Halfway there!!

Well, today I am officially 20 weeks!!!  140 days left....but who's counting???   :)

Yesterday I had my first experience of someone asking me if I was expecting, which I thought was kind of hard to tell when I was wearing my scrubs with my smock on and everything.  It was a patient's Mom.  She walked in to get some end of year financial stuff  and as soon as she walked in, she said "Ohhhh!  Are you expecting??"  I said "Yes I am."  Her reply was "So you just have a few months left then??"  I said "No, I'm halfway- not due until the beginning of May." Then she said, "OHHH so you must be having twins?!?!!?"  The only thing I knew what to say was, "No, there is just one...."   I was really taken aback by what she said.  My belly has only started to poke out the last month and I don't think it's grown THAT much. Has it??? I already know because of the genes I have that my belly is probably going to get ginormous and that I'm betting that I will have at LEAST an 8 pound baby. I would NEVER say something to someone unless I knew for sure that they were having a baby and I certainly wouldn't just assume they were having twins....
All the girls I work with assured me that my belly wasn't that big- that I just started showing and not to worry about it.  But it just makes me think what are the comments going to be like when I REALLY get big??? I don't think I want to know.
I'm really afraid of what might come out of my mouth when strangers come up to touch my belly.  I don't mind when friends or family members touch my belly, I really LOVE it when CJ rubs and kisses my belly, it seems I'm always touching my own belly, but I just don't know how I am going to react when total strangers come up to touch my belly.  Maybe I should just stay out of the public eye until AFTER the baby gets here....haha :)

Just a few things for me to remember about my pregnancy:  I still have heartburn EVERY DAY!!!!!  I am taking Zantac 150 twice a day- it definitely relieves it for awhile, but I can always tell when it gets to be close to the 12 hours being up... I still have to take Unisom pretty much every night to be able to sleep.  My back still hurts, especially after a day at work when I'm on my feet most of the day or walking around a lot makes it hurt.  CJ calls me an old lady because I always either have a rice bag or my heating pad with me because the heat makes it feel a lot better.  Other than the yucky heartburn and my back aching- I feel good!
I'm still eating a lot of cuties clementines, yogurt, sandwiches and salads.  My latest craving has been sugar cookies with lots of frosting- I finally gave in and made some- I'm pretty sure I ate more than half the batch- but it definitely hit the spot and now that they are gone, I'm not craving them anymore!  Now when baby girl moves it feels more like she is poking me than the bubbles or flutters that I felt a couple weeks ago.  It's so exciting to feel her move- I am trying to decide what I want to do with the nursery, there are SOO many cute ideas out there....But, because I LOVE purple- I'm going to go that route instead of pink.  Hopefully all the ideas in my head turn out to be as cute as I think they are going to be....  :)

19 weeks, 2 days and counting....

Well, today was the BIG day!!  My almost halfway through my pregnancy appointment was today.  I didn't have any weird dreams last night like I did last month. I slept really well, and when I woke up I was SUPER excited!  Today were they not only going to tell us the gender, but they were going to check to make sure baby Martin didn't have any abnormalities like Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, too much fluid on the brain, checking the heart, etc.  CJ was a bit nervous- but he is such a worrier.  I always tell him that it's no use to worry so much, God won't give us anything that he knows that we can't handle.  I felt very calm and, like I said before, SUPER excited!  After going through a long checklist and everything being ok and Baby Martin being healthy, Dr. Zakarian tried to get some pictures of baby's face.....but he/she kept hiding and putting their hands up......we have a shy one on our hands.  :)  The picture below is the best one she could get- it's a great picture of the spine!! :)

Baby Martin wasn't doing a very good job cooperating.  When trying to get a picture between baby's legs, the legs were crossed!!!!  So, Dr Zakarian tried to get the baby to move by pushing the ultrasound wand on my belly and moving it all around- baby responded- I could feel him/her moving ALL over!!  Well, finally after she was almost ready to give up, she got a good shot between the legs!

Dr. Zakarian said, "Well, that looks like a girl!  I don't see a penis or balls."  CJ and I just started laughing and then she quickly said, "Maybe I should have said testicles"  The picture above with the arrow pointing to NO boy parts- the baby's bum is on the left and you can see the legs on either side- it's a like a straight shot from the bottom!

This little girl is going to be SOOO spoiled!!!!  She is going to have cousins that are going to just love her to pieces..... Grandparents and Great-Grandparents already buying her stuff.  CJ is going to be wrapped around her little finger......I am SOO excited for this next adventure in our life!!

