Fall!

I am loving that fall has arrived here in Germany! It's great to go to the park and not be hot and worry about bees. 

We have spent the last month getting ready for Maddox. Only a month left til the big due date! We are hoping he is more cooperative than two week late Mackenzie was. I can't imagine having to be this pregnant for six more weeks. My obgyn said he would be surprised it I made it to my due date and shocked if I went past so hoping I won't have to surprise or shock him :). If he stays in til he is due he will be over 8 lbs of cute baby. He's a healthy little guy. 

What I am loving about my German obgyn is that you get an ultrasound and measurements every visit and it's kind of crazy to see how quickly he grows week to week. I went yesterday and he's measuring about 6 lbs 4 oz. His head is a little on the large side so there could be some concern if he does last to the due date (oww!) but the doctor is hopeful I'll deliver early enough to where it won't be a problem. We will see, I don't want to get my hopes up. I know he'll come when he's ready. My uterus is all about evicting it's little tenant so I have to take it easy until I'm full term on October 18th. I've been lucky enough to be able to practice having contractions on a daily basis just about (hah!) so I feel like I should be good and ready for labor and the chance I don't get the choice of an epidural. They aren't too fond of the use of them here unless medically necessary. Nathaniel got to see Maddox for the first time on the ultrasound machine yesterday, I was so happy for him and it made me happy that something like that could put such a cute, goofy grin on his face. 

Mackenzie has been doing great. She is one happy girl and excited about being a big sister. We've been having lessons just about every other weekday using different activity books and she's really enjoyed learning about her shapes, letters and colors. She's surprised me with her tracing abilities and how patient she can be. We do have days where I know from the start that it just isn't going to work though, haha. She has been making us laugh with some things she's been saying. I'll share one! The night before last she kept getting up and running to our room to peek in and see if we were sleeping yet so she could sneak into bed with us so Nathaniel and I were both sitting up looking down the hall waiting for her and I jokingly said "What you doing, get to bed" in a deep voice and she didn't find it funny and ran to her room. She went to sleep though! Anyways- the next morning she woke up telling this story over and over. She said she was crying last night and I asked her why and she said because Daddy said, "What you doing, get to bed.". Uh oh! Lol, Daddy told her who really said it this morning though. 

I finally have a working camera, hooray! I've probably taken over 200 pictures this week to make up for the lack of pictures the last couple of months. Nathaniel started taking Mackenzie to play soccer and she's really enjoying it. He's trying to get her ready for soccer season next year. 

Nathaniel and I are getting homesick and have started looking into a trip in the spring, basically before Maddox starts crawling. We will see if we are able to make it happen though. We are looking forward to the Fall Bazaar this weekend. It is an event they hold on post with a bunch of vendors from the surrounding countries. I'm hoping I am feeling up to going because it sounds like it is going to be really awesome. The Christmas markets will start soon here as well and I have heard they are one of the #1 attractions in Germany. We are excited to have so much to explore and look forward to! 

Back to Blogging!

Well it has definitely been a while since I have written anything. Life got busy I guess. My last post was about Valentine's Day and a lot has happened since.

We are in Wiesbaden, Germany now! We have been here a week and one day and we are starting to getting adjusted to the new schedule, slowly. It's surprisingly difficult to retrain your body to a different time schedule. We thought we would be able to knock it out and be on track within a couple days but boy were we wrong, Haha. Mackenzie is doing great with it. She is never cranky about any of this. That girl is adaptable. She will just grab her green dog and platypus when she is ready to take a rest and tell us, "I tired, let's snuggle" or some form of that. The hotel is amazing and we feel so lucky to be able to stay here. The staff is some of the nicest people we have ever met. We are very grateful, it is definitely making the transition a lot easier.

