Pregnancy Update

WILL THE NAUSEA EVER END? I used to love food. Now I hate food. Not that it tastes any different, but the smell of cooking anything is horrible. I got up the other morning, felt great, made myself breakfast and then sat there and looked at it for 10minutes before I could convince myself to take a bite. I thought today was a little better until I came upstairs for dinner. Nope, not as better as I thought!

We had an ultrasound on Friday morning. According to the ultrasonographer (Al) who did my exam, the baby looks perfect. The heart is beating at 156.29 (where he gets the .29 is beyond me) beats per minute. Everything is attached perfectly...all is on schedule. He did, however, give Kevin and I a small heart attack when he said "folks, I think we may have twins here". Upon closer examination he discovered that there is only one baby...THANK GOD!

Here's to hoping that this nausea goes away quickly...and to thank God for phenergan...without it...I would be about 20 pounds lighter...for sure!

August 4, 2008

Here is what I looked like on December 24, 2003....




Yup...that is me, 8 1/2 months pregnant with Matthew almost 4 years ago. That is hard to believe. And those are the only two pictures in history that exist of me pregnant. Yet, here we go again! Kevin, Matthew and I are expecting a new addition to our family on (or around) August 4, 2008.
Why do I look so unhappy, you might ask? Well, let me tell you. After a couple of hours spent trying on different things in Motherhood Maternity that were suitable enough to wear to the Spokane Club for lunch and then later that night to church, I was pretty upset. Kevin and I still laugh about me sitting in the dressing room at Motherhood crying because I couldn't find anything in my size to wear (hormones much?). So, I had to settle for this stupid shirt that was about 2 sizes too big in the chest, but fit around my ever expanding belly.
So far, I am feeling pretty good. The morning sickness is pretty mild (with the exception of today) and I am tired, but not excessively so.
Here is to a better pregnancy than the last one was..

A Snowy Song

This is what I woke up to this morning

I hate snow...I hate snow...I hate snow. I hate it so much I even wrote a song about it in my head this morning on my way to work...to the tune of Silver Bells:

Icy Roads, Icy Roads
Time to get out the shovels
Snow has come, no more fun
Please God just bring back the spring

It's Decorating Time!

I love putting up all of my holiday decorations! In fact, Kevin is outside right now with my father rehanging Christmas lights because they didn't look right the first time.
Thursday, Kevin put up our Christmas tree and got the lights put on. Yesterday, Matthew and I decided it was time to decorate with ornaments. I am going to have to fix some of it this week after he goes to bed because most of the ornaments are at the bottom of the tree! Leave it to Kevin to take pictures, though.

My friends with husbands named David

This blog is directed towards two good friends of mine...Misty and Laurie. Ditch your husbands! I have come to the conclusion that having friends with husband's named David will only lead to my lonliness...

Example #1 - David and Laurie
Keep in mind that I met David first, when I recruited him to Moscow, ID for a job at Gritman. But, then I met Laurie and she and I quickly became good friends. Then, David got this brilliant idea to move his family (Laurie and the kids included) to Del Rio, TX. I mapped it the other day...1900 + miles from me.

Example #2 - David and Misty
Misty and I were good friends in high school and were most recently able to reconnect when I moved to Spokane. Now her husband has decided that he wants to move away to finish his degree and start medical school...so they will be moving too. Granted, only about 800 + miles away, but still, away.

So, girls, listen up. Move in with me. You can all occupy my extra room in the basement. We'll get bunkbeds...it will be like a big slumber party! :-) I understand that you may miss your husbands, and I will ocassionally allow for weekends away, however, none of this moving so far away that I can't see you but for twice a year business anymore! Got it! :)

Halloween 2007

As most of you know, Matthew is ADDICTED to NASCAR.  So, when I was at Target a few weeks ago and found the Dale Earnhardt, JR costume, well, I just couldn't resist.  He went trick or treating tonight with Kristin, Phil, Becca and Kevin. I stayed at my mom's and hung out with her.  Just like last year, Matthew's favorite activity by far was handing out the candy. Matthew really took his role seriously as Dale Earnhardt, JR....my mom even had to call him Dale Earnhardt, JR just to get his attention. All night long they raced each other to the door and Matthew handed out the candy while my mom commented on the costumes...she even got a couple of guys to come back and pose for a picture with Matthew early in the night. He sure does love his Grandma...they are attached at the hip!

