Another Year Gone By: 2011

2011 has not been the best year for me. I am actually looking forward to leaving 2011 in the past and moving on to see what 2012 will bring.

We have had some major changes this year and along with those changes has come some hardships.

I just want to go over the year for my own record and to reflect back on what this year has meant to me.

*The first few months of 2011 were pretty easy going. Just enjoying time as a family. In February for Valentine's Day Garrett and I had a special date at the Melting Pot and were able to splurge on a dinner that we normally would never be able to have! :)

*In March I celebrated my 23rd birthday by shopping and going out to eat at Red Robin.

* In April we celebrated Easter with a great outdoor service with the Trademark body of believers. Then we had Easter dinner at my grandma's house. It was Caden's first Easter.

*May was Caden's 1st birthday! We had family come into town and had a party at my grandma's house. We had yummy bbq, he opened gifts, and we played outside. The weather was perfect that day!

*May was also the month that we found out that I was pregnant again! This was so unexpected and we were honestly in shock for some time after finding out.

*June was the month the morning (aka- all day) sickness kicked in. I suffered with, basically, non stop morning sickness for about 3 months. It was difficult to be the mom and wife I wanted to be with this going on, but we made it through.

*July is when Caden really started walking on his own and all around! It was so fun to see him reach this stage and never look back! Now he basically runs everywhere! Haha.

*At the end of July Garrett got a new job at Anser Charter School as the full time custodian. This was an answer to months and months of prayer! We couldn't be more thankful for this job.

*August Garrett and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We went to the fair which is starting to be a new anniversary tradition. Haha.

*September we found out that we are having a baby girl this time around! We were so thrilled and decided on the name Avery Renee.

*October is when my health problems started with trips to the ER and Labor and Delivery. Between October and December I had to go in 3 times. Finally in mid-December I had a kidney ultrasound and found out that I have kidney stones.

*In November we took a trip to Oregon to spend Thanksgiving with Garrett's mom's side of the family.

*In Mid-December I needed to have an emergency root canal done on my tooth. The pain came on so suddenly and intensely that when I called at 7pm they had me in the next morning at 11am and in the meantime gave me a prescription for Vicodin.

*In December Caden also faced multiple colds and we took him into the ER one of the times because he had a fever that reached 105! It turned out that he had Roseola. We didn't know this until his fever broke a few days later and he broke out in a rash.

*Also, in December we spent many days packing up our apartment to move into a house rental. We moved the day before Christmas Eve. It was a lot of work and, unfortunately, we are still dealing with the stress. The house was not in the condition that it should have been. So, we have been dealing with people coming over to fix doors, blinds, pick up dog poop in the backyard left from the previous tenants, and now we are waiting for someone to come fix the carpet in the living room. The previous tenants let their dogs pee all over the living room floor right before they moved and did not clean it up. Now after 3 cleanings the floor is still making the whole house smell like urine! It is really unlivable and we have been waiting for days for the property management to fix it. We are still waiting and now with the holidays it won't be fixed until at least this next week. So, this whole ordeal has been very frustrating and stressful...what a way to end the new year. And to top it off Caden and I both have colds!

So, 2012. Please bring me a season of peace and stillness. I pray that we can enjoy time together as a family. I pray that we would all be in good health. And I pray for Avery's safe arrival. I hope that Caden loves her and welcomes her into his life. 2012 please leave the stress back in 2011. Thank you. :)

Angela

Caden's 2nd Christmas!

The Move!

I can not wait until Friday!! I know I still have like 5 days, but I am just so excited to move into our new place! The actual act and process of moving is less than enjoyable, but when you are moving into a place that is much better than where you currently are it is definitely worth it.

Some things that I am looking forward to about living in our new place:

1. Having a garage. Since Garrett and I have been married we have never had a garage. We are always parking our cars on the street or in a parking lot. I am looking forward to the benefit of parking my car in an enclosed structure that will keep my kids safe while trying to load them and keep us warm in the freezing cold.

