A Final Attempt

Well, yes it's me again!! I am back after a hiatus from blogging. Attempt # - well who knows how many attempts I've made at this blogging thing. If it doesn't happen this time people, it probably just won't happen. But, I so enjoy reading other's blogs that I am determined to get back into it.

Since I have blogged last, a new person has been added into the Stivers Clan! A fiery, lovable little man who claims the name Connor Judson. July 10, 2010 was the infamous date of our little guy's arrival. He was 2 weeks early but very ready to come. He arrived at 4:35, Saturday afternoon, weighing in at 6 lbs. 12 oz and measuring 21 inches long!! I have discussed with other moms since then the surreal feeling of that moment, when you welcome your very own, unique, and most precious baby into the world. There is nothing like it.... Since then our 3 month old has grown to be over 14 pounds and is now cooing, holding his head up, and exercising his little legs and arms as fast as they'll go. Where have the last three months gone? I ask this because I know this is how the rest of our lives will be.. trying to catch up to yesterday. My sister-in-law said to me.."If you want your life to be put on fast forward just have children." And that is so true.

Please allow me to brag on my husband also for a moment- Chris is now supervisor at the Verizon- Cellular Sales Call Center, and is loving it. His bosses are extremely pleased with his work and how every department that he is placed in, grows. For those of you who don't know Chris, let me tell ya, you're missing out.. He is the funny, intelligent, caring, Mr. Fix it husband of mine, and I couldn't ask for more. He's got the whole "dad" thing down to a tea also. There's so much of the unknown that comes with having your first child, but we're learning it together and loving every minute of it. Through all of his and my stubbornness and differences, it is beyond evident that we were created for each other, and the Lord knew exactly what he and I needed to be better people. I am so thankful and blessed to have him.

I have many pictures, and other items to show, but as all of our files are on an external hard drive right now , that's a bit difficult. They will be posted soon though!

"We're Not in Kansas Anymore.."

Today is not the first day that I have thought about our home in Kansas and many great times I had, becoming a "Kansan". As all of you know, that is where Chris was born and raised and we lived there last year for about 6 months. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Tennessee, but Kansas held some of the best memories of my early-married life and sometimes I just love reminiscing about some of our great times there. One of the great highlights of living there was probably the entire family's favorite place- the lake. It was so much fun, just to be with family, cook out, swim, boat, ski, tube, or just hang out and chat! I miss those times so much and think of them often. I remember being so nervous when I moved there about tornadoes...there was not one the entire time I was there and for that I am thankful! I remember seeing grain feeders for the first time and not believing how huge the sky is out there! Sometimes it's just fun to think about our lives since we've been married....I can't believe we've moved 4 times in only being married for a year and a half!! Ahh..I can't believe how crazy our lives are, but I'm lovin' it! No matter what, life is fun when you're living it with your best friend. Here are some photos from Kansas.. Enjoy

Surprises at Dollywood!

One of the best things about living where we do is being so close to the legendary Smokies, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge. Chris and I happen to LOVE Dollywood (an amusement park in Pigeon Forge) and usually get a chance to go on occasional evenings and weekends. It makes for the perfect date night! We got season passes for this year and always have a fabulous time when we go.

We had an unexpected, but a really fun time this past Saturday. We went to one the mid-morning shows and heard them talking about what a fun time they had with Dolly in their earlier show. Chris and I looked at each other like, "Are you serious? She's really here?" They said that she was there that weekend with her god-daughter Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Kenny Rogers trying to raise money for a fund she started for the flood relief in Nashville. So naturally, we kept our ears open to hear if anyone was talking about where she'd be next. We didn't really hear anything promising, and by that time we realized that she was just making surprise appearances in different shows all day. We eventually just picked a show and kept our fingers crossed! We sat through the whole thing, and had almost given up hope, when at the end of the show when the cast was doing their encore, the announcer came over the speaker and announced Dolly Parton. Chris looked at me and said as she was coming on stage, "My goodness, that's really her!" We really had a great time getting to see her and she seems like a real sweetheart. At a later show, we got much better seats and were able to get much closer. We were able to hear her sing with her aunts, uncles, and cousins, and that was definitely cool. It was a memory-makin' day!

Finally!! A New Post!!

I know......I know!! But, really, once you neglect something for so long, it is SO hard to get back into the habit. I'm going to try to make this my New Year's resolution (keeping up with the blog, that is) even though I am about 4 months late ;).

Since, my last post Chris and I have moved back to the hills of East Tennessee and I am 30 weeks pregnant with our first son. Pregnancy has been the most amazing experience in my life. I have loved every moment (well, except the first 12 weeks of sickness), but that seems so far away in the past now and now I'm just anticipating his arrival. I love the flutters and kicks that happen only for daddy's voice. I love the fact that I've had to have extra ultrasounds, so I can see my handsome little man more than most people get to. I love making the preparations and making sure everything is just perfect. I love knowing that I am now a mom, which is something I believe to be one of the most important and precious positions that a person can hold. Sure, I think of things that could go wrong, or how our life is completely changing, but it all pales in comparison to the privilege that we've been given to be parents. I am so blessed to have this opportunity.

