On Friday the 16th, Luke had asked if I had heard from my grandma on whether or not she was coming up that weekend from West Virginia. I had emailed her the day before, so he suggested I call down there and see what the plans are. Low and behold, grandpa tells me she is already in Ohio, and will probably be over that day!!!!! Surprise to us. We got the dishwasher loaded and started wiping the microwave and in pulls mom and grandma. Luckily, the house wasn't too out of shape, but I wasn't expecting her until Sunday afternoon, not Friday.
She stayed the week and the girls had a ton of fun. They walked up to the Gault Family Learning Center and played on their "playground". We walked around the block and picked up some leaves that we put in clear contact paper to preserve. We raked some leaves outside to jump into. They did lots of puzzles and colouring.
Luke and I worked on the bathroom a little bit, cleaned the basement just a touch, and got my Geo Metro hauled off for scrap :( I got $180 out of it from the guys that took it away, but I cried as they hacked away at it on the trailer before they even left our house! I told Luke, I had that car longer than I've been with him. I will miss it, but the frame was beyond fixing.
Wednesday was Nana's birthday, but we waited until Saturday to celebrate, since Grandpa came up Friday and they stayed over at Uncle Rob and Aunt Taresa's house. We had lots of ice cream cake and cheese :)
My doctor's appointment was Thursday, and we didn't bring the girls since Nana was up, so the doctor decided to do some swab test and check things out in there. She said the cervix was high and closed, which is good, since I still have 2 weeks before I'm considered full term, and my belly is measuring at 38, although I really believe that I look smaller than I did with both girls. I'm hoping for the second week of November (the 10th to be exact), but we will see how things pan out.
Luke had a senior shoot on Sunday at Silvercreek. We dropped the girls off at Rob and Taresa's (for more ice cream cake) and I went and held the reflectors and flashes for him. They will be coming over later this week for the studio session. He actually left about an hour ago to do another senior shoot at Lake Anna, and then we will have to schedule a studio session for them as well, so needless to say I will be busy cleaning all week!!
Hopefully I can muster up the energy. There are so many little things I want to get done, especially before the baby, and how he will have two seniors to edit, and I just hope he can get the editing done before I pop. I actually think the baby dropped a bit, must have been the walking at Silvercreek yesterday. Hopefully we can get some things finished up...if anyone wants to buy me some drywall and put it up for me, I will love you forever ;)
As always, pictures will show up sometime, we have lots of senior pictures to go through, so I'm sure the first pictures that will end up getting posted on this blog will end up being whenever the baby comes, and then we will catch up with everything else one day....
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Hi...Welcome Back!
To myself that is... My laptop had a charger lost for quite some time, and Luke hogs his other computers a bunch...so I never really found the time to get on here and update as usual.
September flew by. I'm really not sure if we did anything memorable either :( We had our 4 year anniversary, had the house to ourselves (with kids) for a week while Chris watched Luke's parents' house while they went on vacation. We did go to the Cleveland Airshow over Labor Day weekend.
The big news throughout August/September is that we got the photography business up and running...somewhat. The webpage (www.willowspondphotography.com) now works, with galleries and pricing. Luke had a couple senior sessions at the beginning of the month that he is almost done editing, and we will see how those go! Unfortunately, we launched at the wrong time. The nice weather is ending, and we are getting super close to Baby #3 being here ( 4 weeks until full-term!!!)
Speaking of baby, everything is going well, I go back on the 22nd, and then we think we may go down to seeing her every week until baby arrives. Heart sounds great, and I'm measuring a week ahead. I am hoping for the 10th, but we shall see I suppose.
We still have so much to do around the house. We have closed off the sunroom as a toy room for the year since it has been so cold, so now it is cluttered with items from our little foyer area just inside the front door. We had to clear it all out because we will be removing a door that goes into our bedroom and making a little coat closet in there, so we are gonna take out a door, slap some paint up on the walls, finish the wood floor and then clutter it back up with coats and yardsale boxes for next year. Then we will be able to work on our bedroom, although I don't think we will be anywhere near done with it by the time the baby comes. We are also steps closer in the bathroom. We need to finish some window trim (prime and paint) and run some caulking around the tile, and the shower will be usable, which will be nice since my Doctor doesn't really recommend a bath after delivering a baby.
I know I've said it the past few times, but one day I will get Luke to get some pictures ready to be put up here. There are tons of miscellaneous ones to go through.
As for a more recent update. Today we went up to Walsh Farms in Doylestown to pick out pumpkins. The kids have been really excited seeing pumpkins of front porches when we drive, but they didn't seem nearly that excited when we went to pick them out. I think they were cold and crabby, and I was too, so they went the the little straw maze a few times, then we picked out one big pumpkin to carve, and they each picked a smaller pumpkin, and then we got teeny tiny ones that we will probably let them paint.
