December 29 Doctor Visit

I had yet another appointment today. These weekly appointments have been going on forever, or so it seems. But the end is in sight as I only have 3 (hopefully) left. Today was a big appointment. The first item on the agenda was an ultrasound to determine Little Lizard's size. It appears that he may be smaller than Ethan as he weighs in at a tiny 6 pounds, 10 ounces right now. He is only measuring a couple of days ahead of his due date and looks completely healthy. While I was able to see his precious little face we weren't able to get a still shot of it so no one will be able to see it until he arrives. For what I saw, with my non-ultrasound reading ability, I believe he is going to look a lot like his big brother. The technician also told me that he will probably have a lot of hair.

Next, I saw the OB. He was pleased with my blood pressure, which has been suprisingly low the past few weeks. My sugar levels were ok since they put me on medication last week. Some of the numbers have been a little high, but I confessed that I've had a few cookies, among other things, the past few days. I love this doctor because his response was simply, "well, it's that time of year." He also decided to check to see if I am dilated because we are less than 4 weeks away. I was excited, thinking maybe some of these pains were getting me ready, but I was wrong. He wouldn't even say I was dilated to a 1. I know that isn't a sign that the baby will stay put for a while, but it was a little disappointing.

Finally, I had another NST. Since he had already been poked and prodded, Little Lizard decided it was time for a nap and refused to move, which is crucial for the test. The nurse brought in a little wand and told me she was going to wake him up. She woke me and the baby up as the noise the wand produced was quite shocking. Needless to say, with his nap disturbed baby started to move and we were able to finish the test with good results.

To sum it all up we are both doing well and just waiting for little man to decide when to make his entrance. Keep praying!

Dec. 14 Doctor Visit

I went to the doctor again yesterday. I feel like I'm there all the time! I arrived at 4:07 and told the receptionist that I was to have a non-stress test (NST) so that the nurse would go ahead and hook me up. I know the nurse got the message because I heard the receptionist telling her on the intercom system, but I was not called to a room until 4:50!! I was a little upset, but I have to keep my cool so my blood pressure doesn't elevate (it was good yesterday!). After chasing the baby in order to find his heart beat (apparently he still has a lot of room in there), I was left to the whooshing of a wonderful sounding heartbeat for 30 minutes. It is very relieving to hear that sound, so strong and so perfect! When the doctor arrived he looked over the test results and told me that everything looked really good. Yay! But I still have to have one every week until the end. Ugh. He was pleased with everything, but my sugar levels gave him a little to be concerned over. We discussed the fact that I can eat the same thing for two days and on day one my sugar will be fine, but the next it will jump tremendously. He basically told me that I would probably be put on medications next week to control everything. I, however, brushed that off because I have done everything I possibly could to stay off any meds while pregnant. Until today. My sugar was high for half of the readings this weekend. Ok. I indulged a little. But yesterday and today I ate normal, healthy meals. What do I get? High, high readings. Higher than they've been the whole time. Looks like I may be on medication by Christmas anyway. I just keep praying that Little Man is ok, that his lungs are maturing (just in case) and that he doesn't get HUGE! The doctor doesn't want him to weigh over 8 pounds. I find that funny since Ethan weighed 9 1/2 without diabetes complications. I also hope that when he is born his sugar levels are stable and that the diabetes doesn't cause him to have a terrible case of jaundice. So many worries for a little person that I've never seen. I know I'm rambling, but this is how my brain has worked for the past few months. I'm going to stop for now. I'll be back with more updates soon. MK

Once each week

My latest appointment with the OB was yesterday morning. I thought I had been doing an ok job with my sugar and my blood pressure hadn't bothered me in a couple of months. So I believed that it would be one of those appointments where I would be in and out with no problems and be back in two weeks. Yeah right! Nothing has gone that simply this go 'round. First of all, the nurse had to take my blood pressure like 3 times because she wasn't satisfied with it. She finally settled for 140/70-something. Then when the doctor looked at my sugar he wasn't overjoyed with my recent numbers. Finally when he checked the baby's heartbeat I grew more and more concerned the longer he listened. He told me that the heart was beating really fast and he was just waiting for it to slow down. He attributed this to the baby's recent activity...I sure hope so! So the kicker at the end of the appointment was when the doctor told me that I would be back at least once a week each week until little man gets here. Eight weeks and 2 days to go!

GD

So I went to the dietician this morning for my Gestational Diabetes Tutorial.

I was so overjoyed that I overslept, realized it, and hit the snooze button. I finally got up, got myself ready and figured that there was no way I could get Ethan to anybody and then get myself to the doctor so I told him that he would have to go with me.

He is quite a little guy. He played fairly well while I did everything I had to. He has even gotten so good with his big boy underwear that when he shouted "Mama, I have to pee!" in the middle of the hour and a half meeting, I rushed him out to the potty. He poised himself for the potty ritual and then told me that he couldn't do it. No problem. However, I finally caught onto him after we washed our hands and started back to the office and he whined, "No, I don't wanna go back in there with that lady." Isn't that sweet.

As for me, I learned a little. The internet sources I previously researched turned out to be fairly accurate. I was taught about carbs, proteins and fats, was told how many of each I could have and then was taught how to use a glucometer. Now I have been instructed to eat 3 meals a day and have at least 2 snacks. The only problem is that I prefer ice cream for snack rather than fruit and cheese. I'll get over it. But you can bet I'll be sneaking fudge and pecan logs at Christmas dinner. The worst part is checking my sugar 4 times a day. And one would think that the actual pricking of the finger is the worst, but I find that squeezing out enough blood to test is what hurts me the most. I'll survive.

I think that's enough with the boring details. The good news is that baby is still healthy and we only have 9 weeks left...that is...if we go all the way!

It's always something...

