Smoky Skies & Baby Stuff

So, there have been a lot of fires around here in So Cal and so the sky is gray and hazy from the smoke. It stinks when you go outside. Lovely.

Last night we went out with friends from church and saw the movie "Flight Plan" with Jodie Foster. It was intense! I really enjoyed it, but I must admit the ending was a bit of a let-down. It ended well but it was almost too quickly, almost anti-climactic. But I do recommend seeing it, if you like intense, action movies!

Today we opened our front door, and there on the front steps was a big box. It was from Shaun's cousins, Sarah & Katie. Inside was a bunch of SUPER cute baby gifts--a hand-made quilt (yellow patches on one side/flannel blue with clouds on the other), a TINY yellow baby shirt and baby blue pants with a pair of socks, and a soft cuddly Hedgehog stuffed animal. It is so cute!!! We were both so pumped. The little outfit is so tiny (did I say that already?) and I CANNOT believe it is for OUR baby...not someone else's baby, but ours. It's so surreal! So far we have also received 2 other baby blankets--a green knit one from Baby Sawyer's buddy, Cole (Mike & Renelle's baby) and the other one from Auntie Julene. The one from Auntie Julene is pink. So cute. So it seems, based on the color blankets we've so far received (green, yellow, and pink) that we are having a....who knows. I can't tell.

Tonight we are bringing dinner over to our friend's Nate & Becky's house. They just had a baby boy, Colin, at the end of July. They also just moved into a new townhouse, so we're going to go visit them. Tomorrow morning we don't get to sleep in (sad!) because we're going out to walk in the "Walk For Life"--which is for the Santa Clarita Pregnancy Center. We're doing it with a bunch of people from our Sunday School class. Even though it's early, it should be fun! Then in the afternoon we are going to a wedding. It's for a co-worker from Shaun's parents school. The bride is from the Philippines (originally) and the groom is Vietnamese, so the food should be pretty tasty...that's what I'm excited about!!!

Alright, that's all for now...

It's ALIVE!!!

There's movement, ladies & gents...yes, that's right. I felt the baby move! I can't believe it, because most books and things I've read say you shouldn't feel anything until 16-20 weeks. Oh well, I guess 14 1/2 weeks is close enough. I was lying in bed yesterday morning and was wondering when I'd feel the baby move...as I was thinking this I realized I had a flutter-ish type feeling in my lower right abdomen. I wasn't sure what it was, but thought, "Could this be it??!" Later on in the day I asked my mom about it, and she confirmed it as a flutter--kind of like a butterfly inside. So I felt it!!! Yay...our baby IS real! Next Friday we go in for our 16 week check-up and I think we get another ultrasound then too. So fun. Besides that, I feel like I've popped and that I'm showing, although no one seems to notice but Shaun and his parents...maybe they're just being nice =). I'll post another picture either later this week or next week of this belly.

So there's the baby update.

Sorry for the lack of posting...I have been extremely busy with work, which has been good of course. Shaun has also had a busy week of final exams. Monday he had his written final and then every other day this week it's practical food making and they're getting graded on it all. He seems to be doing well although he's nervous because he can't see his grades until later.

Any of you out there watch "Lost"? Shaun and I are hooked. Last week's season premier was crazy--I feel like they gave out more information in that one show then they did the whole first season. Unbelievable. Let me know what you think...we'd love to hear!

Work is a bit slower today so I think I'm going to head out of the house on a walk. The weather is strange--it's fall weather (the sun is different and it's really windy) although it's still warm outside...right now it's 87 F. Might as well enjoy it while it's here.

Oh, I forgot to mention that my friend Shannon now has a blog, and I have added her to my favorite’s list. Shannon is an old friend from Central Heights youth group. She married a guy from Oklahoma and so she is a “Canadian Oklahoma Girl.” =)

Alright, I'll be back sooner with the next blog, I promise.

Welcome to the World, Davis!

I'd officially like to introduce you all to Baby Sawyer's newest buddy...

Davis Q Long
born 9/21/05 at 1:08pm
8 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 inches long

His proud parents are John & Julie Long (she's the one we threw the shower for 2 weeks ago) and his big sister is Madelyn.

