Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Ringing in the New Year

It is SO hard to believe that it will be 2009 in a matter of hours!! This year has been one of immense change for Brian and I: 2008 started off with an engagement :) and culminated into a summer wedding and, albeit a little earlier than we had planned, the news that we would be welcoming a baby into the world in February 2009...

Despite all of the chaos and change, we are definitely looking forward to the upcoming year. I know I speak for both of us when I say that each day brings us more and more excitement (and some apprehension) as we think about Lily and dream about what she will look like.

In other news, we are both enjoying our break very much. Christmas was great, with the usual delicious smorgasbord of Mexican food at my parents' house on Christmas day. We spent the 26th with Brian's family, opening up gifts and going out for a nice dinner. We also had the chance to catch up with Brian's brother and sister-in-law--Darin and Lisa--which was great, considering we had not seen them since the wedding.

Today is my birthday and, despite the fact that I tried to convince Brian that it is just like any other day, he insisted on cooking me a fancy dinner. His original plan was to make lobster, since I had never had it, but the store "forgot" to order it (although I'm not sure that it is a typical order in Alliance, NE). So, he reverted to plan b...here are some pictures:


As you can see, there is certainly no shortage of beef in Box Butte County, Nebraska :)

Brian said I could have first pick of the cut of meat. After attempting to eat the entire thing, I assured him that I thought there would be enough scraps left over to tide him over until breakfast time...:)

 
Tomorrow, January 1st, we will be headed down to Scottsbluff to watch the Huskers play in the Gator bowl--I know that Brian would want me to say this, so, just for him-- GO HUSKERS!!

Today also marks Week 32 in our pregnancy journey.
Here is our 8 month shot

And, for a change of scenery, here is a picture that actually shows my face :)
Brian and I are very grateful for what the past year has brought us and are very much looking forward to what the new year has to offer...we hope that your lives have been as happy and as blessed as ours!!



Wednesday, December 24, 2008

From Us to You--Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Howdy-

Brian here, taking a turn at the keyboard after a LONG semester of grading (the less-desirable part of teaching.) We have finished our busiest half-year as a couple: Lily on the way, Erica taking 15 hours at CSC (she still has her 4.0!), and myself with six classes plus a lab (as I said, much grading.) We are, of course, thankful that we have what we do, especially with regard to the current economic climate.
Everyone is well up here in Box Butte County--Erica is plumping (Ha!) the critters keep each other on their toes, and, according to all we have heard from the docs, Lily is healthy and developing. After February, we will certainly have a full household. We wish you all the best, and hope for a safe and warm holiday for everybody!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Getting into the Holiday Spirit*

Hey everyone :) Brian and I have slowly been getting into the holiday spirit. At first, we were both kind of disgusted by the fact that WalMart had their Christmas decorations out and were playing Christmas Carols--of course, that was the day after Halloween :) We finally got our tree up and are slowly putting up some decorations around the house. There aren't any presents under the tree as of yet--but I'm sure that will come too! Here are some pictures:

Our beautiful Christmas tree. It is a little hard to see the whole thing, because we had to put it in the office, but in real life, it is gorgeous--even if it is fake! Ajax still tries to eat (and climb) the fake tree, so I bet it is better that it isn't real...


We bought Koda this hat in an attempt to get her to wear it for our Christmas photo--she would rather eat the snowball on the end. However, she was sleepy, so I managed to get this one shot :)
We are still waiting for the semester to be over...each day brings us closer! Today marks the beginning of the third trimester for me--28 weeks or 7 months! Hard to believe!

7 months!
Yes, those are some beautiful stretch marks crawling up my side--guess they are unavoidable :) Hope you are all well!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thanksgiving Happenings

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We spent our Thanksgiving down in the valley, going to a lunch at my family's and a later lunch at Brian's. Needless to say, it was a bit of a turkey overload! But, overall, it was a very enjoyable time :) We both enjoyed a two day break from school and grading, which made the holiday that much sweeter.
Because we stayed in Scottsbluff, we brought the pets along--here are some funny pics:
Ajax says: I know there is a big bird coming to the house...I'll be sure to let him in!
Koda says: Not if I get him first!

This is what happens when you eat too much turkey ^--naptime anyone?


Hopefully everyone will have a great holiday season. Much to Brian's chagrin, I took him around to some of the local shops on Black Friday--however, it was not overly enjoyable for him, so Christmas shopping has been minimal thus far. :)
We are doing well otherwise. On Wednesday I will be 28 weeks--the 7 month and 3rd trimester marker. We have our next appointment on December 9th, when I will also be doing my glucose tolerance test to test for Gestational Diabetes. Cross your fingers that all that pecan pie that I ate this week did not send my blood sugar through the roof!! :) Baby Lily is doing well--we had the baby shower on November 16--needless to say, the child is spoiled already!!! :) I'm afraid it is inevitable....
That's about all the new news from the Croft household. Will post more later...

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Baby Belly :)

For everyone who wants to see how the baby is growing (and, of course, how I am growing!!) I thought I'd post my monthly belly shots---
Here you go!
This one is 12 weeks (3 months)



This one is 16 weeks (4 months)


20 weeks (5 months)


And, the most recent belly shot--24 weeks (6 months)



It just keeps growing!!

Friday, November 7, 2008

November Blizzard! Part II

I thought I would attach some more pictures of the blizzard. These are from today, the day after the storm finished. Brian attempted to go to work, but, as you can tell, there was something in the road preventing him from doing so!
The drift!
It was as tall as the car!

The bulldozed right through it!


Don't think he's gonna make it...








Thursday, November 6, 2008

November Blizzard!

Brian and I woke up this morning to a very unpleasant snowstorm---watch and be cold! :)

Brrr...!

Welcome to our blog!


On our wedding day

Brian and I have officially decided that, since everybody in the free world seems to have a blog, it is time for us to catch up!


We are both having an extremely busy semester. Brian is teaching full-time at WNCC, splitting his days between the Alliance and Scottsbluff sites. He is teaching an overload of courses this year, and, putting it nicely, is very tired of grading comp papers!


I am in the Fall semester of my senior year at CSC, working toward my psychology degree. This semester has been very busy with senior research projects and papers, but I am definitely beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel--thank goodness!


For those of you who don't know, Brian and I were married on July 10, 2008 in Scottsbluff. We had a private, family ceremony in Brian's Mom's back yard--it was beautiful!


The most exciting news for us is that we are expecting our little one in February. My due date is Feb. 25, 2009--which puts me at about 6 months pregnant. Thankfully, after a rough first trimester, I am feeling pretty good! Now, if only that can continue until the end... :)


We found out at our 20 week ultrasound that we are having a baby girl, which is what I was crossing my fingers for! We are both getting more and more excited, with a little nervousness thrown in there as well!