cloth diapers and other ramblings...

A month before Clarah was born I must have been focused on cloth diapers. (See last blog post...) Then the doctor assured us she would be arriving early so we spent weeks in nervous anticipation (must have been too busy resting/packing/nesting to blog). Then our beautiful girl came and I became enamored with our fresh, precious, and sweet little girl. (I was also surprised she was a girl!!) And now it is almost 8 months later!! Holy cow, where does the time go? In any case, I think it's time I resume blogging because it's fun!

 

Here we are now! It's from our Christmas card 2012 photo shoot, but this shot could not be used on the card because....(take a guess).....Rex! His ears! Ugh! Why did he put his ears straight back and look like an ear-less, confused dog when everyone else is looking and smiling? In any case it's a cute picture of our family now. I have thoroughly enjoyed catching up on a few blogs and appreciate the writing talent, honesty, and pure entertainment that AL, LS, SG, GG, JN and others provide.

An update on cloth diapers...now that Clarah eats solid food you could not pay me to use cloth diapers. (Awesome for breast milk fed newborns, disgusting for babies over 6 months).

Now don't let me get so boring that I write about cloth diapers again!!!!!

Diapers

If you are wondering why I haven't posted in months it is because of diapers.

Okay, not really...but these have taken up about one full day of my life!! Once Jamie casually, but seriously, asked me if we were going to use cloth diapers and I said, "No! No one does that..." Then I read an article on it and listened to a podcast (for anyone interested in pregnancy the Pregtastic podcast available online or iTunes is phenomenal!!) and researched on my own and realized cloth diapers might not be so bad.

After at least 24 hours of research I came to these conclusions:
1. Cloth diapering has come a LONG way in the last 20 years...if you type cloth diapers into amazon.com it come up with 8,104 results (which leads to confusion).
2. Cloth diapering can save you a lot of money.
3. Cloth diapering is GREAT for the environment.
4. My sister Christine is extremely opposed to cloth diapering.

Final evaluation of cloth diapers:
1. We may not save any money.
2. We might help the environment.
3. But by George, if I have invested that much time into figuring these things out we are doing it! (or at least trying...)

Asked for...ahh!!

Jamie snapped this when I wasn't ready--but it is pretty accurate...and this was already over a week ago and it just keeps expanding!!

Jamie likes that Rex is in the background--looking like he's in shock from this whole baby bump!!

Look out NYC--pregnant gal coming through!! :)

Congratulations Mrs. Soukup

Things have gotten better...this is from one of the girls that was trying to run me out of the school a month or so ago... :)

These are true!!

Okay, these pictures are true! They are from a child who is actually inside me!!!

We just had this ultrasound Friday and until this point I have been kind of floating along sort of in disbelief that I am pregnant--but these pictures proved....there is a real baby in there!! He or she even says, "Hi Mom and Dad!!!!"--well actually our ultrasound tech wrote that, but anyway...

This child was crazy! Flipping over and moving constantly (weird I can't feel it) so we didn't get the best pics...but here are some of the better ones.

Jamie noticed the good arch support--that comes from me :)

It was covering his or her face almost the whole time so we couldn't get a good look at it's nose. We have been so curious whose nose it will get--Jamie's or mine. Jamie's would be okay for a boy, but if it's a girl with huge Bohemian nostrils we might have an issue. :) 

One other note--it weighs 12oz now so almost a pound! Now I will probably start packing on the pounds!

Warmth

Nothing warms up a home like the glow of Christmas lights!! The dark is no longer scary when there are small twinkling lights filling it up. Rex is basking in the light emitted from this little tree I put in our bedroom. It still needs to be decorated and I will probably add some color, but I am going to sleep with the white lights of the holidays tonight :) I am so THANKFUL for everyone and everything!!!

PS this is typed from my phone so I will be curious to see what it looks like...sweet dreams!

Do you buy this too?

I like adding "health" where possible. On Friday night Jamie and I were having delicious, home cooked Mac and Cheese :) Of course we had to go with the cheesiest, but I tried to hide the boxes from him so he wouldn't know. I made...

the three cheese version of the veggie pasta...

and this delectable whole grain original...

