we see him/her. I am very nervous, but even more excited to be this little persons Mommy!

I plan on doing a major blog update as we sit in the hospital room on Monday so stay tuned!

Baby Shower #1

2009-12-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

On November 15th, Jamie and Jill threw us the most amazing baby shower. Nick and I (and baby) are so blessed to be a part of such an awesome, loving family. We are also blessed with a great network of friends that have been too nice and supportive throughout this pregnancy. Jamie, Jill, and Mom did not leave a single detail out of this baby shower. They decorated a boy table, a girl table, and a neutral table. There was pink punch. There was blue punch. The cake and snacks were delish! There was a great turnout and a couple of fun games. It was so great, Sarah Beth's Mom even mentioned how it was the most fun baby shower she had ever been to and she only knew a handful of people there.

We were showered with lots of REALLY GREAT gifts too. We left with a Pack and Play, car seat, stroller, loads of diapers and wipes,a Diaper Genie, several beautiful hand made blankets from grandma's and great-grandma's, bottles, toys, clothes, and so much more. When we made it back to Wharton and unloaded the truck, the baby's room looked like a tornado hit it. Nick re-opened all of the gifts and we tucked them all away.

On December 6th, we have another baby shower in Wharton. It looks like we may have to turn the guest bedroom over to the baby as well.

Jamie, Jill, and Mom....thank you so much, from the bottom of hearts, for making this time in our lives so special. You truly outdid yourselves and I cannot wait for ya'lls baby showers!!! :)

(Pictures coming!)

Kicking Field Goals or Pushing Baby Carriages

2009-11-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I was in Shiner for a very dear friend/old school teacher's funeral. I stopped by Dad's office so that I could ride with them to the service. Linda and I were talking about the baby and it's movement, etc. Dad quickly chimed in with "ah, he's kicking field goals in there." Linda came back with "or pushing a baby carriage." Whenever and with whomever we talk about the baby with, you can safely bet that the conversation will be about the sex at some point or another.

Not finding out the sex of the baby has been so much fun and I highly recommend not finding out to everyone. It has been hard, but everyday I wonder what it really will be and imagine what it's going to be like when we FINALLY know. Most people say that they are planners and have to have everything ready...well, I'm a HUGE planner and I'm nosey, but this surprise is going to be so worth it. I can't wait for the doctor to say, "It's a...." I especially can't wait for Nick to go out and tell whomever is there what it is. I have found that there are lots of people out there that just DO NOT like it if you don't know what it is. I usually just say that it'll help me get through the labor. Then there are the people that say, "good for you!"

Since the ultrasound yesterday, I CANNOT stop looking at the pictures and watching the DVD. I'm on a major high right now and don't think it'll end for a long, long time. I can't wait for it to be here. I can't wait to kiss it, cuddle it, rock it, feed it, steal it out of the bed in the middle of the night when it's asleep, change diapers, take it shopping, read it books, dress it up, take it to church, take lots of pics of it, lay it on Daddy's belly, lay around with it, and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I've loved babies since I was little bitty and always begged Mom and Dad to have more. I always knew that I wanted to be a Mommy and I can't believe that I will be very soon, well actually, I already am. Only 83 more days!

So this post is pretty much everywhere. The idea was that I was going to put a list of people's guesses so far, but I'll hold off until after the baby shower this weekend so I don't have to make another list. However, I do want to note that Mom officially changed her vote to girl today after looking through the pictures agan. Dad is still voting boy because of the muscular arms!

Our Precious Little Boy or Girl

2009-11-11T17:41:00.001-08:00

The 3d/4d ultrasound at this stage is beyond amazing. I was soooo nervous and excited all day today. So many thoughts were racing through my head especially after dreams I've had. Everyday you just hope and pray that everything will be fine and soon we will be a happy and healthy family of 3. Since this was an elective ultrasound, it was an out-of-pocket and out-of-the-office visit. I found a place in Sugar Land that ended up being awesome, Baby Image. It's a one room suite ran by 2 men. The guys were SUPER nice and the room was great. It had a HUGE TV and a really large, comfy chair for me. Nick was thrilled right when we walked in. We told Mike that we were not wanting to know the sex so there were several moments that Nick and I had to look at each other. We were probably beaming more today than on our wedding day. So, here are some pictures. It was a great experience and I will definitely go back to the same place when we have more kid(s).

Definitely daddy's child...look at those chubby cheeks and that nose! It's blessed with the Popp nose.

Sucking it's thumb. Ick! Nick says it has my fingers. Thanks, babe!

Those are my guns! haha!
Put up your dukes!

Like every parent, I'm biased to my child, but golly isn't it cute! This just makes me want it out RIGHT NOW!!! Nick has been excited about the baby since we found out we were expecting, but he is beyond thrilled now. I finially feel like he is more of a part of this pregnancy.

Going through SD Cards

2009-11-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

Maddie when she was a baby

And I just had to post some of these pictures after 8 months!! Holy crap, that means we will be married for 2 years in a few months. Is there a way we can make time slow down? Especially once our baby gets here?

For our year anniversary, Nick surprised me with a mini-getaway to Gruene. We didn't get to do anything to major because we had other more important things to be at....Uncle Louie's benefit. Sunday morning we headed out somewhere....I didn't know where because Nick planned it all.

The Lamb's Rest Inn....highly recommend going to this B&B. Funny thing is, it's right next door to Dave and Cathy's (Nick's relatives) place and we never knew until after we were there.

Buying a beer at Gruene Hall

The Lamb's Rest Inn

Our wedding cake...what survived the fall at the wedding anyways. It was still super yummy and moist after being in the freezer for a year.

It was a great little trip and I must say that I have the best husband a girl could ask for. We can't wait to celebrate our 2nd anniversary with our bundle of joy!

My very own piss bucket!

2009-11-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Excuse the yuck-o word. It's really a word that I don't like, and very seldom use, but it has a story behind it that I had to blog about.

When I was very little, like 3ish, I remember going with my family and Mamaw and Papa to a doctor's appointment in Houston. Well, I think it was in Houston and I think it was something to do with accupuncture that she had to have. I'll have to ask someone else all the details. Papa has always chewed Levi Garrett tobacco. When we were little we would feed his bad habit and give a case or something like that to him for Christmas. (Nick has shared with me that he and his brothers would also give his Gramps tobacco for gifts!) He always had his "spit can" or "spit bucket." While we were at the waiting room, I asked him about his "piss bucket" because I evidently couldn't say spit. It kinda stuck and I remember calling it that throughout my childhood. Every once in a while there is still reference to his "piss bucket."

When I was at the doctor and they told me that I would have to do a protein sample, I had no idea what that would entail. Well, it entailed this....

Collecting urine for 24 hours. It was gross and terrible and the longest 24 hours ever. When they handed me this jug, I immediately looked at Nick and told him it was my own piss bucket! So, we had to turn in the 24 hour urine collection in and they tested it for protein. If it would have had protein in it, that would have meant that I had pregnancy induced hypertension or preeclampsia which is not good. We are still watching my blood pressure very closely and there's still a chance that I might have to do this test again. So far it seems like I probably have underlying high blood pressure, which is still not good, but it's better than pregnancy induced. That's how we understand it anyways.

Appointment

2009-11-11T08:45:00.000-08:00

On October 30th, Mom and Wanda came with me to my doctor's appointment. It was just a routine check-up along with the glucose test and protein test. They were both very excited about getting to hear the heartbeat, seeing the hospital, and meeting our doctor. The morning was crazy and stressful. We had to be at The Woman's Hospital by 8:00am to sign-in and drop off my urine sample. Then I had to go next door to the OGA clinic to chug the "dreaded" glucola, which ended up being an ok tasting fruit punch. Then we rushed up to our drs. appointment and then ran back down for the blood test part of the glucose test. It was lots of running around, but we made it everywhere in time...just barely. My mom and Wanda were rather impressed with how nice everyone at the clinic and the hospital were as well as the looks of Dr. Cone! When he walked out they both said how "nice looking" he was. Crazy old ladies!

27 weeks preggo

Picture with Granny

Granny and Grammy

We ended up getting very good news from the appointment. No gestational diabetes and no preeclampsia!

Baby Bedding

2009-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of the bedding we have decided to go with. Ours will not look "exactly" like any of these, however we are using material from each of these to make ours. I like all of them and especially love the monogramming. We're not quite sure how we will master that minor detail, but it will be done! I'm a monogramming fanatic and might even be getting my own machine soon. :o) You can check out a bunch of other really cute bedding at www.polkatotdesigns.com As always, I love to hear your opinions!

The Name Game

2009-10-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

I never expected it to be this much of a challenge, but I really should have known since it has always taken me a while to come up with a name to be settled on for a DOG! The main challenge is a BOY name. Having been a teacher for the past 5 years makes it even more difficult. There are definitely names that I would NEVER pick because of the little heathens that have ruined them. (I can't post those names because I would surely tick a few people off!)

Here's the run-down on what we have discussed:

BOYS
Brody Nicholas Popp (our #1 choice and I LOVE IT!)
Case Garrett Popp (scratched off the list because a distant friend just named their baby that, people may call him suitcase or ask if his other brother's name is Keg, and because my brother-in-law, Jake, informed me that he just didn't like it!) I do like getting opinions, especially negative ones, because I don't want my poor child being made fun of forever!
Owen
Everett
Max
Cohen (Nick hates it!)

GIRLS
Camille Grace or Camille Emerson Popp (our #1 choice)
We haven't really discussed any other names for a girl because Camille is THE name! I especially love it because Nick suggested it and it's so pretty and different. Nothing like a Daddy naming his baby girl. We actually came up with it when we first got married. We were going through names of girls that he was currently teaching. When he said Camille, it stuck. If you remember back to the post way last year, Tracy actually cracked the code back then. The hint was that the name was "perfect" which is what Camille means, according to some books.

Unless the name just doesn't "fit" the baby, we will have either a Brody or Camille coming soon. I just LOVE both names and again, can't wait to meet the little angel.

Fun Friday!

2009-09-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Nick and I went to Babies R Us to begin our baby registry. We had soooo much fun, to say the least. Registering for wedding stuff was fun, but baby stuff took the cake. Nick hogged the scan gun as he did when we registered for wedding stuff, but he did let me have a turn with it when he went to the restroom. We spent almost 2 hours scanning stuff, but it seems like we didn't get to everything and I know there are lots of changes I need to make on the list. Of course, most of it is all "fun" stuff that we will be able to live without. Essentially, all you need is diapers, bottles, butt cream, and wipes, but who could resist all the other cute-sy things out there.

Nick testing out a glider. He's much pickier than I am about it!

Go Ricebirds!

2009-09-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Nick absolutely loves his job and his co-workers at his school. There isn't anything better than going to a job that you love. We are very fortunate that he has such a great job as an ag teacher. His principal has told him that he has the only job like it in Texas....due to the fact that it's the only school that has an 8th grade ag/shop class. We were REALLY wanting to go to the EC vs. Wharton game this Friday and Aunt Marilyn came through with a couple of tickets for us since they are season ticket holders. The best part of the game was that El Campo came out with a big ole "W." EC spanked Wharton...49-12. Here is a terrible picture of the baby's first EC football game. Nick can only take blurry pictures so we will have to settle with this one. One day.....wayyyy in the future, our little baby will be a Ricebird football player, cheerleader, or maybe a Derby Doll so we thought we should document the very first game.

This is my last pair of regular jeans that fit. I should be able to wear them for a couple more weeks!

Soooo PRETTY!

2009-09-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

I am sooo in love with this bed. It is everything that I wanted when we started looking for a bed and more. Last night we went to a wedding shower at Hinze's, came home and decided to start putting the bed. Can you believe that Nick didn't need ANY beer and there were ZERO curse words or deep sighs out of him? Putting the bed together was very easy, for me anyway. I just sat there and took pictures. Gotta love being PREGGO! Nick would just say that I'm using the baby as a crutch!

Here is the bed straight out of the box. It's gorgeous even when it's not put together.

My job was to seperate the screws. Didn't I do a good job??

The final product...

Isn't it gorgeous? Next step is to order the material so we can get the bedding made. It's all coming together very nicely.

The bed is out of the box!

2009-09-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

And that's it! Last night I had a terrible headache so all Nick and I did was get all of the pieces of the bed out of the box. We were both really excited to see it and it looks like it will be gorgeous in the baby's room. I am so glad that we decided to go with our first choice bed. I'll take pictures of the putting together process whenever we get time to do it.

Grammy didn't have school yesterday so she rode to Sugar Land with me to pick up the bed. I thought it would be a treat for her too since she insisted on buying this beautiful piece of furniture for us. We had a wonderful time. We made a quick trip into Home Depot for a wedding shower gift for this weekend. Then we made our way to the furniture warehouse. By then it was time for lunch at Cafe Adobe. Yum! Afterwards, she informed me that she was buying us a mattress too so we needed to stop by Babies R Us. We had soooo much fun browsing through all the baby stuff. Nick and I have shopped there a few times recently and I make quite a habit of popping in. Grammy was a hoot....wanting to buy everything! We ended up with a mattress, a very cool baby tub, a toy, and a cute farm scene blankie. It's so fun having all of these cool things, but it will be even better once we get use them with our bundle of joy.

We've got a very busy weekend so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we will get this bed up. I'm super antsy and so mad that my throbbing head prevented us from doing it last night. Tonight we are headed to the El Campo vs. Wharton football game. Hopefully the Ricebirds get a W. Tomorrow we have a wedding shower at Hinze's for Jason Ward. Sunday we are meeting up with Joe and Julie to judge record books for an upcoming fair. Nick will be busy rolling up hay during the day on Saturday and Sunday so I guess that means I get to clean!

More good news

2009-09-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a call from Dr. Cone's office to discuss the blood results from Thursday. Everytime "Unavailable Number" pops up on my phone, I get nervous! I know it's results from the doctor. I especially don't enjoy answering it because I usually get the call when I am by myself. This blood test was called an AFP test. Not sure what it stands for, but it tests for neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Nurse Lynn said that the numbers all came back fine and we shouldn't have anything to worry about. We opted out of doing the other screens...for Downs, etc.

While we were at our appointment on Friday, I had another missed call from a Houston number. It was Baby's 1st telling us that the crib has arrived! I'm so excited about picking it up and putting it together. I think it will be another one of those moments where this all because more "real" to us. Tomorrow Wanda and I are going to run to Stafford to pick it up. She has several days off of school due to Swine Flu and other illnesses and Nick has to make hay. Last night we were talking about how weird it is going to be to have a baby bed up in one of the spare bedrooms. I feel sorry for him because tomorrow he is going to have a long night. I know I'll want that bed up before we go to sleep!

Last night was also a bit of an event for Nick. I'm always trying to make him feel the baby move. It kicks so hard and so much already that I just KNOW he has to be feeling it. There's no doubt that I do. I don't know if I can feel it with my hands or if I'm just feeling it in my belly and think my hands can feel it too. It's strange! Anyways, he always puts his hand on my belly and concentrates so hard on trying to feel it that he is never successful. He finally relaxed more last night and asked if it felt like a heartbeat (but not as consistent and a little harder). That's exactly how I should have described it to him and I actually thought about that one night while I was lying awake in bed, but forgot to tell him! So, I really do think that he is feeling it, which is even more exciting because I know it is just going to get stronger and he will definitely be able to feel it. There is only so much that a man gets to experience during pregnancy and I hope he is feeling a part of it all. All he keeps saying is that he wants it to be here already and that OVERJOYS me!

