Annabelle Jo

We had decided that with this baby the name was going to be kept a secret until we had it. This way we could prevent name stealing, which my family does, and unwanted negative opinions about the chosen name! : ) However, we decided that regardless of what anyone else thinks we really like the name Annabelle. The only thing we aren't quite certain about is the spelling. If anyone has any cute ideas on how to spell it let us know. So far this is our favorite spelling of the name. Her middle name is after Brett's mother. We decided before we had kids that we wanted to name them after someone important to us. We think its nice to have a name that will remind them of someone who is special to us. McKinley's middle name was after my grandma. Brett and I became really close to her before she died, and we decided that we wanted to name one of our girls after her. We have been calling the baby Annabelle since we found out it was a girl, but McKinley calls her "Annababy". It's really cute. : )
Today at church McKinley was very entertaining. During the middle of the sacrament McKinley kneeled up on the seat and started flexing her muscles. She said "I strong". The funny part was the way she was flexing her muscles. She was doing the flex where you straighten out your arms in front of you to flex your triceps. I have no idea where she learned this new trick, but it was really cute. We had a really hard time not laughing at her in the middle of sacrament. This kid is so entertaining. We really never know what to expect from her. She keeps us laughing. : )

Crafts and Play Dates

I wouldn't consider myself to be a crafty person. I love to do crafts, but I'm not one of those people who are just naturally crafty (ex.Valerie & Kelly). However, I don't let that stop me. This past week I decided I wanted to make some cute pictures to hang in McKinley's new bedroom. She has a really cute bedroom right now that has flowers on the walls and clouds on the ceiling, but when the baby comes it is going to be the nursery. So I've been trying to think of things I can make for her new room so that it is just as cute. I used scrapbook paper to decorate these picture mats so that they matched her comforter. I've never really made anything like this before, but I think they will look cute in her room.

The other craft I made this week was a recipe clipboard. I saw the idea on this really cool blog my friend told me about. I was really excited to make this clipboard because it is something that will help me get my meals more organized. The top paper has a week calender so you can plan out your meals for the week. Then next to it is a shopping list so you can make sure you have the ingredients that you need. I love anything that helps me get more organized.

This week has been alot of fun for me and McKinley. We had some kind of play group or party every day this week. We have 3 new families that moved into our neighborhood, and they also go to church with us. All 3 of these families have little girls McKinley's age. There are 7 little girls in our neighborhood that are McKinley's age and so we are planning on have play groups about once a week. McKinley loved having them over to play at her house this week. Every Wednesday I watch 2 little girls McKinleys age named Sammy and Sierra. They are her best friends and she talks about them all week long. They love playing dress-ups together. When they came over this past week we went out back and made grass skirts for them out of the reeds.

On Friday night we had the neighbors and some of the other people from our neighborhood over for pizza and games. It was alot of fun. We have really enjoyed getting to know the new neighbors, they are really nice and alot of fun. Tonight we had a primary party at the church for the primary leaders, teachers and their families. We had a good time. I really enjoy spending time with the people I work with in primary. They are wonderful ladies and great friends. I'm really excited because on Monday me and a bunch of my friends are going to the huge outlet mall by our house for its big Labor Day sale. We are going to leave our kids home with their dads and go shopping. I can't wait! :) I hope everyone has a fantastic Labor Day weekend.

Babies first picture

I guess this isn't actually her first picture, but this is the first picture that even slightly resembles a human child. We are really excited about having another girl, and I think McKinley is going to love being a big sister.

Bow Party

Yesterday afternoon me and a bunch of my friends from our ward had a Bow Party. We all got together and made a bunch of hairbows for our little girls. It was alot of fun. There was around 10 people that came. We had 2 girls from our ward come and watch all of the kids so that we could work without having a bunch of little helpers. We also made little tutu's for our girls. Everything turned out really cute and it was alot of fun to have a girls afternoon.



I've only been making bows for about 6 months, but I have made way more bows than McKinley will ever be able to wear. I didn't realize how addictive it is. I've decided I need to pick a new craft for a little while. Lately I've been working with beads. I've been making beaded barrettes and little bracelets for McKinley. I just love doing crafts. Its something I enjoy doing and its something I can do in my spare time to de-stress. Who knows maybe there will be a bead party in the near future.

Baby Ultrasound- It's a...

Today we had our 21 week check-up. We also had the ultrasound that tells us if we will be buying pink or blue. This ultrasound is also the one that checks for problems. The baby looked really good, except for its kidneys. The doctor said its kidneys are in the 90th percentile. We are going to have another ultrasound next month to check on the kidneys. The doctor said at that point we'll know if we need to worry or not. Hopefully, its just that the babies kidneys are growing a little faster than normal and not that it has a blockage. We took McKinley with us to the appointment and she was able to see the baby on the tv. She looked excited and confused at the same time.
Now we'll answer the question on everybodies mind.


I think we all would have been surprised if it was a boy considering my families record. We are really excited. McKinley will enjoy having a sister to play with. When we found out that we were having a girl we told McKinley that she was going to get a baby sister. After the ultrasound we met with the doctor and as soon as he walked in the room she told him she was having a sister.:)We got some ultrasound pictures of the baby that I will post as soon as I can figure out how to do it.

Uncle Spener came to Visit

My brother Spencer came out to visit for a week and a half. It has been really nice having him out here because I'm really close to my brother, and I love spending time with him. Brett had a conference in Minneapolis for a week, so my brother came out to spend time with me while he was gone. Me and McKinley tried to show him some of the fun things out her in Michigan.

The morning before Brett flew out we all went bowling. This was McKinley's first time bowling and she loved it. She loved it so much that we ended up getting another lane because she wasn't letting anyone else bowl. It was a lot of fun!

We took Spencer to a bunch of the outlet malls out here. One of the malls had a Bass Pro Shop in it and it had a huge fish tank. We visit this store everytime we go to the mall because McKinley loves looking at all of the big fish. The main reason this picture is being posted is because my mom said I never post pictures of myself. So here it is Mom. :)


We spent an afternoon at the Lake. I've always known that McKinley likes to play in the sand, but I had no idea Spencer did too. He spent quite a bit of time building a sand castle. It came complete with a guest house and its only little lake. He didn't even freak out when McKinley kept trying to help him by dumping sand on it. What a good Uncle!



McKinley enjoyed spending the afternoon at the Lake with her Uncle Spencer. He took her for rides around the lake on his back and then he showed her how to bury yourself in the sand. She loved it! She is so lucky to have such great Uncles. It has been so nice to spend time with my brother. The only thing that would have made it better, is if Brett was here too. I really hate it when we are apart. He is my rock. He not only keeps me sane, but he makes me happier than I can ever remember being. I have the best husband in the world, and I am counting down the hours until he gets home tomorrow. Stay posted because on Monday we are going to have some baby news, as long as the babies legs aren't crossed.