A Chicken Farmer

My hubby has been driving me nuts  asking me if I want to get chickens for a good 3 months; like the whole nine yards: layers & feeders in a chicken coop in our very own backyard. He thinks with mine & Avery's obsession with eggs and his dreams of this small "family farm" for our children that this would be so much fun to dip into. I've been skeptical, constantly chirping in his ear all the reasons this sounds so messy & like it could potentially turn into an epic dirty disaster ...yet I finally agreed. If you don't already know my hubby well this means i'm agreeing to hands-on participation with these little buggers. Support is all my husband ever needs and hes gun-ho to take on any obstacle. Which is one of the very big reasons I married this man; he supports me when I decide to take on sketchy projects, so indeed I should do the same for him. Plus, in the back of my mind it's adorable how much he loves his girls and wants them to experience everything possible (within our means). So we did it, we bought chickens, 18 to be exact, some for laying eggs & others for meat. You may be asking what makes me a wee bit excited for this challenge? It was the DUCKS!! There so stinking cute, we got 2. We have a little water hole pond behind our new house & I think it would be adorable for the girls to feed the little ducks swimming around. He even said he would build them a floating raft house so our bird dog wouldn't destroy them. We will see how long they stick around out back... but for now we have a box full of chickens and ducks in our basement soaking up the warm rays under a nice heat lamp for the next 4-5 weeks until our chicken coop is built & the weather permits.
Here's my oath to try my very hardest to be the best small chicken farmer I can be... do you believe me?

I have lots of blog posts on my mind lately, yet I've been so awful about posting them so I decided to leave a list so I have some accountability: Potty Training, Nursery reveal, Bump update (long over due, i'm almost 32 weeks), Le Leche League, Hopes & dreams: A mom of 2, The arrival of my 2nd niece, Staying active, & Marriage: a year deep. I think you will be seeing me a lot more lately, I miss writing!

Love,

Our growing girl| Valentine's edition

I asked for a quick photo shoot this morning and this is what she gave me...

She even insisted on using the potty during her modeling debut!

We then went on to have pink pancakes for breakfast 

and the YMCA treated her with pink candy canes. JOY!

Sending you all hugs & kisses & lots of love.

20 months| Avery Anne

Yes, I Know... SHES HUGE! She's not so baby anymore; she's a full blown toddler and full of life! Just a few days shy of 20 months & I figured it's time for an Avery update. This little girl is so tall, with a full mouth of teeth. She is working on her 2 year molars right now. She's had a runny nose for over a month and an attitude along with it. I'm not going to lie, I love her personality; It's so full & youthful. Every little detail she absorbs right in and then explodes expression from her giant personality. Yes, she has whit. Yes, she throws plenty of tantrums. Yes, she wants what she wants now just like any other toddler, but I can't help but be happy that my little girl is growing and learning new things daily.

She doesn't have a huge vocabulary, yet she knows everything we tell her and ask her to do. Little things like covering her mouth when she coughs & asking please for her wants make me know my job as a mother is so rewarding. She is really into her ABC's & 123s, but not so successful at saying them. We have a lot of work to do, but that's okay. She can clearly tell you "yes" & "no" this was a positive change for us. For several months she said "no" for everything and anything; in a very mean demeanor. I’m relieved she finally has these two concepts down pat.

Avery has become a full blown daddy’s girl. Well almost… besides at bed time she wants her daddy the moment he comes home from work. She constantly asks for him during the day and I remind her he’s at work. It’s precious the love she has for him. Bryce is becoming a really good daughter dad. They read books & have tea parties every night. Until it’s time for bed she’s really charmed by her dad. I love the break I get, but I love even more the bond they share. I’m anxious to see how she handles the transition to becoming a big sister. I have a feeling days will be hard when I’m home alone, but the moment dad walks in the door things will get better. I guess we will find out shortly, ready or not!

Avery loves to shower. She hogs the water & as much as I love a hot shower by myself, I deal with sharing it with this cutie. I especially love when Bryce gives her one, then I sneak away while there playing princesses and soak up every bit of the peace and quiet. I swear, a hot shower alone is vital to a mothers sanity! Nap time is pretty consistent every day. We sit on the corner of her bed, rock and sing a few songs before she escapes into lala land for a good hour to two. Bed time is also similar if I follow through with this same routine. Easy peasy right?! Well lately, Bryce has been trying to put her to bed, but that's not really going down so well. By the time I go in there and settle her down, it takes a good 45 minutes to get her to sleep. Ideally, we would like her to be able to be put asleep by both of us before the new baby arrives. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. 

We constantly talk about her baby sister; she loves to kiss my belly. She knows where her sisters room is and gets so giddy when she sees how little the clothes are. I'm not sure if she thinks its for a doll or if she really knows her life is about to change drastically. She gets so excited to see babies when were at the YMCA & loves to touch their heads. I always ask her if shes going to have a baby sister and she gets so excited to answer 'ya'! It's going to be a crazy roller coaster to manage a 2 year old & a newborn, but I do know one thing for sure,  the love I have for both my girls is already so powerful. 

