34

On Friday it was my birthday! I turned 34 and I decided to take my birthday off work. My vacation days are specifically planned thru the year so for me to just take the day off was huge! Nate's birthday is the day after mine and we were going to be busy on his birthday so I bit the bullet and took the day off so we could have a fun weekend. I wanted the both of us to enjoy the time and just each other. Before kids we always took our birthdays off work every year but it's been 10 years so I was definitely due! We started the day with Muffins with Mom at Aiva's school. It was so fun to go to her class and talk to her teacher. Takes me back to my elementary school days! After that we went to McDonald's for breakfast. Not my number one choice but we needed something quick before we headed to the movies. I got something light and we were off to Easton. We saw the movie "We Bought a Zoo" with Matt Damon and it was great. I cried and cried some more and it was cleansing in a good kind of way!

Every year, I always go to Spaghetti Warehouse for my birthday and this year was no different. We pulled Aiva out of school early so we could head down town. We sat in the trolley car and dinner was great. To save myself from eating too much, Nate and I split dinner. It was good for both of us! Every year, since I was six, I've always gotten a Shirley Temple and I kept the tradition alive! That night, we went to the Big Walnut homecoming basketball game. I thought this would be fun for Nate so that's what we did. The girls weren't very impressed but Nate and I had a blast. We got to walk down the hall of fame and see all of his family members. His brothers, cousins, and uncles are all on the wall. It was fun to point out to the girls who all the family members were and what they did.

Nate's birthday was pretty much the same. Running around and having a lot of fun. He coached a game and his team won by like 30. He and I were both shocked but so happy! He knew his team was good but THAT good! We ate out for two meals and I tried to make good decisions but I did have a few things that I shouldn't. Cake and ice cream topped the list. It's a birthday...what can I say! Today is a new day and I have to get back up on the horse and make good decisions. I did discover a new pop that I'm going to keep on hand. Dr. Pepper 10...my new best friend. On special occasions, we get cream soda on pizza night. I calculated the points and a glass of cream soda is 5 points! A glass of Dr. Pepper 10 is ZERO! A definite keeper! I'm a Dr. Pepper addict so for me to have the similar taste... better for me than regular pop... is a huge! No...it's not just for MEN despite what the commercials say! I'm proving them wrong!

Aiva

Today is Aiva's 7th birthday :) It's a big day because she'll never have a birthday like this. Today is 10/10/10. I've tried explaining the significance of it all but I just don't think she gets it. One day she'll appreciate it and remember what a great day it was. She is one special young lady and I am so glad I'm her mama...most days. This morning was questionable!

I'll never forget the morning my water broke with Aiva. She was due on 10/20 and I never really thought that she would come early. I woke up to go to the bathroom (it seems like all my water breaking happens in the bathroom!) and something didn't quite feel right. It was about 4:30 in the morning and I never really thought that anything could happen that early in the morning. To my surprise on my third trip to the bathroom I called Nate in and told him that I thought it was time. I had to tell him twice before I caught his attention. I called the doc and she told me to head on in. Since I had never done this birthing thing before I knew I wasn't going in stinking and I was going to look my best. I knew I was going to have all these pictures taken of me that day and I was going to have my hair done and make up on. I never anticipated the makeup being rubbed off and my hair being thrown up in a sweaty pony tail! Since we lived next to my mom and dad, I knocked on the door and let them know we were on our way. It turned into a true Kodak moment for my dad. He had a hay day taking all the pre-baby pictures. It wasn't til I received the first slight contraction that I thought we should be on our way. As we drove to the hospital I commented that I felt good and this birthing thing was a piece of cake...contractions, what contractions!?! We got to the hospital around 6AM and got checked in and all the pre-baby stuff done and we just sat and waited. Nate called his boss to tell him that he was officially on paternity leave and wouldn't be in today. We turned on the TV at first but it just didn't seem appropriate to have it all. It kind of felt like we were staying at a hotel and that I should be working or something! The nurse asked if I wanted to sit on the "ball" so I tried it for a while and the contractions started to get worse. This was the first time I felt like maybe I wanted to go back to that great memory in the car and feeling so great. The more I sat on the ball the more I wanted to get back in bed and so I did. I was in bed all day! It was about 7PM and I realized that I couldn't do the contractions any more so I asked for the epidural when I was at 7cm. After that I felt GREAT! SO much better than what I'd been...more like how I felt earlier! Our family was out in the waiting room waiting ever so patiently to find out if it was a girl or a boy! My grandma even offered to pay a nurse to come out to let them know what the baby was! At 9cm, my doctor came in and said that it wasn't going to be too long and that she was going to go check on another patient and she would be right back to get the show on the road. Sure enough, when she returned, she checked me and she said I was ready. I pushed three times and out she came at 9:33PM. "It's a girl!" For a moment Nate and I were both shocked but very happy. Nate cut the cord proudly and our lives were forever more changed. Aiva Shea Jacobus weighting 5lbs 10oz. She was so tiny but she had a might cry. She started out that way and she remains the same. She may be small in size but she sure is mighty. Happy birthday baby girl!

