Schenk Family

Sick Day

2012-02-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

My little Gracie had a temp and a belly ache. We did what most like to do when sick, lay around in our pj's and watch movies. Nolan hung out with Gracie for just a little bit while I got some freshly clean laundry folded. When I have a sick child it seems I am washing everything.

GQ

2012-01-30T20:48:00.000-08:00

My little GQ, at least that is what I thought when I saw him in this button up shirt. I thought he looked so funny dressed like this for a baby but what a cutie. He gets me every time with his half smile like he knows just how cute he is;)

All dressed up for church

All Dressed Up

2012-01-28T03:30:00.000-08:00

This is the last post of 2011, promise.

For New Year's Eve the four of us and my parents got dressed up to head to church and to diner. Our New Years consisted of a late night of games and the New Years Ball dropping in the background. It was nice and relaxing. Here are a few of the family pictures I got before we headed out.

Time With Family

2012-01-26T04:11:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture recap of our family time in Cincinnati.

Nolan with two of the shirts I made him

I mentioned in a prior post that we all attended the Christmas play at my parent's church. After Gracie got to meet the dancer that played Mary. Most of the pictures above were taken with my phone so they are not very good but I still love them. The kids on their daddy's shoulder after the show. Gracie meeting Mary, she actually touched her face, I was a little embarrassed but I think she was checking to see if she was real.

Family Picture

The beautiful table for Christmas Eve diner

The Family

My mom and I made these cups that I found on Pinteret

Grace helping Nina with dishes

Gracie & Alex working on the train table

Nolan getting some much needed game time in;)

Not Just for the Birds

2012-01-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

When I was little my brother and I climbed my grandmas tree all the time although Troy loves to tease me and say there is no way I can climb a tree. Well, I can and my little Gracie girl seems to be interested in doing the same thing. While in Cincinnati even when there were no kids to play with I bundled Gracie up and sent her outside with the family dog Carson. She loved playing with him and throwing the ball. I also often found her playing in the not tree, no worries it is not high at all but she loved hanging out in it.

These days it is hard to get Gracie to give me a real smile so each time I take a picture I take not one but about in hopes to get a "pretty smile" She has come up with so hilarious smiles, below are just a few of them.

Playtime {Outside}

2012-01-21T05:30:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before the weather was wonderful and we headed to the park one afternoon where I was able to enjoy watching the kids play with the Nina & Papi. I also got a couple of adorable shot that I thought I would share.

Cute Cousin Love

2012-01-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

My nephew Aiden and Gracie were just adorable all week. They got along so well and really seemed to enjoy each others company. Aiden even was willing to share his iPod touch with Gracie. These two sat in this chair for sometime one evening playing games and watching movies. Of course as parents we ate it up.

Playtime {Inside}

2012-01-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

It has been a while but I need to do a little catching up from the last couple of weeks, this includes so of our Christmas activities, so here we go.

While in Cincinnati we did have wonderful weather but we also had a good amount of rain and when it comes to kids we like to get them out so they can run around. Cincinnati seems to have some of the neatest places to take kids for little or no money. The family headed to an indoor play area. This play place is actually a place where they sell amazing swing sets but for a small fee you can play there or even have a yearly membership. They even had an indoor basketball courts and a gymnastics area. The kids had a blast and even I got to go down the biggest slide in the building.

Aiden & Gracie racing

Gracie playing in one of the houses with Aiden

The kids playing on the swing

This was in the center of the place
Gracie went done the slide & I was nervous too

2 Months

2012-01-13T05:46:00.000-08:00

At Nolan's 2 Month Check Up:

Height: - 24 1/2 - 98%

Weight: 13lbs 8 oz - 82%

Head: 15 1/2"- 64% - much smaller then miss gracie

Info: you have very dry skin on your for head

What Nolan is up too:

smiles all the time
when you are awake you want to be talked too
making bubbles
sticking out his tongue
just started cooing
loves being naked
favorite person by far is Gracie he smiles the most for her
eating every 3 hours sometimes 4 and at the most 5
sleep schedule - you go to bed between 11 & 2 you are my little night owl. you then sleep until any where between 7 & 8. you eat then sleep 3 more hours....I think this counts as sleeping through the night although I wish my sleep started earlier but I have adapted
traveled to Cincinnati twice
loved on by lots of family & friends at Christmas
you continue to spit up. Gracie never did this so I have to always carry a burp cloth. You spit up not just after you eat but anytime. I have gotten use to smelling like spit up because no matter where the burp cloth is you seem to miss at some point. This includes spitting up on your outfits. Dr Weber is not worried so this is something I am getting use too;)
while in Cincinnati daddy did some belly time with you and you rolled right over
even in you sleep positioner pillow
you have a baby pillow that elevates you just a little while you sleep at night, you do scoot until you hit the sides
nicknames: little man, squirt, buddy, pumpkin

I knew my little man was growing but wow. When I was at the doctors office I was getting out my pen to write down the percentages and the nurse was joking around telling that they were all 100%. This little guy guy does not look like a 2 month old. Yesterday he took a morning nap and an after noon nap as if he was 6 months old. I walked him into his room at about 2pm and laid him down and walked out and he went to sleep. Now he had not slept since noon so I knew he need to sleep but it was still a lovely moment to have both kids in there rooms for naps at the same time. For a moment it was all so peaceful.

Saying Good Bye

2012-01-03T04:30:00.000-08:00

Sadly with the end of the year came a sad goodbye. Since we started going to Faith Bible Church we have been loved by some amazing friends. The end of this year we say goodbye to the Durant Family with sadness of missing the time with them and happiness to see what is to come in there lives. We have been so blessed by their friendship and encouragement. Jana is the wonder women of motherhood. In August she took on the task of watching our Gracie a couple of days a week. This means that she added to her already 3 children house hold to make 4 and with excitement found out baby number 4 was on the way. She took it all on and we were so grateful to have such a great women loving on Gracie. Gracie loves and adores her 3 kids and their play time will be so missed. We just want to thank you for everything. We love your family and are excited to see all the things God does during this time. He has already laid out the path and I just am excited to hear about everything he does along the way.

Miss you already. I wished I could have hung out at your house today in my PJs.
Love You Guys!

Adi & Gracie

Jana & I at Co-Op

the black & white pictures makes

the no make-up look so much better;)

Gracie with the Durant's

Levi, Gracie, Adi, Ricky & Jana

Jana & Nolan at the Hospital

The whole Durant clan with baby Nolan

the kids 2 summers ago on our camping trip

A Blessed 2011

2012-01-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

I can look back at every year and see so much to be thankful for, to see all the changes, and all the prayers that have been answered. I can look over my life and see how much God has blessed me with, an amazing husband that loves and adores me, a best friend and an amazing father. I have two beautiful kids. A great family that loves and supports me. Encouraging friendships with whom I can be honest and a church that has blessed us.

I just want to reflect on the heart sorrows of the year and the things that God has blessed us with.

The year started with us going through tests to find out why I could not get pregnant
In February Troy's Grandma Velda passed away
Found out I was pregnant
My friend from college son passed away in the worst possible of ways
We found out that I was having a baby boy
Troy and I celebrated 8 years together
We welcomed my first niece Nora to the family
My Grandma passed away - Thankful for the time I got to spend with her right before
Gracie turned 3
Last day of work
Welcomed a healthy baby boy
Found a name for our new baby boy, Nolan
Being blessed and loved on by my parents
Friends moving
See my brother this Christmas

With the year ending and the New Year beginning God always brings about new things to come with challenges, changes, and excitement. We are excited to see all that God does for our family.

OUR LITTLE BLESSINGS

A New Member

2011-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

Before Christmas we got to have a little celebration with Cliff and his girl friend Jess. They brought over a few gifts for the kids.

We then found out 2 days before Christmas that Cliff and Jess were engaged. We are excited to welcome Jess to our family.

Christmas In Cincinnati

2011-12-28T04:30:00.000-08:00

This year we spent Christmas in Cincinnati. The weather was wonderful which made it not feel like Christmas at all but it was nice to be able to go for walks and to let the kids free, for us and for the adults;) My parents church put on a Christmas show that was outstanding. It touched my heart from the moment it started, saying I loved it was an understatement. Gracie got to see the story of Christ's Birth and so many cool things that was part of the bible story that we take for granted. I know she did not understood every part but she loved it and she and my nephew Aiden who is 18 months sat through the hour and a half production. That in itself should tell you how good it was, they made it kid friendly but something adults would watch and understand what Christ did for us, it was very cool. Because I loved the show so much I thought I would let you see the little video they played for the kids. The words & music were done by their band and vocalist live. Hope you enjoy, this song has been stuck in my head.

We have been explaining to Gracie why we celebrate Christmas. We asked her Christmas morning who's Birthday it was, she then replied by naming everyone in the room. We then went back to how it was Jesus' birthday. This has been a fun time of teaching, Here are some great pictures from Christmas morning.

Santa's Little Helper

Gracie helped pass out stockings & gifts

my nephew Aiden & Gracie

they got along really well

Gracie with her new Princess shirt & paints

Aiden wearing the hooded towel that I made

Nolan with some stocking stuffers

Schenk Cousins

2011-12-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

Cutest Picture. These kids did pretty good to let us dress them up and take the quickest pictures we could of them. Once I took maybe 6 pictures we let them run wild until lunch.

my favorite

for mema

Our Little Christmas~Part 2

2011-12-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

Before heading to Cincinnati we had our own little Christmas.

her dress she got from her cousin Jessica

slippers that I got from a friend

the hooded towel I made

Gracie has been asking for a guitar since June. I finnaly found one this summer at a garage sale. It looks s though it was never used and is ger favorite colors

Our Little Christmas~Part 1

2011-12-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

This year has been fun to sit down and explain Christmas to Gracie. Although she was able to take it all in last year this year everything is still new to her. She loves everything about Christmas. It has been a lot of fun.

Most of my Christmas decorations have been handed down to me from my Grandma. Going through them this year has been sad. The just remind me of how much my grandma meant and how much she will be missed this year. It will be strange not having her.

