The last "five" of 2005

1. What did you learn in 2005?


I've learned lots of things. I've learned a little more patience. I've learned to put total trust in the Lord. I've learned how to ice skate. I've learned that I can do anything I put my mind to.


2. Knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently throughout the year?

Hmmm. I don't know that I would have done anything differently.


3. What were your biggest challenges of the year and how did you overcome them?

By far the biggest challenge for me was having a miscarriage in the Spring. And the second most difficult thing was the week of the due date. They were overcome by faith and the love and support of the people around me.


4. What were your biggest accomplishments of the year?

I think my biggest accomplisment was running in the 10K on Thanksgiving - especially now that I know I was pregnant at the time! It wasn't really an accomplishment, but another big "moment" was going killer whale watching this summer.


5. What are your hopes for 2006?

A healthy pregnancy ending in a healthy baby. And then me losing all the baby weight, lol.

Ultrasound Pic and Cadi Cuteness

First of all...


So, there you go.  It was amazing to see that little thing and still be able to see a definite heart beat, it was huge when you think of the size of the baby.  Next ultrasound will be sometime in the second half of January.

Now for some Cadi Cuteness:

Acadia has decided to ask her friends who are big sisters to "train" her how to be a big sister.  In the mean time she asked me to teach her some things.  I joked with her about changing diapers.  She said, "Well, you need to teach me about taking care of boys and girls."  I told her that most of taking care of a baby is the same for boys and girls, especially at first.  To which she responded, "Yeah, but boys have... a pipe!"

It doesn't look half as cute or funny typed out on here as it was in person! 

I'm not complaining... Okay, maybe I am.

I am very happy to be pregnant and that it is going well this time. And if that means I have to be miserable, that's okay. But man is it getting old!

It isn't just being sick at all hours of the day and night, being tired, feeling dizzy most of the time, having cramps everyday, getting migraines about once a week, and having my boobs hurt so bad I wish I could just chop them off. Cause you know, that would be bad enough. No, what really makes it awful is the excessive amounts of saliva I have COMBINED with the horrible aftertaste I have in my mouth after every single thing I eat or drink. (Including brushing my teeth, using mints or gum.) It may not sound that bad to you, but trust me, it's awful! Especially since that makes me even more nauseaus. And it's been going on for a month now!

The exhaustion, cramps and migraines are not constant. Thankfully. And my doctor gave me an idea to help with the nauseausness, I'm hoping it will work. And I'm hoping that somehow if I don't feel so sick, the other things won't be so bad.
But there you have it, I've used my complimentary "Get to complain for Free" card. Now I'll go back to being glad that the pregnancy is healthy this time. Because if all this misery is what it takes to get the job done, then it will be worth it.

Nicknames

When we were expecting Acadia, Mom came up with a cute little name to call her until she was born. Since she was due in June, she became JuneBug. I have been trying to think of a nickname for this one, but I cannot think of anything.

So, I'm looking for any ideas you have. Does anyone want to submit a nickname for our Summer baby?

Christmas Gifts

What a Christmas! The most exciting parts were Acadia's gifts.

The first thing she got wasn't wrapped. It was a large cage with a super cute hamster inside. It is a Honey Bear Hamster and Cadi has named her Angel. She is a sweet little girl who has been very nice with Cadi and not frightened by the curious dog.

Her second gift was a t-shirt. Not too exciting? Well, this particular shirt had a message. It says, "I'm Gonna Be the Big Sister"! Once she put two and two together, Acadia went crazy! She started dancing and singing, "I'm not going to be the only child anymore! All my dreams are coming true!" lol It was fun to watch and yes, we did get it on video.

Later during the day we let Cadi tell her grandparents what she got for Christmas, including the shirt and what it meant. Of course, everyone is excited. We are all happy. Catch Cadi's brief thoughts on her blog.

I have been VERY sick. And I've been having some concerns as well. I have had some cramping from the very beginning which does cause us to worry. Given our history we have been very cautious again. We have the general rule of not making announcements until after we've heard a heartbeat. This time we were very concerned with all the cramping so my doctor had me go in early for an ultrasound at 7 weeks. We had a nice strong heartbeat and the baby looked real good. They also found a large cyst, the size of a baseball, on one of my ovaries. While cysts can be normal, this one is quite large and is probably contributing to the cramping as well as the strong sickness I feel round the clock. But it is also helping to hold onto this pregnancy so we can't really complain.

