Date night

Since we have been married, James and I have been able to go to Chicago and see a show around this time of year. It started two years ago when I was in school and taking a music class. For that class we were encouraged to see a professional musical and then write a report on the performance of the singers. I had always been interested in theater but never really did anything about it. So that year was a good excuse to finally do something! "Wicked" was here and we had heard rave reviews about it so as an early Christmas present, James took me to go see it. We went downtown and had an early dinner at a sandwich shop then caught a 7:30pm showing. It was amazing and we had an incredible time. "Wicked" was the perfect show for us to see as first-time theater goers. It kept our attention the whole time and had such great scenery and storyline.

The next year we were actually living downtown and "Phantom of the Opera" was coming into town during the winter season. So we saw that as well and decided that if we could, then every year around this time we would try to go downtown and see a show. It was a fun little tradition that we started and I am glad that we have been able to keep it up.

This year we went and saw "A Christmas Carol" on Dec 4, a Thursday. We had yet to see a holiday show and decided this would be a good one as they put it on every year at the Goodman Theater. It started out being the coldest day of the season to date (18 degrees as the high) which was not so plesant. James worked for a few hours that morning and arrived home by lunchtime. We had plans to eat downtown at the famed Morton's Steakhouse so we saved our appetites by skipping lunch (I had a late breakfast anyway so I wasn't hungry.) Our dinner reservations were not until 4:30pm and the show started at 7:30pm. So we decided to do some Christmas shopping at a mall close to our house. (Downtown shopping is so not us!) We were able to get a bulk of our Christmas gifts out of the way and then headed for the drive downtown. We got to Chicago around 3:30pm and parked directly across from the theater (the less walking the better on a freezing day!) We were really close to the Daley Plaza though and since we had an hour before dinner, I wanted to go check out the Christkindle Market that they have there every year. Its a German market that has hot German food for sale (the smell of the brats!) and German Christmas ornaments, etc. They have a huge tree up and always have a really nice winter train setup.

The tree at Daley Plaza

We are standing in front of the train display. My nose is already red from the cold!!

We didn't stay very long as it was freezing but it was fun to at least walk around for a few minutes and see the displays. We decided to make the few blocks walk over to Morton's and hang out in the bar before we were ready to eat. We needed a place to warm up! We made a brisk walk over to Morton's and relaxed in the bar as we slowly warmed up. James had a beer and I had an orange-cranberry juice. (That was the most inventive non-alcholic drink the bartender could come up with.) At 4:30pm we were seated down for dinner and had a wonderful and relaxing dinner. We wanted to be there with plenty of time to spare and not rush through dinner to make it to the show. We both had never been to Morton's before but heard that their steaks were amazing. So a steak and lobster dinner it was! It was so nice to just go out for a special dinner and be able to reflect on the past year with my adorable husband. We had a fantastic time. Before we knew it, it was time to head for the theater.

Our dinner place.

The theater as seen from the parking garage.

Our playbill.

We arrived at the theater with time to spare and walked through the gift store that they had. I wanted to get a "Christmas Carol" ornament and mentally kicked myself that I had not done so for Phantom or Wicked. We found the ornament and made our purchase then made our way to our seats. This theater was not as grand and spectacular as the Oriental (Wicked) or Cadillac (Phantom) are. This one was built much more recently while the other two have been around for a long time and have ornate carvings and rich tapestries in the auditorium. Goodman is more simple and modern. The show started and we had a great time watching it. As we were nearing the end of the show, Ebenezer Scrooge is realizing his mistakes in being stingy and coldhearted and how he wants to change things for the better, there was a little girl behind us who started clapping her hands and talking excitedly about Scrooge's change of heart. When the show ended, the same little girl kept repeating over and over to her parents of what a wonderful Christmas gift it was to see the show and how thankful she was for it. It was very sweet to hear her graditude towards her parents and how excited she was.

The show ended around ten and we were both pretty tired so we headed home. We didn't get to see the lights on State Street or the window displays at Macy's but we had a great time being together and that's what is the best thing of all.