Troy & Gracie setting up the manger.

a quick shot of the 3 of us

so fun to see 4 of these on the mantel

Visiting Cincinnati

2011-12-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

One week in December Gracie, Nolan, & I headed to Cincinnati for a week to stay with my parents. Troy had lots of work to do and we were pretty sure our days would be empty so I thought I would spend sometime with my family. Here is a little recap of the relaxing time we had.

Nolan Sleeping through our Walk

Carson the watch dog

Carson playing princess

Alex & Gracie building a tower

Nina put Gracie's hair in a few curlers

Nolan 1 Month

2011-12-18T12:14:00.000-08:00

This first month has been very busy. My parents were here, Troy's whole family was in town for Thanksgiving and then Troy's mom stayed for the week after. I then made my first long distance travel to Cincinnati to stay with my parents while Troy did a lot of recruiting. My recovery time for baby #2 was much better then last time. First I did not tear as bad and my emotions seemed to be almost back on track by 2 1/2 weeks, much sooner then with Gracie. I am thankful to feel like I am able to control my emotions. However my body does seem to be a little off balance still. During the first month I fell down both sets of our steps in our house, both times I landed on my right leg. I even took a trip to the triage the day before thanksgiving due to the size of my foot but it was fine just very bruised. They offered crutches but with a 3 year old and new baby I thought that just wont work.

As for Nolan he is eating like a champ. I have gotten him to about 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day but after 8pm it is every 2 hours, he likes to cluster feed. He is usually out at 10:30 or at the latest 1am and then he is out for the night. He sleeps anywhere from 5 to 7 hours he then will wake up to eat and then goes back down. He seems to sleep in the best on the mornings I need to get up with Gracie;)

What have we seen him do:
Roll over, smile, spits up a lot, more gas then a child that size should have, he loves to hold our finger and if you hold his hands together it will help relax him, he loves being swaddled for bed, sleeps the best in his car seat

At Nolan's 1 Month Check Up:

Height: - 22 1/4 - 80%

Weight: 10 1/2lbs - 70% - proof of how much this little guy is eating

Head: 14"- 60% -

Info: His umbilical hernia is still being watch but is looking much better

Country Elf

2011-12-17T04:30:00.000-08:00

Just in case you are not on facebook I thought I would share this with you....enjoy;)

Pictures of Nolan

2011-12-16T02:30:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of my favorites of our little peanut.

Sibling Love

2011-12-14T02:30:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get a couple of pictures of Gracie and Nolan together. I have always heard when this is planned it does not always go that well. It was a little interesting to get Gracie to pose the way we wanted but I did manage to get a couple of cute ones.

this one was just funny

Schenk Christmas

2011-12-12T02:30:00.000-08:00

While the Schenk's were in town we had a little Christmas celebration. It was not cold enough to feel like Christmas but I pulled out the little tree we to at least make it feel like Christmas.

The kids enjoying the weather

Opening Gifts

Gracie invited Sawyer over for cookies

The Schenk Cousins

Schenk Visit

2011-12-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving Troy's parents drove to Canton and brought Troy's brother Jake and cute wife Audra, aka Adi. We had a full holiday with lots of happenings. It was so busy with just having a new baby and the added guest made to it but it was fun to have them. Below you will see a flurry of pictures from our time together.

This is how we spent our thanksgiving:

dancing

seeing Santa again, the last one is better

Gracie on Papa's shoulders

Papa & Nolan

Nora & Nolan hanging out

Uncle Jake & Aunt Audi with the little ones

Cliff & Jess

eating

celebrating Jake's Birthday

Gracie loving the cake

Nolan love his naps

Comparing My Babies

2011-12-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

Over the years we have gotten mixed opinions on who my little miss Gracie looks like. Of course each of our mom's see each of us in her but from outside the family we have a mix of comments. Gracie's doctor thinks she is dead on Troy, this is because as you can image the serious face Troy has when he has seen Dr Weber and Gracie is pretty serious as well. A lot of people thinks she looks like me or gives looks like I do. Honestly she is a great mix and I can show you tones of pictures around the same age where we look nothing a like but we were looking at old photo's the other night were we had a couple where it was so close. The one thing Gracie had that neither of us had were those big cheeks. Yes we both had cheeks but not of that size. Each time she was about to hit a growth spurt they would get bigger and bigger until she went up in size and then they would go down.

Now we knew from the 3D ultra sound that our little Nolan would have cheeks because that was the first thing the tech said "look at those cheeks". I just wondered how much thy would look a like. When Nolan was born besides having some cheeks I did not think he looked like Gracie. He had a much smaller head and face. We just thought he looked different. Most that came to visit thought Nolan and Gracie look so much a like, most comments were he looks like a Schenk.

Over the last the weeks he has changed and it is hard to say they no longer look a like...

Both taken in the Hospital

Gracie

8lbs 1oz

Nolan

7lbs 7 oz

Both taken around 3 weeks

gracie

nolan

I would say that with all the eating Nolan and those cheeks have

caught up to Gracie's. I would have to say they look very much a like; )

Roll Over, Roll Over

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Our newest member of the family likes to eat, a lot. On this night we were again trying to hold him off from what he loves to do before bed which is cluster feed. We also thought maybe he just had gas so we tried all the different things that people say can help. One of them is laying the baby on the floor face down which also counts as tummy time. So we did and he was so mad. Mad enough that he rolled himself over while Troy and my MIL watched. I missed it, I was their but not watching. So Troy thought we should try it again and video tape it just in case. Here you go.

Nolan Rolls Over from Candace Schenk on Vimeo.

Another Dance

2011-12-03T02:30:00.000-08:00

Maybe this is getting old but I love it. I love having the opportunity to watch the bonding between father and daughter, the unique love that is growing there. It is so touching to watch Troy take on these special moments.

More then anything this little girl loves to play dress up and she loves to dance with her daddy. Sh has obviously taken in some dancing from Cinderella because she seems to know more and more about dancing and how it should work. On this particular night she wanted Troy to dip her, swing her and even told him where his hand should go on her back. It was so funny to listen to her as he dipped her so we got a few pictures and then video taped it just for documentation purposes;)

holding tight

big dip

twirl

wanting flipped

Cinderella

2011-12-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

The apple does not fall far from the tree in our family. I have talked before about what a helper Gracie is and that she loves to clean or she loves doing what ever we are doing;). While my mom was in town she blessed us with a very clean house. Gracie wanted in on the cleaning frenzy. I found her in the kitchen with a rag cleaning the floor. She looked like Cinderella who in fact is her favorite princess. And since I had my camera close by I took a quick picture of her hard at work.

Faces of Nolan

2011-11-29T04:48:00.000-08:00

This little guy smiles, yawns, stretches, sneezes, eats, gets angry and has more gas then Gracie ever did. He loves to be swaddled and loves his handles held. Here are just a few great pictures of Nolan.

Big Sis, Lil Bro

2011-11-27T19:48:00.000-08:00

We always knew Gracie would be a Great Big Sister. Loving and caring for Nolan once he came. She is so good about being gentle. She wants to hold him as often as she can and loves to kiss and hold his hand. Anytime he cries she is off to find a passi so he won't be so sad. I love watching her love grow for our little Nolan.

checking each other out

holding hands

don't worry she is just giving him his passi

i just love this

Family

2011-11-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

My parents made there way into town when I called and said my water broke. They were here for 4 days, left for 2, then my dad came to be with me Wednesday and my mom came back on Thursday & stayed till Monday. It has been such a blessing having them here to help in so many ways emotionally and physically around the house and since technically I am not allowed to drive until Thursday they have also been my chauffeur. My house is so clean, all the laundry done and I have one very happy little girl that loved all the extra attention and love. Here are some of the fun shots we got from the time we had with them.

My mom with Gracie & Nolan

Grandpa & Grandma with the newest grandbaby

Grandpa & Gracie acting like monkeys

I took a leap and decided to take my parents to

the Holiday Tree Festival.

Something fun to do before they left. This

is the Ohio State Tree we got a picture for

Gracie's Uncle Alex.

Tribute to Kansas

The Wizard of Oz Tree

A very Soccer Tree for Miss Katherine

The 4 of us with Santa

The Grandparents with Santa

Gracie loving Santa

Grandpa & Gracie Practicing there dance moves

lots of love

little ballerina's for the Little Mermaid production

Did some dancing for Gracie and she loved it. These

girls were little champs performing at our request.

Gracie loving the ballerina's

And her pictures with the ballerina's they are Ariel's Sisters

Gracie & Grandpa practicing there moves after watching the ballerinas

Gracie's 3 Year Update

2011-11-20T03:33:00.000-08:00

I decided it would be easiest to take both kids to the doctor at one time for Nolan's 1 week and Gracie's 3 year. Good idea but thankful my dad was in town to drive me since I am not allowed to drive yet and Troy was able to meet us there which was a blessing. Gracie did great getting weighed and standing against the wall to get her height. Once in the room she stripped down for her check up minus the underwear which I think she thought was so funny. Once Dr Weber came in she was running like crazy showing off for doctor Weber. In the midst of the questions from Dr Weber to see what she could go Gracie went from showing off to saying, "I don't know" to all her questions. She was wound but the poor girl had not gotten a good play in for a couple of days so I think being cooped up did no help her. Dr Weber drew lines and Gracie had to pick which was longer which she did right away. She new her colors pink, purple and blue but there after she went to orange for every color the doctor pulled out and I don't know to all questions that followed. It was interesting. Dr Weber was a little shock by how much she talked and ran around. In past visits Gracie usually sits very seriously and quiet during her visits not saying a thing, but on this day she was in rare form.

Her Stats:
Weight: 31lbs - 60% - this is good, she had gotten sick about a month ago and was down to 27lbs
Height: 3ft - 37% - We thought this girl had long legs but Dr Weber said she maybe a short girl. We will have to see, her cheeks are starting to get pretty full again which usually means a growth spurt is on its way.
New to Her World: Gracie is now a big sister and is handling it really well. There are times she really wants some mommy love but that is not so different then before for us. I think the thing she misses the most is playing with her friends. I am going to have to get creative with activities this winter to keep her from getting board. I think play dates will be a must during the week so she won't go to crazy. Plus leaving in Ohio means harsh weather not something you can still go out in for walks or to ride your bike.

