thoughts...

On moving:  January 12 is fast approaching! (Well, our stuff is being packed January 6 and then moved out January 7...we'll be staying with my mom and stepdad from then until the 12th when we fly out) Thankfully we don't have to do any packing (thank you, John Deere), so we've just been purging the store room and clearing out the storage unit....closets are next on the list :) I can't believe how much stuff we've been able to clear out!
We are both super excited. I'm looking forward to this "adventure" and I think that it's going to be really good for us as a couple, as well as a family.  I still get a pit in my stomach at the thought of leaving family...especially my mom. I'm going to miss her so much.  I can tell myself "it's only a few years" or "we'll be back to visit"....but it's not going to be the same without her close by and I still tear up at the thought. 
I'm so excited to move into the house. I can't wait to have a back yard. I can't wait to be able to have more room to play with Addy and play outside! We don't have a ton of space right now and Addy gets bored playing after a while, so let's just say movies have been a part of our daily life and I can't wait to keep the TV unplugged for a while in CA. We bought our first dining table a few weeks ago, and I cannot wait to put it to good use! I'm looking forward to meeting new people and trying new things. :)
I can't wait to decorate our new home...as much as I can anyway....they are pretty strict on how much they are going to let us do (no painting, can only hang frames with pictures hooks so no heavy objects like mirrors and stuff...).....but I'll work with what I've got :)

On being a family of 4: I love it and can't wait to be a family of 5. :)  End of story.
Mason is so laidback and easy going. He rarely gets upset. Adelyn loves him and can't get enough of him. She always wants to know where he is, and if he's crying...she lets me know :)  Nick has been able to be home ALOT and it's been fun for me just to be with my family and watch him interact with Adelyn and Mason....he's such a great dad.

On selling the house:  I cannot believe how fast our home sold. I'm so thankful that it's one less thing to worry about! The fact that it sold so quickly only solidified our decision even more that moving to CA is the right decision and what the Lord wants for us right now. I'm sad to be leaving our first home. Adelyn first smiled, spoke, crawled, walked, fell down the stairs :) in the home...we've brought home two children here.... as excited as I am for the house in CA, it's going to be hard to leave this house.

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YEAH BABY

enough said.

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5 years

5 years ago (yesterday), I married an amazing man.......2 kids and alot of ups and downs ;) later......I'd do it all over again :)

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FOR SALE

So did ya know we are moving to California? Yeah. That means we need to SELL OUR HOME.
We had to price it to sell.....borderline insanity how low we had to price it....but whatcha gonna do?
So....our house is for sale. PASS IT ON.....please :)

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time flies!

I cannot believe it's been 2 WEEKS since Mason entered our world!

Life has been just peachy :) I still can't believe how easy going from one to two kids has been. I've heard so many horror stories, but ours has been far from one....so far so good :)

Adelyn was super sick last week, so that was a wee bit challenging....but Mason slept most of the time, so she and I got plenty of cuddle time in :)

Mason has his 2 week check up today......here's the little man's stats:

weight: 8.6 lbs (surpassed his 8.2lb birthweight! way to go!)

length: 20 1/2 inches (!!!! He has already gained a whole inch in 2 weeks!!!! I definitely about cried when I saw this....where's the pause button??)

I can't believe how quickly time is going by.....sadly, it bring us closer to the California move. We are pretty excited for the weather, produce (I can't wait for this!), a back yard (I'm almost shaking with excitement to have one!), and a kitchen table! We are super sad to be leaving friends and family.......thankfully, we will be back in a few years so that makes it a LITTLE easier, but not really :)

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don't laugh...but I really love my...

