Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Friday, June 29, 2012

Sweetest Natalee

My sweetest Natalee,

You are two and a half years old today. It seems like only yesterday that we were having your second birthday! Wow, how time flies. You are such a joy to my heart, and I have loved being your mommy. You are definitely full of energy, non-stop from the moment you wake up! You wear a size 7 shoe, the shoes we bought you for Easter no longer fit! You are a tall little thing, measuring right at 36 inches and weighing about 28 pounds. We have moved to 3T clothing. The 2T clothing just doesn't fit you right; too short of a shirt and too short in the pant length! The waist and shoulder lines in the 3T stuff don't fit you quite right either, but it won't be long. You love going to Bible class and learning about Jesus. This makes your mommy and daddy so happy. You have such personality! Everyone who meets you agrees. You are really excited about your baby brothers. You rub my belly and give them kisses and pray for them all the time. You are such a sweet girl. You love Dora the Explorer and Ariel, or anything mermaid. You are having very few accidents these days (never potty, always poop). You are very smart and have a vocabulary bigger than most 5 year olds I believe. You can count to twelve every time and sometimes all the way to seventeen. You are doing very well on recognizing your letters and your numbers. You know that your name starts with a "N." You love to swing, dance and twirl. You are very girly. You love to sing the songs off of the movie, "The Little Mermaid." Daddy and Mommy are working with you on the concept of sharing. You have friends your age that you love to play with, your favorite at the moment is sweet Lincoln. You love babies; especially Baby Joey and Baby Ali. I am sure we will be adding your brothers to this list very soon. You still take a good afternoon nap. You are very strong-willed, but very sweet natured as well. You do not like being put in time out, and it doesn't have to happen very often. You love talking about going to the beach, the mountains and fishing. You really love to blow bubbles all by yourself. You love anything and everything about princess'. You are starting to get to the question phase. You really love your daddy. Every day when you wake up, you ask where he is at. You know that he works at Boys Ranch and that mommy works with Natalee. You love to eat, but you don't like tomatoes (unless they are from Grumps garden!). You really like green beans, chicken and macaroni and cheese. You love to learn new things, and soak everything in. You love going to the park and getting pink snow cones. You still suck your thumb while holding the ladybug blanket that Grammie bought you when you were born. You love to wear bows and you love getting new shoes. You want your toe nails painted at all times. You really like BOZ (a Christian cartoon). You play well by yourself, if we can convince you to do it. You are a mommy's girl if you are sick or hurt, and a daddy's girl the rest of the time. You love bath time, although here lately, you've been asking to just take a "quick shower." You make us laugh all the time. You love reading books to your babies and having books read to you. You are now wanting to sit in a big girl chair instead of your highchair. You do not like to have food on your hands, they must be all the way clean after a meal. You also don't like your hair to be in your face. You love all fruit. You love eating Dora cereal. We love you and you mean the world to us.
Mommy

Boys Ranch Baby Shower

My husband works for a great company...a company that wants to throw the "man and his family" a shower. That is SO fun to me. The people he works with do know me...from the annual Christmas party and a few luncheons and such. The fact that they wanted to throw our family a shower shows you the kind of people he works with and for. They planned it on a Friday, and Natalee and I drove out to Boys Ranch (about 40 miles one way...yes, he drives that every day), around 3. They had it set up so cute!
The cake was SO cute! I loved how they served the punch out of a sand bucket! The food was awesome and the people were so nice! We got a lot of great gifts! We came home with a car load of diapers and wipes, lots of washes and lotions and a few clothes and goodies. We are so blessed to have the people in our lives that we do. People who care. People who love. People who do.
Krystole

