Welcome to the World Lelo!

Posted By:  Stephanie

Hello everyone!  One month ago today 8/18/12 we welcomed our second daughter, Lelo (her nickname, pronounced Lee-Low), into the world.  Although it is a little strange to wrap my head around being a family of 4, I couldn't be happier and she fits into our family perfectly.  We are all SO in love!

Our first family photo!

This moment watching Lou with her little sister for the first time was precious.

Our birth story:

For as long as I can remember, my dream situation for going into labor was for my water to break at Walmart.  Why Walmart of all places?  I don’t really know, it just came in my mind one day and I couldn’t shake it.  Lucky for me we live in a small town that only has two options for grocery, Safeway and Walmart so odds were getting a little higher for me of this happening as long as I was shopping.  When we had Lou I was induced so going into labor on my own was going to be a new experience, if it even happened at all.

It was the evening of 4/18 which also happened to be Lelo’s due date and we (Will, Lou and I) decided to venture out of the house to go pet some animals at the feed store, get some treats from Starbucks then head to Walmart for some groceries.  After looking down just about every aisle of the store we finally got started with the grocery shopping.  Right as we walk down the first grocery aisle I had a contraction which I didn’t think anything of because I had been having them randomly for about 2 days.  I took another step and GUSH my water broke all over the place!  We quickly left but not before informing the gal who worked there they needed a “clean up” on that aisle, which was part of my grand plan.  

It was about 6:15pm when we left the parking lot to head to the hospital.  Living an hour away from the hospital Will thought it was a good idea to go straight there even though I wasn't having regular contractions and I wanted to go home and clean up.  Just for a little perspective here, our home is about 10 miles from the store (about 12-15 minutes).  After a few short minutes in the car on the way to the hospital my contractions were close together and very painful, I knew I was in full labor.  Needless to say, I was grateful for Will insisting we go straight there!  

Will drove to the hospital and got there in record time because he was going between 80-85 mph the entire way there.  Once we arrived there was no time for parking, Lelo was ready to come so Will stopped in the turnaround afraid that she may just come out while walking to the hospital once we found a place to park.  By the time we got in the building and in the room I was on all 4s knowing that she was ready to come, like THEN!  I informed them that I needed to get an epidural and quick because with Lou my tailbone broke during labor and I didn't want to feel that happen again knowing that it was a huge possibility.  Knowing my history with that they didn't refuse me and tried to get it working but they used the medication that I had informed them my body doesn't respond to, so guess who didn't get a working epidural until AFTER birth?  That’s right, me.  Oh well, she came out with 2 pushes and a total of 5 minutes at 8:43pm after holding her in not wanting to push until the epidural was working.  

Lelo was 9lbs 3oz, 21 inches long and healthy as can be!  Lou was 9lbs 6oz and 20 ½ inches long when she was born, they are so similar. In case you were wondering no, my tailbone didn't break this time THANK GOODNESS!

I love this squishy face.

Such a proud big sister!

Bubba (Kristi), Lelo and I

Still at the hospital.  I can't resist kissing these cheeks!

This was just after birth.

While they were getting me all cleaned/stitched up

Will had skin to skin time with Lelo.

Such a special moment.

For me pregnancy is such a special thing, I love being pregnant.  I also experience horrible sickness throughout the entire pregnancy which makes it hard to do every day things a lot of the time.  Although I would always push through and continue my daily life as normal as I could it wasn't always easy.  Even though I love being pregnant I also love that I now have a sweet baby in my arms and that I haven't felt sick, not for one moment since she was born.  I'm really looking forward to doing more of the things I love again like crafts and projects with Lou, trying new recipes, possibly painting a few walls, blogging and other things that when I would try and do them while pregnant it would result in a trip to the bathroom to hug the toilet.  TMI?  I hope not.

Freak Out

Posted By:  Stephanie

I normally think of myself as a clear thinking person.

Calm.

I’m not one to dwell on the little things.

But sometimes…

I freak out.

I have a camera that I got for my birthday and it stopped working.

I was finally able to get a new one after A LOT of trouble because my dad didn’t have the receipt.

