Saturday, July 13, 2013

Update OVERLOAD! :)

I was reading everyone's blogs and clicked on my own, and that is when I realized that I haven't posted anything since May 4th!!! WHAT!!?? So, I grabbed my planner, uploaded about 80 photos and it is time to fill everyone in on what has been going on around here! :) We have been SO busy, so I will start with May!
 
The beginning of May, Abby had her Girl Scout Father/Daughter dance. Now, we have experience some awesome things with the girls, moments I will never forget, etc. BUT this was one of THE sweetest things I have ever seen. The girls get all dressed up and their Dads/Grandpas/etc treat them to a night of fun and dancing! Abby was SO excited! Notice she in her first pair of heels! ;)

 Daddy presenting her with her corsage! She was one of the only ones that had one! Don't these guys around here know how to treat a lady!? ;)
 My sweet 'big' girl! Time can slow down any time now!
 And, you know I tagged along for a while to get some photos. SO glad I did! :)
 This cracks me up! This is SO me...yelling over to a friend! haha!
 Abby and her BFF, Avery! :)
 And, this is Avery's little brother, Liv's partner in crime and my future son in law! haha! :)
 The second weekend in May we hit the road for Georgia...because my not so little nephew, Billy, graduated from high school! *sniff* But, I can't say enough about how proud I am of him. He's fun, sweet, handsome, talented, smart and an all around good kid. He will be going off to a school in Alabama on a full scholarship for baseball in just a few weeks. Like I said, SO proud!!

The Rose's...my sister and her beautiful family!
 Proud family with our graduate!
A few days after returning from Georgia it was time to start wrapping up a great school year for both of the girls, starting with Liv's preschool program. Look at that sweet face! :)
 With her proud big sister! :)

 It was so cute...they sang a ton of songs....
 and got to receive their special gifts, an AWESOME scrapbook, made special for each child. I will cherish it forever. I just loved her school!
 Abby and her other BFF, Grace. Grace's sister is Liv's age and they are in school together, too. These two were happy to support their little sisters for the night! :)
 Liv with Ms. Morgan.
 And, Ms. Misty.
 And, the rotten girls! Liv and Lila look SO much alike except for eye color. They are going to be a force to be reckoned with over the years! ha! :)
 And, Mrs. Johnson, her head teacher. I can not say enough about how much we loved this school. She will be in Pre-K at the elementary school this year, which is SUPER exciting, but we will miss this school and her teachers. :(
 Scott and the girls made a quick trip to Dixon to visit his parents one weekend. I stayed back and cleaned and shopped and got a pedicure! ha! ;)
 Next up in May was Abby's fun day. The school goes ALL. OUT. I am the VP of the PTA and we are in charge of Fun Day, so I was able to be there all day and get LOTS of photos. We have inflatables, hair painting/feathers, nail station, crafts, tattoos/face painting, cookie walk, karaoke, photo booth and more in the morning and then in the afternoon we go old school fun day with relay races, tug of war, etc. It's a ton of fun.
 Abby, Avery and Grace! Little cuties! :)
 And, the girls in the photo booth. These 3 also karaoke'd to Call Me Maybe. It was hysterical. I love that she has such sweet, fun little friends!
May also included a field trip to the zoo for Abby, a going away party for our friends that are moving to Alaska for 4 YEARS!!, I wrapped up my first year as a college instructor and coach, and the start of play practices for Abby (lots more on that later! :)

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Update OVERLOAD!

I bet you are thinking...'those Utleys sure are boring lately, do they ever do anything?!?!' ha! ;) Just kidding. We are just as busy and having as much fun as ever, I'm just a bad blogger these days (which is no secret), so I thought I would play catch up on the last few weeks! :)
 
Abby had a sleepover a few weeks ago and Liv was so sad that she couldn't go, so she wanted to have a sleep over the next time Nanny came to visit. Of course, Mom was more than happy to provide. S'mores on the s'more maker! We also did hair and make-up, glow in the dark bubbles, stayed up late...all the fun makings of a great sleepover. :)
 We went to Paducah a couple of weeks ago for Will's 3rd birthday! What a big boy!! The girls just adore him and they have so much fun together! Love it! :)


