2 Week Trip Back to Nebraska...

Can you believe it, my husband actually let me go home to Nebraska for a full 2 weeks! Even after I just spent a week there back in April! (the April trip was spur of the moment, this last one I had been planning for a few months!)
It began with my mom and gramma Cena coming to get me. They arrived on May 21st, and we headed back to Nebraska on the 23rd. Good thing my mom had just bought a Suburban, b/c I don't know how we would have fit all my stuff!
I spent my time home spending lots of time with my new niece, Haley Mae and Zoe. Seeing all my other nieces and nephews. I got to have lunch twice with my cousin, Ashton. Spent some time with my gramma Cena. I got to celebrate a dear family friends, Dorothy's 83rd birthday. I also got to see my Aunt T.
And of course, my mom and I got in lots of one-on-one time, which is what we were looking forward to, since that will be our last opportunity to really relax and enjoy each other's company for quite some time! I even got to see my dad more than usual since most of his jobs got pushed back b/c of all the rain, so most of the time I was home he was down working on their new house.
Mom and I got in 30 games of Rummy to 1000! I believe I won 22 of those games...but who is keeping track :) (I really kicked her butt!)
Below are some pics of my time at home! Enjoy!

Me & my mom before a wedding on the 24th.

Zoe Anne & her Auntie K

Zoe Anne

Haley Mae

Haley Mae

My sister, Britni came down the Sunday of Memorial weekend to my mom's to spend the day. Here is Haley Mae napping on her cousin Emma! She was quite comfortable!

My sister, Britni & Haley Mae

Mom and I went down to Palisade to my brothers for a day after they arrived home from getting Kenna. We had also taken Zoe and Haley with us, so that all the nieces and nephews could play together!
Above is a picture of Kenna and Jacob. Kenna sure is growing up fast and is sooo beautiful! She is now 8 1/2. Jacob is now 5 1/2 months.

Zoe, Matthew & Luke
Zoe & Matthew will be 3 in October (only 10 days apart) and Luke is turning 6 on Aug. 5th

Kenna, Luke, Me and Haley Mae

Zoe & Matthew riding Tigger.
This is such a sweet picture!

Me & Kenna getting some cherished quality time!

Nana and her grandkids!

The clan eating lunch at the table.
Jared, Missy, Matthew (can't really see), Nathan in the high chair, Kenna, Me, Luke and Zoe and my mom took the picture. Haley was sleeping in her car seat, and Jacob was hanging out on the floor. Jared and Missy said they are contemplating getting another table this size and combining them the long way, since they are already beginning to run out of chairs...and I don't believe their family is done growing yet!!!

My mom wanted a picture of all her grandkids...so here they are!
Zoe, Kenna, Nathan, Haley, Luke, Jacob and Matthew!
Including precious Maya and my bun in the oven, that will give her 9 grandkids and she isn't even 50 yet! I guess her kids like to make her feel old! ha!

Me with all my nieces and nephews on my side of the family!

Luke sure loves babies...can't you tell by the big grin on his face!
Here he is holding Haley Mae and Jacob!

Luke told us over lunch that he was gonna have 10 kids when he grew up!

Nana w/ her gran-girls Zoe, Haley & Kenna

Our all-girls weekend with my aunts & cousins that was set for June 6-8th kinda got canceled in Lincoln, which was when my mom was taking me to meet Shane. So instead my dad & mom, my sister, Britni and Haley took me to Lincoln! We left Friday morning. Britni really need a little break from her toddler and a chance to do some shopping for post-baby clothing! So of course we shopped, and couldn't pass up an opportunity to eat at Red Lobster. I have been craving a cold shrimp cocktail with melted butter!

Haley Mae sleeping in the hotel, she is such a good baby!

Dressed-up and ready to shop!

My mom, Haley Mae & Me

Me & Uncle Shane w/ Haley Mae
(this is us in a few months!)

Haley Mae fast asleep on my shoulder. Having a baby bump sure makes it easy to hold a baby...it gives you a little shelf to rest them on!

During my trip home, Miss Haley Mae gave me the 101 in feeding, burping, changing diapers and bathing babies! I think I will do okay once baby Emma arrives!

