The Jarreau Guarantee

Updates!

2011-10-30T17:07:00.008-05:00

It snowed this week! How crazy is that?!Tomorrow is Halloween! Yippie! :) We will have Sleeping Beauty (for the third year in a row!), Bumblebee, and a lady bug. I love my kids! lol

So, we have done a lot of work on the house! Yikes! It is a blue/green color now! Here is a before & after picture for you!

Just wanted to show y'all the progress that has been made in the basement! A lot since the last pictures I have put on here! lol... There is new carpet on the stairs, new mostly leveled floors, sheetrock on the walls & ceilings, a wall & door on the laundry room, outlets in the walls, and lighting on the ceiling, & we covered the post in the middle.

Jared just bought a bookshelf/ entertainment center sytem to install on the wall where the TV is. We still have to paint everything (pictures to come), but WOW it looks so much different!

The kids decided they wanted to share a room, so we just moved Logan's bed into Aurora's room, and Anna is now in Logan's old room (it's warmer downstairs than her room upstairs).

So I recently got a new calling at church. I am Relief Society Secretary (same calling as my mom has in Baton Rouge)! Life is great, kids are smart, everyone is happy! Miss all our friends & family, but are feeling better about living in Sidney, NE! Jared's parents are visiting & the kids are loving it! :)

Cheyenne County (in Sidney) Fair

2011-08-02T11:31:00.008-05:00

Our big drive-in movie theater experience!

2011-07-31T15:59:00.006-05:00

Wow! Where to start! Saturday, we drove down to Sterling, CO's drive-in theater (Starlite Drive In Theater). We knew the gates opened at 7, & they have free hamburgers & chips (which were AWESOME!) from 7-8:30 on Friday & Saturdays. So the plan was to go to Home Depot (the closest one to us!) at about 6:45 & be there not too long after 7. The movie didn't start until 9! I knew it started at dusk, but I didn't realize that dusk was 9! So we got a great parking spot, got everything set up (chairs, blankets & pillows in the back of the Pilot) & we played! We had so much fun! There were other kids there & the staff at the theater was very nice! There were horses in the pasture right next to us that came over & said hi (and let a horde of kids pet them). When the projector came on, it was an old time drive-in "short movie." You tune your radio to 102.9 (which only works at the theater) & crank it up. The movie was pretty fun. We got bit to pieces by mosquitoes and biting flies though & it didn't end until 11:30! Anna refused to go to sleep until about 10:15, and Aurora crashed about 10:30. Logan loved it though! He stayed up until the big fight scene at the end (about 11:15)! Then Jared & I sat in our lawn chairs finally free of tired, wiggling kids! We put the car back together & headed home (got home about 12:15)! So, for all of you that are thinking, "Hey, I would like to try that!" Here is what we talked about that are necessities for next time:

DON'T bring the kids! Get a babysitter! (Unless they are older & can handle staying up late)

DO bring LOTS of GOOD bug spray... first it was flies, then the mosquitoes!

DO bring lots of water (there is a big sign that says no outside food or drinks btw).

DO wear long pants.

DO bring blankets & pillows.

DO bring a radio so you can hear it better if you are outside the car (they have speakers there, but they aren't overly loud & they are time lagged a little).

DO bring lots of entertainment for little ones while you watch the sunset!

DO wear tennis shoes! There are lots of "goat head thorns" (for those of you unfamiliar, here is a picture!) & it is all gravel that gets in your shoes.

DO take your shoes off every time you (or the kids) get in the car so they don't get tracked in & poke you in the back when you lay down!

To emphasize: DON'T BRING THE KIDS :) (They did have a blast though!)

If you can, show up right before it starts (it wasn't that busy) & stay in the car so you don't get eaten alive! Then, enjoy! It is $15 for a car load, so why not double date! We would go again! :)

Harry Potter...

2011-07-29T14:48:00.001-05:00

So, I'm sure that all of you have already seen the movie (we haven't yet), but I was looking at some stuff online & found (another thing I'm sure y'all already knew about) the Butterbeer recipe! I'm going to try it for halloween I think this year. Anyways, here it is (from FoxNews):

BUTTERBEER

Start to finish: 1 hour (10 minutes active)

Servings: 4

1 cup light or dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

6 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

3/4 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Four 12-ounce bottles cream soda

In a small saucepan over medium, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240 F on a candy thermometer.

Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar and 1/4 heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the rum extract.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2 to 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the brown sugar mixture between 4 tall glasses (about 1/4 cup for each glass). Add 1/4 cup of cream soda to each glass, then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda, then spoon the whipped topping over each.

Our trip!

2011-07-06T10:00:00.002-05:00

June 24-29th, we went to Salt Lake City, Lehi, Provo & beyond! For all you non-facebook people, I put all of our pictures on facebook. Here are the links so you can join in the fun!

Our drive to & from SLC, through the Uinta mountains on the way home:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226403540880.319257.613345879&l=425f327f7c

My cousin Christian Lobo married Amelia:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226415615880.319268.613345879&l=8d23a708d6

We went to Thanksgiving Point with Ariana & her family:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226412730880.319266.613345879&l=fc9e9eacdc

We drove around SLC, Lehi & Provo:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226411525880.319265.613345879&l=34a96a4ccc

We ate dinner and goofed off at my Uncle Gold's:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226409975880.319264.613345879&l=cdea0c6904

We stayed at my Aunt Elaine's in the mountains:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150226407965880.319261.613345879&l=20907e3878

I still haven't put the pictures from Jared's phone on, but these are all the ones from my phone... will have to work on that tonight! :) Enjoy!

Aurora's first...

2011-06-11T13:21:00.003-05:00

Sidney is having their "Gold Rush Days," and Friday night, they had their Fun Run & 5K... This is Aurora before her race... (Logan rode in the stroller while I ran)

This is Aurora after her race! She was the last one through the finish line, but everyone that was doing the 5K was cheering her on (they had to wait for her to start)! She felt like a million bucks! Her time was 11 min 58 sec! So proud of my big girl!

Branding

2011-06-11T11:42:00.027-05:00

Friday, we went out to a friends' ranch by Lisco, NE. Here are some pictures from the 1 1/2 hour drive, and their branding. Thanks for inviting us out Siara & Cordell! We had LOADS of fun!

P.S. Sorry the pictures are in reverse order... didn't want to flip them all around...

This is just showing how tall the wheat is. There were a few fields already harvested!

This is the windmill at the ranch (Siara what is it for?)...

This is the view from "The big house." This is where we ate lunch after everyone was finished.

Anna playing in the grass at "The big house."

The kids rolling down the hill at "The big house."

Aurora & Anna taking a brake in the ranch's Yukon at the branding... such cuties! :) They really love being sisters! Hopefully it lasts!

This is "the hold." The lady on the left (sorry for the back-shot Elaine!) is vaccinating the cows. Aurora didn't like seeing the cows branded. She thought it was making them bleed.

Momma cow watching out for her baby...

This is Mitch (Elaine's husband) roping a calf...

