Its a GIRL!!!

I am excited to say that we are having a girl! Her name (which we have changed our minds last minute...just like we did with Colin) will be Carly Erin Stapleton. The name just fits!

I have to say I am WAY more excited about having a girl than I thought I would be. I never thought I wouldn't be excited. I knew I'd be happy either way. But I am just kind of surprised how into this "girl thang" I am getting. I bought 2 of the stinkin cutest outfits at Target after our dr.'s appointment and was sad that we didn't have enough money to buy matching shoes and hairbows too! haha. It was really fun to look at all that with Jeff. He actually kind of got into too. It was interesting to see what he liked/didn't like.

Carly was VERY cooperative with showing us her........eh-hem.....you know. She was spread eagle and unashamed! I usually am not very good at "reading" sonograms, but as soon as the picture popped up I said, "Thats a girl, isn't it!?!" She said, "99% sure....she's wide open!" I almost posted the anatomy picture on facebook, but Jeff thought it "inappropriate to post his daughter in that way." I thought that was funny that he said that.

Snow pictures and a few other things

We were without power for a little over 12 hours so we spent our "snow day" of no school with Jenni and Tim. We played in the snow at ETBU. check out my facebook album at...


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384912&id=570370160&l=84185382ca


Jeff's parents are coming today and Jeff's dad is going to be installing a sprinkler system this coming up week. Its going to be a nasty job with the ground being so wet and with melting snow. YUCK!

And.....I am so excited to say that we have settled on names (yes! even a boy one!) Or atleast the way Jeff worded it was, "That will be the name unless I think of something else." I think he just doesn't like to officially commit until its really really time to! haha. Anyway, if it is a girl her name will by Sydney Erin Stapleton (same initials as me!). If its a boy it will be Jacob Wade Stapleton (same initials as Jeff!) But we would call him Jake all the time. I am really excited about those names. We had our boy names narrowed down to Jake or Brady. I really do like Brady, but for some reason Jake just seems to fit with our family. AND....when we talk about it Colin perks up and starts saying Jacob and Jake (actually he pronounces it "shacob" and "shake."

2 more weeks and then we will know if I have a Sydney or a Jake in my belly! Who knows, Jeff may totally change his mind and think of a new name when we find out! That is what happened with Colin. We decided that his name was going to be Riley if it was going to be a boy and then when we had the sono Jeff changed his mind and said, "colin." It just stuck!

And, I don't know if anyone will do this, but in honor of Valentines Day I want you to leave a comment telling me how you met and how long you have been with your spouse/significant other and your favorite thing about him/her! I leave the first one. Happy Valentines Day!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday, February 11, 2010...

Outside my window...lots of snow! and hopefully more snow coming tonight!

I am remembering...a valentines day when jeff and i were dating that it snowed. we went to the church we attended at the time and played in the field. fun times.

I am thankful for...a mudroom off our backdoor. we played in the snow today and it was nice to come and strip off the wet clothes without making a mess in the rest of the house.

I am creating...valentine cards tonight for my class and for colin's class at daycare. IF we have school tomorrow I will have a class party and then leave to go to colin's class party at 4:00. Excited that I will be able to go!

I am going...to sit on my butt tonight

I am reading...To Live is Christ by Beth Moore and my mom finally brought Forgotten God by Francis Chan that I will try to start reading in my so called free time.

I am hoping...there is no school tomorrow! or atleast late arrival.

On my mind...boy or girl?

From the learning rooms... i am loving teaching writing with my kiddos! i have loved watching them develop writing skills over time and love how some of them are starting to add some creativeness to their writing.

Noticing that... this baby is moving more and more. really love that!

Pondering these words..."If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner. - Beth Moore

From the kitchen... dominoes pizza!

Around the house... The Office is on, jeff is next to me watching it, tim is watching it, jenni is showing colin pictures of clip art puppies and he is laughing hysterically.

One of my favorite things... a clean kitchen

From my picture journal... my C-man in the snow!

pregnancy survey.....because I feel like it.

Name?	Sarah
Age?	26
Height?	5 foot 3
Pre-pregnancy weight?	enough. lol.
About The Father
Name?	Jeff
Age?	25
Height?	5 foot 9
Are you still together?	always
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?	no. second
When did you find out you were pregnant?	Oct. 30th
Was it planned?	yes
What was your first reaction?	my heart was racing and i instantly called jeff's name
Who was with you when you found out?	jeff
Who was the first person you told?	after jeff, we called our moms
How did your parents react?	my mom gasped and asked if she could tell jan who was with her at the time. jeffs mom was mad that she couldn't scream because we called her at work.
How far along are you?	17 weeks
What was your first symptom?	missed cycle
What is your due date?	July 13th
Do you know the sex of the baby?	will find out on Feb. 26th!
If so, what is it?	either one would be SO great!
Have you picked out names?	Sydney Erin or Leah Joanne for a girl, still debating on the boy names. possibly Cooper or Carson? I'm still rootin for Grant though! Just wish jeff liked it.
If so, what are they?	oh....see above.
How much weight have you gained?	about 5 pounds
Do you have stretch marks?	just some leftover ones from 1st pregnancy
Have you felt the baby move?	just a little
Have you heard the heartbeat?	yes!
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?	absolutely!
Home or hospital birth?	hospital
Natural or medicated birth?	medicated
Who will be in the delivery room with you?	jeff and the grandmas
Will you breastfeed?	not sure yet.
Do you think you'll need a c-section?	i hope not.
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?	probably
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?	hi!
Would you let someone videotape the birth?	only if I was the ONLY one to see it.

