summer round up...

Well, it has been a little while since I've posted. So here is the short and sweet version of what we've been up to. We headed to the zoo a few weeks ago with some friends from college and their two boys. The boys are about Brianna's age and the kids had a blast together running around and looking at animals. It was pretty hot the day we went...so most of the animals weren't very active, but it was still fun to see them all. It has been a long time since I've been at a zoo, and we've never taken Brianna to one, so it was a fun experience for all of us. Then, Bob had his Club Championship at Crystal Woods on Sunday and Monday (Labor Day). He didn't play as well as he would have liked, and in in the end he ended up in third place. His dad won for the 16th time! Here is a picture of him with all 16 of his trophies.

Brianna and I then made a trip to visit some friends while Bob was having a weekend golf outing with some of his friends in WI. Brianna had a great time playing with Lily and Ella, and I had a wonderful time talking to Holly! Holly took some pictures of Brianna and I together, here is one of my favorites, check the rest of them out at Lily Bella Photography! This weekend has been interesting for us. One, we're actually at home, and two, in the last two days more rain has fallen in the last two days in this area than in Chicagoland history. We've experienced flooding, our street and the streets leading to ours are actually closed, my car has been parked on the closest "non-closed" street since last night. There is no way that Bob would actually make it out of our street in his car...it is ridiculous! Our neighbors were actually paddling boats in the street yesterday. (its not really that deep...people were just trying to "enjoy" the water I guess). Thankfully, no water has come into our house, it has stayed on the street and our lawn.

Brianna had her first playdate today (my baby is growing up!) and had a ton of fun playing with 2 of her friends from school. That pretty much sums up the excitement around here. I'm in the process of uploading pictures for the last few weeks, so check them out when you get a chance. I'll try to post more soon, things have just been crazy with work and us being gone, we've only got a few more things planned before we spend some time at home, waiting for baby to arrive! It is going to be here before we know it, and Brianna for one can't wait! :) Hope you are all well and thanks for checking in on us!

baby update...

As of yesterday I am 22 weeks along. We (and by we I mean I) had my ultrasound today. Everything looks great with the baby, growing exactly as it should. The doctor said if she had 100 babies at this gestational age (their measurements) ours would be right smack dab in the middle, so not too big, not too small, just perfect (growth wise...in attitude...well that remains to be seen). We took Brianna to the ultrasound with us, and she waved at the screen and said "Hi!" to baby. The other day on the way to daycare she stopped what she was doing looked up and said "Mommy, I can't wait until my baby gets here". I'm glad she is excited, hopefully she'll still feel the same way after the baby's arrival. No, we didn't find out the sex of the baby, even the doctor doesn't know because the ultrasound tech took no pictures of the area. Other than that not too much to report, we (the baby and I)are both healthy...so that is all we could really ask for. OK...back to work. Thanks for checking in!

thankful...

I figured after my last couple posts I owed you, my faithful readers, (all 2 of you) a few cute pictures, and an update on my evening. Shortly after I posted my last post, the 3 year old tornado came running through the door shouting "mommy! Mommy!" and wrapped her little arms around me. I know this sounds corny, but I absolutely felt the frustration of my day melt away with that hug and that precious smiling face. I had promised her that she could help me make brownies tonight, so she immediately asked if we could make brownies. I've been on a bit of a baking kick lately (and by baking kick I mean I've made bars/brownies the last 2 nights) which considering I've baked nothing (with the exception of B's birthday cake) in about the last 8 months, is a lot for me. I tend not to bake much when I'm trying hard to watch what I eat, because while my willpower is fairly strong...I am human (and I'm a pretty decent baker/cook), so if homemade stuff is around I tend to eat it. Now, Bob buys cookies when he goes to the grocery store...and those very rarely get touched by me (only if I'm extremely desperate and even then I'll usually not eat anything than eat that stuff...weird I know). But I digress, anyway, last night Brianna helped me make chocolate chip cookie bars and tonight we made caramel brownies. She had a blast helping and it was fun for me too.



Child labor-unwrapping caramels

waiting for the brownies to get done baking....and testing last nights creation.

Over the weekend we headed to the Quad Cities (yes again) to take Brianna to the Minus Six show. By now I'm sure you know that she LOVES Minus Six and was so excited to see them in person. Even though she played shy and wouldn't take a picture with any of the guys, she had a great time dancing (and by dancing, I mean Bob holding her and dancing) and really enjoyed Matt playing the sax by her, even though she buried her head in Bob's shoulder. I had to post this picture of her and Alli, because it is so cute.


Anyway, even though I'm still a tad frustrated (I know...I'm trying to let it go), after reading this I feel extremely blessed and thankful for all that I have in my life. Now if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go cuddle with my hubby and the three year old tornado.

frustrated...

Do you ever have those days where everything you do is just frustrating? I've been having one of those weeks. I'm trying to focus in on the good, fun things that have happened this week, but the frustration just pulls me back in.

The things that are frustrating me are mostly other people's lack of concern of how their actions and words affect others. I would never call myself an optimist...I'm a realist...I try to prepare for the most realistic outcome so I'm not disappointed in whatever the outcome is, and am often pleasantly surprised. (OK, I know most people that know me well would say I'm actually a pessimist). But honestly, I really only prepare for the most realistic outcomes when it comes to myself. I still to this day expect the best for the people around me, I'm the one that says "everything will turn out OK in the end" and I truly believe that. I try always to put others happiness in front of my own, and I believe that 95% of the time I'm very conscious of how my actions and words will affect those around me. So, it honestly to this day surprises me when I run into people that really only think about how things affect themselves.

