A fantastic giveaway. Maybe good luck with come our way?

I read a few blogs that are my daily bits of relaxation. Blogs written by talented, humorous and just-like-me-women that inspire me, make me cry and make me nearly shoot beverages out of my nose. Women like MckMama, Slow Cooking Recipes from Stephanie and Angie...not to say that the other women I read aren't as equally as important BUT these three women play an important role in the following information. I also read and found several other bloggers equally as amusing through a site called BlogHers.

It's with these women, BlogHers and a company called Samsung that are hosting this amazing, spectacular giveaway.

A giveaway for a gorgeous gift of $200 Best Buy Gift Card. To purchase anything your (or hopefully in my case, my) heart desires.

Like a dishwasher.

My house is nearly 95 years old. And it needs a SERIOUS overhaul is areas such as a roof (we're working on that), an upstairs currently-unuseable-(which is really bad for a pregnant woman who has a daughter who lives to karate kick her momma in the bladder at 2 am) bathroom (*not working on this as much due to lack o' funds) and a kitchen that could really use new cabinets. And a dishwasher.

Because you know, both my husband and I hate/loathe to do dishes. We do them, but not without wailing and gnashing of teeth...from both of us. We had a dishwasher in our last place and we loved.it. We still had to do dishes but not nearly as much. It made washing the big heavy duty pots, pans and other items easier when I didn't have the other dishes mocking at my lack of love for hand-washing them.

I'm just praying that Sprout decides that breastfeeding IS best and we won't have to add bottles to the mix. But if she doesn't and if we do, then a dishwasher would be even more spectacular!

If we won this giveaway, I would beg my husband to go to Best Buy to look at/drool over/purchase a dishwasher. Right after I practiced a way to get said husband in said store without HIM drooling over Wii games and WoW items.

If I told him that he wouldn't have to do dishes very often, I think he'd forgo Sports Resort and villians for that :)

Now just to change the "ifs" to simply we won.....

October 15th

The day after our wedding, three years ago, I was scrambling to get the last minute laundry things in the dryer and packed. We opened presents, ate yummy food and headed off to Holland, Michigan for a week of relaxation with each other as married folks :)  Neither of us knew what this day would mean a year from then or even three years from then.

Three years later, this date comes up and we brace a bit for it.  It reminds us not only of the three babies we lost but of the babies and pregnancies that have been taken from so many others. The life of infertility, explained or not, is one that I do not wish upon anyone. But in the same breath, I wouldn't change a thing that has happened in our walk along this rocky road. We have learned to lean not only on each other but on friends, family and even doctors and nurses who were and are there to support us along the way. We have met some amazing families and people throughout this, and have learned that some of our own close friends (or now close friends!) have endured the pain of pregnancy and infant loss...and we didn't even know it.  It helps to know that other people understand, empathize with our pain and grief and hurt and tears. Does it make it less? No. Do I like that so many other couples and families know this pain? Absolutely not. But it's nice to know that others know what I'm talking about. It makes us feel not so alone.
Our walk in our faith and with God has taken a beating, gone in to more valleys than mountains over the last three years. I think (or at least, I know for me) that we both struggle a bit with the "why". And not so much the why me but just more of why does this to have to happen at all? I deal with this a lot and we are currently trying to find where we fit as a couple and as individuals in a church setting. We want it, but we're just not sure where to put our roots, so to speak.

What I do know is that walking the walk of infertility and unexplained miscarriages have taught me to appreciate life, to appreciate those around me, to humble me and make me more aware of the beautiful little girl now growing inside me. She is a miracle and one that is anxiously awaited by many...but especially her mommy and her daddy. And there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about the pain and hurt and tears and grief that we and our families and friends have had to endure to get to this point. I am incredibly incredibly blessed to be pregnant with Sprout and to have had a rather normal pregnancy with her so far. We continue to be thankful to have experienced this much with her and pray that there will be many more years to come :)

But I can't help to think that I should somehow shelter myself from others that are still struggling with loss and infertility and miscarriages because I know the knife-stabbing pain in your heart when you hear that someone else is pregnant.  I don't want to cause anyone else pain or suffering in the midst of all this.  But I also want to be joyful - I am finally somewhat relaxed and am really starting to enjoy being pregnant and worrying a bit less (a big feat for me!) about the what-ifs. We have today, we have now and I want to enjoy it....even when I get karate kicks in the bladder that make my eyes water... but I want others to feel the joy and love and kicks and all that comes with being pregnant.

I'm praying for you and your families today and ever day. But especially today.

3 years and counting

This was taken at the rehersal and I was starting to breakdown/totally lose it.
And I was starving. Never a good combination.

OCTOBER 14, 2006

Three years ago today, I got up at 5 am to get my hair, nails, pedicure and make-up done...professionally.

Three years ago today, I let go of worrying about anyone else and tried desperately to focus on me...it was hard. But I did it :)

Three years ago, I got dressed in front of a woman I hardly knew and needed help getting my underskirt, shoes and jewelry on. It was humbling and slightly frustrating.

Three years ago, I was nervous about what my flowers looked like. And what they smelled like. :)

Three years ago, I needed help going to the bathroom because of the insane amounts of fabric.

Three years ago, I walked through the same wooden doors at Queen's that I had walked through so many times before.
Three years ago, I became Mrs. Scott, joining the ranks of so many others. *The kids I subbed for yesterday called me, "Mrs. Scott" and it felt so weird to hear that!)

Three years ago, I prayed (and may-have slightly threatened my new spouse that if he got cake on me, he would have serious consequences) that Caleb would be nice with the oh-so-yummy cake.

Three years ago on October 14, 2006.....

Three years ago, I married my best friend, my snuggly husband who is soon-to-be-a dad :)

And three years ago, my cousin (or my uncle, I can't remember) got this AWESOME shot of my sisters and sister-in-law...
oh the captions we've come up for this one...

It's Fall!

I love Fall (or Autumn, which by the way, is a hard word for Pre-Schoolers to pronounce but they try their hardest to do it so they can impress their families! The kids loved doing it though!)

I love cider, apples (especially of the caramel variety...the deluxe kinds are even better!), warm doughnuts, changing leaves, pumpkins and all things Fall.

Like dressing up my animals for Halloween. Although we've stopped because it doesn't usually go over too well....at least, it doesn't usually go too well for Piper.
2007 - as a pumpkin. She refused to move ANYWHERE with the costume on.
Thankfully for her, she's outgrown it and has been saved from the horror of wearing it again.

Ebony, on the other hand, is usually a good sport. It's just hard to find a costume that fits her just right. It's either waaay too small in the shoulders or it's so large it falls off.

2004 - in her "boyfriend's" costume as SuperDog

2004 - an angel with her "boyfriend" Cooper...also known as SuperDog

2006 - as a dragon...but the headpiece was so huge, she couldn't see!
So much for saving the princesses!

2005 - as a princess...she kept her eyes shut the entire time the tiara was on her head.

2007 - as a true princess, complete with shawl and pointy regal hat.
She tried to eat the shawl and hat, simultaneously.

Last year and this year, we opted out for costumes. We don't have the extra money and the animals have clearly shown us their dislike for the whole idea of putting something on them other than loves and snuggles. We may carve pumpkins again or we may not. We are still also undecided about handing out candy - we ran out last year and that was probably because I kept stealing it out of the bucket.
Instead we may just relax here at home. Right now, that sounds like a fantastic idea :) It's cool, the wind is really blowing and it just seems like a good day to stay in and relax.

But, I have laundry and dishes to do and vacuuming and hopefully putting up the fall/Halloween decorations.

Yay for Fall!