30Before30 - #13 - Finish the Harry Potter series

I did it today! I've been reading like mad for the past couple weeks. I finished books 1-3 before we moved (I'd read 1-3 previously several times but kept having to start over). I read 4 before Christmas. This month I finished up 5-7. I kinda feel like part of me died. Here are a few of my thoughts....

I loved it way more than I thought I would.
Book 4 was my favorite.
Book 5 was my least favorite.
I am kinda indifferent to the ending. I kinda knew it'd end that way, but the events leading up to it were a surprise.
I thought the whole deathly hallows thing was weird, cause it kinda came out of the blue. I heard it was because people had kinda figured out all her secrets. Wonder if that's true.
I really like Ginny. She's feisty like me, but cuter.
Neville is awesome.
I bet Hermoine and Ron had uglyyyyy kids.
I wanna go to Hogwarts.

Now I just have to make J sit through 8 movies with me. I hope they don't disappoint.

Here is my current top 10 places that I want to visit! What are yours?

Australia
London, England
Italy - a complete tour!
Colorado - hiking and skiing (aka sitting in a ski lodge while J skis)
San Francisco, CA
Grand Canyon
Great Wall of China
Thailand
Turks & Caicos
Boston, MA


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Really Random...again

Remember when I made this list? The 11 foods I'd eat for the rest of my life.

*Calories and my health still don't count.*

Well, I'm changing it. Maybe it's pregnancy, but I have new favorites!
blueberries
pickles
biscuits and gravy
Phish Food ice cream
strawberry pretzel salad
cucumbers
pizza
chips, salsa, and cheese dip
Andes mints
Pals Frenchie Fries
Bellas cheese sticks
...and really anything from Macado's!

Here's what I'd put on Jonathan's list.
coffee
fried toast
McDonald's breakfast
his mom's chocolate covered cherries
his maw maw's biscuits
doughnuts
salt & pepper shrimp
BBQ
Mellow Mushroom Funky Q pizza
pork chops
(Why is nothing I make on this list?)

Brenna's list is a little harder. She's at the "like it one day, hate it the next" phase.
cheese slices
tomatoes (though she refused them today)
Goldfish
fruit snacks
berries
milk
juice
chips
burritos
eggs
applesauce

Baby survey again...

I keep realizing that I wish I had more things recorded about my pregnancy with Brenna. So here goes the same survey....more for my benefit than yours!

How far along? 20 weeks, 1 day
Weight gain? 4ish pounds total
Belly button in? Yes, thank goodness.
Maternity clothes? I haven't unpacked them yet, but will have to soon. I have worn a few maternity shirts, but no pants yet. I hateeeee them!
Cravings or aversions? Ice cream and Kraft Mac & Cheese ha!
Signs or symptoms? Pelvic pressure, maybe Braxton-Hicks tonight?, heartburn, exhaustion, headaches, restless legs. Lovely.
Feeling baby move? Yes, all the time now.
Milestones? We found out that HE is a HE on January 9! I felt him from the outside today! Clothes are tight-not a fun milestone! I also got to see my 2 prego BFFs last weekend!
Upcoming appointments? Feb 6 for a short ob appt.
Name? We are getting reallllly close.

Sheri at 18 weeks, Lisa at 16 weeks, Me at 19 weeks

I'm a boy!!!!!

Blue cupcakes in honor of her brother!!!

Mommy and Brenna - 19 weeks

30Before30 - #23 - Jump in Leaves with Brenna

We had a fun weekend in October at my in-laws. We tried to get B to jump in leaves, but she wasn't too interested! Maybe next year!

She was definitely more interested in putting leaves in the bird bath.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

22 Months Old!

Dear Brenna,

Here we are, in 2012! This is going to be a big year for you. You'll be potty trained, give up your paci, become a big sister, and maybe even move out of your crib. I know you'll change so much in other ways too, because I've already seen so many changes in you just over the past few weeks. You're really growing up - which is exciting and heart-breaking all at the same time!