Wow....You have a BUSY BABY in there!!

2009-09-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

The first thing I heard when we had our sonogram was "Wow....you have a busy baby in there!" This was not news to me. The baby has been VERY active for the past week and a half or longer. The sonogram was AMAZING to say the least. It made it so real for both of us, but more-so for Nick. When Nick was called into the room with me, they turned the monitor towards us and the baby raised its arm and waved at us! It was hilarious and brought tears to my eyes. We visited with Dr. Cone after we visited with the radiologist and he told us that everything looked great. On the paper the measurements show that the baby measures 5 days ahead of schedule. I would love for it to get here sooner! :)

We stuck to our guns and didn't find out the sex of the baby. We almost caved, but when we first told them we weren't going to find out they thought it was great and then told us they weren't going to ruin our surprise when we were contemplating finding out. They definitely know what it is though and I'm leaning towards boy...it's just so active that it makes me think boy. Nick always said that we could find out closer to the date, but Nurse Angela said she won't tell us. WE LOVE ANGELA and I would so love to party with her once we have this little babe
I'll post more later, but right now we are at Aunt Jamie's Bachelorette party on the River Walk. (Oh, and I soooooo want a XX!)

Fun stuff

2009-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday I went to Shiner all by my lonesome for Jamie's shower. Mom and Jamie ended up being in Victoria when I got in, so it was me and the boys all day. (Dad, Jaace, Junior, and Matt) Which means you either lay around and watch TV all day, ride the mule, look at cows, or other boy stuff that didn't interest me. Unfortunately the pool is having issues so I opted for resting on the couch and watching The Suite Life with Matt for several hours.

When Mom and Jamie got home, I started talking to Mom about the baby bed we had picked out since day 1 of baby bed shopping. I pulled up the website and much to my surprise they were offering "Vacation from Taxation" on all baby stuff at Baby's 1st Furniture. I immediately called Nick and told him that Sunday we were headed to Houston to make the purchase. After several text messages from cousin Abby, I knew that this bed was completely fine for a boy or girl. We plan on using the bed for at least 2 or 3 babies so it will be a while until it is used as a full-size bed, if ever. If we end up with 3 boys, the baby bed will go into storage. We looked at sooooo many beds and we both ended up coming back to this one. We have another 3-5 weeks until it comes....I can hardly stand the wait! Nick's mom also was in love with it when we showed her the picture...so in love with it that she bought it for our babies! Wowwwwwwwww!!! I've said this a million times, but I have the best family and I married into an amazing family as well. Thank you soooo much, Grammy and Popsy!! ;) Last night Grammy gave us a pair of pink Wrangler's diaper cover. If it's a girl, she will be super cute in them when we take her to the Houston Livestock Show next year. Nick already has his eyes set on boots for a boy and a girl. She is already set with a pink, sparkly Daddy's Princess paci, rhinestone ballerina shoes, and so much more. No worries though, because if it's a boy he is set with the cutest Janie and Jack sportscoat, several button down shirts, cowboy onesies, etc. I've got pictures of this chaos that I'll download sooner or later.

Have a great weekend! We are headed to Shiner tonight. Nick is pumped about Jaace's steer tag-in tomorrow morning. We have 2 weddings Saturday and a wedding shower Sunday morning. So much to do on weekends, so little time!

Baby beds

2009-08-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

I never would have thought that picking out baby beds is as hard as picking out baby names...boy names anyway! We have made several trips to Baby's 1st Furniture and a trip to USA Baby, among lots of browsing online.

We found one at Baby's 1st that we LOVE! It's a bit princess-ish, but I also say that it can pass for a little prince bed with the right bedding. We also love the bed because it has lots of detail and seems like an antique. I love a white or ivory baby bed...seems more innocent and baby-like to me. Nick seems to agree with that, especially since we already have a huge ivory Pottery Barn armoire that I'm not parting with anytime soon. The only dilemma is spending $800 on it! Jeez....I had no idea baby beds were so expensive. We're pretty much sold on it though since it does convert to a full size bed ANDDDDD because the one that we liked at USA Baby was just a tiny bit cheaper, but not nearly THE bed.

Soooo....now, I need your help. I couldn't get the picture big enough for my blog.
http://www.babys1stfurniture.com/products.php?idprod=1116&idcat=150
This link should work...let me know if you think it could be a boy bed too. Of course, this will be a bed we will use for another baby or two.

Another doctor's visit down!

2009-08-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a regular check-up. Weight, blood pressure, and heartbeat. I can't wait until the day that we have an UNstressful appointment, which doesn't look like it will EVER be in our future. Our nurse, Angela, did the weight, bp, and then it was time for the heartbeat. She was having lots of trouble finding it with the first doppler because it was very static-y. She went and got an old dinosaur one and within a few seconds she found the heartbeat. It just scared us because she was not finding it with the other one. When she found the heartbeat, the baby would quickly move and she would have to find it in another spot. As she pointed out, baby is bouncing around all over the place. That's a great thing, but Lord, please don't give us a hyperactive child. :)

We waited (for quite a long time, which is unusual) for Dr. Cone to come and do his visit with us. We chatted for a little while and then he told us that my blood pressure is going to be an issue. WHAT?? I've never been told anything about my blood pressure before...at ANY doctor I went to. He said that it is a genetic issue since I have it so early and that your blood pressure goes up anyways during pregnancy so they have to monitor it closely so that they will be able to tell if they will need to induce pregnancy early. Just what I needed to hear!!! When you try to keep stress OUT of your life, it seems that's all that you are dealt. I very rarely had stress before this past year! Jeez! Anyway, Dr. Cone is an awesome doctor and made me feel very at ease with everything. There is no doubt in my mind that he will take care of all of us.

None of this surprises me though. Why, you ask. Well, a few years ago Jennifer Pekar and I went to a palm reader because we were bored in San Marcos. Usually I would think it is all a hoax, but this lady obviously hit the nail on the head more than one time. Nick and I had been dating for a few months at this point, and she said that I was in a very long, bad relationship and then I would have one shorter one then marriage. TRUE! She also said that I would have 3 children and that all of the pregnancies would be tough. She couldn't tell me exactly what would be "rough." She said that it could be anything like bed rest, etc. While we were leaving the doctor's office, I thought about this right away. Right as we got out of the door, Nick said, "Remember what that palm reader told you?" Crazy that he remembered too.

There's no doubt that everything will be fine, but it just scares ya. I'm really thinking we might adopt our next child. ;)

15 Weeks and Counting....

2009-08-12T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'm definitely not sad that the time is going by quickly...I'm so ready to meet this little guy/girl. I think I'm finally getting over the days of morning sickness. It still comes and goes and I still dry-heave while brushing my teeth.

Nick and I are constantly having discussions about whether it is a boy or a girl. He has been calling it her name for a few weeks now. Neither one of us cares what it is, as long as it is healthy, but it's fun to guess! I know he would love to have a boy, but deep down, I think he wants a Daddy's girl. Either one will be perfect for me, but the poor baby if it's a boy...there is very little cute boy clothing out there.

~If you have acne while pregnant, it’s a girl. It’s thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.

~The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception. If the result is a even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way! According to this, we are having a girl.

~People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl. *All I want to eat are sweets!

~The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived. This tale tells me that I’ve having a girl.

~Basically you are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, you might just be having a little boy. -I feel like I look horrible, even when I dress up and put makeup on!

~If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having. -I had a dream that we were having our "big" sonogram and they showed us the boy's tee-tee! I was upset with them because we didn't want to know what it was!!!

~If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy. If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl. -Always on my right, but have been trying to sleep on my left as much as possible because I read you are supposed to due to oxygen getting to the baby.

~If you had a smooth pregnancy with no morning sickness, it’s a boy. If you were sick or felt really nauseous during your pregnancy, count on a girl. -Definitely had morning sickness.

~What color is your pee? If it is bright yellow, you will have a little boy. If your urine is a dull yellow, plan on a girl. -Finally...one that points to a boy!

My gut feeling is a girl, but only time will tell. What's your guess??

On another note, Monday we have another appointment. Blood work and listen to the heartbeat again. On September 4th we have our big appointment where we could find out what we are having. I can't wait to see what the baby looks like now that it looks more like a baby than a blob.

Telling everyone

2009-07-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

Most people think that you should keep the pregnancy hush-hush until the 2nd trimester. I thought I would agree with it the 2nd time around, but there's no way for me to keep such wonderful news quiet! I was bursting at the seams the minute I found out. Nick and I agreed that we would tell our parents after the 1st ultrasound. I did have to tell a few very important people before that, just because I HAD too!! I told Jamie and Jill immediately via text message. (A picture of the PREGNANT pregnancy test!) Then I had to call my BFF Stephanie who has been there through all of the ups and downs with me. She also knew my "schedule" better than I did so she was waiting to hear if I would get a BFN or BFP this month. They were all very very excited about the news. I also had to tell Sarah Beth one evening while we were at the Popp's. After our first ultrasound, Dr. Cone said everything was looking great. We told the Popp's one evening when they came over for supper. Well, we had a Grandma and a Grandpa bib waiting at each of their seats. When they walked in, Wanda saw it right away and had a "What in the Heck?" look on her face. She had tears in her eyes and gave us big hugs. Wayne, well he caught on a few seconds later and was very happy too. That weekend we went to Shiner and I had a picture frame that said BABY on it for Mom and Dad. On the insided I had put Feb. 3 on a piece of scrapbook paper. They were THRILLED, but they didn't quite get the Feb. 3 part because the b looked sort of like a t and it kinda blended in with the paper. Mom thought it was Fetus 3........UM HECK NO!!!! Coming February 3rd, which is Mom's and her twin brother, Uncle Allen's birthday. It would be very neat to have the baby on their birthday, but I'm hoping he/she gets here sometimes in January. I'm so anxious to meet it already!

The story...

2009-06-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

We were given the ok to go ahead and start trying for a baby again in February. With the official ok and me constantly behind the computer, I knew that we would be preggers again in no time. I had googled so many tricks that I knew them like the back of my hand. Unfortunately, it didn't happen the first or second month like everyone wishes...instead it was 3 loooonnnnnggg months of charting temps, peeing on ovulation predictor sticks, the dreaded 2ww (2 week wait-the time from ovulation until pregnancy or restart of cycle), an acupuncture treatment, about 50 million pregnancy tests, and countless prayers and bargains with the Lord(Please, I'll take all the morning sickness anyone can handle)! I know, a bit ridiculous!

Nick always knew when AF (Aunt Flo) decided to show up because I would be in tears in the restroom. It was terrible and I feel for people that have gone through what we did or struggle with infertility. It is a very unfortunate, but definitely makes you a better person.

On Memorial Day weekend, we had planned a trip to San Marcos with Jake & SBG and Jill & Tom. Of course, there was going to be drinking involved with tubing so I stocked up on a bunch of cheapie pregnancy sticks for the trip. I took about 5 of them on Friday and a few on Saturday. They were ALL BFN's! (Big Freakin Negatives) So I decided that some Gruene wine and beer were ok to have since it obviously was another bum month. We all had a GREAT time to say the least.

Sunday I took a few more cheapie tests, all BFN's. On Monday, I rested and Nick went to his pasture to check his cows. When I decided to wake up, I figured that I would take my last digital pregnancy test. I did what you have to do with those nasty little things and say in the restroom with my eyes closed, peeking at the stick every once in a while and praying that PREGNANT would show up on it any second. It took FOREVER! I waited and waited and waited. Finally.....PREGNANT!!! WHAT??? NO WAY!!!!!!!!! I didn't believe it, but a false positive is very rare. I called Nick to see how much time I had until he would be home. He could tell something was up with me...I tried to act down in the dumps so I could surprise him. Well, I got in my car and headed to his place in Pledger since I only had about 30 minutes til he would be at home. As I was driving there, I met him on the road. Since my car was only a few days old at the moment I thought that he didn't recognize me, but he immediately pulled over. He jumped out of the truck and looked sooo stressed out. He came very quickly to me and asked what in the world was wrong? I showed him the test and his eyes nearly came out of his head. Both of us were super excited and super shocked. It wasn't the best way to tell him...there were so many other ways I had planned to tell him, but I had no time to prepare for it and there is NO WAY that I could have kept it a secret from him for any amount of time!

We're EXPECTING!!!!

2009-06-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

I don't have much time to post because we are about to go with Jamie to take her bridal portraits, but today we had our 2nd ultrasound and according to Dr. Cone everything looks AWESOME!

I will post more when I get back home and update on our wonderful new journey!

Unnmotivated Blogger

2009-05-05T11:19:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what my problem is, but I just don't feel like blogging this year! I'm sure that I'll pick up the habit of doing it daily sooner or later. We've got plenty of blog-worthy things going on in our lives, but I'm just being lazy. One day I'll regret not posting about them, I know.

On Friday, May 1st we hosted a 30th Wedding Anniversary for my in-laws. It was a great success. Lots of friends and family members celebrated with us. Wayne and Wanda had a blast which was our main goal.

Saturday morning we headed to Shiner for Heather's wedding. I did a great job reading....which means that I held back the tears!! I've decided that I will NEVER accept the job of reading at weddings ever again. I just get to thinking about all of our childhood memories and how we are adults now and I get all emotional. Heather made a gorgeous bride and Casey was a very proud groom. It was so great to see our wonderful photographers, Alice, Eric, and Efro! I absolutely love these people! I can't wait to see them again at Jamie's wedding, but we already have tentative plans to meet up before then since they are just down the road from us. If anyone needs a wedding photographer, our entire family HIGHLY recommends them.

Sunday we hung out with Mom, Dad, and Jaace for a while and then headed home. I did some cleaning up around the house, played with Maddie, and relaxed while Nick went to visit with his parents. When he got home we ended up chatting until 2am. It's fun to do that sort of thing every once in a while. It reminds us of our good ole dating days where we would stay up for hours on end getting to know each other. Those were some AWESOME times!

This week we will be frequenting the Wharton County Youth Fair. Tonight we will be watching the steer show (Nick's fave) and cheering Garet's team on in the Ranch Rodeo. Tomorrow will be bull-riding, which is always stressful to watch, but fun. Friday we will be going to visit with Dr. Cone and then a visit to Uncle Louie. Saturday we have a funeral to attend for one of Nick's co-workers and then off to Shiner for Mother's Day.

See, we have PLENTY to blog about!

Happy One Year Anniversary to Us! (March 29th)

2009-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! Time flies when you’re having fun! I cannot believe that it has been over a year ago that we were saying our “I do’s.” It's been a very fun and trying first year of marriage.

We are hoping and praying for a less eventful second year of marriage. Of course, we love the exciting events and don’t want those to end. We could just do without all the stressful, yuck stuff.

On Saturday, March 28th, there was a benefit Dinner/Dance/Auction for Uncle Louie. We all had a GREAT time. They had a wonderful turn-out and best of all it was VERY successful. Thank you to all the people that helped and supported this event for the wonderful Buzek Family.

