A year in review

January was...snowy and cold.


February was...snowy and cold too. So much so that our roof leaked. My super hubby not only shoveled snow but he also made me a romantic Valentine's Day dinner.



March was...culinarian. Coby cooked in Diamond Chef AR and the Chef's Ball.



April was...spring.

May was...lake days, baseball, and our two year anniversary.




June was...lots of yummy farmer's market food and the birth of sweet little Weston.


July was..San Francisco and Napa!!



August was...crafty.

September was... New York.


October was...fall and pretty nails.

November was...a great update on Rani!

December (and November) was...the best news of our lives!!


That, my friends, was 2010!

Before the old year ends

I am behind in posting what's been going on around here and I figured I'd better get our Christmas post in before the new year. I've been on Christmas break for the past week and half. The joys of working in the school district. We had a great Christmas but I failed to take any pictures. We went to Coby's parents on the night before Christmas eve. The whole family was there. We ate and watched football and had a great time. On Christmas Eve we ate dinner at my parents then went to Christmas Eve service at church. Christmas morning we woke up, got ready and headed to Coby's brothers house for breakfast. This is always a fun but crazy time. About 25 people and all the kids are so excited about their Christmas gifts. I some how always get roped into putting together someone's toys. This year is was my nieces zu-zu pet tree house. I really like all the excitment of Christmas morning but think that we will end up spending most of our mornings at our house from here on out. It would be nice to be our little family in our little house on Christmas morning. I got lots of good presents. Coby got me a jigsaw puzzle and some books. Exactly what I had asked for. I was a very nice, warm Christmas.
Today I really cleaned the house, got caught up on laundry, and rearranged our closet. We are starting to get the nursery cleaned out. Right now it is the junk/craft room. I am hoping to move most of my craft stuff the the closet and get the room cleaned our before we find out what we are having. Which should be around late January/early February. Then we can get started decorating. Here is a picture from the last appointment we had. Little baby at 9 almost 10 weeks. He/she is looking straight at the "camera". He/she looks like he/she has Coby's chubby cheeks. Too cute.

We have our next appointment a week from tomorrow. She probably won't do an u/s but hopefully she will at the next appointment, I will be almost 18 weeks, and we can find out what it is. I'm not really showing yet. But once I have an actual belly I'll post a picture or two.
Coby has tomorrow off. We plan on running some errands. Looking at baby furniture, and baby bags (part of my Christmas) and then going to see True Grit. We don't have any New Years Eve plans. When I asked Coby what we were going to do he said "what we do every year". Which is watch a movie and go to bed at 10. We are old!
Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving recap

Thank you all for you sweet comments. We are so excited about this new chapter and can't wait to see what is in store for us!!
I've luckily been feeling pretty well. A little nausea here and there and being prettly wiped out at the end to the day, but other than that I feel good.
Now for a little catch-up. Thanksgiving was good for us. I made sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, and an apple, pumpkin, and chocolate pie for lunch at my parent's house on Thursday. We went to dinner Wednesday night at Coby's aunt and uncle's house and had a nice relaxing time. Last night we went to dinner at Terry's Finer Foods The Resturant, it was delicous, and then to The Repretory Theater and saw A Christmas Story. It was nice to have a date night. Something we haven't done in awhile. This morning we did the Advent reading in church then came home and got the grocery shopping completed for the week. Tonight is our churchwide dinner and Christmas carols. I am definatly getting in the Christmas spirit. I have completed and wraped about 75% of the gifts and the tree is up.
I've got to go cut the brownies I made for dinner tonight. Hope everyone has a nice, warm, and relaxing Sunday evening!

Baby's First Things

Flowers from my dad the day after we found out.

Baby's first teddy bear from my mom. SO SOFT!!

Thanksgiving onesie for next year. I was on $3. How could I pass it up?

A little-bit news...

After 2 years and 3 months of trying to conceive, clomid cycles, IUI cycles, and a failed fresh IVF cycle we are proud to announce...