You really love to talk, and I catch you saying the funniest things lately. Some of the ones I remember most are:
"I love you sooo much" when holding your bear like I hold you.
"Who/What's that?" anytime you see a picture or see/hear an unfamiliar sight or sound.
"Daddy be riiight back" when Daddy is at work or outside with Maggie.
"Mommy gorgeous" as we walked down the aisle at Target. Hilariously embarrassing. You call Brady, Morgan, Whit, and Finn gorgeous, too, when we look at our Christmas cards on the fridge.
"Shew, had fun at Target" when we got in the car after a short shopping trip. I still can't believe you said this, but it sounded so clear and I can't think of what else it could have been, unless it was "Shew, it's cold at Target."
"Mommy potty!" when pointing to the bathroom at Target. Yep, Mommy is definitely pregnant!

You also LOVE to sing. You learned all the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" over our Christmas trip. It's the cutest thing. You also know almost all of your ABCs - just the other day I was singing them, and after I said "LMNOP" you just sang the rest. You amaze us at how quickly you pick things up! You're also doing better with counting, instead of stopping at four every time.

You love to be outside swinging, pushing your lawnmower, or sitting in your lounge chair. Unfortunately it's been colder and we've been sick, so it hasn't happened as often as you'd like. Here's hoping for a mild winter. I get excited thinking about when we have our own house and you get to play all the time! I really hope we have a big yard and you have some little neighbors to play with!

You are currently on your second double ear infection in the past month. The last round of antibiotics gave you a yeast infection, so you've been on lots of medicine since before Christmas. Now we're all 3 fighting a cold/sinus infection/bad cough. Luckily you seem to not be too bothered by any of this! Your naps are shorter but that's about the only difference I've seen. Still sleeping great at night - thank you!!! Oh, and you weighed 24 lbs, 1 oz when they weighed you 3.5 wks ago (25 lbs, 1 oz this week with clothes on) - so you're growing great! You're still in mostly 18 or 18-24 month clothes and size 6 shoes.

You did great while we traveled for a week over Christmas. We spent 2 days at Nana's, then 3 days at Nanie's, then we went to visit Grandpa Halsey and stayed another day and a half at Nana's. You had a blast with your cousins and other family. You got lots of new toys and clothes! I think your favorites are your baby and stroller, your tricycle, and your kitchen/grocery set. Oh, and you love my new iPad. You've figured out how to go into iTunes and find your Elmo videos. You are like your daddy - you love technology!

I have so many memories from this month, but I want to share 2 from this week. One day I was working on dinner and you were in the floor playing quietly. I got suspicious so I looked to see what you were doing. You had one sock off and had it in your hand. You were holding the chicken from your grocery set - and you were pretending to wash the chicken in Maggie's water bowl. It was hilarious (and kinda gross)!! Then today I decided it was warm enough to go outside to swing for a little while. I told you we were going and your sweet face just lit up. We got our shoes on and headed out. You started running and grinning and swinging your arms. You were just so excited about a simple thing and it made my mama heart smile! Nevermind that you were "all done" swinging about 3 minutes later! This next year us going to be SO much fun!

I love you more every day!
Love, Mommy

Baby Survey

I did this exact same survey at the exact same time when I was pregnant with Brenna. So here goes!

How far along? 17 wks, 4 days
Weight gain? about 1 or 2 pounds
Belly button in? Yes
Maternity clothes? a couple of shirts but no pants yet
Cravings or aversions? I'm mostly over my weird food issues for now. I still want a lot of salty and sour stuff, but also want cucumbers and tomatoes. Oh, and shrimp sauce.
Signs or symptoms? headaches, restless legs, and exhaustion
Feeling baby move? Yep, mostly at night every day since Saturday.
Milestones? feeling baby move, belly has officially "popped out"
Upcoming appointments? Next Monday, January 9 - the big one!
Name? Nowhere close. We've hardly even talked about it.

I'll be putting up a gender poll over the next few days!! Will Brenna get a baby brother or sister?

2011 in Review

It's no secret that 2011 was a hard one for me. I'm hoping 2012 will be the welcome change that our family needs! Here's our year in review....and I'm sure this will remind me of how blessed our family has been, even through the tough times. (A second annual thank you to Merritt for this idea!

January
*Brenna became an official walker, talker, and big girl food-eater.
*I fell on the ice with Brenna and she hit her head. All checked out okay, thank goodness.

February
*We threw my mom a surprise 60th birthday party in Bristol.
*Jonathan interviewed with Apple.
*We found out my sister was pregnant.
*Jonathan and I went to a Darius Rucker and Brad Paisley concert in Roanoke.