...Belly Bandit!
Okay, so I know....I still laugh at myself for getting one of these, but I. am. hooked.
A few years ago, an acquaintance was talking about how she's seen these post partum abdominal binders in a magazine.  She said the article talked about how abdominal binding post pregnancy was making a come back. It's supposed to help get your belly looking not so deflated :) faster and help prevent stretch marks post partum.  Adelyn was about 3 months old at this point, but I was intrigued. I started doing a little online reading and found the Belly Bandit. I kept the info logged in my brain for later. :)
I wound up getting one right before I had Mason and I've worn it about every day and night since he's been around....and I love it!
You know how everything is just stretched out, so when the baby is gone, it all just hangs (aka: deflated balloon affect).....this thing holds it in AND (bonus!) helps to remind me to sit up and not slouch when I'm nursing. I used to lean forward to meet baby on the pillow, but this thing reminds me to bring baby to me...
You're supposed to wear this thing 24/7...take it off only to wash it or bathe....I wear it most of the time, but take it off when we go out b/c I do feel weird wearing it out of the house :)
Seriously, though, it is SO comfortable for me to wear and I just like how it holds my stomach in.
The only thing was figuring out what size to get. I wound up getting a small and it was pretty hard to fit at first :) but now I can velcro it just fine and still get it nice and tight. I just got the original bandit, but a coworker of mine tried the bamboo one and loved it.
For you preggers out there, I think this thing is totally worth the money and I would do it all over again. :)

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Introducing...

Mason James Flies

November 22, 2010

11:42 am

8 lb 2oz

19 1/2 inches long

*to see pics from the hospital photo shoot, click here. The password is 1122masonjames.

Mason's first days at home have been surprisingly easy! It's so much more laid back the second time around. Adelyn has been a fantastic big sister. She gets excited every morning when she comes in our room and sees him. She starts shouting "look! look!" and wants to immediately hug and kiss and pat him. She'll stop in the middle of playing to come over and kiss him. The lack of sleep hasn't been too hard of an adjustment. The first night home, he wanted to eat every 2 hours...but that's better than every hour in my book :) Nursing this time around is alot easier and he doesn't take an hour like his sister did :)

Having two has been (so far) so much fun... we are loving it! :) I could be ready for #3? ;)

haha....maybe another year or two...

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fat lip

Adelyn got her first major fat lip this week. She was on the couch and biffed it and ran right into the edge of the end table with her mouth. I heard her teeth hit the wood and was afraid that she chipped one, but she wouldn't let me look.

This picture is 20 minutes afterwards...she's watching Toy Story... :)

Her upper lip is still a little puffy, but if you don't know her, you wouldn't know it.  She was bleeding so much that I was afraid she'd need stitches...but again, she wouldn't let me look....

Thankfully, she's just fine now....needless to say, we had popsicles for dinner that night and she still is afraid to let me wipe her mouth or nose b/c it hurt so much for the first few days.

Oh well...this is the first of many injuries to come...

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random goings on...

