His name or Her name, which one to pick?

shop till ya drop!





Choosing our baby's name has been fun. We are in love with our boy names: Jesse James and Jamison Charles Gehl. Our boy names are after our fathers and my brother. Jesse, after my brother and James after Jacob's father. Plus how cool is Jesse James? Jesse means 'gift' and was the father of King David. We also like to think of him as our little outlaw.

(to the left, Isabelle waiting for the Dr)


Then there is Jameson (son of James) and Charles after my father and grandfather. We love the idea of a little Jameson.
However we are stuck again with girl names. Seemed to be the same way with Isabelle.
I love the name Charlie Marie. Charlie, for my father and Marie after myself, which is my middle name. Charlie meaning 'strong' and Charles means 'manly, strong.' Boy or girl, I love it. The hubs is so so with name...any suggestions?
It's important to me that Isabelle's name flows with this peanut. For a girl an Isabelle (Izzy) n Charlie is adorable.
Jesse or Jameson and Isabelle, sounds nice, doesn't it?

(during our extreme weather, these are the some of our mountains!)

I have been searching for neutral baby clothing, and I still am searching. I guess gone are the days of brown's, yellow's and green's. All the department stores seem to have either boy or girl clothing. Frustrating. So I am expanding my search to other stores like Sears, Dillards, Penny's, and Macy's that I don't often shop at.
Suggestions any one?

Today we shopped till dropped, at least for Isabelle. Found her Easter dress at Old Navy and I got a dark green khaki trench coat. It was a steal.

It's been awhile since I shared some of my mobile pics...so here there are.

freak out...engaged.

I am pregnant with baby number two, so why am I FAAA-REAKING out? Probably cause of the darn t.v. I have started watching the typical birthing stories on TLC and just reading articles (or blogs) here and there that have planted a nasty seed I can't shake! My pregnancy with Isabelle went so smooth, and even though I was a week over due with her my labor was fast and not too painful.

This part is going to go past PG ya'll...

Freak out #1. What if I can't deliver this baby naturally and a c-section is inevitable. AHHH
Freak out #2. T-E-A-R-I-N-G or E-P-I-S-I-O-T-O-M-Y! enough said.
Freak out #3. Problems breastfeeding. This topic could be numbers 4-10 and then some.
With Isabelle I had no gorging, except when my milk first came in, and the solution to that was buying a pump. Easy...what if it's not easy this time? Leakage, well I had the best breast pads everrrr (Lansinoh.) But as some describe, what if I become a 'leaky faucet? 'Ugh, I know my body is all ready a machine but come on. Cracking, chaffing, or bleeding, more of me freaking out.
#4. Boob to bottle. Isabelle took to a bottle easily and had no problem going back and forth from boob to bottle. Granted she had her first breast milk bottle at 1 week old, but what if this one is a 'titi monster?' Wants nothing to do with a bottle? I might loose it.
#5. Colic. Again, enough said.
#6. Acid Reflux. This could be something that turns worse or is just an
awful thing for baby to go through. Tear
#7. Stretch marks. Those are just two dirty words that leave me rubbing down with cocoa butter at least 3 times a day or whenever I feel an itch. Seriously.
#8. Saggy boobs.
#9. A neglected Isabelle. :(
#10. A jealous Isabelle. :(

The list goes on...I need to be stopped and slapped with some reality. Yet the reality is my fears are fears for a reason. They can turn into real life situations.

So, thanks to my bible study...I will get through this 'wilderness' with prayer and more prayer.

p.s.-being Isabelle's mommy is the most fun and rewarding job in the universe.
I love you Isa-belly :)

4 day weekends

new shade on our back door. i plan on getting matching ones for the window next to the door. double snap!


The Army is good for it's vacation, it may not be exactly when we want it but boy do we enjoy our days together. This weekend was like Martha Stewart meets the Walton's. We did a lot of family 'stuff.' From walks, to park trips, to home made meals; it was a long and relaxing weekend. I was able to sleep for 12 hours Saturday night! It was pure bliss. I finished our bedroom, painted our accent wall a shade darker and also the accent wall in our sitting room. It's a dark chocolate, LOVES it.
Painting is a work out in and of itself. I can feel my arms toning up, seriously.
We also bought a gorgeous screen door for the front door. Let me tell you, screen doors aren't cheap, but she's a beauty. Finally I can open my front door and let the sunshine in. We have been in the 70's for a week now n are fully taking advantage of the weather. Isabelle and I are out daily and Jake joined in too.