March
*Brenna turned ONE! We celebrated with friends and family at a party at the Christiansburg Rec Center.
*I helped throw a baby shower for my BFF April.
*Tinley Reese Basham was born!
*Brenna switched to a "big girl" car seat.
*Bill, Jonathan's stepdad, had to have open heart surgery. While wevwere there Brenna had her first overnight stay with my mom.
*I weaned Brenna.
*We all got the stomach virus.

April
*We put an offer on a house in NC.
*Brenna had a sleepover with Pa Bill and Nana.
*We celebrated Easter in Bristol and Pine Mountain.
*Jonathan worked his last day at ALTESS and we attended a goodbye luncheon for him.

May
*Our church threw us a going away party. Sad times.
*Jonathan started working for Apple.
*We got our new dSLR camera.
*We celebrated my second Mother's Day.
*Jonathan went to San Francisco for job orientation
*Brenna came to school with me and spent 2 days with Lea Beth and Larry Bowers.
*Brenna and I went to Abingdon for Jayla's second birthday party.
*We celebrated Kristen's graduation from Tech.
*I started giving my last round of SOL tests.

June
*I taught my last day at Macy. I cried for days because of the way my time there ended.
*We celebrated Jonathan's second Father's Day.
*Brenna was a flower girl in Carrie and Eric's wedding in Bristol. I directed my first wedding!

July
*Brenna and I celebrated the 4th of July with our neighbors in Christiansburg.
*We spent lots of time at a park near our house. Brenna loved it when Liam was there, too.
*Brenna called ALL men "Daddy". I blushed a lot.
*Brenna and I attended our 2nd annual Cow Appreciation Day at CFA.
*I threw my sister a baby shower in Bristol.
*I went to NC for a thirty-one party and an early anniversary getaway while J's parents watched Brenna.
*Brenna went to 1 nap each day.
*We celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a dinner at Nawab and some Bubblecakes!

August
*We went to the beach with the Bashams.
*My sister had an emergency c-section while we were at the beach. I cried to be so far away.
*We left the beach early because of Hurricane Irene. B and I headed to Bristol to meet Brady!
*We sold our townhouse.
*The 3 of us attended the Steppin' Out festival in Blacksburg.

September
*We spent a Saturday at a local Pumpkin Patch.
*We found out that Baby #2 was on the way!

October
*I ran a 5k in Roanoke.
*My great aunt Phyllis died, so I left Brenna with my in-laws and went to Bristol for 2 days.
*I ran the entire Huckleberry Trail - 6.2 miles!
*I found out my BFF teaching partner Sheri was pregnant and due 5 days after me.
*I finally got an iPhone.
*Jonathan and I watched the Hokies play while Lisa and Kevin watched Brenna for us.
*We celebrated London's second birthday.
*The contract on our townhouse fell through. I cried a lot. We decided to rent it to the potential buyers in hope that they will be able to buy in the spring.
*I had my first prenatal appointment for the baby in NC at 7 weeks, 5 days.
*We spent Jonathan's 30th birthday packing up our house and moving out. Brenna hung out with my mom for 3 days.
*We moved into a rental house in NC and took Brenna trick-or-treating.

November
*I continued with morning sickness all day, every day. This didn't help me get excited about our new home.
*Brenna learned a ridiculous amount of new phrases and kept us laughing!
*I found out my BFF teaching partner Lisa was pregnant and due 3 weeks after me! Yep, that makes the entire third grade team pregnant!!! It makes me miss them even more.
*Brenna and I spent a few days in Bristol while Jonathan worked on Thanksgiving. He met us there on Friday and we had Thanksgiving dinners with both of our families.

December
*J and I had a weekend alone - which we spent at his company Christmas dinner and then shopping in Charlotte.
*Brenna got an ear infection. Then she got a yeast growth from the antibiotics.
*We celebrated Christmas here On the 22nd, in Pine Mountain on the 23rd, with Jonathan's family on the 24th, with my family on the 24th and 25th, and with Jonathan's dad on the 27th. It's a good thing Jonathan got 12 days off for Christmas.
*I got to see Sheri while we were in Bristol.
*I felt the baby move for the first time!
*We celebrated NYE at home with a fondue dinner and some Netflix!

Next year there will be TWO babies sleeping down the hall on New Year's Eve!