A few more pics...

These last few photos wouldn't fit in my last post, so, here they are.

A cute one of Luke and Josie, she's really becoming Daddy's girl, and I think he likes that!

For those of you who've asked, here's my belly. Not terribly big by any stretch (yet...) but my jeans are getting tight. I was 18 weeks on Saturday, Sept 30, so nearly halfway there!!!

Update on the family

At long last, here are some long overdue photos. Good one's though...

Josie washing the pickup with Daddy, she was so serious doing this! She helped him for nearly an hour, washing the hubcaps, and bottom of the pickup.







This is Josie's very first morning of Sunday school, all ready to go! She started nursery class a little early because I'm teaching kindergarten and Luke was planting wheat so we talked with the church and she got to start early. She loves it! She was so proud of herself! But, of course, she wouldn't let me get a good picture!

Update

Monday I had my 4 month dr. appt. Nothing eventful, I refused the blood test to screen for Downs. Somehow, I feel best not knowing, condemning this unborn for something I struggle to see as a disease. All Downs children I have know have had their challenges (don't we all), but they were all somehow, so angelic. Forever innocent, which really, is a blessing of a kind. Anyway, enough philosophy, I refused the test.

Dr looked for 5 minutes until we heard the heartbeat, both of us were getting nervous I think. Josie sat so still while he was looking (she was sitting on the bed next to me). Finally he found it and when he did OH BOY! It was loud! He actually turned the Doppler down, you could hear the thump, thump, over the static. Josie was just amazed, listening. Dr said that he normally doesn't hear heartbeats that loud and clear in babies this small.

Sometime during the week of October 16th I will have the ultrasound, we will check for babies health, and we will (hopefully) find out the sex! That is if no. 2 is not being shy.

We are sowing wheat, Josie is missing Luke. He has to kiss her goodbye in the morning before he leaves or there is major drama. She gets upset when he forgets. Hopefully we will be done soon, there is some rain holding us up, I have my fingers crossed that the end of next week we'll be done.

That's really all the news on us, I'm trying hard not to shop for the new baby, until I know what we're having. Everyone is saying it's a boy, I guess we'll see!

Photo update

Here are some recent photos of Josie, this one taken at Grandma Judy's house, of course, hamming for the camera.







This picture is finally a nice on, but still a bit of a funny face. I like the colors though...








Take that Tinkerbell! Josie all dressed up wearing her new favorites, green converse sneakers. She got them when we went shopping a few weeks ago and hasn't taken them off much since!









Josie is obsessed with winter at this point. She is very impatiently waiting for the snow. I made her a new hat/scarf for winter this year and she's really excited about them. She also really liked the yarn, sort of a thick chenille. And of course, it's purple!


One of the few and elusive photos of Josie and I together. We were snuggling and Luke caught this one. Every time a see a photo of Josie and I together I'm struck by how different our coloring is. I'm hoping that maybe this next kid looks a little like me and not a carbon copy of Luke!

Heard the heartbeat!

I'm about a week late in posting on this, but we did go the Dr and got to hear the heartbeat! He didn't have to look at all, just put the Doppler on my tummy and there it was. He moved the microphone a bit to get it a little louder. So, number 2 is doing good! Somehow reassuring to hear that little noise.

Josie was excited and keeps talking about baby's heartbeat. She will put her head near my belly and tell me "I hear that heartbeat!". She's definitely looking forward to being a big sister. She talks about it quite a bit, and Elmo did a thing about families on Sesame Street last week that she loved. Also, I'm waiting until the time is right and the "Big Sister Dora" DVD will make an appearance in our library. Anything Dora does is totally cool with Josie.











That's about all the news we have for now, my next apt is in mid-September, but we should be finding out if it's a girl or a boy in October at 20 weeks, so about a month and a half from now!!!

Expecting No. 2

Just a little note to let you all know that Luke and I are expecting baby No. 2 on March 3, 2007. I'm currently about 9 1/2 weeks along & doing pretty good. Morning sickness was pretty icky in the beginning but I'm starting to feel a lot better now.

We'll keep you all updated here with news, and happenings:) We will of course be finding out what we're having, but that won't happen until 20 weeks. So, check back often, if I get brave I may even post belly pics ;)D!

Harvest

Here are some photos from harvest, it seems like we didn't take very many this year, but it was busy. Josie rode in the grain cart with me and really liked it (thank goodness for our portable DVD player though). She also took some turns riding in the combine with Daddy & Papa Steve for breaks from me. Everytime she was on the road with Luke in the combine she fell asleep which was pretty funny.

The flies were horrible in the fields, & one night Josie kept saying "I bite flies, I bite flies" when the flies bit her. It was too cute. She would point to her shoulder & say "I bite fly right here". I felt horrible for her, but luckily we were in the tractor & away from the flies for the most part.

Because spring was so dry & we got rain late in June it was a little crazy this year because Luke was actually planting millet while Steve was one field over harvesting wheat. Luckily Luke finished up about 2 days into harvest though.





Josie enjoying a chocolate chip cookie after lunch one day...
Luke planting millet-
Josie all set to go for a ride with Luke while he was planting millet.