Sunday morning Nick and I left for a one night getaway. We would have loved to have been gone for a longer period of time, but our busy schedules are not allowing that to happen until this summer. Nick had the night planned so it was all a surprise to me. All I knew is that we were going to the hill country. He ended up reserving a room at The Lamb’s Rest Inn Bed and Breakfast in Gruene, Texas. It was splendid! So peaceful and absolutely beautiful! We checked in and lied around for a while. Then it was off to town to do some shopping and lots of wine sipping. We had a beer at Gruene Hall and then made our way to all the stores. The entire town was so busy and packed due to some music awards that were happening that evening.

We ended up eating at Huisache Grill in New Braunfels that night. The food was very good. We had fried Brie for an appetizer. My main dish was chicken pasta and Nick’s was some sort of steak with cheese and we shared crème brulee for dessert. The B&B served a VERY yummy breakfast…a pasty with strawberries and cream, English muffins, and an egg soufflé. It was all so good. We had a late lunch at River Pub on Monday. Usually we are too full to ever try their dessert, but I made it a point to try the rollo de canella this time. It’s cheesecake in a pastry that is fried. Needless to say, it was scrumptious!

The long weekend was, unfortunately, super fast. I've got lots of pictures to share of the weekend soon.

Ode To My Big Sis, On Her Birthday!

2009-03-13T10:36:00.001-07:00

Jamie, you have always been someone that I have looked up to and admired. You are what every little sister wants in a big sister. Here are just a few of my many fond memories of our lives together as sisters:

-You never minded having an annoying little sister tag along with you everywhere. I always got to hang out with you and your friends during your slumber parties/dance parties. I'll never forget playing a game with those Kaeppa glow-in-the-dark triangle things with you and all the girls.

-I always did what the annoying little sister did when the big one was away. Search for the "DIARY!" Oh how I got a kick out of finding that thing. (I'll never forget those baby blue eyes! :o) hehe! It made me mad when I read that you were keeping track of things for me. Jenny can wear makeup at.... Jenny can shave when she is __yrs old!

-I was always the rule breaker and you the rule-abider! I decided to shave my legs and you called me out on it. I tried to talk you into not telling Mom, but you did.

-You and Desi telling both Mom's that you were staying at each others houses and then got busted because Mom called Desi's mom to tell you to put the clothes in the dryer.

-Jaace falling off the bed when you were babysitting all of us and you talked us into not telling Mom and Dad.

-Riding in the Ponty with you, on our way home from Yoakum. You had to slam on the breaks for some reason and we both looked at each other and said "WHOAAAA NELLIE!!" We ALWAYS would complete each other's sentences. WEIRD!

-You, Jill, and me laying in my bed and singing "If I could Turn Back Time" into my awesome tape recorder.

-Jill and toenail. No further discussion!

-LONDON TRIP!!!! Nikki and I went to buy some souvenirs and came back to you, passed out at the table!! We had to much "ether" alcohol to drink that night.

-I was always excited about getting toys and bikes for Christmas. Not you! You were THRILLED to have gotten a new DESK! And those hideous white boots!

-Mullet!!

-You can do the Vanilla Ice dance better than VI himself! Wait til we break that out at the wedding!

-REGULATORS! We always jammed out to that song in the Ponty. I hated that song before, but LOVE it now!

-Everyone knows that the Chumchal girls song is "Any Man of Mine." All three of us have to sing it wherever anyone will let us!

-Last but not least....You brought Jenn and I to our first dance in Hallettsville. What an interesting night that was! You ALMOST helped us get our first MIP too!!

I've got lots of other memories too, but I have to save some for next year. Thank you so much for being a wonderful big sis! The three of us have a very special bond that will NEVER allow ANYTHING to come between us. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY! I Love You!

25 Random Things About Me

2009-02-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

I've been a poor blogger lately and that probably won't change for a while. I'm cheating and just going to post my note from Facebook.

25 Random Things About Me

1) I married the love of my life nearly 1 year ago. It was and still is beyond magical!!

2) Nick and I have had the BEST and WORST days of our lives in the past year. We miscarried during our first pregnancy in January.

3) I have a love/hate relationship with old people. I love them and hate when they are alone….especially when they are eating out by themselves. DQ is a doozie!

4) For some reason I look at the clock at 9:11 ALL the time. It's weird and I haven't figured out why it happens. (The only reason I thought of that is because I just clicked my phone and what do ya know?!)

5) I've been driving without my license for about 4 months, but finally renewed it last week.

6) My elbows are pointy rather than knobby. Nick says if I'd dip them in ink and dot them on the wall it would look like a ball point pen mark. (They really aren't THAT pointy, but it's funny!)

7) I'm a dork and am about to learn how to crochet! (I want to make baby blankets for all my special peeps!)

8) I've been teaching for 5 years and this is my worst year EVER.

9) Almost all of the jobs I've ever held deal with children. Sitter in high school, nanny in college, gave swimming lessons, and now a teacher. I even worked in a daycare for about 2 weeks. The one job I want most is to be a mommy. We're praying that happens soon.

10) I've only driven Toyotas, but am contemplating getting a Tahoe.

11) Nick and I are ordering new couches today(Fri.)! Happy V-Day to us!

12) I never seem to finish projects. I get started and accomplish most of it, then get bored and start something else before finishing. (Mainly painting!)

13) My family is the best and coolest! I don't care who you are, you will fall in love with my parents.

14) I met one of my very best friends (besides my hubby, sisters, and Shiner girls) this past school year. Nick calls us Pancho and Lefty. It seems like we have known each other forever. Our friendship reminds me of the part on Step Brothers when they finish each others sentences and say, “Did we just become best friends?” We're inseperable!

15) I met my hubby when I was drunk at Bocktoberfest. We've talked EVERDAY since that day.

16) I really miss going out in Austin with Alicea, Debbie, and Shelly. I miss you girls! :o(

17) I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to move back to the Hill Country.

18) Or Shiner! How wonderful it would be to raise little Shiner Comanches. It's truly the BEST place in Texas. I'm still trying to talk Nick into it.

19) I have my first doctor's appointment next Thursday since the d&c. It's the appointment where we get the go ahead to try to conceive again. I hope it's as easy this time as it was last time, but successful.

20) Jeans and pajama pants are my favorite.

21) I had to steal this one from my cousin, Jenn….I spent 18+ hours in a van with 11 family members going to Disney World. I would LOVE to do it again to see how hilarious it would be now that we are all adults.

22) I made Hamburger Helper for the 1st time last night. It was strictly because Nick loves it. I have to admit that it wasn't that bad.

23) I've got a superb menu of lobster pasta, prosciutto asparagus, and strawberry tiramisu picked out for Valentine's Day. I can't wait to cook it!

24) My work hours are from 7:30-4:00 and I think that's ridiculous for a school teacher.

25) We're going to Cozumel or Cancun to celebrate our 1year anniversary.

Uncle Louie

2009-02-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Nick's Uncle Louie was in a hog hunting accident Wednesday evening. Please pray for Uncle Louie and his friend Greg.

If you are able to give blood, please do so. You can go to any blood donation center or blood drive.

The website to find a location near you is:

Use the search mechanism to find a location near you by zip code.

Provide the donation center/drive this information to assure it gets to him:

Louis Buzek

Memorial Hermann Hospital

STICU- Herman Pavillion

Our cousin, Abby, has set up a blog to keep everyone updated on Uncle Louie's progress.

www.prayingforlouisb.blogspot.com

Up and Down Days

2009-01-16T12:20:00.003-08:00

I guess you can't help but have those days when trying to deal with our current situation. So far I've been doing rather well. Being a “Tough Cookie” as Nick would say. Last night was rather rough and so was Tuesday night. It just hits me when we are lying in bed together talking about everything and anything. We had so many talks about the fun things we were going to do with our baby and that has all been taken away. Now we are back to talking about what we are going to do with our baby “when” we get pregnant again. I HATE IT!!!

Last night, Steph, Tricia, and I, along with their kiddos went to Chili's. It doesn't make it any easier when you are around and see cute babies all the time. You can't help but think about the baby you no longer have. Of course we are going to start trying whenever we get the go ahead, but that seems like an eternity right now. We've only got 1 week down! Plus, who's to say that we will get pregnant right away? It could take us months to get pregnant this time. The next time we do get pregnant it will be scarier than this last time.

It's absolutely horrible! Sorry for my little pity party.

Our Rollercoaster Ride

2009-01-13T07:23:00.001-08:00

Friday was an early morning. We left the house at 5:45am for a repeat scan before we went through with the scheduled D&C. We needed one more scan to ease our minds and reassure us that this pregnancy truly was over. Nurse Becky (absolutely wonderful) said that we needed to be at Women's Imaging Center by 7:30am so that they could squeeze us in. We were in the parking lot at about 6:45am. We checked in and had a little bit of a wait. The doctor came in and did the scan. He was soooo sweet and supportive. He reassured us that we are lucky that we know that we can easily conceive and that lots of his patients are fertility patients. He told us the exact news that we were expecting. We left the Imaging Center and went to Crave, a little café in the building. Nick had breakfast while I watched and drooled!

We were told to check in at Fannin Surgicare at 10:15 to complete paperwork. We were there a bit early and took care of it all. Nick napped in the chair while I read magazines, made calls, texted, and read kind emails. At about 10:30 I was called to go change into my surgery attire. Nick came back and sat with me as I did more paperwork with the anesthesiologist and several other people. Right when I lied on the bed and looked at Nick I started to cry. You could tell he hated to see me in this situation and be in this situation with me. He did a much better job at fighting back the tears than I did. They started doping me up when the nurse told him to give me one last kiss because if he waited any longer I might not remember it! We kissed and they rolled me away. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE feeling! I remember scooting onto another table and people all around me. They told me to think of my favorite vacation spot. St. Lucia! I heard them start talking about how they had Chinese food for lunch and I was gone. When I woke up, Nick was right there. My mouth was so dry and nasty tasting. They brought me a Dr. Pepper right away. Nick helped me change clothes and get me in my wheelchair. He got the car and off we were at about 12:30.

I was starving at this point, but could only eat light food. We stopped at Chik-Fil-A where I ate a disgusting grilled chicken sandwich. We made it home and lied around the rest of the day. Jill and Thomas came to visit for the weekend. After all of the horror stories I've read and heard, I just knew that I was going to be in pain all day. Surprisingly enough, I haven't been in any pain at all since the surgery. Friday we ate at Greek Bros. because I have been craving it for quite some time. Nick doesn't ever want to drive back to El Campo after he's there all day so he promised me that we could go if I was feeling up to it. We went and also stayed around long enough to see Jake get surprised by all of his friends there for his 21st birthday. We got home and crashed until about 10 that morning. Jill and I went to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and then it was more lying around. That night we played several board games to pass the time. Jake and SBG also came to hang out with us. My dear husband sent me a beautiful arrangement of flowers to school Wednesday after our crappy appointment on Tuesday. The flower shop delivered a beautiful cross and angel to our house Friday from my super sweet girlfriend, Stephanie and family. I'll blog about Stephanie and how we became friends another day. (Crazy how the world goes round!) Amy, another sweet girl that I work with brought over a cake on Sunday when we made it back from the Bridal Extravaganza.

This entire ordeal has been a whirlwind. It has been extremely devastating, but our chins are up. Amazingly enough, Nick and I have grown even closer together. Our marriage has been wonderful already, but things like this inevitably bring you even closer than ever. He has taken such good care of me and I love him more than I knew possible.

Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

On December 22nd we went for our second ultrasound. Dr. Cone found a heartbeat, but said there were a couple of things not measuring correctly. He told us to come back in 2 weeks for a follow-up ultrasound. Monday was the follow-up. From the information we got from him, I went on the web and looked in the books I have and found lots of information, with nothing positive. From the 22nd u/s, we gathered that the yolk sac was a little bigger than he liked to see and the baby wasn't growing as fast as it should. A heartbeat is a trump so we tried to be as positive as we could with that.

Monday was total HELL! I was nervous all day long. Nick said that he felt like he had my morning sickness on the way to work. I tried to stay positive throughout the entire time, but it's so hard when you don't find any positive information. We made it through a half-day of school and headed for the appointment. My stomach was in knots the entire time. I lay on the bed waiting for the even more dreaded ultrasound for about 20 minutes. Evidently, the doctor was tied up with someone else because we never wait that long. He came in and well, did the wand. I looked on the screen and immediately saw that the sac was not good. I turned to Nick and said, “It's not good.” Dr. Cone didn't say anything for a minute as he searched. He didn't have to say anything because I already knew. You could definitely see the baby, limbs and all, but he said he couldn't find a heartbeat. He told us that we had several options. Wait it out and pass it on our own or do a DNC. He also said that we could have another ultrasound done with a different machine. Right now we are in limbo. I'm waiting to start spotting, but nothing so far. It's pretty much proven on the machine, but doing a DNC without spotting or some “for sure” sign that the pregnancy is over just makes me think abortion. To put our minds at ease, I think it's best that we wait for spotting and to do another ultrasound. I've already heard how traumatizing DNC is as if this hasn't been hard enough already.

Nick is the saving grace behind all of this. He has been amazing once again! Without all his love, support, and uplifting words this would be much harder than anyone would ever dream. We asked how long we would have to wait to start trying again. The doctor said that you need to wait until you are emotionally ready. When we got in the car, Nick asked me what I thought about that. I didn't have an answer. He said that he is ready to start right away! His theory: “When you get bucked off a horse, you get back on it and show them you are the boss. You don't stay off and show them you are whooped! Then they have you beat.” Funny enough, I understand his theory and agree with it.

All of this is out of our control. We know that God has a plan for us and having a baby in August wasn't part of that plan. All we can do is keep our chin up and pray for a healthy baby in the future. This is, by far, the worst feeling in the world, but I can't sit here and feel sorry for us. We have to move on and be strong. Thank you all for the numerous prayers, phone calls, texts, and emails.

Week 6

2008-12-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

I found this rather entertaining and very true.

http://3dpregnancy.parentsconnect.com/calendar/6-weeks-pregnant.html

While you won't be able to find out the gender of your baby for several more weeks, the version you'll give birth to is being determined right now. Of course, your mother-in-law already knows it'll be a boy. And your sister is sure that it's a girl. And the medical expert that is your 5-year-old nephew says it's absolutely a boy (and if it's a girl, he doesn't want anything to do with it). Isn't it wonderful how clairvoyant people are?

Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week?

What You're Thinking: "If I put my head in my hands and stare down at my desk, it'll look like I'm working really hard and nobody will know I'm actually sleeping."

*(This has definitely gone through my head several times! Too bad that the 19 kids in my class watch my every move!)

Your Body
You may be feeling super-tired or nauseous (or super-tired and nauseous-lucky you!) and your boobs are most likely killing you. *(Definitely killing me!) This is due to the myriad of hormones raging through your body at levels rivaling a teenage boy's.

If you can't stay awake for the second half of Grey's Anatomy, blame it on the baby. Extreme exhaustion is often one of the first signs of pregnancy, and while your body will probably regain some of its strength by the time you enter your second trimester, you might find yourself nodding off during Dr. McDreamy's love scenes ... or worse, yours!

