Summer Vacation

Today is my last day of work (ie, babysitting), and tomorrow morning, we’ll be heading for South Carolina for a week.  We’ll be staying on Kiawah Island in a villa we’re renting for the week.  It has a full kitchen and a deck, and it is just a boardwalk away from the white sand beaches.  The island is also about 30 minutes south of Charleston, so we’ll probably spend 1-2 days there.  I think we’ll be good and bored by the time our week is done, but that is exactly what we need this summer!  I’m looking forward to it…

Of course, that means I have tons to do today to be ready to leave tomorrow.  I need to finish laundry, start organizing clothes, food, and other items, start packing, and just do little chores around the house.  And I need to leave myself enough time to sit down and rest regularly, too.  So, it looks as if J and I will be spending much of the day at my house! 

Last night, Eric and I went out for our anniversary.  We had Chinese and then met Kimberly at a Barnes & Noble to return her camera.  Eric bought a couple of books for himself to relax with, and then we went home.  As it was almost 9:00, I pretty much went to bed at that point.  So it was a very low-key anniversary, but since we’ll be spending a week away together, neither of us minded too much!

I think that’s about all I’ve got on this sunny, warm Friday.  Enjoy your weekends!!

Four Years, Today

Today is my fourth wedding anniversary.  It sort of snuck up on us this year, but I did at least manage to get Eric a card last week sometime.  It’s crazy how fast four years go, but I love that man more than I did back then.  I’m so excited to see where the next four years takes us…

Other than that, though, between the babies and the new bed, it seems I’ve used up all my good stuff for the week.  I’m back down to the boring, everyday blogging today.  *sigh*  Oh well…I guess we don’t want it to be too exciting all the time, right?

I’m spending most of my time getting ready for vacation next week.  I have a lot of tasks to cross off my to-do list, but I’m trying to balance resting, taking care of J, and actually being productive.  We’ve been hanging out at my house both days this week (and will probably be heading back there today and tomorrow as well).  But I also need to get to the grocery store.  And do the laundry.  And pack.  But don’t worry…I’ll do a lot of sitting to make up for all the work!

Okay, the baby is making lots of noise already, so I’d better go get him up.  Happy Thursday!

Monday holidays always mess up the days of the week in my head for the rest of the week.  But that isn’t so bad, really, because it means the week ends faster than you feel as if it should!

I thought I’d better give a quick recap of the other events of the last few days (other than yesterday’s announcement, of course), since I didn’t have a chance to do that yesterday.

Friday: After my doctor’s appointment, I met Eric so we could chat.  Then we went back to Karen’s to tell my parents (who’d watched J for me) and Karen when she got home.  We spent the rest of the evening sort of processing the information together.

Saturday: We drove out to the dairy farm to tell the news (we’d already planned to go before we knew about the twins).  We’d hoped to have a dinner where we could tell everyone at once, but it didn’t work out.  So we ended up having to drive to people’s houses to tell them.  I wore out pretty quickly in the afternoon, so I was glad to get home and to bed.

Sunday:  Church in the morning, and then home to rest in the afternoon.  Eric worked outside, mulching and building stuff.  I sat on the couch for most of the afternoon.  I think Saturday’s running around wore me out more than I realized. 

Monday: We hosted a picnic for Memorial Day and told some of the other family around here (the Edlunds).  Eric mowed in the morning while I cleaned.  Then my parents arrived early to help me.  I was so glad my mom could come so I could delegate the organization to her.  I knew I’d be super tired if I tried to do it all.  But it was a lot of fun, and it didn’t rain until the last people were leaving.  Lovely!

Tuesday:  The big news (other than all the announcing I did to friends) was that our new headboard arrived.  We ordered it a few months ago, and it looks FANTASTIC in my bedroom.  I’ll try to get pictures for tomorrow.  The only “issue” is that we’re sleeping about a foot higher now than I’m used to.  So I’ll have to try not to fall out of bed for the middle-of-the-night bathroom trips!

Okay, I think that’s all I’ve got for now.  Happy Wednesday!

Ten Weeks and One Day…

So since most of you have already seen the pictures (dang Xanga announced it too fast – I’d gone to bed right after I put those up), here is the official announcement.

After two years of trying, we are finally expecting!  We’ve known for about 6 weeks, but I’ve been trying to keep it quiet until after my first official appointment, which was Friday.  And that’s when the real surprise came.

If you look closely…

You will see TWO little blobs in that first picture.  That’s right…we’re expecting twins!  Unfortunately, they were in different planes, so the ultrasound couldn’t pick them both up at the same time.  So the odd looking gingerbread man in the first picture is Baby A, and the blob in the second is Baby B.

But the reality is finally beginning to sink it after three days.  The family has all been told, and that pretty much means there’s no hope of keeping it quiet now.  So, at ten weeks, we are sharing the good news. 

