Just a couple of updates on the past week or so:

*Last Tuesday on our way to my checkup, Craig and I got into an accident. A 20 year old kid who calls himself a "nonchalant driver" who was eating a hot pocket ran into the back door on the drivers side. Neither one of us were going very fast, but I got all the impact, since I was driving. About an hour later after everything was cleared up we finally got to the doctor, where no one was worried except me! (Which I guess in the end is a good thing.) The baby was 100% fine, but it took me hours to calm down from it. I was super sore for a day or two, and my chiropractor had JUST closed her office for the holiday week, so I just laid low until I wasn't in so much pain. It's been about a week, and I feel totally back to normal.

*Thanksgiving afternoon we went to the Packard's house (Craig's 'second family' down here, they are also in our ward) for a delicious meal and football watching. I fell asleep on the couch after perusing the Black Friday ads. After a few hours we went to Michaels where I got 3 Cricut cartridges and a few heavily discounted Christmas tree ornaments. We stopped at home to take out the dogs and check up on Romeo, then went to Abby's parent's house where they were winding down. We had some pumpkin pie and other delicious desserts while we played Scrabble with Abby, Cassie, and some of Abby's friends and family. (And by 'played,' of course I mean that we completely dominated the game. Craig and I were on a team, and we were unstoppable!)

*The Friday after Thanksgiving we went to Craig's parents house for Turducken and all the fixins. The Great Pumpkin brought us (including Max) a gift. Thanks Great Pumpkin! We ate about noon, and spent the rest of the day trying to recover! Later that night we went to the movie Ninja Assassin (Craig's idea) where I got to see about 15 minutes of excessive gore before falling asleep (yes, in the theater!) I hope I didn't start snoring. I heard it was just an ok movie, and was really gory. I think I'm glad I slept through it!

*Lets see...Oh yes, the reason I was so tired on Friday was because that morning about 3 am we went to the Black Friday sale at Old Navy. We actually got some pretty good deals for gifts, so I was glad we went, but it WAS kind of crazy. I wanted to actually hit up the mall which was on the way home and which opened at 4, but Craig wasn't up for it, so we came home and slept for a few hours before heading to his parents.

*Saturday and Sunday was tough for me. I was hurting again from the car accident, and I was having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy, except they were hurting. I could barely walk again. Craig taught class by himself on Sunday, and luckily by Monday they had passed and I was feeling better again.

*Tuesday I finally saw my Chiropractor! It was amazing. I feel SO much better already! I think I can make it another week until I see her again!

*Saphara turned 15 and we celebrated with a big sushi dinner (I didn't eat anything raw, of course) and ice cream cake. Craig and I gave her a few Costco sized boxes of her favorite cereals. (Her mom doesn't buy cereal very often, so it's a real treat!) Happy Birthday Saphara!

*Last update, on Saturday we are going to go check out a wildlife rescue to see if it will be Romeo's new home until he is let into the wild. He's getting so big, he has his top 2 teeth, he's eating solids (he loves apples, Cheerios, and almonds!) and he is getting stir crazy in his little cage. We let him run around the house (supervised) and he jumps on the dogs backs (they HATE it!) and crawl all over us (I have tiny scratches all over my legs and arms) and darts back and forth trying to climb on things. So I think its time. As much as he loves almonds and crawling in my shirt and falling asleep, I think he would trade it for unlimited running and playing in a real tree. At least that's what Craig told me to make me feel better about letting him go. Craig always knows what to say! And when it comes down to it, if we kept every animal we rescued, we'd be in big trouble with our landlord, the law, and our house would be a mess! So I guess it's going to happen. 

Oh, and as of right now we are on a tornado watch for the next 2 hours. Our Labor and Delivery class was canceled tonight because of it. Mel, I wish you were here to hide in the bathtub with us! LOL!

30 Weeks!

Ok, here is a picture. I feel like I look humongous, so DON'T YOU JUDGE ME! I'M PREGNANT! As of Friday, I am officially 30 weeks, and only 10 weeks away! OMG I'm freaking out! All we have is a car seat, which is still in the box! Anyway, gotta go, I'm hungry! 

Luke and Mel aren't the only ones to get a baby this week!

Not to steal your thunder or anything Luke and Mel, :) but I just wanted to post and let everyone know that Craig and I 'had' a baby this week too! It's a boy, his name is Romeo, and he is a baby gray squirrel! 

Wednesday I took the dogs out to do their morning business, and Guy decided to run away. Nice. So I ran through the side yard gate to go find him, but by the time I got to the front yard, he wasn't in sight. I called Craig to wake up and join the search party.

Before Craig got outside, I noticed a little baby squirrel trying to climb the tire of my car, and he kept falling down! I took a few steps toward him, he took a few steps toward me, then he ran to me, and I picked him up. I wrapped him in a Tshirt so I could hold him while we found Guy. Well, we found Guy 2 houses down, then I broke the news to Craig.