Holiday fun

Christmas is only a week and a half away and fortunately I am on top of my game this year. Previous years have been pretty bad with last minute shopping and last minute shipping of gifts to all the family who live out of town. But this year I have gotten the majority of things over with. All boxes were shipped yesterday and I only have a couple more gifts to get for some local folks. I think I am doing pretty good this year. It helps since I don't have a job outside of the home anymore that takes up the bulk of my time. So that's nice.

James and I were able to decorate the outside of our home the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was so much fun to string lights around our townhome and step back to do all the "oohing and aahing". This is our first Christmas in our home and I feel so blessed that we have this place!




Our front door with a poinsettia and lit garland around the doorframe.

Bright white lights with snow already!

Last week James and I spent some time putting together a gingerbread house that came in a kit. Both he and I never really did gingerbread houses as kids so it was fun to take the time of putting one together and having the chance to decorate it. We are looking forward to creating family traditions for our own kids and making special memories not only around the holidays but all throughout the year as well.

My hubby hard at work. (Its funny because James gets really into stuff like this and his enthusiasm for it makes it fun. He is gonna be a great dad. Aww!)

Our finished product. Not too bad for these first timers!

Home Stretch

28 weeks

Buh-bye second trimester, hello to the home stretch! It amazes me that I am now in my third trimester, before I know it little Blake will be here! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is still going well. His heartbeat was 151 bpm and my glucose test came back normal. The nurse said that I have been doing well with my weight as I consistently gain 2 lbs every month. A total of 14 lbs gained so far. (Sunny, don't hate me.) The doctor said that I have "graduated" to every two week appointments now so that is exciting for me. I am so thankful that the Lord has gotten us this far and has continued to be with my little boy and me. May these last few months continue to go well and in the end be able to welcome a healthy son!

Happy Birthday Sunny!

My dear sweet sister turns another year older today. I have always looked up to her and admired her as my big sis.

She is a wonderful mother of her two precious boys and a loving wife.

Over the years we have had our fair share of sisterly squabbles but they never amounted to the deep love we have always shared for each other. I am so glad that Sunny is who she is and that she is my sister. Happy birthday Sunny!!!!

To Jonah

Happy birthday to the cutest Jonah I know! I remember seeing your tiny little body for the first time and marvelling over the fact that you turned my sister from just a wife into a mom as well. I love your goofy expressions and your great imagination. You were the first to make me an Aunt! I love you very much and wish you a very happy 5th birthday!

Another baby boy!

My sweet friend, Stephanie, had a baby boy yesterday. She didn't know what the gender was and I am thrilled to find out that Blake will have a great boy playmate that is only 3 months older than he is! I am so excited for her and her family as they add this third child into the mix and it makes me even more excited for my turn, albeit a little bit more nervous too! She delivered at the same hospital that I will be delivering so I will be curious to know how everything went for her. Yay for little Graham in entering the world.

Steph and I at her diaper shower. Too bad her eyes are closed!

On Nov 1, I hosted a surprise diaper shower for Stephanie. She was completely blown away and we all had a great time with food, a devotion led my MIL, a huge pile of diapers to unwrap, and a game of Baby Jeopardy.

All the guests waiting to surprise her.

An adorable diaper cake made by our pastor's wife and their two daughters.

Diapers and gifts galore!

Pregnancy pains

Now that I am getting bigger, I definitely notice more changes/limitations to my body. In cleaning my house, I usually like to have a day or two set aside to clean everything in one fell swoop, (with touch-ups during the week of course), because I like everything to feel clean and fresh at the same time. With dogs, I am pretty much constantly cleaning my house but doing a major clean all at once is really nice. Well, I have figured out that I can't really do that anymore. Not only does my energy level prevent me from doing everything at once but add to that my constantly aching back and my bulging belly that gets in the way. I was cleaning the bathtub last week and found that it is getting much harder to do. I felt as though I couldn't do a good job of scrubbing the tub because my stomach was getting in the way. Also the tile in the kitchen and bathrooms have a grooved surface to it which dirt likes to burrow away in so cleaning on my hands and knees is the best way to get them sparkling but thats pretty difficult with a belly and sore back. James has told me that he will take over these jobs and I am thinking that the time has come.

