And finally we know! It's a ....

On Monday I finally had my first ultrasound, at 18wks 6days. I was amazed to finally see our growing bundle of joy. And!!!... it's a boy!! So far a healthy baby boy who weighs 8oz :). We are so thrilled and even more excited to have him with us. My due date also got pushed back 3 days, now it's Jan. 13th, which is fine with us :). Although my husband would like it a day or so later b/c he says he doesn't want it to be the "13th".. oh my! lol. I can't believe how quick time is passing with this pregnancy, I'm almost half way through it which makes me excited and scared of course. I just can't wait to be holding him in my arms. I can't wait until we start decorating the nursery. We registered at Baby's R Us and it was lots of fun!! but also very exhausting, I have come to realize I can not shop or go out like I used to. My feet and my body are not what they used to be. Adding things to the registry online is a blessing for my lack of energy, since we don't have to go back to the store to add things which we have forgotten. Right now I am all about baby! I love looking through our registry and planning out decorations. Now when my tummy finally comes in I will be taking pictures of that too! Right now it's not very noticeable, so that means my family has to wait to get pictures. The one thing I am right on track with are his movements, I can already feel him move, I can't distinguish kicks yet, but I feel his little movements which I love! I can't wait until he gets bigger and I can share that with my husband :). Here is the first picture of our baby boy :)

Our 4th of July Weekend

I must say that this 4th of July weekend was very nice for us. We finally got out and did stuff, some of which we've been talking about doing since we got here. Friday we went to town and out for breakfast which was nice, something we never do so a change of rhythm was nice. Then Saturday was very eventful, first off the Hubster and I cooked breakfast together, of which I must say it was nice having him there to help and excited to cook. We made country fried steak, country gravy, biscuits, and scrambled eggs, yes our eyes were bigger then our stomachs but at least we had breakfast for Sunday- haha. It was my husbands first time having bicuits and gravy and country fried steak and he liked it!! I was excited for him to try it and was very glad when he liked it. Then after cleaning up the kitchen- which did take a minute with all that cooking >.< my husband suggested we would go for a hike as a family with our two boys. I was very thrilled at the thought since I've been wanting to go hiking since it started to warm up. So we packed our gear up, I made some pb&j's for lunch, got the boys ready, and off we went. This time we decided to go to Gouldsboro state park. It was beautiful and very relaxing, the path was paved so it was great for me and the boys. We walked about five and a half miles, by the end of the hike we were all spent. We stopped at some picnic tables and enjoyed our much deserved lunch. Then mustered up the energy to walk back to the truck to go home. The boys liked the walk very much and I was glad to get them out of the house and with nature because that's what they long for everyday staring out the window. Now for Sunday it was our relax and do nothing day, very nice except for a getaway we did to walmart- which was a horrible mad house. Monday I picked up my usual routine of cleaning but at night we did get to catch some fireworks on post, it was the perfect closure to a great weekend. I must say that this weekend I felt like we actually enjoyed it and did stuff. :)

This was the start

and off we go!

End of the 1 mile trail now off to Idk where-lol

I loved the shade we had most of the hike!

There were like 5 trees down like this on the trails

The first white spider I've ever seen

Description of the first trail we took

Sonny loves car rides if he can have his head out

Bun in the oven!!!

Yes!! I am 12 weeks along and very excited. A bit nervous of course, I hope everything goes well. So far the morning sickness has subsided yay!! for that :). On monday I found out I am due 1/10/12, so I am looking forward to the new year! I got to hear the heart beat for the first time, and I must say it felt amazing. Once she found it and I heard it my heart jumped and I was so happy I couldn't stop smiling. We are both excited for our bundle of joy that is on the way. I pray that everything comes out fine and we have a healthy baby in our arms :). My mom already sent a package of baby stuff, yeah he or she is going to be very spoiled!! My sister of course helped her pick out a thing or two. I am very happy and looking forward to the months to come! Hopefully my next Dr. visit I will get an ultrasound and start to see our bundle of love!!

Spring is here and summer soon to come....

