Update :)

Alright - I've been trying for 5 days to upload a video of Marcus and his "revamping" of our office/nursery. It will not upload for me, and I am so disappointed :( So, if anyone could give me some pointers, that would be great!

Before

Before

Because I don't have my video to upload, I took some pictures of the progress. Marcus has been working hard today and has gotten quite a bit done. We decided to strip the baseboards down because the stain that was on them was old and grungy, so that's what Marc has been working on this past weekend. Here are some pictures of the progress :)

In the process of stripping the stain

After

After

K-dawg has to be EVERYWHERE I am

Hubby working hard :)

There is the progress so far :) I will keep everyone updated along the way!

One can only do so much...

Bittersweet - I'm sure everyone has their definition of this term. Marcus coins the term as a "short-lived victory." Mine is "in a given situation, you have a taste of bitterness along with a taste of sweetness." The reason I'm bringing up definitions... my bittersweet ending to my work day. We have a policy where students will be exited from our program after a certain # of consecutive unexcused absences. I have had a student who, from the first day I met him I knew he was going to be my "challenge." Now, I love a good challenge and will welcome one with open arms, but this one was a little different. This particular student had a rough history/background and I believe all he needed was a little TLC and extra attention. One had to know in which situations they could give extra attention to, which was the difficult part. He was hard to read in some instances, and easy to read in others. All in all, a honest to goodness kid who needed someone to watch his back. 
He has had a large amount of unexcused absences so he can be exited out of the program. I spoke with mom today and it was a bittersweet conversation. She let me know what he was doing now and what the remainder of his year looked like. I am happy to report that he is on the right track to achieving his GED and is getting the assistance he needs and deserves. You all are probably wondering why this situation is so bittersweet. For one, I was ready for the challenges he gave me and wanted to help in every way possible. In some ways, I feel I failed him as one of my students and I have found myself wondering "what else could I have done for him? Maybe if I would have done _______, or I should have tried ______." Don't get me wrong, I am happy he is on the right track and is doing something great for him, because he does deserve it! Yet, on the other hand, I wonder "What if?" I guess I need to realize that one can only do so much. I have to remember that I gave it my all with him and it just wasn't what he needed right now.
I can't help but brag a bit about his mother's compliments. She thanked me for always being there for her son and told me he has asked about me a couple times. It is something as little as those words that make me feel as if I've made one difference in this child's life... even if it is a minor difference. "What's in a number?!" :)
In conclusion, the bitter part of the situation was accepting the fact that he will no longer be my student, and I will no longer be able to challenge him, or myself. The sweet part of the situation is that he is happy and content with where he is at right now. He deserves and best and I wish that for him and his family :)

Blessings

"For today and its blessings, I owe the world an attitude of gratitude."

I think this quote is the perfect exemplar of my day today. Today is a Wednesday, so the students go out on tours of different businesses and meet with employers to talk about job openings. They also get a chance to see what it would be like to work at that business. Today, our tour was at Lowes in Papillion. My day started off on the right foot by seeing my husband at his job :) My students couldn't believe that "he" was my husband and that he worked at Lowes. They found it really neat that they were able to meet him.
The rest of our day consisted of eating lunch and then going bowling. Now, bowling is a HUGE deal for the students as they are so excited to show off their "mad skills" :) Everyone got along so well today and it was just one of those "perfect days!" I couldn't have had a better day today - I guess the beautiful weather really helped too! (Too bad it's supposed to snow tomorrow-Saturday)


Anyway, I don't have much else to say besides I am grateful for today and couldn't be in a better mood :) I hope everyone had a day like mine... and if not, I hope one comes soon - because they truly are great!

