Change er up

Well, we have decided that we are going to sell the truck. For a number of reasons really. Our truck is in amazing shape and it only has 52 000 kms, which is outstanding for a 2004. Because of the mileage we payed more for the truck and now since we are trying to get our monthly payments down, we would like to sell the truck and buy something that will lower our monthly payments. We have been thinking about whether we want a truck or not and as much as we would love to have a truck for the bed space we have decided to go with a small suv because it is the best pic for the dogs, kids and our lifestyles. A van is what we really need, and are simply the best all round family car, however there is no way Joe and I are going to be driving a mini van at 23 years old.

We have looked into most of the smaller suv's and we have found the one for us. We are in love with the Jeep Liberty. It is a very nice small suv, with a good amount of trunk space for the dogs. They are an outdoorsy suv and are 4 x 4. We both don't want an suv that you see everywhere- there are so many Rav 4's, Honda CRV's, Ford Escapes, the Jeep Liberty is such a sharp looking suv, and I love the look. It reminds me of the safari trucks, take a look at this one I found.

This is a 2003, however it is in amazing shape. We want something older anyways because the older the cheaper. As long as the suv is in good shape and the mileage isn't bad. We have to fix the dent in our truck and then we will be looking to sell it. I already put it on Kijiji and got many people interested. It won't be hard to sell the truck, it is in amazing shape other then the small dent, and the mileage is great. Also Dodge Dakota's are popular because there not quite a full size truck but there not a small truck either. Another great thing about Jeeps is that they are higher inside. All the other small suv's are very tight for head room and you feel very congested. I'm small but I still like to have a roomy vehicle, and clearly Joe needs the head space. I really want to test drive one because I have never driven an suv. I love how the Dakota drives, I prefer driving a truck to a car any day, so it will be interesting driving something different.

Hopefully all goes well and we sell the truck and then we can buy something cheaper and make our monthly payments decrease. This specific suv would be saving us about $200.00 a month which is alot of money really. Gas would be lower, and insurance probably won't change unfortunately. We will see though..

Happy 1st Birthday Danik!

I meant to send a card to little Danik, however I'm very forgetful lately...they say this is normal when your pregnant! LOL. A day late, but here is wishing Danik all the best and a very Happy 1st Birthday! He has a great year ahead of him. Can't wait to see you Danny!

Love Megan

Best dressed Baby..

Well I have been feeling pretty good lately...getting bigger and bigger. Dad calls my belly a beach ball, because it's perfectly round and unlike alot of women you see that are pregnant there belly is spread out, mine is very compact. I think this is because I am small and also because I don't have much of any hips. From behind I don't look pregnant at all, which is a good thing because that means I haven't gained hardly any weight in my behind.

Megan at just over 26 weeks..

A pregnant belly is quite a beautiful thing. I can't tell you how many times Joe and I have said to eachother how amazing it is that there is a little baby in me. I'm feeling her kick right now and it makes everything feel so real when you can feel her move. Joe's eyes light up when he feels her kick. It's hard to believe that in just over 3 months we will have little Amelia here with us. She will be a very loved child. Joe and myself both have huge hearts and we love loving....if that makes any sense. You can just tell with our animals, we love showing them how much we love them and we love fussing over them.

I have gotten quite obsessed with buying clothes for Mia, There is just so many nice things out there. I just picture what she will look like in these little outfits and it makes me so happy. I did buy a large amount of clothes from a women on Kijiji, but there wasn't many outfits that said " Amelia Strong". She is going to have character, and she needs to have outfits that show this. Yesterday I went out with Steph and we stopped in at Value village. There is just so many nice things it's increadible. Check out some of my buys...I think you may be able to tell my obsession with strawberries in these pieces lol. The one diaper suit, bib and panties are brand new.

A nice strawberry outfit for little Mia

I couldn't resist this...the little panties with the strawberries on the bum are just too cute.

I love this dress. I found this at Value village and I was so happy to find it. H & M white dress with matching panties. My favourite is the frills on the bum!!

This is Amelia's outfit that she will wear when she goes to see her great grandparents in the country...haha.

