Our second year...

The second year of a marriage doesn't seem too eventful but as I started to write this blog I realized that a lot happened. Here's a "little" rundown of most of that second year:
(note: we had a terrible camera so a lot of the photos are blurry. sorry.)

• We filmed. (see previous filming post) fall 2006
  

Despite the fact that I had graduated from the EAC Theatre program in that Spring of '05 Rusty and I were still a part of the happenings there.

• We were in our last EAC Haunted house. Oct. 2006

I have to admit it looks pretty gruesome but it was a lot of fun.



(Note: the rest of the haunted house
wasn't nearly this bloody.
I'm not really sure why
we were assigned the
bloodiest area.
Maybe because Rusty is
really good at being creepy.
And just so you know, that fake
blood was really annoying!!
It was so sticky and I swear
it tore off several layers
of my skin!)

See, Rusty is scary looking.

• We carved pumpkins together for the first time. Oct. 2006
  

It doesn't seem too eventful but for some reason we didn't do it our first year of marriage.

Our cool cat pumpkin.

• We found out I was pregnant! Nov. 27, 2006
  

I kind of just new it but had it confirmed Thanksgiving weekend. After not being able to eat much at Thanksgiving I cam home to Thatcher and got the official answer that Monday. I surprised Rusty at work and told him the great news.

Despite Rusty looking scared out of his mind in this picture, he was really happy.
(Note: He just likes to make weird faces for photos, this is the first of many funny faces.)

• My Best Friend graduated from College with her Bachelor's Degree. Dec. 14, 2006

Although this didn't happen to me, it still meant a lot. I have been friends with Allison since 5th grade and for her to graduate it just kind of struck me. To think that much time has gone by and that she has graduated and I was having a baby and it was a lot to take in at that time.
We had a great time celebrating with her down in Tucson. Here are some photos to prove it:



Dinner at Applebees.

Photos with with high school buddies

Photos with everyone.

Playing games at Allison's and Monica's apt.

We played this Disney Princess game which had us dance as part of the game...

(Note:I am trying to give Rusty a high-five and he left me 'hanging' This is not a photo of me slapping my husband.

• A Special Christmas announcement. Dec. 24 & 25, 2006
  

We decided at Christmas we would announce my pregnancy since I was about a week away from being 3 months along. We decided to tell our folks by giving them a Christmas present that had a newborn diaper in it that read open. Inside we wrote: Hello Grandma and Grandpa with cocoa and had a miniature babyruth candy bar in it. Some might think that's a little gross, but we thought it hilarious and a great way to tell our folks.

Or parents reactions consisted of this:

My parents- I had convinced my mother to the extreme that I was NOT pregnant. She had been driving me crazy for the last several months saying that I would announce I was pregnant by Christmas and always asking me if I was. Seriously, whenever I talked to her on the phone and I mentioned being tired, or feeling sick or that I stubbed my toe she would insist that I was pregnant (which during those times I was not!) So, since she insited on pestering me on me being pregnant, when I was not, I decided to push it so far in the opposite direction of pregnancy. (I almost didn't announce it until the New Year since my Mom kept saying I would announce it during Christmas, but Rusty was saying I was being too prideful on not wanting my mother to be right so we announced at Christmas like she predicted.)

Anyways, when she finally opened the gift on Christmas Eve, she did NOT get it! I mean, she really didn't get it! We flat out said 3-4 times that I was almost 3 months along and she still didn't comprehend it. I guess I must have been very convincing on my non-pregnancy rants that it wasn't until my Aunt Debbie said, "Karen, She's pregnant!" That my mom got it... She started jumping up and down and crying and telling everyone the stories that had convinced her that I wasn't. It was really funny. My dad on the other hand caught on right away and just rolled his eyes and sighed. I knew he was happy, but I don't think he wanted to admit he was old enough to be a Grandpa.

Rusty's parents- They opened their gift on Christmas day. They were opening the gift together but Bob had it in his hand. He barely looked at the diaper (Blanche didn't see it at all) and he got this really happy surprised look on his face and started sprinting towards us to congratulate us. Blanche had no idea what was going on... we stopped him and told him to open it up and let mom see. They both started crying. I wasn't really expecting that since they already have grandkids (7 to be exact) but they were so happy that we were starting our family. I realized the big thing that made them so emotional. This is THEIR first real Grandchild together. They both had children from previous marriages but their only child together is Rusty. So although they have grandchildren from their other children our son is their first Grandchild from their only child together. So it was a special moment.

• First Ultrasound. Jan. 4, 2007
  

This was one of the coolest things! He was facing forward and did a little wave then he started moving his little feet as fast as he could. The doctor even thought his little tap dance was funny. When he finished dancing he stopped and turned his back to us and that was it. He was done with his little show. :)
We could tell a lot from this first photo. 1. He looked like and alien and 2. He was going to have a butt chin like his daddy.

• I saw my first snowfall... in Thatcher of all places! Jan. 21 & 22, 2007
  

I am a typical Arizona girl who had never seen a real snowfall. So January 21th, 2007 will be a memory I will never forget. I know that sounds so silly but it was great.

It was Sunday night and Rusty and I were up late, 11pm (as usual) and as we looked out the window we were shocked to see snow falling. We ran outside and tried to take it all in. The biggest surprise was that it wasn't melting as it hit the ground. It was actually sticking!

So we threw out the idea of going to bed although we had work in the morning and went for a walk.




We walked aimlessly up and down the streets, up the the EA campus and just enjoyed the cold, soft flakes!





We made our little snow family!









Including a baby and our friend Kacie and Joe (who were also playing in the snow) added a little dog.



