30 weeks and counting

I know, you're all in shock because it's only been 10 days since my last post! Don't get used to it. As I type the baby is being very aggresive in whatever he is doing on my left side. Sometimes it's fun, other times it's distracting and makes me grab my stomach. It's getting much easier to feel where he is. If I push he'll most likely push back. I wonder if I'm annoying him?

If any of you have checked out our registry on Babys R Us' website (which I'm sure you all have with much excitement) you'll notice that it says any item you could buy online is not currently available. Unfortunately, this is what happens when Babys R Us and Amazon decide to separate and go their own ways. I've been told that everything will be functional on July 3rd. Those items are available in the store though.

We have been busy getting the nursery together, the guestroom together, and pretty much the rest of the house together. There's nothing like nesting to give you energy to do things around the house!

This weekend we are heading up to Minneapolis for a Twins vs. Cubs baseball game. We're meeting a big group of friends. Should be a fun time. I personally am looking forward to stadium food. There's nothing like watching baseball live and eating a hotdog (especially when it's a dome and you're not sweating for hours).

Here are some pics! The nursery is obviously not finished but it's getting there. And check out the massive amount of clothes! Thanks to Evan, Brandon, and Owen for that!

Picture time!

Blogger was weird to me and just now published something I wrote last week so you'll want to check that out after these pictures. It's really fascinating stuff.

Dan, me, my dad, and my bellybutton waiting to get on the train for our scenic railroad trip through the valleys of Iowa.



The train went over an incredibly high and narrow bridge. They blew steam towards the creek to create a rainbow.



a side view of the belly



Lisle hanging out in the grass.



I put the stroller together on Sunday and Mr. Tubs was my helper

Its been awhile

Dan, baby, and I are doing well. Today I go into the doctor for the gestational diabetes test. After this appointment I start going to the doctor every two weeks! I am now in my third trimester. It seems like it's coming up so quickly. It's garage sale season so I have been stocking up on some baby clothes. Right now I am in the process of organizing all of them. The nursery looks more like a storage room. At least the walls have been painted!

Last weekend my dad and stepmom came for a visit and we had a really nice time with them. We took them on the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad train trip which was really fun. I do have some pictures from the train but I haven't downloaded them. I will post some soon.

Dan and I also managed to register at Target and Babies R Us. I'm not sure where we're going to put all that stuff. Maybe we'll have to build a second floor.

Baby Thorpe has been very active punching and kicking. He especially likes to bother me during work. I don't think he likes it when I lean up against my desk and squish him.

One of my friends who is due 5 weeks before me is getting an above ground pool. We plan to float a lot over the summer. Take some pressure off our joints. I'm so glad I won't have to go to a public pool in a maternity swimsuit!

Dan has been working outside recently. He's got quite the farmers tan going on right now. I can't believe how easily he tans. Maybe baby Thorpe will get that from him instead of my pale, burns easily skin.

This weekend we actually have nothing planned which is amazing. We will have to take advantage of it because after this weekend we don't have an available weekend until July 29th!

Boy oh boy

I guess our biggest news now is that we're expecting a baby boy. He showed us quite a few times that he is, in fact, a boy. The ultrasound was amazing. We were able to see so much. We saw his heart beating, his bladder, and his stomach. He really likes waving his arms around. I've been able to feel him much easier lately and over the weekend Dan was finally able to feel him as well! Here are a few of the ultrasound photos:







































































If any of you have ever wondered what the women's restroom looks like where I work here is a picture of that:




















This past weekend Dan and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary by going to a Bed and Breakfast in Montezuma, Iowa (population went up to 10 while we were there). Here is the house (the actual B&B is in their furnished basement so we never saw the top half):




















Our room and view:




















Since it rained the whole weekend we spent our time playing pool, taking naps, and watching tv. Our goal for our anniversary trips is to do nothing and that's exactly what we did!

Entering week 19

Here is an updated picture of me and the little one. Just a reminder...my birthday is in 7 days.

The Circle of Life

A big THANK YOU to David and Marisa for the Lion King tickets for Christmas. We saw the show this past Sunday evening and it was awesome. The music was fabulous, the costumes were fabulous, and the special effects were fabulous. They should really make a movie based on it. haha.

Saturday night we hosted a karaoke night at our house (again, thanks to the machine David and Marisa bought for us a few years back). It took a bit for our friends to get into it but once they did they really got into it. It's interesting to see grown men sing Mariah Carey and Brittany Spears. And before you even ask...yes, they were sober! It looked like something you might see on America's Funniest Videos, but we wouldn't win because there were no animals or babies involved.

This weekend is the bi-annual mother-in-law's side of the family get together. got it? Last year I ate a ton and then got a virus and proceeded to puke it up violently the next two days. I might not eat as much this year. The first year I went to this, while Dan and I were engaged, there were a few kids. Now there's close to a million and they keep coming! I guess we'll be contributing to it next year.

Yesterday was a fabulous day because my Girl Scout cookies arrived. I did not consume an entire box in one day like I did last year so pat on the back for me! My secret hope is that when I go to the doctor's on Monday that they'll tell me I need to gain more weight!