And there is lots of good news, really.  The babies are roughly the same size and level of development with a good solid wall between them.  The doctor said this would save other problems later.  I have had almost no nausea at all, only consistent, almost-daily headaches.  But I’ve spent the weekend trying to get more food and water into my system, and the headaches have almost disappeared.  So I think they were the result of dehydration and low blood sugar.  And I’m really, really tired these days, though the extra nutrients and letting myself rest more during the day are helping some with that as well.

So thank you, thank you, thank you to all of my Xanga friends for all the prayers, encouragement and support you’ve given.  You made a huge difference!  And if you’d keep on praying, I’d really appreciate it.  A couple of specific things: I’m supposed to gain upwards of 50 lbs. in the next 6 months.  As I normally weigh about 100 lbs, this is a daunting concept, and I’m having to change my entire way of thinking about eating, and it’s hard.  So pray that I’d adjust quickly.  Also, obviously, pray for continued good health for me and the babies, for wisdom to adjust my busyness levels as necessary, and for wisdom to know what to do about my job at CU for the fall.  Needless to say, Eric and I are both still a bit overwhelmed by the whole idea!

SO, that’s the news.  It’s been hard to keep it from you for so long, but there you go!  Happy Tuesday!

We Remember…

Veterans
Jack Campbell (Army – Vietnam)
Larry Hogue (Air National Guard – Vietnam)
Leon Powell (Navy – WWII)
Carlos Hogue (Army – WWII)
Les Chambers (Army – Vietnam)
Bob Campbell (Navy – Korea/Vietnam)

Current Members of the Armed Forces
Taylor Durling (Army)
Jonathan Burson (Air Force)

Those Who Gave Their Lives
Lt. Charlie Robinson (Afghanastan)
Lee Daniel Chambers (WWII)
Keith Maxwell Chambers (WWII)

TGIF!!!!

That’s pretty much where I am today.  On Wednesday, it seemed that Friday would never come.  Yet, here it is…and it’s a three-day weekend!  WooHoo!!

J and I did make it to the library yesterday.  Back when she was registering, instead of a travel system, Karen bought independent car seats and a rolling frame that can hold any of that brand’s car seats.  It was the first time I’d used the frame, and I LOVED it.  It is small enough to fit easily in store/library aisles and light enough to carry and store easily.  Fantastic!

Of course, we’d just gotten into the library when he started getting fussy.  So we went right back outside and walked down the sidewalk to the Hallmark (I needed some cards).  By the time we got to Hallmark, he was asleep!  So I bought my cards and went back to the library.  I found a few books which will probably come on vacation with me in a couple of weeks.  And he woke up on the way home.  Nice!

We hung out at home for the afternoon.  J took a good nap and didn’t get fussy until Karen got home!  She told me this morning that he developed a fever last evening, so I suspect today will be a pretty low-key, at home day. He’s still sleeping now, so hopefully, he’ll get lots of good sleep in to beat his fever.

I’m not sure what our plans for the weekend are exactly.  Eric and I are hosting a cookout on Monday, but other than that, we’re a bit up in the air.  But for sure, there will be much sleeping in and relaxing!  I’m so looking forward to it!

I think that’s all I’ve got right now.  Happy Friday!

I woke up in a foul, cranky mood.  I’ve been trying to talk/pray myself out of it, but so far, it’s only moderately working.  I was sounding like a 4-year old: I don’t want to go to Karen’s, I don’t want to babysit, I want to sleep some more, I can’t get the juice open, I’m tired of wearing sweatshirts in May, etc., etc., etc.  I was starting to annoy myself.  It’s a good thing I’ll spend most of the day with a dog and a baby who don’t really understand me anyway!  A grown-up would get sick of me pretty quickly…

Thankfully, it is a fabulously beautiful morning out there, so I will enjoy that.  And I am fully intending to go somewhere with J today just to get out of the house.  No use sulking inside when I can distract myself outside.  So maybe a trip to the library or even the mall will be on our agenda today.

Of course, that all depends on J’s schedule which has been strange the past couple of days.  Apparently, he’s growing bythesecond because he’s eating a ton and he keeps getting hungry an hour after he’s eaten.  It’s kind of cute, though, because when he’s hungry, but not so much that he’s upset by it, he snorts.  A little up-in-the-nose snort.  It’s the only time he does it, too.  So funny!

Last night was not exciting.  I ironed while watching a Modern Marvels about milk.  Then I was flipping channels and came upon Stranger than Fiction (in progress), so I stopped to watch that.  Unfortunately, at 8:00, my television flipped the channel to something else for me.  I guess we’d scheduled two recordings at once, and that means you have to watch one of the two channels.  So I didn’t see much of the movie.  And since I didn’t want to watch the recording shows (that’s why I was recording them), I went upstairs and played on the computer.

I guess that’s all I have today.  Have a lovely Thursday!

The Highlights…

Since I normally spend a lot of time on the boring, everyday events of my life, I think I’ll spend today on just the major highlights from yesterday.

