Friday Night Enrichment

Ok, so this post is one of many that I will be doing today, but I need to catch up on what we did this weekend. Friday night we had our quarterly enrichment and I must say that I had a good time. I have never heard of it being on a Friday but we had a great turnout. We sat on the lawn behind the church and ate tin foil dinners and peach cobbler or chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert. We also had a few short lessons that were taught and a sing along at the end. For whatever reason, Melissa was not having a good time and cried for about half of it. It was really odd because that is the most I have ever heard her cry. I got her to go back to sleep and then she woke up crying but wouldn't eat. I finally went inside and calmed her down by stroking her cheek and she finally ate. I don't know what was going on but I felt really bad for her. Then, I took Anna home where my husband ended up at her house. Dusty and he went to Lowe's. I don't know what it is about men and their tools but I think they should make a club for toolholics anonymous. It is nice though to have such great friends that we already know up here. It makes missing home not so bad.

World's Largest French Fry Feed

Last night Melissa and I went to the world's largest french fry feed at University Park near UND. It's part of a week long celebration in honor of the Potato Bowl which is in it's 43rd year. It's like the Cotton Bowl in Texas. Jon was unable to go due to school but we had a good time non the less. We are only a 20 minute walk from the park and seeing as I didn't have a car we walked. I had to carry Melissa in one of those jumper thingys because the stroller was in the car, although it turned out better that way because there were so many people! I met up with some of our friends from church and we had a great time. The best part was that all of the french fries were free!
They pour them by the bag through this long cooking machine...
And they come out the end where they put them into a bucket and start scooping them out into the bowls.
Here is the tent where you go to pick up your free french fries. They also have free ketchup on tables surrounding the tent.
Here is the end result. They are actually super yummy! Not to greasy. Not to hard. Not to soft. Just right.

They also had visitors like a huge Mr Potato Head, French Fry guy, and Ronald McDonald. He was kind of a weirdo but a nice guy. He was handing out "I met Ronald" stickers and...
And taking pictures. I hadn't planned on it but he suggested it so here's one for the memory book. How many people can say that they had their picture taken with Ronald McDonald? Of course some would be glad by that.
They also had free bounce houses. I thought it was awesome that it was all free and they had about 5 or 6 bounce houses there! That's unheard of where we are from. They also had a few concession stands open where you could purchase snacks, drinks, or hot dogs. The prices were pretty inexpensive as well.
And here is Melissa and me just hangin' out. She did so well! I was a little nervous at how well she would do in the jumper (I honestly don't know the real name to it). She slept most of the time. On our way there she just passed out and then she was awake for a little bit while I had her out and then I put her back in it to walk around and she passed back out again. I kept squeezing her hands to make sure she was still alive. She is just so dang cute!
P.S. After tonight I realized that I want one of those really nice cameras so I can learn how to take amazingly beautiful pictures like Stacie and Missy. I could see it in my mind but my camera just doesn't have the ability. Someday...

The Amazing Bee Killer

So we were minding our own business, just sitting around and enjoying the day when all of a sudden I see a bee flying around my couch. Thankfully I had just gotten up from the couch before it came my way and my wonderful bee killing husband was home. I went downstairs, while he goes to kill it...however, he lost it in the process of hitting it down to the ground with his BARE hands (he does this quite often). I come back upstairs to watch the air while he looks on the ground. After several intense minutes go by he finds the bee hiding under the t.v. stand and finishes off the job. In remembrance of this wonderful bee killing adventure I took a picture. As you can see, Jon doesn't think too highly of this occasion, of course he's not afraid of bees either.

The evil bee. Muahaha. Now he's an evil dead bee!

In Remembrance...

Since I have never really kept a journal I wanted to post where I was seven years ago so as not to forget what happened. I was a junior in high school. We had just switched classes which put in Mrs Jennifer Martin's English class. I think we had just finished a worksheet when our principal came over the intercom to let us know what had happened. Thanks to our wonderful tech program we had tvs in all of our classrooms to see weekly performances put on or channel 1(does anyone remember that show?) so the tech dept got the live feed going onto all of our tvs and we watched in horror as the second plane crashed into the 2nd tower and then we watched as they fell. Everyone around me was crying, panicking, talking, etc. and I just sat there. For some reason I had a feeling of calm, peace about me. All I could think about was the second coming of our Savior and how this was just the beginning but it would only bring us closer to Him. For the next few days we heard about those who were affected. Thankfully, we didn't know anyone who was affected at all, either first hand or because they were stranded somewhere. I can't express enough how deeply sadden I am for those that lost loved ones. I haven't yet had that anguish in my life and can not imagine what it is like. I hope everyone remembers this day and remembers the reason we are at war. Pray for our soldiers everyday. It was only the beginning and someday we will have an end and freedom for those who could not do it alone.

