A really BIG pregnancy update...

And by big, I don't really mean monumental. I just mean that I'm pretty sure I'm going to give birth to a giant. No joke. I had yet another ultrasound today and let's just say that this little guy is HUGE. So technically I am 31 weeks 6 days (let's just call it 32) today. That means I still have 8 weeks to go. Not long you say? Well try carrying this little dude around. Today, his 32 week old head measured 36 weeks old! The bones in his arms and legs measured at smallest 34 weeks, and that's not even counting how fat he will be yet, that's just his actual size. Oh yeah, and he already weighs 5 pounds. People, seriously!!! I'm a little concerned. There are LOTS of women who give birth to 5 lb. babies at full term....that means I am as pregnant right now as lots of women are at 40 weeks. Yikes. (Ok, maybe the comments I get in public actually ARE merited....but still, they should not be voiced.) I guess this shouldn't really surprise me considering that gigantic babies tend to run in the family (i.e. C.J. and his siblings were all at least around 10 lbs or bigger, Owen was 9 lbs. 3 oz., my sister Allison's first baby was 9 lbs 3 oz, and C.J.'s sister Leah's first two boys were 9 lbs. 6 oz and 9 lbs. 15 oz.). So it's not really that odd that this little guy is looking to be a big one. It's just that I a) don't really want to give birth to a 12 lb baby and b) don't really think I can handle carrying him full term (Really, if his head already measure 36 weeks, by the time I'm full term his head will be as big as a month old baby...who can really push that out their vagina without incurring major damage? Probably no one...and I certainly don[t want to be the first). As of right now, my doc says that they won't be able to take him any more than a week early....but things might change. If he is still measuring huge as things get closer, doc says they might have to take him c-section. After watching Hilary's c-section, that wouldn't be my first choice, but I also don't want to labor for hours trying to get a giant baby out and then still have to have the section, so I'm thinking scheduling one a bit early might be a good option. I've decided that I'd like to have him on Dec. 15. Doesn't that sound like a good date? I mean, it's well before the holidays and 3 weeks before my actual due date. Sounds perfect to me since they are technically full term at 37 weeks anyway. So if any of you have any self induction techniques or advice that actually WORK, please send them my way. They would be greatly appreciated. At this point, I'll do just about anything to avoid having a baby over 10 lbs. Wish me luck!

P.S. Things at Coyote Bluff are really coming along! We now have exterior walls with holes for doors and windows and today they were working on framing the interior walls of the first floor. I'll take pics to post ASAP. The problem with that is, I don't really want to take pics while the guys are there working. And by the time they are done, it's too dark to take any...so that really only leaves the weekends for picture taking opportunities. Hopefully this Saturday. Stay tuned...

P.S.S. I don't think I've ever mentioned on here that we call our property "Coyote Bluff." It kinda started as a joke but then it just stuck. I'm hoping that once we actually live there we'll start calling it "home" instead.

A visit from one stinking cute baby...

Today we were lucky enough to have Jamaica and Geneva over for a visit (Avery came too, but that wasn't until later in the day). It was really nice to just lay low, visit, and enjoy a cup of tea for most of the day. Owen and I both had a blast. While they were here, I couldn't help but snap a few shots of baby Geneva. She has got to have the prettiest eyes I have EVER seen on a baby. Is she not gorgeous?

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

Avery, Jamaica, and Geneva....thanks for coming out to visit. It was SOOO good to see you guys!

Our morning at the park...

Today we headed to town to feed the ducks and enjoy a morning at the park. We were lucky enough to be joined by Auntie Alli, Oliver, Jack, Auntie Leah, and Tucker. It was an absolutely beautiful fall morning and SO nice to enjoy the out of doors. After quite a stint of being broken (I dropped it way back in April), I finally got my favorite kid lens back for my camera (thank you Uncle Ryker for taking care of that for me). Consequently, I was in a picture taking mood. So here are a few shots of the kiddos. Notice the tongue action Owen is sporting in most of the pics....I'm pretty sure those are Grandpa Hake's genes shining through!

This, in my opinion, is the epitome of a Tucker expression. I love it:

From Blog Photos

Oliver:

From Blog Photos

Jack feeding himself (not the ducks) the stale bread:

From Blog Photos

Owen getting a little help from Auntie Alli on the monkey bars:

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From Blog Photos

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From Blog Photos

Happy Halloween!!!

You're in luck...half way. Owen was willing to wear a portion of his costume tonight, that being a firefighter helmet. He wasn't too wild about the idea of wearing the jacket, so we didn't force it. But, we still had a fun night...went to Grandma Hake's house (the only trick-or-treating Owen did), went to the Harvest Party at church (which consisted of Owen wandering around with 2 fingers in his mouth being his shy self and saying "no thank you" to every activity we offered him), and then stopped by the Davila's house (but that doesn't count as trick-or-treating since Owen refused to wear even the hat this time). Anyhow, we had a fun night even if it was pretty much costume free. I'm hoping by next year he'll be more into dressing up! But here are a couple of pictures for you that we were lucky enough to capture in the 2 seconds he actually even had the helmet on!

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all...

