Army ATC...

 We had a really nice weekend in Lancaster, PA for the annual ATC conference this weekend. The conference was originally scheduled for October, but was cancelled 2 weeks before due to some issues with reservations. Needless to say, many, many people weren't happy that it was re-scheduled for the weekend before Christmas. However, we made the best of it and had a nice time. I mean, I had a really-really-really  nice time because the outlets were .8 of mile down the road! It was glorious. Poor Luke had to sit through briefs all day, and I found myself bug eyed, walking up and down every isle, 13 times, at the Pottery Barn Outlet. It was a beautiful sight! Imagine the magazine coming alive except everything is at least half off. If we only had a U-haul, I would bought every piece of furniture in there! There was a couch that was used in a magazine shoot that they took the covers off of. It was fluffy and SO nice for 100.00! I would have bought it and had nowhere to put it! I did end up buying baskets and toy bins for the baby's room, which I have had my eye on since we bought the bedding a few months ago! I also visited (hold your breath, Deb) the QVC outlet. Now, that was a sight to see! It was a lot of rummaging, but if you are a QVC die hard, you would have been in heaven! Anyways, I got a little off subject and could continue on for another paragraph, but won't. The ATC hosts about 250 Recruiters from across Pennsylvania, and their Commanders. Luke is one of 7 Company Commanders across PA! They have training for the soldiers and their spouses throughout the weekend, as well as individualized parties, and a Dining In, which is a formal dinner. I am the Family Readiness Group leader for State College Company, so I was in charge of decorating the party. I had a good time on Friday using my teacher skills (decorating on a small budget). We decided to do an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party and a White Elephant Gift Exchange at our party, and it turned out, well tacky!

Our outfits were quite hideous! My nasty sweater was adorned with jingle bell earrings and Luke's FEMALE festive button up was topped off with a musical tie from the Dollar Store! (Luke looks like a deer in headlights because we used the self timer on the camera-haha)

At the party one of Luke promoted one of his soldiers to Sergeant First Class. A very proud moment for Sergeant Rains.

He also re-enlisted SGT. Anthony for another 6 year contract!

Some of the White Elephant gifts were very funny. A White Elephant is when you re-gift something that you want to get rid of! You then steal each others gifts because "One mans junk, is another mans treasure". We ended up with a coffee mug, which Luke was pumped about!

On Saturday night was the Battalions Dining In. Luke's boss, LT Colonel Lockridge, hosted the event for over 300 people. There were were 3 important guests, Colonel Hall, General Roberts and the guest speaker, NBA 76ers player, Daryl Dawkins. 

 

I think I came up to Daryl Dawkins waist! He is a whopping 6ft 10!! Everything about him was humungo!

Isn't my hubby handsome? :) I had quite the time zipping that dress, and once I was in it...I wasn't going anywhere.

The poor baby was probably smooshed, but that is what happens when you are 5 months pregnant in a formal dress!

Here we are at 20 weeks! 

Luke's Company brought home a lot of the awards at the ceremony, and I was really proud of him and his Soldiers. They are where the Army begins...they find the best of the best to make our Army Army strong! Hooah!

Catching up!

Well, it has been a few weeks since I have updated... Christmas "this" and Christmas "that" have taken up 95% of my free time (..I love it)! So, let me just make you a little list of updates:

1.  I know you looked twice, thinking that was me! I feel just like Wonder Woman! I feel great and have had tons of energy the last 2 weeks. I feel like I never sit down, and am the most productive person in the U.S of A! :) I am most likely making up for the 3 months that I was a vegetable (Luke is loving having a little time off of laundry duty and every other household job that I didn't do).

2.  I am pretty sure I felt the baby kick on Saturday, for the first time. It was a fast flutter, and I am sure it wasn't my bubbly stomach! It was very exciting, but I second guessed myself because it was so fast. However, I have felt the same type of movements throughout the week, so I am sure it is Lil' Wayne dancing around.

3. Our next appointment is on Thursday. I'll be just about 19 weeks, which is one week shy of the anticipated 20 week ultrasound. We will most likely head back for that after Christmas. We're really excited to see the changes in the baby, and will hopefully get a better glimpse at some of his/her characteristics...but NOT that close.  Most people can't wait for this appointment because they are finding out the sex of the baby. Weirdly, I don't feel anxious about not finding out. I haven't even tried to convince Luke to find out, so I know for sure that I don't want to know. Typically I bug and bug and bug until I get what I want! ;)  

Week 19: The baby is the size of a mango! 6 inches long and 8.5 oz. (Only 8 more pounds to gain, and he/she will be right on target with Luke and I when we were born). Next week it will grow to a whopping cantaloupe! A mango to a cantaloupe is quite a jump, I wonder if they ran out of fruit?

