Dreams

Ok, I have had some really weird dreams during the course of this pregnancy, and I wanted to write some of them down before I forget them.

The most recent dream happened last night, and was just as weird as the others! I was a mermaid, but I also had superhero powers (although I don't know what those were...). Except, I wasn't a very good superhero, because I started to fly off, and somehow ended up falling into the ocean instead. I landed under a rock with lots of sand under it and had to dig my way out with my superhero strength, but then I woke up before I actually got out.

Another dream that I had involved Mattress Mack (I know, weird again!). I was in the middle of this really huge room, standing on top of a pyramid, with blackness surrounding me so that I couldn't tell how high up I was. Then, all of a sudden, I turn around and there is a door there. Mattress Mack steps through it with this big smile on his face, but he is a lot more calm than in his commercials. Then he says something like "nice to meet you." I shake his hand, but my hand shake is all wonkey-jawed, and then I wake up.

Oh, I had another dream, but this one is really depressing, and I'm not sure why I had this dream. I actually had a dream that I was back at school and was teaching. Then over the intercom, a voice starts to say that my sister-in-law has had a stroke and is at a hospital in California called "Bora" hospital (I kind of want to look it up to see if there really is a hospital by that name, but I have no idea why that name stuck in my head). The announcement was still going on, and I was running through the hallways of the airport now, with teachers and secretaries as the flight attendants now, just watching me run down this long tunnel heading towards a sign that said, "Bora Hospital." Then I woke up...

I just had to write these dreams down, because I only had one dream when I was pregnant with Evan. I actually don't think I wrote that dream down, either...so here that one goes (it felt real, too). I was in the backseat of a car, being chased by a guy on a motorcycle, and he was trying to kill me. I had to drive the car James Bond style with my feet on the steering wheel from the backseat. The motorcycle man got so close that he could see into the car and was right next the back window, and was pointing a gun at me. I remember thinking, "He's kind of cute!," and then woke up...

Haha, I can't wait to see what other interesting dreams come my way!

Pregnancy So Far...

Ok, I know that I'm only 6 weeks along, but there are a few differences between Evan's pregnancy and this pregnancy. First of all, I have been a little bit more nauseous than last time, but it's not too bad so far. I've also had to deal with smells getting to me more than last time, which is a bit annoying! And I've also had some really weird dreams; whereas I only had like 2 weird dreams last time. There have also been some of the same symptoms, such as weird tastes and extra saliva (weird, I know) in my mouth, small headaches, and lots of extra sinus pressure (nose strips are straight from Heaven!).

All in all, I'd forgotten about all of these little symptoms. But even as I sit and think about how long it will be before these symptoms go away, I just keep looking forward to the end result, which will be another bundle of joy for us to get to know, and then the sacrifice doesn't really seem that way anymore! I mean, heck, the stretch marks are already left over from the first pregnancy, so what is there to lose?! 

5th Wedding Anniversary

5 years ago today, Chris and I were married in Alvin, Tx at 5:00pm. Now we have been married 5 years, have a son and another child on the way, and are closer now than we have ever been before! 

Today was wonderful because we were able to kind of get away from everything and just be together for the afternoon. Nick & Alia graciously offered to watch Evan while Chris and I went to Pappasitos for lunch, and then to see the new Transformers movie (which was long but awesome!). It was so nice to be able to sit and talk with each other, the way we used to when we first started dating. (Thank you Nick & Alia for that opportunity!). The food tasted great, the movie was wonderful, and the company was always better than imagined!

Thank you, Chris, for the last 9 years (4 dating, 5 married) with you. I know people say that they love each other more each day, but that is because it is true. I love you more today than I ever thought possible when we first met. I still think you are the most handsome man! You always put me first, and surprise me with your generosity toward others all the time. Just when I think you couldn't be a better person, you show me that there is even more to learn about you! I love that you make me a better person. Thank you for choosing me, and making my life so complete; I love you with all my heart!

We're Expecting!

