Snowed in weekend!!

What a fantastic weekend!!!  Usually, Fridays are days that I get to spend one on one with Sophia.  Mother nature had a different idea.  We got 7.1 inches of snow so Carlos did not have school.  The three of us hung out at home for the day.  Not how I planned to spend my Friday, but it was very nice.  Paul got home around 2:00 that afternoon because UNI closed for 1/2 day.  It was nice to have time together as a family.  Then we journeyed carefully to UNI to watch the only Bradley/UNI game I get to see this year.  It was a women's game and it was nice to watch the game together.  Sophia has been a trooper and usually sleeps through most of the games we go to.  Here's a picture of Sophia ready to cheer on the Bradley Braves!!! 

Paul works extra hard with his side job in the summer mowing and in the winter removing snow.  Needless to say with 7.1 inches of snow, he had a lot of work to do this weekend.  He got up bright and early Saturday morning (5:30 AM) and started his job...5 properties cleaned off and ready to go by 10:30 AM including ours.  YEAH!!!  Paul made us all a nice breakfast and we relaxed for the day.  Carlos had to work from 1-9 (which was a nice break in our house) so Paul and I decided to run some errands and just hang out with our daughter.  We got a lot accomplished.  We spent the evening at our house enjoying another recipe from Pinterest (its an amazing website!!!), hanging out with friends and playing games. 

Sunday we worshipped together as we always do and Paul is still managing getting Sophia ready and to church on time by himself.  I'm impressed!!!  The congregation just loves to see Sophia and how she grows each week, but most of the time she's sleeping...except a week ago Sunday she talked during the whole Confession and Forgiveness time.  Pastor's kid (PK)...gotta love em!!

Due to the rainy and icy conditions, we were not able to go to Manchester to spend time with family and celebrate Derek's b-day.  We were really bummed about it and Carlos asked if he could drive on his own.  Of course the answer was NO.  If we don't feel comfortable driving, then we wouldn't let him.  Paul was not comfortable taking Sophia on Highway 20 with the weather we were having.  So, we went to plan B.  Paul of course went to his properties to salt and make sure his clients could get out if they wanted to.  Then we all relaxed, took naps, and read the paper.  Carlos is usually gone on Sunday nights to indoor soccer so Paul, Sophia and I went to the UNI men's basketball game against Drake.  We enjoy our social outings.

I guess the BIG news of the weekend is that Carlos has made a decision to go to Grandview University in Des Moines for college.  It's a Lutheran school and we couldn't be any happier for him.  He's worked hard to get everything ready for college and I'm glad he finally made a decision.  It's not Bradley or UNI but we are happy for his new adventures at Grandview!!!

Well, enjoy the week.  Its still very icy here and Carlos had a 2 hour delay for school. 

All Night Long!

Last night was a huge milestone! Sophia slept all night long- and so did her mom and dad! Like her father after 8 hours of not eating, she was hungry when she woke up today! We are hoping this is the first of many, many all night sleeping sessions! We are looking forward to celebrating with the family (happy birthday Derek) this weekend, and we are excited to get together for the first time in 2012. We hope you are all doing well, staying warm, and traveling safely! After a mild December and first week if January, the Iowa winter has arrived! Happy shoveling!

Sophia!!!

Here is Sophia Ann on Christmas Ever 2011. Her dress was given to her by her great Aunt Shirley Waterman and cousin Lori.  She looked adorable and we had a great first Christmas with her.  She is now 11 weeks old.  She's enjoying day care and is quite tired when daddy picks her up after work, but she's sleeping better.  Carlos continues to want to hold her and talks to her all the time.  He takes good care of his baby sister. 

We went to our second UNI basketball game of the year with Sophia last Friday.  She slept through most of it, but she did get to meet her first cats...THANKS TC and TK for taking time to meet Sophia and pose for a few pictures...

This Friday is the big game...BRADLEY BRAVES vs. UNI women's basketball!!!  We are excited for the game.  Since I'm a graduate of Bradley, we try to go to as many Bradley/UNI events as possible.  Sophia has supported UNI at the last serveral games so this Friday Sophia will help mommy support Bradley!  Look for another cute pictures of Sophia in her red/white/black!!!

Well, I hope you enjoyed a few pictures of our baby girl.  As Paul has written many times, let us know what you are up to...we love to hear from our friends and family.  If you are in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area sometime, let us know!!

Seeking Attention

2012 has already started off a little rough. Carlos' senioritis has set in. Melissa goes from spending all day with her baby, back to work full time. Paul had a sinus infection and back pain for a week. Sophia needs fed, changed, cuddled, read to, napped- all in a continuous process. As we learn what a new lifestyle is for us, some are not so great to adapt.

This morning, among the cold, snow, and howling wind, I awoke to the sound of Chester running from one end of the bedroom to the other. From the minute I went from sleeping to barely awake, I knew this was not good. Out of bed I arose, turning my phone on to see what was littered on the floor. There they were- clothes and slippers of various colors, shapes, sizes, all with a wet edge or pieces missing. Through the tumult of changes 2012 has brought, our dogs have handled the lack of petting, treats, and walks with limited success.

