Meet Our New Neighbors!!

We've lived in our house for a year and a half now, renting the lower of a duplex and we absolutely love it here! It's a great area, spacious, very nice living space, and includes a HUGE backyard too! There's only one problem... our upstairs neighbors. They aren't HORRIBLE by any means, but let's just say we never clicked as well as I could've hoped. I got to the point of almost hating them when I realized I shouldn't harbor hate/bitterness for anyone. I prayed that I would love them and in the meantime they find another place they like better. Just when I thought the situation could become hopeless and we were stuck with them forever, I got the best piece of news EVER a few days ago. They announced that they were moving!!! Of course the first thing out of my mouth was, PRAISE THE LORD. It's been so hard for me to look past their faults and love them anyway, but because of my obedience I really feel like I'm being blessed in this situation. Makes me think of James 1:2-4. I'm glad I was able to persevere through this trial.

After he told me they were moving my immediate thought was, I need to call my mom. Her and I always joked that it would be so wonderful if her and Brit lived upstairs. I know she wants to be back in Cudahy, closer to work again, but I wasn't sure if she'd want to make another move so shortly after settling in Oak Creek. After all, she's only been there a little over a year and a half and is still in a lease. I called and told her the exciting news and then had her call Verna, our landlord who was more than happy and actually excited to rent to my mom. They chatted for a bit and really hit it off! My mom came and looked at the unit, they discussed a few changes before moving in, and WAH LA! Come August 1st, my mom and Brit will be living above us!!! It all happened so fast and I'm still in disbelief, but again, so thankful for these awesome changes about to take place!! My mom is nervous for another move so shortly after my sister's wedding and right before our little girl is born, but I'm certain things will work out just fine.

Yay for being obedient, moving neighbors and our new neighbors - my mom and sister! :) Love you guys!

What a WONDERFUL Weekend!

About twice a year, my friends and I get to go on a weekend getaway -- courtesy of our AMAZING HUSBANDS!! And what do we do on these awesome trips?? Scrapbook!! Yes, it's true, we're pretty dorky... but I LOVE IT! A woman owns a craft house in Madison that holds 24 people and boasts a HUGE workroom for everyone to enjoy their crafts. We eat, sleep and scrap for 48 hours and it is WONDERFUL. Because I don't scrap at home like I should be doing, I take this time to get myself caught up. (Sad, I know.) I'll scrap recent things in Kennedy's life, but I could also go back two years and see events that were untouched. YIKES! But truly the best part of the weekend is just being with my amazing friends. Last weekend Raven, Sarahbeth, Kim, Julie and Heidi joined me and we had a blast. I laughed so hard Saturday night, I nearly peed my pants. I mean the kind of laughing where your stomach hurts! Normally Sheena and a few others will join us too, but unfortunately didn't work out this time. BUT THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT TIME!

Since I've been home, I've actually continued to scrap! I left there inspired, motivated, and with the realization that if I don't catch up now, I'll NEVER get caught up when the baby comes! In a little less than 11 weeks, we're going to have a newborn in our home! You know what that means... no more 'me' time. I don't mean for that to sound selfish either, it'll just be an adjustment for all of us. We're used to things being quite easy around here with a four year old! Our life is going to dramatically change... for the better of course :)

Can't wait to see what God has in store for us on this awesome ride! Now back to scrapping...

Birthday Celebration!

Rather than go all out with a party theme, bounce house and 40-some people, we decided to keep her birthday low-key this year. After all, does a child really NEED a blow out bash every year?? Umm, no. But I had to convince myself that! After her big party last year and about $500 later, I promised myself there wouldn't be a big party for #4. Jon had to help me stick to my guns, as I was starting to crumble a few months prior to her birthday.

May is always an iffy month when it comes to the weather and since it hasn't been all that great every year for her birthday, we thought it would be better our 'party' commence inside. Sure enough, the weather was awful, but our 11 family members enjoyed our grilled food on their laps, on the inside of our cozy home. Sheena was actually in town to work for Dr. Brown, so it was great having her here too! One, because she's a wonderful friend of ours and a perfect little helper... and two, because she has some mad cake skills. Yes, I totally took advantage of my friend while she was here. ;) After hours of hard work, the cake was finished and it was everything Kennedy had requested. White cake with chocolate fudge (well, chocolate buttercream) on the inside and stripes on the outside. She LOVED it!! She even helped us at the end with some decorating!

