SNOW!!!

This is the current state of the world outside our door. LOVE IT!!!!

A few belly pictures - 37.5 weeks

Thanks to our dear friend, Michelle Young, for snapping some photos for us on Christmas Eve morning so we can have some memories of this baby belly.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Decorations

Here we are decked out for Christmas!

See the tiny little baby sock in the middle?? Awww..... sooo cute. :)

The Nursery!

I'm laid up on the couch today with a pain in my butt. It's true. I can hardly walk. Jason has to help me hobble around if I need to get anywhere. I've self diagnosed myself with "pelvic girdle pain" according to my highly scientific google search. This is how it is described, and exactly how I feel..... "It can send shooting pains into your buttocks or down the back of your legs. You may also have pain in your hips. One or both of your legs may feel very weak and you may not be able to lift your legs, particularly when lying down" For me, it seems to be worse at night, or right after trying to get up, or when I roll over in bed. It's a result of all my joints and ligaments loosening and shifting in this last phase of pregnancy. Luckily, for our masses of fans, this means I have time to upload some pictures to the blog. :)

So here is the nursery!! We've been working to get the nursery ready for the baby and it's been a really fun project for us. We've been through many paint colors, spent hours and hours at Ikea (love it there!), and feel like we have accomplished quite a bit. The old office has transformed into a little baby room!

Here is the crib (beautiful hand-me-down from the Satterfields).....crib bumper from Stephanie Paulson, sheets are from Anna, and the bed skirt matches the bumper (Pottery Barn Kids - chloe collection) but I found it on craigslist. Great idea, Amber!


And here is the view from the doorway. Cute curtains and wall lights are from Ikea, changing table from Satterfields, glider rocker from Joyce and Jack Lacey (and assembled by Andy Macklin), fish mobile from our trip to Cabo.

I've even got the clothes washed and sorted in the closet and dresser and labeled by size. We will be 36 weeks along tomorrow - she is going to be here quickly!

A first for us

Neither Jason or I have ever broken a bone in our lives......ahhh, until now. :) Remember that pre-thanksgiving football game? Jason injured his finger while trying to hold onto Andy so someone could grab his flag. Andy had quite the welt on his arm afterwards, also. Well, after nearly two weeks of the injured finger, the discoloration, the pokey out part that worried me, the soreness, I did some online research and called his doctor. The doc wanted him to come in to check it out. That wonderful man of mine loves me so much that he even WENT - it was totally for me. I think if he had had his way he would have just put some duct tape around it and carried on. It reminds me so much of Grandpa Arb....these tough farmers.



They X-rayed his hand and it turns out that it is in fact broken/fractured. That bump you see on the left side of his finger is the broken part. :( Oddly, the doctor wasn't as concerned with that broken finger as he was with a bunch of other fingers of Jasons that seemed crooked - probably from jammed fingers playing basketball in years past. Anyways, turns out that they don't do anything for factured fingers except tell you not to jam it into anything for the next 5 weeks.


So at least we now know, right? And Jason can't ever use his "I've never broken a bone" line when we play 2 Truths and a Lie, and use it as a truth. We've reached the end of an era.

More Pictures

Just some more pictures from the football game to share. I'm 33 weeks pregnant in these pictures, though I'm not sure about Jason and David.... :)

Basement Remodel

We've been doing some basement remodeling to make more livable space in our house. The basement is going to be a guest room for all the grandparents and friends that come to visit, etc. :) This first picture is my favorite. Jason was joking about how if our little nugget grows up someday and says, "you never did anything for me!" in an angry rage, we'll pull out this picture. Look at that - daddy breaking his back to finish the basement - ha! You can also see the lovely chocolate brown floor.




And here is proof that I'm working hard for the baby too. And don't worry, I wasn't painting long, and there were lots of open windows and fans to keep those fumes away.

Our dear friend Randy - working hard and helping us out.

Jason and Randy putting up walls....

Joyce Lacey flew out to suprise us for the Portland baby shower AND she brought her work clothes to help with the basement. What a trooper! Here she is with Jason after paining.

And here is Jason after a very messy situation with the paint sprayer. Kate and I were really amused at the mess.... thanks to Kate for helping with picking the paint colors and getting the sprayer rented!

Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving

This Saturday was our annual Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving celebration with friends. I think this was the 3rd annual Portland celebration. I must give credit where credit is due - this tradition is a hijacked idea from our dear friends the Kissingers and their awesome community of friends in Seattle. Thanks Lisa and JJ!!! I got to participate in their Pre-thanksgiving Thanksgiving celebration when I lived in Seattle, and we have been fortunate to carry it on in Portland. Maybe this will spark a national trend!





It's a great time of great food with friends. Jason and I did the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and stuffing, and friends brought delish dishes of their own....green bean casserole, yam delight, rolls, pies, cranberries, wine, sparkling cider, hot apple cider, etc. Of course I forgot to take a picture at dinner with the big spread and all. But I promise - it was GOOD.






And then after we have all digested a bit, we go play football. :) This year, as I am in no condition to be sprinting or falling, I was the photographer. Here are some pictures. They turned out dark but you can get the idea.....

The group pre-game huddle:

Jason on the ground: He was one of the few people playing without cleats so he spent a lot of time in the mud. :)

The players:




Jason, muddied from the falls:

Jaime and Frank:

Thanks to Thad, we had flags for the football game this year instead of just playing two hand touch. We also played at a different park that actually had field goal posts, and that was great. I was most impressed with the field goal kicks. Paul hurt his Knee, Jason jammed his finger which is now swollen and black and blue, Andy has a huge bruise on his arm, and Thad had bloodied knuckles - I spared you the picture on that one. You'll notice how the women didn't get any injuries.....hmmm......

After our game, we went back to our house and watched the K-State football game with the fire crackling, some took naps, and of course we ate more dessert.

The First Blog

Well, we've gone and done it. We've joined the blogging world. After considering all of the fun creative blog titles we could muster, we settled on this super original one - Lacey Life. Simple and to the point at least. :)

This is Amy here, and I will probably end up being the primary blogger of the family, with Jason jumping in here and there. We're going to do our best to be better picture takes, and better picture sharers. We've already started toting the camera around more. We have yet to actually take more pictures, but...baby steps, people.

It's been 2 years and 3 months of wedded bliss with my man. Let me publicly profess....I love him so much I don't know how I don't just burst. I mean, he even makes nursing pillows fun.








And here we are adding a new member to our family. A baby girl due 1/11/10. I'm nervous about how life as I know it will change after having a baby. Nervous about sleep depravation. But I'm also convinced deep down that I'll just love being a mom. Jason is really excited to meet and hold our little nugget. He talkes to the baby all the time and provokes her to play with him by pushing on my belly. He is convinced he is going to be able to grab her foot one of these days. We think she is really fun already.

I'm at work and don't really have any photos to upload from my work computer, so I'll just put this one photo up of my pregnant belly, taken by my friend Beth. This photo is me at about 29 weeks along.

Thanks for following along on this with us! I know I really enjoy keeping up on other people's blogs/lives, so I'm hoping you'll get some enjoyment out of this as well.