Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

How lovely are thy branches….

Okay so we ordered a new Christmas tree this year because ours pretty much crumbled on us last year and it came in TODAY. Of course a new tree means new decorations!! Well, really that is just an excuse. I’ve been saying all year that I’ve wanted new ornaments. Our previous tree had light blue and silver ornaments and I just wasn’t very fond of it anymore. It was nice for a while but it was definitely time for a change.

This year we went with red, lime green, white, and a little bit of silver. I am sooo EXCITED about it. This year is the first year that I have truly LOVED our tree.

So without further a due…

I will admit that my dear sweet husband did the bow at the top and did the ribbon through out the tree. He is definitely the creative one out of the two of us. I told him kind of what I wanted and he went with it. He helps with many of my crafts that I start.

The following are just some of my favorite ornaments.

This is our yearly ornament. I thought I had one for every year but either they got lost or I forgot a couple of years. Either way I will be more diligent in the future. Oh and “Peanut” is the baby since we don’t know what we are having yet that is what Jayci calls the baby.

Tomorrow morning I may tackle the rest of the Christmas stuff. Depends on how sleepy I am seeing as I have to work tomorrow night so I have to nap tomorrow at some point. If not tomorrow there is always the weekend.

I probably won’t blog between now and, well lets just be honest, who knows when. I have been trying to do better but we shall see. Anyway, I hope every one has a fantastic weekend!!!

~Kristen

For the Love of Christmas Cards!!!

Recently I have seen several sites that have advertised for Shutterfly doing free holiday cards. Now I have never been one to send out Christmas cards mainly because I just don’t like to spend the money on them . However, I like receiving Christmas cards so you know if you need my address just e-mail me. Ha! Anyway, Shutterfly has so many great options I just don’t know which one to pick from. But here are some of the holiday ones that I really like…

I love Shutterfly so much. I mainly use it to back up my photos but I have made several other things as well. I have done one photo book and several post cards just to send out for fun; including a Mother's Day card once. They always come pretty quick and are such good quality. I can't wait to see what our Christmas pictures will look like!

Here are some pictures that I’m thinking about using for the Christmas card:

It's so hard to find a family photo that I like of the 3 of us so I am just going to piece each of us in there. Sometimes you just gotta do whatever will work!

Okay well you get the point I could go on and on…there are just so many options to choose from. OH they also have calendars that look like such good gift ideas!

Anyway, click here to receive your free cards as well!

~Kristen

Christmas Outfit & Traditions

I ordered this outfit from “Too Cute” Children’s Clothing and Gifts. You can also find her website here. I think it is so cute and Shannon did such a good job. She was so patient with me and all my indecisiveness. She also has some boy appliqués. Anyway, I just love it and thought I would share! 

 

 

Not only we are wearing it for Christmas we are wearing it for pictures with Santa! When I told Jayci I had her an appointment to take pictures with Santa I think I really confused her. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Jayci, mommy made your appointment today to take pictures with Santa.  (they are at a portrait studio).

Jayci: I’m so happy. I’m going to hug him and tell him what I want for Christmas!

Me: Well, I’m really glad

Jayci: But what are we going to do with Lucy (the dog)? Are we going to put her at the kennel?

Me: No she will stay here at here in her kennel

Jayci: But she will stay all by herself? Santa Clause is a long way away!!

I just could not help but laugh. I guess she thought we were going to the North Pole or something. I clarified that he was making a special trip here.

I never thought we would do Santa real big in our house and honestly he just brings like the stocking stuff. I just can’t hardly help but play it up a little bit because she gets so excited about him.

I also can’t decide if I want to buy the book, “The Elf on the Shelf.” It seems like such a fun book and idea but I want Christmas to stay about Christ and not just turn into what Santa thinks. The balance of both is very hard to obtain. Or maybe I am just making it harder than it should be. I thought I had it all figured out but apparently I do not! And Jay is not really any help. He is so laid back and easy going that he just does not have much of an opinion or at least he doesn’t express one (even when asked).

What do you do for Christmas traditions? Is Santa big at your house? How do you find a balance between Santa and Christmas being about Jesus?

~ Kristen

It's been a while

I realized today that it has been a while since I had last updated. Really nothing is new with us so it is hard to come up with something very often to post. I can't really post much about work b/c of a little thing with patient confidentiality but for the most part work is going great.