16 Weeks

So yesterday around lunch time, I felt a weird thing/movement/flutter in my stomach.  I've never felt it before and haven't felt it since. I'm not saying it was the baby, but I'm also not saying that it wasn't.....From the things I have been reading about pregnancy, it very well could have been the baby.  I guess I will know for sure in the coming weeks. Just in the last couple of days my belly has started to poke out! So, I guess I look more like pregnant girl than just a girl that has been eating too much cake and cookies :)

16 week belly

I was telling CJ yesterday that I couldn't believe that I was already 16 weeks, in just 4 more weeks, I'm going to be halfway!!!  Time sure has flown by!  From looking at this picture (I'm trying to suck in as best as I can, which, by the way, is pretty much impossible right now!!) I'm afraid that my belly is just going to get HUGE!!! I was really hoping I would possibly carry my babies like my sister- but then again the reality of me having 5 pound babies like my sister did, is pretty much non-existent- I guess my reality now is that I am just going to have 8-9 pound babies!!! That is such a scary thought, I don't even want to think about it at this point!

Drum Roll Please....It's a....

Well, as promised, an update about my Dr. appointment today.  But, first, I will start with last night- I hardly  slept at all last night.  I kept having dreams that I was at my appointment and right before they told us the sex of the baby, I would wake up!!  When I told CJ about my dreams, he said that it was a sign that we weren't going to find out today.  I was really trying not to get my hopes up, because really, I'm only 15 weeks along, what are the chances???  Pretty slim I think.

Anyway, we went to the appointment. (This, once again, is mostly just so that I can remember)  They took my weight (which I have only gained 1 pound since last appointment- which she didn't say was good or bad. I thought it was good :))  I'm terrified to gain TOOO much) and blood pressure, which was the exact same as last time- normal.  They went over my symptoms to see if any had changed since the last time, she recommended I take Zantac twice a day to prevent my heartburn since I still have it pretty much every day, especially at night when I lay down to go to sleep.

Now, the best part.  The ultrasound part.  :) The baby was at least twice as big as last time!!!  We saw it's eyes, nose, mouth, spine, ribs, hands and feet.  We saw and heard the heart beat (which was in the 150's again- the first ultrasound the heart rate was in the 160's) The baby was sucking on it's fingers, putting it's hands by it's face.  It was moving all over the place!!  It just melted my heart and I seriously had to hold back the tears!  She tried to get the ultrasound to go between the legs, but baby was NOT cooperating...and it was pretty fuzzy- she said that since it's still so little it's hard to tell....so, baby is still an "It" for another 4 weeks!!! But she tried!!

15 week ultrasound- it actually looked like a little human!!!

So, next Dr. appointment I had instructions to eat an hour before my appointment, so when they did the ultrasound the baby would be awake and feeding and should be moving a lot; making it easier to get a good shot between the legs!  Unfortunately, my doctor doesn't have a 3D ultrasound, there is a place here in town that does it, but I checked the pricing and for them to verify the gender, and to get 2 black and white photos was $100!!!!  I can't convince CJ to do that though, so, hopefully next time- they will be able to tell us. She said if it's a boy and can easily verify that it's a boy, they will tell us, but if they think it might be a girl, they check a couple of times just to make sure, so, if it's a girl- I may not know for sure until I'm at least 23 weeks!!! Ugh! The anxiety and anticipation is going to kill me!!   It also drives me nuts that I have NO, ZERO, ZILCH intuition of whether it's a boy or girl.  I have had dreams that it was a girl...and I have had dreams that it was a boy, so I honestly have no clue!

So, I have always loved sour things: rhubarb, goose berries, lemons, sour patch kids, lemon heads....anything sour, I will eat it.  CJ was really disgusted when he saw me just eating a lemon.....with salt!  MMM, it was so delish and just goes to prove that I am my mother's daughter!  :)  Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water!!!

It's been a LONG time....

Well, there have a been a few things going on since the last time I blogged...one VERY exciting something has happened.
That's right, CJ and I are going to be parents!!!  I mean, I know that we are already parents to our dogs, but we are actually going to be parents to a little human being!!  We are over the MOON excited.

