weekend... and field trip...and home improvement

Well, I started to make a post about our weekend on Monday (or Tuesday, I can't remember!), but quickly realized it sounded very boring and I have NO pictures from it! Sooo I thought I would wait.

Last Friday our friends Ricky & Brittany came over and Ryan grilled out. We had a good time just chatting and eating. Saturday was a rushed and busy day. We had to be at soccer early for pictures and then B had his game. We rushed home after the game and ate a quick sandwich and then off to Turkey Trot. We hung out at the camper and enjoyed the nice day and then went to the truck pulls. We had supper at the camper and then B went to ride some rides. We got home about 10 I believe and I was EXHAUSTED. No more pushing myself to be "miss busy bee". I know I say that, but I am serious this time. It was just too much for me... and I am staying healthy this time (well as much as I can control it, I know I had no control over getting sick last time, but I just mean I'm not going to run my body ragged and give it any more of a reason to freak out!). Sunday we were around the house and I was trying to recover from Saturday. Thankfully I felt much better by Sunday evening. I guess now every little thing worries about me, but better to be safe than sorry. We went to my parents for supper Sunday evening and visited for awhile.

Ya'll know me and how I complain about my butt ugly kitchen cabinets all the time (I know I know, a lot of people would be glad to just have cabinets, and I AM grateful, but....). I got spoiled at our first house and had brand new cabinets that were beautiful... probably b/c my hubby made them, but ya know. It also makes it hard b/c it isn't like it feels IMPOSSIBLE to get new cabinets... after all that is what "the man" does every day for a living! Sooo we're still not sure about the buyer that was interested in our house back in the spring and said he would know for sure in the fall. We don't want to bother him so we're not asking questions. We're really not in a rush anyway... but if that does fall through we still do want to put our house for sale sometime in the next year or so... so anyway that means we're still stuck not wanting to put a bunch of money into our current house, but still wanting some updates... sooo Ryan decided he would refinish our cabinets, get a new counter top and do a new back splash... um can I get a HALLELUJAH!? They still won't be my "dream" cabinets, but I know those will come when we build. I can settle and be really excited about ones that are the darkest wood EVER w/ the butt ugliest counter tops from 1974 w/ matching backsplash! Oh girls, you better believe I can be happy about "refinished"! Sooo after all that I'm getting to what we did on Monday evening! We went to Lowe's to pick out tile for our backsplash. We got that picked out and I love it! I think it will turn out great! Ryan also had me look at counter tops b/c they sale the same brands that they have available at the shop. I also got that picked out. We're not going w/ anything fancy b/c obviously we're trying to be economical, but make it more modern! While we were at Lowe's I thought I would go over to the flooring department, b/c as you all know another gripe I have is the carpet in our front living room. Well, we are getting new carpet in there! Oh Monday was a great day in the life of Chelsa :) We got a great deal on the carpet, pad AND installation! I'm soo excited. The guy is coming to measure up today. I had a carpet fund saved up but we had never went ahead and got carpet. B/c of the odd size of the room it was going to require double the cost and it's not even a big room... well we found an odd sized carpet to fit our odd sized room and so I will even have money left over from my saved up carpet fund, SCORE! Ryan thinks I'm basically insane for being so excited, but these are two of the things that drive me crazy on a daily basis so I'm just pumped! We've done a lot of "projects" around our house and these are two bigger ones that we've put off and not done, but probably two of the ones that bothered me the most so I will be so thankful to have them done! I think they will both help us w/ selling the house when we decide to put it up for sale (since both are things you see when you walk in the front door and were about the only two things that haven't been updated since we moved in).
So ya'll probably really think I'm crazy now, but I'm just so excited (get back w/ me in a week when my house is ripped apart and we'll see if I'm still so excited!). haha

Tuesday evening B had soccer practice... and then yesterday he had his pre-school's field trip to The Children's Museum in Evansville. We had never been there, but B loved it. It was so neat! I was worn out from all those kiddos though! Ryan didn't get home from work until almost 8 last night so me and B took all my flowers out of pots and cleaned up the landscaping and got all my fall decorations out... went and got mums and planted those too. I love fall decorations :) Tonight I was dreading doing laundry b/c I try to do it every other day at least and it'd been a few days since I'd had a chance, but my grandma (who still loves to spoil me) called me this morning and asked if she could go to my house and help me out w/ laundry or anything that needed done... Seriously, how does she ALWAYS know? I know w/out my Papaw to take care of all the time she gets bored and it makes her feel good to help me out, it makes me feel good too! haha! Honestly though, I'm so grateful for her! I will now get to spend my evening enjoying my boys instead of worrying about laundry! Or maybe I can make that dreaded Wal-Mart trip so I don't have to do it tomorrow... boo :( I like option 1 better.