We are expecting a baby boy this fall, so excited about that! He's doing wonderfully and is getting so big (or maybe it's just me, haha). Mackenzie is super thrilled about having a baby brother and she loves to talk to him and sing him night night songs. She started playing this one game where she will put pennies on my tummy and watch brother move them. She thinks it is all pretty cool. Yesterday she told me that she wants him to come out, you and me both girly! He just has a little longer ;) I am currently 26 weeks so we will be entering the third trimester pretty soon. 

Mackenzie has exciting news. No more diapers! Hooray!!!! It took about four days but we just picked a day and let her wear her "Dora's" from there on out. She's had some accidents here and there but each day is better. We are very proud parents. Trying to get her motivated was a little difficult. We decided to give her 2 to 4 pennies depending on what she did on the potty each time and once she got 20 pennies she could trade them in for a little reward. She spent the last few days counting her "monies" and getting excited about picking a little treat at the end of the day from the pantry. We stopped doing the pennies and we aren't having to ask her constantly if she needs to go which is great. She is very good about letting us know when she needs to have a potty break. 

We had a lot of fun this summer traveling from California to Florida. Our first stop was in Texas where Nathaniel completed his Army training. Mackenzie and I stayed there for a couple of months and then moved onto Tennessee/Mississippi to visit family and friends. We had a great time and I miss everyone a ton! Can I just say how awesome the Memphis Zoo is as well? If you haven't been, you are missing out! We left for Florida after a month and had a great time visiting family and friends there as well. Nathaniel met up with us when we were there and it was so great to have him back again. We sure missed him and I know his family did too! He hadn't been home for over a year until then. This summer is full of so many fun memories and we hope we get to go back to the states to visit as soon as possible or that people can come see us. 

Germany is going to be great and we can not wait to get out and see Europe! We are very grateful for this opportunity, it's definitely a once in a lifetime chance and we plan to make the most of it. We are currently waiting to get into a home and word is it shouldn't take too long. We've been living out of suitcases since April and are SO ready to get into a home of our very own. We will be here the next four years (the remainder of Nathaniel's contract) so lots of time to plan a visit yall ;)!! Haha. 

LOVE

That's right! L-O-V-E! Our house is overflowing with it :)!

I have to write about my awesome husband and the date he surprised me with on Saturday. I knew something was in the works so when I woke up Saturday morning he handed me a map with a sentence in French. My handy dandy Ipod Touch (that he also surprised me with) helped me translate it and find out my next clue was near the point on the map on a bench. We begin our walk down Forest Drive and I loved just being with him, hand in hand. It's hard to have those moments when you are holding the hand of a busy two year old.

When I found the bench, the next clue led me to an Ice Cream Shop which was closed. Nathaniel didn't plan on that so he had to take me to my next clue, a theater. I had no idea where the next clue was hidden so he watched me look around for a good few minutes when I finally found it taped on the back of the theater sign. We headed to the next location, Jewell Park and my next clue was in the gazebo, underneath a bench. The final clue led me to Lover's Point Park where he had a couple of his friends set out a beautiful picnic for us! It was such a surprise and I was not expecting it. The spot over looked the ocean and it was so wonderful! The weather wasn't cooperating with this very sweet plan of his and sadly after about five minutes he had to call his friends to pick us up because we were freezing. 

 Our Scavenger Hunt Route

It was such a thoughtful date and words can't begin to do it justice. Nathaniel made me feel so loved and special. He put so much time into planning it and I wish I could plan an awesomely equal date but his would be pretty hard to top! He's amazing and so sweet. I love him with all of me and everyday I feel the luckiest to have our family together and grateful that he isn't deployed or in training elsewhere. We are so blessed to be able to be together right now and I do my best to treasure each day. 

Mackenzie helped Mommy with Daddy's Valentine's Day surprise today. She was very excited to give Daddy a surprise, this girl is all about surprises and making Mommy/Daddy smile. She helped pick out her outfit and let Mommy do her hair without too much struggle, hah. We turned up the music, acted silly and I love how the pictures turned out and I hope Nathaniel loves them too! Mackenzie's favorite part of all of this was being able to take the letters out of her ABC foam mat, usually Mommy isn't too excited about letters all over the house but today, it was allowed.. Haha :).