Mother and I went out today and stopped in at Once upon a child. They have so many nice clothes for babies. racks and racks of beatiful dresses, outfits, sleepers, everything you need. They do over price things however, at least the clothes that are name brands, and mostly everything in there are Old Navy, Baby Gap, H & M, and other makes so it isn't the cheapest, however still way cheaper then buying it new. Check out this beautiful little dress and panties mom got for Amelia..

Anyways I got to go for now!! Oh by the way the kitchen is done, however we are waiting on the counter tops, so I will post pictures next week once everything is done!

Megan

Life without work

Well it's been amazing not working. I don't know if it is mental but I really do feel alot better not being there. I think it's a variety of things really, I have been sleeping in and I love the feeling of getting up casually and not rushing to do things. I have been strict about getting the dogs in a routine where they take care of themselves until mama bear is out of bed. They have been very good so far. I let them out after they have had enough sleep, at around 9:30am-10:00am, they then play in the backyard for a good while. Sometimes Zenny pounds on the door because she doesn't want to miss when I feed the cats - she sits beside them and waits for them to leave bits...hahah, ya she loves the wet cat food..she will also make little whines at them.

I think it will only get better for the dogs once the weather is nice, they never want to come in when it's nice out. I plan on going to the flea market this weekend and buying some bones for them. They sell real bones for a good price, unlike the pet store who sells one bone for $8.00...rediculous. Anywho like I said I'm getting lots of sleep, but I also think there's something to be said about not being in the germ filled air. The air in that office doesn't circulate, and your breathing in everyone disgusting germs. Since I haven't been at work I haven't gotten one headache. I did seen to be getting some in this pregnancy and they were quite unpleasant, more of a pounding sensation...but I haven't gotten one since I have been off. Amazing enough too, the palpitations have decreased. There isn't much that works me up during the day anymore, and I haven't been doing anything physically that normally brings them on. I did however buy a new microwave yesterday and carry it around with me and it was very heavy...I was so tired and my heart was going crazy. Joe called while I was panting and he got mad at me for being stupid and carrying it around with me, he asked why I didn't get a cart, and then I asked myself that...hahah, I wasn't even thinking, ah well.

So it's awesome that I'm feeling great lately, I just wish our house was in order. The kitchen renovation is progressing, however there is alot more work to do then we originally thought. It is going to look awesome however, but it takes alot of time! Joe and myself love doing projects together, we both love it so much. We work so well together, it's amazing really. We assign each others projects and go to it. Like the bathroom once we started ripping everything out we found out there was alot more to be done then we thought...since this house is very old everything was done different then today, and the methods and supplies they used just don't work and everything needs to be redone. I love watching Joe work- I love learning things about plumbing, electrical, drywalling, carpentry, laying flooring, everything really. I can't explain how much I have learnt from Joey. I have learnt most about plumbing obviously, and it's nothing what people think. There is so much to plumbing it's incredible. Most of the work Joe does is quite difficult stuff and you are constantly thinking. However the plumbing in our kitchen will be quite easy for him which is nice.

Anywho here is an update on the kitchen. Cabinet doors are all painted- I had to prime all of them and then give them 3 coats of the cabinet colour we picked. This is very time consuming work! I painted all of the cabinet on the wall, inside and out as well. They all required 3 coats as well....I knew I had to do the cabinets well or else the whole kitchen would look sloppy. We also installed more cabinets on the one wall giving us more storage...they look great! We ripped out the old back splash and counter tops and also ripped out all the flooring. Joe and myself bought a brand new dishwasher and we got lucky with this because when we went to future shop to buy a basic white one we saw a Frigidaire stainless steal dishwasher for the same price. This was because it was "out of box" still new but it was just out of the box. Clearly we didn't care that it was out of box so we bought that one. It's like a $700.00 dishwasher and we got it for $249.00! So we did really well on that one. Joe then had to build a wood surrounding to hold the dishwasher and we also had to change around the lower cabinets to make it work. This is because there was no built in dishwasher before, just a portable one. We ran the dishwasher yesterday for the first time and it works great! so quiet too which is nice.