This is Mitch bringing a calf in. The kids were watching him & guessing what color calf he would rope next! lol

Another momma calling her babies... but she was on OUR side of the fence.

Mitch bringing in another one & the guys jumping on it to hold it down! You can see most of the crew in this picture... There were about 30 people helping (there were supposed to be 60!)!

These are the big "O" brands... and lots of fire!

Siara's horse... he was very friendly!

Our welcome committee! This calf ran with us for a while!

Almost caught up?!

2011-05-20T14:58:00.004-05:00

So after our vacation (sorry I only put one post up lol... we had a lot of fun), I'm still trying to get caught up with everything... The house is almost getting cleaned, the floor is almost done for the basement, the sheetrock is almost done too. Too many projects, too few people working on them with too little time! :)

Jared & I have been working out fairly regularly, and it is great! We both are loving it & our bodies are feeling better because of it! Jared has been playing racquetball with a friend, and they both are having so much fun! Jared said he lots a couple of pounds already too! I guess that is kinda the point huh?

Anna is cruising & crawling everywhere! She will be walking in no time!!! Yikes!

Jared is going to San Diego this weekend (until Wednesday) for a conference. So I'm sure the little improvement that has been made on the house will be completely turned upside down while he is gone! He is definitely the glue that holds us together (or at least my sanity)! Hopefully I will be able to put some pictures from our BR trip on soon.... until then.... "Logan & Aurora stop that!" ........................

Sunday, April 10th

2011-04-10T22:29:00.003-05:00

Our first full day in Baton Rouge went pretty good! We got to see lots of friends & family. Logan had a rough day... in nursery, they went out to see the temple, and when they came back in, he though it was time to go, but it was snack time & he didn't like that idea! He stood in the corner & screamed & wouldn't talk to anyone (poor thing)! After church, we drove through LSU to show the kids, and Logan fell asleep. We went to Jared's parents after that & I put Logan in Janelle's bed so he could rest. When he woke up, he was disoriented & VERY upset! Besides that though, we had lots of fun! Aurora got to meet "Matt My Boyfriend" (as Janelle likes to introduce him) & she ran up and gave him a big hug (which totally made his day... he was nervous the kids wouldn't like him)! :) By the end of the day, everyone was full & tired! Anna fell asleep & I gave her to mom (who was very tired from driving us home last night), then as soon as she closed her eyes too, I snuck in and took this GORGEOUS picture! We are ready to have some fun! So glad to be here & see everyone! I miss all the green!!!!!!! Will keep you up to speed (hopefully) with what our days are filled with!

Allergies...

2011-03-29T08:35:00.002-05:00

This is what a reaction to Penicillin looks like. Last Thursday, we took Anna to the doctor & she had an ear infection. So the gave her some antibiotis (amoxicillan... the yummy pink kind yay!). She started to feel better over the weekend, and then Monday we found this rash on her belly, so I called the doctor & they said it sounded like a reaction to the antibiotics & they would call in something else. Anna is now concidered allergic to penicillin... great....... first milk, now this! Anna is going to be my health case! btw, she is working on crawling & pulling up on things.

On another note, dad flies in to Denver tomorrow so he & Jared can work on the basement! Counting down the days to Baton Rouge!

LightTen

2011-03-25T16:56:00.003-05:00

Through Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cabela's is doing a "Drop 10 in 10" program (this is me citing my sources so I don't get called out for plagiarizing). Jared & I have decided to do it, so I am opening this up to all our friends and family to join us! It seems like an awesome program! It comes with a food & exercise journal, and a guide book. We also renewed our membership to the Cheyenne County Community Center! I will be taking the early shift of 6-7 at the gym, and Jared will be taking the late shift of 7-8 at the gym. If anyone wants to work out with me, I would VERY much appreciate the support and motivation! As we read the guide book & start the program, I will post some motivational thoughts & the good ideas that I find.

Randomness...

2011-03-19T17:39:00.002-05:00

Our trip to Scottsbluff Friday, we saw a sign that said, "Seismic work crew" then we saw LOADS of little boxes all over... pretty cool!

Our leftovers from St. Patty's day dinner... green pancakes! YUM!

I tried to turn it, but again, it didn't work... Angel LOVES to clean Anna! Anna likes it too! :)

Maw Maw and Paw Paw Jarreau found these jammies for the kids... thanks!

Warming up

2011-03-19T16:58:00.004-05:00

Yay! Jared is finally thinning the Lilac bushes!

These flowers were already here when we moved in... they are Tulips & Daffodills.

This is our new rasperry "bush."

Can you find the blueberry bush? It was only like four twigs... I can't even find it! lol

This is our blackberry "bush."

The weather was pretty nice today, so we did some work outside & planted our blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry bushes (not quite bushes yet as you can see)! We are so excited to have a garden again! The kids are way excited to help too! We are all getting so excited to come to Baton Rouge in April!

Rolling over....

2011-01-19T15:52:00.004-06:00

So, I hope you enjoy this... it's like a flip book! lol I went through about 40 pictures of her rolling over a few times and missing the shot every time to get these... as you can tell she was soo done by the end of it... oh, and excuse the laundry in the background (we are potty training, and it has been non-stop laundry week!) :)

Nayda Easley's King Cake recipe

2011-01-17T15:30:00.002-06:00

Since I had so many requests, here is Sis. Nayda Easley's Mardi Gras King Cake recipe:

SWEET DOUGH:

1 pkg yeast

1 cup lukewarm water

4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup butter (softened)

2 eggs

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender. In a separate bowl, beat eggs; add to yeast mixture. Stir liquid into flour mixture with a spoon. Let rise about 1 hour, and then stir down. Let rise again an additional hour. While dough is rising, prepare cream cheese filling by combining all the ingredients and mixing them until smooth.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

1- 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese (softened)

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Punch down dough (this dough is enough to make 2 small king cakes, or 1 big king cake). On a floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Lightly butter the entire rectangle. Spread cream cheese filling on bottom of the long end of rectangle. Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1-2 teaspoons Ground Cardamom (may substitute ground cinnamon) over entire rectangle.

Starting at end with the filling, roll rectangle as you would if you were making cinnamon rolls. Twist and place on a greased cookie sheet in a ring, connecting and tucking the ends together. Let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Watch carefully while baking. If it becomes golden brown before finished baking then place foil loosely over top and let it cook for the remaining time. Insert baby underneath while still warm. Allow it to completely cool after baking then frost.

* If you'd like to add a fruit pastry filling, allow the king cake to completely cool then using a knife, cut the top half completely off; apply filling in the center and place the top back on; use the frosting to hide where the cake has been cut.

FROSTING:

1 stick butter or margarine

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup marshmallow cream (optional)

3 cups powdered sugar

milk to consistency

To decorate, beat frosting ingredients well and spread over cooled king cake. Sprinkle with green, gold, and purple granulated sugar. (Tip: to color sugar, add a few drops of food coloring to 1/4 cup sugar in a zip top bag, then seal and shake)

Top Baton Rouge restaurants on our list...