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Diarrhea of the Mouth

   So, I am like a million doctor appointments behind now. This whole "going-once-or-maybe-twice-a-week" thing is really hard to keep up with. So, this post will be a "diarrhea of the mouth" post about all that has happened since my last post. Ok, not going to list dates, because honestly, I have no clue when I learned what info! Oh well, at least it's getting into some sort of journal, even if it's not an organized one! Ready, set...READ!
    I went back to the doctor (insert date here), for a check up on the good ol' cervix. By the way, bed rest so far hasn't been the worst thing ever...yet. I am hanging in there. Anyway, back to the cervix. The first time I went back, no change had occured. That is a great thing. They told me to keep doing what I was doing, which is pretty much nothing...and good job. The next time I went to have it checked (weird calling my cervix, "it")...it had actually lengthened a bit!! That was excellent news, and really made me want to keep following the rules, which I have been doing. When you know that it is making a difference, it sure does help. For those of you who just long to know the length of a shortened (but now longer cervix), it was at a 2.8 (up from a 2.4!). Yes, I will take that! I have had a sonogram since I last posted as well. It was a quick one, just to check up on the fluids and such. Everything looked great. I was really hoping that they would measure the boys so I could see how much they weighed (Aiden was 2 lbs 8 oz and Barrett was 2 lbs 10 oz), but alas...not this time. I can't wait to know. At each appointment, we've had great news. We are so thankful to the Lord up above for giving our boys more time in the oven. Each week they are in there is so helpful to their overall development. Tomorrow will mark 3 weeks on bed rest, and I couldn't be more happy. I actually had an appointment today (6-27)...there, I did know one date at least! There were still no changes in the cervix, and I had actually lost a pound on the scale. How is that possible? I am eating and doing nothing...and lose a pound?! Why can't that happen everyday? I think I am up to 13 pounds gained now, and couldn't be happier about that either. I am 29 1/2 weeks along today...and measuring 37 weeks! Those boys are growing! Today the doctor said, "I would really like 4 more weeks, love 6 more weeks, and would save you at 8 more weeks!" I can't believe how close it is to really happening. I am so glad that my appointments are going well, and that God is giving them more time to grow and develop. My doctor also joked that we would probably be evicting the boys instead of trying to keep them in, if the progress keeps going like it is. YAY! Good news all around!

My mom was able to come down for another long weekend. We got a lot of stuff done to the nursery! I am now happy to say that if the boys do come, I feel that the room is to the point where it is ready enough to be used. It may not be perfectly finished, but it is useable. We got all of their clothes washed, folded and put away. We also got the closet organizers put in, and the closet in working order. It will be great, I think. We got the curtains made in the nursery as well. I love how they turned out! This is not the greatest picture because of the lighting...but you get the picture.
We also got the door wreath for the hospital made. I am so excited about how it turned out (I will probably use the phase "....how it turned out" at least 5 more times, be prepared). We only made one door wreath, so that way it can hang on the front of the nursery door when we get home from the hospital. Natalee still has hers hanging on her door, I don't think I will ever take it down. My mom made it by herself, and I love it.
I can't wait to get the boys pictures in the hospital like this too! I love this picture, and the little girl in it! Anyway, here's a few pictures of the boys door hanger.
Each boy has their own "side" to fill in all the details when they arrive. Natalee is the mermaid (of course, what else) and I am so glad we included her as the big sister on their wreath. I am in love with their names on the swords and with the feathers and chains and coins....ok, all of it. I really LOVE it. I am anxious to get to fill all the blanks out and for our sweet boys to be at home with us.
The last project we worked on was transforming an old ceiling fan into an, eventual, treasure map. We used scrapbook paper to cover the wooden side of the fan blade. I think it's going to turn out really cute. So far, I have gotten all the blades covered, but haven't started on any of the treasure map. I can't wait to see the finished project. Here's a picture of what the treasure map will kind of look like. I will keep you updated!
Ok, diarrhea of the mouth is now complete. I will try to keep up so these long posts will not exist!
Krystole

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Daddy

I love my daddy. He's such a great man. He's always been there for me. He's always provided for our family. He's always made jokes and laughed with us. He thinks he's the coolest guy around, and I think he may be right (shhh, don't tell!). He still gives me the "eagle," which I love and hate all at the same time. He loves camping, and so do I. He's taught me so much about decision making. He loves me. He really is just a great daddy. He's always there for a hug, a kiss, a smile. He makes the best steaks you have ever eaten...no, seriously, I won't order steaks from resturants any more, because they never measure up! He tries to pretend that he wants nothing to do with Natalee, but we all know it's a cover up! He is tender-hearted (another thing he tries to cover up). He loves us and that is all that matters.
Taken last year on our vacation...it was super hot!
Taken on Memorial Day 2012
First time for Natalee to go fishing. :)
 
Taken about 3 years ago...