In honor of her 7th birthday, here are 7 things that I love about Aiva:

1) I love that Aiva is a book worm just like her mama.

2) I love Aiva's thumbs. They are long and slender and everything that I wanted when I was young. She definitely got her dad's thumbs!

3) I love Aiva's personality...although we butt heads a lot she knows what she wants and she goes after it.

4) I love that she is doing so well in school. She loves being there and loves learning.

5) I love that even though Aiva and her sister fight like cats and dogs you will never find anyone who will stand up for Ana more than Aiva.

6) I love that Aiva loves art. Seeing her creativity come out in her class is so exciting.

7) I love hearing her pray. She doesn't do it often because most times Ana beats her to it but when she does it reminds me how big she's getting and how her little faith is developing.

Anastasia

Today was Anastasia's birthday. She turned 4 years old today. My how time has passed. I can remember the day she was born. It was my first official day off work for maternity leave and I was getting ready to welcome my mother in law and brother/sister in law into town for the weekend. I had just gone to the store and Aiva and I stopped at my mom's to chat. Not sure why I did that especially with milk and other perishables in the car. We chatted on the porch for a few and then I told her we had to be leaving. Before I left I had to pee, like all pregnant women do! This might be too much info but I noticed that I was peeing for a bit too long. Once I had stopped, I stood up and was going to make my way to the sink and something didn't feel right. I sat back down to go to the bathroom and that's when I knew it. My water broke. I called my mom into the bathroom and told her that I thought my water broke and she didn't believe me. Once she saw the panic in my eyes she knew it was for real. I started crying about all my groceries that were going to go bad and she hurried me along to the car. Aiva was somewhat oblivious to what was going on which was a good thing because after I was finished crying about the groceries I started crying about leaving her! My mom drove me to our house and threw the stuff in the refrigerator and got my over night bag. I called my mother in law who was of course surprised because she wasn't planning on coming to welcome a grand daughter but the timing worked out perfect. Nate was at the hospital waiting for me, since he worked there. He was outside waiting for me with a wheel chair. Had I not been leaking so much I would have walked but my back side was wet...completely wet! I kissed Aiva and cried that I had to leave her and then turned to head to the hospital for my life to be changed forever more. I got there around 3 and she was born around 6. She was so beautiful and the first thing I noticed was that she had my thumbs. I knew then that she had to be special. Happy birthday baby girl...in honor of your birthday, here are four things that I love about her.

1) I love Ana's smile...she smiles like her mama - just like a Cheshire cat!

2) I love that her motto is "God is always with us".

3) I love that she has poker straight hair which is so different than Aiva's.

4) I love that she always asks her dad, "Dad, how do I look?" She values his opinion and aims to make her daddy happy...most times!

Hope you have a great year and that God blesses and shines on you as you celebrate being four years old!

Movies

Yesterday was awesome! Nate and I had a movie filled Saturday which we only get to do two times a year. This was an extension to our birthdays so we had to live it up! We both love movies so we did three yesterday. It was hard trying to make a decision but we narrowed it down to the three and I think we made a good decision. Here's what we saw:

We started at 4ish and the last movie ended around 2AM. I don't really have a favorite out of what we saw. They were all equally good in their own right! Avatar was a bit long for me and I had to get a second wind but it was definitely worth seeing! After we left the movies, we hit McDonald's for an extra early breakfast and then we thought we might was well stay up for the Federer/Murray tennis match. We didn't last long but I kept waking up to check the score. I was so bumbed when Murray lost but didn't lose any more sleep over it. I really want Andy Roddick to be in the finals but we were once again not surprise when he lost in the quarterfinals. So, with what's left of our Sunday, we're going to go for Nate's birthday (again) dinner at Red Lobster, pick up the girls, hang out with them maybe at Polaris, head home for dinner, and then for me, catch the second part of Jane Austin's "Emma" on PBS! Gotta love a Masterpiece Classic!

