Thank You!!

I just wanted to say, thank you Amberly for the wonderful Christmas presents! I especially loved the quilt you made for Baby Peterson! Homemade gifts from the heart are the best and baby will get good use out of it.I wanted to say thanks to Mom Peterson for all the Christmas presents! We especially loved the marshmellow guns! The girls had a lot of fun attacking the boys one night...the dogs loved the marshmellows as well:)

Despite being stranded at my parents' house for most of the time, we had a very nice Christmas with my family! Thanks for taking us all in and digging our car out of the snow mom and dad!!

A little bit of everything

I have a few things to blog about so I thought I would combine all the things into one giant post, so bare with me!

First of all, WE ARE GOING TO GRAD SCHOOL!!! Derek found out yesterday that he was accepted into Johnson School of Business at Cornell University! He still has three more schools to hear from though so the final decision wont be until later. We are both very excited and Derek is also relieved that he doesn't have to fill out any more grad school essays. He celebrated with some wine and this is what ended up happening.

He ended up rollerblading in the house...and spilling my water all over the coffee table. Oh well, he was having fun!

So the last couple of days the Seattle area has gotten hit hard with cold weather and SNOW! We decided to head over to my parents' house Tuesday night so that Wednesday Derek could put the snow tires on my car. We want to go to Leavenworth this weekend and the passes don't look very good. Both Derek and my dad ended up working from home yesterday so we had a fun day at my parents' house making christmas cookies, hanging out, and watching the dogs play in the snow. Peyton absolutely loves the snow! When we got home last night she slept the rest of the evening all the way through the morning.

For those of you who no my sister, you will probably picture this next scenario better than those of you who have never met her. She came downstairs yesterday upon waking in her snowpants from about 20 pounds ago, a pair a boots that seemed a little to small, and her big coat. That in general was a little suprising considering Jenny isn't much of an outdoors person. She informed us that she was going to go outside to make a snow angel. Now this I had to see! Have you seen the movie the Christmas Story with the little boys? Enough said! Here is how to make a snow angel Jenny style:

1. Find the perfect spot in the hard and hope there is no dog poop, then lay down in snow angel position.

2. Spread arms and feet back and forth to make the snow angel.

3. Finish snow angel and then lay there for a minute to try to think of a plan on how to get back up.

4. Roll over on stomach and try to push yourself up.

5. Get up on knees and then try to stand all the way up with dogs in the way.

6. Fall back over and roll down the hill a little ways with dogs in your face.

Don't worry, she eventually got up and even had the energy to go through steps 1-5 again to make a second snow angel. Thanks goodness she didn't find any poop!

Oh, did I mention that Bella loves the snow too.

Yes, that is snow all over Bella's legs. My mom spent half the day defrosting Bella. It would get so bad that she could hardly move. I guess they got about a foot more of snow last night and Bella can't walk outside at all today.

The preggers picture take two (Derek)

Lacie's mom was getting after her that she should be gaining weight more quickly. If you compare the two pictures you may notice that in about an hour Lacie grew significantly when compared to the tree! Yes, there still is a tree behind her.

The preggers picture (Derek)

A few people have asked why we haven't posted the naked belly pictures on our blog. The answer is that we both think that it is somewhat odd that women love to take this considering they are at their plumpest during pregnancy. BUT since people keep asking...here you go!

(If you look closely you can see a Christmas tree behind her...I just got called a name for typing that. I sure do love my Lacie.)

Brrr i'ts cold outside! (Derek)

This weekend we were going to head up to Leavenworth for the Christmas lighting ceremony but we looked at the forecast and changed our mind (we aren't quite ready for the sub 15 degree weather). Instead we hung out with the in-laws and played Wii. Lacie loves it when I get so entranced in a game that I lose track of what's going on around me. Last night it started to snow and we ended up waking to a beautiful snowscape.

We braved the weather and picked up a nice dresser/changing table for the little one on the way. It is exactly what we were hoping to find and the lady that we got it from even hooked us up with a hanging diaper bag, crib skirt, quilt, and bumpers that all match! We are also going to buy her crib from her in February when her kid is out of it. It is nice to get a few major furniture items out of the way. Back to braving the weather though, as it turns out the Mazda tires aren't that great on packed snow/ice considering that we took two minutes to move on a main street. FYI, I am a huge fan of de-icer windshield washing fluid because without it you are stuck stopping at gas stations to clean your windows when the normal fluid freezes.

After picking up the dresser we headed to our in-laws to drop of the dresser (they are great and are letting us store the furniture there until we make room). Before we got to their place we met them for lunch at the Mongolian Grill. Mmmm!! Peyton was very happy when got to the in-laws because she was finally able to get out of the car and play. Snow to her like catnip to a cat...she went nuts. When we finally headed home this is what happened...


...a few minutes earlier they were both passed out. Now I just hope that the weather cooperates and dumps some more tonight so that I have an excuse to work from home.