Our Night at Jim's

Laurie and I have a favorite bar in Genesee called Pasttime Tavern...we prefer to call it Jim's because Jim is the owner/cook/bartender. He doesn't have those fancy turn-it-off-at-exactly-a-shot spickets in his bar, which means that he free pours...let's just say it is easy to have a great time at Jim's for about $20.00. Laurie and I have spent many a weekend at Jim's, playing pool and enjoying ourselves...but now, lil miss thang is moving to Del Rio, TX so we decided we had better let Jim know just how much we appreciate him.

Yup, those shirts say "I love Jim". Cool huh? Here is us getting ready to go out.

Our good judgement was impaired when we decided to invite the guys to go along. David invited Mark, his coordinator at work...Kevin came along too, until his headache got the better of him and we had to take him home. This is Mark, Laurie and I...we were having a great time!

I am going to miss Jim's...but I will never forget the memories!

My little man...in a tux

Matthew had a great time at Kristin's wedding. He felt so handsome in his little tux!

Happy House of Insanity

The next couple of weeks are going to be ...um...fun at our house. Fun...that is the word that I am choosing...
This week finds Kevin in Seattle for 2 - 3 days. On Saturday and Sunday we will be moving furniture into our new home (5 bdrms, 3 bath). October 2 - 5 I am in San Diego for a conference on OR Management and return to a very busy weekend with Kristin and Phil's wedding on October 6. Kevin and I agree that we aren't going to be seeing each other much...how frustrating! :)

Hair for Kristin's Wedding

I had my hair done tonight as a practice for Kristin's wedding...

Our little man...all grown up

Today is Matthew's first day as an official preschooler. I can't believe that he has gotten so big already. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with him, waiting to see what he would be like as he got older. Kevin and I agree, we are very lucky parents!

It was a tradition in my house growing up that we took pictures the first day of school each year. So, I have started that same tradition with Matthew. What a little man we have!

Weekend workers

This weekend we decided we would take advantage of the extra day at home and get some much needed stuff done around the house. So, we cleaned out the garage (1 load to Goodwill, 1 load to the dump), did laundry and then on Monday we shampooed the carpets in our house because they were horribly dirty...it was pretty nasty truth be told!

Kevin worked his magic with the rug doctor...even Matthew got in on the home improvement:

I had to remind him that he better be careful, while that is just a plastic hammer I can already see him punching a hole through the wall.

Buck Family Update

Well, August has proven to be a very busy month in our house. We have a new baby in the family, congrats to Eric and Jenna! :) . Our good friends Paul and Naomi are about to add another baby to their family! My friend Barb had her little baby boy this month...is anyone seeing a trend here?
We are also preparing for Kristin's wedding, which is fast approaching in October. I am so excited for her and Phil...they are a wonderful couple!
Work is keeping me extremely busy. I am loving every minute of it though! They got me set up with access from home so that I can work from there if needed. Kevin continues to plug away at what is (hopefully) his last semester as a student...EVER!! Matthew is a whole other story...what a little character we have!
I missed my high school reunion, but got to have a little one of my own in Seattle last weekend. I reconnected with my friend Patrick and met his wonderful wife Sarah. What a great couple to have in our lives!
The weather is Spokane is now more bearable...thanks to fewer days at 90+ degrees! I am ready for fall!

My 3 year old...at the movies

Tonight we had a family date with my parents, sister and brother-in-law. We decided that we all wanted to see Hairspray...so tonight seemed to be a good night to do that. We also decided that Matthew was old enough to come with us since we had just had a successful trip to see Rataoullie a couple of weeks ago. And, overall, I must say that Matthew surprised us with his ability to sit through a movie that was two and a half hours long.
But, leave it to a three year old to speak their minds whenever it suits them. The movie theatre is quiet, Matthew "announces" that he has to poop and the entire theatre errupts in laughter. I finally had to take him out, explain to him that he needed to be quiet or I was going to take him home and put him to bed and he finally agreed to go back in and sit down. My personal favorite part was when he was dancing in his chair to the music.

