2 to 1

so, for 3 years we had both Buddy and Sugar, brother and sister, black lab/collies, and a welcomed part of our family. I'm sure that there were some that questioned what we were doing getting TWO dogs at once :) Trust me, there were days when I thought the same thing! 

Anyway, once Hazel came into the picture, I started feeling a little overwhelmed with having the dogs as well. We were still kind of in the process of training them, and with Buddy being the difficult one, Sugar would sometimes feed off of him. It made for some pretty frustrating days!

Anyway, last month we decided to put both dogs up on Kijiji, just to see if anyone was interested. I figured that having two kids plus the two dogs would be too much for me, so we planned on at least finding a good home for Buddy, and see how things went with Sugar. We ended up finding a family of 5 who lived on an acreage who were interested in Buddy. So, the dad and his one daughter came in to town to see Buddy, and within an hour he had a new home. We felt really good about where he was going, and know that he's getting the attention that he needs. 

Sugar took about a week to adjust to being here by herself, but she's been great! She's more calm, and definitly more obedient (she always was the better listener!). I love having her around, so she's not going anywhere. I don't regret getting a dog, even two. It's been a great learning experience, and I think there'll be positive results having our kids around Sugar.

Having said that, I'm not looking forward to cleaning our back yard after a winter of having two dogs back there! (good thing Quenton volunteered for the job!!!)

partner with brown? pattern or solid?

so, we painted our bedroom.

again.

but this time we actually like it :)

Before, we actually ended up with a "peachy" looking colour that was NOT what we were wanting. So, we decided that if we were going to paint, it needed to be done before the baby arrives. We ended up with a tawny brown colour (I'll put up pictures asap), and now the question is, what to put with it? I'm thinking that I'll just sew some curtains, and buy a new duvet with some throw pillows for our bed. So, now I just need to decide what accent colour to use? I was thinking blue, since it goes nicely with brown, but is there some other colour that would look better?

After I choose a colour, I then need to decide on patterns. Do I use a pattern for my curtains and a solid for the duvet, or vice versa? hmmmm. Even though I haven't concluded much yet, I'm excited to get started! If you have any suggestions, I'd be more than happy to accept them! :)

7.

seven.

lucky number? no, not really.

the number of people in my immediate family (sibs and parents).

most importantly, the number of weeks I have until this little bundle arrives.

seven.

I went shopping with Hazel yesterday for clothes for both my kiddies (so weird saying that......) and it got me kind of excited. :) First, I love getting Hazel clothes. More than getting myself clothes, at the moment! I mean, she's cute on her own, just in a diaper, but putting her in cute jeans, or a sweet little summer dress is just that much cuter! So, that alone was pretty fun. :) Second, I went looking through boy section since I've been thinking this is going to be a boy (but if not, then I'll have something for when we do have one), and I was getting excited :) Baby boy clothes are super cute!! It helped me realize how close we really are to having this little miracle in our family. I can't wait!

This month is going to be the month to get all the things "baby" labelled ready; washing baby clothes, sewing blankets, preparing the cradle and setting everything up. Next month is everything else; frozen meals, maternity pics, relaxing, possibly shaving my legs (seriously, not as easy or worth it at the moment).

On another note, having bronchitis/sinusitis while pregnant is NOT fun. Yay for modern medicine. :) Oh, and I'm going to post pics of Hazel up soon. Cause she's just too cute to NOT brag about.

a-ha moments......

I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately about different events in my life, and although there are some things I would change, most I wouldn't. :) It did help me decide, however, that I not only need to be thinking about the future, but to prepare as well. Now, I'm not necessarily one for just living in the moment, but whenever I look at Hazel, I think that there are so many things that I want to do for her to help her live the best life.