Britni, Me, Haley Mae and my Mom getting ready to part ways after 2 weeks of being together!
I feel extremely blessed with the time I was given and the family and friends I got to see!
I miss you all already!!!

Seeing old friends...

While I was home I got to see long time friends Codi Chandler and Edie Morrison. I was planning on seeing Codi, since she was moving back to the area while I was home. But unfortunately, Codi and Edie's grandpa past away while I was home, and Edie ended up making a trip back...I hadn't seen nor heard from her for a few years...so it was a great surprise and blessing to get to catch up with her! Codi, I think I see every time I am home and talk to on the phone. Both girls are looking as beautiful as ever...its really hard to believe 6 years have passed since we graduated high school together! These are the 2 girls that I clogged with during 4-H when I was young. Plus we were in gymnastics together before that, and went through all of school together!
I even got to meet both of their boyfriends at their grandpa's funeral.

Me, Codi & Edie at a wedding

Codi & I standing in front of her new house.
She just moved to Wallace, NE (many of you have never hear of that, I know...thats b/c its population of like 200) She was teaching in Wyoming. But she met a boy and fell in love..........and this is the 'cute as a button' house he bought for her! I have a feeling that I will be attending a wedding next summer ;)
Great thing is, its right along the way to my brother's house in Palisade! So now I can stop and see her anytime I go that way!

Codi & I

I did do some work too!

My trip home wasn't all rest and relaxing. My mom and I actually were very productive! I helped mow my mom's lawn (which is alot...3 separate sections that have to by push-mowed and 2 large sections that use the rider). We also planted a garden and some flowers.
My mom also enlisted me to help with her main bathroom mini-makeover! Which included taking down all the mirrors, shelving, cabinet, towel bar, etc and removing the base board trim. We painted and put down a new peel-n-stick tile for the flooring. After all that we of course had to rehang everything (in different spots) plus add a few things to hang in the bathroom! (She is lucky I am pretty handy with a drill from watching my hubby!) We also hung a few things in her bedroom while we had the tools out. I think the bathroom looks very nice, it needed a face lift, especially for when they go to sell their house! The true test will be what my husband thinks of it when we go home in July for my baby shower.
(sorry, no pics of the bathroom)

One of the more fun projects we worked hard on was my mom's new berm down at her new house. It sits in the front of the house and will be the center of the circle drive. She already had the dirt in and some rocks set. We worked on moving more rock and placing them (I picked out rock and pointed most of the time, since she wouldn't let me lift anything!) We had to move a bunch of rock from her smaller berms at the house they live at now, down to the new one. She has some really neat rocks, especially huge ones, that have been collected over the years. Also some of it is petrified wood, and one rock that you can tell was used for food grinding or something by the Native Americans. We also planted flowers, laid out the soaker hose, put the landscaping fabric down and mulched! She used at least 15 bags of mulch I think! It looks really nice and is beautiful to see when passing by on the highway. And the toads absolutely love it!

View looking towards the front of the house.

View looking from the house.
As you can see, we didn't get quite done. It rained, and rained, and then rained some more, so we were never able to make it back out to finish it. I think my mom already has it done by now.

Me & my Mom

My Dad and Mom...
I think this picture was taking on June 4th, their 31st Wedding Anniversary!

Evidence that they do still kinda like each other!
Obviously, if my dad knew I was gonna snap the picture, he would have never kissed my mom! I love candid shots!

What is this you ask?
I asked that same question! This is an old stereo/record player my dad drug out of the house! And yes it still works! Its what he blasts while he is working on the house. I thought it was kinda funny!

The new basement wall
One side of the basement.
They will have 2 bedrooms, full bath, huge storage area, utility room, gun room and an enormous family room down there!