Nursery troubles

I am facing issues with what to do with our office, which will eventually become the nursery. We are not finding out, as I've stated, so I wanted to do a yellow, gray, and white concept. My issue is our trim in the office, as well as the rest of the house. We have wood floors and wood trim. These colors do not match, and that drives me crazy! I cannot decide what to do. Do we paint the wood trim white, so it matches better with our hopeful color scheme? Or do we change the color scheme to match the wood trim/flooring. Or do we keep it the way it is and paint how we want it.. UGH!
I need help to decide what to do, or what would look good. I guess I never realized that I could be so indecisive when it comes to getting a nursery ready.
I took a few pictures of the office so you can see the difference in colors of the wood and give me your input. Hopefully that helps :)

Sound of Music

I stated earlier that I have been wanting "Sound of Music" for a while now. We have it on VHS at my parents' house, but as technology is changing, the movie has now been made on DVD! For Valentine's Day, Marcus got me the blue ray and I couldn't have been more excited! Marcus is currently at work, so I am enjoying a quiet, pleasant evening watching my FAVORITE movie of all time, while Kona is curled up next to me :)
If anyone has not seen this movie, you MUST go and rent/buy it. It is a musical combined with comedy and romance. It is amazing to me how much I remember. Every new song that comes on I find myself singing along. Now, if you were a fly on the wall, you would laugh at me, but I quite enjoy it :) This movie is simply hilarious at times and very moving at others.
I remember when I was younger, my grandma would get a group of children from Kennedy, MN together to practice the songs from Sound of Music. Each of us was a certain child from the movie and we would perform a song/dance at the county fair. Everyone loved us ;) I was little Gretl and kept everyone in line.
Alright, I need to get back to my movie :)

Realize

My pregnancy is quickly becoming a realization, to both Marcus and myself. Over the last couple of days, my stomach has protruded to that infamous "baby bump" everyone has been telling me about. They say it just all of a sudden "pops out" and that is definitely the truth! Last night, I wasn't feeling well and was laying on the couch when Marcus walked in. He just stood there with a look of shock on his face. He realized as well that my belly is growing. There is no hiding it that I am pregnant. I feel that I should really just EMBRACE it :) I can honestly say at this point, I am happy to be gaining weight, even if it is only a few lbs. Here are a few pictures of my protruding belly :) - Enjoy!

14 weeks

Monday marked Valentines Day. Marcus took me out to Village Point to shop at Old Navy. Can anyone guess what I bought?! Yep, maternity pants. I wanted to try and shy away from them as long as possible, but I decided to choose comfort instead. I'm not big on clothing cutting off my circulation :) They actually aren't all that bad, and are surprisingly comfortable too! I highly recommend them ;) We then went to Panchero's to have a burrito and went home. I am not the biggest fan of Valentines Day, so that night was perfect for me. Marcus is such a great sport and has been very supportive of my hormones and emotions. He even remembered that all I wanted was The Sound of Music on blue ray. (I know what I'm doing this weekend) I think I got lucky with him ;)
We have been playing around with the idea of painting the office, which will in turn be the baby's room. I have my heart set on a gray color for the walls. I really love the white, gray, and yellow concept for a baby room. Marcus wants to go to Babies R Us and check out crib bedding sets to see what our options are and go from there. Maybe tonight?! I will admit, it is a little more difficult to decide what colors to do with not finding out the sex of the baby, but that is completely fine by me! My sister told me that she thinks I will get that baby out faster and it will be easier to push because I will want to know what it is! I sure hope she's right.
This morning I was getting ready and listening to my iPod.  The song "Realize" by Colbie Caillat came on and it really got me thinking about embracing life and letting time pass you by. We all know that time goes by too fast, so we should try and take it one day at a time and go from there. Life is always going to throw us little surprises, and they won't always be easy, but embrace them and know it's for a reason :)

Take time to realize, oh oh I'm on your side

Didn't I tell you

Take time to realize, this all can pass you by

Didn't I tell you

But I can't spell it out for you

No, it's never gonna be that simple

No I can't spell it out for you

I think these few simple words go a long way, and the song is pretty good too!