Love,

A long overdue bump update

It's been over 7 weeks since my last bump update. I've been so bad about recording this pregnancy and taking belly pics. At 19 weeks we found out we are having another GIRL. I was in complete utter shock when we found out. Not that I thought we were having a boy this time, I just never imagined sisters. I'm so excited to give Avery a little sister and even more blessed to be able to parent these little girls. Bryce & I are in a state a pure happiness right now. I know we will indeed give these little girls a baby brother some day...maybe if god intends for it, but for now we are thrilled about our newest addition to the Funchion family! The ultrasound went good, it cleared up all my concern for not feeling the baby at the time. I have an anterior placenta this pregnancy and all along I though I just had a "calm" baby... jokes on us! She was in there moving and grooving just like her big sister was; were in for a real treat with these two ladies. Baby girl was breech at that appointment which shouldn't concern me at only 19 weeks with plenty of room to flip around, but Avery was NEVER breech, ever. We also couldn't get an accurate picture or reading of her face or heart. She was moving so fast the ultrasound tech couldn't measure those areas. She said she thought from what she could see that it was Avery's twin, but she wasn't positive. The heart looked good from the few seconds she could see it, but we will be going back for a follow-up ultrasound on or around 26 weeks. I'm excited to see her so much further along in my pregnancy. I'm still praying she is 100% healthy and from what we saw she is, but the next visit should clear that up... if she cooperates!

How big is the baby? roughly 1 pound & nearly 11 inches & I feel every bit of this. I feel like i'm rock solid already.

Weight gain? oh yes, about 9-10 pounds. I'm exactly where I was with Avery at this point in my pregnancy.

Maternity clothes? I still do not need maternity pants, but shirts are becoming a necessity. The people at my gym probably think i'm some werido with these "almost" belly shirts on when I'm working out.

Stretchmarks? Oh the joys. My few stretch marks I got at 38 weeks with Avery are out and showing there true colors of motherhood. Be proud, these babies made me a beauty last time around. I'm quite certain with how rapid my belly is growing this pregnancy more will pop out sooner than later.

Sleep? When i'm out, i'm out. I'm in bed most nights by 10 o'clock and I look forward to bedtime. If I wake up in the middle of the night I most certainly cannot fall back asleep without a bathroom trip. Usually 2-3 times a night still; kind of ridiculous, but I blame it on all the water!

Best moment this week? Avery transitioned into her twin bed LIKE A CHAMP & we are working progressively on the nursery now. Bryce primed the walls and set up the crib. It's so weird to see the mattress on its highest setting, I barely remember this stage.

Movement? Finally, at 21 weeks I started to feel her daily. Not all day or even often, but usually once or twice a day she throws me a nudge to let me know shes in there. I love it.

Food cravings? Chips, junk...but I am trying to watch what I eat a little more these last few days. Treats and junk every day is kind of a problem. Not so much during pregnancy, but the effects it has on me afterwards. It is so hard to break bad eating habits; I learned that first hand after having Avery.

Gender? Girl.

Labor signs? No, no, NO THANK YOU GOD.

What I am looking forward too? I look forward to feeling your kicks everyday and our appointment next week to hear your strong heartbeat, it never gets old!

Milestones? Starting her nursery is exciting. I can't wain until the walls are painted and I can start putting things together.

Welcome 2013

A new year celebrating life, love & happiness

 

Happy New Year from my family to yours,

A Christmas to remember.

This holiday season went by fast. With it being Avery's second Christmas (at almost 19 months old) I didn't expect to much commotion. The concept of Santa and gift giving still seemed a bit to0 "old" for her. Yet the glisten in this girls was like no other, I didn't expect it actually! She ripped open those gifts faster than I could snap a picture, rarely looking at the toy inside. She would quickly move onto the next one with intent to open all the gifts under the tree in record time.

She woke up Christmas Eve to this awesome carnival tent, which is now taking up a good portion of our living room. After she opened a few things from Bryce & I, my  husband looked me and said "I didn't think she would be so in to this, I feel bad we didn't get her more!" But the grandparents took care of that dilemma. She was so spoiled rotten, I even hid a few gifts after she opened them to pull out when she gets bored of the ones out and if you know this girl's personality at all, you know that won't take long. She goes from hyper to bored in lighting fast time...augh!

Every year on Christmas Eve we spend with my side of the family. This year was a bit different than tradition, but the family we love was still there and that is all that matters. Santa comes every Christmas Eve and Avery sure was happy when that jolly man walked into the barn! Although she fussed that every gift was hers, she finally got a turn to sit on his lap.

 

We came home to nap and open more gifts from my parents. A was loving every second of it. The whole weekend she stayed up hours past her bedtime and its been very hard to get back into a routine, but she seems to be taking naps much later in the day now so its expected that she can hang late into the night. By late I'm talking 9 o'clock people!!!

We spent the day before Christmas Eve with Bryce's side of the family and of course I forgot my camera at home. Then on Christmas day his parents and siblings came to celebrate in the comfort of our own home. It felt really good to start tradition with Avery. There is something magical about being in your own house Christmas morning! My parents spent the long weekend at our house too and it was great to have family in town. The entire 4 day stretch seemed to fly by and we were all exhausted by Christmas night. As you can see, I did not take a single picture of the 3 of us, I get all excited for Avery and can't keep the lens out of her face. I am glad I have an entire year to prepare for next years festivities its going to be crazy with TWO little girls in the house!

 

Happy Holidays 2012,

 

Santa Baby

 

 

Check out that comparison. My darling little bald baby was just 7 months old last Christmas and now an entire year later we visited that merry old man once again. Only this year there was no wait, it's well worth the trip to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland if you can make it during the week, otherwise you will be waiting hours to visit Santa. It is becoming an annual affair to take my little lady there and stare at all the amazing Christmas decor. Last year Bryce & I went together, it took us hours to see Santa. However, this year I got smart and went with the play group during the day. These women truly understand the joy a mother has seeing their children's eyes glisten. Two years in a row Avery has leaped into Santa's arms, I'm really hoping it stays that way year after year. Check out my little drama queen, she really had a thing for the elves!

 

 

 

 

 

Avery is such a fierce ball of energy and although I'm going non-stop from sun up to sun down, I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Love,