We had the missionaries over last night, and we were talking about contacting and sharing the Gospel with friends and neighbours. I remember as a missionary how easy I believed it was to share something that I loved so much. I've discovered, however, it's a little more daunting than I remembered! Anyway, Quenton and I have decided that we need to make more of an effort, especially so we can show our kids how important missionary work is. I want them to love the Gospel as much as I do, and I really feel like this year will be a great year for us and missionary work :)

I've also dealt with post-partum depression, and feel that being around friends and performing service will help me to overcome some of the obstacles that come with PPD. I know there's a lot more that I can be doing (whether it's meds, councelling or whatever), but I want to see what I can do about preventing some symptoms before they happen. I know some girls who have had PPD with their pregnancies as well, so I'll probably turn to them for advice. :)

I need to say, too, how much I love my family. Not just my own little family, but my siblings and parents. I have felt for a long time that I'm different from my family members, and that I don't have as much in common with them as I used to, but all of that aside, I love them. There have been some things that have happened recently that have made me really think about what's important, and family is right up there. I haven't always felt that I could forgive past wrongs, but I read a talk President Faust gave in May 2007 called "The Healing Power of Forgiveness" that has really struck a chord with me. I think sometimes it's harder to forgive and move on than I would like, but if the goal in this life is to be as happy as we can, we need to do the hard stuff. Family is worth it. Eternity is worth it. Our happiness depends on it.

a little help :)

so I was talking to a good friend the other day, and we were discussing children. Going from 1 to more than 1 sometimes seems like a daunting task, so K sent me a link to a blog we've both followed. After I read it, I felt like I could do this :) I highly recommend this for anyone expecting their second, third, or even fourth baby. :)

Thanks, friend! :)

daydreaming is ok :)

I remember when I was growing up, I was SUCH a dreamer. :) I've told Quenton this tons, but I would watch movies (especially Disney movies) and want the hero and heroine to get together in the end. I was a huge romantic, and would slowly piece together the kind of "prince" I wanted to sweep me off my feet. 

I always knew that I'd be married to a wonderful man, (I just didn't know it would take as long as it did!). Quenton has been one of the best things that's happened to me. :) I often think about how much Heavenly Father loves me, because he blessed me with the most amazing man. 

He is more patient with me than I deserve, he treats me like a queen, and he has the best heart. I love watching him with Hazel, and I can't wait to see him with this new little one. :) He never complains about things, especially the things that I forget to do around the house! And I love how he helps our with EVERYTHING. He's not afraid to change diapers, or do dishes, or cook. How did I get so lucky? I have no idea. 

This Valentine's Day, I was hoping to do something special for him. With this pregnancy, I'm having to take each day as it comes, so we'll see what I can come up with :) Bottom line: I LOVE this man :) I know that after all those years of dreaming and hoping for someone who would make me happier than I could have imagined, I got something even better :)

this week so far...

ok, so I'm sure I'm not the only mom who wonders if she's doing right by her child.

"Is this the proper way to discipline?" or "Am I being too much of a push over or too mean?"

These are some of the questions I've had, especially lately. Don't get me wrong, Hazel is such a great kid, and I love her to pieces, but I think she's picking up on my concerns over whether I'll be in over my head with 2 kids. I don't want to be "that" mom who says "no" to everything, but I feel that way when I'm tired or not feeling 100%. I know that there are family members and probably close friends who definitly have a different way of disciplining, so it's sometimes hard to "commiserate" when our views don't mesh.
I did, however, talk to a good friend today who gave me some good tips on not getting Hazel frustrated and how to discipline with love. I'm feeling like it's not so impossible now, and today is definitly a better day. :)

On another note, I am feeling FULL. It's funny how much you can forget about being pregnant, like how the baby will actually be GROWING :) This little one moves just as much as Hazel ever did, but hasn't had the hiccups yet (that I know of!). I keep telling Quenton that I forget how big this baby is getting until I get a kick here, or I read onling approximately how much "he" weighs. I sometimes look at Hazel and think, " wow, you were once the size of an avocado, or a grapefruit!". Now she's gabbing away, climbing up on couches, and growing up way too fast :)