News

Most of you know our big news, but for the rest of the world, here it is!!!

Connor was able to help us share our wonderful news. I found out on Mother's Day that we were expecting Baby number 2. It was truly a wonderful Mother's Day gift. We were going to wait to share the news with our parents (and the world) for a couple of weeks, but Connor had other plans. While getting ready to leave our Wednesday night small group, Connor decided he would tell everyone there that he was going to be a big brother. So needless to say, we spilled the beans to our parents over the next couple of days.

Over the next week, I had a very minor complication and the Dr ordered an ultrasound, just to make sure everything was good. I wasn't expecting an ultrasound at 5 weeks and didn't know what we would see. All that the tech could visualize was an embryonic sac, no heartbeat yet. It was to early on to see a heartbeat so the Dr had me come in 1 week later to see the heartbeat. It is truly a miracle that at 6 weeks there is a beating heart! So at the second ultrasound, Dale and I were shocked, stunned, happy, scared, laughing and crying to see 2 strong heartbeats!!!

That's right, TWINS!!!! I'm expecting identical twins. It was so much fun to share this news with everyone. I'm still very early on in the pregnancy and will have my first official Dr visit on Wednesday. I'm not sure when the babies are due but sometime near the end of the year. I should be due Jan 17th, but with twins a full term pregnancy is 38 weeks, and who knows how long I will last.

Dale and I are very excited about this and ask all of you, to keep us in your prayers as we try to navigate this wonderful challenge God has given us!!!

God Bless and enjoy your week!!

Happy Anniversary

I just wanted to take a moment and wish Chad and Erin a happy wedding anniversary. I hope you enjoyed a great day together and take a moment to reflect on the past 3 years together.

Great Weekend

A great weekend breaks down as such:

Friday night~

Grilling pork chops out and sitting on the deck relaxing with Dale, Connor and Chad!

Putting Connor to bed (a little late) and catching up on TV shows on the DVR.

Saturday~

Walking in a one-mile walk to help raise money for Junior Welfare. JWA is an organization that help around the community by doing various activities such as book reads at a local women's shelter and taking young underprivileged girls shopping for necessities.

Shopping in Tuscola for deals to outfit Connor for the summer. A few more pairs of shorts and he should be set til September!! I also found a pair of capris that actually fit like there suppose to!!!

Connor was a great shopper, so he got to ride the Tonka truck!

Having a fence put in around the death trap of a stairwell. We can now let Connor play outside, without having to follow him around. It's great to know I can step inside to get a drink or whatever and he'll be safe. Thanks Dale and Bob, it looks great!!!

Grilling out burgers to serve with burnt fries, whoops!!

Having a few drinks and going to bed early!!!

Sunday~

A little boy in camo shorts with bare knees!!!

Playing outside in the sun and WIND!!!!

Blogging while Connor plays on the deck and in the rocks.

Trying to think about what we are grilling tonight.

Ignoring the fact that my house needs cleaned up, it's just to darn nice outside to care!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the weather as much as we have!!

***As I'm getting ready to post this blog, Connor informs me he has a piece of gum (he's been playing under the deck). I frantically get him to spit it out and it's just green saliva, very fruity smelling!! Of the two skittle that were dropped on Friday night, he apparently found one. I will be searching for the second one!!!

We have had a great weekend. We spent Saturday at home, doing nothing!!! Saturday afternoon/evening was spent with Mom doing some shopping in Springfield. Connor now has two new pairs of shoes and I have some curtain rods for our front door window. Hopefully I will get a curtain made soon and we can take the vellum paper out of the window!

After church on Sunday morning, Dad and Robyn stopped by for a visit. Sunday evening Connor and I played with his new Little Einstein toy, picked up the living room together and watched a little bit of Madagascar. He loved the movie. It was wonderful to lay on the couch and cuddle in our warm p.j.'s.

I'm really looking forward to going to the Lullaby Concert tomorrow at the library. Milikin's symphony orchestra will be playing and we will have a book reading. Everyone is in pajamas, it is a great time.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Yeah, yeah! Let's face it, I'm horrible at keeping up the blog. I'm working on a posting about our cruise. It is taking me a while to get all the pictures organized the way I want them. A new post is coming soon, I promise. In the meantime, here's an update on the Pope family.

Connor and I went for a 13 mile bike ride today with Mom and Bob. Thanks for including us! We had so much fun, even though I started it off with falling off my bike!! It helps when your tires are actually attached to the frame.

Dale has caught a cold, it probably has to do with coming back to cool weather after being on the cruise.

Connor is infatuated with Sponge Bob. I'm not a great fan, but it's OK in small doses.

Connor had a great time at the St. Patrick's Day parade with Grandma Dean, Aunt Pam, Erin, Addison, Leslie, Grace, Luke and Baby Drew. He has lots of candy, that he asks for a couple of times each day.

