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Fishing Buddies

Vic took Ranger on his very first fishing trip!

Tell me he's not the cutest dog in the entire world! Oh I just love that Vic and Ranger have this special bond are truly the best of friends. In just 4 short months Vic will be wearing baby in a wrap while he's fishing with Ranger. The three men of the house gone fishing, I can see it now! :)

Baby Alexander is a...

BOY!!! We are so so excited we can't even handle it :) Vic has a fishing buddy, I have another handsome man in my life, Ranger and Siska have a little brother to play with, and my mudroom will now own up to it's name! Oh boy oh boy!

Right after we announced that baby is  a boy my sister gave us a gift and this was the card...

July? Umm Mindy I'm due in April. We were sitting there very confused as to why she put July then all of a sudden my mom blurts, "Are you pregnant?" AHHH!!! Mindy is pregnant folks. The lady who said "I am SO done having kids! I don't want anymore. Maybe if I could get a surrogate so I don't have to be sick for 9 months." is so and totally pregnant! YAY! YAY!! YAY!!! Cousins just three months apart is going to be so awesome :)

22 Weeks!

Gender: BOY!!!

Size: 11 Inches long & 1 whole pound :)

Names: We had two names that we decided if it was a boy then it would definitely be one of those names. Since finding out that list has grown to about 10! Vic likes the idea of us waiting till he is born to officially decide which is great except that what if he comes out and I look at him and think, "Wow, he is definitely a William*!" and Vic looks at him and thinks "There's my boy Jim*!" Honestly scares me a little!

*Neither of those names are on the actual list.

Movement: Lots of moving around especially when I am in the car or eating. Actually this morning I watched the video (which I have every intention of posting once I can figure it out) of when we announced to my family that he is a boy and as soon as the balloon came out of the box and my family was screaming he kicked so hard! He is a boy and he knows it :)

Cravings: Any and every kind of soup!

Aversions: Salami, but that might be because we bought some and every day last week I had a turkey and salami sandwich! I know this is a little controversial because "they" say not to eat lunch meat when you are pregnant. Well my mom and sister both ate it all the way through their pregnancies and everyone turned out just fine! But then again my mom, sorry to throw you under the bus, smoked when she was pregnant with my sister! Explains a LOT! ;)

Nursery: This is the question I get ALL the time! "Have you decided on your nursery yet? Have you decorated your nursery yet? What is your nursery theme?" Eek! It honestly freaks me out a little to dedicate an entire 50% of the bedrooms in our house to someone who will only be about 2 feet long and sleep all the time. So I am not changing the extra bedroom into the nursery since it is currently our office, guest room, and library. I have zero desire to rearrange our entire house when baby is little and he can fit just about anywhere. Our bedroom is the entire upstairs and it has a landing when you first come up the stairs so I am turning that landing, which is currently the shoe/gun storage, into a mini nursery. As for a theme... I'm not really the theme type. I am going to start with orange and turquoise and see where it goes from there.

Cranky Day

You know those afternoons where you're a little cranky because you're pregnant and achy, a little cranky because you're sick, and a lot of cranky because your hungry?


Well, today I'm thankful for good solid cries, a warm bed, and my husband. My husband who, despite the fact that he cannot fathom why I'm crying, still hugs me tight and lets me know all is well!

18 weeks

Size: 5 1/2 inches long, 7 ounces... the size of a sweet potato

Movement: I have not felt anything yet but I am ready and waiting for it. Sometimes I lay on the couch very still and say "Ok baby I'm ready now, you can move around!" 

Weight gain: 4 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Nothing yet but with a couple of my jeans I am using a rubber band looped around the button to give me a tiny bit more room.

Cravings: Taco salad

Aversions: Nothing really except the normal foods I dislike.

Election 2012

On Tuesday, November 6th we re-elected President Obama. This was my very first time voting for a president and it was quite fun. In the state of Washington we have mail in ballots which isn't as cool as going down to a voting station, pulling the curtain back, and casting my vote but in the comfort of my own home with my husband we filled in the bubble on our ballots! How fun it was to have that opinion and contribute! What an excellent privilege we have as American citizens to be heard as we are casting our votes for presidents, ballot measures, governors, etc. I'm thankful for that opportunity and it has honestly made me way more excited for 2016 when we get to vote again. I already am predicting who is going to be running, not that I'm a political expert by any means! :)

Happy Halloween

Rimrock Lake

There is a lake about 20 miles from our house that they partly drain every year so that the snow/rain doesn't overflow it. For a few months while it's filling back up you can hike down into it and explore the bottom of the lake. We took the puppies last weekend for Vic's Sunday off and it was a blast! It was snowing when we got there and the pups had never experienced snow before so that was exciting. The dogs took off in the lake and ran and ran and ran! They had so much fun chasing each other, finding dead fish, and just being able to run without any boundaries. Luckily there was nobody else there and since we were down in the lake there was a natural fence so we had this awesome pool like area for them to run free! We walked around and explored for a couple hours and came home with MUDDY and very tired puppies :)

Thankful For...