Some pictures for your enjoyment

Our new addition Libby:

























































The triplets turned 1 last week











































Big brother Owen turned 3















And I have a belly!

Marisa should be happy

She should be...considering Dan and I are going to give her the niece/nephew she's been bothering us about for years. She pressured us so much we really didn't have any other options. Oh I'm just kidding. If I could insert a smiley face it would be the one that's sticking his tongue out with a goofy grin.

Has everyone heard by now?? Dan and I are in fact expecting a baby sometime at the end of August. Yes I'm aware that I will be very pregnant through the hot sticky summer. My mother's intuition tells me that it's a girl. Or we're at least hoping for a girl since we can't agree on any boy names. We will find out the sex...but we won't be sharing the name with anyone. *gasp* Yes, that includes grandmas-to-be.

I realize it's been a long time since this thing has been updated. Unfortunately I get so nauseous at work that thinking and typing does not seem appealing. I'm having a good day today so far though. I can feel the sleepiness creeping in though like it always does right after lunch. That normally sticks around until I go to bed.

Anyone else upset at the way the Colts played their offense on Sunday? I thought for sure I'd have them to root for in the Super Bowl. I can't even cheer for the Bears either. I might have to go with Pittsburgh because of my Pennsylvania family ties. I heard Purdue won their game though so that's something.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Don't try this at home

Well, I'm sure most of you have heard about Dan's car accident. For those of you that haven't, here is a recap:

Dan was driving on a county road on his way to work. He fell asleep (he had been working a second job which was third shift), crossed over to the left side, went into the ditch, drove what we estimate about 100 feet, then ran head on into a retaining wall for someone's driveway made out of railroad ties. He only woke up right before the wall and never had time to react. A couple guys stopped to help and at that time Dan's nose was hurting and bleeding all over the place. At first they thought he should stay in the car and not move but then smoke started coming into the car so they got him out. Soon after the car went up in flames. This was Dan's Pontiac...not our Toyota.

An ambulance came and took him to the hospital which is where I met up with him. He had blood all over his face and his nose wasn't looking so good (his nose/eyebrow area hit his steering wheel). They took x-rays of his nose and the jury is still out as of this moment whether it's broken or not. His nose and right eyelid were swollen and he has some other cuts and abrasions but that's the worst of it. We are so thankful he was wearing his seatbelt. If he hadn't been he for sure would've flown right into/through the windshield. I just can't thank God enough for all the things that "could've happened" but didn't. We are so fortunate.

Everyone we had to deal with (ER, police, auto insurance, the people whose retaining wall he busted into, etc...) were so nice, helpful, and understanding.

It was an exhausting day but we were surrounded by God's protection and love all day. Dan even went back to work the next day. Oh, and he quit his second job. =)

He is meeting with a nose doctor today to see what's actually wrong with his nose.

Believe it or not, other things have been going on as well! This past weekend was our Christmas production at church. It was awesome. I can't even describe it. Dan did a fabulous job as one of the rich men. I'm looking forward to buying the DVD. They held 8 performances and last I heard 5 were sold out.

Anyone done with their Christmas shopping yet? If you are that's just sick and wrong. You should learn to procrastinate. Call me for lessons. I did get three packages out today (hint hint Kelly and mom).

And now what everyone has been looking foward to. The pictures of the accident:

The retaining wall he hit. It was for someone's driveway. It is about 5 feet high.





























His tracks are the ones on the left coming from the bottom of the picture. The tracks on the right are from the tow truck.















I drew in a black arrow at the top to show where Dan's tracks start (not to be confused with the tow trucks on the left side).















And now the car...











































The inside of the front of the car
















And finally the picture that really shows the damage from the fire

17 people for dinner? sure we can do it!

Last night was the Thanksgiving dinner with the international people. We ended up with 17 people total. It was a tight fit in the kitchen but it worked. We assembled a buffet line and we had tons of food. We had turkey, veggies with dip, rolls, mashed potatoes and gravy, greenbean casserole, stuffing, two pumpkin pies, and one apple pie. Plus, the couple from Russia brought Russian chocolates which I couldn't eat but they looked good! The cleanup wasn't too bad at then end of the night either. Thank goodness for the dishwasher!

Tomorrow morning we will be heading to Rochester for Thanksgiving. We're coming back on Friday evening. I'm looking forward to seeing my niece and nephews and getting a lot of pictures of them to post for everyone. =) I'm also looking forward to stuffing myself silly with yummy food.

Some sad news. I have 8 bosses at work and this morning one of them passed away. He developed some health problems a couple months ago and hadn't been in to work since. A couple Fridays ago our department went to his house to rake up his leaves. He came out to thank us and even though he was much thinner he seemed well. We got word on Monday that he was being moved into a Hospice so even though he wasn't doing well I really didn't expect him to pass away so soon. I worked with him a lot on projects and even though he smelled of strong coffee I did enjoy his humor. =) My thoughts are with his family and the upcoming holidays. He leaves a wife, children, and grandchildren. I am hoping to make it to his funeral on Saturday.

