2014 in Review

It's New Year's Eve! Wow! I can't believe the year 2014 is over tonight. It has been an incredible year with blessings we were not expecting! I decided to make a countdown of some of our top five events from the year!
5. We got a new car (finally!)
After talking about it forever, and then finding out #3 was on the way, we went for it and bought our Honda Pilot. I am so glad we did! I love my car!

4. We had a great summer full of adventure, including our first camping trip. We took the boys on their first camping trip to Ohanapecosh in Mt. Rainier park. They loved it, especially hiking! One day we took two large hikes.

We also did our annual trip to Leavenworth! We had a blast the whole week. We did some hiking, floated the river, swam at the pool, and relaxed as a family! It was a great trip!

Jack floated the river this year in his own tube!

3.Matt got promoted!
This was probably one of the biggest things that happened for our family this year! Matt went through the long and arduous process of interviewing to be the high school Principal of the school he was at. We weren't expecting his principal to resign, but Matt had talked about wanting the job. It opened up, he interviewed, and he got it! I am so proud of him! This led into the next biggest event!

2. I quit my job!
I had a great year working in fourth grade. In fact, my career was flourishing. I was put in leadership positions in my building, and in the district. I even led professional development twice over the summer. Yet, when Matt got the job, it opened the possibility for me to stay home, something I had wanted since before we had kids. I put my career on hold for a bit and resigned from my position. It was scary at first, but it is the best decision I made for our family. 

1. We found out we were pregnant, and that baby was a girl!
This was the BIGGEST event of the year for us. When I look back, I see how God worked through everything to bring us to this point. I was so surprised when we found out we were pregnant, and even more surprised that we were going to have a little girl. What an amazing blessing! 

The picture we used to announce our pregnancy!

2014 was a great year. As I sit and reflect, I am so grateful for all that has happened. I am so thankful. Now we wait for this baby girl to make her way into the world. What a great way to begin our 2015! Cheers, friends!

40 Weeks

Well, we made it to our due date, and now we are a day past. This week has been one with many false starts to labor. There were many moments where we were thinking, "Could this be it?" Nonetheless, baby girl is still an inside baby!

How far along are you?: 40 Weeks!

How big is the baby? : A Jack fruit

Stretch marks?: None

Sleep: I have had some great nights of sleep, also some lovely naps.

Best moment this week: Christmas!

Movement: One night super busy! I even took a video. She was trying to get out!

Cravings: Potatoes

Food aversions: No aversions :)

Labor signs: Oh boy! TMI ALERT: Contraction, mucus, pressure, nesting!. I had pretty regular contractions on Christmas Eve.

What I miss: Having a glass of wine.

What I'm looking forward to: Holding my baby! Bringing in the New Year!

I know she will be here soon. I am working on patience. Today I have decided to not talk about labor, think about labor, or contemplate when it may happen. Baby will come when she is ready. We are all ready for her!

Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas!

 

 
Can you believe that Christmas has come and gone? What a fun Christmas we had! It was a bit different this year being 39 weeks pregnant and waiting for baby girl. Last year, we traveled to Matt's parents' house, but it is over an hour away. I was nervous to be that far from the hospital, especially with this being my third baby, so we stuck close to home.
All day Christmas Eve I felt off. I woke up feeling emotional and tired. I laid back down for a nap and woke up much more refreshed. We went to the store and bought our vegan roast for Christmas day. I felt so sick all of a sudden. When I got home I vomited and felt so much better. I thought maybe we were starting labor! I started having contractions throughout the day. We got ready for church and went. I continued having contractions, but nothing painful.
We came home and made Shepard's pie, and a birthday cake for Jesus. It was a fun night! The boys were really excited. We put on Christmas jammies, and opened a new game. It was time for bed. We put the kids to bed and Matt and I relaxed on the couch and watched Home Alone. At that point, the contractions died down.

We woke up early for Christmas morning. The boys were so excited, they were shaking. They tore into their presents so fast! The highlight of this Christmas was tiny garbage cans and a garbage truck. Matt and I made breakfast while the boys played. I continued to have other signs labor may be on the way, but again my body decided to stop. I was glad on one hand to be home with my boys on Christmas, and a little bummed we weren't meeting our baby.

We headed over to my parents' house for Christmas dinner. It was a relaxed afternoon/evening. My brother and his wife were there, along with my grandma. We had to get a picture of Holly and me together with our bumps! Next year there will be two little girls crawling/walking around!

We opened presents, skyped my sister, ate delicious food and of course played cards. It was a lovely, peaceful Christmas.

When we got home, Matt and I snuggled on the couch by the Christmas tree. I love that!
The day after Christmas we had Matt's parents and brother over. We did more presents and more food! I think we had our fill of Christmas!

