When are we moving?

That is an excellent question... as soon as Chloe is here we will be moving. I guess she gets to decide. Gary has to stay for the four weeks in January until his rotations are done in the area, which means that the last week (week of my due date) is his week off and then he starts his other rotation in Mason City on February 6th. So the best we can say is that our move will be sometime before the first weekend of February. However as Gary and I both love to procrastant we have to be out of our appartment on Feb. 13th. That is just in case we need more time to pack, and move things.

Changes are happening, This week will be my last week of actually working for an employer for a long time! yay I am sure that I will free lance my photography skills after we move or when i feel like I am ready to start that up again. or who knows maybe I will get Hobby Lobby fever and want to work one day/night a week to keep the awesome discount, and of course there is always Pampered Chef that I want to keep up and there is talk about me wanting to do Close to My Heart stamps, if I need a creative outlet but for now I am just going to focus on trying to be a mom for a while.

Gary and I are really excited about the move. It's bitter sweet to move,we are both going to miss our friends from Iowa City, the University ward and the amazing pizza places there are to eat at. We are both sure that once Chloe is born she will also want Pizza as she is use to the yummyness that pizza is. anyways we still have maybe a month left... lots more memories to share for later times.

I will hope to post some things about Des Monies and Mason City soon. I love Des Monies, especially the Zoo and other venues that DSM has, so if you are not from Iowa you can experience Iowa in a new way.

Gary and I are so proud to announce that Gary accepted a job with Hy-Vee in their Mason City Pharmacy! So we are going to be living in the Mason City area, (north Central Iowa or in the middle of Des Monies and Minneapolis on I35) our move have already started as we are going to move back to Des Monies after Chloe is born which we will stay until Gary Graduates in May at which point we will then move to the Mason City area!

Just thought I would put this on our blog... more info to come!

I love this time of year, Christmas is such a magical time and it's amazing to me that we get to have the magic of Christmas each year.

I don't want to say to much about Christmas, as I usually do not publish my testomony or thoughts about my faith however I can't help it this time...

one of the hymns we sung in church really made me think about Christ's birth the song is Once in Royal David City, the lyrics to the second and third verse got my attention this season as I prepare to be a mother it reads:

2. He came down to earth from heaven,
Who is God and Lord of all,
And his shelter was a stable,
And his cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Savior holy.

3. And our eyes at last shall see him,
Through his own redeeming love;
For that child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heav’n above,
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone.

What amazed me the most, (this song reminding me) is that through Christ we are able to have joy in our live that we can't find on earth. Christ came into the world with the nothing but a loving mother and father. Today Gary and I are able to buy a bassinet for Chloe and it's hard for me to think that Mary was able to go to a stable and have a child knowing that she is caring for the future savior of the world. I don't know if I would be all right with that thought, when I am surrounded by baby stuff and knowing that I want the best for her.

I know that this season is a wonderful time to give and receive presents and I am grateful for the many people that love me and have, and will give Gary and I Christmas presents, I believe that is a special part of Christmas. I just want to share my thoughts on the true meaning of Christmas and to say that I know that Christ lives, that Christmas is a time for the pure love of Christ which is charity and that We have joy this time of year because Christ is the savior of this world.

Have a Merry Christmas

Week 31

What a wonderful time to be pregnant! I can truly say that I love it! All of her kicks and twists. I love watching my tummy move.

Pumpkin Roll and Happy Thanksgiving

We wish all of our family and friends a happy Thanksgiving. This is the middle of the best part of the year for our family, between the NFL, Collage Football and the holidays it's a great time to look back and be grateful for all of the many blessings our Heavenly Father has provides us and all the loving support and blessings our family and friends have done for us through the year.

A great recipe that is perfect for the season is the pumpkin roll, it really is delicious and there isn't that much work involved just some time to refrigerate. I hope you enjoy it! I made it at shower and all the guests loved it and wanted the recipe so I figured I should share this with every one else that loves pumpkin this time of year!

Happy Thanksgiving! Drive safe and eats lots of turkey gobble gobble till you wobble!

Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese filling

Powdered Sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 teas. baking soda
1/2 tsp apple pie spice

1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin (such as Libby's 100% pure pumpkin)
1 cup chopped Pecans (optional)

Filling:

1 8oz. package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 tsp. vanilla
powdered sugar
1 container cool whip

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a Stoneware bar pan with Parchment paper, up sides and pinched and pushed in corners.

In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Beat eggs and sugar with mixer in large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into Stoneware bar pan. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen from paper, sprinkle with powdered sugar with a Flour/Sugar shaker, and turn cake onto another parchment paper and sprinkle other side with powdered sugar. Roll cake up with the parchment paper inside of it and let cool completely in refrigerator.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla with a mixer until smooth. Fold in entire small container of cool whip. Carefully unroll cake; remove parchment paper. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 10-15 generous servings.

My thoughts about my pregnancy and time of year

Wow only about 11 more weeks give or take until Chloe is born! Wow. Gary, My self and family members have been saying her name since we told them what we were going to name her, and it's like she is already part of the family! I can't wait to see her and to know what she will be like, is she going to be fussy or easy going? Is she going to have blond hair like Gary and myself when we were little with green eyes? Who is she going to look like most, Gary or myself, I am betting she will look more like Gary sine that seems to be the trend in the family, but who knows. Chloe has been kicking me at night and waking me up, She pushes on my belly if my jeans are not in the right spot, according to her right spot J she seems to only want me to eat Apple Cider lately in fact I had about 36-40 oz. of apple cider in a day… at least I am getting my servings of fruit it right?

As the weather is getting colder I am wearing Gary's coats, and they fit me! I look like a black marshmallow since they are big and baggy but they are comfortable and that is all that matters. Gary and I have our birthing classes coming up, I am not sure if I want to think about labor yet, it frightens me and I am such a big baby when it comes to pain, but hopefully 4 - 2 hour classes will help me!

I am so happy that Christmas is almost here! Its such a great time of year! There are so many fun things, traditions, and memories that come about, I thought I would share some off my favorite parts to the holidays with my family and friends: Gary and I have had a Tradition since we moved to Iowa City is to have a Christmas kick off night, I hope to keep this night private to "our family" Gary me and our Children. It starts when we start thinking about Christmas and start quoting Elf ( the movie with Will Ferrell in it) with our favorite quotes like:

you like sugar don't you?

I don't know, is there sugar in syrup? Then YES

We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

The night includes, pop corn and yummy treats, hot chocolate or in my case this year hot apple cider. I am sure that through the years we will build upon this tradition but now it's a fun thing we do. This is also the time that "we" slowly introduce our selves to Christmas music. I already have a whole mp3 cd full of our Christmas music in my car! Right now Gary will only listen to the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, but after thanksgiving then it's free range. I will listen to any and all Christmas music. I figure we have like 7-10 Christmas cds that we only get to listen 2 months out of the year, why not start listening to Christmas Music before Thanks Giving?

My other fun tradition that started last year and will have to do it again is a cookie/ treat swap before finals, so husbands can have treats while it's finals week, and you can send them to friends. I am hoping to have it on December 10^th this year at my place, more info to come.

Lots and Lots of fun coming our way, it's so crazy to think in my little mind that I have a cheek list this is what is going though my mind:

Thanksgiving (Cheek)

Christmas parties and fun things (cheek)

Baby shower (awesome Cheek)

Christmas (cheek)

New Years Eve in Iowa city (we will deal with it, I shouldn't travel after Christmas, Cheek)

BABY (oh my gosh it's coming this fast? When did this happen and what on earth are we going to do…. Maybe we can think about checking this off our list of things we are doing in the next 11 weeks)

So there are all of my crazy thoughts. For both of us this is such an exciting time of year and period in our lives, Gary is also deciding what he wants to do after graduation, job or residency? We will see in about a month to 4 months what will happen… for now I can just keep dreaming of that house some where we will be living in someday with a nursery room for Chloe, and my Kitchen Aid Pro Mixer I will someday get… ahhh good times!