Wishful thinking...

As I said in my post with the announcement about BB#3, I've had a rough go of things the third time around. I remember what little sickness I felt with Jenna and Brody disappeared at the end of the first trimester.

I've started the second trimester and no luck. I went six (six!!) days in a row without my head in the toilet and thought I was making progress, but the five days following I am back to the same old routine. Me. Sprinting to the bathroom. Emptying my stomach. And then all better. Wishful thinking I guess that I was on the up and up.

I'm by no means complaining, this is all for a good cause! It's just so darn annoying because I can't tap in to what sets me off. For example on Thursday, I had tomato soup for lunch and it was delicious! Friday for lunch, I decide to have the leftovers and two minutes after finishing I barely make it to the bathroom in time. What the heck?!

Oh well, I'm sure it will get better. I'm planning on talking to my doctor at my next appointment (November 18th) if things haven't gotten any better. Think happy thoughts for me!

Maddox is 1!

Friday nite we headed up to 'Kato for our nephew Maddox's first birthday party! We stopped by the Hunecke house for a short time on Friday and then headed over to Scott & Lisa's to crash for the night.

Saturday was the big day! Grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins were all on-hand to help celebrate. Justin and Mandy did a great job getting everything ready for the party. We had a great meal, enjoyed each other's company, got the kids dressed up in their costumes and let them trick or treat. For more pictures of the costumes, head over to the Hunecke Blog.

Some pictures from the day:

Grandma Jo and Maddox

Justin and his birthday boy


Mandy MADE :) us all take family pictures. It was a great idea, especially since we were all sporting black and gold! She has more pictures on her blog you can check out.

The three of us with dad... (Do you see that belly on the far right?! Yikes, already!)

And mom...

Thanks Justin and Mandy for a great weekend! :)

MSU Hockey Game

I talked about this in my column this week, but Scott hooked us up with some MINNESOTA State (aren't you proud Scott?) hockey tickets Saturday nite. The Mavs were playing #19 Colorado College.

This is the first thing I noticed when we walked in. Cheerleaders. At a hockey game. What the?!


Me and my hockey-lovin' husband. :)

Our section was a special section and they came down and threw us free t-shirts. Aaron was excited he got one until I said, "It would be hilarious if that was only a medium." He looked at the tag and what do you know? A medium! :) Luckily, Miss Jenna (with the help of Lisa) got a shirt and hers was an XL, so they were able to trade. Jenna thought she needed to wear it that second!


Lisa with Jenna and Brody. The kids LOVE her! Or, maybe it was the kettle corn she shared with them... :)

In another story, the people we were sitting by were really nice season ticket holders. The guy notices Brody's Hawkeye shirt, tell us he won a $100 bet that day because the Hawks lost, said he wanted to "share the wealth" and handed Brody a $1.

The view from our seats. Unfortunately, the Mavericks lost 1-0 and there wasn't a ton of offense and they didn't get a lot of shots on goal (listen to me acting like I know what the heck I'm talking about!), but there were definitely tempers flying between the two teams, which always makes for a good time!

The way I see it...

Hockey

We headed to Mankato last weekend for our nephew's first birthday. Ahhh....I love Minnesota in the fall with all the colors on the trees, it's just so pretty.

A good friend of ours from high school works in the sports information department at Minnesota State University and asked us if we wanted to go to the MSU hockey game on Saturday night. We thought it would be fun and said yes.

I should explain by saying that when my husband and I lived in Sioux City we got addicted to Sioux City Musketeers games (same league as the Des Moines Buccaneers). If they had a home stand on a weekend, it wasn't unusual for us to go both Friday and Saturday nights. We loved it!

Well, it's been about six years since we've been to a game. At our house we watch Minnesota Gopher hockey on t.v. (the one time we actually cheer for the Gophers). Anyone who watches the sport knows hockey on t.v. and hockey in person are two totally different things. You don't get the full effect of the hits and the skill of the players when you watch it on television and it's also harder to follow the puck.

I know hockey is not a sport for everybody. For me, I might compare it to soccer or wrestling, a sports many people don't understand and therefore don't really care for. I think once you understand something, you tend to enjoy it more.

Anyway, last Saturday night I sat in awe of the skills of these players. The fact that they have to try to get this tiny puck into the net, deal with the physical aspect of the game while doing it all on ice skates is nothing short of amazing to me! That is a lot of athletic ability wrapped up in those players.

Needless to say, the Mavericks lost, but my kids got to experience their first hockey game. I think they enjoyed themselves and I'm glad they got to be exposed to something different. It's crazy to think just one state away is a culture completely foreign to us Iowans. The sport of hockey. Minnesotans know it and love it. If you ever get the chance to go to a game, I encourage you to do so, you might just like it, but that's just the way I see it.