2. Not having any shared walls or anyone living above us. This is my biggest complaint about apartment living, especially when you have young children. When you share so many walls and live so close together with other people you get to hear a lot of unwanted noises at unwanted times. I don't know how many times Garrett has had to go upstairs or next door and ask them to please be quiet at 2 am because they are keeping us up! I look forward to the peace and quiet that no shared walls will bring.

3. Having a backyard. I have a little boy who LOVES being outside. He would stay out there all day if he could! I am so excited to have a fenced backyard for him to run around and play in. Right now if we want to go outside we have to drive to the park or he plays on the sidewalk by the parking lot...not a good playground. (Bytheway, in our new place we are in walking distance to one of our favorite parks as well).

4. Having a laundry ROOM. Right now my washer and dryer are in a closet in our 1 bathroom. I am looking forward to having a room dedicated to doing laundry and that gives me the space and storage I need.

5. Living in a subdivision. I am happy that we are moving into a quiet neighborhood where I can take my children for peaceful walks. Right now we live off a busy street that doesn't even have a sidewalk. Definitely not the best place to go for bike rides or walks, especially with young kids.

6. Having a master bathroom. Garrett and I have never had more than one bathroom since we have been married. I am excited to have one connected to my bedroom! It means I can blowdry my hair at night without worrying that I will wake up Caden and it means no trips or stumbles down the dark hall in the middle of the night as I make my way to the restroom. :)

7. Having more room for my growing family. There is definitely more space in the new place. Both kids will have their own room and have more room in the living room to run around and spread out their toys. :)

To sum it up, I am so grateful that God has provided such a wonderful place for us to live and I am willing to do all the dirty work of moving in order to get there. :)

Warning: This is a very long documentation of the trials I have been through the last few months...PROCEED WITH CAUTION :)

Talk about "when it rains, it pours!" The last couple months have hit us pretty hard as a family. I am seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and I am praying that a season of harvest and rest is coming!

I have had a bit of a rough time this pregnancy. It started out in October when I had to go to Labor and Delivery at the hospital because I thought that I was going into premature labor. I wasn't, however, and they told me they thought I had a UTI. So, I got on antibiotics and went home. Three weeks later I went to the urgent care clinic because I was in pain again and assumed I had another UTI. They said they didn't see any bacteria in my urine sample, but put me on antibiotics anyways. And then just 1 week ago I was back in Labor and Delivery with what I thought was a kidney infection. While I was being monitored in the triage section I started contracting regularly. They had to give me a shot in the back of the arm to stop the contractions and gave me an IV because I was somewhat dehydrated. They also decided to start me on antibiotics while we waited for my sample to be cultured. When I had my regularly scheduled doctor's visit on Monday I discussed everything with my doctor and she said that her records showed that all 3 of those visits I had all came back negative on any bacteria growth...meaning no UTI and no kidney infection. There was, however, both blood and white blood cells in my urine all 3 times, leading us back to my kidney. When my doctor tapped on my back where my kidneys are located I was in a lot of pain on my right side, so she ordered me to have a kidney ultrasound.

Thursday I went in for the ultrasound and found out that I have kidney stones and a "back flow" of urine in my kidney which makes me have a dull pain basically constantly. I still have not discussed what comes next with my doctor, since the ultrasound was just a few days ago. I hope that the stones are small enough to pass on their own! I am grateful, though, that I have an answer as to all the pain and other symptoms I have had the past few months.

