I'm Coming Home

I will be away for just a little while. I'm flying back to Iowa for a few days to be with my mom as she goes through a difficult time. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

It's Official

I think the cat is (finally and officially) out of the bag. We are going to have an addition to our family. No, we're not getting another dog. Rod and I are expecting!

I'm approaching the half way mark, and have fully transitioned from my regular old duds to a closet containing primarily maternity-wear. We told Kyle and Sydney back in July and our parents soon after that. Now we want everyone to know! I've had a couple of ultrasounds, already, and I scheduled another one on October 3rd. So even though we've been anxious to know if we're having a boy or a girl, we have another couple of weeks before we get the confirmation. Unfortunately, I don't have that type of intuition, so I don't have a "gut feeling" one way or the other. We'll both be happy whether blue or pink.

I made sure to schedule my ultrasound appointment so that Rod could be there for this one, and Sydney has expressed a pretty strong desire to be there, so there will be 3 of us checking it out this time. And as promised to some of you... As soon as we know, we'll let you know. :)

Here is a picture from when I was about 12 or 13 weeks along. It's not as good as the 4-D pictures, but I like the way it looks. He or She is laying on their side waving at you.

Mom

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.

I am a mother now, and so I know

Hard work is mixed together with the fun;

You learned that when you raised me long ago.
I think of all the things you gave to me:

Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,

Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--

All these you spent on me throughout the years.
You loved me with a never-failing love

You gave me strength and sweet security,

And then you did the hardest thing of all:

You let me separate and set me free.
Every day, I try my best to be

A mother like the mom you were to me.

(A Sonnet by Joanna Fuchs)

I love you, Mom, and I hope you have a wonderful birthday!!

Busy Busy

One thing that I've been so thankful for are lazy weekends. This past month has given me some time to just relax on the weekends, because that's what weekends are for, right? Riiiiight....

This weekend was an exception for the most part. It felt like I was back in gogogo mode. On Friday, after I got home from work, I had just enough time to take a shower and bark orders to everyone in the family so that we could make our picture session on time. You see, our church is putting together a 50 year anniversary directory, and each family can get their picture taken and receive a free 8x10 photo in addition to the free directory once it's completed. Anyway, it was very important to be there on time, because if we ran late, or if we missed the appointment, that was our last shot. Pictures went really well! The only thing missing was D. After pictures we went and grabbed some din din... pizza, of course. By the time we got home, I was pretty much ready for bed, so I watched Rod play around on the computer before calling it a night.

Saturday was so crazy! Dynamite Express had its first event of the year for the girls. We rented one of the pools in Mesa and, thanks a million to Paulette, we had plenty of food and beverages donated, as well as a pot luck of sorts. Each girl/parent brought some type of goodie to share. The event was so successful, but it did require some work. I was up pretty early to start the errands. And by the time errands were done, I had about an hour before we had to leave for the party. In case you didn't know already, things aren't exactly close here. Everywhere I go requires a pretty hefty drive. That's probably one of the reasons why it seems like time goes by so fast! After the party, I had to take Sydney over to a friend's house to work on a science project (i.e., sleepover). I think I got back home around 7ish, just so that I could turn around and leave again to pick up food for Rod and guests (pizza AGAIN). Sleep was so welcome that night.

Then Sunday.... We watched some football. The Bears disappointed. I finished a book. We picked up Sydney. We went shopping at the mall for awhile. We made some dinner and then it was time to get ready for the week..... already.

It was a great weekend, but I'm looking forward to the next one that I can be lazy all over again. I'm not sure when that will be, but it'll be welcome, that's for sure! I have some pics to share from the pool party, but that will have to wait until after I get them off of my camera, which is not going to happen tonight, because I just sat down for the day. I'm going to relax!

Appreciation

I am so fascinated by clouds. I haven't always had this fascination, only since living in AZ. But when you only see clouds a few times a year, trust me, you have a whole new appreciation. Especially when they're fluffy! Yesterday, on my way back to the dance studio from Trader Joe's, I was lucky enough to have to stop at a red light, and scramble for my camera to capture this picture. I wish that my camera did it the justice it deserves, but I think you'll get the point.

Today's "Aha" Moment

It's been a crazy couple of months. And by crazy, I mean there have been some pretty significant changes in my life. Without going through the list of things that are different, I realized something today.... I love to talk! Some of you know this all too well already, but for those of you that don't, well, let me just tell you!
After today, I honestly think that if you let me, I could go on for hours about anything and everything. I think I've always been one who can carry on a conversation without completely having to dominate it, but I don't know that it was ever something that was always consciously enjoyed. Today I had a conversation with someone, and enjoyed it. Really enjoyed it. I was driving afterwards, by myself, and I swear there was a little lightbulb above my head for everyone on the 202 to see. It was definitely a great AHA moment!

What's Going On

I haven't meant to be in blog hiding for the past couple of weeks, but that's pretty much what it's been. One of the most exciting things that's happened has to do with a certain little girl who doesn't have enough going on in her life. Yes, Sydney.

Dance is going really well this year, and we're looking forward to what this year's hair and make-up will look like, and also what the costumes will be. All I know right now are colors for one of the costumes. If you can picture it..... Teal, Lime Green, and Black. I'll leave the rest up to your imagination for the time being, but know that I will post a picture as soon as I can! Anyway, in addition to dance, she decided that she wanted to take part in school activities, namely volleyball. 5th grade is a time when the kids at her school get introduced to organized sports, if they haven't already outside of school. There are 13 girls on the team and I must admit, I was pretty apprehensive about letting her play volleyball. Hours upon hours of dance and keeping grades up is hard enough without the pressures of competitive sports. Of course I gave in. How could I not let her play! Well, their first game was last week at Queen of Peace school, also in Mesa, and they WON!! I was so excited, I almost didn't mind the fact that we were standing in the blazing 105 degree sun for two hours! Here's my little dancer, ok volleyball player, in action:

That's a little peak into what's been going on with Sydney lately. I do have a Kyle story, but I just don't have the courage to share it just yet (or a picture). Soon though, I promise.