Natalee has also been blessed with the best dad around. We are so glad God chose us to be his family. He works hard and provides for our family. He is supportive of me being a stay at home mom. He loves Jesus. He spends quality time with Natalee. He is a leader. He is going to school full time, and will graduate with his masters in December. He never ceases to amaze me. He is the most self-less person I know. He loves the outdoors. He is romantic. He loves us. He protects us. He is the perfect man. He cooks. Even better, he bakes! He is a friend to anyone. He has a heart for the poor and homeless. He is the spiritual leader God has called him to be. He is fun. He is adventurous. He is smart. He loves us and that is all that matters.



Father's day this year was a little uneventful. Bed rest kind of puts a hitch in your giddy
up. Jeremy took Natalee to church, I was so sad to miss it. We did go out to eat for lunch., and a yummy chinese food resturant. Jeremy got to pick out his own gift, since I couldn't go shopping. At least I know he loves it! He is a great father and deserves more than what we could do and give him. We love our daddy!
"A righteous man who walks in his integrity, how blessed are his sons after him." Proverbs 20:7
Krystole




Monday, June 11, 2012

26 Weeks



Here is my picture at 27 weeks, being on bed rest, I forgot to actually snap one at 26 weeks.
So, here's a comparison of my pregnancy with Natalee and now with the boys! Definitely pregnant with twins! I thought I was huge when I was pregnant with Natalee, not even close! LOL I am measuring 34 weeks along. No wonder I feel so tired and worn out! Ever since being on bed rest, the dizzy spells have pretty much stopped, so that is a plus. The doctor said it was due to low blood pressure. The last time I went, it was 89/52, and I was definitely feeling dizzy. I am just glad to know the reason for it.
Today my mom leaves. It's always a sad day when that day comes along. First off, because she is super awesome and takes over Natalee. She always gives us such a nice break. She loves bathing Natalee and putting the lotion on her after wards. She loves rocking her and singing to her before bed. She just plain loves her...and the feeling is mutual. Secondly, when she is here, I get crap done. She is motivation for me! I know she will help in the boys room, which is my main focus for some strange reason right now! Ha! Lastly, I just like her. She's pretty great. I don't know how many times we've laughed until we cried, about the most random stuff. We've redecorated every room in my house, usually staying up way past two or three in the morning to get it all done. She always buys chocolate donuts, and wants them all for herself, so we have to sneak them. Shhh, don't tell her I told you. I just plain love her and love spending time with her.
Tomorrow will be my first "real" day of bed rest. Jeremy and my mom will be gone. Natalee will be headed to VBS until noon. Let's hope it passes quickly. I am sure these first few weeks will fly by because I am not used to having much down time or alone time, but I bet I hit a wall at some point pretty quickly! Speaking of VBS, here is the cutest lion art you have ever seen! When I asked her what it was, she said, "It's a lion and it didn't eat Daniel! An angel shut it's mouth!" She was super excited to tell me all about it. I love her heart and that it is being filled with Jesus. Our church really is amazing.
Natalee is doing so well with the whole bed rest thing. This is not how I envisioned my last couple months with my sweet girl, so there are many times where I get emotional, and have to remember that I am doing what's best for all of my children. There is a constant struggle. I can't bathe my sweet girl, or pick her up when she is hurt, or go upstairs with her craft up a storm. So many changes and it all happened so quickly. She is understanding, as much as a two year old can be. She really is so sweet. I love her. Today, we watched Monsters Inc. She liked it ok, but is such a Dora fan, she kept talking about watching that instead. We don't watch much TV. We only have netflix, and I love that. She used to get to watch two episodes of something every day, now that I am on bed rest, I am trying to not let it be more than four episodes a day. I hate when children are babysat by the TV. Right now, we have to do what we have to do.
What was the best part of my day, you ask? Let me tell you. The hubs made a strawberry shortcake...and surprised me with it! I am a die hard for some shortcake. It was delicious. One of the major down falls to bed rest...I am probably going to gain about 100 pounds! All of this yummy food + no movement = weight gain. Oh well, I still ate it...and would have had more if I hadn't thought about the equation above!
Well, I guess that is the update. I go back on Thursday, just for a quick check of the cervix. Please continue to pray.
Krystole