I guess I will start out telling a little bit about how we found out the exciting news.  Some may find this boring, so you can skip it if you would like, I don't mind.  :)   The last week in August, every time I went to the gym, I would come home SOOO exhausted, like drop dead tired.  I was only a week late, which has happened before and I only had one more pregnancy test and I really didn't want to waste it like I had a few times before.  Well, on August 31st, I was babysitting my nephew and I was really looking forward to all my family traveling up here to Boise for our Annual Larsen Family Reunion.  Braden and I went to a couple different stores and because he was good, I took him to the Dollar Store to pick out a treat.  While there, I decided to buy a pregnancy test- I would use that one and not feel bad if I wasted it since it was only  $1.  We headed back to my house and, of course, CJ wasn't there, he was at the gym and running errands.  I was going to wait for him to get home, but I couldn't stand it, I just had to know.  So of course I took it, went downstairs and got Braden's lunch together and went back up- preparing myself to be disappointed, again.  And....it was positive!! WHAT?!?!?!  I didn't know whether to cry or jump up and down for joy. I did silently thank Heavenly Father for trusting and allowing me to have a child.  I immediately text CJ to see where he was- he said he was getting gas- so I told him I was going to send him something....and this is what I sent:

Two lines means positive, right Daddy????

He immediately calls me and asks if I'm serious.....Um, Yeah!!! Dead serious!!!  He came right home....and we only had a few minutes together to be excited and talk about when we would tell our families.  Chris, Lacey and Connor got to our house shortly after,  I was SOOO excited and wanted to blab the news, but I kept quiet.  Anyway, to make a long story short, we enjoyed the family reunion and spending time with my family.  CJ and I discussed only telling our immediate family- it was perfect timing since my parents and brothers and sister were all here, I could tell them all in person- we didn't want to tell everyone because we waned to make sure everything was ok- going to the doctor, waiting the dreaded 10-12 weeks to tell everyone.  I did tell a couple of my close friends soon after because I was excited and they knew that we had been trying for awhile.  So, I was able to tell my whole family in person, of course, they were all excited for us.  We told CJ's parents over the phone.  CJ freaked his mom out by saying "I need to tell you something, are you sitting down?"  But they are super excited for us too.  We are really looking forward to the adventure of becoming parents and learning new things.

7 week Ultrasound: Just a blob :)

 My due date is May 8, 2013-  My parents-in-laws anniversary!!!  Ginger was SOOO excited!! May is a busy month for birthdays in my family..... :)

8 Week Belly- yeah it's mostly just my chub that was there to begin with

11 Week Ultrasound: Starting to look more like a mini human-although there are still alien qualities....

12 Week Belly- still can really only see the before chub haha

I will be 15 weeks along on Wednesday and have a doctor appointment on Friday....I'm SOOO excited to see the ultrasound for this week and to see how much the baby has grown.  There is a chance they may be able to tell if we are having a boy or girl, if not, it won't be until my December appointment..  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will be able to tell, it's driving me CRAZY not knowing!!! 

Just a bit about my pregnancy so far (this is mostly just for me to remember)  I was VERY sick the 1st trimester- I never actually threw up because I won't let myself.  Ever since I was little, I HATED throwing up, and I mean HATED it (Even ask my Mom if you don't believe me!)  I do everything in my power not to, I can't relax enough to just let it happen. I was nauseous, ALL THE TIME.  The only time I didn't feel sick was when I was eating.  I did dry heave, a lot.  I did gag, a lot- especially brushing my teeth.  I couldn't wear my retainers at night because they would make me gag.  I had and still have insomnia if I don't take something to help me sleep. There hasn't been any sort of food that makes me sick, but during the 1st trimester, NOTHING sounded good to eat, I pretty much lived on Cheerios and Saltine crackers. I have pretty much had heartburn everyday from the beginning....not fun.  My lower back has been hurting, like sometimes a shooting pain- My mom said she also had it in the first trimester of pregnancy- it has been feeling better, but when I went to the gym the other night and took Body Flow, it flared up again, making it uncomfortable to walk and lie down.  I hope it doesn't last the whole time, that would be no fun.......The last couple days I have been craving Oranges....so I bought a bag of clementines and have been eating them almost nonstop- They. Are. Delish!  

The last week or two I have been feeling better, no nausea, no gagging, no dry heaving.  Yay!

I am really looking forward to feel my baby move, I think that will make everything even more real for me, to really KNOW that there is a precious little baby growing inside me.  Anyway, after my appointment on Friday I will post the ultrasound pic and post if they were able to tell what the gender was or not. Until then, cheers!  :)

First sewing adventure....

Well, here goes nothing....my first attempt at sewing a skirt from jeans.....