I have to deal with one of these people every single day, and after all this time, day after day...I expect something different from this person, and day after day, I am disappointed. Everyday when I see this person thinking of only their needs, in this moment, and never seeing the bigger picture, and never seeing how this attitude is poisioning those around him/her, it frustrates, saddens, and most of all hurts me. I don't understand after all this time why this person doesn't see that we're all on the same team, all striving for the same goal, and in the end the actions they are taking are causing everything we've been working so hard for crumble.

So that is me in a nutshell today...frustrated.

I'm off to spend some time with my family and to try to relax and enjoy the evening. Tomorrow is a new day...here is to less frustration.
Oh...ultrasound is tomorrow...I'll post after the fun is over :)

weekend update...

Bob was off for the weekend golfing and having a fantasy football draft with some college buddies, so it was just Miss B and I for the weekend. We actually had a really good time, and I only got frustrated with her a couple times! :) Like I've said before, the girl knows how to push my buttons. We spent some time at the pool, went to the store, watched movies and ate popcorn (her favorite) and fell asleep cuddled up on the couch.
Yesterday, Bob and Nancy took her up to the lake to swim and play in the sand, so I enjoyed some time to myself. I aimlessly wandered around Target only picking up a couple things, one thing for Brianna that I was unsure about (a sleepingbag/backpack thing) but it was on clearance, and it was cute, only to find out after Bob got home he had been thinking about getting her something like that as well. (Yay!) After I got home from Target I did a quick clean of the house (by clean...I mean picked up all the crap laying around) and gave myself a pedicure and took a nap. I was planning on going to get a pedicure, but then I decided I was too cheap, and just did it myself, and painted Brianna's toes after she got home.
We missed Bob a lot over the weekend, but it was nice to get to spend some one-on-one time with Brianna. And while the weekend didn't involve wine for me, it did involve M&M's so it was very much a perfect weekend.

One funny story from the weekend, we're working really hard on potty training, but the girl is stubborn (side note...why is it that every time I have a story about Brianna I feel the immediate urge to call my parents and tell them I'm sorry? Yes, the girl is THAT much like me). Anyway, I was trying to get her to go upstairs to the bathroom, and she just wasn't having any of it. She is a 12 year old trapped in a 3 year old's body...she rolled her eyes at me and sighed in a way that said "but mooooom, it is so far up those 15 stairs to the bathroom!" so I carried her upstairs...she was like a sack of potatoes, complete dead weight. I put her on the potty and she slumped over. I was so irritated, but it was hilarious at the same time. The only time she used any muscles at all was to look up at me and smile. What a girl!

Have a good week all!

the unappealing part...

I started reading Jodie's blog right after Abbie started her blog (do you see how I started reading so many blogs...it started out so innocently). Anyway, I really enjoy Jodie's blog not only because she is an extremely talented photographer and I love looking at her pictures, but because I admire her honesty when it comes to her three adorable children (who are by the way all aged 3 and under) and life in general.
The reason I bring this all up (I swear I have a point) is because about a month ago, Jodie wrote this post challenging her readers to photograph and blog about the unappealing parts of their lives. The dirty dishes, the laundry laying around...you know, generally the stuff you prefer no one knows about or sees. This is part of the honesty that I love about a great deal of the blogging community.
Anyway, long story short...I never thought I would have the courage to post the "unappealing parts" of my life. But tonight, here it is. While this is not dishes in the sink, laundry, etc. This is the part of my life I don't generally want people to see. I mean, they probably see it, but looking at these pictures side by side is quite a different story.
Are you confused yet? See the most unappealing part of my life has also brought me some of my proudest personal moments over the last year and a half. Anyone that knows me in real life is probably aware of this struggle I have with my weight, while I generally don't openly talk about it, it is always there, in the back of my mind...the "ugly" part of my life. Unfortunately, it infiltrates too much of my life. In an effort to regain some control of the ugly...here it is.

The first picture (red dress) was taken in October of 2006. The second, in November of 2007. And finally the third (black dress) was taken in March of 2008. Obviously, since the last picture I became pregnant and am having a difficult time watching the scale move upward. I know it is necessary, and I know I will regain some control of my body after this baby comes, but somedays that doesn't make it any easier.

That is it, that is my unappealing part (the first picture) and my slow progression to make it not the most unappealing part of my life...I'm guessing it is not exactly what Jodie was thinking when she wrote that post, but it is how I applied it to my life and myself. I'm hoping by putting this out there I can let go of some of the control it has over me.

(told you the tone of some of the posts were going to change :)

Here is to a new week...full of possibilities!

i have a secret...

OK, I probably have more than one, but here it is...I'm a blog junkie. I read on average 25 blogs a day (that is probably a low estimate :). Most of those are ones I read on a regular basis (ie. every day) but sometimes my regular blog reading takes me to other blogs, that a lot of times take me to new blogs that may or may not add to my regular blog reading. Anyway, I'm straying away from my point here...the point is, I love reading blogs. I love hearing about other people's experiences with their children and their lives, it makes me feel normal. It somehow validates those days where I'm so frustrated that I want to run away. Of course I never will, but it makes me feel like I have company during those days.

Some days its really hard for me to write here, because I feel like no one wants to read about the tough parts of life, they just come for the cute pictures of Brianna and the funny stories. But to me that gets boring, the interesting stuff is the way we handle the tough days, the frustrations along with the triumphs. It makes me appreciate the good days even more.

So, with that, the tone of some of the posts may change. I will still post cute pictures of Brianna and tell funny stories and update with the general stuff that is going on with us, but I'm also going to be posting some of the frustrations, fears, and other stuff (for lack of a better term) that accompanies our day-to-day life.

I hope you keep reading, I hope you comment, I hope you laugh, I hope that if you're frustrated, afraid, or just plain tired, you'll find some solace in the things I'm going to write.

she's a big girl now...

Part of Brianna's birthday present from us (OK...a big part) was a brand new "big-girl" bed. Her crib converted into a daybed, which is what she has been sleeping in for quite some time, but with the baby coming, we needed to reclaim the crib. Anyway, the plan was for us to put together her bed on Friday when we got back from vacation and surprise her with it when we got home from Jake's party on Saturday.