I think I am getting a little taste of what its going to be like with a baby in the house. I feel as though there is so much to do or things that don't get done because I am too tired and my body has its limitations but it gets me thinking that I will have lots of interruptions once Blake is here. So its probably good practice even though it can be frustrating for me at times.

Since my back is constantly aching because its trying to support the growing weight up front, James gave me a gift certificate to get an hour massage with a person who is trained in pregnancy massages. I went last Monday and it was really nice. She had a foam cushion that is designed for pregnant women with an indentation to lay your stomach and boobs into. It was surprisingly comfortable. I don't think Blake liked it too much as he seemed to be moving around a lot once I was laying on my stomach. She started on the back and spent most of the time there since that was my problem area. Ah, how soothing! Then she asked if it was okay to do my glutes (butt muscles) and I said yes because all those muscles are connected to the back muscles. You would think its really weird to have a stranger massage your butt but it felt really nice. lol Then she worked her way down the legs to the feet, had my turn over onto my back, and then worked her way up to my arms and shoulders. It was really nice and relaxing during the massage but later that day I felt as though the stomach muscles on my sides were really stretched out. It really hurt and made me feel sick but sometimes massages can do that to you because it releases "toxins" from all the knotted up muscles into your system. (Or something like that). But I have noticed an improvement in my back since the massage so that is nice!

Also I have been getting leg cramps more often. I woke up to one yesterday that was like a huge ball on my right calf muscle and it really hurt! Its still a little sore today. Ouch. Being pregnant definitely has its ups and downs and I am not looking forward to going into the third trimester only to get even more bigger and more uncomfortable than I am now. But the reward at the end will be sweet!

New 'do

My hair was really starting to bug me because I felt as though there was no real style to it. Just kinda boring. Also I had not had my hair colored since May and really wanted to get fresh highlights again. I also knew that I wanted to get a shorter haircut that would be easier to style in the mornings ie: take less time blowdrying and flat ironing for once Blake is here. I always blow dry my hair and that is not something I will stop doing once he is here because my hair does not look good when it dries naturally. So since I will still style it I just wanted something that would cut my time down. Yay for fresh hair cuts that make one feel chic! :)

First snow

We had our first light snow on Sunday night. These pictures were taken the next morning so there is not much left but some still stuck around!






The weather has been pretty cold recently with temps in the mid 30s during the day. Also the pond in the back of our house has already started freezing over. Winter always comes early here! It is fun to have the first snow of the season though. It was really pretty as we were driving to evening worship Sunday night and saw the snow coming down against the dark sky. I really get sick of winter by mid January but its always fun when its just beginning.

Veteran's Day Weekend

I am a bit behind on blogging as things have been pretty busy around here so this is the start of the catch-up. During the weekend preceding Veteran's Day we had James' older brother, Jason, and his family come visit from Ohio. It was a quick weekend trip but it was good to see them all. We had not seen them since May for Sophia's first birthday and it was fun to see how much she has grown since then! She knew who "Aunt April" and "Uncle James" were and called us by those names. It was so cute to hear her little voice as she talked to us and boy, does she talk! She has a great vocabulary and is a very smart little girl.

Isabelle has grown a lot as well and seems to be more mature than her eight years! She is such a bright girl who loves joke around with her Uncle James.

They both built a mini replica of the Sears Tower out of blocks since Isabelle was able to go to the top of the Sears on her trip here.

We had dinner with them on Saturday night at my in-laws house and spent Sunday with them as well. It was a nice relaxing weekend spent with dear family.

Then on Monday, I went downtown with Danielle and her girls and a few other friends with their kids to the Field Museum. We had 5 kids between 4 adults but it was still a hectic time! The Field had free admission that day to all their exhibits and there was a good many people there taking advantage of it. It was fun but exhausting.

