It's Getting There...

The few weeks we have been working hard on baby boy's room.

We started with this...

And after moving and selling all of our office furniture,
we started the work on the room.

Dan worked hard on the bead board for the bottom half
of the room. It wasn't easy with the crazy walls this
old house has, but I think it turned out pretty
professional looking.

And then the painting began...
My dad came over and painted the whole room-
from the ceiling to the windows to the closet!

Dan even built me another little shelf in the closet- how handy is that!

Now the fun part can begin-
the dresser is in the basement waiting to be carried up,
the chair is waiting its' fate to see if it will fit in the little corner or not,
and the crib that was supposedly on back order until October should be here next week!

I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

Baby Gender Reveal

Last month, we had our ultrasound and were able to find

out if we are having a boy or girl in November.

The night before I made some cupcakes...
I had to be very careful to not mix up the
pink and the blue- wouldn't that be sad if I got them confused? :)

First, I tried putting the chocolate disks in the batter
before I baked them.
Which sort of worked, but some were hard to see, especially
the pink ones.

So, plan B was to dig out a piece of the cupcake
after it was baked and stick in the chocolate disk.
Worked like a charm.

My mom had bought some balloons and
there were some gifts for the little one...

And then, after lunch, it was finally time to reveal what it would be...

IT'S A BOY!

I took some videos of my mom and dad finding out.
I love their reactions!

California Dreamin

Alright, time to update the blog, seeing how we traveled to the west coast in June and it is now almost August! Plus, I have lots of other things to update on...

In June, Dan and I traveled with Dan's parents and two of his sisters. We started off
by flying to Las Vegas. Although Dan has been there more than a handful of times,
I had never been there. The strip was quite something.
The next morning we were on the road.
Our schedule was dictated by two things: one the time and location of some ballgames
and the fact that Dan and I had a wedding to attend the next weekend.

Our first stop was Hoover Dam.
It was super hot, so this visit consisted of us parking, walking a short bit,
taking the obligatory pictures and getting back in our air conditioned cars.
We didn't need a tour anyways- my engineering husband was able to
fill us in on any information we felt like we needed to know. :)

We then kept driving to get to the Grand Canyon.
It was an amazing sight to see!
It truly is one of those places that you just have to see in real life-
pictures can't capture it.

The next morning we were able to drive through
the Sedona Valley. It was an unbelievable drive and
I was in awe of God's creation!

We spent time in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Mainly trying to stay cool, but we did manage to do some
shopping and laid out by the pool.

We also found a Sprinkles!
A special treat for my birthday! :) Yum!

We also went to a baseball game in LA on my birthday, which
I sadly have no pictures of. But, it was fun and I got to eat my
nachos that I requested as part of my birthday present. :)

In LA, we took a bus tour of the city...

Beverly Hills,

Hollywood,

Venice Beach...

Dan and I split ways with his family for a few days and
headed down to San Diego to celebrate our friends
Nate and Sarah's wedding.

I can see why people live in San Diego- the weather is perfect!

The wedding was beautiful and Dan made it through
his best man's speech (which was pretty good if I do say so).

Early Birthday Celebration

Well, it's not so early anymore, but at the time it was...

I left for vacation with Dan and his family a few days before it was my birthday,
so I celebrated with my family a little early.

We were leaving for the airport at 1:00pm so we started off with a birthday breakfast
so that we could fit all the celebrating in!

Then it was off to the mall for our yearly birthday pedicures!
While the girls were getting pedicures, the boys made their
way through Build-A-Bear.

I think somebody liked his bear!

Then it was off to open presents!

And eat some cake!
Good thing I had some helpers to help me blow out the candles!

On my actual birthday, we went to a Dodger/Tigers game in LA.
And at Nachos for dinner as my birthday request. :)

NKOBSB

NKOBSB

Oh yes, I went to the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys Concert
this past week. :)

It's funny how you remember words to songs that you haven't heard for years!

I absolutely loved watching their choreographed dances
in their matching outfits.
Boy bands should definitely make a come back.

Now, if only N'Sync would come back on tour...

Baby Cakes

Last week, I left a little surprise out at work...

Because I had an announcement to make...

They had no trouble figuring it out...

:)

I'm pregnant!
Dan and I are expecting our first child in November!

Spring Break '11

I could NOT wait for Spring Break this year!
And it did not disappoint...

The weather was perfect.
Perfect for laying by the ocean.
Working on my tan.
And reading.
(The Hunger Games is as excellent as they all say by the way.)

We even had sea turtle eggs steps from our chairs.
Which I learned lots of random facts about.
And reminded my of the book I read last spring break
The Last Song which was a wonderful book
and then a horrible movie.

Life Lately

Oh, where have a been lately you ask?
Grading, more grading, writing report cards and meeting with parents for conferences.

Yep, that about sums it up.
Well, at least the boring part of the last 2 weeks.