She loved it! Her face was so adorable when she saw it. She laid in it for a long time just smiling. She was excited to sleep in it last night (thats what we were hoping for, maybe bedtime won't be such a big challenge for a while.) Anyway, we are all very excited about her new bed, now if we could just get this potty thing worked out...life would be fantastic!

OK...I'm off to play legos now...I'm posting pictures from vacation, the party and her new bed as we speak, so be patient. But I'll leave you with a couple from her reaction to her new bed.

party at the lake...

We went to Bob and Nancy's yesterday before the birthday party so Bob could regrip some clubs before his upcoming golf/fantasy football trip (is it really time for that again?). So, that is the first time we had seen Brianna in a week...we were greeted at the door by her smiling face and a chorus of "MOMMY! DADDY!" and tons of hugs and kisses.

Then we headed up to the lake and attended Jake's 6th birthday party. It was a great party, they had tons of games for the kids, waterballoon toss, bozo buckets, a pinata, and even a treasure hunt. Brianna had a fabulous time, even though she was extremely tired. Unfortunately it was pretty windy and cool at the lake so she didn't get to go in the water like she wanted, but she did manage to play in the sand for quite some time. :)

Everyone was pretty tired when we got home, but we did manage to play with almost every new toy she got for her birthday before bedtime.

vacation...

So, after Brianna's birthday party at my parents house, Bob, Nancy, Brian, & Mary took Brianna back to Crystal Lake for the week. Bob and I headed to Galena to spend the week relaxing and playing golf (Bob). We rented a little place in Eagle Ridge and had a wonderful time. Bob golfed, I read (4 books...I don't know the last time I did that, or had the chance to do that). We spent one afternoon walking around Galena and visiting the shops. Picking out a couple little things for Brianna.
One of which is this shirt which we found completely adorable and hysterical. (Brianna loved it too). We stayed Sunday through Friday morning and are both a little sad about going back to work tomorrow. I think I could use a week at home catching up on all the stuff that needs to be done around here, as I'm sitting in the living room with the sun streaming in the windows and illuminating the plethora of cobwebs and dust in here. All-in-all it was a great vacation, but we did miss Brianna a lot. Unfortunately, she did get sick while we were away. :( Thankfully, it only lasted 24 hours and she was back to her old self. We are happy to be back home, I missed the craziness and the noise of our little 3 year old tornado.

brianna's birthday...

How is it possible that this little girl is 3? (Although most days she thinks she is 12). We had a great weekend in Iowa. Friday was the Relay for Life, we stayed all night...but I'm not so sure we'll be doing that anymore...it totally messed up her sleeping for the entire weekend.

But it was fun, and always makes me think about how cancer has impacted my life and those of the people around me. On that thought...I don't think I have posted this but my friend from high school's little girl, Claire, had her last round of chemo last week. They did a CT scan a few weeks back and it showed...NO TUMOR! We are so happy and excited for them, we of course will keep them in our prayers so that little Claire stays healthy for a very long time.

Saturday, we had a few people over to break the pinata we got for Brianna, to have a little bit of a celebration on her actual birthday since we were having her party the next day. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed the candy. :)

Sunday was Brianna's actual party and Grandma Nancy, Papa Bob, Brian, and Mary made the trip to IA to help her celebrate. Great-Grandma Kramer and Great-Grandma Felton were also there, and of course Papa Lester, Grandma Susan, Angie, Braden, and Jackson. We had a great time and Brianna was very spoiled.

Brianna headed back to Illinios with Papa Bob and Grandma Nancy, to spend the week with them. Bob and I headed to Galena for the week for a little vacation. We are so far enjoying ourselves, except for the thunderstorms that have been on and off all day. Bob did enjoy his first round of golf this afternoon, in between the storms. I have enjoyed a couple naps and a book and a half already (my idea of a perfect vacation).

Have a great week all!
Birthday pictures are uploading, but there are a few so it may take a while.

three...

Sweet Girl~

I know you didn't really think I'd let today go by without writing you my annual birthday post. (Not that you can read yet...but someday you'll be able to). This year has been so different from the last two, for one I usually have been working on this post for a couple of days before your birthday, instead of writing it on the fly like I'm doing tonight. For another, this is the last birthday where you will be our "only" baby.

I sit here and wonder how the last 3 years have gone so fast...how this stubborn little girl has grown to replace my chubby little baby. When I look at you, I still see that little baby, but that picture is quickly fading in my mind, and is being replaced by the girl you are becoming.

You and I don't always see eye-to-eye. Lots of people say this is because you are just like me...and that is probably true...don't tell anyone, but I know you are just like me, that's what scares me.

There are so many things I want to say to you, so many mistakes I'd love to keep you from making, so much pain I'd love to keep you from experiencing...but those things are all part of life and growing up. Everyday I watch you grow and become more independent, and yes you fall down and get hurt. But I hope that I've given you (and continue to give you) the courage to get up, dust yourself off, and learn from your mistakes. Most of all I hope you have faith in me that I will always be there to hug you, dry your tears, and encourage you to keep trying.

Being your mom has given me such immense joy over the last three years, even on the days where you've pushed me to my limits, because even on your worst days, when I look in your eyes I see my baby.

I hope you had a fun day today sweetheart, I know it was tough with the mixed up schedule, but I still hope it was the best birthday so far. You are so very very loved little girl.

I'm not sure that any of this makes sense (thats why I usually plan this better). But bottom line...you will always be my baby, my little girl, and I love you with all of my heart.

When you make your birthday wish tomorrow, I'll be making a wish too. That you stay little just a little bit longer...I know you want to be "bigger" but stay Mommy's little girl for a little while, OK?

