what I'm excited for...

(even though I can't fit into mine right now...)

fall colors, apple cider, fleece jackets and apple picking - I can't help it I'm SO ready for the fall.

Boys vs. Girls

School has been back in session for the past week and a half. Although I miss shopping or going to the gym at 11 o'clock in the morning like during the summer, I was really excited to get back into things. Unfortunately, I'm a little less patient a lot more pregnant than last year - poor kids! Anywho, the other day I had a journal topic that I knew would generate some interesting responses. I thought I'd share snippets of my favorites.

Topic: Who has it easier in life, boys or girls? Why?

Girl Student 1: I mean let's just face it... boys always have a better life.

Girl Student 2: Boys just put on their clothes, shoes, brush their teeth, and go. They don't take a long time figuring out how to comb their hair.

Boy Student 1: Girls have it easier cause all they do is clean and cook. Boys have to work for 11 hours. Boys make the money and girls make the food.

Girl Student 3: Boys, because they sleep in until 10 and we wake up early.

Boy Student 2: Girls, because all they do is clean the dishes, sweep, mop, and make food. Boys have to work, wash the cars, mow the lawn, AND boys can do everything girls can do!

Girl Student 4: Boys, because girls fight and brag about each other.

Boy Student 3: The one time a girl's life is not easy is when they have a baby. But then the boys take care of them when the girls want to go somewhere and shop.

Boy Student 4: Boys, because when they go to a party they pick out an outfit and spray on some cologne. Girls have to be picky, try on outfits, put on make-up, do their hair...

Girl Student 4: The only time we get to relax is... never!

Boy Student 5: Girls are like zombies - they don't do anything.

I was rolling when I read these! The girl's entries usually sounded like "what a hard-knock life" and the boys just belittled the girls. These kids are definitely going to make my life interesting this year.

projects and vera bradley

I have a thing for Vera Bradley. I call them my Mary Poppin's bags (especially the ginormous pink/brown one).  The beautiful blue one below is a baby bag my sister and mom bought me. I almost cried when I opened the box and discovered this little thrill. Below it are the ones I've collected so far.

Below are some projects I've been working on for the baby's room.

A frame I'll use - with her name on it.

I've decided to decorate her room with vintage pictures of nursery rhymes.

I had a book of these rhymes that I tore out, used scrapbooking paper as matting and distressed some frames.

a steal!

I'm willing to spend a little bit of money on certain baby items... like a nice rocker that I'm sure I'll find myself in quite often, a crib (okay, so my mom is buying me one), a car seat (okay, my mom is buying this for me too) - these are all things that I would like to be nice and new. But $280 on a dresser?!? Absolutely not. I looked everywhere and they were always in the 200's. I looked on Craiglist and they were usually faux wood or ghetto. Anyway, after breakfast with Ben the other day we stopped at an antique store and found this charmer. The owner was going to strip it and paint it but would give it to me for $30 (a steal!) if I did the work myself. 

before (with the drawers already yanked out to be sanded)

after

Happy Birthday Ben!

On July 22nd was Ben's 26th birthday.  Although we didn't get to have a huge celebration, we did head downtown to a French restaurant for dinner (where we had frog legs... ughh...), opened presents, and I made a homemade (from scratch might I add) german chocolate cake - I'm really not a baker.. or cook for that matter, so it was a big deal.

Yeah, well this is a random picture of us outside of the restaurant.. the only one we took of us that evening.

He shows his enthusiasm well, huh?

drumroll please...

It's a GIRL !!!

-Healthy

-Still due on Dec. 1

-Movin' it ALL of the time (and is not camera shy about her dancing skills)

long overdue post

Holy cow it's been six weeks since my last post. Well, a lot has been going on.... umm.... I just don't quite know where to begin... School for me was over on the fifth of June so the next day I flew out to WA to spend time with my family and let Ben finish studying for Boards. He then flew out and spent a week and a half out there with me. We got to go to the Olympic Rainforest on the WA peninsula which was absolutely amazing. Some friends from his school and my sister (with her friends) were able to come too. We backpacked for 5 days (roughly 35 miles) along the coast and inland. We didn't pay too much attention about the tides and had to climb over huge boulders for two days with 30+ pound packs on. Then these "ascents" Ben kept talking about were huge inclines and even cliffs we had to scramble up or use a rope/ladder system. Sooooo tiring but soooo cool. Besides not being able to tighten my pack around my waist tightly - I didn't feel like I was hindered with being pregnant. Below are about a million pictures from our trip.

This was our last day - we were SO happy to be finished and go take showers.

View above and below from one of our campsites.

One of our climbs.

We had to put our rain gear on for a day or so. That's Ryan (friend from Chicago) and my sister.

My sister and I passed some of the time (when it felt like the miles would never end) by talking about our favorite foods (we were living off of cliff bars and dehydrated meals) and playing name games using famous people.

I loved coming to ascents or descents when they provided a ladder and rope! That's me above and Laura, my sister, below.

Julia, Ryan, and Melissa (all friends from Chicago).

Laura, her friend Crystal, and I.

Before we could begin this little expedition we had to stop in Forks to get permits and bear canisters. NO, I did not get giddy about being in Twilight-ville, but YES, I took many pictures =)

Dang fine berry cobbler.

Forks was so ghetto. No wonder they didn't film anything there. But the town definitely took advantage of tourism (yes there were many people there that traveled specifically there (one family from TEXAS!) for the "sites"). Everything had signs attached about the book/film.

**********

Now we're back in town. I'm teaching summer school and Ben is in his third year doing his first rotation in Pediatrics. He was finally able to go to a doctor's apt. with me on Monday where they did an ultrasound and checked the heart rate (138). This was the first time Ben got to see the baby live. Then he talked to the doctor (who might be his attending during his ob/gyn rotation) in language I didn't understand - for too long - b - o - r - i - n - g. 

TUESDAY - we find out the gender!