On Tuesday James had the day off so we just took the day to do nothing! It had been so long since we had just hung out with no plans so we had a Clint Eastwood movie extravaganza. It was so nice to just chill out with just the two of us and enjoy each other's company. I did have a doctor's appointment that morning but it was a very quick visit. Everything is going well with Blake and in the next couple of weeks I have to do the glucose test. Not something I am looking forward to but its exciting how fast things are coming along!

Road trip to Galena

A couple Saturdays ago, James decided to take the day off from work so we could take a drive to the countryside and see the last remnants of the fall foliage before it was gone. We drove to the far northwest corner of Illinois to a little town called Galena. We had heard of how nice it is up in Galena with its old time shops lining Main Street and that the landscape is completely different from what you would find in the rest of Illinois. We pretty much have flat lands with corn over where we live. But we had heard reports of rolling hills in Galena, and not just small hills but big ones where you feel like you are in another part of the country. Illinois with rolling hills? Now this we have to see!


Road tripping buddies


Pretty farmland (can you see the rolls?) :)



The countryside



It was a 2 1/2 hour drive up to Galena and although you can't really tell from the pictures (taking them while in a moving car: not so great) there were actually major hills! At some points we felt like we were in Pennsylvania with its lush greenery and winding roads as you drove along the hills. We were on some really high points where you could look down and basically see a gorgeous valley of hills as far as your eye could see. It was incredible. Growing up on the east coast, I really miss the hills, so it was nice to get a small glimpse of that right here in Illinois.

Once we arrived in Galena it was absolutely picturesque with the big old mansions dotting the hills. You could see a bunch of white steeples that towered above the houses all the way up the hill. A very quaint old town that was absolutely packed with people! I was shocked at how many tourists were there. We absolutely could not find a single parking space that was available. Then by perfect timing we found a spot that the local boys scouts were charging $5 for and paid the man.

The weather was pretty brisk with high winds but the sun was out so that made it a little more bearable. We decided to just walk around the little downtown area and then find a place for lunch. The cobblestone sidewalks were full of people walking in and out of all the stores that lined the way. Old couples walked along with the wives pulling their husbands into yet another store as the husbands rolled their eyes. I am not a big "specialty shop" person so there was nothing that I really wanted to go into and spend money on. We just walked along enjoying the old architecture and imagining what the town must have been like back in the 1800s.

After working up an appetite we decided to look for a pub-like place where we could enjoy hot food and some tasty beer (lucky James).

Our lunch at Benjamin's



For an appetizer they had peanut butter and jelly stuffed jalapenos. We love spicy food and thought this was the strangest combination so we just had to try it. It didn't taste much like anything expect for fried peanut butter. ;-(



James enjoying a second beer and a nice hot reuben sandwich.


Grilled cheese please.

After lunch we strolled around and saw President Grant's old mansion and stopped at the Kandy Kitchen to buy homemade carmel apples and some gourmet candy corn. We didn't plan on staying for too long and decided to head back home before it got too dark.

The oldest house in Galena built in 1826


James enjoying his carmel apple

It was a nice break from the daily grind and although we didn't see too much fall foliage, it was a great time spent with my hubby. I'll take one of these days anytime!

It's over

The day that I thought would never come has long come and gone. My bosses responded very well to my decision on leaving the workplace and were very generous in their support, which I was grateful for. It makes leaving a whole lot easier if you know people have your back! My last day was Oct 30th and I was ecstatic to be done with that place. As I drove up to the building in the morning, I thought to myself, this is the last time I will be driving up to work. Then, this is the last time I will be parking here for work, this is the last time I'll use the elevators, etc. Everything was "the last time" and I had a giddy feeling just thinking about it being the last time!



This is my former place of employment. I worked on the 23rd floor. It had awesome views of the Chicago skyline. But I won't be missing it too much.

