Happy Birthday To Me!

Thursday was my 27th birthday. My wonderful husband took me and mom for a delicious dinner at the Keg. However, the whole meal ran very behind and left our poor friends waiting in hiding to surprise me at our house for an extra hour. Even though I had my suspicions (when Dave vacuumed and picked up the house before we left for dinner, plus refused the desert menus at the restaurant)I was still very happy to see all my friends there to wish me a happy birthday. Thanks to everyone for the gifts and to Janine for taking these pictures. Oh ... and for waiting around in the dark wondering if we'd ever come home!

Christmas 2007

This Christmas we're so excited to have mom with us for a nice long visit (its been a year since we've seen her last). Of course having company meant that we had a good reason to cook a BIG meal ... in fact we're still eating it! As usual in our house ... friends are always welcomed - so Chris and Glenda joined us just back from visiting family out of town and Kris, Mel & new baby Kaleb dropped in a little later for some fresh baked cherry pie. Thanks to mom we have a few photos of the event.

We're Registered ... Sort of ...

A couple of weeks ago Dave and I opened a baby registry at Sears so that those who wanted to buy us stuff for the baby (you know you want to) would know what items we specifically wanted and still needed. We started out online, however, you can only put items in from the catalogue. So recently, when we were in our very small Sears store, we thought we'd add some of the smaller items they don't have in the catalogue - like sheets, blankets, bibs, etc. When we approached the staff to do so we were informed that all their registry scanning machines were broken and had been sent away for weeks. Rather inconvienient for the gift giving season don't you think?! So as of right now we have a very small registry on the Sears website that can access from this link. We hope to add to it later if Sears gets their machines fixed ... hopefully before the baby is born!

26 Weeks: For Sure A Bigger Belly

Last time I posted a belly shot my mom commented that I looked pretty much the same. I think this time there is definitely a difference. Of course I always know when there's a difference because I'm the one carrying around the extra pounds, out growing even my pregnancy clothes, can no longer bend over without sitting down, and now need to look in the mirror to do up my pants. Finding a winter coat to cover my all-up-front baby bump is going to be a challenge! Still 14 weeks to go!

To see my previous belly shots go to: Week 22, Week 17, and Dave & Me and BABY makes Three!

100 Days To Go

As of today I have approximately 100 days to go in my pregnancy. Of course I say approximately because it could be a few more or a few less depending on when this baby decides he wants to come into the world. Sometimes if feels like the days are just crawling by but then I look back and wonder where the past few months went. Hard to believe I'm about to enter the 3rd trimester!

Good For A Chuckle

My mom and I have the same sense of humour ... she sent me this!

Week 25: A Friend for Baby Brown

Congratulations to our good friends Kris and Melody who's son Kaleb Douglas arrived last Friday afternoon. I've enjoyed being pregnant with one of my best friends for the past several months, and the birth of their first child only brings home the reality that the birth of our little guy is not that far away! In fact, I'll be done work in just 7 more weeks! I look forward to having some down time to get things ready and to hang out with Mel and Kaleb during the weeks before Baby Brown arrives.

Bethlehem Live!

It's that time of year again. It's almost Christmas and that means Bethlehem Live - our evangelistic outreach that tells the Christmas story in a unique way to our community. To read more about what exactly Bethlehem Live is, read last year's post. Dave and our friend Kris are heading up this massive undertaking ... so things have been a little busy in our household as of late. Hopefully in the next few days we can post some pictures to give you a little peak of the action.

23 Weeks: Missing Modern Medicine

So far 23 weeks hasn't been much fun. Not because the baby isn't well, but rather because I've caught a nasty cold.

I've felt it coming on for the last week and a half, but this weekend it came on in full force. That's right, I have the sore throat, the cough, the chest congestion, the stuffy nose and the sneezing all at once. For years I have complained about the taste of Neo Citron but now that I can't take medicine to cure my ills, I miss that yucky warm lemon taste with a hint of medicine dearly.

Happily I can say today that I feel the worst is behind me. I have survived the worst of the common cold by common means ( a lot of rest). Here's to a good night's rest and the capacity to function the rest of the week!

Week 22: The Bump Gets Bigger

Believe it or not ... the baby may almost be a pound by now and about a foot in length. Of course he has a lot more growing to do and so do I. I think I'm in trouble because I'm already having trouble putting on my socks and shoes!

Week 21: Kicking Like Crazy!