Anywho we also got a coat of a fresh blue on the walls - love the colour. We ordered our counter tops yesterday night and we will get those in about a week. Once Joe gets home from work today we will most likely lay the floor...were just doing a peel and stick kind of flooring, but it's very nice and durable- great for 4 animals and a baby lol! Since I don't have much to do today I think I will put the cabinet doors back on, install the nice new handles I bought for them, and give them one good coat once there up. Other then that we need another coat on the blue and then just need to get the counter tops and install them. So we are doing quite well, I'm very pleased. You won't believe the transformation...It already looks like a completely different kitchen. When were done I will post before and after pictures. Oh ya we also built a shelf below the cabinets to hold the microwave. This allows us to have much more counter space - which is very needed. The microwave I bought is a nice stainless steal one and will go with the dishwasher and hardware on the cabinets. I also forgot the tell you that we bought tiles for the back splash. Two different colours, I won't tell you, but you will see pictures after. Unfortunately the back splash is the last step, I can't do it until the counter tops are installed.

So as you can imagine we have been very busy lately. I had a girls night out the other night and went out with Pam and Steph. We came here and hung out for awhile and then went out for dinner and steph and Pam had some drinks...lol, I had a nice big rootbeer....mmmm, so good. I rather that then alcohol anyways haha. Anywho we then went out to a movie, it was a great night. Lots of laughs that's for sure. Anyways I need to eat some breakfast, poor little Mia is hungry.


Life is good...So much to look forward too!!

Thank you Aktiv Kapital!

Well I'm done working for some quite time...a very strange feeling really. I will really miss the people I work with, they bring alot of laughs into my day. I have alot of memories there, and I'm going to try my best to keep in touch with all the people I have become close to. At work I have a manager and about 6 other co workers on my specific team...I saw all my team mates huddle around my managers desk and I was wondering what was going on...Gayle then came and got me and said they had a surprise for me. They all got together and bought me a gift set of a bunch of baby stuff (onesies, bibs, booties ect) And they also got me the sheep cuddle buddy, which is so nice. It's a baby blanket that is extremely soft and has a little sheep head. They gave me a card signed by everyone on the team with all very nice comments...My friend John who I have become close with put a comment saying "Your going to be an awesome mom Geegs!"(he made that nickname for me lol) The people I work with are all way older and come from many different places and have very different personalities. Most of the people I work with have alot of similarities to myself and that's why I get along with so many of them.

For example John is a 48 year old single man...if I told you I was friends with a 48 year old man you would be kind of weirded out right??? Well it's crazy because to me it's not weird at all. He is the nicest man you will ever meet, a very caring and loving man, he has children and grandchildren. He loves the same music I love, he loves simpsons, and when I talk to him I never even think about his age and it's not weird at all. I prefer hanging out with him then most people my age to tell you the truth. I gave him a hug before I left and he seemed generally sad to see me go. I will miss that guy, he is hilarious.

I'm even going to miss Gayle. She can be annoying at times, but the laughs I have had with her, or at her are just classic. She makes me laugh and is a damn good collector! She is also a very loving women and I love people with a big heart. The whole company also got together and all signed a card with many nice comments, and also gave me a Toys R us gift card. I was shocked...I didn't expect all this. This girl named Helena I work with also bought me a outfit for Mia, a toy and onesies...I'm not even close with her and she went out and got me this stuff...so nice.I am going to try and pop in before I have Mia to see everyone, and of course I will go into the office after Mia is born. They all seem very excited to meet her so I will be happy to show her off.

My friend Sehar who I work with bought me this stylish diaper bag. She got it for me because we were talking about diaper bags the one day. We started talking about them because one of the managers we work with, Dave, bought his wife a $800.00 Coach diaper bag and we were saying how ridiculous he is for making such a ridiculous purchase. I told Joe that and he commented back " Way to go you just worked two weeks to pay for that" I laughed. It is absolutely insane...if your going to spend $800.00 why wouldn't you at least buy something useful and practical. But anyways she got me this bag which I love...lots of compartments and very stylish, I can use it as my purse too. That's it below.

Well Joe just got home from work...it's about time it's 7:05pm! he worked 12 hours today..what a guy. At least he isn't working this weekend and it's a 3 day weekend so even better...however he will still be working because were doing our kitchen! lol.

Bye bye for now!

24 weeks and counting..

