Here we go again!

We're pregnant!! Some people know already and some don't, so here is our 'official' announcement. :) I am 10 weeks along so far, and our EDD is May 12, just a few weeks before Bridget turns two. We're excited about the spacing - although 23 1/2 months apart may seem like close spacing to some families, when our first two were 14 months apart, this is nothing! :) Maybe...

The bad news is that I'm feeling like total garbage. I vomit at least once a day. Yesterday it was 7 times in about 20 hours. :( We had to end up going to the ER because I was becoming pretty dehydrated. Hopefully that will be the last trip for a while. We did get our first ultrasound there and as always, it was awesome! He/she was really moving their whole body for only being about an inch long. :) Some other 'good' news about our trip to the ER, was that I finally got a 'diagnosis' for being so sick. When I am pregnant, I have a condition referred to as hyperemesis-gravidarum. When Ryan or I try to explain to people (even friends or family) about how sick I get when I am pregnant, I just get a "Yeah, that will pass in a few weeks," or "Well, at least it's only in the mornings." It's extremely frustrating, because it is much worse then the stereotypical 'morning sickness.' I am nauseous from the moment I wake up until I fall asleep at night. Not to mention that so far I have vomited at any time ranging from 7am until 2am. It is far from 'only in the mornings.' Every day is a struggle to get through, and most days I am only able to get off the couch a few times, to make a quick and easy lunch for the girls and put them down for naps. I rarely see my friends anymore because I don't have the energy to get myself and two toddlers dressed, out the door, and onto an activity.

Anyways, I hope it doesn't seem like I am complaining (too much!), but I am just venting, because it's frustrating when people don't understand how you are feeling. I am very excited for this baby, and can't wait to meet him/her!

Thanks for listening to my long vent! :)

Random Updates

I'm bad at blogging. I know. I'm so much better at reading other people's blogs and checking their updates. :) Also, until we get our new computer in the fall, it's a challenge on my little acer to upload pictures, which makes for boring words only blog posts. So, I thought it a good time to do a few quick updates.

-My internship is DONE! All my papers and projects are not, but I'm not thinking about those until next week. ;) But, at least I am finally home again with my babies! I have one two-hour course this fall semester and then I graduate in December! It seems so crazy that I will not have school anymore, because I hate being away from the girls, but I love my major and classes and am much more thankful for the education then I was when I began college many moons ago. :) Ryan will be planning a large party for me I hope. ;)

-Bridget turned one on June 3, and is even more adorable and amazing then she was then. She is talking a lot more and is basically a walker. She walks almost everywhere except after an occasional fall will start crawling again.

-Lucy is crazy and sassy. Every day she talks more and more, and I'm amazed at how much she learns and how fast she learns it! I think we're going to start with potty training next week, since I'm home now again.

-So far, this had been my favorite stage of parenting, because now that Bridget is a toddler as well, the girls play a lot more together. They love being rough with each other and wrestling with hugs and kisses. They seem to enjoy having each other a lot more now, despite the daily pushes and hitting. :) Besides giving birth, this is my favorite thing about being a parent - seeing how much my children love each other and enjoy the family God has given to us. I can't wait to add more babies to this joy!

-Ryan has found a new love - grilling! We got a new awesome grill for Bridget's birthday party, and although that day of grilling wasn't so great, since then Ryan has been grilling lunch or dinner for us multiple times a week and is AWESOME! Food fresh from the grill is one of my favorite meals and having a cute hubby who enjoys making up new recipes for it is a dream come true. :)

-We had our three year anniversary this week. Three years. Wow, has it gone fast. I am so blessed and I need to remind myself of that more. I can't say much else besides that. :)

That's it for now. Hope to see all you Newman Alum at our party (look on facebook) and everyone else I want to see at the Sprinkler Park or something soon. :)

I love Danielle Bean!

"Sarah Palin's Pro-Life Hesitation"

This article by Danielle Bean is awesome! I understand where Sarah Palin's 'hesitation' for a moment comes from. We all have that thought of 'Was getting pregnant a good decision for our family?,' or "Will I be able to handle everything physically and emotionally that a new child brings?' I had these thoughts especially when we were pregnant with Bridget and we realized how closely spaced our children would be. But, just because Sarah Palin or I had 1 second thoughts about wishing something didn't happen or that we could rewind time, doesn't ever mean we would actually have an abortion.

But, actually,what I like best about this article is how it made me realize that even though we consider ourselves to be very pro-life, we need to be doing more...MUCH MORE. We need to have a completely different mindset in offering anything and everything we can to pregnant women or new/young/struggling mothers and fathers. I hope to strive to learn and get involved in more through my internship this summer, which is through Healthy Start, a program through The Children's Foundation in Bloomington, who mostly do home visits to pregnant or new mothers with young children.

