Christmas Has Come and Gone!

Jay and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning, complete with eggs benedict! We made the decision to wake up at our own house on Christmas morning and we relished in the last Christmas morning sleep-in. We then headed to Jay's aunt's house for his family gathering. We enjoyed a great meal and exchanged gifts, and ended the evening with a game of Apples to Apples.

After tha it was off to my parents, where we opened more gifts including some great things for baby. My parents got us a toy box that they had painted in bright bold circles and dots. We enjoyed a family gathering on the 26th with my extended family. It was a nice two days of celebration. Mika is starting to walk and talk, and it makes Christmas so much fun to have a little on around, but next Christmas there will be three little ones, and I am so excited!

Then the work began! Jay and dad headed home early on the 27th, mom and I followed behind not much later. Our goal was to get the nursery completed! My parents offered to help and seeing as they go away for the month of Feb. we knew this was the best time to get the room painted, lay down new carpet and get the furniture assembled. Mom and Jay did the painting, dad and Jay layed new underlay and carpet and replaced the baseboards. In two days it was all done! No, I didn't do a lot, but I am growing the occupant!!

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The toy box and crib. Jay wanted the stripes, I thought it would be a pain, it didn't seem to be too difficult for the painting crew to do, and looks so good!



The storage unit (complete with Spiderman).

I can't thank my parents enough for coming up and helping us! Jay and I are not handy people so having my dad and mom help us allowed us to actually get it done! I love it! In about 100 days we could have a baby to put in it (although he/she will sleep in out room at first).

Only three more days of my Christmas break, and then it will only be three more months of work! I can't believe how fast this is going...

Twas the Night Before...

Where did these last two weeks go! Time is flying by and tomorrow is our Christmas Program (ALREADY!!?!). I am in the process of printing off hundreds of programs and have some time to kill as I wait for the photocopier to beep at me. I am sitting at school, it is quite, except for my music and the furnace, peaceful even. The snow is falling outside, is seems like Christmas at it's finest! LOVE IT!

Christmas is by far my favourite time of the year, and this year, even among it's busyness and such, is no different. The tree is up (although that did feel like a chore last week), and every evening I enjoy sitting in the living room with candles and the tree glowing. Something about it brings great memories of my childhood, memories I hope to begin creating next Christmas with my own child (and maybe later children). But with it comes a huge question for me, one that causes me much worry. You see as a young child I believed in Santa Clause, and every year he came to my house, drank milk, ate cookies, and fed his reindeer carrots. He left presents under the tree for all of us... I loved Christmas morning, opening stockings from Santa and seeing the gifts he left are treasured memories. I however, live in a community, and teach in a community, were Santa is not present. I get the Jesus is the real reason for the season, and will read about and celebrate His birth with my children, but will we have Santa? Jay keeps telling me we have a couple of years to figure that out yet, and I get that, but hey I am already thinking about it. I imagine Walnut's cousins will have Santa, and with a small family we celebrate together often, I want him to share that experience with Mika and Bug (especially because they will all be so close in age). Those memories were so special to me that I want to create them for my kids... but how do I balance that with the reality of his life and peers too? Ahhh I know I will have much more to worry about in the future... but right now, in this season, at this time this is my parent worry...
The copier beeped, I guess it is done... time to go home...

Mourning to Celebrating!!

Last week began with mourning as we said goodbye to my maternal Grandfather. He passed away on December 3rd, peacefully at the nursing home. In some ways it brought relief as he was unhappy about how his life was ending, but of course with his passing came a sense of loss to those left behind. We celebrated his life last Tuesday, with much of the family able to make it from out of province. I was glad I made the effort to visit Grandpa on Remembrance Day last month, my last memories of him are good ones.

I felt like I lived out of my car for a week as I was back and forth from the city to home,and back again. By the time I made it home for good last Wednesday I was exhausted, and happy to sleep in my own bed.

By the end of the week I was in celebration mode as my friend Sheri married Tim on Saturday! It was a beautiful winter wedding! She was gorgeous and looked so happy and in love.

