Finally Got the Flowerbed Done!!

Hello All!! So it has taken us a while but we finally finished our front flowerbed! We started way back in March (I think) but because of rain, morning sickness, and just being busy- it has taken us a while to get it done. We are pretty proud of it. Some of the flowers aren't blooming yet and some will take a couple years to reach full potential!
Here are some before shots. The gardenia bushes were wimpy and the other plants were not very pretty:



Ken and I dug up all the bushes and we brought in a truck load of dirt. Karl and Ross helped us with the truck load of dirt:

;


We planted the plants that we had and ordered some more. We also got solar lights for the flowerbed. This is the first stage done:

Yesterday we weeded the flowerbed and then put mulch down! Here are some pictures of the plants:



We also planted tomato and okra plants. One of the okra plants died and the surviving one is pretty wimpy!

This is the plant that we got to grow and cover the window to help with the summer heat. Ken said our kids will be in college before it is big enough to cover the window.


Okay some other random pictures. The first picture is Eli and Barrett. Eli is a month older than Barrett but Barrett is a chunk!! They are so cute. This second picture is Barrett when I was babysitting him. SO CUTE!

This is what Lily does every time we have the front door open:


This is the card/picture that we showed the parents to announce that we were having a baby!


So I am going to try to do better on the blogging--more posts more frequently. I am starting to get a baby bump but it isn't very big. I took a picture but it doesn't show very much so I am going to wait to post until I have a better picture. My next doctors appointment is June 3rd. I am hoping they will do another ultrasound. I want to see the babies again!! Morning sickness is getting a little better. I still have some rough days but they are getting fewer. Hopefully I will soon be over morning sickness all together. I have lost about 15 pounds. I am sure it will come back pretty quick once I start being able to eat normally!

Things I Miss Already!

So I am borrowing this from my friend Julia who is about 2 weeks further along than I am. I am amending somethings and adding a couple of my own!!


1. Processed Meat.
I am not much of a sandwich person but I do like to eat just lunch meat and cheese sometimes. I occasionally like a hot dog and bacon but they all have nitrates. Ken has been on a hot dog kick lately and I don't think it is very nice that he eats them when I can't!!

2. Medium-Rare Steak.
I love a good rare steak but now I am having to eat well done!

3. My love for Chocolate.
Besides chocolate milk, chocolate (and most sweets) just don't appeal to me right now.

4. Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Again sweets not really appealing to me but I do love some cookie dough ice cream and I can't have it because of the raw eggs. And again Ken thinks it is okay to eat a big bowl while I am around!

6. Sushi.
I guess veggie rolls would be okay but I am missing some of my favorites!

7. Sleeping In.
I can’t sleep past 8am anymore! Today I was awake at 6:30. Ken slept longer that I did and that never happens. I also miss sleeping through the night. It is a good night when I only wake up 2 times to have to go pee!!

8. Some of my favorite foods.
Right now my diet consists of yogurt, SALTINE CRACKERS, granola bars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sprite, and water. Occasionally I feel well enough to eat outside of those foods. But I am really missing some of my favorite foods. I know that this one won't last forever but I am getting REAL tired of PB&J sandwiches and crackers!!

BIG News

Yes, the updates to the blog have slowed a lot this spring. We love posting pictures here, but Facebook and Twitter have made it so much easier and faster to give updates. Rachel has constantly been tired for a while, and a few weeks ago we found out why...

After trying for over a year, Easter weekend we began telling people that we are finally having a baby! We started working on the baby's room in December. In March we attended a meeting explaining the foster care and adoption process in our county and state. We decided to stop stressing out about baby stuff and start the process to be certified as foster parents. Just as we were starting to lose hope and change direction, we finally had a positive pregnancy test!

We are so excited, but were waiting for the first appointment to make sure everything was OK and see that there really is something there. Yesterday was the first ultrasound, and it was great to see that everything is healthy and OK. The woman doing the ultrasound said "OH! I see two babies!!!" and sure enough, we could clearly see two of them.

So the big news is WE ARE HAVING TWINS!!!! They are both the same size and are measuring just over 8 weeks old. They have a December 14th due date - twins usually try to get out up to a month early, but we are praying that they can hang on as long as possible. After two weeks of bad morning/afternoon/anytime sickness, things are starting to get a little better! We are still in shock but excited (and a little scared). Thanks for all the prayers (I think we had too many...) - now we will need ALOT more!!