I tried to grow my hair out long again, but I had an appointment with Ryan this weekend!! I just couldn't stand the awkward stage any longer, thanks Ryan!!

I will try very hard to get the cruise photos posted this week. I hope every one's week is as great as our weekend has been.

Cruise

Here are some picks and an overview of our wonderful cruise vacation. It was by far the greatest vacation I've ever been on. I surprised Dale with this vacation for his 30th birthday, he turned 30 on December 30th. We haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon, which even then we took a small honeymoon with intentions of going on a tropical vacation after I finished school. So 5 years later, it was well past due.

We left on Saturday February 28th to fly from St. Louis to Miami to spend the night before boarding our ship on Sunday. We tried our first dish of Cuban food. It wasn't bad, but definitely not something I would want on a regular basis, heartburn at 4am is not a good thing!

We boarded our ship, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, on Sunday afternoon. It was amazing how big this ship is, 15 decks total, with a guest capacity of over 4,000. We thankfully had a cabin with a balcony. Before we were allowed to set sail, the entire ship had to do a practice emergency drill, with life vests and all. Needless to say, it was quite uncomfortable and crowded.

Our first full day was spent at sea. Dale and I participated in "Walk for Wishes". We walked a mile on the deck track and donated money to Make a Wish Foundation. Our sailing made over $2,000 for the organization. After the walk, Dale and I attempted the rock wall. Dale succeeded, I did not. It is way harder then I ever thought. I couldn't keep my fear of heights in check after I got half way up!! That evening we had our first formal dinner. Dale tried escargot and roasted duck for dinner. I'm very proud of him for trying many new dishes. Dale is typically a very picky eater.

Our next day we awoke to our first port of call which was Labadee, Haiti. This beach is a privately owned beach by Royal Caribbean. It would be beautiful in the sunshine. Maybe someday we will see that. It rained all day!! Dale and I walked around in the rain and overcast skies for a couple of hours. We weren't going to let some rain drive us away. We waded in the ocean, visited Dragon's Breath lookout point and shopped the market. We purchased a soap stone carved turtle.

The next morning we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It was raining and overcast, the same as the day before. It eventually stopped raining later in the day. We had an excursion booked to visit Shaw Park Garden, climb Dunn's River Falls, and do a little shopping. We met a really great couple from California on our outing, Dale and Sherry, whom we hung out with the rest of the day. The botanical garden was beautiful, even on a rainy, overcast day. Climbing the falls was a blast. The water was freezing but the view was spectacular. I can't wait to get the pictures from the water camera developed. We stopped at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville before going to a local restaurant to get some real Jamaican jerk chicken. It was a great day.

The next day we awoke to the sun shining over Georgetown, Grand Cayman. We were so excited to see the sun. We had such a wonderful time in Grand Cayman. We were a little disappointed because part of our excursion was cancelled due to strong winds and rough water. We had planned to swim with stingray's at Stingray City, which is a large sandbar in the middle of the ocean. We did get to visit 7-mile beach, which has to be one of the most beautiful places on our planet!! Dale and I tried coconut water, straight from the coconut. Our next stop was a turtle farm. We were able to hold 6 month old sea turtles and see many more. We also made a stop at a Tortuga Rum Cake store where the famous rum cakes are made. Our last stop of the day was Hell. There is a unique rock formation in the town of Hell that has become a tourist attraction. We were able to mail a postcard from there as well. After a fun and sun filled day we did a little shopping on our own and had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe. We had to be back on the boat by 3pm, but I could have stayed forever. I kept telling Dale, "Let's just have Connor put on a plane and sent down here, we don't ever have to go back to cold weather, right?!" We laid on the deck for a couple of hours before getting ready for our pre-dinner show. It was so amazing to me the costumes and set that went into the shows. How all of that is on a boat is amazing.

Our next port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. We rode 4-wheelers for 2 hours through the "jungle". Our tour guide informed us that all the vegetation of the island was destroyed by a hurricane 3 years ago, therefore it was more like riding through very dry brush. We had a blast. We were filthy dirty after riding the 4-wheelers. Our next stop was a two hour beach break. We were able to lay on the beach, drink icy drinks, and eat the most wonderful nachos in the world!! We were planning on snorkeling during the beach break, but that portion of the excursion was cancelled due to high tides. Dale and I did finally get in the water at the beach, even though it was pretty rocky. That night we were able to watch a magic show right before dinner. I'm still amazed at the quality of the shows on the boat. After dinner we went to see "The Quest", an adult scavenger hunt. Our cruise director yells out items she needs and it is up to the team captains to find them. Items may include a man's belt, a man with lipstick on, a women's bra, a man dressed as a women, false teeth, and people actually hand these items over. It is so comical. Dale ended up on the game floor when she yelled at that she needed the largest and smallest man from each group, only to inform them that they needed to dance together once they were on the dance floor! We laughed very hard that night!!