Brycen is doing much better w/ pre-school. No tears this week! I guess he just needed a little time. He seems to be back to his old self. Hopefully, it will stay that way! Last year he had learned his phone number at school and then we recently got rid of our house phone b/c we NEVER used it and I don't really want to pay for something we never use... so anyway, we got rid of our house phone and just have our cell phones. This is working fine, except I totally forgot this would call for Brycen to learn a new phone number! Duh, Chelsa! Well, we started working on it last night and he got it right away! He was so excited that he had learned it and I was so glad that he went w/ the flow and didn't get the old number confused w/ the new number. He ran into school this morning and told one of his teachers! He was laughing and smiling about something when I left-- makes me feel MUCH better that I haven't scarred him for life.

Tomorrow night Ryan is going to start ripping out the cabinets- sooo my house is going to be unorganized for awhile- lots of eating out I guess (too bad Pike Co. doesn't have more choices!).

These pictures are from B's field trip yesterday!

Tyler and B

getting ready to balance

playing drums
B at the end of the slide that was at the end of the climbing thingy

Brycen and Kennedy pulling on some intestines--eww

Arri, Tyler, and B-- BOYS!

This room was probably Brycen's favorite. He was def. in his element. He was building a bridge here!

Ty and B after the water room- they were SOAKED!

Blessed

Today is our 4th anniversary. That doesn't sound like very long! We have been together 8 1/2 years though... that's more like it! We got married on September 10, 2005 at Gasthof Amish Villiage in Montgomery, outside, in and around the gazebo. Our colors were bright pink and orange... w/ accents of yellow... it might sound hideous, but it was really pretty, since it was an outside wedding. The flowers were orange and pink roses. We each had seven, yes seven, attendants... 4 ushers, a ring bear, and a flower girl. It wasn't your traditional wedding... my bridesmaids wore short dresses and flip flops and the guys wore khaki's and white shirts. We wanted a "relaxed outside" feel. I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe the pesky videographer (see below)). It was really the shortest wedding in history b/c our poor OLDDDD (i'm talking 87 years old) preacher FORGOT the whole wedding message! :) It was so funny, I'm sure some people don't or didn't think it was funny, but seriously, it's something we'll never forget! Okay, enough of the chit chat and here's some pictures (still really poor quality (pictures of pictures)).

yes, I can be a drama queen... hard to believe huh!? (this is at the dress rehersal)

yep, pretty sure that dress rehersal consisted of me being dramatic... it was the videographers fault, he wanted to change EVERYTHING!


very frustrated ;)

my dad and ryan... watching me be the drama queen, that i can be... my dad telling ryan, "yep, tomorrow she is ALL YOURS" :) haha, he still teases him about this!

my favorite picture of me on our wedding day... it wasn't posed, the photographer took it while i was getting ready w/ my girls... i think i'm just glowing and i love how stinkin' happy i look!

and the hottie that i got so lucky to marry!

the place...

where the guests walked in

guest book table

unity candle table... my mother in law did it... i think it was gorgeous!

i LOVE this picture! jayce (our nephew) and kylee (my little cousin) were our ring bear and flower girl... jayce said to kylee, "WHY ARE YOU THROWING THOSE FLOWERS ON THE GROUND??" her response, "I'm doing it for Chelsa!" i think their faces tell the story!
our people :)

my sister (in law)... had to put this on her, she was my matron of honor... yah she cried during her speech, it was sweet :)

my daddy, giving me away (getting rid of me?!) haha :) (i have no idea why i'm so short)

the cake-- gift from my friend/sister/bridesmaid, erin :)

he was mean! it's not fair, my arms are too short! :)

I feel so blessed to be married to this man, my best friend. Through this year, the hardest year of our lives, he has been there, listened to me cry, and ramble, and not make sense. He's seen me at best and loved me through my worst. He's humble and hard working. He's funny and sweet. He's a great daddy and husband. I am so blessed.

