25 business days left

Not that I'm counting but I have 25 business days left until my last day of work. I handed in my resignation last Monday and have been sharing the news today with my co-workers. I'm relieved to finally get it out in the open. Most people don't get it right away and think I'm talking about maternity leave but then I say no, I'm not coming back EVER.

Baby Thorpe continues to move around a lot and bother me. I'm pretty much ready for him to make an appearance. I still have 7 weeks but at this point I feel like I've been pregnant forever. I don't even remember what it was like to not bump my belly into things or to not constantly spill food or drink on my shirt.

About a week ago was my shower. My mom was able to fly out for it and we had a good time. Since I'm not that big on cake the hostess made pies and they were fabulous. My apple has never tasted like that before.

Back during the week of July 4th Dan and I volunteered for the first ever National Special Olympics which were held in Ames. We were scorekeepers for bowling one afternoon. It was a lot of fun and I was amazed at the talent the athletes had. There was a lot of cheering and high fives going on. Over all it was a great experience and I'm hoping it won't be the last time I volunteer for Special Olympics.

And now...some pics!

Evelyn

A year ago I remember seeing a story on the news about a 5 year old girl who had disappeared in a small town. She had been asleep in her apartment and when her mom came home from working the nightshift she couldn't find her daughter. As the search continued for days I know my hopes were not high in finding her. You hear this story too frequently in the media and rarely do they turn out well. About three days into the search is when I found out she was the niece of one of my friends. It's amazing how your perspective changes when you become loosely "linked" with something like that. All of a sudden she became a person rather than a news story.

Six days after her disappearance her body was found in a nearby river.

This past year has been an emotional rollercoaster for my friend. She has had to fight for a safer home for Evelyn's two younger brothers, she's had to watch her brother get arrested for something not related to the case but who keeps getting linked with Evelyn's murder, and she has had to deal with lies quoted in the paper by Evelyn's mother (and her family) about the case.

Maybe the most frustrating part as been the lack of arrests. It's hard to believe that justice will be served when it feels like the case has been on pause for a year with no hope of moving forward. Hope was restored yesterday when an arrest was finally made. Not for the murder of Evelyn but for lying to investigators. There have also been hints that others have lied as well and they will be punished too. It's one step closer to solving the case and helping my friend and her family find some peace within the chaos.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Evelyn but this past year I have heard a lot about her as my friend has shared memories and photos. Every picture I see of her she has the biggest smile on her face. She obviously loved life and loved those around her. You can go crazy with the whys and what ifs. My friend shared the other day that she's moved on from mourning the loss of her niece to instead celebrating the life her niece had for those five years and cherishing the times that she got to spend with Evelyn.

My friend passed along some photos for her friends to share on their blogs:

Donations to Evelyn's memorial fund can be sent to the following:

Evelyn Miller Memorial Fund
First Security Bank & Trust
809 Clark St., PO Box 577
Charles City, IA 50616

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