Facebook

Ok, so I have new found addiction...Facebook. I have prolonged my journey to this new and wonderful place and I finally gave in. My poor house, husband, dog, and daughter! I'm addicted. It is so stinkin awesome that I kick my self in the head for not joining sooner! I stayed up late on Tuesday adding to my flair and all I did yesterday was Facebook. I didn't get anything done including taking a shower. It's so terribly awful but wonderful! I finally put the computer down at 6 to give my daughter some much needed attention. I am going to limit my Facebook time but did I say how much I love it? Ok, so for the rest of you facebookers out there look me up and if you haven't joined...you totally should!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

I just want to send a shout out to my wonderful parents! They have been married for 16 yrs and sealed for all eternity for 3! I love you both so much! Unfortunately, my mom will most likely be passed out for most of it today. She has had a migraine for the past 9 days and non of the meds that her doctor gave her would work so she got a wonderful narcotic shot right in her arm today. Get better soon mom!

Spoiled Rotten

So, I made a post a few days ago about how Melissa was not sleeping, well I guess I should take it back because I put her to bed about 11:30pm and she is still sleeping! She woke up at about 8:00am to eat and she went back to sleep and pretty soon here I will go wake her up! It's crazy! I put her in pajamas that have feet attached and I think that helped because her feet didn't get cold like the night before last. I just love watching her sleep. She gets into this dreaming mode where her eyes move about and open and close and then her mouth smiles, then frowns, then smiles. Oh I just love her!
I took a picture of her feetsies and her beautiful sleeping position. She is sooo long! We were at Target the other day and they have a size chart to help figure out what size your baby is. Well Melissa is 24 in long (or she was a month ago) and the size chart says she would be a size 6months! Which I have no doubt . Her pajamas I put on her last night we 3/6 months and she doesn't have much growing room left. She has plenty of growing room width wise but length...nope! But she's so dang cute that I don't even care!

I'm Going to Pump You Up!

So I've officially decided to lose the rest of my baby weight. I have been stagnant at my current weight, which is disheartening considering that since Melissa was born I have only lost 15 lbs. and she was 10lbs. I gained 50 lbs (give or take do to the water gain at the very end) so the goal is to lose 10lbs so I can at least fit into my pants. I had a huge wardrobe before getting pregnant. One that I had proudly built since I was a freshman in high school...this being said I have A LOT of clothes and I simply can't afford to go out and buy a whole new set of clothes, especially with winter coming and we will have to buy a ton of new winter items to keep from freezing. So, I started working out yesterday. Thankfully we have stairs that I can utilize to run up and down as well as doing other various exercises to build my abs. I don't have much hope for the abs considering my overwhelming amount of stretch marks but there is hope for my butt. Who knew that it would grow? ;-) I guess in the huge belly growth at the end of my pregnancy I just didn't realize that my backside grew as well. Oh well, I'll do what I can and hope for the best.

Although, it would probably help if I gave up some of the sweets! I have had such a sweet tooth since Melissa was born. I was so desperate once that I ended up eating baking chocolate chips because it was all that we had to choose from. I have been on an Oreo kick lately. Did you know that 2 Oreo cookies is 120 calories! Oh dear! And I ate like 10 of them! I won't go cold Turkey, just lessen how many I eat a day. Who am I kidding?! This is going to be hard!

Recipes for Your Enjoyment

A few have asked for these recipes so here they are! Enjoy!

Chicken & Noodles
Prep Time- 15 Min
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 C Milk
1/3 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp Pepper (if desired)
3 C Cooked Medium Egg Noodles (1 1/2 -2 Bags)
2 C Cubed Cooked Chicken (or however much chicken you want) Can also be substituted for hamburger if that's all you have.