Love

I had a thought on my birthday that I wanted to blog about before I forgot. Nate and I were watching TV really late and I was determined to finish this scarf that I was working on. I knew that I was only going to get it half way done but I wanted to get to the end of my spool of material so I could be done with that. This scarf is going to be for me and I love the material I chose for it and I used my new loom that my sister in law got me for Christmas. The scarf is going to be a great color plus it's really thick and heavy which is going to be so warm. I kept looking it over and running my hands over it. I asked Nate several times how he thought it was turning out...I asked him if he wanted to hold it. To put it simple, I am so proud of this thing and can't wait to have a finished product. At one point, I put it on our kitchen table and thought for a moment about bringing it upstairs with me. Nate looked at me and started laughing...I told him that I was debating taking it to bed with me that I loved it so much! As I was walking up the stairs to go to bed, I thought that maybe this was how God thought of us. He likes to run His hands over us, stare at us to where He can't take His eyes off us, so proud of us that he can't leave our side. For just that one moment, it all made sense how much God loves me. It's the kind of love that give you warm "fuzzies" all over. When I do have my scarf completed, I know every time that I put it on, I'll think of God. Think of Him wrapping His loving arms around me and keeping me safe and warm.

34

Nate's birthday was yesterday. I felt so bad b/c he was at home all day with the girls and we only really had a few hours in the evening. I knew he wanted pizza...shocker, I know! I called Pizza Hut and had them put together a special pizza for the occasion. Check it out:Do you see the 34? He was so impressed! I felt so sneaky and loved every minute. The girls and I got him a new OSU Rose Bowl mug and the book "Dance me Daddy" by Cindy Morgan and Point of Grace. He loved it...so much in fact, that he cried while I read it. He always dances with our girls so this was perfect for him! The card we gave him said that he was the "Pizza Pie of our Eye"! Clever I know!! After that we headed home and we all played Wii bowling and wakeboarding. The girls had a blast and it was fun to play together. Once the girls were in bed, we watched the movie "I Love You Man". It had a lot of language in it, which was a bit of a turn off, but it did have a lot of funny stuff as well. We had a low key evening but we both know that our birthday weekend is coming next weekend. My parents are taking the kids and we're gonna hang out, doing what, I don't know but I'm sure it will be fun! Happy Birthday Honey!

Recap

34 really isn't all that bad! My birthday was great! Other than the fact that I had to work, which I'm sure everyone has had to work on their birthday, it was awesome. I wish I got to hang out more with my family but I guess that one wasn't on my birthday wish list so I can't argue with that one. Working wasn't bad though...Nate and the girls surprised me with roses which I got to look at and smell all day so, as did everyone in the office so it blessed lots other than me. After work, we headed to O'Charley's for dinner with my mom and dad. I of course had to get a Shirley Temple, a staple for every birthday dinner! Dinner was fantastic and the company was great. Mom and dad got Nate and I a cake and they sang Happy Birthday to us, which of course is always embarrassing, but who doesn't love it??!! For my birthday my parents surprised me with...drum roll please...a sewing machine! To say I was surprised is an understatement. I've been making these scarves on my looms and I just had the thought that I needed to get something that I could attache all these scarves to make blankets. What better way then with a sewing machine! Here's what I got...My mom said that it comes with 5 free classes at JoAnn's so I'm so excited to get them scheduled so I can start making new creations! Just to keep everyone in the know, I know have received 2 of my wishes! To start a new hobby and to take a class at JoAnn's! Nate was pretty excited too b/c my parents got him gift cards for Foot Locker so he can get some new shoes. He's been talking about new shoes for a few months now so he can finally get to it! Thanks Mom & Dad for a great night!

32

32…WOW, I can hardly believe that I’m another year older. 32 seems different though. It seems like I’ve in some way crossed over to the other side. I know I’m still young but maybe this is what “mature” feels like. I’m not young but I’m not old either…I’m mature. Let me go along thinking that…I know some of you may have your own thoughts but hey…who’s blog is this anyway??!! I’m only kidding! Give me a little room for my own thoughts today…it is my birthday! SO, in honor of my birthday, here are my 32 wishes. I don’t just get one…I get 32. Remember, this is my birthday so I set the rules. Enjoy them, laugh at me if you will, or be inspired. Here’s to another year of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!

1) To move in September
2) To be 32 pounds lighter
3) To save for our daughters future
4) To read 32 novels
5) To complete 16 (half of 32) long loom projects
6) To take a class at JoAnn fabrics
7) To make a new friend
8) To catch up with an old friend
9) To enrich my marriage
10) To learn something different in the 32nd book of the Bible…Jonah
11) To do something different with my hair
12) To bless 32 (or more) people
13) To go on a summer vacation
14) To go on a 10th anniversary trip
15) To have a family picture taken
16) To find a new hobby
17) To learn a new word
18) To make time for myself
19) To make time for Nate and I to go on dates
20) To go on dates with Aiva and Ana by ourselves
21) To ride bikes more
22) To get rid of our mismatched towels a get a complete set
23) To get a complete bed set that matches
24) To paint my nails more
25) To paint my girls nails more
26) To learn to like a new food
27) To buy more flowers
28) To buy flowers for others
29) To write more encouraging cards
30) To love deeper
31) To pray more
32) To listen more