Apparently I have reached the point in pregnancy where people deem it appropriate to say anything they want to me. For example, I just went to the grocery store and the following were the comments I received:

Lady#1: You look like you're about to pop!!!
Me: Yeah, wish me luck!
What I'm really thinking: Oh really. I had no idea. You know, because I don't have a mirror in my house or anything and I am completely unaware of how big I'm getting. Thanks for the info. That was very helpful considering I still have 2 months left.

Lady #2: Wow, a baby. When are you due?
Me: Christmas time.
Lady #2: CHRISTMAS????? Are there twins in there?
Me: Nope, just one.
Lady #2: You know, my sister was really big all along during her pregnancy and she had a 12 lb. baby.
Me: Actually, I don't even remember what I said to her after that because I was too busy thinking to myself, "O.M.G. You did NOT just say that to me. Do you really think that I want to hear that you think I'm going to have a 12 lb baby? Seriously? And besides, you yourself look about 2 times more pregnant than I do and you're at least 55 so I know you're NOT pregnant. So there."

Man #1: Are you having twins?
Me: Nope, just one.
Man #1: You're SURE?
Me: Yep, I'm sure.
What I'm really thinking: Ummm...I've had 4 ultrasounds at this point and every one of them showed only 1 baby. I'm pretty doggone sure there's only one in there, although it really makes me happy to know that you think I look way too big to only have one baby!

Man #2: When are you due?
Me (again): Christmas time. I have 2 months left.
Man #2: TWO MONTHS??? You must have more than one in there!

Seriously people, why on earth do you think it's ok to comment on how big I'm getting??? I mean, I know people MEAN well, but it's just not ok to comment on a pregnant woman's size. Believe me, I am fully aware of how big my stomach is. I see it every day in the mirror and feel how uncomfortably tight it is every evening. I really don't need you to tell me how big I'm getting. It's like people think that pregnant women don't have feelings. I mean, I would imagine you wouldn't have commented on how big I was before I got pregnant....do you think that just because I'm pregnant I no longer care that I am bigger than I would like to be? Sheesh. Some people.

So I have a little word for the wise: NEVER comment on how big a pregnant woman is getting. In fact, unless what you have to say is a wonderful compliment on how good the woman looks or something like that, you're probably better off just not saying it. I know that not all pregnant women are as sensitive to these comments as I am, but I'm pretty sure that they'd still rather not hear about how big they are getting.

On a more positive note, however, I still am feeling REALLY good compared to my pregnancy with Owen. Sure, I'm feeling a bit uncomfortable in the evenings because of my crowded belly, but overall I'm still doing really well. I haven't had any swelling yet and believe me, I am VERY thankful for that. I have another ultrasound scheduled for next week so they can re-evaluate the due date (surprise, the baby and my uterus are both measuring farther along than they originally thought.) So hopefully I will have a more accurate idea of when we get to meet this little guy. I can't wait. I just want to nuzzle into his neck and kiss his squishy cheeks SOOOO bad!

.................................................

And now for a little update on the house. We now have a foundation (complete with the basement and stem walls), a bit of plumbing, and a few studs for walls...I know that might not sound like much to you all, but we're excited to see things starting to take shape. Owen has thoroughly enjoyed watching the cement mixers and backhoe that have been hard at work. Oh yeah, and I finally got around to taking some before pictures of the property. Unfortunately, I didn't take any before construction had been started, but these are still pretty early....at least we'll have a record of what the place generally looked like before there was a house on it.

The foundation:


View of the property from the road (and by road I mean the only dirt road that accesses the house...this move means a constantly dirty truck, but it's worth it):


View to the North from the house:


Looking West (please ignore the port-a-potty and truck):


Looking East-ish:


Looking South:

P.S. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! If Owen actually decides he's willing to put on a costume tonight, I just might have some pictures for you tomorrow.

Tell me...

How does a mouse get into a tote that has a securely fastened lid? We have had a problem with mice getting into the dog food bag in the garage. We finally realized that the bag alone was not adequate in fighting this battle since they can just chew their way through. So, C.J. decided that we should put the food directly into a Rubbermaid tote with a lid. Well, we did that. And what do you think jumped out at me just now when I went to feed the dog? Yep, a mouse. How on earth? They can't chew their way through Rubbermaid, can they? Maybe after my heart stops pounding from nearly being attacked by the world's most disgusting creature, I'll brainstorm a better storage solution. Any ideas?

I thought it would be a good idea...

to take some pictures of Owen today. But, it wasn't. After being sick for a whole week now and going completely stir crazy, I thought it might be fun to get outside and take a few pictures of the boy. I probably should have taken his already crabby mood into consideration before attempting such a thing, but I didn't. As a result, we have some pictures of a rather grumpy and sick boy. But...I've decided to share them anyway, because the reality is: this is life, too. And sometimes I enjoy looking back at even the not so giddy times we go through. So here you have it:

From Blog Photos

If that's not a sad face, I don't know what is:

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

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And finally, after much bribing of tractor rides if he allowed me just a few photos, we got this:

From Blog Photos

And this. A smile. What do you know?

From Blog Photos

I love that boy. Sick or crabby...I just love him. And it's really crazy to think that in about 2 more months I'll have another boy to love just as much!!!

The goings on lately...