• A baby that is so active we couldn't even get a picture from the ultrasound! So cute and a little frightening to think of him/her as a toddler :)
• My mom is only 2 radiation treatments away from being done!
• The slushy snow that has been falling up at our house the last couple days!
• Fully potty trained puppies
• An awesome wood stove!

"...for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

Privileges of being Pregnant

Front row parking!

Trucks or Tutus?

I am dying to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Whenever we are in a store and see those sweet little clothes, it takes everything in me to walk away. I looked online to find some old wives tales on how to figure out if it is a boy or a girl. Here is the list of what I found...

Ring Test: Tie your wedding ring around yarn/string/whatever you have and hold it above your baby bump. If it swings back and forth it's a boy, if it goes in circles it's a girl.
GIRL

Heart Rate: If your little one's heart rate is 140 and above then it's a girl. Below 140, a boy.
GIRL

Morning Sickness: If you have lots of morning sickness well past your first trimester, it's a girl.
BOY

Chinese Birth Chart: There is some Chinese calender that calculates the month of conception and how old you were at the time of conception to figure it out.
GIRL

Cravings: If you are craving sweets then it's a girl, because girls are so sweet! If you are craving sour and salty foods, it's a boy.
BOY

Face: Apparently the shape of your face is very telling in pregnancy. A round face says that you are having a girl, but what if your face was round to begin with?
GIRL

Sleep Position: Sleeping on your left side says boy and the right says girl. And stomach says both?
BOY

Toddler Advice: Since toddlers think they know everything anyways, we might as well ask them for some advice. The wise words of a toddler can tell you whether it's a boy or a girl. I asked the older two of the little guys I nanny. They were surprisingly on the same page.
GIRL

Acne: Breaking out a lot during pregnancy is due to all the extra hormones so they say that if you are constantly back in middle school going through puberty then it's a girl from all those wonderful estrogen hormones. What if my husband is breaking out? That must count for something right?
BOY

Graceful vs. Clumsy: Since all girls are graceful, haha, then being graceful during pregnancy is a sign of a little girl. Clumsiness is a sign of a boy
BOY

Mood Swings: Since girls aren't always nice, mood swings are a sign that it's a girl. Sorry husband!
GIRL

Even or Odd: If the year your conceived and your age are both even or both odd then it's a girl. If it's one of each, a boy.
BOY

Dreams: Dreaming of your sweet little pea that is growing ever so sweetly in your tummy? Well apparently dreams don't come true because it is said to be the opposite gender of what you dream about.
GIRL

Breast Size: Some women are blessed with boobs that are the same size. Unfortunately there are those of us who are not so. If your right breast is larger, it's a girl. The left, boy.
GIRL


GIRL: 8
BOY: 6

Nothing definitive. I guess I'll just have to wait for that ultrasound in 6 weeks!

13 Weeks

Baby Alexander is now 13 weeks old! What a milestone we hit as we passed the first trimester. I'm only throwing up about twice a week and way am less tired. Baby is now the size of a peach and almost 3 inches long! Whoop big baby :) Fingerprints have formed on the fingers, it can smile and frown, the eardrums are forming, and can make sucking movements with it's mouth. I have officially gained one pound but I am starting to notice a little belly. I bought a belly band and am using it with some of my jeans that are a little snug but so far no use for any maternity clothes. We are so so excited for this little child to come into our lives!

Vic was telling the baby all about how we met, fell in love and got married. Brought tears to my eyes, it was so sweet!

Fun at the Fair!

2012 Washington State Fair!

Grabbing the bull by the horns! haha

Seriously the cutest thing I've ever experienced! Made me want one so bad!

Milking the cow! We even got stickers :)

My good friend Kimber (who is just 7 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy) showing her horse Bubba!

The Ferris Wheel! My favorite ride :)

         

A fun day was had by all! Unfortunately not pictured was the Charlie Daniels concert! 

That was quite a blast!

Seahawks!

Jeremy, #89 in the picture below, blessed us and bought us tickets to go see the Seattle Seahawks play last night! This was awesome because it was a Monday Night Football game, which is apparently a big deal in the NFL. Double awesome because in the very last second of the game we scored a touchdown and won by one point! I have never been hugged by so many strangers in my entire life! We had such a fun time with Joe and Jeremy and still can't believe we got to see such an amazing game! 