I will tell you that we had a teenage patient the other day that we see quite often and some of my co-workers (males) talked him into giving me a hard time all night. Now grant it they have figured out that I can get worked up pretty easily just by being messed with. I don't really get mad but they definitely get a rise out of me. Well, they decided to have this patient pretend he was having chest pain that was radiating (basically they were trying to get him to pretend he was having a hear attack) but when I asked the patient about it he told me no he wasn't having any pain. I asked the guys that told me about it and they were like well maybe he's just a teenage boy and doesn't want to tell you about it. So I went to this patient and really chewed him (you know in a nice way) about how I was his nurse not the guys and that if something is wrong that he an tell me. And that he should tell me because well I will be the one calling the docs and all this other stuff. Well for about an hour we went back and forth with stuff. Don't worry no docs were called. But being the naive new nurse that I am I have to admit I fell for it...UGH. Oh well it is nice to be able to have a little fun at work and it not be so stuffy. Now I just have to find a way to get them back!

On the baby front nothing new to report. I will probably start doing a weekly report after we go to our next doctors appointment on the 6th of December. I haven't been able to hear a heart been since I went to my 7 week appointment and I just want to wait until I hear that sweet sweet noise again. I found it quite weird when my doctor wouldn't even try to listen when I went in at 11 weeks but his reason is that by Doppler you can't hear until after 14 weeks usually anyway. So I just went with it. I was sad but if we didn't hear anything I would have just been worried for the next four weeks. Instead, I am assuming nothing is wrong and just waiting to hear it next time. I am also waiting to feel those first few movements! I think I have felt some flutters (I am 14 weeks) but I am not 100% sure.

On the Jayci front she is as rotten as ever! Ha. She is very excited about the baby coming. She is very insistent that she wants a baby sister but she does know that there is a possibility that it will be a baby brother. I think either way she will be fine. She has started hugging my belly (even though I'm not showing that much) and kissing it. It's weird to me but it's really sweet too. I know she will make a good big sister however, I think this little baby is going to rock her little world. She is used to being the only grandchild on every side. Now let me clarify, my SIL has two stepchildren and a baby girl of her own but they live about 3-4 hours away fr0m here. So when Jayci is at grandparents house she is usually the only one there (unless they are down for a weekend or for holidays). It will just be interesting how she handles it all. She definitely likes the attention to be on her when possible!

Jay and I had our 5 year anniversary on the 11th of this month. We celebrated by going to a small town called Eureka Springs. It was a wonderful weekend!

Okay well I think that is all for now. I will try to post more and more. I really want to. I just have a hard time coming up with things to say sometimes. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will be working and sleeping my way through the weekend!

Boy or Girl ?!?

Last night after Trick-or-Treating we decided to stop by Walgreens and pick up a Gender Prediction Test. It’s just for fun but I can't help but wonder if it will be right!

Here is a picture of just the test…

So what were the results you ask???

Well the color turned like this greenish brown color so that is supposed to predict…..

Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so I know that sounds a little overly excited. I will truly be happy with a Girl or a Boy. Anyway, we shall see in a couple of months if it is correct or not!

~Kristen

Halloween

Most every year we go to some friends house and eat chili and go Trick-or-Treating around their neighborhood. It’s a lot of fun and we have a ton of kids. Here are some pictures from our night!

This is actually from Friday at Jayci’s preschool.

Princess Ariel and Sally Bunny as Ariel too. Okay so for whatever reason I can’t find last years pictures (probably on our other computer) but Jayci was a fairy and Sally also had a fairy costume as well.

All the kiddos from the party. It was such a fun time seeing all of them running from door to door.

Ariel, the Kitty cat vampire, and Jessie

Princess and a Witch

Jessie and her Mermaid sister

The full mermaid outfit. I have to say that their mom made both of their costumes. She is so talented!

 

Princess and her Skeleton Pirate brother.

 

Anyway, that was our night and we had so much fun. Oh and if your wondering why I’m actually posting these on Halloween that is because our town (for whatever reason) decided we were going to trick-or-treat on Saturday instead of Sunday. Which to be honest was fine because we don’t have to go tonight! Or you know we could and double up on our candy. HA!

Anyway, hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

~Kristen

Big News

Jayci has some big news to share!!! If you can’t read her shirt it says “This little Princess is going to be a BIG SISTER!!!

We had just got finished with dance class so these pictures are in her outfit and ballet shoes. But you get the point!

I am 8 weeks and 3 days. Heart rate today was 170! Our due date is May 21st, 2011. We are SUPER excited! Jayci is too. She kept saying that there were 2 babies in there but I had to break it to her today there is definitely only 1…Thank goodness! Anyway, That is all the news I have about it for now. Hope every one has a wonderful week!!!

~Kristen