In saucepan, combine soup, milk, cheese, and pepper; add noodles and chicken. Over lowheat, heat through, stir often. You can also make the wet mixture and then keep the noodles separate and allow your family to pour on as much as they desire.

Creamy Rice & Meat
Prep Time 15 min
Use 1 can for 2 people in an 8x8 in pan and 2 cans for a family of at least 4.

2 can Cream of Chicken Soup or 1 large family size can
2 cans of water (use can from soup)
2 cans of rice (use can from soup)
Pork Chops or Chicken Breast (however that will fit in your pan, we get the center cut pork chops and 6 of them will fit in the 9x13.

In 9x13 pan put soup and slowly add water, then rice. Mix well. Put pork chops on top of mixture. Cover & seal with foil. Bake for 1 hr at 350 degrees.

Tater Tot Casserole
1 can Green Beans, drained
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 C sour cream
Hamburger Cooked - however much is desired.
Tater Tots (to fill the top of the casserole)
Cheese - however much is desired

In 9x9 baking dish, put green beans in bottom. Mix soup, sour cream, & hamburger then put on top of green beans. Next top with tater tots & then cheeses. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 min.

Lasagna
Prep time 45 - 60 min (can premake the night before)

1 lb hamburger
chopped onion (it's with the spices)
minced garlice (with the spices too)
1 16 oz can tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp Dried basil, crushed (spices - I only point this out because I didn't know where to find it)
8 oz Lasagna Noodles
2 eggs
2 1/2 C Cottage Cheese
3/4 C Parmesan Cheese
2 tsp Dried Parsley Flakes (spices)
1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Cook meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Drain. Stir in tomatoes, sauce, paste, basil, and salt (if desired). Cover; simmer 15 minutes stirring often.
Cook noodles in salted water. 1 tbsp cooking oil (i.e. vegetable oil - it helps the noodles to NOT stick together when cooking).
Beat eggs; add cottage cheese, 1/2 C Parmesan, parsley, salt & pepper (if desired)
Layer half noodles, half cheese mixture, half mozzarella, & half meat sauce. Repeat.
Sprinkle remaining Parmesan on top. Bake at 375 degrees fir 30-35 min. Let Stand for 10 min

Enchiladas

Ground Beef
1 can Enchilada Sauce (or you can use the packet where you add the sauce, I think it tastes better that way, but the premade can is faster)
Shredded Cheese
6 Flour Tortillas

Heat over to 375 degrees
Brown hamburger, drain. Stir in 1/3 can of enchilada sauce & 1/2 c cheese
Spoon filling into tortillas, roll up and place seam side down in greased baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese (We have found that the more sauce and cheese you have the better it tastes).
Bake for 15-20 min.

Roast A La King
3/4 C Milk
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
Cut of Cooked Meat
3/4 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 pkg of Medium Egg Noodles

Put soup and milk in sauce pan. Blend well. Stir in meat & cheese. Cook until heated through. Cook noodles according to package. Serve sauce over noodles.

ENJOY!

Farmers Market

So this morning we went to the Grand Forks Farmers Market which runs from June - September. We had a little bit of fun. We saw our friends, Anna & Dusty, which was fun to hang with them. Other than that, it's not too exciting but I love living in a small town and going to things of this nature. Anywho, they only allow those with homemade products so the majority of it is homemade crafts rather than food, however, Jon did buy a German pastry which he says they did a great job making it because it was like the real thing. I found this little booth that had the most amazingly cute embroidered outfits so of course I had to get something! But the best part was that they were really inexpensive! For $10 I got this cute little hat and a pair of socks for Melissa.

The socks won't fit her until next year but I didn't want to get socks that she would grow out of right away. The lady was really nice and I even gave her one of my Scentsy catalogs. I am getting braver! The only downside to the market is the amount of awful bees swarming around. They are EVERYWHERE! I feel like I was in the movie about killer bees because everywhere you turn there they are!! This lead to the stinging of my poor husband. He's not a woosy man by any means when it comes to the pesky things. He swats at them with his bare hands and then kills them! He's a maniac. However, one got him today and my super man realized that he isn't as invincible as he thought he was. Although, he is still braver than anyone I know.

After the market we went to a little store called Pamida in East Grand Forks, MN. My mom and I used to shop there as a kid when I lived in Nebraska. Jon thought it would be a little more exciting than it actually was but it was still fun exploring. Next week we will go back to the market and actually buy some food than walk around downtown to see what little shops we can find. All in all, we are enjoying are life here in Grand Forks.