My Dad really got to 'play in the dirt' on this project! He had to dig a giant hole to remove the dirt from the side of the house so he could rebuild the north side basement wall. And he made himself a nice pathway to and from the basement to take his bobcat down into the basement. Which made cleaning out the basement a lot easier and reduced a lot of stair climbing! Plus, it made it a lot easier to haul materials down into the basement!
As you can see, the house needs quite a bit of work. They already have done tons! The house is torn down to just the studs and really just needs to be put back together! Now its just a matter of my dad finding the time to work on it here and there between jobs to get it down!
The plans for the upstairs include turning the attached garage into a bedroom (mine, for when I come to stay) and my dad's office and a mudroom. They will have a huge open family room, dining room and kitchen that has the original fireplace in the middle of it all. My mom will also have a walk-in pantry and a large laundry/storage room. They are also adding on to the end of the house a large master suite!
It will be hard seeing them leave the house I spent my entire childhood, but I know this will make a better house for them as they grow older. And they really do need the space when all of us kids come home with our kids!

Congrats to Heather and Jon!

I just want to shout out congratulations to my best friend, Heather and her husband, Jon for becoming 1st time homeowners today! They have been blessed with a beautiful home (w/ room for lots of kids!) I am soo happy for you guys and excited for you as you move onto this new stage in your lives! I can't wait to come and visit! Love you!

24 Week Baby Update...

Today, I had my 24 week check-up (I will be officially 24 weeks on Friday). We also had an ultrasound to check to see if my placenta has moved. The tech that did the ultrasound said it looked like it did move, and by the time I met with my doctor, she didn't have the official report from the ultrasound...so unofficially, I should be good to go with a natural delivery! Which is an answer to a prayer!

This tech that did the ultrasound was so much better than the last one. She really spent a lot of time with us and let us see Emma do all sorts of things! Below are some pictures of baby Emma!

A side profile of Emma.
The v shaped looking thing above her head is her hand.

The bigger blob on the left is Emma's foot and the small blob on the right is her hand.
She was grabbing and playing with her feet.

Here is a picture of Emma looking at us!

About halfway thru the ultrasound, Emma got the hiccups, so that was cool to see her body react, she began to get upset and started kicking me after awhile! We also verified that she is still a girl! And she was still laying breach, but has time yet to flip around!

My prenatal check-up went well, I gained 3 pounds since last time, I am still not caught up to what I was from the start of my pregnancy, but am slowing gaining!

Well, that is all the news!

Today's Project...Diaper Stacker!

Well, today I tackled the first of many sewing projects for Baby Emma and her room!
I give all the glory to God for helping me achieve this beautiful diaper stacker! Patterns can be very confusing (which is why I usually just create as I go on most things I sew!)
The fabric I used is the fabric I am making pretty much all of the bedding and accessories in!

I hung the diaper stacker next to the curtain so you can see how it coordinates with the wall color and new curtains. While we were at Target this weekend, I was able to find these beautiful pink silk panels! I will take a picture of the room with the curtains after I fix them. The curtains are tab tops (which I hate), so I am going to cut off the tabs and sew a new hem. I also found some great pink and green, large and small bins to use in the closet! I will post pics later of those as things continue to progress!
I also ordered Emma's crib, it should be here next week! And once we see it and if we are satisfied with it, I will order the matching changing/dresser combo!

Baby Registry

While we were in Omaha, Shane and I registered at the Kids Stuff Super Store and Target.
Shane was quite accommodating and suffered thru quite well! Especially, since I had a hard time making up my mind where I wanted to register at and which places had what I wanted.
Here are the links to our registries, if you want to check them out!

Kids Stuff Super Store
www.kidsstuffsuperstore.com
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Target
www.target.com

Weekend in Omaha...

This weekend Shane and I (and of course, Bella too) headed to Omaha to meet Shane's family there. His little sister, Lindsey, graduated from UNK on Friday and moved to Omaha along with her fiance, Jared, who also graduated. They both got jobs in Omaha. We went down to help them celebrate. It was a fun weekend!

Lindsey and Shane

We also stopped by to see my cousin, Tracy and her husband, Ethan. We took another belly shot, and I have to say, I think they are getting bigger, compared to our last one back in March!

While we were at Target, I couldn't pass up this cute little sleeper that has whales on it that was on clearance!

Lindsey got us this little onesie...which was quite fitting since she just graduated with her Accounting degree!