Your Baby
This week starts a period of rapid cellular development for your baby-to-be, who looks like a mini tadpole, with a tiny head and tail. His or her eyes, ears and mouth have begun to form (though they're a little more Discovery Channel "creatures of the sea" documentary than Gerber Baby at this point).

Other exciting milestones include:

Your baby's heart is now beating to a regular beat, although it's still too faint to hear.

His or her arm buds are just beginning to, well, bud. They look like teensy swollen bumps at this point. In a few days, they'll resemble itsy-bitsy flippers.

Your baby has grown to ⅛ inch long-about the size of one of the chocolate sprinkles on your last cupcake (and your last ice cream cone, and your last sundae and your last giant cookie ... maybe there is something to those rumors about pregnancy cravings!).

*(No lie about the sweets. The "Double Doozie" I had on Monday probably wasn't a good idea, but the baby wanted it! J)

On another note, I had my belly touched for the first time by a co-worker today. How annoying! She's a good friend of mine, so it really didn't bother me. I just told her that it's just the fat that was there before! For all of the women out there...if I have ever touched your belly before you started to show, I'm so sorry!

Ode to My Little Sister on Her Birthday (tomorrow)!

2008-12-18T08:25:00.001-08:00

Where do I even begin? We've loved and hated each other our entire lives, but that's what being a sibling is all about. Here are just a few things that I recall that make me laugh so hard I could cry and other memories that just stick out in my mind:

~You had a few nicknames that crack me up to this day….Dingy Spice and Tina Turner ring a bell?

~Playing Uno Attack at Mamo's and saying you were “sitting on threads and needles!” Ouch! Bet those threads really hurt!

~Walking into the Bocktoberfest and hearing a “Frank” Williams song being played.

~When Jaace was a baby, I threw a plastic strainer at you and hit him. He got a bloody nose all over the carpet, but you agreed to lie to Mom with me and said he did it himself.

~Our bicycle crash. I can't remember who was the cause of it. I was passing you or vice versa. One front tire and one back tire interlocked and down we went. You ended up with a fractured arm and blood everywhere. I was fine. Luckily, Dad's fatherly instincts kicked in and he rescued us. I have no idea what I would have done with you!

~You were always the runner of the family. Me, I only ran when I ABSOLUTELY had to. On our way from Mamo's to CCD one night, a large black dog started chasing us. I was behind you, yelling at you to run. Something came over me and I started running REALLY fast and blew past you as the dog was at your heels. Sorry for not being a very good big sister and staying behind you.

~At my bachelorette party, you took care of me and kept me from getting kicked out of Scooter's when I spilled my EXTREMELY large “jug” of trash can punch on the wood floors. You also kept putting my crown and veil back on my head when I would dance and it would fall off. You also let me pass out on you when we were coming back home.

~You and Jamie helped me up the stairs when I had a “spiker” stuck in my foot.

~I crack up at our wedding video every time we watch it. You caught the bouquet and we had a hilarious celebration afterwards. Instead of paying attention to Nick and I, you watched Thomas throughout the entire ceremony! I forgive you for that since he's now you're man and hopeful husband.

~Pottery Barn. Need I say more? One thing I miss the most about living with you in San Marcos was our DAILY trip to Pottery Barn. After all of our shopping, we'd convince ourselves that Dad would probably want us to go out to eat….his treat, as usual. This went on for quite some time. I'm sure he's glad that we are not living in the same town anymore.

Well, Jilly, this is all I can write due to the lack of time. Thank you for being an awesome little sister. You will always be “our little ray of sunshine!” Have a wonderful 24th birthday (tomorrow)! Love ya!

The belly

2008-12-17T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last night I was reading Nick a book in bed that I bought the baby on Monday. It's called "The Night That You Were Born." I fell in love with it and can't wait to read it everyday to our baby. As we lay in bed we noticed how my lower abdomen is pooching (more than normal) but a rounded pooch. The time is already flying by to quickly.
One of my friends called me on and said she had a dream that we were having twins. She woke up and then had a nightmare. We had a set of one year old twins and were pregnant with another set of twins. Ahhh!

Ode to My Husband on His Birthday!

2008-12-16T11:07:00.000-08:00

I can hardly remember the days that you weren't in my life. It's as if we've known each other forever. You do so many things that make me happy every single day. Here are a few things that make me smile:

~Your good night and good morning snuggles and kisses make me warm inside.

~You tell me you love me over and over and over again.

~You tell me how beautiful I am every chance you get.

~You tell “Our Munchkin” that you love “him.” ;)

~When I had morning sickness, you held my hair!

~I drag you around shopping, and you hold the bags.

~Whenever my tummy hurts, you always know ice cream makes it better!

~You tell me “No” when I want something, but you always end up letting me have it!

~When we planned our wedding, you were wonderful, helpful, and supportive. You continue to tell me what a great job I did.

~You plan surprise weekends to San Marcos, plays, shopping, etc.

~You switched jobs because it wasn't fitting our lifestyle and I wasn't getting enough of you.

~You love my family and want to be around them as much as I do.

~You MAKE me drive your tractors and nothing good ever comes out of it. Either I nearly run you over, get them “stuck,” or do the gears wrong. You know not to yell at me or I will get off. It's always a mistake to ask me, but I think you do it just to get a good laugh.

~Same goes with cows…I run them into an open cotton field and you continue to ask for my help.

~You saved my life when we went scuba-diving in St. Lucia. I was so scared because we were with the “pros.” Thank God you knew to turn on the oxygen tank before I jumped in!

~Even though you'd rather eat somewhere else, you are ok with my weekly (or more) trips to Los Cucos.

~When we found out we were going to have a baby you laughed with me and hugged me.

~After we told your parents they were going to be grandparents, you told me that you were ready for this baby to come out immediately.

~You call my parents “Mom and Pop.”

The list goes on and on, but I only had a few minutes. Thank you for making my life beautiful. You are a wonderful, wonderful person and best of all, you're all mine. I hope you have a wonderful birthday, my love!

Love,

Jen and baby

One Down...

2008-12-15T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our first appointment was a little nerve-racking. It all started on the way to Houston. We were early until we got to Sugar Land and the traffic was stopped due to a wreck. We sat there for about 30 minutes….and I was stressing! How terrible it will look to be late to our 1st appointment? Traffic finally starts moving (slowly) at about 1:00. Our appointment was at 1:30 in the Medical Center. We were next to Memorial Hermann at 1:30. I called the hospital to let them know we would be running late and they were very nice about it. We finally got to Texas Women's at about 1:40. We checked in and wait in Dr. Cone's office to meet with him. He walked in and I was a little nervous because he was kind of short with us. He immediately redeemed himself and was very friendly. After a short little meeting we went back to wait for the ultrasound. All of the nurses were very friendly every time they walked by. They called us in for the ultrasound and my hands start sweating like crazy. Lying on that table is soooo uncomfortable, but I'd imagine I'll be getting over that rather quickly. Dr. Cone walked in and starts “the procedure.” I was looking at Nick and doing everything I can not to laugh at him. I think he looked more uncomfortable than me. Dr. Cone said that we are definitely pregnant and then says, “Hummm.” Not what you want to hear! He continues to look around and not say anything. At this point I'm wondering if it's in the right place. He finishes up his business and tells me to sit up. He says that the baby is in the right place. Thank God! But according to my calculations (guesses) on dates we should be 6 ½ weeks pregnant, but the sack is measuring only 5 ½ weeks. He explained to us that it could possibly be an abnormal pregnancy and miscarriage would happen if our dates were correct. If our dates were off, the pregnancy is great and progressing well. He told us to come back on the 22nd for another ultrasound. When we were walking out of the hospital we started really thinking about my last menstrual cycle. We came to the conclusion that it was at the beginning of November which put us at exactly 5 ½ weeks pregnant. A ton of weight was lifted off of our shoulders. At the next appointment we should be 7 weeks and a heartbeat should be detected.

Here's a little background on our doctor:

Dr. Cone has been with OGA for 11 years. Dr. Cone's patient-friendly practice encourages you to be an active partner in your health care. He and his staff strive to develop and nurture relationships with their patients while offering state-of-the-art technologies and scientifically-proven medical therapies.

Dr. Cone practices obstetrics, gynecology and infertility with a special interest in laparoscopic surgery. In addition to his practice, Dr. Cone is also a clinical instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Dr. Cone has a special interest in minimally invasive surgery. He has been a leader at the Woman's Hospital of Texas in developing techniques to perform laparoscopic hysterectomies and laparoscopic repair of pelvic prolapse. He is involved in several clinical trials in conjunction with Baylor College of Medicine in looking at the long term outcomes of these relatively new procedures.

He and his wife reside in Houston with their three children.

1st Appointment

2008-12-12T08:07:00.000-08:00

So, today's the day! I'm very excited and nervous. We all HATE “these” appointments. I'm much more at ease with it than normal since Nick will be by my side. However, I'm sure he'll be a little stressed when he sees everything that takes place. He feels better about this appointment since he watched “Knocked Up” at Jake's last weekend while I slept. We cannot wait to see our little pinto bean and hear the heartbeat. I'm sure this appointment will make our pregnancy more “real.” I cannot imagine what it's really going to be like….I'm sooo pumped!

I must evidently have that “glow.” Several people have told me this morning that I've definitely got the glow going on, or really good makeup! ;) I feel like I'm glowing because I've never been happier in my entire life! Nick and I were discussing the baby last night (as usual) and it was just amazing to us that I'm carrying a little person that's a mixture of the both of us. And, boy, is it going to be one awesome person! :)

Tomorrow Nick and I are having a little get together for his birthday. His family and my parents are coming along with Toni and Cody, Garet and Steph, and who knows whom else. Jamie and Jill are busy with other things since it is December. Abby and Tracy…I know it's Emery's birthday party as well, but ya'll can continue the party at our house afterwards.

Have a wonderful weekend and I hope to report back with great news soon!

More Baby Shopping!

2008-12-10T12:21:00.000-08:00

After school Wanda and I are going to look at a few baby things. The plan is to run to Sugar Land and go to Baby's 1st Furniture, Babies R Us, and Right Start. I have a few cribs picked out online that I want to see in person. Nick will be weather-proofing the house this evening so he got out of shopping this time. He knows that Friday, after the doctor's appointment I will drag him to several stores. He's such a trooper and really does enjoy the shopping, but he won't admit that to anyone!

Yesterday I did another Chinese Pregnancy calendar and it said girl. I used all of the exact same information. Again, as long as he/she is healthy, we don't care what the gender is. We've got both names picked out, but the boy's name is not set in stone yet. I think for that reason, it will be a boy. Several people have mentioned twins. It's kind of scary to think about, but it is definitely a possibility since Mom's a twin. I told Jill that the calendar said girl yesterday and she immediately said, “One of each!” One of my Bunco friends has the name of the right Chinese Pregnancy calendar to use, so she should let me know what I'm having soon. ;)

It is snowing here in Wharton!

Lastest Happenings...

2008-12-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Nick and I ventured to San Marcos for our annual “Sights and Sounds of Christmas” outing. Before the festivities we went shopping for Baby Popp. I'm not sure how I'll be able to hold out on finding out the gender of our baby. They just have so much cute stuff out there that I want NOW! I figure that we won't be able to find out until the halfway mark anyways, so what's another 20 weeks? Plus, I just imagine Nick going out into the waiting room and announcing the sex and name of our little bundle of joy. We've already been buying things here and there so I'm sure we'll have plenty by the time August gets here. Thursday I bought two super cute Kate Mack bathing suits from Cherish, a cute children's boutique here in Wharton. They were on sale so I couldn't pass them up. Friday night Jill and Thomas came in for the night. When she saw the bathing suits she had to go get a few for herself Saturday morning. We went to the TX State bookstores in search of a cute baby outfit, to no avail. We did leave with one cute little beanie.

As far as the baby goes, I've been feeling great. My stomach is still a little queasy every once in a while, but that's expected since I'm making a baby! We have our fist doctor's appointment this Friday at 1:30pm. Dr. Mark Cone is at Texas Women's in Houston. He was recommended to us by Abby, whose advice I always trust. I've been taking my prenatal vitamins and started DHA supplements a couple days ago. A healthy, smart baby is what we continue to pray for. I'm very excited and nervous about this first visit. We were going to move it until Christmas break, but I really just want it over with. I continue to stress out about the health of Baby Popp. I should really just stop reading stuff on the internet and put the books away, but I can't!

Nick and I have been looking for baby beds, strollers, car seats, and other necessities. I've found a Bumbleride Flyer stroller that's kind of unisex and converts into 4 different types. Any info on Bumblerides or other great strollers, let me know. The bed we have picked out is also convertible. I've also found some cute material for unisex bedding, just need to get it ordered and find someone that can make the style I want.

Nick and I are just ecstatic about this baby. We haven't gotten off of Cloud 9 since we found out that the blood test was positive. Nothing in this world compares to finding out that you are having a baby. It's the most precious thing a woman can do. I cannot wait to be a Mommy!

TMI

2008-12-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

OK...so this will be to much info for most people, and unfortunately there will probably be lots more of that to come. Sorry if it offends anyone. SO....preggers is very stressful, but I'm trying to let it roll off. Numero uno...all I think about and pray about is having a healthy baby. We are trying to do everything possible to have a healthy baby. Dos...everytime I use the restroom I hope it's all fine. And I've never used the potty so much in my lfe. The boobs...man they are starting to hurt. Of course I'll take any pain for this Little Munchkin.
Last night, Nick and I made our first Babies R Us run. We bought a Bebe sound machine and two outfits...I Love Mommy and I Love Daddy that are unisex. y
Keep us in your prayers that we are all healthy throughout this pregnancy.

Oh so fun!

2008-12-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

In my search to find some cute neutral baby bedding, I've come across some very cute and neat baby sites. I'll be posting these sites for my fellow pregger friends and for myself so I don't forget about them.

www.petuniapicklebottom.com
www.rufflebutts.com
www.gdiapers.com
www.shopninemoons.com

How should I be feeling?

2008-12-02T05:37:00.001-08:00

~Should I already be having weird cravings? I had some relish the other day. It was so good and sour that I wanted to eat the whole jar! I've been drinking lots of orange juice mixed with 7-Up. It's soooo good and makes you think you're having a Mimosa.

~Should I be emotional already? I feel like I could cry at the drop of a hat! This morning I heard "The best mistake I ever made" and had to turn the station.

~Should I be having weird dreams? So far it's only been one. I was going in for a checkup and the waiting room was filled with pregnant women lying in stretchers eating ice. They were about to deliver at any second, but all the rooms were full. Nick and I walked out and started to look for a new hospital.

Since Sunday I have been feeling wonderful! Every once in a while I get a little queasy but it passes rather quickly. Yesterday I did the Chinese calendar and it says boy. It has a 93% accuracy rate so I'm going with that, which means I need boy name suggestions.

A few other reasons why I think it's a boy is because that's what Nick wants and he ALWAYS gets his way! :) Also, on his side I think it calls for boy. (Kourtney, Kylee, Cayla, Emery...Tate, Brooks, Kelly's baby, Our baby?????) Right Abby?

The Most Thankful Thing!

