Vacation to PA

And we're off!  We left from Detroit Saturday morning on the early flight departing at 8am.  We pulled out of the driveway of our house around 5am and made the drive down with no issues.  John's brother Paul was able to drop us off at the airport which was so very helpful.  The flight into Atlantic City is only 1 hour and 20 mins or so, so with a quick little jet set over to the East Coast, we had arrived!

We decided to spend Saturday night at the Jersey shore because we were basically there by arriving in AC.  Amy's in-laws have a place in Woodbine and graciously opened their home to our giant clan so we could have a little beach get-away.  It was perfect, exactly what I needed!  I haven't been to the shore in YEARS and have had the itch for many months to get there.  It was Hannah's first trip to the ocean and hopefully we would have better luck with her in the sand this time around. (She wasn't too fond of it the first time at Lake Michigan in June).

Thankfully the beach was a hit!  She was a little iffy about the sand and water at first, but basically we just put her down and made it "deal with it".  She was playing up a storm in no time.  All the kiddos had a great time in the water and sand.  Grace and Andrew were in the water almost the entire time playing on their boogie boards.  Matthew had fun digging in the sand, chasing birds, and wandering around.  It was a fun first day.
 
 
 
       
Hannah snuggled up between Andrew and Grace as they played on their iTouches.  She had a play phone and thought she was doing the same thing they were.  So cute!

On the second day, Sunday, Kim and her family drove down for the day.  John and I engaged in a sand castle building contest, (I kicked his butt) and Hannah helped out some.  The kids had a great time playing together and were definitely ready to leave once the long day was over.
 
   


This trip to PA we really tried to keep our plans open.  Most of the time we cram so much into the week, that it seems to fly by that much quicker.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy cramming as much as we can into our trips, but this was more laid back and it wasn't so bad.

Here is a fun, sunny afternoon spent playing in the backyard at my parents house.  The kids love bubbles, so those were always a hit.  There was lots of running, laughing, and smiles.  And sunshine, did I mention that?  We had absolutely beautiful weather, it was perfect!
 
 

On our only rainy day (which only lasted one morning), we took a drive to my old gym, Berks Gymnastics Academy to catch up with my old coaches and let Hannah have a little fun.  I haven't seen my coaches in quite a few years so it was nice to spend some time chatting.  Hannah loved jumping on the trampoline, swinging on the bars, and watching the girls flip around.  I forgot to take my camera, so these are cell phone pics courtesy of Kate.
  

On Wednesday evening we had a picnic with the Bauman's and Novia's at  Mandarach Park.  The girls had a great time playing on the slides and just running around.  They could have cared less about actually eating their food, they just wanted to play.  I tried to get some pictures, but these ladies were just on the go.  What a fun time watching our kiddos play together :)
  
Julia snapped this picture on her phone, which captured all the girls looking in the same direction.

We had a little "birthday party" for Hannah.  Aunt Kate made a delicious cake and Hannah was truly so excited to have everyone sing to her.  She literally squealed out loud when the cake was carried over and she clapped and blew out her candles.  It was so cute to see.  She will certainly be a ham when we celebrate her official 2nd birthday in September.  

                 
Derek and Kate have a lab MacKenzie and the kids just loved playing with her.  MacKenzie was wiped out and Hannah was loving on her, it was adorable.  This kiddo just loves animals.
The kids played together so well, they shared Hannah's new toys and were giggling and laughing at whatever their minds come up with.  It was fun to watch them all interact together.

A picture of all the cousins together (minus Dylan and Bryn who we sorely  missed. If only they could have moved to North Carolina after this week)  We will have to photoshop those two into this picture.



And last, a picture of the beautiful sky as we departed Atlantic City on Sunday evening.  JD didn't believe me when I told him you fly in the clouds so I snapped this picture for him.


We ended up delayed leaving AC and didn't arrive to our house in Lansing til well after 11pm.  Hannah didn't nap all day and fell asleep within 5 minutes of getting into the car on our drive back from Detroit.  She did really well the whole day considering and was no problem at all.  Thank goodness for technology and fun books, games, and apps on the iPhone!  All is all, it was a wonderful vacation.  We had a blast doing everything and already have our week picked out for next summer's adventure!  Love you all!

5 year Anniversary

I am going to write this post directly to John, so bear with me...