Playing horse with Daddy

wonder where she gets her serious side from

1 Week

2011-11-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Nolan is a week old today which is so weird. Over all he is a good baby. He eats well and sleeps well. He smiles when you kiss his little mouth and makes some of the funniest noises. Troy and I started a board with Parents listed on one side and Nolan listed on the other. Every time Nolan defeats us in a diaper change he gets a point and whenever we defeat him we get a point, right now Nolan is winning. On his second day home I was changing Nolan and he projected #2 all over the front of me, Troy had the same situation but caught it in a diaper. As you can see changing a boys diaper for us is so different then Gracie in both areas:)

Feeding/Sleeping: Nolan's bilirubin levels were pretty close so we were to watch his color over the next couple of days. Day 2 in the hospital consisted of marathon feeding and then went into every two hours. On Monday he decided to cluster feed all day, ever 1.5 hours and on Tuesday we got him back to 2 to 2.5 hours between feedings. His night feedings first consisted of me waking him every 3 hours because I was so full. The doctor told me not to do that anymore. Let him sleep as long as he wants. Which I agree so I will have to get up and pump for a little while. We will have to see how long he will truly go without me waking him, so far 4.5 hours last night and I did finally wake him to feed. Tonight I promised not to wake him at all, he went from 11pm to 5am, as soon as i heard the smacking noises from him trying to eat his hand I got him up, I was dying. I am really trying to stretch myself to last longer. During the day he sleeps mostly between feedings with some awake time.

At Nolan's 1 Week Check Up:

Height: 21" - 90% - If you recall at birth he was 19 1/4. The nurse said no way did they measure correctly at the hospital.

Weight: 8lbs 4oz - 63% - proof of how much this little guy is eating

Head: 14"- 66% - still smaller then miss gracie

Info: Nolan is doing good he has an umbilical hernia which will have to be watched, a little weird and scary.

first sponge bath

getting lots of love from his sister

Blessed

2011-11-16T16:35:00.000-08:00

Today marks week 40, my due date. I only thought it appropriate to post my thoughts.

This pregnancy has been so different for me emotionally. Many know that I have had a very hard time this time around with my emotions. This could be due to hormones and/or any other contributors but either way I struggled. By the end of the pregnancy I just wanted the baby out and safe in my arms. I know that sounds strange to think this world is safe but having something happen in the last week would just kill me and with all the stories right now I was a little stressed about this baby coming and wanting everything to be ok. The post partum part of pregnancy with both Gracie and Nolan are hard on me. My body is a mess. My hormones are changing, I am tired, my body is losing weight and there are just so many changes that emotionally I feel all over the place but in this time comes a lot of reflection on so many areas of my life.

Tonight, the four of us went out for a walk and my mind jumped from thought to thought. As I watched Troy run around with Gracie I thought I can't believe this is who I married, I can't believe I turned him down the first time he asked me out. As I told Troy my thoughts I just could not believe how much has changed and how blessed I was to have him. This evening consisted of a lot of thankful prayers of how blessed I was to have such a great husband who loves and cares for me even when I am crying for no reason. I have two healthy kids, a great husband, a home and a loving family. I remember all to well thinking about what my future would look like, who I would marry, what my kids and my life would look like. God has blessed me beyond anything I could have ever dreamed of and I don't thank him enough for all that he has done for me and all the blessings he has given to me and continues to bestow upon me and my family. I now just pray that he protects my family because there is only so much I can control and only so much I can see.

Nolan Alan Schenk

2011-11-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Our Story of Nolan Alan Schenk coming into our world...

Nolan Alan Schenk

7lbs 7oz 19 1/4" long

Born 11/10/11 at 12:15 am

Hospital measurement not accurate, at his 1 week he was 21" long.

They checked twice and said the hospitals really don't worry about

this being accurate at all and there is not way

he got that much longer in a week;)

Wednesday started without a thought in my head that this may finally be the day. Although I had been having contractions they were no different then the day before so I thought nothing of the ones I had. Gracie and I had lunch together and then headed home for naps. Naps are a must at this point in pregnancy but today I decided to try and finish a sewing project so I could get all my sewing stuff put away for awhile. 4pm rolled around and Gracie was up and around. Something strange had happened I kept wetting my pants, so I thought, now at this point in pregnancy it is not normal for me to pee my pants but this pregnancy had been different so I thought maybe... I went to the bathroom to see if maybe my water had broke like I have heard stories of but nothing. Then it happened 3 more times and I thought well I will just call the doctor. Once I talked to the nurse she touched based with the doctor and they wanted me to head for the hospital but not to rush. I texted Troy and started doing a quick pick up around the house...just incase. I went over the hospital list to make sure everything was by the door. I then called Troy told him he needed to take me to the doctor. At this point I knew he was at practice but was not sure where or at what point in practice. My poor husband had to run up the practice field hill and all the way back to the sports complex where his car was parked. At this point I called him again because at that point I had"peed my pants" a couple more times and was getting worried. I called my mom to get her bags ready and I waited. At this point I was having a couple hard contractions but not close enough together that I thought the hospital would keep me. Honestly I was all ready for them to send me back home.
By 5:30 I was checked in, in a hospital gown and answering questions. As I sat there explaining that I was not 100% sure this was my water leaking a huge gush happened and my water did in fact break, ok now I was a believer. From that point on the contractions started. Nothing like the ones with Gracie this is what they called back labor. I heard of it but never had the slightest clue what it meant or how bad it could hurt. I was moved to my room and was ready for the epidural. They had to try 3 times to get it in right. I got the shakes so bad I could not sit still which made it a little hard for the anesthesiologist. But finally it was in and a lot of the pain went down except for the baby pushing on my pelvic bone. Each time a had a contraction we gently pushed his head away. Thankfully after that point I did not feel much. At 11pm the delivery nurse was concerned that the baby was turned face up and not face down so she shifted me on my side. Then she shifted me completely on my left side and then the pain started like mad in my back. Very quickly the pressure was there and we called my nurse Angie, who was awesome, that I thought I was ready. She was given the go ahead for me to start pushing at midnight so I did a warm up push and then another and was told to hold on the baby is here, I could tell, but no one was doing anything. I asked what was wrong and I looked at Troy and asked what is wrong with the baby. Nothing his head was right their but we had to wait for the doctor to come in the room. At which I responded who cares about the doctor. All I could think is I am sure these nurses have done this a million times I am good, no worries lets just get this done. Angie told me not to do anything crazy.
Two contractions later the doctor was ready to go and two more pushes at 12:15 out came a healthy baby boy. There were some exchange of words from my doctor to Troy and I heard Troy say "its ok just cut it." At the time I had no idea but later found out the cord was wrapped around the baby's head twice. Troy said the doctor had to cut the cord it two different places. I also had a fever at this point and so did the baby so I was administered antibiotics for the next 24 hours.
If you wondered when we decided on the name well as soon Doctor Jaggadish handed the baby to the nurse they asked what the baby's name was and I said Nolan without event thinking twice. Troy loved this name as well and was excited to hear my answer. For us it was perfect, Nolan Alan Schenk.

To Our Beautiful Gracie

2011-11-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

The following are letters to Gracie. We wanted to write her each a little something before her new brother came into our world and although it is personal I don't want to forget to add it to the scrapbook.

my sweet gracie,

our first born

the one because of whom we were first given the names, daddy and mommy

the one who changed our lives forever

who taught us how to love more deeply

and because of whom, we have a greater understanding of the Father's love for us...

you are truly a gift from the Lord.

you are loved.

you are cherished.

being the first born

there are different burdens you will bear

but we know God has equipped you for what He has called you to.

your world is about to change

and you are about to receive one of the greatest gifts...

a sibling

this sibling will be a tool the Lord can use to teach you the world is not about you

to help you learn the importance of sharing

to love through anything

how to forgive

how to put others before yourself.

this is just the beginning of all that you can learn...

what joy you will find in having a best friend who understands you in ways

others never will

a bond only you two will understand.

i knew i would love being a mother,

but i never knew how deep my love would be for you.

a daughter,

one who brings so much joy into my life.

you are more than i ever dreamed of.

gracie, you are the spitting image of your mother

you have an overwhelming love and caring side

you have naturally come by your fun wild side

but I can see you have taken on the serious side of your father

you miss him when he is gone

you want him around every moment that he is home

gracie you are so loved

God knew how perfect you would be in our lives as the first

he knew how much you would teach me and show me

the healing that you have brought to parts of my life

Lord, thank you for a gift that we are so undeserving of.

even now I am sad that our little world is going to change

but i am excited about this expected arrival of our first son

Only god knows your birthday

He knows the name that is yours

We have dreamed of you

Prayed for you

Hoped for you

And loved you

Before we even knew of you

With anticipation we wait

Gracie,

Yesterday was your third birthday. WOW! It seems like only last week I was bringing you and your mom home from the hospital to stay. I really was apprehensive about being a father to a daughter because I grew up with only brothers and didn’t know anything about a daughter. The apprehension faded fast. All I wanted to do was to hold you in my arms and let you sleep the time away either on my shoulder or in my arms. I can remember just watching you for hours some nights not wanting to put you to bed, but instead just hold you sleeping while I rocked you. I have never seen the love of a mother to a daughter. Your mom, Gracie, loves you with all that she has. It is something very special for your father to witness the way she cares and loves you. At this time in your life you are defiantly a mommy’s girl. You remind me so much of her and I just enjoy seeing how a like the two of you are. You have brought so many smiles and laughs to your mother and I it’s hard to imagine something brightening our days more then you have. Your personality just radiates a fun-loving caring spirit that has blessed us over and over. I will never grow weary of your head on my shoulder, your little hand holding my fingers, or the way you wrap your little arms around me to give me a big hug.