Today I went in to see the nurse. It is too early for their monitor to detect a heartbeat so I didn't get to hear it again. I had been hoping to, mostly because I am still cramping and once you've heard it, you just want to keep hearing it! But I have an appointment in two weeks with my doctor and they will be able to hear it then. The doctor also ordered another ultrasound for next month. They want to watch me closely to make sure everything is okay. I've been lucky to have a really good doctor who listens to me and makes me feel like I'm a priority. Whenever I've called with a concern, she responds immediately.

We debated on telling Acadia this soon. We aren't out of the first trimester yet and there is still significant risk. But I have been so sick that I could not hide it and it has been causing Cadi to worry. In fact, a few weeks ago she asked me if I was dying because I had been so sick for so long. I think I was able to convince her that I would be okay, but we really don't want her to worry more than she already has been. She is old enough to understand more than she could have before. So we have explained that sometimes a baby starts to grow and then sometimes it just stops and then the mom doesn't have a baby afterall. She understand that this is a possibilty. But she also knows why I've been so sick and she doesn't have to worry about me anymore. We felt like it would be more important to just tell her and I know we made the right decision.

Today the doctor's office gave me one of those little booklets that shows pictures of how a baby develops. We've already shown Cadi what the baby looks like right now and just how little it is, the size of a peanut. She is amazed at that. lol She admits that she really wants a little sister, but she will be happy with a brother too. Ryan is about 50/50 on it, he absolutely LOVES having a daughter and would love another one too. But then, he knows he will easily love a son just as much. I lean towards another girl. It would be slightly easier, though really no matter what we will be starting over completely! We have NOTHING left from when Cadi was born. About 2 years ago we finally realized that there was a good chance we may never have another child so we donated all our things to help families in need. We are praying that since we tried to be generous then that we will be blessed with all we will need now, lol. Besides, the styles have changed alot in the last 7 years - it will be fun to go shopping for the new toys and gadgets! lol

So, I'm due at the very end of July. I'm really hoping to have it in July and not in August. Partly because I don't want to be pregnant in the middle of Summer longer than I have to. And partly because I love July's birthstone! lol
Sometimes it still seems unreal. We are very happy and are praying for everything to work out this time. But it is going to be a big adjustment! It has been a long time since we've had a baby, lol. And after so many years of not getting our hopes up, it is weird to actually have something work out. But in a very good way. Like Ryan said two weeks ago when we heard the heartbeat, "That's all the Christmas present I need!"

Not how they planned their trip.

We had a little scare in our family last night. My brother (David), Teresa, and two of her brothers were in a car accident. The car rolled over several times and unfortunately the driver (one of Teresa's brothers) has been seriously injured. His neck has been broken and he's been flown to SLC for treatment. The rest of the group has minor injuries. Teresa has a fractured arm and they are all banged up and sore.

We are grateful that they all survived. We are praying for Teresa's brother to be able to have a full recovery. If you want to read more details, check out my mom's blog entry.

For anyone traveling this weekend - BE SAFE!!!

Ready or not, here it comes!

I am so happy that Acadia isn't just counting down til Christmas, she is counting down to Christmas Eve. She loves our family tradition on Christmas Eve as much as I do! And even though Santa and opening presents won't happen until Christmas Day, she is just as excited to celebrate the real meaning on Christmas on Christmas Eve night.

I am just about ready for Christmas here. I need to hit the grocery store on Friday. And we have Cadi's gift that can't be purchased too far ahead of time, so I'll probably get it Friday too.

Ten on Tuesday... The 10 Best Things About the Holidays:

•Christmas Candles
•Egg Nog
•Singing Christmas Songs
•Looking at Christmas Lights
•Giving Gifts
•Getting Gifts (lol)
•Nativity Scenes
•Christmas Eve Dinner
•Time with Family
•Feeling the Christmas Spirit Everywhere You Go

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful!

So we cancelled our planned trip to Idaho and are playing it safe staying home where it is warm and comfy!

Yesterday while we were having a wonderful time in Young Women's, having a very spiritual Christmas hour, we noticed it had begun to snow! We were excited because at that moment, we were hearing a story where the wind was howling and the snow was blowing... just like it was outside our classroom window. (Plus we really don't get snow much here, especially around Christmas time. IF we get snow, it is mostly likely to come in January or February when it's the dead of Winter.)

The weather got more and more frightful as the day/evening went on. We had some snow, freezing rain, sleet, and very icy conditions. The worst of it was in the Columbia River Gorge and it was forcasted to last through Tuesday. It would have been very foolish to attempt a trip into the Gorge and over the mountains to get to our friends in Idaho, no matter how much we want to see them.