 We took some of our cheerleaders to a competition at Grizzly Stadium. We just took one stunt group and a jumper, but we had a blast, it was a perfect day and...we got first in the college stunt group and jump division! Great job, Blue Devils! :)
And....Abby now rides with no training wheels! Yes, it took her a little longer than most, but if you know Abby, this is no surprise! She is very practical and logical and over thinks everything, so when we asked her in the past, her response was always along the lines of, 'why in the world would I want to take my training wheels off? does it look like I want to end up in the emergency room with a broken arm!?' haha! Not kidding, though. The child is 7 going on 35! But, she is off now, and riding like a pro. She even wants a bigger bike now.
 They came over and said, 'Mom, take a picture of us, we know just how we are going to pose!' haha! How could I say no to that! Sweet little angels! :)
 Now, while bike riding might not be Abby's #1 thing, hula-hooping is! haha! This kid is a hula-hooping machine! 2 at once, while walking and she can jump, too...and keep going. She wants to try to beat the American record for kids her age! (See what I mean, 7 going on 35...only she would do research on how long a 7yr old can hula-hoop and then set out to beat it! haha!)
 And, on the neck. I'm happy to report I taught her this little trick! :)
 And, on the arm! Another trick taught to her by yours truly! haha!
 We had our end of the year Athletic Banquet last week. Here I am with our award winners. You might think working with college kids doesn't sound all that wonderful, but it is! I LOVE it! These are such great kids. In addition to being amazing athletes and cheerleaders, they are smart, they are leaders amongst the students, they have more volunteer hours than any other athletic team on campus...they just make me REALLY proud!
 We, by default, had a little stay cation last weekend. We went over to Missouri to compete and work at a cheer competition, and...they cancelled the competition due to weather at the last minute. We had our whole squad already checked into the hotel and everything, so we just made the most of it, stayed in a great hotel, the girls swam, we ate good food and on our way home the following day, we hit up the Science Center in St. Louis!

 Along with being busy, this pregnancy is literally flying by!! 22 weeks already! I have officially POPPED! haha! Sporting the belly now! I don't mind it, though. I love the belly and feeling the baby moving all the time. (Now having big boobs...HATE that! I wouldn't wish big boobs on my worst enemy! ha! That's the one thing I can't wait to be back to normal. I can't believe people pay for boobs! Ugh! NEVER!)

Abby had a field trip to the zoo last week. Here she is with 2 of her BFF's and her wonderful teacher! I am calling it now...when Abby is a senior in high school, she will still say that Mrs. Lampe is her favorite teacher! She is the best. These kids are going to miss her sooooo much next year. If I made a list of the 10 nicest people I know, she would be on it, probably in the Top 5!...or higher. I just can't say enough about how much we love her. Thank goodness, I still have Liv and this new baby that will get to be in 1st grade with her, too! :) I already know that Abby will be sneaking down to her room next year every chance she gets next year! :)
 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

It's a...

BOY!!!! What?!?!?! Yes, we are still in shock! ha! But, very excited. :) We went to my big u/s on Monday, and I was already feeling like I didn't want to wait. Scott was actually fine with not waiting so we ended up caving and got the shocking news! We wanted to surprise the girls that day after school so we made sure we called our parents and siblings to tell them the exciting news and then we headed out to get a Baby Boy balloon!
 
Anxious for their surprise!
 They are pumped! This baby boy will be so spoiled, it's not even funny! :)
 Liv wanted to surprise Abby with the announcement her arrival again! haha! Don't worry, Liv...we are still reeling from your arrival! :)
 Insert little mini Scott here....
 19 weeks along with Baby Boy!!! I look just like I did with the girls, though. Everyone keeps asking if I am carrying differently. Not at all.
 And, with our growing family, we needed a bigger ride. I'm now a REAL Mom...a van driving Mom! haha! I actually love it, and love having all the room. So nice for hauling extra kiddos and when we go to visit family, which is alot.
 And, other big news around here, this sweet 7yr old got glasses! She loves them, and hopefully they will be a huge help with her headaches. I think they are the most darling things I have ever seen! :)
Additional baby news...