I'm pregnant!
It's still surreal to me but we are super excited. It is still very early so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I'm going to write out a time line of what has happened so far just for personal memories.
October 22 we went in for a frozen embryo transfer. It was a different doctor from the first (failed) transfer and he utilized a different method. We both felt much better about this experience. They gave us and ultrasound picture of the exact moment they transfered the blastocytes.

Do you notice something?

We didn't at first. It wasn't until a few days later that I passed quickly by the photo (it was on the fridge) and I saw the profile of a baby! Do you see it? Is that not the weirdest thing ever?
I went in for a blood test on the morning of November 1. Coby and I had planned on taking the afternoon off. Last time we got devastating news and so this time we just wanted to be together to hear the results no matter the outcome.
I got home a little earlier than Coby. (Last time they did not call until 3 in the afternoon). I was watching tv when the phone rang. I saw it was the doctors office and thought it was the insurance lady. She said she would call and it was still early. I answered the phone and it was the IVF nurse who right away said "IT"S POSITIVE!". I was in shock, thrilled, and relieved all at the same time. She then told me some numbers and my next blood test date but I barely heard any of it. As soon as I got off the phone I ran to the bathroom to take a pregnancy test. I had taken so many that had turned out negative I just wanted to see a + sign on one.
I waited an agonizing 40 minutes for Coby to get home. I was waiting on him with this.

The positive test and this onesie I bought 2 years ago and had always planned on giving him when we got pregnant.
His face was shock and disbelief. He said "What is that?" "Are you for real?". I was glad that I got the news first because I had always dreamed of the time I could tell him "I'm pregnant", with out just getting off the phone with a nurse. It was great. After we recovered from the shock we went and had Mexican for lunch. Of course;)
Then we went off to find grandma/grandpa bibs for the grandparents. They knew we would be getting the results that day and we wanted to try to surprise them . The plan was to just put the bibs in their mailboxes. This worked for my parents. But Coby's dad was home so we went in and gave it to him and left the grandma one for his mom. Needless to say all grandparents were ecstatic!
We told a few close friends that day. Audrey (my cousin) texted me soon after we found out and I couldn't keep it from her. She was the second to know after Coby and I. Then I told my two closest friends Dee, and Jenny. Both were trilled and so happy. Later that day we told our brothers and Coby told his grandparents.
We had another blood test on November 3 and everything looked good.
Our first ultrasound was on November 17th (6 weeks 3 days). Just one little baby in there. We got to hear the and see the heart beat. So amazing to think that there is a little pea sized baby with a heart beat in me! Crazy. He gave us a due date of July 10th.

This past Wednesday (December 1) we went back to the doctor for another ultrasound and bloodwork. Every thing looked great. The baby's heartbeat was 16o and he released us to my regular obgyn. We have an appointment with her on Friday.

Coby has told some people at his work and I plan on telling my work before Christmas break.
And I am telling all of you now! So now pretty much the whole world knows. Like I said it is still early but I have a lot of faith and hope.
When we started trying I had a feeling about 3 month in that this was not going to be an easy road for us. People kept saying "it just takes some people longer", but I really felt like we were going to have to go above and beyond to get our baby. Now I have a feeling that this will all be okay. We have relied on God. Prayed everyday, every night for this blessing. He gave it to us in His own time. That is the biggest lesson I have learned from all of this. This was always meant to be our journey that He cleared the path for. Had we not followed this path, and tried to follow someone else's, we would be so lost. We have grown in faith and love and know that whatever comes next will be easier to handle because of this journey.
I am not in control. He is. And for that I am grateful.