Today I go back to the doctor at 9:30. We are really hoping for no changes. I had quite a few contractions yesterday, so I am a little nervous as to what they may say.
Well, back from the doctor, and good reports all around!! The contractions are fine, they did send me to the hospital for monitoring though. I was having contractions that I couldn't feel, but they weren't worried about them, so I am not going to be either. There is no change in my cervix since Thursday! Thank the good Lord above! That is the best news that we can get right now! Aiden, who is lowest in the womb is still WAY up there.
The bed rest rules got to change a little bit. I can get up for about 10-15 minutes an hour. I can stretch, shower (which I have been doing in like 3.3 seconds!), put something in the microwave or oven, and just plain walk around. I have never been so excited for 10-15 of freedom in my life. I am so glad to at least get a little bit of breathing room. These boys are just being "boys" already! You know, not following the rules, being tough for their mommy...you know, the things that little boys do. LOL!  We go back for a sonogram on the 22nd. I am hoping that both boys will weigh over three pounds, or be very close to it. We shall see.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Dora Mermaid

So, if you know my daughter at all, you know that two of her favorite things are Dora the Explorer and mermaids. My husband and I made a trip to Target a while back and found a Dora doll that IS a mermaid. It was like it was meant to be.
We are still in the middle of potty training. She has the potty part down, but the pooping part, not so much. She hasn't had an accident in I don't know how long though. She isn't even two and a half, so I am super proud of her. The hardest part has definitely been getting her to poop in the potty. This is because she is quiet when she first wakes up. When she wakes up in the morning or from her nap, she can easily lay in her bed for another 20-30 minutes before she will get up and let me know she is even awake. Well, this is where the poop happens. That little stinker, literally, will either poop in the morning or right after nap, before I even know she is awake. So, this has been a real struggle. I close her door completely at nap and we do have a monitor on, but she is quiet. Anyway, when we saw the Dora mermaid, we knew that this would be her reward for pooping on the big girl potty.
We've been talking about Dora for about three weeks now. She is so excited to get to play with her and hold her and take her to the bath tub, but not excited enough to make the connection about not pooping after nap time. Potty training can be so frustrating, but I have just let her do her own thing. Every time I change her after nap (she only wears diapers at bed times...maybe I need to just switch to panties?), we talk about how if she would have pooped in the potty, she could have had Dora. We talk about how proud mommy and daddy will be. We talk about how we can call Grammie and tell her all about it. She is always so excited, but still poops before I know she's up.
Well, today...she pooped in the potty! She earned her Dora mermaid and is probably the most happy girl in all of Texas. I am one proud mommy too. It was still after her nap, but she came straight out of her room after waking up. I asked her if she had poop in her diaper and she said "no." A little time passed and I hear some sort of grunting start up. I shout, "Let's go to the big girl potty, don't poop in your panties." Sure enough, we got there, and she pushed that poop right out. So, this lets me know that she is ready to be fully potty trained and that this mommy needs to get in gear about the wake up times so I can catch her before it happens. One thing I have learned about potty training is that you can't be lazy and consistency is the key. Being on bed rest now, has made it a little harder to jump right up as soon as I know she's awake to try and prevent an accident. My fault. The good news, she pooped today. We were excited today. We hugged and kissed and cheered today.
One day at a time. I know she will not go off to college still pooping after nap (and if she does, it will just keep the boys away! LOL), but I am really hoping that she is fully potty trained by the time the boys arrive! Fingers crossed!
Enough of that crap....LOL!