2008-12-01T05:28:00.001-08:00

Nick and I have so many things to be thankful for. First of all, we have families that are out of this world, friends that keep our life fun and interesting, and a cozy home that is ours. Of course we have lots of other things we are thankful for that are going unmentioned. This Thanksgiving was like no other. We are absolutely THRILLED and OVERJOYED since we found out that we are pregnant with our first child.

It all started last Monday. I started to feel like I had the flu. Usually when I get sick, its the 24 hour flu. Tuesday came and I was still ill. So ill that we went to Los Cucos and I didn't eat anything but two tortillas and a few chips. We went to the Christmas parade and I was queasy the entire time. We were supposed to go back to Cucos with Stephanie and Garrett for a few beers, but there was no way I could go. Wednesday we didn't have school so I stayed in bed all day while Nick went to his place in Pledger. When he got back home, I told him that we needed to go to the clinic for a blood test since the HPTs were coming back negative. We get to the clinic at 4:15. It took all of about 5 seconds once we got through the signing in. They told us to call them in an hour, but the clinic closed at 5. There was no way that I could go on feeling ill all of Thanksgiving. I needed to know if we were expecting or not so I could take some medicine if it was the latter.

The call:
Nick was just starting to mow and I called him to come to the bench I was sitting on. I called and put it on speaker phone...."just in case." The girl said that she needed to see if the results were back. She gets back on the phone and nonchalantly says, "Oh yeah, they're back.It's positive!" You could have hit us with a brick and we wouldn't have felt it. We started laughing and hugging. It was AMAZING! I've never felt so wonderful in my entire life. I can't imagine what's in store for us.

Telling the parents:
There was no way that we could keep the news in. I wanted to shout it from the rooftop! We are only one month along, but there was no way to wait until Christmas like we thought. That morning we decided that we HAD to tell everyone. We had to have some cute way to tell our parents, but being Thanksgiving all the cute stores in town were closed. I ran to Wal-Mart and bought two shirts and two packages of the iron-on rhinestones. Nick and I ironed "Grandma To Be" on both shirts. We went to his parents house. Nick gave the shirt to his mom and said that I bought her a Thanksgiving shirt. She opened it up, read it, read it again and started screaming! It was hilarious and soooo cool. His dad asked to see it since he didn't know what was going on. His eyes about popped out of his head. Wanda showed it to Grams and she lit up. Being nearly 95 and this being her first great-grandbaby, all she said was, "I will get to play with it for a while and it's going to be so spoiled!" After we talked awhile, we went to Grandma Popp's for Thanksgiving lunch. Wanda wore her shirt in and they were all excited and surprised. According to their data, we should have a girl, but I'm not sure how they figured it. On the way to Shiner we called "Auntie Sarah Beth" to tell her the news. I hated to tell her over the phone, but I had to before Jake could tell her. She squealed with excitement. Then I was talking to Jill on the phone and there was no way I could keep it in. She had already left for Austin so I wasn't going to see her until Friday. She knew that I was sick all week and already thought I was pregnant until I threw her a curveball and texted her a sad face. I asked her what she thought about being an Auntie and she squealed with excitement as well. When we got to my parent's house they were watching the Dallas football game. After a little while we went into the kitchen and I gave Mom her shirt. She was scared to open it because she thought it was a prank and something was going to jump out of it. When she looked at it she didn't believe it. She showed it to Dad and he started laughing. They hugged, kissed, and congratulated us. Jamie came in and saw the shirt and again, more hugs and congrats. We called Jaace in from outside and he read the shirt. He got a big grin on his face and said he wants a boy.

Friday we did the mild version of Black Friday. We left at 6 instead of our usual 3 am and headed to Austin to meet up with Jill. We went to the mall and Jill and I had to check out the baby stuff at Dillards. It took all I had to not buy anything already. I also ran into Janie and Jack and one maternity store to see what I'm doomed to wear in the future. "Uncle Cat" met us at Trudy's for lunch where I had to skip out on the Mexican Martini that he indulged in. We made a quick trip to Lakeline Mall and then hit up a few wedding dress shops where Jamie found a dress. We finally made it home at about 9:30 that night. Several people were at the poolhouse and heard our news. Saturday morning we went to Mamaw and Papa's. Mamaw's jaw dropped and she started laughing when we told them that they were great-grandparents again. On our way out of Shiner we made our way to Mamo's in Sweet Home. She started showing us quilts that she's working on and I told her she's going to have to start making a baby quilt. She looked at me and said, "Well, Jenny, you're pregernt?!?!" We laughed and she hugged us.

On our way home from Sweet Home I called all of my girlfriends and sent out bunches of text messages. Thank you all for all of your love and support. We are still on cloud 9 and are so blessed. If anyone has a good doctor in the Houston/Sugar Land area, pass on the info. Any other suggestions are appreciated as well.

Even though we have a long time, we already can't wait to meet our Little Munchkin.

Who knew?

2008-11-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

Who knew that buying a teeny-tiny piece of property would take 4 months? Caddy-corner to our house is about a half-acre piece of property for sale. We called the lady about the land in August. It may have been earlier than that, but I don't quite remember. She was asking a pretty penny for the small lot, but we thought it would be a good idea to get it. Firstly, Nick wants to build a big barn and it would be the perfect, central location to all of his pastures. It would also be right by the house so he and I could go back and forth as we pleased. Secondly, it would keep anyone else from buying it and doing who knows what with it. We have haggled with this lady to the point where we were about to hang it up and let her not have money to "fix her damaged roof caused by Ike." The story goes on and on, but I'll keep it short.

1) Broke down car so she couldn't come meet with us to show the property lines.
2) Ike came and made a whole in her roof.
3) Had patches on both of her eyes so she couldn't see the contract Nick mailed her. (It's ok to laugh because I got big kick out of that one too!)
4) Took the contract to a bank and the people told her it was "suspicious" because there were lots of blanks in it. (That was because it was a cash deal. We didn't need bank info or a lawyer.)
5) She didn't want to pay the seller cost! Helllooooo?!??! You ARE the seller!
6) She has some man call Nick and he tells the whole deal. Finally, a little bit of progress after that until the guy says she needs more money or we will have to pay the taxes. Sorry....the taxes are YOUR deal!
7) After that, Nick was supposed to take a half-day off to meet her at the title company. He decides to hold out until he gets a call from her. He calls her that night and she said she was having car issues.
8) A few days, maybe weeks later, the title company calls and says she brought the papers!
9) Nick gets a call yesterday saying that she will be here today to sign the papers!

I never knew that buying anything was so much trouble and stress. Nick is very excited about getting his barn up and I'm excited about him getting his tools out of my garage! I'm also kinda pumped about putting a girly touch to it. Hanging up some rustic signs and such. I'm currently working on talking him into making a cute porch on it so we can have a little party barn. I'm also excited about this land purchase because he won't be adding on to the current shed in my yard, which will leave the perfect spot for a pool. I'll have to talk til I'm blue in the face with that one, and still not win!

Christmas Traditions

2008-11-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm not an Aggie, but I'm all about traditions. Several years ago I bought a pickle ornament that you are supposed to hide in the Christmas tree. Whoever finds it first gets a special gift. Last year was the first year I came across the pickle BEFORE Christmas. I bought a Jim Shore Santa and hid the pickle. Whoever found the pickle had to buy the gift for the following year. I think we agreed that each year we would give another Jim Shore statue. Jamie ended up finding the pickle last year and I think she already has the pickle gift bought for this year. I can't wait since this will be my first year to play. I LOVE Jim Shore and I'm sure whatever statue she bought will look great on the shelf with the 4 others I already have.
Last years "Hide the Pickle" search.

A few days ago Nick and I were talking about other traditions we would like to start. Of course, there are lots that we want to do when we have our own family, but we wanted something for this year. We decided that we are going to do a 12 Days of Christmas gift exchange. Starting on December 13th, we are going to exchange a small gift everyday. The tricky part~each gift must symbolize a memory from the past 3 years we have spent together. I'm so excited to see what he comes up with. We've already talked about a few ideas just so that we were on the same page. Both of us had brought up memories that were almost forgotten! Hopefully I'll be good and blog about each gift.

Christmas is in the air!

2008-11-19T05:22:00.000-08:00

We are starting to celebrate Christmas early this year. Mainly because it's our "first married" Christmas together and our "first" Christmas in our "first" house. We are so excited about all these firsts that we already have one decorated tree up along with two trees that aren't made for decorating. We plan on getting our "main" tree after Thanksgiving so that it's not dead by the time Christmas actually gets here. I took a few crappy pictures last night with the point and shoot camera. I'll post some better pictures when the house is completely done. Tomorrow we plan on putting the lights up, which, I'm afraid will be a huge chore.
I'm in love with this Nativity Scene! It was a gift from Mom, Mom-In-Law, Sisters, and Grandmas at our Christmas Shower that took place almost a year ago.

It's an artificial tree that I put up once in one of my apartments. It was too good to part with so it's making its appearance in the kitchen.

Here's a view of the living room. The main tree will be in front of the window.

One thing I can assure you of....

2008-11-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

Is that my family knows how to have a good time! This weekend was Papa Ed's 85th Birthday celebration at Vlastenec Hall. We all had a BLAST, to say the least. I'll let the pictures show the evening.
~Papa and me~
I have a VERY good, clear memory of my childhood. Most of the stuff is irrelevant, but it sticks. To explain this a little better, I can remember the name of the lady that sold us our first weiner dog from Victoria YEARS ago. Therefore, I remember LOADS of things about my grandparents. A few things that I think of when I think of Papa is how he would pick on me when I didn't get my way. I was VERYYYY spoiled so if I didn't get my way, I stuck out my lip and stomped my feet. He would mimic me and I couldn't help but stop crying and start laughing.
Another memory is his Levi Garrett chewing tobacco. Unfortunately, we promoted his bad habit and would give him a case for Christmas. He always carried his spit can with him. When I was about 2 or 3 we had to take Mamaw to a doctor's appointment in Houston. While we were sitting in the waiting room, I told him not to forget his "piss bucket."
Also, when I was little, Dad and I would wake up and go to Mamaw and Papa's for breakfast on Saturday's. This is definitely a thing of the past these days. Back then, I'd be up by 6am to go get my "coffffaaay!"
Mamaw and Papa's two favorites! (That's according to the boys!)
~Dad and Papa~two of a kind! Both are always full of jokes.

~The family clowning around~

~Busted~ Nick and Uncle Wayne-He's not our uncle, but we pretend that he is!

~Mamaw and Me~

~Mamo and Me~

I'm not sure!

Dancing with Mamo!

Singing sisters!

Nokie and his favorite cousin! ;)

Aren't they cute?

Mom and Dad-Aren't they cute, too?

New Prez in the House

2008-11-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, Barack Obama was voted in as the 44th President of the United States of America. Politics really aren't my thing, but I did do my job and voted. Even though my choice wasn't the winner, my choice won Texas and that makes me proud!

Fun Times

2008-11-03T05:31:00.000-08:00

Good times! Good times!

I'll never be able to resist another Halloween Party! We had so much fun this weekend even though it was a whirlwind. Friday night we went to the Halloween Party in Shiner. Saturday we went to San Marcos for the football game. We tailgated first and went to Herbert's after the game. Sunday we gave River Pub another chance and thankfully, they redeemed themselves. We did a little bit of shopping and headed back to Wharton. Last night, we were old folks. We were in bed by about 7:45and crashed by 8:30pm.

The Mickey D's-Jill and Thomas as McCain/Palin

Being silly!

Jamie and Robert as Sumo Wrestler and China-woman

Mom and Aunt Karen as the "Crazy Old Couple"

Dawn and Scotty-Devils

Ryan and Hailey as Johnny and June

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne AKA Pat and Shirley Chumchal

The Popp's-our first tailgate party since we've been married.

Jill and I at the tailgate. Looking a little terrible from the night before.

SBG and me

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T11:30:00.001-07:00

First of all, happy birthday wishes go to Wanda, my mother-in-law, and Abby, my cousin-in-law. Just like every other weekend, this one will be crazy-busy. We are contemplating going to Shiner to the Halloween Party hosted by Dawn and Scotty Machacek. I'd really love to, it just depends on what's going on this evening here for Wanda's birthday. Saturday morning we are heading to San Marcos again for the last football game that we can attend. The last one is on November 15th, but we are going to Wyatt Wagner's wedding instead. We plan on finding a hotel and leaving Sunday after I get some shopping in.

So, everytime I think about Halloween, I recall several things from my childhood that scared the bejesus out of me...special thanks go to my parents for this. I had to have been about 5 years old at the time. We were riding in our white Buick. Dad driving, Mom in the passenger seat, Jamie, Shawna and I in the back. Come to think of it, I was probably 4 since I don't recall Jill being a part of this horrific event. We did our trick-or-treating and then went to the awesome haunted house in Shiner. I remember at the very end they had someone come up out of a casket and then you slid out the door. That part was kinda scary, but I was fine. We get in the car and start to leave when Freddie Crougar(sp?) starts walking to the car and scratching on the windows. We had the window down and immediately start rolling it up, but Dad was rolling it down since he had controls for all windows. It was HORRIBLE! We were all screaming and on top of each other trying to get to one side of the car. That probably wasn't his all-time high of parenting, but it's really funny looking back on it. It made for a funny memory!

Here's to another very fun and memorable Halloween!

Gotta Love Halloween

2008-10-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't dressed up in a costume for Halloween for several years. The last time I remember dressing up was when we went with Ross & Ryan to the St. Paul carnival. It was very last minute and I dressed in hunting attire. When I worked at Fuentes, we always dressed up as 100 year old ladies on the 100th day of school. It was one of the most fun days of the year. I've always wanted to have a Halloween party, but it always sneaks up on me and I never have time to plan one. This year we have had several opportunities to dress up. A party in Wharton on October 25th, but we already had play tickets. Halloween Bunco last night and a party in Shiner on Friday. Well, it happens to be Wanda's birthday on Halloween so we still are up in the air about if we will get to go to the Shiner party. So, last night was Bunco Halloween Style hosted by Jill Boenisch and Krystal Cox. I was very leary about dressing up. I figured I'd dress up and end up being the only one in costume. Finally, at 5:45 I decided to go for it. Who cares if I was the only one in costume?! I put on Mom's nun costume that she wore several years ago. I spiced it up a bit by putting a pillow underneath it and being preggo nun! I felt like a complete idiot driving around town in the costume. I wonder if people thought I was really a nun?!? I finally find the house and nervously walk in. They have it decked out with Halloween decor and several people that arrived there before me were dressed up as well. It ended up being a BLAST! By far it was the best Bunco party yet...complete with jell-o shots, green eye-ball spiked punch, and other goodies. There was another girl there that subbed for us that was dressed up as her husband, who is a preacher. She and I ended up starting out at the head table as partners and won every game! We had God on our side! I ended up winning the roll off as well as the BEST COSTUME award so I shared one prize with the preacher! It was so much fun and I'm so glad I didn't wuss out. If we get to go to the party on Friday, I'll be sporting the preggo nun costume again and I'm trying to talk Nick into Larry the Cable Guy. I'll post pictures soon.

My honey...