Busy Bees

The past few weeks have flown by! Justtwo days next week then it will be Thanksgiving! Then three more weeks until we are out for Christmas! Can you tell I am counting the days? We've been to our nephews conference championship football game, a party for the centinial celebration of our local library system, and Coby has been working a lot. I also went to see Wicked last week and it was amazing. That witch could sing!
It's been getting dark so early lately that I just want to come home from work, eat dinner, and go to bed. I feel like we don't get anything done in the evenings. So this weekend my only plan is to get the Christmas decorations up. I will feel so much better and more in the holiday spirit once it's up. I will be sure to post some pictures.
I also finished this baby blanket for a co-worker. She had a son in August and for her baby shower we all did a simple stich picture. Her other sons even drew a picture and I stiched over it. I roughly sewed it all together and I think it turned out real cute and some thing he will have forever.

Compassion

Just wanted to give you all an update on Rani, the girl we sponsor through Compassion. I have received another letter from her telling me all about her school and friends. I also received an updated picture and my how she has grown!
Here is the first picture I received. It was taken when they were looking for a sponsor for her. I'm not sure how old she was here.

Here is the more recent picture. She is 8 here. She looks so much older. She almost has a smile and her eyes look a little more alive, not so scared. I love it!!

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this experience. I get so excited when I get something in the mail from her. I recently sent an extra $20 for Christmas. The local Compassion center people in Bangladesh will get her a present she will enjoy. I also found some paper dolls at Barnes and Noble that I plan on sending. You can only send things that can fit in a regular sized envelope so I thought this was a good choice. I have also been sending pages out of a girls Bible and coloring sheets.
If you are interested in sponsoring a kid go here. I know it is a huge commitment so if you aren't quite ready for that you can become a prayer partner or even just make a one time donation for Christmas time. Compassion makes sure all of the kids in all of their programs get gifts during Christmas even if they don't have a sponsor.
Just a little something to think about.

Pumpkin Spice Candles Are Burning!

I've been a little absent from the blog lately. Fall is in full swing and we have been busy. A few weekends ago we went to Walnut Ridge to watch our nephew's homecoming football game then we spent the rest of the weekend at the lake with his family. I didn't take my camera to either, by mistake. I'm really going to try hard to take it to important places with me more often.
Last weekend I took some picture of my friend, Dee, and her family. I thought they turned out ok and it was good practice. Here are some of my favorites.




This weekend has been low key. Friday took the dogs to the park then went for pizza. We had plans to see The Town but were too tired to make the 6:50 show. That would mean we wouldn't get home until after 9!! Ridiculous, I know. We ended up coming home. I watched Legally Blond while Coby slept in the recliner. Poor guy has been working hard lately. Today Coby went to work for a little in the morning and ran some errands while I went to the grocery store. I finally bought a pumpkin. I usually have all of my Halloween decorations up at the beginning of October but I just couldn't find the motivation this year so I felt I at least needed a pumpkin.
I spent the afternoon in the kitchen preparing for dinners this week and making some chocolate coverage apples. I'll post our meals and recipe links for the week at the bottom. The Razorbacks play at 6:00 and I am making red beans and rice and curling up on the couch to watch! I am so glad fall is finally here!

MEALS FOR THIS WEEK
Red Beans and Rice
Shrimp PoBoys
Leftover White Beans and Cornbread
Greek salad, Hummus, and Homemade Flat Break
Butternut Squash Soup and Cheese Bread
Baked Ravioli and Salad

The Pumkin Patch Adventure (that never was)

Today has gone by so quickly. We got up this morning and headed out with the dogs for Coby's surprise. I figured out in the car that we were going to a pumpkin patch. I hadn't been to one since I worked respite weekends at camp in college. We always took the kids in the fall. Coby had seen a sign near his work and thought it would be something fun to do. A wrong turn, a spin out of the truck on gravel, almost hitting two dogs in the road, and a snake sighting later we made it. But no dogs were allowed and they were charging $5 per adult to get in. Has anyone else ever been to a pumpkin patch where they charge to get in? I wasn't planning on buying a pumpkin and just wanted to walk around a little. We decided it wasn't worth it and ended up taking the dogs to the park to chase the ball. When we got home I was able to get some laundry started, make a shopping list, go to the grocery store, make tuna sandwiches for lunch, and make homemade banana pudding.