Adelyn learned the word "no" last week....I liked it better when everything was "yeah" and "okay"...
She has also learned to say "Diyaa" aka: Diane (my mom's name and her middle name). She calls both mom and I "Diyaa! Diyaa!".
When we are at my mom and step-dads, I am obsolete. Everything is "papa! papa!" or "mama! Diyaa!"....no "mom"...she NEVER wants me! She didn't even let me to put her to bed when we were at their place...
I miss Nick...this last week is going to c...r...a...w....l.... by.
Zeb and Bekah moved out of their house this weekend and I'm really sad about it. They are still going to be close by, but it was fun to be able to just walk back and forth to have playdates or dinner...we are REALLY going to miss them when we move....
we are going to miss ALOT of people when we move....I feel like I've finally been able to put myself out there and develop great friendships, and now we are leaving....
I'm so ready for baby boy to come. He is sitting super low and I'm just plain uncomfortable. I don't like that it's hard for me to even sit on the floor and play with her!
 I keep envisioning my water breaking while I'm in the store or at home....I wonder what my reaction would be if it did break in public....I'd probably not be embarassed....I'd be like "booyah! let's go!".
I've been seeing Dr Tammy Watkins at the Livewell Clinic in Waukee this pregnancy. My back pain and sciatic pain was so bad, I was desperate.....quite a few people recommended seeing a chiropractor and I already knew Tammy from bible study a few years ago so I checked it out in August.....I don't know how I survived without her!  I've never been sold on chiropractic care for things other than fixing back and neck pain. The only time I'd seen a chiropractor before was in HS when I got whiplash at afterprom! :)  But I am hooked.
Along with helping with pregnancy pain :) Chiropractic care can shorten labor (yeah baby! no pun intended) b/c the pelvis is straighter and the baby can get through easier. I remember talking about it during my OB rotation in nursing school years ago....but I'm a believer now! ;)  Thank you, Tammy! :)
That's my schpiel on that...
Have I mentioned that I miss Nick?
I wish it would snow here. I like the cold weather. I like wearing my sweaters and slippers and drinking hot drinks...I'm not a  fan of hot weather....so summer in CA could be my nemesis.
Our home looks so different right now. We are getting ready to sell, so I've taken everything off the walls on the main floor and cleared the kitchen  too. I got new throw pillows and a neat (and soft!) blanket for the living room....looking around, I like the "bare" look. Not as much going on. I have pictures on the sofa table, and a vase with flowers, but that's about it for the decor. Upstairs I still have pictures on the walls and stuff....I don't know how much I'll change up there....if anything...
Of everything to be excited about when it comes to moving to CA (ie: national parks, hiking, walks, being outside alot, new experience, awesome vacation spots in driving distance!) the two I'm most excited for? A kitchen table and a back yard.  I can't wait to be able to take Addy outside and just let her run.....right now if I did that, she'd easily get hit by a car flying around the corner...
I'm excited for Christmas b/c we get to see alot of family this year :)
I'm tired and going to read in bed for a while....I've started the Twilight book....again....this is about the 4th time I've read them...they are my back up when I really want to read something, but haven't made time to go to the library :)
Tomorrow is Monday...bring it on :)

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this kid is coming SOON

Two posts in two days...look at me go :)
I have a feeling this kid is coming sooner rather than later.....
He's definitely dropped a little more over the last 3 days and I've been having some CRAZY braxton hicks that radiate around my back (I had back labor with Adelyn, it was NOT pleasant).
I'll spare the nasty details, but my body is definitely preparing for labor :)
I'm nesting....at first I was in denial and thinking I was just on a roll getting my to-do list knocked down. Along with helping Nick paint the ceiling on Saturday (not the best thing to do when you're 9 months pregnant...I don't recommend it at all), I cleaned the fridge (washed the shelves and drawers, scrubbed the sides), cleaned the upstairs bathrooms, dusted, cleaned the kitchen, put away more of our stuff to get ready to show the house, and organized baby boy's side of the dresser. It wasn't until tonight (after my last day of work!) while I was vaccuming out the lazy susan of bread crumbs from the toaster that I realized "oh my...I'm nesting!".  I didn't really have a nesting period with Adelyn. I just remember the day before she was born, the pile of stuff on the bed had to get taken care of pronto...but that's about it.
Nick is going to be gone for 12 days in CA, and I've had to come to terms the last few days, that he could very well miss the birth of his son. I don't get teary about it anymore because it is what it is; Nick will get here when he can if I do go into labor. My mom can be with me and I have other family who can watch Adelyn (what a blessing to have so much family close by! California will be an adjustment!).
Wednesday I have an OB appointment so I'm curious to see if I'm dilated at all....
Of course I'm praying that I'm wrong and that he waits until Nick gets home.....but I have a feeling that I could be having this kid in the next week....so we'll see!
I'll keep you updated :)

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family time

L to R: Pam, Noah, Dad, Adelyn, Nick

me, Josh, Caleb and Jacob

*oh my! I just realized that my brothers and I are actually in birth order in this picture! Haha....that's funny and so not intentional...

My brother, Josh, is home the WHOLE MONTH of November from the Navy!! He heads out for Pearl Harbor the beginning of December, and we won't see him for a while :( so I'm really glad he's home for the month so we can spend time together!

Today we went to my dad and stepmom's place with my brothers and nephew, Noah (Josh's son), for lunch. We ate some REALLY good food :), watched football, and spent some time outside (it was beautiful today!).

