Changes in 2011....

Evan and I are both VERY excited for 2011! I have really been feeling Rylee move around lately, especially at night. Evan hasn't quite gotten to feel her yet, but each time he tries he gives this certain look and talks about how he wishes she was here already. 2011 will bring some changes for us as well. I will graduate in May with my Masters in School Counseling. This new degree will also bring a job change. I have started applying to school districts closer to where we live. If I do not get a counseling job, I still plan on changing schools if a teaching job becomes available closer as well. I just know spending 45 minutes in the car each way away from Rylee is going to be too much for me to bare every day. We are about 75% sure that Evan will stay home with Rylee and take night classes towards completing his bachelors in Special Education. Depending on his class schedule, he might also take some day classes a few times a week. I have decided that during the summer and winter breaks from work, I am going to complete the extra 5 classes it takes to be a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). This way I have more flexibility in the future if I wanted to work for a hospital, my own private practice, or even for our church, I could. We have pretty much finished the nursery for Rylee except for a few finishing touches I want to complete soon. I promise to post pictures, but not until I think it is complete. We are trying hard to prepare for Rylee's arrival, however I know we can not be fully prepared. There will be lots of changes for us in 2011!

Christmas 2010

This Christmas has been very relaxing. We have decided to switch off holidays and this year was my families turn to have us because next year EVERYONE will be in Oklahoma for Christmas including 2 returned missionaries and 3 new babies! My family has a Christmas Eve tradition of going out to eat. To keep the tradition alive, we made reservations and ate at Cheesecake Factory. It was great to not have to help cook or clean. We ordered 3 different appetizers and had a piece of cheesecake or dessert for each of us. So yummy! Afterwards everyone came back to our house to relax and sit by the fire. Christmas morning Evan and I work up and took the puggles to my parent's house. We opened presents, watched "Salt", ate a big Christmas lunch, went to the movies to see "Little Fockers", and then came back to relax and watch the Cowboy's game. Memorable gifts this Christmas included our first grill, a new printer, a fireplace screen, and the start to our Disney DVD collection for the both of us. Evan got a beard trimmer with a vacuum so he doesn't have to clean up tiny hairs. I got pajamas and money to buy maternity clothes with. Evan got me a pedicure foot bath set and a "powermat" for my iphone. I got Evan an Xbox 360 (which he got in early October), the tickets to see the Big 12 Championship game, and a new headset to use while playing on his Xbox 360. Rylee even got presents this Christmas! She got a new stocking, some Christmas ornaments, and an OU bib. It is nice having this 2 week break with Evan. I am very grateful that we have the same work schedule! I ended up having to take a class over this break in order to get my financial aid in the Spring. It is a marriage and family therapy class and so far has been quite interesting. Here are a few pictures from this past week. I will have more once I get them from Nanny's camera. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

This is my sister and I taken at Cheesecake Factory on Christmas Eve

This was taken at my friend Melanie's house when a few of us girls who were in town got together to visit.