Courage To Be Real: January 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Here We Go Again

Thursday morning, January 21st, I woke up at 2:00am from a very real dream. In the dream I was pregnant, but it wasn't the most peaceful dream and I couldn't get back to sleep. I had seen a pregnancy test in the bathroom drawer the day before when cleaning out the bathroom. I decided if I was going to be awake I may as well take a test and put my mind at ease. I waited and squinted at the test in my hand and kind of thought that I saw the shadow of a second line appear. I kept thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me. It took us a year to get pregnant with Jacob and that was so frustrating, this go around we were on month two. I had been trying to prepare myself that we would have to wait a while to add a third kiddo to our family. I went back to bed tossed and turned for a couple more hours then fell asleep until Allan got up for work. I got up took him the first test and asked him if he saw a second line too...he did. I wanted to be sure so I went bought a test that actually says the word pregnant on it and by Thursday afternoon it was confirmed.
We were and remain so excited. I had thought that we would not make any big announcements for awhile since I found out at 4 weeks and it would be another 8 weeks before I was out of the "danger zone" but it became evident pretty early on that we were not going to be able to keep it from Claire and once she knew the news could spread pretty fast. Telling Claire was SO much fun!! She danced and screamed and jumped up and down. Jacob followed her lead which was funny because he has no idea why they were so happy. We decided to call our families that night as well and let Claire tell them the fun news. We also told a few of our closest friends right away knowing that they would be praying for a healthy pregnancy from the beginning and we will take all the prayers we can get.
I went to the doctor on Monday of this week and he said all looks well as far as he can tell and I am scheduled for my first sonogram on February 17th. I always feel such a sense of relief during that first ultrasound when I see the heart beating. At the moment the estimated due date is September 3oth.
This has already felt different than the first two pregnancies. I am really excited but I don't feel that urgent need to plan out the next nine months like I did the first two times. I guess I just feel a little more laid back this go around...granted I am only five weeks pregnant ;) I am feeling really well at the moment too which is so nice. I had one day that I felt really nauseous but it was the day I tried a prescription pre-natal vitamin and I think that kind of tore me up. I have felt a little tired by about 9pm, but am doing great during the day. I am really hoping and praying that I will feel this good for the next 33-35 weeks.

Seriously, this girl is a BLAST! She is so incredibly excited about another baby coming to live at our house. She is asking so many more questions this time and is doing things to "take care" of the baby.
A few fun Claire The Big Sister memories so far:
** "How do babies get in your tummy if they aren't already in there?"
** "Can the baby sleep in my room when you come home from the hospital? I will just come wake you up if the baby waked up."
** She will just come up to me and kiss my tummy or rub gently
** When Jacob is playing rough she says "Jacob you have to remember to be very gentle with the baby." Then she will look at me and say "Don't worry Mom, I will teach him how you are supposed to take care of babies."

Jacob is pretty much oblivious other than the fact that when I say "Where is the baby?" he pulls my shirt up. He has no idea what is coming, but I have no doubt he will be a wonderful big brother. The biggest concern is that he will love this baby a little too much ;)

Yesterday we were doing some art stuff and Claire asked if she could draw a picture of our family under a rainbow. I LOVE it!! I actually thing I will frame it. The picture kind of takes my breath away, I cannot believe that we are a family of FIVE.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Anniversary Trip

Allan and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on January 8th. It has been 6 years that I would not trade for anything on this Earth. He is truly amazing and he blesses me on a daily basis. Allan Kavalich, thank you for choosing to spend the rest of your life with me!

We try to get away for at least one night to celebrate our anniversary every year. Sometimes we actually get away on our real anniversary and sometimes we wait awhile. Regardless, it is always so nice to get away. This year we decided to road trip into the hill country, hike at Enchanted Rock, stay at a great Bed and Breakfast in Fredericksburg, and eat German food. It was perfect, maybe my favorite trip we have taken for an anniversary so far.

We ate our way from Central Texas to the Hill Country. We had breakfast at Roy T's in Salado, the MOST AMAZING Bar-B-Que EVER at Cooper's in Llano for lunch, and a delicious dinner at Der Lindenbaum in Fredericksburg.

We decided to drive the backroads on our way down South and saw some people stopped on the side of the road looking into the trees so we stopped. One of the guys let us borrow his really good lens so that we could get a picture of these awesome bald eagles. One is sitting on the eggs and the other one is standing guard. It was really cool to see.