2008-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

Never ceases to amaze me. This weekend he took me to Of Mice and Men at the Plaza and Pat-A-Cake. He had arranged for Jamie and Robert to come also without me knowing. They showed up Saturday around 6:00pm as I was waiting for Nick to get ready. The doorbell rang and I quickly had to pull the pillow out of my shirt...I was showing Nick how cute it would be to be pregnant! LOL! Robert proposed to Jamie Friday night so it was good to see them since we weren't going to until November 8th. She has everything booked for October 17th, 2008. That means I really need to start dieting now. If we got pregnant right now, the baby would be born in July so I wouldn't be a huge, prego bridesmaid. If we get pregnant on our initial planned time, I would be a house! I told Nick that we should just wait until after October, but neither one of us wants to wait a year to start trying.

Showing off our bling!

Baby on the way!

2008-10-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

I was so excited and stunned yesterday when Gina called and said they are expecting Baby Beach # 2 in July. Yes, Gina was the pregnant one in our wedding which took place 7 months ago! Avery is almost 6 months old and going to be a big sister! Of course it wasn't a planned pregnancy, but they are so ecstatic. We've decided that instead of having babies we'll let Gina do it and we can just pick one of her's since she'll have one of every age! I told her that I was bummed because we really haven't had a chance to drink with each other since she was pregnant with Avery. She's trying to convince Nick that we should have a baby so her and I can be sober together. I doubt Nick will fall for that.

Self-Inflicted Spending Hiatus

2008-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to being a total moron, I am on a self-inflicted spending hiatus. Two evenings ago I went to the ATM machine and left my card in it! I realized this after 1.5 hours of grocery shopping in Wal-Mart. The guy was checking me out and I began to flip out. I left the groceries there and was going to come back for them later. The card wasn't in my car so I sped through town to the ATM and immediately called my bank in Shiner at 6:14pm. Luckily, someone answered and said there was no activity and cancelled the card. I had no idea that after a few minutes the maching sucks in the card. If I would have known this, I wouldn't have paniced so quickly. I'm sure you are wondering why I didn't write a check out. #1-I'm out! #2-I've also managed to lose my driver's license. Why didn't you use a credit card? My husband doesn't believe in debt! Need I say more? So, the card is, of course, not in the machine. I end up going to Nick, which is making hay at the time. Get him off the tractor, tell him my dilemma, run to get a check out of his truck, and then back to Wal-Mart to get the groceries.

I'm so mad at myself! I guess it was a good thing that it happened because now I will stop being lazy and combine my account with Nick's. I am a bit nervous that I won't get to vote since I don't have my license.

Our oh, so crazy weekend

2008-10-22T13:18:00.000-07:00

Friday we jet out of Wharton at 5:00pm. We were making good time until I had to use the restroom in Flatonia. That was about a 2 minute stop. We get back on I-10 and a few minutes down the road, I ask Nick if he grabbed the apartment key out of his truck. Of course not! Now what? Do we go on or head to Shiner? A trooper is behind us with his lights on....looks like we are Shiner bound since we'll be getting a ticket. Instead, the trooper zooms past us and the cars ahead of us are putting on their brakes. We ended up coming to a complete stop for 1.5 hours. We walk around, call Jake's apartment to see if they will let us in and they won't. We are starving at this point. It ended up being a major accident with 2 life flights. We decide to head to San Marcos and just find a hotel if we can't break into his apartment. We get to Luling and Nick looks at me and says he just thought of something crappy. What now? Well, we decided to leave our season tickets at Jake's apartment so that we would have them no matter what. We figured that we would probably end up leaving them in Wharton if we didn't keep them in SM. We never thought about what we would do if we forgot the key to the apartment. We finally make it to San Marcos. Food was the only thing on our minds. We had been talking about River Pub the whole trip so that's where we headed. We get there at 9 and there's a 30 minute wait, which is ALWAYS the case. 9:30 we are seated. Since we both get the same thing every time, it didn't take us long to order. We're sitting there about to gnaw our arms off until 10:15 when some lady comes and says they are "plating our food up right now." No prob! Our food comes out and it is COLD! I was soooooooooooooooooooooo mad. I look at the waitress and ask if she can explain why we waited 45 minutes for cold food. Nick and I ordered the same exact meal. It wasn't like one took longer than the other. I HATE cold food...I'm definitely my father's daughter. I didn't get the nickname "Chip" (off the old block) from his old buddies for nothing. She says that the computers are down in the back and they had to handwrite all of the orders. And......???? That wasn't a good enough excuse for me. She said that she would take it back. Ha...so they could spit in it, no thanks! So, I eat it cold and Nick is ticked at me because I was complaining. Needless to say, it wasn't our best, most fun dining experience with each other. As we are eating, he says that all the hotels are probably full. That would be our luck, which is also like my father's! We stop at several places and most of them only had a room or two open that were smoking and some I'd rather not stay at. We finally found one decent place for a decent price and called it a night. Saturday was a much better day. We spent several hours shopping at the Outlet Mall and then we had Herbert's, which was a much better dining experience. The food is always smoking hot and delish. We contemplated buying tickets to the game, but I opted for spending the money on house stuff. I don't mind going to the games, but I'd much rather shop. The season tickets were just an excuse to get to go to San Marcos anyways. That evening we head to Shiner. Sunday we hung out with the parents and Jill and Tom for a while. We went back to Wharton pretty early. We took the backroads to Nada, which is normal for us. I see a deer looking right at us in the ditch and start pointing and trying to tell Nick, but it wouldn't come out! There was also a motorcycle in the other lane coming, which he thought I was pointing at. The deer runs out right in front of us and Nick slams on the brakes. We barely, and I mean barely miss it. I'm pretty sure that the deer might be missing some hair off the side of it, but that's all. That's all we would have needed to end the crazy weekend, but we lucked out.

Ready for the weekend!

2008-10-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

When am I not ready for the weekend from August until June? Nick and I are headed for San Marcos this evening to relax and reminisce. We do this quite often, but this is the first time in forever that it will just be the two of us there. The plan is to go shopping in Austin tomorrow after we hit up a few places in San Marcos. I'm thinking Kirby Lane for breakfast and River Pub for dinner. Sunday will be Herbert's for lunch. We've got to stuff ourselves this weekend because the diet starts back up on Monday. I've decided that I've got lots of weight to lose before we get pregnant and that could take years! However, yearsssss is not in our plan. That means I've got to get on the ball and hit it hard.

Wednesday we went to TGIFriday's and did lots of shopping. We bought more blinds for the house and pulls for the cabinets. Nick decided that the cabinets are going to be our rainy day project....I'm just praying for the rain to happen soon! He's even excited about the handles so I think it helped to get him geared up for the job he's going to do. As we were hanging out, we laughed about how it was when we were dating and celebrated our 6 month anniversary, 9 month, 1 year and so on. October 15th is still a special day, and it always will be. The gifts have ceased and the elaborate evening to the River Walk on that day has been put to rest. We have a more important day to celebrate in a few months and I'm ready to plan something! We're thinking a cruise somewhere, but nothing set in stone yet. He did surprise me with tickets to Of Mice and Men, which will be at The Plaza Theatre next weekend. Oh, he also promised Pat-A-Cake. That's a major deal for him! He's not a big fan of the $10 sandwich. Hence the reason, I can only eat at Jason's Deli when he's not around! :( So, we did celebrate our 3rd year anniversary of meeting/dating and it was great. The weekend will be just as great.

3 years ago

2008-10-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

3 years ago today, my life was forever changed. I was gearing up for the Bocktoberfest at Pat Caka's farm. (Pat, a great friend of our family, died 2 weeks ago.) Ross and Ryan somehow talked Nick into tagging along with them to the fest. He caught my eye when he first walked up, but I didn't talk to him. However, a little while later I did ask him if he wanted a drink, but he declined. For reasons I won't mention. Just think...Party Jenny! We went our seperate ways to the concert, but ended up meeting back up that night after the fireworks. From that moment on, we were and still are inseperable. I'm so lucky that God led me to my soul-mate. It's really scary sometimes how "right" everything is in our relationship. We were definitely made for each other. There is no place in this world I would rather be than next to my babe. He's my partner and the love my life. I cannot believe how fast 3 years have gone by.

As engraved in your ring....ALL MY LOVE!

The Nightmares Can Stop!

2008-10-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

Why on Earth am I still having nightmares about my wedding? Here's last nights dream... For those of you who haven't been in our house, we have 3 sinks in the upstairs restroom. It works out quite well for a family dominated by girls. I'm in the shower and ask what time it is. Jamie or Jill tells me it's 2:20pm. I was thinking I had plenty of time until I realized that I put 2:00 on the invitations. It's been 6 months! I was on time and it's a done deal! Hopefully that was the last one.

On a funnier note...Early Monday morning Nick was talking up a storm about hand tools and how to use them correctly. I think one was a rubber mallet because he said, "You have to hit it softly on like, say, um a bookcase. Ok? We good?" I woke up and started asking him questions back. I've never seen him teach a class, but I'd imagine it's exactly what he sounded like that night. Poor thing was so exhausted Monday evening from all the teaching he did at school and through his entire night's sleep.

6 things I've learned:

2008-10-06T12:00:00.001-07:00

This was supposed to go on the last post, but I ran out of time.

6 things I've learned in the last 6 months:

6) Once you're married, the past is finally the past. All we worry about is the present and the future.

5) Paying bills is much nicer when there are two incomes.

4) Just like a child, a man needs consistency and constant reminders. Constant reminders to put the lid down, to pick out your clothes to be ironed for the next day, to rinse your dirty dishes before you put them in the sink, and to put the milk back in the fridge are daily issues. (Well, almost daily!)

3) It's really hard when we disagree because we are both stubborn-headed, middle children. We have both learned to walk away and chill out for a little while. When we come back to each other we laugh at our stupidity.

2) I have a partner in anything and everything I do.

1) I live for him and know there are great things ahead of us. I can hardly remember they days when he was not in my life.

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband to spend the rest of my waking days with. I always wonder why I have been so blessed with the best man on Earth. I'm just one lucky girl. If the rest of my life turns out half as great as it has been, I should have no complaints. I'm looking forward to the "heck of a lot more."

6 months down...a heck of a lot more to go!

2008-09-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our 6th month of wedded bliss. This picture was taken Saturday at Dawn Raab's wedding. I'd love to say that I have lots of wonderful things to share about the event, but I don't! I was the lecture and I HATE public speaking, so that was terrible. She was IN my wedding and still listed me as Jenny Chumchal on the program. Hellllloooo...it's been 6 months. It was an outdoor wedding so it was hot and I was getting bit up by mosquitos. I wasn't planning on going to the reception, but my sister's talked me into it. I drank a few too many glasses of champagne!(This is stolen from Bonnie) "Party Jenny" decided to pay a visit and she's going into retirement for a looooonnnngggg time! We left after we ate and it went downhill from there...so I'm told.

Sunday was Dad's 58th birthday and we all celebrated in Sweet Home. It was great to see everyone and catch up on the latest happenings. I'm so thankful to have such a great family and extended family.

This weekend we are going to Port Royal to rekindle our old family vacation. I'm super excited. I've got so many pictures to add, but so little time.

Hint #1-It starts with a "C."

Oh! Notice my new hairdo-I got 6 inches cut off!

No Sharing...

2008-09-22T12:05:00.001-07:00

As stated in the book by Mary K. Moore...I'm a name hoarder. One who has a name picked out and isn't even pregnant, but tells the one who is pregnant "that's MY name, you can't use it!" So, we just decided not to tell! It's perfect, trust me. BUT if you're REALLY smart, you can figure it out in this post! ;) Happy guessing!

We Survived...

2008-09-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

We survived Ike and ended up having a wonderful weekend despite the damage he caused elsewhere. We came home to a yard full of limbs and leaves. After several days of cleaning up and two trailer-loads of crap, we are almost finished. Yesterday we didn't work in the yard because I had a girl's night and Nick cut hay. Tonight we will finish it up and have a freshly mowed lawn. While we were in Shiner we played lots of Scrabble and a round of Monopoly. I've got lots of pics to put on if I ever download them.

On our way home Nick and I started "family planning." I wanna have all my ducks in a row before we actually try. That means I need to start with finding a "woman" doctor. That should have been a priority a while ago, but somehow I managed to let that slip by. I've been searching for doctors that are provided through our insurance and have had a few people refer a doctor in Sugar Land. I'm kinda sold on Methodist Hospital in SL, but that's not certain until I see a room. I'll have to have something large so that Nick, Mom, Jamie, and Jill can all be with me while in labor. Yeah, I'm making ya'll be with me...Nick will probably pass out! Maybe it's far out there to be planning that sort of thing now, but you all saw how anal I was about wedding plans and it was pulled off perfectly. Naturally, I would want the birth of our child to be even more perfect! So, we're starting there. I'll make an appointment soon and ask for prescription prenatal vitamins with DHA because we need a healthy brain!

Oh, and the most fun part....we picked out names! We have a girl name that is 100% for sure! And I just LOVE IT! That means that when the time comes, it'll be a boy! :( Call me crazy, but I'd love to have twins. If anyone has suggestions on what I need to do pre-conception...let me know! We're pretty clueless!

Mary K. Moore

2008-09-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Jill, my sister, used to nanny for Mary K. Moore's daughter when she was at Texas State. Mary released her book "The Unexpected When You're Expecting" on Labor Day. I just ordered it from Amazon. The website is super-cute and the excerpts are hilarious. Check it out at www.marykmoorebooks.com. I can't wait to read it!

Who Are My Readers???

2008-09-09T14:43:00.000-07:00

Why's everyone afraid to comment? I didn't know I had so many readers. I just got a site meter and want to know who you people are!?!

Bay City? Van Vleck? Indianapolis? Woodsboro? Nacogdoches? Seguin? Even if you are from other places, comment! I think I know who it is, but just wanna double check.

Thanks!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-09T14:27:00.000-07:00

He didn't scare me until a few minutes ago when our principal handed us a phone tree and he said he would let us know tomorrow if it was a "voluntary" or "mandatory" evacuation!!! Holy CRAP! I'm that person that says, "Why didn't those idiots leave when Rita hit?" Now, I'm the idiot saying, "Ahh...Ike won't come, we'll stay here this weekend." Besides, my girlfriends are coming to visit and I wanna drink Mexican Martinis with them!

When Nick told me that his dad already had plywood bought for Gustav, I laughed. Yesterday Wayne told me that they are planning to go to San Marcos this weekend due to Ike. Again, my friends are coming to my "new" house, we're staying here! I'm so excited about this weekend, how can Ike come now???? Then I read Abby's blog and she says how everyone in El Campo has their houses boarded up. What's a girl to do? We're not prepared at all! I have 22 miles worth of gas left in my car, which means I will have to sit at a long line at Wal-Mart. We have no plywood for our windows and we haven't put anything away. I guess we have our work cut-out for us this evening....better make that tomorrow because Ike will probably decide to chose the other path so my friends can come visit and we can drink our much needed Mexican Martinis.

If he decides against my fun weekend, I guess we will get out of this town and head to Shiner. When Rita came we ended up having a VERY FUN Hurricane Party at the Spann's house. All of the Port O'Connor people came there to escape it's wrath. So, I guess either way it will be a fun weekend. If it's a "mandatory" evacuation and if any of you readers need a place to stay, call me, we always have room at my parents.