Krystole

Day 3

Ok, I have made it three days, which is three days longer than I thought I would be able to stand it. ;) Today was a fun day of bed rest, because I actually got to help and watch a project for the boys room be completed! First of all, the paint is done! I really love how it turned out, and think it is going to be more than perfect in there. Secondly, this nursery has been in my head since I found out we were expecting our first child, in 2009. If it was a boy, I fell in love with this pirate bedding! I pictured the walls, the decor, the sails...it was perfect! Then, we had a little girl, who is perfect and amazing...and has the cutest ladybug bedroom in Amarillo. Here's a few snapshots from when her nursery was still a nursery! Now, she has a toddler bed and other big girl things, but she will always be my baby.
So, as you know pirates are the theme, and I really wanted sails above each boys' crib. I wasn't sure if I wanted them painted on, or done with fabric, or hung on a curtain rod...but I knew I wanted them! So, my mom and I thought about it, and she came up with a great idea!! So, here's a little step by step in case you are needing sails anytime soon!
First, we bought dowel rods. Super cheap and 5 in total. The rods going vertical are a little thicker, since that is our mast. We secured them together with pipe cleaners for the time being. I also painted them with brown paint. Yay, a job for me to do while on bed rest, yes please!!

Next, we cut the pattern for the sails out of newspaper. Being that this is a pirate theme, uneven, imperfect and ragged was exactly the look we were going for. It made this project so much easier. If you were doing more of a sailor theme, you'd probably want to be more exact and have crisp lines instead. :)
Then, we cut our fabric and decided where to put what. This was a fun step because you got to see it all coming together. We got most of this fabric at JoAnns and the rest I already had due to the embroidery machine.  One thing I love about the bedding is there are a ton of different fabrics and patterns. Nothing is really structured or orderly. We kind of followed this same design when picking out fabric.
Finally, we hung it up above the crib. We also made a flag for the top, with each of their initials in old english cursive. This is Barrett's crib! We literally threw the sails up there on one tiny nail, just so we could see the finished product, but it will be taken down and lowered some and secured better. We also added some patches and buttons to the sails to give it a more worn look. We didn't hem any of the fabric or cut it straight or anything, which works great for this room! I am so very happy with the end results!! I can't wait to see my boys in their cribs.

Here's a close up of the most adorable pirate bedding you've ever feasted your eyes upon! I have been in love with this since 2009! I am so excited to be bringing two boys into this world! I also love the fact that there just so happens to be two pirates on the bedding, it was meant to be! The sails we made were inspired from the sails on the quilt. I really love this bedding, but I will shut up about it now.

So, here is the room thus far. Two cribs, two sails, painted walls, an amazing treasure chest, new blinds, and freshly vacuumed carpet. I am uber excited to get the rest put together! Wooden plank names and curtains are the next thing on my bed rest to do list!

Oh yeah, forgot one of the best parts of today. My husband and sweet little girl made me breakfast in chair! Pancakes and bacon! Natalee helped her daddy and brought the plate and syrup to me all by herself. I am truly blessed with the best!
Krystole