Here we are a month later and it’s not working.

Again.

I knew where I put the receipt in my wallet.

I felt one of my freak out episodes coming on.

I go to make sure with my eyes and hands that the receipt is still there so I could stop the feeling.

It’s not.

That’s when it happened.

The freak out.

This is when my blood pressure rises, I’m not mad, just freaking out.

Anxiety hits, something I don’t normally suffer from.

Except in situations when the freak out part of me comes out.

Nothing else matters in my freak out moment, I can only focus on the issue.

I start searching the house high and low, running like I’m in a marathon.

It’s late, Will is sleeping.

I want to run into the bedroom in the most dramatic way possible and flip on the light.

I want to say in a startling voice so he knows it is an emergency that I need help finding the receipt.

Somehow I’m able to fight the urge.

I know it isn’t realistic.

I know that Will losing sleep is in no way going to fix anything.

I know that I need to not follow through with my dramatic entrance.

Fighting the urge is hard, very hard because remember, nothing else matters right now but finding the receipt.

I continue searching.

I found the receipt and the feeling goes away immediately.

I look back and wonder why this feeling ever comes on.

Why do I freak out about small things at times but the large things in life I can be so calm about?

I don’t know the answer to these questions, nor do I think I will figure it out anytime soon.

One thing I do know is, I need a new camera.

Again.

This time I have a receipt.

Do you ever have experiences like this one?

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

I AM...

Posted By:  Stephanie

I AM a girl that likes to spend time with family.

I AM not a friend that calls as often as she should.

I AM a mom who tries not to be overly freaked out about germs.

I AM a girl who likes organization and lists.

I AM a wife that loves to do things for her husband.

I AM a sister that wants to be there for all life events, big or small.

I AM not a mom who sets her child in front of a TV.

I AM a daughter that appreciates her parents more than they will ever know.

I AM not a wife who picks a fight.

I AM a girl that will bust out in a funky dance with no music.

I AM a mom who doesn’t like to be away from her girl.

I AM not a girl who likes her legs.

I AM a mom who tries to teach her girl something new every day.

I AM a daughter who is also a friend to her parents and likes it that way.

I AM not a girl who wears matching pajamas.

I AM a sister who will protect her sisters with everything she has in her.

I AM a girl who could eat the same thing every day and be happy.

I AM not a daughter who is disrespectful to her parents.

I AM a friend who will be there when needed, even if it is a flight away.

I AM a girl who gets scared easily.

I AM not a sister who prefers to keep a secret from her sisters.

I AM a mom who plays on the floor for hours leaving everything else behind.

I AM not a girl who worries about what others think about her.

I AM a daughter that always wants to make her parents proud.

I AM a girl who chooses to live life being happy.

I AM not a mom who believes in crying it out.

I AM a wife who enjoys talking to her husband about everything.

I AM not a girl who likes to wear high heels.

I AM a mom who will feed her girl bananas and peanut butter and jam daily.

I AM a girl who cries when good things happen to others, even on TV.

I AM not a girl who typically holds grudges.

I AM a girl who loves hard.

I AM many things, I AM Stephanie.

PMW Innovations - Grand Opening!

Posted By:  Stephanie

My mother-in-law Cathy and I have started a new business, PMW Innovations.  We are making multi-function fabric gift bags, tote bags and we also have some crafting supplies available as well!  While this launch is VERY exciting, it is a little nerve racking at the same time.

PMW is short for Professional Mom and Wife which is what I became when I decided to stay home with my wonderful daughter.  When her first birthday was approaching I decided I wanted to start a new tradition for her, I wanted her to have fabric gift bags that she would get presents in each year that she could then pass down to her kids.  I loved her gift bags and decided I wanted to do the same thing for Christmas for our family; I wanted to make some bags that we would use as a family to reduce waste while also building a new fun tradition.  I thought other people may like the idea too, that is when Cathy and I started PMW Innovations.  Our bags have evolved so much and we now have high quality bags to offer which are fully lined.  My Girl is lucky to have the first bags ever but I’m sure she’s going to wonder why she has the bags that aren’t lined and don’t have fancy grommets to keep the bag from wearing too quickly.  You can use the bags within your family, use them for something other than gift giving, or give a gift in them for your family or friend to then pass onto someone else.  These bags can be used hundreds of times!

