The Omness Family!

Ultrasound pictures!

2011-01-28T12:36:00.002-05:00

This morning, we had our ultrasound for the new baby. Our local hospital recently got the new 3D/4D ultrasound machine, and the tech offered to try it out with us. So we got some cool pictures, although Damian thinks the baby looks a little like an alien.
Oh, and we're having another girl!!!!!! Damian is a little sad about being outnumbered, but he'll get over it!

Winter 2010

2011-01-25T16:30:00.004-05:00

These are so overdue!! I blame it on pregnancy and general busyness! A couple of pictures from Halloween, and then some of our snow covered yard and a few from Christmas. Evidently, I need to use my camera more often. I have so few pictures from the last few months!!

A New Calling!

2010-09-14T20:36:00.002-04:00

The other day, our Branch President from Church stopped by our house. It was 3 in the afternoon, long before Damian would be home, so I knew he had to be looking for me. I thought I was just going to be asked to give a talk or something. Oh no.
I have been extended the calling of Second Counselor in our Branch's Relief Society. I accepted and was set apart last Sunday. I am a little nervous, but super excited. The whole presidency is pretty young (early 30s and under) and we have a lot in common. Hopefully we will be able to serve effectively and will be able to help the sisters in the Branch!

First Day of Kindergarten!!

2010-09-09T12:29:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was Isabel's first day of Kindergarten! She was pretty nervous, especially since she has a 45 minute bus ride. She told me she thought school was going to be like jail and the teacher was going to yell the whole time! Poor kid! But, she did great! She has been really east to get up in the morning (at 6am!) and now enjoys the bus. She is meeting new kids in her class and is making friends. I'm so proud of her for being brave!

A small update

2010-09-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

At the end of July, we moved to Shelby, Mi. Shelby is about on hour north of Grand Rapids, and is where Damian was born and grew up at. We bought 5 acres of land with a mobile home on it, and we plan on starting to build our dream home next summer.
Anyway, seeing as how we now own a bunch of land, we were able to provide a new home for one of my brother's dogs, Molly. She is a 65lb black lab "puppy". A few weeks after living here, we rescued 2 adorable kittens who were hiding underneath our porch during a rainstorm. Isabel has named them Daphne and Delilah. They are super cute and playful. However, we now have a dog and 3 cats, totally, and are feeling a little animal overwhelmed!
We greatly miss our friends in Grand Rapids, and frequently feel quite isolated. We are very much in the country and can't even see our nearest neighbor's house. Plus, we're a half hour from the nearest Meijer! But we're getting use to it, and are recognizing other benefits of living in the country.

Soccer Season

2010-06-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

Isabel played soccer again this Spring, her 3rd year! And this year it was actual games, not just practices. She had a lot of fun, especially with Damian as her coach. She got to play all the different positions. Isabel also loved being able to have lots of family members cheer her on. It was a great season!

Alayne's Birthday Party

2010-01-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

In December, Isabel's friend Alayne had her 4th birthday party. It was actually on our wedding anniversary, which was perfect for Damian, since it was at Chuck E Cheese, and we all know there is no other place he'd rather be! Alayne is practically a member of the family, we watch her 2 days a week and we see them on weekends sometimes, too. Isabel got to bring her friend Page along as well. The girls had a super good time!!

The 3 girls posing.

Isabel is looking fierce!

Cheesy grins!
Damian and Cael, always too cool to have their pictures taken.
Cael riding a Bob the Builder ride.
He wasn't so sure about Bob. Bob has shifty eyes...

My attempt at a Winter Photo Shoot

2010-01-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, Winter Days in Michigan are short, and daylight was fading. And Cael was squirmy. These are the best I got!

Christmas Time Photos, Finally

2009-12-30T13:17:00.001-05:00

For Christmas this year, we were busy! For Christmas Eve, we went to Quinton and Lisa's, for Christmas morning, we were home, and for Christmas afternoon we went to Kris' house. It was a super fun Christmas holiday full of family and food and love!

My sweet baby

Damian and Cael

Cheese!

The only serious face I got from Damian all morning!

Attempt at a family portrait

Isabel with her Cinderella Barbie

Cael with his buddy, Grandpa.

Cael with Grandma Q

Cael with his new basketball hoop

Damian's Birthday

2009-11-29T21:20:00.000-05:00

For Damian's birthday this year, I threw him a surprise party at Chuck E Cheese (with the help of his mom). I know it's not what most adults would want, but he loved it! We had a lot of friends and family there to celebrate with us. We had a ton of fun!

Halloween

2009-11-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

Isabel was a princess bride for Halloween, and Cael was Winnie the Pooh. Both were adorable. I promise I will post more pictures later, but it's late!