It's been a little while since our last update, but that's because we spent last week at our annual District Prayer Retreat in Banff. We drove down with our friends Kris & Melody who are also pregnant - but much farther along (just over 8 months at the time). Needless to say, there were a lot of bathroom stops and walking around to prevent any blood clots.

Of course while we were in Banff we did a little shopping and it goes without saying that we had to buy something for our son. Dave is rather famous for the size of his big toes (especially the right one). Some guys on his floor in college actually carved it into a pumpkin one year for Halloween. Anyway ... we came upon a great find in a children's store. There is a series of plush monster dolls called "Ugly Dolls". There are a variety of creatures with multiple arms, missing or multiple eyes and buck teeth. One of the dolls is actually named "Big Toe" and so we couldn't resist ... we had to buy one for our future son who could possibly inherit the same digits.

As far as what's new with baby ... our little guy has become an acrobat. I've been feeling very sporadic, and infrequent kicks for about a month. But as of the end of October our son has found his legs, arms, and elbows and has begun kicking frequently. Of course most of the time this is in the evening and especially when I've laid down to go to bed. Dave jokes that our son is actually nudging me with those big toes! No matter when, why or with what he's jabbing me with - there's no other feeling like it in the world. The second trimester is great!

Week 19 . . . It's a Boy!

Today (Oct. 31st) was our first, 19 week ultrasound.

That means, our baby's first pictures.

It really is amazing at how much you can see on an ultrasound ... the beating heart, his spine, fingers, and toes, even our son's smile! And yes ... it's a boy! Apparenlty the little guy has a lot of energy because he was moving around like crazy .... not that I can feel all of that yet. We're so excited for our little miracle!!

Doing some more flips

(You can see the spine)

The baby's face (top view)

Daddy's feet? (Look at that big toe!)

Other New Additions

Despite all the "baby talk" we have been continuing to accomplish other things around the house. Recently I've had a little savings to buy some long awaited purchases for our main living area. All of these small purchases have really brought the space together and with these finishing touches I'm now free to concentrate solely on the future nursery. Here are a few of the new additions:

New curtains for the Dining Area

New curtains for the Living Area

Art work actually hung!

Lighting for the Living Room

A Stainless steel range hood to replace the previous white one AND a new stainless steel microwave.

17 Weeks . . . Baby Bump

As the baby continues to grow, so does my waistline. I now have the cute "baby bump". No hiding it now . . . everyone who sees me knows I'm pregnant!

Week 16 ... Holy Guacamole!

This week our little one is about the size of an avocado (about 5 inches / 11.6 centimetres long from crown to rump and weighing approximately 4 ounces / 100 grams).

Yesterday we also heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time - the first real contact with the growing life inside me. It's amazing how the sound of that incredibly small heart beating so quickly makes this baby such a huge reality. How much more exciting will it be to see the first pictures of our baby in just a few weeks!

Happy Birthday Mom!

This Sunday is my Mom's birthday. I won't tell you how old she will be, but Dave turns 30 in April, so she won't be turning 29 again.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Mom (and soon to be Grandmother).

We hope this year is extra special for you!

Dave's Worst Nightmare

This morning I woke up to this ...

The graininess of the pictures is from the screen door ... no way was I braving the snow that early in the morning.

Dave has been threatening to leave Alberta if it snowed this year in October. Last year it snowed October 28th and it never melted until April. Just to calm all your worries, I'm not planning on going anywhere.

Where did we put the snow brush?

14 Weeks ... Nothing in Particular

Unfortunately my baby website ran out of cute visual comparisons after week 13 so I have nothing in particular to post here.

I am starting to noticeably show, but I will leave you all in suspense of another belly shot for at least another couple of weeks. However, to give you an idea of what I'm talking about, those particular corduroy pants from my first set of belly shots are now particularly snug. There are really no maternity stores in Grande Prairie, so I'm particularly looking forward to a trip to Red Deer/Edmonton we're taking over Thanksgiving to replace my shrinking wardrobe.

Okay, I'm starting to run out of particular instances to use the word "particular" so I will now end this particular post.

13 Weeks

Our little one is the same size as the good, old-fasioned floppy disk! How's that compute? He/she measures 3 1/2 inches from crown to rump (8.89 cm) and now weighs in at 1 1/2 ounces (42.52 gm).

Dave & Me and BABY makes Three!

Dave and I are extremely excited to announce to the world that we are expecting our first child around March 24, 2008. That's right ... there's finally a bun in the oven!