Here are some of the more exciting parts... :)

I got to meet lovely Liliann Marie Ruth!
and of course visit with her mom and the rest of these wonderful girls!

I had a movie and pizza night with 4 of my 4th grade girls!

We watched Ramona and Beezus which had me reminiscing
to my childhood where my sisters and I watched
Ramona and Beezus the TV series over and over again.

My class filled up our marble jar and voted to have a Spring Fun Day!

Complete with Bug Juice and Dirt...yum!

Plus the countdown is on...4 days until Spring Break!
It can't come fast enough!

Annie's Baby Shower

Annie and I were roommates in college for 3 years and she still

is one of my best friends. Sheri and I were so excited to be able to
host a baby shower for her this past weekend!

We played games...

opened gifts...

ate...

enjoyed each other's company...

and had a great time celebrating and anticipating
the birth of Annie and Tony's baby boy!

Can't wait to meet their little one!

Mothers Know Best

I'm struggling to come up with anything to write about.
I've really haven't done anything exciting in the past week.
I went to bed at 8:30 on Friday and we did dinner and a movie on Saturday.
Nothing exciting.

So, it was between this and a review of the movie we watched.
Which just might have to bust out later this week if
nothing creative comes to me.

I've blogged before about how Dan and I met.
It was in my early blogging days though, so if you missed it,
you can read it here.

If you want the short version, here it is:
Dan and I met on a college trip to Europe.

The prof on the trip would always take random
pictures of the trip and then send them to our parents.
This was a big deal.
Which I can't really imagine. But, it was.
It seemed like a lot of work to get those pictures uploaded each
time we visited a new company, but then again this was the
first trip where I used my digital camera.
(Goodness, first recording onto VHS tapes and now cameras...
how far we have come in just a few years)

Anyhow, this was one of the pictures that he took...

Look closely.
I'm in the tan coat and Dan next to me in the black coat.

So, after I told my mom that I liked a boy from the trip,
she claims...yes, she claims, that she knew it.
All from this picture.

I mean I guess looking back at it, maybe.
But, if you had no idea that we liked each other,
I find it hard to see how this picture proves
or suggests much of anything.

But, I guess mothers know best. :)

The Bachelor

Oh, The Bachelor...

Yes, I know that it is a ridiculous show, but I just can't
quite bring myself to stop watching it.
I've missed a few seasons here and there, but usually
it is one of the shows I watch.

I've been watching it from the beginning. And embarrassingly enough,
I actually own the first, and worst season of The Bachelor.
Why they would make this season into a DVD is one question,
why I would buy it is another.

Actually, I remember buying it late one night in college with my friend, Lisa.

Lisa bought Blue Crush, and I bought this.
Ah, those were the times.

Let's just all agree that the first season of The Bachelorette was the best.
Not only because it ended up actually working out, but Ryan's poems to Trista
(enter squeal here) made every episode worthwhile.

It was also a nice bonding activity for my college roommates and myself.
We would have weekly Bachelor parties and
even record episodes if we had late tennis practice.
(By "record" I mean actually pressing record on a VHS player
with a VHS tape-which makes me feel old)

Anyhow, how many of you are watching this season of The Bachelor?
Love or loathe Brad?
Cheering for Chantel or Emily?
More importantly, are you loving the views of South Africa?
(You know my love for South Africa.)

Back to Lisa and her Blue Crush love...
Lisa has started a new blog that recaps episodes of The Bachelor,
Lisa Doesn't Know.
She's funny. If you know her, I think you'll agree with me.
If you don't, check it out and see for yourself.

No Power=No Fun?

I'm glad to say that this week looks like we will have power

the whole week. Last week, as I briefly wrote about, we were without
power. We ended up being without power from Monday at 12:30am to
Wednesday at about 4:00pm. It was cold!
Luckily, my parents got power on Monday night, so we were able
to warm up at their house. It's funny how appreciative you are
to have power after you have gone without it for a few days.
Wednesday night we were giddy as we were able to open the
garage door and turn on lights when it got dark.
We blasted the heat and turned on the TV much to our delight.

So...

What do you do with no power?

Admire the beautiful ice and snow that is causing the power outage


Comfort your skitterish, cold, confused dog


Of course, play Playmobile Vet Hospital with your 5 year old nephew


Cuddle up by the fireplace

Roarrrrr... A Dinosaur Birthday

Someone had a BIRTHDAY!

A DINOSAUR birthday!

This special Birthday Boy turned 5 this week!

Love the 5 year old smile. :)

The Dinosaur Bean Bag Toss was a hit-
isn't my sister a talented dinosaur drawer?

We played games, ate dinner (too slowly if you ask the Birthday Boy),
opened some fun presents, sang Happy Birthday and ate cupcakes.
A great way to celebrate my nephew, Tommy's, birthday!

He was quite excited about his presents!

Happy Birthday, Tommy!

I can't believe it was five years ago that we
drove excitedly to the hospital to meet you!

We love you!