Jamie unfortunately saw the boxes before we ate. He questioned what we were eating and chose the whole grain--which surprised me, but to him it must have been the lesser of two evils. Do you buy this kind too or am I a freak??

Twitter??

I got Twitter just in time to see the news of Kim's divorce straight from Kourtney and Khloe. I sometimes think of funny things to tweet--but then I realize that I only have 2 "real" friends (other than my 30 close celebrity friends I follow) and it would be pointless. Anyone feel like getting Twitter?? @charlenesoukup

hmmm....

I have been in a bit of denial about my stomach starting to show--but I think it really has started to expand in the last week! Today a girl gave me a hug and said, "Whoa! You're full!!" haha--luckily it isn't just my lunch :)

Another girl was touching my stomach (don't ask--I get touched all day) and she said "are you pregnant?!" To which I replied, "if I wasn't how do you think I would feel if you asked me that?"
It continued...
"Well, are you?!"
"Good guess :)"
"You're not..."
"I am..."
"Oh my gosh! *hug*"
"Can you keep it a secret?"
"No!"

Oh kiddo's...this week is off to a better start. Last week I had some older girls saying that other girls were trying to treat me so disrespectfully that I would quit...

Wheel of Fortune

In talking to a somewhat broken and oversized first grader today I brought up how smart he is. He decided to run with it. "Maybe I can solve one of those problems on Wheel of Fortune and win $100,000," he speculated as his tears dried up :)

Mrs. Soukup

Sometimes it comes in very handy to have a really common last name. Yesterday an upset parent came to school and apparently started yelling (truly furious) at a woman whose maiden name was Soukup...by the time they realized the mistake and found me the woman was calmed down enough not to raise her voice :)

It wasn't a pleasant conversation, but after talking to the first Mrs. Soukup...it could have been MUCH worse.

excitement!!

This is me when I was little...

Now I'm grown up--and the following are actual events.

July 28, 2011

(it's always a little weird to see a picture of a pregnancy test, but you guys are my friends!)

Jamie was excited!

Jamie thought Rex would be a little more excited...

If things keep going as planned we should be parents in early April!!!

rich red, drops of rain, what I have been waiting for all summer...

I woke up this morning to the most beautiful things: an early morning, a cloudy gray sky, and raindrops tapping on the windows.

It really is fall!!

This isn't a mistake--I took a picture of the sky in my favorite form...cloudy.

Raindrops dancing off rich red leaves.

God is SOOOO awesome!!!

The colors aren't quite as brilliant...

I kept forgetting my camera when we would go check cows this summer, but I think these will still suffice. This is one reason I love living where we do--it's gorgeous!! And to be in nature like this is why I like to check cows :)

I like to see all the shades of green in the trees---this was a little late, but you get the point :)

This little bugger landed on me and was very colorful so I couldn't pass him up!

There are even cactus!!

Me trying my hand at sunset shots :)

I love the color reflecting on the clouds.

We go out here to keep our eyes on these guys!!

Pinterest

Okay, I know--pinterest--certain "pinners" on facebook keep talking about it and how maybe their app isn't working and how they can't stop pinning...it can get annoying. But pinterest is SWEET!!! Where else can you find a new hairstyle for the next day while looking up a recipe for dinner that night! Here are a few delightful finds so far...

I would recommend everyone to start pinning!!! :)

P.S. They also have an iPhone app so you can pin away instead of browse facebook in your leisure time!!

Sissy is growing up!!

Last night I attended my sister Cory's JV (thank goodness it is still JV) volleyball game in Avon, SD which was only about 15 minutes from my house. She is growing up too fast...

Looks cute---spandex a little too short :)

Also lightning fast (or at least too fast for my iPhone) when chasing after a stray ball.

Love you Sis!!!

I WAS really lovin' it!!!!!