Your life and our lives as your parents are about to change. Within a week we will be welcoming your baby brother, Nolan Alan Schenk, into our family. I am so excited to see you as a big sister. I am so excited to see you and your mother share your big hearts with our knew family member and can’t wait for his arrival. I wish I could explain to you in a way that you’d understand about how needy your little brother will be. I want you to know that even though Nolan will need a lot of love and care, your mom’s and my love will not waiver or diminish in any way. I know that you will love Nolan very much and will always be very protective of him like you are with your younger cousin Sawyer. I know that you will be a great help to your mother even at such a young age, because it’s just who you are. I know you will teach Nolan many things and will always be a great big sister. It gives me great comfort to know that even at 3 years old you will be here with your mother and brother helping them any way you can. My prayer for you is that you will grow into a Godly woman. One who seeks God with her whole heart, mind, and soul. Your mother has Jeremiah 29:11 framed on your wall “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” My hope is that you will trust in God’s plan for your life and not grow weary of seeking out what that is.

One of my favorite books in Bible is Proverbs. I want to share with you a passage from Proverbs 31:10-31:

^“10A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

I want you to strive to be this kind of woman Gracie. I love you so much!!!

Babies

2011-11-08T03:42:00.000-08:00

No this is not about my babies but about Gracie's babies. I wanted to document this before I forgot. All children go through different toys and favorites. Gracie loves having one friend in each arm so there are always at least pairs.

From Left to Right - this is Abby & Cabby

Cabby was Gracie's first cabbage patch given to her by my parents. I think the doll scared her for some time. When Abby came around she fell in love with her right away. If troy and I were to ever help carry her babies we were given Cabby to carry. I can say that she did change favorites for a short time until they were replaced by new friends.

meet rosetta & tinker bell

these 2 girls were given to Gracie as a reward after potty training

daddy hippo, mama duck, gracie duck,
baby duck & the princess duck
this group started Gracie love for everything mama and baby
if she sees to hearts and one is bigger then the other that big
sticker becomes mammy sticker & the other baby sticker

bunny bear, mama bunny & baby bunny

these 3 ladies have stuck in Gracie's favorite

they sleep in her bed every night and often go on outings

if one of them is left behind it is always bunny bear

38 Weeks

2011-11-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

Well, this will be my last pregnancy post for this little guy. It has been an intersting journey this time around. Although I like being pregnant this pregnancy was much hard on my body emotional and physically but every bit of it is worth having this little guy be apart of our world.

At 37 weeks I started having contractions on and off. Nothing big but they were there. This last appointment I went ahead and did what I dread and asked if they would check to see if there was any progress at all. Knowing that Gracie was 2 days past her due date I was expecting a no. My doctor checked me out and to my surprise I am 4 centimeters dilated and 90 effaced. Wow, ok! She said if I make it to next week they would want to induce me. I am scheduled to see the doctor Wednesday & if there is still no baby they will induce me on Friday. Troy is hoping I hold out till Friday and I am just hoping to get as many days with Gracie as I can.

So very soon life will be so different.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2011-11-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

To the sunshine in our lives,
You have made our world so much better. We have learned so much about ourselves individually and as parents. You have been such a blessing and a delight.

Your Birthday could not have been more perfect. We asked you on several occasions over the last month what do you want to do for your birthday? What do you want on your cake? Pink was the color every time. You wanted your cake to have a pony and a ballerina on it, aka princess. So we did just that.

the very pink birthday cake I made

Gracie's very big present

Gracie has been asking me for a bike for months & every
time I have asked about the color she says pink, so pink it is
and with the baby carrier in back which is what I think she
will play with more then actually ride it for a while

she had to get her bunnies settled in before we could even start

very excited little girl

our little family before we turn to 4

she now understands how to tear open gifts

all smiles as we sing

ready for the candles

with a little help from daddy

going for the cake cone

then the sugar cone

sawyer enjoying the birthday celebration

Gracie crowning her auntie Kristen as a princess

Sawyer willingly accepting a dance with Gracie

It may not have lasted long but it was very cute

Troy let Gracie & Sawyer ride the horse

These are my favorite little series of pictures!

Gracie riding on daddy's back

Troy giving Sawyer big eyes

Sawyer showing uncle Troy what he thinks of his eyes

the stare down

hilarious

wrestling

Gracie trying to save Sawyer

Our Guests

Uncle Cliff & Jess

Uncle Kyle & Auntie Kristen

miss nora

And my parents that some how I do not have a picture of,
not sure how that happened.

Daddy, Dancing & that Dress

2011-11-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things that Gracie is most enthralled with right now is ballerina's. Every girl whether in a wedding dress or a princess dress is a ballerina in her eyes. Even with a crown you are a ballerina. Gracie has fallen in love with this absolutely hideous dress from my friends dress up box. She loves that it is sparkly and that it twirls. With this love of the dress she has learned what it is to borrow something or make a trade. She let her friend Adi borrow her necklace in exchange for this beautiful dress that she would live in all day if I would let her. Her daddy also taught her how to ask "may I have this dance". So that is what she wants to do most nights is twirl and dance with us.

spinning

holding her dress out

checking herself out

in the fireplace glass

twirling

daddy no longer wanting to

dance so on to the next thing

Saying Good-Bye

2011-11-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember my grandma has been apart of my life. We had breakfast dates, shopping dates, hangout with her at work dates and so many others. I remember staying over night at her house, eating on her screened in porch and watching the old classic movies. She would send my brother and I outside with sparklers and have us catch fireflies. There are so many things that cross my mind when I think of her. The way she smelled, her hair, her laugh when she thought something was very funny, her old sayings (that's for the birds), how crafty she was, the sounds of her house, places she loved to eat, her large stacks of books and how much she loved the Holidays. The list of things I love and cherish can go on and on. Although I am so sad she is gone and sad of the things I won't get to share with her I am so blessed with what I did get to share. Her opinion ment so mush in so many area's of mylife including how much she adored my husband when she met him. She is a women that will be missed for so many reasons. My grandpa died October 11, 1995, my Grandma celebrated her 87th birthday this year on October 14th and died October 18, this has become a full month of memories.

You would think that with being pregnant I would be ten times more emotional about this but for some reason it is just not realistic to me. I think of her still at home sitting in her chair reading, watching TV, and watching the leaves fall from the trees. I think not having her around at Christmas will be the strangest and the hardest for everyone. Every season was her favorite but she loved the holidays for all the great reasons that are out there. She was a loved and cherished women and I am blessed to have had her as a grandma.

one of my favorites from when I was little

Treat Please

2011-10-31T03:43:00.001-07:00

Every year Malone decorates one of the dorms for little saints day. Very similar to what our girls dorm did at Trinity. Each participating floor has a theme such as Candyland, Peter Pan, Finding Nemo, Wizard of Oz, Mario, Tarzan & Winter Wonderland just to name the ones I can remember. This year we thought we would dress her up and take her up to the school for some treats and neat decorations. One our way we stopped by uncle cliffs house to accept our first candy of the night. We then headed up to the school to meet her cousin sawyer. She held back at the beginning and was not too sure what to make of the people all dressed up and some with painted faces. Once she realized each person was giving out candy she was ready for each new section of students all dressed up. At the end of Peter Pan then had a treasure chest with lots of candy and Gracie proceed to grab handfuls for her bucket, her daddy was very proud. She was even greeted by a number of princess or she likes to call them ballerina's. This was very exciting to see all the beautiful dresses. My first offer to take a picture of her with the princess I thought went unnoticed until I realized why she wanted Sawyer's hand so bad, she wanted him to come with her, I think she was a little nervous but I took her back.

the first costume which was borrowed was giraffe which she like until I put the head on.

I laugh so hard at her and she hated how it was tight on her head

her chosen costume of Tinkerbell minus the wings

Cliff & Jess

little coach

tink

tink meting the first princess

kids loved the bubbly machine in Finding Nemo

tink meeting tink

enjoying a sucker

Crafts for the Little Man

2011-10-30T03:46:00.000-07:00

Since I have gotten pregnant I have felt like my creative side just went dormant. My thoughts on a boys room, nothing. Thoughts on names, nothing. Am I going to make him outfits, nothing. NOTHING is the key word. Nothing was being produced in my head, maybe it is because it is a boy. I thought it was time to wake up my creative side! I started with a couple of blankets, updated some plan burp clothes, added some cute fabric to some onesies, and followed a few tutorials from my pin interest board. I even made Troy a Malone blanket for his away games. Needless to say I got a bunch of stuff put together and figured out what I am hoping for in the babies room. Just trying to get everything put together and ready. Here are a couple pictures of the few things that I have made for my little man who remains nameless:)

This whole pile is for our upcoming arrival.

I have made a lot of capes this year but this one was not made for

a kid but for my boss for Halloween. I made 2 little hats for the
baby, a couple more blankets and a very cute ruffle butt onesie.
This is funny because my mom would have love to see Gracie in
one of these and I said no way. Now, I think I would let a little
girl wear them because they are so darn cute but before I
was just against them.

Fall Family Time

2011-10-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

With fall comes some fun family time. This fall I missed a few and with the rainy weather we skipped the apple picking this year, plus it was a bad season for apples here. So we did a lot of family time at home. Even though we did a lot of activities with Gracie last year it has been fun because everything seems new to her as if it is the first time, her reactions have been a lot of fun. We picked out a pumpkin and decided we would carve it. Gracie thought this was a great idea but when it came to pulling out the guts of the pumpkin she was pretty grossed out at the beginning. She also tried a little of the pumpkin which she thought was yuck. Troy finished the carving and it turned out great. Gracie loves seeing it all lit up.

her looks were just funny

We bought a small pumpkin so the paper that was supposed to

stick on would not work so troy eyeballed it. It turned out pretty good.

36 Weeks

2011-10-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

How Far Along: 36 weeks & 4 days

Names: Believe it or not we have a top 5 list and pretty sure on the top 3 we love. I made a desperate plea to me girl friends who came through with some great ideas, this is where our top list came from. Thanks ladies!

Waiting For: my mom to visit so I can get the baby's room finished, hopefully next weekend

Cravings: I have noticed that I crave milk a lot. Which most would say it means I need more calcium but I get calcium in my prenatal vitamin each night and then I take 600 mg of calcium in the morning, so you would think I am getting enough.