2011-01-07T23:13:00.002-06:00

So after much deliberation, this is our "top" list (not in any particular order)... enjoy! Not that we will be able to visit all of them, but this is our "want" list! :)

1.Serop's
2.Tsunami
3.Po-Boy Express
4.Whole Foods
5.Raising Cane's
6.Great Wall
7.Cheesecake Bistro
8.DeAngelo's
9.Portobello's
10.Carabba's
11.Parrain's
12.Brewbacher's
13.Chimes
14.Popeye's
15.Izzos (or one of the burrito places)

Baton Rouge trip finalized...

2011-01-05T10:37:00.002-06:00

So for all you faithful followers (like 5? right), we bought airplane tickets to travel to the dirty, dirty south! :) The kids and I will fly to New Orleans April 9th (LATE!) and will be hanging out in Baton Rouge until April 28th (LATE!). So I was hoping to get to hang out with y'all while I'm in town! We don't have any big plans the whole time, so please invite us to do things with you! :) Jared is flying down April 19th (LATE!) and is flying back with us on the 28th. So if you want to see him, you only have a week! Send me a note & I will get you our cell phone numbers... my email is jarreauashley@yahoo.com Hope to see lots of you!!

Chinese Sticky Ribs... as requested

2011-01-05T09:33:00.004-06:00

As requested, here is the Chinese Sticky Ribs we had last night.... they were way yummy! My brother, Dustin sent this to me out of the "America's Test Kitchen 2008" cookbook...I added a few tips... let me know if you have questions... and ENJOY!

RIBS
2 racks pork ribs (2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds each), preferably St. Louis-cut or baby back ribs
1 cup hoisin sauce (whole small jar)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry (I just added water)
1 (6-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced into rounds (you have to strain them out later, so make sure they are big enough to get out)
6 garlic cloves, smashed
Strips of peel from 1 orange (just as it says... peel the orange and throw them in!)
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
30 sprigs fresh cilantro, stems chopped coarse (reserve leaves for glaze)
8 scallions, white parts cut into 1-inch pieces (reserve green parts)

GLAZE
1 (10-ounce) jar hot red pepper jelly (Reese brand at Walmart)
1/2 cup cider vinegar (I used more... depends on how much the ribs sauce cooks down)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (I just used the leaves from the 30 sprigs... it was more)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Minced scallion greens, for garnish

1. FOR THE RIBS: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Loosen the membrane on the underside of each rack of ribs with the tip of a paring knife (ask me for help if you've never done this). Grab the membrane with a paper towel and pull it off slowly in a single piece (mine never comes off in a single piece... I also brined (salt, & brown sugar in water) my ribs for a few hours in the fridge after I pulled the membrane off). Combine the remaining ingredients in a large roasting pan (can be done ahead of time). Add the spareribs to the pan, turning to coat both sides, and arrange meaty side down. Cover the pan tightly with foil and cook until just tender (this is called braising the meat btw), 2 1/2 to 3 hours (mine was 2 1/2 hours and WAY tender). Transfer the ribs to a large plate and cover with foil.

2. FOR THE GLAZE: Strain 3 cups of the cooking liquid from the roasting pan into a large nonstick skillet (do not wash the roasting pan... I cooked mine in the roasting pan on the stove instead of dirtying another pan!) and discard the solids and the remaining liquid (I must have done something different, because I did NOT have 3 cups of liquid, and I couldn't even strain it because it was so thick... I skimmed the fat off, added the vinegar (plus some) until it liquefied enough so I could fish out the ginger and orange peels, then added the jelly). Skim the fat from the liquid. Stir in the jelly and vinegar. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook until syrupy and reduced to 2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the minced cilantro and cayenne.

3. Heat the broiler (do not raise the oven rack). Pour enough water into the roasting pan to cover the bottom and fit the pan with a flat roasting rack. Reserve 1/2 cup glaze for serving. Arrange the ribs on the rack meaty side down and brush with the glaze. Place the roasting pan back on the middle rack in the oven and broil until beginning to brown, 2 to 4 minute (I did 4 minutes each time). Flip the ribs over, brush with more glaze, then broil, brushing the ribs with glaze every 2 to 4 minutes, until the ribs are a deep mahogany color, 9 to 12 minutes (watch the broiler carefully). Transfer the ribs to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice between the bones, transfer the ribs to a platter, and brush with the reserved glaze. Sprinkle with the scallions and serve.

WHERE THINGS CAN GO WRONG: Regular, full-size spareribs will not work in this recipe; they are too large and fatty.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AHEAD OF TIME: The ribs and glaze can be prepared through step 2 up to 2 days in advance. Wrap the ribs tightly in foil and refrigerate. Transfer the glaze to a microwave safe bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, allow the ribs to stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat the glaze in the microwave on high power until warm, about 1 minute. Proceed with step 3 as directed.

OUR SECRET SAUCE INGREDIENT: In the test kitchen, we've discovered that hot red pepper jelly is good for something other than spreading on a buttered biscuit or eating with cheddar cheese-- it makes a great base for glazes. Aside from its bold flavor, there are two reasons why hot red pepper jelly works so well in this application: it's thickened with pectin, meaning that it will stick to the ribs (or other meats), and it contains sugar, so it caramelizes nicely. If you can't find hot red pepper jelly, substitute red currant or apple jelly (you can make your own too if you grow peppers in your garden).

Black Friday fun... and early christmas presents for the kids!

2010-11-26T21:49:00.002-06:00

Again, sorry for the upside down picture! I saved it right side up, but it uploaded like this! Urgghh.... Anyways, he pulled Anna's baby bath into his bath & was being so silly!

We decorated tonight! Christmas time!

Our tree...

The kids' early Christmas presents... the trees! They got to put the unbreakable ornaments on & plug them in their rooms. They were soooo excited! Yes, Aurora's is pink! Logan's is fiber optics... pretty cool!

This is Jared's first fried turkey! It was pretty good too! Besides the fact that it was 20 degrees outside! Good job honey!

Aurora Ballerina

2010-11-23T21:16:00.002-06:00

Here's a teaser for you... Aurora's JFK outfit for their performance on the 5th... so excited!

Snow excitement!

2010-11-12T09:17:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, a newspaper reporter saw us playing outside and stopped to take the kids' picture... this is what became of it! Front page of Sidney's newspaper (The Sun Telegraph)!

JFK

2010-11-08T21:22:00.002-06:00

So, I started helping with Sidney's Just For Kix classes tonight. I'm so excited to be involved with dance again! I've missed it so much! There are 4 classes on Monday, and 2 classes on Tuesday that I will help out with. Tonight went really well. Tomorrow though, Aurora will come with me and hang out until her class starts. Hopefully she will be entertained enough to not get in the way for the first class. This is the perfect part time job for a stay at home mom! As soon as Jared gets home, I jet to class & he keeps the kids. So great! So excited! Can't wait to get to know the girls better! Tonight's classes had some very talented girls! Their Christmas performace is December 5th... we'll see how they do!

