Today is D-Day

Well I finally got the courage this morning to get rid of Natalie's favorite object in the whole world--her beloved paci. I am off until next Wednesday and thought there probably won't be much of a better opportunity. It has been a bit of a rough morning--Natalie woke up early this morning (6:45) and I am also watching an 11 month old today so the combination of things hasn't been perfect. So at like 9:30 I packed them all up-I am sure there are still several floating around the house-and I just laid her down for her nap at 12:25--it is now 12:35 and after 10 minutes of screaming and crying she is starting to quiet down a little. She usually goes to her paci for longer car trips and sleep times--sometimes she will manage to sneak it in at other times. Anyways, I think I will have a rough week ahead of me--prayers will be appreciated!

Just a couple sidenotes--

Just wanted to update everyone on my pregnancy--things seem to be going well-I go for my first appointment Friday but it is just for medical history and labwork-nothing too exciting. I am now a little over 8 weeks and from what I remember with Natalie I think I am not getting as sick as often-I don't have much of an appetite for most food-especially meat but only have nausea when I get hungry. Will keep posted on further developments..

Also, this past week we got rid of all the wallpaper in our house-we had painters in our house for 3 days-which wasn't so pleasant but now all the paper's gone and paint has replaced it. I am happy with it but now our house is full of dust! They painted our bathroom, laundry room, repaired our entryway, and painted up the stairs. We really enjoy our house and are happy that it is coming together to match our taste. So we have now completed projects for a while-our next step will be to work on the flooring-both carpet (where our dogs have ruined) and linoleum.

Anyways just wanted to add those tidbits! Will post pics of the house and Lake Cumberland trip later!

Lake Cumberland Trip #1

This past weekend we went away with Steven's family for a long weekend getaway to Lake Cumberland (my first time there but will be returning next month with friends and no kiddos--little nervous about leaving Nat for 3 nights). The house we stayed at was very nice and had a BEAUTIFUL view of the lake right outside our door--our house was elevated above the tree lines so we could see everything. We ventured out to the lake once but it was a very dangerous walk down there-because of the moss covered steep sidewalk that was very slippery, repelling down a hill with a cable wire, etc. s0 we decided to hang out at the house mostly. We did manage to go to the parks a few times--and had a lot of fun playing around on the playground-there was even an intense baseball game that Natalie and I skipped out on secondary to no nap!

Natalie discovered on this trip that she can climb out of the Pack N Play all by herself-and was extremely proud of herself-doing it over and over! Finally after time out's and a spanking I figured out that if I stood in front of a cracked door and every time she attempted to get up I would say firmly "lay down" she fell asleep after three times. I am looking forward to the stage of a big girl bed-but also dreading it a little!

Anyways, we played a lot of games-which I happen to love playing games so I had a great time--we played some games that were new to me-Mexican Train Dominoes and also Bananagrams. It was a nice relaxing getaway and we enjoyed ourselves. Natalie had a great time playing with everyone-especially older cousins Clay, Zack, and Luke-they entertained her and she loved playing Hide and Seek with them. She understands (usually) that you alternate turns--when she goes to counts she will just say "two" several times and halfway cover her eyes, she will generally hide in the same spot, and the cutest thing is when you ask "Is she behind the curtain?" Is she behind the door?--etc..she will say "nooo" in a cute voice until you find her. Just wanted to say thank you again to Dad and Sherry for taking us on a nice weekend getaway--we really enjoyed our time and are so glad that our families get along and mesh so well.

Bargain shopper

Ok so my favorite store is Ann Taylor Loft and about a year ago they got a maternity line--well I was browsing the clearance items and they had clothes from the winter still on there for super cheap! I just had to share my good news that I bought a wrap dress, a pair of jeans, a pair of khaki's and a shirt with shipping for a whopping $38!!!!!!! The dress itself was originally marked at $90 and had been reduced to $5!!!!!! I know it's early and no one really cares about my shopping adventures but I was so excited! Also, on other news--I filled out a form tonight to learn info on becoming a consultant for Southern Living at Home. A few years ago I went to a party and loved the products and had thought about it for a while--the girl I jobshare with needs to work a little more and when the second one comes I don't know what I will do about working-I definitely will be cutting back probably to just being a sub--so anyways, thought this would be a fun way to make some extra money and decorate the house! But don't worry I won't be one of those pesky women--they drive me nuts sometimes!