• I took J to my house yesterday morning so I could put dinner in the crockpot.  He ended up falling asleep for over an hour and a half, so I actually got to be home for the morning.  It was nice.
• I got a haircut yesterday.  It was really a trim, since I’ve been growing my hair out, but my last cut was in January, so it really needed some help.  Today, it’s a little shorter, the layers are clean again, and some of the natural fuzziness is gone.  And both my hair and I were happy this morning!
• I was surprised yesterday that the sun came out for most of the afternoon.  It was supposed to be rainy and gray all day, so I took special pleasure in the sun.  It wasn’t really warm, of course.  But it was so pretty out.  I can wait a few more days for normal temperatures, I guess.
• The soup I put in the crockpot wasn’t that great, sadly.  So after dinner, I put it in a large pan and worked on getting it ‘fixed’ before putting it away.  I thickened it up and seasoned it more and let it simmer for a while. I sent some with Eric for lunch today, so hopefully it will be better than last night’s was!
• My mom called while I was doctoring the soup to give an update on Dad’s knees (see next bullet).  They had stopped at the mall, so she also reported being able to buy new clothes that fit in much smaller sizes than she’s been getting.  Jenny Craig has really worked for her, and it’s so fun to watch her be so excited about how she looks and what she wears.
• And finally, my dad’s appointment went well.  They really liked the doctor, and he actually listened to them (which the other guy really didn’t).  The problem is really bad arthristis in both knees. The doctor said Dad will need knee replacement surgery in the future, but they’d like to put it off if possible.  So they did cortisone shots again (which went much better this time) which usually last 1-2 months, and they are starting the process to get the insurance to okay a gel shot in each knee which should last up to 6 months.  He also gave my dad a prescription for anti-inflammatory drugs. 
• Basically, this should get him through golf season , and then they will see where to go from there.  The doctor was surprised by one thing, though.  My dad asked what the cut-off was for the pain/problem before knee replacement, and the doctor said, “When the pain interferes with daily life, wakes you up at night, stuff like that.”  When my dad told him they were already there, he seemed a bit taken aback.  So it is likely that my dad will have knee replacements in the next year or two, but for now, both of them were happy with where things were and the response they got from this doctor.  And that’s good.

Okay, the baby is fussing a lot now, so I’d better go.  Happy Wednesday!

So I had a good start to my post this morning when Karen’s dumb laptop erased it because I was trying to see the smileys pop-up box.  Grrr… 

Yesterday wasn’t terribly exciting, really.  The baby doesn’t seem to be too unwell.  His temperature is a few degrees above normal, but nothing that raises any real concern.  I did have to take his temp. once yesterday, and I think that I’ll just do armpit readings whenever whe have kids!   But overall, he slept well and ate well, so I can’t complain too much. 

I was having some trouble with the excessively loud PA system that the elementary schools nearby were using for field day yesterday.  The voice was audible inside the house (though the words weren’t clear), but it was enough to mess with the dog.  I spent much of the morning trying to keep Maggie from barking at the disembodied voice she was hearing.  Dumb dog…

Last evening, I washed up the dishes and then Eric and I ran some errands.  We stopped at AutoZone and Home Depot.  Then we came home and watched a Good Eats.  Then we went to bed.  Apparently this early wake-up schedule is starting to mess with Eric’s sleep, too.  So we crashed about 9:30.  Lovely!

And finally, just for fun, here is a little thing my brother sent in an email yesterday.  I decided to to respond to his email, but since he reads my blogs, he can see my answers here!

A) FOUR PLACES I GO OVER AND OVER:  Church, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, Kroger

Another Monday…

The weekend was good, but not terribly eventful. 

Friday went well.  Jason slept really well and regularly all day long.  He was on a very “normal” schedule for the first time all week.  It was nice for me for sure.  I spent most of the day reading Pride and Prejudice.  Friday evening, we had a supper club with 2 of the couples from our small group.  We met at one of their homes, had dinner, and hung out until about 10:00.  Our group is a good fit for us, so we always have fun doing that.

Saturday, Eric slept in and then spent the entire day playing with his computer.  I slept in some, as much as I can, but then I got up, read the newspaper, and then read more of P&P.  I exercised, showered, ate lunch, and finished P&P.  Then I spent the rest of the day doing chores: laundry, tidying up, cleaning bathrooms, etc. In the evening, we just watched some television and went to bed. 

Sunday was church, dinner (we grilled chicken), and relaxing.  I ironed while we watched the 3rd Indiana Jones movie (I’ve had the theme song running through my head all morning ).  Then we went to our last small group of the spring.  We’ll meet for summer gatherings, but there won’t be anything official until the fall now.  So that means we’ll have our Sunday nights free for a while.

I guess J was running a slight fever yesterday.  Karen caught a cold mid-week, and the baby seems to have picked up a little something.  Karen said he hasn’t been very fussy, but she was giving him baby Tylenol if his temperature read too high.  So that means that, today, I may learn how to use a rectal thermometer and give a baby medicine.  Should be interesting…Hopefully, we’ll still have a fairly quiet day.  Happy Monday!