New Car

OK, so it's not a new car, but it sure feels like one. Only 5 1/2 weeks after being rear-ended I finally have my car back and it looks great. Just like new. It's so nice to have the freedom to to get out whenever I want again!

Peas

This past month our snow peas have finally grown big enough to harvest. They're sweet and plump and don't even need dip to eat. Yum! Not many are making it to the kitchen because Chad and I keep eating them while we're outside. We'll keep the plants for another few weeks and then it'll be time to pull them out. Hard to believe we need to start working on our summer garden!

Proud Daughter

This week my dad, Terry L. Ommen, published his first book, Visalia (Then and Now). Saturday he had his first book signing event and it was at the local Costco. Chad and I went to support him and it was a lot of fun. We're really proud of him and the book he's published. It's a keeper. Go Dad!

Vintage Furniture

Here are two great pieces of furniture for the baby's room that were recently painted. The first is a rocking horse my grandpa made for me when I was a baby. You'll see originally it was black, white and red but this week I painted it green, a shade darker than the walls in the baby room. I sure hope the baby likes it!

Also, the baby now has a dresser from the late 1940s. My grandpa also made this, but not for me, for my mom before she was born. All the women in the family have used it for their babies and it's been painted a few times. You'll see the last paint job was white, yellow and blue, but now it's green, brown and white. Thanks, Mom, for doing the hard job of painting it this past week. It's so cute and looks perfect in the room.

23 Weeks

A few people have asked to see belly photos. I've taken them periodically for the baby book and to watch how I've grown. Here I am at 23 weeks -- officially in my 6th month.

Paint-O-Rama

Yesterday Mom arrived to help me paint the baby's room. Earlier this month I chose the color green I wanted for two walls of the room and she brought the paint and the supplies so we could get started. We painted the first and second coats yesterday and then finished the detail painting this morning. The details included a few lighter spots on the walls and the areas around the ceiling and doorway.

It took some work but we got it done and love how it turned out. The avocado green walls with the dark espresso wood crib work well together.

Productive Baby Planning Day

A couple weeks ago my mom came up to help me look at baby cribs. By the end of that day we were more confused and overwhelmed than we were when we started. It's hard finding a crib when there are so many to choose from out there. I was looking for a crib with a particular style, in dark wood, quality craftsmanship, coordinating dresser--and one that didn't cost a million dollars. Since it had been a couple weeks since our first shopping trip my mom and I were ready to try again. She came up this morning and we were successful! We picked out a crib and matching dresser, brought the crib home and set it up. The dresser is on order and should arrive in the next 12 weeks. I can't wait until it gets here! We also picked out a paint color for the baby's bedroom. We chose a sage green and I think it's going to look great. Here are a couple photos of me with the crib we picked out.

Baby Shower

Last week Chad and I traveled to San Diego to attend the funeral of his grandfather, Walter. The family gave Walter a nice service to remember his life. A few members of the U.S. Navy were there to honor his wife by giving her a folded U.S. flag that was laid over his coffin earlier in the service.

On Saturday morning Chad's sisters threw us a baby shower. Because it is the rare occasion that we're all together as a family they decided this weekend was a fine time to do it. We ate individual omelets and fruit for breakfast before playing shower games and opening gifts. I got some really neat homemade gifts for the baby including a hooded towel, a nursing cover, a monkey blanket and a fitted sheet for the crib. We received other cute gifts too. Chad and I are thankful for the shower, the gifts, and time we all got to spend together this past week.

Here's a photo of us playing a multitasking game. We had to hang baby clothes on a clothesline while talking on the phone and holding a Cabbage Patch doll. The entire group was divided into two teams and it was a relay race. The other photo is of me trying on the nursing cover.

Amgen Tour of California

This afternoon I was lucky enough to watch a portion of the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race. It's a multi-day multi-city race and today's leg of it ended in Clovis. In fact, a portion of it took place about a half a mile from home so my friends and neighbors Jim and Kellie walked over to watch it with me. We waited about an hour for the cyclists to arrive and then once they did...they were gone in about 4 seconds.

Overall it was a fun event and I'm glad we went.

Here is the best photo I got from the race. Not great, but like I said, the best I got. When Kellie and Jim get their photos online I'll link to them here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our day started out pretty well. We woke up early, went to H&R Block to get our taxes done (we got refunds!) and decided to celebrate by going to lunch and by doing a little crib shopping. Fun! Well, fun until we got rear-ended. We were in an accident today in my Honda. We're all fine and no one was hurt, but the back of my car is pretty darn smashed in. And I worked so hard to keep it clean and looking new! Such a bummer. Now the fun of getting it repaired begins...