One of the highlights of the trip for Allan and I was hiking at Enchanted Rock. Neither one of us had ever been there before and it did not disappoint. The hike was actually steeper than it looks. Allan and I both love being outdoors and don't do activities like this nearly enough. We will definitely be going back sooner than later.

Other highlights of the trip were the couples massage that Allan set up for us at the B&B. We also went to the Pacific War Museum on Sunday morning before heading home and it was fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in WW2.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Meeting Malia Joy

I was so happy that our good friends Ben and Krista welcomed their second baby girl into their family while we were still in CA. Malia Joy was born on New Years Eve and we were able to visit them in the hospital the morning before we flew home. I like to say she was named after me since we share a middle name (don't burst my bubble Krista). I digress....Malia is so incredibly cute and I am in love with all of her dark hair. She was so tiny and loved being in my arms ;)
It was great to spend a little time with Ben and Krista too. We hated that our visit was so short, but we know that we will see them all again at some point in the next six months or so. Have I ever mentioned what a bummer it is to have people you like so much live so far away?

Kavalich Christmas

This year we were able to fly out to CA the day after Christmas and stay until New Years Day. It was the longest we have ever gone out there for a holiday. We had a good time and made a lot of memories. As always my in laws were very gracious and generous. It was nice to not be so rushed throughout our visit. Claire has said many times since we got home how much she misses "the granddaughters" and wonders when we will see them all again.

This was primarily an American Girl Christmas in the extended Kavalich family and let me just say Claire was thrilled with all the accessories she got for her dolls. I think one of my favorite gifts she got were her "Mimi" glasses, they crack me up.

Jacob got some really fun presents as well, most of them had to do with the transportation industry and that was just fine by him.

The presents were great, but the highlight of our time in CA was the fun that this group of cousins had for seven days. There were so many laughs and a few tears. I love that even though my kids only see this group of cousins only a couple of times a year they always seem to pick up right where they left off. The "big" kids would disappear for hours at a time up in the Bird's Nest and disappear into their own little make believe worlds. I loved sneaking up the stairs and listening to the pretend to be mommies, teachers, and animals. One of the other super cute moments was when the girls put on a little concert for us using Charlotte's karaoke machine. I just love this group of kiddos.

This year Gig helped the big kids put on their first production of The Christmas Story. It was A-DOR-ABLE!! Claire was so excited to be the angel and she delivered her lines like a pro ;)
I could not help but post her sassy pose, it cracks me up.

This was our second year to go to Disney on Ice and it was great. There were a lot more princesses and the Toy Story characters which was a perk for the girls. I was shocked that Claire totally passed out for the second act, but there was no waking her up. All the late nights in the Bird's Nest caught up to her.

Our Little Christmas

This year we tried something a little different. We made the choice to be at our house on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning and that meant we would totally be on our own, just our little family of four. We actually loved it and will make this our new tradition I think. We did go to our church for the Christmas Eve service and sat with my sister Amy and her family but then we headed home to begin the festivites.

We opened our Christmas PJs, made reindeer food that Claire insisted needed to be blue, then we baked Santa his cookies put them by the fireplace and hoped he would visit soon. It was a fun night, especially once cranky Jakey was put to bed. He has not grasped the concept that Christmas Eve is a super fun night full of traditions and you are supposed to be happy all night long...maybe next year.

Christmas morning kind of cracked me up because when Claire woke up I said "Merry Christmas! Are you ready to go see what Santa brought?" She said "yes" and bounced out of bed and went straight to the couch to cuddle with Allan who had been up for a couple of hours with Jacob. She got totally into the show he was watching and I practically had to force her to get the stuff out of her stocking. It was SO funny.
Claire thought it was hilarious that Santa put panties in her stocking and her favorite present was the pillow pet that Jacob gave her. She likes Katie, her new American Girl doll as well, but it was not her favorite gift (which I knew would be the case, but that is a different story). It was really fun to watch her this Christmas once she got going ;)
Jacob LOVED his slide from Santa. He totally got into opening presents this year and had a tendency to climb on every gift he opened (see pictures above).
I love experiencing Christmas through my kids eyes, it becomes more magical every year.