Spring has finally been making it's appearance around here. I have been neglecting new posts, but have also been busy. The spring semester is finally over! Now it's just to keep up with the daily tasks, the dogs, and my reading. The weather here is very different that is for sure. It has been raining a lot and boy when it rains, it pours! When it doesn't rain it gets pretty hot, and it can get some what miserable since we don't have A/C around here -_-. Open windows is the only way to get some kind of fresh air when the breeze is blowing. Taking the dogs out for a walk now has to happen early or else it's too hot and we all get tired much sooner! Summer is supposed to be coming in soon, but with this weather who knows. Rain and sun fight back and forth, it's just something to get used to, but definitely hard to make plans. When it gets very hot... ohhh how I miss Cali and the beach! I can't wait until I get to take a dip in the ocean again. The closest thing we have to a beach is a water park nearby that we hope to make an appearance sometime soon. Hot days are when we miss cali the most!

One day we shall meet again!

And more books!

7 more books down :)


*The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
Now this book I had started once before but never got around to reading it all the way. Now that I actually read I picked it up again and can not believe I didn't finish it the first time. I loved it, I have to say another one of Nicholas Sparks' great books. Yes it's another love story, but like so many it is different much different. The story of falling in love and many years later having to make the toughest decision one could possibly make. Heart touching, emotional, and surprising are just some ways to describe the story. A wonderful story with turn of events that can not be for seen, definitely kept me on my toes that's for sure. Well recommended!


*Belly of the Beast by Judith L. Pearson
This book was recommended by my husband, I must say I enjoyed it very much. This book is about the POWs in the Philippines during WWII. It shares the most gruesome details the POWs had to suffer. Definitely an eye opener and suspenseful story. I was glued to the pages intrigued as to how it was that these men could escape the horrors they were going through and even if they would be able to. This was a side of history I had no knowledge of and I am glad I read the book. A great learning experience and very enlightening to never lose hope or give up; some never lost hope even in their darkest hours when all seemed lost. 


*Skipping A Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
One of my dear friends sent me this book recommending I read it, since I think she has good taste in reading I took her on it. I must say I was not disappointed at all. This book was full of surprises and I was glued to it, I hated putting it down. This is the type of story that keeps you guessing to what is going to happen next. A woman nearly looses her husband but after he comes back to life he has a new light on life and wants to change their world a whole 360. This book has a great outlook on life and helps one to see what the important things in life truly are and the horrors money can do to you. I loved this book and was very sad to finish it. This is a keeper and I am thankful to my friend for sharing this with me!


*The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Once again I come back to Nicholas Sparks, after all it's always a good reading. This book is no exception to his legacy. Another one that I love and was touching and dramatic. A man finds a picture of a woman in Iraq and it so happens to bring him luck, now he is trying to repay her for his luck. Love comes in to complicated things just a tad. This one was different then some other books but I still enjoyed it very much. There are a couple of surprises and unseen turns that keep you intrigued with a climax much worth the wait. I especially love how he always finds a way in the very end to surprise you.


*Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Yes I read it because a movie about it was coming out also, because I wanted to see what the big "hoopla" was about it. I was not disappointed that's for sure and as a matter of fact I loved it. A dramatic novel of friends caught up in an ugly love triangle, but that's only the beginning. Giffin throws in some punches that blind side you, I loved it! My jaw was dropping, I kept turning the pages, laughing and yet at times being in disbelief. There are many surprises and turns I just couldn't foresee coming yet that is what kept me turning the pages everyday. After this one I'm sure I'm going to read her next and am soooo looking forward to it.


*Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Another movie book I wanted to read before seeing the movie. The title and story background also caught my attention. Traveling circus era during the depression is something I was not familiar with at all which made this story all the newer and intriguing. This is not a traditional love story, far from it. Half the time you don't even know it's a love story but the turn of events keep you going. I loved how Gruen didn't make this a "gooey" love story instead it was full of action and drama as well as unforeseen moments of suspense. There were adult situations in it but felt right because of the degree of the story. Very detailed, I could picture the conditions they were in the feelings they felt. I loved it, it was very different that's for sure but that was what was so great! I even loved that there were also moments that made me laugh and smile. Great read that is for sure!