My favorite line Danielle says is "In the evil of abortion, we should hear God’s call for us to meet women’s needs with such with such crazy, over-the-top magnanimity that the temptation to abort becomes no temptation at all." Awesome!

New blog: Summa 3 Reading Group

Alleluia, He is risen! On this Easter Sunday, I want to invite you to another Herr blog, the "Summa 3 Reading Group":

http://summa3readinggroup.blogspot.com/

Here is some more info:

What is the group reading? Articles by St. Thomas Aquinas about Christ, from part 3 of his Summa Theologiae.

Do I have to buy a book? Nope. Every Sunday, I'll post another reading onto the blog. (The entire Summa is available for free on the Internet.)

What's the commitment? None required, it's really flexible. If you want to participate, do so when you're able, to the extent you're able.

How do I participate? You don't have to sign up for anything.
1. Go to the blog to read the weekly articles
2. (Optional) Ask questions and discuss. (Click on "comments" underneath the article.)

Who is welcome? Anybody. I'm iniviting the Third Friday Group from Epiphany and some alumni of the St. Robert Bellarmine Newman Center. If you know someone else who may be interested in this sort of thing, feel free to send them the link.

The Summa seems intimidating. Am I prepared to read it and qualified to discuss it? Personally, I'm neither prepared nor qualified, but anything worth doing is worth doing badly.

Any other questions? Feel free to ask. Thanks, and happy Easter!

-Ryan.

Notre Dame

This is my favorite article so far about the Notre Dame/Obama scandal. He explains so simply but effectively what Catholics are thinking when we say we do not want Obama to speak at ND's commencement. But, my favorite line of it is right at the end:
"It’s time for Catholics and Catholic organizations to decide if they are truly Catholic or not. Either you believe in Church teaching or not." So simple and to the point. Awesome.
'Is Notre Dame Not Ashamed?"

In case you haven't noticed.....

....we have extremely gorgeous children! This past Saturday we had a photo shoot with a photographer, Summer Knoblach. I had some other friends who had pics from Summer, and immediately I loved her and knew she had to have a shoot with my family. So, after saving for a few months, I booked her! I knew they would be good pictures, but the sneak peeks we saw on her blog were so much better then I could have imagined! We can't wait to see the rest and to FINALLY hang some pictures on our walls!

Small Successes

I love the Faith & Family Live Blog, and I love all the mothers who contribute to it. Most especially I love Danielle Bean and the way she encourages everyone by admitting her faults and also by knowing how to give a good 'pick-me-up.' One of her new weekly posts is called "Small Successes," and I was so inspired I wanted to share it with my family and friends. So post some of yours in the comments, either from today, this week, this month, whatever - And be proud of them! Here are mine:
1- Both of the girls and myself were all dressed and fed before 10am and we don't even have anywhere to
go today!
2-The clean diapers are dry and put away, not just sitting in the dryer today.
3-Yesterday we finally decided what carpet to buy, and where to buy it from (we've been sitting on making
the decision for too long now, and our goal is to have it done by Lucy's family birthday party which is just
over three weeks away).

I wish....

I wish that my daughters (and sons) will be as strong in 10 years as this girl.
I wish that I would be as strong and courageous as this girl.

I wish that I was good at making dinners and keeping the house cleaner.
I wish I was a more patient wife and mother.
I wish I liked road trips.
I wish I liked being pregnant.
I wish I was done with school.
I wish that I have a boy for our next child.
I wish our basement would finish itself (as well as our library, master bath, main floor bath, and family room).
I wish I could go to the bathroom throughout the day without a child in there with me. :)

But, what makes me feel not so depressed about all these wishes, is what I have on my feet. :) I used to wish that I had Ugg moccasins that I have been dreaming about forever....and my lovely hubby got those for me for Valentine's Day. :-D Thank you wonderful hubby! My feet have never been happier!

BABY!

Congratulations to one of my best friends, Lauren (and Drake) who just had baby Thomas Steed around 3:30am this morning! She was 34 weeks yesterday (her due date was March 30 - the same as Lucy's due date!), so he will be in the NICU for about a week or so. But for being a 34 week baby he was almost 6 pounds, and has no medical issues at all. I can't wait to see him, hopefully it will be sometime this week or next.
Whoo Hoo!
Sagel's are next......

Outtakes

First thing Bridget does - try to eat the paint. :)

Lucy wanted to paint her own belly instead of her sister's.

Last week we were playing at Lily & Ella's house, and our new friends, Dalton, & Calem were there too. Being the fun and creative mom's that Katie & Tara are, they wanted to do some pictures of the kids to make some Valentine cards. And since Lucy, B,and I were there, we reaped the benefits of their creativity and Tara's awesome photography skills. :) So after a morning of naked toddlers, lots of red paint, and loads of fun, some awesome pictures came out of it. Be looking for your Valentine coming in the mail this week. Until then, here are some of our outtakes. :) Thanks again ladies!