My boss decided to announce to my co-workers that I was leaving by writing a message on a white board that everyone would see. I was happy about that because I really didn't feel like telling people individually that I was leaving. I wasn't especially close to anyone that I worked with so it wasn't hard at all to say good-bye. There were a few hugs and well wishes as I was preparing to leave and then I was out the door! When I got in the elevator I was so stoked that I pumped my fist in the air and started singing "I'm freeeeeeee...freeeee falling!" That was the song that popped in my mind just because of the words "I'm free." I was hoping that there were no security cameras in the elevator that captured my performance.

It is definitely a little bit strange to not have to go to work. Ever since I have been out of high school, I have always been working. Always following the demands and responsibilities for someone else's schedule and expectations of me. Its weird to not have that anymore. Although it won't be for very long because soon I will have another little boss who is probably going to be the most demanding person I have ever worked for but I can't wait!

24 weeks

The end of my career

I have worked at my company for almost a year and a half now but today is the day I tell them that I am leaving. I have never been career driven and never wanted to "move up the corporate ladder". I basically was working until the Lord saw fit to give us a family and since that is happening its time to say sayonara to interpreting.

I had thought that maybe I would want to stay with the company if it was benefical to me but after talking to one of my bosses, it doesn't really seem that way. There are three levels of status within the company for interpreters- full-time, part-time, or independant contractor. I have been part-time since I joined but knew that there was some type of minimum of hours that one needed to work to stay within the company. Right now I can basically work anywhere from 0-29 hours in a given work week since I decide my schedule. Its nice since it gives me plenty of flexibility without demanding a certain amount of hours. But once Blake is here, I really don't want to work at all. I have been longing, since I was a little girl, to just be a stay-at-home mom who would be able to give my full attention to my family. I thought that maybe I would be able to still keep my status within the company but only work like every 5 or 6 months. But that is not the case.

For both part-time and independant, the hours demanded for work are the same and if you do not work at all for three months then you are considered terminated. After talking with my scheduler, he recommended for me to come in at least every 4-6 weeks to keep up to date on what is happening at work, like reading new policies or doing training. He said if I came in every 3 months it would be harder to be kept informed (plus since he makes the schedule, he would rather I work more and not less to cover the company's needs, I am sure). But that is not something I want to do at all. I wouldn't even want to come in at least until Blake is 6 months but obviously that can't happen since the time limit is I must work within 3 months.

So after talking it over with the scheduler and getting more info and talking it over with James, it seems best that I just leave. I really wouldn't want to work at all but just thought maybe it would be nice to have it on the back burner if I needed to. So today I tell them that this week is my last week. I did not schedule myself for the whole month of November and was planning on not working anymore at the end of October. My energies and thoughts are all on baby prepping at this time and its really hard for me to stay motivated to go to work and do a good job. James has been doing pretty well with his new job so we figure its best to cut ties now.

I just am not thrilled about telling my boss. Its never easy to tell your superior that you want to leave. I really don't think she will have a problem with it but I do feel its a little last minute although I couldn't have told her any earlier since she has not been at work for the whole month of October. Today is the day she is back and today is the day to tell her of my decision.

I am looking forward to being done with the whole career thing. I am so ready to start my new job as a mother and to be able to focus more on my family and not have my time divided. I can't wait until this day and this week is over with then I'll be free!

Jane Austen Tea Party

Last Saturday I hosted a tea party for my friends. It was the perfect girly activity to do on a lovely afternoon. This is what part of the invitation looked like...

The Gregga Manor is open to all ladies of high society to come and enjoy a delectable brunch followed by the viewing pleasure of the beloved "Emma" in the private theater. Please come dressed up in your best and most creative Jane Austen era style of clothing. White day-gloves not required but English accents are. See you at the tea, ladies!

I had the table set for a sit down brunch and tea. The menu included pumpkin bread, warm scones with pumpkin butter, cucumber tea sandwiches, chicken salad tea sandwiches, chilled cucumber salad, apple-pear salad, deviled eggs, tea, and hot apple cider.