Sleep Cycle: this changes all the time. There are some nights I get what I call great sleep and then there are some nights in a row where I got terrible sleep. The great sleep happens once I have had several nights of no sleep. My body has to rest at some point. Interestingly enough I always sleep well during naps, not sure why but my weekend naps are a must, not skipping those.

Movement: constant, if I even worry a little about his lack of kicking and elbowing I just push on his backside and he will move right away.

Excited: to meet this little guy

What I miss: holding Gracie and caring her as much as I want. Now I do hold her but this little guy kicks and squirms the hole time like we are invading his space.

A surprise: It is official my belly button is protruding. It may have fully popped by 40 weeks poor thing has been stretched to death.

Comparing: when I was pregnant with Gracie I was very round but with this baby my poor belly is being stretch as for out as possible. The swelling in my legs is out of control and no worries by the doctor because my blood pressure is great by body just likes to hold as much water as possible.

Life Change: This week brought a very sad end to an amazing woman that I call grandma. I do wish she would have gotten to hold her grandson.

On Friday I had my 36 week appointment. My blood pressure is good and weight is fine although I was not as excited about it. My weight is always about 5 lbs more at the doctors but I still hate it. The doctor said not to worry she said with the amount of swelling I already had by 8:30 she said I am holding a lot of water weight as well, we will see. The baby's heart beat was around 140 bpm. The doctor checked me and I am coming along. As for an idea when this baby will come she says it is a guessing game. I can have nothing happening in the am but by the night I could be in labor it is just up to my body. I assume this baby will camp out until the end like Gracie but I would love to have this baby in October for sentimental reasons.

I was home this weekend by myself so I took a few pictures with the computer and camera. More then you may want to see but I thought so me were pretty funny. I have not seen myself in a picture for a while at least not from the side so I got a kick out of my stomach.

side view #1

half side

side view #2

Gracie was all dressed up in her Tinker Bell outfit.

She thought taking the pictures were a blast.

I had to hold her in place she just wanted

to keep running back to push the button

some with my camera which is much harder

when I can't see what I am doing until after

Gracie kissing my belly

(after shot)

Sprinkle

2011-10-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends back my SIL Kristen threw me a little sprinkle. She did a great job decorating and the ice cream bar was a big hit. The girls night of chatting was a big hit.

Cincy Weekend

2011-10-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

       One of the rules of pregnancy is that after 32 weeks you are not supposed to travel far from home or sit for long periods of time. They want you close to your hospital and doctor. Well this past weekend I threw all those pregnancy rules out the window and drove to Cincinnati. Gracie and I made the first two hours to Ohio State where I picked up my brother, Alex, for the first time from College, I am sure it won’t be the last. But I can say, just driving threw OSU and seeing all the college life made me miss the fun times of late nights and fun adventures. We then drove the rest of the way to Cincinnati. Gracie loved, loved seeing Carson the family golden and she was obsessed with knowing where he was at all times and was concerned if he was outside too long.
       This weekend trip had a reason and that is my Grandma, who at this time is very sick. With the time of this baby approaching very quickly I thought this maybe the last time I get to see her. Now to November 16th is a long time when it involves someone that is very ill. The weekend was filled with lots of time remembering all the memories I have of her and hoping that she won’t suffer but hoping she lasts until after this baby comes. Everyone was home and around to see grandma and talk to her as much as we could.
       Minus some of the sadness that surrounded the reason for the trip it was really nice to see family. Now I am not one that takes pictures at sad times but one of my fondest memories of my Grandma and the time I spent at her house was the activities that I did. One of them was raking leaves and jumping in them. I thought that during our visit to her house I would entertain Gracie outdoors for a little while with lots of leaves that were in the front yard from my favorite tree. Everyone came out to throw leaves in the air for Gracie to run threw and she loved it so I took a few pictures of this silly little lady having a blast.

loving the leaves

yes i can tell i am pregnant

taylor letting us throw leaves on him

gracie making sue alex is ok after burring him with leaves

i think she still has a crush on alex

alex giving gracie a try in my favorite tree

34 weeks

2011-10-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a little while and I have just forgotten about the blog world for a little bit, too much other stuff to do and just plan tired. Not much has changed everything is pretty much the same since the 32 week post so I will make this a short update.

Goal: Our goal is to pick a name and get the baby's room set up between now and the end of October

Looking forward: to my last day of work

Names: Gracie did tell my friend Christina the baby's name was Noah but I think she was talking about a song she recently heard
Waiting For: my mom to visit so I can get the baby's room done
Nesting Stage: I have finally jump started my creative side and made a few things for the baby. In November I will start making freezer meals.

The doctor said everything was good. My new favorite is the nausea that I am waking up with at night he said could be due to the back pain I am having. Besides that the baby is good and active.

That's all!

A Little Dress Up

2011-09-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say about my Gracie? First thought she is funny, sassy, playful, loving, and cuddly.

She has been such a blessing to us with all of her little crazy things she does and says. All this to say the pictures below were caught as fast as I could. She was playing a little dress up in a hat, my high heels and talking to herself in the mirror. Just is just a funny little thing.

talking to daddy

just being cute

talking to herself and making funny faces

32 Weeks

2011-09-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Cravings: peanut butter & jelly sandwich and no aversions to any specific food but after I have eaten something the smell of it later does make me feel queasy
Sleep Cycle: this sadly keeps getting worse. I do sleep with a pillow but it does not do much good. Plain and simple my back is a mess. Unlike with Gracie a message would have cleared this right up but where my pain is in the center of my back it has nothing to do with the muscle. My back situation was explained so well on baby center this week:
"Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things"
This is exactly how it has been for some time and the doctor said it won't get better:( I have had 2 nights of good sleep this week which is a record. Most nights consist of a shower before bed and I wake up almost every hour or so to turn because of the pain in my back. Around 4 or 5am I get up and take a hot bath and then get some much needed rest until about 6:30am. My weekend naps are a must because for some reason this is when I get the best sleep.
Movement: this child never stops moving and it will be weird when he comes out and just wants to sleep, I am hoping;)
Names: nothing yet, we are waiting until the last minute;)
Excited For: this little man to come, the name to be decided, to see Troy holding his son for the first time, and to see Gracie holding her little brother, all the above
What I miss: sleep and throwing Gracie around. She wants to wrestle so badly all the time.
A surprise: belly button is still holding strong. Braxton Hicks all the time
Funny Moment: Gracie loves to talk to her brother. I asked her to say hi and she yelled hello into my belly button and then blew into it. She always asks why he is not talking back. I love it! Gracie also keeps asking if the baby is coming yet. I told Gracie no but said when he gets here she could hold him, kiss him, help feed him and even change his diaper with me, she was so excited. she really wants him to take a bath with her. I told her that won't be for a while but she could help give him a bath. I think she is very excited to have a sibling. Just love this.
New/Best Moment: Feeling his head at this appointment and knowing you are down and ready to go.
Nesting Stage: I have made 2 peanut butter pies, lemon drop cookies, cake batter blondies, & peanut butter cups. No, I did not eat all of these, they were either shared at work or at bible study. I love baking whether I am pregnant or not but being pregnant does enhance this urge.

Sorry these pictures aren't very good. I tried enhancing them but turns out I still look pregnant;)

Gracie really wanted to join in on the photo op

Game 3

2011-09-18T03:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I did not make it to game #2 nor did I listen to it. I was shooting a wedding for most of the day so I was given the update of the game by my hubby later that night. Game #3 however was the longest I have sat through a game so far, challenge, you bet. I am pregnant and this child sits low so each time I get up to chase Grace, it means I need to go to the bathroom... again;) I did have a couple helpers but I think it maybe time for a plan B so I don't come home in pain. Let's just say it has already been a great Friday and Saturday but I will pay for it all week. The game well it ended with a score of 22-24. So close and but the Bee's kicked a field goal in the last 5 seconds of the game. We are now 2-1 and praying we come back with good lessons from this game.

So with that lets just look at some fun pictures...

Mommy & Gracie matching shirts

sucker time

Daddy Time

snacks are welcome at any point ;)

Our Little Pioneer Fans

A Little Football

tackles with smiles & giggles

Our Newest Family Photo

A First at the Schenk's

2011-09-14T03:46:00.000-07:00

In the last eight years of marriage Troy and I have never had a pet. We have talked about it and then always decided it would be too much, even before we had kids. We did not want to be worried about needing a sitter or someone to come feed our pet so we never had one. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think many of our friends have a pet.

We have for sometime wanted to get Gracie a fish. Neither of us wanted to buy the tank or the ridiculous other things that go with it, when we had no idea how long it would even live. It was not worth the start up cost. Someone mentioned that they had a gold fish growing up in just a fish bowl and it did just fine for years. I decided to try it, plus I had a perfect bowl. This weekend while we let Daddy get some much needed rest, Gracie and I headed to the pet store to buy a fish. We picked out a gold fish for $.27 and some food for a dollar something. I even let Gracie carry the fish to the car. She did such a good job and I was impressed how careful she was, she kept telling him not to jump out, which was not possible since he was in a tied bag but still so cute. We got the fish home and set the bowl up. Rocks were free from a friend so this seemed so simple. Plus the store gives you a 14 day return if the fish dies so we at least have a back plan;)

Day one(sunday the day we bought it): pretty good, feed it, talk to it, and watch it swim
Day two: feed it in the AM before work and check on it when we get home. Water seems a little foggy but someone says to be patient, the fish needs to just adjust.
Day three: feed fish in AM and water still looks cloudy. Wondering if this fish has enough oxygen. Talked to Troy at lunch he was also concerned so he changed out the water and he thought the fish was doing much better. Gracie and I get home about 7:45 at night and the fish had gone to fishy heaven.