4. I am in L-O-V-E with grapefruit and Cocoa Puffs this week! For Christmas, if you just wrapped up a box of fresh grapefruit..you would be my best friend! Don't forget the sugar to sprinkle on top, though! ;) Typically I don't have the patience to cut up grapefruit, as you have to carve around each little triangle, but now I just drool and cut as fast as possible ;) Whoever decided that eating a grapefruit that way was convenient, was way wrong. My mom was obsessed with Cocoa Puffs when pregnant with me, which is ironic! We decided tonight that it was the chocolaty flavor mixed with a titch of salt? I am still not hungry for chocolate like normal, but those puffs just seem to hit the spot!

5. Just wanted to share this picture of a sled my Dad had when he was a kiddo! It was in our garage and he gave it to us to add to our Christmas decor! We were going to put it outside,  but because our house is on a hill..everything blows off, over, away...Let's just say it would be out on our steps for 2 months and Luke would be picking it up/adjusting it from the wind for 2 months, and I would be listening to him complain about it for 2 months! :) Therefore, it ended up in our kitchen next to the fireplace! We love it!! :)

6. Handy Hubby: Luke had been busy working on a few woodworking projects the last few weeks. Each year the Recruiting Battalion out of Harrisburg has an ATC, which is a training event, followed by a formal dinner. I will update about that more later, but each Company (Luke's the Commander of the State College Recruiting Company-which has 7 Recruiting Stations across Central, PA) presents awards to its most successful recruiters. Luke made the plaque's this year and they turned out fantastic! The awards mounted are R-E-A-L guns and swords. I think the project took him longer than anticipated because he would stop and play with the guns and swords every so often! Men! ;)

 7. My FAVORITE Part of Christmas is wrapping. If I could become a professional wrapping paper-er, I would! This year I was so stressed out because I couldn't find the perfect paper. If you have ever been to State College before, they have the worst shopping E-V-E-R, and shopping for wrapping paper was no exception. I love Hobby Lobby's selections 1. because they give you a million feet on a roll and 2. they offer a wide array of choices AND color "themes". However, there is not a Hobby Lobby in sight (I thought about driving back to Fayetteville-hehe). Well, I finally compromised with some paper I found at Walmart. I think it was 30 feet for 4.99, which is absurd, but it is thick and glittery. You probably think I am crazy for analyzing wrapping paper, but it is just "one of those things".Sadly, I am not in love with my theme this year, but I tried to spice it up with ornaments and personalized name tags. Next year I will be SURE to plan ahead!

(If you are expecting a gift from us, don't be analyzing which one is yours and what it could be-that's cheating!) ;)

The cats made a new friend through the window! We have a stray in the backyard, and it is probably the ugliest cat in America, but you can't help but feel sad for it! Luke wants to bring it inside, but 3 cats (especially one that is so ugly it will give me nightmares), isn't a good idea. Not to mention if we had 3 cats we would looks like freaks! Anyways, this past week it snowed and there were little paw prints up our stairs to the window. It explains why the cats sit by the door window and wait. Here they are at the side window waiting for their little friend. Makes me so sad!

Well, that is it for the random updates! I promised my Grandma this would be updated by Sunday, because I was afraid she would stop being one of my faithful little followers if I didn't. Happy Sunday!

Homeowners for a year!

It is hard to believe that a year ago we were here in State College looking at houses. Seeing snow on the ground this morning reminded me of last year when we had ONE day to look/buy a house, all during a horrible snow storm!

 

 Last year on Jonathan Lane...

This mornings "dusting" wasn't close to this snowfall..hehe

Anyways, time is precious here in State College. One year seems like a short amount of time to live somewhere, kind of still an adjustment period, but to us it is almost the half way point before moving again. Next year at this time (Dec. 2011) we are going to be looking into moving somewhere else, and starting the grueling process of finding a home all over again... except this time we will have a 6 month old baby (we will most likely move right around the baby's 1st birthday). In a way, I am kind of ready for a change. I know that sounds crazy, but total (between college and now) I have spent 3 years here, and they say you start to get the "military move" itch after that amount of time. I miss the people in the South. They are so much friendlier, and more polite. People here feel entitled to everything, and it bothers Luke and I on a weekly basis. Trust me, I DO NOT miss the South's slowness..AT ALL. I remember my first experience at the post office in Fayetteville, it took at least 40 minutes of waiting in line for a book of stamps! I was boiling inside, I just wanted to jump behind the desk and show the postal workers some efficiency. Not to mention I don't miss carrying mace on my key chain :) I do think I miss a military atmosphere, though.  Here, Luke feels like he isn't even in the military (which IS a nice break), except when he has to put on his camo every day. Don't ask me where I would like to go, because I have N-O idea. I just wish I could move my parents with me wherever we do go. 2 hours away from home is such a treat, and we are trying our best to get home on any free weekend we have. We will never have this opportunity again, so we will make the most of the year and a half we do have left! Who knows, we could end up in Alaska or Hawaii.. oh, the uncertainty!