He couldn't believe what I was holding! He said, "We can't keep it." I told him that we had to do SOMETHING, because the poor thing didn't know the difference between a tire and a tree! He was obviously abandoned, and he hadn't learned to fear humans or animals yet, so he'd surely die!

Ok, so Craig said to bring him in, and that we'd take him to the Humane Society later. Craig went back to sleep.

I went to my computer to research where to go from here. I got in contact with a local wildlife rehabilitator who told me that it was 'really easy' to take care of a baby squirrel, and if I was up to it, she'd tell me what to do.

Long story short, he is about 8 weeks old, has only 2 small teeth on the bottom and should still be on his mother's milk. So I got him some Pedialyte and some Puppy Formula and I feed him with a little syringe, about one Tablespoon every 2-3 hours. As soon as his tail bushes out and he gets his teeth in he'll be ready for the wild. Until then, it looks like we're keeping him. We'll either rehab him for the wild, or perhaps give him to Saphara, Craig's youngest sister, who ironically had the same thing happen to her a few years back, and she kept the squirrel for a few years until it got out, ate something it shouldn't have, and sadly died. :( 

Craig has DEFINITELY warmed up to him. He is such a softie when it comes to baby animals! When he woke up for the day I told him I had named him Romeo, and he said, "I was thinking something really similar for his name!" So Craig...you say we're taking him to the Humane Society (who, by the way, doesn't take squirrels), but you were thinking of a name for him? Ok Craig. Just say it. He's the cutest little baby animal ever, huh?! 

Thats the story of our new baby!

Here are some pics/videos for your entertainment:

27 weeks!

Just stopped in to say that I am officially 27 weeks along, and according to certain internet sources, I am now in my third trimester! Time has flown by! We go to Bradley Birth Classes every Thursday night, and we went last night only to discover that one couple had had their baby during the week-6 weeks early! That made it REAL to us!!! I've been having a rough time sleeping on our tiny IKEA mattress that is like 4 inches high, so Craig took me yesterday and we bought a brand new Simmons Beauty Rest King Size Mattress set! It got delivered today, and it is hands down THE BEST gift he has EVER EVER got me. That includes my wedding ring (which I can't wear due to swollen hands!) Anyway, thanks Craig! You rock!

I just logged on to post a few pictures, and WOW, I only have 97 more days 'til my due date!!! Max is going to be here before we know it! (Hopefully not before we are ready though!) We just bought a great car seat on Saturday, our first major purchase for the baby! We are going to register for other things at BabiesRUs.com as well....take note! :) :) 

Here is a picture Craig took of me that shows my bump. I'm sitting down, which is when it shows a lot more-morethan when I'm standing up. I believe I am 25 weeks along here.

Here is a picture of Craig and I at Bradley Class, the classes that are hopefully preparing us both for a natural labor and birth. They have this "sympathy belly"(and boobs) that they let the husbands take turn wearing. This was Craig's week! We went to compare bellies, and his was bigger than mine, so I'm sticking my tummy out as far as I can here...This was last Thursday, and I turned 26 weeks the next day.  His belly weighs about 50 lbs, and apparently sits right on your bladder. Craig definitely felt it! About an hour or so into class, he took it off. Not fair! Since then though, he's been much more concerned about my level of comfort, so maybe it did work!

Here is Craig trying out a breast pump on his sympathy belly! LOL!

Sunset

We go see the sunset several nights a week, and this week I finally brought my camera along so you could all see how beautiful it is!

This is about 2 blocks from our house!

Poor Little Girl

This morning at about 9:00 am I was still sleeping, and Craig was awake, and had just let the dogs outside to go to the bathroom. They came in and jumped back in bed with me, like they always do, and girl crawled under the covers to her 'spot' right next to my pregnant belly. I started to drift off back to sleep but quickly woke back up because I thought Girl was trying to shift and get cozy. She was moving under the covers. Well I quickly realized that something wasn't normal. She was making such regular, jerking movements. I pulled the covers back to see her, and she was totally stiff, her little paws were spread out and jerking away, her head was 'ticking', and her eyes were totally glazed over. I completely freaked out. I yelled to Craig, "Get in here, something's wrong with Girl, I think she's having a seizure!" So of course he came running. He picked her up, cradled her, took her outside, and she just kept jerking. It was like she was staring off into space and wouldn't come back.

He gave her to me, and went to go call a vet. I was still freaking out and trying unsuccessfully not to cry. I honestly thought she was going to die in my arms! He found an emergency line (because our regular vet office isn't open on Sunday) and was able to speak to a nurse. About this time though, about 5 minutes after the episode started, Girl started calming down. She still was jerking, but a lot less, and it looked like she was trying to look around, and she even drank a little milk Craig got for her.