I have to say, Adelyn did fairly well despite the time change....I can't wait to do this again :) I love my family! :)

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halloween weekend

Adelyn is at that age where getting a decent picture of her is proving quite difficult. She won't hold still and she won't do her cute thing long enough to get the picture!  Thankfully, she was in a "cooperative mood" to get a few snapshots of her cheerleading ;)  Nick was behind me...her favorite game is "follow the leader" with arm/hand motions...he would do something with his arms/hands and she was mimicking him....she randomly breaks out into this game quite often. She'll walk up to me and yell "mom!" while folding her arms or spreading them wide and expecting me to copy her following sequence of arms motions...

The "fairy princess" costume was a last minute throw together for trick or treating at Nick's office on Friday that he told me 2 hours before it started and we were at my mom's....so I raided the dress up bin and found this flower girl dress in a kids size 8...not gonna lie, I'm pretty handy with safety pins :) She wouldn't let me pin the wings on her...and the wand was sort of a weapon (she's waving it in the picture)...but it was fun nontheless...

Before trick or treating on Saturday (Beggar's Night in IA..Nick thinks that it's the wierdest thing ever that we don't trick or treat on Halloween...maybe it is...I don't know...we didn't trick or treat growing up), we stopped at my stepdad's office so Addy could go on a dirt bike ride....

She LOVED it...you could hear her giggling the whole time.

She also got to play in a crane, 2 other machines that I don't know the names of ;) and help Papa Rob drive the bobcat. She LOVED that too....it was rather hard to get her to come out of a machine once she was in one...I think it was all the buttons. :)  She kept pushing Rob away and sliding the "doors" shut when he would open them to take her out....hmm....

Trick or treating went as well as you could expect with a toddler :)

She wanted to eat each piece of candy as she got it. We made it to 2 houses before we went back to Grandma and Papa's to hand out candy....I'm not going to disclose how much of it she ate rather than handed out :)

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another change...

With mixed emotions I gave my 2 weeks notice at work this week. With Nick heading to CA and us needing to get the house ready to sell and baby boy coming, we decide it would probably be a good idea if I didn't keep working.
This is actually something I've been thinking about and praying about for the last year. I go back and forth. I love my coworkers, I love what I do....I definitely have a "cushy" nursing job (rarely work Saturdays and holidays, never work Sundays...)...why would I give that up? I love the fast-pace of the floor I work on. I meet some pretty interesting people :) I like the occasional adrenaline rush that comes with what I do.... :)
I could never quite bring myself to say "I'm done".
Now that "it's done"....my last day is Nov. 9....I feel good about it. I'm excited to have more time with family and Adelyn before the baby comes...I'm looking forward to not having to work while majorly pregnant (it's hard to run around when you can't reach speeds past "quick waddling").
It's going to be weird not working b/c I have had a job of some sort since I was 14 years old (not counting the loads of babysitting I started doing when I was 10).  I've never not worked.  In a prideful way, I've been worried about losing my identity as a cardiovascular nurse. I know that I'll always be an RN, and I do plan on going back to work in the not so near future, but I know that people can view stay at home moms differently, and that's going to be hard for me. (sounds so selfish and prideful, I know, because it is!)
I know that there is NO shame in being a stay at home mom! It's the hardest job in the world, even being a full time mom with a part time job!  I'm working towards being proud of saying, in the near future, when people ask what I do "I get to stay at home and raise children and take care of our home and my husband"....that is definitely something to be proud of.
I pray that the Lord will help me step into this new experience of not working with grace and pride.
I'm thankful for my family and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with my kids... there are so many people who don't have that luxury and I don't want to take it for granted.

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California, here we come...