Izzy n I playing 'salon'

I made some yummy dinners. Home made pizza, half of which was stuff crust (my side!)
Cajun BBQ pork chops and seasoned potatoes
Chicken and grape salad. It such a simple noodle recipe we love to eat on warm days (and healthy!)


Baby update-we got another ultra sound today. Our little one did not want to sit still for the Dr to hear his/her heartbeat. So, we got an ultra sound. We(including Isabelle!) saw hands, feet, kicking, turning, smiling, it was BEAUTIFUL! Isabelle's reaction was 'woah baby.' It was so wonderful. Jake was all smiles, it was his first time hearing this baby's heart beat. My next appointment in 3 weeks to see the baby again and make sure he or she is growing well and healthy. No, we are still not finding out the sex. At 17.3 weeks I still haven't gained any weight, in fact I lost 2 pounds. Which is a bit weird for me, but the baby is healthy so all is fine.
P.S. The lil peanut has kicked me! I have felt him a few times now...yep I think it's a boy too. And if we are wrong, well we are in for another sweet surprise! :)
(I would LOVE another girl!)

Battle of the bulge

Take note of minni me also showing her 'baby.' She seems to think she has one in there too :)

The bulge, aka baby #2 is g-r-o-w-i-n-g. Sooner than later gone will be the days of sleeping on my tummy. Isabelle is so sweet and daily kisses my belly and tickles the my tummy. I can not wait for her to have a brother or sister! I have also been feeling him/her move with is fun; I love that feeling.

Oh and for $4.88 I found these randy dandy curtain hooks at Target. I feel very established with these, we've never used curtain hooks before!



P.S. Dad and Mom I am so blessed and great full to have you as my mom n dad! I love you so so much! Miss you MUCHO!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

Well the Lord has been moving in this heart of mine. Along with praying more and reading my bible more; I am sadly not putting God first in all that I do which meant saying adios to Facebook. I should have done it months ago, and boy does it feel GOOD!.
I had two separate accounts which was just stupid, and I can be doing so much more than just checking out pics and my friends stats.
Also,now that this lovely Texas spring weather is starting, Isabelle and I are out on walks, parks, and play dates more often. She is a handful my toddler and keeping her busy is sanity.
Jake and I have recently been through a change that is looking for the better. I have been holding a lot of things in through out the years that I have only shared with my husband. A time came, and those feelings or emotions if you will just simply came out.
Let me tell you whomever you are reading this, if something is bothering you whether it be with money, something physical or personal, emotionally, whatever it is...let it out and let it go!It's as if a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. For me it was turning into something ugly, bitter, and not pleasant. (Which I will discuss at a latter time.) Now that it is out I can see a change in myself and relationship with my hubs! He has even noticed it, and it is wonderful.

Peep this-if you haven't heard it Rascal Flatt's 'won't let go', then listen to it! I am all about this song as of late. :)

Recap of this weekend:
Bedroom is painted!
I am now BLONDE!
Half of my picture frames are distressed and looking good!
We went to a new church which we liked and are attending again next week!
We actually got out of the house as a fam for the first time in 2 weeks and took munchkin to the park!
Enough exclamation points? A lot was accomplished.
Oh and Isabelle can count 1, 2, 3, with her fingers. You know how difficult hand and eye coordination is at this age. :)

Happy Valentines Day ya'll-I'm off to nap while the little one is then we are cooking dad a yummy yummy din.

Happy Friday Ya'll

Hello Hello. Well this week sure has flown by. Jake is FINALLY on the mend. It has been a L-O-N-G 2 weeks. He is finally feeling a change now that he is on the right med's (and your prayers!)
This weekends agenda is a busy one!
1. Paint Bedroom
2. Hair apt for Isabelle and I.
3. Re-do picture frames for sitting room.
4. Order black and white photos on line.
5. Try out a new church on Sunday.

I am bound and determined to get our bedroom painted and do these picture frames.
In need of some new recipes, have any you want to share? Email me please! FYI, we are not tomato or mushroom fans up in here. :)

Happy Friday!

today's picks

Target is having love-lee sales. :) I found this cute rug for 24.99. Perfect for Isabelle's room, as we have caught her coloring on things she shouldn't. :)


















I found these adorable blankets for baby today at Marshall's. This pretty much covers the baby if it's a boy, seeing as I have a handful of neutral blankets all ready! And it was the first time shopping for our baby #2. Yea!
Not to mention they were only 7 dollars a piece.