And what did we do on this fabulous 3 day weekend? I'd love to say we went to the pumpkin patch and did all sorts of cozy fall activities, but no. We're sick. Well, I guess by we I mean Owen and me. Daddy has yet to catch this oh-so-disgusting bug and I'm really hoping he puts off doing so until at least I am well enough to take care of our sick boy on my own. So instead of warm apple pie sitting on the counter and pumpkins being carved, we have a box of Kleenex sitting on the table (the first box of Kleenex I have ever purchased, by the way...this nose needs something a little more soothing than regular old T.P. at this point), about 4 different types of medicine lying around in various places (and I wish those included some awesome Theraflu and decongestant for me, but nope...Tylenol will have to suffice while pregnant), 2 different thermometers, about 7 different remote controls because after 3 days of this we have exhausted every type of media entertainment in our house (on that note, I need to confess that Owen watched 2 straight hours of TV this morning while we waited for the medicine to bring his fever down far enough that he at least had a tiny bit of energy to play), and I guess by now you get the picture. Thank goodness for C.J. though! He has been so sweet taking care of us all weekend. It's weird for me to feel so helpless and literally just lay on the couch and watch C.J. do absolutely everything for Owen, but it's kinda sweet to watch. He's a good daddy, that's for sure. On a more positive note, I just woke up from a much needed nap and feel half-way human. I have managed to make it through the majority of last night and this morning without any Tylenol and the chills and aches are somewhat under control....so I'm hoping this means the road to recovery is near.

But I will stop complaining now and move on to more exciting things...things like construction on our new house being started!!! Yep, our builder officially started last week. So far we have the excavating done, a big hole in the ground for the basement, and even a port-a-potty! Obviously this is a slow going process and it will be a while before it actually LOOKS like anything, but we're excited just the same. They're supposed to pour concrete for the foundation soon, and I'm hoping Owen is better by then because that is certainly an event that a 2 year old boy can not miss out on! Oh yeah, and we got our kitchen sink this weekend....I LOVE IT! Since there's nothing to take pictures of yet besides a pile of dirt, I thought I'd include some photos I stole from the internet of a few of the things we have purchased for the house. We haven't purchased much yet, since we're not very far along in the process, but here's a little sampling for you: (keep in mind that we are hoping to have the house feel like an old farm house since it's being built in the middle of farm land. Obviously, it's not going to be perfect because it's new, not old, but still...that's the look we are going for)

We got 2 of these pendant lights for over the kitchen island:


This is the chandelier we purchased for the dining room (minus the shades):


The kitchen sink. I have always wanted an apron sink, so this might be one of the things I'm most excited about so far:


And here are a couple of items that we have not purchased yet, but are seriously contemplating. Who knows, we might change our minds, but for now these are at the top of our list for...

The bathtub in the master bath:


The kitchen island:


And finally, since I can't figure out how to get our actual plans/drawings on here, I'll show you a picture of the house we kinda based ours off of. We loved the look of this house and basically had the designer make it look pretty similar. We changed the floor plan a bit (and unfortunately we don't have all of the beautiful established landscaping shown in this picture) , so it's not going to look exactly the same, but at least you get an idea:



So there you have it. I'll post real pictures when there's actually a structure worth photographing, but that may be a while. Our builder says he'll be done in 6 months...we shall see. Hope you all stay healthier than we are!

P.S. Since I'm having fun DREAMING about the house, why not dream about purchasing this oh-so-beautiful but expensive dining room table (just the table, not the chairs). I absolutely LOVE it. Any volunteers who want to buy it for us since it's a lot more money than we have to spend on a table right now? But seriously, though...is it not gorgeous?

Just because I was finally in the mood...

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

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From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

A pregnancy update...

For the past six months, this pregnancy has been truly wonderful. I can honestly say that I have ENJOYED being pregnant (yeah, I know...I really said it). I have had, so far, zero of the uber crappy symptons I had with Owen (i.e. acne everywhere and I mean everywhere, numb hands starting from 5 months on, 40 lb weight gain by the 6 month mark, and the list could go on and on). And let me just point out that it is an incredible relief to have only gained 6 lbs so far as compared to the first go-round (but let's just ignore the fact that I started this pregnancy 40 lbs heavier than I would like to be....yeah, that's fun, huh?) At any rate, the point I'm trying to make is that this has been a really good pregnancy so far. And ANY time someone has asked me how I'm feeling my answer has been "great." Until...

Probably 2 days ago. During the day, the answer to that question is still the same. But ask me any time after 6:00 pm and my new official answer is: "pregnant." Yes friends, I am a bit afraid to admit this, but I think my days of feeling shockingly good are coming to an end as I tackle this 3rd trimester. Don't get me wrong, I still feel WAY WAY better than I did at this point with Owen, but our precious new little one is growing by the minute and I can tell. I'm already kinda wondering how on earth my tummy can grow any more and I still have 3 months left! And this growing bundle of joy is bringing increased discomfort. Like the other night when I was trying to watch tv and had to switch positions every 2 minutes because I just couldn't get comfortable. But the good news is: I still don't have acne (my scarred back will be thankful for that), I can still feel my fingers, I have had zero swelling (which is a nice contrast to last time when I had people telling me they could hardly even look at me because I was so swollen), I am still sleeping well at night, etc). But the even BETTER news is that we start construction on our house in about a week!!! Yeah, it is kinda bad timing having a baby in the middle of building a house, but I am VERY thankful that my mind will be occupied with house stuff for the next couple of months rather than just sitting around waiting for baby to come and realizing how not fun the last trimester can be. So there you have the update. Check back in about 2 1/2 months and you'll probably hear some pretty substantial complaining...but for now, we're still chugging along and feeling pretty darn good in the process. Ciao!