That same Thursday that I had the ultrasound I started having a terrible pain in my tooth. It had been bothering me for about a week and a half, but it was never this persistent or painful. As time went on in the day my pain just kept increasing until it was unbearable! So, I had to rush around trying to find a dentist to take me in (I don't have a regular dentist as I haven't been in years due to the cost :) ). Finally, I got in touch with my dad who set me up with his dentist office. When I called I found out that the dentist didn't have an assistant all week and wouldn't be able to treat me, so he referred me to a specialist who does root canals. I would be able to see him the next morning (it was about 6 when I called).so he called me in some pain meds and an antibiotic (Because my tooth was infected.) After I figured all of this out I noticed that Caden was basically acting like a zombie and when I felt him he was super hot. I took his temperature and it was 102. He had been pulling on his ear the day before and that day as well and so I thought I better take him in to see if he has an ear infection. I barely made it in to urgent care before they closed and they told me he didn't have an ear infection. So we went back home.

The next morning I went to my dentist appointment and am so thankful that I was able to get the root canal done, because I feel much better! When I got home Caden was not doing well, however. As the day went on he got worse and worse and by 9 pm I had to call Garrett to come home early from work. Caden wouldn't go to sleep and just kept crying. When I took his temperature it was 104, every time we tried to give him some tylenol he would throw up. This happened 3 times. Finally at about 10:30 his temperature reached 105 and I decided we needed to take him in since he wasn't drinking any liquids and wouldn't keep down his medicine. We went to the ER and were there until midnight. They said he seems to just have a common viral infection and they gave him an anti nausea pill and then tried to give him the tylenol and that worked. So, we went home and Caden slept with me all night, which meant I didn't get hardly any sleep! Since then his temperature has slowly come down and today it was only 100 and he was playing some and acting more normal today. So, I am very grateful that he is recovering and doing better!

I know this is long and it is probably very boring. I just had to get it all out. These health problems have all been happening on top of us preparing for Avery to come in just 7 weeks, preparing to move in just 12 days, and a flea infestation that we are trying to get rid of. Sometimes so many things happen at once that you feel like you will break. That is how I feel at the moment...I can't take just one more thing!

So, I am just trusting in the Lord. He is good and He has been my peace and hope in all of this. I hope that that season of harvest is coming. I am looking forward to being settled into our new house, welcoming Avery into our family, and just enjoying the time we have together. :)

My Provider

I find myself being reminded so frequently that God is our faithful provider! Since I have been a recipient of His Grace I have constantly been on the receiving end of mercy, strength, health, comfort, love, peace, and physical blessings as well. It amazes me that God cares for me that much that He calls Himself my Father in Heaven and me His daughter.

Ever since we became pregnant with Caden I have seen God providing for our physical needs in an obvious way and it has been such a blessing! There is nothing that I can do but praise Him.

Lately, the same thing has continued. After we found out we were pregnant, we received the health care we needed for the pregnancy, Garrett was given an full time job with a stable schedule, and just last week God provided a house for us to rent. We had received more financial aid this term from Garrett's school than we were expecting and that amount was the exact amount of our security deposit to rent this house...to me, that is obviously a gift from God! The house has everything we need, is in our price range, and is available to move in the last week of December, which is exactly when we need to move out of our apartment.

I just know that all of these blessings are directly from the Lord and I just want to praise Him for caring for us and for His faithfulness, even though I do not deserve it. We truly serve a good God!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

18 Months

Our (not so much) Halloween

My Grandma had her annual Halloween party last night and we had a great time eating treats and hanging out with family. Caden had so much fun running around and playing ball with everyone. However, I do not have a little Ducky for Halloween this year...Caden acted like he was being tortured when I put on his costume and he started screaming and crying- so obviously I took it off! I am sad that he didn't like it and that he won't be dressing up this year, but he is still so young. Next year he might enjoy it more and can help me pick out what he wants to wear.

We did get 2 pictures from last night, which is amazing these days seeing that Caden won't sit still long enough to get a decent picture.

Hope you and your family have a fun and safe Halloween!

