New Toy!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We have enjoyed spending time with our families and we are back home. Jim is heading to the duck club today and I go back to work tomorrow.

So, Merry Christmas to us! We bought a camcorder over the weekend and I'm excited about it! We thought since Baby Landon will be here in 8ish weeks we might want to be able to get some of his "firsts" on video to have and to share. We bought a Sony Handycam DCR-SR220 and I think we are going to love it. Not only does it shoot video...it also takes pictures! That was my only requirement. If anyone else out there has this camera or one similar let me know how you like it. It's going to take me forever to learn all the tricks to shooting good video and taking good pictures. We have a Sony Cybershot camera and we really like it. I guess we are Sony fans...although, we also bought ourselves a new TV for our bedroom this year and the Sony was WAY out of our budget so we got a Dynex. I think we're going to like it too...we wanted to get all the big buys out of the way before our little guy comes home...sometimes our wants exceed our needs. We are working on that. :)



PS - this camera will NOT be capturing Landon's grand entrance into this world. I just can't get into that...
:)

30 Week Belly

Here's the 30 week belly! I wanted the belly...and I believe I've got the belly (and some!). He's growing and moving just perfect in there and we can't wait to meet him!

Landon - 29 weeks...

We had a doctor's appointment today and we got to have another ultrasound! We always love seeing our little guy and we can't wait to meet him in person! He was all curled up under my right rib as I suspected from the lopsided belly I sometimes have. His hands and feet were all up by his face and he was snoozing.


Here are a few of the pictures.




Landon's daddy worked hard on putting together the crib tonight and I love it! As soon as I have the bedding on I'll post pictures of the nursery. Oh, and I'm about due to post a new belly picture too. No doubt there's a belly now!

"Babymoon" at Big Cedar

A couple of weekends ago Jim and I went to Big Cedar Lodge for a weekend getaway before the baby comes. Neither of us had ever been there before and thought it would be the perfect place to spend a longish weekend away to relax together. We got there on Friday evening and went on a wagon ride to look at the Christmas lights with other people staying at the lodge...after that we all got to roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate...as mentioned in previous posts Baby Landon LOVES chocolate. He especially loves s'mores this time of year and to hear his daddy tell it you'd think I pushed the kiddos on our ride out of the way to roast my marshmallows first...not true but I was first in line! ha!
On Saturday we did some sightseeing...purposefully avoiding the strip in Branson because we weren't going to see any shows and I'm not a fan of crowds and Jim is not a fan of traffic! We went to the trout hatchery and watched a video about how they spawn trout...kinda gross but interesting and then we went out to feed the trout. We made a few more stops on our circle around Branson ending at Starbucks. Those of you who know Jim knows he's not really a fru-fru kind of guy...so, you can imagine how ordering coffee at Starbucks went but I'm teaching him! Over the last several years he's sort of learned what I like there enough to order it but now that we are expecting I've thrown another word in my order confusing things all to pieces! ha! No more, grande mocha, non-fat, no-whip...now, it's a grande, decaf mocha, non-fat, no whip. Whew,that is hard! ha!
Saturday night we had dinner at Worman House and it was yummy! We headed back on Sunday very relaxed. I definitely recommend that all couples expecting a child take a "babymoon" trip before the baby comes!

Here are a few pictures. I've uploaded more pictures to our shutterfly site.

http://lifeofjimandkatie.shutterfly.com/

The password is battreal

25 Weeks!

Landon is 25 weeks old in there and he's definitely growing! I'm feeling him move more and more and sometimes he likes to cuddle up on the right side of my belly...it's funny to see a lopsided belly when he does it! I have more to post later but here is the latest belly picture.

Fall is my favorite!

I love the weather, the leaves, mums, pumpkins, comfort food...even football although Jim might tell you differently! I love the weeks leading up to Halloween then Thanksgiving, Christmas and finally New Year's Eve. I also love tradition! Each year about a week before Halloween Jim and I cook a cozy supper and carve jack-o-lanterns. It's one of my most favorite nights of the year. So, Friday night we continued our tradition and I baked my "famous" Chicken Pot Pie and we carved our jack-o-lanterns. Jim is so good...he finished cleaning the goop out of mine while I cooked...





Landon is growing! I'm starting to feel him move more but it still feels more like little flutters and taps. I love it! His daddy felt a little kick last Sunday but every time he tries now Landon stops. Yesterday we ordered his crib, bedding and a fun red glider chair...it's so comfy and I can't wait to rock our little guy in it. I'm excited for everything to get here so we can put little Landon's nursery all together.

Landon's favorite food these days is chocolate...oh wait, maybe that's just mommy! See how he's growing in there!