No Sleep

Well it's almost 10:30pm which I know isn't late, however, my baby girl is WIDE AWAKE! Which means that maybe in an about an hour she will go to bed. I have tried putting her down twice, both times she was completely sound asleep, and each time some weird thing has happened and she has woken up. It's not that I mind staying up but it's the fact that I had already resolved myself to the fact that I was about to go to bed. I was so ready to put my head down on that pillow and snuggle up in my covers. But for now my sweet pillow will have to wait for my head. Oh how I miss my pillow and the time I used to spend with it.

To add a quick update...She fell asleep around 11pm. Then after I had fallen into a sound sleep, she woke back up at 11:30. I almost had her asleep until the pitter patter of Maggie's paws officially woke her up. I will spare you the part where I had a nervous break down. Finally, after waking Jon up and saying a few more prayers she was back in bed around 12:30am. She then woke up at 4:30am to eat (like normal) but then she pooped her pants (which isn't that early in the morning) which made for her not sleeping very well until I finally woke up enough to realize that I needed to change them and here we are. Here's hoping for a nap this afternoon.

Jon is My Hero!

He is so amazing! He is doing exactly what he wants, and in some ways it is scary, but I am so proud of him! He is working hard and doing well for our family! He passed his PT test for the ROTC and today he went up in an airplane and did a wonderful job! You can read about it here. He teaches me something everyday and what can I say...I love him and all that he has done, is doing, and will continue to do! Your my hero babe and I love you!

Closet 2, Jon 1

So I won't even big to list the items that are wrong with our home. Now don't get me wrong I am so grateful to have a roof over my head and to have the space that we do but the work that they do up here is less than what it should be. I only have a knowledge of home repair due to the many jobs that my wonderful husband has helped with during his families home remodels. That being said the first day we moved in (and the re-modelers were still in the house) the closet shelf/bar holding all of our clothes, that I so neatly had just finished hanging up came crashing down to the ground. Thankfully no one was in the room at the time to get pierced by the wooden rod that broke into 3 pieces. So my wonderfully smart husband went to Lowe's and bought lead anchors to put in the walls because the other smart repair men put in plastic anchors into a cement wall that would only hold a 30lb picture. That being said we thought it's been two weeks...hey it's still up and all of our clothes are still there....we won the war! Last night before I went to bed I had a feeling to close the closet doors and boy am I glad that I did! At 7am this morning I had just fallen back asleep from feeding Melissa when BOOM!! CRASH!! BANG!! AHH! WHAT THE....UGH! My side of the closet had fallen down and now the doors are bursting at the seems from a stockpile of clothing. We haven't looked at what may have caused the fall this time but we will figure it out or switch to all dressers. It may have one the battle...again, but it has not won the war!

Armadillidiidae

Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrialcrustacean group in the order Isopoda. Unlike members of the family Porcellionidae, members of this family can roll into a ball, giving them their common name of "pill bug", "potato bug", "doodlebug", or the more recent and increasingly popularized term, "roly-poly", which has been used regionally as early as 1968. Uncited references also date use of the term in Texas as early as 1925. ^[1]

The best known species in the family is Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill bug. These arthropods commonly feed on decaying vegetation and are found under logs, garbage pails or any other place where moisture can be found. Moisture is essential to pill bugs due to their breathing organs, which are like gills. Pill bugs, although often thriving in damp areas, have often been known to live in dry beds. These pill bugs have no specialized predators, though they play host to specialized parasitoids in the fly family Rhinophoridae.

Well now that you know about our special friends you will be happy to know that we coexist with them. They are everywhere downstairs. I looked up this definition on Wikipedia to try and understand why it is that we have sooo many. We believe that somewhere in time the laundry room or bathroom flooded and now some of the wood is rotting (which you can see at the bottom of the door frames). It could definitely be worse, like they could be roaches, but it's still gross knowing that when you go down there in bare feet it's a good possibility that you could step on one. For whatever reason it really creeps me out.