Sidney's Oktoberfest parade

2010-10-02T20:19:00.005-05:00

Oktoberfest parade was so much fun! Aurora was in the Just for Kix trailer. She loved participating in the parade! Logan loved getting the candy! Sorry the two pictures are upside down... I'm on Jared's computer, and I fixed it, but when I uploaded them, they were still upside down!? Whatever! Had lots of fun today!

Anna's photo shoot

2010-09-19T14:43:00.002-05:00

Our same friend did a shoot for Anna... here's the link

http://picasaweb.google.com/jollijenni/Anna#

Family photo shoot

2010-09-03T13:24:00.002-05:00

Our friend in Sidney did a photo shoot for us... check out the awesome job she did! We were getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, but had lots of fun! Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/jollijenni/Ashley#

Baby

2010-08-12T21:56:00.002-05:00

Little Anna Kathryn has joined us today. Mommy and baby are doing pretty great. Once we got to the doc this afternoon we reviewed the tests, which showed high BP and elevated protien so we scheduled the C-section for 5pm. The kids showed up with grandpa and grandma just after Anna was sent to the nursery. I got to hang out with her the whole time inside the nursery, which is way better than Women's hospital. Our room is even right outside of the nursery. Here are some pictures and we will likely have more later.

I am really glad we got this done today because I didn't want her born on Friday the 13th and I am only mildly superstitious.

Born: 5:32

Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz

Height: 18.5 inches

Update...

2010-08-09T22:10:00.002-05:00

Sorry once again I am a slacker and haven't gotten on the computer to blog :) So, mom and dad made it in Thursday afternoon, and we went to the doctor Friday afternoon. She said she was seriously debating on whether to take the baby that afternoon, but decided to wait another week. So, here we are... waiting. I'm doing the same labs again this Wednesday, and seeing her Thursday at 1:30. We are pretty much expecting this to be my last Scottsbluff visit. We are packed and Jared is coming with me to the appointment. I am on permanent bedrest (get up to potty, shower, and eat) now. My blood pressure has remained high, and I have started to feel yucky. I'm exhausted all the time, have a decrease in appetite (which I'm actually loosing weight now), and a constant headache. Thank goodness for visiting teachers and Relief Society though! The sisters have scheduled to take the kids once a day to play, and today it was so very nice! I got a three hour nap! Thank goodness for moms too! She has come in and really cleaned up the house and cooked meals for us... all while taking care of the kids of course! Thank goodness for dads too! Jared & dad leveled the floors the past couple of days, and tomorrow we should be able to install the flooring, and then get the kids' furniture moved into their rooms! Things are finally coming together and we will have a new baby soon.... will keep you posted with what happens Thursday!

Baby's coming soon!

2010-08-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

Here's the update... sorry I forgot to get on yesterday. So, Tuesday, she asked me to do some labs (just turned them in this morning) and will find out the results in a few hours. My blood pressure is still way high, and if the labs come back high, then we will have a baby tomorrow! Otherwise, we will have a baby next week. Mom and dad left Baton Rouge yesterday morning and are on their way here! They will be here tonight around dinner... We have some friends coming to help paint the kids' rooms so we can get the floors installed this weekend before Anna comes home so she can have a room to sleep in! The next week is going to be soooo long! On another note, look at how far we have come!
Getting the rooms painted! This is Aurora's room with one coat of Kiltz thanks to the scouts coming last night!

This is Logan's room... it has two coats thanks to Breanna!

Getting the car seat ready... had to sew a handle cover because the plastic is degrading already! Always fun trying to figure out a pattern without any instructions! lol

Mudding the sheetrock

2010-08-02T14:40:00.004-05:00

I started mudding the rooms the day they finished installing the sheetrock. I got one coat in both rooms, and then started on the second coat when I was told to be on temporary bedrest! So, Jared tried his hand at it and has put the rest of the second coats, and the finishing coat on... we shall see how it turns out! The electrician is coming this week to finalize the connections, and then the rooms will be ready to move into! We will start with Aurora's room...

This is Aurora's closet btw...

In the living room...
Looking out of Logan's room... yes, that is Logan on the couch!

This will have an access panel for the water shut off valves!
This is the water main to the house (yes, in Logan's room)! We are going to put built-in shelves and an access panel in where it is still open... it will be made out of wood. Thus, not sheetrocked yet!

So, Tuesday I go back to the doctor to check up how everything went this weekend (blood pressure issues)... will let you know when I get back tomorrow!

Scottsbluff trip... always fun!

2010-07-31T18:38:00.003-05:00

One more trip to Scottsbluff under my belt, and amazingly I was able to come back home this time! Firday I had another ultrasound (probably the last one), and found out Anna is doing really well (for the most part)! She is 5 lbs 1 oz (which is the 24th percentile), and has an awesome amount of amniotic fluid (which is surprising for my babies!)! The doctor said not to be worried about her weight until it gets below the 10th percentile. So, I'm 35 weeks (Thursday), and getting closer and closer! Everything is still creaping up slowly (the bad things). The kids and I have sinus junk and so I took some Sudafed Thursday and Friday (before my appointment), and it ended up making my blood pressure shoot way up! So, I get to suffer this weekend with only taking Tylenol, and laying on the couch (she put me on bedrest for the weekend... I go back Tuesday to make sure my blood pressure went back down). Luckily, my blood pressure has already gone back down since I stopped taking the Sudafed! Oh, and she said because of the levels of my labs, I won't make it to the 26th of August... will let you know what happens Tuesday!

Mom, dad, Breanna and frames

2010-07-30T10:24:00.004-05:00

So, dad just sent me pictures from when they were here... enjoy!

Look at everyone's faces... really funny! Dad is telling mom "quit taking pictures! You are in everyone's way!" and the kids are saying, "Grandpa!" because we had just said goodbye, and then met them at walmart because they forgot a bag at our house...

Yes, I have red hair btw... and a big belly!

Here's all the girls! Including Anna!

Big family get together... pile on couch!

Breanna is here helping... had a day and a half overlap with mom and Breanna... she's been my "slave girl" ever since (she thinks I'm giving her way too much to do, but I keep telling her, "welcome to being a mother!").

Now on to the framing.... dad and Jared got the kids' bedrooms framed before they left so we can HOPEFULLY get the kids downstairs BEFORE Anna decides she needs room too!
This is the wall between the kids' rooms... you can see Aurora's closet too... and her cute dresser... this is all sheetrocked now btw... need to go take more pictures!

Aurora's egress window... and the lovely pipes that hang from her ceiling!

This is Logan's new window... was glass blocks. Now it opens! Hip hip hurray! Also, you can see the main pipes for the house. And all the patching Jared did on the wall so HOPEFULLY it doesn't leak anymore! lol

This is going to be built-in shelving... with access pannels to the main shut off for the house and sprinkler system... should be interesting!

This is from the "family room." Aurora's room is on the right, and Logan's is on the left. Will take more pictures of the sheetrocked rooms soon....