I wrote a post last weekend, but didn't publish it until this morning because we still wanted to tell our family members before posting the news for the world to see. But yes, we are expecting a baby! Scroll down a few posts to read the full details on how we found out!

Houston Zoo

We just got back from a trip to the Houston Zoo. It was Evan's 1st time to go, and he just kept looking at everything! It was really hot outside, but we tried to keep to the shade, the a/c buildings, and we also had this cool fan that sprays water at the same time to keep us cool. All in all, it was a great day to go.

These 2 pictures were taken before we went inside the zoo. Just as Chris took the picture, Evan scrunched his face up into this cute look! We were ready to go inside. :)

We went into the aquarium first, and Evan just started pointing at everything! He thought the fish were really cool; I think he recognized that the fish were something like what's in his room aquarium.

Ok, can you tell it was getting hot?! We kept spraying our fan, and standing under the shade, but it was still hot! My two men looked pretty cute while sweating, though!

Look at the huge elephant!

This was pretty cool; the lions were shading themselves right next to the tunnel! It was really cool to stand right next to these huge animals and get a close-up look that we've never had before.

Next to the Bald Eagle, there was a fake nest that we decided to put Evan in! It reminds us of a little movie called Nacho Libre! (which Evan might be for Halloween next year, so he's just practicing!). Of course, Chris had to test it out first, to see if it would hold Evan, you know!

Evan wasn't really into touching the animals, but he did try it a few times.

"You look yummy," says the baby kimoda dragon looking at Evan.

We had an awesome picnic lunch under the trees by the reptile house, and then decided to change Evan's diaper right there in the fresh breeze! Nothing like being a baby so as not to care if your bum is feelin' the breeze!

This was the last animal that we saw, and he was awesome! It was an orangutan, and he was huge! I didn't realize they got so huge!

All in all, it was an amazing day at the zoo. We got home, and it took Evan awhile to calm himself down for his afternoon nap. In fact, it took so long to get him asleep, that now that he is sleeping I think he'll sleep all night! Even though we are all worn out from the heat, sun, and walking around, it was such a great day being together as a  family. These are the days that I'll remember for the rest of my life!

Alia's Baby Shower

Last weekend was Alia's Sunday School baby shower, and we had a blast! It was the first shower that I've helped out with, and really enjoyed it!  

(I don't know why everything is underlined...I can't figure out how to take it off...).

I had a blast making the diaper wreath for Alia. It was so easy, I think that I'm going to make one for all of our friends who are having babies!

Advice/encouragement cards, and cute candles from baby food jars

"Welcome Baby Aiden!"

wonderfully yummy flavored teas

quilt squares for a friendship quilt for Aiden! Everyone at the party signed a white square, and I'll turn it into a quilt for the baby! Everyone was really creative on their squares, and the quilt is going to come out awesomely!!

You can't have a party without chocolate and strawberries! (Thanks, Lynn, for helping me to get it to work!)

The hostesses for the party: Margaret, me, Stephanie, Alia, Laura, Rachel, and Jamie C (missing Jamie S).

Of course, we had to try out the hostess gift right after the party! Evan is the guinea pig for all of the cool stuff that they get, but he doesn't seem to mind! They all look so happy, and we can't wait to see what your "real" family is going to look like once baby Aiden arrives! I know we've said this a million times, but we're so excited to meet the little man! Only 5 weeks to go, whoo hoo!

This is Anne Marie's little girl, Samantha, and she took a liking to little Aiden!

Best of Bucks

My sister has been named the "Best of Bucks" award winner! 

For those of you who don't know my sister, she works for a Bahama Bucks (sno cone place) in Lubbock. She won an award from the company for having such an awesome attitude! Here is the link if you wanna read up on it! 

http://www.bahamabucks.com/freeze_frame/bucksbest.html

Congratulations, Clarie! Love you!