On October 30, I took the 1 hour glucose screening test at the doctor's office. The test is designed to screen pregnant patients for gestational diabetes. The following Monday and Tuesday I played phone tag with one of my nurses who told me that I had failed the test. I would have to take a 3 hour version as soon as I was able. So on November 10 I stopped eating until the next day so that my fasting glucose level could be determined. That morning I had my blood drawn four times after drinking the nastiest sugar I have ever had in my life! With my doctor's office the "no news is good news" is policy. After not hearing back from them that Thursday or Friday I assumed I was in the clear. WRONG! I received a call at work this morning telling me that I had not passed any part of the glucose test and that I was being sent to a dietician. So, I guess the fun starts now...monitoring my diet, keeping a log of my glucose levels...the week of Thanksgiving! Something tells me this will be the least delicious holiday season I've had in a while. I go to the dietician on Monday so I will understand more about what I have to do and what's ahead for me then.

And the countdown begins....less than 10 weeks til baby #2 arrives!!!

I'm Back!

So, it's been almost 2 months since my last post and I cannot figure out why I haven't posted anything. I guess I just haven't felt like actually sitting at the computer long enough to type an entry.

A lot has happened since September so I'll share what I can remember.

On Friday, the 11th of September, we closed on our house! Yay! We started moving things that weekend and we're still moving things. With me being pregnant and Ronnie gone so much we really haven't gotten too much moved. But at least we have a place to move it to!

Ronnie has yet another new job. He hated the last one and we continued looking for another while he was gone. I ended up sick in October and saw a truck for a local company and made Ronnie contact them. It turns out that they were hiring. Good thing because Ronnie had had enough of the over-the-road gig. He started with the new place on November 3rd and so far he is really enjoying it!

Ok. I'm tired of typing already so I'll come back later and share more.

Have a great day!

A Neat Craft

I know the title of my blog refers to crafting, but I really haven't been feeling very crafty lately. It's just too much work to drag all my stuff out and put it back when I'm done. That's why I'm so very happy to be getting a whole room to devote to my craft habits when we move. Even though I hadn't done very much lately I had a request from a friend to make a birthday banner for her daughter's first birthday. She showed me pictures of what she wanted, I got a couple of things I needed and she supplied the paper. After I got everything ready for her, she did the final assembly. You can click here to go to her photographer's site where you can check out our co-craftiness. Enjoy!

It's a BOY!

The title says it all. Baby #2 is going to be a boy. The important thing is that we were told that he is healthy and is growing right on track! Here are the ultrasound pictures...

Predictions

Tomorrow is the big day! My ultrasound is scheduled for 2.30. I am going to have the doctor write down the baby's sex and seal it in an envelope so that Ronnie and I can open it together this weekend. But I want to know what everyone is else is predicting, so let me know what you think. Leave a comment stating whether you think it's a boy or a girl and I'll let everyone know when we find out.

09-10 School Year Is Underway...

Today was the first day of the school year. I have to say it was not the worst start, but it definately was not the best. All I know is that I am utterly exhausted. I really do not know how I made it through the last class, especially since they are going to be the craziest if today is any indication. After being a lazy pregnant bum all summer, I was not ready for all the physical activity I got today so I am going to take a warm bath and then the bed is screaming my name! Have a great night!

So long summer...

Summer has come to an abrupt end today. Ronnie is officially working (I'm glad he was here for most of the summer.), the fam that was camping in the backyard pulled out, and I have to go to work tomorrow. Ugh.


But, the good news is that we had a fun-filled summer: I got to go to Costa Rica ("Arica" to Ethan), our house was finished, and we spent a lot of time together as a family. I don't have all my pictures uploaded, but thought I would share a couple of my favorites from this summer.

Flying his very own Elmo kite! Note: Ethan did better than Ronnie or me!


Ethan helping his Papaw work on the truck.

The Last Week

It appears as though summer is slipping through my fingers and there isn't anything I can do about it. Ethan and I have this whole week and next Monday together before I head back to school. I'm glad to start another year, but I will miss my little man tremendously. I know I'll be flying out of the parking lot as soon as I can just so I can get home and hang out with him.

So, the question is, what should we do this week? It's just us (Ronnie made it to Indiana safely this afternoon). I have a lot to do before we move...maybe I'll work on that. I also thought about going over to the house and doing pre-cleaning so I won't have to do it later. Maybe Ethan and I will do a small day trip or find the energy (or the money) to go shopping. Who knows. Either way, I plan to enjoy spending all the time I can with him.

Have a great week...especially all my teacher friends who are headed back to our own little worlds next week!

The Waiting Game

I have good news and I have bad news. Isn't that the way it always goes?

Good---the house is finished!
Bad---we can't close for a few more weeks.

Good---Ronnie has a job!
Bad---Ronnie has to be gone Monday through Friday.

What's the deal? Since Ronnie has been unemployed since March we are unable to provide check stubs to prove that we can pay for this house we are buying. Therefore, we cannot close. More good news...the bank and the builder are both willing to give us a few weeks for Ronnie to work and show pay stubs so we can buy the house. That was a huge blessing. So, Ronnie is going to be a truck driver again and Ethan and I get to hang out at home by ourselves. I'm just glad I go back to work soon so I don't literally have to sit at home, but can do something productive.

I have started to ramble, so I'm going to stop. I just wanted to post an update so I won't have to answer these questions a million times. If someone does have to ask it proves that they don't read my blog.:) Most of the important people read it though.

Take care!

Interesting Doc Appointment

So I had my monthly checkup for the little lizard today. I was prepared to pay the portion of the bill that was due today and be broke until payday, but the lady said that the payment had already been made. I asked for clarification since I had not paid anything yet. Apparently I have a credit left from last time and I probably won't have to pay much next month either. What a huge blessing!!!

Then I was called back. It seems that my blood pressure has decided to creep up a little earlier than it did last time. The nurse checked it twice and hesitated a little before she told me it was 130/98! Ack! So now I have to try to be good and get it down before I go back next month.