Thunderbirds

2010-07-28T22:43:00.002-05:00

Today, we spent the day in Cheyenne! It was much more fun than I was expecting. Breanna, the kids and I left at 7:55 (needed to leave much earlier to get to the show). We had quite the time trying to get the kids moving! They were really good on the 1 1/2 hour drive there! We ended up parking on the side of College Dr and watching the show in lawn chairs under an umbrella. It was really cool, but would have been much better at the Community College! Logan thought it was too loud, so he and I ended up in the car (it was kind of chilly, and we only had Logan's fuzzy blankie). We ended up stopping at a random consignment store, then the kids wanted to find a chic-fil-a (thinking it would have a play place). Unfortunately, the only one is inside the mall, but we got to go to the mall's playplace anyways! So, as we are eating at chic-fil-a, 5 military people (in very good shape I have to add) walked in wearing blue uniforms that said "Thunderbirds US Air Force" on the back! Aurora thought that was so cool that the pilots from the show that morning came to the same place we had for lunch! They were really nice too! The mall there has a pet store the kids had so much fun in! Puppies are always fun to play with! We then drove through downtown Cheyenne (which is much cooler than I thought it would be!) to Home Depot (after buying Breanna blue checkered Vans at the mall). On the way out of town, we caught Hobby Lobby for fabric and party supplies (for Aurora's birthday party next month... which will be like a week after I have Anna!) and Walgreen's. Then of course McDonald's for a milkshake... then the wonderful 1 1/2 hours back. Only to sheetrock some more! What a long day... have been on the couch heating my back and resting my feet since we finished the sheetrock. Ohhhhh goodnight world!

Basement projects....

2010-07-25T21:09:00.009-05:00

Friday, we invited the missionaries over for dinner. We were planning on asking if they had some time Saturday for "service!" They happily replied that they had nothing going on, and would love to come over for breakfast and to help downstairs. One of them (before he came on his mission) just so happened to work in framing and sheetrocking! BONUS! So, they helped Jared sheetrock the framed walls (thanks for helping dad!) in the kids' bedrooms. They ended up eating four consecutive (including Friday's dinner) meals at our house! They put about 16 sheets up in the 7 hours they spent helping! So, my job now is to mud the joints! I got the first coat done, and am waiting for Jared to put all the smaller pieces of sheetrock up so I can finish all the seams. So these pictures are the only pictures I got of the framing job Dad & Jared did (the sheetrock is just leaning where it belongs). After I get some more of the seams done I'll take pictures of the finished walls. This is Jared installing the first board & being silly cutting one of them, and then the first finished wall. Moving along! Only have less than four weeks before Anna comes! Better hurry up! If anyone wants to help, we will be finishing the sheetrock this week, leveling the floors next week, and installing the flooring in two weeks. Then we just have to move the kids' beds and junk downstairs and hope they will stay there! :) Oh baby, please hold out! BTW I have another ultrasound on Friday, and that determine if she is still growing well, and if I will be able to go until 39 weeks (scheduled for my c-section on August 26th at 7 am!), or if they need to watch me closer and possibly take her sooner. So, up to four weeks from now, we will have a baby girl!

Last Denver trip!

2010-07-09T11:34:00.002-05:00

Thursday, we took the three hour trip down to Denver for the last time! The kids came this time too! Always fun! My visiting teacher came to watch the kids while I was with the doctor. We left Sidney at 7:30, and didn't get back until 6:30 at night!!! I drove the whole way because my friend didn't know how to drive a stick (we went in the Mini...). Wow I was tired! That and on the way home, we took a wrong turn in Denver and didn't realize it until we had driven 30 miles out of Denver! Lovely hour long detour! The kids were really good the whole time too!!! Amazingly!

On to the good stuff now... Last time I went to Denver, they used the wrong date to gauge the ultrasound measurements by. They had said she was three weeks behind schedule, but yesterday, she was a good size! She is 3 pounds +, and in the 42nd percentile for belly and head measurements! YAY! Finally we got good news! I've been really nervous the past few weeks because of her size! Now they aren't as worried, and are more optimistic that I will go full term! As long as I don't continue developing pre-eclampsia that is! I had packed my bags just in case they made me stay in Denver, but luckily, I'm in Sidney! :) They told me to quit doing so much (I've been having painful swelling in my legs and ligament pain in my belly), and sit down more often! So of course I get to sit and feel useless! But I'm growing a baby right?!

Mom and dad are coming back to visit for a few days next week, and next Saturday, Jared's cousin is coming to stay with us for three weeks. Yay! And she just got her learner's permit! :) Hopefully she won't wreck my car! :) I tallied up how many miles I've driven to OB appts, and it comes to almost 3,000 miles! I'm sure it was much more than that because we always took extra side trips, but wow! That is a lot of driving! At least I'm not having more problems than I am! I'm still only going to the doctor once a week, so it could always be worse right?! How about that for optimism! lol

"Girls are trouble from the start!" -Jerry Sharp

2010-07-02T17:03:00.002-05:00

Had another wonderful hour and a half trip to my OB in Scottsbluff Wednesday, and of course got lovely news.... Some of you may remember the saga of my pregnancy with Aurora. At 28 weeks, I had pre-eclapsia, and was put on bed rest, then at 34 weeks, it had progressed so much that they hospitalized me. She was born at 37 weeks.

Then I had Logan, and was on bed rest for about a week.

Now, I have Anna... I'm 31 weeks, and don't yet have pre-eclampsia, but am not too far from it. My blood pressure and protein in my urine (lovely right?) are the determining factors, and both have been slowly rising over the pregnancy. I'm trying to stay off my feet as much as possible (which is really hard with two young children... I do have to say they have been helping a lot considering). So, that said, we will probably (hopefully) have a happy baby girl within the next 6 weeks. The doctor said she wouldn't let me go too much past 37 weeks.... but hopefully we can make it that long!

So, when I told my dad all of this, he said, "See, I told you girls are trouble from the start!" So it's not just Aurora! :)

When it rains....

2010-06-16T12:36:00.004-05:00

So, this is "monsoon season." Never really knew what that meant until last week. I'm used to thunderstorms every afternoon, and flooding rains, but never knew basements were such a pain! This is how our "monsoons" have come...

Thursday, Jared & I went to the Dr. in Denver last week, and found out Anna is three weeks behind in size than she should be.

Friday, we found out for sure that our moisture problems in our basement was no small matter. To repair the foundation cracks is going to be quite expensive! We may not be able to move the kids into the basement before Anna comes.

Jared is on a business trip this week to Washington, D. C. for four days.

Today, Aurora has a fever... wow! Always fun!

But there is always a silver lining on the edge of the storm. My visiting teachers came by yesterday and really stepped up and beyond. I probably should be on bed rest right now, but I'm not. They came over and saw a need and took care of it even though they had crazy life situations of their own. Thank you Heavenly Father for small things!

Here's some pictures of the cracks in the basement...we spray painted where the water was coming in so we could tell later on.

Check the new ride

2010-05-30T09:20:00.002-05:00

After searching all the recently hail damaged vehicles from Scottsbluff we broke down and bought a used 2003 Honda Pilot (not hail damaged). We have known that we have to extend our car population to include a 7 or 8 passenger for the new baby on the way. After driving this Pilot Ashely fell in love and there was no way to change her mind to keep looking. Lucky for us we go to church with the car sales dude and he gave us the car for just over what they got it for. Now I will drive the Corolla the majority of the time and park the Mini in the corner of the garage only to be driven once a week or every other week and for fun drives.

