Monday, March 18, 2013

Weekend Update

Snow day number 2 here... And golf practice starts tomorrow...needless to say I'm as cranky as the rest of the Minnesotans wanting spring to get here...Well, I'm not actually for real cranky because I am still on a high from a wonderful, perfect week and weekend with friends and family and Junebug's first shower!

First off, Andy did a marvelous job last week when he was on afternoons of painting the nursery and pulling out the old carpet for out new carpet to arrive!  Ugly yellow paint is gone...ugly orange 70's carpet is gone.  The tile he found underneath the carpet was quite unique as it was a variety of game boards... checkerboards, tictactoe boards and one area looked like backgammon!  So crazy!



 Friday night my amazing, now-retired, first secretary @ HLWW, Jan, threw my friend Jackie and I a combined wedding/baby shower at her home.  It was so special to be with all my close coworker friends who make me grateful everyday to have a job that may be a lot of work bat times, but a lot of fun and so worth it with them all the time.  I couldn't imagine being anywhere else or ever having coworkers as awesome as them.  We were blessed with TONS of necessities for baby and having our new nursery filling up is making it all more real!



Jan loves to write Left Right stories (door prize presents are passed around whenever Left/Right is said) and I just loved it and laughed and teared up so wanted to share it/save it here:


An Exciting June is Right Before Us!
Well Brooke and Jackie as we gather here today we hope you have not left your humor behind because we have some sage advice to extend as we celebrate the additions of a brand new baby and a brand new husband to the HLWW Middle School family.
To you Brooke, it sounds like humor will be a key ingredient right from the start of motherhood.  Everyone wants you to laugh a lot!  Right!  Kim says “no matter how splattery your surprises are, laugh often.  Then Janell wants you to laugh first and never ask “what were you thinking”?  As I, a mother of three said, right!
Well here we go with the “enjoy each day, they grow up so fast wisdom” from Colleen.  Stephanie knows how right she is as she reminds you to not wish the time away and to appreciate each stage as it comes, as time passes too quickly.
Carol seems hopeful you will run into a good sale on Kleenex, as she is encouraging you to buy a pallet load!  Guess she isn’t expecting your weeping to go away with motherhood and thinks it only will make you want to cry more!  Once again, speaking from experience, she is so right.  Now you have to add all the amazing milestones that will only bring tears of happiness as you experience motherhood.  I almost left out that this never stops, we moms just keep on crying happy tears even when they are all grown up. 
Your motherly instinct is what Laurie wants you to go with.  She has found that sometimes this is better than any book or advice you may have been left with.
Mary has summed up a right-fine reminder to take care of yourself, so you can be a good mom.
Well Jackie, you would think we left all our wisdom to creating a beautiful baby world for Brooke.  Oh no, don’t you feel left out.
Stephanie suggests that you put each other first and everything else will fall right into place.  I guess this goes along a little with Janell’s thoughts.  She says to always compliment your husband around other people.
Mary mentions to always remember to say you are sorry and so did Kim.  Kim did also add that if that doesn’t work, a lil whoopie can solve most issues!  Right to the point our Kim is!
Laurie left you with some beautiful sentiments.  She says never put down your husband’s parents. Always talk to your friends or family about any concerns because you can never take back what you may have said. Your husband may not react or say anything at the time but it will impact your relationship. When it gets challenging, remember the best gift they gave to you is their son and be right-thankful for that. 
Probably the most practical piece of advice was left for you from your fellow farm wife Colleen:  Be sure to shut the stove off when you are called to help outside for a few minutes?  A few minutes is almost always three hours.
And lastly a reminder from Carol to enjoy the single life while you still can.  She says you only have a few months left to sass it up!  When you miss that alone time, just think of her!
I almost forgot that I had not left you girls with my advice.  Silly but the same advice seems to work for your new baby, Brooke and Jackie, for your soon to be hubby Nate.  Smile into your endeared “baby’s” eyes and speak kindness to them.  Happiness will come right back to you.
The month of June will find us decklin the halls for your celebrations at HLWW with pink for the wedding and possibly the arrival of a little girl.   Who knows we probably should add some blue too if my guess is right that Brooke will have a boy!
All that seems left to say is each of us prays that blessings abound not only in June for the two of you but each day of these new adventures in your lives.
Enjoy!



The weekend was then filled with fun and relaxing with my sister in the cities and she decided to just come out to Hutchinson to hang with us.  We picked up the stroller mi madre bought us, shopped in some golf stores, saw OZ and ate at Old Chicago!  After that we head to the Golf Zone heated driving range and Brittany was doing awesome.  Got me excited to start coaching a few of my newbies this week!!

Spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday just hanging out, going to church, making good meals and playing some cribbage... Oh yes, and making some green virgin drinks for a little St. Patty's day fun!



Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Belly Dancer plus... Gene Machine Results!



Church was a ton of fun this morning as Junebug was dancing, pounding, kicking and moving nonstop during the service. My belly had waves going back and forth!  It is so fun to literally be able to see the movements now!!  Truly God's miracle!   I understand why my doctor mentioned a couple weeks back that women miss the safety of baby in the belly and belly feelings!  I thought that seemed weird then because you'd have baby out and right there with you but I think I understand it a little more now.  We have entered our final trimester and I can't wait to meet our tiny one!

Even though we don't know the gender of the baby, I've always wanted a boy first a bit more and Andy's wanted a girl.  Though just silly feelings, old wives tales, and a couple dreams I do feel like baby is a girl.  Andy and I both said yesterday we'd almost feel let down if "my feelings" are wrong and it is a boy because our hearts are thinking girl... But of course, we don't really know and could be wrong... and of course, once Junebug is here we know any "wishes/dreams" we had won't matter one bit!

Well, enough sappiness.... For Andy's birthday a couple years ago we went to Dave and Busters with a group of friends and used some of our game arcade points in a Gene Machine photo booth... Here is just a bit of what our future boy or girl could look like!! Hahaha!


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Ugly Bright Yellow Blank Slate!

       I made use of my bittersweet, slightly- unwanted- if-we-have-to-make-up-in-June, snowday today and finished emptying out our old office/future Junebug's room, and set up our new office area so I can quit using kitchen table and island for work.  We've been doing a little bit the last couple weeks of donating/selling extra furniture in old office and ordering our new items.  Our new carpet, recliner and crib will be here soon! But before they get set up, Andy is in charge of the nursery! (At least I am trying my best to release all responsibility...) I loved that with our wedding I had no stress thinking about honeymoon and he had something to work on and I'm doing the same with the nursery.  I have no strong decorating skill/desire anyhow so this is perfect!

Before Pics of our blank slates and my after pic of the new office set up in our guest room!



      But I did collect some ideas for my hubby to work off of when I subbed a couple months back in an art room of 8th graders.  There were no real sub plans so I made up the assignment to design Junebug's nursery.  I told them we were thinking of a Mario/Princess Peach theme... but our options were open so design away!  Here are a couple of quality (well... semi-quality entries...):

Livin' the Dream
This student was convinced we should name baby Annabeth.
Winner of "boy" prize I gave out.

Winner of the "girl" prize I gave out. 








These last couple are just cute!  I entertained the Tree of Life idea for a bit!