Long story short. We are moving to Visalia, California.
Wednesday afternoon, Nick was told he was being offered a TCSM (Territory Customer Support Manager) job in California.  This is the same job he applied for about a month ago (see this post), but it was in Washington state.
We didn't have long to decide and basically needed to make a decision that night. We knew this position was opening up, but neither of us it too keen on California (we like our seasons and chilly weather) :) so we didn't give it much thought...until they called wanting to hire him.
After alot of talking, praying and tears (on my part)...we decided to go. This is the job Nick wants to do, he'll get a ton of experience out there with the variety of agriculture that they have and this is the "adventure" we've been wanting for a while. 
His effective date is around November 15, but we don't know for sure when he'll actually be heading out there. Thankfully, he'll be able to come back here on weekends. Adelyn and I are staying in Des Moines for now. With the baby coming in about 6 weeks, I'm not travelling anywhere :)  We'll head out there sometime after Christmas.
The area, thankfully, is pretty neat. There are a few national parks nearby and we're right near the Bay Area. There is going to be alot to do and I'm pretty excited about that :)

I still tear up whenever the subject comes up (even now while I'm typing this I'm fighting them off). The thought of leaving dear family and friends breaks my heart. I know that this is the right decision as hard as it is for us. I'm also excited to see what the Lord has in store for us. Our plan is to be back in the midwest in a few years, so that helps too :)
So that's about it for now....we'll keep you updated on how this goes :)

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Super Cute

My friend Bekah's sister got one of these for her birthday and that night Bekah showed me a few on Etsy and I. Am. Hooked. I love love love these! They're neck cowls (or warmers, or button scarves, or scarflettes....etc....) and they are super cute! I love that they don't have the excess fabric that can hang out of your coat like a regular scarf (not always cute to me)....

Of course some of my favorites are like $70....but I found some lesser expensive ones that could be wish list possibilities? hint hint *wink wink* 

Here are some of my favorites (although, just a few...)...click on them to go to the etsy page.

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Babies Documentary

I have been wanting to see this documentary "Babies" for a while. I remember seeing the preview and being so intrigued. Well Redbox has once again pulled through and I was able to watch this interesting film.

Not gonna lie, if you like action, dialogue and a plot, this isn't for you.

Basically this guy filmed 4 babies from 4 different countries (Namibia, USA, Mongolia and Japan) from birth to their first steps. It was so interesting!

I loved seeing how amazingly similary their development was, regardless of where they were growing up.

I really recommend watching this. It's a good reminder too how different the world outside of our own is.

Heads up: in the beginning there are quite a few bare chests with babies nursing.

Here are some pictures from scenes in the film (pulled off the internet of course). ;)

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the zoo

A few weeks ago we took Adelyn on her first trip to the zoo. Not gonna lie.....Blank Park Zoo is nothing to write home about. I haven't been there since I was 8 years old and I remember it being alot bigger than it really is! Anyway....Adelyn had fun, though, and that's all that matters :)

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pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Y.U.M.
We went over over to Zeb and Bekah's for dinner last night. Bekah made these cookies. They were amazing! So of course I had to make them, so that's what we did this afternoon. They are so good I had to share.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350.
Bake 15-20 min.

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree (I just used canned pumpkin)
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
(in lieu of spices, I used 2 tsp of Tones' pumpkin pie spice....I actually liked it better than the separate spices)
2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Using mixer, beat butter until smooth. Beat in white and brown sugars, adding a little at a time, until mixture is fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in vanilla and pumpkin. In separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Slowly beat in flour mixture into pumpking batter. Stir in the chips.
Scoop on well greased or parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Bake until cookies are brown around edges (15-20 min).
Let rest for 2 minutes before removing and place on cooling rack.

recipe from foodnetwork.com

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thoughts

I feel like I should blog something, but I have nothing--and yet way too much--to say.

I feel ginormous...I can't believe I still have to wait out 9-ish weeks for this kid to get out of me.

mmm..chocolate ice cream...with sprinkles....and hot fudge..... sounds so good.  I'm going to have to settle for my banana, though ;)

My back is killing me. Thank goodness for the chiropractor....we have a date Friday.

I love my pumpking spice candle. It's the best smell in the world.

I love fall....80 degree weather? I'm so over it.