Jared

Bipolar disorder...

2010-05-05T10:18:00.003-05:00

This morning, I was laying on the bed & the baby was going crazy, so I called Aurora in and let her feel her sister moving. She thought that was the coolest thing ever! She is actually the first one to get to feel the baby move. It was a lot of fun & Aurora absolutely loved it! Then she got too excited and kicked the baby back! Urrggg... ever since then I think I haven't stopped fussing at the kids. They just keep going! They are in separate rooms right now being quiet... I'm sure they are getting into trouble! :) Gee I love being a mom!

This is the best picture ever though! Logan was jealous of Aurora's umbrella, so of course we had to get him one... that very same day, he broke Aurora's... so that night, I found them like this... sharing Logan's umbrella, pretending it was raining. They can be so cute sometimes, and little hellions other times! Gotta love em!

Also, just wanted to say I have the coolest friends ever! Thanks Lauren for the awesome baby blanket! We absolutely love it!

btw... Logan just came and gave me the sweetest "orry" hug! Urg they can be so bipolar!

Yucky yuck!

2010-04-17T19:33:00.002-05:00

So, two days ago, I was running up the back steps (excited to grab a knife & cut some rhubarb!) & I hit the wrong side of the step (don't want to get into too much detail... it's really gross)! Yesterday, I went to the doctor & she said the nail is dead, and will fall off in the next couple of days. So, I've been limping, icing, & soaking my foot all day long & feel like a bump on a log! I've supposed to have been (sounds really hickish) unpacking & working on the house.... right! Every time I stand up, it just starts throbbing (better today though)! So, today, I did sitting down things... fixed the handles on the doors, went to the hardware store three times (not sitting down though)... anyways, the whole point of me getting on here was to say that last night I finally got my rhubarb! I made Rhubarb, cherry crisp! Ohhhh so good! Here is the link...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Rhubarb-Cherry-Crisp/Detail.aspx

I love allrecipies.com btw... sometimes they aren't great, but I have found a lot of awesome stuff on there!

Aurora wanted to have some input too:

ygfhvnv vfggbg nhyyhugyjhgbhgdhlhygggggfcbhhggda

Move-in Day Finally Came!!!

2010-04-12T21:26:00.002-05:00

So, this morning, we woke up at 6:45, showered, and went to the lumber store in my friend's van (thanks for letting us borrow it btw)! We got 20 pressure treated 2x4's, and brought them over to our new house. Jared dropped the van off and went to work, and I went to work on the house. The movers came and unloaded all of our stuff (they were very nice & polite btw... thank you Johnson Moving Company)! I got the awesome job of sitting on the porch, marking the numbers off, and pointing where they need to go. There was stuff EVERYWHERE! We got quite a few boxes unpacked tonight, but there is still so much more to go! If only the basement was finished... life would be so much easier! lol...

I'm sick.... not just sick and tired! lol

2010-04-07T10:54:00.002-05:00

I have the wonderful world of sinus infections! This is a pretty good one too! Lovely green colors and all! Definitely not clear, but copious! :) Even coughing stuff up! But, I went to the Dr. yesterday, and got antibiotics! Hopefully that's why everything is coming out instead of settling in! Way too much to do though! No rest for the sick and weary! We will be installing Egress windows in the basement next week, setting the bottom of the frame for the walls after that, then leveling and installing the floors so we can move all of our stuff that is coming on Monday into the basement... (won't be ready by then, but will be living in the house as of the 15th and need all our stuff). Also, I will be traveling to Scottsbluff to see my OB every two weeks now! That's 1 1/2 hours each way! Yikes that's a lot of traveling! So, friends of Sidney, please be aware that I will need help watching the kids every two weeks so I can go see the Dr. Mom is here, an has been helping so much especially since I've been sick this whole time! Love you mom!

Demo started today....

2010-04-05T19:36:00.002-05:00

So, this morning I went and spoke to the Sidney Building & Zoning Inspector. Talked to him for almost as hour! Figured out what we need/want to do with the basement. Went home and talked to Jared (he was home sick today), and then went over to the house and started tearing down panneling, sheetrock, etc. Found where the termites were chewing on their dinner (already knew they had been there)! Found two cans of beer (one open, one still sealed) that the carpenter that stopped by said they were probably from the 50's or 60's! The electrician started his work today. Got a lot of light fixtures put up while he was waiting for us to finish our demo downstairs. Still have to clean up the sheetrock mess, frame the walls, form the doors and change one wall (after getting the permits of course). Then insulate, level the floors, install the laminate, and all before Jared's family comes in May! Fun stuff! Anyone want to help!? :) Even watching kids would be awesome!

Extra pictures

2010-04-04T14:29:00.003-05:00

This is the back of the house and some type of bulbs? Possibly tulips?!

Here is our awesome patch of rhubarb and daffodils, and possibly some tulips... as well as the double car garage that they are planted next to.

We bought a house!

2010-04-02T22:08:00.006-05:00

So, this is our house! We closed on our mortgage 3/31/10... so here are our glorious pictures. We have already started demo on the basement.

This is the living room/great room/entry room... whatever you want to call it. They even left their piano.... anyone want an upright? We have two now!

This is the other half of the living room... where the couch would be.

This is the glorious kitchen. They left their fridge for us... it's going downstairs.

This is the dining area of the kitchen... that and Jared making PB&J!

This is the master bedroom...

Upstairs bathroom... standup shower/bathtub on the right; huge cabinets on the other side of that.

This will be the baby's room... once she is born. In the mean time, we are renovating the basement, so Aurora & Logan will share this room until then.

Stairs going downstairs... very exciting!

This hopefully at one point in the future will be our guest suite. As for now, it is the laundry/storage/bathroom. We are redoing the wiring for the whole house. This is where the breaker is. We will be moving the washer/dryer into the utility room, and opening up the space under the stairs for storage.

This will be Aurora's bedroom. Right now, the door you see is a closet that extends between both kids' rooms. We will wall that off and cut the closet in half to make more room in Logan's tiny bedroom. There is an extra closet in the "guest suite" that we will open up for Aurora to have a closet... hopefully. :)

This is Logan's tiny bedroom. Also has the main water pipe/drain for the watering system.

Jared started demo already btw... this is the family room. The flooring is coming up. Will be installing laminate flooring... eventually!

This is the "utility" room... we are installing a new furnace, and moving the washer/dryer and old fridge in here... the cabinets are moving.

Reuben

2010-03-25T14:34:00.002-05:00

So I've been craving a Reuben sandwich for the past few weeks. Today, I bought everything to make it... didn't have a recipie, just made it up from memory. Made the sandwich like grilled cheese. Used Jewish Rye bread, Pastrami, Provolone, Swiss, and Kraut. It was everything I wanted! Jared even enjoyed it too! The kids weren't brave enough to try it, but made regular grilled cheese for the kids.... YUM!