Five Question Friday

1. Who is the better cook, you or your spouse?
I would definitely say me. The one exception is burgers. Aaron can throw a bunch of crap in a burger and make it taste amazing.
2. How often do you talk to your mom?
Sadly, not as much as I used to. Probably only once or twice a week now. I just feel busier now than I did a few years ago.
3. Are you adventurous in the kitchen or stick to the recipe?
The first time I make something I stick to the recipe. That way I know how it's really supposed to taste. I'm not really a dare devil, but I will add my own little twists once in a while.
4. Is your second toe longer than your big toe?
Yes! Ew! I hate my feet and feet in general. Enough said.
5. Do you dress up for Halloween? (Bonus question: What will you be this year?)
Nope.

And then there will be three...

I'm so happy to "officially" announce that Baby Burdorf #3 (BB3) is on the way. I had my first visit with the doctor today and everything is looking good. We're 13 weeks along and everything is right on track. We are going a little out of the norm here after having two March babies, this one will be an (gasp!) April baby (29th is the exact date for now). :)

I will say this has been the hardest pregnancy I have had. I had a little nauseousness with Jenna and Brody and threw up probably twice with both of them combined. Not so lucky this time as I spend a lot of time with my head in the toilet. The kids see me run in to the bathroom and say, "You going to puke mommy?"

Anyway, we're all very excited and we'll keep you posted as things progress a long the next six months.

Story Time

One of the kids' favorite things about me being home is that we get to go to Story Time at the Library on Tuesday mornings.

Two weeks ago we learned about Fire Prevention Week and this week we learned about leaves.

We read a book and do a craft and the kids really look forward to it. The picture is from the librarian. I work with her at the paper frequently and she was a little camera crazy that day. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2010!

This past weekend Grandma and Grandpa Burdorf made the long trek from Sioux City to hang out with us. We had a weekend full of fun! On Saturday morning we headed out to Carroll's Pumpkin Farm in Grinnell. We went there two years ago and the kids really enjoyed it.

The morning went well, but I have to say that it was too hot. I know I shouldn't complain, but it really was hot and the kids had red faces and I was sweating. Ugh. I was hoping for cooler weather.

I love this expression on Jenna's face!

One of the great things about this place is all the opportunities they have for photos. They set it up that way on purpose and I am happy to report there were a lot of other crazy picture-taking parents there - not just me!

A hay bale turkey. Forgive Brody's bright face, direct sun and picture taking are not a match made in heaven.

Grandpa Frank and Jenna give the wheelbarrow obstacle course a try.

Brody in heaven on his Little Green Tractor. :)

Can't forget the cow train. They LOOOOOVED the cow train!

Grandma and Grandpa with their grandbabies.

They had a barn full of corn. The kids had a blast in there.

They had a giant pillow to jump on and Jenna couldn't wait to give it a try!

Brody trying to lift a way-t00-big pumpkin.

Riding the hayrack back in after picking out our pumpkins.

We had a family picture taken just like this a year ago at the apple orchard, so we needed another one. It's amazing how much the kids have grown, especially Brody!

All in all, a great weekend! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Work Changes

This is week two for us adjusting to my new schedule at work. A lot of things happened: 1. I realized Jenna was almost 5!! 2. My job was beyond stressing me out. 3. We didn't like how much money we were paying to daycare every month.

All those things combined and a serious talk between Aaron and myself and we decided to run the idea by Greg of me having more flexible hours. By "flexible" I mean get up in the early mornings (5 AM or so, not a big deal because I'm usually up by then anyway) and working until Aaron has to go to school or working nights (which I have to do a lot anyway between covering games and meetings). Plus, in the afternoons when Jenna's at school and Brody is napping I can do my writing at home.

We decided I would work 2-3 days during the week in the office during normal business hours, depending on how busy my week is. Greg said as long as the paper gets out every week, he's good with whatever. Thank goodness for that!

Week one was GREAT! Less stress + more time with my baby dolls = a much happier mommy!

The way I see it...

A human please

Remember the good old days? I’m talking about the days where you had a problem with a business or a bill and you called the company and actually got to talk to a real live human being?!

I was given the run around yesterday afternoon. Press one if you’d like to blah, blah, blah....press two if you’d like to blah, blah, blah and so on. After they had gone through about six selections and none of them were “talk to a customer service representative” I didn’t know what to do. I tried selecting one of the options and was given another five choices to choose from.