50s Party

Last Sunday my mom threw a 50s themed birthday party for her aunt Lorraine who turned 70. I have to say my mom did a great job and went all out with the decorations, 50's style food, clothes, and games. There was hot dogs and hamburgers with french fries and onion rings as well as Coke in the old style bottles. Along with birthday cake, my mom also served root beer floats and ice cream sundaes for dessert. We also had a hula hoop contest (pictures to follow...they are hilarious), a straw shooting contest, and a bubble gum blowing contest with the 50's bubble gum. It was a lot of fun and my aunt really enjoyed herself! We had about 20 family members there!

The host:

My brother, dad, and uncle DaveThe Birthday Girl

My cousin Brad: The hoola hoop pictures are so funny!!My aunt Ann

Bubble gum blowing contest

Derek's right again!!

We had our ultrasound today to do measurements to check for Down Syndrome and hopefully to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. First of all, all the measurements came back normal and the baby looks healthy. It took awhile to get a view of the crotch area with the way the baby was positioned, but we finally got a good view to determine that we are having a boy!

I now know why I never got the break from having to pee in the middle of the night too. The baby is sitting very low and I swear he has been sitting on my bladder! Also, I have been feeling the baby move on a regular basis for over a week now and that is a really cool feeling! I think he especially likes it when I sing Christmas songs in the car. Either that or he is trying to cover his ears! I like to believe he was dancing along with his mama though;) I thought for sure it was going to be a girl and we have quite a long list of girl names, so we need to start working on some boy names. Derek is very excited to be having a son as well!!

Daily toast

Every morning, just like Derek and myself, Gunther looks forward to enjoying his daily toast. While Derek takes his shower, I head into the kitchen and get breakfast ready for the both of us. It always consists of either toast with peanut butter and banana or whole grain waffles with peanut butter and banana. If you can't tell, I LOVE this combo and it has rubbed off on Derek too. Anyways, before I get breakfast ready I will let Gunther out of his cage and he will immediately come to the kitchen doorway and patiently wait for his toast. Rabbits love stale toast, so I just leave the heals out in a bowl for them to harden.

I don't know what got into him yesterday, but instead of waiting in the doorway he decided to wait on the armrest of the chair. It's like he was expecting me to bring him his toast!. So, I brought it too him and captured a couple of pictures of Gunther enjoying his toast and his coma state afterwards.

Good thing leather is easy to clean!

Do you think she's spoiled?

I do!!!

Oh, you notice her tongue sticking out a little bit? She tends to sleep like that a lot, and if your lucky you even get to listen to the suckling noises she makes in her sleep.

Fall Colors

For the past month, every time I have taken Peyton to the park for our daily walk I always wish I had brought my camera. The park is completely bordered by trees that are a really bright red right now and are just so pretty. I absolutely love fall walks when the weather is a little cooler and the scenery is so pretty. Because of that, on the nicer days (when it's not pouring) I have been extending our walks. I don't think Peyton minds though. The pictures really don't do it justice, but I thought I would share them with you anyways. Today while we were there, a guy was flying his kite, which was pretty big and would make noise in the wind. With that said, I don't think Peyton likes kites. She walked around the park with her back hair standing straight up and growling/whining most of the time.

This is Peyton's, "I don't like this" look. I made her get over her fear of kites though.

I wanted to get a picture of Peyton in a pile of leaves, but she wasn't cooperating with me very well.

Let the craziness begin (Derek)

Everyone talks about the crazy eating habits that pregnant woment go through. Well, Lacie quit drinking coffee and eating dessert quite a while ago. Considering how much she loves them, I thought that this must be the extent of the crazy diet. Today she showed me that cutting those two things out was just the beginning. For lunch Lacie had scrambled eggs in a pita...with hot sauce on it, mushrooms....with hot sauce on them, and carrots...with hot sauce on them. (Honestly! Who eats carrots with hot sauce??)


For Dinner I made a really nice fresh chili (granted I did burn it a little). I asked her if she wanted cheese or sour cream to top it with and she said "no, I just want to top it with mustard." (I expected her to want hot sauce but she saw me season it)

The funny thing about all of this is that when I made fun of her she just said "don't knock it until you try it!" NO THANK YOU! I am not pregnant.

It's a boy!! (Derek)

Many people have asked if we are going to find out the sex of the baby...and my answer to them is that I don't need to be told because I already know. It's a boy! You may ask "how could you know that at 11 weeks". Well the answer is that...well it's just a boy so don't question me!

Some of my random thoughts about pregnancy...

Throughout the past three months I have experienced some crazy changes physically and emotionally. Along with these changes, I have learned a lot more about what being pregnant is all cracked up to be. These are a few of my random thoughts I have had so far. If I sound like I am complaining a little bit, it probably is because I am and I thought this would be a good way to vent!