OB visit

2010-03-24T15:55:00.002-05:00

One more trip to Scottsbluff under my belt. The roads were icey and I was very nervous on the drive there this morning. Had a good appointment, heard the baby & found out I've gained 5 pounds (have been sick until the past few weeks, so it is a good thing) in the past month! She gave me a goal of no more than 30 pounds this time (would put me about the same end weight as the other pregnancies). My blood pressure was a little high, but we put that towards buying and selling houses. I go to Denver next week to see a specialist, then go back to Scottsbluff again on April 29th. Everything is going pretty good! Felt the baby move about a week and a half ago, and started having light braxton hicks (is that the right type of hick? lol). All in all, doing well here. Got acquired last week, and close on our house here next week! Mom is coming to town on the 31st (the same day we close), and the kids and I are going to meet her in Denver (have my dr. appt the next day) and have lots of fun! So I think I've done enough rambling....

Acquisition

2010-03-17T10:33:00.001-05:00

WE ARE GETTING ACQUIRED TODAY! Hip hip... HURRAY! Will tell the whole story when it is over and done... lots of headaches still to come!

Fun stuff

2010-03-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

So, I finally have been feeling better (nausea wise) lately, and yesterday, I felt the baby move! I also had the lovely experience of starting Braxton Hix contractions already! With Aurora, they started at 16 weeks, so I'm a few weeks ahead of schedule... hopefully that is NOT a sign of things to come! I really like my doctor in Scottsbluff (1 hour 30 minute drive!). She is LDS also. Have my next appointment with her on the 24th of March. Then I will travel down to Denver a few weeks later to meet with a Maternal Fetal Specialist. Wish we had doctors as close as we did in Baton Rouge! I really miss that! Jared has an infected ingrown toenail too! Pretty gross! He's hopefully going to the doctor for it tomorrow. Trying to get our house squared away still too! Hopefully that also will get taken care of tomorrow... only time will tell right?

Drama

2010-03-12T10:33:00.003-06:00

So I thought I was done with drama when I got married.... now it is just different drama! ACK! Heart attacks/aneurysms whatever you want to call it... selling a house is insane! We had a buyer like 6 weeks after we put the house on the market. Didn't get asking price, but we were happy enough. We aren't "making" ANY money off of our house. In fact, we (almost) pretty much broke even, if not put more money into it than we sold it for. Then come the inspections.......... The inspections weren't too bad, but the aftermath was WWIII. The buyer is over-analyzing everything! The request for repairs was a mile long and very nit picky. Personally, if you are buying a house, you should be able to balance a fan, be a minor electrician, be able to use a screw driver, and sweep debrit from an overhanging tree off the roof (that's just the beginning). But the grand finalle of it all is our roof is just over a year old, and they wanted us to take up the roof and replace a few splintered (still structurally sound) roof decking boards. Our house was built in the 60's! OF COURSE A FEW BOARDS ARE GOING TO BE SPLINTERED! This house has had three roofs just when we were living there! That's a lot of nails going through wood! So after him speaking with three different roofers, today they have finally decided that we have done enough work, and he will pay for the repairs himself (which don't really need to be done)! WOW! Oh, and last night someone stole the $40 each urns that we just bought to show the house! Lovely! I'm having heart palpitations! Plus, through all of this, we are buying a house here! Doing our own inspections (we only asked for 6 repairs... one of which is a new furnice, but the existing one was manufactured in 1977 and had rust spots on the heat exchanger) is crazy and stressfull enough! We are already planning on putting at least $15,000 worth of repairs/work into the house we are buying! WOW! I so needed to vent! I feel so much better! Today is finally looking up! We paid off the remainder of the MINI, and are finally getting good news! The relo company should accquire our house soon, and we can buy a new (actually quite old... built in 1920) home and get working on fixing it up before the baby comes in late August/early September! WOW! Talk about crazy life! Btw, here is a picture of the house we are buying...

Oh, and Tuesday, Jared's birthday (actually Monday night), he had the stomach flu and we didn't get to do anything for his birthday... no cake, nothing. We had got a present for him though. Praying that the rest of us don't get it now! Finally relaxing... I'm sure there will be another phone call soon to stress me out. Hopefully it will be good news though right?! lol Missing everyone! Exploding... from Sidney.

2010-03-03T14:10:00.005-06:00

Girls being sooo silly!

Making faces

Say "alalalala"

Cuties

I call the second one the ooba dooba face! :)

We decided to tape the boy's thumbs to their hands and see if they could undo their shirt buttons... very entertaining! :)

Success!

Cutie girls

Technically he did round one.... still entertaining!

Success!

Mardi Gras parade in the snow!

2010-02-26T16:37:00.006-06:00

Aurora and her best friend in their masks!

Throw me something mister! Aurora's best friend's little sister (and their mommy)!

Logan and all the beads he caught... and the floats...

The king cake the kids frosted (and I made... Yummy!) and the floats.

Aurora's float and Aurora throwing me something mister!

Snow again!

2010-02-20T10:41:00.003-06:00

Jared had so much fun playing with the kids! It's been snowing all night and day!

These were on the tree in our backyard... so cool!

Rolling in the snow!
Those are some big angels!

The aftermath of Jared's angel!

Snow!

2010-02-19T14:28:00.013-06:00

It finally snowed good here again and we had SO much fun playing in it this morning! Here's some of the fun!

House for sale

2010-02-19T14:15:00.003-06:00

Monday we had an offer on our house that we accepted! YAY! Saturday, we actually had an offer on the house. It wasn't ideal, and so we counter offered, but never heard anything back! Frustrating! So, Monday we had three people look at the house, and actually had two offers about the same! Only, we would have to pay a lot more in closing costs for one, so we countered the other halfway between their offer and our asking price, and he accepted! YAY! We close March 19th! Once again, YAY! We can now buy the fixer-upper he we have been looking at. YAY! If you couldn't tell, we are quite excited that everything played out so fast! Thanks for everyone that helped us finish fixing up our house and keep us sane!

Go Saints!

2010-02-08T18:46:00.004-06:00

We had a very exciting nite last night! The kids had lots of fun watching the game! Especially when we scored and Jared threw them up in the air running around the house screaming "Touchdown!"

Anyways, we have been enjoying sharing our southern culture up here. Everyone has been enjoying how southern culture tastes too!

So..... I got Princess and the Frog dress up clothes for a surprise for Aurora. That's all fine and good..... but Logan has been enjoying them too! He puts on the dress and says "Pretty!" Jared let him get all dressed up and decided that he gave up his man card when he did that! Poor Logan.... I'm looking for boy's dress up clothes now!

Still waiting for someone to buy our house btw... please tell your friends! We just installed tile flooring in the kitchen, laundry & bathroom. Tomorrow they are installing carpet. Lots of money! Lots of stress! Please buy our house!!!! :)

Oh, and Logan FINALLY got a haircut today (thanks Natalie!) after three months? It was long!

Oh, dinner tonight was AWESOME!!! Thursday, I made meatloaf (it was good!). Saturday, I made spaghetti with my white sauce (it made a lot!). So, today, I made pizza dough, put the white sauce on, crumbled the leftover meatloaf, and put cheddar cheese on top... Man it was good! It had a smokey flavor (don't know where that came from?) and was excellent! Go me!