Three Wheels

So this last weekend, Jen and I attended the Yakima Valley Tour of Homes (edit) and had a great time looking at some new homes and getting some good ideas. Grandma and Grandpa St. Hilaire had Owen for an overnighter, which gave Jen and I a chance to have a nice dinner and spend an evening alone. Owen's cousin Grant also slept over. Grant had brought his bike and Owen had his tricycle. This was a picture Grandma took of Owen on his trike. I love it.



Funny little story about Grant... it was a bit chilly in the morning and Grandma had asked if Grant had a long sleeve shirt in his overnight bag. Grand said he did but it was a shirt which had some skateboards on it with a few tiny skulls on the skateboards. Grant told Grandma that he didn't want to wear it because it might scare Owen. I thought this was so sweet of Grant to consider Owen like that. Grant is a very sweet boy. :) Thanks G & G for watching the little guy.

C.J.

A rather embarrassing moment...

Yesterday I had a prenatal doctor's appointment in the morning. My dear sister offered to watch Owen for me so that I could go sans child, which was a huge treat. Everything was great until all I had left to do was see the doctor...and then she got called out for a delivery. So, I left the office and went back an hour later to finish the appointment. Still no doctor. So, we rescheduled for this morning.

It's 9:00 this morning and WE are at the doctor's office (Owen and Mama). He is being really good, entertaining the nurses and being his charming self. Then the doctor (who I LOVE, by the way) came in and we started chatting for a while. As I laid on my back while the doctor was listening to the baby's heart beat, Owen was playing in the corner with my purse. All of the sudden my doctor says to me, "WHAT is he eating?" Me: "What do you mean?" (since I can't see him from my position). Doc: "That powdery stuff. What IS that?" I look over and my child is dumping into his mouth...

Well here's the other part of the story. You know how at the movie theaters these days they sell the flavoring to put on popcorn? My husband happened to try it a few times and liked it and proceeded to get me to like the stuff. At the theater, you can buy a tiny little bottle for like $3 or something, and at the grocery store you can get about 8 times the amount for a $1.50. So, I decided to buy it from the grocery store and keep it in my purse, that way we don't have to waste a bunch of money every time we go to the movies. However, it's a tad embarrassing to open up my purse while in the Target checkout line and have popcorn seasoning sticking out. But what's even MORE embarrassing, is when you're at the doctor's office and your child has discovered the stuff and is dumping it into his mouth and then your DOCTOR has to tell you what he's doing so you can stop him. Yeah, let's just say I was a little mortified. But hey, we all got a good laugh out of it. I guess the lesson to be learned is: get a babysitter.

Our annual trip to the beach...

I did it people...I actually got my camera out!!! And the big event that merited such a move? our annual camping trip to the beach. This past week was spent at Kalaloch campground with my parents, siblings, and their families (even Uncle Ryke was there!). It was definitely my favorite year at the beach with Owen so far...he is finally old enough to thoroughly enjoy camping, playing in the sand, throwing rocks in the stream, snuggling in the tent, cocoa in the mornings, playing with his cousins, etc. So here are a few pictures for you. There are a bunch more in the picasa album. At any rate, we had a super fun time and can't wait until next year!

Owen enjoying being burried in the sand by Gram:

From Kalaloch 09

Breaking free:

From Kalaloch 09

Holland:

From Kalaloch 09

Jack (formerly known as Baby Jack...until Lincoln was born):

From Kalaloch 09

Jack and his best buddy (Gramp):

From Kalaloch 09

Oliver:

From Kalaloch 09

Oliver and Owen playing their very masculine version of Frisbee. You have to understand that these two have a love/hate relationship. They are best buds MOST of the time, but then there are the moments where they are figuring out who is the dominant male...we're hoping that in a couple of years they'll just be best buds. Regardless, they love spending time together:

From Kalaloch 09

And here they are playing boats together:

From Kalaloch 09

Uncle Ryker and Jack...and a tid bit of the giant castle Ryker made:

From Kalaloch 09

Owen eating his snack of choice for the week:

From Kalaloch 09

And finally, you need to know that Owen made a new BFF this week: Uncle Ryker. We love him lots and are glad we got to spend a whole week with him:

From Kalaloch 09

From Kalaloch 09

Last night...

So here's the scene:

It's 2:30 a.m. last night. Owen walks into our room and says, "Mama, please get in" (which really means "can I please sleep with you?"). So, I lift him up over me and as I am laying him down on the pillow he bonks his head on the bed frame. He cries a bit, I kiss it, tell him it's going to be o.k., etc. About 10 minutes later I realize he is still wide awake.

Owen: Mama, please pray.
Me: Dear Jesus, thank you for Owen. Thank you that we got to play with Hudson and Tucker today...
Owen interrupts: No, no. Please pray my head.

Let me just tell you people, if hearing your 2 year old who is hardly even coherent in the middle of the night ask you to pray for his bonked head doesn't make you melt, I don't know what will. I love that kid!