Finally we were able to schedule an appointment for the big ultrasound. I have an appointment on September 1 at 2:30. I figured I would write it on here so I won't have to call the office every time to find out what time my appointment is because I have lost the paper again.

Little Lizard

There were comments about "Little Lizard" from the last post so I thought I would share where this nickname originated. A couple of weeks ago Ethan was talking to the baby and showing his daddy where the baby is right now. I was at the computer so I asked him if he wanted to see what it looked like. Of course he did. I found a picture that had been drawn and it looked like a baby and Ethan quickly recognized it as such. When I scrolled down the page there was a 3D image of a baby at the same stage. Ethan's face lit up and he said, "Oh! It's a little lizard!" Since Ronnie and I hadn't thought of a name for this one we decided that Ethan's name would work well enough.

This is the picture that started it all...

We passed!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. It's just that not that much happens when you're sitting at home with a two-year-old everyday. Ethan and I are enjoying our summer together...we've been busy packing and playing with his friend Hailey. Anyways, the reason I'm posting today is that we had the final inspection on the house today and it PASSED!! Maybe it won't be much longer before we get to move in! I'll be back Monday, if not before, with an update on the little lizard (Ethan's name for the new baby) after my doctor's appointment.

Exciting News!

I have been waiting to post this for a couple of weeks now. I just needed to wait for the right time.

So here goes...
Ronnie, Ethan and I will be welcoming a new little one to our family in January!

We are very excited and nervous, but we know that God will help us just as he has since Ethan arrived. At the first doctor's appointment we had an ultrasound and were able to see the little one and then today we were able to hear the heart. A wonderful sound at 170 beats per minute. Please pray for our family...we'll be needing it!

Happy 4th of July!!

Hello everyone!
I just wanted to post quickly to tell everyone happy 4th! Enjoy your day and be safe! Remember how lucky we are to live in freedom and be thankful to God and soldiers who have given us all that we have!

Day 9 --- Homeward Bound!

Today we will be heading back to good ole North Carolina! Our flight doesn't leave until early afternoon so I imagine we'll pack, eat breakfast and head to the airport to wait. We should be arriving shortly after midnight tonight! Can't wait to see my boys! How I have missed them!

I'm sure I'll be on here posting pictures soon!!!

Day 8

Our last full day in the tropics! We travel to the city of Sarchí, an artisan hot spot. While there we will visit markets and I hope to show the kids the art of bargaining for real...they thought I was crazy when we did it in class! They'll figure it out or they'll pay way too much for what they want!

Tonight we stay at the Grand Hotel Costa Rica. It seems pretty majestic to me! We will have some free time this evening.

It's me!!

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments while I have been away! I have had all the posts updated automatically so they have been pretty cut and dry. But this time it's me and I'm writing this while I look at my girls playing by the pool and then I can look over to my right and see the waves of the Pacific crash on the beaches of Jaco, Costa Rica! It's really cool! I have really enjoyed this trip, but I cannot wait to get home and spend some time with Ronnie and Ethan...I have missed them both VERY much! I am also looking forward to some time without teenagers...this summer will be very short!
I know I'm rambling, but I don't have too much to talk about. I do want to say congratulations to Ronnie's sister...she and her family welcomed a new boy to the crew yesterday! I can't wait to meet him.
Well, I am going to go, but I want everyone to know I love you guys and I'll be home soon!

Melissa

Day 7

Today is a relaxing day. First we go out to Manuel Antonio beach, one of the best in the world, to see various exotic plants and animals. Then we get the rest of the day to explore the beach on our own!! The tour is drawing to a close.

Day 6

Today is still up in the air, so to speak. The guide has an activity that he feels will be more beneficial than what was previously planned. We will talk about it on tour and decide as a whole group.

Our hotel for the next two nights is Balcón del Mar. The plus side of traveling today? We are at the BEACH! My first trip to the Pacific!

Day 5

First thing today we are going to be "green" and plant a tree. Apparently all EF tours do this while in this area. Let's hear it for dirty hands!

Then we will walk for an hour and a half to get to the Santa Elena Cloud Forest where the kids will do a zipline canopy tour before we go for lunch.

This afternoon some groups opted to do a horseback tour, but my group will be relaxing and enjoying some free time.

Later in the afternoon the tour guide is going to take us to Santa Elena City to show us some of the local areas rather than tourist hot spots.

Day 4

Today we leave the hotel around 7 in order to travel to an area known as Monteverde. En route we stop at Tom's Bakery, where the streudals are delicious we've been told!

This afternoon we stop at a school called La Cruz. We will watch a performance given by the students and then we will have time to converse with them.

We will be staying at Hotel El Bosque tonight and tomorrow night.

Day 3

We have an early morning today and must be at Lake Arenal by 8:00 in order to being a 2 hour long kayaking adventure! I'm sure I will be tired, hot, and sore by the end of this day! After we are done on the lake we are hiking to see La Fortuna Waterfall. It should be beautiful as we will have to tackle over 300 steps to get to it! After all this physical labor we will surely be ready for our lunch!

After this we head to a coffee house, Down to Earth, that is owned by our tour guide's friend. Soon afterwards we spend the afternoon relaxing in the thermal waters of Baldi...waters that are heated naturally by the volcano. Ahhhh...I'm looking forward to it already.

Until tomorrow!

Day 2

Good morning! Today is a fun-filled day in Costa Rica!

We begin the day with a trip to the INBioparque. After guided tours we will head to the Poás Volcano. Once we are finished taking in nature for the day we will travel to the northeastern part of the country. We will be staying at the hotel Eco-Arenal tonight and tomorrow night. After arrival we will have time to explore the area on our own, but we have an early morning tomorrow!

Costa Rica Bound

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I am scheduling posts over the next few days while I am in Costa Rica in order to let you all know what I am scheduled to be doing at the time. I hope you enjoy reading about what we have planned.

