A November to be Thankful for....

Thanksgiving day is great and all... But I think we can do better! Let's make November a month of thankfulness. What are you thankful for today?

Day #1: I am thankful to be Pregnant, and the baby is Healthy. We had a rough start and thankfully at almost 17 weeks everything is great.

Day #2: I am thankful for dirk and millie. They brighten up my life. I love being an Auntie :)

Day #3: I am thankful to God for his mercy, goodness and love for me.

Day #4: I am thankful for my FAMILY: my mom and dad, my little sister Gina VanOrder, my little brother Jared VanOrder, and his girlfriend Cara Jo Nuiver. I have been truly blessed to have such wonderful people by my side through the thick and the thin. I love you ♥

Day #5: I am thankful for my Smile :)
{a gift that keeps on giving}

Day #6: I am thankful for my friends! You all are wonderful. Thank you for your support and love ♥

Day #7: I am thankful for seasons: that we live in a beautiful state where we get to experience all four seasons. There are so many wonderful, and special things about each, no matter where I live or spend the time.

Day #8: I am thankful for kindness.

Day #9: I am thankful for the doctors and nurses at North Ottawa Community Hospital. For there early diagnoses of my low progesterone which may have saved my baby's life and for there steady hands as Miss Millie has surgery on her tongue today!

Day #10: I am thankful for Country Music, it has powerful words and I think I can find a song for just about every mood, and every feeling.

Day #11: I am thankful that I am an American, and get to celebrate Veterans day. On this day 11/11/11, I am so proud of our men and women who have served and are serving our great country!!! Happy Veterans Day!!! {Wayne, Karl, GL, Courtney Polnicky, Uncle Carl, Ken, Vitold, and Nick}

Day #12: I am thankful that I have the ability to Dream, especially at night. They may be strange dreams at night now that I am pregnant, like last night, I dreamed I was in high school and the last class of the day was food pantry, and we had to bring 12 items a day for credit, but I am always late for this class because I was coming from Scrapbooking Class. {I wonder what high school that was} LOL

Day #13: I am thankful that I am able to go upnorth almost every weekend... I love that I have great people in my life who let me visit and wanna spend time with me :)

Day #14: I am thankful for my BED!!! I love to sleep :) it is nice to come home after a weekend away and climb into my own bed!!!

Day #15: I am thankful for hunting season, today is opening day of firearm!!! Good luck to everyone hunting and Be Safe!

Day #16: I am thankful for my Cell Phone, That I can text and Call family and friends when they don't live so close to be able to visit.

Day #17: I am thankful for Facebook, to be able to re-connect with old friends and to connect with friends and family who I may only see once a year, or live far far away!!

Day #18: I am thankful for FAMILY VACATIONS!! past, present and FUTURE!!! I am lucky to have been on many Florida Family Vacations, Cruises to Haiti, Jamaica, & Bahamas, All Inclusive to Mexico, Trips to Mackinaw, and Cedar Point. A once in a lifetime trip to Prince Edward Island, and the East Coast. Family Adventures to Holiday Inn and to see the Amish! And etas I am 30, I am super excited for Another FAMILY Trip to Florida Next Fall, when I get to bring my own offspring on his/her first FAMILY VACATION!!!

Day#19: I am thankful that I have been able to live in many cities in our beautiful State of Michigan: Zeeland, Holland, Vriesland, Hudsonville, Montague, McBain, Bear Lake, Manistee, and Grand Haven. It should make my decision easy when deciding where to live come February.

Day #20: I am thankful to wake up to this amazing view of Gun Lake and the sun shinning!! Love my parents Lake House :)

Day #21: I am thankful for my creativeness :) I love to do projects with the kids, and I love to scrapbook!! Thank-you God for this ability!

Day #22: I am thankful for cartoons. No violence, no swearing, just good music and good overall message. {It's a me and Millie kind of morning}

Day #23: I am thankful for positive and negative people, they have helped shape who I am today!! Remember as you are in a rush this holiday season to slow down and enjoy every moment!!!

Day #24: I am thankful to be able to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with Dirk and Millie :)

Day #25: I am thankful for the fact that I got to sleep in today!!! No black Friday shoppin' for this mama!!!

Day #26: I am thankful that my Vacation Starts Tomorrow Morning :) 4 days of BLISS!!!!

Day #27: I am thankful for Chocolate Chip Cookies at 10am :)

Day #28: I am thankful to be able to wake up to snow!!! I Love Northern Michigan :)

Day #29: I am thankful for wonderful conversations with great friends and fun people.

Day #30: I am thankful to be ME!!! My life may not be perfect but it's MY LIFE!!!! I am Happy, I have feelings and I am enjoying every moment of being pregnant, The man in my life is Montgomery and one day soon he will call me MOMMY!!! So I am very Thankful for the past 30 days, for the past year and I look forward to the Future!!

Montgomery's Pool

Please click here and cast your vote: please make sure to use Blog Friend or Facebook friend or family member when filling it out. The winner will receive a $25 gift card to BWW {Buffalo Wild Wings} You will get to choose: Birthdate, Weight, Length, Hair and Eye Color!!


Scoring System (LOWEST score wins)
Birthdate 1 point(s) added for each day off
Weight 0.5 point(s) added for each ounce off
Length 0.5 point(s) added for each quarter-inch off
Hair 2 point(s) added for incorrect hunch
Eye 2 point(s) added for incorrect hunch

Have Fun and Enjoy!!!