To my best friend, my partner, my forever love, John

Today we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary!  5 amazing years together as husband and wife.  5 years of unforgettable memories.  5 years of ups and downs.  5 years of life-changing events that we have endured together.  5 years of becoming stronger as a couple, stronger as a family, and just plain stronger.

Here is my Top 5 of our first 5 years of wedded bliss:

5.  Our 2nd Anniversary trip to Traverse City.  Since our 1st anniversary was a complete rain out in Atlantic City (although we had a very lovely time), this trip was able to make up for it.  We spent a long weekend together in one of our favorite places, Traverse City, eating at some delicious restaurants, enjoying a few happy hour beverages, swimming and walking along East Bay together, and getting away from all our cares and worries for a few days.  We survived that unbelievable hot and exhausting climb up and down Sleeping Bear Dunes.  You were a rock that day, pushing me to keep going through that entire climb back up.  And when we trekked over the "little dune", which ended up being like 5 miles!, we kept each other laughing and sane.  This was our first trip away since our honeymoon and it was a special trip for us both.


4.  The day we found out we were pregnant with Hannah.  We weren't trying, it wasn't supposed to be yet.  But low and behold, the two pink lines on the stick were really there (and quite a few sticks for reassurance too).  It took some getting used to for me as I wasn't quite ready.  But you, you were so happy.  You couldn't stop smiling that whole day.  We went to the MSU Gymnastics Alumni meet.  You hid your exciting news from everyone although I know deep down, you wanted to tell the world.  We went to eat at Reno's with the team, you 'helped' keep our secret by drinking for "us" as I decided to be the DD.  You were so excited the first time we heard her little heart beat at the doctor's appointment.  You made so many changes in your work schedule so you could come to every single appointment with me, with us.  What an amazing husband you were during those long 40 weeks.  But it was worth it, every single day just to see how happy you were in the very first moment of finding out we were going to be parents!

3.  The birth of our beautiful baby girl.  I can't even begin to put into words how absolutely amazing Friday, September 16, 2011 was for both of us.  From the phone call at work telling you my water broke, to us scared out of our minds prolonging leaving the house; doing the dishes, washing that last load of laundry, sweeping out the garage, and then finally heading to the hospital.  We thought we had more time, but we were pleasantly surprised when 3 short hours later after arriving at the hospital, our baby girl had made her arrival.  I remember the doctor saying, "who wants to announce the sex?".  She turned our baby around and you looked at me and said, "it's a girl, she's a girl".  What an amazing moment to share, our new little family!  As we recovered, while watching the Tigers game on tv, we were still in total shock that our baby was really here.  Once we decided on her name, Hannah Elizabeth, it was time to spread the good news.  Hannah's birthday was such a special moment for me because we became parents, a mommy, a daddy, a family of our own.


2.  Honeymoon to Hawaii.  We were so lucky to spend 10 glorious days in such a beautiful world, unlike anything I've even seen before in my life.  We walked, talked, hiked, drove along the scariest road of my life, we swam with turtles in the most blue/clear water imaginable, we indulged on some absolutely delicious food (that unreal corn chowder soup!), we laughed, dreamed, and began to build our life together.  This honeymoon was the best start to beginning our life in the 'real world' when we got back home.  I will always remember our honeymoon, it was such a special trip with you and only you.

     

1.  Our wedding day-- August 9, 2008.  Without a doubt, this will ALWAYS be my favorite memory.  It was such a special, magical, romantic day.  I have never felt so much in love with you.  Every time I look at our wedding day pictures, I remember it all over again.  Getting up early to get my hair done, driving to the church (and losing the bridesmaids in the car behind us!), waiting anxiously for 2:00, holding your hand so tight as we stood on opposite sides of the nursery door for pictures and hearing you say "I love you" to help calm my nerves, watching the girls line up outside the church doors as they got ready to enter, holding my dad's hand as he hugged me and told me to enjoy every moment of this day, walking down the aisle with the biggest smile across my face as you stood there smiling (and maybe shedding a tear or two) waiting for me to begin this journey together.  Everything about our wedding ceremony was perfect, everything I could have wanted.  Then to the reception and celebrating with everyone.  The food was incredible, the room looked amazing, being surrounded by our family and friends who traveled from all over to be there for us.  We danced, we laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank, we enjoyed it all together!!  I'm the luckiest girl in the world because I had the wedding of my dreams, and married a man who is more than I could have ever dreamed about.
      