 No turning back now!!!

Just gotta sew it now......

Well, here is the pretty much final product of my sewing adventure today....not bad for the first time.  I am going to fray the ends just because I like that look better.....

My new hobby...well going to try

So, I really want to learn to become good at sewing!  I've always wanted to sew, and I even have a sewing machine- which I have used a handful of times- just to make rice bags and a bed for one of the dogs.  I don't think that really constitutes as sewing though.  HaHa.  I found some really good blogs on Pinterest that shows how to sew, so I am going to try it!  I think my first project is going to be a jean skirt!  Wish me luck! :)

My $$$Dollar Bill$$$

The last few weeks have been stressful with Dollar being sick.  It all started in the middle part of May, his arthritis flared up and he was in a lot of pain- crying and yelping a LOT!!!  We took him to the Vet, they checked him out and did x-rays- confirmed that he DID in fact have arthritis starting in his crooked little leg :((  They gave us some medication (anti inflammatory and some pain meds) and sent us home.  I only had to give him the meds for about a week and a half and he seemed back to normal.  Well, last week he started to act different, not himself and he had started to throw up anytime he ate or drank something.  Last Sunday, he literally just laid on the ottoman ALL day, didn't want to move. I knew something was wrong with him so the following day, Monday, CJ called the vet and of course they immediately wanted to see him because of his lack of eating and drinking and vomiting.  

My poor baby! :((

Not feeling well....

So, we took him out to Caldwell on Monday night and CJ's mom took him to the vet first thing in the morning on Tuesday.  After waiting pretty much all day, we get word that Dollar was extremely dehydrated and they had put him on IV fluids and had drawn blood to see what was the matter with him.  The blood work came back that he had some sort of liver damage (probably from the arthritis medicine that we had given him)  They needed to him overnight to keep the fluids in him and to get him to eat.  Wednesday morning I called to check on him and they informed me that they couldn't keep the IV in him and he had begun throwing up again, but they were doing all they could to get the IV back in him because he was still so dehydrated.  He would not be coming home.  :(  I was so upset and sick to my stomach.  This was not suppose to happen, he was just starting to feel better and I had always imagined that he would be here when we had kids.  Of course the worse goes through your mind and since, he is my baby and has been for almost 5 years, of course I was worried and distraught because I knew that if they couldn't get him hydrated again, he would not make it.  It was hard for my mind to go there.  I think it was so sad because, like I said, he isn't even 5 yet!!!!  In my mind, he is suppose to live to be old....like at least 12 years!  He needed to be around to keep me and Tank company and to be the protector that he is to my future children.  Wednesday afternoon rolled around the vet called-  the actual DR that had been assigned to him- that kinda scared me, because, when the DR actually takes time out to call- it's most often NOT good news.  But, she DID have good news, she said that after several attempts, they finally got the IV in him and he was getting the fluids he needed.  He was also eating and acting much more perky.  They, of course, needed to keep him over night again to just monitor him and make sure that he would be okay- she told me to call back Thursday morning to check on him and they could give me more info.  I called Thursday morning and the nurse said that he had done great through the night, he was eating and had not vomited for over 24 hours (which was a very good sign)  They wanted to keep him throughout the day though to continue to monitor him and he was likely going to be able to come home that afternoon/evening.  It was such a good news to me! I was relieved and I couldn't wait for the day to be over so we could go pick him up!  CJ was able to go get him Thursday evening and bring him home- The vet gave him very specific instructions- we had to give him two types of medicine twice a day for the next 10 days or so.  It being absolutely critical that he take the medicine and eat.  If he began throwing up again, his outlook wasn't good.  Thursday night wasn't filled with much sleeping because I was so paranoid that I kept checking on him to make sure he hadn't thrown up (CJ thinks I'm kinda crazy in that regard!) Needless to say, he has been doing so well the last couple days. It's so nice to have him home and he is starting to act like himself again!  I just LOVE this dog SOOO much! I can only imagine what it will be like when I have my own kids- I can't wait!

Tank wouldn't leave Dollar's side once he got home-  

Dollar was VERY tired and kinda lethargic- he just wanted to sleep!

 His pore shaved, poked legs (which turned to bruises :((()

 SOOO tired!

He is feeling better now- I just LOVE HIM!!! 

MY boys!!!!