Appt. and Day Off!

My appt. went well! My BP was 100/70 and babies heart rate was 161. I'm def. still thinking boy. It really doesn't matter at all, but I really truely 100% think it is. Oh yah, and only 1 lb. of weigh gain so far. I picked up B early from school and took him with me. I get a little nervous on appointment days and his busyness helps to keep my mind off of it a little better! I go back to the specialist on the 28th and will have the anatomy screen ultrasound at that time. Sooo a little less than 3 weeks and we'll know for sure (hopefully, if baby cooperates) if it's a boy or girl. I think it will help me to know for sure so I can start calling him or her by their name. After my appointment with the specialist I go to Dr. R on the 6th (the next week after the specialist appt) and then I will start seeing her every two weeks. I got my flu shot yesterday. Boo! I opted out of it last year, but this year she "highly recommended" it for me and reminded me that I don't need anything else to possibly land me in the hospital. She really never "highly recommends" anything so I figured I better take her advice on this one!

After my appointment Brycen and I hit up Cold Stone! YUM! I really love ice cream :)

and so does he!! :)

We also had to make a Target run for a few things and then we were on our way home. We were both tired when we got here.

We slept in a bit this morning and then did a few things around the house before we went to eat lunch at Taco Bell and then to Wal-Mart. BLAH! I was so worn out before we even went that I thought I might fall asleep in the bread aisle :). We did get a treat and ran into Tera and Miss Brynna though.

At Cold Stone yesterday Brycen wouldn't look at me and kept saying he needed to move... He finally said, "Momma, if I sit here like this people are going to think I'm dating you, and that's embarrassing!" WHAT?! Where did he get that? I figured it was one of those one time things, but ohhhh no, today at Taco Bell it was the same thing!! He had to sit at a table BESIDE me instead of across from me. Seriously! I don't know where he would come up w/ something like that!

Then after we saw Tera and Brynna I asked him why he wouldn't talk and was acting so weird (not like himself) and he said, "well b/c I didn't know their names"... oh my. He's a mess. He fell asleep on the way home so I guess he was tired!

When we got home and I got all the stuff put away I started cleaning. I'm so glad to have that done. I'm worn out though! The laundry is going now and I will be glad to be caught up on that as well. It seems like a pretty productive day so far. Now I'm off to decide what to make for supper... I'm thinking Chicken Lasagna (sound good, Court?). :)

15 Weeks and Preschool Woes...

Well, I was 15 weeks yesterday. I really promised myself to do better w/ belly pictures. I still love to look at mine from when I was pregnant w/ Andon. Sweet memories. I only have a few of when I was pregnant with Brycen so I really want to make it an effort to get as many as I can with this third (and def. our last) child.

Being the great big brother that he is :)

the 15 week belly... and just for comparison

Here is me last year at 15 wks and 2 days w/ Andon.

Bigger? Smaller? I go back and forth. I don't feel as big, but from this picture I think I look bigger now... who knows! It doesn't really matter as long as this baby is healthy!

I go to Dr. Reisinger for a check up today... I'll let ya know how it goes :)

So, this is Brycen's 2nd year of pre-school. He started daycare at 6 months and went to pre-school at that same place last year. He loved it. Due to quite a few different reasons I decided to switch him to a new school this year. His BFF wasn't going to be at their old school anyway so I thought now was my time to make the switch. It works better w/ our schedule and just a few other reasons as well, but that's the main one. I LOVE the new school. I am so happy with it. Brycen loved it the first two weeks as well. I was so excited b/c our adjustment had went well and so smoothly... I had been nervous, but obviously for no need. Um, Think Again. After the 2nd week is when B was in the wedding. He saw his old teachers at the wedding and reception... A conversation went on. His third week of school he started saying "I hate school" and "I don't want to go to school"... first off he got scolded for saying "hate" and then I started trying to figure out why. Let's just say that's been two weeks and I'm about at my wits end. I don't want him to "hate" school. And it makes me so sad that he tells me his belly hurts every morning and I have to leave him there while he is sad. I also know that we don't like everything about this world and that he will be going to Kindergarten next year... and if he doesn't like that, it's just too bad, he has to go anyway. I know that he is being well cared for at his new school and I'm not at all concerned for his safety, but my heart breaks that he isn't happy there. I can't get one exact thing out of him that he doesn't like... one day it will be lunch, the next day it's rest time, and the next it's a problem with the toys (he doesn't like them?). So obviously nothing major, but it seems pretty big to him. If he was a clingy child or one that cried not go before I'm sure this wouldn't concern me I would just know that's how he is... but he is sooo NOT like this. He is very easy going and layed back. He does say he loves his teachers... so I just don't know what the problem is. His teachers said he hasn't gotten in trouble (not even scolded) one time, that he is the best behaved child there (that makes momma happy!). I just don't want him to hate school and not learn what he is supposed to or just be miserable all the time, but I don't know what to do to "make" him like it either? Any suggestions? HELP ME!! I'm so emotional anyway and this just makes me cry!