Field Trip!

2009-10-30T23:47:00.001-04:00

Damian was able to go with Isabel on her 1st field trip this year. They went to Klackle's Orchard. They had a blast, even though it was cold! I was very jealous, but Cael and I had a good time at home together!

I love this man.

2009-10-13T17:26:00.002-04:00

That is all.

Cael update!

2009-10-13T15:57:00.004-04:00

Cael is now 8 months old! I can not believe how fast it has flown by. He is an expert at army crawling, and is pulling him self up on things like couches and cruising right along. He also like to walk holding hands. He has 2 cute little teeth on the bottom. They did give him (and me) some trouble when they were coming through, poor boy. He like to try new foods, and has a very healthy appetite. He is very attached to me, but adores his dad and sister too. Cael is fascinated by our cat, who sometimes tolerates a brief petting from him. Cael definately takes after his sister when it comes to sleeping, and by that, I mean he doesn't sleep very well on his own. We do our best. I am absolutely crazy about my little baby boy. We are so delighted and grateful he is a part of our family!

Grass!

Yay for boxes! Best toys ever.

My explorer!

Isabel's 1st day of school!

2009-09-20T15:50:00.001-04:00

Isabel's back in preschool! She is loving it, of course, and is coming home with super cute crafts. She's growing up so fast!

Quinton and Lisa's Wedding, part 1

2009-07-28T01:03:00.004-04:00

My little brother, Quinton and his wonderful wife Lisa had their official wedding on June 20th. I, of course, forgot my camera, so I have been patiently waiting for my Aunt to email some and for the other wedding pictures to be delivered. Here is the first batch I have received! Damian was one of the groomsman and Isabel was one of the flower girls. More pictures and details to come!

Fireworks!

2009-07-14T11:50:00.000-04:00

Since we missed 4th of July Fireworks, we decided to go to firework the week after in Lowell. We normally go every year because it's not super crowded, and it's a good show. Damian's mom, Kris, road with us in our tiny little Honda, and Damian decided to squeeze in back with the kids on the way there. He looked awfully uncomfortable.
Kris normally refuses to have her picture taken, so this was my covert-ops picture taking!
Isabel playing by the beach.
This dog belongs to friends of ours. Isabel just adored it and dragged the poor dog around for a while.
Us.
And my attempt at photographing fireworks.

Strawberry Picking!!

2009-07-09T00:52:00.000-04:00

We went to Krupp Farms for the last day of strawberry picking for the season with our Ward's playgroup. Isabel had a blast, and Cael just enjoyed being outside, as always. Unfortunately, we were assigned to a few rows that had already been picked over once (because evidently a playgroup isn't "serious" enough about picking strawberries to get the good rows), but we managed to pick half a pound worth of edible berries. Which Isabel ate completely by herself. The little punk didn't save me any! Here are my pictures from the activity! I didn't get a ton, but a few of them turned out cute!

I'm not sure why Isabel felt the need to strike a Superman pose, but here it is...
This pictures has the most of Cael's face in it out of all my pictures. I'm pathetic!!

Fourth of July!!!

2009-07-08T17:32:00.003-04:00

We had a really quiet day of July 4th since we were all sick! What a bummer! But we enjoyed spending time with each other. I made really yummy hamburgers with mushrooms and onions, and we grilled corn to make elotes (a Mexican street food, sort of like hot dogs are to Americans only with corn) and a salad with strawberries, bacon and almonds. It tastes better than it sounds! Then we set off a few small fireworks in our backyard. Isabel was in bed asleep by 9pm, which was kind of nice. If we had gone to fireworks, we wouldn't have gotten home until 11pm! All in all, it's not what I had originally planned, but it was still really nice!

Cael had Sweet Potatoes for dinner.

Isabel with her corn.

Progress Report!

2009-07-04T02:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know my blog was in desperate need of updating, so I went back and added a few entries and brought it up to date through mid June. There are still a few things I need to add, like my brother's wedding, featuring the cutest flower girl ever. So, look for more to come. But in the mean time, enjoy the updates!

Our Back yard!!!

2009-06-15T01:17:00.000-04:00

This year, Damian used a week of his vacation time to work outside and do some projects that have desperately needed to be done for a few years. He rebuilt our fence and our front porch and did some needed landscaping. Such a hard worker!!
Anyway, pictures will really explain how badly this was needed and what an awesome job he did (by himself, save a few hours of help from our dear friend Sean).

Before:

First panel up!
Damian was very proud of himself after getting the first side up!
Completed fence, part one:
Completed fence pt.2 and play area,
Completed fence pt. 3 and some landscaping:

Thanks hun for being so willing to sacrifice your vacation to do this for our family! We love it!

