No post!!

Sorry for taking forever to post. Just so you all know, all is well with our little one. Just has taken me forever to scan in ultrasound pictures. So stay tuned for the announcement for those of you who don't facebook!! or those that want some more details!

New Year's day/Janet's birthday

So Chad was on call again for New year's (Well was supposed to be but at last moment Dr. Rowntree took call for the weekend.  Oh darn I hate when that happens)  So the plan was for the Christensen side to come to our place for a celebration of the New Year, but more to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday (Dec. 31st).  

We got together and made homemade pizzas on pizza stones...HMMM and then had lots of goodies and ended with apple cake with vanilla sauce topped with vanilla ice cream.  I was stuffed!! It was a great day to have those that weren't too busy with other things to come be a part of it all.

Reece and Carlos hanging out, but Carlos changed once they got the TV on to check out some football scores!!

The girls playing/hanging around!!  

Here's a picture of Janet as she's going to blow out her candles.  I had forgotten that I had some trick candles so they kept relighting.  OOPS didn't mean to get anyone light headed.

New Year's Eve

We got together with my brother Greg and his family for the festivities.  We had so much fun with just our families.  We got together for dinner and had Hawaiian Haystacks.  Which really hit the spot for me.  We ended up having to cook more rice cause we ate it up pretty fast.  We then had a dance party with Darian, Demetri, and Kherrington.  Kherrington really got into and has since continued to dance in the front room and then wants Chad and I to turn in a circle (like ring around the rosies), just like Greg did with her and the boys that night.  It was great.


It's amazing what you do as a parent to make your kid feel comfortable and be included.  Please disregard the dancing of myself that Chad thought was so hilarious to get on camera. Notice he wasn't out dancing at all....PARTY POOPER!!

Then when Kherrington went to bed the boys got to watch "Mr. Incredible" and the adults got to play games and talk!  So fun to just relax.  We didn't even try to stay up to the ball drop, but did stay up til around 11.  Darian had fallen asleep, I guess something that doesn't happen often while watching a show.  But Demetri was up by they time they left.  Too back Greg had to work in the morning or we would've had a slumber party!!  maybe another year!!

YUM!!!

So several weeks ago during Chad's lunch break we were sitting on the couch together and Kherrington was running around us and playing.  Chad asked her to go take a piece of paper to the garbage and away she went.  She's been doing that pretty well for a while.  But once she went over there, it wasn't just opening the cupboard and putting the garbage in and then shutting.  She paused....then all of a sudden we hear YUM!!!  Chad and I just looked and each other, just picturing all the not YUMMY things that she could be getting into in the trash.
As we rounded the peninsula corner we saw that she had grabbed the yogurt lid off of Chad yogurt from lunch and was licking it.  Thank heaven it was right on top and hadn't been contaminated yet.  It just makes me want to throw up!!

So then we set her up with a yogurt of the same type and let her go at it.  Why is it when you give a child the container they eat it so much better.  And she loves eating it off the peel-off top.  Crazy little girl. It makes us love her all the more.

Christmas celebration at Christensen's

So here we are getting ready for the annual Christmas Nativity.  And Kherrington decided to take over the stool (meant for Mary and the Baby Jesus), with her tablet and pencil.  She can spend hours with a pen or pencil with some paper.  And you can see she didn't really even move!!

See her pink shirt behind Mary(Hailey).  I guess she really wants to get in on the nativity sooner than later.

We then got to do our gift exchange and spent a great day eating, playing games, and visiting with everyone.

Christmas Morning

So we had Christmas morning with my family, and we were so excited to see Kherrington get into Christmas this year.  It took a little while for her to realize what the opening presents thing was all about.  But soon we couldn't keep her out of the gifts and she even tried to unwrap my brother's birthday gifts the following day when Grandma had just wrapped them. OOPS!

So Grandma and Grandpa Joos got Kherrington a cute pan set that had utensils and also some little tupperware bowls and silverware.  Way cute.  So to completment these we got her the plastic food to go with it.  

Also my mom found a table at the DI and Chad refinished it.  Here you can see the top.  I wish I had got a picture of it before so you could see the awesome job he did.   

Just enjoying the box that Grandma's clock came in.

I think I'm ready for a nap....

I love my new chap stick and eating on my new table is the best.

So the table was originally a oak colored top with a bright red legs and base.  It took Chad several 5-6 coats to cover that red and then restained it a nice walnut color!!  I love it.  Then he got it nice and shiny with some polyurethane!!  It's going to be a great piece of furniture for years to come.  Not only the table but Grandma found some new chairs to go with it too.  Just have to refinish those...Poor Chad.