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Leaned Back

   So, today...well, I stayed in bed, or the couch or our new recliner. Pretty simple. We decided to go ahead and buy the recliner we were wanting for the boys room and put it in our living room for the time being, so I will have another place to sit. Great plan, except we hadn't gone recliner shopping yet. We had looked at a few places, but still had a couple more places on our list to check out. I didn't want a huge recliner, really more of a nursery chair. Actual nursery chairs are priced so high, and the ones that I could find that would rock were $500 and over. So, I settled for a small recliner instead. My amazing husband went out on the journey to find the perfect chair. A journey it was indeed. First, he went to Sams, found one that he thought I would like, and brought it home. After putting it together (luckily it is only two steps), I hated it. I really didn't like the scale of it. It was much bigger than what I had planned in my head. I know that I have the greatest husband around, because he didn't hesitate to pack it all back up and return it to the store. I really love him, and usually not just for his muscles. Before I was put on bed rest, we had found one that I liked at Big Lots. I forget about that store a lot, but when I remember it, I really love to go in there! I wanted to see what the chair looked like again before making my husband drive across town, buy another recliner, and then have to return it all the same. So, I went with him. I reclined the passengers seat, went straight in the store, and reclined in the chair. I don't think I broke the rules. The one that I had previously seen was there and then there was another chair that we hadn't seen. We sat in them, trying to decide which one we liked better. About twenty minutes later, we had made our decision. They were also having a Father's Day sale, so the recliner was $30 cheaper too. I went and waited in the car while the chair was loaded. We took it home, did the two step recliner dance, and then I sat my booty in it. I really like it, like a lot. It is so much easier to rock Natalee in. My arms don't feel near as heavy and tired! I think we made the right choice. I have been enjoying the new leaned back position as well.
   For dinner, Jeremy swung through one of our favorite chinese food places, King and I. We got Pad Thai and Chicken Fried Rice. It was so yummy. My mom hates all foods textured, so chinese food is usually off the list...but she loves this place! It was actually her suggestion, and we didn't argue.


Dinner is served! Fried rice and fresh strawberries, on a tray with flowers. The flowers were bought by Aunt Allison, it was so nice of her to do that. When I posted this picture on FB, I joked that I had asked for sunflowers, but all they brought me were roses. Little joke. Sometimes I have to rub in the fact that they are my "servants," doctors orders! LOL Either way, it was yummy.
   We spent most of this day adjusting to what bed rest really meant for us. We brought our TV from upstairs in the family room to our downstairs living room, which then required rearranging the living room...and turned into rearranging the dining room as well. It was exhausting to watch how hard they had to work!
   Natalee is still trying to figure out why mommy can't hold her and why mommy isn't giving her a bath sometimes. We've tried explaining it to her as best as we can, but there's only so much she can understand. I have tried to be very loving with lots of hugs and kisses. She sits with me in the new recliner and we can watch a movie or two. We've colored together. I made her busy buckets (the day before I was put on bed rest, so glad I started on them when I did!). I didn't get near the buckets done that I wanted too, but I did get an ocean theme bucket done. This bucket is full of things from the ocean, which she is really in to right now. Mermaids, whales, turtles, dolphins, sharks, etc and she can take them with her to the tub. She has really enjoyed this bucket the most. She loves mermaids! She is obsessed with Ariel and will be a mermaid for halloween (yes, I have already thought that far ahead!). I also bought beads that she can place in to an empty water bottle, and then dump out and start again. This one will take some practice, but it's still really good for her fine motor skills. I also bought some pipe cleaners and let her have the dish strainer to see what she would do. This kept her busy for around 20 minutes, so I call that a success. I found the idea on pinterest, and it is a lot of fun. She cooked "noodles" and made a "flower pot" as well. Cheap entertainment at its best!
That pretty much sums up day number two. Another day of womb time, so this mommy is happy.
Krystole

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Short Cervix Story Long...