At this time I should be en route to Atlanta, Georgia. Our flight should leave around 4:19 and land at 5:42. We are scheduled to leave the US at 7 and arrive in Costa Rica at 9:01 (our time here). There is a 2 hour time difference so we will be landing late, getting to the hotel and crashing.

We will be staying at Hotel Villa Tournon tonight.

A Quick Post

We are back from our mini vacation in the mountains. I will try to post pictures tomorrow. Have a great day. I'm off to get ready for VBS now.

Runny Babbit

My brother...a.k.a. Big 'Ole Brandon to Ethan has a new pet to share with my son. Ladies and gentlemen...meet Roscoe.

Plans

Not much has been going around here. I'm just patiently waiting for the kiddos to finish exams so I can start to enjoy my summer. We're getting things started this weekend with a camping trip to the mountains. The main event is Saturday when we go to Tweetsie RR to meet Thomas the Train. We're hoping that Ethan really enjoys it. I'll share pictures when we get back. Sunday starts VBS and I'll be teaching the 2 and under class. Should be lots of fun... Then on the 24th I'll be leaving for Costa Rica for 9 days. I am SUPER excited about the trip...there's just too much going on to get ready for it. When I get back it will almost be the 4th of July. Any plans anybody? All I know is that we'll probably be fishing with Heather, Daniel, Hailey and Caleb somewhere. So that's about all for now. Take care and leave a comment!

Diaper Cake

We had a shower for one of my friend's and his wife at work today. They are expecting a little girl in July. Our building handled the shower so I made the diaper cake.

Here are the proud parents to be...

Here is Ms. Nina. She was amazed at the cake.

--I just LOVE her!!--

And the cake. I think it turned out really well!!

Up, Up and Away!

Ethan got a really cool Elmo kite courtesy of his Daddy's trip to Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. He had a blast flying it! He actually did better than I did. Here are a couple of shots.

What happens when you tell 3 monkeys to smile!

Motivation

Heather has really gotten my booty in gear. I'm really having to watch what I eat and I'm walking like crazy. I shouldn't have gotten lazy in the first place... Just thought I would check in to say that I'm doing fairly well this week and I hope to see a loss this week since I haven't had one in so long. Happy hump day!

New Challenge

I just got back from my friend Heather's yard sale. I always leave with more than I intend. I enjoy spending a little time with her and her friend, Jamie. Anyways, the point of this post. As you know, I quit WW last month after Ronnie got laid off. I just couldn't justify spending money to track what I ate and when I excercised. I was doing really well though. After I stopped tracking I got way off course. Last week when I spoke with Heather she mentioned that she was on WW again. Today we gave ourselves a new challenge. We're going to be down to a size 14 this summer. This should be an easily obtainable goal for each of us. We'll see how it goes.

Fun Day

Yesterday was Fun Day at NM. I was really excited. Can you sense the sarcasm? The kids were crazy. I was crazy. I didn't want to be there, but we can't take anymore days this year. At 12:45 I dutifully went out to the baseball field with Amy to man the obstacle course. Everything was fine until the principal told a group of senior boys that they could launch the 200+ water balloons they filled last night and hauled to school in coolers. A couple teachers and I stood around as targets. They got one. They got her again. And again. They came close to the other, but they never hit me. Whew...I didn't really want to be wet all afternoon anyways, but it was fun teasing them. All the balloons were gone and a few of us were standing around laughing and talking when I heard my name being called. It was the entire group of water balloon boys. They were asking me if I thought I was good since I didn't get hit. I teased back that they needed better aim. So on and so forth. They then showed me inside the cooler. Half full of water. Before I knew what was happening two guys had grabbed each of my arms. I tried to run. I screamed. I stopped so they wouldn't rip my shirt off of me. I would never have gotten away anyways. They dumped the whole thing over my head. I was a good sport. We all laughed and joked for a little while. There was no reason to get mad. They were just having a good time.

Excited

Ronnie and I were going to go on a mini vacation to celebrate our anniversary this weekend, but just couldn't bear the thought of leaving Ethan home. He has so much fun when we go places and I would have been miserable thinking about him the whole time. Finally we decided to take a day trip to the mountains, take Ethan to Tweetsie and have some fun on the train. Our plans changed when Ronnie went to check out the Tweetsie website. We discovered that Thomas the Train is going to be there next month! Ethan absolutely loves Thomas! We changed all of our plans and booked a campsite and bought reserved tickets to see Thomas the second weekend in June. So in three weeks TV will come to life for our little man. Ronnie is already picking on me because he thinks that I am more excited than Ethan would be if he knew what was going on. My response - "How could you not be excited? It's THOMAS!"

On another Ethan note. His new fave food is "'mater jelly." He was eating a biscuit the other night and told his mamaw that he wanted ketchup. She thought he was crazy, but he knew what he wanted. He was eating his ketchup biscuit when papaw started calling it 'mater jelly and the name has stuck. Tasty.

Nothing much going on here

The title says it all. There's not reall a lot going on around here. I guess I'll share a few random thoughts anyways.
-Ronnie still doesn't have a job. His qualifications don't seem to match the specifications of the employers with which he applies.
-I'm tired of school. I'm so ready to be out!
-I'm getting excited about our trip to Costa Rica, but I'm getting nervous! Just me with 7 teenagers in a foreign country? Scary!
-Prom is Saturday so we had our annual scare-the-you-know-what-out-of-'em assmebly today. I thought it couldn't be worse than last year when they acted out a wreck scene with our actual students. WRONG! They had a highway patrolman come in today with some grusome pictures. I don't find death amusing in the least and for it to be up close and in our faces today was pretty ugly. I hope that it got the kids to thinking anyways.
-I saw a fawn on the way he home. He was so cute with big ears and little white spots. Just a little reminder that God is still in control and will send small things to cheer us up when we least expect it.
-When I got home Ronnie went back with me to see if the little guy was still there. I was worried that he may have gotten separated from his mother. He was already gone.
-Ethan is growing like crazy! It seems like he learns something new everyday. And he is always doing something to make us laugh.
-I read Josh's blog and he posted links to all of us that have written about Jenni. I still think about her often. Josh, I still pray for you to have strength. If you need me, let me know.
-I guess that's all for now. God Bless.

