Post Below - Here is the pic..... :)

I am fast tonight with the pictures, but I am definitely going to bed now - I am soo tired! Here are just a few from the trip (I took over 100 pics....LOL). I am going to post our anniversary cabin pictures in another e-mail on our anniversary; which is NEXT week! I can't believe it, but it has definitely been the best year of my life so far - I love you, Les and you truly mean the world to me!!! Here is me at 15 wks and definitely starting to show! YAY - I'm so excited!!!
Here is Les and I posing with a bear statue at the Bass Pro Shop at Branson Landing. Les was trying to look mean for the picture and I was going for the cute pose......LOL
This picture was taken at Silver Dollar City and Les is behind bars!
This is the 4 of us on the Branson Belle - a definite must see if going to Branson. We had a really great time on aboard and the entertainment and food was great!!!
Here is the magnificent Branson Belle - she holds up to 700 people and goes average 6 mph. It was very pretty on the inside too.

We're Home!

Well, we actually got back on Saturday night late, so we were pretty tired from driving all day and stopping at my mother-in-laws on the way home to visit with her and pick up one of our dogs, Bear. We got home and pretty much crashed into the bed. Les surprised me on Friday night by making reservations at this cute little cabin in the woods by the Oauchita River for our anniversary. We stayed there Friday night and we got to canoe, hike, etc. We had a good time and it was a very relaxing evening. I'm not kidding, we were in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! :) The cabin that we stayed in had a theme of roses and hearts and that was really cute. It was a 2 story cabin with the kitchen, living room, and hot tub on the 1st floor and on the bedroom and bathroom on the 2nd floor. It had hardwood floors that reminded us of our own house. There were 2 patios - 1 on the first floor and 1 on the second floor. The cabin was nestled by itself in the woods, but with a view of the river still.

THANK YOU, LES - YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB!!!!!

On Sunday we went to church and then went and picked up our 2nd dog, Kodiak. We came home and I slept for over 2 hours - I think the driving wore me out even though I didn't feel it till Sunday afternoon.

Today was my 15 wk appt and I passed with flying colors. I have gained almost 3 lbs, blood pressure was very good, measured at 15 wks and we were able to hear our little munchkin's heart beat. The doctor said that the heart beat sounded very good and strong. It was around 157-162 - hard to tell exactly because it was VERY active. You could hear the baby moving around and she said that we had a very active baby in there that was moving ALL around. She was very pleased with our progress so far and I am due back in in 2 wks for blood work and then 2 more weeks after that to try and find out the sex of the baby. She did tell me that I would probably go through a growth spurt in the next few weeks and that I would probably "pop out." I am so excited because I can already see a change and feel the growing pains too. Les wants to take a picture of me tonight, so I'll post that later. :)

AHS Class of 98!

Wow, I can hardly believe that it has been 10 years since I graduated from good ole AHS!! Well, tonight kicks off our reunion; which is actually 3 events. Tonight there is a open bar drink thingie in Frisco, then on Saturday there is a family picnic, and then Saturday night is the BIG shin dig; the formal night.


I am actually not going to any of it because tonight Les and I are going to go and watch Allen play Euless. The game is supposed to be really good and definitely competitive. So, we'll see if Allen has what it takes to win. I don't know what Euless has against us, so we'll see. Then the rest of the events - I won't be around for.


I do keep up with several people from high school and Tallenettes, so I know that if they go; then they can fill me in on everything. Sounds like it's time to have another former Tallenette dinner! :) We try to have these 1-2x a year and we've already gotten together 1x time this year.


I hope that you all have a GREAT weekend!!!!!!!!

14 wks!!!

Yay, we are officially in the 2nd Trimester now. I have been feeling great and doing really good. I took a picture of me so that you can see where I am (this is for you, Christy!). I haven't changed much yet, but a little pooch starting to try and develop.

Let's see, a few things that are new that have been occuring over the last few weeks are:
1. my lower abdomen is itchy, but I am using cocoa butter on it and that is helping a LOT!
2. my button up tops don't fit well anymore and so I have now bought a few maternity things - I have LOVED the baby consignment stores that sell maternity clothes. That way I don't have to buy brand new things. :)
3. I gag everytime I brush my teeth - let me tell you, now THAT'S fun......LOL As I tell Les," it will all be worth it once our baby is here."

Things that have improved:
1. sleepiness is getting better and I can usually make it through the whole day without wanting to take a nap, but I am ready to go to bed around 10:30 PM. I do have my days where I want a nap though! :)
2. more energy!
3. my breasts haven't been as tender - thank goodness!

I have my next appt in 1 1/2 wks and I am so excited to go and make sure that everything is still going good.

What's YOUR Vote???

No, I'm not talking politics, but I was having some fun tonight and wanted to see which person or dog wore the hat the best. Here are you choices:

LES!

KIMBERLY

KODIAK

THE FOLLOWING PICTURE IS NOT IN THE VOTE....... :)

Les and I couldn't stop laughing at how funny she looked with the dreads all on one side of her head. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this blog!!!!