Anyway, the nurse 'diagnosed' her over the phone and said that it was more than likely a seizure, which apparently is common in small dogs when their blood sugar gets low. Who knew? And who would think she could get low blood sugar, when she had food available to her? She said to monitor Girl the rest of the day to make sure it didn't happen again, and if it did, to bring her in right away. I spent the rest of the day watching her, watching her sleep (seizures are physically draining, and it wore her out!) It has been 10 or so hours since then, and she is exhausted but doing well. I hope this is just a one time occurance, and not the beginning of some bigger problem.

We love you Girl and are so happy you are feeling better!!!!!!!

September 31, 2009

Ok, Craig talked me out of posting it in the Post Office. And I guess I feel better just to have written it. Still though, now whenever someone drives by the house, walks by with their dogs, or a neighbor is outside washing his car, I keep thinking: "It was probably that person. What a jerk!" 

September 30, 2009

RUDE!

I woke up this morning and got in the car to go do my visiting teaching when I discovered a note on my window. Handwritten over an entire sheet of purple paper, then put in a plastic baggie to protect it from the rain, then stuck under my windshield wiper. This is what it said:

What do you people think this is? Some red neck white trash neighborhood. You put  your garbage out and make every one look at it by the street. What is it you don’t (can’t figure out) when to put it out on time. Maybe you haven’t ever heard a garbage pickup. Anyway get your garbage off the street and put it out when you have service. We take pride in our neighborhood. Last time you had pick up your garbage cans stayed out by the street for days. REDNECK WHITE TRASH. Get a life! Or move to some redneck white trash neighborhood where you fit right in!

Needless to say, I was shocked and totally pissed! By the way, no signature, nothing. Just a mean note. I would tell you the situation, but I think my response letter covers it. Anyway, I was fuming on how I would retaliate (don't mess with a pregnant lady or her family!) and after I got back and showed Craig the letter (he thought it was funny) I penned my own letter. I'm going to hang it, along with the original letter in the Post Office, since everyone in the neighborhood gets their mail there. (We don't have mailboxes here.) So hopefully, they'll see the note they wrote and see my response. It's my best shot for getting it seen. Anyway, here's what I wrote:

To the person who wrote this letter: 

I am offended by this letter. I am offended by your anonymity. I a offended by your name calling, and I am offended by your passive aggressive nature. These unpleasantries could have been avoided had you simply cme to me to have an adult conversation about the problem you were having. 

Allow me to explain: We live in one side of a duplex. Both tenants’ garbage gets picked up on our side. Our neighbor tenant has recently been evicted and now that residence is considered Abandoned Property.  She was given notice to get her stuff out, didn’t, and now the landlord has to take care of it. (There’s a note on her door that explains it a bit.) The landlord took junk out of her house,  put it in her garbage cans, and put it in front of our house to be picked up. He didn’t put it out the day before pickup, so its been out there a few days. I’m sorry you have to look at it. Frankly, I’m sorry I have to look at it. It’s not my trash and it’s not my responsibility, as much as it isn’t yours.

 You say you take pride in the neighborhood, but your letter leaves you nothing to be proud of as a neighbor, a member of the community, or as a person. 

You are free to contact me at crybnk@yahoo.com

I'm going to post it now. I'll let you know if anyone owns up to it! How rude is that person, and what kind of time do they have on their hands that they are monitoring my trash and writing me notes? Sheesh! Wish me luck!

September 25-27, 2009

Cumberland Island

Where to begin? Craigs Mom, Stepdad, and Sister's birthdays are all within a few weeks of each other, and Randall had the idea to celebrate at Cumberland Island, one of a series of islands off the southermost part of Georgia. We drove an RV up there (about 4 hours) and took a ferry to the island. We stayed at Greyfield Inn, the only accomodations on the island unless you want to camp! It was so great! 

It was gorgeous! It had sandy beaches, but most of the island looked lush, green, forrested, with huge oak trees everywhere. It is largely uninhabited, about 14 people actually have homes on the island. It is now considered a national park, so it is all preserved. It has a lot of rich history, it was purchased by the Carnegie family, who made it (very) rich in steel. I won't go into the history of it, but if you ever want to look it up, look up Cumberland Island, or Andrew Carnegie.

There ARE some vehicles on the island, but visitors like us were provided bikes by Greyfield to get around on. We stayed in a cottage a little ways away from the main mansion, so we biked to breakfast and dinner, and biked everywhere else. To the beach, to the gardens, to the ruins, etc. I got a LOT of exercise!

There were wild horses everywhere, we saw armadillos, dolphins, and although we didnt see them, we were told there are many wild hogs out there too. In fact they've become so overpopulated and were destroying parts of the island that one guy's job there is to take a sniper rifle out at night and 'depopulate.' That would have been an interesting tour to take! 

Here are some pictures of the trip!

In the RV we traveled up in. Craig and his sister are snoozing. It was a very convenient way to travel!