   This is a line that I have heard multiple times this week, "Savor it while you can." To start filling you guys in, I am now on complete bed rest. Here's the scoop:
   I had a doctors appointment today, which started with a sonogram. The boys looked great! At our last appointment (2 weeks prior) Aiden (Baby A) weighed in at 1 lb 12 oz and Barrett (Baby B) weighed in at 2 lbs 3 oz. Barrett was a whopping 8 oz bigger! They weren't necessarily concerned, but were hoping to see them closer in weight at the next appointment. So...fast forward to today...Aiden weighed in at 2 lbs 8 oz and Barrett weighed in at 2 lbs 10 oz! Aiden grew TWELVE ounces in two weeks! That is awesome! So, their weight is amazing and no worries are there! I am so excited for my boys. That means that I have 5 pounds and 2 ounces worth of baby in my belly at 27 weeks! Talk about huge-ness! I delivered Natalee (she came ON her due date!) at 6 lbs 15 oz. I wonder how much longer it will be until they surpass that weight?! Ok...enough about numbers...I really hate math! LOL Oh, I am currently 27 weeks, and I am measuring 34!
   So, now on to the juicy details. I guess being pregnant and all that comes with it, really takes away your modesty to some extent. So, if you don't want to hear about my cervix...please skip to the next paragraph! :) Apparently, my cervix is too short. They had told me last appointment that if my cervix got under a three, that would mean bed rest. At that time, I was measuring 3.7, so there weren't any concerns. Well, today...a huge dip down to 2.4 (in two weeks time). This made the doctor super nervous. She said I should be much further along with the pregnancy for my cervix to be that short already. I got sent over to the hospital for monitoring. They wanted to make sure I wasn't having contractions that I couldn't feel, which I wasn't, so we went home to start the exciting adventure of bed rest. So, short cervix story long....bed rest it is. 27 weeks and on bed rest until the babies arrive (or I make it to at least 36 weeks).
   Temporary freak out.....ok, back to bed rest. The rules: No cooking, cleaning, driving, or lifting. Stay in a reclined position, with the exception of potty breaks and showers. For some of you, I know your first thoughts were, "Yes please!" But it really isn't all that fun, especially when you are the stay at home mom of an almost two and a half year old little girl. We've had to figure out a schedule of people to watch her and to help out. Now, let me add, this has been so easy because we have the greatest friends around, who would do anything for us. We've had people praying, texting, offering to watch Natalee, and setting up meals for us. We are SO blessed with such an amazing support group of friends and family.
   This whole bed rest thing is already not for me! I am a busy body as it is and I have a to do list a million miles long. I do realize that this is what needs to take place, and I am more than willing to follow all the rules because I want our boys to be as strong and healthy as possible, but I still have to say that it is NO fun. My mom came down for a four day weekend, to go to the sonogram, and then to start all the fun stuff in the nursery...and I am on bed rest. This is me totally having a pity party for myself, but it's just not fair! Ok...pity party over.
   Day one of bed rest...we thought it would be fun to take a funny picture of myself lounging around, sipping on refreshing lemonade with an umbrella in it, reading a magazine...while my mom's picture is of her slaving away in the nursery, no make up or hair fixed, looking exhausted, leaning against the wall. I've got to do something to fill up some time! So here is day one:
I find these photos super funny, and hope to take one every day while on bed rest....but we all know how that will go. This by the way is the color bay waves from lowes (valspar) and I freaking love it! I wanted a light gray for their room, and this was the perfect shade. It is just a coincidence that we are decorating the nursery in pirates, and the paint color is called bay waves! I can't wait to see the finished product, especially since it's in the hands of Grams and Daddy! I love painting...this really made me sad that I couldn't help! Oh, and don't give me that "you're-not-supposed-to-paint-pregnant-crap," the windows would have been open and it would have been just fine. :)
   So, I guess that's the end of this short cervix story. Continued prayers are greatly appreciated as we enter into this phase of the unknown. What I do know is that our boys are in the hands of THE great physician, and He knows exactly how and when they will enter this world, and it will be good.
   "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
 (I love that there is always comfort found in His Word.)
Krystole