Sorry to end on such a sad note. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Witches are scary!

Anyone else looking forward to Thanksgiving a.k.a eat-a-lot-of-food-until-you-pass-out-day? I am! Our bible study is cooking a Thanksgiving meal for some international students on campus. I'm looking forward to sharing our holiday with them and telling them about Thanksgiving. It's nice to finally have a home that we can open up to other people.

Dan's schedule for the Christmas program is really picking up. I'm looking forward to seeing it this year. Cornerstone just goes all out for their productions. I'm sure we'll be buying it on DVD if anyone wants to borrow it. =)

Last Saturday two bible study groups got together and played a friendly game of football. On Monday, when I saw a few people who played, we all complained about how sore we still were. Either it's a sign of aging, a sign we're not in shape, or both! I'm proud to say the team I was on won 2-1. I did have to sit out towards the end because my toenail ripped and started bleeding. ewww. Who knew that could happen during a football game?

Dan and I hit the clearance aisle at Target for some Halloween decorations. Lucky us, we found a costume for a small dog and decided it would be perfect for Lisle. Below is a picture of Lisle and you can tell from his expression that he just loves the costume. The next picture is me, my friend Amanda, and my other friend's son Carter. We're watching the football game from the sidelines. =)

Swings are fun!

In looking back over my posts I realized that I use a lot of exclamation points in the titles. Is it bad that I'm excited and I want to emphasize that excitement? I don't think so. I'll keep doing it then.

I think the biggest thing that has happened in the past two weeks is that my friend Kelly (see post below about trip to Georgia) had her baby boy! His name is Brad (short for Bradford) and so far he is eating, going to the bathroom, sleeping, and crying just for the fun of it. Sounds like a healthy baby to me! They're home now and enjoying some peace and quiet I'm sure.

Dan is going to be in the Christmas production at church and the practices for that are pretty time consuming. Our productions are large and very professionaly done so I'm looking forward to it. I will have a lot of alone time as Dan has his practices. Someone joked that all the spouses should form some kind of support group so we can all get together while they practice. =)

We have been enjoying the gorgeous weather lately. The temperatures have been awesome. We walked down a trail near our house and played on the swings (pics of that at the end). Of course the really nice playground is at the other end in the bigger houses neighborhood while on our end in the old ranch houses neighborhood is the cheap version of a playground. Oh well...at least there's one in walking distance.

























































I'll throw one in of Lisle too. My friend said he looks like he's on his throne looking down on all the commoners.

Oh baby!

We survived our weekend with the triplets! I took 103 pictures over the weekend so I will post some at the end. The triplets are growing and they are so cute! They are just all smiles and love to babble and smile at you. They can also get quite a grip on your hair. =) Owen is such a great big brother and enjoys his roll of making the babies happy.

We also had a lot of fun at the Alison Krauss concert. When we walked up to the arena there was a long line of people but we got to go in a separate entrance just for VIP tickets. Then in our clubs seats (second row up) we had an envelope at our seats if we wanted to order any food. We just mark it on the envelope, put our money in, and then wave it at our server who would come down and get it. We also had our own concession stand with some tables and chairs in a glass enclosed area. It was really nice! The concert was great too. =) There's nothing like hearing blue grass in person.

Tuesday evening I was down in the basement getting pop to bring up to the fridge. When heading up the steps I noticed a large black insect. I started yelling for Dan to come and kill the big black insect (Dan is the insect killer). While Dan tried to catch it it jumped which freaked me out and a Pepsi with lime fell onto the floor and burst open spraying Pepsi onto the carpet. I stood there watching it because, really, what could I do? If I moved it, it would just spray other things. So I watched it spray until it finished. It was a pain to clean. At least it smelled like lime though. Dan just laughed at me. Which is why I'll add that his grover (character from Sesame Street) stuffed animal survived because it was in a plastic bag. =)

Pics!

Ariana:














































Brandon:


































Evan:





























Owen saying, "CHEEEEESE!!"

I love Pioneer!

Dan won tickets to see Alison Krauss through his company! (sorry Carrie!!) Earlier we had decided to not spend the money on the concert even though we both wanted to see her. Not only will we get better seats than we could typically afford but we also get to enter through the V.I.P. entrance! I don't know what exactly that means but it sounds good!

The past two days the temperature was up to 90 (I put that in for Kelly) and now we're back down to 55 again. The Midwest is crazy!

The garage sale season is winding so I'm sure anything I buy from now until next season will seem expensive. Speaking of buying...the financial class at church is going really well. We'll see how well we stick to our budget this month. It's easier to stick to it when you go to class every week and are accountable to other people.

I took my two licensing exams Monday and Tuesday. They were really hard and I'm pretty sure I'll be taking them again. Now, at least, I have a better idea of how to study.

This weekend we're visiting Owen and the triplets (oh, and David and Marisa)! I'm excited to get some new pictures of me and Dan with all the kids using my new camera. Then, of course, I'll post them here for you to see!