Today, like other days, Chester has decided to be the change he wanted to see in the world. He took life by the horns (and my long johns in his teeth) and decided he was going to get some attention. It worked. He got our attention real quick. While not happy, I feel like I can understand where Chester is coming from. We get bogged down in the day-to-day: the quest to get caught up, and maybe even (*gasp*) ahead on our to-do list. With this in mind, it is time to create some change, and make sure the dogs get the love, attention, and time they need. Cold, snow, ice, or wind- these pups deserve better. Check with me in February to see how the Waterman quest is going!

2012- A New Year, A Better Blogger

Happy 2012! We are already ten days into this year we haven't posted a blog in 4 months! Yikes! We will be better bloggers this year- I promise!

2011 ended up being a great year for us! We had a baby girl, Sophia, and she brings great joy to our life! I am sure this blog will focus a lot on her, as she is the cutest of us all!

We hope you are all doing well, and stay posted for more blogs, more frequently, and hopefully more interesting!

Stumbling Upon September

Lots of good things to post about as September is already a third over! August ended up being a nice month and the Iowa fall started a little early. We wished well one niece and two nephews to college, as Austin goes to Iowa State, Casey goes to Iowa, and Samantha goes to Clarke. It is making us feel a bit old, we see our nieces and nephews grow so fast! We can only imagine what their parents feel like! ;)

We got to re-live our 'college days' as we enrolled in 'classes' at Covenant. We passed our two classes- 4 weeks of Lamaze and 2 weeks of Baby Basics. We learned a lot, but the biggest lesson we learned was we have A LOT more to learn! We are getting excited, but also a little nervous as Junior grows and gets closer to arrival!

Unfortunately, August brought some growing pains as well! Carlos is starting his senior year, and it wouldn't be a story about Carlos if there was not some drama involved! He is currently a senior at West, but is taking some challenging courses and wanting to try new things (i.e. Wrestling). He is currently negotiating his curfew for Homecoming tomorrow.

Melissa also had some growing pains, and we found ourselves at Covenant Hospital. Melissa had some horrible abdominal pains, so we went and saw the doctor. The good news is the baby is fine. The bad news is Melissa has to endure some pretty severe pain without much medicinal support. We are currently looking for natural/safe alternatives to drugs! Other than not getting a lot of sleep, having a sore back, and being uncomfortable, Melissa is doing fairly well!

Paul got to enjoy the first annual Thunder In the Valley Air Show with Karen and Clare. Due to the pain, Melissa did not go, which was unfortunate. Carlos was there, but he was enjoying the company of his Homecoming date, and I don't know if he saw more than two airplanes! I enjoyed seeing the B-2 Stealth Bomber, and the Air Force Thunderbirds were the headline act. Seeing a jet-powered school bus and some parachuters also top the list of neat things. Overall, it was a hot, sunny, gorgeous day for an air show.

September has already brought a wedding and birthday party! Congratulations to Kim and Dusty as they enjoy life as husband and wife! The reception was enjoyed by a few members of Advising- thanks Tony, Joan, Dave, Deb, and Karen for helping celebrate (and entertain). The day was nice (after it dried up), and it appears as if all guests enjoyed themselves!

Another nephew has reached the age of adulthood, and welcome Matt into the 18 and older club! We celebrated with him, and lots of family on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend! We certainly enjoy our family and friends time, although we don't get near enough time for all those we love and adore! We hope all is well across the world, and keep us updated on how things are going for all of you!

PMWCDC

A Weekend of Celebration!

Another weekend has come and gone, and there are a lot of things to celebrate. The annual Iowa Irishfest kicked off Friday afternoon, and we took the chance to browse some Irish goods, eat some really great food (not so much Irish, but delicious), listen to a couple Celtic bands, and watch the world-famous Trinity Irish Dancers. Thanks to Jane and Dwight for inviting us to go!

Saturday brought some sweet memories and more celebration. The day started by heading to Manchester and enjoying some homemade ice cream with Mom and Dad. The folks are stripping and re-sealing their deck, and I wanted to help Dad get some of the old stuff off the deck. We worked for a few hours, then enjoyed grilled burgers, grilled potatoes and onions, sweet corn, cucumbers and onions, potato salad, zucchini cake, and more homemade ice cream. After a tour of gardens and some potato digging it was back to the deck. Knowing that we had a wedding to get to, my work ended early, and I showered and we headed to First Lutheran to see the group that just arrived back from West Virginia (Carlos included). We celebrated and prayed with the group, returned the van to Dubuque, and headed to Bellevue to celebrate the marriage of Kyle and Alisha. The drive was scenic, the weather beautiful, and the outdoor service was a nice touch for the bride and groom. We enjoyed catching up with old friends, eating some delicious roast pork, sweet corn, and a variety of salads and pies, and learning more about how the pig's head ended up in the roaster! It was a great day, and would have been better without the 2 hour and 1 minute drive back to Waterloo!


Sunday, we worshipped and celebrated the visit of our friend Greg! He was on leave for the weekend and it was nice to see him and hear stories from his last few months away! With any luck, he will be back permanently in the next week! After church was mowing and dinner. After dinner was our big interview for childcare. Our friend Karen operates a daycare out of her home, and she has an opening in January! We ended up spending 3 hours at her house, catching up with the family and talking more about expectations and the logistics of daycare. My eyes were opened to the different aspects of daycare and all the work that goes into operating one! At the end of the night we agreed that Karen is our top priority now! So, we are a bit relieved that we have so many good things going for us!

As the month of August rolls around, we continue to get busier and prepare for school to start. We hope you are all blessed, healthy, and enjoying the finer things in life! Take Care!