I love you sweet girl.
Happy Birthday!
Love,
Mommy

bix weekend 2008...

This past weekend Bob and I made the trek to Moline to visit Alli & Steve (yes again...and no we never stay home). Alli does the Bix every year and this year due to certain circumstances, she decided to walk the Quick Bix (2 miles instead of 7) so I decided to join her, while her brother, Matt, ran the full Bix. It was so incredible...I could not believe the amount of people there. It was and still is completely indescribable.

If you are at all familiar with Davenport, IA, you know of Brady Street. Its a pretty steep little street. The race starts on Brady Street. It is crazy, curb to curb people, we only walked and were zigging and zagging around people to keep moving, I can't even imagine what it was like for the runners.

Anyway, we had a great time, the winner of the Bix ran it in something like 32 minutes. (I didn't know it was humanly possible to run 7 miles in 32 minutes...I'm pretty sure its not for me! :)

After the race we went back to the Cottrell's and relaxed, while the boys played another round of golf, after the golfers returned we played some Wii and ate and had a blast playing games and drinking (well not me of course).

I'm already looking forward to next year, where I'm planning on running the Quick Bix. I think it'll take me a few years before I'm ready for the full one!

Thanks Alli & Steve...we had a great time (as always).

baby belly...

My wonderful husband got me a new cord to my camera...so yay! I only have this belly picture for you right now. I'm posting the new belly picture and a belly picture when i was the same week into pregnancy (16 weeks)with Brianna. Not that I will compare my children forever...but this is kinda fun. Plus you can see how much 3+ years have changed me!

The one on the left is from when I was pregnant with Brianna (although I'm sure you figured that out) And yes, I'm wearing the same clothes, I wear them on a regular basis, but I did wear them on purpose for this picture. I know, I'm a dork. (and I'm not sure why the other picture is so small...I had to save it from Shutterfly...I'm guessing its not a very high quality picture.) Anyway, enough rambling...I've gotta get busy.

Have a great Friday everyone!

stay tuned...

Hi all~

I know its been a while since I've posted anything, but we've been having some technical difficulties. My camera died a few weeks ago...absolutely will not turn on. Anyway, I got a new camera this week and apparently the transfer cable that came with it is bad. So while I have a few new pictures...I can't transfer them to my computer. So...stay tuned I should have lots of pictures to post soon. Belly pictures...I know you're all anxiously awaiting that, Brianna's 3rd birthday(next Saturday!) and our vacation (coming soon...yippee!).
Keep checking back...I promise we'll be completely up and running soon!
Happy Thursday!

golf

Last post of the night...I promise. This should get me all caught up. Tonight after dinner we went to the driving range to hit some balls. I took my camera (of course) and I'm glad I did...because I never want to forget images like these. Happy (almost) Friday everyone! New pictures are up from the Knosher, Metamor-a-palooza, and our trip to the driving range. Enjoy!

knosher outing 2008

Last Thursday we made our way to Galesburg for the Knosher Outing. Bob really enjoys attending this outing because its played at Soangetaha (their home course during college) and because he gets to play with his old teammates. He played a practice round with some of them on Thursday. While he was doing this I had lunch with some of the Business Office ladies and had a nice chat with them. Then Holly and I went to get pedicures (much better than playing a round of golf if you ask me :))and played some Wii in the hotel...where I bowled a 258 (I was super excited!). We all went out to dinner together that night and out to Seminary Street Pub after that. Friday was the outing and it was so great to see everyone, they are like kids in a candy store when they are together. Even on the rare occasion where they don't play so well, there is lots of laughter on the course. I will direct you to Holly's photos (because they are far superior to mine :)). We really do have great friends!

metamor-a-palooza

This year's canoe trip had a slightly different feel to it...due to the flooding in Iowa, it was just not safe to go canoeing, so Chris and Dawn (and Chris's parents) offered up their house to the crew for the weekend. The Miles clan lives in a georgous house on a lake in Metamora. Everyone (minus those who couldn't make the trip, Jenn, Marty and Jon...they were missed immensely) arrived Friday night, although the Goodness's got in pretty late and most were asleep by then. We (Dawn, Chris, Alli, Steve, Bob, and I) had dinner, played some cards and had a bonfire while waiting for Ben & Amanda to arrive. Saturday morning, the boys headed out golfing, and the girls decided to chat and relax. We talked and caught up inside for a while and then decided it was time to hit the water. We floated in the lake and talked for the better part of 2ish hours, and then ate some lunch. The boys were back by then, but we went back to our floating, the boys did some fishing and played catch in the water. By late afternoon, we were all out of the water, and decided to play some bags and flippy cup. We paired up boy/girl (but not in couples :)). It took us about 20 minutes to decide how to pair up the teams (which was humorous in itself). There was lots of laughter and lots of beer drank (except by me! :)) We even developed a new rule for flippy cup. After that we had some dinner, played some cards, and had another bonfire. All-in-all it was a perfect weekend, even though things didn't go as originally planned. Great food, beautiful location, and most of all great friends. Its always after these things that I realize how lucky I am to have these people in my life, and how much I miss not being around them everyday. Knox is a great place to make friends, but it sure does spoil you with having them around you at all times, so much so that you forget that they won't always be down the hall or in the next room over, sometimes you have to settle for only seeing them a couple times a year. Dawn and Chris are making their way to North Carolina tomorrow (Friday) for the next year. Have a great trip guys and we can't wait to see you again! We love you!!

new pictures...quick post

Morning All! I'm sitting in the hotel in Galesburg downloading pictures from my camera, so I thought I would upload them and write a quick post. We are off to the course in about an hour, and we still have to get all of our stuff packed up. I'll write more about our weekend later...but so far we're having a great time. Galesburg has a boil order in effect, so you can't drink the water anywhere and no fountain pop, so it has been interesting. We ate off paper plates at the restaurant last night. But it has been great to see old friends who we don't get to see nearly enough. Hope you all have a great Friday and I promise I'll be back with more pictures and more stories of the weekend soon.
Happy Friday and have a good weekend!

you are my sunshine

Just wanted to post this video quick. I will be posting more in the next few days, pictures of Jackson's baptism, and of our busy week. We'll be heading to IA tomorrow night and then to Galesburg for the Knosher Outing Thursday and Friday, and then to Metamora for our 3rd annual canoe-a-palooza. Albeit, a slightly different canoe-a-palooza, one without canoeing :). Hope you are all well and I'll be back soon. Please excuse my annoying voice and my terrible singing...I swear it only lasts a couple of words. :) And the quality is not spectacular but its from my phone...so you can't expect a whole lot :)

quick update

Hello All!