Disturbing shows, disturbing dreams

There is this show on Oxygen that I absolutely love called Snapped. Kevin hates this show with a passion. He says that it bothers him that there are shows that talk about women killing their husbands and getting away with it. I reminded him that this is not a lifetime movie, but real life...and the women don't always get away with it anyway!
So, I realized this morning that I have probably watched this show one too many times when it factors into my dreams at night. What was even more strange is it wasn't about Kevin and I, but about our good friends David and Laurie. Basically, Laurie kept going back and forth between David and this other guy, while I played the good friend to both of them trying to make them get back together. It was very strange and I don't know how it ended because the next thing I heard was Matthew saying "Daddy, I want to play Wii".
Interpretation would say that 1) I watch Snapped too much 2) Apparently I am worried that Laurie is going to leave David for "Bubba" the redneck wifebeater in my dream and 3) I really need to change my taste in "reality tv". Kev, honey, maybe you were right!

Where one goes, the other follows

More Hawaii stories...this one about David and Kevin. Please notice the sign that Kevin is standing next to:


Yup, the sign says "Don't Go"...or "Danger Will Robinson". Yet, here is Kevin and David:


This is Kevin following David down the above mentioned hazardous area and onto some very slippery and wave beaten rocks below. There were several occasions where a wave came up and hit the guys from behind, totally drenching them. Yet, they still hung out on the remains of this once active volcano. Here is Kevin again:





And David, David, David the Explorer:

Laurie and I were very glad to know that their life insurance policies were paid in full before we let them go down there. What was even better...there were a bunch of other men following our two heroes down the cliff. We decided that all it takes is one idiot to get the whole group going. And men complain about us women going to the bathroom in groups?!

The best vacation ever...part 1

We just got back from Hawaii! It was the most amazing vacation ever. Kevin had a conference there and I joined him later in the week with some friends of ours. The first day we were all there we went to the ocean and played in the water. The only thing that sucked was that a wave took me and pounded me against the coral on the bottom of the ocean, jamming my toes pretty good. Not fun! So, now I am in a walking boot for the next week until the swelling goes down. ARGH! And for the first time in my life I actually have some color other than blinding white. :)

This is a picture of the happy tourists after an amazing dinner at Atlantis Seafood and Steak. There will be more to come in the next few days...if I put all of the funny moments into one blog it would be about 4 pages long.

This is Kevin and Laurie. They were responsible for getting us around during the week. So, they were the driver and the navigator. Laurie is awesome at reading maps...thanks to her we only got lost once or twice! :-)

This is David and I. We were known as the backseat drivers. When we weren't fighting with each other we were making fun of Kevin's driving...poor Kevin...he really had to put up with a lot from us. By the way, David, the bite marks have left from where you bit my arm!

Outdoor fun

I love our town. We have some of the best parks here. Matthew loves to be outside running around. He is going to be our marathon runner! One of our parks has the best slide ever. It is a big radio flyer wagon slide. The pictures are of Matthew and his friend Jacob at the park this spring...they had the best time ever! There is also a carousel at the park that Laurie and I took the kids on. Allen really loved it and even likes to still go "up and down" on our laps!

The kids were so cute taking turns down the slide. Matthew is still asking to go to the park with Jacob (hint, hint Laurie...it is time to get back up here!).

I am so lucky

This is a little late for Father's Day but I just had to share about how lucky I am to have Kevin. Not only is he a fabulous husband he is a wonderful dad. Matthew and Kevin have a bond that is unbreakable and so sweet to watch. Matthew just loves to do anything that Kevin is doing. Recently, we started talking about things to do this summer. Kevin and I both have bikes that we like to use, but we didn't have a great solution for Matthew. We looked into the seats that attach onto the bike, but they are only safe for up to 45lbs...Matthew will hit that soon I am sure. So, Kevin bought the coolest thing ever...a bike that attaches to the back of Kevin's bike for Matthew to ride on, but he doesn't have to peddle. He LOVES it! Now that the weather has turned nicer Kevin takes Matthew to school on his bike in the mornings and picks him up in the evenings. He is the envy of all of his little friends at school.

The picture that is attached to this blog was taken by a good friend of ours the day that Matthew and Kevin bought the bike attachment. When they got home that night we HAD to go for a short bike ride because Matthew couldn't wait anymore to get back on it. I have to admit he looks mighty cute in his little bike helmet too!