We enjoyed our brunch and each other's company and then went into the "private theater" to watch the Jane Austen classic, "Emma".



Everyone was asked to dress up as best they could in something that would recall the days of old. It was fun to be able to get together and see what the other came up with.



I think the tea was a success and there might just have to be another one in the future. Ta-ta for now!

Fall days

Like I said in my previous post, I love fall. I love decorating for it and being able to make the house feel warm and cozy. Too bad I don't have much in the way of actual decorations but I use what I have. Eventually I will build up a collection and will be armed to the teeth in all things autumn! Its funny because my older sister Sunny absolutely hates decorating with seasonal items. I think she believes its a waste of time and she just doesn't like the work put into it. I was surprised when she said she actually decorated for Christmas last year and enjoyed it! haha



This is what can be seen at my house at this time of year...



Our front stoop so lovingly outfitted for fall. James put out the family of three pumpkins and said that the two big ones are me and him and Blake is the little one.







Last week as I was at home in the morning, I saw a big shadow come down onto our deck. I looked out and there was this hawk. I ran to get my camera as he jumped down to the ground. I waited to see if he would make himself visible again and he did. Perched so beautifully on the deck, I snapped the picture. Its not every day that they get this close!



Yay for October!

Blake's firsts

I thought that for sure once we found out which gender we would be having, that James would run out to the paint store to decide what color we should paint the room. He had said in the past that if it were a boy he really wanted to paint the room blue. I still wanted to go with a neutral color incase we have a girl next time so that way we would not be repainting in a few years. But some of my friends that have little girls have used blue in their rooms and say that it works well. So I said that blue would be fine but it would need to be a light blue, not blue-boy, but a blue that could work either way.

Well, its been two weeks since we found out we are indeed having a boy and nothing has been done! The main reason is that we just don't have the time! James is working 6 days a week and the free time that he does have is wrapped up in other things. I am the same way. Either during the week I am so busy that I just have no time and then the weekend comes along and I have been out and about doing other things.

We probably will have my dad paint the room in Nov or Dec since James really won't have the time to do it and I am not doing it by myself. I so badly want to get into the room and reorganize it though but have yet to find the time to do it. This is what Blake's room looks like now...

It has basically been a "catch-all" room since we moved in. It looked a little better at one point but you know how junk tends to accumulate.

And the walk in closet is not walkable! The floor is crammed with boxes and stuff. I need to take everything out and store it somewhere else.

Even though his room doesn't look like much now, I don't think it will take me too long to get things organized. I already reorganized the garage so that way most of this stuff will be able to go in there. I'll be fired up and ready to go in November! I am not planning on working anymore after the end of this month so all the things I want to do and keep thinking about will be able to get started in a couple more weeks. My desire to do, do, do is a little over the top at the moment. It must be the whole nesting thing because I have lists upon lists of what I want to do before Blake is here.

I also thought we would maybe start buying a few items for Blake or that in the very least my MIL would get an outfit for him because she has talked so much about shopping for him before she knew he was a him. But lo and behold one of my friends was the first to buy him an outfit! We had her and her adorable family over on Sunday (she is due with her third in December) and they had a little gift for us. This is Blake's very first article of clothing. I love baby stuff. I can't believe that I will have my very own baby that will be able to use this. I am so excited!

The only other item that we have for Blake is a baby Dumbo that I bought while at Disneyland last month. I thought it would be a cute way to commemorate the fact that I was pregnant with my first baby and was at Disneyland, the place where dreams come true. :) Dumbo is soft and cuddly and comes with a little blanket that is detachable.




The only problem is that Guinness thinks its a toy for himself. He absolutely loves stuffed toys and can destroy them in five minutes flat so I have to keep baby Dumbo high on a shelf where Guinness can't get him. What are we going to do when we have soft baby toys all over the place??




So there you have it. Blake's first bedroom, his first outfit, and first stuffed animal. Isn't the beginning of things so exciting?