Just thought I'd write a quick post tonight, because its been a while. Sorry about that, but I've been extremely tired and really nauseous. If its possible (and I didn't think it was) I'm even sicker with this baby then I was with Brianna. Maybe that means it will stop before I deliver this one (unlike with Brianna) But overall I can't complain...I'm excited that so far this pregnancy has been uneventful and will hopefully stay that way. I have another doctors appointment a week from Thursday, so hopefully all continues to go well.

We've enjoyed our long weekend...but wow did it go fast. Friday night we headed to Rockford to see Minus Six, and it was a great show...as usual! We ended up staying at Bob and Nancy's because Bob was going to play golf with his dad early the next morning. So Brianna and I hung out with Nancy while Bob and Bob played golf. Then we met up with Ben & Amanda at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. Brianna loved it there...although the lions roaring scared her a bit. Sunday we had a pretty relaxing day at home, played some Candyland (which Brianna LOVES). And today we spent more time at home watching movies, playing outside, and Bob and Nancy came over for dinner and brought Brianna her new tricycle. She had a blast riding it until dark. That pretty much sums up our weekend. We had a great time together, but as always it went way too fast. I've uploaded some new pictures (I know its been awhile). I'll try to post again soon!

Hope you all had a great weekend! And Happy Tuesday to you all!

(this is pretty much how I feel about the weekend being over too! :o)

Hi Jeff! :o)

One last thing...I found out this week that a high school friend's 7 month old daughter has cancer. She started chemo on Saturday. Please keep her in your prayers (if you pray or in your thoughts or whatever you do for this sort of thing) I'm sure they would appreciate any extra prayers they can get. Thanks!

changes...

Just a few changes to our little home on the internet to reflect the changes going on in our ever-growing family. Yup...you got it, there is going to be another little Carroll. We just got done sharing the news with our families so now we're sharing it with you! We've got a few months to go (December 31st is the due date)...but so far so good. :)

Hope all you moms had a great Mother's Day. Lots of love to all of you, I'm off to bed, its been a busy weekend.

five...

3:00am...Mom comes into the bedroom where Angie and I were sleeping (well Angie was sleeping...I was laying in the dark, mind racing) and says "It's time to get up...." I hop out of bed with a big smile on my face saying "I'm getting married today!!!" Angie buries her head under the pillow and says something to the effect of "are you serious, it is 3am"

The next few hours are a whirlwind of hair, makeup, putting on my dress. At 9am we arrive at church for pictures. I see Bob and smile, thinking to my self...what a lucky girl I am that he picked me. I can tell he is nervous, pacing back and forth...but not me, I've never been so calm in all my life. Decisions have never come easy to me, but this is one that I never thought twice about (even 2 days before the wedding when we had a big fight about the seating chart ;o)

As the doors open, my dad and I arm and arm ready to walk down the isle, I looked at the little church...the church where I was baptized, had my first communion, and was confirmed, the church that holds so many memories of my life, filled with our friends and family, those who love us and have supported us and I smiled, and then I looked down the aisle to my future husband, and my heart skipped a beat. That is one of the moments of my life that I want to freeze, to be able to feel that moment forever. To feel the love in that little church, it’s the kind of memory that on the darkest days makes me smile.

The rest of the day was just as perfect. Oh I'm sure something went wrong...but I don't know what. All I remember is the dancing, laughing, and being surrounded by the people we love most in this world.

Now, if you had asked me then if I thought I could love Bob more than I did at that moment, I probably would have said no. But 5 years later, I can tell you that I love him so much more than I did that day. Everyday I think there is no way I can possibly love him more, and then he does something...something small that it probably seems like I take for granted, and something that even he doesn't think means very much, and its those things that make me fall into bed each night knowing that I love him more than I did yesterday.

I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like him, most days I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to deserve him, but I am lucky enough to have him and I'm not letting him go.

Bob and I are very different, some days I think we're too different, we bicker about dumb stuff like any couple does, but in the end our differences make us stronger. I'd like to think I've helped him become a little more flexible and spontaneous, and I know he's made me a better planner. He's helped me more than he even realizes find the confidence in myself that I've been missing for a long time. He's always my biggest cheerleader, even when I feel like I've failed. My life without him would be empty.

No words have meant as much to me as those I said 5 years ago today as I stood there in that little church filled with our family and friends and said "I, Amber, take you, Bob, to be my husband...."

Happy Anniversary Baby!
I love you!

new pictures

New pictures posted...enjoy :)

Knox

(Edited to Add: I wrote this post about 6 months ago, not sure why I revisited it today, maybe because its Flunk Day, and the memories are rushing back, or maybe I'm just extra sappy today...who knows...anyway, I'm finally posting it. Love you girls!)