Her birthday was just perfect. Both families together, enjoying our time with each other. Kennedy got some pretty special presents too... she is such a blessed little girl :)

Happy 4th Birthday Kennedy!!

Yesterday marked a special day in Kennedy's life. She turned FOUR! Well I guess birthdays aren't that big of a deal, but we were all pretty excited to celebrate this milestone nonetheless!

Kennedy and I started off our day with haircuts. I was way overdue and she needed a trim badly! Besides working at a salon, our friend Stacy cuts hair on the side in her home. She watches her 2yr old niece, Kaya, as well, so she and Kennedy got to play in between her haircut. They always have fun together!

After that, we met up with Kim, Raven and Sarahbeth (and all the kiddos) for a picnic in the park! It was a little chilly, but still enjoyable. After we all finished our lunches, the kids were ready to play! But as we were walking towards the play area it started to rain. We were hoping it would stop, but it quickly turned into a major downpour. We all decided to make a run for the car! I'm sure we looked crazy running for shelter, and on the way, Kennedy was sobbing. We got into the car and I asked her what was wrong. She replied, "We didn't get to play!!! ...and now I'm wet!!" Poor girl. All she wanted to do was play with her friends on her birthday :( Sarahbeth opened up her house, so we headed over there to finish our play date.

In the meantime, Jon returned from work and started putting together one of Kennedy's special surprises. A life size doll house! Last year when my grandma passed away, she left money in two different investments for Kennedy. One was a very substantial amount, which we turned into more investments, and the other was a very small amount. I FINALLY dealt with the smaller one just a month ago handing in the correct forms they had been begging for, and the financial institute cut us a check for Kennedy. Being that it wasn't much and her other account would take care of her college PLUS, we decided to get her a very special birthday gift from Grandma Patty. Kennedy had been asking for a doll house for a while now but we knew we couldn't financially provide that for her. I took part of the money from grandma and made it happen. We read all the reviews online and decided this particular one, although more expensive than the majority, was made the best and even came fully furnished! We tried so hard to have Kennedy wait patiently while Jon hid out in the bedroom piecing this thing together, but after an hour of waiting, she started to grow weary. We finally gave in and showed her before it was completed. When she opened her eyes, she was in awe. What a special gift we could give to a special little girl :)

After it was completed, I watched her play and interact with her 'dollies'. It was very nostalgic for me! When I was about her age, my grandma bought me a Barbie 'condo', complete with the most amazing furnishings and Corvette I could have ever asked for. Yes, I was spoiled. I can admit that... now let's move on. ;) I remember dressing my Barbies and playing with them for hours. I have very fond memories of the time spent at my grandma's house. I'm so thankful that those memories can never be taken from me. I miss her so much...

...wiping the tears...

Back to Kennedy's birthday. After dinner, we went to Kopp's for a scoop of deliciousness. We sat by the waterfall for a few minutes and then moved Kennedy's 'shivering' body to the car to finish our treat. It was so nice hanging out together, just the three of us. Sometimes it's just the little things :)

All-in-all it was a wonderful day with our family celebrating Kennedy's birthday. She had a great time and was very surprised by her doll house (which she's playing with now, as I write). I still cannot believe she's four. Time slips right by us sometimes. I pray that we never take her or the time with her, for granted. I love her sooooooo much!!!!! :)

Creative Cat

Kennedy is very good at any arts and crafts she puts her mind to. Whether it's coloring, painting, or simply putting crafts together, she enjoys every minute of it. I've learned to nurture her creative side very young, so we often do a lot of projects together. Just yesterday, we painted by numbers (one of her all time favorite things to do). I purchased a wooden shadowbox castle for her birthday, and of course, got excited and handed it to her three days early! She LOVED it! I did help her with the big areas, such as the grass, but she did the majority of it by herself. It's so fun to see her accomplish tasks/projects on her own. She's very proud! (The good proud, not the bad proud. Haha!) Her preschool teacher, Miss Dawn, once told me that Kennedy does not like to stop painting until it is PERFECT. I have no clue where she got that from?! ;)

I can't wait for more fun projects in the future!!