List of New Things

I don't want to forget some of the cute new things that Evan has been doing lately:

1. patting his chest when he coughs

2. rolling the small car over his body and making "vroom" noises

3. shakes his head like "no" when I say "mmmm-mmmmm" (I guess I do that when I say it?)

4. pushes a box of movies around the living room and just giggles!

5. talks constantly!

6. throws food off the side of his high chair to "feed the dogs"

7. tries to be independent. He almost won't let me use the spoon to feed him; most of the time he want to do it...

8. Loves to roll around on the floor and couches

9. Says, "uh-oh!" (or a version of it)

These are just a few of the new things that he is doing lately!

It's A...

BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday (June 13th), Chris and I found out that we're expecting another baby! I think we are still in shock, even though we wanted to have another baby and were trying, it still shocked and surprised us!

It all started yesterday morning. I knew I should take a test, but I really didn't think that we were pregnant. I didn't feel any of the same symptoms as when I found out about Evan's pregnancy, and I had taken a test 2 days before that turned up negative. So, I really didn't expect that little plus sign...After taking the test, it looked like a negative result, which is what I expected and went to leave the restroom. As I went to throw the test away, I looked at it again.......and a plus sign had developed since I'd looked at it last....Can you believe that I just stood there staring at that little plus sign???!!!!! I truly felt a little bit stupid because I couldn't figure out what it meant!

So, I walked out into the living room where Chris was playing with Evan, and just showed him the result. We just kind of stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Chris burst out in a big smile and hugged me! Then we picked Evan up and started saying, "Big Brother!" He looked like he felt on top of the world, and started giving high fives and getting really excited! It was so cute!

I then had to finish getting ready because Alia's baby shower was this day. So, I had to pretend to be normal the entire morning, but my body wouldn't stop shaking! I was trying to decorate at Laura's house, and my hands wouldn't stop shaking! It was the same when I was taking pictures of Alia opening gifts: I hope the pictures don't have the shakes! I think it was just my body reacting to the adrenaline or something, because we are totally excited about this! It was just such a surprise because I really didn't think it had worked this month.

After the shower, we made plans to eat lunch at Nick & Alia's house so that we could somehow tell them the good news. We decided to tell them about how cute Evan was being and that we got a video of him just giving all these high fives. So, we showed them, and when we started saying, "You're going to be a big brother!," they looked at us and just started hugging us! They were really excited for us, and it was great to have family be a part of it all!

We're definitely excited about what God has in store for our family! We're not sure what is going to happen in the future, as far as whether or not we should try to continue to move, or stay in our current house for a while longer. But God knows what His plan is for us, and I need to concentrate on not worrying because He will take care of us. I always try to work these things out on my own, and then finally realize that God is taking care of everything and that it will be even better than what I could plan for us. So, I'm not worried at all. I'm more excited to see what He has planned for our changing future!

Evan's First "Official" Haircut

What I mean by the title is that it is his first time in an actual haircut salon for a "real" haircut (not one given by Mom). Haha, this will also be the last time he is in one of these places, at least until he can communicate with us! It was $18 for a child's haircut! I'm just as comfortable cutting it at home, thank you! It was a fun experience, though!

We went to Cool Cuts, and it was really nifty inside. Evan sat in a cute little car to get his hair cut, and there was a tv in front of it to try and keep him occupied. Evan LOVED the car, but it didn't really keep him still. He kept pushing and pulling the steering wheel while the lady was trying to cut his hair, and the tv was nothing more than something to point at!

A Morning in the Life...

After trying to push all of the buttons on the laptop, Evan goes to play with a large stack of toys in his corner, to pulling books off of his spot on the bookshelves, to eat cheerios out of his snack trap (from inside the diaper bag!), to bringing me a little toy truck to roll over his body, then him trying to make the vroom noise while rolling it over his own body, to spilling more cheerios on the floor (then to eat those cheerios on the floor), to hitting a bag of trash (only with bags in it) because it makes a cool sound, to banging on more toys, to coughing on a cheerio and hitting his own chest (like I do to his back), to pulling more things out of his diaper bag, getting sidetracked by eating more cheerios on the floor, to shaking his finger in the air (like Grandma Mary taught him, and who he is only allowed to do that back to!!!), crawling over to the stairs where he plays peek-a-boo with me, and finally back to Mommy telling me it's time for his morning nap! 