I did not even get a chance get a picture of Gracie and her first fish whom she called mamma.

thanks to Google you can see what our fish's 3 day life kind of looked like

What will we do next? Not sure because I don't want to carry that dead fish around until I have time to make it to the pet store again and well Troy is just a little busy so we will just have to see and I think I will let Troy decide on how to explain this to Gracie:)

Park Time

2011-09-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

One thing Gracie loves to do I think more then anything is to go to the park and play. Particularly, she love the swings. Now I prefer to put her in the below contraption because my daughter is a little dare devil and wants to go as high as I can possibly can push her. So this giant swing where there is no way for her to fall off makes it much better for me and the hopes of not having a heart attack during play time.

cute kids right

a short car ride

sharing a snack

Game 1

2011-09-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

The season has officially started. Gracie and I packed up the bag and headed out. I was so excited about the game I realized I was there almost 45 minutes before the game started. I was not alone there were ladies already set up in the stands. This is the only true night game of the season and I could not miss it. The only thing missing was the cool air of fall and gloves. Instead we were greeted with very warm weather and lots of bugs. Minus the bugs it was a good time, the kids did great playing together and obeying as much as possible. Gracie even got into the cheering during the touchdowns which I loved to see.

The game was great to watch and we're not too sure how the season will completely play out with such a young team, and the transition into Division II. This should be an interesting season, one that will keep me on the edge of my seat throughout. Since I anticipated this game going to at least 10:00pm we headed home after halftime to put Gracie to bed. Half-time is the only part that Gracie will actually sit through and watch. The team did well in a double overtime win with a final score of 40-34. What a great way to kickoff the season and keep the teams spirits high.

I got a couple pictures of Gracie all dressed up and ready.

Gracie ready for the game with her bunny in tack

very excited about the game

heading down to the field Gracie did not want the sun in her eyes;)

The true star of the night was our mascot the Pioneer Moose. I had to explain why this was a moose and not a horse to miss Grace. The kids watched the moose go up and down the stands in hopes he would make an appearance to their area, no disappointment here. What a champ to play and entertain the kids on such a hot night in what I am sure was a sweat box. The moose sat down and allowed all the kids to get there pictures taken. It made their night.

Schenk Baby Blues

2011-09-03T04:24:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Gracie I prayed for blond hair and blue eyes. Not just any blue eyes but her daddy's blue eyes. Sure enough she was blessed with some beautiful eyes, blond hair and a sassy personality to follow. Not sure where she got that:) Just thought I would show off my little cutie.

A Little Visit

2011-09-01T04:37:00.000-07:00

In August Randy & Sheila came into town to see there new granddaughter. I got a couple shots of them with there grandkids.

Gracie & Sheila

play time

Sawyer, Sheila, Gracie, Randy & Nora

story time

A Thank "Filled" Weekend

2011-08-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

My parents drove up from Cincinnati to view the baby in 3D and stayed the weekend. Thanks to them I got some much needed help with finishing projects around the house and now I feel like I can breath. I am not going to list all the projects that were done but lets just say our house is very clean. I can now worry about the projects that I enjoy doing like making the baby a couple of really cute outfits. And Gracie got some much needed attention from "Papi & Nina" and daddy & mommy. Over all it was a restful and productive weekend.

per Gracie: Papi & Nina

The Name Game

2011-08-26T04:39:00.000-07:00

As most of you have heard we are having a little bit of a problem with coming up with a name for my little man. I have a 101 names for a girl that I love but boys are hard for me. It is just not right for a boys name to sound pretty so maybe that is why I have a problem. I just keep praying God will give us one soon so Gracie can practice. With a couple names we have liked, we have run into initial problems and names that are also stores;). So I have been open to any and all suggestions. Names have been coming from mostly work, and then some family. This past weekend I went through a bunch of names with my parents not telling them ones I like more then others. A few that I liked they thought were a little funny. Not sure I want my babies name to be funny. I think this is why we don't tell. We like the surprise when the baby comes out and the non-opinions if people don't like the name. Once the baby has a name it is too late for people to say they don't like it, at least to us. We are still plugging away at names and combination of names. Strange to know come November when this baby arrives the name will be the least of our thoughts.

Names that have come on & off the white board at work due to it being a joke or I just plain don't like them:

Funny Names:

Shaw Schenk: funny suggestion
Hank the Tank Schenk: funny suggestion
Sylvester: not sure if this was suppose to be funny but no thank you

Worthy Suggestions but just not interested:

Evan
Caleb
Carson: my parent's dog name
Keiffer
Sterling: just can't we lived there
Ames
Trennen
Jansen
Samuel(sam): grandparent's dog name
Elijah: we both love but too many of our friend's used this name
Levi: I love again too many
Jacob: I love but as Troy pointed out that is his brother's name:)
Ethan Alan Schenk: Troy loves but was unaware of the furniture store:)

The problem is not Troy it is me. The first time around I had a good list of boys names but we had a girl and over these 3 years either the name has become very popular or someone has used it. My definition of a "good" name is one that is not popular but at the same time when it is heard people don't think what the heck...plus I do like a name with a good meaning. So although Troy has a couple of names I think he would use, I have not found a name that I just love. We still have time to think.....

28 Weeks

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

My little man is very busy kicking and punching me all day. He is defiantly more active then Gracie ever was and he is also sitting much lower then Gracie ever did at least until the very end. I am often wearing my belly band just to help with the pressure. I am using lots of lotion because I am a little afraid this one may give me stretch marks and I really don't want those.
Today I had to chug down the glucose orange drink. I have never thought it was that bad but I know the faster it goes down the sooner the time can start. Doctor said all is well and we listened to the baby's heart beat, which I always love. I am now at the point where I will be visiting the doctor every 2 weeks, wahoo I am getting closer.

Cravings: nothing at this point and no aversions either
Sleep Cycle: always on my side with a pillow under my belly and my bathroom trips remain in the 2's and 3's area. Except I have woken up the last couple of nights on my stomach not sure why or how this is possible but it keeps happening.
Movement: all day especially when I am pressing my stomach against my desk. He does not like his space invaded.  In the evening you can watch my stomach jump and move all over the place.
Names: Troy has 1 and I have none.  There is a board at work with a list of names and people are voting on them. I knocked off a couple for sure no's and there is actually 1 we added to our list. Not sure Troy loves it but we need another contender. For some reason boys names are so hard for me.
Excited For: the first football game
What to Expect: Per Baby Center my baby is the size of a Chinese Cabbage about 2 1/4 lbs
What I miss: not having pain in my back all the time, this pregnancy has been much hard on my body & mind this time around
A surprise: belly button might go but it is still holding strong....only time will tell
Funny Moment: Went to the doctor at 26 weeks because of my back and during my appointment the doctor said that I needed to keep my bladder empty and stay hydrated:)
New/Best Moment: Last Friday I went to the doctors for the second time in a month but to enjoy watching my little man in 3D. Although this is not my first time seeing him in 3D, this time was better.

A 3D View

2011-08-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

Today was an exciting day. I headed to the doctor's office with my mom, dad, mother-in-law and Troy for a 3D view of this little miracle that is kicking about in my tummy. We got 30 to 45 minutes of viewing time. Although he did not completely work with the camera we did get a couple great pictures and of course the grandparents loved it. The first thing we asked for was confirmation that it was indeed a boy, Troy was still a little leary. But we got the confirmation needed and Troy was again all smiles. The nurse during the ultra sound said look at those cheeks. I think this baby will look a lot like Gracie.

Here are a couple our favorites from the ultrasound.

2D of the little baby's face

For those that are familiar with ultrasounds you will quickly see the right side of the baby's face, right eye nose and mouth. He seemed to be using the placenta like a pillow and did not move far from it.

Some Serious Cuties

2011-08-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Although these two will both have their own sibling to fight with in the next couple of years, right now these two are just that. Cousins that love each other like brother & sister, and fight like brother & sister. But when we are not reminding them to share they are having the best time running around crazy.

the best cheese face I could get

& serious

sawyer checking out the camera

just chilling

loving on uncle cliff

together of course

Fear

2011-08-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

As long as I can remember fear has been my biggest weakness. No not like most people at least that I have ever known of. I mean terrified of things happening. This is something over the years that I have prayed for and there are times where I don't think much of the fears of life but then there are times when I am just plain struggling. Now I look at CNN for the news, world news and the happenings. This is not what worries me it is if something were to happen to my family.

Now I know everyone has the basic fear of life but my mind is something I struggle with controlling. I take the smallest of fears and from 0 to 60 I have already played the whole situation out in my head. How I would react, how I cope, the what I would do next. If I hear a terrible story I relate it to my world and take it on as my own. This struggle has gotten larger for me and one that I struggle with weekly if not daily.

In June a friend from college, Kristin, her son died suddenly. I found out right after that there was no accident and I heard some of the details. This week she shared the news with friends that her son was not killed by accident but by the hand of his step mother. For the last month this situation has been just an overwhelming presence in my life. I don't just hurt for her, I hurt. I look at Gracie and want to weep. I think this is a women who had her own children. Someone that was trusted at least by her husband. My mind jumps threw details of this women and of little Ethan. What he must have been thinking and how he was feeling. My heart aches for him, how he was not protected.

I know in my heart the Lord loved this little boy, but i struggle with the not understanding. This in turn makes me so fearful for Gracie, how I can't always be there to protect her and that just eats me up. Troy reminds me of how important it is to pray but don't you think Kristin prayed for him, I know she prayed for him. In the end God took him to a better place. I know God is in control of all things but I have struggled with, why pray if at the end in this situation it did not matter, not to Ethan. I know in my heart that what I need to do is pray and I have not stopped but I struggle. I am constantly praying over the control of my mind, controlling my thoughts when they run away from me. I am not stupid I have seen the power of prayers many times in my own life and for others around me. I have been blessed through prayer but right now I struggle with the fighting of my heart and mind.

So, I have been praying over my mind. Praying for this thing called fear that has been so evident in the last month and a half.

Isaiah 41:13
For I am the LORD your God, who upholds your right hand,
Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Little Miss Schenk

2011-08-09T04:27:00.000-07:00

Now that the pictures are officially out I wanted to post a couple of pictures that were taken of my very first niece. Kyle and Kristen welcomed a baby girl on August 3rd, Eleanora Renee Schenk. We were very excited to meet her and got a few pictures with the newest family member. It is so exciting to see her now and to know just how much she will change over the next year. Crazy to look at her and then Gracie and just know how fast it really does go. Makes me want to slow time down even more.