Maybe some of you don't know about Connor's little kidney problem that we found out about around 20 weeks. He has a condition called "fetal hydronephrosis", which is a long name for a blockage between the kidney and ureter. My doctor assured me that this is fairly common with little boys and she would keep a close eye on it to see how the condition was progressing. As all of you mommy's know- the feeling that something could potentially be wrong with your precious baby is heart-wrenching. Even though there's absolutely nothing you can do about it and it's not your fault, you feel this awesome responsibility for this life growing inside of you. So you can imagine the feelings that have been going through my head. However, today at my doctor's appointment, the ultrasound showed that his kidney's were at .4 and .5 which is very good news, because to even be considered hydronephrosis they have to be elevated to .7 by 32 weeks. They don't really expect them to elevate to .7 in the next 2 weeks so it's a pretty good chance that his kidney's are going to be completely normal at my next appointment. Praise the Lord! Everything else looks absolutely normal and the date is still set for July 24th. His nursery is pretty much finished, except for some stenciling on the walls. And thanks to an awesome garage sale day on Friday I'm almost completely prepared for our little guy. I can't believe how fast the pregnancy has gone, and I am learning just to take one day at a time and not worry about things I cannot change. The Lord gave us this baby and He is very capable of taking care of every issue that may arise. I can't ever get this moment back. I'm never again going to be pregnant with our first child, and so I'm going to do my best to cherish every moment and each new experience that comes along.

P.S. Stay in touch...as soon as I find the chord for my camera, I will be posting pics!

Thanks for reading!

A Quick Catch-up!

Maybe I need to introduce myself again- "Hello, my name is Diana. This is my blog- which I have totally neglected for the past- well- FOREVER!! " Now that the formal introductions are over, I will proceed to fill you strangers in on how my life has been the past month....

Since the last post, SO much has changed....I am now a teller at First Bank and loving it!! Yesterday was my first day of working by myself- yes, you guessed it...I am now the little lady that sits behind the glass as you're rolling through the drive- thru and gives your children stickers or your favorite pet a treat..I am now trying to recognize the faithful customers and learn their names. (You see, the older people really like you when you can do this; if you can't- well then you're practically worth nothing..) The girls are great that I work with and it is truly like a family...

Besides my new employment, we have moved our abode to a little white house with two bedrooms. Quite a change, but definitely a good one.

The holidays are right around the corner, and I am so ready for them. I can't wait to find my Christmas tree and put my first Christmas decorations up...I am very ready to go home for Christmas (Ohio) to see my family....it has been way TOO long. I'm glad all 5 of the kids will be home this year. It will be madness with 13 little ones all under the age of nine running around, but bring it on! I love Royalty holidays..

This probably was a pretty boring post- all information stuff- but I just wanted to fill you all in on everything. I think I've touched base on pretty much everything. I'm going to hopefully be writing a lot more now, so stay tuned for more!

Temptations

Wow!! it's been a long time since the last post. Nothing too exciting has happened, but we've had a good week....

Tonight, the Taste of Newton was in full swing, with every kind of food you could think of lining Main street. Now this sounds like a great thing right??! Well, it is except I had a moment of enlightenment yesterday about really getting serious about healthful eating. Not anything too crazy, but I definitely needed a change. Luckily, our big shopping day for the month was yesterday, so I created a "healthful" shopping list. I was very proud of myself, especially because I'm soda free ....well, until tonight, that is ;) It's not that I'm trying to be skinny-mini but I just want to be healthy. For the first time in my life I'm now taking a multi-vitamin. I'm actually very excited about this fact. Well, we all know that when we get something in our heads to do, the very next thing that happens is TEMPTATION. Well, for me, my temptation was the Taste of Newton. I am stuffed!! And yes, I did squeeze an Orange Crush pop in there somewhere.... but we're not going to talk about that. It was a special occasion and I took every advantage I could of it.....

My Favorite Season..

Don't you love the smell of autumn? The crisp cooler weather, the cozy feeling a warm house with a spice candle burning can give; or the smell of apple cider on the stove? Yes, I am a true fall lover. Of course, one reason may be that my birthday is smack dab in the middle of this beautiful season , but nevertheless, this has always been my favorite season of all.

As I sit on my couch today, enjoying my new fall decorations, I'm remembering when I was younger and the many "fall trips" my family went on. These trips would land us in certain destinations such as White House Fruit Farms, Volant, or Amish Country. These memories are so sweet for me and I may talk Chris into finding somewhere around here that is similar to those places ;) I can't wait for every thing this season holds for us.......Enjoy one of my favorite poems by one of my favorite poets.

James Whitcomb Riley. 1853–1916

"When the Frost is on the Punkin"

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,	5
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—	10
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—	15
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;	20
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps	25
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—	30
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.