Christmas Eve and Sunday

So we went and had a fabulous time at my sister-in-laws, JaNae, for Christmas Eve.  I was asked to do a soup (so we picked homemade chicken noodle) and I so badly wanted the Christensen side to try the banana pudding salad/dessert.  I think it's a dessert, but the Wrigley side that I got the recipe from call it a salad.  But it's awesome regardless of what it is.
We enjoyed soup and bread and dessert along with great games.  We did some bible trivia, which I found I am really bad at.  I need to study more!!  And we loved the games that Katie brought.  Win it in a minute.  You got to love the video of Chad below.  He had to shake all the jingle bells out of the box tied to his butt in less than a minute.  So fun!!


I did one where there were 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 jingle bells in small boxes and had to put them in order by shaking them to figure out which at the least to the most. She also had a candycane hooked to a pencil with a string so the crook was down.  You had to hold the pencil in your teeth and then pick up other candy canes that the crooks were hanging off the edge of a stool.  Also had one with a fuzzy ball on a string that was tied around your neck and then you put vaseline on your nose and the idea was to swing the ball up and get it to attach to your vaselined nose, without touching it with your hands.  So much fun.  Katie did great with the entertainment value with that game.
Then we got to sing and do a great Christmas devotional.  It finally felt like Christmas to me.  Wonderful job JaNae and a great way to spend a little time with our 2 missionaries on their way out in the field.  Chase and Shandarae's last Christmas at home before the leave on Wednesay the 29th of December for Czech Republic and GA Atlanta North missions.  On Sunday we got to listen to them speak in church and have a fabulous dinner at the Junior High, where Chad won the lightning game!!  What a great day too!

Ultrasound

So our ultrasound is coming up on Thursday.  Any predictions on the gender of baby we'll be getting coming the end of May 2001?  We've got our poll on the right!!

Lots of thoughts

So yesterday was a day that had lots of things running through my head.  Maybe it's cause it was my niece's birthday, and maybe not...I'm not sure, but Yesterday was the day I would've been due if I hadn't miscarried.  I think as to why I remember this so well is because there were lots of my friends and family that were expecting also right around the same time.  So over the last few weeks to months, I've been able to celebrate the births of some really cute little babies and look at lots of cute little baby pictures.
I guess for some people this would be a difficult thing,  and in a small way it is, but as I had written before we were surrounded and supported as I could not believe.  It was a time that Chad and I grew closer together as we mourned the loss of little one.
And over all I guess the biggest thing that was running through my mind is the blessing to be pregnant...again and so soon!  Even though this pregnancy has been so much more difficult, as far as sickness and tiredness, I guess I can count that as a blessing to be reassured that I'm still pregnant.
So now that I'm just getting done with the first trimester (14 weeks), I'm feeling quite a bit better as far as sickness goes, and we finally feel a little more comfortable telling everyone that we are expecting.  I'm a little sad that I don't have a cute little ultrasound picture to share, but here they don't do an ultrasound to verify the pregnancy.  (I miss that from Pullman). So now here goes all the planning once again, and that means I need to get to arranging Kherrington's room and finally get this picture I have in my brain out where others can see it.  (hopefully it'll look as nice as it does in my mind).

So now, when should I transition Kherrington to a toddler bed if the baby will be born at the end of May?

4th week of Thanks

#22-For an awesome snow storm to really bring in the holidays and getting Chad sent home from work early that day.  Was nice to have him home at 3pm instead.
#23-For my Mom and Dad, who came the night before Thanksgiving and stayed til the day after.  They helped us get our house put together for the festivities the next day.  Mom shoveled our driveway, which is no small feet.  We can fit 6 cars on our driveway if needed, so that gives you an idea of how big.
#24- For family who travels our way, since Chad was going to be on call for Thanksgiving.
#25-For a husband and dad that did all the prep work of setting up tables while my mom and I were busy in the kitchen Thanksgiving morning. And then having a husband that cleans up the house after most everyone was gone.
#26-To have a temple so close and to finally get back there.  We had the opportunity to go through the temple with Chad's niece Shandarae, who is going on a mission next month.  I was able to reflect on my own endowment, and the greatest of that day.  How things change and how it becomes such a place of refuge and revelation!!  So glad to have it less than an hour away. Just need to make it a priority to get there more often.
#27-For more family, Chad and I had the opportunity to and visit all but one (and we talked to them on the phone) of his siblings and at least part of their kids over this weekend.  It was good to visit them all and catch up.  We get caught up with the day to day life and don't get to visit as often as we'd like.
#28-For a 4 wheel drive vehicle.  With all the snow that we've been receiving it's been a lifesaver in letting us accomplish all the visits we made this weekend. Not only does it get us to point A to B, but entertains Kherrington and makes traveling so much easier!!
#29-Warm home!! Not only did it accommodate most of my family for Thanksgiving, but it keeps us warm and very comfortable and has lots of space for all our stuff.
#30-Great jobs, Not only does Chad have a steady job, but I am able to work as needed as for 2 hospitals, Pullman from home on occasion and then EIRMC 2 times a month.  I love it.  Not only that, but I'm getting my vinyl business up and running and am loving the great excuse to be creative again!! Now to just keep up with it all.