Week 3

So, this is the end of week 3 of doing strength training 3 times a week.  I really need to step up my cardio though.  My diet......*Sigh*  I think I'm doing better.  I have not weighed in and I'm not going to.  I have a feeling that I really haven't lost much, if anything.  It's still a struggle to make good food choices all the time....I'm still a work in progress!  :)

Wow!

So, I have decided that I am really NOT good at blogging- maybe it's the fact that I'm boring and nothing really goes on in my life to even blog or things that I don't even want to remember for the future.....Whatever the reason may be- I have been slacking on the blogging.  I think that this post is mostly just going to be stuff that has been on my mind, and probably some complaining, so if you don't care to read it, you don't have to!  :)

I have really been struggling with gaining weight that last couple of years (like 20-25 pounds!!!!  ahhhhh!!).  I mean, I KNOW that what I'm putting in my body (LOTS of carbs and fats- mostly cheese) is not good.  But I don't really think that I have changed what I have been eating since I was a teenager.  I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't eat a lot of sweets.  Don't get me wrong, I do have cravings for sweet things sometimes and when I do have those cravings, I probably over-indulge a bit.  I exercise almost every single day- I take classes at the gym (weight lifting, step aerobics, spinning, and occasionally water aerobics) I am on my feet at work a good part of the day,  I may be gaining a bit of muscle...but muscle isn't going to make me look frumpy and have the number on the scale to continue to rise.  It's so dis-heartening when I think that I do SOOO good for the week, and when I get on that scale- it's the exact same as it was the week before, and, lately, it's been UP!!!!  NOOOOO!  I sometimes just want to sit down and cry and feel sorry for myself.  My life doesn't feel completely balanced for some reason- and maybe that is part of my problem.  I'm trying to figure it out.  Now that I am in my "late" 20's its getting harder and harder to lose weight.  I'm not good at being on diets because as soon as I start a "diet" I want everything that I can't have.....and then I end up getting it and eating....a LOT.  :( Unfortunately, the gene pool I come from, gives me a good chance of NOT being a skinny Minnie.  Granted, that is not my ultimate goal- I know my body type just doesn't allow me to be stick thin and to be honest, I don't want to be.  I like my curves but I don't like my frumpy middle and my HUGE legs and butt.  Even with logging all of my food (which I don't think it is THAT accurate because I don't weigh my food and I'm pretty sure I log it as LESS than what I am actually eating) it doesn't deter me from eating bread, crackers, pasta, cheese, and chocolate.  In my mind I have myself motivated and I can see what I want to look like and I want my clothes to fit me the way they used to.  I have been refusing to buy new clothes because I don't want to buy bigger clothes because my delusional mind still thinks that I am gonna lose weight and inches and then I won't have to buy any new clothes and if I DO buy new clothes right now, then I will have "fat" clothes and it will be a waste of money- it makes me feel like I'm just giving up and giving in.  I DON'T WANT THAT FOR ME!!!!  Every week I think, "This is the week that you are gonna do it Shauna"  and in my mind I do a GREAT job on my diet and exercise and water intake, just to be disappointed again.  I guess I will take this opportunity to re-commit to myself and whomever (which is probably no one but it makes me feel better that others may be reading this) reads this that I AM going to get my food under control.  I know I can do it.  I am the one that buys the food, I am the one that MAKES the food.  I have COMPLETE control over what goes into my body and what doesn't.  I don't want to be the person that always says "I will start tomorrow"  but I'm going to say that right now. Starting tomorrow, I am only going to eat food that fuels my body and is healthy for my body.  I know that carbs and fats are good for me, to a certain degree so I can't fully cut them out of my diet- I just need to eat them in moderation.  I will take a picture of me tonight (won't post it on here until I get to a good spot when I can post a before and after)  and I will try and be better at blogging my journey to a healthier, happier life!

Other thoughts that I have had in the last few months is:
Why do things happen for some and not for others????
I never knew how hard it was to TRY to have a baby!!! You spend all this time and energy and money trying to prevent it with birth control, contraceptives, abstinence just to find out that when you are actually TRYING, it's not that easy!!!!  It seems that when people "aren't trying" is when it happens and it seems that  those that aren't trying aren't always ready, or mature, or in a place where bringing a child into the world isn't the best thing for them, whether it be situations in their life, the relationship they are in or not in for some......I try to always remind myself that things happen or don't happen for a reason, but it's really hard to be happy and excited for others when what they have is what you want and have been trying to get for an extended period of time.  Maybe this is part of my weight problem too.....I'm bummed about NOT being pregnant and I'm using food to comfort me.  I never thought that I was an emotional eater, but maybe I am...... Anyway, I guess when the time is right for me to be a Mother, it will happen and I need to not be mad at others, or jealous of others because they have been blessed with something that maybe God thinks I'm not completely ready for yet...Maybe I will just have to accept the fact that I'm just gonna be the "dog mommy" and not a Mommy to a human!..It's kind of a hard thing to accept, because as it is, I already feel like I'm behind in life and I know I shouldn't compare myself to anyone else because I am me and I'm not someone else.  Looking back, I'm glad that I waited until I was older to get married and try to have kids, but I also look at some of my peers and they have been married 7....8 years and already have 3,4, and 5 kids!!!  Not that I want 4 or 5 kids, but it just makes me feel like I'm behind!!!