sickies

I haven't posted in about a week... thought I better or ya'll might think I fell off the Earth. I didn't... we didn't. Wednesday I did start in on being sick though. I was home from work w/ a temperature Thursday. Friday I was just so worn down and still not feeling well enough for work. My grandma came and kept Brycen entertained Thurs. and Fri. afternoons. I am so thankful for that. Friday night was my brother's first college cross country meet so I forced myself to get dressed and go. I didn't feel like it and had no business out in public I'd say, but I couldn't miss it! He did really good by the way. We are just so proud of him! He is loving college so far... I'm glad he is, but I sure miss him. It was a late night since Evansville is an hour behind us. We slept in yesterday morning. My mom and I went to a few yard sales... I came home and could of kicked myself for wearing myself out already. My head was still pounding and my nose was still pouring snot (nice visual, huh!). Seriously, I've went through BOXES of kleenex. Brycen's asthma has been acting up too and we've been having to do breathing treatments every 3-4 hours. I hate it when he has problems with it. Anyway, I rested for the rest of the afternoon yesterday and we did go to my parents for a cookout w/ my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. I didn't do anything besides sit at the table and talk. I was starting to feel better, just really worn down. We rested all day today and I'm finally feeling sort of normal now. I still have a snotty nose, but it's not near as bad and I can at least breathe out my nose again. Marilyn and Phil (Ryan's parents) brought us leftovers for supper. That was so nice to not have to fix supper tonight. I'm really thankful for an extra day off tomorrow. This is probably the most boring post in history, all about me being sick... but that's all I've done since Wednesday!

weekends go too fast...

How does Monday always come around so quick?

Friday evening we went to the Catfish Festival and let Brycen ride rides w/ his buddy Joey. They had so much fun and we only got a little wet from the rain.

Brycen and Joey on the train.

They ran into their friend Delaney too. :)

Saturday morning we had B's soccer game. This week was a little more organized than last, but it was still pretty funny!

Saturday afternoon we went home and did stuff around the house and rested a bit and then got ready to go to Evansville. We met our friends Shannon and Chadd at Red Lobster and enjoyed some yummy food! Then we went to Toys R Us. Brycen had a 25.00 gift card to spend... um lets just say we were there for almost 2 hours! I was worn out! He had fun though :) After that we had to run to Target b/c I needed to check for a few things. We got home about 10pm... so not too late, but we were worn out!

Sunday morning... wow! We got up and I thought we were great on time (early I thought!) and I wasn't even tired... which amazed me... um yah, well let's just say we were forty minutes LATE for church! How did that happen?! Well, I always set my alarm on my cell phone... so when we came home on Friday night I didn't look at the time that the phone said, but apparently it never switched back over to Pike Co. time! No wonder I wasn't tired when my alarm went off- I got an extra hour of sleep! We were quite embarrassed to walk into church forty minutes late, but better late than never I guess! After church we went over to Ryan's parents for lunch and to visit. We got home about 3 and just hung out. We weren't planning on it, but we decided to go to Wal-Mart last night. UGH!! I really dread that place. But I hadn't been in over 2 weeks and we were out of pretty much EVERYTHING! I feel much better now that that is out of the way for the week.

Wedding Weekend, First Soccer Game, and Peace

Friday night before the rehersal :)
Of course he had to make a mean one too!

Yah, I don't think either one was happy I was taking pictures already!

Standing up with the his "cowboy friends" Brandon and Roman.