We are offering 15% off your total purchase during our grand opening with the coupon code HAPPYDAY.  We would love to offer more of a discount but with our already low prices this is a GREAT deal.  If you spend more than $50 you will receive FREE shipping!  Please take a moment and check out our shop at www.pmwinnovations.com. Thank you!

Samantha's Waterpolo Game

Posted By:  Stephanie

Will, My Girl and I went to watch my little sister Samantha play at her first high school waterpolo game Thursday evening.  I can't believe she is in high school already!  It seems like only a few years ago that we all gathered for her birth which was such an amazing day.  She is a beautiful girl inside and out and I'm so proud of the young lady she is becoming.

Kristi and I used to play waterpolo as well so it is SO fun to get to watch her play as well.  Who knew it would become a family sport years later?  I think water sports are in our blood.

Here is our waterpolo star Samantha.

On the right you can see her in action, she is in the white cap, #4.

My Girl's take on the game:

At first she was freaked out by all the yelling and cheering.

Soon it put her in a great mood because she realized she could yell and clap too.  Funny girl!

I can't wait to see more of Sam's games.  Her team won in both JV and Varsity.  She did a great job in both games and totally rocked her new contacts!





Birthday and Milk Jug Repurpose

Posted By:  Stephanie

Hey there!  If you've been following along then you know that yesterday was my 25th birthday!  My sweet sister posted about it yesterday here.  I was so surprised and loved what she wrote, thank you!  Bubba (Kristi) and I are 2 years and 3 days apart so her birthday was on Thursday, September 1st.  If you missed the posts about her birthday you can read about it here and here.

I had a great birthday because I have such an amazing family that works so hard at making sure that my day is special every year.  Will put balloons in my bedroom just like he does every year for me.  My mom used to decorate the family room for Bubba's birthday, take it down and completely re-decorate for my birthday as well as put balloons on our bedroom floor for us to wake up to every year.  One year we were in Seattle and I still woke up to the balloons, we have the BEST mom!  Will has taken over that tradition for my mom and as our girl gets older and we have other kids we will do the same thing for them.  My husband is the greatest!

This is what my birthday looked like:

Flowers, balloons, gifts (many not shown below), yummy cheesecake for my sister and I (we celebrated with the family together yesterday), great brunch provided by our mom, and evening at the river and just a great time with family.  My dad got me a new camera, because like I mentioned here my camera was left at Target and I now have a new one!  Thank you SOOOO much dad, you are so awesome!  In the meantime my amazing mother-in-law Cathy has been letting me use her camera, I really appreciate that, it has been a lifesaver.  I'm feeling very grateful for so many things, I could go on and on and on.

Here is a great tip that my mom came up with yesterday.  My girl has a tendency to pull place mats right off the table so she used a Silpat because it doesn't slide easily.  BRILLIANT!  The mat stayed on the table the entire time.  Thanks for the tip mom!

In the post found here I talked about how much I don't like that we don't have recycling where we live and that I was trying to come up with ways to use things that I have been throwing away.  I have now found a way to use an old milk jug.

First I washed out the milk jug.

Then cut the the jug in half right under where the handle is.

I like to keep My Girl's socks in a container in her drawer so that they don't get mixed in with her clothes.  The socks share a drawer with other things so I like to keep them organized.  I am staying home with her now and that means being even more frugal now then we were before.  I wanted to use this container for something else that would be seen so I needed a replacement.

YAHOO!  I have a new sock holder!  Best part about it is that the container is taller so it holds all the same socks that were in the other container above and now there is even more drawer space for other things.

This is what I got out of it.  Good trade, good trade!

What do you use old milk jugs for?

*Update*  I finally have a picture of our sister Samantha wearing the zipper headband that I made here (when you go the the link, scroll to the bottom to see the picture), although the headband is cute, she is MUCH cuter!  ; )

Steph and Will

Posted By: Kristi

Since Steph just shared with you a little about her and Will, I thought this would be a good time for me to add a little something.