Back to blogger world :) I have been M.I.A for many reasons--and one big one is I have been BORING lately! But I'm getting back on track and have recently started my duties as assistant oral interpretation coach. This entails listening to students practice their oral interp pieces--which range from cheerleaders hiding out in bathrooms with goth's, poetry, and many sad, sad stories that I honestly, don't really like listening to...and many early, early Saturday mornings. Anyway, Saturday was our first meet so we loaded the bus at 6:07am and headed to Winner, SD. Now Winner has a McDonald's so we casually stopped by to grab a bite to eat before we left.

This is where the kicker comes in--I have not gone on my bi-monthly shopping trips to Sioux Falls in 2 months! (this equals a huge lack in eating out--I have gone to Yankton, yes, but I feel deprived!!) This is CRAZY for me! So when I saw that McDonald's menu my tastebuds were delighted at all of the options. I honestly had trouble picking, but settled with that delicious Southwest Chicken Salad--and the best part was that coaches and bus drivers eat free!! :)

The only other weird part was right where me and the head coach sat at the coaches meeting had this written on the table...and the weirder part was probably that I took a picture of their table....

It says "Jamie Stinks!" Jamie asked if I had written it.

When I said I was back, I really wasn't...

Now I am! I will hopefully have exciting things to write about :) The most excitement and fun truly did happen this summer---it was awesome! Now I have been trying to slow down a bit and ease myself back into the school year. It has worked, but by trying to slow down I have been NAPPING A LOT. I exerted all my energy on the first week of school and I think it was well spent.

But today I did something I have not done in awhile...I dusted of my bike and went for an amazing 13.4 mile ride in the cool, damp morning. It was cloudy and sprinkly and perfect and I loved every second of it! Here is a picture of me from the triathlon I did.

And the other thing I need to get back into that I did before summer craziness started is....

Piano lessons!! This is my Yamaha portable grand keyboard with weighted keys and I really like it!

To all my friends who take the time to read this: I love you and hope you have an enjoyable Saturday!!

I'M BACK!!!

This summer has been AWESOME!! I have been enjoying everything so much and living without a schedule that I have left behind this blog--but things are slowly coming around. I am back at work and slowly getting back into a routine so I will start blogging again. I am sure a lot of you are delighted about that :) This summer I have been a traveling fiend putting miles and miles on my car. I had so much fun attending weddings, I was honored to be in TB's wedding and it was such a great "friend reunion" that I went through friendship withdrawals the next week when I read Breaking Dawn for 5 hours on a Saturday night, I did read the entire Twilight series and thoroughly enjoyed it--Jamie and I are working on the movies (just finished New Moon), I have spent time with wonderful pregnant friends and had the pleasure of meeting WW, I have observed the Missouri River flooding and made many visits to the Fort Randall Dam and even just going to Jamie's parents house is different with water so close to it, Jamie and I spent our anniversary in Chicago which was an amazing trip and his brother got engaged so it has been cool hanging out with them, I did do the Wall Lake Sprint Triathlon and that was energizing and training for it was actually really fun, other things include hanging out/meeting up with friends, celebrating summer birthdays, and visiting family.

The only negative thing about this whole summer was that I actually wasn't home with Rex very often and I think he is mad at me---but he is coming around and last night slept with his head right next to mine...I didn't even mind the dog breath because he was being so sweet and cuddly.

I will not attach any pictures because I have put a lot on facebook and I'm just transitioning back to blogging so I don't have all day, but I'M BACK!!!!!!!! :)

I will add one more funny thing---two nights ago I drove a tractor for the first time!! I was getting a little bored just riding because it was super bumpy and I was starting to feel a tad "tractor-sick" so Jamie asked if I wanted to drive. I was doing great! Cutting hay like a pro--so much so that Jamie trusted me and he got in another tractor and started cutting hay behind me. I felt like I was helping so much. Then when I was only about half way around (on the first round all by myself) I looked back and something was spraying all over the place and it turned out to be oil :( I had accidentally backed up to sharply and snapped a hose or something. Jamie was very calm and understanding and he even offered to not tell anyone that I was the one driving--he is a WONDERFUL husband. He had to drive the tractor back to the farm and fix it, but thankfully it was an easy fix and was ready for SOMEONE ELSE to drive in the morning...I had to go back to work anyway. :)

boy genius

Rex loves to snoop in the garbage and tear up tissues (and eat them). As I was scolding him while reaching down to pick up the remnants of his scavenging I saw this and realized he is a boy genius! He either is working on his sculptures or wants to go for a walk...

road trips, road trips!!