facial hair

Haven't posted in a while and don't feel like I have anything exciting to say! This blog of mine cracks me up anyway because all the people that read it I either talk to on a regular basis or they follow me on facebook so I feel like I just repeat myself! haha. oh well i guess it just gives me something relaxing and mindless to do when i have nothing else to do.

Went to the doctor yesterday. very short and quick visit. heartbeat was 154bpm. And i go back on Feb. 26th to find out the gender! I am SO STINKIN excited to find out. Im tired of saying "baby." I want to say brother or sister or call this thing a name! Which brings me to the next frustrating subject. We have 2 very precious baby girl names picked out (or atleast I think they are cute...some of my friends dont act like they think it is too cute...but oh well.) But we CANNOT find a boy name that we agree on. I have 4 or 5 boy names that I really like and Jeff does not like any of them. Grrrr. So if this baby is a boy we are just gonna call him "man child" or something. kinda impersonal to me.

Colin still seems to be doing good in his school. He is always clean and content and happy when I pick him up. He talks about his teacher and friends alot and is constantly singing songs and such that he has learned. So I can't complain! He likes it so I like it. And I JUST love how close it is to the house. So super convenient.

I am about to start going through Beth Moore's "To Live Is Christ" study with a friend. Really excited but also a little nervous. I'm going to be honest and say that spending time reading my Bible and studying has NOT been frequent lately. I think it will be a hard transition, but a necessary and beneficial one. I'm also going to have to figure out the best time of day for me to do this. I don't know if it will be easier to wake up earlier (already not a fun process lately) or wait till Colin goes to bed (which has been my nightly and involuntary crash on the couch session). But I am really excited to do this and learn more about my God!

So things are going good at the Notelpats household. We only get sad that we can't see our families in Arlington more than we do. We haven't seen either of our parents since Christmas (which I guess was only a month ago...but it seems like a long time ago). And it is hard for us to come there since Jeff kind of has to "work" on Sundays. Looking forward to seeing our families soon.

So I will leave you with an funny conversation I had with one of my students....

Student: Mrs. Stapleton, how come Mr. Jeff has hair all over his face and you don't?

Me: Because Mr. Jeff is a boy and I am a girl. When boys get to be grown up they grow hair on their face. Girls don't do that.

Student: ......(after about 20 seconds of silence).....Well then why does my grandma have some hair on her face? She is a girl.

Me: ..............uhhhhhh..........

hapnins

so I am exhausted getting back into this school routine after 2 blissful weeks off....and the dreadful cold is certainly not helping. All I want to do is snuggie it up! Thats what I get for buying the "cute" peir and beam house. it is very drafty! oh well...

colin started his new school and he loves it! he really has adjusted very well. hasnt really cried much at all! And he already seems to be benefiting from it. Just from 4 days of being there he is just talking up a storm. Using these HUGE sentences and telling me all about what he did during the day. Sentences like, "I like school. I go to school and paint. I play with my cars." When I picked him up today he said, "C'mon mommy lets get my backpack and lunchbox!" As my mom and uncle would say "He's a pretty fart smeller." (if you switch the beginning letters its 'smart feller.' hehe)

yes I am very pleased with his school. i've already had a few well meaning people try to tell me negative things about the place. but there isnt a perfect place and as long as he likes it and is thriving there, then i am happy. and....just to do a quick vent... i know i am young and a 'kid' to some people. but i am a grown woman/mommy and i am capable of making decisions for my family. k i feel better now! lol

i am SOOOOO very excited that this is jeff's last semester. i think i am more excited about him graduating than i was for ME to graduate. i'm just ready for us to have a 'normal' family schedule. for us to go to bed and wake up at the same time and for me to actually spend time with him at night instead of having to leave him alone to write a paper or go to the library. and hopefully this semesters classes will be 'lighter' than last semesters. it was really fun to see him do youth ministry stuff over the christmas break and he was so much better at it simply because he had time and could focus on JUST that. excited to see what next year brings with him being 'full time' at it.