It's a BOY!!!

I guess my maternal instinct was off a tad since I was convinced we were having a girl, but hey...we're still thrilled. For Owen's sake, I am SUPER happy it's a boy....I mean, what little boy wouldn't love having a little brother? And I'll be honest, there was a hint of disappointment when I saw the oh-so-evident protruding male anatomy (there's no question with this little guy...it's pretty evident he's a boy), but I'm not nearly as disappointed as I thought I would be. I think if I were one of those women who just popped out babies left and right and then returned right back to normal I wouldn't mind a bit.....but since I'm not, and I AM the kind of woman who has huge hormonal issues that totally mess with my body and fertility and I'm not sure how many more times we're going to do this, I am a smidge disappointed that I don't yet have a daughter. But believe me, I am SOOOO ready to love another little boy and believe 100% that God knows what is best for our family. And hopefully some day we will have a daughter....and that some day means at least a few years down the road!

I think the main reason why I thought this baby was a girl is because I feel DRASTICALLY different with this pregnancy than I did with Owen. Honestly, there wasn't much that I enjoyed with Owen...in fact, when I heard other women say that they were feeling "great" or even "fine" during pregnancy, I would be like "you liar." But now I get it. This pregnancy has been SO easy. I honestly forget most of the time that I'm even pregnant until I feel him moving and think "oh yeah, there's a baby in there." I was convinced that I felt so much better this time around because it was a girl, but apparently it really is true what they say "evey pregnancy is different." Honestly, I think it's probably just that my body has been so messed up and my hormones so out of whack for the past 2 years (ever since I got pregnant with Owen, an event that totally caused my PCOS to flare up big time) that being pregnant almost feels more "normal" for me than what I was dealing with. Whatever the case, I have been LOVING this pregnancy and am hoping that continues through the 3rd trimester (dream big, right?).

So here we are with another little boy and the way, and I am glad to be able to seriously say that I am SO thankful. We praise God that we are blessed with another healthy baby (at least everything looks A-O.K. for now) and will love having two little boys running around our house. Oh yeah, and him being a boy with undoubtedly save us a lot of money since you better believe I would have had a REALLY hard time not buying every frilly pink thing I saw. And saving money is a really good thing for us right now since we start construction on our house in October!! So many fun things coming this fall. Oh yeah #2...due date is January 9....a little later than I thought it was, but honestly that's good. I really REALLY don't want to have a baby in the middle of the holidays. Any time after Jan 3 or 4 will be great with me. Ta ta for now!

The Boys and their Hats...

This past Saturday, C.J. and I had Leah's boys over for the day while she and Jeff finished painting their house. We had planned to go to the antique tractor show, and as we were getting ready the boys decided (by themselves) that they would all wear one of Owen's hats to the event. They walked out of the house with hats they had chosen and put on all by themselves:

They look pretty darn cute if you ask me:

From Blog Photos

Grant:

From Blog Photos

Hudson:

From Blog Photos

Tucker:

From Blog Photos

Owen:
I know this isn't the best quality pic since it was taken in poor lighting in the truck, but I love his smile!

From Blog Photos

P.S. Tomorrow is the big day...we find out whether Owen is going to have a little sister or a little brother! So stay tuned for the update...

Our week in Seattle...

While C.J. was away on business the past 2 weeks, Owen and I decided to make a trek to Seattle to see some family and friends. We spent a few days at my parents house which is always fun and relaxing....spent a couple of days at Landon and Becky's house in Lynden (thanks Beck, it was SOOOOOO fun to see you guys)...and then returned to Seattle for a baby shower for Brie and a trip to Lake Washington to see the Blue Angels. It was a super fun (and BLOODY HOT) week! Here are a few pictures for you:

Owen playing at Golden Gardens:

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

Enjoying a Sponge Bob popsicle while waiting for the show to begin:

From Summer 09

Precious Little Lincoln:

From Summer 09

And then there was the shower. It is always SO good to see my college girlfriends. I miss you all!

The flowers:

From Summer 09

Christy's work of art. Pretty impressive, huh?

From Summer 09

The beautiful hostess, Kate:

From Summer 09

Christy's mini photo shoot. You can always count on Chris to be up for a picture or two!

From Summer 09

From Summer 09

Becky and the Mother-to-be:

From Summer 09

Brie and Kate:

From Summer 09

The end!

Our first trip to the ER...

Yes, people...we did it. We took Owen to the ER. Now you have to understand that I am definitely one of those parents that rolls my eyes when I hear of people rushing to the ER over any little thing...I just think that often people over-react to things. Well, then MY child got hurt. And let me just say, when it comes to your child and it's not your every day bonk or bruise, that urge to get things checked out for reasurance' sake becomes pretty darn strong.