So now that that week is over it is on to Christmas concert preparation. Although my students are a big part of the play I am at school while some of my students are practicing, others are at school working on their list of things to do. In some ways it makes life easy, but those with big parts are well behind of those who have smaller roles... by the end of this week chaos will ensue! I look forward to Friday, when it all comes together! Friday is our last day of classes, and I am in the mood for two weeks off, in fact I am feeling like I desperately need two weeks off!

As for Walnut he (I really think it is a boy, in fact I will be completely shocked if it is a girl) is happy and moving about like crazy. I am finally feeling him with my hand, Dayna did too yesterday, but Jay has yet to get to feel him. Every time I call Jay over Walnut stops kicking, it kinda makes me laugh! I had a Dr. appt. last week (I went all by myself for the first time :)), it was all great! I love good dr. appts. We also got my ultrasound results last week, again everything looks good, normal and healthy. I know we are blessed to have a fairly uneventful pregnancy thus far, I pray that it continues to be that way!

I am growing and getting bigger by the day, I love looking pregnant! In fact I much prefer looking over feeling pregnant! I had a scary realization last night as I thought about how far along we are. I only have three months and one week of work left, I am one month away from my third trimester... the nursery isn't started yet! We haven't bought the baby many clothes (do I buy pink or blue), and I feel like we are just not ready to be parents... It scares me to think we will be responsible for all this baby wants and needs... and yet in the same moment I am longing for this baby to be here, to know if we should buy pink or blue, to see ten fingers and ten toes, to see this little person that I am already completely in love with.

Half Way There!

We hit the half-way mark this week! With it we saw our baby for the first time. I know the baby is in there, he kicks and squirms, and let's me know he is there. But seeing him or her for the first time made it all that much more real. We saw the spine, the heart, the head and the feet, but avoided finding out if we have a little girl or little boy on the way. Jay was able to join me for the entire thing, he had a much better view of baby through the entire thing. We are hoping that this will be our only scan... the next time we see him or her might be on it's birthday!!

Time Flies When The To-Do List is Long!

For some reason you can count on me updating my blog around report card time. I seem to write as a distraction from the pile of work that I really should be doing. Although, at this point I have a couple more comments to write, and a few things to do tomorrow at school, so I am pretty much done. Of course I should also plan for tomorrow and maybe take a nap, I guess all in good time!

I spent a great couple of days in the city this week. I hadn't seen mom and dad in a while so it was nice to spend time with them. We went to visit my Grandpa, who recently was moved into a nursing home. It being Remembrance Day it was nice to visit with him, he was in the Navy in WW II and has some pretty remarkable stories. We moved around his room so he could watch TV and laughed at his sarcastic and witty comments.

After the visit I hit my shopping list. I needed new shirts as I am slowly outgrowing all of my pre-pregnancy shirts. I also needed a ton of stuff for the house, gifts for bridal showers, and some books for school. It was a long day in stores and at the mall but it was nice to scratch so much off the list.



As for Walnut he/she (my feeling is boy) has begun to kick, or punch, or elbow me on occasion. Pretty much every day I feel him move. What a weird and wonderful feeling. It happens the most when I am sitting or lying down, and less when I am up and about. I am very much enjoying pregnancy now. Up until week 16 it was characterized by puking and nausea, now I am enjoying not feeling sick, a popping stomach, and baby movements. If the whole thing was like this you could convince me to have eight kids! I feel great, and have a lot of energy, am sleeping pretty well, and am loving it! Time is flying by and by next week I will be half-way through this pregnancy, time flies! We are looking forward to seeing baby a week from this coming Thursday on the ultra sound.

I guess I should get back to those report cards!

17 Weeks!!

As the 17th week of this journey begins I realize how wonderful week 16 was! It started with hearing the heart beat and ended with four puke free days (in a row!!). I actually was even able to do dishes last night without the running to the bathroom bit!! I also "popped" and am definatley looking pregnant now! I also think Walnut said hello on Saturday by tickling me a couple of time. Not sure if it was the baby or something else but I am leaning towards the baby.

Because I have had a rough afternoon, complete with a stubborn student, and a splitting headache I am taking a couple minutes to think baby and go to my happy place!

