lounging around day...

lounging around day...
well, it's not all fun...i went to bed sick last night and woke up the same way this morning. i'm catching a cold...headache, sore throat, cough, burning eyes...feels like a train hit me! so i decided i should just rest for a day. maybe that will magically make me feel better! so i thought i would take a photo where i'm not dressed nicely with make-up no and hair done! i don't think i ever post any of these photos!!

in my comfy pants and a tee-shirt from my hubby's side of the closet!! wet hair and no make-up!!

now i'm off to go doze for a little while!!

on the countdown...

Brandon and i are on the countdown now! we're at 30 weeks...well about 30 1/2 weeks really!! it seems like the time has flown by! i think we are ready for little Oliver to join us at home...i guess as ready as we can be!!

Last night Brandon took a few photos of my baby bump...

my belly is certainly sticking out there now!! for the longest time everyone was telling me that i was so small for how far along i was...but they can see my ever-growing-tummy now!!
i love it!

our weekend trip...

Thought i would share a couple photos from our little visit to Sioux Falls last weekend! Jon and Nichole live there and we were invited out for a little visit before our babies are due! It was a rather quick visit...we left on Saturday afternoon and were back home by Sunday late afternoon...but we had a fun time shopping in Sioux Falls and visiting with them! Nichole and i went to a couple baby consignment stores and the guys went to a couple guitar stores!! On Sunday, after church, i got to take photos of Nichole's baby bump!! Here are a couple...

the rest of her photos are here

Brandon wanted to take a photo of Nichole and i...so that we could remember how we were pregnant at the same time!! Nichole is at 34 weeks and i am at 30 weeks!!

ohhh...just look at our two little bumps!!

i change my hair a lot...

Well, on Tuesday i got my hair cut again! i wasn't sure what i wanted...so i brought in a few photos to Jenny and told her the things i liked and didn't like about them all. and she gave me a new do! i was thinking about it and i've had lots of different hair styles in the past couple years! Here is a quick run-through...

i had the longest hair when Brandon first met me...and i kept this long hair for the longest. i don't think i had it cut for a year!! but, it was getting super long and extremely thick...so i started going shorter and shorter.

nice and long and wavy
(miss aimee in the back seat!!)

After moving to Blue Earth, i wanted a change for my hair...so i got it chopped off!! and had the ends flipped out most of the time...i liked this one, but i'm not sure it was the best for my face shape...

for our wedding, i let my flipped out hair grow out a little bit and then i had a perm put in!! talk about an extreme change!! Brandon called me a poodle for the first couple of days after getting it!! and i have to agree with him...but it relaxed quite a bit!! the photo for our wedding makes my hair look really good...since i had it professionally fixed right before the photos!!

and my goal was to let it grow it out again...this photo i have it pulled back so it looks shorter than it really was! but i loved being able to do a few different styles with it...and curl the ends!

Then miss Jenny came to town and started doing my hair!! we've put some lighter highlights in and added bangs! loved the bangs while they lasted!!
(just a bad photo of me!!)

i think this one is my all time favourite...after the perm, my hair was not healthy anymore...so i told miss Jenny just to cut off all the bad stuff! it was getting to the point that when i would go to flat-iron my hair in the morning it would actually squeak!! so, this one was longer on the sides and shorter in the back...and we coloured it much lighter this time!!

Okay...here is my new style!!
Super short...this is the shortest i have ever gone!! a little pixie really...but i think i like it! super easy to take care of! perhaps it's just my pregancy hormones that is making me go shorter and shorter...not quite sure!!
after this one i think i am going to try to grow it out a little more...but i guess we'll see just how far that goes!!

OMGoodness

it's here...it's here!!
i had ordered the most adorable baby boy (and girl, but i'm only excited about the boy stuff!!) paper and embellishments for at the scrapbook store...and it came in on tuesday!!
super super cute things...i can't wait to start making a book for little Oliver!!
As soon as i opened the box and saw that it was 10 times cuter than the photos online...i just had to send Liz and Brandon an email saying that "it's here...it's here...i think i'm going to cry it's just soooo cute"!! it made Brandon laugh when came to the store that afternoon!!

Liz is going to come over to my house, i think next weekend, and scrapbook!! Even though i have a smaller house...i also invited Jenny and Tami!! i'm sure we'll all fit!! Not quite sure on the date...but whenever it will be...we are going to have lots of fun!!

babies-r-us (love that store)

On our way home from Christmas up at mom and dad's house, Brandon and i stopped at a Babies R Us in Maple Grove. Oh, boy...i could spend hours in that store!! The first time Brandon and i went in one we were quite overwhelmed! That's a big store chalk full of all baby stuff! Pretty much everything you can think of for a little one. This time we were on a mission...we have been stock-piling money to go towards a stroller/car seat system. all those photo shoots this fall really helped with that!! and when Brandon sold one of his guitars in hopes of buying a new one...well, i convinced him we should buy some stuff for the baby instead! (sorry hun!)
We found a 3-wheeled stroller with a car seat that came together. We had looked at this one the first time we were there, and this time we brought it home! (good thing we borrowed Bruce's pickup to go up north with...i don't think that big box would have fit in my little car!!)

Of course Brandon put it together that night!!

Trying out the car seat...the little monkey we got from mom and dad worked perfect!!