Soccer!

2009-06-12T00:11:00.001-04:00

Isabel has been indoctrinated by Damian to love his favorite sport, soccer. This year was her second year on a "team." For her age group, really it's just like a big, semi-organized practice where they learn the basics. And, lucky Damian, he got to be the coach of Isabel's team. Last year he coached an U9/10 team, which not only had games on Saturdays, but also a practice during the week. So this was a little easier. I think he had a good time, and he was good at it! I missed most of her "games" because we had some yucky weather that we didn't want to bring the baby out in. But, I managed to get some decent pictures one of the days I was able to go.
Isabel did so well, and I'm so proud of her! She's totally going to be the next Mia Hamm (at least, if Damian has his way!!)

Such a look of concentration!!

Working hard under the watchful eye of Coach Damian

My Super Star!!!

Why I Hate Surprises; An Example. (As promised)

2009-06-05T01:08:00.000-04:00

Just a note, I wrote this about a month after the event described below occurred, on a blog I had started why back then when I worked 3rd shift for one of the hotels and I was super bored. This was also one of the last posts on that blog... Evidently, blogging can be too boring at 3am. Who knew...

So, in June, I turned 22. *woot* Just kidding, it wasn't that exciting. But, bless my poor husband, he surprised me with a overnight trip up North. It was cute. We had a mini golfing activity, went out to dinner. We stayed at the cutest little Clarion Inn that used to be just a Mom and Pop type Hotel. Then, we went canoeing.
Well, we attempted to canoe. You see, when Damian first told me about this trip, I was less than thrilled. I don't really like outdoorsy stuff. But he had worked so hard and planned and made reservations, and was sooo disappointed in my reaction. So, i sucked it up, told him it just wasn't what I had expected, and we went canoeing. We packed a picnic lunch (that we thankfully left in the car for the canoe trip) and set off to find the canoe place. But, thanks to Google maps, we ended up at a Canoe Rental place about 45 minutes from the place we had intended (it had a similar name). Come to find out, this place was on the fastest inland river in Michigan (or Northern Michigan, or something). It had been raining, so the river was swollen. This place let 2 people that had never been canoeing take a canoe out on a day that they shouldn't have.
Long story short, it was horrible. It was a 3 mile route. suppose to take an hour. We fell out of the canoe about 20 minutes in. The water was about 55 degrees. The canoe kept on going. We pulled ourselves out of the river. Damian lost his flip flops. We had to walk the remaining length through the forest until we were picked up by some veteran canoers for the final 20 minutes or so. We had managed to find the canoe and pull it to safety, but didn't want to get back in and risk falling back in the river (that water was cold). We lost our $30 deposit because thy had to go and pick up the canoe. It sucked. But, I didn't complain. My legs were bleeding. I hurt. I was thirsty. I was hungry. But I did not complain. Because it was my gift. My loving husband tried so hard. And it was blowing up in his face. I felt bad for him. He was so proud of me for not complaining.
So, totally not what I expected for my birthday, and all in all it was a nice birthday, minus our impromptu hike. I think next year I'm going to insist on no surprises though!!

My Birthday!

2009-06-05T00:28:00.002-04:00

I must start out this post by saying I have the most amazing, absolutely wonderful, thoughtful husband ever. He always puts such thought and effort into birthdays and holidays. I totally can not compete with him!
I sort of knew Damian had been planning something for my birthday for a month or so. But, he likes surprises, and was bound and determined to keep it one! Now, I hate and dread surprises. I'll give you a really good example of why in my next blog post (and it's a birthday surprise to boot!) Anyway, this year I had no clue. I kept an eagle's eye on our checking account to see if he made an purchases I didn't know about, but nothing.
I awoke on my birthday to a text message from Damian that was my very first clue to a scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt took me all over our house until finally I found my present hidden in Isabel's toy kitchen's dishwasher. Hidden inside was a card, a beautiful blue topaz ring and necklace set, a gift card to Chili's Restaurant, and 2 Visa gift cards. The punk that I am married to had not only bought me gorgeous jewelry, but had also arranged a shopping spree and dinner out with my dear friend Janette (who totally knew what was going on and didn't tell me even though I told her I was stressing out about it!) So he watched both kids for me while Janette and I went out and had fun at the mall and yummy food at Chili's.
So, I cried. I flat out bawled when I found my present. This was totally not in our budget. We totally could not afford this. Except, this didn't come out of our budget. My sneaky fox of a husband had done some translations on the side and didn't tell me about it. So I had no idea the money even existed that he had used for this. Total punk! But I love him dearly!

So, I had a wonderful birthday, and I am now stressing out over Damian's birthday in November. I mean, really, how can you compete with that? And, I feel a little surprised at being 24 already. The past few years have totally flown by!

The beautiful necklace I received! (The ring is the same stone, but I'm too lazt to take of picture of it, too.)

Isabel's last day of Preschool!

2009-05-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

For Isabel's last day of school, they went to Playworld in Grandville for a party!! Isabel had tons of fun, although she is a little sad about school being over. But she is very excited about next year!

This is how most of my pictures turned out:

I surprised her with this one, since she wouldn't stand still.

Having fun bouncing with Jainyn

Isabel and Jainyn with their teachers, Miss Julie and Miss Jessica

Tulip Time!!

2009-05-09T20:59:00.004-04:00

Friday, we went to Holland to the Tulip Time Festival. Since I grew up in Holland, its not all that exciting, at least, it wasn't until I had Isabel. Now, she gets so excited about going every year, I get excited too! And as a bonus, this is the 2nd time in over 5 years that I'm not working at a very busy hotel filled with tourists this week! Yay for having babies! Anyway, we didn't make it to any parades, but we did get to see the Dutch Dancing!

Here, the dancers (high school kids) are lining up for inspection. The Festival takes their dancing very seriously. Each costume is handmade and authentic. There are very strict guidelines, from patterns to even fabrics. This years there were 9 different female costumes, and 7 different male costumes to choose from.

Now, in case its not obvious enough in this picture, these dancers are about 2.5 feet from the audience. They are wearing slip on wooden shoes. Luckily, they are also wearing about 10 pairs of socks to keep the shoes from slipping off while dancing. However, I've seen that happen. Also, more frequently, the shoes sometimes crack in half during a dance. Where we were sitting, I think it happened to 2 different dancers. And they just kept on dancing in their socks!
Here you can better see some of the costume variety.
This dance move looks like a big Windmill made of Dancers, appropriate since THE Holland is land of the Windmills!
Cael wasn't so sure about all the dancing.
Isabel smelling some pretty red tulips!
Me and the kids!
The kiddos

We had fun, and ended the day with a yummy elephant ear! Yay for Tulip Time!!

Easter Pictures! a little late!

2009-04-25T23:49:00.004-04:00

For Easter we went to my parents' house in Holland for dinner. Isabel had an Easter Egg Hunt in the landscaping at my parents' condo village (or whatever you call them). It went really well until it took us about 13 minutes to find the last egg since the "Easter Bunny" hid the last egg so well we couldn't find it! But, luckily, I have superior seeking skills and found the missing egg, in a thorny bush. Nice hiding spot there, Damian, I mean Easter Bunny!

Happy Birthday Isabel!!!

2009-04-09T13:44:00.006-04:00

On April 5th, Isabel had her 4th Birthday! We did just a quiet family celebration at our house. It was fun! We had Nachos and wings and cake and, of course, presents!

Damian and the kids!

Isabel and some of her new toys!

My attempt at a pretty cake! Strawberry cake with Vanilla buttercream frosting and fresh strawberries on top.

Isabel seemed to like it!

Right before blowing out the candles.

Isabel with Uncle Q and Aunt Lisa.

Our family!

A Cael Post!

2009-04-09T13:29:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, March 29th, we were able to have Cael blessed in Church. It was a very sweet experience. Thanks so much to the Stovalls, the Kelloggs, and our parents for coming to share this special event with us!

On April 6th, Cael had his 2 month appointment. He weighs 12lbs, 6oz (75% percentile) and is 23 inches long (50%). He is healthy and happy! Luckily, he only had to get one shot because we are following Dr. Sears' recommended alternative vaccination schedule. So, while he will be getting all his shots, we are choosing to space them out more and delay some of them. Which, my awesome pediatrician is totally cool with! Yay for having a doctor that understands and respects our choices! Anyway, all is well with my little Momma's Boy!

Bad Bad Day!

2009-03-30T20:30:00.003-04:00

Today, for the most part, was kind of awful! Only getting 5 hours of sleep total can only mean bad things. And, poor Cael, is still sick. He was too stuffy to nurse this morning, so we had to use the bulb sucker thingy quite a bit. Which made Mr. Baby very angry! Then, he went on an all out nursing strike. Like would scream whenever I tried to nurse him. So after 4 hours of this, I called his doctor, who had us come in. Which has a huge hassle in of itself, since we only have one car. Damian had to rush home and then I had to take him right back to work before I could head to the ped.'s office. We were thinking it might be an ear infection, but both ears looked okay, so who knows what's going on. I did find out though that he weighs a whooping 12lbs 4oz!
Anyway, today was rough, and I really wish that we don't have too many days like this. Or, if we do, if I could at least get a little more sleep before having to deal with them would be nice!

7 Weeks!

2009-03-27T10:13:00.000-04:00

My precious baby boy is 7 weeks old! It has gone by so fast! Cael is getting so big, so quickly, makes me a little sad. He is smiling and cooing. Cael is totally a Mama's boy, and I wouldn't have it any other way! He totally is amazed by his big sister, and will stare at her for as long as he can (she normally bounces away before he tires of looking at her, Isabel just can't stay still for very long!). I'm not sure if he's made up his mind on Damian yet though. He gives Damian some pretty grumpy looks sometimes!
We're still trying to work out a sleep schedule, and some nights are better than others. The average is about 2.5hours inbetween feedings at night. He eats like a little glutton, which would explain how well he's growing!
Cael currently has his first cold, which all of us have passed around these past 2 weeks. He's a little frustrated with the stuffy nose. Poor baby!

We are so blessed to have him here, and I am loving every moment of it!

(Picture or two will be added later, I promise!)

Under Pressure!

2009-03-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

So, Monday was my big 6 weeks postpartum check up. I was all dreading it because the one after Isabel was awful. But, my O.B., whom I adore, is much less, um, nosy than my previous doctor, and it ended up being no big deal. Yay! I've healed up quite nicely, I suppose.
However, I did get the bummer news that the medicine I use to control my Insulin Resistance/PCOS is unsafe to use while breastfeeding. So, It'll be at least a year before I can go back on it. Therefore, I MUST control it with my diet. So, I am letting all my faithful blog readers (yes, all 3 of you *wink*) know that if you see me eating an empty carbs, please yell at me! I'm not suppose to eat anything white, no pasta, white bread, potatoes, rice, etc. So, it'll be really boring eating for me for the next year! The upside is though, if I have any hope to lose any of this baby weight, I must watch my carb intake anyways. That's a by-product of the I.R. Impossible to lose weight if your insulin is all screwed up!
So, hopefully putting this all out here will help give me extra motivation to be very diligent!

Isabel's first Haircut!

2009-03-14T14:52:00.001-04:00

Isabel finally had her first haircut at almost 4 years old! She needed one badly, her poor hair was very tangly! So we had a family haircut day! Isabel got about 2 inches off, I chopped about 5 or 6 inches, and Damian got his normal! and Cael slept through it all!
I apologize for the pictures, Damian was in charge of taking them!

Random picture of me

Isabel before:

and After. The stylist braided her hair before any of us got to see her haircut!

Photoshoot for Cael

2009-03-14T12:38:00.007-04:00

We did a photoshoot with my sister-in-law's "Host Mom" Michelle (from when she was an exchange student) on Wednesday. Here are some of the first pictures she posted online. I love them! Thanks so much to Michelle! I can't wait to see the rest of them!

Thanks to Gwen for the cute baseball outfit!

Such a good eater!

2009-02-25T22:14:00.003-05:00

We had a WIC appointment today to add Cael and to update some stuff. I hate these appointments, but they are a necessary evil, and I am very thankful for the WIC program. It is why we get to have milk and cheese and cereal and peanut butter and some other basics. That said, it took 2 hours! And the office is always so hot! I was the only one that needed to get finger poked for anything, and it turns out my iron is low, which could help explain why I am so exhausted (as if having a newborn isn't reason enough!).
The big news though, is that Cael now weighs a whooping 9lbs 8ozs!! That is up a pound from last Monday! He is a fabulous nurser!! Still at 20 1/2 inches long. But he's starting to fill out, and I just might get a chubby baby yet! Now if only I can keep up my fluid intake to keep up with his nursing demands!

Sleeping baby!

2009-02-20T00:31:00.001-05:00

My sweet baby, sleeping in his carseat, waiting for the wedding to start Tuesday. I think he's adorable!!

Almost 2 Week Check up.

2009-02-18T16:16:00.003-05:00

Cael went in Monday for a check up and weight check. This kid gained an entire pound in 1 week! So he is now up to 8lbs 9oz, 20 1/2in. 50th percentile for everything! He is pink and healthy and starting to have clothes that fit! Today his umbilical cord stump fell off. I'm a little sad because he doesn't seem so new anymore. We were thinking maybe this is it for us as far as kids go, but now I'm not sure I'm ready for this to be my last baby!
Also, Quinton got married yesterday to his lovely fiance, Lisa. Isabel was so excited, she followed them around the courthouse like a little shadow! It was cute! So, Welcome to the family (officially) Lisa!!!

A few more pictures...

2009-02-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

Here's a few more pictures from the hospital during labor and shortly after Cael's birth.

Cael is here!

2009-02-09T11:33:00.003-05:00

I promise I will post more pictures and write more, but Damian needs the computer!

Baby Shower!!

2009-01-18T23:40:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Damian and his mom threw me a baby shower! It was awesome and so very nice of them to do. We ended up unable to have one with Isabel, so it was nice to be able to celebrate the impending birth of this babe with so many family and friends. And, of course, we picked an awful Saturday, weather wise, to have it, so I am so grateful for the people that braved the snow to come!
There was plenty of food, we had 2 games, neither of which involved baby food or diapers! And we received so many thoughtful and lovely gifts.
Damian totally put so much time and effort into this, I am so grateful for a husband who is willing to do something outside of a traditional gender role. This would not have happened without him! He also provided babysitting services during the shower so all the kids were occupied and not running around crazy. I totally am in love with this man!!!

So, now I just need a few more things (mostly a diaper bag!) and I am ready! I still have a ton of laundry to do, but I'm not too worried about that. I am officially a stay at home mom now (for a few months at least, hopefully longer!) so I feel like I have lots of time on my hands now!

And, at my doctor's appointment this past week, I was told I am 2 cm dilated, and Cael is at 0 station (head down as low as it can get right now). So, there was a little bit of optimism for me! I am so ready! Hopefully, this week or the next, Cael will decide to make his entrance. We're really hoping for this week, though, because Damian doesn't have any papers due in school, they're due the next week, so missing class would be bad. My ideal date is Friday, the 23rd, so if anyone wants to throw out labor vibes to me, that is the day we're hoping and praying for!

And I promise pictures to be added at some point!

I'm so ready for Spring!

2008-12-14T17:13:00.002-05:00

So, we've consistently had snow for what, 2 weeks now? And while it was pretty at first, I'm done. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I can't see my feet, and I'm terrified of slipping and falling and hurting myself while 8 months pregnant.
Also, car troubles, not so fun in the winter. Damian's Buick desperately needs a new alternator, which he can change himself, but it's cold and yucky outside and I feel bad for him! And, my car had a flat tire last week that poor Damian had to change in the freezing rain. Car troubles are never fun, and always expensive, but winter makes them that much worse!
Isabel, however, loves the snow. She loves to go outside and play and never gets cold. That kid is a furnance! We took her sledding last week, and she loved it! A few friends came with us, and Isabel loved going down the hill on a sled with friends and not having to have daddy go with her everytime! I stayed at the top of the hill and watched, because I'm pretty sure had I gone down, I wouldn't have made it back up! But the kids (including Damian) had fun.

Our Christmas tree is up. It's nice to have it up already and be able to enjoy it for like a month (we put it up right after Thanksgiving). It's pretty. I'll post pictures if I ever find the cord to my camera!

Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T17:27:00.001-05:00

So, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. I was fortunate enough to not have to work on Thanksgiving, so instead I got to spend it with family!
On Wednesday night, we went to Lowell to Damian's mom's best friend's family dinner (did everyone follow that?). There was a ton of good food, and it was nice to catch up with some people we hadn't seen in a while.
On Thursday, we went down to South Haven to my Grandma Peggy's house for a late lunch. Again, a ton of really good food. It was really nice because my uncle and his family came from Iowa. Also, another one of my cousins was there as well with her husband and kids. Celeste (my cousin) is due with her 3rd child (a boy!) about 2 weeks before I am due. So it was nice to talk to her about babies, and we had an impromptu baby shower. It was a great day. And, it was really good to be able to see Grandma Peggy before she left for Florida this week!

I also was able to reflect a little about how blessed I really am. Despite our struggles, we are so very fortunate and so blessed. I am deeply Thankful for all of our family and friends who do so much to support us and love us. I'm thankful we have enough to eat and are able to have a roof over our heads. I'm not sure how sometimes, but for the most part we are able to have enough to make ends meet each month. I have an awesome husband and a fantastic daughter, both of whom I love deeply, and who love me in return.
It's so easy sometimes to wish that we had more, or a little more wiggle room in our budget, etc. However, we truly have so much and are so blessed!

And, still no pictures because I still don't have my cord!

Ludington!

2008-11-24T16:44:00.000-05:00

Damian and I went up to Ludington for his birthday/our 5th anniversary/one last weekend away before the baby is born. We had no major plans other than to relax! We stayed at the Best Western of course. We had a "Penthouse Suite" with a whirlpool and a gas fireplace and a balcony that looked over the pool. We also had brought our dvd player and some movies. So we pretty much spent the weekend eating and watching movies. But it was just what we needed! Damian also took me around town and showed me the houses he and his mom used to live in a long time ago.
Isabel got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Adkins, and she had a blast! She loves to have sleepovers!

On a side note, I lost the cord to my camera, so no pictures until I find it!

Baby update!

2008-11-23T18:52:00.004-05:00

Friday I had my 28 week appointment, a little late because I'm 29 weeks. Oh well! I also had to do the glucose test, as well as get my Rhogam shot since I'm Rh-negative. Everything went well. I have a huge bruise from where they drew the blood, and my arm hurt for a day where the Rhogam was injected. My Glucose test results were in the normal range, which is such a relief because of my insulin resistance.
Isabel got to come into the exam room with me and got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was 138 beats per minute. She's getting pretty excited. I can't believe I'm in the 3rd trimester already! This pregnancy has flown by compared to Isabel's!

Omness Family Holiday Party!

2008-11-14T11:17:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we went up to Shelby for the annual Thanksgiving/Christmas Eat-a-thon. It is always lots of fun! And there is always so much food! To try to give you an idea of how much food, let me just say that Damian is on the small side for an Omness man. He also eats less than the average Omness man. It takes a lot of food to fill up everyone! Damian's aunt had cooked 31 pounds of beef. 31 lbs! Which is about what Isabel weighs! Crazy!
Anyway, we went up early so we could check into our hotel, and then we took Isabel swiming in the pool for a few minutes. The party started at 6pm, and it was pretty much nonstop eating until 10pm. I tried to limit myself, and I think I did an okay job.
After the party, we dropped Isabel and Damian's mom off at Damian's Aunt Robin's house for a sleepover (Isabel adores Aunt Robin) and Damian and I headed back to the hotel and promptly feel asleep. We were all fighting colds, and were exhuasted! Sunday morning, we headed back down to Grand Rapids, still very full from the night before!
And, of course, I left the camera in the car, so no pictures. Oh well.

Halloween, part 2, the Preschool edition

2008-11-04T22:54:00.006-05:00

Isabel's preschool class had a Halloween party, of course, on Thursday the 30th. Damian and I were both fortunate enough to attend. I think Isabel had a lot of fun. Damian and I were put to work, so our fun level varied! But it was great to be able to go!

Isabel and Jainyn

The girls.
She decorated a little treat box. Then she put it in her cubby for safe keeping.
Instead of bobbing for apples, they eat donuts off strings. Isabel enjoyed her donut.
Damian helping Isabel and Jainyn decorate sugar cookies.
Sampling the decorations.
Isabel made a bracelet, with the help of her Daddy.
Her preschool class. The witch is her teacher, Miss Jessica. She's actually very nice, and not at all witch-like.
Finally, they got to eat their cookies!
Closeup of the cookies!

Halloween, part 1

2008-11-04T22:37:00.003-05:00

So, because I've been a slacker, and Damian reformatted our computer, I haven't updated in a while, so I have like 3 or 4 posts to do! Yay for being a night owl!
Up first, we have our Ward's "Harvest Party." Just Isabel and I went, because Damian thought it would be more fun to go play video games with a friend. He was wrong! We had a lot of fun!

This is Isabel really wanting to go to the party instead of having her picture taken!

Finally, at the Party!

Getting ready for the hayride!

Isabel and Jainyn on the hayride (and my hair)!

Ready to go home after a fun night!

For Stephanie

2008-10-26T23:11:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, October 18th, my cousin Stephanie passed away. It was very sudden, and unexpected. My mom, Isabel and I had just attended her wedding in August. Although it is sad that she is gone, we know that she is in a much better place, free from the physical suffering and health issues she was dealing with. And I'm sure Grandpa and Grandma Lykins were there waiting to welcome her when she arrived.
This picture is from her wedding. Isabel and Stephanie danced in the kitchen and had a fabulous time together. It's a great memory to have of her.

Star of the Week!

2008-10-23T19:56:00.002-04:00

This week, Isabel was her class' Star of the Week! Miss Jessica sent home a poster for us to fill out all about our special little girl! She also got to be line leader while going in and out for recess. On Thursday, she got to pick out her favorite toy for the "Mystery Bag." She picked out her white stuffed kitty, and we had to write 3 clues so her classmates could guess what the toy was. But Isabel was too excited to wait for them to guess, and ended up telling everyone what her special toy was! Oh well! All in all, she had a very good week at school!

Playgroup!