Today it is kind of miserable outside. The temps are warmer in the city, so the snow and ice are melted or gone and we have cold rain instead. But the gorge is still frozen solid and there have been several accidents.

Since we can safely drive around town, we are hoping to make it to Hollywood Video and pick up some movies for us to watch while we're all here at home together. Ryan is also planning on getting his shopping done (he is always the last one to finish, lol). But mostly, we're doing some chores and spending time together at home.

Thinking back...

1. Name 1 toy you owned when you were younger, that meant a lot to you.


Amy Ann. She was my cabbage patch kid. Actually, my family couldn't afford the real ones, but my mom's friend knew how to make them and she really did look EXACTLY like a real cabbage patch kids! And she had blond hair, blue eyes just like me. The ONLY thing that gave her away is she didn't have the signature on her butt. lol

2. Name 2 games you enjoyed playing as a child.

I remember our family playing "Sorry" alot! We often played it for Family Home Evening. That was always fun. When I was a little older, we also really liked playing "The Farming Game".


3. Name 3 foods you didn't like as a child, but do now.

Onions, Peas, and Peppers


4. Name 4 foods you didn't like as a child, and still don't like.

Any Seafood, Broccoli, Spinach, and Tomatoes

The Holiday Letter

I mailed out our holiday letters awhile ago. I was going to just copy it and have it on here too, but it didn't turn out the same. :( Oh well. But here is the jist of it...

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to share some highlights from our year with you.

Acadia finished Kindergarten and started 1st Grade this year. This summer she discovered a love of horses when her Girl Scout troop went horseback riding for an activity. We signed her up for a month of lessons and she loved it! She has also started ice skating lessons. She doesn’t even mind that Mom’s taking the lessons with her!

Ryan and Sariah are both busy! Ryan works hard at his job and the classes he takes at PSU. He is also the Executive Secretary to the Bishop of our congregation which can be a demanding responsibility. Sariah spends most of her mornings at the gym and fills the rest of her days by helping in Acadia ’s classroom and taking a class at the church Institute. Her calling keeps her very busy – working with the youth as a counselor in the Young Women Presidency. One of the highlights from working with the youth this year was going with them on a trip to SLC, UT to attend General Conference in October.

As a family we went on a great vacation to Canada this summer. We started out in British Columbia and went Killer Whale watching. It was a life-long dream come true for Sariah and we all had a blast! After a couple of days in BC, we drove over to Alberta to meet up with our good friend, Landon. We had a ton of fun camping in Waterton National Park (the Canadian side of Glacier National Park ). It was beautiful!

We are so grateful for the many blessings which we enjoy and most especially for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We strive to focus on Him throughout our whole year in all the things we do, but we do love the Holiday Season where we find even more opportunities to think about Him and all He has given us. We love each of you and hope that you will enjoy the blessings that the Lord has given each of you this wonderful Holiday Season!

Merry Christmas!

This is what I want Ryan to get for his birthday next month...

The Patriots shut out the Bucaneers today and are AFC East Champions again. 28-0 Baby!

Can they do it? It has never been done before. But if they keep playing like they did today, they could very well be the first team in history to win 3 Super Bowls in a row. They have some tough games to play from now til then, but if anyone can do it, the Patriots can!
Go Pats!

Did I miss something?

It bothered me a little that this week I've heard and seen many news stories about the anniversary of the death of John Lennon but only ONE story about the anniversary of Pearl Harbor - and it was on the day after the anniversary!

I don't always get to the see the news so I surely hope I missed a few stories about the Pearl Harbor anniversary. But still, with what I did see, John Lennon sure seemed to get plenty of coverage.

I have nothing against Lennon's fans remembering him. I just am bothered that there has been so little talk about something that affected our country so dramatically. HELLO! It makes me wonder if in another 60 years people will pass over the 9/11 anniversary without any thought too. To me that is very sad.

Yay for Me! Yay for my friend! & Yay for clear skies!

Okay first, "Yay for me!"

I have finished all my Christmas shopping and mailing!!! Whew. Normally, I like to have everything ready by Thanksgiving, but this year I was just a couple of weeks behind. But I'm done! I feel FREE!!!!! Well, truth be told I do have to shop for Ryan and Cadi still but I know what I'm getting them and I'm waiting for a reason. *snicker*

Okay now, "Yay for my friend!"

Landon has been interested in becoming a police officer for awhile and recently he was able to turn in his application to the RCMP. He has since taken the tests and passed them all! Now all he needs is an interview, then training - he's hoping to be a police officer by June. *Go Landon!*

Finally, "Yay for clear skies!"

