Birthday Surpise and Pumpkins

So I'm kind of crammin several post in one because I've been slacking and not keeping up!! Here goes:



On October 17, my wonderful husband turned 29 years old. He was planning on celebrating the day by going to the Purdue vs Ohio State game. I was planning a family dinner of lasagna, salad, and garlic breadsticks for that evening to top off his day. I had to tell him that I invited my family to come over and join us. For those of you who know Jason and know how much he loves football and beer, you know why I had to let him in on this. He would have been drinking and having a REALLY good time, especially since Purdue won, and would have never made it home. But I wanted to make the dinner extra special. I called John and Rachel and Jake and Rox to invite them up and help me to surprise Jason. They were all game!! (John got his own surprise that week and was signed back to the Lions so he didn't get to join us for the party...but we are super excited for him!!)



So Saturday came and Jason went to the game, Jake and Rox were there too. Rachel and the girls came up early, so Bella got to have some fun playing with her cousins before everyone else got there. Jordan even came home early to join us. Jake and Rox rushed up to Plymouth after the game to beat Jason home. When he pulled in, he was both surprised and confused. I was excited because I actually surprised him. After hanging out for a bit, Randy, Mechelle, Austyn, Jenn, Justin, Mom, and Dad all joined us for a yummy dinner and cake!! We had such a great evening and it was so nice to spend time with Jason's family since we don't see them too often!!

Everyone enjoying themselves!

Nanny and her 2 little munchkins!

So this year I decided to make Isabella's Halloween costume. I couldn't find anything at the store that I like or that was worth the money. I decided to make her a Lady Bug. Her costumed turned out so much better than I thought it would! She's already gotten to wear it too! Nanny and Pappy had a Halloween party Friday night and all the kids dressed up. I can't wait to take her Trick-or-Treating for the first time this Saturday!

Bella Bug!

A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch and got our pumpkins. We hadn't gotten around to carving them. So on Saturday night we decided to do just that. Jordan, Jason, Bella and I had so much fun and made such a big mess!

Not sure if she wants to help Mommy

Silly girl!!

Jordan and Jason

Playing with the pumpkin "guts"

Having a little taste!

What a mess!!

Jordan's, Mine, and Jason's

So that has been our last couple weeks wrapped up into one little blog post! Things to come....We have been making progress on Bella's big girl room and it's almost finished. Look forward to some pictures to come soon. Also, Bethel basketball starts soon. Jordan's first game is on October 31st! We'll be enjoying plenty of games and I'll try to get some pictures for everyone to see!

Until next time...

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend, we took Bella on her first trip to the pumpkin patch at Hensler's Nursery. Auntie Jenny, Caleb, and Uncle Jordy joined us in the fun. We were able to take a horse drawn ride back to the pumpkin patch and choose our own pumpkins. It was a little muddy because it had rained most of the week, so our little diva wasn't enjoying getting dirty. We all managed to find some really good pumpkins. After we got our pumpkins, we took our ride back and tried to get Bella to take a pony ride. She wasn't having it. The moment we sat her on the pony, she screamed and threw a fit. Maybe next year!! All-in-all we had a successful trip! Can't wait to go back next year. We may even visit them at Christmas time. Maybe I'll give in and Jason will get his first real Christmas tree in years ;) We'll have to wait and see.

Intimidated by the Giant Pumpkin

Walking around with Uncle Jordy

On the horse drawn ride to the patch

Jenn and Jordy

Bella and Caleb

Picking a pumpkin with Daddy

Driving a big tractor

Gave in and let us take her picture

Doctor's Orders

Last week, I went in for my two week check-up from my surgery and to get my results. There wasn't too much endometriosis, thankfully, but I did have cysts on both my ovaries. They have a specific name, but I don't remember what it was. They are caused from eggs that are released but don't continue down the fallopian tubes. Instead they attach themselves to the ovaries. So what they had to do was drain them with some special tool. They were able to take care of all the endometriosis and the cysts!!