I wish I could slow down time, it feels like its flying by so fast right before our very eyes.  I don't want to lose another second without remembering it.  I need to remember to cherish every single day, every good morning, every good night.  With you I've found a once-in-a-lifetime friendship and love.  You're the friend that I want, the husband I need, the reason I have so much to celebrate today!  I love you today, tomorrow, and always.  Happy 5 year anniversary!

20 Weeks

20 weeks until this baby is here!  20 weeks until Christmas!
  

I cannot believe we have reached the half way mark!  It has flown by and it also doesn't seem possible that we're at this point.  I have already reached the nesting phase; cleaning and organizing closets, dressers, basement storage, and whatever I can get my hands on that may need some straightening up.  I have to remind myself to take it easy some days!

The extra body pillow has made its way out of storage and joined John and I in our bed as the extra "spot".  That thing is like having a third body in the bed, it is massive!  But helpful and definitely makes sleeping slightly more comfortable, slightly.  We haven't traded sides of the bed yet, I am hoping we won't get to that point.  I'm not much of a morning person, the alarm clock is on John's current side, and I don't want to be responsible for the clock.  Knowing me, I'd turn it off instead of hitting snooze and John would be late for work!  So we'll see when it happens.  The switch will take place at some point, there is about a one foot space between my side of the bed and the wall/window in our room.  Once this belly becomes out of control, there won't be much room to squeeze by.

Our doctor's appointment was last week and we had our first ultrasound!  Everything looks great with baby so far. No concerns, no issues, and he/she is measuring perfectly down to the exact day!  What lucky parents we are.  This little baby had the hiccups during the ultrasound, it was so cute to see those little lips  moving.  And also gives me an explanation to all those little flutters I've been feeling.
So here is our little peanut:
 
 
 

Hannah has been such a little sweetheart with her momma.  Everyday she will take her two sweet little hands, place them on my ever-expanding belly, and say "Hi baby!"  It makes me smile every single time she does it.  I really hope she becomes a good big sister once this little bean arrives.
 
 

20 Week Details:
-Baby is the size of a small cantaloupe (6.5 inches)
-Baby weighs 10.6 oz
-Over the past 4 weeks, baby has mastered some simple reflexes: swallowing, sucking, and blinking.  Bones in the body are starting to harden and baby is beginning to hear some sounds in utero.  Baby's skin is becoming covered in vernix to protect the skin from damage while encased in the amniotic fluid.  Baby's first sticky, ucky meconium is starting to be produced.
   

16 Weeks

 

  

Now that we have approached the 16 week mark, things have really started to turn around.  I have been feeling so much better, not having morning sickness at all, and pretty much all sickness has been eliminated.  Now I'm onto the uncomfortable sleeping stage especially because I am a side/belly sleeper, belly sleeping-- that's not an option anymore.  I haven't had any specific cravings but then again I didn't have any with Hannah.  I did suffer from pretty terrible heartburn when carrying Hannah and that has also started up this time around.  The heartburn reminds me to eat smaller meals and to eat slower, something I should always be more careful of.  

Our 16 week appointment with the doctor was smooth sailing.  No issues, no concerns so far.  The nurse had a hard time finding the heartbeat with the doppler, but when the NP came in for my exam, she found that little bugger in no time at all.  Personally, I thought the RN was searching a little low, but what do I know anyway?! 

Our next appointment will be our first Ultrasound, I'm pretty sure both John and I are really excited to see this little baby bean.  So hopefully we will have some good images to share.  

16 Week Details:
-Baby is the size of an avocado
-Baby weighs 3.5 oz
-Baby's limbs are much more developed, legs and arms are becoming longer and more controlled in movement.  The skeletal system is developing rapidly.
 

4th of July

I had to work around the 4th of July, so we had a pretty low-key weekend.  John's Aunt Becky had a wonderful picnic on the 4th that we attended.  Good food, good company, good weather = the perfect combination to celebrate a holiday! 

We went to the lake on Sunday to spend some time with John's family.  It was a nice and sunny day, very enjoyable to sit and soak up some sun rays.  Hannah had a fun time playing/swimming in her kiddie pool, she could have sat in that thing all day if we let her.  Hannah followed behind the kiddos bike parade as she was scared to ride in the plane and train her Grandpa made.  Maybe next time we'll have better luck!  We took a boat ride with everyone, strolling around, checking out the homes along the water.  All in all, it was a good day and nice to get away from the daily grind in Lansing.