Mother's Day Cards

I finally got to make some cards! These are for some ladies from Ethan.

ZOO 2009

Yesterday we went to the zoo with the church youth group. Everyone had a great time even though we wore ourselves out by the end of the day. Here are some pictures from the adventure.

On an egg...


The polar bear would dive underwater...


Then rise up in front of the kids at the window...

and POP out of the water!

After we drew on the wall...

Hanging on with all his might...Ronnie did let go!!!


Are the wolves in here?

Me and my daddy!

Best buds!

Tired at the end of the day.

Farmer Kidd

On Thursday Ronnie dressed Ethan in overalls and he actually wore them all day. Then when I got home he had straw on his truck that he hadn't used yet. He told me that it was a perfect picture opportunity. When he says something like that I usually listen because it means that he actually wants to help get some good poses of the little man. These are a few that we got. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

This is going to be my third mother's day so I thought I would share a few thoughts about life with my 2-year-old.

First I must say that I have enjoyed every day of the past 3 years since I found out Ethan was on his way. He has always been a wonderful little person -- I couldn't have asked for a better little boy.

I'll be the first to admit that some days he gets on my nerves. Maybe he doesn't want to play with his toys while I'm doing something or maybe he's eating the tires off his tractors. Sometimes he's in a bad mood...maybe from a lack of a nap or because he really wants juice or milk right now or maybe he's just had one of those days. Here lately he gets upset at something and says "I can't do it!" or my personal favorite is when he throws his hands in the air and proclaims "I can't do this anymore!" Gee...wonder where he gets that from!

Some days he makes me laugh. Like last week when he used the handle of a jumprope as a microphone while he danced and sang like a lunatic. (Note he did not utter a sound when he had the mic at church the Sunday before.) Or like when he gets excited about something and starts telling us about it...so fast and full of words we don't know half the story. All we have to do is ask "What?" and we get the whole thing again. Lately he's decided he likes to count...all the time... He's pretty smart. He says them the EXACT same way everytime. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10!!! Ok, maybe he does skip a few, but they're all in order. I finally tried to teach him a little Spanish. Since he obviously loves numbers I thought I would start there. He did really well...copied my sounds perfectly until we got to 7. I said "siete," he looked at me and my seven fingers. I said "siete" again. He looked at me very curiously. One more time I tried "siete." His face lit up, he held a finger up in the air and exclaimed "SEVEN!"

As you can tell from this post I laugh a lot more than not. He has been a ray of sunshine in our lives and I wouldn't change a thing about him. So I hope you all have a very happy day on Sunday and remember to always enjoy the good in your child(ren).

I love you, Munchkin!

Ethan is ready!

Today we were driving on a road near where our new house is. Ethan asked me and his Daddy "Where's my house?" Ronnie pointed and told him the general direction and Ethan told him he was wrong. Ronnie replied that it was "through the woods." When we asked if he wanted to go to the house he said he did, so we went. On the way over I talked with him and asked him if he was going to sleep in his room in his big boy bed when we moved and told me that he would. When we turned around to leave the house Ethan started crying and saying he didn't want to leave. When we asked what he wanted to do he said he wanted to go in and sleep in his bed. He's ready for his new house and so are we.

It's me again

Almost another week has gone by again. I'm getting pretty slack at this.

Our house is getting closer to being done. The septic system has been completed. Thanks to Donald and Terry...my new buddies! I think I annoy them more than anything, but at least they've been keeping Ronnie busy with some pro-bono work. The well is being worked on. So far we are at 540 feet deep!!! Yeah...that's deep! Everytime I think about it I see dollar signs roll through my head. I keep telling Ronnie that the deeper the well goes, the smaller my porch gets. Pretty soon I'll be stuck using a step ladder for the next 30 years. Just kidding...unless we get a really nice inspector. The HVAC guys came by to install the heat pump (nothing stops a Trane :)) and complete the duct work. Also, the septic guys filled in the dirt around the house and leveled it off some. They also took a load of dirt from the bank at the road so that's getting flatter. I told Ronnie they better be done with that soon so that I can plant my flowers next week. I ordered several ground cover plants and expect to get them this week.

Enough of that. Ronnie still has no job, but he did go for an interview on Thursday. He goes for a second one soon. Pray that it's a good job (we're not really sure what it is) and that he gets it if it is. In the meantime he has become quite good at getting odd jobs around here. Last week he cut trees 3 days. Then this week he worked with the septic guys 3 days. Today he helped a man build pallets for most of the day. I'm glad that he knows how to do so many things or can learn quickly and that he gets along with and is able to talk to so many people. He's my people person.

Only 26 more days of school...with students that is. And 4 of those are exams. I can't wait for it to be over! I also can't wait to go to Costa Rica...it's going to be so much fun!!!

I'm getting tired and have probably rambled too long. I've been going all day...shopping with Mama, Ethan and Bryson, then the Spaghetti Supper at church...it's time to snuggle and go to bed. Goodnight!

Update

I haven't posted in a while, but there hasn't really been much to post. This past week has been pretty low key.

There was revival at church, but Ronnie and I didn't make it...God really kicked my butt about it this morning at church too. I should have gone...God doesn't buy silly excuses. I took Ethan to youth group today. We made a card for one of the members that just found out she has a brain tumor. Other than that he ran around like a wild child.

The inside of the house is finished. I was called over there on Thursday to sign off on the trim crew's work. So now all the flooring is in place, all sheetrock is up and cracks have been repaired, all connections between the two halves are in place, and the handrail and OSB are in place upstairs. I think that all the company has left is the electricity and plumbing. We still have to get the well, septic system and porch done. After all of that we will close. It's getting close.