I really feel stuck in my professional life too.  I feel like I'm in a job that I'm done growing in.  I wish that we could afford for me to go back to school so I could be a hygienist or a photographer or a social worker, or something to do in the justice system....Maybe it's a good thing I'm not going back to school because I really don't know what I would go back for! I just feel like I'm stuck right now in a job that I haven't had a raise in almost 4 years, I deal with co-workers that make it a more stressful job than it really should be, I have a boss that is more worried about making everyone happy and being accommodating to everyone when 2 out of the 4 assistants have clearly moved onto something different in their life -they are both going back to school to be in a totally different profession but yet, MY hours are being cut because the Dr doesn't want to lay anyone off so we have to have 4 assistants and we don't have the patient base we used to have.  To say the least, there is quite a bit of tension and a bit of resentment in the office making it so that the environment isn't a fun one anymore.

I wish I had more money to decorate my house!!!  we have been  here over 2 years and the walls still seem bare, I haven't painted, I haven't added any more decoration, I don't have flowers in my yard, I don't have a garden spot in my yard.  I have ugly bushes I want to get rid of in the front- but I refuse to do it myself because I feel that my husband should do it, and he isn't all that motivated to do yard work.  He still hasn't kept his promise of picking up the dog poop on a weekly basis since we got the 2nd dog almost 2 years ago!!!!!

Anyway, I think I am done complaining for now, until I come up with something else!  Tomorrow is the start to a new day!!!  I will log my journey on getting myself back to a healthy place again! G'night!!!

It's been TOO long

Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted anything. Probably because we really haven't had that much going on.

In October, Chris and Lacey had their first baby boy, Connor Christopher.....he sure is a cutie!!!

We did celebrate Halloween for a few hours. I had to work at Carter's that night, so our night didn't start until about 9:30. We hung out with CJ's friends Fern, Johnnie, Martin, Joe and Matthew. How is it that I am always the only girl?!?! Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. All the guys dressed up like an 80's basketball team and I was the referee- It ended up being a pretty good costume get up. hahaha

In November, we got to finally go down and see Connor because I knew that when they were going to bless him, we weren't going to be able to go, because since I was working in retail, once again- we were not allowed to take the weekend of "Black Friday" off and unfortunately, that was the weekend that he was blessed. CJ wouldn't even hardly look at the baby because he was so little hahaha I tried tricking him into holding him, but it didn't work. But I held him!!! He is just so adorable!!!

Thanksgiving came and since all my family was down in Preston, and CJ had to work, and I was working at 4am at Carter's the next day, I headed out to Caldwell to CJ's parent's house to enjoy time with the in-laws! It was a good time visiting...and eating and eating some more!

Grandma Katherine and Grandma Kathy

Ginger, me and Fred- the best mother and father-in law a girl could ask for!

Just the girls, Grandma Katherine, Kate, Aunt T, me and Ginger

In December, we were just busy working and Christmas Eve and Christmas day we headed out to Caldwell to spend it with CJ's family. We had a great Christmas- we got great gifts from our families and it was nice being able to spend it with the Martin clan!

For New Years, we hung out with Chuck and Cindy- it had been SOO long since we had hung out and it was the first time I got to see their baby Ethan- he is so darling! We had a great time hanging out and visiting- I miss those guys!!!

Me and CJ- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Cindy and Me

February we made it down to Preston again to visit my family and see Connor.....aww!! he is just so cute AND I got CJ to hold him!!! We spend the first night at Andrea's and spent the whole next day with her and her cute girlies......Andrea's dog Pepper is so cute and she LOVED me!!! I wanted to take her home with me, but Kaylee and Sadie weren't having it. It's probably better that way because my dogs would be totally jealous!!!!