little baby is still cooking! i think i might have felt some rolls in there (not kicks...more like a flip or something!) it was cool. not for sure thats what it was, but i'll just pretend it was! i go back to the dr for my 16 week check up on the 28th of Jan. then at the end of Feb. we'll find out if this little thang is going to be another rowdy boy....or a bossy little girl like me. jk....i'm not bossy. :)

we are really happy that we moved here and feel so at peace that this is the right place for us. but its hard to keep friends here cause they keep leaving! first daniel and mary, now jenni and tim, eventually jeremy and danielle, and then eventually sheryl and kyle! i just hate it. and jeff has made a TON of really really good friends at ETBU that have left or will leave when they graduate. its just hard.

there are some FABULOUS couples at church that are so good to us and invest themselves in our lives (which we love them for it) but they are not our age. We need those "older" (and i don't mean old) friends, but we also need friends in the same 'stage of life' as us. Especially since working with youth means we dont get plugged into a group of people our age. We do have them, it just seems like its a revolving door of friends and that takes me on an emotional rollercoaster when i start to get attached and then have to say adios! and i am HORRIBLE about staying in touch with people that i really DO want to stay in touch with....even my dear friends back in Arlington! I guess that could be new years resolution is to try to stay in more contact with the friends I love. I'll try!

Well I hope everyone stays warm in this devestatingly cold weather. Everyone put your snuggies on! (have you noticed i am a snuggie fan?)

the year in review

The Year in Review...again.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?

bought a house!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

i don't usually make resolutions. i don't think they are bad, but i don't think resolutions should be reserved for just the new year. i am more likely to keep a resolution if God has convicted me of something rather than doing a traditional resolution just because.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes! Taylor

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes

5. What countries did you visit?

none

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

a school-free jeff!

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Oct 3 - sister passed away and may 15 - move in date for the house

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

i think more than buying a house its been learning to balance my money with a mortgage payment and just live/spend differently.

9. What was your biggest failure?

i probably spent more time on the computer than with my son. :(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

nothing serious. just sinus sickness. and IBS! haha

11. What was the best thing you bought?

my new blow dryer! it cuts off about 6 minutes of drying time because it is so powerful!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

jeffs for perservering! there were many times that he wanted to drop out this semester because it was REDICULOUSLY too much work. but he kept going. And still made every effort to be the husband, father, and youth minister that he needed to be.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

sometimes our youth. they are good kids that just make stupid choices sometimes. and it frustrates me when i see such potential and those choices screw things up. i also am appalled at the amount of trash-talk and gossip that goes on in the youth in general.

14.Where did most of your money go?

mortgage and childcare

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

finding out i was pregnant

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

"I Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? fatter- but i have an excuse
iii. richer or poorer? neither, we just are using our money differently

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

spent more valuable time with Colin...more time talking to him.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

wasting time

20. Did you fall in love in 2009?

yes, i always fall in love with jeff and colin as we grow closer. and i fell in love with a little gummy bear on the sonogram screen!

21. What was your favorite TV program?

The Office!

22.. What was the best book you read?

The Shack!

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Chris Rice. he wasn't really new, but i had just forgotten about some of his older cds and they are awesome. such great lyrics

24. What did you want and get?

a deck

25.What did you want and NOT get?

a shed for the backyard

26. What was your favorite film of this year?

The Blindside

27. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 26. we actually made an offer on the house around that time.

28 What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

just being content and thankful. when you spend most of your prayer time thanking you find yourself asking for less and less. i am learning that.

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

wow...fashion has gone down the drain for me. i'm just a jeans and t-shirt girl. i do have some really cute maternity clothes that i am excited to wear as soon as i am showing more.

30. What kept you sane?

understanding more that Christ's love is not conditional. it does not depend on what i do but what he has already done. kinda takes the pressure off!

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

hmmm.....i guess Kirk Cameron since I got to meet him. I just respect alot of what he does and stands for.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?

i have no idea. i really don't pay attention to that kinda stuff.

33. Who did you miss?

my sister

34.. Who was the best new person you met?

sheryl! what a great friend and such an example of someone who thinks of others all the time. and its been fun to find out that we must be long lost sisters cause we are exactly like....from looking alike, to being carpet nazis, to needing our early bedtimes!

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:

This is something I knew but actually got to experience this year. God is good all the time. Even when life punches you in the stomach he is still the same God as he is when life makes you smile. I've learned not to even place my identity in the "bad events" that have happened to me but to place my identity in him. its not about me and what has happened to me. its about God being good ALL the time.

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Theres a peace I've come to know, though my heart and flesh my fail
Theres an anchor for my soul. I can say it is well.

37. The best thing you discovered this year?

skype!

38. The best thing you lost?

well i'm about to lose my babysitter for colin. she just is too tired and worn down from her shoulder to take care of colin anymore. she has been such a God send and I am sad to not be able to use her with the next baby.

39. What are you glad to leave behind from 2009?

the first trimester of this pregnancy...yuck.

40. What are you looking forward to in 2010?

meeting colin's brother or sister. figuring out how to be a mommy of 2!