Ice Gallery (after)

So we made it back to the Crystal Ice Gallery to see the final product!  I'm so glad we made it back and it was a lot of fun to see the amazing things these artists created!  This year was much better for us than last year.  Last year we went later in the afternoon when the sun began setting and it got pretty cold!  Neither of us were really prepared for how cold it got and by the time we got back to the jeep we were pretty frostbitten!  

So I was a bit lazy and left my camera on the snow setting.  When I got home I realized that almost all of my pictures were really blue or cool looking.  I ended up really liking them in sepia; it just seemed like more detail was visible.  I ended up going back through all of them and manually adjusted the color to remove a lot of the blueish color.  You can see in the picture below that it still has a blue tint but I was able to add in some more warm tones!

This is a huge Christmas tree that is right next to the ice skating rink

Here Joe is giving me "the look" but I thought that the picture looked pretty neat in sepia!

This sculpture is called "Mountain Meets Sky"

"Officers Memorial"

"Hungry Caterpillar" close up

"Hungry Caterpillar" 

"Gladiolus"
This one was pretty interesting.  It's a woman on a bike riding on a wave.  You can see a seashell  at the bottom right and her hair is almost like a wave as well.  

"Gladiolus"
Close up of the woman's face

"The Predator"
The detail on this one is amazing!

"The Predator"
At the bottom of the predator is the prey... a little bunny.

 These are just a few of the beautiful sculptures that were created for the Crystal Ice Gallery!  It's amazing that these were all just blocks of ice a few days ago!!

Ice Gallery (before)

Today we decided to go check out the ice sculptures downtown.  It's been pretty warm here (in the 40's) and there's been major meltdown, so I was worried that they'd all be melted and ugly looking before we had a chance to see them!  Imagine our surprise when we got there and realized that they were just beginning!  We plan on getting before and after shots!  

Here's Joe overseeing the construction of our future home... an igloo... lol!  No this is actually an ice maze for the little ones from New Years Eve.

Old man winter blowing his icy wind... at least he was a bit today!

Here you can really see that icy wind!

Opposite of Old man winter is a skier ready to ski right into his icy wind!

The ice carvers getting ready to begin the carving

I think these are the coolest trees around!  They have these red berry looking things on them.  When all the other trees look dead and brown, these ones look cheerful, almost like they have red Christmas lights on them!

After we looked around at the Ice Gallery we went to the mall to warm up.  While there we found this really cute 2 piece winter set for Jesse.  We were super excited to see that it was 70% off!!  We got it for $10 at JC Pennys!  

9 to 29 weeks

So here it is...a comparison of my belly at 9 weeks pregnant to 29 weeks pregnant!! Yep, Jesse's getting big!!

So what's up with little Jesse and me? Well Jesse is getting bigger, I'm guessing based upon how his movement has been changing. He still likes to get me in the ribs but it hasn't been has hard (thankfully!!) Now his movements are starting to feel less like kicks and more like elbows and knees pushing against my tummy! Belly button is most definitely an outie (until I lay on my back and then it's pretty much flat!!) Oh, when I'm laying on my side it's becoming almost painful to roll over to the other side too quickly and then Jesse starts kicking up a storm! Sleep...need I say that it's becoming more elusive?? I figure I had better get used to that so that I can be prepared when Jesse is here! I've also been trying to take advantage of sleeping in...I'm pretty sure that will be a thing of the past when March gets here! Next appointment with the Midwifes is on the 11!

Week 29 of Pregnancy

Your baby's packing on the pounds, which look so cute on her. If only you could say the same for your varicose veins….

Your Baby in Week 29 of Pregnancy
How big is your baby this week? She weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches. Though she's getting pretty close to her birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, she'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — her weight. And as she grows and the room in your womb gets tighter, you'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee.

Learn more about your baby in week 29 and baby fat.

Your Body in Week 29 of Pregnancy
Unsightly yet harmless, varicose veins are simply swollen blood vessels that often surface on your body for the first time during pregnancy, especially if your mom or grandma had them. You may have a mild case (minor achiness and swelling) or you may be unlucky enough to experience real pain and bulging blue veins, usually from the ankle to the upper thigh. There are things you can do to alleviate this veiny situation, including watching your weight, keeping your blood flowing, and avoiding heavy lifting

Happy New Year!!