September flew by. I'm really not sure if we did anything memorable either :( We had our 4 year anniversary, had the house to ourselves (with kids) for a week while Chris watched Luke's parents' house while they went on vacation. We did go to the Cleveland Airshow over Labor Day weekend.
The big news throughout August/September is that we got the photography business up and running...somewhat. The webpage (www.willowspondphotography.com) now works, with galleries and pricing. Luke had a couple senior sessions at the beginning of the month that he is almost done editing, and we will see how those go! Unfortunately, we launched at the wrong time. The nice weather is ending, and we are getting super close to Baby #3 being here ( 4 weeks until full-term!!!)
Speaking of baby, everything is going well, I go back on the 22nd, and then we think we may go down to seeing her every week until baby arrives. Heart sounds great, and I'm measuring a week ahead. I am hoping for the 10th, but we shall see I suppose.
We still have so much to do around the house. We have closed off the sunroom as a toy room for the year since it has been so cold, so now it is cluttered with items from our little foyer area just inside the front door. We had to clear it all out because we will be removing a door that goes into our bedroom and making a little coat closet in there, so we are gonna take out a door, slap some paint up on the walls, finish the wood floor and then clutter it back up with coats and yardsale boxes for next year. Then we will be able to work on our bedroom, although I don't think we will be anywhere near done with it by the time the baby comes. We are also steps closer in the bathroom. We need to finish some window trim (prime and paint) and run some caulking around the tile, and the shower will be usable, which will be nice since my Doctor doesn't really recommend a bath after delivering a baby.
I know I've said it the past few times, but one day I will get Luke to get some pictures ready to be put up here. There are tons of miscellaneous ones to go through.
As for a more recent update. Today we went up to Walsh Farms in Doylestown to pick out pumpkins. The kids have been really excited seeing pumpkins of front porches when we drive, but they didn't seem nearly that excited when we went to pick them out. I think they were cold and crabby, and I was too, so they went the the little straw maze a few times, then we picked out one big pumpkin to carve, and they each picked a smaller pumpkin, and then we got teeny tiny ones that we will probably let them paint.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Long Overdue Update....
Where to start off? We've had a hectic month. My birthday was July 26th, so we celebrated by going to the Cleveland Zoo for the day.
We are starting to get a little deeper into the photography business. We had a shoot with my Aunt and Uncle, a senior shoot with my brother, a family shoot with an old friend of Luke's, and we have inquiries from both family and strangers for family and senior shoots. Luke had some editing to catch up on this week, and we've been making price lists and pamphlets, but it looks like there is no turning back now, Luke has officially picked up a part-time gig as a photographer.
Lilly is still doing really well with potty training. She still wears a diaper when we go out and at night, but as her communication about going potty gets better, we will switch to underwear more and more for her. Right now she is distracted easily when we are out and will not tell us until it's too late, and she sleeps like a brick so she doesn't wake up to go potty.
We had a family reunion last weekend for Luke's Mom's side of the family. It was a big success. Luke got some pictures, but his sister had her laptop and scanner set up so we could scan in pictures and information that family members brought, so that was the #1 goal for the day. The girls and I got a little sun, but they spent most of the day playing with an old well pump that still worked, so they were soaked most of the day, which worked out nicely, since it was over 90 degrees and sticky.
My monthly baby checkup went just fine. I think I've gained about 5 pounds, and everything looks and sounds great.
I'll have pictures to put up sometime, but I don't want to bug Luke about it right now since he has lots of photo editing to do. For now though, everyone is doing fine, and hopefully this blog gets updated a bit more now that we have the office moved back upstairs and Luke's server issues under control!
We are starting to get a little deeper into the photography business. We had a shoot with my Aunt and Uncle, a senior shoot with my brother, a family shoot with an old friend of Luke's, and we have inquiries from both family and strangers for family and senior shoots. Luke had some editing to catch up on this week, and we've been making price lists and pamphlets, but it looks like there is no turning back now, Luke has officially picked up a part-time gig as a photographer.
Lilly is still doing really well with potty training. She still wears a diaper when we go out and at night, but as her communication about going potty gets better, we will switch to underwear more and more for her. Right now she is distracted easily when we are out and will not tell us until it's too late, and she sleeps like a brick so she doesn't wake up to go potty.
We had a family reunion last weekend for Luke's Mom's side of the family. It was a big success. Luke got some pictures, but his sister had her laptop and scanner set up so we could scan in pictures and information that family members brought, so that was the #1 goal for the day. The girls and I got a little sun, but they spent most of the day playing with an old well pump that still worked, so they were soaked most of the day, which worked out nicely, since it was over 90 degrees and sticky.