I'm beginning to look very pregnant these days. At work Iam extreamly fussed over. Iam the only pregnant women in the office, and since I have been there so long everyone knows me and loves to comment on my growing belly. I do love everyone caring about me and my baby, it makes me feel good. I do work with alot of good people, and I'm glad I got to work with them throughout the first 6 months of my pregnancy. But I never did think I would hear the word "cute" so many times in one day. I probably getted called cute about 5-8 times a day by different people, a word I never thought I would hear when being pregnant. I still don't really know what people mean by that because I defiantly don't see myself as cute at this point, but hey I'll take it! Yvonne, a very nice british women I work with said to me that Iam the cutest pregnant women she has ever seen...and that it suits me (being pregnant).

I still can't really believe that Friday (tomorrow) is my last day. I'am so excited for this, however it is going to be very strange. I have worked there for almost 4 years! that's a long time, and I have gotten in quite the routine. As much as I hate the work part, I do enjoy seeing my buds at work. I told them I would go visit when I'm like 8 months, and of course I will come in to show off little Mia later in the summer. They all seem very excited to see her.

I'am feeling pretty good lately, however it's hard getting used to having such a big belly. Since I have always been quite small I'm finding it hard to do alot of things without difficulty. Just putting on my boots is a battle. I have crouching down because I feel like I'm crushing baby and hurting her in some way... I can't imagine how I'm going to be by 8 months...ah! I'm super excited though...I love experiencing all these new challenges!

Joe has been superman lately, He does alot around here so that I can take it easy. He is obsessed with little Mia already and loves touching my belly. It makes me feel amazing that he is so excited for Mia's arrival. He is taking a week off from work after she is born, and also taking a week off in August for our cottage trip. I can't wait!

I went to Value village yesterday to look for a little dresser for the nursery but they didn't have any...however, the baby clothes are amazing there! just as good as Talize! I'm obsessed with baby girl dresses! there are so many nice ones. I love the little dresses that come with little panties to go over the diaper...just precious. I found this amazing hippie like dress for when Amelia is one, I have to wait abit but I had to buy it! Kate you will love it! Imagine Mia wearing this little dress with a little purple headband and little sandles! Just adorable..Joe loved it too!

A great $4.99 purchase!

I leave you with a picture of my growing belly...I know Kate will be shocked as she was with the last picture, however I'm much bigger now!!!haha

Later dudes!

A country walk..

Cold but sunny, Joe and myself went out to his parents house to take the dogs out. We love taking Marley and Zen to see their bro Zack, they are so happy playing together and they non stop run, which means a peaceful night for Joe and I. Here are a few pictures from our country walk..

Marley, Zen and Zack walking up the gravel road.

Horse with a coat

This is the horse farm down the road from the Strongs house. I always love seeing the horses. It will be nice to take little baby for a walk down the road to see the horsies in the near future.

Joey and myself
From left to right, Joe, Marley, Zack and Zen

Marley looking sharp

Zenner

Baby Gear!

So Joe and myself went to pick up some stuff from a women that was selling a baby swing and boxes of baby girl clothing 0-9 months. The swing is great. It's in perfect condition and we got it for a great price. Here is a picture of the boxes of clothes we got...lots of nice things! She also gave me blankets, bibs, some shoes, and other little accessories. I'am very pleased...A very nice start to Baby Strongs wardrobe. The swing is the Fisher Price 3 in 1 swing. It is great because you can take off the seat and it turns into a infant seat, and when they are older it can be a little rocker. It has 5 different songs that baby can listen to and the reason I like it so much is that you can easily take off the seat, fold up the stand and take it anywhere. It's great because I can quickly and easily bring it on the deck and she can swing in it while Joe and I eat or when we need to do something in the yard. The pattern is also very nice with little safari animals- It's also green which I love. It will be moving into the living room closer to the time, for now it will stay in the nursery.

The dogs were very interested in all the new things we brought home. When Marley came inside and saw the swing in the nursery he started barking at it and didn't know what to think of it..lol. He was fine once Joe and I explained to him it was alright and it wasn't going to hurt us...haha. Everytime they walk past the swing they go up to it and give it a little push and snif. I think they are beginning to relize something is going on...lol.

The Quinny Freestyle!!!!!Gotta have it.

This is going to take some of my finest whining and convincing to get this,


Quinny Freestyle 4XL Green Travel system.