So here's the scenario: Owen has gotten to the age that he wants to jump off of anything and everything. Problem is, he's not yet old enough to understand that this can often be dangerous. So...this morning he starts jumping off of the furniture and I decide "hey, I might as well let the kid jump instead of telling him no all the time." I then decide to make a nice landing spot for him...I move the living room furniture out of the way, make a giant pile of about 15 pillows complete with a down comforter on top on which he can land softly and safely. He takes a few jumps off the chair onto the landing spot and loves it. About jump #5, he takes a big leap, misses the pillows (somehow?) and lands with his legs locked straight. C.J. and I both hear a loud cracking sound, Owen screams, and cries, and screams, and cries. I try to comfort him to no avail. We take him outside, put ice on his leg, give him a popsicle trying to take his mind off of things, and wait. We decided that we would wait until he calmed down to try to make him walk on it. So, we hold him and let him watch his favorite movie, Barney songs, for the next hour or so (an hour complete with whimpering and Owen saying "it still hurts.") Now, the kid has had many bumps and bangs in his life and normally it takes a few minutes to settle him down and then he is off to play again. Not this time. We set him on the ground after he is good and calm and his leg immediately buckles. So.....we decide we should get it looked at. After all, we both saw it happen and heard a loud cracking sound so we realize it really could be worse than his other injuries. We then load Owen in the car and head to town to the ER at the hospital....my first time EVER visiting the ER (well, excluding my Dad's plane crash when I was in high school). On our way there, we pass the park and Owen says he wants to go to the park to play. We are now thinking "oh good, maybe he'll forget about it and it's really nothing." So we stop at the park, get him out of the car, put him on the ground and again, his leg buckles and he starts to cry. We then see a fire truck parked nearby and ask Owen if he wants to go see it. Now, Owen LOVES fire trucks so on any other day this would have been a HUGE treat. We head over to the fire truck, we try again to make him walk to it and the same thing happens. So, we decide to continue on our trek to the hospital to get it checked out.

After all of the normal hoopla they do at the ER (at least I'm assuming it's the normal hoopla), and quite a few tears from Owen because A. he hates doctors visits and B. the poor kid's leg is hurting him, he gets a few X-rays of his legs. Doctor reviews them and says he doesn't see anything "alarming" wrong. However, I didn't realize until today that x-rays ONLY see bones and nothing else....and since we think the injury is in the knee and the knee is not made of bone, what good is an x-ray? I mean seriously, isn't there a whole bunch of junk in your knee that can get injured that isn't bone? In fact, on the x-ray the knee is totally missing in the picture...just a blank spot. So yes, the doctor ruled out a major break in a LEG bone but to me that doesn't mean much. Oh well, I guess we wait. We are supposed to go back in a couple of days for a follow up appointment. We shall see. For now our poor guy is left with a swollen knee that we heard go "crack" in the middle of his jump that he continues to tell us is "still hurting" and he won't put any weight on, let alone walk on. I'm HOPING that by tomorrow he will start to put some weight on it and that there truly is nothing "alarming" wrong with him. Poor kid! So there you have it. We took our son to the ER today...and any of you out there who are like me can roll your eyes at us and think "overprotective parents"....but just wait til it's YOUR child! Ta ta for now!

Oh yeah, and how on earth do you keep an immobile 2 year old entertained? I mean seriously, a person can only handle so much Thomas the Train before they go crazy!

In my dreams...

So don't you all think this would be ADORABLE in our little girl's room? Oh yeah, but first we have to have the girl...and considering both of our families, the odds are not too good. But hey, I can dream right? But if we DO have a girl, believe me...I am going to splurge on this light for her room. I'm thinking it would look REALLY cute with the yellow crib, some brown bedding, and a grey-ish blue wall. Maybe, just maybe...

Finally some pictures...

However, they aren't of Owen. Today I got together with Kim to take a couple of pictures of her boys. We went to an awesome Train Depot and boy did the kids ever love it. I think Owen could have stayed all day. So here are a few pics of Brady and like 1 of his little brother Ryker.

Just as a side note, I dropped my camera a while ago and it is NOT working like it's supposed to. SOOOO frustrating! I can not get the thing to focus properly for the life of me. Uggh.

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

This is how happy they were to have their pictures taken...also the reason why there is only 1 of the two of them together!

From Little Ryker

From Little Ryker

I've had a break through and I'm SOOO excited about it...

For quite a while now I have been in search of some really good audio books for Owen. However, even after my endless hours of searching, I haven't been able to find many good ones...either they are really boring or way too expensive. All I want are a few good stories for Owen to listen to in the car that keep him entertained and have different voices for the characters that make the book exciting. Well.....I FINALLY found the solution: iTunes. Yes, people, go there. I didn't even know they had audio stories until tonight but was pumped when I discovered them. For a mere $10 I was able to create a cd for Owen that is over an hour long and has 9 different classic stories, all of which I previewed to make sure they were good and entertaining. And let me just say, paying $.99 for each 8-10 minute story is WAY better than the $16.99 you would pay for them individually at Border's. Plus, I got to pick and choose which stories I wanted to include...and the options were endless! So, Owen's first iTunes audio book includes Goldilocks, The Ginderbread Man, The Little Red Hen, Horton Hatches the Egg, Curious George Rides a Bike, etc. Pretty good stories if you ask me. Anyhow, I just wanted to share this little tidbit for any of you moms out there who also might enjoy a good audio book for your child. iTunes, check it out. You'll want to create your own, guaranteed! Happy audio book hunting!

On being pregnant the second time around...

I know, people...I have been the biggest blogging slacker ever. I really do intend to update the blog more often, and then other things come up and I put it on the back burner. But, I thought it was about time to give a little update on round 2 of pregnancy. So, here goes...