This Is October

I can't believe Halloween is next weekend! I am very excited for Caden's 2nd Halloween. Last year he was the cutest billy goat I have ever seen, and this year he is going to be a duck. I haven't tried his costume on him yet- even though I have had it for months- so I hope that it fits and that he will wear it without a fight! :)

Tomorrow is October 23rd- that marks 7 years since Garrett and I have been together. It was our Sadie Hawkins dance at school and I asked Garrett to come with me- AS FRIENDS :). And that night he gave me a poem, some Sweet Tarts (which he changed the name to Sweet Hearts:) ), and a stuffed animal and asked me if I would 'be his girlfriend.' Thinking back on it makes me laugh, but it was so sweet and I of course said yes. Ever since then we have been inseparable. And now we have been married 5 years, have a beautiful 18 month old boy, and have a sweet baby girl on the way. Life is unexpected and wonderful.

We took Caden to the pumpkin patch at the beginning of the month and had a pretty good time. He was all over the place and just wanted to explore his little heart out. Which was difficult seeing how busy it was and how hard it was to walk in the pumpkin patch without falling down. But we picked out some very cute pumpkins and Caden loves them. I thought it would be fun for him to finger paint his pumpkin, but boy was I wrong. He did not like the feel of the paints on his hands and started crying for me to wash his hands after only a few minutes. Before I took him down I helped him paint his pumpkin quickly so it would at least be decorated by him. Haha.

We have been playing outside a lot and Caden is on a swing almost every day. He just loves to move and play- sure wears me out!

Anyways, everything with baby Avery is looking good and I can't wait to meet her! I am 26 weeks along- only 14 to go! I am done being pregnant, though. I don't feel quite as good as I did when I was pregnant with Caden, but overall I am fine. I just don't want to get even bigger and even more uncomfortable, which I know is going to happen! Haha.

That's about it for now! Next time I will be posting Halloween pictures of my adorable duckling! :)

September in a Nutshell

September went by quickly in the sense that I can't believe tomorrow will be October 1st with Halloween and the rest of the Holidays soon to follow, but September also dragged on for me. Our family faced a ton of sickness this month. Added all together it was 3 weeks of the stomach flu, colds, and a double ear infection between the 3 of us.

Thankfully, we are healing- I am over everything, Garrett is almost completely over his cold, and Caden is on antibiotics for his ear infection.

So, needless to say our household has been a little "off" this month.

But besides that, we also had a huge blessing this month...we found out that we are having a baby GIRL! We are so thrilled and are even more thrilled that she looked very healthy on the ultrasound. I still can't believe that we are having another baby. I feel so thankful and so overwhelmed by it. How will I handle 2 kids? Just by God's good grace I suppose. :)

We have, also, enjoyed watching BSU football games with my family and playing outside when we have the chance.

Caden is obsessed with going outside...it is basically all he wants to do, which is hard when you don't have a backyard! We are so ready to rent a house- only 1 1/2 more months until we move!

This month I have started stacking up on Christmas gifts, which I love to do! I am, actually, all done with Caden's presents! Can't wait for that time of year. ;)

That is about it for now. Just trying to get healthy and stay that way! Here is a few photos from the past month...mostly us on Bronco game day. :)

BSU Football Family Photo


19 weeks pregnant (tomorrow I will be 23 weeks!)
3 Generations

5 years

Saturday was Garrett's and my 5th wedding anniversary. I am amazed at how quickly it has gone by- just like everything else, I suppose. We have gone through so much during these past 5 years and have changed so much as people.

I remember back to 5 years ago on our wedding day and just feeling so swept up in the feeling of love- the unknown- our future. I felt like we could conquer the world. I had never been in love like that before and even though I was only 18 years old- fresh out of high school- I knew that this love was the real thing.

5 years isn't a long time, but it is something. In these 5 years we have moved from place to place, from college to college, and learned a lot of life lessons. We have grown as people, grown together, but most importantly grown more and more in love with Christ. We have had ups, downs, and in-betweens. We have had a baby...a piece of our hearts outside of our chests living and breathing. We have another baby on the way. We are more in love now than ever before and I thank God that 5 years ago- yes at the age of 18- I said 'I do' to the man of my dreams.