My monthly baby checkup went just fine. I think I've gained about 5 pounds, and everything looks and sounds great.
I'll have pictures to put up sometime, but I don't want to bug Luke about it right now since he has lots of photo editing to do. For now though, everyone is doing fine, and hopefully this blog gets updated a bit more now that we have the office moved back upstairs and Luke's server issues under control!
Monday, July 20, 2009
A Quiet Weekend
Last Tuesday, my grandma drove up from West Virginia in preparation to take the girls down to her place in West Virginia over the weekend. She stayed Tuesday and Wednesday night, and took the girls to the park and cleaned things (she always has to clean something). On Wednesday my Aunt and Uncle came over with their boys, and we paid them to pull out the weeds in the front flower beds. They kept the girls entertained in the yard, and we ordered pizza and showed off a few pictures Luke had edited of the boys, (we did a photo shoot at their place on Sunday).
Thursday morning, grandma took of with the girls to pick up my brother and head down to her place. Lexi has stayed the night away from me once or twice with grandma, but it has been at my Uncle's place, 30 minutes away, not 4 hours into another state! To say I was scared/anxious/depressed would be an understatement. She called when they hit the border and stopped at the rest area, and at 2:26PM, I realized it was the first time I had ever been separated from my babies by a state border!
We had so much planned for when they were gone, but I physically and emotionally just felt ill by not having them. We caught the new Harry Potter movie, we hit some thrift shops and yardsales, and we finished adhering the shower tile (it still needs grout and sealant before the shower is usable again). We got our small fish tank set up on the fireplace, because we plan on transferring our fish out of the big tank. We are gonna sell the big tank, it just takes up too much space for Luke's "studio" in the dining room. I also set up my yardsale stuff and made about $20, not as good as last month when we made $50, but still...every little bit helps.
I truly believe that we actually get more accomplished when we have the kids. I function better when I know they are here and safe with me. It doesn't help that I am halfway through a pregnancy, so my emotions are wackey times 5,000!
Needless to say though, the kids are back safe. We picked them up Sunday in Marietta after hitting the local Kmart there and getting lots of toy deals :) We took them to a park before we came home, since Nana had said that we would, and Lexi never forgets! They had a blast in West Virginia, and missed us a bit, but wouldn't talk on the phone (a skill we need to work on) They played in a little pool, and sand, and the creek, and down the street at a neighbours.
I'm just happy to have them back. They may be exhausting at times, but they are my babies, and my responsibility, and it feels really weird to be without them!
Pictures to come soon...
Thursday morning, grandma took of with the girls to pick up my brother and head down to her place. Lexi has stayed the night away from me once or twice with grandma, but it has been at my Uncle's place, 30 minutes away, not 4 hours into another state! To say I was scared/anxious/depressed would be an understatement. She called when they hit the border and stopped at the rest area, and at 2:26PM, I realized it was the first time I had ever been separated from my babies by a state border!
We had so much planned for when they were gone, but I physically and emotionally just felt ill by not having them. We caught the new Harry Potter movie, we hit some thrift shops and yardsales, and we finished adhering the shower tile (it still needs grout and sealant before the shower is usable again). We got our small fish tank set up on the fireplace, because we plan on transferring our fish out of the big tank. We are gonna sell the big tank, it just takes up too much space for Luke's "studio" in the dining room. I also set up my yardsale stuff and made about $20, not as good as last month when we made $50, but still...every little bit helps.
I truly believe that we actually get more accomplished when we have the kids. I function better when I know they are here and safe with me. It doesn't help that I am halfway through a pregnancy, so my emotions are wackey times 5,000!
Needless to say though, the kids are back safe. We picked them up Sunday in Marietta after hitting the local Kmart there and getting lots of toy deals :) We took them to a park before we came home, since Nana had said that we would, and Lexi never forgets! They had a blast in West Virginia, and missed us a bit, but wouldn't talk on the phone (a skill we need to work on) They played in a little pool, and sand, and the creek, and down the street at a neighbours.
I'm just happy to have them back. They may be exhausting at times, but they are my babies, and my responsibility, and it feels really weird to be without them!
Pictures to come soon...
My Best Friend!
On July 9th, we met up with my bestest bud Diane, and her son Miles at our local Applebee's. Chelsea and Kendra also came, seeing as we all went to school together, and had kids the same age and all.
I hadn't seen her since Lexi was little, and I had never seen her son...only in pictures, so it was fun to go out to eat, then we hit Cohan Park here in town, which is just the right size for little kids like ours to play on.
She is in the Air Force, and stationed out West (I won't disclose her location ;) ) I miss her lots, and can't wait until she moves closer!
