Week 14

Entering week 14 this week - which means a close to the 1st trimester, and hopefully all of its pesky symptoms.

Since I've been pregnant, I have traveled more than I ever have surprisingly. Nugget is already becoming a world traveler. We made our way to Phoenix for a couple days and even hopped the border to Montreal, Quebec for about 4 days. In another week or so, we're going to go check out New Orleans. :)

Nathan and I have definitely entered into the "really?" phase. While I can see myself getting bigger - everywhere - and we have seen our baby do all sorts of dance moves on a monitor, I still feel like it isn't real. Like there isn't really a baby growing inside me and that our life isn't really about to drastically change. We don't even know where to begin to prepare! I cannot wait to feel him/her move to give me reassurance that there is a life in there or to find out if it's a boy or girl so I can feel like I can really start planning. Just a few more weeks!

-A

Introducing...Nugget!

On Mother's Day, Nathan and I got the great surprise that we would be welcoming a new addition to our family. :) It seems only fitting that we publicly announce "Nugget" (as we are calling baby Pyles) on Father's Day.

This weekend we went to Cushing to have our first ultrasound by Dr. Tracy (my Father-in-Law). It was the coolest experience for many reasons. One, it confirmed that there really is a person growing inside there and I'm not just getting fat. Two, we were able to share it with both of our parents. And three, Nugget was doing all sorts of moves - I'm convinced he/she will be a great dancer! Below are some of the better shots we got.



I think this one looks like an alien. :)



How precious is that profile?!


The official due date is 1/7/2011. I am currently 11 weeks along and finishing out the first trimester. So far, I've been somewhat nauseous but not as bad as the horror stories I have heard. Mainly I am just exhausted and have way less energy than I am used to. Both me and the baby are healthy, though, and that is all that matters. Nathan and I couldn't be more excited!

Life's about to get interesting...

T minus 5 days to move in!

It's finally here. On Friday, we'll be closing our new house. We couldn't be more excited! The house has turned out so well. We have been so impressed with our builder and Realtor. We are one of the few who can actually say we will close with a good relationship with both - what a blessing! Below are some recent pictures of the progress - there will be many more once we are able to get in and put our (ok, Nathan's) touch on the place. We open for guests in April. :)



No quite sure what we'll do here - time to start reading the Gardening books again!


I love my cabinets!!


Can't wait to enjoy this!!


-A

Hello, 2010.

With the new year rolling in, I, like just about everyone else on Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere, have been setting some resolutions for this coming year. I read a great post by Chris Brogan on setting goals for yourself in the new year (I cannot find the post anywhere or else I'd give it some link love). In short, he wrote about using single words to summarize your goals so they are easy to remember and are larger than just "Lose 10 pounds."

So, in 2010, here are my goals:

Healthy - I want to be more active & actually use the gym membership that we pay for each month; make smarter food decisions; and overall, feel better about myself.



Frugal - I want to find creative ways to use things we already have; save more money; eat out less; and give more away.



Growth - I want to grow personally by learning more about who I was created to be and Who I was created to live for; grow professionally by learning new skills & never settling for mediocrity; and grow relationally by investing time in my friends and families.


2009 was an amazing year with a lot that I am proud of, from taking on a new position at Rockfish as Director of Account Services to selling our house & preparing for a new one to celebrating our 3rd anniversary. Here's to another great year!

Newspaper Poetry

When you're snowed in, you have to find creative ways to entertain yourself. Today, we wrote newspaper poetry. The rules are simple. Pick a news story and find words to build your poem. The only hitch is that the words you use have to go in the same order they appear in the article. Just black out the words you don't want to use - and you have your newspaper poem.

Here are my poems, made from stories from the Dec. 24 edition of The Daily Oklahoman. Enjoy!

"The hall closet filled with gifts"
From "With a bit of delicacy, regifting can be OK" by Jennifer Palmer.

Christmas gifts waiting to be wrapped,
Waiting for a new home,
Perfect for so-and-so.
A tasteless fruitcake or ugly sweater,
Edible items such as wine, chocolate, coffee or nuts,
Scented candles or body lotions,
Or a book on a topic you're not interested in,
A toy my son received for his birthday -
It would be a shame to keep a perfectly good toy in a closet,
Instead of in the hands of a toddler.


"A memorable present"
From "A memorable present from Senate Democrats"

One whale of a Christmas present, delighted to report
$132 billion that will only cost $871 billion - something to brag about.
(gulp)
No biggie - details be dammed!
Debacle.
He is forced to claim the mandate of 'history' because he can't claim the mandate of voters.
Tragedy, the culmination of 20th-century liberalism.
Reckless bureaucracy trumps innovation,
Change nobody believes in.

Merry Christmas

I'm sitting in my in-laws office, enjoying the sounds of family in all the other rooms and the bright white light shinning through the windows as the sun reflects off the foot of snow covering the ground. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas. I am so thankful to have a wonderful family that I enjoy spending the holidays with.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day, all! While I am not a mom yet, I do have my precious pups who are filling my maternal needs for now. Little Brooklyn is a whole 4 months now and Jackson is almost 2 1/2. Brooklyn experienced house guests for the first time this weekend. My parents and grandparents came for quick visit - he was not so sure about the new people in our house. Jackson, on the other hand, was excited to have some new friends to play with. Here are a few pictures of our guys - we love them!



This is Jackson, our as we call him, the "Pootz". Sweetest guy you'll ever meet. And check out his beard. That is definitely Nathan's doing...
















This is Brooklyn - we actually got him to stand still for a second to snap a picture. He's a scrappy fella'.