Lots going on...

2008-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

But that's no excuse to be a bad blogger. We'll start with the most exciting news so far....drum role, please....WE SOLD OUR HOUSE ON WHEELS! We advertised it a week ago and the first couple that came to look at it, bought it. Better yet, we made a profit on it! We've decided to use the money from the trailer to purchase a small 1/2 acre piece of land caddy-cornered to our house. Nick wants to build him a 30X80 shop for all his boy toys. I'm all for it because it would get them out of my yard.

Saturday Nick and I planted our first garden. I've fot some really cute pictures of him making the rows and whatnot. Hopefully, we'll have lots of organic veggies to share with all of you.

We've had our first sleepover at our house! Jamie came to visit a couple of weeks ago to stay for the evening. She treated us to our favorite seafood place in town. The following day we did some antiquing in Wharton and then we treated her to Pat-A-Cake, a great little sandwich place. The atmosphere is amazing and will probably take all of my visitors there when they come stay with us!

Last Saturday we went to San Marcos. We stayed with Jake and Sarah Beth and went to the TX State football game. We're so excited because we've got season tickets this year. Not that we are great team or anything, but we are supporting THE DRIVE to Division 1. Yeah, that would put us with the big boys! I'm so for it, even if we get slaughtered. Sunday we attended Robin's "church" wedding. It was an amazing wedding. She married Greg, from Scotland. The guys wore kilts and they had did lots of traditional things from both lands. It was really fun to witness.

Wednesday I had bunco and it was a success! We never really play bunco, just sit and gab, which is always fun. I've got a few pics to post later.

In other news, school has begun and I'm a second grade teacher. It's been a bit stressful, but we'll see. It's always sad when summer is over.

I'm really excited for this coming weekend because Alicea and Deb are supposed to be coming to town for a wedding. Hopefully they will make it Friday so we can hangout. The house is finally pretty complete. We are taking visitors at anytime!

Thanks Mom!

2008-08-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

I just love the wonderful traits I got from parents. The mole on the side of my nose just like Dad's. Except he just got his removed because it was cancerous. That means I need to visit a dermatologist soon. The varicous veins from Mom. The list goes on, but I can't think of the others right now. Yesterday Nick and I went to Victoria to the Vascular Surgeon. He decided that injections should do the job on my varicous veins. Next Wednesday I go for the first treatment on my left leg. A week later I will have to do the right leg. Supposedly I can drive right after and they insist on lots of walking. It will consist of lots and lots of shots into all of the veins. This is how I understand it to work. A foam (NOT saline) is injected into the veins. The blood will clot in the veins which will cause the blood to stop flowing through the varicous veins. The varicous veins will basically rot and wither away. I remember noticing the varicous vein when I was a freshman during track. Over the years it has gotten a lot worse. They say when you get pregnant they get even worse. We want to nip it in the bud right now. I'll be really bruised up so no dress at Robin's wedding. That means I need to go shopping! I told Nick that everyone's going to think that he beats me on my one leg! :)

Coushatta

2008-08-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

Nick and I rode with Mom, Dad, and Jaace to Coushatta on Monday-Wednesday. It was Nick's first time to gamble. I figured I'd never get his tight-wad self to go, but he loved every minute of it. Even though we came back as big losers, he's already planning on going back in December. Both of us love to play blackjack, but I was horrible at it this trip. Since I lost all of my money rather quickly I sat and watched people play roulette for hours. I finally figured out the numbers that I would play if I had money. I gave Nick a puppy dog face and he gave me a whoping $5 which I turned into $35. Needless to say, that $35 went down the drain rather quickly. Back I went to just watching. Meanwhile, I shared with other players what numbers to go with and one guy from Needville won several hundred dollars. No one was playing for a while when another guy came up and I told him which numbers to put his chips on. He did rather well and bought me $20 worth of chips. I knew that the second I'd put my chips on a few numbers it would go south. One number was 29. I had accidentally put two chips on it instead of one and amazingly it landed on 29! I did the same thing the next time and it landed on 29 again! Very rare! I was up $140 in about 1 minute. You can bet your booty I'm going to be reading up on roulette so I can play it in December. We had a GREAT time and ended up donating lots of money to the tribes, but it was well worth it.

Go Ricebirds!

2008-08-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

Self-portraits are no fun! This is our first picture together in our house. I'm sporting my Ricebird Red because Nick and I were on our way to the school board meeting for his official introduction. We were there all of 7 minutes. It was great and everyone there is super friendly. We LOVE ECISD! I love WISD also, but ECISD has allowed me to have a HUSBAND! Jaace came to visit the week that we had the school board meeting. He only came because I promised to take him to visit J.D. Hudgins Cattle Company. He has really gotten into raising Brahman cattle and now has 8 of his own. The visit was very informative and I enjoyed it as much as he did. I'm sure I'm ranked #1 sister because of it! :)
One of the high dollar bulls.

Jaace and Mr. Hudgins

Miss Priss

2008-08-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

Remember the pregnant bridesmaid....

This is the little angel that arrived on May 2nd. Avery is one of the sweetest babies I've ever been around. She ranks up there with our god-daughter, Abby's kids, and Tracy's kids. Being around these babies will make you want one of your own. Everyone we are surrounded by have wonderful kids...thank goodness for the cranky kids in Wal-Mart that make us practice "natural family planning!"

4 months ago...

2008-07-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

We were busy doing this....
Decorating! Actually we were finishing up and getting ready for rehearsal. I cannot believe that tomorrow will be 4 months since we were married. It has gone by so fast. I miss all the planning and excitement being engaged brought. Married life is wonderful, thank goodness we have a wedding video to relive the day. I'd be depressed if I didn't.

Oh how I wish I was doing this....

Scuba-diving in St. Lucia. The underworld is AMAZING. I highly recommend scuba-diving. It's a complete different world undersea. Nick really loved it more than I did. Mainly because I freaked out a little and my ears killed me until I figured out how to equalize. Man, I need to blog about our honeymoon! How behind I am!

Using our wedding goodies!

2008-07-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

One of the first things I did was unload all of our wedding goodies. It has been so much fun ditching all the college utensils and starting fresh.
We love our everyday china!

Gotta love Cuisinart!

Here's a picture

2008-07-29T14:35:00.001-07:00

So here is an "after" picture. I haven't loaded the before pictures yet do to our crappy internet here. You can picture the before in your head...imagine baby blue EVERYWHERE! I've already changed this room since this picture. I now have a hutch against the wall and the table is turned. Nick's mom gave us the table and hutch. Supposedly it's rather old and the chairs are no longer apart of the set. I'm going to look for chairs at estate sales, etc. I think a bunch of old mismatched chairs would look pretty cute. It's all coming together rather nicely. We put the floors in the living room and it looks amazing. I only have one room left to paint and then it will be complete!

We haven't killed each other...YET!

2008-07-10T21:09:00.000-07:00

Nick and I have spent almost every minute together since school has released and we haven't killed each other! We are both so glad that he is not working in Boling anymore so that we can see each other and enjoy being married. We have been working on the house every chance we get. So far the kitchen, dining room, and our bedroom are complete. Completely painted that is. Lindsey Voulgaris, Nick's old high school classmate, has become a great friend of mine since I moved here and started playing Bunco with her. She has been a sweetheart and helped me paint whenever I call. She loves painting the trim, which I despise. I'd much rather do the rolling. Since we moved into the house in June we've completely changed it. I pulled up all the carpet this past week. This coming week we plan on scrapping off the carpet padding that wouldn't come unglued and laying down the new flooring. I'm also hoping that Nick will put trim on all of the cabinets so I can start painting them. Our deadline for the house to be "near completion" is the end of August because I'm hosting bunco out our house. Today we went to Dillards to pick up our new bed and mattresses. That means that I'll be shampooing carpets this week also so we can set it up. It's so exciting. I really can't wait to have everything done so that the house will be clean and homey. Right now there is crap everywhere and I feel like it'll never be clean.

Last Sunday we had our first gathering. Mom, Dad, Jaace, Jamie, Robert, Rob Jr, Matt, Wanda, Wayne, Grams, Jake, and Toni and Cody Pohler came over for fried chicken (catered by Dad!). It was a spur of the moment deal and it turned out rather well. I learned of lots of things to put on my grocery list including better tongs and Reynolds wrap (to name a few). I can't wait to have the guest rooms complete so that people can actually come and stay over.

We'll be busy this next week as usual. Vacation Bible School is Sunday-Wednesday evenings. Saturday we have Jennifer's 1st birthday party to attend and Sunday we have a wedding shower for Greg and Robin. I'd much rather be busy than sitting around with nothing to do, but I hate how fast the time is flying. School bells will be ringing soon! :(

I'm going to try to be a better blogger and even add some pics.

THANK YOU, JESUS!

2008-06-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that the calf I chased through the barbed-wire fence is alive and well. THANK YOU JESUS! I am even happier to report that the house-on-wheels is officially retired by us and up for sale! THANK YOU JESUS EVEN MORE! You have no idea what a luxury it is to use the restroom on a porcelain toilet until you have sat on a plastic one daily for 3 months. We stayed in OUR HOUSE for the first time, by ourselves on Sunday. I must also add that our marriage is wonderful now that we are living like normal human beings. It was a bit stressul living in a 32 foot travel trailer for 3 months, but we prevailed and now have lots of funny stories to tell down the road about our first living arrangements.

Now that we are in our house, I've been cleaning and painting. I've only finished our bathroom because we still have the Popp's stuff in a few of the rooms. I thought it would be easy to pick out colors to paint the rooms, but I've had a hard time. Our room, the living room, dining room, and kitchen are all going to be Stone Lion which is a tan color. Our bathroom is blue and chocolate brown. I'm thinking one of the bedrooms will be Edamame(greenish) and one Kitten's Nose(light pink). Once again, I'm not pregnant, but when I am I don't want find out the sex of the baby so both rooms will already be painted. I'd like to do the pink room shabby chic/antiquish. The main bathroom has a dark green countertop and white tile. I still can't decide on a color to paint it...any suggestions are appreciated. Anyways, it's been lots of fun. Nick's been huge help. He's replaced several light fixtures, bought our wood blinds, and even cooked while I clean and paint. Later he's going to hang more lights and mow the lawn! Score on having a great hubby! It's a surprise that we've been working so well on these home improvements considering the last blog entry.

Things Husbands & Wives Should Not Do With Each Other

2008-06-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

#1-Working cows!
Maybe I should write a book about top 10 things that married people should not do with each other. I searched for suggestions online and couldn't find anything. Well, today Nick needed help "working" his cows. FYI, "working" cows means worming them. I thought it was like excersing or something. I probably should have known this since I'm from the country, but I didn't. I told him that it was a bad idea for me to help with this job, and boy, was I right! Our first job was to pen several cows in Wharton to haul to Pledger. We had to pen ALL of the cows in order to do this. We got them all in the pen except for 3 calves. One calf we couldn't get in was the one Nick needed the most. My job was to shoo them at one point and to watch the gate. I was in the process of shooing him and he ran through the barbed wire fence into an open cotton field. Nick was SOOOOO MAD!!!! He took off running through the field after the calf. He was trying to yell at me to do something, but I couldn't make out what he was saying so I hid behind the trailer tire. I thought I was scaring the calf when he saw me. Well, Nick wanted me to scare him back towards him. Instead the calf went right passed me, heading for the road. Nick yelled at me to get in the truck and go to the main gate to see if I could get him in there. I told him that I wasn't driving the truck because it had his gooseneck trailer hooked up behind it. I can drive it straight, but I would have had to back it up and stuff which probably would have dented his truck. Nick hops the fence and gets in the truck. He high-tailed it down the pasture and to the gate. Somehow it worked out perfectly and the calf ended up coming back into the pasture when he opened the gate. It was TERRIBLE! We give up trying to bring this calf to the other pasture since the calf was exhausted. (Nick was too!) We go to Pledger to "work" all the cows there. I try to be a better helper, but I failed again. We got most of them penned up except for one that he wanted to take to the auction barn. I talked Nick into keep trying and a couple fled out as we were trying to get one in. Not nearly as horrible as the earlier experience. So, we start to load the one of the two calves that are going to the sale. One was already easily loaded. The problem was that we had two calves in the chute rather than just the one that needed to go. I told Nick that they'd probably both hop in the trailer, but he still had faith in me. Needless to say, both of them ran into the trailer! We had a hard time getting the smaller one out, but after some poking and prodding with a stick and cane, we got him out. If I wouldn't have ran away when the cows started running at me, we probably wouldn't have had any problems, but I don't trust those animals.

I'm happy to report that we are still married! The best news out of this entire day is that I don't ever have to "work" cows again. He'll probably just send me shopping! Nick was aggravated with me quite a bit today, but he always came back and kissed me and apologized. I'm a bit worried that the calf that got out might be dead. We'll find out in a little while when we go check on him. I'm sure I'll be in BIG TROUBLE if he dies.

Gotta Love Mexico!

2008-06-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

We had a blast shopping in Laredo/Nuevo Laredo. So much so that we are planning on returning very soon with a trailer or UHAUL. I ended up getting several very good deals on my yard ornaments. When Nick picked me up from East Bernard, the back of his truck was full with only about $150 spent. What a bargain! The beer was super as well. Since Tiff's bachelorette party, my new favorite beer is Sol. It was the first beer I spotted in Mexico. I about flipped out when they told me it cost I was thrilled when I was buying it for a dollar. I drank a few and then found a spot selling them for "half dollar." Mom and Jamie became interested in this beer so that they could stop buying the $4 margaritas. At the "half dollar" grocery store place, we saw Sol in a 40 oz bottle for $1.50. All three of us shared one of these which would fill one of the margarita cups. We had it all figured out! We'll definitely be hitting that place up in the future.

We HAD to stop at one convenience store for Waldo. He insisted on getting a Banana Fo Fana Icee. It's the only place that he's ever been to that sells them. Here's Mom eating her's. It was pretty good. Not banana-tasting at all.

The three of us shopping in Mexico.

The first pottery place in Texas. Funny turtles!

Our bodyguards!
They enjoyed watching us shop more than doing the shopping.
This was the first place we shopped and already had both vehicles full of stuff.
Our hotel. A very nice place to stay. You never would think you are a few steps away from poverty. The chicken fried oysters here are to die for.
Rio Grande

Jamie and I enjoying a drinky drink.

Mi Vida Loca!

2008-06-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Several of us are headed to Mexico for a day of shopping in a few minutes. I'm on a hunt for cute decorations for the house. Indoor or outdoor will do. My "Money Nazi" husband only gave me $100. That'll get me nowhere! He doesn't know that I snuck an extra $75 of wedding money from a few cards that we just got in the mail here in Shiner. hehe! That's not very nice of me, but I'll tell him about it if I spend it.

We almost backed out of the trip because Mom got all scared about the Mexican Mafia. She said that crazy sh!t is going on down there and we shouldn't go, but it's to late to back out now. We've decided to shop this side of the border if at all possible to calm her down. Nick's supposed to call her and tell her that he's scared of the Mafia too! :)

Hope to report back with a successful shopping trip!

Won't be blogging much...