This was taken on my first Mother's Day!
Yes, Shane remember me on this day and even got me a card (he planned ahead and picked it up 3 weeks ago!) He also said I could buy some patio furniture!

Happy Birthday Bella!!!

Today is Bella's 2nd Birthday! Hard to believe she is 2 and she is still all puppy!
I tease Shane that 2 years ago on his birthday he wished for a puppy, then Bella was born the next day...he begs to differ! ha ha!

And the baby's name is...

Shane and I have already picked out a name for our baby girl, and have been telling people, so I thought I better officially announce her name on here, so from now on when I blog, you all know who I am talking about!

Emma Eloise Struckman

That's her name! It has been written on my heart for quite some time! I loved it before we were even pregnant, and its pretty much the only girl's name Shane even likes.
Emma is a family name on both my dad and mom's side of the family from a few generations back. I saw it when I was going thru my mom's family tree a while back, and when I had told my gramma Joyce the name we had picked out, she said that her mom's sister I believe was named Emma, and even born in September!
We picked Eloise because that is my middle name, and it has been passed down thru generations, so Emma will be carrying that on.
I never thought I would be one that would name my baby before he/she was born, but I already feel such a strong connection to Emma, and I love being able to call her by her name. And there was not a single other name we even contemplated, so it was a given that it would be Emma if it was a girl!
Moving on, here are the before and after pictures of Emma's closet and freshly painted room!
Let me know what you think!

Closet Before

Bedroom Before

Bedroom Before

Bedroom Before

Closet Shelving in and done! I have 2 rows of shelves that I can also hang stuff on, and then a shoe shelf at the bottom. And a 5 basket drawer system.

Another view of the finished closet

Emma's letters we bought for her room

The new green paint color!

Its a pretty bold color!

Bedroom After

I will post a picture of the fabric I picked out to make Emma's bedding and accessories out of, so that you can get an idea of the color scheme I am going for. I will use pink, brown and white accents and accessories to decorate. The recliner we bought is chocolate brown and we will probably go with a white crib and changing/dresser combo.

Here is all of Emma's stuff in her closet!
It was so much fun putting her things in her closet and they look soooo cute in there!

I have loads of shelving and basket space for lots more baby stuff!

Happy 26th Birthday Shane!!!

Happy 26th Birthday Shane!!!

Me, Baby Em and Bella all wish you a wonderful birthday!
We love you, Honey!

Quick Update...

Friday was the start of my 22nd week! Time seems to really be going by fast, hard to believe we are over halfway thru this pregnancy!
This past week I have just been catching up on laundry, mail and putting things away. It was a little tough getting back in the groove of things after being gone for a week!
On Thursday, May 1st, Shane got to feel the baby move for the first time! It was early in the morning while we were still in bed, I think it made Shane happy! It was exciting! She moves all the time now (in fact she is moving around right now)! I can definitely tell my uterus is moving higher above my belly button, cuz the kicks keep getting higher! I had to admit, it is a lot of fun, and will probably miss it after she is born!
I was doing really good for about 2 weeks with headaches and keeping food down, but Wednesday broke that record when I woke up with a migraine and throwing up, and was out pretty much the entire day!
Friday I enjoyed a relaxing massage, and it was the first time I couldn't lay on my stomach, so that was a little weird! But with plenty of pillows, I was very comfortable!
This weekend, Shane and I spent working in the baby's room closet. I got it painted. I just did an off white. And then we (mostly Shane) installed the shelving! We also bought a 5 basket unit to put in there and I put that together, and prepped the baby's room for paint. Its amazing how long it takes just to prep to paint! I finally decided on a paint color (I hope I picked the right one)! The plan is to get the room painted tomorrow! Then I can move all the baby's stuff into her closet! I took before pictures and I will post those and after pictures in the next few days!
We also ordered the rocker/recliner for the baby's room. Its gonna take at least 8 weeks to come in, so I am glad we took care of it now. We got a super comfortable LazyBoy in a microfiber fabric called driftwood (its like a chocolate brown)! I can't wait to see it in the room!
Well, that pretty much updates us for now! Hope everyone had a good weekend!
God Bless!!!