That's when all the real work will begin. We have accumulated a ton of stuff and I want to sort through it as we move so we can unload what we don't need. I have already started refinishing Ethan's furniture so it will hopefully be ready by the time we move.

I've discovered that there are entirely too many colors of paint to choose from. I picked up at least 25 or 30 paint chips at Lowe's this weekend and still have no idea what color to paint anything! I've got to recruit an interior designer or something.

I quit WW a couple weeks ago and have watched to scale inch back up a couple of pounds. Over the past two weeks I haven't walked as much nor I have I paid much attention to what I eat. I've got to get over all of that! Yesterday I was up and gone for my 3 mile walk by 6:30 (yes, a.m.) and I'm making a personal commitment to eat better this week. I would be disgusted if I gained back everything I've lost!

I think that's about all I have for today. Have a great week!

House pics!

Here are a couple from when they moved the house in last Thursday.

And here are a couple of the house being set on the foundation.

And these are some of the inside.

Pictures!

I know you're excited! First I'm going to post pics of the flowers that I arranged for grave stones for Easter. They actually turned out rather well considering that I haven't worked with flowers for almost a year now!

Our house is on the foundation!

So, Ronnie, Ethan and I got to see the house be put on the foundation this morning. Suprisingly, it was a fairly quick process. By the time we arrived the back half was almost in place. We got to watch them place the front half and then we watched the crews raise the roof (literally) before we were able to go inside. That was the cool part. I'm getting really excited about decorating and can't wait to be able to move in. I'll share pictures soon.

Oops...

For the first time this year I gained weight instead of losing it. I knew it was bound to happen. I gained .8 from last week. It's ok...I knew I didn't eat like I should have and I don't think I did one bit of excerise. I got what I deserved. Maybe I'll do better next week.

Have a Happy Easter! He lives!

Thursday

Yesterday our house was delivered! Yippeee!!! Ronnie and Ethan were there to watch it be brought in. They took pictures and videos, but I don't have the camera with me to upload them. I'll have to do that later. The set-up crew will be there Monday to put it on the foundation.

We were able to peek in through the windows. The flooring is already down, but covered up pretty well since the roof is laying in various rooms. I was relieved to see the kitchen countertops because I really thought that I had picked something with red in it. Thank goodness I didn't! It's black and beige speckles...that's the best I can describe it. Now I can go SHOPPING!!

God bless!

Some good news

It's not the news I expected to share, but it's good news nonetheless.

I was teaching this morning when the phone rang. The student that answered muttered something about it being "some man." Usually some man is my man so I made a joke about it probably being my boyfriend. I think they really started wondering when they saw my happy expression. The guy was actually the construction manager from the company we're buying the house from and he had an update on the house. It will be delivered TOMORROW! Then they will set it up on Monday. So far everything has been ahead of schedule so it looks like we'll be in this thing sooner than we previously expected.

Just pray that Ronnie gets a j-o-b soon!

I'm still here...

Sorry that I haven't posted lately. There's been a lot going on and I honestly haven't had time to sit and write a post. So I'll just post a few tid-bits about Kidd life as of late.

-School has been crazy! I can honestly say that I have been scared to be at school. And I didn't like it at all. Hopefully things won't get worse, but there's no telling.

-Ronnie still does not have a job. Not even any prospects.

-However, he did win a little from a lottery ticket. That'll help for a little while.

-The house is scheduled to be released from the factory on April 15. It will be delivered within a couple days of that. We also have a driveway! It's not finished yet (rain, rain, go away), but it's still a lot better than the mudpit we previously had. I'm getting a lot more excited, but a little more worried about the money situation. God will provide.

-I made a card last week, but forgot to take a picture so I won't be able to share that.

-I am still doing WW. I lost one more pound this past week. I'm down a total of 17 pounds. Yay me!

-I guess that's all for now. I'll be back later...maybe with some good news.

Have a great week!

Emotions

I want to say thank you to everyone that prayed for Jenni Wallace Cornwell. She went to Heaven on March 23, 2009 to be with her mother. Continue to remember the family as the visitation is tomorrow evening and the funeral will be Friday afternoon. I spoke with Josh today and he sounded pretty good. I've got to be strong so I don't break down on him this week. He has asked that Ronnie be a pall bearer since he was Jenni's "boyfriend." He also reminded me how much she loved him. But who didn't she love? She was truly a great person.

Ronnie is still unemployed. Seems like there are no local jobs. It's hard to want him to get a job knowing there's a chance that it will take him away from home a lot. That will be difficult, but we can do it again...we just don't want to.

The house thing is moving on regardless of everything else. The foundation guys were here Monday and Tuesday and were able to get finished before all the predicted rain.

So why did I call this post "emotions?" Because I'm not sure how to feel. I'm heartbroken about Jenni, but I know she's doing so much better than all of us. I'm worried about Josh...he'll be strong, but I hate to think of him being alone after all the formalities. I'm glad Ronnie is at home, but I worry about the money situation. I stress over the fact that a new job could take us back to being weekend lovers like we were before. It's not easy. I am excited about the house, but with everything else that goes on I don't keep that feeling too long. I guess life just isn't supposed to be easy. I think that's all the rambling I'll do for today.

Have a blessed day and leave a comment if you stop by.

Still losing

I didn't do so hot with WW this week, but I still lost a little. This morning I weighed like I normally do and had only lost .2lb. That stunk, but I knew that I had splurged a little this week and it was expected. I hung around the house with Ronnie and later went to help Grandma turn her quilt. While I was there I weighed again. It was down another .8. At that point I said let me go pee and when I came back it was down another .2. So, it may be a little of a stretch, but I'm going to say that I lost 1.2 pounds this week. :)

Keep praying for Jenni and the Wallace and Cornwell Families. God Bless!

Life is just peachy...