Pictures to come soon...
I hadn't seen her since Lexi was little, and I had never seen her son...only in pictures, so it was fun to go out to eat, then we hit Cohan Park here in town, which is just the right size for little kids like ours to play on.
She is in the Air Force, and stationed out West (I won't disclose her location ;) ) I miss her lots, and can't wait until she moves closer!
Pictures to come soon...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The Fourth of July
Every year we spend the day of the fireworks hanging out with my dad at the fair in Orrville. This year, we headed up to my cousin Josh's house, which isn't too far from the high school where we normally sit each year. It was convenient, because being pregnant, I have to go potty every 1/2 hour or so, and a bathroom is better than walking half a mile to a port-a-potty.
We walked down to the park to take a look at the fair, and asked Lexi what she thought about the rides. Well she saw the helicopters and wanted to ride those. She is only 3! No one else can go on with her because it's for 56 inches and under. I of course, had a panic attack right there. Luke waited in line with her while Lilly, dad, and I stood by the gate. Luke strapped her in and I took pictures, and then when he left he took video. She did fine, but it took everything I had to not break down and cry that she was on a ride all by herself! She didn't seem thrilled with it, and she didn't pull her bar back to fly the helicopter, but she said she had fun. I took both of the girls on the carousel, and Lilly had a blast on it, and cried when we got off. We also played the Lucky Ducks game, and they each picked out a blow up SpongeBob as a prize. We also bought some incense sticks, cotton candy, fair fries, and a funnel cake...all of the usual fair needs.
We hung out at Josh's, playing with cars and sparklers, and when it was close to 10PM, Luke walked down to the high school so he was closer to the fireworks for pictures, and I sat back with dad and we each held one of the girls while the fireworks went off. The girls loved them, and they were just as great as every other year we've gone. Instead of throwing ourselves in traffic, we waited since Luke had to walk back up from the high school, and then we casually packed up and headed out of town. It only took us 20 minutes to get from Orrville to Burton City to pick up the dog, which is the shortest we've ever been stuck in traffic. I really think the girls were asleep before we left the parking lot as Josh's apartment!
We walked down to the park to take a look at the fair, and asked Lexi what she thought about the rides. Well she saw the helicopters and wanted to ride those. She is only 3! No one else can go on with her because it's for 56 inches and under. I of course, had a panic attack right there. Luke waited in line with her while Lilly, dad, and I stood by the gate. Luke strapped her in and I took pictures, and then when he left he took video. She did fine, but it took everything I had to not break down and cry that she was on a ride all by herself! She didn't seem thrilled with it, and she didn't pull her bar back to fly the helicopter, but she said she had fun. I took both of the girls on the carousel, and Lilly had a blast on it, and cried when we got off. We also played the Lucky Ducks game, and they each picked out a blow up SpongeBob as a prize. We also bought some incense sticks, cotton candy, fair fries, and a funnel cake...all of the usual fair needs.
We hung out at Josh's, playing with cars and sparklers, and when it was close to 10PM, Luke walked down to the high school so he was closer to the fireworks for pictures, and I sat back with dad and we each held one of the girls while the fireworks went off. The girls loved them, and they were just as great as every other year we've gone. Instead of throwing ourselves in traffic, we waited since Luke had to walk back up from the high school, and then we casually packed up and headed out of town. It only took us 20 minutes to get from Orrville to Burton City to pick up the dog, which is the shortest we've ever been stuck in traffic. I really think the girls were asleep before we left the parking lot as Josh's apartment!
A Birthday for Kendra
Actually today (the 7th) is Kendra's birthday, but the party took place over the holiday weekend. On Saturday, we hooked up with Chelsea and Kendra, and another friend from high school (Angie) and her daughter Katy. We spent the afternoon at Chuck-E-Cheese in North Canton, and let the girls have some pizza and play some games. Lexi likes collecting tickets for prizes, and we had enough to get a lollipop and a spider for both Lexi and Lilly. We used a couple of the tokens to get some pictures of us together. I'm pretty sure they are probably the only family shots we have of all four of us together since Lilly was born!!
Kendra's party was on Sunday, and she had picked out SpongeBob invitations, so her party was themed for SpongeBob. It was basically just her family, and then us, so the girls had some fun swinging and blowing bubbles and eating cake. Kendra got lots of puzzles and colouring books, and we got her a shovel and some other sand/outside toys.
Kendra's party was on Sunday, and she had picked out SpongeBob invitations, so her party was themed for SpongeBob. It was basically just her family, and then us, so the girls had some fun swinging and blowing bubbles and eating cake. Kendra got lots of puzzles and colouring books, and we got her a shovel and some other sand/outside toys.
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