Happy Anniversary, Garrett, I love you more than words can say.

Changes Again! :)

I haven't written in quite some time. I find it harder and harder to make time to do so as Caden gets older. Since his 1st birthday on May 5th he has been growing so quickly. He isn't a baby anymore, but a little boy!

He is waking all over the place and is developing quite a little sense of humor (he is always making Garrett and me laugh). He is starting to say some words including Go, Wow, Woah, Ouch, and tries to say Cat.

The last few months have been a whirlwind! So much has changed in our little family. The biggest thing is that God is blessing us with another child! Tomorrow I will enter my 12th week of pregnancy...almost to the 2nd trimester! I am praying that with the 2nd trimester my morning sickness will cease and I will have a renewed energy. I am due January 28, 2012. Garrett and I had just started discussing when we would want to have another baby and little did we know, I was already pregnant! This baby truly is God's doing. :)

We had our first ultrasound of this baby last week and it was amazing to see! I was far enough along at this appointment that the baby was moving a little bit for us. It was so cute to see him/her wiggling around. :) The heart beat was 171 bpm and everything was looking good.

With this new addition coming we need a bigger place and are planning on renting a house in December when our lease is up. In order to do this we really needed the security of Garrett having a full time job. So, since May we have been applying and applying and applying to every stable job we could find. And the day after we had the ultrasound Garrett had an interview for a full time custodian position at a school. A few hours later we received the call that he got the job! Wow, talk about God providing! We are ecstatic and are praising God for His Provision!

Like most of the time, our future is somewhat unclear to us, but it gives me great comfort and peace to know that it is in God's hands and His plans are always far better than my own.

1 YeAr!

So much has been going on since I last posted.

Caden experienced his first Easter. We had a wonderful church service at the park and then had dinner at my grandma's house. He had a little cold, but besides that he really enjoyed the day.

And, of course, Caden had his 1st birthday on May 5th. I can't believe time has passed so quickly! Since we have so much family Caden celebrated 3 times on the week of his birthday. He had a big party at my grandma's on his actual bday and had a blast. He opened presents, we barbequed, we watched a video that Garrett made of Caden's 1st year, and of course we sang to him and he ate his bday cupcake.

This has been the best year of my life and I thank God for the honor of being a mom!

Caden has become so funny. He claps all the time, throws himself backwards in his crib and cracks up laughing, and he loves to be outside. On the warm days we go for walks and play at the park. I can't wait for summer.

Caden had his 1 year doctor appointment and besides being sick and having an ear infection the week of his birthday, he was very healthy. He doesn't weigh very much @ 18.5 lbs. The doctor said that is in only the 3rd percentile. His height is in the 39th percentile and his head is in the 83rd percentile...I think it's because he has a big brain. :)

Here are some pictures of his bday, Easter, and recently having fun at the park:

The Madness of March

Well, should I state the obvious that I haven't posted in awhile? haha. Things just keep getting busier and busier as Caden grows. He is crawling like a madman these days! haha. He gets in to EVERYTHING and goes EVERYWHERE he shouldn't. He is also pulling himself up to a standing position and using anything that is taller than him on his knees, even if it is just a toy. There have been a couple of spills, but not too many yet.

I am in awe of how he catches on to things and how smart he is. It gives me such joy to see him learning and growing- truly a blessing of being a mom.

It baffles me that Caden will be 1 year old in just 41 days! As I have been reflecting on this past year I have been humbled and so grateful that God not only allowed me to be Caden's mom but gave me the opportunity to be at home with him full-time. There is nothing in the world that I rather do!