Can you smell the sarcasm dripping off that one? There is too much crap happening all at the same time and I don't think I can handle it all much longer!
Jenni is in very grave condition. I can't imagine how Josh and her family must be feeling right now. I dread checking her blog because I don't know if I'll be able to handle what's there. But I am thankful that I can know what is going on and let Josh know that I'm here for him. Please continue to pray.
I'm so tired of my students that it's not even funny anymore. I overslept EVERY morning this week. I didn't get to school until 8.10 on Thursday. I just have no desire to be there. Sad.
And the kicker...Ronnie got laid off today. Isn't that just great? So now we're building a house and lost one income. This sucks....really....bad.
Tired of talking about how cruddy this is...bye.

March 14 Weigh-in

Just thought I'd post really quickly. New weight is 186. A loss of 1 pound.
Got to go. I'm going to a consignment sale with my SIL. Toodles.

House Update

Everything is going well with our new house. We were able to secure financing with no problems at all. A feat considering our credit histories (we've been working on our scores) and the state of the economy and the housing market at the moment. God certainly answered a prayer there. He is supplying our needs because the trailer is constantly surprising us with needed repairs and new dangers, not to mention that it seems to be growing smaller. Enough about the box we're in now. We're on to better things.
The company sent their guys out on Wednesday and they were able to get the footings put in within a few hours. It's neat to see where the house will actually be and the outline of the future foundation. We're glad that the rain and snow dried up for a few days and that the sun shone long enough to get that done in the time alotted.
Yesterday Ronnie talked to our salesman. We found out about our downpayment and things like that. Then Curtis told him that he had had to make some decisions since our house was on the line. That phrase threw me off, but what he really meant was that our house was on the assembly line. YAY! And the decisions were minor; he added 2 electrical outlets to the outside for us. He said if it were going to be his house he would have done it, so he added them for us. Cool deal. Out of all that rambling the only part that matters is that our house is being built!!! I'm getting very excited.
I'm also getting a little nervous as well. We've never had a house payment! We'll be ok I'm sure, I just get stressed about things when it comes to money and debt. I've grown to hate debt and I'm trying to get out of as much of it as I can. But I love that I'm going to get to have a home that is in good condition and that will be large enough for us. I can't wait to paint and decorate. I'm even looking forward to cleaning it (a little) because I will finally have decent closets, drawers and cabinet space in the kitchen and bathrooms, and a separate area for the washer and dryer! Woohoo! Did I mention that we'll have two bathrooms? Awesome! I can give Ethan a bath in one while Ronnie makes the other one smell bad. Then I can wait for the fan to clear out the clouds and enjoy a relaxing, candle-lit soak in my garden tub! Ahhhhh!
I think that's enough rambling for now. I'll be back with weigh-in news tomorrow (I really hope I haven't gained! I walked over 3 miles yesterday!!). Please continue to remember Jenni and Josh in your prayers. The link is at the top of the page. God Bless!

Jenni

My friend, Jenni, whom I have known for over 7 years, has been battling cancer for several years. She is now at Duke Hospital fighting several conditions that have resulted from her weakened state. I have put her blog in the section that shows the blogs that I follow. I know that she and her family would appreciate any good thoughts or prayers that you may have for her. Also, her husband, Josh, has set up an adsense account to generate some money while they're unable to work. Please visit the site, learn about her condition, and click on the ads so that they can earn some money while at Duke. Thanks so much and God bless!

What a lovely day!

It's Saturday again! Hard to believe, but this year is already flying by. First, my weigh-in results. My TOM began this morning so I think that added a couple of pounds, but I lost 1.4 pounds and my total loss is now 13 pounds! That being said...I have completely pigged out today on anything and everything that I could find! I'll just have to work extra hard this week to knock it all back off.
Now then. We've had a really fun day today! One of those days when nothing really gets accomplished, but you're tired anyway and you know you've had fun! This morning the three of us watched cartoons together and then Ronnie did some work on the tractor while Ethan played with the dog and I lay in the grass taking pictures. Afterwards, we got out the 4-wheelers and went on a little adventure. Ethan rode with me and we did some major splashing through the creek! He kept screaming "That was fun!" So we kept going! Later Ethan and I "baked cakes" in his sandbox while Ronnie worked on his project Jeep. Somehow I managed to pick up the living room and wash 4 loads of laundry to hang on the line and Ronnie washed my dishes yesterday. Today has been fun!
I think that's about it for now. We're going to get cleaned up and go grab a bite to eat and buy address numbers for our soon-to-be driveway!

A Long Day

Yesterday we had a snow day. The snow was nice, but I still went to work for a workday. It wasn't too bad. Ronnie went with me and hung out while I worked. I think it did him good to get out of the house. Since they were out yesterday, my kids were bouncing off the walls! I don't know if we'll make it to spring break, much less to the middle of June! I'm counting down the days.
Speaking of counting down the days. The consultant that is helping me with the trip I'm leading to Costa Rica called today and verified that we'll be gone from June 24 through July 2. We're only 113 days away! I'm nervous, but excited! I can't wait!
I'm still at school because there is a meeting for the upcoming 9th graders and their parents tonight. I have to give my little blurb about the foreign language department. It should be so much fun! Can you sense the sarcasm?
It's good that I have some time though because I'm being observed tomorrow morning and these couple of hours will give me a chance to get some stuff done.
I guess that's all for right now...no it's not! I almost forgot! Yesterday I went walking with my MIL and SIL with Ethan in tow. We walked 2.8 miles!!! Not very smart when I had to carry Ethan on my shoulders for at least half of that! At least I got some good activity points for WW!!
So I think that's all for now. Toodles.

Congrats Card

This is a card I made this afternoon for a couple at church that has found out they are going to have a baby. I also have a picture of Ethan and his finger after he "helped" me with the ink pad.

I'm shrinking!