Pregnancy Week 17
About the mommy:
Name: Sarah
Age: 28
Is this the first child?: yuppers!

About the daddy:
Name: Jay
Age: 27
Is this the first child?: See my answer above :)

Finding out:
What day did you find out you were pregnant?: August 8th, 2010, I know I said the 4th in an earlier post but the 8th is right!

How did you feel when you found out?: A little bit of shock, "really I am pregnant?", a whole lot of excitment "YAHOO", and a little bit of trepidation "you mean I will be responsible for raising a Godly, respectful, etc. human".

Who was with you?: Jay

How did the daddy react?: He wasn't really surprised, but excited for sure!

Telling the grandparents:
We told both sets together, we gave them picture frames with a wedding picture that Jay doctored to say "watch this space" over my stomach. The frames said something about Grandkids completing the circle of life.

How did you parents react?: Pretty excited!

How did his parents react?: yup excited too! June whipped out a shawl that Jay's grandmother had made years ago for Jay's baby and Jay's old baby blanket. I think both parents had an idea that this announcment was going to come sooner rather than later!

How often do they call to check on you?: i talk to my mom pretty often, and facebook messages out to everyone after doctor's appointments. Jima nd June talk to Jay often enough to know what is happening, I am sure as we get closer we will hear from everyone more and more.

About the pregnancy:
When is your due date?: April 10, 2011
How far along are you right now?: 17 weeks
Have you had an ultra sound?: Nope, not yet, but will on Nov. 25th
Have you heard the heartbeat?: Yes, last week, more to come!
Sex of the baby: Unknown
What do you want. Boy or Girl?: A healthy, happy, baby would be our prefrence, girl or boy doesn't matter! We won't find out until on or around April 10th.

About the birth:
Who is going to be with you?: Probably just my Jay, the nurse and hopefully (unlike my sister-in-law) the doctor!
Are you going to video tape it?:No, I can't imagine the birth being a very flattering time!
Natural or medicated?: I would like to go natural, but I am not going to be too hard on myself if drugs make it into the picture.
Do you think you will have a c-section?: hope not, but if needed then it might happen.

Do you think you will cry when you first hold your baby?: Hmmmm, maybe, I have no idea how I will react, seems too far away to even picture at this point!

Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold it?: Haven't thought about it yet, give me some time!
Are you scared about the labor?: Not really, I mean every mother before me has done it, I figure I can get through it too! Pretty sure it will hurt, but I am also pretty sure it is so worth it!


Names:
Do you have a name picked out?: Yup, if you know us you know the planners that we are, I think we had it narrowed down before we even knew for sure that we were pregnant!
Is your baby going to be named after anyone?: First names no, both middle names yes.
Did the daddy help pick the name?: That is like asking if he helped make the baby, of course he helped pick the names!


Other random questions:

Have you felt the baby move?: Not sure, but i think it said hello on Saturday, at least I am sticking to that story until proven otherwise!

What was your first symptom?: Nausea, seriously I was sick before I even found out I was pregnant!

What is the baby's room theme?: Orange, yellow, blue, and green dots, bright colors, black furniture... we have to move the comic books downstairs before we can put it all together but most of the pieces are already here!


Are you ready to be a mommy?: Yikes, big question! I am so looking forward to it, in fact have been for years! I also realize that being a mommy is something that you can do only so much to prepare for. I am not sure you can ever be "ready" for such an intense, all-consuming job.

What do you think the baby will be a "daddys girl/boy" or a "mommys girl/boy"?: Pretty sure it will end up being both. Daddy will be a pretty amazing daddy so I am sure that Walnut and him will have a pretty terrific relationship!

Life in the Boaz's World

It is clear that the Fall schedule is up and running. Meetings fill several nights a week, marking, and planning take up time, and we fill the rest of our time with "stuff". Eating dinner together is a gift, but it happens only a couple of times a week. Facebook can be our best (as in most reliable, and most easily accessed) form of communication for a day or two as we pass each other in our sleep. Yup, life in our world is the same as always! It really is a good thing we both enjoy our jobs, otherwise we woudl be unhappy people!!