The set I want comes with the stroller and car seat. I am taking the pram from mother dear that she got from Maryanne, however we need a stroller that is more sporty and durable. This is exactly what I'm looking for. I want something with big tires so we can take Mia out with us when we walk the dogs. This is also great for the winter months as the tires go threw anything. I also love the look of the stroller and car seat- and I love the colour. All the reviews are very good and I have only heard good things about Quinny products- Here is one review:

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!
on August 25, 2009
This is the best stroller that I have ever used. I live on a dirt road but this stroller just glides on it. We use it every where we go, walking trails, the zoo, the beach, even the mall. The adjustable handle is a dream come true. I come from a tall family (ranging from 5'10" - 6'6") and no one has had any back pain from 'hunching over' to push to stroller.

This women brings up a great point about the adjustable handle. It is something I would have never thought of but it brings up great concern for me considering Iam 5'2 and Joe is 6'3. Joe's back in already messed up and I don't want him bending while he pushes little Mia.

The stroller and car seat are very good quality so I figure it is a good purchase because it will last for all of our children, the colour is also gender neutral so it works for both a boy or a girl.

I'm already sold, but now I have to convince papa Joe which won't be easy because the price of these two wonderful products are $479.79!! however after I'm done having children I can sell the set for a decent price. I have looked on Kijiji and most people selling this set still ask for $300.00 used, so we will see. Joe already knows he wants to buy a stroller like this, he wants one with big tires that we can take on all of our adventures. Maybe I can tell Joe to work some extra hours??!! hahah JK!

JUICY FRUITY BABY!

I'm in love with this!

I found this crib bedding set on the internet today and I must have it. Take a look.

The set comes with eveything above,

This is excactly what I wanted! The room is already painted green so this set with look awesome in the room. I think they overdue it in the room picture, but I just want the bedding and mobile. I already have my mosquito net that Iam hanging over the crib and I think it will look awesome. It isn't very cheap but I have to have it. Little Mia will love it. I figure I can sell it all for a decent price after so that's something, I really want to make her room inviting and cheerful and also warm, and I think the bedding and crib have a big part of the final look. I also just love knowing she will be sleeping in a beautiful, comfortable, relaxing space. When people walk in I want them to think to themselves " What a lucky baby" lol. Let me know what you think of it!

I love Baby clothes!

Baby, baby, baby

I love baby clothes. There is something about baby clothes that just melts my heart. The funny thing is, I remember feeling this way even when I was young. I have been obsessed with babies for as long as I can remember really. Ever since I fell deeply in love with Joe I have wanted a baby with him. I knew we would make beautiful wonderful little children and I have been waiting for this for a couple of years now. I'm very lucky that Joe wanted children at a young age like myself. We have always had the same goals and dreams, and we both knew we wanted to have a baby shortly after getting married. I have always pictured us as being the young, hip, energetic parents, that aren't like most mom and dads you see. I can't wait to see Joe hold baby Mia, I think I will probably cry the first time I see it. I have been waiting to see this since I basically met him. Women at my work have mentioned I should start getting used to all the women hitting on Joe because women can't resist a young, good looking guy with a baby...I must admit this is true. Whenever Iam out and about and I see an involved dad that is young and good looking I just get a huge smile on my face and I can't stop looking.

I'm sure you can tell how excited I am about Mia's upcoming arrival. Above are some of her clothes. A huge thank you to Ellen who sent me a beautiful little outfit. The denim hat, Pink long sleeve shirt and the adorable pink socks! I love them. The teddy bear is from Silvia from Christmas..I thought it was very nice of her to think of us. I found a women on Kijiji selling a whole bunch of baby girl clothes and I am picking the lot up on Saturday along with a swing that she is selling to me as well. The clothes are all basically new ( the women had her baby girl in May) and most are name brands. I figure it will give me a good start and it will save money because even when you go to Talize your paying on average $3.99 per item of baby clothes, and this way I'm getting like 80 items for a very good price. She also has a 3 in 1 Fisher Price swing that is in excellent shape, and Joe and I wanted to get one anyways for in the living room, so this will save us more money. We are picking that stuff up on Saturday so I'm excited to see more baby clothes!!

Bye for now!!