Good times!

Great Weekend

We just finished a fantastic weekend with Alia's parents, sister-in-law, and neice Ansley. It is always great to see them because we feel like they are our 'parents away from parents!' They flew down to visit with Tony, as well as to be at Alia's baby shower, which was held yesterday at our friend Lynn Campbells' house.

We hope that you all had a good flight home, and can't wait to see you again in about 6 weeks for a special delivery! 

It's Over!

Ok, well, I still have to go to work tomorrow, but then that's it! The 5th grade kids had their ceremony on Friday morning, and they sang great! Anthony Brown, Jasmine, and the 5th grade students all sounded wonderful while singing Alia's song, "Each Other's Light." (see the post below to hear the music). Pam Murray, Kelly Hearn, and Chuck Campbell also helped to make the ceremony even better with their music; we couldn't have done it without any of you! Thank you so much for doing this for the kids!

It is slowly hitting me that I will have time to do things that I didn't have time for before. For example, I've been wanting to put together a recipe book of food suitable for Evan. It's amazing that I feel like I have time to do that, and get to spend time with Evan at the same time! 

Well, I'm off to enjoy my summer vacation, and I hope that all of you are doing the same!

(PS~I believe that Alia's Mom is going to post the video of Tony and the 5th grade singing on YouTube if you wanna check it out!)

Each Other's Light

Today was the last day that I will have any classes for a very, very long time! It is kind of a weird feeling...I guess it won't really hit me until next week sometime, or the beginning of school next year when I would normally be going back...

But I will be going out with a bang, that's for sure! Anthony Brown has flown down to sing with my 5th graders, and they rocked at practice today! I was really nervous about everything fitting together, and the kids enjoying the song enough to perform it well, but it's gone REALLY well so far! I'm so glad that these kids are having this experience. Who knows, maybe the words to the song will stay with them and change their lives one day?! (Thanks need to go to Alia and Anthony for letting us sing this song).

I will write again after tomorrow to let you know how the performance goes. Wish us luck!

If you want to check out more on Anthony Brown and his cause, then check out our web links!

This is the song they're singing, with pictures added from google.

Almost Finished

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 4:7

I feel as though I'm ready to burst from lack of oxygen while running (not that I do that often, even though I should...). Working at Cooper has definitely had it's challenges over the past 3 years, and I feel as though that at the end of this week, I'll be able to breathe clearly again.

I know that God has had many purposes for bringing me to Cooper. I love that He has plans for me that go years in the making, even to change one person's life, as well as mine and my family's life. I was brought to Cooper to help in a situation with a co-worker that involved a family molestation and abuse. I was brought to Cooper to show love to my team, to touch the lives of my students, to have the children change my life, to be support of people who would go crazy without my "blueness" (joke at school), to realize that I'm not the only person on the planet and that I need to think of my family, and to realize that God is in control of my life and that I can't always do what I want and be afraid of things.

Like I said, there have been many challenges while working at Cooper. There have been deaths (of students and teachers), back-stabbing, rudeness, no regard for my teaching, rules not adhered to while we are trying to enforce them, and other items for the laundry list. But I have valued my time there because I've made lifelong friends, and learned that I can do anything if God is there to get me through it. 

I know I have another 3.5 days before I'm officially finished with my teaching career, at least for the time being, but I needed to write this before I go crazy over the next few days. I'm not sure if it's because the kids are just crazy (which is definitely the truth; these kids are some of the rudest I've ever met, which is why I'm glad I've had a chance to show them a different example), or that I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's probably both, but I hope that I can make it through day by day without going crazy myself!

Please pray that our decision for me to stay home would continue to be blessed.