Why Jersey will love the baby...

I was very excited to buy this barely used jogging stroller from someone on craigslist. It's going to be awesome! When I got it home, I cleaned it and then immediately had to try it out....and since there's no baby yet, Jersey got to try it!

I think she liked it a lot. Can't you tell?? :)

Landscaping

A year ago we built a retaining wall around the front "garden" area in our yard. A few weeks ago, we decided that the wall had had enough time to "settle" and we could begin planting!! (Just jokes -- this is what we told our neighbors, but we really were just waiting until we had enough money to spend on real landscaping)

So, a few weekends ago my parents came to town and helped us plan our "garden." We had plans to have mulch delivered and to go buy plants. There wasn't a hint of rain in the forecast. Well, that Saturday morning it decided to pour rain on us. There wasn't even a chance of being able to plant on Sunday, since the ground was complete mud.

So, we went and picked out the plants (in the rain - no kidding!) and then held them in our garage until the following Thursday, when it was finally dry enough to plant a little.

Since then, we've been really lucky because it has rained just enough to keep them well-watered. So, here are some pictures of the (small but soon to be large) plants. Hopefully this weekend or the next we'll get the chance to plant some pretty flowers!

The "before" picture:

The "after" pictures:

Picture Finally

So, our camera still isn't working, but I took a picture with our camcorder. Goofy looking, I know, but it was the only way.

I kept forgetting to ask Jeff to take one when he's home, so I just took it myself (also goofy). But, this is exactly 20 weeks, so I thought it would be cool to commemorate the halfway point!

The baby moves around ALL the time! It's pretty cool. We're not finding out what it is, so we're looking forward to the surprise!

Camera, Work and More...

So, I haven't updated in forever because of two reasons:

1. Work was soooo busy before graduation last weekend. I mean, seriously, I think I worked every day (including Sat and Sun) for the past five weeks, and before that, it was still ALL the time!


2. I lost my camera! (or, someone nabbed it, but I am thinking I just misplaced it...) so I can't update with pictures!



But, now that graduation has come and gone, things are much quieter at work and I have time to update!



So, the big news: we are having a baby this fall! I would like to include the really bad ultrasound pic we have, but I don't have that on this computer. I'll post it sometime. And, for those wondering (because I always wonder about other people) I have been reassured by many people that no, you can't tell. I can tell...but no one else can. Unfortunately. It's kinda a bummer now that everyone knows that you still can't tell. I'm about four months, so I guess that'll happen sometime :)



If I find my camera (when?) then I promise to post some baby bump pics because I know that it makes me happy when other people do.

Florida

We are headed to Florida tomorrow on vacation. I am super-excited about warmer weather. It's been so very cold here recently and I am tired of wearing three layers of clothing every day. We'll be staying with Jeff's grandparents who live near Tampa, FL. Hopefully we'll get to do some sight-seeing, but we don't have any major plans (no swimming, unfortunately!).

I'll update with pictures when we return!

Jersey and Santa

So, at the mall they have a night when you can have your pet's picture taken with Santa. I thought, "When will Jersey ever have the chance to go to the mall again? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Jeff thought it was an insane idea to take the dog to the mall. Really, I have to agree with him on that. But, again, when will we get to do this again?

So we went to the mall last night. We arrived right as they opened and still, the line was extremely long and it took us about 30 minutes to get to Santa. Let me preface this by saying that as I arrived at the mall I thought to myself, "What am I doing? This is so stupid, taking a dog in a mall." But, I was already there...what's the worst that could happen? So anyway, back to standing in line. I thought there was NO WAY that Jersey would be able to stand in line that long and be good, but she was! I guess all those weeks of training last year paid off (at least a little!). She was extremely interested in all the people and dogs around her, but just sat there and patiently waited her turn. She was especially interested in the squeaky rat that they used to get little kids to smile as they took the picture. When we got to the carpeted area, she decided that she'd had enough and even laid down :) There was a small boy in line right behind us that kept petting her and she was interested in him at first, then decided that there were other, more important things to focus on and he took to just hitting her ear back and forth and she really could have cared less. It was pretty amusing.

Finally it was her turn and she did...OK. She wouldn't look at the camera easily and kept getting distracted, but she was really happy to see Santa! She kept turning around to see him and I had to get her turned back the right way. So, here's the end result:

Merry Christmas!

Fires and Crescent Rolls

It's been getting cold here at night, so we have been making fires. Ever since Jersey was a puppy she's enjoyed sleeping in front of the fire. She loves them so much that she will stand in front of you while you're starting the fire and wait for you to move out of her way, then will lay down and sleep.

Last night we made a fire and then I was making some crescent rolls for dinner. Jeff and I went in the other room and when we came back, she was still in front of the fire, however, mysteriously seven of the eight (uncooked!!) crescent rolls had disappeared from the top of the stove! I wonder how that happened? Here are some pictures of the (not-so) innocent culprit.

Sometimes it gets hot in front of the fire. Does she get up and move? No. Just pants a lot!