Enjoy the pictures

me & nora

me, nora & gracie

troy already loving little nora

The girls in this family will be a little over protected by

all the uncles, brothers and cousins who pretty are

brothers. Good luck to the little Schenk's you will need it.

troy, nora & gracie

A Special Date

2011-08-07T04:22:00.000-07:00

Gracie and Troy had one last little date before football season officially takes Troy away for the month of August. Lunch at Chick-fil-a and time out at there favorite spot to visit the local PetSmart. Gracie loves getting to see all the animals. This is always such a special time for them, I love it.

From the Garden

2011-08-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

Ok so you have seen my help me posts, my what do I do next posts and now here is an over joyed post. I have been told over and over there is nothing like growing your own veggies. I now understand. I have success! My beefmaster tomato's are comming in strong. I have atleast 15 of them on the vine and I want to pick them so bad because they really are huge but they have not yet turned red. Lots of cucumbers, peppers, and cilantro. All tastes fabulous.

Cabby & Abby

2011-08-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

Just to document:
Cabby & Abby are Gracie's besties. She loves them both but her favorite for a very long time was Abby. If heading down stairs with them she will only allow is to carry Cabby down, she is always the one to handle Abby. She plasys with Abby more then anything. Then one day she went to get 1 choice of a baby to ride in the care and to our surprise she came down with Cabby. Cabby was finally in the spotlight. I just thing Toy Story when this kind of thing is going with Woody & Buzz Lightyear fighting for the spotlight.

Cabby, Gracie & Abby

Then the new toys arrived.....

24 Weeks - Updated

2011-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

My little man is very busy kicking me and punching all day. He is defiantly more active then Gracie ever was and he is also sitting much lower then Gracie ever did at least until the very end. I am often wearing my belly band just to help with the pressure. I am using lots of lotion because I am a little afraid this one may give stretch marks and I really don't want those.

Cravings: nothing at this point and no aversions either
Sleep Cycle: always on my side with a pillow under my belly and my bathroom trips remain in the 2's and 3 area.
Movement: as I mentioned above, all day but my little man has never woken me up, yet.
Names: Troy came up with one the other night that we both actually liked so right now we have one but still searching for others.
Excited For: my 3D ultra sound with my mom and MIL
What to Expect: Per BabyCenter my baby is the size of an ear of corn.
New Moment: Gracie asked to hug & kiss my belly before bed
What I miss: sleeping threw the night & not having pain in my back all the time
A surprise: I think this time the belly button might go....only time will tell

I went to the doctor's office yesterday. My weight gain and blood pressure were very good. My little man's heart rate was 150 and he was kicking like crazy. I usually love my visits because my nurse practitioner sits in there forever letting listen to the heart beat and comment on where his head is and how he is laying. I always love hearing all the little details but sadly today was a quick visit with my doctor, in and out. I thought today was glucose drink day but I won't have to do that until August.

not the best picture but there you have it

Best Moment of the Week: Last night I asked Gracie if she wanted to feel the baby kick and she said yes. I put her hand on my stomach and made her push down a little. I prayed for another kick, and there it was 2 kicks right into Gracie's little hand. She looked at me and said "why baby kicking me"? Then this morning while she was laying in bed with me she asked if she could feel the baby kick. I absolutley love this!

Dancing

2011-07-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

So my girl loves to dance and she loves to do it in her tutu. Right now she loves the movie Happy Feet and wants to watch it all the time. She just wants to dance with mr. happy feet.

Helping Gracie twirl

Thoughts on My Little Man

2011-07-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Troy is very excited....I am a little nervous. I have all brother's so I shouldn't be but I have gotten use to my girl. I hope he is as laid back as Troy is, our prediction, this kid may not talk for a long time and then one day it will just be a full sentence. We just think it would be comical. But in all seriousness I am ready for a boy and so very excited for Troy. There will be a 3 year gap between Gracie and our new little man. Interesting enough that is the age difference between my brother Stephen and myself. I can't say we never fought but we are close. We talk all the time and I love him to death. I loved having him and I have some of the best memories of him. So why am I nervous, I am not sure but I just am. I have a thousand girls names I can use and ones at the top of the list waiting to be chosen but for a boy I have nothing. Our roles in this area have reversed. Troy sits up on the computer at night going over names and going through the books, reading off ones that he likes and all I can say is no, no, no, no way. I don't know why but when I try to think of a name, there is nothing. OK well I did finally come up with one and there are about 100 reasons why we can't use it so the search continues. I have no thought on a letter, no nothing. That has made it a little harder plus I have to decide where this baby is going to go and how to decorate. During pregnancy #1 I knew how I wanted to decorate the room and what name would be if it was a boy but now 2 1/2 years later those things are no longer appealing to me and I am starting from scratch. I am on a search for thoughts and ideas. I love the people throwing names out there because it keeps me thinking otherwise I don't give it a thought during my day. Even now as I sit here, nothing. We had thought that we would give Gracie the name so she could practice saying it and to help for an attachment early but she too might be surprised.

8 Years of Bliss

2011-07-19T07:40:00.000-07:00

Today marks a big day. Troy and I have now been married 8 years. Eight years, a daughter and one on the way, who knew this is where we would be on this day. Actually this is exactly where we wanted to be and God's timing is always much more perfect then ours.

To celebrate our anniversary Troy and I went to Gervasi Vinyard. This has been on our list of the many places to visit but just never think of it on our date nights. This is by far one of the neatest places I have been. And we already started planing the people we want to double date with that would love it. While waiting to be seated at there outdoor Piazza you can get in a game of corn hole, some boche ball or just take in the view at the lake. If you don't want to wait they have blankets you can sit on to have your meal on the lawn. We loved it. I am sure we will be visiting again. I only took a few pictures of your night but first a walk down memory lane.

Day 1

check out more of my favorites here

our first official couples picture

at my brothers rehearsal

on vaca in Punta Cana

day 2 as parents

gracie turns 1

our 1st schenk family vaca

2011

picture of the lake at Gervasi Vinyard

a picture of the 2 of us enjoy our night

Sprinkled with Love

2011-07-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Recently, I heard about an event called a Sprinkle, like a baby shower but for baby #2 or 3 and instead of showering them with gifts you sprinkle them, very clever. What a great way to get those few things that are need for baby #2. Now I checked with my SIL Kassi in Cali and she said they do them with every baby. Mainly a reason for girls time and then you bring diapers or a cute little outfit. As I read about these things called "Sprinkles" I found people loved them or hated them and it really had to do with your particular circle of friends. Anyway, I decided I didn't care so I threw one for my SIL Kristen who will be welcoming a little girl. I tried to make it simple but you know my when it comes to parties I can't just do simple, the ideas just go running through my head. I threw her an adorable pink and yellow themed Sprinkle that was held at 10am at her house with all her friends from church and I was the hostess.

the table

sorry about the light

grapes

the donut tree

kyle made the chalkboard blocks

There's No Place Like Kansas

2011-07-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

As I had mentioned in my previous post Troy & Gracie made the long haul to Smith Center, Kansas. This is a trip that Troy wants to make a yearly tradition, making sure our kids get some good farm time in. Luckily they were accompanied by his brother Kyle & nephew Sawyer. The 4 of them drove the Toyota out and I will paint the seen in the back with Gracie facing forward and Sawyer facing the back seat which lead to some good conversation for the two of them and some taunting. Now I did not witness the taunting but heard it over the phone and just laughed. The driving part was hardest on all involved including me. I just needed them off the road and safe. Once they got to Kansas they had a great time and Gracie loved every minute. Every time time I called I asked Troy if he was taking pictures, so even though I missed it I could at least see all the good times. And, he did get some great pictures, so here are just some of my favorites.

Gracie & Sawyer with Mema

my nephew Sawyer looks just like his daddy

Gracie & Papa in the tractor

the kids out cruisin'

Sawyer & Gracie with Papa

Uncle Jake teaching Gracie how to swing

Auntie Audi & Gracie going for a ride

my favorite - wrestling time

While Gracie holds Uncle Jake down Sawyer showing him who's boss

time with Aunt Marlene

my favorite picture

Auntie Audi braiding Gracie's hair while in her overalls

so cute

Gracie & Papa ready for the farm

love this

Gracie trying out all the machines on the farm

how do I work this thing

Farmer Gracie

Ride that bronco

My husband really did a great job taking pictures, thanks babe! Although I have no pictures of my week it was great and since everyone knew I had free time I was so busy it was crazy. Dinner with friends, photography sessions, girls night, craft day and planning the reveal party. That was plenty for me but I did miss my family.

More on the 4th

2011-07-06T04:57:00.000-07:00

Just to give you a quick over view, Troy and Gracie got back from Kansas on Thursday night(I will put up pictures soon). Friday we had our ultra sound and then enjoyed the day recoupeing from there trip. Saturday we played and my parents came into town and helped us set up for our big Sunday party. I wanted this to be simple laid back and well once we go going it was crazy. I went a little over board on the details I think but it was so cute. We had 44 people, yes that is right 44 people in our house and some how it worked and with the hot weather people wanted the cool air. I am so thankful how well everything went. The only thing I forgot was to video take the cutting of the cake. The reaction was priceless!

one of the tables with the cake

our little reveal cake

red, white and blue theme

our 4th of July preztels

caramel apples with chocolate
these were suppose to be all chocolate

but we had issues with the white chocolate

chocolate covered popcorn

cute buckets a borrow from kristen

my favorite and the easiest was the layeres strawberries &

blue berriesthere were also strawberries covered in

white chocolate & blue sprinkled edges

my nephew Sawyer wearing Gracie's tutu

Gracie and Nina playing

all though these fans look cute I did not enjoy making

them & have marked them off the list for future parties.

Hosting does not allow for alot of mingling but I did get to enjoy some of our visitor's thanks to my mom monitoring the food area. Troy and I were so grateful to all that came. I never got pictures of our guests and I missed the reaction of everyone when we cut the cake. I was so busy watching Troy's reaction but I guess all the guys were jumping around like crazy throwing up high fives. Troy is very excited!