Steph has been my best friend since I can remember. Like myself, she hasn't always dated the right type of guy for her. I had my doubts that there would ever be a guy that would be good enough in my mind for her.

Then I met Will.

My sister has always been her same bubbly self with Will. She didn't change one bit when he was around. I liked that. She loves to cuddle and he would cuddle her right back.

Will doesn't care that my sister hogs the bed. He is patient when she calls for directions because she never Mapquests anything before leaving the house. He kills spiders for her and he is just as goofy as she is.

They have been together for what seems like forever and he still looks at my sister like she is the only girl that exists.

Not only is Will the perfect spouse for my sister but he is the perfect brother and friend to me. Will is a guy you can count on. He is honest, loving and fun.

Will has always been there for me. He has saved me when my car has broken down, changed the locks on my house when I needed them changed, stayed up late watching movies with me, cheered me on at my kickball games and much much more. Will is not just protective of my sister but he is protective of me. I appreciate this man more than I can say. He is one good guy and we are so lucky to have him as part of our family.

I definitely approve. Steph did a good job choosing a brother for me! ; )

Off To California and Our Story

Posted By:  Stephanie

Good morning!  I can't believe I'm on here at 2:00am...I SHOULD BE SLEEPING!  Will, My Girl and I are leaving in just about an hour to go to California to visit my cousin, his wife and their 5 kids which made me think that I should tell you about when we got married.  We are going to be able to go back to San Francisco which is where we went on our honeymoon so it brings back some great memories.  Although I'm tried and crossing my fingers that our drive goes well with our girl, I'm looking forward to our quick trip to see the fam.

First I’ll start by telling you a little about our relationship and how it grew.  We first started dating March 4^th, 2004 when he asked me if I would be his girlfriend and I told him “sure”.  Will and I had already talked about it a few times but I really wasn’t interested in being in a relationship at that time so I was in no hurry.  He was so sweet and funny because he would tell me when I would say no, “Okay, well just so you know I’m not going to be dating anyone else so I’m just going to keep asking you every once in a while until you say yes”.  I thought that was pretty cute that he actually wanted to date ME that much.  When I finally responded with “sure” he said “What, sure”? I laughed and explained that it was better than “NO”!

Through those years we had our ups and downs, at one point calling things off for about 2 months.  In that time we still talked just about daily and although I wanted to tell myself we weren’t going to end up back together, I knew he was the one I wanted to spend my life with, he was my best friend.  We eventually got back together and everything was amazing from then on.

September 2^nd, 2008 Will proposed to me with the ring that had belonged to his mom.  She passed when he was very young so it was such an honor to receive that ring from him.

 The center part with the diamonds was hers, we added the two bands to the outside so that we could personalize it for us as well.

April 18^th, 2009 we got married at the Acadian Ballroom, it was such a perfect location, perfect day, and brought perfect memories.  We joke and say we want to get married again just because it was such an amazing day and a really fun wedding that went by way to fast!  When people say that on your wedding day you need to take a minute to just breathe, look around and take it all in, it is so true.  Listen to that advice!

April 19^th, 2010 we left Portland, OR to go on our honeymoon in San Francisco, CA.  We went there because we were actually able to go spend a few days with flight for about the same cost it would have been to go to the beach for a few days.  We were trying to save money and I’m so glad we ended up going there.  We had asked our really good friend, who is a family member now above all else, to decide where we were going on our honeymoon and where we were going to stay.  I’m SO HAPPY with how it all turned out.  Thanks again Matty!

 This is the lobby of the hotel.  We had just arrived, put our bags in our room and were immediately enjoying our all you can drink free wine.  YUMMY!

I might as well go on and tell you a little more about our story, although this was just about the fact that we are going back to San Francisco during our trip to our family in San Jose, CA.