So far everything is going very well. I am 12 weeks a long and I have only experienced some nauseau, fatigue, some acne reminicent of my highschool days (which should really stay in the past), a few dozen canker sores, and a need for constant snacking. Dave on the other hand has had to put up with my nauseau, fatigue, complaints about my acne and canker sores as well as my crazy hormonal mood swings. He deserves a medal (there's been a lot of mood swings).

I recently found an article on one of my pregnancy websites that gives a comparison of the size of the baby week by week for the first trimester. Such items have included a wedding band (week 9), a cumquat (week 10), and a humming bird (week 11). But ever since I sent Dave the link to the site, he has eagerly been anticipating week 12. That is because in week 12 our baby is roughly the size of a Playmobile figurine. Dave thought that was VERY cool. So imagine my surprise when I woke up Monday morning to find that Dave had gotten me a little gift to commemerate our baby's 12th week. What was it, but of course ... our very own Playmobile family!

Autumn in Grande Prairie

I know it's still summer everywhere else, but it's definitely fall up here in the north. Here is a little haiku I wrote for the occassion, particularly true for our neck of the woods.

The leaves are changing.

The days are now much shorter.

Change the quads for sleds.

Made Me Laugh

The Busyness Is Over ... For Now.

So Daycamp is officially over and I have officially survived. At least I think I have ... But September is coming which in the life of a church is "crunch time". So I'm taking the few breathable moments I have right now before I'm submerged once again. In other words, life right now is about recuperating and preparing for the next big thing.

To put it all into perspective Dave finally cut our grass yesterday after more than a month of neglect. It was at the point that when walked upon, it left a path of flattened grass quite visible to the eye from long distances away.

So, nothing exciting to report right now. Unless you consider cutting the lawn a huge accomplishment ... which it was for us.

Not Dead ... Just Busy!

I know its been a while since we posted last - but that's because next week is our church's big, kid's VBS (which we call DayCamp). The administration of this event is taking over my entire life for the moment so as soon as the proverbial waves have calmed, I'll be back with a real blog update.

New Donut Dilema

Since Tim Hortons is pretty much infused into Canadian culture, media, and daily routine, you are probably quite aware that this dominator of donuts is featuring several varieties of lemon flavoured pastries this month.

I am happy to say that I have sampled the Lemon Crinkle donut while on vacation in the Okanagan. I felt quite safe in my endevor, being a stranger in a foreign land. However, I have yet to tread into dangerous territory. I have not yet tried the Lemon Drop donut - a lemon filled donut with icing and lemon zest on top. How will this jelly donut compare to the regular variety and will yours truly be safe to partake in this limited time assortment without the frequent filling sabotage I have almost grown accustomed to? Stay tuned for further details.

Summer Holiday Photos

For the past week and a half we have been driving all over BC visiting Dave's family. First it was camping in the Shuswap, then catching up with family in Victoria, then off to see Mum in Summerland (oh and a couple of stops in the Surrey area to have dinner with Grandma & Grampa).

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is good because we took quite a few pictures. I'd hate to write an essay to go with each one of them. I'll let them speak for themselves.

At One With the Mosquitos

Tuesday night we had dinner with our friends Jason and Rachael at O'Brien Park. We roasted hotdogs but I think the mosquitos had more of a feast than we did. Good thing Rachael wasn't too shy to ask some total strangers for bug spray.

Cooking Hot Dogs

Eating Hot Dogs!

Yum ... Doritos!

Disneyland - Part 2

The rest of our pictures from our Disneyland trip.
Can we go back now?

Half A Decade!

Five years ago to the day, Dave and I were married in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Happy anniversary sweetie! These past years have been great and I look forward to many more.

Oh, and thanks for putting up with my goofiness (evidenced by this wedding photo).

Nothing Like a Little Premature Sod Laying

If you have read our last post you may have been under the impression that we were laying our sod on Saturday. That's what we thought too, until we received a call Wednesday night saying that our sod was coming the next day.

So last night we leveled out our dirt and the grass was put in place. The only minor hiccup was the thunder storm that started for the last half hour. Fortunately the boys had most of the sod down already before the rain began to pour. The only consequence was a lot of mud EVERYWHERE, but boy does the grass look great, and we certainly didn't have to worry about watering right away.

Thanks to all the guys who helped!

Slaves of The Soil

So here are a few pictures of what's been occupying our free time lately. So far we've accomplished the gravel under the deck, pulling all the weeds in the dirt pile we call a back yard (again), and yesterday Dave rotter tilled all that weed-free soil. All that's left is to level out that dirt before our sod arrives on Saturday and then after 3 springs we should finally have a beautiful, clean lawn! Hurray!!