Nichols Party of 4!!

Yes, you read right! Nichols will no longer be a party of 3...we will become a party of 4 around June 14, which is our expected due date.

Drew and I found out we were expecting in the last days of September and naturally kept it to ourselves for a few days to enjoy and savor the information. We shared it with our parents the first days of October. Once we did the math and realized I would be around 12 weeks and ending my first trimester on Thanksgiving we thought that would be a perfect time to announce!

I had my first doctors visit the second week of October where the Doctors confirmed my pregnancy, listened to the heart rate and did an ultrasound, the baby looked much like a tiny peanut and the cutest peanut of course! I found myself tearing up at the sound of the sweet heartbeat. I was more than thrilled when I was pregnant with John Brady but have found myself much more emotional with this one because I already have experienced it and see the beautiful outcome and the amazing miracle of how a life is made.

In upcoming weeks I will be keeping track of how I am growing, feeling, what I am craving, etc on my blog. This is mostly so I don't forget and I can always look back and remember what my experience was. I had a great experience with John Brady and loved every minute of being pregnant especially when I felt him kick and would see his feet push against my stomach , etc. If there was bad, you immediatly forget when you hold them and take joy in all the miracles that take place. I can't wait to meet baby number 2 and enjoy the ride for the next few months!



Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Drew and I have so much to be thankful for. We all do...no matter what you have going on in your life just think it could be worse. I guarantee someone out there is going through something worse. Of course we are thankful for the obvious things freedom, family, health, a home, forgiveness, friends and food. It is easy to say we are thankful for those things but what about the little things that we often take for granite.

Today we had a beautiful day with immediate family. We went to my parents house where my brother and his family joined. The day started off early with lots of cooking and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. John Brady isn't quite old enough to sit down and watch the whole thing but he did enjoy seeing the Mickey balloon, Seasame St. float, Santa, etc. Mom was in charge of the dressing and the sweet potato casserole. Dad and Drew manned the turkey, which we fried. I brought green bean casserole and caramel cake and Latonia brough mac and cheese and cupcakes.

John Brady napped through our Thanksgiving meal but when he woke up he had his own little Thanksgiving, which he got LOTS of attention. This was John Brady's first Thanksgiving where he actually ate all the food and he LOVED everything....for a few meals to follow too. I think his favorite was the dressing and sweet potato casserole. Nanny and Poppi spoiled him with caramel cake AND ice cream and a little taste of pumpkin pie too. Thank goodness Thanksgiving is not every day....he is not used to that much sugar.

Everyone enjoyed playing with John Brady and watching him run around in the basement and play with his T ball set. He also threw the ball with Ashley some. Drew and Dad ended the day watching football on the back porch. Mom and I watched Home Alone and enjoyed some peppermint hot chocolate, a perfect way to kick off the Holiday Season! 

Yummy peppermint hot chocolate from William Sonoma!

Cousins! Ashley 9th grade - JB 19 months - Chandler 7th grade

Thanksgiving 2010 - John Brady was 7 months old

Thanksgiving 2011 - John Brady 19 months - 12 weeks pregnant

.salt dough ornaments.part I

Salt Dough Ornaments Part I

Today we made ornaments for our tree and gifts for the grandparents.

Mix - yields about 6 ornaments

2 cups of water

1/2 cup of salt

3/4 cup of water

Knead the dough

Roll out on a non-stick surface with rolling pin and cut into large circles

Press hands/feet in dough

Make a hole to hang the ornament

Bake for 25 min or until golden

Ornaments will harden more once cooled

John Brady loved sticking his hands in feet in the dough. The ornaments turned out well. They were super easy and we had fun making them.

The next step is to paint if desired and tie the ribbons on the ornaments. I can't wait to get a picture of the ornaments on our tree.

Pancakes with Poppi

My dad and I have had lots of father/daughter moments. There are just "those things" I have always done with Dad.

Some of the most famous would be:

 Six Flags in the Summer, riding Tower of Terror until mom was ready to do something else, drive swirving down our driveway to "Cheeseburger in Paradise",playing horse on our basketball goal until it got dark outside, buying tear jerkers at Blockbuster and seeing who could keep them in the longest the whole way home, funny faces in photo booths, arguing for fun even if we agree deep down and SO many more.

One that I haven't mentioned yet is the Pancake breakfast for the Optimist Club. Dad has been taking me since I was little and now he gets to take John Brady too! John Brady does not shy away from food, especially yummy pancakes and sausage. John Brady ate a whopping 2 1/2 pancakes AND a piece of sausage. Yes, you read that correct! He loved it so much and didn't eat another meal until 4:00 that evening. It was sweet for dad to get to take John Brady and continue our little tradition with him. I will never forget our tradition and will continue it with John Brady and many more.

We even made the paper! John Brady's first time in the paper...of course I had to make note of that.

I took a picture of my I phone screen after I pulled up the article on their website.

John Brady's visit with Santa : Year II

 

Today at Phipps Plaza with Santa...there wasn't anywhere else in the world I would have rather been....awesome day!  Aside from Christmas Day, and seeing the glow on John Brady's face when he sees all the new toys Santa brings him this year...today was pretty special. Drew and I have been talking about Santa around the house for a few weeks and John Brady knows Santa says "Ho Ho Ho". Other than that John Brady doesn't know Santa real well yet. I was so excited and nervous about how today would go. He is just old enough he doesn't want his mommy too far away.

I let John Bready walk up to Santa on his own. We talked to Santa for a few minutes as he read over John Brady's wist list. I should mentioned I was tearing up and getting choked up thinking that this moment is here and will be gone soon. Never again will my little man be 19 months old meeting Santa and the thought of that...got me going. Shocker! Meanwhile John Brady stood next to him examining his outfit and all the lights on the trees behind him...never loosing grip from my knee. John Brady did so well and I was proud of him for not running and screaming at the sight of Santa. He whimpered for a minute when I placed him on Santa's lap and walked away only long enough to snap some pictures.

Of course, like anything he wasn't sure about it when he was there but as soon as we were handed our candy cane(cue our time was up) he was pulling on my leg to go back. While I chose our photo package and reviewed the pictures on the screen John Brady never took his eyes off Santa.

Today was great and John Brady looked adorbale. I will never forget today and I am certain it was more meaningful to me than it was John Brady. Watching your child grow up and pass through stages of life is the most exciting and frightening feeling in the world.

 Lesson I am reminded of today and almost daily when I put my little angel to bed at night....

Today is over.

I will never get it back.

Don't take anything for granted.

We aren't guaranteed anything.

Cherish EVERY second with those you love...there are never enough.