Fort Roundy

So, when I was a little girl we had this recliner. You know, the kind that reclined (duh) and the little foot thing would pop up when you flipped the lever. Well, I was always a small kid (would you have guessed that?) and being small, I could use the recliner to make a tent. I would recline it a little and put up the foot rest, then throw a blanket over it. Voila! My own personal hiding spot. I'd wiggle up the hole between the foot rest and the chair and climb on to the seat. There wasn't a lot of living space, but I thought it was great. We also used make huge tents out of blankets, stools, chairs and books to hold it all together. Sometimes broomsticks came in handy, too. That was all pretty fun until the books came crashing down on top of our heads. Ah, good times.
Anywho, the reason I'm reminiscing about my childhood is that the other night Kade built a little fort for Maryn to hide in on top of our bed. It was made of the gazillions of pillows on our bed (see they DO serve a purpose!) and our throw blanket. It wasn't the best construction, and I don't think Kade plans on giving up on Endodontics to become a builder, but Maryn sure had fun. We tried to get a few pictures and this was the best we could do: Ah, sometimes I miss being a kid and just playing. I must say, a little bit of the reason I want kids is because I still really like to play and imagine up stuff like this.

Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky

So, lately some concerns have come up as to why I've gained a little bit of weight. And I thought that maybe instead of people feeling uncomfortable about asking me, I'd just come out and tell everyone. The truth is, I'm not JUST getting fat...well, I am getting fat, but for good cause. The reason is that it's just been so darned cold here recently and I've decided to hibernate until March. I'll see everyone in a few months. Don't be offended if I don't blog.
Ok, Ok, I'm just kidding. That's not really it. For reals I'm pregnant. I can't hide it anymore. We are very excited and we have high hopes that Maryn hasn't become too comfortable in her only child position, 'cause it's about to be seriously disrupted. I must say, I'm kinda glad we had this big lull between spawns. When Maryn isn't being a stinker, she's a very good helper and has become pretty self sufficient. I hope it continues and she doesn't digress when the baby comes.
Anywho, here are the facts:
Child arrives at the end of July.
I am glad to be out of the first trimester.
I think it's a girl (actually, I only say that because I'm ALWAYS wrong, and I actually think it's a boy, but I don't want to be wrong again...yes, I say again, because I was certain Maryn was a boy.)
I do have a name picked out for a boy, but Kade doesn't like it.
The Roundy Force is strong with this one...I have been craving nasty yucky fast food.
If anyone again asks me if I'm having twins, they will feel the wrath of a pregnant woman.

Gettin' Kreative in Kentucky

So, not only have I been a slacker about updating our blog lately, I've also been a slacker about Maryn's scrapbook. I just finished a page the other day and thought I'd share my creative genius (or maybe the lack thereof) with the world. These pictures are clear back from last April. But I really like them and I was excited to scrapbook them. Throughout Germany in the spring, these fields of Raps would bloom. They were bright yellow and the contrast against the green grass was very pretty. One evening the three of us went for a walk and finally got some pictures of the fields. Kade is pretty sure he has professional photography skills and is the next Ansel Adams. Who knows?
Here are pictures of the pages I finished. I was pretty happy with them. They aren't really fancy, but it's kind of nice to have some more simple pages to look at (plus they take less time...).



The quote at the bottom of the pages says "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched....They must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller. Corny, I know, but it fits. Good 'nough for me!

Christmas of the Princess

Well, Christmas is over...I must admit, I wasn't sad to put the tree away. (curse those Bah-Humbugs.) I know this is very belated, but here's a little rundown of how our Christmas was.

The ride to North Carolina was long, but Maryn was good, so it was bearable. We had a few days with Shad and Allison and fam before the rest of the troops arrived. Maryn was finally introduced to Princess-dom. I think for a few minutes she wanted to be a super-star. We have some great video of her and her cousin, Ella singing and dancing to the "ABC's" Here is a picture of how they were dressed. Very posh. Do right click and save this image because I don't expect to see Maryn like this again. Just kidding. Maybe some day she will realize it IS fun to be a girl.

The rest of the family gatherers showed up the weekend before Christmas. It was a houseful with 16 people, but lots of fun. I should have gotten a picture of how many presents there were "under" (or piling around) the tree on Christmas morning. Aunt Wendy was so nice to get all the little girls princess pajamas. After dealing with a very hyper Maryn while the other 3 watched by the tree, we managed to get this picture: Christmas morning was...chaotic, and Maryn was of course spoiled rotten and didn't want to share her toys. She's such an angel.

On the 26th, we drove to Myrtle Beach for a little get away. It was so nice there. The highlights were:

1. The indoor swimming pool

2. Krispy Kreme doughnuts

3. The view of the ocean from our balcony

4. Pete and Wendy's sweet hotel apartment

5. Finding seashells on the beach in the morning

6. The aquarium and the giant pen Kade bought at the souvenir shop

7. Go carts/race cars (living Maryn's wildest dreams)

8. And enjoying the warmer weather

Besides Christmas and Myrtle Beach we spent plenty of time playing games, eating good (but not always good for you) food, shopping and visiting old friends. We are so grateful to Shad and Allison for letting us bombard (really) their home and putting up with our laziness. It was a great vacation and the best way to spend Christmas.

May All Your Wildest Dreams Come True

This Christmas we spent in North Carolina with Kade's family. (More on that later) Well, after Christmas, we spent a few days down at Myrtle Beach, SC. It was really fun there. So, they have this Nascar/Go Cart place in Myrtle Beach and we decided to give it a try. Well, pretty much it was Maryn's dream come true. I don't think people understand just how much she loves cars. Before we even got inside, she spotted the real deal of the Cheerios race car she got out of the Cheerios box. She so lovingly refers to it as "Yellow Car." (very original, I know.) Here's the picture we HAD to get. Once we got out to the go carts, we find the rides that Maryn is tall enough for. They were lame, lame, and this one in the video. She was in Heaven. I believe she rode 4 times, and screamed for more. The girl can't get enough of cars.

Kade and I also had a good time. The go-carts were fun, and I really enjoyed making everyone eat my dust on the track.