I'm sure you're all anxiously awaiting my post about homecoming (I see your eyes rolling over there). Anyway, I'm not going to write so much about homecoming as I am about Knox in general and my experience there. I apologize in advance if i sound like a summary of the admissions material, but I swear no one paid me to say this (although...really they should) :o) As we were driving back Sunday after the homecoming festivities, I realized how lucky I am that I attended Knox. And not just for the obvious reason of meeting Bob. Obviously that is a huge part of why Knox has a special place in my heart. I still in my heart think that Bob and I would have met somewhere along life's journey...but who knows if we would have ended up where we are today. I gained so much from my 4 years at Knox...a quality education and an abundance of debt...to name a couple. But more than that, I gained another family. I have five amazing women in my life that I am privileged to call my friends. Five strong, kind, compassionate women, who are so different and yet all of our differences seem so small when we're together. We've had and still have so much fun together. We've seen each other through ups and downs over the last 9 years, we've cried together, laughed together (a lot), yes...even fought with each other. But somehow we always come back together. I don't really have any college memories that don't include at least one of these women...and most of them include all of them. The are the first ones I called (after immediate family) when Bob and I got engaged, they were some of the first people to know when I was pregnant and they were some of the first people I called after Brianna arrived (even though most of them didn't believe me that she was actually here). These women are my family, and in turn their husbands and boyfriends have also become my family. I look forward to get togethers with them from the moment they are planned. They are one of the most important things I take away from my time at Knox. I value the education I received at Knox...but the friendships I took away from my four years at Knox will last long after my diploma is covered with dust and my debt is all paid off. They have made my life better by being in it. I love you girls! Thank you for your friendship....life is so much more colorful with you in it!

haircut...

Brianna had her first haircut tonight (Thursday). She has gone with me to the salon a few times and the woman that cuts my hair, Gina, is always nice to her and gives her suckers. I called to get my haircut and asked if she could trim up Brianna's as well. Brianna was so excited to get her haircut, for the last two days all she could talk about was Gina cutting her hair and getting a sucker. She sat very well and Gina trimmed up her hair and put her hair clippings in an envelope for us. It was so cute to see her sitting there like such a big girl. Gina kept calling her princess so all night she would say "I'm a princess". Sometimes that girl is too cute for her own good. Anyway, I'm heading off to sleep now, but here are a couple pictures of the haircut. Hope you all have a great Friday!

happy easter...

Just a quick post to let you know there are new pictures posted. We just got back from Lancaster, WI from Grandma Carroll's funeral. It was such a beautiful service, and hearing all the wonderful stories and seeing the legacy that this amazing woman has left behind is truly incredible. 13 children (Bob (dad)is #12), 56 grandchildren (Bob is #55), 83 great-grandchildren (Brianna is #80), and 18 great-great grandchildren, how wonderful is that? Anyway, I'm completely beat...so I hope you all had a fantastic easter. The photo above is Brianna sitting on her new Dora bedding that the Easter Bunny brought.

Welcome to the world Jackson! Our new nephew was born today. We can't wait to meet you little man!

you're gonna miss this

I heard this song yesterday and it brought a tear to my eye (yes, I've been slightly emotional lately and it did actually make me tear up...leave me alone :)) Anyway, I started thinking about how I often want time to pass quickly to get to "something better" The last few months have been ridiculously crazy and I've been having a hard time finding a balance of work and home (this is always a hard thing for me at this time of the year, but especially this year), and I have thought several hundred times over the last few weeks how I just wish it was the end of April. After hearing this song, I realized that one day I will look back and miss this time (oh...I think it will be a good many years before I even sort of miss the pressures of work right now) but if I skip through the work stuff, I would also be missing out on the home stuff. The last 2 nights Brianna and I have crawled into bed and watched a movie snuggled up together, me tickling her and her laughing, I would have missed all of that had I actually been able to skip to the end of April. She is already growing so fast and I already miss so many of the things that she has outgrown...things I never thought I'd miss. Some days she infuriates me (some say it is because she is just like me...I'm not so sure on that ;o) but in the end I wouldn't trade those days for anything. Its the bad days that make the good so much better, and if you "skip" over the not-so-good stuff how do you learn to appreciate the good? Anyway...here is the song with some pictures of Brianna some old and some from this morning.



Bob's Grandma Carroll passed away on Monday March 17,2008 at age 102. She is dearly loved and will be missed. We were fortunate enough to have her attend our wedding 5 years ago, it is something we will both treasure forever. We love you and will miss you.

a perfect valentine's day...a day late

Since last night was a little less than perfect, what with an over-sugared, under-napped 2 year old...I called a do-over on Valentine's Day. So tonight we had a nice quiet dinner (at least quiet for our house), played a bit and are now snuggled up on the bed watching Charlotte's Web (well, they are sleeping now) I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day.

There is nothing more precious to me than this

new pictures

There are new pictures up. A bunch of Brianna and some from our weekend in Peoria visiting Dawn & Chris. Hope you all had a great weekend and have a great Monday!

just popping in...

Hey all...yes, we are still alive and well. Things have been super crazy at work, and we've had company the last couple of weekends, so the time to post has been few and far between. (that and when I'm actually on the computer at night...I tend to choose to play euchre...I blame Steve for that addiction. :) Two weekends ago, Ben & Amanda came down to go out to dinner and to just hang out for the weekend. We went to Shula's Steakhouse (very yummy) and then came back to the house for some board and card games. Matt, Steph, and Kadi also came over to join in the fun and a good time was had by all. Last week was a super long week at work (averaging over 12 hours a day...boo) and on Saturday Steve and Alli came up to visit. Their 5th anniversary was last Friday and they were leaving for vacation and were flying out of O'Hare, so they came up and are leaving their car here while they are gone. It was a good excuse to see them. This coming weekend Bob and I are heading to Peoria to visit Dawn & Chris and to see Minus Six play in Peoria. We're both really looking forward to it and are happy that we've gotten a chance to see our friends this month. Things will definitely slow down on the traveling front after that at least until tax season is over (but does it really ever end? not in our office) Other than that not too much exciting going on here. (do I type that in every post?) Anyway...I'll leave you with a couple pictures of Brianna, she is turning into quite the ham these days.