Our New Apartment

So our apartment is finally clean enough where we aren't embarrassed to actually show it. We are guessing that it is around 1000 sq ft or so. Up here in ND they aren't too keen on the specifics. We are in a four plex which means no real yard bit it's only four steps from the door to the side walk so it's fine with me. We do have a garage but we are just waiting on the door. When I finally get all of the pics up and the garage is fixed then we will post new pics. Until then enjoy this video.

Melissa's 3rd Laugh

So this past Thursday we got her ti laugh but since then we haven't been able to catch it on camera because she will only do it once. So last night while I was getting her ready for bed she seemed in a somewhat playful mood and we finally captured it. So for you viewing pleasure...here she is!

I'm coming to town!!!

Well it's official! I am now a Star Director! And with such title comes perks like a pay raise! Which allows me to come to Texas for a visit! The main reason for the visit is business. My team and I are working the Texas State Fair but I get to spend time with my family! Woohoo! I am so excited! It will just be Melissa and me but it will be great to spent time with everyone. My tentative stay will be from Sept 23 - Oct. 13. May be less time but I haven't bought plane tickets yet so it is bound to change. See everyone very soon!

The Day I Had

My day started out pretty normal. Melissa and Jon were still sleeping downstairs so I enjoyed a quiet bowl of cereal. Then I decided to call the insurance company who then directed me to the hospital. Not much got done there in regards to our medical bills...maybe another day. Jon left for school and would be back at 12. I needed the car for a meeting that I had for our food stamps(yes we joined the band wagon). He came home and I was actually ready on time to take him back to school and Melissa was so cute looking! I actually found time to get her all cute and everything!

We had a little extra time so we enjoyed the latest episode of Stargate Atlantis(I know, we are complete nerds!). We then piled into the car and it was off to take Jon back to school. While in the car he was suppose to leave me his key to the house. Well naturally we both forgot and as I dropped him off, and went to leave, I realized that I didn't have it. Well most people would have turned around and called him, however, we had put a pizza in the oven so that it would be ready by the time I got back home. SO, I raced home trying to figure out how I would get into my own house. Being from Arlington, we always keep the windows and doors locked. I realized that we have one open in the basement that holds our fan. I had to leave Melissa in the car, run to the side of the house, rip a hole in the screen. Rip the screen out, knock the fan onto the floor (all while Maggie sits next to the bed and does nothing, not even bark...so much for a guard dog) run upstairs take my burnt pizza out of the oven and then run outside to take my poor crying baby out of the car. But wait...that's not all! I come in and realize that there is an odor that I just can't quite put my finger on...oh wait! Because we forgot to take her out she used the bathroom on our new, beautiful, and expensive rug downstairs(now I need to figure out how to fix that!). So I take care of Melissa and then clean up Maggie's poo. Meanwhile, Melissa is upstairs in her highchair having the time of her life. I run upstairs and finish my pizza and realize that it's time to get going so I am not late for my meeting. I go to take Melissa out of her highchair and realize that there is poo EVERYWHERE!!! She had a few blowouts last week while my mom and I were out shopping but nothing compared to this mess! It was halfway up her chest! I take her out and lay her on the floor and tried to be as "neat" as I possibly could but it was everywhere! As I pulled off her outfit it got all over her arm, hand, chest, armpit...ugh. So disgusting. And it was smeared all over her belly and thighs. So it took me over 25 minutes and 20 wipes and a few paper towels and we were ready to go. There went her really cute outfit! We were finally out of the house and on our way 10 minutes late. Needless to say we had to reschedule. What a day. I will be so happy if I never have to see poop again!

I may be a little behind...

but I was watching Martha Stewart today and it was an episode from the winter time so some of you might have seen it and the owner of Black Apple was on! She showed how to make her little dolls. I am so excited and now I want to make Melissa her very own Black Apple doll. She said how she ships all over the world to places like Australia and Singapore and her business is in the 6 figures! She joined Etsy after it was 2 months old! I just thought it was awesome to see her on Martha! Due to the crazy channels up here (we only get three fuzzy channels up here with the rabbit ears) everything comes on at different times than down in Texas so I was stuck watching Martha, however, now I am so glad that I was! Ok, just wanted to share my excitement!

She is so big!

It is amazing to me how much Melissa has grown in the past two months. She loves sitting up and holding her head up. She no longer likes to lay down in your lap but be up facing the world. She has found her hands and loves to eat them! Although, there has been a downside to this because she clenches them shut to the point that her hand begins to stink, even though I wash it often. Anywho, here is some video of our big girl!

It's Official...We live in North Dakota!

So after a year of excitement, filling out forms, having a baby, and living with the in-laws we have finally made it to the flat lands of North Dakota! So far so good. We had a bit of trouble moving in to our home but with all of that aside we love it here. We still have some unpacking to do but we have about 90% of our stuff unpacked. It's all of the little stuff that's left. I will post pictures as soon as it looks somewhat decent. The only downside to ND is no central air or dishwashers! I am the dishwasher and box fans have replaced our nice cold air. Oh well.

Jon started school yesterday. So far he really likes it. He got to sit in an airplane and I think next week he might actually go up in it. We went to the ROTC barbecue on Monday. We look old compared to all of the 18 and 19 year olds that are there with their girlfriends. I remember those days. There are a total of three members in the ROTC including Jon so it's nice he already has friends. Melissa has grown so much in the past month. At her 2 month check up she weighed in at 11lbs 13 oz and 24 in long. Needless to say she is off of the growth charts. I will get some pictures and video posted soon. I am now getting on somewhat of a schedule so I can remember to actually blog!

Back at Home...for Now

Well, I am back from Nebraska. It was a short trip but we had a great time and my grandma was able to meet her great granddaughter! We had so much fun but it's great to be home. However, Thursday will be our last day here. We will be moving in with the in-laws on Thursday until we move to North Dakota in August. I packed most of the apartment before I left last week but I have to finish up now that I have more boxes. It's hard moving into a storage shed but making sure we will have everything we need. Oh well, we all must do it at some point or another.

I will post pics of our trip later...when I can take a break from packing. Melissa did so well on the trip! She hardly cries as it is but I was a little nervous but she was great. It was such an action packed weekend that I was so exhausted by the time we came home but can I just say how wonderful my baby girl is! She slept 7 hours straight last night! I couldn't believe it when I woke up to her grunts and realized that she had slept through the night! Wow! And it was much needed rest for me. I don't expect her to do it again but I greatly appreciated it last night! She is just so amazing and wonderful! I think she's a keeper.

Got to love a bargain!

So, ever since I found out I was having a girl I can't help but pick up outfits that are on the clearance rack when I am at the store. So far I am shopping for 12months to 18months because she has enough clothes to last until then. Once, I found all of these long sleeve shirts at Old Navy for $1. So I bought for 6months and 18months of age. That being said, Old Navy is having an amazing sale on their clearance. You can receive an extra 20% off their clearance with the code EXTRA20. So of course I couldn't resist. I found some cute capris, shorts, dresses, and shirts for next year.

Also, there is a store next to Babies R Us called Fallas. They always have some kind of sidewalk sale. Well I suggest everyone go there to shop. It's like a Ross but a little cleaner. It's not crazy messy or really busy but they have some great buys! Sometimes they will have onesies and pants for $1. I found a really cute 18month size jean jacket, pant, and longsleeve shirt set by sketchers for $10. They do have name brand and brands I haven't heard of but they seem like good clothes. I love finding stuff on sale!

My Sweetheart!

Here's another one! Thanks Mary!

What’s his name? Jonny
How long have you been together? 3 yrs
How long did you date? We dated for 1 month
How old is he? 24
Who eats more? Well currently probably me but usually it's him
Who said I love you first? I did but he wanted to I just beat him to it.
Who is taller? Him.
Who sings better? Definitely him. I LOVE to sing but you will never catch me singing by myself.
Who is smarter? It depends. He is smart and knows almost everything. If he doesn't know it he will learn about it. It's amazing to me how much he knows and can actually remember. I am smart when it comes to the books - spelling, grammar, math, etc. Although he can do math in his head faster than I can.
Who does the laundry? We both do, although I usually end up folding and putting it away.
Who pays the bills? I do. He helps remind me but I keep track of the finances.
Who sleeps on the right side? Currently it's me but we trade often.
Who mows the lawn? If we had a lawn Jon would. He likes mowing the lawn. I've never been a big fan.
Who cooks dinner? It depends on what you call dinner. I cook out of boxes (I can cook other stuff but that takes time). Usually though, we fend for ourselves.
Who drives? If we are both going in the same car he will, unless he doesn't feel good or is too tired. I enjoy him driving. It's less time I have to spend thinking.
Who is more stubborn? Oh definitely me. There's no argument there but I am getting better. Kind of.
Who kissed who first? He did.
Who proposed? It was kind of an agreement between us both. I am not even sure how we came to the decision but we just both knew that we were it for each other. He later proposed to me in his parents back yard with candle light and roses. And thankfully we got it all on tape!
Who has more friends? I do. I can talk to anyone but Jon has those kind of friends that you have had since you were a kid and can always count on.
Who is more sensitive? Most of the time it's def. me.
Who has more siblings? Well it depends on how you look at it. Jon has 5 full blood related siblings. I have 5 half siblings and 4 step siblings. You decide.
Who wears the pants? We share the pants. He gets one leg and I get the other.

Thanks Mary!

So I stole this from Mary but it looked like fun!

Maybe I should keep packing. Or clean.
I love Jon and my beautiful baby girl Melissa!
People would say that I love to talk but don't always know when to be quiet.
I don’t understand why I have to be the nice one on the road.
When I wake up in the morning I wish I'd gotten just a bit more sleep.
I lost my favorite backpack for almost 2 years and then found it one day when I opened some luggage. What a relief!
Life is full of unanswered questions that turn into blessings.
My past is full of crazy memories and lessons learned
I get annoyed when people are just rude. Why can't we all just get along and share the aisles!
Parties are things that usually make me anxious for really no apparent reason.
I wish I had enough money for a mover.
Dogs are protective and smelly - but you gotta love'em. Wouldn't trade Maggie for anything!
Cats are gross.
Tomorrow I'm packing and cleaning.
I have low tolerance for rude people.
I’m totally terrified of large cockroaches and knives.
I wonder why I got so lucky to have the people I have in my life.
Never in my life have I gotten attacked by a bird. But I have been bit by a zebra.
High school was great. Definitely a great experience!
When I’m nervous I get really warm and I want to throw up.
One time at a family gathering I ran over my grandma with a truck. Long story but I was in an old truck where you can take it out of gear when the keys aren't in the ignition. I was 5 yrs old and she had just opened the door and we were parked on a hill. In to neutral it went and smack. I took grandma and the mailbox out in one swoop. She was only bruised up but the mailbox didn't make it.
Take my advice: Enjoy life, Enjoy every moment.
Don’t take my advice – Eating 3 scoops of ice cream every night is good for you health.
Making my bed never happens. We like it messy.
I'm almost always in a good mood.
I’m addicted to tv and ice cream.
I want someone to a million dollars!

Monkey Face

So, Melissa has this face that she does if you hold her up by her arm pits. It is soo cute! Enjoy!

She's Finally Here!

SO it's been way too long since I wrote but I have been a little busy. After much protest, I finally have in and was induced on Friday, June 20. At 6:30am, we arrived at the hospital and became situated. At 7:30 they started the pitocin, which worked very well. By 10am I had my epidural (and can I just say how wonderful that is!) At 11:30am, I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 3. I figured we would be there for awhile and Dr Maxwell felt that I would give birth between 4 and 5pm. Well at 3:30pm they finally checked me again and I was already a 9! Holy cow, it's time! I just didn't expect it to go that fast. I got an extra boost of the epidural and then it was time to start pushing. I pushed her out in an hour and a half. Much to everyone's surprise she weighed in at 9lbs and 14oz! We are so excited to be a family and to have her home! She is such a wonderful baby! She never cries, even when she is hungry (which did cause a small problem) or needs to be changed and she sleeps so well. Stacie posted pictures of our photo shoot on Saturday. She did such an amazing job!!!!

Here is her first picture with mommy!
And with Daddy!

My Beautiful Cankles

So, since Thursday, I have been on the go as much as I can be. Jon was in a small car accident on Monday on his way home from work (no worries, everyone is fine and it wasn't his fault) so we have been down to one car which means I had to do all of my errands in two days time (which is difficult these days). Then, Friday night we had our first annual Eldredge fireside. Very successful but very hot. It was so nice to come home and lay in my own bed!