We are SO excited for you guys!

Also, congrats to my blogger/Abbotsford friends Al & Denise on the birth (9/19) of their new baby girl, Cherith Elise.

So many babies...oh, it freaks me out that I'm next. Oh my goodness.

Happy Monday!

Hello everyone...well here's another week! Why is it that weekends always FLY by but the weeks are so slow? Crazy how time works.

Speaking of time...I'm already 13 1/2 weeks pregnant. At the end of this week we have officially completed the first trimester! I can't believe it...now THIS has flown by!

We had a fun weekend...Friday night we thought about going out and seeing a movie but I was zonked. So instead we had dinner at home with Shaun's folks (yummy pasta) and watched the movie "Sahara" with Matthew McConna-hottie...oops, I mean Matthew McConnaughey (that was for you, Shaun!). It was a good movie--very action packed. Actually I don't think Mr. McConnaughey was to "hot" in this movie. A bit to scruffy and I did not like his dark hair. One of the ways Shaun & I jokingly say that a actor/actress is hot is by saying, "Oh, he's a REALLY good actor." We learned that from our friends, Mike & Renelle. For example, Shaun would say that Jennifer Aniston is a REALLY awesome actress. So funny.

Anyways, Saturday we slept in, which was so nice. Then I cleaned our portion of the house to get ready for our guests in the evening. I also made some banana-chocolate chip muffins (my mom's recipe) and they turned out okay. Shaun's mom & I went grocery shopping and stopped by Target where I got a pair of maternity jeans. Oh my goodness, so much more comfortable. I didn't get the kind with the whole-tummy cover but just the elastic band around the waist. They're pretty cute. In the evening Shaun drove out to Azusa area to pick up his best friend, David, who lives in Atlanta. David was in town for a wedding of another friend, and he came and spent the night with us. Rachyl (our other friend from APU) also came out to keep us company. They both spent the night, which was fun! Sunday morning we took them out to brunch at the "Egg Plantaion" which is our favorite breakfast place here in Valencia. Then Shaun took David out to the Ontario airport while Rachyl and I got pedicures. So fun! Nice, relaxing day.

So that's it...I gotta get back to work. Oh, and hopefully Denise will have baby news soon as well as my dear friend Julie!

TV Taping!!!

One of the benefits of living near Hollywood is...I got to go to a TV show taping yesterday! On Tuesday I received an email from FOX--you see, about 2 years ago I signed up for waitlist tickets for American Idol and I have yet to get in! Anyways, FOX has this new show called Skating with Celebrities and they were in desperate need to fill the audience for this first taping (which was yesterday). They sent out this email saying that if we showed up for this new show, we would be guaranteed tickets to American Idol next season...um, okay.

So I called my friend Rachyl and asked her if she wanted to go. She is a huge American Idol fan too, so of course she said yes! It turned out to be a lot of fun! The show itself is a lot like ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" but instead it's on ice with famous ice-skaters. We were there for about 3 1/2 hours while they taped (not a live taping, obviously) and it was really cool to see how it works! I can't say much about the show (as far as the judging results) because we all had to sign confidentiality agreements since the show won't air until November or something like that. BUT, I can say that I FINALLY saw some famous people!!! Hooray for me!!! The "celebrities" are: Dave Coulier (Joey from Full House), Bruce Jenner (an Olympic Triathlete), Todd Bridges (best known for in Corey in Different Strokes), Jillian Barberie (host on FOX early morning show), Debbie Gibson, and Kristy Swanson. For those of you who know about ice skating, the host is Scott Hamilton, and some of the skaters are Nancy Kerrigan (the girl who got hit in the knee!), Kurt Browning, Jenni Meno, John Zimmerman, and Lloyd Eisler. Anyways, no one too famous, but hey, famous enough for me!