I was beyond frustrated and realized I probably needed to go back to the original menu, but that wasn’t an option. So, I hung up redialed and went through the whole kit-and-caboodle again. Finally I think I just started pushing “0” continiously and somehow, someway I got to speak to a human being.

I know with cut-backs and all the automated system seems like a good idea, but I would give anything (ANYTHING!) to go back to dialing a phone number, getting a real person and have them direct my call accordingly, but that’s just the way I see it.

Friday 5's

1. What do you listen to while driving?

90% of the time it's country music, the other 10% of the time is probably a movie the kids are watching.

2. What is your least favorite thing about Fall?

I don't have many complaints about fall, but I really hate it when all the leaves are gone and you just know that winter is around the corner.

3. What does your dream house look like, inside and out?

It's definitely in the country with big windows in the living room looking out a great view. A front porch that I can sit out on and drink my coffee in the morning. BIG kitchen! Really wide open. Hardwood floors. A finished basement for the kids to hang out. And, I better put a garage with multiple stalls (that's all Aaron ever asks for!).

4. Would you ever own a minivan?

I DO own a minivan. I don't understand why people don't like them! I love my minivan and I wouldn't trade that thing in for anything.

5. Do you wash new clothes before wearing them?

It depends what it is.

Future scientist?

Jenna has blown me away not once, but twice this past week. I'm amazed at the things that they're learning in preschool. Just preschool. Not 4th grade. Preschool.

Her and I were on a walk and it was dark and I noticed this thing, it looked like a nut or something. I asked Jenna what it was and she replied, "I think it looks like a chrysalis." WHAT?! Who says that?

Secondly, when we were driving around Armstrong for Aubrey's baptism we were talking about the leaves changing and Jenna goes, "The leaves are turning brown because they're losing their chlorophyll."

The things kids learn these days is amazing. They really are little sponges!

The way I see it...

Apples

You all know I LOVE fall! I have professed my love for this wonderful, too-short season many times. The beautiful colors and the cooler temperatures are high on my list of likes. It's the time of year where you get to bust out the sweatshirts and crunch in the leaves and start drinking hot chocolate again. At my house, it's also the start of "soup season". I love making a big pot of soup, especially on the weekends.

All these things aside, perhaps my biggest love of fall is apples. One of the greatest things about fall for this girl is going to pick my own apples with my kids at an apple orchard. Nothing taste better to me then fresh apples picked right off the tree. I think it's such a fun, family experience that doesn't involve anything but you and mother nature.

Here's where the problem comes in: I was all set to go to the apple orchard last Saturday and my husband was not. His comment to me was something about that's why they have grocery stores. My reply was something to the effect of it not being about convenience, it's about the experience. We were both not happy campers with the other one. In the end, we ended up going to the grocery store (we had to pick-up some stuff anyway) and I got three different kind of apples.

Don't worry, I will still be heading to the apple orchard. I can't stand going through the fall and not getting some fresh apples. We love to eat them raw or bake some yummy desserts. Last year I tried my hand at an apple butter recipe that I made in the crock pot and it was delicious! I hadn't had apple butter since I was a kid.

Here's hoping for more fall days like last Sunday, a picture perfect fall day that was just begging you to be outside to do something (like go to an apple orchard!), but that's just the way I see it.

Adorable and Ornery

Greg snapped this picture at the football game on Friday and I fell in love it. Sometimes I look at Brody and wonder how somebody so darn cute can be so darn ornery?!?!

Harvest Time

Aaron is once again this year helping our friend Jay with harvest. For being a town kid, Aaron LOVES being in the tractor! I think it's because it's so different than what he normally does and he doesn't have to deal with anybody like he does at school.

The kids have been dying for a tractor ride so I took them out there on Sunday morning. We rode for about an hour and a half and they probably could have rode longer, they loved it. Aaron even let both of them push some buttons once in a while, so they thought that was great.

It was also interesting that we got to see a coyote out in the field. Just a little one, but neat nonetheless since it's not something we would normally see.

5 Question Friday

1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?
Nope.
2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?
Holy cow! I don't know...a graphic designer would be cool, a radio DJ would be fun, a coffee shop owner would be neat to smell the amazing smell of coffee and get to chat with the same people everyday, a stay-at-home mom would be nice so I could kiss on my kiddos anytime I wanted. :)....
3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?
Not my absolute biggest, but when I was little I was always completely freaked out to sit on the end of the dock on a lake. I always swore I was floating out into the middle and would constantly turn around to make sure I wasn't.
4. What do you think is a waste of time?
Cleaning the house when you have two small children!!
5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?
I have t-shirts from state basketball and softball from when I was in high school just hanging out, taking up space.