Now we wait for our sweet baby girl!

39 Weeks

Well, here we are, 39 weeks! Oh how I hope this is my LAST belly picture! My body has been silly to me this week. I have had a lot of Braxton Hicks, back pain, and cramps. I am so anxious to meet this sweet girl! I think I would have more patience if I wasn't having crazy labor signs.
Here is the update!

How far along are you?: 39Weeks!

How big is the baby? : A watermelon!

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones!

Sleep: It is a night by night  deal. I either sleep really good or rather poorly. I have had some great naps though!

Best moment this week: Family time. We have been savoring our last days of being a family of 4.

Movement: Like last week, she is slow one day and active the next.

Cravings: BLTs (vegan bacon though!)

Food aversions: No aversions :)

Labor signs:Similar to last week.  A lot of Braxton Hicks, lots of cramping especially in the car!

Belly button in or out: Out! 

What I miss: My prepregnancy clothes. 

What I'm looking forward to: Christmas! Maybe baby?!?!

38 Weeks

  Its getting real, people! There are 3 car seats in our car!!

The end is close, yet sometimes feels so far away. I am now at the point in pregnancy where everyone studies my belly, and always answers my phone calls in case its time! For me, I am trying to enjoy the final weeks of baby being inside. After all, she is a lot easier to care for inside! 

How far along are you?: 38Weeks!

How big is the baby? : A Pumpkin!

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones!

Sleep: Oh, sleep! I miss you! Come back! I am up every few hours to use the bathroom, adjust pillows, or having Braxton Hicks!

Best moment this week: My boys' Christmas program

Movement: She has been quieter lately, but still pretty active. One morning I thought she was going to burst out!

Cravings:Sweets

Food aversions: No aversions :)

Labor signs: Oh goodness, night time is not fun anymore. Around 6 o'clock in the evening I start to get Braxton Hicks contractions. They are not comfortable. Baby has also dropped quite a bit which I think is contributing. I am hoping all these contractions are helping to get things moving along. This week I also had a crazy emotional day. I am not sure if it is related to my body getting ready or hormones, but I haven't been that emotional in a long time!!!

Belly button in or out: Out! 

What I miss: SLEEP!

What I'm looking forward to: Baby coming (Obviously!) I am also excited to see my brother and sister in law. They are expecting their first baby, a girl, in March!  Yay, cousins!

Jack wanted in on the action! This was before his Christmas show

2014 Christmas Tree Hunt!

We have a tradition of getting our Christmas tree the weekend of Thanksgiving. We always go to the same, wonderful tree farm, with my parents and sometimes my Aunt and Uncle. This year my parents were in Alaska visiting my brother and sister-in-law, so we decided to go the Sunday they were back. Jack had other plans! He is so into Christmas this year! We woke up Sunday morning and saw the snow clouds, and then it started snowing! We were so excited, especially the kids. 

Jack checking out the new snow falling.

The boys searching for the perfect tree!

This kid was so pumped!

I was feeling a little sick and really wanted to wait until Sunday to get the tree, but the magic of snow and  the persistence of a five year old made us decide to go Saturday. We bundled up, and headed out to Alpine U Cut!Jack was so excited! Christmas is so magical for him this year! He was so excited to find the perfect tree. He was insistent on picking it out. I surprised myself and found the perfect tree right away! We searched around some more, but came back to the first tree we liked. It was perfect!

Next year we will have 3 kiddos!

Matt cutting down our tree. I have one like this from all of our Christmases together!

 When we got home, we set up the tree. It was a tiny bit tall! Oops! We just trimmed the top and it was perfect!

 The boys were so excited to decorate! But first I had to put on the lights. I love tons of lights on my tree. It took me over an hour to put the lights on. There are probably 1,000 lights on the tree.

This year we didn't have any ornaments break, luckily! They were so intrigued by all the ornaments. Finally it was time to decorate!

 We had a little adjustments to do to even out some of the ornaments, but it was perfect! I love this Christmasy time of year!

37 Weeks

 

 

The end is getting closer and closer. I can't believe we are in the final stretch. I cannot wait to hold my baby girl. Here is the weekly update

How far along are you?: 37Weeks!

How big is the baby? : A Winter Melon

Stretch marks?: Still no new ones!

Sleep: Baby likes to curl up on one side or the other. It feels really weird to wake up to.

Best moment this week: A great appointment!

Movement: She definitely has her active and sleepy times. She sleeps a lot at night

Cravings:Sweets

Food aversions: No aversions :)

Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions are picking up and getting more cramps lately, but nothing too painful

Belly button in or out: Out! 

What I miss: Not having a stuffy nose!

What I'm looking forward to: Baby coming and Matt being done with work!