When we got there (it was taped in a Hollywood studio) we waited around for 1 1/2 hours until we could get in! We dressed up all nice and cute because we thought that maybe if we looked cute they'd let us sit near the front! Well, we were lead in by this producer guy and he brought Rachyl and I to the 2nd row, right next to the judges! We were so excited...we were like "WE'RE HOT!!! YES!!!" So funny. It was a really fun experience, and I cannot wait to go to American Idol next season!!! I'll let you all know when the taping airs.

Anyways, that's enough excitement for one day. For all you fellow Californians this is probably not a big deal. But for a Canadian like me--this is BIG news.

Baby Sawyer at 12 weeks

Baby Shower!!!

Me, Julie, and Sarah

Last night my friend Sarah & I threw a surprise baby shower for our friend, Julie. Julie is due any day now with her 2nd baby, a boy. She has a 1 1/2 year old daughter named Madeline--she is just a doll! Anyways, our Sunday School class never threw Julie a shower with Madeline, so we decided we would throw her one for this baby instead! It was awesome...she was so surprised and excited that she cried! I am so glad it worked out, and she got some wonderful gifts!

I was really nervous though because I made and decorated the cake...I was so nervous. Did I say that already? It was my first cake and I think it turned out okay. I ran out of icing and I wanted to decorate the bottom of the cake with the blue icing but I decided I didn't want to run out and get more groceries just for that little section! My mom says I was being too picky! At least it tasted good...it was carrot with cream cheese icing!

I am so glad it's the weekend! Tonight we are going to the Halfway House, which is this old diner in the country. Renelle's dad is playing tonight and Renelle is singing a couple of songs too. Tomorrow Shaun is working at the Valencia Country Club doing volunteer help in the kitchen for 8 hours (required for his class). I guess there is a wedding going on, so that should be fun! I'm not sure what I'll do...anyone want to hang out?

Bye for now.

ABC's

This looked like fun!

A - Age: 24 years old, but only for another month!
B - Band listening to right now: In my CD player is Michael Buble's "It's Time" and (of course) Nichole Nordeman's "Brave" as well as "This Mystery"...oh, also Chris Tomlin's "Arriving"
C - Career future: ummm...Mommy!!!
D - Dad's name: Herbert! Sure do LOVE my Dad!
E - Easiest person to talk to: My best friend and sister, Julene
F - Favorite song: Chris Tomlin's "Your Grace Is Enough" or Nichole Nordeman's "Help Me Believe"
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Yes please on both! Gummy Bears are the best with chocolate & vanilla fro-yo (otherwise known as Frozen Yogurt)! Yummy!
H - Hometown: My home is with my hubby (which for now is Valencia, CA) but my when I say "home" I really mean Abbotsford, B.C.
I - Insects or Igloos: Well I've never been in an igloo but I would prefer ANYTHING over insects!
J - Job: Cruise agent for www.beatanycruiseprice.com -- I work from home!
K - Kids: Yes, I love kids...and I am almost 1/3 of the way until I get to hold our little one!
L - Longest car ride ever: Any time my family ever left Palm Springs after spring break to head home to Abbotsford...oh the dread of having to go back to school!
M - Mom's name: Anneliese...it means "Consecrated to God and Gracious"
N - Number of people you slept with: I've had many sleepovers with friends, cousins, and my sister, of course. Now I just sleep with my husband, Shaun.
O - Oranges or Apples? Now that I'm pregnant ONLY apples, please...oranges are too acidic!
P - Phobia[s]: throwing up!
Q - Quote: "Dude!"
R - Reason to smile: Biggest reason to smile--I have hope in the Lord Jesus Christ! Also I have been blessed with a wonderful family, a husband that loves me, and a baby on the way!
S - Song you sang last: Sad...I don't remember...I've been too busy to sing today!
T - Time you wake up: Anytime between 8am and 9:30am...depends on when my body says it's ready!
U - Unknown fact about me: well if I told you it wouldn't be unknown anymore...just kidding...I can't really think of anything. Anyone got any ideas?
V - Vegetable you hate: I really LOVE all vegetables except I only kinda like brussel sprouts!
W - Worst habit: I just asked Shaun this one and he said "Holding a grudge." Nice one, bud. I guess we're being honest here!
X - X-rays you've had: My mouth...do ultrasounds count?
Y - Yummy food: oh, name it and I'll most likely love it! At this point anything that's juicy fruity (mangos, nectarines, pineapple) or Italian (must be carrying an Italian baby in here because I've been craving pizza and pasta a lot)!
Z - Zodiac sign: I really don't care...and I hope you don't either!!!