After the rehersal it started storming on the way to the dinner. We were starving and it was pretty late (already 9pm!). The food was delicious though. We went to McKinley's Orchard. When we pulled up there was a rainbow :) It actually was a double rainbow and the bottom one kept getting brighter- the brightest rainbow I've ever seen!

not a great picture

We didn't get home until after 11pm and had to be up bright and early for B's first soccer game. All I have to say about that is... HILARIOUS! We're def. taking the video camera this week! It was really chilly Sat. morning too!
he really can kick the ball!

he's such a goof--- winking :)

and thumbs up too... :)

he was concentrating so hard on running fast he ran right into the back of his team mate! :) I was actually just taking his picture running down the field and somehow caught this on camera!

After the game we had to rush home and all take showers and get our clothes on and rush to Vincennes for the wedding pictures to start! We were very pushed for time, but we made it! Brycen was such a good boy all day!

B and momma before the wedding

B w/ all the guys and the beautiful bride, Megan!

B watching Lilyan while they were taking other pictures. He is such great big brother material :)


B and Lilyan walking down the aisle! They did so good! Lilyan doesn't talk much, but everytime she sees Brycen she screams "BBBBBBBBBB" as loud as she can! It is so cute!

such a ham

standing up with the big boys during the wedding!

can't get much cuter than that :)
he held a cowboy hat while they did the dollar dance :)

We didn't get home until after 11 Saturday night either so we were very very tired! We went to church Sunday morning and thankfully the guest speaker was very loud, so he kept me awake ;) Sunday afternoon we just stayed home and lounged around... Sunday evening we went to my parents and I made meatballs for supper. We all ate too much and then sat outside and visited. A lot of the grooms' family and friends were here from TX and we got to get to know all of them so that was fun. Some didn't go back until Tuesday so it was nice to visit after the wedding too.

This week has been pretty slow with nothing on our agenda's... it has been nice though b/c Ryan has worked late every night. B's practice got cancelled on Tuesday and that was really the only thing we had going this week! Yesterday Amber Manor rehab (physical therapy) came out to our house and my grandma got on B's four wheeler with him and all the therapists got around them and they took pictures... it's going to be on a bill board in town! lol. She goes there for therapy on her knee that she had replaced. It should be fun to see B's face when he realizes it is him up there! I'm not sure when it will be done.

Today seems to be taking forever... probably b/c I woke up thinking it was Friday for some reason!

Oh yes, this story took place awhile back, but when I wrote about B being good big brother material it made me think of it... and I want to get it down on here before it gets lost in my bad memory! One evening we were talking about Andon and this new baby and I asked B if he knew what Andon was (I was wanting him to say "my brother") but anyway, he said, "yep, he's the sweetest baby ever!"... I about cried! I was afraid that maybe Andon wouldn't be very real to him, especially as time moved on, but it seems that that's not the case and that makes me so happy.

I debated about not putting this next thing on here... but something just kind of hit me yesterday. You ever have a "DUH" moment?? Lately, I don't want to say I've been "struggling" with this, but it's just been on my mind... I read a couple blogs on other parents who have lost babies (around the time we lost Andon) and some of those people just still seem so lost... never leave their houses, have lost their friends, etc etc... I kept wondering if there was something wrong with me... I know that everyone grieves differently, deals differently, etc... but ya know, there was just this voice in my head at times thinking there is something wrong with me... maybe I didn't love him enough, maybe I don't care enough, etc... okay, that's so the devil putting those thoughts in my head, b/c obviously I would love to have Andon here and I couldn't possibly love him anymore than I do... Well, yesterday, I heard a verse on tv... one that I've heard a hundred times before... Phil. 4:7 (NIV), "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I have no idea why that verse hit me differently yesterday that any of the other hundreds of times I've heard it before, but it did. It was like my answer was right there the whole time... I've SOUGHT out the peaceful feeling I have. I've prayed to feel peace, I've prayed to be able to go on with life, and not forget Andon, but to live my life here and to live it for Jesus, I've prayed for peace... and God has granted me peace... peace that surpasses all understanding. No wonder I've been wondering about myself, I can't possibly understand the peace that God has given me... but I feel like now I can accept it as the gift it is and quit worrying that my feelings aren't "right". I feel like the Lord has blessed me with being able to be strong through Him. And I praise Him.