I love cuddling with my freshly bathed daughter in her UGLY Dora pajamas (she picked them out).

I love cuddling with my sandy, dirt encrusted daughter.

I can't believe I'm going to have 2 kids. Really? I feel like I just graduated HS a few years ago (it's been 10 btw).

My husband is driving me crazy. I spend the whole day cleaning and he still comes home and picks up. He was grumpy today when I got home from work. I don't know why.

Why is staying in a budget so difficult? Our grocery budget is over every month and I can't figure out why. I'm under my weekly budget, but at the end of the month.....we're over the total. ugh. I'm trying! I'm really trying!

I miss my mom.  I need her beef stew recipe and it's bugging me that I can't just call her for it :)

What else is God going to teach me this week? Sometimes I want to say, "okay! I've learned enough for a few days!" ;)

My back still hurts....working today didn't help.

I'm excited for SG on Sunday night. I really like getting together with everyone.

Addy and I are going to check out a toddler music class on Monday morning at Hope church if anyone wants to join us.

I like our new van, but I love my little Elantra.

My bible has a new stain on the cover. I don't know what it is, but it won't come out. Ink maybe? Who knows.

Why won't my daughter stop eating crayons? I've disciplined her multiple times and she just keeps eating the tips. I'm surprised she hasn't pooped a rainbow.  Needless to say, the crayons are shelved for a while.

At least she hasn't drawn on anything but the paper.

yet.

I'm ready for Nick to get home from worship team practice so we can talk about how much we are bugging each other.

We have a date Friday night.

Our first child-free time in about 10 weeks.

It's way over due.

I think I'm going to go read for a while.

Addy and I need to do a library trip tomorrow so we both have some new things to read.

I hope the grumpy gray-haired librarian isn't there....I'm not in the mood to charm her.

She seems to not realize that toddlers are noisy...
and pull things off shelves....
and try to chew on books....
and if they aren't in strollers, they run rampant.....

...but I know that I'm going to have to charm her, so I might as well psych myself up now :)

I have too many thoughts going on.....
picture a ferris wheel of words going around and around and around.....

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Adelyn's "new trick"

...please excuse the bloated lady in the background ;)

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please pray

My mom headed out to the Middle East this afternoon with 4 others.
I can't give any specifics due to security for the group. Please keep them in your prayers.

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God has something else in mind...

....and that's totally okay with us! :)
A couple days ago, I posted this hinting at some possible changes with our family. Today we got the verdict.
About 2 weeks ago, Nick applied for a Territory Customer Service Manager position (still within John Deere) in Pasco, Washington. He basically would have gotten to drive around and work with farmers and dealers all day....sort of his dream job :) He has never been much of an office-type of person and he likes being out there and getting his hands dirty...this job lets him do that.
We have always been open to the possibility to leaving the midwest for a while...in fact, I really want to go somewhere else. I grew up in Waukee and went to college in Pella, Ames and then Des Moines (yes, I transferred a few times) ;) I've never lived anywhere outside of Iowa and Nick and I think it would be a good thing for our family to be somewhere unfamiliar.
When the Washington job opened up, Nick said, "babe, what do you think about Washington". I didn't even hesitate. I said, "go for it". He had the interview last week and we've been waiting to hear yes or no until today :)
The probability of him getting the job was high that this weekend I was researching school districts and neighborhoods, and looking at houses online. We found out today that the hiring manager made a decision to go with another guy for the job. I guess God decided there's something better for us.
We are both disappointed, but relieved at the same time. I was freaking out over the timing. With baby boy joining us in a few weeks and our house needing fixing (sore subject)....I was nervous about what we would do if he did get it and had to be out there in a few weeks.  Everything would have changed for us....we don't know anyone out there!
I'm disapointed b/c I know he really wanted the job and this is what he wants to do. The area is gorgeous and isn't too far from Canada, all of those vacation options within driving range! :) We both know that God has something better in mind. His timing is better than ours :) Jobs like these open up all over the U.S...so we are still keeping our eyes peeled...so who knows what could happen in the next few weeks ;)

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my two cents...

