I'm 30!

I've been thinking a lot about turning 30 this past week. I've always dreaded the thought of this birthday because it seemed so...old. I know that is silly to think when facing 40, 50 or 60, but I really was having issues! After talking to a great friend, I've decided to think of it differently. She reminded me to remember what I was doing at 20 and that put this whole day into the category of CELEBRATION!

At 20 I was living in CA with a roommate. I was working as a dental assistant for a Dr I loved (and still do, he was the best boss I've ever had) and a staff that I was very close to. I had earned a 1 year degree from the Technical College and was attending Junior College part-time to work towards an AA degree. I was attended a huge church that I loved, and had lots of friends. I was also broke. I desperately wanted to get married and start a family and there was no one around me that fit that bill! I didn't have a 4 year degree, and although I loved the people I worked with, wasn't doing my dream job. I also missed nearly every single important holiday and event at home which really got to me after 3 years away.

I think about my life now, at 30 and feel so thankful. I am married to the man of my dreams. I have a beautiful, healthy daughter whom I adore and another baby on the way! I get to do my dream job- stay at home with Macy and love on her all day every day. Our family is the best ever. I have my teaching degree and some experience under my belt. I am spoiled daily by tons of close friends with encouragement, laughter, companionship, support, prayer and love. I'm very involved in church and am growing spiritually. Gabe and I live in an awesome house that we own! I have a car that has a heater!

Why would I want to be anything younger and take away any of THIS?? Bring it on, 30, I've never been happier!
Today was one of those days that I feel overwhelmed with all the people that love me. Truly, one of the best birthdays ever. Besides facebook, (which is the BEST on your birthday) I had people sing to me 4 times, 1 of those included my husband and daughter, I had about 6 lovely conversations with wonderful friends and caught up on life with all of them, tons of text messages, I received 3 bouquets of gorgeous flowers and had 3 special visitors bearing treats. All that with my Mom, Sister, 2 of my best friends out of town and a husband who had to work tonight. :) I think that's why I was so touched, because I had very low expectations this year!

Gabe gave me perhaps the best gift of all. He green lighted a trip I've been dying to take to go visit my friend Heather in Boise for a girl's weekend! I booked the trip today, May 26-28, I'm going alone to ID to celebrate Heather and my 30th like the grown-ups we are sans Macy!!!!!! Can you hear the excitement? Imagine... No schedule. Sleeping in. The spa. Movies. No high chair to clean for miles and dinner OUT with grownups!!!!!! AAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!

He also mowed the lawn today which I count as a gift. :)

The last wonderful highlight of the day was a gift from the Lord. Blue sky and sunshine. It was warm enough for Macy and I to play outside before dinner (which was pizza with my Dad!) and it was good for my soul to have some sunshine.
I think we found Macy's new favorite past-time. Watching her Daddy mow the lawn. She watched the whole time. Not a peep. Also not a smile. :) It was darling.

In case you were wondering...mark your calendar because...

Next Coupon Class: Wednesday April 20 at 6pm

My good friends and I have been asked to teach another coupon class! We will be teaching a "Coupon 101" class on:

Wednesday, April 20th at 6pm

at

Nooksack Reformed Church

If you are planning to attend, please email shannonvandalen@hotmail.com to RSVP! It should be a fabulous night full of fun, laughter, and COUPONING! :-)

It's official...

Gabe and I are expecting!!!!!!!

I went in for the ultrasound today and I'll be 9 weeks on my 30th birthday, due date is 11/11/11!

Happy Early 30th Birthday to ME!

Yep. It's the big 3-0 this year!!!!!!! :) My Mom is going to watch Katie in a performance and will be gone over the actual day, so we celebrated with her, Dad my Grandpa and Grandma a few days early after church Sunday. My Mom out-did herself! BBQ ribs, baked beans, baked potatoes, home-made cole slaw, artesian bread, broccoli salad...and then a DELICIOUS from scratch vanilla with raspberry filling birthday cake, my favorite!
A highlight of the day was watching Macy "eat" ribs for the first time. She could not stop gnawing these bones!!!! I was laughing so hard because this is one trait she got from her DAD for SURE! I love meat, it's delicious, I will never become a vegetarian, but I'm not big on eating meat off the bone and slurping bones clean. Gabe loves the messy kind of meat, chicken legs, wings, ribs, all that.