Attitude

This month a talk was given in Church from the First Presidency Message, Living the Abundant Life. I loved the message and it's made the past couple of weeks so much better for me since I applied it in my life. President Monson offered his version of the ABC's to help us have a more abundant life. A was for Attitude, B was for Believe and C was for Courage. Each of these had such a wonderful message although the letter that I needed to hear the most was A. A is for attitude and it REALLY does make all the difference. It's so easy (for me at least) to have a negative attitude when a bad situation arises although I did my best to remember what I learned and tried to have a positive attitude whenever something came up that wasn't all sunshine and rainbows the past two weeks. It's up to us how we handle what life throws at us and we're taught that over and over again but I seem to forget every now and then and this reminder was just what I needed. My seminary teacher would read from the book, How To Be Totally Miserable by John Bytheway, some mornings and I wish I had the book as a daily reminder that it's really up to us if we are miserable or not. Attitude makes all the difference.

Time Is Flying By!!

Time seems to be going by so quickly lately, I can't believe we are halfway through January. We've been busy this month getting ourselves ready for the very busy months ahead. 

I recently applied to Lakewood College to complete a Pharmacy Technician program. It's a great opportunity for military spouses because it is all online, self paced and financially covered by MyCaa (financial aid for eligible military spouses). I felt like I could not let such a great opportunity to continue my education in the health field pass me by so the night I heard of it, I registered and now I am waiting for my books and supplies to arrive. It's a ten month program although with a lot of hard work I am hoping to get it done before our move to Germany so I can take the PT board exam and become certified while still in the states because I'm unsure if I'll be able to take it once I'm overseas. Walgreens offers an internship as well but unfortunately I don't think there will be a location in Wiesbaden, haha. I am hoping to find work with an on base clinic or drug store though. Lot's of hope and hard work in my future :)! I can't express how very excited I am to start learning and move forward with my education. I'm so grateful for the all the blessings like this that we have received since our family made the choice to enter into the military life. 

Nathaniel's had a tough week because of a bad cold/flu he caught. The health clinic gave him some cold medicine and Tylenol although he's still feeling quite crummy. He has a test this Friday so any extra prayers sent his way would be wonderful and greatly appreciated. He has been a trooper and I am proud of him for getting up at 4am or 5am every morning this week and going about his day without complaining. He was so helpful with Mackenzie tonight when I was feeling pretty exhausted as well. He misses her so much during the weekdays and I know she misses Daddy. They love all their time together!

Mackenzie is still a very happy, playful two year old. We began working on the French alphabet and she's catching on surprisingly fast. I found a French ABC Rap on YouTube and it has been very helpful to us both. It's also fun to sing :) We've been studying our French numbers and it's coming along well also. We've been throwing the idea around that Daddy will speak only French and Mommy will continue speaking English around the house to try and help us all learn the language. We hear it's the most successful way to teach a baby or toddler. Has anyone done this with their children?

Life is happening so fast and I am honestly loving it. I know it's going to be a demanding several months ahead with Nathaniel and I in school full time and continuing Mackenzie's education but I wouldn't trade any of it. I just feel so incredibly blessed that all these great things are happening for our family and we are so excited to share it all with our family and friends. It's so awesome that some of the friends we have made here will be going to Germany as well, it'll give Mackenzie consistency and us a family away from our actual families. Happy happy happy! :)

Mackenzie and her buddies ready for bed <3

What Makes Nathaniel Happy?

Most of all, being a Daddy makes him extremely happy and I must say he's pretty incredible at it.

Daughter and Wife make Nathaniel happy =)

He loves being able to text/talk/visit with his siblings and Mother whenever possible, makes him super happy! 

NBA Fantasy Basketball Draft with his friends and family

He loves his games :)

Speaking French.

Hehe this is perfect because my sweet husband LOVES red bull and working out! 

He really has a love for music and enjoys listening to it with Mackenzie.