The haircut!

Well, I'm a little late here, but I wanted to post pictures of Josie's hair cut (she got it cut the middle of June)! I loved it long, but, I was catching her chewing on her hair, and those of you who know me know that I am totally grossed out by all things involving hair, so it had to go!



Here's before...

And here's after:)

More pics

Here are a few more from moving cows, and around my parents house:) Top is Josie just after a goon nap driving up to the summer pasture.








Luke and Josie climbing back into the pickup after a loooong day!

My sister Marika, Mom Debbie, & Josie playing with her new "Dora" bubbles! :)

Mountains

It appears that I have a limited number of pictures I can add for each entry, so, lots of entries today! Enjoy~
Checking things out with "Aunt Leelee" at my parents before we left to take cows up...
I think this is the very south end of the Collegiate Peaks (top of Poncha Pass) but don't take my word for it!
The corral, 'Cowboy' Luke is helping unload...
Pretty, pretty, pretty
Long day and Scooter needed a nap, she crashed pretty hard! She also loved being in "her" pickup...

Moving Cows

We had a bunch of fun, and enjoyed being in the mountains. A very full day, with everything from Luke 'wrestling' a calf, to me getting clocked by a fence post, to Josie having a ton of fun watching Annalee's dog Olson (black lab) swim... Beatiful pictures!

Josie and her new "Dora the Explorer" doll
For Mickey- he wanted a picture of him holding the calf while Step-Dad Bob branded...
Branding....
Annalee, Mickey, Luke, & Step-Dad Bob sureveying the situation...
More branding...

MIckey's graduation & other pictures

My brother Mickey's graduation was really nice! We went home to my parents, and both my sisters were there as well. Josie had a blast seeing everyone, and, we also got to help move cows to summer pasture so that was pretty enjoyable as well.

Mickey is going to come to NJC next year so he'll be close to us, and both Luke and I are really looking forward to that.

Update on Josie- she's doing really good. Not taking to potty training (resuses to sit on potty when she actually has to go) so we're taking some time off. She's talking up a storm, among my new favorites are: trif-kit! (terrific), I can't believe it!, Dirty Hippies (thank you Daddy), and Check it out! Pretty cute. We're also workning on erradicating our first swear word from her vocabulary 'Damn It'. Pretty cute when she says it though (how horrible is that??!!)

Anyway- below are some pictures of our trip- enjoy!
Mickey walking into the auditorium...

Me and Mickey following the cerimony...

Marika, Josie, and Annalee following the cerimony....


Josie being 'shy' and Annalee laughing at how silly that is!

Recent photos-

Here's some pictures of what we've been up to lately:) We've been busy! Farming is taking off again so Luke's been out in the field, spraying mostly. I have my little online job and that I do when Josie naps which is nice. Josie is talking so much now! Tons of words/phrases. Most notable: "I can't believe it" "Holy Cow!" "Hmmmm, where could be?" "I'm gonna get you!"

We are all excited for the arrival of Hazen and Andrea's baby, Josie has not idea what's going on... a few weeks ago she patted my tummy though and asked "Momma, you got a baby in there?" I had to tell her no:) She does like the baby in Andrea's belly though, and will pooch hers out to match ;)

We don't really have a ton of news, just day to day stuff- we did get Josie and outside playset which is really cool! It's used to wasn't terribly expensive, but it features a play house, two slides, a tunnel, and climbing tower:) Pretty cool! Enjoy the pics! Love to you all-
Josie helping me make bread- she loves to help in the kitchen, she'll get her step stool and climb up. Heaven help you if she does not have her step stool and cannot help- it doesn't go over well!

A beautiful fairy princess, Josie all dressed up as Tinkerbell. She was singing too, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but unfortunately I don't think you can post video on the blog:( I like this picture though:)


Josie and her partner in crime, Aidyn. The terrible twosome, they make a good team:) This is a nice pic:)




Dying Easter eggs- which mostly I did, but Josie had fun putting stickers on them when they were dry:) Easter was a lot of fun this year, but, of course we forgot to take any pictures while we were dressed in our best:(

Josie's new outside play gym- lots of fun! :)

Long overdue....

At long last, here are some photos from Schlachter Sausage in March. We had a lot of fun, nice to see all the family, and Josie of course loved getting so much attention.

Luke and the 'men' loading sausage into the smokehouse- we had stuffed the 'guts' the night before:)
Luke, Aaron, Uncle Perry,and that's Stacey with Josie in the background...

The sausages are hung on the rods to dry before smoking, it's a tough job because you have to make sure none of them touch, if they touch they'll stick, and if they stick the casing breaks and you've wasted a link...

Aunt Gail caught one of the kitties, Josie loves them, but it was so nasty, cold and windy, he wanted nothing to do with being petted! They had fun anyway:)

It was also fun to have a lot of other kids around, Josie really enjoyed that part!

After standing in the wind putting sausage in the smoke house everyone headed to Schmidts for coffee and cookies- here's a shot of the kids table, Josie had so much fun being a big girl sitting with the other big girls:)