Of course our lives are also focused on Baby Boaz, affectionaly refered to as Walnut by my students, and I find myself using the name too. We spent last weekend in the States shopping for furniture and materninty clothes (Jay got some dvd's too), and we finalized our bedding choice. This baby has begun to rule our lives, and it is only the beginning, it will be there for the rest of our lives!

Today was the day I had been waiting for for a few weeks now. I went to the Doctor for a check-up. I was so happy to hear Walnut's heartbeat for the first time. It is comepletly unreal how God creates little people! It was pretty easy to find, and to hear, and was right in the normal range! So exciting to reach milestones like this on. We are currently at 16 weeks, only 24 more to go :) We are now looking ahead to our next "big thing" the ultra sound next month. Until then I will enjoy growing a belly and look forward to the first movements that I know are movements!

First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage....

Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!

While I haven’t posted in three months it isn’t for lack of excitement around here. Rather, the need to keep secrets can be blamed for my lack of blogging. You see these three months have been full of new developments. Apparently I have grown a second heart, a second pair of lungs, and another liver. Of course that has taken a little bit of work, but I figure the end result is worth the work!

On Aug. 4th Jay and I discovered that we were beginning a new journey, a journey toward parenthood. A journey I have been longing to start for years! We know that this journey will change our lives completely (in fact in many ways it already has). This baby is so terribly wanted and loved already, I can’t imagine what feelings I will experience on or around April 10th!

We are dreaming, planning and anticipating the arrival of our little one, yet realize we have a six month journey still ahead of us. Until then we will to enjoy the journey!

Two Years Ago

"In the presence of God and before our family and friends I Sarah choose you, Jay, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, secure in the knowledge that you will be my constant friend, my faithful partner in life, and my one true love. I promise to share with you in times of joy and in times of trouble; to talk and to listen; to honor and appreciate you; to provide for an support you in trust and in love. You are my best friend and I will love and respect you always"


These were our vows that we said to each other two year ago. I am pretty good at the talking part, maybe not so good at the listening!

It has been a full, and busy two years, with plenty of ups and downs, but never once do I regret marrying Jay. He really is a pretty great guy !!

We spent our anniversary weekend enjoying some time together camping at Otter Falls in the Whiteshell. Quality time together is always a nice reminder of why we got married in the first place! I love weekends away!

School's Out For Summer

Summer has begun! My report card got completed, my classroom got cleaned, and I have put all teacher thoughts away for the next couple of weeks. I have spent the last week catching up on sleep (when did I get this exhausted?), picking up new habits and beginning my other job in earnest. Summer has begun.
Lindsey and I have began jogging in the mornings, we meet at the end of the road and are working towards being able to run for 20 minutes, right now we are running intervals. Last week we ran 1 minute and walked two, this week we ran 1 and walked 1, should get interesting as we run more and walk less! If only this would cause weight loss... but alas it isn't happening!
My "other" job has started, I am working at a store/cafe at Spruce Sands campground. Basically I scoop a lot of ice cream! I decided that sitting around being unproductive and lazy is not the best way to spend my summer. This week I am working a lot but most weeks I will only work 20-30 hours. In the end I am hoping working a little bit will keep me motivated to use my time off to do something, anything other than sitting at home waiting for Jay to come home.
Of course I want to also make sure I have some fun and go back to school rested and ready for another year. So I have plans with mom, Ashley, Mika, and Jo next week. It feels like forever since I have seen my family so I look forward to visiting with them. I am pretty sure my niece will have changed a ton since I last saw her in May! Jay and I also hope to go away for a couple of days for our anniversary. Going away means no phones, no work, no demands, and that makes me happy!
Maybe my summer will be balanced, some fun, some work, some relaxation, some time with friends, some time with family, some time with my husband... sounds good to me!

In the Mood for Change!

Yup, sometimes I like change, I could even go so far as to say I love it. Seeing as some changes are much easier than others I thought I would make an easy one (my blog look). I need to shake things up a little and not sure what or how to go about doing that at this point in my life... Don't get me wrong I actually really like my life, I have a great husband, who is really pretty amazing, a good job, my family is pretty terrific, I like living where I live... really things are pretty good, but I am still in the mood for change. My parents moved enough in my life for me to like moving (not the packing part but the new part), being settled seems sort of stagnant, and I don't really like that feeling. I just need to figure out a way to shake things up within the confines of my life... maybe I should change around the livingroom furniture!

