Looking back

July 4 2010.  The day we got engaged.

Ignore the melting cake please.

I wish I would have looked cuter. 

Happy engagement anniversary to us!

Happy Father's Day

2006

My dad and I share a birthday.  I was born 5 weeks early just to show up on his 30th birthday so we kind of have a unique bond. 

April 2011

Our birthdays in 2007

I'd guess this to be from the early 1990's.

My dad has always been involved in our lives.  And while that seems like an obvious statement  or one to be expected he was really active in participating.

My dad was the one who took us on little mini-vacations during spring breaks while my mom worked.  We went one time up north near Mackinac Island, one year I remember going up to Traverse City area.  Another year we went to the Detroit area.  I remember staying in a pink hotel that looked like a castle that had a tv in the bathroom (not sure why that stands out).

Our 5th grade tradition was to go to Chicago and visit the Museum of Science and Industry.  My dad went with all of us I believe and I still have memories of that trip.

So thank you dad for being so fantastic!

Special shout outs to my father in law for always welcoming me with open arms, my brother in law J who celebrates his first father day this year, and my brother in law C who isn't celebrating his first father's day ever, but his first with his sweet little girl.

And while Rob doesn't consider himself a father yet, a special shout out to him as well just because I think he will be a fantastic dad to baby Eleanor.

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

This post is very picture heavy and the formatting is a little messed up. It also can be kind of sappy :)

Us on our first anniversary.  Every year we will add to this picture. 

Today marks our second wedding anniversary! We got married 4.15.2011.  We knew we wanted a spring wedding and we wanted it to be on a Friday.  We thought about the 22nd, but turns out that was good Friday and the place we were going to have the reception wasn't available so we went with the week before that.  There was no ceremony or anything to choosing the date.

We got married at the church we attend.  The weather was cold and I really wanted outdoor pictures (it was one of the few things I insisted on). It was the kind of cold that you stop feeling after a minute, but we were quick and I love the pictures.

Rob surprised me at the end of the night with a night at the Amway; I thought we were just going back to our house, and I would have been okay with that.  He even hired a car to drive us there, and packed a bag for me (and he did pretty good, forgot extra shoes for me though :) ).

Rob proposed 7.4.10 just as the fireworks were starting.  He had planned it out and after the fireworks we celebrated with cake and sparkling cider. Looking at these pictures make me smile.

Rehearsal Dinner

The view from the room Rob surprised me with. 

Like all couples we have our moments, but I love Rob so much.  I love the way he supports and encourages me when I'm having a bad day or feeling stressed out.  He can always make me laugh and smile, even when I want nothing more than to be mad at him. 

I think year 2 was actually harder than the first year.  Not just because of the pregnancy losses, but I think the whole newlywed thing started to wear off, and we had to adjust more. 

We're pretty good at talking things out when we have issues and not just forgetting about it and pushing it under the rug. 

I'm thankful to have him as my husband and look forward to many years to grow as a family.

Weekly Wrap Up 4.5.13

Still looking for a job. Its getting really stressful. I'm doing all I can to save money, or reduce spending.
I pay for groceries with pop can returns or change (at the self checkout during slow times) &I don't turn on the heat (extra socks and blankets). I don't turn on the lights during the day (I open the blinds; it does strain my eyes a little at times) and I don't flush the toilet every time I go (yeah I know it's gross) How about I tell you I don't shower every day? Although that is more because I don't leave the house everyday and am lazy. 

I did manage to pick up some very sporadic babysitting. It's only a few times a month though so I am still going to need something more. Especially since we just paid the mortgage, car insurance and AT&T bill. Goodbye $1,700. Eeek! 

Speaking of AT&T, last week I called to try and get our Internet bill lowered. I spent TWO hours on the phone before hanging up. So after that I called and signed up with charter. When I called to cancel AT&T I spent six minutes on the phone. SIX! From the time I dialed to the time I hung up. I guess they didn't want my money.

And I'm pretty sure that I reached my company call quota for the year because yesterday when I got home from babysitting, in the mail was an explanation of benefits from the insurance company for the blood work I had done a few weeks ago. Not usually a big deal, but this one listed a former employer of Rob's. One that he hasn't worked for in over a year. So I call the number listed on it, they can't find it because we have Blue Care (which is a division of Blue Cross, which we used to have, but not the same), so they transfer me. Neither can find the claim in the system. So then I call the office that ordered the blood work, and they tell me they have the right information. Which they should, because why would they even have the old information? So then I call the billing department, who also is confused and see's nothing
for the date listed, and that I should just wait for a bill and if it comes to call them and they can resubmit it. So while everyone was nice and friendly, no one really could figure it out. So I guess I just to wait to see if I'm going to get yet another bill and spend more money.

I was telling Rob how I am still really stressed about money, and he keeps telling me it will be fine, and that it's good for us to figure out how little we can really live on. And we can pay our bills at the moment, but nothing is going into savings, and  before I stopped working my bank account was at the highest it has ever been, so that keeps dropping and that makes me feel sad.

My sweet niece on Easter

Easter was fun. It's a hodgepodge at my parents with family from both sides. Then of course is the Easter egg hunt. Now that there are kids again my parents do one again

When I was a kid my parents always had a huge Easter egg hunt. All of my cousins,
friends and kids of my parents friends would come. There was always at least 25-30 kids. We would always try to peek out the window to see where they were being hidden and then they would just throw candy all over the yard. My parents have a big (almost 4 acres) yard. Some of that wasn't used, and they do have a  garden, but probably close to 2 acres were covered in eggs and candy. They also have pine trees lining 2 sides of the property. I remember finding eggs into the summer. I wouldn't eat the candy, but the ones that had money were always fun to find.

Baby also got it's first gift yesterday. Rob's grandparents brought this over. It laughs like a baby when you touch it's toes. It's cute, and I love that they were so thoughtful.
   

31 day blog challenge-March 4

I feel like I am only blogging my weekly pregnancy updates and occasionally another post throughout this week.  I hope that these prompts are going the help me.  I tend to think I need something great or elaborate to write about, but really I can just keep it simple.  

Day 4- When we were kids my mom used to golf in a Wednesday night league.  My dad would take us to the Corner Bar and we would get hot dogs at the walk up window and go to the dam (about a block away) and eat them and watch the water and the fishermen.  I was always afraid I was going to fall in the water.  There are rails, obviously, I don't know why I thought this.   My dad will still go there for hot dogs when he is in the area and he usually will call me and tell me he has some.