Nick on his Harley

Cue music…
“Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highwaaaayyyy!”

I’ve had my motorcycle license for about six years now… I don’t do a whole lot of riding though, with two young kids an all.
My husband loves to get out on his Harley when he can; just cruisin, nothing crazy. (Or so he says)
This past weekend, My husband on his Harley, a friend on his motorcycle, my parents on their big scooters, another friend on her scooter, and me, also on a scooter,(after becoming a mom, my fear tolerance has greatly decreased for some reason, but to my credit, this lil’ scooter goes 55 mph +!) we took a ride to Grand Rapids, Ohio. It was so fun! I love the hot summer wind in your face, the fresh air smells, the relaxing twist and turns of the road, and the low wave all the motorcylists give you (makes you feel like your in some special club! haha!)
It was nice to pass beautiful Nazareth Hall where my husband and I got married. And hanging out for a bit in Grand Rapids was also a good time. Such a cute little area. And you always have to get the ice cream there. Yum! I hope to do it again sometime before the summer ends!

My sweet little angel turned 3 years old this past weekend! I can’t believe it! It’s been so neat to see her grow into a little girl… but also a little sad. Sometimes I miss my chubby lil’ toddler.

It started on Monday, February 22nd, I was dialated to 3 at my doctor’s appointment and started to feel regular contractations that night… but they were gone by morning.

I started to feel more by Wednesday the 24th, so I went to the hospital and they said I was dialated to 5 and could be admitted if I wanted. My husband and I decided to make sure I was making progress instead, so after a couple hours of walking laps and flights of stairs at the hospital, I got checked again. Much to my chagrin I hadn’t made any real progress, so we headed home to get some sleep.

I woke up the morning of my due date depressed. I wasn’t feeling anything, and started to think I would be pregnant for a couple more weeks. So I sent Nick off to work. About an hour later, I started to feel some contractions, but I wrote them off, and watched TV a little more. When they kept up, I decided to draw myself a bath. The contractions quickly intensified, and after about a half hour of regular 2 to 3 minute apart contractions, I called Nick. He didn’t answer. After another call and a text, I called him at work and said, “Get home!” About five minutes later we were off…

In a past blog, I talked about how Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and why that is. Christmas is usually so stressful for me. One reason is that I tend to procrastinate… to be that person on Christmas Eve, scrambling to find places that are open so I can get my shopping done for the next day.

Not this year! And I must say, I’m proud of myself! I actually ventured out on Black Friday for the very first time this year, and kick started checking gifts off my list.

Ever since then, online shopping has been my friend and guilty pleasure! It has been so nice to sit in the comfort of my own home, peruse all the awesome deals and gifts, and get everything sent straight to my door minus the usual exorbitant shipping costs! I feel the freedom of it has even made me more creative and able to be more generous!

I only have a few things left to buy, and I’ll be all done! What a great feeling! But I want to share my joy… a website I found out about kind of late in the game… It’s called goodshop.com. Not only does this online shopping mall feature discounts and free shipping deals, but it lets you donate to charity too! And at no extra cost to you! So you get good deals, buy the gifts you needed to anyway, and get the good feeling that comes with supporting charity over the holiday season! Be sure to check it out!

Many of my friends have Blackberry phones and sing its praises. My husband and I have been wanting one for a long time now, so when our phone contract ended, we finally made the splurge. My husband is on the road a lot for his job, so he wanted a way to easily access e-mail while on the go. I run around a lot being a reporter, so being able to e-mail from my phone is a nice addition. I can e-mail story updates, or let my producer know how a story is going, without stepping away to make a phone call.

Now, when we got the phones, I was sure that being able to do more from the palm of my hand, would save me time. Now that I actually have it, I’m not convinced. Now, I may just not have mastered what I can do on this phone…. (In fact, I remind myself of my parents with their phones… “How do I write this text? What if I want to…”) but there’s aspects of the blackberry that drive me nuts. I am constantly getting “notified” every time a new junk e-mail comes in, or about a posting on Facebook. I wouldn’t normally take the time to check my e-mail or Facebook as much as my phone likes to “notify” me, so I feel like it’s taking up more time than saving. I’m also not that impressed with how long it takes to connect to the internet or send a message.

Unfortunately, no matter how great an advancement in technology may seem, I feel like in the end, we serve it, rather than it serves us. Think about it… do you ever feel like a slave to your phone/computer? Or that your phone or television recorder (DVR) acts more as a leash than a connection to others? Every now and again, try turning everything off, take a deep breath, lay your head back and feel the freedom/relief that comes with being unconnected.

It’s been awhile since I last blogged. There’s been so much going on.

Nick and I came back from a short trip to Arizona this week. His twin brother lives there. It was so nice to get away for awhile and soak up some 80 degree weather for a bit! It was hard to leave our two-year old behind with her grandparents, but at the same time, that might be the last time we’re able to get away for awhile with another one on the way!

Speaking of the new one on the way, Nick and I nervously went for an ultrasound Friday afternoon. Of course our first concern was that the baby was healthy and growing appropriately, but our next hope was that the ultrasound would show a boy. Now, we didn’t find out for our daughter, but that was torture for Nick not knowing the first time around, so I let him have his way this time.

I was worried that finding out might take some of the “magic” away from finding out at the time of birth, but finding out this time at the ultrasound, with our daughter right there with us, was still very “magical.” When the nurse quickly said boy, Nick shot up from his chair, while I asked, “How sure are you?”  When she confirmed she was very sure, Nick and I burst into tears!

We feel unbelievably blessed to have our precious little girl, and now a handsome little guy still growing healthy and happy inside. With about four months to go until his arrival, the nesting phase has officially begun. Nick kindly bought me a new Hoover vacuum to assist! I love it! I’ve been battling dirt like a warrior… I feel like Rambo as I switch from one vac attachment to the next… breaking no cleaning stride. Bugs, cobwebs, dust, and dirt, you have not a chance against me and my new Hoover!!!

As I sit here in my office, I’m noticing all the cleaning that I can accomplish in here! Hope I’ve caught you up! Now it’s time to put the cleaning war paint back on and switch on the Hoover…

We finally got around to taking Ivie to the new “Nature’s Neighborhood” area at the Toledo Zoo. She had a great time and daddy and mommy did too!

mommy and Ivie

mommy braved the slide

petting the goats

smile lil' bee!

buzz buzz

just got a flower painted on my face!

can't quite reach

that's one tiny elephant!

mommy's turn!

Ivie's favorite-the monkeys!

Well, I think it’s about time that I make sure everyone knows I have not been loading up on ho-hos…. my growing belly is baby #2. I am 15 weeks along this week, but still feeling pretty green. Every time I think I’m out of the woods, that nausea/exhaustion just kicks right back in. I don’t remember being sick after 16 weeks with my first child, so hopefully I only feel miserable for just a little longer. (more…)

Something you may not know about me….

I used to be quite fluent in sign language. But, like most things, if you don’t use it, you start to lose it. (more…)