The first day we biked about 2 miles to the Dungeness ruins. (The 59-room Queen Anne style mansion and grounds was completed after Carnegie's death in 1886. His wife Lucy continued to live at Dungeness and built other estates for her children, including Greyfield (where we stayed) for Margaret Carnegie, Plum Orchard for George Lauder Carnegie and Stafford Plantation. By this time the Carnegies owned 90% of the island. The Carnegies moved out of Dungeness in 1925. In 1959 Dungeness was destroyed by fire, alleged to be arson.^[2] The ruins are today preserved by the National Park Service as part of Cumberland Island National Seashore. They were acquired by the Park Service in 1972.^[3]

Dungeness' "Backyard"

At this point, after biking 2 miles, my ankles were swollen to the size of my knees, and it was HOT out! Luckily, we found a lady who worked for the park (and had a van) so she picked me and Craig up and drove us back! I honestly didn't think I was going to make it! Thanks!

Saphara and me ready for dinner

This is the cottage where we stayed. It had 3 big bedrooms so we all fit. When Craig and I came home from lunch, there were 2 horses grazing in the front yard! They are wild, but are not afraid of people. 

Saturday we took a nature tour that took us in a truck all over the island, places we wouldn't be able to get to on bike. I took this picture on the tour.

The naturalist took us here, to this teensy church, which was originally the African Baptist Church used by the Carnegie's servants as a house of worship. It is also the place that JFK Jr. got married back in 1996. Yep. That's the place! No electricity, nothing!

Here is Craig inside the church up at the pulpit being reverent! LOL!

Here is a lookout point. Down below you can see the beach, and on the horizon you can see a few other islands. I believe that one of them is Little Cumberland and the one to the left is Jekyll Island. I might be wrong.

The second part of Saturday was spent kayaking, and hanging out on the pier while Cassie fished.

We saw a huge pod of dolphins just before the sun went down!

And here is Craig, enjoying the last sunset of our trip, sitting on the railing of the pier. He had a fabulous time. We all did. Sunday we basically ate breakfast and came home. It was super duper!

September 11, 2009 Evening

Here is the video we took of when we announced the gender of the baby to Craig's family. You can't hear too well, but Craig is explaining that the cakes that they have in front of them (that Craig and I had made) will reveal the result of the gender of their first niece or nephew (or grandkid). The cake is either tinted blue or pink, depending on the gender, and on 3, everyone can cut into it and find out! (Kind of like unwrapping a present!) That's how we told them, and they were very excited for us! Craig's mom already knew and surprisingly kept the secret under wraps all day, so she already knew. But it was a surprise for everyone else!

September 11, 2009

Introducing Max Robert Hull!

Side profile view. I think those are his feet in front of his face!

Isn't he handsome?! LOL!

I have no idea what kind of view this is. But I'm pretty sure that round part is his big head!

It's a boy! The ultrasound technician said there was absolutely NO denying it! (As you can see from the picture above!)

I'll write a little more later. I just couldn't wait to post the pictures!

September 9, 2009

2 more days until we find out if we're having a Craig Jr. or a Crystal Jr. I cant wait!

Labor Day, Monday, September 7, 2009

Happy Labor Day! 

Craig took me to MOSI today, the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa for the afternoon. Its usually like $23 a person, but it was buy one get one free for Labor Day! Perfect! I had a really fun time. It has a bunch of cool exhibits, kind of like a big science fair! It had this little room you go into with goggles and headphones on, and they blast winds up to like 75 mph, which is supposed to simulate being outside in a (mild) hurricane, a flight simulator, a high wire bicycle where you bike on a 1 inch steel cable suspended 30 feet above ground (I didn't do it!) and other cool things to do and see. They have a section called The Amazing You or something like that, and they have a whole pregnancy exhibit. That was super fun! But the BEST part of the experience was the IMAX movie we saw. This is no ordinary IMAX, by the way. It is an entire dome that is the screen! So you basically lay back in your chair, and from the ground up to the cieling and behind your head, and to either side is one entire screen! It was dizzying! I thought I was going to fall out of my chair, and I thought Craig was going to puke on me! But it was AWESOME! We saw some Under the Sea video that was playing that afternoon, and it was so so incredible. The $23 was worth the IMAX experience alone! They show other movies there too, I think they have Transformers there right now in the evening. Craig wants to go back and see it sometime. 

We had a blast even though my feet hurt and were swelling the whole time! Isn't pregnancy fun?!?

Oh my! I'm getting very round! (In case you couldn't tell, I'm the one on the left LOL!)

Craig, my firefighting Hero!

This is my power tie.

Friday and Saturday, September 4-5, 2009

Funeral in Waycross, Georgia

Randall's father, Craig's step-grandpa, died last week, and his funeral was held this weekend in Waycross, Georgia. He had a collection of tools and woodworking equipment that were given to Cassie, that we needed to get back to Florida somehow. Craig and I volunteered to drive a truck up to Waycross, about 4 hours away the day before, get some help to load the truck, then drive it back the next day. Because of their busy schedules, Cassie flew the rest of the family up and back on Saturday, the same day as the funeral.