Sick House

My poor husband is sick and throwing up. I know this is so awful but it's a really nice change to not be the one hanging over the toilet! Victor, thanks for bearing this one tonight and hopefully I won't have to! Tonight, er, in this moment I'm thankful for a calm stomach.

Baby Alexander

We are so very excited to announce that we are PREGNANT!! yippee :) Baby Alexander is due in April! We cannot wait to see our sweet little muffin!

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Camping #2

Well for our second camping trip of the season we went to Riffe Lake which is in the west side of Washington and it has excellent fishing(for the guys). We went with our good friends Russ and Kimber. We had such a blast despite the torrential downpour of rain! Unfortunately this is the only picture I took that weekend but it is near and dear to my heart. I love tent pictures, I just think they are so cute and fun :) 

Oregon Trip

We were blessed with a weekend off in the beginning of June and were able to make a trip down to Eugene. We had Victor's brother's high school graduation, a friend's wedding, a big three-way birthday party (Mindy, Whitney, Dad), Bette's (niece) 2nd birthday party, and just catching up and hanging out with our friends! It was a crazy busy and super fun weekend!

On the road to Oregon...

A cool replica of Stonehenge

Our sweet niece Hannah and nephew Nathan

Emily's (2nd from left) coffee themed bridal shower

One from our family photo shoot

Some fun and uber doober cute, if I do say so myself, pictures that Kirsten took :)

Vic and his brother's at Blake's high school graduation

Kirsten's Visit

The very last weekend in June my very best friend Kirsten had a long weekend off of work so she came up to see us! This is her second visit to Yakima but the first time she's seen our new house! It was so much fun to get to hang out with her and have some fun friend bonding time! 

Day 1: Kickball and floating lanterns (which ended up falling in the back of our property and catching some of the brush on fire!)

Day 2: Doily art projects!

Day 3: Hiking the Cowiche Canyon Trail!

Lightning Storm

On Sunday night there was a crazy thunder and lighting storm in the Yakima Valley! I have never seen lighting like this before, it was striking every 30 seconds! We stood outside and took pictures and videos of this crazy event which apparently is much more normal here in Yakima! EEEE... scary!

Soap Dispenser

I hated the soap dispenser in my bathroom. Loathed it really. It was stainless steel and being right by the sink it got the brute of the water splashes making it plain nasty looking. I love mason jars so I decided to put the pump from the old one into the lid of a mason jar. With a screwdriver and a hammer I punched holes into the lid to make one hole big enough for the pump to fit into. In about 10 minutes and zero dollars I switched out my nasty soap dispenser with this cute one! I now LOVE it and can't wait to switch out my q-tip and cotton ball jars with mason jars!

In EVERY season

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Thankful For...

• My  mother 
• The doctor's found the cancer early
• Her cancer is small and easily treated
• God is our great Healer!

"I am the Lord, your healer."

Exodus 15:26

S'mores Pie

A couple weeks ago I was hanging out with some girlfriends and we wanted to make s'mores inside using terracotta pots like we saw on Pinterest. Naturally since nothing turns out like we see it on Pinterest we couldn't get the fires going. We decided to just use the BBQ since it was a nice evening. Well we couldn't get that going even after we attempted at starting it by lighting a match and spraying it with hairspray in the direction of the grill (oh, what our husbands would have said). I mentioned that since we have graham crackers we should just make a pie out of it... that led us to this TASTY little summer pie :)

-Graham crackers crushed (1 package)

-4 tablespoons melted butter

-3 bars Hershey's chocolate

-Marshmallows

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. In a pie pan combine the crushed graham crackers and melted butter until butter is evenly distributed among graham crackers. 

3. Bake crust for 7 minutes

4. Take out crust (leave oven on) and layer chocolate bar onto crust then layer marshmallows onto chocolate.

5. Bake for 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted. 

6. Switch to broil and broil for 2 minutes or until marshmallows get browned.

Camping

For our wedding we got a lot of camping gear so we figured we'd try it out. I was so excited to get out into the wilderness with nothing but my husband and dog!

I had the responsibility of finding the campsite so I randomly picked one by a lake so Vic could fish, obviously. When we showed up we drove into a golf course. "Are you sure this is the place?" Vic asked me. "Over there I see tents!" I excitedly exclaimed. What I really saw were parking spaces with gravel for a tent. Nothing like the camping I imagined. We soon found out that I booked our wilderness adventure at a resort! We thought about going back home and camping in our backyard but we already paid for it and since we're poor we were not about to waist $30!

We unpacked, got the tent set up and explored our resort. It ended up being a total blast! We were able to rent a boat and took Ranger out on his first boat ride. Would we camp at that place again? Absolutely not! But it was a very fun weekend :)

What a hunk rowing us out into the lake! ;)

Poor buddy was cold so he snuggled up under Vic's sweatshirt!

My very first fishing experience!