It's Saturday! So you know I had my weigh in this morning. I lost an additional 3.2 pounds for a total loss of 11.6 pounds!!! Yay me! I feel so good. I have been eating less because I feel full quicker and I've been eating healthier. It felt good to lose this week especially since it was my birthday and I didn't count points that day. We ate at a pizza buffet two nights and I enjoyed cake and a small brownie on my bday. The cake was excellent! Beth, one of my co-workers, made a WW cake that was very low point, but delicious with fresh strawberries!
I guess that's all I have for today. Take care! Toodles.

It's My BIRTHDAY

Happy birthday to me! Special little me!
I don't have anything special planned, but I wanted to tell myself to have a great day! I did get a dozen roses at school today. They made me feel special, even if they are a joke from one of Ronnie's friends.
Nina, one of the teachers I work with, told me this morning that I was "shrinking." That made me feel really good. I'm glad others are starting to notice. I haven't done such a great job this week, but I think I'll still show a loss.
Also, we picked out the colors for our house on Monday. I hope it all looks good together. I know the outside will be cute because we saw another house on the lot with the exact same colors. I really hope that the flooring and countertops are ok, though. It's just hard to tell how something will look from a mini sample that looks pretty rough. For the kitchen counter I used the color that they had a sample of in the color room. It looked a lot better on a larger surface.
I guess that's all I have today to offer in my mindless ramblings. Have a great day!

I work at a school!

So I had to go to the DMV today to get my license renewed. Fun stuff. What was once an infamously long wait in our area has been whittled down to less than 10 minutes. Not too bad. I always hate telling what the road signs mean...do I really have to say that the white and red triangle that says "YIELD" does indeed mean that one has to yield? Or do I need to prove that I know what yield means by saying "you have to wait and let the other people go first?" Whichever way I was on a roll until I got to the 3rd blank sign. It is yellow and has five sides, kinda pointing up. I said I didn't know what it was. The lady asked me if I was sure. I was thinking to myself that it really sucked and prayed that I would still get my license. Once I told the lady that I really didn't know she informed me that it was a sign for a school. What? Are you serious? I immediately laughed and informed her that I, the one who didn't recognize this sign, am a school employee and drive by these signs at least 3 times a day! Ironic, huh? So now I have until 2017 to forget this sign before my next sign test.

Randomness

This is my nerdy son wearing his Pa-Paw's glasses.

This is a cake I decorated today.

Weigh-In Day

I did pretty well this week, but excercise has been difficult. My legs kill me everytime I do anything! It has been a struggle to get motivated to walk at a decent pace this week, let alone get any jogging done. However, a loss is still a loss and I'm glad to report that I did lose this week. I lost .4 of a pound. That brings my total to 8.4 lost. Yay for me!

Well, I have to decorate a cake and go pick out the colors for my house!! Later!

Weird Days

First of all, I'll update on Ronnie. He went in to work yesterday, but since he can't lift more than 15 pounds they told him to stay home until March 17. Ugh! At least he can still draw disability. So a few more weeks of boredom for my baby.

My mom got laid off work last night. The recession has hit our area. We're just praying that she can find something else.

Ronnie and I have discussed rewards for acheiving my weight loss goals, but we hadn't decided on anything for sure. I wanted to do a little something for every 5 pounds I lose...hey, I need a lot of motivation! Tonight I was looking at Cricut cartridges on eBay and I won the Zooballo cart! And it costs less than any of the carts I've bought before! I'm very excited! Can't wait til it gets here since I've been feeling crafty lately.

I guess that's all for now. I'll be back Saturday with my weigh-in results. Ta-ta for now!

Girl Scout Cookies

It's that time of year again! Cookies are here! I got all 8, yes 8, of my boxes today. I love these cookies and I know that the money raised goes to a good cause. I remember going to summer camp on all the cookies I sold! Those are some good memories. So go out and support a girl...buy some cookies!

Saturday Weigh-In

I've been very good this week. I've watched the foods and portions that I ate and I excercised 5 days! I was very proud of myself. I was even good when we went out for Ronnie's birthday last night...the food was delicious! So I wasn't too worried about weighing in this morning. I was shocked to see that I had lost 3 more pounds! I am really excited and can't wait to be in the 180s again...the first time in 2 1/2 years.

Meanwhile, Ronnie is over at our land with a representative from our modular home company. He will tell Ronnie what we have to do to get the land prepped for our house! I'm really super excited about that!!!

Have a great weekend! Happy Valentine's Day!

Home Sweet Home...Soon Anyways

So, I hear that someone has been reading my blog. Now she knows our little secret and she told her mother. :) Hehe. We haven't told everyone, but Ronnie has told me that it is okay to publish info on my blog. So I guess if you read it then you'll know what's going on.

We are getting a house...finally!!!! We received the information in the mail yesterday. We are very excited. We are fortunate in that our interest rate is going to be LOW! Lower than we thought we could get, but we'll take it. Our payments won't be that bad and we'll be in our own place...with much more space than we presently have. We're not only excited about the house, but about where we're going to be. We've been paying on this land for a year and a half and now we finally get to live there, we get to mow the grass, we get to put up fences and have some animals, we get to have little gardens! That won't happen all at once, but they are goals that we've had in mind for years.

So, what is this house like, you ask. I'll tell you. It's going to have 3 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and dining room, and two bathrooms on the bottom floor. Right now the upstairs will be unfinished so we'll have plenty of storage. We'll finish it when we have more children...it'll be a few years anyway. I have included the floorplan and a picture of what it will look like one day below.

Since this home is going to be constructed we won't be moving this month or next, but we'll have to wait a while. We have to get our permits, dig a well and put in a septic tank. The home will have to be built, delivered and put together. Then we'll wait on the inside work to be done. We have a lot to do! Right now the tentative close date on our loan is July 20. Needless to say, we'll be counting down the days as we go through the steps.

Post a comment to let me know you've stopped by...thanks for reading!