Celebrating 4 years of Wedded Bliss Today...

I just wanted to say Happy 4 year Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Shane!
I love you and thank you for 4 wonderful years so far! I look forward to many, many more!
Its hard to believe we have been married for 4 years! I told Shane and everyone else when we got married, we were waiting 5 years to have kids...we almost made it!

Pregnancy Update...

Today, I am 27 weeks & 4 days along! Baby Emma is really growing! She is more active and her movements have gotten a lot stronger. Its definitely been a lot of fun feeling her move around in there! Below are some pics!

I am 25 weeks in this picture.

I found this cute maternity dress on clearance for only $6.98 at Target! My husband should be proud!

I am 26 weeks in this picture.

I really don't like bare belly shots (they make me feel awkward...so if you see one, its usually b/c my mom insisted my belly was cute and I had to show it off). Anyway, this picture marks a little mile stone in my life! This is taken right before I removed my belly ring...which I actually have had longer than I have known Shane (only by 3 months). So he has never seen me without my belly ring!
Anyway, it kinda made me face reality that I am gonna be a mom and that those adolescent years are gone! (actually, it really isn't that dramatic!)
In order to say a proper farewell, I think it is fitting to share the story of how I went about getting it!
It was my freshman year of high school, and my sister (she is 2 years older than me) had come home with her belly button pierced (she was going thru a rebellious stage) and never asked my parents permission, so they were furious. So I immediately asked my dad (without my mom around) if I could get my belly button pierced...he said 'yes', even gave me the $50.00 to get it done and made my sister take me to North Platte to get it pierced! It is quite humorous looking back on it. My mom still wasn't very happy, but it really was harmless!

Me & Shane and my 27 week belly!

Shane did think I had gotten bigger since the last time he had seen me!

I will update you again on Friday after we have our 28 week check-up!

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!