Grandpa Jim comes to say 'hello'

Well my father n law surprised us all by coming to stay the night on Monday. It was a great surprise. We had a long, icky day at the ER. Only to find out that Jake was really sick, sick with PNEUMONIA!
Any who, Grandpa Jim was staying in Albuquerque, NM and drove the 4 hours for a quick visit. Isabelle kept saying 'gampa Jim', when she found out he was coming. She is a big Grandpa's girl.
When Jim left Tuesday morning she said 'gampa's nice'...aww what a sweat heart.

a smile a day

Ever notice how fast everyone is always going? How no one hardly smiles anymore? At least not to a stranger. Well I have been putting my smile on lately, and boy is it going a long way. I have found people looking back at me like I am crazy, which only makes me smile more. Then there is the elderly group that see me smiling and comment. Which always sparks a short conversation. Today I finally talked to the Wal-mart greeter, a pleasant old man whom Isabelle and I see on a weekly basis.
Soooo the point of this is to put a flipping smile on your face when you are out and about! God has given us all something to be thankful for so let's be happy.
It only takes a moment to say hello and give a smile, you never know what impression you could make on someone.

1 Samuel 2:1
Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1 Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.[a]
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
(NLV)

Since everyone else is doing it....My January Favorites

This seems to be a trend on the blogs I follow, so I am going to give it a shot. I thought it would be fun to see how things change for me since I am pregnant and for my ever crazy, non stop, smarty pants, cute as can be, did she really just say/do that 2 year old!

1. Taco salad; I am humbly admitting that I eat this about 2-3 times a week this last month.











2. Maybelline is a wonder. I ran out of my Mary Kay mineral powder and with my skin changing, this DRY weather, and not wanting to buy anything too expensive...I am keeping true to 'mineral powder' and went with Maybelline's Mineral Powder. And I love it. I believe it ran me about 8 dollars.



















3. Paint, Paint, Paint, it is. Isabelle loves arts and craft time. And w/o fail Crayola water paint is a hit, not to mention the easy clean up.

















4. I have used Vaseline, Oil of Olay, and Dove. I am a fan of all 3, but wanted a change. Not to mention lotion is getting EXPENSIVE! St. Ives Renewing caught my eye.
I am in love with the smell and how smooth it goes on. Not to mention its 3.99.


















5. Legginss! Let me say it again, Leggings! For Isabelle and I this has been the way to go. I can't tell you how many pairs we each have. With my expanding belly and Isabelle wanting to dress herself leggings are much easier than jeans and cords.
Target has the best options, if you ask me. Any where from 2-5 dollars.

Superbowl Sunday Ya'll!

Isabelle on the mend!




Home made chicken noodle for the hubs.






Well the day has arrived! Woot Woot! Although we aren't having the super bowl bash we wanted, it's still going to a great day. Win or loose it's going to be a great game and our Packers made it to the big game.
Still got a sicko named Jake over here, he's just now starting to get better. It has been a longgggg week. I am sleep deprived, have gone through a big bottle of Lysol and wipes. Don't even let me go there with how many times I have changed our bed sheets and Isabelle's. I become a sanitizing freak when any bug hits this house.
Have a great Sunday ya'll.


Mr. Sick Pants (above) pic courtesy of Isabelle Gehl.

Party Girl

Isabelle's birthday party was a success. All her friends showed up and had fun playing.
It was short and sweet like a 2 year old's party should be. :)
She was extatic with her minnie mouse theme. I wanted this to be her party:
http://karaspartyideas.blogspot.com/search/label/snowflake%20party
However Isabelle's daily ramblings about Elmo and Minnie (Mickey too) didn't give me much of a choice. I will save that one for a few years from now if she's into that girly stuff!
Our dear girl was so shy when we sung happy birthday to her but not hesitant at all in licking the frosting!

bathrooms done!

Well I got our bathroom painted last week, just in time before the hunny got sick.
It's like being in the ocean :)We really like the color!
We'll be using the same color in our bedroom minus an accent wall another color.
First time sponge painting and I wish I could do our whole house that way! It's too easy.

My next task is to have our bedroom painted by Valentines day. Slowly but surely!