Two Whole Days!

May Long weekend usually comes with many plans, but as far as I was concerned I was going to start me second job (a whole other post), clean my house, and catch up on some marking. Jay was going to join the guys for Friday night of the guys camping trip and then come home.
On Saturday morning Jay called and said that there were a ton of empty sites at Hecla and wondered if I wanted to go camping. Of course I had to pack up myself but it sounded like a great plan. When we got married we got given a great tent, we love it, but more importantly than keeping us dry (which it did during a windy and rainy storm on Saturday night) it gives us some quality time together. There are no distractions (TV, computers, house cleaning...), and although I did bring a little work reading to do I ignored the rest of it!
It rained a little when I arrived but it ended and we cooked and ate supper without getting wet. After we went to sleep the wind and rain picked up, Thunder and lightning began and God showed his power for some time. Except for an open window that allowed a few drops of water into our tent we remained dry and warm. Sunday was amazing and sunny and warm, we walked by the lake, I napped (napping is good) and ate a ton of campfire cooked food. So worth a messy house and extra marking this week!
By Monday afternoon we were home and unpacking, and of course trying to get rid of that campfire smell. So now back to the grind of working two jobs, Jay reffing, me marking... Thankfully two whole days gave us a chance to re-fuel, more camping trips are needed!!

Time!

I was told about a site called wordle that use word size to analyze any written thing. The larger the word the more often it appears in a piece of writing. I used it on my blog.



I wasn't all that shocked to see the word 'TIME' as the biggest word. I understand completely that time is an overarching issue in my life. Busy is how I often describe my life, but even more so Jay's life; and together we are CRAZY busy! Do we do this to ourselves, absolutely! I know it, but I am not sure how to change it! We both clearly have time demanding jobs that interrupt our lives constantly, leaving work doesn't mean we are not working. We have discovered that leaving home, the country, or the area means we have quality time together, those times are oh so important but can't happen all the time.

Really the best word to describe the issue is BALANCE, finding that balance between demanding jobs, family, God, and our marriage (not in that order) is a struggle. We always say that it will change one day, but that is only true if we make it true! I have yet to come to the understanding of how to make that happen.

Spring Break... AHHHHH!!

I am currently in the middle of Spring Break. As school wound down last week I began to realize how much I really NEEDED the break. While I get great joy from my job it was time for a break and a time of refreshment. This is it, and I have decided to make the most of every minute (or at least try!).
Over the weekend Jay, my dad, Tyanna and I curled in the Riverton mixed bonspeil. We were far from good, but we ended up winning prizes, and had a pretty good time. Knowing that work wasn't looming the next day probably helped.
On Monday a lazy day was had. Jay ended up taking the day off and I woke up to breakfast in bed. Two Christmas's ago Jay bought me a breakfast in bed tray, and I final got to enjoy it!
On Tuesday I headed into the city, and to Joel and Ashley's place for some Mika and Ashley time. I haven't see Mika since the weekend she was born so it was time to cuddle that little one for a while. She has grown (it is certainly easier for me to see when I haven't been around) and is super sweet. She is pretty calm and relaxed.
Dad had hand surgery on Wednesday, nothing serious, but he needed someone to drive him to and from the clinic, so I dropped him off and hit the nearest Starbucks, marking in tow. By the time he called me to come pick him up I had marked 15 of 17 research essays, and had drunk a caramel machiatto (YUMMY)! After driving him home it was time for more baby time! Mika's dr. appt. went well, and she continues to grow, (8lbs 9 oz. now).
Today was a shopping day, i needed new jeans so i headed to Old Navy, as I walked through the door I was pleasantly surprised that everything was 25% off. Needless to say not only were jeans purchased but so to were two tee-shirts and a cardigan. Another trip to Starbucks had me completing my marking and overhearing a REALLY loud conversation from the two women at the next table.
The bonus of all this is i actually have until next Thursday off, although I will probably go into work on Wednesday to make sure I am ready for kids the next day. We will have a family dinner tomorrow here at my parents house, and then my plans are up in the air. So nice to not have to be somewhere at a given time!