4th of July Reveal Party

2011-07-03T17:19:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to have a baby reveal party but with Baby #1 I wanted a boy so bad that I just needed to know up front and we did not really have family here so we decided not too. But I always said with baby #2 I was having one and I pretty much planned the important details of how we would find out and tell. I wanted something where everyone wanted to get together and hangout with a little added excitement and the 4th of July was just perfect. Gracie actually picked the 4th for us. I was at Khol's and she picked out this 4th of July dress and I thought when would she ever get to where that and then it hit me, great idea Gracie.

So Friday we went to the doctor and had out ultra sound. She zoomed around the screen and from what I could see I thought GIRL. I am obviously not trained but that's what I came up with. We had the nurse write down the sex on a piece of paper put it in an envelope and seal it. I then took the envelope to the store and had them make a little cake. They had never heard of this and thought it was so much fun. On the 4th we cut the cake together...Troy was stalling...but finally we cut the cake and found out what baby #2 was......

BLUE!!!

Troy's reaction

saying he was excited would be an understatement

the cake and the paper that confirmed the sex...

our little family, very exciting

I will post pictures of all the cute treats later.....

20 Weeks

2011-07-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I am 20 weeks and 2 days, officially half way through. This time around I feel like it is going much slower. When people ask how far I am, I just feel like it should be more then what it is. I am trying to just enjoy the time and now that the baby is moving I want time to slow down so I can just enjoy, so this last half will be a lot of fun. No pregnancy glitches like last time just a few minor things on the side but no major things to mention. The anticipation of finding out the sex of this baby is purely so I can figure out why this time around I feel so different. If it is a boy then I feel like that will help me understand a little better but if it is a girl I am at a loss for an explanation. Anyone ever feel different from one to the other pregnancy and not know why? I thought maybe I needed to up a specific vitamin. I am just looking for something a little more o-natural instead of what the doctors want to give me.

Cravings: pretty much the same salads, fruit, and veggies. No aversions to report:)

Sleep Cycle: on my side and a half stomach side lay, it makes me feel like I am sleeping on my stomach:) No Changes to report in the bathroom area, I am still up 2-3 times a night, no matter how little I drink before bed.

Movement: I feel movement all day. Troy can now officially feel the kicking.

Short Story: Troy was waiting and trying to feel a kick when my stomach growled and he quickly looked at me and asked if that was the baby:) I then explain I was hungry.

Excited For: This weekend we are having a 4th of July Reveal Party. I have wanted to do one of these for a long time. This time around the not knowing does not bother me mainly because I am so indifferent about what this baby will be. I am fine with either. Although last time I wanted a boy first and I got Gracie of course I think she is perfect. God knew I needed to see a father daughter relationship more then anything, for healing purposes I am sure. But now that I know my girl I am a little scared to have a boy. We will just have to see...

What to Expect: Per BabyCenter my baby is the size of a banana.

New Moment: Again I had the house to myself, this time for a full week while Troy & Gracie spent there time in Kansas. What did I do? Well, most people guessed right off the bat, cleaned but only the night they left and I was done before they were out of the state of Ohio. I made it the only night to clean. The rest of the week I spent working on crafts, hanging out with girl friends (which was much needed) and getting ready for the party. It was very quiet. I loved my time.

small view of the baby

this view makes my belly look much bigger

My next post will be our big announcement of the gender, we will both find out soon....

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-06-27T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks for asking. It is doing pretty good. There is lots of green and still some bare spots which mean either the seeds did not take or they take while I am really not sure at all.

What I have: 2 tomato plants, lots of cucumber plants, maybe 1 lettuce(it's being smothered), 1 carrot, in the top left cilantro, and in the bottom left peppers. I also have a cherry tomato plant that is in a pot.

Questions:

Should I try and plant something in the spots where nothing is coming up?
Should I spread out the cucumber?
Or will moving them kill them? Will it hurt that they are crowded?
Any thoughts would help......

Our Cincy Vacation

2011-06-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

We spent a long week in Cincinnati. I have lots of pictures, too many to share in a bunch of posts so I will just share a few from each major event and then you can see the rest on FaceBook.

The biggest event and the reason we were there was to celebrate my brother's Alex & Taylor graduating from high school. It was actually a little emotional to see them graduate and be done. I still have this pictures in my head that they are still 3 or even 12 but it is weird to think they are 18, have graduated and now going off to college. I am excited for them and I am praying that they make good decisions in college.

The second big even for me was to see my nephew Aiden. Sadly this was actually the first time I have seen him in person. My brother had to op out of our last family even because of the cost of flying. Even though we have done a lot of iChat's it was still fun to hold him and kiss on his cute cheeks. We had a great little personality and loves to giggle.

We had a great day at the Splash Park.

Celebrating Aiden's 1st birthday &

Stephen's with an army themed birthday.

Another exciting event of the week was meeting Taylor's girlfriend

Katherine she is adorable. Also Gracie showed the first signs of

having a crush, she was smitten by Taylor and she loved getting

to sit by Katherine. Gracie like to sit by her and just watch

her, she thought Katherine was pretty cool.

We went to the horse stables and Gracie got to watch

some riding lessons and then pet a few of the horses.

And of course some great time with the family...

Taylor hanging out with the kids.

Alex & Gracie

Kassi & Me

Aiden and Grandma

Gracie & Grandpa

Gracie & Stephen

A Quick Update

2011-06-17T12:59:00.001-07:00

This will be a short update on BabySchenk. BabyCenter like to compare the baby size to some sort of food the whole length of the pregnancy. So right now my baby is the size of this pepper.

I finally went for my 16 week appointment in my 18 week. Everything is fine except that I need to eat more protein. I have added that to my list of things to eat, I will just add a spoonful of peanut butter, yum. Our little BabySchenk would not hold still for us to hear the heart beat, there was even a ninja kick to the fetal monitor. BabySchenk finally held still for us to list to the heartbeat and even turn to face us so the heart beat got very load. Nothing new to report everything is the same from my 16 week post. Only thing that is officicial is we will know the sex of the baby the first weekend in July, then we will start looking at names. I think at this point that is going to be the topic of our conversations because we have not thought of one and we are starting from scratch. Actually for those who are willing I would love baby name ideas. I may have to post seperate on this, I think this time around we may go different on everything. I really want Gracie to have a name she can call the baby so when the baby comes out she feels a connection. I have a friend who did this with her daughter and she loved it. I am most excited to take Gracie with us to the ultra sound, I am not sure how she will do but it will be neat to show her the baby.

Driving Miss Gracie

2011-06-12T04:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple cute pictures of my Nephew Sawyer and Gracie playing together and sharing, I was pleased.

both in the coupe & S making a call to Mema

trying for a smile of the 2 of them

G talking to Mema

I was making homemade salsa and G loves sucking on

the lime. G & S sat under the table sharing the lime.

Pretty cute.

Ready for College

2011-06-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated my twin brother's Alex & Taylor graduation from High School. With that comes graduation parties and gifts. A while back I started making a list and collecting items that would be the basic essentials for College. Although the picture below does not look like much it felt like it to me, 2 of everything is a lot. I think I did an ok job, I will just have to see when they open it.

16+ Weeks

2011-06-06T04:31:00.001-07:00

This pregnancy I have not been very good at taking pictures at all so I thought at the 16 week mark I would get one in but then I missed that day as well. So I have 16 almost 17 week(wed) picture of my belly. Not much to update or that has changed since my 14 week update. But I will give a quick over view because I feel like I have already gypped baby #2.

Cravings: salads, fruit, veggies, and sometimes baked potato's. No aversions to report:)

Sleep Cycle: on my side and sometimes I wake up on my stomach. I do get up about 3 times a night for the bathroom.

Movement: Although I do not feel movement most of the time, I have noticed what is called "quickening", just little flutters.

Excited For: the 20 week visit and finding out what we are having, then we can think about names

What to Expect: In the next few weeks, the baby will double hers/his weight and add inches to his length. Right now, she's/he's about the size of an avocado: 4 1/2 inches long (head to rump) and 3 1/2 ounces. His legs are much more developed, his head is more erect than it has been, and his eyes have moved closer to the front of his head. His ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of his scalp has begun, though his locks aren't recognizable yet. He's even started growing toenails. And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, his heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as your baby continues to develop. This is all from the babycenter website, I resigned up so that with my schedule I could at least be updated on our new baby's development. I am really trying not to miss the important stuff :)

New Moment: I recently had the house to myself for 2 nights in a row. No Troy and no Gracie for 2 days. This is the first time I have been truly alone since before Gracie was born, the house all to myself. Don't worry I enjoyed every minute:)

16 Weeks & 5 Days

took a quick picture with the computer before work

Holiday Rewind

2011-06-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

Lets go back to my holiday posts that I have had waiting and I have just not had the time.

This week I attended the Mother's and Other's Tea at our church and it was a blast. I love all the ladies in my life. And all the moms seem to be constantly encouraging and loving on my family, we are so blessed. I just wanted to share a cute pictures of a couple of the girls

rena, kim, me, rachel

Yes this is really late but I thought I would share a picture of Gracie and my matching outfit that I made or Easter. I got a little to ambitious and I am not sure I will do that again but here it is.

gracie & me

I made these matchy/cheesy outfits for Gracie and I.

Dress a little dress and a maternity skirt for myself.

Not perfect but it was cute. Weirdly enough I had a

cardigan that matched the perfect purple weird.

I know my mom is proud of our little outfit:)

ready for the egg hunt

she seem to just what to do

a serious bunny

first abbie's turn

then cabbie

What Garden....

2011-05-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much what mine
looks like right now, but only one

Where did it go? Well I started growing some items indoors and they were doing really well until the mold started growing and I learned that was due to over watering. oops. Also living in wonderful Northeast Ohio means weather changes all the time at this time of year which also means our house does as well. I don't think it was warm enough for my little plants so I am going to start over. Someone told me to put something plastic over them so the heat stays more contained.

All this to say that even though I have already made one small attempt of which I failed I am going to try again in a box garden in the back yard. Yes a little too ambitious may but I was hoping for a little help. Anyone out there have what to do and what not to do advice. I can use all the help I can get and all kinds of help. Go with any thought you have......