I'm not one to get into political discussions...let alone blog about politics, but I just need to get something off my chest and I'll be good :)
A physician whom I don't know or have any affiliation with, sent this letter to President Obama regarding healthcare and where he sees part of the "real issues".  After I read it, I wanted to high five him and say "right on!".  Although, he does say that fixing this "culture crisis" will make health care difficulties disappear. I disagree with that...I think it will help immensely, but it's definitely won't fix everything!
I see patients like this everyday at work. They eat fast food for every meal, smoke 2 packs a day, drink 6-12 beers a day, have smart phones, cable tv, designer "duds" and we are paying for their insurance because they are on Medicaide because they can't "afford" insurance or work. It's so frustrating and so hard not to become judgemental when you hear their "sob story" of how sick they are.....I sometimes just want to scream "quit smoking! Stop drinking so much! Quit eating crap all the time!".  DUH!!!!
Then they argure that "healthy food" is too expensive. In the long run?? They are costing us billions of dollars....get rid of the cable, shop at Target or TJ Maxx, get rid of the smart phone and get a basic cell phone for crying out loud....and there's the money for fruits and veggies.
Now, there are definitely persons out there who truly are disabled, unable to work and can't afford insurance...and I see people like them everyday at work too....I'm afraid that these people who are abusing "the system" (whatever system that may be) are going to ruin it for those who truly do need the help.
Anyway, that's me on my platform...here's the letter:


Dear Mr. President:


During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.
While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.


Respectfully,


ROGER STARNER JONES, MD

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changes on the horizon...

The last few weeks have been a little stressful overwhelming challenging interesting as far as happenings in our life :)
Obviously, the biggest upcoming change is baby boy joining us in 11 weeks (give or take a few). Buying the minivan was kind of a big deal for us too, but that was just overwhelming in seeing our savings drop a bit ;)
We have 2 more big huge possible changes coming up in the next few weeks, but I'm not quite ready to share, yet :)  I want to see where the next few days brings us....these changes may not even happen, but the fact that they are a possibility has me slightly freaking out. Everything we know could be about to change and it's hard having to "wait and see" right now.
I keep repeating Matthew 6 in my head "...do not worry about your life..." and the other verse where it talks about how the Lord will not give us anything beyond what we can handle (does anyone remember what verse that is?! I used to have it memorized, but am drawing a complete blank...if you know, then your help is greatly appreciated) ;)
I feel like this whole thing with the car and the minivan was God preparing us for something bigger...reminding us to trust Him and His timing.
I have mixed emotions b/c these are exciting changes, but just not the right time (in my mind) with baby boy on the way...
I'll keep you posted on what happens--regardless of whether or not this happens--when we find out and are ready to share....

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we. are. minivan owners. (!!!)