Then, Saturday and Sunday we have been doing little projects here and there trying to get stuff done before baby Melissa comes. And then of course, Sunday brings church. So, Saturday I had been on my feet most of the day, not eating well or drinking enough and around 11 I sat down on the floor after standing for about 10 minutes and saw my new CANKLES! My feet were so swollen! So, I went into drinking water mode and resting, but they came back. We had to leave church early on Sunday because it was so painful to my shoes back on because they began swelling again. I went home and put my feet up and tried drinking more water but as soon as I would get up to go potty or get me something to eat, they would come back. So, today I was supposed to run some errands but I haven't even gotten dressed. I am taking the day off to rest my cankles. If I am up too long they swell a little bit but they aren't near as bad as what they were yesterday. My fingers are also swelling to the point where I can't wear my wedding ring. If I get any more excitement during this pregnancy I don't know what I will do with myself.

I found these on the internet and I had to share! He also gives a great definition and history of the cankle. You should check it out here.


Quick update - no progression has occurred. My appointment on Thursday gave no signs of giving birth any time soon. I have had contractions and cramping on and off but nothing exciting. My stomach gets bigger by the minute but I have a feeling she is in it for the long haul. One week until my due date.

"The Nursery"

Well, many people ask "Oh is the nursery all ready?" Well technically yes, if you consider two half walls a nursery. For the time being, we will be sharing our bedroom/office with our baby girl, until we move to North Dakota. I finally have everything pretty much in place and ready to go. I like how everything turned out considering the space I had to work with. I can't wait for her to have her own room so I can really decorate.
Here is her "crib"
This is her first half wall. She fits nicely between the bedroom door and the closet door.

The other half wall between the closet door and the office. It has been so much fun putting up her decorations! Pink is so much fun!

False Freakin' Alarm

So, after hearing about my supposed progress I felt very "nesty." So, I cleaned all day Friday. I somehow found all of this energy! We also walked around Academy that evening trying to help further my progress. Well, Saturday came and I felt the same nesting instinct, so I continued to clean and organize anything that was left, which by now isn't much. We also went to Jon's parents, and hung out for awhile. Well at about 5:45pm, I began feeling contractions. They came very regular at 4-5 minutes apart for about an hour. It seemed that they would continue to get worse, so I told Jon, I think this is it. Also, all through the night, I was very crampy with each cramp coming at about 10-15 minutes apart. And I had been cramping while at my in laws house earlier that day. Anyway, we get in the car and make the 30 minute trip to Baylor. I called my mom to let her know and she was on her way.

We get to the hospital at about 7pm. They get me checked in to what I call "The Loser's Waiting Area" aka Triage. They check you in, get all of your info and then finally they actually check your progress. The nurse said that my doctor was generous in giving me a 2 because she said I was only a 1 but I had progressed to 90% effaced. Although, I was very tense every time she checked me because she was not of the gentle nature at all. SO, she makes me wait 2 hours to see if I progress at all. All the while I am having contractions that our now about 1 to 3 minutes apart. My mom arrives about 15 minutes before they check me the last time. The contractions are intense but apparently not intense enough because they sent me home at 10pm. The nurse gives me all of my forms and informs that I could come back in 5 hours or in a week and could potentially have contractions during this whole time. I ask when I should really come back and she proceeded to give me a very lively 5 minute presentation of what my face and body will look like when I am having a bad contraction and informs me that when I feel or look like this I can come back.

So with some disappointment and relief I walked to the car feeling like my tail was between my legs and stopped by Sonic on the way home for a much needed dinner and dessert! (Thanks Mom). My mom stayed the night since we were not sure of what could end up happening. Well, as you can tell nothing happened. As soon as we got home, my contractions went away and I slept all night long. I feel really bad because my mom drove an hour and thirty minutes and stayed all day Sunday (which was very boring because there isn't much to do on a Sunday) for nothing. I guess it was a good dry run but still.

I was feeling very down and depressed most of yesterday. I think I am was just stressed out because I want her to come so badly not just because I am miserable but because her grandparents and doctor will be out of town next week. So I either deliver this week or try and keep her in until after her due date. But thanks to our wonderful Heavenly Father and his amazing willingness to allow the Priesthood on earth, I was able to receive a blessing that didn't tell me much but gave me an amazing sense of comfort. I feel no more stress and will just continue going about life as if I was 7 months pregnant and will just wait until our baby girl decides when she is ready to come, no matter when that will be.

But through all of this, I got a really cool cup! You may think I am being sarcastic but I have been wanting to get a cup with a straw in it for awhile.