Updated to add: Well I was going to leave you with pictures of Brianna, but Blogger is being a pain and won't let me. I promise to upload some new pics soon!

welcome to 2008

Another year gone by...wow! How strange it is that time seems to be passing so quickly. Really I still think I'm 21 and I am fast approaching that 30 year mark. I remember when I thought 30 was old. Ha! Anyway...since I last left you, not too much has been going on.
We attended the wedding of our friends Matt & Steph.
The wedding was beautiful and very fun. Brianna spent the night at Papa Bob and Grandma Nancy's while we attended the wedding.

We spent New Year's Eve at the Goodness house in Wisconsin. We had a good time, but ended up going to bed early(we did make it until after 12) as we were all still pretty tired from the wedding.
We wish you all happiness and health in 2008! We look forward to seeing you this year!
There aren't any new pictures in the album, all the pictures I took at the wedding turned out blurry, so this is all you get....I need a new camera. (Take note Bob...my birthday is only 3 months away :)

merry christmas!

I know I'm a couple days late, but the thought was there! Whew...I can't believe its the 27th already. Christmas came and went so fast this year, the whole year, in fact, just flew by.

We started with our Christmas celebrations on the 16th of December this year. We had a great time at Bob and Nancy's celebrating with Nancy's side of the family. Then on Tuesday, the 18th, Bob, Nancy, Brian, & Mary came over to our house and we had Christmas here. On Friday (the 21st) we headed to Iowa to spend Christmas with my family. We ended up getting snowed in at my parents house for a couple days (7ft drifts blocking the roads), so we didn't get to see dad's side of the family, which was a bummer. We had our immediate family Christmas and then went to my mom's side of the family on Christmas night.

Christmas was so fun this year with Braden & Brianna. They had a great time playing together and got along really well (for the most part). On the way home yesterday Brianna was chatting in the backseat and all of the sudden she stopped and said "I miss my buddy" and got this really sad look on her face.

We drove back yesterday and much to our surprise, the 2ft of snow we had when we left on Friday was gone! However we have 100% chance of snow for tomorrow. Bob and I are both off work until the 2nd, so we're trying to enjoy every possible second of our time off. Actually today and tomorrow are the only times we're home, we're going to a wedding Saturday and then Monday we're off to Wisconsin to spend New Year's with the Goodness's.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were as fortunate as we were to be surrounded by loved ones. We have had a great 2007 (what I can remember of it, it went so fast). We were busy with work, but we also tried to take time to enjoy our family and friends. We are looking forward to 2008 and the arrival of our new nephew, our 5th Anniversary (5 years can you believe it), Canoe-a-palooza 2008, and all of the other surprises that await us in the coming year. We feel very blessed to have been surrounded by so many family and friends throughout the year, and are excited to see what the new year brings.

I will try to keep you updated more often, but remember, tax season is upon us....so cut me some slack :).

Much love to you all! Have a Happy and Safe New Year!

(new pictures are being uploaded as I type. So they should be all done very soon :)

happy thanksgiving...

I know...I know...its been a long time. Things have been hectic around here. We spent last weekend in Missouri for Braden's 2nd birthday. The kids had a blast playing together and it was good to see the family. My handsome little nephew had a great birthday...I think :)

Bob, Nancy, Brian, Mary, & Grandma Caruso came over for Thanksgiving dinner. The food wasn't too bad, I guess, and I think everyone had a good time. Brianna and I made little placecards for dinner, she got a little distracted during the process so she left most of it to me...but i think they turned out OK.

Brianna ended up going home with Bob and Nancy Thursday night, so Bob and I put up Christmas decorations yesterday, and everything is all done except for decorating the tree which we wanted Brianna to help with. Bob went to play basketball today and then over to his mom and dad's to help them with a project and still isn't home yet. I spent the day in the doctor's office. My ear/throat has been hurting since Wednesday night and since it still wasn't better today, I decided it was time to go to the doctor. Sure enough I have an ear infection. So I got some antibiotics and some ear drops. The first pharmacy I went to didn't have the ear drops (which are to help with the pain) and they asked if I wanted to wait until Wednesday to get the ear drops. I said no, so I had to go to another pharmacy to get the ear drops. So that took up a good portion of my day. Anyway, I guess other than that there isn't too much going on. I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving and a relaxing holiday season!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Lots of love.

happy birthday

Happy 2nd Birthday Braden & McKenna!
Hope you two have a wonderful birthday!
We love you!

PS. new pictures coming soon....I promise

day of family fun

We had a great weekend at home (yes, we actually stayed home with no plans to go anywhere...we were shocked too). Yesterday we spent some time at a pumpkin farm, walked around, checked out the animals and selected our pumpkins. A couple of the family members then took a nap (I won't mention which ones), so I took the opportunity to make some homemade beer/cheese bread and some chili for dinner. I guess it really is fall :) I also cleaned out the pumpkins while the other two Carroll's were napping. When everyone woke up we carved pumpkins, which Brianna loved.

We also tried her costume on her, because when you ask her what she is going to be for Halloween she says "a pink doggy", but she seemed mighty surprised at how cute she looked when it was on.

Today we had a pretty lazy day around the house, but got a few things done so hopefully our week will go smoothly. Hope you had a great weekend. There are a bunch of new pictures in the October 2007 album. If you click on the link (once in shutterfly) that says 80 new pictures added in the last 7 days you don't have to scroll throught the previous October pictures. Have a great week everyone!

(sorry for the all over the place post...still having trouble with the coherent sentences :)

Homecoming 2007

We just returned home from spending the weekend in Galesburg for Knox's Homecoming. This was our 5 year reunion (crazy huh?). I have so much more to write...unfortunately, I can no longer put together coherent sentences. I will write more about Homecoming in the next couple days. Until then...enjoy the little montage of pictures from Friday & Saturday.