The last 2 weeks have been a total God story. I humbly use that term, knowing that compared to so many other people's stories, ours is nothing in comparion....but I have been shown, yet again, how faithful our God is.
I'm going to keep this short, if you want more details, you can email us :)
About 2 weeks ago, our Infiniti (we had it for 2 years) had a SLEW of issues...and expensive ones at that!
We had to get a new battery, new alternator, the dashboard circuitry somehow blew, the muffler cracked.....
ugh.
In the middle of all this we decided to get rid of it and get a minivan.We had been talking for a few months whether we should go with getting a van, or wait a while....vans are expensive and between then baby and getting our house fixed (they built it wrong...it's along story) we have some rather large expenses coming up :)
Last week, Nick listed the car on Craigslist. we got 3 calls on it within 3 hours of posting it! We didn't have the car back from Nick's family member who was working on it, so we were nervous that maybe we jumped the gun and were considering pulling the listing. Wednesday one of the guys called Nick again and Nick told him that we were getting the muffler fixed and the dash bulb replaced. Thursday he texted Nick b/c he wanted to look at the car AND he made an offer! By then the car was done, but the dash lights were still out and we couldn't figure out why. Nick went ahead and got the car and went to meet the guy...we were both thinking there is no way he's going to want it with no dash lights.....but he wanted it! He gave us just  a few hundred less than we were asking and we are both still in shock about it!
This whole time, I kept praying for patience....that we wouldn't rush into just getting rid of the car or buying the first van we came across. We have a tendency to jump into making decisions, and we really wanted to be patient. God knew what we needed and we were going to take our time.
When the guy bought the car, I about started crying. Every odd was against us in getting rid of that thing... yet it sold.  We started looking online at used vans at dealerships around Des Moines on Thursday. Friday we went and looked at 2 and made an offer on one. We aren't taking out any loans, so we had to be firm on a price. They wouldn't come down, so we walked.
We knew we wanted a more basic model...we don't need all the bells and whistles...and less risk of something needing replaced in the future ;)
That afternoon, we went with my stepdad and looked at a total of 15 vans (!!!). We had to wait until today to decide on a purchase, so we went to visit Nick's family in MN this weekend....which was good b/c it totally took our mind off of finding a van.
Today we got a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT with just 27,000 miles on it (!!!!)...it's more than I ever thought we would find...the funny thing is that when we were looking at vans Friday, this is one that I just passed by b/c of the dark grey interior (dark interior + dirt and crumbs +kids = dirty interior that you can see).....but God knew what we needed and this van must be it :) I love it....and the dark grey isn't bad like I thought.
God completely rewards patience (although, I know that results are always amazing as this). These last 2 weeks, I've been reminded that God provides what we NEED.....not what we want....and not in OUR time frame ;)   I've learned to trust Him to provide for us and to be patient and have faith that everything will be fine.
Like I said, this is such a trivial thing compared to so many other peoples stories out there ,but I've learned alot the last 2 weeks and really wanted to share with you :)
Oh yeah.....here's some pictures of the minivan :) This car is going to be in our family for at least a good 10 years of so :)
...and by the way...I have never been against getting a van...they definitely don't have the style of an SUV, but the stow n go storage is the most amazing thing ever, it's going to accomodate our growing family and there is SO MUCH ROOM! :) Both Nick and I grew up with vans, so they aren't a new concept to us......but I haven't driven one in 10 years, so driving home today took a little getting used to. ;)

(no, it's not leather...which would have been nice...but none of the vans we had as options had leather...which is fine b/c this cloth interior is pretty nice...not like the old plush stuff that clung to every crumb and piece of dirt!)

Adelyn loves it too :)

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more congratulations!

Babies everywhere! It must be that time of year ;)

My wonderful childhood friend, Katie, and her husband Tony had their precious baby girl last night!

I haven't gotten to give little Leilahni a squeeze, yet, but you can bet I'll get one in soon!

Congratulations Katie, Tony and big brother Roman!

Katie and Roman earlier this summer

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Adelyn has recently...

...mastered the fork. 

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congratulations!

Our dear dear friends, Zeb and Bekah, had their sweet baby girl yesterday morning. We went to visit them last night and she is just the sweetest little thing! Claire-bear is a proud big sister! :)
Congratulations, you guys! We love her already! :)

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a day at the park

The weather the last few days has been AMAZING...so obviously we spent the afternoon at the park today :) If every summer day was like this, then I wouldn't be such an advocate for a 3 season year :)

my baby won't let me go down the slide with her anymore! I had to watch from the side....a little broken hearted...not gonna lie...

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fun with friends

It FINALLY worked out for us to have dinner with Tommy and Amber this weekend.  We miss spending time with them, but completely understand that their life with Miles has been BEYOND busy...so every minute we get to see them is EXTRA SPECIAL :)
Miles is scooting around everywhere...he likes to pull himself up, but forgets how to get back down :) It's pretty cute. Adelyn was running circle around him (like she does to everyone), but he didn't seem to mind.... he is the most easy going little boy! :)
Anyway...Tommy, Amber, and Miles....we had a blast with you guys and can't wait to do it again SOON... :)

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