Besides just watching Caden grow and chasing him around everywhere this past week was my 23rd birthday. I tried to spread it out into a "Birthday Week" and started out with dinner, presents, cake with my dad and family at his house. Then Garrett, Caden, and I went out on the only decent day that week to the zoo. It was so much fun, Caden actually watched the animals with interest. Then came Wednesday, my actual birthday. We had our usual schedule during the day and once Garrett got off work we went to dinner at Red Lobster while my mom watched Caden. Then we headed to my grandma's house for red velvet cake and chocolate milkshakes...my request. :) Then...I am still going, haha...Friday my mom and I went out to lunch and did a bit of shopping.

Well, that's about it for now. I want to, of course, share some pictures of my cutie pie!

Have a good week, everyone!

2.14.2011

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!

We had a great time as a couple and has a family of 3!

Garrett and I celebrated early by going to dinner at the Melting Pot. It is a fondue restaurant downtown. We had a 4 course meal and it was so wonderful! Especially because we never have such "fancy" eating experiences. If we ever go out to eat it is usually to Red Robin (which IS my favorite restaurant by the way).

Then on Valentine's Day we had a yummy breakfast of pancakes and strawberry smoothies!

Then we gave Caden his Valentine, which was The Very Hungry Caterpillar book. Then after a morning nap, we went to the park for the first time with Caden. He LOVED the swing. He was just laughing away. Afterwards we went to the mall for a few things and then had dinner in the food court.

Such a fun day celebrating the love in our life. :)

HaPpY VaLeNtInE's DaY!

A Most Amazing 9 Months!

Caden is 9 months and 3 days old today. He had his 9 month check up with the doctor today. I wanted to record his stats from the doctor and some other things about him at this age. Each stage goes by so quickly and the last thing I want to do is forget!

Caden @ 9 Months:

*Weighs 17lbs & 10 oz - 8th percentile

*Is 28 inches tall- 38th percentile

*Head has a circum. of 18.25 inches- 78th percentile! haha.

*Wears size 9 months mainly, but can wear some 12 month sizes.

*Sits on his own, but sometimes randomly throws himself backward and bonks his head. :)

*Does the "arms crawl" and always drags his right leg when he does it...pretty dang funny.

*Rolls like a crazy person.

*He is ALWAYS moving. He doesn't like to sit still or to be held. He just wants to be free, especially when I am changing his diaper or clothes...this has been a major challenge lately.

*He LOVES bath time. It definitely relaxes his and he loves to splash in the water.

*He enjoys shopping with me. He just observes everybody and watches all the things roll by.

*Daddy makes him laugh more than anyone. He especially likes it when he makes funny noises.

*He is VERY ticklish.

*He can't get enough of his bottle...this is going to be a tough one to break.

*Likes reading time with mommy. His 2 favorite books are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and "I Love You, Goodnight."

*Calms down when I sing "The Ants Go Marching" song.

*Still loves jumping.

*Likes his oatmeal, mangos, and carrots.

As he grows I love to see his personality develop more and more. He is such a character and I am looking forward to each day that I get to spend with him. :)

Busy Little Me

I have been very busy lately working on a couple of things!

#1- I have started another blog! This blog is going to be a blog specifically for women. Talking about things we are interested in...crafts, cooking, parenting...as well as devotions and conversations about life and issues we face as women. I hope that it will be helpful and that everyone will enjoy it. I am really looking forward to working on it!

I will try and update it every couple of days. The website is www.diapersanddevotions.blogspot.com

#2- After having quite a break from my Etsy shop things are back up and running! I have updated somethings and am ready for business...well, I hope I have some business! :) Go check it out! @ June Tree Designs

There are some great Valentine things on there, especially for little girls.

I am glad to have these things going in my life. I love being at home with Caden more than anything! But, as most of you mommas know, it gets so tiring and you give so much of yourself that I need to do this for myself. It also helps me to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Caden is getting so big and is starting to move all over. He will be crawling like crazy before I know it! Right now he more scoots and pulls himself forward. He is so entertaining and has the greatest smile...now with 2 little teeth on the bottom!

Here is a picture of him a few days ago watching tv with mommy and daddy in his diaper...so cute!