*The Forever War by Dexter Filkins
This book is about the war in the middle east told by a journalist. This was an intriguing read mostly because I think it started so early in the conflict years that so much new information on this long talked about war can be found. I also admire him for even being out there as long as he was and going through the things that he did. He was a fearless man willing to go to far lengths to get the information he wanted. This book sheds new light as to what is going on over there. It is not biased towards one side rather it is just observations from a man who was there for a long time and dealt with both sides. I must advise that this is just a recounting of events and not a story from beginning to end, that is the only thing that caught me off guard and was not ready for. Other then that it was a fairly interesting read.




...and there are many more to come!

Hubby gone for a week=ORGANIZE!

This past week I was alone the whole week with only my two faithful boys to keep me company. The Army took my husband to Wisconsin for a week, the "joy" of schools. So I was left back home alone to entertain myself. That is quite a task out here, no jobs and no friends nearby, yeah lets just say I had to find busy work. Which I soon did on Monday my first full day alone. I began cleaning as I usually do on Mondays, but then I stepped in the spare bedroom to sweep. Mmmm I looked at it and decided I was tired of seeing all the boxes and bags from the move we were not putting away. I wanted to make it a bedroom once again and not just a walk way to the closet where my husband has his clothes. So I took on the task to tackle the room and organize it. Which was great busy work, I was keeping myself busy, doing something productive, off the couch, and time was flying! Needless to say I spent about 3hrs clearing the room and boy does it look much better now. That started what my week was going to look like and I called it "taking back my house" lol. Mostly because I was organizing everything and putting things in their "place" or at least giving them an actual place to be. I feel very accomplished and glad to have my kitchen counter back :) as well as a cleared out gym ready to be put to use. Now I wonder what I will end up doing when the next school comes along... hmmmmmmm??????

 

My now mostly empty spare bedroom minus one corner :)

Photography, one of my passions

Being around all this nature is still new to me, I really do enjoy it though. As I drive around town I look at possible pictures I can take and it just makes me excited. So far though I really haven't gotten out of the house to take some pictures yet, hopefully soon though I will remember to bring my camera with me whenever I venture outside of this house. My dogs are my current stars of photography and I just love taking pictures of them. They are my little companions and I love trying to capture their different personalities in pictures. It can be difficult at times because they just want to lick me, so pictures don't come too easy and require some patience. I have also seemed to notice that when it comes to nature I like to take the Macro style approach to it a lot. So far I've only gotten what's in my front yard. Now that spring is actually showing up around here I'm certain I will be able to get some good nature pictures :)

Few "flowers" I have now

Look and feel like cotton balls

Sonny, when he is calm

Niko in his "thinking pose" haha

The bored look he has before falling asleep

Getting sleepy

Crafts, I guess?

As I have come to discover, I kind of like making crafts. I actually have fun and get excited; I even think I might be kind of good at it. With only scrapbook supplies and a computer to work with I got my mind to work. I came up with making personalized bookmarks, which turned out pretty cool. So far I have made four that I am quite proud of :). I have a little system built up and everything. One side is the "computer side" and the other the "hand made side." I did some photoshop work that makes these different and personalized. Putting together some of my skills I created some pretty neat things. Hopefully I will come up with some other type of things. So far this is what I have in the creating process


* Now this was my first, I made for a good friend of mine, it's not the best one out of all that I have made. Yet I have come to realize that the more I make the better they look so I guess it does make sense.

* And this one is the one I made for my husband :). 

I must say that from the first one he did give me some pointers that since then I implicated on the rest. For instance the name for one :) I hope all the ones who have one enjoy them as much as I did making them :)

My New Hobby/Entertainment

Being across the country away from all of my family and friends, well it can be a tad bit lonely. So far here I haven't made many friends, it's kind of hard to when I mostly stay home and am with my dogs. Reading is how I have stayed sane and not minded the move and being lonely really. This new hobby is keeping my entertained for hours on end and I'm loving every second of it. I have found great books and am getting through them faster then I used to. I wasn't much of a reader before, I always aspired to read and get through books over 50 pages long but for some reason or another my heart was not in it. Now I have discovered the greatness of reading and the fulfillment it provides me with as well. It has become a whole new world for me, where for an hour or two a day I take a vacation and get away to a whole different world. I spend more time reading then watching TV or on the internet, which I think is a much healthier way to spend my time so I'm even more thrilled. 

*Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillen

This is the book that started it all. After our move to PA and being settled this is the book I began my new hobby with.

I really enjoyed it and was captivated by it. Isabel tells her story that many women and men are faced with everyday, her husband was leaving her and there two boys. I felt her emotions through the book the love she had for him, frustration with their drying up marriage, and facing the truth once it comes out. The way Isabel writes feels like as if your best friend is telling you this. The story is at a familiar level for the reader where they feel connected with the writer and I was hooked page after page. Full of emotion, it's a very heartfelt story, about dealing with it all and trying to be strong.

*Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

Next was this book, about love and death.

After the first few pages I knew this was going to be one of my all time favorites and I fell in love. By far this is an absolute moving story that talks about the reality many have to deal with, losing the person you most love in this world and even harder knowing they only have a limited time with you. I was captivated and glued to this book, I must say that I was sad to finish it. There are so many layers to this book, it's not just another love story. It shares both, from being strong and not being afraid of death, enjoying life to the very last second you have; as well with being strong while you feel you're losing it all. I loved both characters, it felt so real I felt what they did and went through their journey right along with them. This book is one I will probably re-read, it's one of the purest and truest love stories I've came across in a long time. I definitely recommend this book to any reader out there.

*Bringing Adam Home by Les Standiford

This book was a birthday present from my husband that of course I jumped on and read as soon as I got it. Now this is not like the others that I had read before, but still worth my time. This book depicts the story of Adam Walsh and his kidnapping from beginning to end. It goes to the very beginning of the day that the Walsh family's life would be forever changed to decades later when finally the case is solved and closed. Before this book I did not know anything about this story so this was all new information to me. The writer did an outstanding job in describing the events. I must say though throughout most of the book I was a bit enraged and very upset with the Hollywood Police Department. I was dumbfounded by the way the case was handled and how things went. I felt for the Walsh family and all the went through. I learned a lot in this book and one thing that is evident and shown by the Walsh family, is to never give up no matter how much time has passed.

*A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz

Being the dog lover that I am I couldn't resist this book. It was a great quick read and I too fell in love with Trixie. Dean Koontz loved her very much and did amazing with describing her, I was able to picture it all. A very heartwarming story full of love and laughs, my husband even caught me laughing a couple of times. I enjoyed it very much, Trixie was an amazing dog. This is a great example of the love between man and dog, as well as the greatness of dogs.

My Life as a Sparks

Fell in love with an amazing man and married him. Life is now an adventure I'm living with my best friend/ Husband. 

We're still getting used to our new adjustment, from living in the warm wonderful state of California, to the cold and different state of Pennsylvania. We are exploring our new surroundings and trying to adjust. Life with our two dogs is awesome and wouldn't change it at all.

They make my days interesting and busy as well. Niko is the oldest and biggest of the two, Sonny is the smaller and younger one as well as new to the family.

  Niko can be a rebel at times and very needy for attention. Sonny is VERY hyper and a hunter on the inside, as well as mischievous. 

They keep each other company, they cuddle when they are cold and wrestle when they're bored. 

Both are very close to each other and act like brothers, I love watching them be. As far as I go, well I'm just trying to find my new routine. Going to school online, keeping the house clean, and cooking are part of my daily routine. Recently I have picked up on working out again and plan on sticking with it. Trying to have a life outdoors can be hard here at times, but i take advantage when it doesn't look like this outside...

or this

When I can I try to take the boys for a walk or go for a jog around the neighborhood. I'm very excited for spring to actually roll in, photography is another one of my passions. Around here I think I might be able to get some good pictures :).

For example this, I'm not used to seeing them around and about, so when I do I get very excited! The boys are also a good alarm and let me know when they are out front :)

Hopefully soon I'll be able to take pictures of trees with leaves on them.

Crafts and reading are other things I have picked up to keep myself busy as well. Although I am far from home, the Cali Sunshine, my family, and friends, I love my life; I can say that I am happy and excited to see where life takes us!