He loves watching the Orlando Magic play.

Nathaniel loves animals (especially dogs) and he also loves to cuddle :). 

Currently, this is his favorite ice cream.

He loves wild berry smoothies!

He is definitely a book worm! He LOVES to read and would if he could all the time.

He loves his Grandparents very much and looks up to them quite a bit. He loves to do the NBA fantasy basketball with his Grandfather as well. 

He loves cold weather, he hates to be hot! 

He enjoys hot cocoa, especially chocolate mint! 

My husband has many other things that make him happy although those are some of the first ones that come to mind. He's so special to me and I honestly fall in love with him more each day and with each silly,sweet thing he says or does. He makes me smile, laugh.. He can also drive me crazy :) Haha! 

All kidding aside, he makes me want to be better and I love that. I feel blessed that we were brought together and get to be together forever. Yay ;)

We Have Exciting News :) !

We will be moving to Germany by the end of the Summer!

What Makes Mackenzie Happy?

She loves when Mommy does her nails :)

It's amazing to see how many of these she can eat.

If Mackenzie comes to you with a normal crayon in hand and says, "Help." it is because her crayon is in one piece and has the paper around it still. This is unacceptable to her, she will only use broken, paperless crayons.

"Rumor Has It/Someone Like You" by Glee has been played (not kidding) over fifty times. Mackenzie can sing her version of the song and mimics the dance moves to the best of her abilities. Glee's Performance of it

She loves Elmo and all her Sesame Street books. She isn't a fan of the show though.

Want to see Mackenzie super excited, bring out the stickers! She loves to "decorate" whatever she is wearing at the time.

She loves to sing and dance to this song!

Mackenzie = BIG FAN

Two of Kenzie's favorite things, kitty cats and smelling flowers!

A new addition to Mackenzie's growing collection of "buddies", Valentina came into Mackenzie's life today when we received a package from Grammy and Sweetie Grandpa and Mackenzie is in love :).

This is Mackenzie's favorite thing to say, we are not sure why she says it many many times throughout the day. We think that she just likes the way it flows? Maybe? She's a silly girl! 

Counting, especially with her Leapfrog friends.

Hilltop Park, it's down the street and she loves it! This picture doesn't show the toddler playground but it's the one she loves the most.

She gives the best hugs and she loves to be hugged. 

So- These are just several of Mackenzie's many favorite things, I'm sure I'm leaving out some big favorites but it's almost 1am and I think my sleepiness is getting the best of me. I love my little girl and it was fun to look up all the little things that make her happy and think of the times they did. She's a very sweet, loving two year old. While I was registering for classes today, the lady from the college was on the phone helping and heard Mackenzie in the background and asked me, "Is she a terrible two or a tolerable two?" and I have to honestly say she is definitely a TERRIFIC two! She has her meltdowns and times when she has her own ideas of how things should go but overall she is a very obedient, kind and loving Mackenzie :)!

(Thanks google images for most of the photos! )

New Year, New Post :)

We can't believe how big our girl is getting, I miss that little baby face!

Life has become busy now that the break is over so I haven't had as much free time to write. Nathaniel is slowly getting back into "French mode" and has gotten his date for his DLPT (the BIG test) and it's a couple months away so let the intense studying sessions begin. 

I started toddler lesson plans with Mackenzie. I've been browsing several sites and picking out what I think Mackenzie would respond to and enjoy most. I love the time with her when she's having fun learning. Today was a hard day because she just wasn't "in the mood" for school. This girl has opinions :). 

We spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day spending time with each other and taking it easy. My brother in law's flight got cancelled a couple times and delayed a few as well so we were kind of thrown off from our sleep schedule. It was nice to have a couple days to catch up before the daily routine started. 

Nathaniel has been so wonderful despite the stress his AIT brings him. Each day I realize how blessed I am to have him and all he does for us. He's a wonderful man and I love him SO much :). I am also very proud of all he has accomplished and will continue to accomplish.