After a restful afternoon Allan, Claire, and I cooked Christmas dinner and the Powells came over to help eat it. It was super yummy and so fun to finish out the day with family. The Powell kids had really been wanting to play Minute To Win It games so we busted out our supplies and let them play a few. It was such a fun way to end a great day.

Selke Christmas

I LOVE my parent's Christmas tree. It is filled with so many memories. I can't really explain it, but when I see it I just feel like I am home.

It was good to go to Waco for part of the Christmas holiday this year. We have met either at my house or my sister Amy's house the last few years, but I really enjoyed being "home for the holidays" this go around. The kids had a ball playing out in my parent's yard even though it was freezing cold. They are obsessed with Poppie's pigeons and Jacob loved petting Smiley the dog. Skyler had Asher and Claire obeying her every word as they played school. There were many laughs shared when we busted out the old home videos one night. It is shocking how thick our accents used to be.

We actually celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on Christmas Eve morning at my brother and SIL's new house. It was a perfect set up for having a yummy breakfast and then entering the land of total chaos that comes with 20 people in one room trying to open presents and take pictures. My SIL, Adrielle, made a yummy and beautiful cake so that after the presents were opened we could have a birthday party for Jesus. It was a really special, but fast, few days of the beginning of our Christmas celebrations. I love every ,last member of my crazy family and I wouldn't trade the chaos of family get togethers for anything.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Sewing

I have decided to finally pick a hobby and stick to it ;) I have made a dress for Claire, some swaddle blankets and burp cloths for Lexi, and my most recent project...hooded towels. I broke a sewing machine and 13 needles while making 8 towels so needless to say I have a bit of refining to do on my sewing skills, but boy was it fun as an overall project. I bought a new machine and as soon as the Christmas decorations are out of the house I will be turning the office into more of a sewing/craft room and working on a few more projects. Allan even gave me a super cute storage/drawer tower thing (that is its unofficial name) for Christmas to help organize all my sewing stuff. He is so great at supporting me in the things I hope to make my hobbies...hopefully this one will stick :)

The finished products- 7 hooded towels for the Kavalich grandkids to be hung up at their Mimi and Papa's house in CA. The other towel I made was a gift for Lexi for Christmas.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Favorites

I love Christmas time for many reasons. One of the things I love most is how cozy the decorations make a house feel. This was one of my favorite years for decorations in my home so far. These were just a few of my favorite Christmas touches in my home this year.

Christmas Party #2

We had so much fun at Allan's 30th birthday party that we decided to host another Minute To Win It party with a tacky Christmas twist. Everyone (except for one, although I am not naming names) put on their Christmas best and got ready to party. After eating chili (which would come back to haunt Bear later) and having a few margaritas it was time for the games to begin.

After a lot of spinning, shaking, ping pong ball bouncing, Christmas ball hanging, candy cane ring tossing, and laughing so hard I was crying more than once the night had to come to an end. The Powells were the big winners of the night and took home The Sweatered Pig trophy which we hope to take back next year. It was such a fun night!!

December Catch Up

We had some family time at Bass Pro. It was such a fun night. Claire made a reindeer craft and sent a letter to Santa. We rode a carousel made up of Santa's reindeer. Jacob loved seeing all the animals both dead and alive and both kids had a ball playing in the tents. It is seriously the little things that make life so great and I love making these kinds of memories with my little family.

Our friends Hannah and Ava came over for our annual (this is the second year in a row) cookie decorating event. It was not quite as productive or peaceful as last year with both Jacob and Ava being a little more active this go around but we still had fun.

This has become one of Claire's favorite activities and Jacob is quickly following in her footsteps. I know it is not the best thing for the furniture, but it is so fun watching them have so much fun.

We had our annual playgroup Christmas party and it was a good time. The kids colored ornaments and filled every little friend's party bag with goodies. Cooper read the Texas version of The Night Before Christmas to all his friends and Claire was totally impressed. We were sad that two of our playgroup buddies couldn't make it. I love this group of friends and it will be sad when these monthly playdates have to come to an end, three of the six kiddos start Kindergarten next year.

Claire and I spent a Sunday afternoon at The Gaylord Texan with the Powells and my parents. Although it was a crazy long wait for lunch we still had a good time looking around at all the sites. It is such a great place year round, but it is kind of magical at Christmas time.