Name Confirmed!

Mikaela Caty Hayward



This morning we went to visit... so amazingly adorable and cute. The picture was taken just as they were waking her up so she could eat.
When the nurse measured her she was surprised at how short she was, she will fit right in!! :)
All are happy and content and are spending one more night at the hospital and should (if all goes perfectly) will be home tomorrow.

Introducing!

MY NEICE!



Michaela (or Mikaela) Katie (or Kady) Hayward! Born at 6:36pm. 6lbs 9oz. 18 3/4 inches long. A head full of beautiful hair!



You wouldn't even know Ashley had just given birth! Awesome mommy!



Joel, in love with his daughter already!







We have fallen in love!!

Mommy, daddy, and baby are all doing great and settling in for the first night at the hospital!

 

Well the Olympics are over, and here is our completed wall. Canada won too many gold medals so we had to add some squares! I was happy to see my students get into the games, every morning they were bursting with information about who was winning and in what sports.

I Am an Olympic Junkie!

Yup, for me the Winter Olympic Games are a pretty big deal. I love the Games for many reasons, most importantly the patriotic sprit that envelopes the entire country. These games, being on home soil, make them even more special!

I clearly remember the Lillehammer Olympics, in 1994, I was 12. We were living on Vancouver Island that year, and most of our lambs that spring were named after Canadian Athletes. It was the first Games that I was really interested in. Thus began my love-affair with the Olympics.

We actually got a satellite so that I could watch the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008. Really the winter Olympics are much superior in my mind, but I still didn’t want to miss them.

Being a teacher allows me to bring some of my excitement about world events into my job. You can bet that there will be Olympic talk daily in my classroom. In fact we have an Olympic wall already created. We made torches, with tissue paper flames, banners, Olympic rings, and have talked about some of the athletes participating in these Games. Every morning we will be graphing the medal counts. I am very much looking forward to the day we can graph Canada’s first GOLD medal on home soil. Yesterday, instead of wearing red and pink, I wore my Olympic sweater and toque, and yes my red mittens.

Over the next two weeks I will be watching as Canadian athletes take center stage, and celebrating the victories as they come!

GO CANADA GO!

Wow! Over a month since I last posted! YIKES!
Our trip to Arizona was wonderful, it was nice to get away and leave all things behind (except of course Jay). We came back to snow, and cold, but with lots of new clothes and more energy than I have had in a long time!
The New Year started off with a bang and we have been running ever since. I really do love my job, and each morning I enjoy going to work, although the early mornings could be better . Report cards go out next week so thoughts and actions on that front are taking some time. Of course that is part of the job I could do without, but I guess that wouldn’t really work!
Last week was a busy one! Peanut (Joel and Ashley’s little one to come) is almost here (6ish weeks) and so on Sunday we showered Ashley with gifts and love at her baby shower. With 55 or so people my parents condo was a busy place. On Saturday we made sandwiches and such to feed everyone. It was a good but crazy weekend.
Last week I had to madly finish the quilt I had started in the summer. After forgetting it in the city I had my mom ship it to me and then finished most of it last week. I actually made Ashley drive me to the fabric store of the last piece on Saturday afternoon. This is the only picture I have or it (opps).



Of course it was also birthday weekend, Ashley, Joel and I have our birthdays within 10 days of each other so during the busy weekend we squished in a wonderful dinner with my mom and dad and Ashley’s parents. I even got a lovely bouquet of roses (from Mike and Jo).
Jay had snuck my present home from the states I was very surprised by it! He bought me a string of black freshwater pearls that I love (I am wearing them in the picture above)!
I received a wonderful gift on my actual birthday, a snow day, complete with my husband at home! It was even a nicer present because I didn’t think I would even see Jay that day, he had a late meeting scheduled, but that was cancelled because of the snow. What a relaxing, and somewhat productive day!

Well and update is complete!