Final destination

2010-01-20T06:56:00.002-06:00

So, we finally made it to Sidney! The kids were exhausted and horrible the first two days, but I think we are almost getting beyond that... maybe. Not everyone knows, but I'm pregnant & I've been having all day morning sickness. Yesterday was the first time I lost it. Aurora said, "Mommy, why did you stand by that tree and throwed up?" lol she makes me laugh. The kids have LOVED being with daddy and Angel! Yesterday we went on an adventure to find the "choo choo!" Logan LOVES seeing the trains all day long! We've had quite a few people look at our house in Baton Rouge, but haven't had a lot of feedback. What we have received was positive though! They just didn't want to buy our house.... so, we wait. The kids and I are going to look at like 5 houses today! We're still going! Liking Sidney (except for the cow smell... Aurora complains all day long!)... have awesome friends here already! Aurora asks to play with them all day long also! The kids are sleeping in the same room (2 bed, 1 bath temporary house), which has been interesting, but I think they are dealing with everything very well! They miss Baton Rouge though! We all do!

Christmas is finally past!

2009-12-29T08:59:00.002-06:00

So,
Jared went back to NE after having a whirlwind adventure for Christmas.... of which we were all sick (yesterday Logan went to the Dr... double ear infection... then 104 degree temp). So.... we are still here though! Will be for a few more weeks.... please tell all your friends we are selling our house! Please come buy our house so we can have money to buy one in Sidney! :) Crazy, craziness! Kids are going crazy.... I'm going crazy.... we are crazy people! As usual! :) Will be going out there regardless in a few weeks.... we'll see what happens with everything!

From Sidney with love....

2009-12-12T14:25:00.002-06:00

So I've been in Sidney since Thursday on a "house hunting trip." We've looked at all kinds of houses all over and out of town! So many options, but there are really only a few that stand out!

We're hoping we can find something under $50,000 so we can keep our house in Baton Rouge (to rent it out) and still be able to afford it! Right now there are about 3 that are around $50,000, and Tuesday there is a house that was foreclosed that they are auctioning. That would be so cool!

One of our favorite houses is straight out of the 50's! Total retro everything! It has had the same owner for like 60 years or more! Perfect condition for most of it! Our realtor was friends with the girls that grew up there.... really cute house! We'll have to post pictures when I get back home.... this is the link if anyone wants to see...

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1532-Maple_Sidney_NE_69162_1111404228

Awesome pink kitchen... original appliances (still work & aremuch cleaner than any others I have EVER seen!), and awesome retro charm! Loved it!

We got our library cards yesterday & today they just opened an outside ice skating rink! So cool.... we are excited to finally get moved up here!

Blizzard Like Weather

2009-12-08T09:49:00.004-06:00

Well it is day two of three for blizzard or blizzard-like weather here in Sidney. I took this one on Sunday and we have gotten about another 5-6 inches with another 12 or so to come. I have gotten pretty decent driving in the snow and the Mini is a beast on the road. I actually went out and practiced on Sunday after the Saints win. With snow like this and the temperature under 10 degrees most of the time I am thoroughly enjoying my decision to move to Sidney.

Jared

Jared's trip

2009-11-30T10:25:00.002-06:00

So, luckily Jared had a rather uneventful trip to Nebraska. He made it there yesterday (Sunday) afternoon & is getting settled in. He started work this morning & is still getting adjusted. He's very lonely & wants us to hurry up & move up there with him already! :) We miss him lots here too & call him all the time! Anyone know anyone that wants to buy a house in Baton Rouge? 4 bedroom 2 bath! :)

Gingerbread houses

2009-11-30T09:56:00.004-06:00

We have a tradition with the Jarreau's of doing Gingerbread houses each year. Aurora was planning on helping, but ended up falling asleep on the way there. So, Aunt Nellie (Janelle) & I got to do them by ourselves... mostly peacefully. Then the power went out at the house & Aurora woke up & "finished helping." We had a lot of fun. Guess which is mine & which is Janelle/Aurora's...

New Phones

2009-11-25T11:34:00.005-06:00

Well, we finally re-entered the modern age with new cell phones. We are with Verizon and have limited minutes, no texting, and all the email/data we can handle. Feel free to email or call us at our regular number to get our new number. We ended up going with the Blackberry Storm 2 for those interested. The click screen and buy-one-get-one free offer were the deciding factors. We are also keeping our home phone number thanks to Mitch.

-Jared

About Sidney

2009-11-19T06:25:00.002-06:00

Here are a couple of links to the town of Sidney in case anyone is interested.

http://www.sidney-nebraska.com/

http://www.city-data.com/city/Sidney-Nebraska.html

http://www.cheyennecountychamber.com/

http://www.cityofsidney.org/

http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1CHMB_enUS344US344&sourceid=chrome&q=sidney+ne&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Sidney,+NE&gl=us&ei=lzkFS_PALIb0ngfU4sn3DA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CA8Q8gEwAA

I am planning to start my long 22 hour drive up on Saturday the 28th.

Jared

We just officially accepted the Cabelas offer

2009-11-18T06:52:00.001-06:00

Well at 6:30 this morning I got a call from my future boss and accepted the Cabelas job. I was able to bump up the starting pay and sign on bonus. Now I am very excited.

Jared

2009-11-16T13:49:00.001-06:00

Trick-or-treat pictures... finally :) It's weird having daylight trick-or-treating! The kids called in to home base about half way through for a corn dog break! Thanks honey for pulling them around all night! They sure had lots of fun!

2009-11-16T13:39:00.002-06:00

So, Aurora has been having lots of fun at BREC ballet. We had parent watch night & mom & dad took this awesome picture of her! She was being soooo silly while we were there! She's such a sweet girl (most of the time) & she will miss all of her classmates & her teacher very much! Hopefully we will be able to transition quickly & meet new friends in Sidney.... while staying in touch with old friends too of course! We are looking forward to the new opportunities we will have in our new town... just not the stress of getting there.

Believe

2009-11-16T06:49:00.002-06:00

So, last night was our first production of "Believe" a musical fireside. We had an amazing turn out! We had no idea how many people wanted to come, & had to add more chairs to accommodate all the people! There was a sign up sheet for anyone who would be interested in buying a CD (which we are still to record) & there was interest in buying a video as well! We were so excited by the enthusiasum everyone had towards the program. Thank you for all those who attended & for those who are planning to come next week, we are privileged to perform it again for you!

Moving

2009-11-15T14:26:00.000-06:00

So, unofficially, we are moving to Sidney, NE to work at Cabela's corporate office. We are still waiting to hear back from DSCS (the state--where Jared works now) to see if/how much they would match for us to stay here. We are planning on going to the temple Tuesday & then giving Cabela's our decision Wednesday.

This new blog is our way of telling everyone all at once, so we don't have to call everyone! That & staying in touch with our friends that we will miss dearly should we move. So, not to leave you hanging but.....