This year my dad and Joe went out and got a bunch of fireworks! We were so excited to find out that we could light them in our front yard!! The guys put on a show for the neighbors!

I was having a great time messing with the settings on my camera trying to catch the fireworks. Here is what I was able to capture:

These were actually the grand finale shots. Because of the low light the camera took a lot longer to capture a single shot. I wish I would have been able to capture more of these shots but they turned out pretty good.

This one reminds me of a flower!

These shots are of sparklers and the small fireworks that you throw on the ground. These ones turned out pretty cool! I'd have to say that these are a few of my favorites as well!

Joe fell asleep on the couch around 11 but my mom and I were wide awake. When the ball was about to fall I had to wake Joe up...as you can see he still has tired eyes!

I love these ones because you can see how big my belly (Jesse) is getting!!

But I have to say this one is my favorite. I used this pic for our New Years Scrapbook page!

Christmas 2010!!

So this is the Christmas card that we sent out this year! Yes that's right I actually sent cards out!! And I made this one using my scrapbook software, which makes it even more special!

I was a little disappointed that my little photomate printer doesn't print 5x7 but I made due with sending out 4x6!


I forced Joe to pose for the pics and these are the two that were in the running. On a side note: my cute knit slippers were a gift from Kathy last Christmas...I love those things!

My attempt to capture our Christmas tree on Christmas Eve...

Here is our tree in all of it's 4 foot grandeur!! The funny thing is that from the outside it looks like a normal size tree!!

3rd Trimester!

That's right, Jesse and I have officially made it into the 3rd trimester...that is 28 weeks, aka. 7mos! We now have appointments every two weeks with the midwives and childbirth classes every Wednesday!

My little guy is getting big and is still super active! He's already head down (but he's got plenty of room to change position if he wants to). He's been hanging out with his head in my left hip and his little feet in my right ribs!! He also likes to try and stretch while in this position which is getting uncomfortable for me, however, he appears to enjoy it very much!!

So here's what the website What To Expect says is going on with me and Jesse in week 28...

Week 28 of Pregnancy

Your baby has started blinking and dreaming while you may be dreaming that the pain in your derriere will disappear!

Your Baby in Week 28 of Pregnancy

Your baby is settling into the proper position for birth, with his head facing downward (toward your body's nearest exit!). Your little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 16 inches long. He's busy adding new skills such as blinking to an already impressive repertoire of tricks like coughing, sucking, hiccuping, and taking practice breaths. Your baby's sleep now includes the REM (rapid eye movement) phase — and that means he could be dreaming already (what do you suppose he's dreaming about?).

Learn more about your baby this week and fetal brain activity.

Your Body in Week 28 of Pregnancy

While it's good news that your baby is settling into the right position for childbirth (since you're now entering the third trimester), the potentially painful news is his head — plus the weight of your uterus — may now be sitting on your sciatic nerve, which runs through the lower part of your back, buttocks, and legs. This common condition (called sciatica) can cause sharp, shooting pain and/or tingling or numbness, starting in your rear end and radiating down the backs of your legs. The best thing to do for sciatica (and the rest of your week 28 aches and woes)? Take it easy — and hope your baby changes position sooner rather than later.

Busy Day Indeed!

Wow! We had a super busy day today! I had another appointment with the midwives and I had to do the 1 hour glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. The appointment went very well! Jesse appears to be doing what he needs to be doing and he's currently in proper position, however, he's still small enough to flip-flop if he so desires. Joe got to feel where Jesse's head is and I've discovered why he's always jabbing my in my left hip and right rib!! The glucose wasn't as bad as I had anticipated and I had no adverse reactions afterwards!! WooHoo, praise Jesus. I was also very brave and didn't throw a fit when the midwife had to draw the blood! =)

We also were driving all around town trying to look at gliders and ottomans, cribs, and pillow cases for my snoogle (it didn't come with one!!).

We couldn't get the glider we wanted and it was a really good price. We ended up settling for one that was a little bit more expensive and a slightly different color, only to find out that it was actually CHEAPER!! Another WooHoo!! We decided to wait on the crib for awhile longer however, we have one picked out. I was also able to find the very allusive Snoogle pillow case!!

Next on our to-do list is clean out the office and convert it into a baby room!! We're not looking forward to it but my goal is to have it done by January so we better get a move on it!!