Natalie's going to be a big sister!

Well it's official--we are expecting baby #2! I am only about six weeks along and the due date is Valentine's Day! We are thrilled with the news to add another member to our family. I have been feeling pretty good-have had a couple waves of nausea when I get hungry around dinner time and more tired than usual but so far no complaints. When I was pregnant with Natalie I don't remember quite when it hit but I threw up just about every morning. Natalie was the first person I told (I found out June 12) because she was in the bathroom with me and she was so sweet even though she didn't understand what was going on. I became teary and said "Natalie, Mommy is going to have a baby-you are gonna be a big sister"and she ran up to me and gave me a hug and a kiss-just what I needed then! I pray that the baby grows to be a healthy and happy (not to mention easy like Natalie) baby but also for the baby and Natalie to grow up and be great friends--I really think a bond between siblings is very strong. Steven and I have already been arguing over names--we have such different opinions on names. I know that we will find a name that we both love in these next 7 months! (though ideally he would come over to the Kim side so I don't have to compromise!--I really love the names I picked out--Lindley Grace for a girl and Rylan Hunter for a boy-Steven says there is no way for either but I am pretty sure I could convince him to pick Lindley). Anyways, Natalie had her 2 yr appointment and everything went well-she is 34.5 inches (the 75th percentile for height--which ever since her 1 month appointment she has stayed in the 75th percentile) and 27 lbs (which is in the 50th percentile).
It truly amazes me that we all start off being less than a grain of rice!

So proud!!!

Last night I went to a friends Pampered Chef party and Steven watched Natalie--well he was changing her diaper for bedtime and Natalie got up and said "Pee pee" ran into the bathroom, sat on her little potty and peed! I am so excited however a little bummed that I missed the momentous occassion. We haven't been pushing potty-training-we have introduced the potty to her and encourage her to sit on it every once in a while but that's about it-so for her to go on her own without any prompting is huge!

Anyways, things are going well-the summer has seemed pretty busy. Today Natalie goes for her two year checkup so I will be posting later about that. We have been busy with doing house repairs-we are hiring some painters to get all of the wallpaper out of our house (finally) and paint and repair our foyer, up the stairs, laundry room, and our bathroom. We will tackle some of the other rooms later. This week I power washed our fence (which made a huge improvement) and we are having a fencing company come repair our fence. We recently also had a landscaper come out and do some stuff to our house and will have Mister Curb come out soon to add a little more curb appeal. I think after that the only other house project for this year will be to take up all the laminate flooring and replace with either tile or hardwood...............Guess what-I just went to check on Natalie-she peed and pooped in the potty again without any cues--all on her own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited--I wish I just took a picture but I just flushed it. Anyways, we also got family portraits recently and the address to check it out if you want is www.karaguffeyphotography.com go to online proofs and password is Natalie-I really think they turned out great. I think I will close her-will write again

The Weekend of Weddings

Well we survived our busy weekend--Steven and I were in two different weddings this weekend. Steven was in Devin's wedding (I used to work with him and they became good friends when Steven and I started dating) and I was in Lindsay's wedding (friend that I met from Highview and have stayed in close contact with). It was such an honor to be part of both of their days. Devin's wedding was at his parent's house out in Simpsonville which was a beautiful farm setting (though I am not sure how the guys stood out in tuxedo's in the 90+ degree heat). Lindsay's was at Southeast and Mellwood Art Gallery which was a beautiful/different setting. We had a lot of fun with the photographers (there were 4 of them) and I am looking forward to seeing how they turned out. On Friday night, we both went to our separate rehearsal dinners and I went out with Lindsay and some girls for her bachelorette party--we had such a good time. It was nice to let our hair down and just act silly--of course wouldn't you know that our church (Springdale) was having their middle school lock in there that night (we went to Kingpin). Anyways, I am so happy for both of them and what their future holds--the roads they have both had to travel have not always been the easiest and they deserve nothing but the best! Will post some pics in a couple days!