*Scott is really in shock/denial/what ever you want to call it about the baby being a boy. He is convinced it will still come out a girl. haha! I, of course, had to run to the store for some boy shopping and I officially hate boy clothing. I am just way too picky. But, I did end up finding some really cute stuff that I love. Anyone with boys, where are the best places to shop? My general rules: no character stuff, no cheesy sayings, no trucks or vehicles of any kind, animals must be something sweet and clever (frogs, ducks, etc. are no's) and no sports apparel (nothing with logos or All Star...he is a baby, not an athlete). See...I'm too picky! haha! :)

*And, we just can't have a stress free pregnancy, and this one is no different. We got some news from the u/s that has this Momma freaking out, so if you are a prayerful person, please send them up for us. I again have problems with the way my placenta is positioned. I did with Liv also but was never placed on any restrictions and it corrected itself by 28 weeks. This time around, I am on some restrictions (which royally stink!): no lifting more than 10-15lbs, take it easy, scale down workouts, etc. But, I am not terribly worried about it. I am hopeful it will again correct itself before birth. We also found out that our sweet boy (who is nameless, so if have any good suggestions, fire away! :), but we found out the baby has hydronephrosis, which is essentially enlarged kidneys (or his renal cavity measured a little large). They have assured me this is common amongst boys, and often it corrects itself or is not actually an issue at all. But, I do go back for more extensive testing on that, also. *sigh* I am trying to stay hopeful that all will be well with that, also.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Baby Info...

Some stuff for me to remember about this pregnancy (that is greatly over looked...poor 3rd child! ha!)

*I feel the baby moving now. No one else had been able to catch it, but hopefully soon. The girls are anxious to feel some kicks! :)

*Speaking of the girls, Abby is really excited, yay a baby, she will look at it, hold it, but then, she will be done with it-ha! but Liv...oh, sweet, rotten little Liv is SO excited. She says it is HER baby, she will be the Mom and do everything the Mom does. She doesn't want to share a room with Abby, she wants the baby in HER room. She has everything planned, she will get up with the baby at night, she thinks she knows what to do with the baby at all times, etc. and she will. She is such a little motherly helper. So sweet. And, she still wants a girl named Fancy! haha!

*I have my big u/s on Monday the 15th! How can I already be that far along? Crazy! We aren't finding out, but it will still be exciting. I told Scott he better not leave me alone with the u/s tech, though, or I will be asking what it is...haha! I know me far too well. The temptation will get the best of me if he isn't there to supervise! :)

*I had another appt. last Friday and all looks and sounds well. We are moving right along. Heart beat has been consistently high. 150's-160's. I, honestly, don't remember what the girls were! Bad mom, I know. But, I've heard that is sometimes an indicator or sex of the baby, so I've been paying attention this time. ha! :)

*This is my last week coaching the gym. I pushed it to 18 weeks! I could do it longer but I don't want to take any chances. I had a little girl fall right on me tonight. Thankfully, she was little but it was still enough to shake me up a little and make me realize it is best to just be done for now. Plus, I am very excited for more time with my girls, especially this summer. It will be SO nice!

*I have gained about 7 lbs. so far!!!!! I only gained about 18 TOTAL with Liv!!! Aaaahhhhhh! Oh well. But, I gained about 28-30 with Abby, so I am trying to aim for somewhere between the 2 this time. The doc is pleased so, it is what it is... I guess 7lbs. at 17 weeks isn't anything to stress over. (yet, I still am because that is what I do best! ha!) I am sure this will be the last weight gain update I provide, though. hahaha! I always seem to steady from this point until about 28-30 weeks, not gaining much, then put the last bit on at the end, so it will be interesting to see how this one goes, being that I am no spring chicken anymore. ha! In my early 30's now...old! ;)