1. I think I can safely say that being pregnant is WAY better the second time around. When I was pregnant with Owen, it was literally the only thing I could think about and pretty much consumed all of me. All I could think about was what it would be like when he was born, what to do in his nursery, how I was feeling any given week, etc. Let me just say, it is SOOOOO nice to not be so stinking consumed with it this time. That's not to say that I'm not excited about this baby, because believe me, I am!! It's just that this new baby is not the only thing I think about right now. You know, I have a toddler that I play with and take care of, a house that needs tending to, a garden that needs to survive the desert summer, a husband that I enjoy spending time with...and then, oh yeah, I'm pregnant. It's nice to have this pregnancy be a side note to life instead of being life itself.

2. I don't think I feel as crummy this time around (yet...the 3rd trimester brought all sorts of fun treats last time so we'll see what's to come). Or maybe I do feel as crummy and I just don't have the time to sit around and feel sorry for myself about it like I did last time...but either way, I haven't been feeling too bad. Yeah, there's definitely some nausea in the evenings, but nothing horrible. So far, the throwing up has reached a grand total of 2 times which I certainly can't complain about.

3. I AM TIRED!!!! Everybody knows that the first trimester brings extreme fatigue as your body produces a baby and a big old huge organ that supports that baby, but whoa, having a toddler on top of that makes it a million times worse, I'm pretty sure. Seriously, for the moms out there who have more than one child to take care of while pregnant, props to you! The good thing is, Owen is still young enough for naps so you better believe I have been taking full advantage of napping with my little guy every day. And you really don't want to be around me on the days that I miss that nap, or if the nap is delayed by too long...which leads me to my next point...

4. Hormones. Now, I'm not really the world's most patient person even on my best days, but something happens to me hormonally while pregnant that brings out every ounce of irritability and impatience in me. I hate it. I hate not having my normal buffers to be able to handle stress and the struggles of parenting a 2 year old. I wish I had WAY more patience than I do, but my pregnant self doesn't do so well in that department. Thankfully, C.J. is VERY good about helping out and taking Owen when I've reached my last straw. I'm really hoping that this time around the irritable Jen only sticks around for pregnancy and not the year of breast-feeding that follows. Seriously, my breast-feeding hormonal self was almost as bad as my pregnant self last time. In fact, after I quit nursing Owen I had gotten together with a good friend for coffee and she said "Wow, you're back to yourself! I was wondering where the Jen I knew had gone." You know it's bad when the people around you recognize you're not your typical self. Is this just me? Or do other pregnant women find themselves being way out of whack hormonally and emotionally....which in turn leads to irritability? Just curious.

5. Juice. You have NO idea how extensive my juice craving has been. Now I need to point out that I seriously don't remember purchasing juice for our household (excluding for parties or something) since Owen has been born. I'm not really a huge juice drinker and don't really think that kids need the extra sugar on their teeth all that bad. But something happens the moment I get pregnant that screams "give me juice!" Same thing happened when I was pregnant with Owen. And let me just say, I seriously can NOT get enough. I have resorted to (this is really embarrassing to admit) making Kool-Aid with Splenda to avoid drinking umpteen extra calories every day that I don't need and I have been GUZZLING the stuff. If somebody out there has information that I'm not aware of that says consuming Splenda while pregnant is not good, then please let me know...because I should really quit this habit right now if that's the case (as far as I know, Splenda is fine...obviously, or I wouldn't be drinking it). But even better than this concoction is the all time best juice I have evern come across: Simply Limeade. Try it people, you will be addicted...guaranteed. Or maybe you won't be because you're not pregnant, but I bet you'll at least want to pour another glass.

And lastly, a tid bit about my lack of picture taking. I haven't quit, I promise. It's just that right now I don't have a ton of energy (see #3) and what energy I do have left-over hasn't been going into my camera. Instead, I've been taking Owen swimming, going for walks, watching movies with C.J., and doing a few other things that I enjoy. And for now, that has been suiting our family better. But believe me, I will pick up my camera again before too long...maybe next week when I'll be done with the first trimester. No promises, though!

Believe it or not, our boy is TWO!!!!

So our little guy turned 2 on Saturday, and yesterday we had a party to celebrate. It was fun to have so many family and friends around and I know for a fact that Owen had a blast! Here are a few pics of the shindig...thanks to Grama Saint for taking these shots. I was so busy running around that I didn't manage to take any pictures myself. But Sherrie did a great job, so I stole some!

Owen enjoying the cupcake he had been begging for all day...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Tucker riding Owen's new tractor...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

By far the favorite present of the day...he's probably put in a good 3 miles behind the thing already. Thanks Grama!

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Blowing out the candles...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Cupcakes...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

My sister, Hilary, and her new little guy, Lincoln...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Saying thanks to Grandpa Saint for the lawn mower and other goodies...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Daddy helping Owen with his first swing at the pinata...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Owen enjoying last year's present while Oliver and Grant enjoy this year's...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

The St. Hilaire Grandkids...and yes, they are all boys!

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Grant...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

C.J.'s brother Brian, his wife Samantha, and their little guy Solomon. They have another little one on the way due a few weeks before us. Maybe we can add a couple of girls to the brood...