It's a BOY!

We are excited to announce that BB is a boy! James Joseph Landon aka just Landon is healthy and very active! I'm not feeling him move consistently yet because he's still so small but during the ultrasound he showed us that he's quite busy in there! It was so neat to see our little guy and we feel so blessed that he is healthy and everything appears to be going well.

He's all curled in up in this one and it looks like he's rubbing his eyes...


His little feet are so cute!


So, the nursery decorating has begun! We've picked out a crib and today I picked out fabric for his bedding. Daddy will get his way and Landon will have a very little boyish room complete with Ducks Unlimited prints and Razorbacks. I think it's going to turn out really cute and I can't wait to see how it all comes together!

Here's the 21 week belly...still growing!

19 Week Baby Bump

Here is a picture of my 19 week baby bump.  BB and the baby bump are definitely growing with the help of his/her momma's appetite!

No face in this one...super duper bad hair day!

Come on BB...Mommy's ready for a kick!

So, I have had a fairly uneventful pregnancy. I know this is a good thing compared to being sick and miserable so I'm not complaining. However, since I'm almost half way there and I still don't really feel pregnant, I'm definitely ready for it to become a reality. I know it will in 2 looooong weeks when we see our precious angel on the big screen!

I'm 18 weeks now. BB is about the size of a bell pepper and should be weighing in at around 7 ounces. He/she is busy flexing those tiny little arms and legs and "they" say I should be able to feel it soon! So far, I can't distinguish what I'm feeling in the belly but I have to admit that I am pretending that anything aside from the obvious hunger rumble is BB telling me that he/she is in there developing away in preparation for his/her big arrival in February!

We went up to Fayetteville for the game last weekend. Any of you who were there or watched knows what a good game it was! Really, it was awful but we had a good time anyway. I know just like the economy it will get better and hopefully next year (for my husband's sake) the Hogs (and the economy...for my fiscally responsible side's sake) will be much better! Jim, the loyal fan and Texas hater from way back, is leaving for Austin tomorrow. I know he is looking forward to the trip and he and the guys will have a good time regardless. I just hope he makes it home in one piece!

Go Hogs!





Zoe wants to go help Daddy to cheer on the Hogs!

Is BB a Boy or Girl?

We never struggled with the decision to find out BB's gender. We like to plan way too much to wait. So, October 9th is the day we'll find out if BB's signature colors will be "blush and bashful" or if daddy will get to hang his favorite Duck's Unlimited prints in our little boys room.

16 Weeks and Rockin' the Maternity Pants!

So, some of my old pants still fit, but once I put on pair of maternity ones there was no turning back. I actually may never go back...BB might be in college and I'll still be wearing these stretchy, wonderful, comfy pants. Hopefully though, we won't still be calling him/her BB!

My "bump" has sort of grown in the last week but I still don't really look pregnant in my regular clothes. I guess this is probably a good thing as long as he/she is healthy and growing but I think I'm ready for BB to show the world that he/she really is in there.


Can you tell I love these pj pants?

Is that a bump?

Okay, this belly probably has more to do with all the cookies and such that "BB" likes to eat lately. However, we decided that even though I'm still wearing most of my regular clothes that it was time for a first belly picture so we'd have something to compare to weeks down the road. Here is a picture from today...I'm 15 weeks.

Back Room Makeover!

Our "back room" has had a face lift and we LOVE the results! We had part of a wall knocked out and built-in shelves/cabinets installed. Most of you never saw the before pictures but for those of you who did I'm sure you'll agree that this is a major improvement to an already perfect little house...

My mother in law helped me arrange our things on the shelves and I'm really happy with the way it all turned out! She has a really good eye for things like this.

You'll see that there is a hole in the lower cabinet to the left of the desk...this is our clever solution to the fun question "where should Zoe's potty box go?"

Cake Decorating Class

A few weeks ago my mom and I took a cake decorating class in Lavaca. I learned so much and we had so much fun! We learned how to make the icing look really smooth and how to make a chocolate bow. I made the cake with the swirly designs and my mom made the one to the right of it. Our friend Jan who took the class with us made the one in the back.

From blob to BABY!!!

Today we had our 12 week checkup and everything still looks great! BB's heartbeat is 161 and we had another ultrasound! BB was moving all around in there and it was absolutely precious! I'm still feeling really good...I haven't been sick at all so far.

We are still working our way through the produce aisle...according to Baby Center BB is about the size of a lime and the most dramatic development this week is reflexes. Our baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, its toes will curl, its eye muscles will clench, and its mouth will make sucking movements. I'm absolutely amazed!