Music in the video is "You My Friend" by Minus Six. Follow the link...check them out...buy their music...they are fantastic. If you don't believe me...just ask Brianna, they are her favorite band. And if you can't trust Brianna, who can you trust? :o)

Night All

family fun

We spent the past weekend in Iowa attending my cousin Matt's wedding. We had such a great time and the wedding was beautiful! It was such fun hanging out with my cousins and talking about the "old days". For those of you who don't know, on my dad's side of the family there are a whole slew of us that are the same age (there are 21 grandkids), so growing up, since we lived not far from each other we spent a tremendous amount of time together. We had BBQs pretty much every Sunday all summer long. So when we get together now it almost seems like old times (except that we can legally drink now! :) Anyway, I had a great time talking to everyone (although they probably were ready for me to leave as I tend to talk a lot...I know...shocking isn't it?) and trying to figure out how we're going to get together more often. :)
Thanks Matt & Ann for including us in your special day...we had so much fun and congratulations!!

While we were at the wedding Brianna (or Bee-a as Braden would say) and Braden spent the day with the Wolfe family and from the sounds of it had a great time as well.

Thanks so much Cathy, Greg, Tyler, Justin, & Nicole for watching Brianna, she loved it!

So, now we're trying to get back into our "normal" routine. We really have nothing planned until the middle of October when we are heading to Galesburg for Knox Homecoming. Can you believe we've been out of college for 5 years already. Yikes...scary thought! Anyway, I think thats about all to report for now. Enjoy the latest pictures!

september 11th

I remember...
As a senior in college, I was working in the Business Office at Knox College when the planes hit the World Trade Center. I forget the details of how we initially heard, but as soon as we heard that the first plane hit, we turned on the radio and listened as they reported the second plane crashing into the World Trade Center. We looked around at each other in shock and horror. Wondering what and how this was happening. I don't think I watched as much news or listened to as much radio in my life as I did on September 11, 2001 and the days following. Yes, we were a long way from New York, but it was the first time in my life where I didn't feel safe. There were students who had family and friends in New York and also students who were from the Middle East who wondered if they were in danger because of their nationality...it was such a strange time. I think we who have grown up in this country have taken for granted the safety we've had here, I know that I have. Six years have passed and still I remember almost every detail of that day, I remember a professor telling one of my classes that Galesburg used to be high atop the "hit list" for other countries during war time, because of its railroad hub. I remember that Bob was on the golf course when he heard about the attacks from Harley. I remember sitting at the Children's Museum where I worked that afternoon listening to the radio. I remember going to a vigil/memorial service the following night and then going to the first Sr. Meeting of the year, just to do something that was "normal". I don't really know what I'm trying to say with this post, after six years it seems like everyone has gone on with their daily lives, like they should, but I guess I just wanted to say, even though today I got up and came to work like every other day...I still remember.
God Bless all of those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001...I hope you have found some peace and know that we still pray for you.
Thank you to those who risk your lives each and every day protect us all; our police officers, firefighters, EMTs...you are true heros.
Finally to our military...I believe you have one of the most thankless jobs...people disagree with the war so they take it out on you...but the only reason they can speak out against the war without fear of persecution is because of you and because of soldiers before you. So, thank you, thank you...for giving of yourselves so selflessly to protect my family. And to your families...thank you for sharing your soldier with all of us. There are lots of us who appreciate every day the sacrifcies you make for us, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and keep you in our prayers. Stay safe, and come home soon!

pictures

I just finished uploading some new pictures that Nancy sent me from the last couple of Brianna's visits to their house. Enjoy!
Thanks for the pictures Nancy! :)

busy, busy, busy

Hello again!

Sorry we haven't been around much lately but things have been busy and to be honest there isn't much to report. Bob and I have both been working a lot, and Brianna is busy with daycare. She moved into the 2-year-old room a couple weeks ago, it was a tough transition for her because she loved her teachers in her old room, but after the first couple of days of crying when I dropped her off she has done pretty well. She is talking like crazy now...she is never quiet anymore...she gets that from her dad I think ;). (As I'm typing this she is insisting that "daddy play!!") She got some new puzzles at a resale we went to and has taken them apart and put them together a million times already.
She spent a few days with Grandma Nancy and Papa Bob last weekend while we attended a wedding for our friend from Knox, Josh (one of Bob's golfing buddies), it was a beautiful wedding and we had a great time. Unfortunately I don't really have any pictures of the wedding (only a few random shots), but when Holly posts her's I'll let you know :). Other than that not too much happening in the Carroll household, Bob is heading to northern Wisconsin on Thursday to have a weekend of golf with his college friends, so Miss Brianna and I will have some mommy/daughter bonding time. We don't have much planned for the weekend, hopefully it'll be somewhat relaxing. :)
Oh...I guess one exciting thing...for me anyway...is that I'm typing this from my brand new laptop! I had ordered one from Dell at the end of July, expecting it to be shipped within 2 weeks, well as of last Tuesday my estimated ship date had been bumped to September 26th!! A full 2 months after ordering, and that was no guarantee that it was actually going to ship then (I was on my 5th estimated ship date). Needless to say I was very bummed, annoyed, angry, etc, so Friday night I was searching the internet and found a HP that had almost exactly the same specs plus a few more bells and whistles for 1/2 the price...so I got my new laptop on Friday and cancelled my Dell order that same night.
Anyway, I think thats about all for now, but I'll leave you with a picture of Brianna in her fairy princess outfit. I will be posting a few more pictures soon mostly of Brianna in this outfit a couple from wedding and some from the flooding outside our house a few weeks ago(like tonight sometime). Hope everyone is doing well and I'll try to post more often (I know I say that all the time, but hey...I have a life too! :)
Have a great week everyone!!