We arrived Friday morning, bought boxes and work gloves, and got to work on the shed. We had no idea what we were in for. It was stuffed to the maximum capacity and then some. Mello Yellow cans everywhere, wood pieces stacked to the ceiling, an entire wall of tool chests full of nuts, bolts, and other odds and ends...there was NO room to go through the stuff! And sawdust everywhere! After a few hours we put our work on hold, to wait for the movers the next morning to come get the heavy stuff. They came the next day and Craig got it all taken care of.

The funeral was really nice, as far as funerals go. I had never met him, but after the funeral I felt I really missed out on not knowing him. I did however get to meet Craig's Aunts and Uncles who all live in various parts of GA and FL. Every single one of them were so friendly and warm, I was really glad to be able to meet them. 

We got back Saturday night really late, and by the time the 2 day/1 night trip was finally over, it had felt like we had been gone a week and a half! It was exhausting all the way around, but I'm glad we were able to help out.

Friday and Saturday, September 4-5, 2009

OK, Maybe I Forgot To Mention One Little Thing...

Ok, I forgot to mention one thing...While Craig and I were sitting in lawn chairs out in the yard (Craig said that is basically all people do in the South) on Friday in between boxing stuff up from the shed, this little fluffy dog comes running through the yard. I call to it, and it runs right for us and jumps in our lap. The poor dog is literally COVERED in matted hair, and I have no idea how long twigs, leaves, and other things are so embedded into its fur! It looked like a homeless person. It had a collar on, but it was super tight, like it had been wearing the same one since birth without expanding it. 

Anyway, you know what a sucker we are about orphan dogs, (we're like the Brangelina of dogs!) we were worried about it and set about to find out if it had an owner. Grandpa's house where we stayed has no fence, and it backs up to a pretty busy road. It didn't take us long to find the owner. We knocked on the door and this lady screamed "Who is it?" and she wouldn't open the door for us. She finally came out from around the back of the house, and when asked if it was her dog, she said yes. Craig went to hand her the little dog, and she backed away and said..."Just put her down." So he did, and the dog (a 4 month old Poodle mix named Prissy) proceeded to run into the road, just as fast traffic was coming from both ways. Craig and I were wide-eyed and had the instinct to yell for her to come back, but this owner didn't even pay attention to what she was doing. We talked for a bit, she said the dog was a gift from her ex, she had just had a pre-mature baby, she has 7 kids (she looked to be about my age!) and said the dog gets out all the time. 

We left them, went back to sitting on the lawn, and we both just felt SO bad for the dog! With an owner like that, we knew it was a matter of time before the dog got killed by a car or something. Oh, also, as we were walking up to the lady's house to knock on her door, the dog got increasingly agitated and tried harder and harder to jump out of Craig's arms, like she didn't want to go back home! Sad! So anyway, we talked and decided we should go ask the lady if we could adopt her dog. We agreed on a price, we had cash, and we said we don't have to KEEP her, since we have 3 dogs already, but at least we can find her a home where she'll get some love. 

So we went back to the lady, and Craig asked. "I know this is kind of a weird question, but would you be willing to sell your dog to us? We were thinking about $X dollars." She looked hesitant, and said, well, I'll have to talk to my boyfriend, blah blah...Then I piped up and said, "We have the cash for it right now." She kind of changed her tune and said "Hold on." She came back out a few minutes later with a leash, a brush (that looked like it had never been used) and a bag of food, and handed her over without a second thought. Kind of sad that she was so willing to give her dog up like that! Anyway, we took the dog back to Grandpa's house, gave her a bath, cut out the twigs, the poo matted into the fur near her tail, and brushed her. We went outside with her several times without a leash, and not one time did she head in the direction of her old house. 

We re-named her Georgia, call her George, and she is the sweetest, spunkiest little puppy EVER! She is anything but Prissy like her old name suggested! We thought she needed a Tomboy name to go with her rambunctious personality. So George came home with us, and has been with us ever since. She hasn't had much in the way of training, so thank goodness we have tile floor, but she's learning quickly, chewing everything to bits, and running around like she owns the place! As much as I am growing to love her, I don't think we should keep her. 3 dogs and a baby on the way is enough without dealing with a puppy! We're waiting to hear if Marissa is willing to take her, as she fell in love with her as soon as she saw her, but if it doesn't work out at their house, then we will try to find her a good loving home. 

The chihuahuas are still getting used to her. Our 3 dogs must be getting old, because they are no match to Georgia's energy! They get really annoyed sometimes! Anyway, we should just start a dog rescue, since we can never say no to a dog in need!  Anyone want a puppy?!?!?

Our Little Georgia Peach! 

Saturday August 28, 2009

"So, You're Wife is Pregnant Too?"