It turned out really well and was pretty easy.
Side Note. This weeks meal list:
pulled pork (from the crock-pot) sandwiches with okra
confetti spaghetti and salad
flat iron steak, mac and cheese, veggie
meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
(left over) pork tacos, black beans, avocados
spaghetti with left over (frozen) sauce
I also watched the Hogs pull out a win against Texas A&M. I repainted my nails and now am waiting on Coby to finish dinner. He said he would be in charge tonight and he's grilled steaks and green beans, with baked potatoes. I am also making the Pioneer Woman's rosemary dinner roll. Yum!

I had plans to take some pictures of my friend, Dee, and her family this evening but she had to cancel. Oh well, we'll have to reschedule. Coby has to work all day tomorrow so I plan on organizing the craft room and finishing up laundry for the week.

Whew...

I just spent the last 2.5 hours cleaning the house. Aside from doing the normal cleaning of the bathrooms and floors I wandered the house with my bucket of warm water, vinegar, and baking soda. I cleaned baseboards, doors, and walls. This is something that only gets done about once a year but probably needs it about 5-6 times a year. Does anyone else's walls get dusty? Strangest thing, but I am blaming all the dust on my 1942 house, not my lack of dusting.
Coby went to his nephew's football game tonight about 3 hours away and won't be back until late tonight. After cleaning I made a makeshift dinner of carrots and a quesadilla and turned on "Say Yes To The Dress". Nights like this remind me of when I was single. Not single in college, but single and an adult, with an adult job, and an adult house. I would find myself spending evenings alone wondering if I would ever have anyone to spend them with. Now I am just so thankful for nights alone but to know that the love of my life will be back in a few hours. Just one of those things that you look back on and realize how truly fortunate you are now. Speaking of my love. Coby says he has a surprise for me tomorrow morning. I am the worst with surprises. I ask, and ask, and ask, but this time I have tried really hard to leave it as a surprise. Wonder what it will be??!!
I plan on doing some organization of the "craft" room tomorrow afternoon before the Razorback game. Then I am going to take some pictures of my friend, Dee, and her family.
Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Fall is in the Air!

Why do I feel like I live for the weekend and then they just fly by? I had a super busy day at work on Friday. I had planned on cooking dinner but we decided to go get Mexican instead. After dinner we went to the North Little Rock football game. It was such good football weather. Saturday I woke up a got to work cleaning out the closet. I feel like I just did this but it's such an easy place to dump stuff and not put things up like we should. I organized, dusted, and vacuumed. I even ended up cleaning off the ceiling fan. We've been talking about putting our house on the market. Just talking so far, but we have lots of things around the house that need to be fixed or spruced up. I guess the cleaning of the closet was a start. Saturday afternoon I went to Hobby Lobby with my friend Dee and her baby son Weston. Then we went to scope out some places for picture taking. She had asked me to take some fall picture of Weston next weekend and we wanted to find a good scenic spot. Today we got up a went to church then to lunch with my parents. Once back at home I started work on a fall wreath I had seen here.
This is what I came up with. I wish I had used a different color to wrap the wreath but it's ok.


I am usually all about decorating for Halloween and then in November I switch out all my stuff to fall decorations, but I just can't get inspired this year. I think I might skip Halloween decorations and just go with a fall theme.
I also entered the dogs in a photo contest through our local newspaper. The top prize is a new camera! Click here if you want to vote. Here's hoping.



Something else random but exciting (to me at least). My new nail polish color. I never paint my finger nails. My toes are usually some shade of red but I have never liked any color on my finger. Until I saw this. I decided to give it a try and LOVE the color. It's great for fall. Not too bright or distracting. Coby thinks it's "goth" but he's a boy. What does he know?

Tonight for dinner I made potato soup which we will probably be eating off of for the up coming week. I haven't gotten around to making a menu and this week is looking like a busy one. I hope everyone has a good Monday!