Tribute to Sam & Josey

Here are more pictures of our precious doggies that we had to put to sleep!

RIP Sam & Josey

Sampson (Sam) Johnson - August 4, 2008
Josephine (Josey) Brown - September 5, 2008

You are missed and will always have a spot in our hearts - we love you!!!

The weekend! :)

This past weekend started off with a not so fun event - we had to put the last dog to sleep - Josephine. She was my grandma's dog and has lived with my parents since my grandma died April 24, 2001. She was a really great dog and lived to be 16 yrs old. She had rectal cancer and had a huge tumor that could errupt at anytime - the vet would not do surgery and gave her about 2 wks to live, so we put her down after about 1 week after getting a 2nd opinion. It was hard, but it was the best decision. We had to put our other dog, Sampson to sleep back on August 4th. Sampson was also 16 yrs old and he had kidney failure and was VERY sick. He is definitely no longer in any pain. While it was hard, both dogs had great lives and lived life to the fullest. Here is a picture of Sam about 2 wks before he went into kidney failure - he was such a great little dog - he was mine, but was adopted by my parents when I went to college.

I have pictures of Josephine too that I plan on posting, but I do not have any with me at the moment - they are at home on my laptop.

On to more positive things:
Friday night - after work we (me, Les, my mom, and my brother) went out to Royse City. We picked up Doris (Les' mom) and went and ate BBQ. Then we went and watched the Royse City Bulldogs trample on the Atlanta Rabbits. When we left there was about 5 minutes left of the game and the score was 35 - 7 (Bulldogs in the lead). It was a good game - very packed too. This was the Bulldogs' first 4A game and their first game in their new stadium. We had a great time and got to see family and friends while there!! :)

Saturday - I went with 14 others to see the musical Menopause - that was so funny! I was having a really good time and enjoying it, but then tiredness grabbed me and I fell asleep for a few minutes. It scared my mom because she had seen my head drop and instantly checked to make sure that I was okay. It happened so fast, but when you're tired.....LOL I only missed about 3 minutes of the musical, so that was good.
That early evening I took a nap and then went and ate dinner out at Catfish Heaven - YUMMY!
Also, today was our 11th month anniversary - YAY!!

Sunday - Les and I got up and went to church; then he had to go to work afterwards. After church I went grocery shopping, cleaned my kitchen, ate lunch, read a book, and then went to the Old Hymn Night at our church. That was a lot of fun and we had a good group too (me, Les, my parents, Les' mom, my Aunt Cookie, and Charlotte - Doris' friend). We had fun singing and I actually knew the majority of them. We had this same thing in the Spring and it was a blast and I am looking forward to the one in the future too! :)

That's a recap of my fun and exciting weekend! Why do the weekends always have to come to an end?!

Belly Laughs

I have been meaning to write on this book for several weeks now and have not found the time. However, this has got to be one of the funniest and accurate books that I have read. If you're not familiar with it - it is about pregnancy! If you are pregnant, know someone that's pregnant, or you have kids and just want to read - either buy it for yourself or buy it for someone else. Alot of the things that Jenny talks about in the book is so true and things that I have actually experienced. Thank goodness not everything yet, but defintiely a funny read.

Thank you, Christy, for sending this book to me! I might have to read it again before we have Baby C. :) I think I read the whole book in about 3 settings - just couldn't put it down. LOL

God's Surprises

I received this devotion this morning from my daily devotion through Christian Women Today. I think that it can be applied to men and women, both. I know that one thing that I try to do is to focus on the positives and enjoy life no matter what comes my way. However, it can be hard to not have self-pity at times too. I thought this was very encouraging.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Often we look to friends and family members to meet our needs instead of to God. When we look to family or friends we'll inevitably be disappointed. Then self-pity, resentment and bitterness will set in, on both sides.God knows our needs for love and affirmation and He has infinite ways of meeting them.At a recent visit, I watched as my daughter was showing a friend some family photos. Great, I thought, until I noticed that there wasn't a single photo of me. How typical, I thought. Once more I've been left out of the collection. Just as I was about to give in to a full dose of self -pity, a beautiful monarch butterfly landed on my lap. It flexed its wings and put on a little show for me.God, did you send the butterfly to show me that I am loved? I mused. It must be, for I've never had it happen before that a monarch butterfly chose my lap as a landing place. As I allowed my thoughts to follow the path of love, the earlier feelings of rejection melted away.This incident taught me that we have a choice, at any given moment, to focus on the negative or the positive. One leads to frustration and pain, the other leads to freedom and joy.When I had decided to settle my thoughts on love, a solution to the above problem formed in my mind: I'll get my camera and ask this friend to take photos of my daughter and me.

~Father, Thank you that You know my weakness and my brokenness and that You have promised to meet all my needs.

Questions: How is God wanting to meet your need right now? It will always come as a surprise, but you must be aware of the moment and latch onto it.

By: Helen Leschied

12 wks today!!!!

