The biggest news I have to share about the past year is that we added a new addition on February 28th, Makayla Jean. She is such a great baby and I feel totally blessed that she is apart of our lives.
Once we knew I was expecting, we started looking for a bigger house. Luckily we found one close by in a neighborhood that we fell in love with. We moved in right before Thanksgiving and are really enjoying ourselves here. Our pool should hopefully be in by the beginning of next month and we can't wait.
Other news, I got a new job at KU Med Center. I love that as well. I still work at Saint Luke's, I just divide my time between both.
This is a picture of me last June on my birthday. I am posting it as proof that I did lose my baby weight from Andrea. I am actually 5 weeks pregnant here.
June 2009 Girls Camp Pics on the Big Muddy (Missouri River). This was my forth time going on this trip and it is always a blast. I don't know why they keep asking me to go, I know there are so many qualified people in our church that could easily take my place. I just love my time with the girls and it is such a spiritual experience for all that is involved. We start out at Kaw Point in Kansas City, Kansas and make our way over to St. Louis camping along the way. We have fun adventures at each camp site and each trip is unique. When we pull out at St. Charels and make our way to the St. Louis temple where we spend a few hours doing baptisms. This camp is so me, I love every bit of it. It totally made up for all the crappy camps I want when I was a kid.
4th of July 2009. We were at my parents house and it rained that night. So we watched the annual Country Club Fireworks show in our cars then went home and let the kids fire off fire crackers in the garage. It actually was a lot of fun.
August 2009 Family Vaca to San Clemente CA. I wasn't able to make the 2008 Beach Vaca because I had just had Andrea. So my parents rented another beach house and invited us to join them for the week. We stayed in a condo about a block from the beach. The weather was perfect. We got up early each morning and enjoyed a long walk on the beach. Tom and I took Brycen to Sea World and we lost him in the kids play area. It was the scariest 30 minutes of my life. Tom and Dad also took Brycen on a train ride up the coast, he was so excited. Brian and Kass came and joined us the last part of the week. So much fun, so many good memories.
Our new house. When we found out that I was pregnant with #3 we decided to start looking for a bigger home. We were so lucky to find one close by in a neighborhood that we love. Driving out to the house gives the impression like you are out in the sticks, but really it is only 3 miles away from Wal-Mart and the highway. We love the location. Our neighborhood pool is being built right now and should be done sometime next month. We put a contract on house first without any contingency at the end of September and then put our house on the market. Pretty risky I know. The kids and I moved in with my parents as we tried to sell our old house. We were very fortunate that we had a contract on it by the end of October. Everything was final by the end of November. The following week after that I started my new job at KU Med Center. At this time I was just starting the 7th month of my pregnancy. I was worked full-time in December then 50-60 hours a week in January. By the time I was 9 months I worked 2-3 shifts a week, much better then where I had been. A very stressful time for me. But I was really glad to have gotten that out of the way before Makayla came.
Halloween 2009. Andrea is a Lion and Brycen is a Purple Dinosaur. I felt very resourceful this year. Since we were moving and I was crazy busy and pregnant I dressed Andrea in Brycen's old costume and put Brycen in the same one he was in last year. I hope I'm not a bad mom.
Christmas 2009. At my mom's as usual. Brycen's big gift from Santa was a bike and Andrea's was a play kitchen. Tom and I got each other a new house, appliances, and everything else that comes with that!
Super Cute pick one morning before church. Got to love the tree the kids decorated in the background.
Makayla was Due February 24th. I had an emergent C-section with Andrea so I was hoping to have a v-back (vaginal birth after c-section) this time around. Every week I went to the doctor I anticipated good news--never did I get it. I was never dilated and never effaced. So the day I was due I crossed my fingers and went to my appointment. Again, not even dilated to a one. My choices were c-section in two days or wait another week and most likely a c-section then. So I got up at 4 am, Friday the 26th to and got to the hospital by 6am. I know an emergent c-section is never an ideal situation, but I would have taken that over a planned section. I was very fortunate to have one of my very good friends be my nurse and take me to the delivery room. She helped deliver my baby and was such a blessing through the whole process. This really opened my eyes to what my patients go through everyday on my unit. She was a healthy baby 7lbs 2 ozs and 20 1/2 inches. Such a great baby. These pics were taken right after she was born.
Makayla was blessed on May 1st 2010. My mother-in-law came down for the big occasion. Makayla was blessed in a vintage dress that my great-grandmother made for her children. I feel so lucky to have it. The other pic is of my sister Heather.
Happy Birthday Andrea (2010). The big #2.
Happy Mother's day (2010)! What a blessed mother I am to have three beautiful children. I didn't want to post any fat pictures of me, but my kids are too cute not to. It will be gone soon anyway.
Welcome Home Taylor. The last weekend of May 2010. Taylor came home from his two year mission that he served in Spain and the Canary Islands. We missed him so much!