After we got married we immediately started not preventing pregnancy.  We didn’t want to really “try” but we didn’t want to prevent it from happening.  October 14^th, 2009 we found out we were going to have a baby!  I had taken a test I happened to have in the bathroom, not expecting a result other than negative.  My period had been very unpredictable and I had no reason to believe I was pregnant.  I’m not sure why I took the test that day, but as I grabbed it from the counter before I walked out, not really giving it much of a glance I saw something I hadn’t seen before…TWO LINES!  I took it to Will who was still sleeping before work and made him read it; sure enough it said I was pregnant.  I then took another test at the lab later on to make sure, yep, still pregnant.  WOW that was a crazy feeling!

June 13^th, 2010 we went in to be induced.  My midwife was predicting that she was going to be over 10 lbs if we waited until due date which was a week away, and wanting to prevent c-section we went in to induce early.  June 14^th, 2010 our girl was born at 11:15am at 9lbs 6oz.  What a magical day!

This is our girl's first week home.

So overall, I’m married to my best friend who I’ve been with going on 8 years, married 2 years, we have an amazing daughter together and we couldn’t be happier!

Bedroom Wall Art

Posted By: Kristi


Choosing wall art can be tough, especially for the bedroom. We originally had prints up in our bedroom of trees but it didn't feel personal or cozy. Someone else probably had the same prints hanging in their bedroom and that was not the direction I was going for. I wanted our room to be "us", fun and personal. A really inexpensive way to add wall art to your room is to print photos that are special to the both of you and frame them.

Carson proposed to me in Washington D.C. at the National Cathedral. It was a gorgeous day and the perfect moment. We had taken a couple pictures that day and I knew that they would be perfect for our bedroom walls. I went online and had them printed. These are the pictures I chose; the second picture is where Carson proposed.

I bought two frames from Ikea.

and framed my pictures.

Even though the quality of this picture is not good (sorry, had to use my cell camera) they look great! I love how they turned out and it is nice to get to see them everyday instead of having them hidden away in an album.

Since I am sharing these photos I will also share our proposal story, just for fun. = )

We had been in Washington D.C. for a few days and we were on our last day before heading to New York. We spent the first half of the day in Alexandria and then headed to the Washington National Cathedral. I had been to D.C. before and remembered the Cathedral being breathtaking, one of my favorite spots. Carson knew that and had agreed that we make a trip to see it. We spent about an hour inside before decided to tour the outside. We walked around and took lots of pictures. I thought we had seen everything so I started to walk off. Carson quickly stopped me and said we should see if we could find any paths. So we walked around some more until we found a really pretty secluded area. There was a little bench that we sat down on and talked for a while. I must have looked away because next thing I know, I turn my head to say something to him and he is on one knee.

SIDE NOTE:  Before I go on I have to mention that everyone kept asking me if he was going to propose on our trip. I kept telling everyone NO WAY. I thought I would know or at least have a feeling. Carson also had people ask him the same question so during the trip we would joke about it. 

So now, here we are, and Carson is on his knee. I look at him and laugh and ask if he is joking. He says no but I don't believe him. Next thing I know he is saying a bunch of sweet things and he has a ring in his hand. I was in SHOCK! Best feeling EVER!

Do you have pictures of your proposal location?

Skydiving

Posted By: Kristi


Hello! I survived! ; ) Saturday was my first skydiving experience, I decided that I would share details with you, in case you were thinking of giving it a try.

As I mentioned in my last post, I was not nervous. I kept waiting for my nerves to take control but for some reason they never did. The entire morning I was so excited and could not wait to get there and get going. I was scheduled to be at the jump location at 1:00. Carson went with me, we arrived on time. Once we got there they gave me a bunch of paperwork to fill out, it took about 15 min. to complete. Once completed you wait for them to call your name and then go to the backroom with a small group into a classroom environment. Here you learn what you are supposed to do, practice poses and complete the rest of the paperwork. This only took about 20 min., everything went by quickly.

At this time I was just waiting for them to call my name again, but this time to get suited up. This is when my Mom, Dad, Samantha, Stephanie, Will and Little Lou showed up. It was so nice of them to all show up to watch. My name was eventually called and I went to another backroom. I met Stevo, the guy I would be connected to and he made sure I was suited up correctly and ready to go. It was only about ten minutes after this that we all got on the small plane.