*Changes*

I think it's safe to say there are some changes going on in Marcus' and my life... Some challenging, (mostly for me) but yet fun :) 

We were up in Hallock this weekend visiting family and it made us realize how blessed we are to have such great family who are there for us, no matter what. We were discussing what their plans are for when the baby is born, and I realized that the instant they get the phone call that I'm in labor, they will be on their way down to Omaha! Something more to look forward to :) 

Anywho, back to the changes going on in our life ( it would appear that I get sidetracked easily;) 

Change #1: My hormones/emotions. ENOUGH SAID. I cry at the littlest thing and then Marcus will look at me and I start laughing. I can't control it and can't seem to turn off the waterworks. Every little thing bothers me or I am extremely irritated by the tiniest occurrence. I apologize in advance to anyone who encounters my raging hormones.. (this is mostly for my wonderful husband, who tolerates me every second of every day).

Change #2: My body. Once again, enough said. My pants are beginning to get tight and that fact really seems to bother me. I've been told that it's a good thing I'm gaining weight and starting to show, but at the same time... it's one of the "facts" I don't feel like grasping yet. Maybe it's because my "baby bump" doesn't look like a baby bump to me.. yet. It appears that way to everyone else, so maybe I should just shut my mouth and say "Thank you!" My sister asked me allllll weekend long to take a picture of my stomach so she could document my bump for me. I insisted she was being silly and refused - until today, right before we left. I'm sure I will be happy I finally gave in after the baby is born.

Change #3: The WEATHER!! It was 60 today in Omaha. We are bummed we were in the car the majority of the day and missed out on a nice day outside. Oh well, this week is supposed to be gorgeous as well! Marcus and I are thankful that I am feeling better and am starting to get my energy back... like I've said, just in time!! Kona will love me even more because I will start taking her on walks again after school! 

Change #4: Marcus and I are discussing and debating the infamous "baby room colors!" It is between brown and gray right now.. Any suggestions would be appreciated :) REMEMBER:::: we are not going to find out the sex of our baby, so we are just going to do everything gender neutral - which I have to say isn't going to be THAT hard. We have had an assortment of replies when asked if we're going to find out, and we reply with a "No!" I completely understand both sides of the point at hand, but Marcus and I are choosing to do it our way, at least this one time :) Nothing personal!

That is all of the changes we can think of right now.. so maybe there aren't that many... but all in all, our lives are going to change drastically in August. I'm not sure it's quite hit me yet that we are going to have a baby, but hopefully that will change in 2 weeks at our 16 wk. appointment. I have heard the heartbeat once (and I might add that it was AMAZING), but hopefully Marcus can hear it for the first time. I think his reaction will be enough to keep me happy for a week :) 

Hopefully this week is warm for everyone! 

Happy Valentines Day!

Maturity

Mature: fully developed in body or mind, as a person.

I believe that Marcus and myself have matured. Now, I am not just speaking of the maturing that is defined above, but in a multitude of ways. He has matured in his own way, and I have matured in my own way... yet, we have matured together as a couple, too. When I first met Marcus, he didn't care much about work or school. He went to classes and work and came home in the same fashion. He spent his money however he wanted to as well. Presently, Marcus is early for work, stays late, and doesn't mind. In fact, he actually enjoys his job and helping customers out. Marcus' hours are so scattered, that I never know when I'm going to see him. That is one downfall of his job, but we deal. He can usually get a weekend off when he needs it and they are great to try and work with his schedule if need be. I have seen Marcus grow and mature into a generous and caring guy. He is so ecstatic about being a father that every time the baby comes up, he can't wipe his permanent smile off his face. He makes me more at ease about becoming a parent, and for that, I thank him. Before we got married, we spoke with our pastor at our house. He asked each of us what qualities we like best about each other. I remember one of my responses was that "Marcus makes me comfortable to be who I am." That is still the case, 8 months later. I don't have to act around him. I can be myself and he is happy with that :)

