Mini Van Mom

At the end of our third year of marriage, Richard and I are now on our 4th vehicle. A rate that we are determined to NOT continue. When we started out, we both brought a car to the marriage. Richard had a fast little BMW Roadster, which he lovingly named Mitsy.

The car I brought to the marriage was my little college car. A 2002 Kia Rio.

Shortly after getting married, Richard decided to trade in his beloved Mitsy for a family car. Just for the record, I offered to trade in my car so he could keep Mitsy! But Richard felt ready to part with his baby, so we traded her in for an Acura RDX. We figured this would be the perfect family car.

Fast-forward to today, and we have now moved on to our fourth vehicle... a mini van! The Kia finally broke down, and instead of putting money into a car that didn't fit our needs anymore, we donated it. Never did I ever think I would be driving a mini van! But we have changed our mind on what we think is the perfect family car. Being the planners we are, we are looking forward to having multiple kids in a vehicle that has sliding doors, which also open/close automatically by remote. On top of that, the people in the back actually have their own AC vents! Big plus. So please welcome to the family, our new Honda Odyssey.

We plan to take care of her, and drive her as long as possible. This mini van mom is happy with her new wheels!

Visit From Sarah and 4th of July

My best friend and maid of honor, Sarah, came to visit for most of the week over 4th of July. It was so good to see her, since it's been almost two years since the last time I saw her. She got to see Gabriel for the first time, and they both had a blast hanging out together. Here are some snapshots from her visit.

Pool time. Gabriel splashed around so much he got everyone in a 5 foot radius wet.

Waiting for the fireworks on the 4th was a hot a sweaty business since it's so humid hear in Virginia. But we still had fun, and Gabriel loved the fireworks.


In this picture, Gabriel is staring at the fireworks. His head is covered in sweat, but at least he enjoyed the show!

Caught on Candid Camera

Some cuteness I caught on my phone that just needs to be shared...

Sir Gabriel, Knight of the Round Table

Gabriel likes to help blow off hot food. He's very good at it.


Richard put a big bouncy ball in his shirt to hide it from Gabriel. Well, Gabriel always wants to be like his daddy. So he then put a small ball in Gabriel's shirt. Then they sat on the floor and danced to the music that was playing.


I was cooking and heard this "mama! mama!". I recognized the sound as meaning Gabriel wasn't hurt, but needed my help. Sure enough, I walk around the corner to find him stuck on the shelf inside a cabinet, not knowing how to get down.

Gotta love these moments. They make me smile.

2nd trimester

I am officially in my second trimester! I am starting to feel much better, although I will randomly get nauseous still. And I seem to continue being very picky about what I can eat. I can't eat a lot of fruit (which is horrible timing, since it's summer!), and I still mostly stick to carbs and cheese. I am almost done with my second giant family size box of goldfish crackers. I have eaten them all by myself. It's quite the accomplishment actually.
Last week, we went for a check up with the doctor. I was crying during the appointment, but they were happy tears. We heard the baby's heart beat (mommy's eyes get watery), and then were able to see the baby move around on the ultrasound. He/she was very active, actually. squirming and waving and kicking. We saw the little fingers clench and unclench, and the arm extend back and forth as if the baby was waving at us (commence unstoppable tears from mommy).

Although seeing our baby is a perfectly good reason for some tears, I seem to be quite emotional. I went to see the new Disney/Pixar movie, Brave, and cried throughout the movie. I blame it on the pregnancy hormones. Although I may have cried at Disney movies in the past, but at least now I have something to blame it on.

The doctor seems to think I am further along than they originally thought, but she's keeping our expected due date at 1/13/13. She suspects I'll be at least a few days early.

Easiest Dinner Winner

I wasn't really planning to make this a contest, but I really liked my brother's dinner idea when I asked for help with recipes. In fact I've made it twice, and just purchased some new ingredients to make it again this week! Thanks big bro! I'm glad you were a bachelor long enough to think of this :)

Easy Noodles and Meat

1 pkg ramen noodles
a few onion slices
protein of your choice (I did beef)
squirt of lemon juice

1. Place noodles in a square of aluminum foil.
2. Top with onion, protein and ramen seasoning packet. (You can add veggies but I didn't think there was enough room.)

3. Pull in the sides of the foil like a pouch leaving a tiny hole for steam to escape.
4. Add lemon and 1/2 cup water into hole.

5. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. (I recommend stirring noodles 1/2 way through)
Enjoy!

 

For our family, I make two of these packets, plus some veggies on the side. Next time, I'm going to add shrimp!

Calling All Recipes

Being pregnant has brought on some nausea for me, and most of the time I don't feel like making dinner. I am really running out of quick dinners that are decent tasting and at least somewhat healthy. I've done stuffed bell peppers (a little more involved than I want when I'm not feeling well), taco salad, turkey burgers from frozen patties, etc. I need help finding new easy recipes. SO.... I'm asking my readers to help me! If you guys have easy dinner solutions please email them to me. Richard and Gabriel thank you in advance :)

We're Having a Baby!

That's right. Another Sanders baby is on his/her way. I am currently nine weeks along and feeling all the signs of early pregnancy. Slight nausea, exhaustion and picky eating. I seem to feel the best when eating cheese and carbs. So healthy, right? Grilled cheese sandwiches, mac n cheese, cereal, string cheese, buttered toast, etc. No cravings yet, just aversions to certain things. I have a hard time even thinking of chicken. It makes me sick. Although I think if it was placed in front of me I could still eat it.

Our 8 week doctor appointment was exciting, as we were able to see a strong heart beat and a healthy baby. Our doctor said the computer (after taking it's measurements) couldn't decide on a due date of 1/13/13 or 1/14/13. Richard, being the numbers person that he is, likes 13/13. So that's what we picked. Obviously he's not superstitious. My mom, who's birthday is 1/10, has already mentioned her preference for a birthday present on the 10th.

Here is our first picture of the new baby, taken at 8 weeks.

Here is what Babycenter.com says about the stage our baby is at right now.
Now, at 9 weeks, our baby is nearly an inch long, about the size of a grape, and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. His/her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Our baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do the tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Our baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. The eyes are fully formed, but his/her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. He/she has tiny earlobes, and the mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct.

I am always amazed at how God creates us inside our mother's wombs. It is truly amazing! There is no doubt in my mind that life begins at conception. Even the heart beat starts around week six, at which point many women don't even know they're pregnant yet. With today's technology, it's a blessing to be able to understand and take part in our baby's growth as we get closer and closer to being able to hold this little one in our arms.

Around our house, we have an acronym that we like to use as a fun way to thank God for his many blessings. TYJ. It means Thank You Jesus.