Grey and Green...

As a Christmas gift from "Mom, Dad and the Kiddos" this is what was in the box. Lots of super cute baby things! Mom sewed the baby crib sheets (4 of them) and also the cute little burp cloths (rolled up next to the monkey).

Super Cute!! Thank you guys!
Oliver will love everything once he's finally here!

ana+paintball gun= brandon as the target

Brandon convinced me to go outside and shoot the paintball gun a couple of times...he just knew i was *dying* to go out to the woods with the guys and shoot at everyone!! But, being preggers, i didn't think that would be the safest thing! So i just practiced a few shots off to the trees.

Brandon thought i might get some enjoyment out of shooting him in the back with one of the yellow paintballs...oh, yes i did!!
thanks, hun, for being my target!!
(i slipped on one my sister's sweaters...it doesn't look like i'm pregnant!! guess i could have eaten more cookies!!)

oh, yeah...there is the spot i hit him!

Proudly showing it off!! Colter took the photos for me while i was having a blast!

Brandon...quite the funny man..."playing dead" in the snow!
Notice all the yellow paint in his beard...that was from the fight with the guys earlier...it hit his facemask and exploded yellow paint on his beard and his coat!!

more photos from Christmas...

Here are a couple photos of the paintball fights...

Brandon got shot in the back by my dad...

Colter took a paintball to the facemask...he also has quite the bruise on his leg. He's so skinny-mini that he bruised from not having any fat on his legs!!
He was *very* proud of his bruise!

Mom and Dad got the kids a Wii for Christmas...i'm not sure who enjoyed it more...Brandon or the kids!! Many hours of playing games and creating their own Mii's were spent playing over the weekend!

Snowboarding...this is a game that Brandon and i got for the kids once we found out they had received a Wii. Well, i'm thinking Brandon wanted to get it for them so he could play with it!!
Since i won't let him get one for our house...he has to get in as much time playing when he's up north or else visiting with his brother! Poor little fellow!

Colter...he received this cool looking hat from Nick for a gift...and wore it inside for the majority of the following day. Looked a little warm to me, but he liked it!

Colter and Brandon each received the game of Battleship. They were playing it together on Saturday morning...can you tell which board is my brother's?? Colter is just like Dad...cheating on games...but they always think it is soooo funny!!

And having little girls running all around the house, it's just a matter of time until they want to "beautify" someone! Brandon got picked on Sunday morning...Emma "decorated" his hair with lots of headbands that were a gift from Grandma Jan!!
Brandon just sat there and let her pile the headbands on his head and stretchy hair pieces around his wrist!
Silly girl!

paint ball guns + 5 guys = lots of fun

As Christmas gifts...mom and dad gave Nick, Jon and Brandon paintball guns. (Dad and Colter got one just for the fun of it!!) and did they all think that was the grandest thing the whole world! So, on Friday night after the gifts were opened...they all bundled up in warm (old) clothing and jackets and headed outside for a little fight!

Dad, Colter, Brandon and Jon
(Nick didn't play the first round because he didn't bring old play clothes.)

a few practice rounds...

Brandon said he would be their target...notice the paintball that grazed past his head and hit the shed! (the big orange splat!)

Here they are all aiming for the burning barrels...they were quite colourful at the end!

Heading out to the pasture to start their fight!

You can't see too well with this photo, but there are 3 guys out there.

Jon and Colter...sneaking their way to the enemy's territory.

baking for Christmas

Yesterday after work i made a quick stop at the grocery store and then went home and started baking! i love baking things...but i found that after working a full day and being preggers, you get tired out much faster while baking!! i managed to finish a few things....

pretzel rods dipped in white and dark chocolate and then sprinkled with nuts, sprinkles or coconut!

my all time favourite...coconut date balls!

and of course banana bread...not exactly typical Christmas baking food, but i love banana bread...and am eating a piece right now for breakfast!

so i should have enough to share with the Ankeny side of the family and the Ostrowski side of the family. Tonight brandon and i are joining the Ankeny's for Christmas Eve service at the methodist church and then going to grandma/grandpa Ankeny's house for soup with all of the family. And after that wraps up, heading over to bruce and bonnie's house for a smaller Christmas...just brandon's brothers and their families. It's going to be a busy night...but it will be fun to be able to see everyone again!
brandon and i are supposed to leave on friday to head up to my family's house, but it looks like we might leave on thursday. the weather is looking like ice for friday, and that would be no fun to drive in! and then we are spending the weekend up there and coming home on sunday. busy...busy...busy!
i'm sure i'll have more photos to share after tonight...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

more photos of Oliver's room...

yes, i was late for work today...i just had to take a couple photos of a few new things we put in Oliver's room!

Sunday, while watching the game, i started stitching this little owl for the baby's room...and then finished it up at work yesterday!

Brandon was searching though his memory box in the closet the other day and came across a little box that held these little cars and bikes...and he thought they should go in the baby's room on the shelf!!
my mini cooper and motorcycle and brandon's pacer!!

i finally finished up all the clipboards! i had 3 left to complete before i hung them up. i think it was friday evening i brought all my scrap supplies i have stock-piled for the baby and created 3 more clipboards.

(i think this one, above, is my favourite!!)

trying my hand at stamping...something new for me!

little monkeys!