May... recapped...

Disclaimer: this will be a lengthy post (however, there will be pictures to accompany the writing so I'll try to make it brief)

Well, I know you all think I'm THE most unreliable blogger...but to be honest... I'm doing the best I can....to say the least...

So, where have I been, you ask? Well, the month of May has been a busy one...

-I'm down to only having 6 classes left in school before I start student teaching (hale-frickin-leuia)...

-At work I finished mentoring a group of new trainees...

-Did exactly what the President wanted and used our Economic Stimulous check to boost the economy by (finally) buying a phasing camera- Nikon D60 LOVE IT!! We are so selfless...haha

-We started a registry (#54058881) at Babies R' Us for our little girl on the way...yes, I said we started (we only got through the basics before I was too tired and back-achy to continue (more will be added soon)...

-Got together with friends to play games and to bbq (Blake is becoming quite the bbq-er)...always a good time...

-I threw my back out on Mother's Day (a lovely gift for myself)...

...And had an amazing/tiring/sick-filled vacation...

So the whole Kimball family took a cruise from May 17th-24th (courtesy of Blake's parents for Christmas 2007) to the Caribbean on the largest cruise ship in the world to date... Here's what we did...

We loved cruising...

Our nephew Parker seemed to be getting phased too...

Went to family disco (Blake loved watching his short arms bob on the dance floor camera)...

We played miniature golf...

We wrestled (WWF style) in the boxing ring...

Played around in the rolly polly kiddie chairs on deck...

We watched some pretty descent cruise shows (isn't this curtain just beautiful!)...



Our first port we stopped off on Royal Caribbean's private spot in Labadee, Haiti...

and got harrassed by the locals in the market to buy random wood carvings, imported clothes and random whohaws and whatnots... I have a hard time with this because I HATE bargaining, plus many of those things I would never actually put in my house (I would rather just give them the money to not bug me while I look)

We watched a pretty neat ice skating show (yes, on the ship there was an ice skating rink)...

We splashed around in the H2O Zone (especially Blake and Jax) ...

Our second port we went to Montego Bay, Jamaica and took a tour of the bird sanctuary...

We learned how to make the best (virgin) pina coladas (and how to enjoy them too!)...

We were educated on the many uses of bananas...

Enjoyed the lush green vegitation and beautiful flowers...

And how to properly climb a tree for coconuts... don't try this at home!!

And after our long day in Jamaica, came back onboard the ship to enjoy some FANTASTIC onion rings and a KILLER chocolate malt from Johnny Rockets (not to mention a cheesy dance by the crew)...

We watched some lovely sunsets over the ocean...

Our third port we stopped in Grand Cayman to enjoy the beach and warm crystal clear blue water...

(yes I debated whether or not to put a swim suit picture of me where I could be easily mistaken for a whale- but alas, such is life...

We even enjoyed the formal night on the ship with spectacular food...

Our last port we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico and were greeted by a very aggressive luchador and a silver street performer with a sword (I know how much Sarah would have enjoyed that)...

We watched a man fishing with straight fishing line...

and found some interesting looking somethings in this big pit by the sea...

We even relaxed on these perfectly inclined (and beautifully painted) walls...

We were awe-inspired by the ginormity of these two cruise ships...

We had some world class servers amongst us (shout out to Andy and Jeremy)...

Witnessed some amazing moonlit nights...

And were greeted every...

single...

night...

by...

a new...

towel animal character.

This was an amazing trip to say the least. I am always impressed by cruising...but am always really excited to home too... by Thursday night I had started coughing and by Saturday when we left I felt pretty lousy. This picture sums up the last day of the cruise (I know, this is another picture I debated- however it made me laugh every time I looked at it, so I figured it might do the same for my readers- or it may scare them away (one of the two- let's hope for the first option...haha)

Our trip didn't end by coming home on Saturday though...Blake and I ended up traveling up to Savannah Georgia to Blake's old missionary stomping grounds. Another post will follow about that little jaunt.

Overall- I am proud to say that normally the average cruiser gains 1 lb a day- I got home and was happy to find out that even when I craved french fries and fruit, I only gained 2 lbs the ENTIRE vacation.... LATER!! Pretty good for being prego!! I also got a nice tan and some freckles to add to my pasty body- I'll take it though.

Bees...there are bees everywhere...at least there were.

So, Monday was quite the day....

It started off with a quiet morning grocery shopping trip to Walmart...to end having to have a bee guy come over to exterminate a swarm of bees...

Blake got strep throat this weekend (yes, it was legit, he had white crap in his throat) so we stayed home most of the time. Saturday he got antibiotics from the Minute Clinic at CVS pharmacy (I would highly recommend this option over going to an urgent care...much cheaper and quicker- we payed $15 + cost of medicine and literally walked right in to see the physician).

By Monday morning he was feeling much better but decided to take the day off in case he was still contagious. After we had gotten home from grocery shopping Blake said there was a bee trapped in the garage- so I went out a corralled it out of the garage. I didn't even know that by the time I went to work at noon- what I thought were rocks kicked up on the driveway were actually about 50 dead bees. Blake noticed later in the afternoon- so I investigated once I got home from work.

So here's what we discovered...a whole SWARM of bees right under the ledge of the roof...

Look a little closer...

BBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

So, once the exterminator came over on Tuesday morning, Blake gave me a play by play (in his car a few houses down) of the beekeeper scaling a ladder two stories up, spraying this stuff on the hive, then bees falling down onto the roof and driveway like clumps of dirt. That had to have looked weird. Here was the after-affect of the spray...the beekeeper literally sweeping up clumps of dead bees.

It just looks like a bee massacre out there. Normally wouldn't feel bad about killing insects, but my dad used to be a beekeeper in his spare time when I was a kid, and I loved having our own fresh honey and homemade honey butter. If I had the option I would've had them moved...because they weren't hurting anybody- they just wanted a new home. I have always been hospitable... too bad I just didn't have many options here. Luckily they weren't killer bees...that would have changed my mind for sure. I've never been stung by a bee, so I don't dislike them- plus after watching "BEE MOVIE" I became much more informed about why we need them around... any bee haters out there?

Na Na Na Na....

Na Na Na Na....Hey Hey Hey...good FRICKIN bye!!!

I'm just glad I don't have to spend one more week looking at that STUPID stance on stage. I'm not trying to be weak...but frickin country singer wannabe was WEAK...I can't even believe she lasted longer than Michael Johns...he was WAY harder than her. Don't even get me started about the UN-originality of the OTHER Cook....I'll save that for future blogs.

A weekend wedding/anniversary/birthday getaway...

So Blake's good friend from high school/bands- Dave and Pamela got married in Vegas this past weekend so we got to take a weekend to enjoy time away from home with friends...

We got to take a few nice pictures (since it was also our 5 YEAR Anniversary)...

The bride, groom and groomsmen...
The girls enjoying the Wedding Salon at the Wynn HotelBlake and I at the beautiful Pilazzo Hotel








The gang kicking it over the strip...can you tell it was sunny?

Sunday was Blake's 27th birthday and he loved the Apple TV we got for him!He also loved the texas sheet cake his lovely mom made for him!!

We just had a fantastic weekend. Once Blake and I were on our own on Saturday in Vegas- our extra night stay was semi catastrophic...but hey, those are memories just the same. Memories I don't even want to bring up on my blog. All-in-all we had a great time!

Rolly polly baby...

So I am officially half way through pregnancy!! Holy crap- time flies...and yet I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER!! I know everyone says to just love these times and relish the quiet while I still can...but I am just getting so excited!!

The coolest thing (to date) besides seeing our little girl on ultrasound was on Monday night when she did a nice swift kick right in my bladder- it wasn't just a gentle stretch, it was a "mom...are you feeling this...I know you didn't know it was me moving, but this is what it feels like!!" I felt her from the outside and luckily Blake was sitting right next to me so he got to feel her first movements too! It was so tender.

I know being pregnant is hard (for me) from the nausea, to the heartburn, to waking up at least once (if not twice) in the night to pee, then having to pee at least 10 times during my work day, then having a sore back and can't get comfortable when sitting for long periods of time... but I'm just grateful I haven't thrown up (knock on wood), had any weird medical issues, or gotten cankles (yet).

Pregnancy truly is a miracle. It amazes me everyday that millions of women go through this each year- and this is the Lord's plan. Amazing.

Finally...

DINNER PARTY9/8c TV-PG04.10.2008
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) find they have run out of excuses and are forced to go to Jan (Melora Hardin) and Michael's (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) house for dinner. When Andy (Ed Helms) and Angela (Angela Kinsey) are also invited to dinner, Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) jealousy gets the best of him. Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, Mindy Kaling and Creed Bratton also star.

And we're having....

A girl!!!



I know, surprising! I think it's so crazy that we will be having a girl first! When we first starting trying to start a family years ago I wanted a boy first (as I had an oldest brother) and Blake wanted a girl first (as he had a oldest sister). We just wanted what we were familiar with! When we actually found out we were pregnant I think we switched roles wanting the other gender. I am SO not a girly girl, so I was kind of surprised at my excitement for a girl first. I just felt like I was having a girl. Plus my little 4-yr old neice Camille, who was lovingly saying prayers for me to get pregnant, called the shots- she said I was having a girl. I do believe we don't give kids credit for their own closeness to the spirit sometimes. I just have to question this because she also said I was going to have 5 girls, but only one would be coming out of my tummy this time!!! Oh my gosh. Heaven help me!!! FIVE??? Really??? I don't remember signing up for 5!!! I was really thinking I'd max out at 3 or 4 kids- let alone ONLY GIRLS!! I really hope she said that as she really only knows girls since she has a sister and a girl cousin.



We all know I'm a pretty emotional girl- yes, I cry watching pretty much every movie I see... yes, "Bambi" is included in that. I can find just about anything to cry about. Luckily I have a husband who can (lovingly) make fun of me when I cry in movies that are ridiculous and shouldn't be cried over. Luckily, being pregnant hasn't had a more adverse affect on my emotions...I'm less emotional, with most things. Now I just get mad, instead of crying... luckily that goes away pretty quickly.



PS- now that we know we are having a girl I told Blake we would actually start discussing baby names and picking out nursery colors and such. Pink- will NOT be a main color in my nursery... just in case any of you feel like getting crafty or whatnot. I know I didn't have to tell you that since most of you know me better than that...I just wanted to get that out there early on.



Just for the record...the baby is doing great (the doctor pointed out)! All healthy, 10 fingers, 10 toes. We just are so grateful for this beautiful blessing in our lives...I can't begin to say that enough! We just know what a divine child this one is...truly a miracle!



Oh- the ultrasound pics weren't very good this time, but they did get a video of the baby with hiccups...about 5 minutes later she passed them on to me...that was pretty weird to experience!