Once we all got on the plane we sat in two straight lines, the length of the plane. We each straddled the person in front of us. If you are someone who needs a space bubble, you would hate this! You are basically cuddling with a bunch of strangers. Thankfully, I am a cuddler so it didn't bother me at all. The entire time we were flying Stevo was behind me making sure I was all connected and ready to go. He gave me a few tips and asked if I wanted to do flips. I was still waiting to get nervous, I couldn't understand why I felt so calm about this. Honestly, if felt like I did this everyday, I didn't understand this feeling. I explained to him that we could do flips or anything else, I was ready to really experience this and wanted to fit as much in as possible. We were in the back of the plane so we were the last ones out. You know how usually when you are waiting in line it feels like the line moves so slow? Well, when you are in line to jump out of the plane, there is no time to waste. They want to make sure we are all somewhat in the same location so when the person in front of you jumps, you have to be ready to be right behind them and jump quickly. I just knew that I would freak out a little once I was about to jump but I didn't, I looked over the edge and just went for it. I felt no nerves, no adrenaline rush, no butterflies...nothing! It was a beautiful experience to be that high and being able to fly was pretty dang sweet! The fall was about a minute long (hands down the best part) and then your parachute goes up and you float for about six minutes. This part is pretty too but I had parasailed before which felt the same. The only negative about the experience was the straps between my legs....ouch!

I have to admit, I am a little bummed that I didn't get to experience the adrenaline rush I always hear about. So many people say that for about a week after this experience they are on a natural high, I don't feel that. Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience and I am so happy I did it. I am lucky that Carson really listens to me and knows me well enough to surprise me with this gift for my Birthday last year. I am also really lucky that even though I felt fearless throughout this entire experience that Carson was sick to his stomach and worried for me the entire time. What a sweetie, I definitely felt very loved.

I think everyone should experience this at least once. Really, it is gorgeous!

Thanks to my family who came to support me! I am so fortunate to have you and to know that whatever adventure I choose to endeavour you will be right there by my side.

Nice to meet you

Posted By: Kristi


HAPPY FRIDAY! Isn't Friday a great day of the week? I happen to LOVE Friday. I had something else on the agenda for today but after reading Steph's last post, I decided to share a little about myself.

First, let me start by being completely honest with you. We will probably never have a better post than the last one. Sorry folks, it's true. Ok, I kid...but come on, I mean really, little Lou is perfect. She has melted my heart and it the best little friend I ever could ask for. I am in love with that girl and although she it Steph's little tot, you will definitely be hearing about her from this proud Aunt from time to time as well.

Now, a little about my peeps. I live with and am engaged to this guy.

His name is Carson and he is the cats meow. He is my best friend and makes me laugh so hard I could pee myself. I never thought anyone could make me laugh as much as Stephanie, but this guy, he is a hoot! He is also the best doggy daddy, EVER. These are our kids.

McKnight

McKnight is a bit aloof but he is a smarty pants when he wants to be. He goes CRAZY when he sees kitty's outside and he is his sisters #1 fan. He loves when we tell him that he is fast and starts sprinting as fast as he can (I will share a video of this soon). He loves to help his mommy cook, clean, do crafts and any other girlie (yes, men can do this stuff too) activity. He loves kids, especially little ones.

Kloee

Kloee is our little girlie girl princess and also a total tomboy. She is one smart cookie! She doesn't realize that she is a dog and really wants nothing to do with other K9's (other than her brother), they are dumb, you know. = ) She loves to swim but mostly is obsessed with balls. She is an extremely talented soccer player (I will share a video of this as well). Unlike her brother, she wants to do whatever her daddy is doing. This little girl has energy but is also always the last one out of bed and cuddles like nobodies business.

I love my little family, I am a lucky lady!

So, guess what I am doing this weekend...

via

YUP! I am CHOOSING to jump out of a plane and I can't wait! I want to really take it all in and enjoy the moment, so I have chosen not to be nervous. So far this has worked for me and all I feel is excitement! We'll see how I feel tomorrow. = )

Do you have anything fun planned for this weekend?