My new job

No, I haven't changed to a clinical type job...but this is me in scrubs. My second day on the job at Sacred Heart found me shadowing one of our Assistant Nurse Managers in our neuro surgery unit. I am sure that there were several bets lost that day when I didn't pass out! I witnessed several cool things, including a tumor removal. It makes me appreciate even more what OR nurses do, because I most certainly couldn't be an OR nurse! :-) The picture is a little blurry, but you get the point.

The picture before that is what I normally wear to work. Kevin took that one of me on my first day at work.

I was so exaughsted my first week that I was going to bed at 4:30pm (no, that is not an exaggeration). I am starting to feel like I have more energy now, but I know that it is all going to change these next couple weeks as we have budget, inventory and Empath to handle before I go on vacation in 2 1/2 weeks! I have to admit, though, I am loving every minute of being busy!

Well...

Above are some of the pictures that my good friend Misty took for me on my graduation day. She is an amazing photographer and I am so pleased with how they turned out. Misty, you are amazing!

We're not moving. We are staying put in Spokane, I accepted a new job at Sacred Heart, Kevin will be working from home, Matthew stays at his daycare...it's all working out! :-) I start as the business manager for surgery services tomorrow with orientation. I can't wait! While the last 4 weeks have been tough not working, there is one big positive...Matthew is almost potty trained! We are so pleased!

Only a month until Kevin and I vacation in Hawaii!!!

Some simple math

15 = the total number of months that I spent completing my MBA. I graduated on 4/21/2007!

6 = the total number of years that Kevin and I have been married this year.

5 = the total number of years that Kevin has been working on his Masters and PhD.

3 = the number of interviews I have had for higher level HR positions in the last week.

2= the number of months until I am sitting on the beach in Hawaii! (Kevin gets to go too!)

0 = the number of classes that Kevin has to complete in his PhD program!!! Yup, we only have a qualifier, thesis and dissertation left before Kevin can add "PhD" to his credentials!

So, it looks like we will be having another party to celebrate graduation before too long! We have often joked around that we don't know what it is going to be like to be a married couple instead of married students! Guess we'll have to find some hobbies!

Kid's Shows

My three year old is addicted to kids television. I usually get about 5 minutes of quiet in the evening before I hear "I want (fill in the name of the show)". Even at night we have to "take turns" in order to get him to go to sleep. This totally backfired on me the other night when he woke me up to tell me that my turn was over...ahh...my little night owl.

Now, before you start commenting on the dangers of too much tv, please know that Matthew is also going to be our track star and goes out for mile runs with Kevin on a regular basis. And, he does run...not just walk, but full out run. His little legs are very muscular already!

So, for those of you who have not had the opportunity to take advantage of kids televison...let me give you the latest run down:

The Wiggles - four Australian men who sing and dance. They have friends named Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur. If you ever see someone driving down the road dancing and singing to their toddler, chances are they are listening to the Wiggles!

Dora the Explorer - a precocious little girl who likes to explore with her monkey friend "Boots". If you ever take a toy or anything from a child and they say "Swiper, no swiping" they are watching Dora.

Blues Clues - problem solving skills are the key to this show. Joe goes around looking for Blues Clues to solve the day's mystery. Kind of catchy...Matthew loves the songs that are the same every show.

Larry Boy - So, for those of you who have heard of Veggie Tales, Larry Boy is Larry the Cucumber as a superhero. Matthew really identifies with Larry Boy for reasons that are unknown to me...but if you say "The World Needs a Hero" Matthew will wrap his blanket around his shoulders like a cape and reply "I am that Hero". Larry Boy even has a theme song...which we have modified to say "Matthew Boy". The most funny by far! :)

Gotta run...I have just been told that he needs Dora.

Trying this again

So a few months ago I started a blog on this very site...then I lost the passwords and couldn't get the "email here for your password" to actually send me anything useful. But, despite all of that I am starting a new blog page to keep everyone up to date on our family and what is going on. Here are a few quick highlights:

*Matthew is 3...can you believe it?!
*I graduate from Liberty University in 3 short weeks!
*Kevin graduates from UoI in 3 short months!

More updates to come...welcome back to my blog!