I have two options for "treatment." The first is to do a shot called Lupron Depot. What this does is put my body into menopause to decrease estrogen levels so the endometriosis won't come back so quickly. The doctor believes that would be the only benefit for me. The second, which he feels is the best option, is to start trying for baby number two. We discussed it, and feel this is the best option for us too. So we plan on starting to try soon!!

I know it is in God's hands now. I'm just so thankful that my fertility wasn't affected by this and that we will have the chance to have another baby!!

Until next time...

Happy Toddler

A swimming pool that's done for the summer +

Leftover sand from our wedding 2 years ago +

A basketful of beach toys=

One very Happy Toddler!!!

While we were on our family vacation in July, Isabella discovered a love for playing in the sand. We have had every intention during the past month to build her her very own sandbox for the back yard. We haven't gotten around to it. So I got to thinking...Take her wadding pool, add the sand we had leftover from wedding decorations and voila...make-shift sandbox. It's amazing how a toddler doesn't care what things are made of, they only worry about being happy while they play!! She should have many more fun times in her "sand box" until it's time to put it away for the fall.

Until next time...

Update on my Surgery

On Wednesday, September 2, I went in for laporascopic surgery for what they thought was endometriosis. (Great birthday present to myself!) I had the same procedure in 2006 and was having the same symptoms. Well it turned out that I didn't really have that much endometiosis but I did have 3 cysts removed from one of my ovaries. I was pretty out of it on Wednesday and still in pain on Thursday. By Friday, I started to get up and move around a bit. Today I ventured out to the Blueberry Festival (which I think I overdid it a bit) and then came home to relax. I'm starting to get back to normal but am still a little sore. I go back to the doctor on Sept. 17 to discuss the results of the surgery and what my next steps are. I will keep everyone posted as this appointment comes about. Until next time...

Catching up with an Old Friend!

The last weekend in August we had the opportunity to take a trip to Santa Claus, IN to go to Holiday World. We headed down on a Friday and camped until Sunday. An old friend and my roomie from USI, Jaima, lives in Dubois, which is close to Santa Claus. So Jaima and her daughter Zoe (who is almost 2 and I haven't had a chance to meet yet) came to the campground Friday night for a visit. I haven't seen Jaima in 5 years so we had a great time catching up and letting the girls play together. It was so funny to see them side by side. Isabella is about 7 months younger than Zoe but they are close to the same height and Bella weighs about 5lbs more. We were able to take lots of pictures. Here are some of my favorites...

Our goal is to try to make it a yearly thing that we get together! Hopefully time doesn't get away from us like it has in the past.

The rest of our trip to Holiday World was a lot of fun. Bella enjoyed her first camping experience, and her first amusement park and water park. Can't wait to go back next year!

Our Princess turns 1!!!

On August 12, Isabella turned a year old! We celebrated by taking her to the zoo in Michigan City and then to Lake Michigan! We had such a great time. Aunt Jenny, Caleb, and Nanny came along for the trip. We spent a few arounds walking around seeing all the animals and we even had lunch at the zoo. Then we walked over to the beach and spent some quality time in the sun! Bella enjoyed her time playing in the sand while Caleb went swimming in the lake! It was a blast! Here are some pictures of our trip:

On August 16, we had Bella a "Princess Party." We had lots of family and friends that came to help her celebrate. Uncle Jake and Aunt Rox came on Saturday to spend some extra special time with the birthday girl. Nanny, Pappy, Auntie, Aunt Chelle, Jamie, and Julie gave an extra hand to make sure every thing with perfect for Bella. Aunt Rachel and the girls came from Detroit for the festivities. Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Jess, Uncle Jordy, and Aunt Debbie came from Indy, and we had lots of family and friends in from Illinois. Overall, the party was fantastic and everyone seemed to have a great time!! Here are some pictures of her celebration: