Wandering

I don't really have a topic, but I feel like writing. So...internet rambling GO.

Ultrasound was today! Mitch couldn't come, but this maybe was for the best because my conscience was in peak form and I knew it would be terribly dishonest to ask for the gender without him being there. The tech was amazing and took pictures of the face for me so I could show Mitch. I got to see the full face and it blew me away how much detail I could see. I feel like I just got to meet my child. Technology is such a miracle.

I am helping to host a jewelry party at my place on Friday which means it will be cleaned...which means I will do my best to take pictures FINALLY. There is such a prideful place in me that won't allow myself to take pictures until all my crap is cleaned up, which is why we've been in the house for over a month and still no pictures. Sigh. One day I'll learn the art of continual cleaning. Until then, I will just have to cope with crushed mushy cheerios on my socks and wondering if it's actually foggy out or if Tyler just smashed food all over my windows again.

Ok here's a question for you! I know that when I read other people's blogs (which is quite often) I sometimes wait for them to talk about certain topics or answer questions I have about them without actually really wanting to ask the question. Anything of interest I can answer on here? Oh, I'm well aware that sounds a little egotistical to even wonder if people have things they want to know about me, but still. I have statcounter, so I know people are stopping by here from time to time...any topics you're waiting for me to talk about? Anyone feel like telling me who you are so I know who the stats are that show up? :) If you want to remain anonymous that's ok too, but I'm just sayin.

Music

Just a little list. The bands I am loving lately:

The Head and the Heart. Oh I'm loving this band. They remind me a bit of Dan Mangan, but...fuller. And slightly more mellow. Listen to the song Rivers and Roads.

Florence and the Machine. They've been around for awhile, but I've just started to love them in the last few weeks after Mitch bought me their first CD for Christmas. Tyler likes them too :)

The Wailin' Jennys. And now for something completely different...this is a super mellow group who sing somewhat celtic sounding haunting melodies. Gorgeous.

Coldplay. Not just lately, always. Mylo Xyleto just nailed it.

Bruce Cockburn. His album Speechless is just...so good.

For Starters

Here we go, 2012...we're hitting the ground running!
The Christmas break was so. good. Mitch and I both had a week off and I think Tyler thought he had gone straight to heaven. If he was ever with me and away from Mitch in the house he would get a glint in his eye and holler at the top of his lungs "DADDY!!". It was always sure to be met with a responding "TYYLER!" from another room which brought such wonderful smiles to his face. Having Mitch home was just such a blessing for both of us. It was relaxing (well...for me anyway, as I have a wonderful husband who got up with Tyler most mornings and let me sleep as long as I wanted), full of time with family, and just good. So good.

It's good to have times of rejuvenation like this before jumping back into life as you start feeling refreshed. Mitch went back to school this week which feels so strange to even type. He's going for his first of four years as he's working towards his journeyman ticket in electrical. It's a perfect fit for him (the job anyway) though the schooling will be a challenge. Not the learning part, which will be a breeze, but rather the driving...he has to drive an hour and a half each way just to get to school. It's the closest place that offer the schooling he needs, which in my opionion is preposterous. However, his driving is a sacrifice he's making so that he doesn't have to live away from us during the week. Thankfully his hours at home in the evening wont' be much different than they were when he was working so I'm happy. And so is a certain little boy who anxiously awaits his return each evening.

God's timing has been so good to us throughout this. Mitch has to be on E.I during his schooling, which means we have two full months of his income being cut in half...right at the beginning of our new payments on our house. Thankfully, due to when our mortgage is due to begin, we dont' have to start making payments on our house until March which is when Mitch goes back to work. Praise the Lord.

We're facing 2012 with much optimism and excitement. Mitch is moving into becoming a second year (which just sounds better than first year haha). Tyler continues to grow and change and continue to be such a delight. I love watching my little boy grow in personality. He is SO sweet. He is just like his dad...noticing everything. I bought a new jacket this weekend and Tyler saw me wearing it today and came over, pointed, and proclaimed "oh! nice!". Thanks buddy :)
And of course, we look forward to meeting our new little one. I feel ever so slight movement from day to day and just can't wait to bring another Kornelson along for this wonderful life journey we're on.

House Sneek Peek

Ok so my house is in NO condition to be taking pictures of, but here's a little taste of what the kitchen looks like...

Home Again

Aaaaaaaaaand we're IN! Phew!!

I really did not think this would every finally happen, and I REALLY did not think I would be as happy with our house as I am. The thing about building your own home is that you are responsible for everything. Every space that is a funny size, every drawer in the wrong place - you have no one to blame but yourself. So...moving into our house terrified me a little. I'm very good at pointing out flaws and blaming others...but to constantly have to admit my own? Dang. Lesson in humility and powerlessness.

I wasn't sure how Tyler would react to the move but he's been a rock star. The first morning he woke up and ran around the house proclaiming "New house! New House!". He sleeps longer than he has in months and he seems to be thrilled to be here. That makes my heart rest easy.

I also feel like a rock star in this house. It is HUGE. Like...so much space I don't know what to do with. Ok, Ok, and so much space that could easily be filled if I just got around to putting things away. I really have been trying but I'm just so ready to get on with LIVING here that it's hard to concentrate on putting things away so we can get to that point. It'll happen.

We are so blessed. The Christmas tree is up and we're in our house for Christmas - even for the BEFORE of Christmas, which makes up much of my favorite parts of the season. We dont' have mirrros, no shower door in our room, and are still missing a few cabinet doors, but this place is home. mmmmmmm that feels good to say.

In excelsis grocery store

Tyler LOVES Christmas carols. Like...his days revolve around them. He has always loved music, but there is something about carols that he's loving like nothing else. One of his favorite things to do these days is snuggle in on my shoulder and ask me to sing. Not when he's sleepy, not when he's grumpy, but like in the middle of running around and playing he'll ask to come snuggle and have me sing. And he'll sit totally still for sometimes 20 minutes or more while I sing every christmas carol I'm allowed. I say allowed because if I start singing a song he doesn't approve of he says "UMMM..." which means "umm, let's pick a different song". Favorite songs are:
"Pa Pum" (little drummer boy)
"Dee-yo" (Angels we have heard on high...you know...in excelsis deeeeyo)
and Jingle bells, which he has no idea how to ask for, but if he looks at you and intentionally mumbles something unintelligible, you know the request is for Jingle Bells.

The other day we were in the grocery store and as we rolled down the aisle he started requesting "Deeyo? deeyo?" So we sang gloria all the way through the store. I had a few little smiles and a few head turns, but my boy was happy and chiming in with "gooooooooo deeeyo" and it was worth it. Nothing like looking at the season through the eyes of a child, proclaiming the Savior's birth in all corners!

Better late than never

Just realized that I didn't ever do the blog post I was intending to do months ago...about the day I ran 5 K!

I did mention that I started running, though. Did any of you actually believe me that I'd complete my goals? I know I wasn't so sure. As I said before, I started running while we were living at camp. My friend and I trained every other day (ok...for the MOST part) and on some painfully long gravel hills. All of which were uphill. I continued my training once we moved in with Mitch's parents and his mom and I would sometimes go for runs together. I was pretty sure I had been running 5k already until one day I looked at my routes and realized I had only been doing about 4.2. Killer! I thought I was doing SO well and it turned out that I hit my exhaustion point long before I was supposed to finish. The other problem was that I didn't realize this until the week before the run.

The run I trained for was the children's hospital fundraising efforts. I heard about it in the summer and after experiencing first hand how hard it is to not have proper facilities in your home town, I felt it was extremely important to support the cause however I could. I also really felt like doing this run was for Tyler. I know it didn't directly benefit him at all, but as I pushed myself as I ran each time I remembered how much pain he had gone through and I knew that I could push myself to do this run for him. Maybe that doesn't make sense to anyone but me...but that's ok. It doesn't have to.

The run was supposed to start at 7 (um...I think? or 8? I don't remember now). It was at the end of September, so you'd think the temperature would be mild. Yeah...except when it decides to be heat stroke season and we were above 20 by 7ish. It was SO hot. I was nervous like crazy because I'd never actually finished five full kilometers before. Aside from me, Mitch, his sister, his parents, and our friends Jeff and Jen ran with us. They are all more seasoned runners and went ahead of me pretty quickly. It was...the longest 41 minutes of my life, but I ran the full five. Yep, ran the whole thing. Pride intended.

I still think back and can't quite believe I did it. Mostly because I haven't run a step since that race. Found out the week later that I was pregnant and my body warns to kill me if I even think of running, so I'll hang up my shoes until later. But I did. Mitch had finished long before me and came back to run the last leg with me. I looked up and saw Tyler waiting for me at the finish line and bawled the whole last 5 minutes. It may have looked like it was from sheer exhaustion, but it really was just out of thankfulness that I have my little boy around to run for, with, around, and beside.