I'm growing out of some of my day to day clothes, (how depressing!) so Craig and I went to the mall today to see what they had in the way of maternity clothes. We scoured the mall, and in 4 department stores, there was a total of probably 2 small racks of clothes. Frustrating! So I bit the bullet and went to Motherhood Maternity (Does anyone else think they are expensive?!) to see what they had available. Craig by the way was such a good sport that day. He usually doesn't have such a high tolerance for shopping, but he did well! :) Anyway, I was in the little dressing room trying on a few things, and Craig was sitting in a chair just outside the stall. 

I heard him say, "Is your wife pregnant too?" And I thought, 'Oh thats so cute, he's talking to other dads-to-be, bonding over fatherhood' etc...so I listened to see what the other guy was going to say. Well, I didn't hear anything, and then I thought, 'Is that a little boy's voice?' Then I heard Craig ask him, "Is this your first?" And I just thought to myself, 'Craig, did you mean is his MOM pregnant? And if she is, it wouldn't be her first, obviously...' needless to say, I was confused. But Craig just went on talking to this little boy (about 10 years old) and said, "So, how far along is she?" And the little boy didn't miss a beat and said, "Oh, about 20 months." By this time I was out of the dressing room, watching the rest of the conversation, and Craig was just talking to this little boy who was waiting for his mom like he was this grown up about to have a baby! The funniest thing was that the kid didn't even act confused or anything. He just kept talking like he knew what he was talking about! As we were leaving, Craig congratulated him again on his new baby. I couldn't stop laughing all the way out to the car!

Sunday August 16, 2009

First Calling as a Married Couple! 

When we first got to Florida, our ward was in the middle of some big changes. They recently switched boundaries, so now we have to meet people all over again! Things are just getting settled down, and today at church, a member of the Bishopric asked to speak with Craig and me. We went into an empty classroom and talked a bit. He asked us a few questions about ourselves, and then he said, "How do you like teenagers?" Huh? What do you say to that?! Anyway, he asked if we would be teachers for the 16 and 17 year olds! Isn't that nuts?! I fully expected to be put in nursery or teach primary or something, but no, we're going straight to the kids who are nearly adults! Ahh! I've NEVER taught before, so needless to say I'm nervous. I just remember when I was 16 and 17, (it really wasn't THAT long ago) I just hope the kids in there are better than I was! LOL! Craig will be great though, he has the rare talent of public speaking and teaching that I will NEVER have. I'll learn a lot from him I'm sure. Anyway, wish us luck, I'll need it! (I just realized this is our first calling aside from Visiting/Home Teacher that we've ever had since we've been married! Took long enough!)

Friday August 14, 2009

Today was my first official appointment! We got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! After the initial exam, I called in Craig and Marissa from the waiting room so we could hear it together. It didn't take long at all for the midwife to get a nice, strong, 150 bpm heartbeat! Marissa and Craig were both on the phone calling people so THEY could hear the heartbeat, and honestly, it was a little bit hectic. All I kept thinking was...why is Craig all the way over there, and WHO is he talking to? And WHY isn't he over here holding my hand? The experience didn't go quite like I had imagined, but the important thing is that we heard a strong heartbeat, and now I can tell Dad that he can believe me now, because an actual Doctor told us we were pregnant! We're so happy!

We went out to dinner with the family that evening to celebrate. This is us afterward. If you can't tell, that is a heart on my shirt in celebration of the day! And I guess I'm past the first trimester so I should probably go get my roots touched up! LOL!

Bittersweet Memories!

Heres a funny video of Ninja that I just found in my files. Thought I'd post it.

Oh and here's another one! This one is more cute than funny.

August 11, 2009

Craig took me today to get my blood drawn. In the waiting room we had a spat (I don't even remember why) and I pinched him to get my point across. He hates it when I do that, because he has no nails to get me back with! Anyway, we both went in when the phlebotomist took my blood, and just before she stuck the needle in, I turned away to not have to look at it. Well Craig had the biggest smile on his face. He was hoping it would hurt so he could get revenge without actually touching me himself. How rude! Joke's on him though, because it didn't hurt a bit. The most painful part of the whole experience was about an hour later when I ripped the bandaid off!

August 6, 2009

I finally had my first doctor's appointment! It ended up being a little disappointing though, becuase all they did was talk to a few of us about the hospital, policies, etc, and then took my medical history. They didn't even draw blood. I have to go to an outpatient lab to get it done sometime this week. So NEXT week, next Friday, I have my actual appointment, where we (Me, Craig, and Craig's Mom) will get to hear the heartbeat! I'm so excited!

July 15, 2009

The Best One Yet!