*My sciatica is killing me on nights when I work! HOLY MOLY, that is some uncomfortable stuff. I had it a little with Abby, but this is crazy. But, I am working much more, doing much more physical work, too, so I guess that is to be expected. I am hoping that will ease up a little once I am not working as much. Other than that, I really don't have any real complaints. I am feeling much better as far as morning sickness goes. I seem to be sleeping a little better, too, so that helps. I pretty much go all day forgetting I am even pregnant unless someone asks about it or once I finally settle in at night. Again...this poor 3rd child. With Abby, we talked about the baby NON-stop, everything revolved around me being pregnant, things were constantly being purchased and planned for the baby, etc. Now, it's like, 'oh, hey...should we maybe look into getting a vehicle that we can all fit it?....Sure, we have plenty time to worry about that! As long as we have something before the end of August.' haha! Yet, we do have TONS to do. Completely re-do 2 bedrooms, putting the girls in a room together for the time being, work on the basement, get a new vehicle, new furniture for the nursery and the girls, new travel system, go through all our baby stuff...the list is extensive and long. But, I guess that will be what we spend all summer doing. We'll worry about it once this school year wraps, I don't have the energy to worry about it right now. ha! :)

Easter!

If you would have asked me a week ago, I would have said that I am not even sure if we would have been able to celebrate Easter with family because everyone was sick. First it was Liv, but she bounced back quickly and it didn't really slow her down, but then...then it hit Abby, and it hit HARD! She was SO sick! :( She started getting sick on a Friday after school and was not able to return to school until the following Friday. We narrowly missed hospitalization TWICE!, and almost 3 weeks later, she is still not 100%! She has lost about 5-6lbs (and had none to lose in the first place)! About 2 days into her virus, Scott calls me and says she is coming home from work...he's sick, too! NOOOOOOOOOOO! He was out of work for nearly a week, too. I have never seen any illness get him like this did. I am still thanking God that is spared me. We finally had everyone feeling so/so, but good enough to head to Scott's parents for Easter! The Easter bunny came here a couple of nights early. :)
 
 We did manage to decorate eggs, and we baked a bunny cake at Scott's parents.
 Easter loot from Gigi and Goggy on Easter morning.
I wasn't feeling well Sunday morning so I didn't take any photos :(, but after lunch the hunt for eggs was on!
 A rare of photo of just Scott and I. Of course, I hate it because I felt bad and I need a tan and I just feel like a heiffer-ha!, but you can see I am sort of starting to sport a little bump now! :)
 Scott found one of his old wiffle balls that is probably 20 years old during the egg hunt! Yay, Scott! hahaha!
 Abby made cascarones (confetti eggs) and finally was able to get everyone! :)
 The kiddos. We were missing a few, but they had a great time.
Abby started feeling bad AGAIN! after lunch. We left a couple of hours after that to get her home, made it until we were about 30min from home and she started vomiting again! :( Thankfully, it was just once this time and she was feeling better Monday and had Monday off of school anyways. I told everyone here that if anyone heard over the police scanner about a family puking, littering and peeing off of 64 at the Centralia exit to not be alarmed, it's just the Utleys! haha! Oh goodness...I need a vacation! Here's to hoping and praying this stuff leaves us for a VERY long time this time! Anyways, overall, I would say we had a happy Easter. Just wish we all could of felt a little better. Still so thankful that we were able to see and spend time with family to celebrate such a special holiday! :)

More cheerleading...you are so shocked, I know! ;)

Kaskaskia College, where I work and coach, held a cheerleading clinic and the girls we pumped and ready. They had invited a lot of their little friend from school and the neighborhood, so it was a good time. We had a great turnout and raised a lot of money.
 
Abby, our little flyer, stunting with the college kids!! :)
 Liv single basing with Roz. :) This child is not afraid of anything!
At the tumbling station with their 2 favorite cheerleaders, Sarah and Karlie. :) (please click on this and check out Liv's face...SO her! haha!)
 Heel stretch!...at just 4yrs old! Go, Liv!
I won't bore you with my whole 'why cheerleading is a sport' speech! :) I will just say that I am so proud to work at a school that supports cheerleading. We get 8 FULL RIDE scholarsips to distribute as we wish. This year we have a squad of 14 and between cheerleading and their other activities, all of them receive scholarship money. I think that is pretty awesome. The sport has come a long way.

About Me

Welcome to our life! :) Our life seems to be a constant 3 ring circus these days, but we have a lot of fun, laugh a lot and enjoy every minute of it (okay...almost every minute-haha!) Scott and I have been married for almost 9 years, and we are the parents of 2 amazing daughters, and another little one on the way. This blog is a way to keep in touch with family and friends. It also serves as a 'year book' of sorts for our family. Enjoy!!