Monday, June 4, 2012

Memorial Day Weekend

Yay for a long weekend, but even more importantly, thank you to everyone who has served our country! What a great place we live in!
We celebrated the long weekend with a camping trip to Boise City, OK with my parents. This is not Natalee's first camping trip, we took her when she was about 6 months old to Ute Lake, also on Memorial Day weekend, and last year we went for about a week and a half to San Antonio, Austin and Corpus Christi. There will be LOTS more camping in her future. This is what my family loves to do and is also how we have been able to afford to go to all of the fun places we have been. I don't plan on changing this tradition one bit, and am glad that I married someone who also enjoys the outdoors. Ok, back to this trip! Natalee was SO excited to get the tent up. She couldn't wait to go inside of our "house." She has been talking about going to the mountains (we are going to Pagosa Springs, CO in July) and fishing with Grumps for about the last month or so. I probably shouldn't have told her our plans quite so early! LOL As soon as the "house" was up, she was in it. Dancing and twirling and all those other things that you definitely must do as a two year old princess who just entered her castle. The first night, we got settled in (on our new awesome air mattress!) and Grammie made some dinner. Natalee got her own "fancy restaurant" table all to herself. She thought she was pretty cool...and obviously, fancy. Love that little girl.
The next day, we enjoyed survived the 100 mph winds. It was awful! We did get out for a little while to let Natalee play in the sprinkler. Unfortunately, there isn't really much of a lake left at this lake due to a leak in the dam, that they never got fixed. So, we helped water the grass instead. She had fun grabbing the octopus' arms and spraying people...hence the ornery face in the picture. We got out a tarp, and it kind of made the water pool up. She had fun playing with her princesses in the swimming pool. We stayed out in the wind as long as we could, and then headed back to my parents fifth wheel to get out of it. The wind blew 3 out of the 4 days we were there...Parker luck, I swear. Oh well, it was still nice to get away.
Now, if you know my family at all...we are animal lovers. The kind where the animals don't actually realize that they are in fact...an animal. So, it goes without saying that they would all come along too. If you have ever seen Homeward Bound, you will love this picture all the more. The black dog is Maggie, my parents 15 year old, the white dog is Crockett, our 4 1/2 year old queensland heeler, and the little gray spot a bit in front of them...is who I call Triple Fat (yes, it is my parents cat...whose real name is Smokey). They definitely have the same personalities as Shadow, Chance and Sassie from the movie...kind of makes me want to watch it right now! I can't believe my parents take their cat camping...now I have seen everything. We have a cat, actually named Sassie...who would be appalled to have to "rough it." We aren't bringing her anywhere!
It was along this walk (pictured above) that Natalee fell on the pavement and got her first knee owies. It was a big ordeal. She milked those little scratches for the next two days. Daddy cleaned her knees, medicated her knees and bandaged her knees...all for her to say, "it's still not better!" She walked like a knocked-kneed person, moaning and groaning with each step...proclaiming, "I can't walk, hold me Grammie!" Wow, do I have a spoiled sensitive little girl. Here's the picture of the damage done. I swear there were two half inch scratches under there! LOL
On the last evening we were there, the wind died down, and it was finally perfect camping weather. A huge storm rolled through, we were even out of electricity for a while, and a gorgeous double rainbow appeared. We cooked out on the fire. Natalee helped shuck the corn, we are straight from the farm, I know. She loved pulling all of the "hair" off of it. I think she actually did better than me! We had steak (cooked perfectly of course) to go along with it. We sat out and watched the stars, sang some song and had smores of course. Natalee used her imagination, and turned the empty coke box into a camper for her princesses. This was all good and gravy, until the "door" broke.
We had a great weekend. It was very relaxing, minus the camper trying to flip over because of the wind. I don't have any pictures of my dad or my husband, because they were out exploring the entire time! They went on a 6 mile hike one day and another long-ish hike the next day. I could barely go down the stairs without feeling tired, so the girls stayed at the campsite and just hung out.
I am pretty sure that Natalee picked every single "princess flower" at the campsite! Every time she would go outside, off she would go to pick more flowers. She loved passing them out to my mom and I...and then taking them back. She collected quite a few by the end of the weekend. Here she is with yet another "vase" full! For whatever reason, she really wanted the "vase" balanced on her knee and of course Molly the Mermaid had to be in the picture. She loves that mermaid!
Hope you all had a great memorial weekend too! :)
Krystole