4 months and going strong!

 Can't you tell, it is ALL boy! ;) 

(That "belly" is part shadow on the wall)

 Look close, I still have abs..

..haha, not quite!

 

Well, you'd think this would be bigger with 2 Thanksgiving's AND a McDonald's Happy Meal, all eaten in the last week!

Feeling pretty good the last couple of weeks! Phew! Hoping that the worst is O-V-E-R. It is important to write down how I feel, so I can remind myself when I want another baby. I can't imagine feeling that way and chasing after a toddler. Too bad it wasn't twins, we could knock 2 birds out with 1 stone. Oh well! 

My appetite is getting better, but my road rage is NOT.  Good lord, I can't believe how annoyed I get at other drivers. I catch myself yelling, swearing and saying not nice things to people, as if they can even hear me.  Even a cute, old man in a Buick made me angry last week, and I LOVE old men! Don't even get me started on the Penn State students who are just too tired to pick their heads up and LOOK before they cross the street. I DO believe in cross walks, and will always stop for pedestrians, but the PSU students think that there are crosswalks EVERYWHERE. It is so scary! Luke and I hate driving downtown, and of course we both have to drive through there every day to get to work. However, my biggest pet peeve of ALL time is texting and driving. I can't even tell you how many times I have looked over and seen a fellow driver looking down at their phone. It makes me so upset. I can't imagine having one of my family members injured because someone was texting and driving..it makes me sick. I love the new blue tooth feature in cars, so you don't even have to look down to answer your phone. We will def. be getting one of those in our new car. Whenever I am in the passenger seat and see a "texter" I point my finger and tap on the window at them, just like a 90 year old woman. Luke gets embarrassed, but I don't care one bit! :)

Off my soap box for now, thanks for listening!

Gobble, Gobble!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! :) 

We started our day off with Sayre's Turkey Trot. It is a 5K, which we did last year, too. Luke and I, Haley, Josh and Jessica ran it this year. I knew for sure Luke and I's time would be slower than last year, as I can't get too breathless, but we did better than I expected. We were a little under 30min. Oddly, I felt better running it this year, than last. My mom thinks it is all the hills here in Bellefonte. They ARE killer, but maybe they really have helped our endurance. It snowed during the run, which was a super nice distraction! Both sets of parents come and cheer us on! Here are a few snapshots my mom took! Next year, I would like a sign held up when we run by! hehe..NOT really.

 Loved the snow!

 Towards the end and we were smiling..good sign!

 Dominick came to cheer on his Aunt's, Uncles and Mommy!

 Jessica, Haley and Josh! Way to go!

L and I...feeling refreshed! Bring on the turkey!

We had wonderful ThanksgivingS (plural). During the holidays is when Luke and I REALLY appreciate being from the same town. Living only 2 miles apart allows us to spend time with both families, and go back and forth from house to house (especially if we get sick of one family, we can go to the others house..juuuust kidding). Our moms work nicely together to coordinate dinner times, so we can be at both dinner tables.....thanks, Moms! Of course, we have to ration what we eat at each, so we have room for two meals. We have gotten pretty good at saving room for our favorite dishes at each house. I LOVE Luke's mom's creamed corn and pumpkin pie,  and my mom makes some mean stuffed squash and stuffing! This year I caught Luke loading his plate up with Ritz crackers at his house, and when I asked why he had so many he said, "Can't get these at your house, you know!". Ha! We love both dinners, and feel super thankful to have loving families to sit with around the table. Next year we will have another mouth to feed!

 Thankful for another Thanksgiving together!

 

 The competition!

 The "Brotherhood"..

One of Deb's wonderful pies!

I forgot my camera when we went to my house, however, we took some on my mom's camera, and I will be sure to get them from her! This year, my Aunt Stacey, Uncle Tommy and little cousins Meagan and Ryan came from Boston. It was so nice to see them and spend the afternoon with them!