2008-06-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

because SUMMER IS HERE!!! I have been working my bahooky off! It all started Friday. I decided to go to our house and start cleaning up the exterior. It started with raking leaves. I raked and bagged a total of 17 HEFTY bags, maybe more. There were 25 bags in the box and there aren't many left. I continued bagging the piles I didn't finish on Sunday and also started pressure washing the house. As I pressure washed it, I scrubbed it down with Clorox. This is no easy task, but it was something I was used to since Mom and Dad made us do it every summer when we were in school. It's much easier when you have 5 people doing one house. My hands are now ate up and a bit swollen from the Clorox, but the paint on the house is pretty and white. I finally finished the pressure washing yesterday and started on my flower beds. Who knew that so much work and MONEY are involved in making these things nice? I did go a little overboard as I always do. I had to have these things:
-the black plastic stuff because I always wanted it in our beds at home, but we never used it. I thought it was so professional looking. It's a pain!
-mulch-the wood chip one. Something else I always wanted in ours at home.
-soaker hose
-timer for the soaker hose
-MiracleGro thingy you hook to the hose
-sprinkler which I'm taking back because I really want the John Deere tractor one that drives around the yard.
-yard tools
-cute gloves
-and of course FLOWERS!
So I finished one bed and I think it looks pretty darn good. I should have taken before and after pictures of the whole house process, but I didn't have my camera and I wasn't driving back to the trailer to get it.

This weekend Mom, Dad, Jamie, and I, along with Waldo and Janie and several others are going to Mexico to do some shopping and a "little" drinking! ;) I hope to buy lots of pots and outdoor decor. Wednesday it's off to the Frio for floating and a little more drinking.

I'm An Auntie!

2008-06-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

How I wish I was auntie to a human, but puppies are fine for now. Jill's Schnauzer, Kenzi, had puppies this past weekend. Unfortunately, I missed the event, but I'll be there this weekend to see them. If you or anyone you know wants a GREAT family dog, a mini-Schnauzer is the way to go. Kenzi is a VERY sweet, cuddly, protective dog. I finally found out this morning that she had 3 girls and a boy. I thought it was kinda funny....Jamie, Jenny, Jill, and Jaace! And the boy was the last one born. They are AKC registered.

I bet this one is going to be beautiful when she grows up.

A Day Worth Celebrating

2008-05-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a BIG celebration for Nick and me. Wednesday he interviewd in El Campo and was hired as a Jr. High Ag Teacher! We are THRILLED about his new job. We will actually have time for each other like we did back in San Marcos. We'll have summer vacation together and evenings. I always thought that's how it would be since we were both teachers, but the past year it was DEFINITELY not that way with him working in Boling. His teaching partners asked what they should tell people when they ask why he quit BOLING to work in El Campo. It was said in a very crude way which ticked Nick off, but soon enough he can wipe his hands of it. The arrogant demeanor of these two gents is not Nick's speed which was another reason he wanted out. HE'S OUT!

Another reason to celebrate was my last day of school and my last day as a kindergarten teacher. We were also celebrating our 2 months of marriage and 1 year since our engagement. How the time flies!

We went to Sugar Land and had Pappadeaux's for dinner and then shopped at Target. We didn't get away from Wharton until late so we didn't have much time to do the shopping we had planned. We did find some pretty towel racks and toilet paper holders for one of the bathrooms. Monday we bought a chandelier for the dining room. These little purchases are making me VERY excited about moving into OUR house. This weekend I plan on pressure washing the house and working in the flower beds.

We got our DVD! We got our DVD!

2008-05-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Nick and I went to Shiner Friday evening to break our trip to San Marcos up a little. Our dvd was in! Mom and Dad went to the river so it was a good opportunity for us to watch it by ourselves for the first time, so we did. It's sooooo good! It's really the only way to relive your wedding day and THANK GOD we chose to spend extra money to get a great videographer. Along with the ceremony and other footage, he has 3 music videos that are amazing. I've watched it several times and each time, it brings tears to my eyes. Friday we ended up watching the movie twice and today I showed a few pieces to my kiddos. They all clapped when I walked down the aisle and couldn't understand why my Dad walked me down and not Nick. I'm working on putting a little of the footage on my blog, but it's not working thus far.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

2008-05-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday Nick and I are going to take a trip down memory lane to good ole San Marcos. I'm very excited about staying at his old apartment, eating at River Pub and Herbert's, and most importantly THE OUTLET MALL! The first place I'm going to hit up is Pottery Barn.

When Jill and I lived together (and even when we did not) we would make a trip to PB almost daily. We figured out the exact times when they put new items in the extra 50% off bin. It was heavenly! There were several occasions when we wanted to beat down the ebay shoppers for a good bargain. They were like vultures and would hoard everything. I can still remember exactly what these 2 ladies look like. We were nice shoppers, just going for the thrill of a good deal. I can't even begin to tell you how many sets of PB bedding we have between the two of us that we really didn't need. If we weren't stalking PB it was Dillards or Target. One time we stumbled across a great sale at Dillards and bought 11 pairs of shoes! I'm sure Mom and Dad are glad they got us out of the San Marcos/Austin area.

So, the reason for the trip is to go to Tiff Turek's bachelorette party in Austin Saturday night. Tiff and I used to hang out an awful lot in high school and in college. We were going to be roommates when I graduated because Dad and her dad were college roomies. It ended up not working out because I could only get 3 classes (10 hours) my first semester at SWT. I ended up commuting until the following semester. Unfortunately, we kinda drifted apart when she graduated and moved to Houston. We're finally getting to be in touch more now that we are not so far away from each other. She's always been a great friend and boy, do we have LOTS of fun memories together. We were always good though. I remember her dad, the Athletic Director at SHS, telling us if we got caught drinking we would have to do bellies in the gym. Needless to say, we rarely drank! I can't wait for the bachelorette party and her wedding. I never would have guessed that Tiff, Dawn, and I would all be getting married in 2008.

Chaos at school

2008-05-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

This school year has been very stressful on our principals and staff. First of all, we are building a new middle school to house 2nd-5th grades. The school that I am at is being turned into an alternative school. Therefore, every PK-5th grade class has to pack everything and move. Whether it be to the new school or to a new room, no one knows. At the beginning of the year, our superintendent decided to retire. He was going to let all the principals know which campus they would be at in November. November turned into December. December turned into February. February turned into yesterday.

Sally called us in for a meeting this morning and told us that she would not be with us at Sivells, the pre-k through 1st campus. It's very depressing because she is a wonderful principal. She's very easy to get along with, fair, and most importantly kid-friendly. She pops into our classrooms twice a day, she supports any activity we do, and she knows almost every student by name. She was fighting back the tears this morning as we all hugged her. When I did, she asked if I was going to keep teaching kindergarten. I knew from an experience I had last year, that I did not want to work with a certain someone. I told her that if a 2nd grade job came open at the new school, that I'd go with her. At lunch, Sally grabbed me and said that I was going to 2nd grade. I've heard that 2nd grade is one of the best grades to teach, so I'm really excited about it, but also very nervous. I love all the fun, kiddie activities I get to do with the little ones, but a switch will be good. I should know tomorrow what the verdict is.

Strange things

2008-05-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Bizarre things have been happening and it's starting to freak me out. Friday night Mom told me about Kyler Hewig. Kyler, 8 years old, his parents, and sister were on their way to Austin last week. Carley, his little sister, was going to try out for an extra in a movie. They left after school and made it to Gonzales when the accident happened. Supposedly, there was a loud explosion sound. All the windows in the car except the windshield were shattered. They turned to look at the kids and Kyler was hunched over. Something had entered his head. Alison, his mom, is a RN and teaches at Victoria College. She did CPR until he was airlifted to the hospital. They believe that someone was shredding in a ditch and the object that flew through the window and into Kyler's head was a rock. As of right now, they are uncertain about his injuries. I would imagine that you have better odds of winning the lottery than being involved in such a freak accident. I cannot even begin to imagine what the family must be going through. Kyler's grandpa was my high school Chemistry and Physics teacher. He also hunts with my dad and a few other guys. Please keep the family in your prayers.

Saturday, Jill and Erin were leaving Sweet Home and going to Shiner. They were distracted by some cows in a pasture that took off running. When she looked back at the road, a tree was falling right in front of her. She slammed on the brakes and luckily, the tree didn't fall on them. We went to look at the tree and it was huge. It went across the entire road. In a matter of a few seconds, things could have been very bad.

Sunday we found out that one of Nick's students had a really bad car accident. She was driving an older suburban and her brother was the passenger. She ran a stop sign and a car T-boned her. The people in the other car were airlifted, but are ok. Luckily, the car hit right behind the passenger door. If it would have been a split second sooner, her brother would have died. We saw the suburban at the wrecker place. The right door was pushed so far in that the left side was pushed out as well.

Be thankful for each and everyday that you have here with your loved ones. You never know when you will be called from Earth.

Sweet Home BBQ Cook-Off

2008-05-19T10:40:00.000-07:00

Our Team-2 Farm Boys and A City Slicker
Dawn, Scottie, Me, Nick, Jamie, & Robert

This past weekend we participated in the Sweet Home Volunteer Fire Department BBQ Cook-off. Dad and RP have been entering bbq cook-offs for quite a while now. I'm not sure why or how we got the wise idea that we should try, but we did. We being Robert, Jamie, Dawn, Scottie, Nick, and me. Nick and I were basically supervisors during the entire event. Needless to say, we didn't do so hot. The Rounders, Dad's team, didn't do well either, so maybe there is still hope if we try again. I stole a few pictures from Jamie.

Dawn and Jenna early Saturday morning. Nick and I were still in bed. Sorry guys, it was the first day we've gotten to sleep-in in weeks. We'll be better next time.

2 Farm Boys and a City Slicker-checking out the goods

The Rounders & 2 Farm Boys & A City Slicker campsite

Robert-head cook-cutting up the que

Dad making faces at the camera or maybe he thinks our meat looks gross!

Dad cutting their bbq

Rob cutting the best brisket

Mom winning first place for her super yummy coconut meringue pie. She screamed really loud when she realized it was her number. It was so funny. She went against 32 other pies. I helped judge the competition and let me tell you, it was the best!

I was going to scold a little boy that was ticking me off. He kept picking on some of the little Shiner girls and I'd had enough of it.

I'm coming back from telling him to be nice. He's the little one to the right of me. It was the kindergarten teacher coming out in me since his parents were no where to be found.

Nick napping after a hard days work. He didn't work all that hard. We got there at 11 and this was at about 3.

Love my new make-up

2008-05-16T13:06:00.001-07:00

I had ordered a buttload of new mineral make-up at the beginning of March for the wedding. I didn't get it in the mail until this week. It was actually a complete surprise since I had forgotten about it. It was my fault that it took me forever to get it because I sent them a check when it should have been a money order. Ooops! Anyways, I was very leary about the whole mineral make-up idea, but I love it! Nick even commented that it looked really good and natural. I ordered the biggest custom kit on the site and love it all. You can get samples for free, but I surpassed that since I wanted to try it for the wedding. The lip gloss is really cool. It's in a Chap-Stick tube, is glossy on the lips, but not sticky. One reason I don't like gloss is because of how sticky it is. I can't stand when my hair blows in my face and sticks to my lips!

The company is www.everydayminerals.com out of Austin. It's even better because one lady is the owner and it's not a huge company getting more of our money. Also nice to support fellow Texans.

Filled with Joy!

2008-05-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Last night Nick and I returned a couple of umbrellas to our friends Joe and Julie Mask. Joe and Nick became friends when Nick was in high school. Joe was actually Nick's ag teacher. They spent lots of time together going to shows, working with animals, etc. Nick always refers to him as his mentor. Whenever Nick has any questions about his teaching career he goes straight to Joe because he has seen it and done it all. Last July, Joe and Julie had their first baby, Jennifer Linn. (Wonder if they liked me so much that they named her that?! BUT I am NOT Jennifer...that's my cousin and cousin-in-law.)

So, we make a surprise visit to their house and they have other people there for hoof-trimming. Julie and I walked inside to look at their new house. They recently added 1800 square feet to their old, 600 square foot home. She's showing me around and Joe walks in because he has to bring a guy somewhere. He tells me that we have to get together and talk. He added, "Really, I mean sit down and TALK!" Then he says that Julie can tell me a little bit about it. This made me very nervous. After he left, she told me that her and Joe had been working on their will. They wanted to put us down as Jennifer's guardian if something were to happen to them, as well as godparents. Wow! What an honor! Nick came and in and Julie told him about what we were discussing. He was as shocked and honored as I was. Of course, we would do this for them. It just makes you feel good inside when people think so highly of you that they ask to be such an important person in their child's life.

Pointy elbows....

2008-05-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, last night I was talking to Nick about my "quirks." He asked what the definition of a quirk was, and thankfully I had the exact answer since I looked it up yesterday. We both, obviously, had different ideas. After I told him that it meant "a peculiar trait," he immediately spouted off that I have extremely pointy elbows and I could "take an eye out with those things." :( Yes, my elbows are rather pointy, but that's compared to his knobby ones. After I told him about what I came up with, he said that he'll make me replace the toilet lid if I ever break it! I'm not the one leaving it up, so hopefully he learns to just put the lid down before any damage is done. The joys of being married...he now has to deal with my quirkiness and break his bad habits!

Quirky?

2008-05-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm out of stuff to blog, so I've been looking for things to type about. When I first saw this, I didn't think that I could come up with 6 quirks. Was I a quirky person? Hummm...quirk...a peculiar trait, according to Merriam-Webster. I guess everyone has some quirkiness to them in some way or another. Here's what I came up with:

1) I hardly ever will put down a toilet lid that has been left up. If I have to, I kick it down. Who cares if the lid cracks! If I know who has left it up, I'll call them to come and put it down.

2) Drinking after people disgusts me. That goes right along with eating off another's fork or spoon. Don't ask me if you can have a bite of something, I'll tell you yes, but it's killing me inside! Also, please don't double-dip or God-forbid, lick your fingers or utensils and put it in food. Gag! (I don't mind sharing with Nick and maybe sometimes my family.)

3) I do not like it when my foods touch. Divided plates rock! The only exception to the touching rule is mashed potatoes and corn. Maybe this is why I'm not a huge fan of casseroles.

4) When I stay overnight in a hotel, I won't ever be the first person to take a shower. I'd rather be after someone else that I know rather than someone I don't know.

5) Feet bother me. Please don't touch me with yours!

6)

I can't come up with a 6th one at the moment. Instead of this being 6 quirks, it has turned out to be 6 things that gross me out. Now I think I'm germophobic!

Happy Shopping!

2008-05-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Brandace just sent me this information. I'm adding lots to my shopping bag as I blog. I'm really excited about this. I LOVE new make-up! Probably not as much as Jill does, but it does make me happy. I think Jill actually has a few things from e.l.f. I can't tell you how good it is because I don't know. I'd imagine if Nordstrom bought it out, it has to be good.

Nordstrom is changing the logo on their makeup, so they're selling
everything that says "e.l.f." for $1!!! (you still have to pay shipping,
but it's SO worth it!!)

http://www.eyeslipsface.com

If you order, use the coupon code CAROLINA to get an additional discount.