Here are the ultrasound pictures. I'm not sure I'll stop smiling anytime soon!

What I want to be when I grow up...by Katie

A few weeks ago I made a cake for a baby shower. I LOVE to bake...love love love it and someone finally gave me a chance to make a cake for an event!

First comes love, then comes marriage...

In February we'll need that baby carriage!

We're having a baby!
Baby Battreal is due to arrive on February 25th and we, along with our families, couldn't be happier!



As you can see, Baby Battreal has some growing to do...but so far everything looks great! At our first visit BB's heart beat was 114 beats per minute and when we went back a week later he or she had doubled in size just like he or she was supposed to!

BB will be 8 week's old this Wednesday and according to the ever popular and handy dandy book "What to Expect When You're Expecting" he or she is about the size of a large raspberry and is looking less reptilian and more human every day! His or her lips, nose, eyelids, legs and back are continuing to take shape and is making spontaneous movements.

PS...don't skip the next post. I have lots of "back bloggin" to do!

A year already!!!

It's hard to believe that June 23rd marked a year since we walked down the aisle and said "I do" after months and months of planning our beautiful and super fun wedding! To celebrate our anniversary Jim and I went to dinner and during dinner we talked about this past year. We agreed that our favorite part has been just getting to know each other better...even though we dated for almost four years before we got married and felt sure that we knew the ins and outs of each other's personality! We are so blessed to have found each other and I can honestly say that I've married my best friend and I am so looking forward to the years to come! Oh, and for the record...we ate the top layer of our wedding cake on our anniversary and it tasted just as good as it did on our wedding day!! It still looked pretty too thank to Jim's mom who froze it for us!





Also to celebrate our first year, we went to Savannah and Hilton Head Island for a week. Neither of us had ever been to either place and we had such a good time! We absolutely fell in love with Savannah. It is the neatest city and we enjoyed learning about its rich history! One part that I found pretty funny was that General Ogelthorpe, the founder of Georgia who settled in Savannah in 1733, banned booze, Catholics and lawyers from the city! HA! We'd have been run out for sure since we have a couple of lawyers in the family, we are Catholic and we definitely enjoy happy hour! We only had two full days in Savannah but we made the most of our time! On our first day there we attended mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. It was absolutely beautiful!!! The church reminded us both of the church we were married in. We also did some walking and visited City Market that afternoon and the next day we took the Trolley tour. The tour has about 16 stops and you can get off an on as many times and you want to during the day. We learned about the significance of the squares and saw where Forrest Gump sat on the bench waiting for his bus! We decided to forgo the famous Lady and Son's restaurant in favor of Mrs. Wilke's Boarding House. It was fantastic! Everything is served family style and our table was big enough for eight. It was fun to talk to everyone and share a meal with the people we waited in line with for over an hour! I have to say, the wait was well worth it! We also ate at a restaurant called The Olde Pink House. It's in a old haunted house and each room has been made into a dining room. The food was awesome and the atmosphere was neat! After Savannah we went for a few days to Hilton Head Island. We didn't get much beach time...after seeing a few sharks being caught right outside our condo and too many to count jellyfish washed up we decided that the pool was more our speed...and after I actually figured out where it was enjoyed a few hours there! It was very relaxing! Jim played golf one day while I finished a book and then on our last day we went deep sea fishing! We had hoped that we'd catch our dinner but didn't get quite that lucky! I did catch a baby shark and a small whitting...oh, and I snagged a star fish but that's it! So, instead we decided we'd just go out for dinner! We had such a good time and would love to go back!!

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist...




City Walk and Willy who got to sing with the band!..




Willy, Chevy and Chevy's owner...one of my favorite pictures!


Mrs. Wilke's Boarding House...


Forsyth Fountain...



Old Cotton Exchange...


View of the bridge to Hilton Head Island from our hotel's roof...


Lady & Sons...we didn't eat there but we had to check out the gift shop!


Fun bike advertisement for my boss' daughter and son in law's BBQ restaurant in Savannah...very good BBQ!


The Olde Pink House Restaurant...very good!!


Can you see the ghost we spotted on our ghost tour? HA!


This is the shrimp boat in Hilton Head that caught our dinner one day!


Lighthouse at Harbor Town


Look closely...you'll see an aligator!!!


On the beach after a long bike ride!


One of the reasons we didn't hang out on the beach too much!


Deep Sea Fishing Boat...The Captain Hook...


We saw a lot of dophins!


Squid...aka...bait!


Definitely not a flattering picture but had to show off my shark!


and the starfish!


This fun bird was waiting for us when we got back from fishing..