Getting tickets wasn't easy, but after countless technical difficulties, we finally scored a pair to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince at 12:20 am! You would have thought that someone gave Craig a million dollars, he was so excited. :) He had been talking about this for a week now: "One more week!"..."Guess what's happening in just four days?!"..."Tomorrow night is the night!"...   Anyway, we left what we thought was early, but it seemed we were the last ones there, and everyone was already seated. One employee said that it was packed, and warned us that people had already came back to the refund their tickets. She was right! We hunted the theater for seats, and finally found that there were 2 available seats in the same row, but about 25 seats apart, so Craig talked everyone in to moving over so we could sit together, and it worked! We actually had pretty awesome seats! Go Craig! Aside from some comments shouted out during the movie, it was a great experience, and it was the BEST Harry Potter yet! We went to Denny's afterward, at 3:45 am with a bunch of other HP fans, and Craig was in such a great mood, he turned on the charm with our waitress, who hooked us up with some delicious hot chocolates! We got home and got to bed about 5:30...it was a magical night!!!

Mmm...Denny's Hot Chocolate! This is the only picture of the night that we got. I wanted to get a picture in front of the movie poster, but apparently they didn't have it up yet! Slackers!

June and July in Florida

We are settling in to Florida life, but I just can't seem to get used to this muggy heat! It's like stepping into a sauna everytime you go outside, except that you're fully clothed, and you don't WANT to sweat. Ick. I have noticed there are a LOT of critters here. Some are cute and I can handle, some are disgusting!!! Here's some pics:

This frog was hanging out by the cardboard boxes we had to throw away by the side of the house. One night I was taking the trash out to the curb and he jumped and stuck to my leg before jumping off!
These little things are EVERYWHERE! Craig showed me how to catch them and make them bite you. As kids they'd stick them on their earlobes like earrings! This tiny one we found in our house!

This turtle wandered into our yard. Guy was perched on the back of the couch, staring out the window and going wild. We went out to investigate and it was a huge turtle! I don't know how he got there, but Craig chased him down (he was the fastest turtle I've ever seen!) and carried him to the vacant lot across the street.

I'm Pregnant!

I know that everyone knows I'm pregnant already, but I never blogged about it. So here is what happened:

 I actually found out about 3 in the morning the day after a Memorial Day lunch at Craig's Uncle Dan's house.  I suspected I was pregnant the day before, but heard it was best to use the first mornings pee. So when I woke up at 3, I figured now was the time. I was SOOO tired. I saw the results and thought...yep I knew it! Then I went back to sleep. I KEPT the secret from everyone all while packing, cleaning...there was a LOT going on, and it just was never a good time to tell him. Also, I didn't want him to worry and not let me help pack and get things ready...so I waited.

The last 2 days of our drive we were riding in the same truck, and talked a lot. I talked a lot about *IF* we were to have a baby, the names I liked, etc. etc....We passed an anti-abortion billboard and it said something about how the baby's heart beats at 3-4 weeks...and I kept saying, "Isn't that amazing?!" After 2 days of this, he never caught on!

Now the plan was to keep it a secret from Craig until Father's Day about 3 weeks away. I thought a positive pregnancy test would make the ultimate Father's Day gift! I had it all planned out. However, when we finally got to Florida and saw how TINY our new place was, Craig kept saying: "If you get pregnant, I'm going to pay to break the lease and we'll find something bigger." Since I knew I was already pregnant, and he seemed very adamant about it, I thought I should tell him BEFORE he signed this lease, so he could decide NOW what to do.  So right before our landlord came over to bring over the lease, I told him I had his Father's Day gift and wanted to give it to him now. He LOVES presents and was all for it. He didn't want to wait 3 weeks either! I took another pregnancy test really quick that I had picked up that day (June 2), then put it in a bracelet box, put that in the box it came in, and put a bow on top. I had him stop unloading for a second, brought him outside on the porch (since the landlord had just gotten there and he was inside working on some stuff.) Then I pulled my camera out.

He opened the box and saw the jewelry box inside, and said, 'Ooh, this looks expensive!!!" I said "Oh yes, VERY expensive!" I was SO nervous as he opened it up. SOO nervous!  When he opened it up, he looked at it, then got real close to read the results, then his head shot up and he looked at me like a deer in headlights! His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open, white as a sheet! It was perfect! Then he said, "Are you serious?!" I nodded my head yes, and then he gave me a hug. I had the video camera on him still, so he didn't tear up, but If we were *alone* I know he would've been a bit more expressive. He just couldn't believe it, but he was SO happy. I was happy that I didn't have to keep such a big secret anymore!  8 days is an eternity when you have a secret that good!