From Owen's 2nd Birthday

Our family is growing!

From Blog Photos

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! We are so incredibly thankful for this new addition to our family and pray that this little one will grow into a healthy little baby. Today we had our first ultrasound, which was really reassuring to me to see a heart beat. Owen is already being really sweet about it...he constantly wants to put the tags of his blankie into my belly button to share with the baby (which is a HUGE deal because the boy LOVES his tags). He also does a lot of snuggling with the baby, which really means he just puts his head on my stomach since there's not much else visible yet. But yes, we are so thankful for this baby and can't wait to add another little one to our family.

Oh yeah, and we also added another new member (of a different variety) to our household today: a 4 year old German Shorthair named Lucy. Some of you might remember our last German Shorthair, Duke....he was a good dog for the whole 2 weeks we had him before he managed to get himself hit on the road. Hopefully this one will stick around for a tad bit longer. So far, she's a pretty good dog...although she has been barking for 2 hours straight since C.J. went back to work after lunch. Let's hope that stops before bed time tonight!

So there you have it. We are adding to our family and are SO happy to do so!

ABC's

Happy Birthday Baby Lincoln...

First: my sincerest apologies for the lack of posting lately. Life has gotten a lot busier around here lately with spring gardening, house plans being drawn up, babies being born, etc. But I will try to get with the blogging again. For now, we finally have a very bloggable event: the birth of my sister Hilary's little baby boy. He is absolutely precious!!! Hilary went through quite a lot to get this little guy here and I'm pretty sure he was WELL worth. He's such a good little baby and I'm already falling in love! So here is Lincoln Wesley making his debut on our blog:

Welcome to the world Baby Lincoln...this is about as fresh a picture as you can get. Actually there were a few that I took a few seconds before this, but I thought I'd spare you...

From Lincoln Wesley Young

Grandma: the official videographer of the big event

From Lincoln Wesley Young

From Lincoln Wesley Young

Proud Papa:

From Lincoln Wesley Young

From Lincoln Wesley Young

From Lincoln Wesley Young

From Lincoln Wesley Young

Snuggles from big sister Holland:

From Lincoln Wesley Young

Sporting his birthday hat:

From Lincoln Wesley Young

Happy Birthday Baby Jack!

This morning was Baby Jack's 1st birthday party! Even though he's not even mine, I get really choked up thinking that he's one already. Allison put on an awesome party and asked if I'd take a few pictures for here, so here's a peak:

I'm pretty sure this is the best brithday cake I've ever seen:

From Blog Photos

The birthday boy:

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

One of my beautiful Grandmas:

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

Part of the "Happy Birthday" banner Alli made:

From Blog Photos

Who doesn't love dying Easter Eggs?

This afternoon Owen got to try his hand at dying Easter eggs for the first time in his little life. And, although there was a part of me that was worried it would be a food-coloring/almost 2 year old stain disaster, it was actually a ton of fun. I absolutely love doing the little things (like dying eggs) that make life fun...and it's a million times more special when you have a little one to share it with! So, thanks to Daddy's help, this is what we came up with:

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

There's a reason I've been slacking on the posting...

...and that's basically because we've been super busy lately, I hosted a baby shower for my lovely cousin Jamaica today, and we just bought 9 acres of land to build a house on this week!!! We've been talking about building a house ever since we got married, and we figured that we might as well take advantage of the incredibly low interest rates that are being offered right now. So, here we go! Obviously, the house will take quite a while, but the land is a step in the right direction! We are pretty excited about it, even if it is just a big hunk of land with a well and some electrical wires.....oh yeah, and let's not forget the giant conrcete foundation that was left by the last guy who wanted to build his house on this particular piece of property but then ran out of money. Yeah, the same foundation C.J. gets to attack with a jack hammer and a loader....we'll keep you posted on how successful that endeavor is! But really, we are super excited and thankful for the doors God has opened up for us. I'm sure I'll keep you updated on the happenings in the "future home" department. For now, I guess we'll just continue letting Owen wander around the property getting incredibly dirty from the massive piles of dirt everywhere and accumulating more scrapes and bruises from falling off of a concrete foundation over and over...

On a different note, my cousin Cory and her daughter, Ashley, were among the guests at the shower today. It was so fun to see them and while they were here, they were kind enough to let me take a few pictures of them. Aren't they a darling pair? Cory, there are more in Picasa if you click on the link by the photos.

From Cory and Ashley

From Cory and Ashley

From Cory and Ashley

From Cory and Ashley

From Cory and Ashley

From Cory and Ashley

P.S. Pics from the shower to come....hopefully!

I think spring might actually be on its way!

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

From Blog Photos

P.S. I've noticed that I'm accumulating quite a few pictures of Baby Jack...I think that's probably because he's the only one that will sit still for more than half a second so I can take a picture!

A sneak peek...

So I was trying to hold off on posting these until I could edit them with photoshop, but I just can't hep myself. C.J. ordered photoshop for me thanks to a co-worker's student discount, and it's supposed to arrive later this week. I will probably re-edit these and add a few more when it arrives, but for now I thought you all should enjoy how stinking cute Jamaica is pregnant (even if they are edited with lame 'ole iPhoto). So enjoy these for now, and more to come later...

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby

From Jamaica and Baby