We declined on an invitation to a snow ball fight (everyone was outside enjoying the snow) and decided to be responsible and go to bed. I mean it was 1 in the morning...




To our utter shock the next morning all the snow and more was there! And it was still snowing!




There was like 8-10 inches of snow. It was crazy. It was the most snow that Thatcher and Safford had had in over 50 years. So the whole town pretty much had a snow day.

I was able to leave work and hangout with some friends and enjoy the snow!

I didn't realize how blinding it would be with the bright sun and white snow!

Snow-Vader! That thing was huge! Seriously it was like 7 feet and I am NOT exaggerating!

I thought it was great! But by day two it was almost all gone. And by that Friday you wouldn't have known that there was snow at
all in the valley. :(

• I performed my last show at Eastern Arizona College. GREASE. Jan. 24-27, 2007
  

This show was very stressful for me, but I am glad I did it. When I auditioned I was hoping to be in a different show (one that had night rehearsals) but somehow I was casted as Rizzo in Grease. The rehearsal time was way too long. (August to January, definitely too long) and all the rehearsal times were in the afternoon during the time I had work. I was able to work it out, despite the tense atmosphere at work. Although some days I had rehearsal for a whole 15 minutes and others I just missed completely.

Then I had to go and get pregnant in October. ( I was not the only one. The girl who played Sandy got pregnant a month before I did.) Luckily, My baby belly didn't show until I was about 7-8 months along. Sandy wasn't so lucky. When we performed in January no one could tell I was 4 months along. I had a lot of fun being such a sassy character and doing all the dances. I made some great friends in that show and am glad I was able to perform one last time on that stage.

The Pink Ladies getting ready for the dance.

My buddy Jason Studley and I aka Kenicke and Rizzo

Both families came to see the show.

• It's a boy! Mar. 7, 2007

Rusty and I had a feeling that it would be a boy, I even had a dream the night before the ultrasound that he was a boy. However, when we had it confirmed we were ecstatic! We could not wait! He was our little boy!

Rusty pointing out that our baby is indeed a boy!

Super happy about having a little boy joining our family!

• FINALLY showing! May 6, 2007
  

I was going crazy by the fact that no one knew I was pregnant. I now most people hated being prodded by people when they find out your pregnant but I kind of missed it. I worked at a Doctors office and wore scrubs most of the time so no one noticed. I just looked like I was overweight. But at about 7 months I started show!

7 1/2 months pregnant.

• Family Vacation. May 18-22, 2007
  

So, most everyone knows that my parents divorced when I was 8 and remarried in January '05. Well, we decided to go on a family vacation. I can barely remember the last time I had gone on a vacation with my mom, dad and brother all in tow!!! The last vacation that I vaguely remember with all of us was when we drove to Missouri and saw Carthage jail and that was a long time ago. I think I was four at the time, and yes, I really do remember that far back.

Now, knowing it had been a long time I was a little nervous about making a trip to Seaworld with my Dad, Mom, Phillip, Rusty and my 8 month pregnant self. Whew. To my surprise, it didn't go anything like the family outings I remembered as a child. We had a lot of fun to say the least and I'm glad we were able to spend that time as a family!

The family at Sea World. My Uncle John, my mom's brother, joined us for the day.

Me and my hubby.

Seaworld is a dangerous place!

I was attacked by a giant starfish and Rusty was malled by a Polar Bear. There needs to be a warning posted somewhere...

We were also to go through a session at the San Diego Temple. It was such a great experience! Such a beautiful temple!

The family at the San Diego Temple

• Baby Showers.

I am lucky enough to have a lot of friends and family who look after me. I was able to have a baby shower down in Thatcher with all my 'college' friends, a small on with my in-laws and then with my immediate family and friends from the valley. With all their powers combined I was able to get ready for the baby. Cute little outfits, blankets and tons of diapers and baby cleaning supplies. Sadly I am just as bad at Thank you cards as I am with writing blogs... except worse. I still have a stack of half written thank you notes and finished ones that were never sent out. It also explains why I can't do Christmas Cards. :) So to anyone who didn't get a thank you... THANK YOU!

My Pregnant self at the Thatcher baby shower.

With the wonderful gifts.
I was pretty excited! If you couldn't tell...At the Glendale baby shower, 3 weeks before my due date, with my dear High school friends.

• Decisions and Changes!

So there were a lot of things that weighed on our minds that second year. On was the baby, obviously, and the other was moving. During this time Rusty and I were both working our butts off. Rusty had taken a second job and there was the question that they might be letting Rusty go at the radio station since they were having money troubles. Prices in Thatcher had gone up with a Phelps Dodge mine about to open. We were worried what to do when our rent went up and Rusty almost out of a job and I finished working at the end of June.

We did a lot of praying and Rusty had interviews with the University of Phoenix (all in which he had to drive to Phx, twice, around my due date, talk about stressful). Once we knew Rusty got the job we didn't know what were were going to do. We didn't have the money to rent a new place and we really wanted to buy so we weren't throwing our money away. So we decided to stay at Rusty folks house since they had plenty of room for us. Just until we got settled, saved some money, and found a place. It wasn't exactly what I really wanted to do but I knew it was best for our family at the time.

The big thing now was the waiting game. When was the baby going to come? When were we going to move? And I refused to pack before He came. I didn't want my baby coming into a disorganized home.


We got everything ready for him.

I cleaned everything at least 6 times and we got his crib all ready for him.

The waiting was making us exhausted.
(I love this picture of Rusty passed out on the bed.)

His due date was July 18, 2007 however, every bit of me was praying he would come a little early (like July 8th- not too early but early enough). I really wanted time with just US. Rusty, me and my Baby. HE had other plans.