1. Will my 24 hour, 7 day a week hangover EVER go away!? Seriously, I wake up nauseous, go through my day nauseous, go to sleep nauseous, wake up in the middle of the night nauseous...ugh.
2. If I could just have one night of sleep where I didn't have to get up and go pee once, twice, or even three times!
3. Why am I still so tired when I go to bed at 8pm and get up at 8am!?
4. I'm not going to cry...I'm not going to cry...I'm NOT!
5. Three months ago I never would have counted a three mile jog, or waddle, as exercise. Now that is what I strive for!
6. Where the heck did these boobs come from!? I can totally fill out my A cup now!
7. Seriously, my skin looks like I'm 16 again! What the heck?
8. I'm afraid that one of these days I'm going to pop a button on my jeans. I took a pair out of the dryer to put on and I couldn't get those ones buttoned....they shrink in the dryer though, right?
9. I don't know if I'm ready to be a mom yet...I still occasionally watch shows like Full House and 7th Heaven!
10. How the heck is a baby the size of baby Derek going to come out of ME! All I can say is they better have some mighty fine meds and pain killers!

Okay, I feel better now. However, despite all of these things and even though this came as a complete surprise, I am ready to give all that I have to make sure our baby is happy and healthy. It all has finally started to sink in and even though I wasn't ready to be a mom when I found out I was pregnant, I am getting more ready each day.

Fall Fun!

I really love this time of year! I love watching the trees change color and I enjoy the cool, crisp air. Yesterday we went to my parents house to meet up with them and Matt and Kori. We decided to go to the pumpkin patch and corn maze down in Snohomish. It was such a beautiful day with sunny weather in the mid 50s. This particular pumpkin patch had tons of things to do besides pick pumpkins. There were animals to see, pumpkin launching, hay rides, a 15 acre corn maze (that took us about an hour) and a whole bunch more to walk around and look at. Here are a few pictures from the day.

Oops!! (Derek)

We made a little sea monkey!

It'll make it's first appearance around May 14th, 2009!

Derek's Little Jump (Derek)

For some reason Lacie thinks that I am crazy. I don't understand?!?!

It's been awhile...

I know, it has been over a month since I have posted anything. Let me update you on a few things:

We really enjoyed the beautiful weather in September! We went on a couple of hikes and spent a couple of Saturday evenings out at my aunt and uncles house around a campfire.

Derek took his GMAT and got a 700! Now he is working his butt off applying for grad school and writing essays that are all due by the end of October. He has two turned in, two more due on Wednesday, and then one more after that. He is applying to Northwestern, Cornell, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Virginia. He just got back this Wednesday after a last minute trip to New Hampshire to have an interview with Dartmouth. Let's just say things have been crazy busy!!

I have started doing evening bootcamps for Derek's co-workers a couple of times a week.

Peyton and Gunther are both doing well. Petyon is a little over 6 months now and I think she is almost done growing. She is going to be a small dog, which is ok with me, probably topping out at around 50 pounds. Gunther seems to be completely used to Peyton, but is still continuing to chew on the carpet! He is so stubborn.

Gunther helped me decorate for fall...while Peyton ate herself into a coma.

A day at the beach

We went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and I just love this picture of Derek and Peyton, so I wanted to share it with you!

Here are some other pictures:

Yogurt...an all natural home remedy for sunburns!

We went to the beach this weekend and failed to put on sunscreen. (Mom, no need to call and tell me about the risks of not wearing sunscreen...at least we didn't lather ourselves with baby oil!) Needless to say, we (and when I say we I mean Derek) got a little burnt...all over. When we got home Derek went to the fridge and got a yogurt. As he was EATING his yogurt he was telling me how it helps to soothe a sunburn. I had never heard that before and was really questioning that fact...how would EATING yogurt help with a sunburn!?

Derek decided to look up "yogurt and sunburns" on the Internet and this is what he found:

Step 1: Get the coolest container of plain yogurt available from inside your refrigerator. Check the label to make sure that the yogurt contains live cultures.

Step 2: Add a spoonful of pure, aloe gel to the yogurt. Incorporate the aloe gel into the yogurt with a spoon. The aloe adds an extra skin-soothing ingredient to the yogurt. Alternatively, you may make a mixture of half mashed strawberries and half yogurt.

Step 3: Spread the yogurt onto your skin using your fingers or a spoon. Add thick layers to the affected skin so that the yogurt covers the entire area of the sunburn.

Step 4: Wait 20 minutes while the yogurt soothes your skin, warms and dries.

Step 5: Wipe away the yogurt mixture as soon as it warms or dries on your skin.

Step 6: Reapply another layer of yogurt if the pain persists. Repeat the process until you have used the entire container of yogurt and the pain subsides.

Step 7: Rinse the last of the yogurt mixture off your skin in the shower. Use cool water to minimize pain.

I thought this was just too funny and all I keep picturing is Derek with his shirt off and bright sunburned skin sitting on the couch eating his yogurt because, "it helps to soothe his sunburn!"

Don't worry, I made sure to slather him up with aloe too, just as a back up in case the yogurt remedy didn't work for him.