I can't believe it - the 12th week mark has come so quickly to me. I have been doing really good the last few days and feeling much better!! :) I still get tired, but that is even starting to improve. I can actually stay up later now and I don't feel as tired throughout the day while I'm working. :) However, my skin has started itching occasionally, but I'm sure that's because my body is probably starting to change - I can see a little bit of a difference. At my last doctor's appt - I think 1 1/2 wks ago - I hadn't gained any weight at the point, but I can tell that my body is changing in the way it looked. I am so excited about when I'll start showing - to me that is just so exciting AND cute! I love seeing prego mommies and their bumps - each baby bump is so different and unique and even different from pregnancy to pregnancy. :)

1 week from today and we'll be entering into the 2nd Trimester - WOW! I am so excited to go and see my doctor, but that's not for another 3 1/2 wks. I want to know that our baby is still doing good and developing correctly. I hope that at the appt also, we'll be able to find out what the sex of the baby is going to be. We're hoping for a boy, but if it's a girl - that's great too! We'll take whatever God gives us and run with it.

However, whichever sex we have - we will grow it up appreciating the outdoors, animals, etc. I don't want our child to have to have TV, gaming systems, etc. now they will be able to enjoy both activities, I don't want this to be the sole entertainment for them. Les and I talk about how we were as kids and how we were always outdoors playing, fishing, hunting (this one is him), riding bikes (this one is me), etc. - you get the picture of how we grew up!

However, I do want to let everyone know - we will not be telling the names that we choose for the baby until the baby is here. We have decided to let that part of the pregnancy be a secret - we have started narrowing names down, but that's it. We will be referring to the baby as Baby C till the little bundle of joy makes its appearance into the world. I know that this will probably make a few people upset, but this is how we are choosing to keep part of our pregnancy private and just between the 2 of us. Thank you to those in advance who make this easy on us and don't give us any grief over the matter. :)

Well, I'm going to grab a snack to eat - I'm getting hungry - almost lunch time!!!

Hugs to everyone!!
Kimberly

Hmm........Lots on my mind!! ;)

As I have been sitting here at work today - I have been pondering on what I would like to post about today. It has been a tough decision because I have thought about several topics:
1. Politics - the Presidential Election is so close!
2. Weather - I am loving it!
3. Work - boring........LOL
4. Kodiak - she needs hip replacement, but is on shots to balance the fluids in her hips and joint replacement. She is doing awesome with this treatment and is back to her ole chipper self. :)
5. Why People Do What They Do? - too deep!
6. Week #12 - I'll do that tomorrow!
7. High School Football - LOVE this time of year

So, after listing just a few things that have been on my mind today - I have decided to go with weather!!!! hahahaha

I am absolutely LOVING the weather now that we have been blessed with!! We are so fortunate to be living in Texas in the summer time and having days like the last few days. I am pretty sure that it all stems from hurricane Gustav, but I'll take it. Les and I had our windows open last night in the living room and kitchen, so nice! We left them open and then just closed our bedroom door and turned the AC on in there so that we would sleep good. When I woke up this morning and left our room - I couldn't believe how cool it was throughout the house. If you don't know, we live on 2 acres of land and there is a whopping 86 acres next to us that is empty - well, they grow corn and wheat there, but right now, everything has been plowed, so there is nothing there, but the tree line. The wind was blowing like crazy and it definitely left us with some nice cool air in the house. I am hoping tonight that we can leave even our window open - I heard we're supposed to get into the upper 60's tonight - YES! :) I am so excited and I can just feel the excitement of Fall starting to pump through my veins. Yes, folks, I love Fall and Winter. I get so charged up by the cooler weather and I can hardly wait for it to get here!!! I can't believe that Les and I have been married for almost 11 months (3 days) and then the 1 year mark is approaching ever so quickly too. I am so happy and couldn't ask for a better husband, but I'll get into more of that once we hit October 6th - the 1st year anniversary mark. Another thing that I love about this time of year is the chance to wear sweatshirts again - I just love putting on a sweatshirt and cuddling up into it. I also love the high school football games. We went to the 1st Allen High School football this past Friday night. Allen played the Longview Lobos and it was a really good game! Allen beat Longview 21-7 - YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Go AHS Eagles and RCHS Bulldogs (I think that is correct)!!!!

Whew.........what a wonderful day!!!

It is 9:38 PM and our day is coming to a close. We have had such a fun day with family and friends coming and going all afternoon since about noon. Les and I got up at 7:30 AM to check in on hurricane Gustav (I have family there hunkered down), cleaned a little, finished lawn work, and got the food all ready.

We started off by having Les' mom, my parents, my brother - Christopher, my cuz - Dan & Melody, and Kristy eating lunch with us. Then some other friends of ours, Shane & Amber came over in the afternoon. Later in the evening, my mom came back over to bring me something and stayed a little while and we took a walk down the street and then came back and played games.

We had hamburgers, hot dogs, mom's wonderful baked beans, momma Doris' pumpkin log, potato salad, 7 layer bean dip, homemade ice cream (vanilla), etc. VERY YUMMY FOOD, but the company was definitely the BEST part of the day for sure. Thanks to everyone who came over!!!

I am getting tired now and can hear Baby C telling me it's bedtime.......:) Happy Labor Day!!!!!