We spent our last day at sea. Dale and I just relaxed in our room most of the day. We laid out on the deck for a couple of hours in the morning and pack everything up in the afternoon. We watched the farewell show that evening and enjoyed our last great dinner. We went to bed early that night and woke at 5:30 the next morning to get ready to disembark from the boat. We were of the boat by 8am, and spent the rest of the day in the airports. We finally arrived home around midnight. I could wait to get my hands on Connor. He didn't wake up when we got home, but was very surprised to see us the next morning, probably more shocked than surprised. It took us a few days to get back in the normal routine. We had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back. Thank you to everyone that took care of Connor so that we could go on this cruise!!

What fun!!

So much fun in a matter of 15 minutes!! Connor finally got to use the sled that Santa brought for Christmas. We were all full of smiles, especially Connor, even with one small wipe out with Daddy. Everything went really well, until Connor took his gloves off and stuck his hand in the snow. It was time to quit anyway! We had a great time.

Who Knew?!?

Who knew that ketchup make everything taste better!!! I've been struggling with Connor to eat vegetables. I'm bound determined to have him follow in my veggie-lovin' taste. Dale will only eat corn, everything else "taste like grass". Connor ate the same amount of broccoli as me tonight. The only difference is that I didn't dip mine in ketchup. What ever works, right??

P.S. I'm lovin' the laptop, Connor is taking his bath while I blog!!!

Good Job Connor!!!!

Connor went pee on the potty!!!!! This is his first successful time. I'm so excited and proud of my little guy. Hopefully M&M's and stickers will help us keep it up. We'll see how the rest of the weekend goes. Have a great Saturday.

Hello Again

I'm now vowing not to be at the bottom of Leslie's blog list. I just got my new laptop and have been surfing the web while watching t.v. HOW GREAT IS THAT!!!

So, Leslie, here is my response to your challenge. I will incorporate what's been going on the last 4 months.

1. I am so excited to be planning our cruise. Dale received a surprise vacation for his 30th birthday. We leave on Feb 28 for a 7 day cruise to the western Caribbean, with stops in Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Mexico.

2. I'm really glad the Connor is learning to stay in bed. He recently discovered his ability to get out of his bed on his own. Thankfully he is listening to us when we tell him to go back to bed!!!

3. I'm proud of Dale and I for sticking to our diet faithfully for the past two weeks, 6 weeks to cruise time.

4. I'm so thankful that I will be hosting a scrapbooking day next weekend. I've not spent near enough time at my desk.

5. I love watching the Biggest Loser. Last season I watched it as I ate ice cream or pie, now it's carrot sticks and fat free dip. YUM!!

6. I'm seeing how having this laptop is going to help me become sleep deprived.

7. I enjoyed Connor explaining how the cots at school fell on top of him to his Dad. This is probably one of the first "stories" we will here. FYI- he is fine, him and two other boys were climbing and CRASH!!

8. I'm really excited for Dale since he will be going to FTO (Field Training Officer) school in May. He will make a great teacher.


9. I'm waiting to ask Leslie or Erin to help me update my blog. I need pretty back grounds and pics!

10. I really enjoyed Christmas. Connor dove under the tree for presents. It was the best Christmas of my life!!

11. I need to start thinking about paint colors for my ENTIRE home, I'm getting quite tired of looking at white walls.

12. I think this list is alot harder to complete than I first thought.

13. I'm tired of wet slushy snow. Go away already!! Please!!! My toes are cold all the time!!

14. I'm so thankful for Erin and Chad watching Connor last Saturday night so Dale and I could go out for my birthday dinner. Thanks again.

15. I will try very, very, very hard to not let more than 1 week go between blogging post. I know I've made that promise before. I will really try this time.

16. I crack up when Connor gets so excited over watching "Little Einsteins". He is obsessed, we have to make sure we tell him No periodically. He would watch them all the time if allowed.

I'm so glad that the list is complete. I will try to post some pics from the last 4 months soon.

Have a great day!!

Happy Halloween!!!

We had so much fun trick or treating our very first year!!! It didn't take Connor and Addison long to figure out this whole knocking on doors/getting candy business. They were both just absolutely adorable and well behaved. They will forever be Halloween buddies!

I must also mention that Connor is a such a strong little boy! We went for his flu shot this morning and he did remarkably well. I was so shocked, no crying, no whining, no tears period!! I am one super proud mommy!!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Connor!!

Happy Birthday Connor!! It was so much fun celebrating Connor's second birthday. On thursday, we celebrated with chili and a Thomas the train themed cake. Dale and I gave him a Thomas the train ball pit. He had a blast. He recieved so many great gifts, he's been bouncing between them all weekend. Celebrating your birthday for two days is definetly twice as nice. On friday evening we went over to Nana's and Papaw for dinner and cupcakes.

On saturday, we met baby Drew for the first time. I'm quite smitten with him and I think Connor liked him too. Who know's maybe Connor will get a sibling for his next birthday?!?