2008-10-22T23:30:00.005-04:00

Today we went to Country Basket with our Ward's playgroup. Country Basket is where Isabel's field trip was 2 weeks ago. I, of course, forgot the camera. Oh well. It was really cold, like 45 degrees, and I had forgotten to grab Isabel's heavier jacket, and instead she only had a lightweight one on top of her sweatshirt and long sleeve shirt. She was a little chilly until she started running around.
I bought 6 fresh doughnuts to take home and a glass of hot apple cider to warm us up afterwards! It was fun! I really enjoy being able to go to these probably just as much as Isabel does. It's so nice to be able to talk to other moms from our ward! Finally, after living in this ward for 4 years, I'm starting to learn who people are and I'm getting to know some really wonderful women! And it's helping me overcome me problem with being really really shy.
Isabel and I are going to try to make a lot more of these before the baby comes. She's starting to have a harder time lately, and I have a feeling part of it is because of the pending arrival of her baby brother. I really feel guilty about having to work now when she's having such a rough time. I wish I could just stay home and really focus on her for these last few months while she's still the only child.
Alright, this is where I'm going to end this post. I've been having a weird pregnancy hormonal emotional day. Who knows where this post will end up if I keep going!

Baby update!

2008-10-21T16:02:00.003-04:00

I had my 24 week appointment this morning. Isabel and I were running about 10 minutes late, which ended up working out fine since the office was running about 15 minutes behind! Lucky me! Anyway, baby sounded good, heartbeat was around 148 beats/min. Had a little bit of a growth spurt this past month, but we're still well within normal range! Isabel got to help move the chair up and down, and loved hearing her baby brother.

Craigs Cruisers!

2008-10-16T13:14:00.004-04:00

On Tuesday, we went to Craigs Cruisers with our friends Zach and Gwen, and their adorable son Jonathan. We had a lot of fun! And, of course, all the pizza we could eat thanks to the pizza and pasta buffet. Damian and Isabel rode on the indoor go-cart track, while I watched. All in all, a great evening!

Isabel driving! Ack!
Ice Cream!
Us!
The kidlets were starting to get grumpy!
Maybe because Zach was attacking them with balloons...
Damian had the camera all night, so there weren't very many pictures to choose from. Oh well, I think we did okay!

A Poll!

2008-10-14T16:39:00.002-04:00

To the right. Self explanatory. What do you think of the name Cael, for the next Omness boy. Middle name will be Douglas, if that affects anyone's answer. Please please please be honest. I stress a lot about baby names, so I really need honest feedback! Thanks!

Cael
Meaning: Victorious People
Gender: M
Origin: Celtic/Gaelic

Cute Pic of the day!

2008-10-14T16:12:00.001-04:00

So, Isabel came home from school with a dot of pink marker on her forehead today. Evidently, a certain little blonde girl whom my daughter adores marked her during a coloring project. Which, I think is cute, kind of like marking her territory. So, I tried to take pictures, but by this time Isabel had rubbed at the marker, making it harder to see, and with my lacking camera skills, I got a few cute pictures, but none that showed the little "love marker" spot. Oh well.

Our weekend in Shelby!

2008-10-12T17:40:00.001-04:00

This weekend, we went up to Shelby to watch Damian's younger cousin Trent play his last home football game of his high school career. We had a blast! It was chilly, so we stayed wrapped up in blankets, but the game was really good. Shelby won (yay!) against their rival, Hart. This game was especially fun to watch because there is a tradition of Omness boys playing for Shelby, starting with Damian's father and 2 uncles, and then a few cousins as well. Damian would have played for Shelby had they not moved to Lowell in middle school. We sat with Damian's Aunt Robin and Uncle Denny, cousin Travis and his wife Melissa, and cousin Hailey and her friend Dustin. Post game, we had pizza from local favorite Pizza Factory, and stayed up way too late! We also received a bag of bluegill and salmon caught by Damian's cousin and grandfather. So, we'll have a fish fry and Salmon bake (something? any good salmon recipes out there?) soon. And now, Damian is busy looking for jobs in the Shelby/Hart area, because he desperately wants to move back! I'm not so sure!
And now, pictures!

They had really yummy elephant ears at the game, as evidenced by my hands in the picture. The scoreboard reads 6 to 6 (at almost the half) but the final score was 24 to 18, I believe.

And, keeping with our theme today...

2008-10-10T15:08:00.002-04:00

We have Isabel's first field trip! They went to Country Basket, and had a blast. And, I got to go with! Bonus! We had made-that-morning doughnuts, apple cider, we got to pick an apple, and a pumpkin! Very cool! And, after a good lunch at Culver's, we went home and took a nap!

This is seriously the best picture I got of her and her doughnut!

A Post of Firsts!

2008-10-10T14:48:00.001-04:00

So really, the last thing I need is another excuse to be online. Really, between the multiple message boards, facebook/myspace, and blogs I read, I really spend way too much time online. But, it would be nice to have a place to post cute pictures of my really cute kid and I guess this would count as journaling, right? So here we are!
And, just to start off with some super cute pictures, we have, Isabel's first day of preschool!