Today is gorgeous! It is bright, sunny, and CLEAR, leaving a wonderful view of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. It is always a happy day when you can see those two clearly! And this time of year is especially beautiful as they appear monsterous, covered in snow. I love them!

Sick-a-roo

I got Acadia on her school bus and had barely started on my day when I got a phone call from her school. Cadi had gotten off the bus, gotten to her classroom, and immediately threw up. fun.

So, today's schedule has been tossed out the window and instead, Cadi is on the couch watching TV with some toys. So, maybe I will try to get some things done here instead. But then, I haven't been feeling too hot lately either... maybe I'll lay around too and then we can play hookie together.

2005 in Review

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of 2005. Post the first line of it in your journal, and that's your "Year In Review".

(My current blog only goes back to March, but I had another blog prior to it and I saved all my entries in a journal, so that is where I got the first couple of answers...)

January:
We had a good time last night.

February
I don't know what it is revenge for, mind you.

March:
Acadia: "This tastes like chicken!"

April:
Today Simon went under the knife and came out with a stub of a tail.

May:
I got woken up at 12:30 (am) when Ryan got up to use the restroom (yeah, yeah - T.M.I., I know) - and I CAN'T GET BACK TO SLEEP!!!

June:
Acadia did such a good job sharing what we did on Memorial Day that I don't know what else to add.

July:
Okay, that took forever!

August:
Yesterday it was HOT here!

September:
Greetings From Canada

October:
Yes, I am back from my amazing weekend.

November:
I read quite a few blogs and occasionally I decide to add one to my side bar under "Blogs I like to Visit".

December:
Today my youngest sibling becomes a teenager!

When Joseph Went to Bethlehem

I think he took great care... unfortunately, someone else didn't.

Every year our local congregation hosts a wonderful display of Christmas nativities. It is free and open to the public. Hundreds of nativities are collected from church members and community members and set up at the church in a very nice (and rather elegant looking) display. This takes place the first Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of December. Today I hosted from 3-5, mostly just making sure no one touches the nativities.

At around 4:15 a LARGE group came in with many children. I was in the main display room where most of the nativities (including all of the foreign, unique, and most elegant ones) are. All of us hosting looked at each other and made sure that a few of us were close by this group the entire time. They were really well behaved and looked but never touched any of the displays. After about 30 minutes, they had finished looking and were heading out the door. Whew! We all survived and they really enjoyed it!

Then the mom, turned to call her kids to go and quickly swung back around to walk out the door. She didn't realize she was standing right next to the end corner of one of the tables and she turned right into it! Off toppled one of my lamps, someone's candle, and worse of all, a poor Joseph figurine! I didn't care about the lamp (all that broke was the bulb anyway), we weren't worried about the candle (it just had an extra ding, but barely noticable), but the poor woman felt so horrible about Joseph (he had lost his head). She was really, REALLY upset. She felt awful! Here she had just spent half an hour watching her kids and worrying they would break something!

We told her that everyone who contributes their nativities understands the risks involved and that it would be alright. Afterall, these are just things, pretty things, but still just things. We superglued Joseph's head back on and someone gave her a piece of chocolate (lol). She would not leave without leaving her info as well as getting the info from the person who's nativity it was so she could try to replace or pay for it. We tried to tell her it was okay, but she insisted. We let her, afterall if it were me, I would want to do the same thing.

The thing I feel most bad about is that I think this was her first time coming. I hate to think that she may never want to come again just because of an accident! We told her this wasn't the first time something has been broken (Which is true, though the other times it was when people were setting up, this was the first time a guest has broken something.). I just hope she can find a way to forgive herself and doesn't let it ruin the rest of the experience she had. Up until that point, they had really enjoyed it.

The Festival of Nativities is really a great holiday tradition here in Vancouver. We'll be visiting it as a family on Saturday so I'll try to share some photos of it then. Anyone in the area who happens to read this should definitely go.

Happy Birthday to You!

Today my youngest sibling becomes a teenager! (When did that happen?)

Ben was born when I was a Senior in High School. He was 4 when I married Ryan and we moved out of state. I never really got to be around while he was growing up. But we have been able to make lots of visits back home and that helps.

Ben is thoughtful of others and a really good uncle. He likes Lord of the Rings almost as much as me. (He might think he likes it more, but who could possibly like it more than me?) He also likes Harry Potter. Tonight for his Birthday Dinner, he chose Nacos (from Kim Possible). Yum. Maybe we should have some here too!

Happy Birthday, Ben!