As for myself, I feel my job and our move 8 hours away from my family has really helped me with maturing. I don't have family around whenever I need them. Yes, they are a phone call away, but it's not the same. The only person I have right here with me is Marcus. I find with recent issues that come up, where I used to go to my family right away, I now talk to Marcus before calling my dad up on the phone. My dad is a connoisseur of giving advice and never fails with the right answer. However, Marcus has his share of compelling advice as well and I feel that I need to give him credit where credit is due! Every decision that needs to be made, is now made by the BOTH of us... that is what marriage is about - a team :)
My job has made me realize that the "little things in life" are really the big things. I am so fortunate to have the life I have and I know that I forget often how blessed I really am. There are times when I will call my mom on the phone and just say "Thank You." She doesn't need to ask anymore because she knows that I was brought into a situation where I can easily see how lucky I am, compared to some of my students. My family has asked me if we are going to move home, and my response to them is... "I don't see it happening anytime soon." Like I previously said, my job is amazing and is what contributes to Marcus and I sticking around here for some time - sorry guys :(

In conclusion, our life is a splendid one down here in Omaha! (So come visit :) I am happy to report that Marcus and I are doing very well and are so happy together. We were told after the wedding that we were the "real thing" and that this move to Nebraska was going to be the best thing for us. I would like to say "Thank You" to my aunt Beth for those words, and boy, was she right! We have definitely grown as a couple and are in a good place in our lives.
I will leave you with a picture taken in October from one of our trips to the zoo.  XOXO

Update

So I told myself (and my mom) that I was not going to post bare belly pictures all over Facebook for everyone to see... I figured since not everyone sees our blog, I can upload on here for my closest friends and family :) In turn, you will see a 12 week picture. To this day, I cannot figure out if this is me starting to show, or if it's just my stomach growing because of all the food I've been eating, haha. Please be kind enough to tell me that it's the baby and not the food ;)

12 weeks

I wanted to upload a picture of the onesie that I bought for my siblings over Christmas so everyone could see our idea for sharing our news :) I thought we were pretty clever, but I may just be biased!

Teal's present

Finally, I have a picture to share of K-dawg :) She is now 3 years old and is quite the protector of her "mama". She is constantly by my side and will even follow me to the bathroom to make sure I'm still around. Needless to say, she is my guard dog. One evening, Marcus was pushing me around pretending to roughhouse, and Kona got right up in his face and started growling and barking. I walked over to the couch, and she instantly followed me, jumped up, and laid her head on my lap.
My friend, Britt, recently started a blog, and I watch videos of her little girl Elsie. While watching those, Kona will find a way to get right next to the computer. She is so interested in the noises and laughs Elsie will make. I think it's a safe bet that she will be as interested in the baby and watch over him/her as well :):) 

What a cutie :)

SURPRISE!

As you can see from the picture on the right of the page, Marcus and I are expecting our first baby :) Now, this is the first time Marcus and I are letting the "cat out of the bag" so to speak. We have told our families and closest friends and everyone has been great to keep this a secret for a few weeks. I am 12 weeks tomorrow, so we thought it would be okay to let people know the great news!
This pregnancy came as a COMPLETE surprise to us, but a good one at that! I had shingles when we conceived and I'm obviously not a doctor, but I had the mentality that my body was already going through changes I had never experienced before so I couldn't get pregnant. Boy, was I WRONG! I had a ton of blood work done the beginning of December for my shingles and my doctor tested me for pregnancy. Those results came back.. negative. A week later, on a Sunday, I went to Target and bought some feminine products AND a pregnancy test. Yes, you read that right... the lady that rang me up looked at me like I was nuts! Well, the pregnancy test came back... positive - as well as the next 2 tests I took. Clearly I was pregnant :)
We went home and told our families over Christmas and everyone was excited :)
I am due August 20th as of right now and we are so excited to know we are going to be parents!

For a Christmas gift, we got little onsies and gave them to my brother and sister. They said, "My Aunt Rocks!" and "My Uncle Rocks!" They didn't get the concept right away, but when they did, they were pretty excited. Of course, my sister cried :)

My mom gave us scrabble pieces she found with magnets on the back... she had to add in the baby's as well :)

It's a GIRL!

Brian and Sara had a little baby girl. She is absolutely precious and so adorable! We went up to the hospital last night to see them and everyone is doing great! I just love little babies and you can definitely say I was a "baby hog" last night :) Here are some pictures of little Maggie Marie :)