Mom (and Dad) gave me awesome presents. A new shirt, a book, my favorite candy (hot tamales), some super cute dishtowels, then I opened the most gorgeous earrings. They are beautiful. From my Grammy, and my Mom knew they were the one thing out of all the jewelry that I thought were the prettiest. Mom gave them to me. She said she wanted me to have something that I loved, that was from my Gram, so whenever I wore them or looked at them I would think of her. I'm going to wear them to my real birthday dinner with Gabe and I'll make sure to get a picture that does them justice. They. Are. Priceless.

As good as Sunday was, though, I really don't feel 30 yet, so I'm hanging on a couple more days until it's official. :)

Our visit to the lambs.

A couple days ago the rain finally stopped, the sun came out for a few minutes and I remembered my Aunt and Uncle had baby lambs at their house that we hadn't seen yet! I packed Macy up and we were off. I couldn't believe that the WHOLE family was home! Craig, Jolene, Jordan and Morgan! What a bonus! They all came out to see us, and they all played with Macy. I had forgot how much fun their house is. My Uncle Craig (my Dad's younger brother) is the only one on that side of the family who inherited my Grandpa's love of farming gene. Although he is a plumber, and owns his own home construction/repair business (Home Front Services), he also keeps lambs, sheep, cows and chickens!

Years ago when I would babysit Jordan and Morgan and we wanted to make cookies we would run out and get the eggs ourselves from under the hens!!!!! I always thought that was the COOLEST thing.

So, yes, Macy was in heaven. All those animals, a shop, a fort, a trampoline, "kids" to play with and the sun was out! It was a wonderful afternoon!

Crazy to think this used to be me jumping with MORGAN when she was Macy's size. Sigh. :)

Last day of Bible Study

I found these shoes at Costco and couldn't pass them up. Macy wore them to her last day of Bible Study and she was so excited she carried the box around like a purse all morning! Katie got her this outfit ages ago, when we thought she would be out of 18 month clothes any day. (I think she has worn the same size pjs for 8 months). This picture doesn't do the outfit justice, but she'll be wearing a lot more of it in the next few months!

Bible Study was awesome for me the past 10 weeks. The fellowship with other women, the accountability to be in God's Word regularly, the learning that you do in that intense of a study, it was awesome. I'm going to miss it, and all my friends, and so will Macy!

A few days ago Mason came over to play, and Jamie brought play dough along that her husband had made. I was eyeing it thinking how fun that would be to break out, then looked around and realized we didn't have one suitable spot for two kiddos to make a big mess on a table their size. And although I'm a relatively new mom and will allow almost anything for a photo op, I drew the line letting them ruin our wood floor. :)

After Mason and Jamie left, I remembered a FAVORITE thing of my parent's from my childhood...this play table and two chairs that we used every day until we couldn't fit our legs under it anymore. I remembered seeing it in my parent's basement recently and went over and asked if we could have it to use for awhile. SCORE! Dad had this table made, with the instructions being, "Make it indestructible." Sure enough, 30+ years later and countless kids climbing it, painting it, pounding it, and it still lives for another generation!

Macy thinks she is hot stuff when I sit her here for any reason. She enjoys drumming with teaspoons while I make her food, organizing her shoes in a row, and all through the day comes back to a little cheerio pile I keep on there. It works great! Can't wait for another try at play dough with a friend, we now have the perfect set up and it didn't cost a thing!
It cracks me up how every couple days Macy discovers something new and it becomes her favorite thing. Lately, it's been turning anything that is a circular or oval shaped into a bracelet. She figures out how to put them on and then comes to find me and does a dance because she is so excited!

Our friends Tyler, Mandy and Carly came over for a visit today! It was very fun, and I was so impressed with how sweet Carly is with Macy. She's 4, and Macy thought Carly was the smartest girl alive. This was during snack-time when Macy got to be a big girl and share the chair with Carly. :) (Mandy is holding her on with her leg). Macy barely moved, she knew this was a special treat!