Last week I went to Sioux Falls twice and Lincoln, NE. Tomorrow I am headed to the Horseshoe K Ranch in Kimball, SD and then bright and early Friday morning Jamie + his parents and I are headed to Chicago, IL. Next week I am headed to Kansas City for an awesome weekend of fun as well!! Ahhh...travels, so fun :) Did I mention that I am taking my car to all of these places!! The mileage is racking up---but anyway...

One thing that makes driving somewhere much more enjoyable for me is:

Freaky Fast! Freaky Good!
I freakily love it!!

and I LOVE (I will profess my love on here) the beach club!!

Fresh baked turkey breast, provolone cheese, avocado spread, sliced cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and may!! (It's the real deal, and it ain't even California.)

Holy cow...I love that sandwich--I could eat it every day!

On my drive back from Lincoln Saturday night I was delayed by stopped traffic, back tracking, and a semi that unfortunately had gotten in an accident. It was late and I pulled into Norfolk, NE praying Jimmy John's was open--when I saw the OPEN sign lit up in the window my eyes got brighter! I flew around the building and into the drive through like I was starving hoping they wouldn't close until I had ordered...

I found out they are open until 2am on the weekends (it was about 10pm), and the employee must have seen my excitement and said, "I can't let you leave without one of these..." and handed me a to-go menu :)

Mrs. Soukup, why do you always teach us good things?

"What do you mean?"
"Like, why do you always try to teach us about good things? Are you trying to make the world a better place? Or maybe (as she got to a whisper) save Mother Earth?"
"Yes." :)

I'm a Superstar!!

This is Daisy. She is my favorite character for Mario Party 8. She is also a superstar! I totally beat Jamie and MS at M. Party last night. It is fun to play Mario Party, and it is also very fun to have good friends stay at your house--I have been so lucky the last few weeks because my guest bedroom has been used more than ever!!

Miss Taylor Swift

I wanted to lighten up my blog for summer so hence is the new look...the only thing is, the dandelion picture at the top is a really cute design by Miss Taylor Swift for Papyrus and you can buy cards and a journal with that cute picture on it! :)

And I have had this song in my head a lot lately, but not sure what to think of the video below?? Impressive?

mug shots and haircuts

Rex's mug shot. This is a thief who likes to steal socks.

At the very beginning of his haircut...

And after!! He looks a little nerdy now, but will look very handsome in 2 weeks--like any guys haircut.

With all this rapture talk...

I am glad the "end of the world," as the radio blaringly put it, did not happen on Saturday. I did not want it to interrupt one of my favorite pregnant gal's baby shower! :) 

Sort of new subject, but I have been reading Ellen Miller's The ONE YEAR Book of Inspiration for Girlfriends...juggling Not-So-Perfect, OFTEN-CRAZY, but Gloriously Real Lives since about last June and I appreciate her writing and advice each day as far as a daily read goes. Today's thought included a quote by Steve Stroope, pastor of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, who said, "We should be known for what we're for; not for what we're against." Then I enjoyed the passage from 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 that reads Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. I like that.

Then I heard a biting noise under our coffee table and Rex had my ipod touch. I shrieked and he tried to hoard it...but he knows when he does the wrong thing and he surrendered. Ipod saved. :)

growing (in the washing machine)

I think I remember sharing before that I have found corn seeds in the lint trap of our dryer. Today, I saw something squiggly in our washing machine...let me explain. It is a front load washing machine, so sometimes gross things like hair, bobby pins, chapstick, etc. get caught in this little pocket in the front. The squiggly thing I found today must have started out as a bean seed...but was now at about stage 4.