We signed the lease anyway, but negotiated a way to break it if we had to, with minimal penalties, and the rest of the day Craig was just useless. No unpacking, no working, nothing. Just in shock the whole day. Then he insisted on calling everyone, even though I thought we should wait a bit. He said, "If you don't call your dad, I'm going to!" He just HAD to tell someone! LOL! We did end up calling everyone. We told Saphara, his youngest sister, who went to the mall with us and bought a little photo album that said "Great Mothers Get Promoted To Grandma." or something like that...anyway, we called Craig's mom and told her we had a gift for her, and to come over. She said she was busy, and can it wait until Friday? Craig said...NO! It's perishable! She came over to the house after work, a little annoyed when she saw the little wrapped box...CLEARLY not perishable, and said again..."This couldn't wait?" She opened it, and was about to thank us without reading the inscription...just a polite thanks, and then she read it. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it. She looked at me, and I just nodded and smiled. Then she went NUTS! It was the best reaction ever! She hooted and hollered and wailed and cried and hugged us! She called everyone she knew and told them she was going to be a grandmother. She told us that she was more excited than she was when she found out that SHE was pregnant with all her kids! LOL! To that, Craig said, "Geez Mom, thanks a lot!" Randall came over to congratulate us, and we all sat in our cramped kitchen for a bit and talked. I think at that point she was glad she didn't wait until Friday! I wish I had gotten HER reaction on camera. It was priceless!

Here's Craig taking a break from moving to open his Father's Day gift!

May 29-June 1, 2009

On the Move!

I drove the Jeep, Craig drove the Penske truck, which pulled our Nissan. Grandma Cheri gave us some walkie talkies so we could talk to each other when our cell phones might not work. Thanks Grandma! Oh, and we used them so much in the first 10 minutes that they died before we even got out of town! (We hadn't figured out the Power Save yet!) That was about it. I had the dogs in the Jeep with me, they had the whole back to lounge around. They did so well, they slept most of the time. 

(This was what I had to look at for 2 days straight!)

(This is the back of the Jeep...they had food, water, their beds, pillows, etc. You can see that they made themselves very comfortable!)

The first day we drove to Fort Stockton, TX and stayed the night in a motel. 

(I tried to get pictures of all the state signs we passed, but this is what they all ended up looking like!  Welcome to New Mexico!)

The second day took us to Spring, TX, where we stayed with Craig's dad, Robert, his new wife, Leah, and their kids, including Craig's half sister, Shannon. They were so great to us. They fed us, gave us comfy beds to sleep on...(we each had our own full bed, in the same room...it was bliss. LOL!) Then fed us again the next morning, gave us a great monetary gift (Thanks Leah!) and we were on our way again. We left the Jeep with them in TX, which was the plan, since we really hadn't driven it in about 8 months anyway...and it was still in his dad's name. Anyway, we were relieved to be in the same truck, so at least we could drive in shifts. For the last 2 days, we BOTH drove the entire way. It was tiresome. Things went smoothly. 

(They all would wake up at each rest stop to get a snack and go potty!)

(Batman and Me on Day 2, waiting for Craig to fill up and hit the road again.)

Day 3 we made it to the beautiful Panama City, FL, where we wished we could stay and have a look around, but we had a schedule to keep, and we needed to get the dogs to our new home. We'd really like to go back just the two of us sometime. 

(Day 3 we passed through so many places I had never been before! This is what Louisiana looked like through most of the state! Just trees growing up out of swampy water or something! Crazy!)

(And here is a poor tiger that was locked up at some little rest stop on the way. I took the dogs to pee, and went to walk them over to see the tiger, and they were  NOT happy. They didn't even growl, they just tried to get as far away as possible from it!)

The fourth day took us to our new home in Crystal Beach, or Palm Harbor, FL. (Same thing kind of.) Some men from our new ward were there and helped us unpack all our stuff into our tiny 900 sq. ft. duplex. The boxes were so packed in the house that there was NO getting around. We had too much stuff for the place! We immediately went and rented a storage unit down the road and put 50% of our stuff in it.  

The house isn't quite what we expected. No dishwasher, no garbage disposal, no microwave, no garage or other storage, ONE working drawer in the kitchen for all our stuff! It was definitely going to take some getting used to! But the price just couldn't be beat! Now we had weeks of unpacking, organizing, and finding a place for all our crap ahead of us! (I'll post pics of the house another time!)

We Love You Ninja!

We thought it over long and hard, and we decided it would be best for us to find Ninja a new home. :(  It was SO hard to find a landlord that would take 4 animals, and to make him sit in a little cage for 4 days straight seemed just cruel. We talked to a few different people, and we found him a great home. The lady that adopted him fell in love with him instantly, and just knew her husband would love him too. They are keeping his name, too. He has an enclosed outdoor area to play in, which is great because he LOVES being outside, and 2 dogs and another cat to play with. We were SO sad to see him go, I started to get teary, but there were so many people at our house helping us pack and clean that I had to get back to work. We know it was for the best. We love you Ninja!

The morning after Guy and Girl found Ninja in the Park.

He made himself at home almost immediately.
He was always curious and mischievous, and always so cute!
He even got along famously with the dogs!
Christmas in Washington...and the only cat in Dad's house that actually used the litter box as long as Brittany didn't close the door.
Ninja loved Christmas so much, he protested to taking the tree down so soon after the holiday!