Long Weekends are NICE

Hello...I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Oh, I am just so excited to get back to work...(please note sarcasm!) especially since there have been many cancellations and cruise ship changes due to Katrina. Now I have to call all my clients and tell them that their cruises have been cancelled! I hope and expect most of them to be understanding! If I had to choose between the situations I would WAY rather have my cruise cancelled then have to deal with the mess and devastation that Katrina has left behind.

I really should not be complaining about work...we have much to be thankful for.

Friday night Shaun & I went over to our friend's Josh & Jenny's house. We hung out and ate In N' Out and watched "Coach Carter"...it was a pretty good movie although there were parts that were stupid!

Saturday we tried to sleep in but I woke up at 8 am...what's up with that? I have been so tired but can't seem to sleep in the mornings! Shaun & I hung out together--we had a late lunch and drove out to the 126 (on the way to Ventura) where they have a bunch of fruit stands. We bought a flat of strawberries and came home and I made some strawberry jam! Yummy! Turned out well...but not as good as my Mom's!

Sunday we went to church...it was really neat. Instead of having a sermon we had a church prayer time for the Katrina situation. Very, very cool to see our church come together, hold hands, and pray for this situation. Already the Lord is being glorified in this awful situation! In the afternoon Shaun and I went and saw a matinee of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"...very interesting. It was entertaining but afterward I kinda felt like I had had a nightmare. Probably not the best feeling to leave a movie with! In the evening we hung out at home and relaxed! We watched a new show on TV called "Prisonbreak"...it was great! A lot like 24 and Lost mixed together, which are Shaun's two favorite shows. I'm sure we have a new show to add to our favorite's list!

Monday we went out for brunch with Shaun's parents. We tried to go to the Egg Plantation which is this awesome breakfast-only place here in Valencia but it has terrible wait times on the weekends! Sure enough it had a long wait, so instead we went to IHOP...not as good, but good enough for this hungry mama. In afternoon we drove out to Ventura to Jenny's dad's beach house. We had a barbeque with some friends and some new people. It was good, although I have been so exhausted lately and emotional I don't really feel like I'm being myself. This too shall pass...right?

Anyways, so that's it for the weekend. I'm sorry but our camera is broken so I wasn't able to get any pictures....

Later.

11 Weeks

Today Baby Sawyer is 11 weeks...only 29 more to go, give or take 2 weeks or so. Baby is growing fast now--he/she is already 1 1/2 inches and weighs about a quarter of a ounce. That sounds so tiny! All of his/her fingers and toes are already formed and may even start to get hiccups! I haven't felt any movement down there yet, they say in about 5 more weeks. I definitely feel growing down there--it's kind of a bloated feeling which I know is because a lot of blood is flowing in that area!. Praise God for this miracle!

Here is a picture of our baby at 11 weeks...No, this is not our ACTUAL baby, it is a small plastic version of a baby at 11-12 weeks. It's a boy, if you look closely! My father-in-law had it on his desk for a long time...it's a pro-life symbol. Amazing.

I’ve been Tivo-ing "Baby Story" lately and watching it in my spare time. I am just fascinated by the delivery process and every single time a baby comes out I tear up! I am trying to not have any expectations about the delivery process cause every person is different.

We are very excited to have a long weekend! I am going to SLEEP...I have been so exhausted the last few days! I'm excited to spend time with Shaun and just get some chores done around here. I think on Monday we're going to Ventura for a barbeque at our friend's beach house. Should be fun!

Oh, I added another favorite blog...my cousin Larissa (from my Mom's side). She is 18 and just graduated in June from High School. She just got back from a 3 week trip to Germany and she's trying to figure out where God wants her. She is a beautiful girl, inside and out, so it should be a fun read!!! Love you, Larissa!

Hope you all have a great weekend!