Goals

I have many goals I set for Kennedy in my head that I think would nice to be accomplished by a certain age... reading, writing, riding a bike without training wheels... and another one I considered a few months ago. I thought to myself, 'it would be nice if she could shower by herself by her 4th birthday'. We didn't really 'work' on this one because she was eager to learn. Kennedy is a VERY independent child, so the idea of washing her hair/body by herself was a pretty cool thing to her. I still help lather her hair, but she does the rest! Here's my disclaimer: I don't believe in pushing your children when they aren't ready, or having unrealistic expectations placed on them. But I do think it's good to encourage them! I work with her on things so she can excel and take it to whatever level she wants. For example, she can write her name by herself. It's legible, but needs TONS of improving. So we'll practice our letters together. I never push her though, because I can recognize when she's frustrated and needs to stop. I also read to her everyday. Just a few days ago, I saw her pick up a book and almost read it verbatim. She obviously memorized it, but this wasn't the first time I've seen that. Memorizing words is how reading begins! Besides working with Kennedy at home, I give TONS of credit to her preschool for all of her accomplishments. They truly believe in learning by DOING, interacting, playing... not just sitting them down in front of a book and worksheet. We're so lucky to have found Loving Start Preschool!

I can't believe she's going to be FOUR in just two days. Where does the time go?! :( I know we can't stop her from growing (even though we ask her if she can all the time), so I choose to enjoy every single day with her, not taking anything for granted. I look forward to many more milestones/accomplishments with her and the same for baby girl #2 as well!

25 Weeks

Saturday marked 25 weeks for me and pregnancy feels a lot different this time. I don't seem to be OR LOOK as uncomfortable as the first time. I gained a lot of weight with Kennedy and by 30 weeks was already swollen and extremely uncomfortable, so I've been really trying to watch it with this little one. I could do better though. I still need to exercise DAILY and make better food choices, but overall, it's a much better pregnancy. Also, my hair seems thicker and my face is SO MUCH clearer than the first pregnancy. I'm thankful for all of these things. And as long as I do my part, I know I'm going to have the labor/delivery I've been working towards... completely natural!

Speaking of natural labor... our Bradley classes ended yesterday and I'll admit, I'm a little sad. It was fun hanging out with Jon every Monday night and discussing what we want in my labor/delivery. We joked that we should tell my mom the classes haven't finished and keep Monday nights open for date nights! Ha! ;) But anyway, Coral Slavin was a wonderful teacher and JAM PACKED us with awesome information. I actually had a dream two nights ago about having this little girl. It was everything I wanted. I handled every single contraction like a pro, utilizing my relaxation techniques taught in our classes and the baby came quickly! Obviously contractions won't be pain-free, but I know that they'll be easier to take because I know how to control my body and relax. With Kennedy, I was induced. It's extremely hard to relax when your body isn't naturally contracting. As Coral said, I didn't even have a chance. So this time around, I'll be laboring at home for as long as possible. 4-1-1 is the rule. When my contractions are 4 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute each, consistently for 1 hour, we'll make the trek to Columbia St. Mary's in Ozaukee. Did I mention I have the best doctor in town?? Claudia Koch comes HIGHLY rated and pushes the boundaries when it comes to birth. Her mother was a midwife in Germany so Claudia knows exactly what a woman's body can do when it needs to do it. I have so much confidence in her. Now I just need to get me a good doula and I'm ready for anything!

I've been eager to get my hands on the containers downstairs for a while now. I kept everything of Kennedy's since birth, so it'll be nice to go through all of our things again and decide what we'll need right away and what can wait. One of these Saturdays I'll start going through it all and washing the 0-3 month clothes. Then we'll put the baby's crib together. Right now it's sitting in the box in our hallway. Can't wait to see what it looks like all set up in Kennedy's room! I'm getting more and more excited everyday!!

Picture: Cute preggos. This was taken at Marie's shower on Saturday, April 30th. Raven is 12 weeks, I'm 25 weeks and Marie is just shy of 31 weeks.