20 weeks and Thanksgiving

How far along? 20 weeks {11/24/11}
Total weight gain/loss: 12 pounds total in 20 weeks.
Maternity clothes? love maternity jeans and leggens'
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I either sleep really good , or toss and turn all night
Best moment this week: Finding out im having a BABY BOY!!!!
Miss Anything? energy :) LOL I do good, and then takes a day to recover!
Food cravings: I like to eat, but not really any cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: Changing Millie's Diapers and when my stomach is completely empty.
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: BOY~~~IT'S A BOY!!!! Montgomery Gene Miller
Labor Signs: No
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY :) HAPPY :) HAPPY :)
Looking forward to: shopping for my little man.
Today marked the 25th Anniversary of my dads death. Gina and I put flowers and a It's a BOY balloon on his grave, since mom is in Florida with Aunt Tami and grandparents, my grandma had a pacemaker put in last night. She is doing well! Mom, Gina and I usually do dinner and flowers to grave, but since mom was gone, we still went to see dad.

It's a BOY!!!

On November 22nd, 2011 I found out I was having a sweet little boy. My two sisters {gina and cara} came to my appointment with me!!!

He is pretty proud of his "BOY" parts...





He has the cutest little hands

and the longest little legs and a Buddha belly!!!

within 1 1/2 minutes after the ultrasound started he wanted his mommy to know that he was a BOY!!!!!!!

and look at my baby's feet....

I would like you meet Montgomery Gene Miller, he is a stubborn baby, I wonder where he gets it from??? hmmmmm LOL. Monty is so proud of being a boy!!! and I am so proud to be a mommy to a son!!! He has the longest skinniest legs and a Buddha belly. He is a mover and a swimmer {little fish}. He would not give us a profile picture, but we did get to see tiny hands and fingers, feet and toes. Montgomery's heartbeat was 152 and we got to see the 4 chambers of his heart. My little man is adorable and perfect in every way.

I love you Montgomery!!! Love~ Mommy

Thanksgiving BOOK

So I found this neat Blog, what a neat Idea for a Thanksgiving Book.. So on Monday when Dirk got home from School, we started the book, Dirk did some pages, and Millie did some too....

Cover, 1st page and 2nd page

3,4 and 5


6,7 and 8th page




9th and 10th pages

It turned out great. Once all papets are dry I will bind it together!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

THINGS YOU WILL NEED:

8x8 paper

crayons

stickers

glitter glue

glue stick

paint

brushes

wiggley eyes

colored paper/scraps

scissors

marker

pen

COOKIES

The "baby's room"

Come February, when I find a place of my own to call home, I will begin to decorate the baby's room. The crib and book shelve will be a gift from Nana & Papa and come from IKEA. I am looking for 3 white lanterns in white for the room, I'm thinking different sizes, but we will see. The colors are Orange, Teal, Brown and White. The crib and book shelve are white, The changing table, which my mom used for me as a baby is brown/wood. I will be replacing the handles and knobs, and fixing the small noticeable scratches. I am looking for a second hand rocking chair that I can stain the same color as the changing table, and I want to re-do the padding on rocker to match the room. I will also start to find the alphabet from different stores {hopefully all on sale}, doesn't matter the color, they will be painted if they don't match.

19 weeks

How far along? 19 weeks {11/17/11}
Total weight gain/loss: won't be weighed till 20 weeks.
Maternity clothes? love maternity jeans and leggens
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: I either sleep really good for 12 hours or I am up every couple hours.

Best moment this week: baking cookies with Dirk and Millie

Miss Anything? Energy!!!!

Food cravings: it's crazy things I love don't taste good and things I would never eat I love

Anything making you queasy or sick: Smells, and tastes and 1st thing in the morning.

Have you started to show yet: YES!!! I have a baby bump :)
Gender: still guessing Girl
Labor Signs: No
Happy or Moody most of the time: HAPPY!!!

Looking forward to: 20 week ultrasound BOY/GIRL and deciding on a BABY NAME!!!

a note from BABY!!!

baby names...

November 22 we find out if baby is a
BOY or GIRL....

HERE is the LIST of our FAVORITE BABY NAMES

GIRL...

Waverly
Lainey
Coté
Granger
Zoë

BOY...

Lincoln
Waverly
Breslin
Avory
Wyatt
Granger
Montgomery

{Middle name will be Gene, for boy or girl, after my Dad,
who passed away 25 years ago, this Thanksgiving}

18 weeks

How far along? 18 weeks {11/11/11}
Total weight gain/loss: won't be weighed till 20 weeks.
Maternity clothes? love maternity jeans :) just bought leggens
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: 1 trip to the bathroom per night
Best moment this week: spending time with great friends :)
Miss Anything? chocolate. I may have eaten some Halloween Candy. OOPS!!
Food cravings: everything and it all gives me heartburn
Anything making you queasy or sick: I threw up the other day while changing Millie's diaper and dirk goes "did you just spit on my floor" poor child.
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: still guessing Girl
Labor Signs: No
Happy or Moody most of the time: loving this moment :)
Looking forward to: My 20 week ultrasound, to tell everyone BOY or GIRL!!!!

my weekend

I had a great weekend. Saturday I worked till noon, then headed NORTH!! I stopped in to see Becky and Duane, I had borrowed a Photo CD from Becky a few weeks ago and needed to return it. Then I headed to Traverse City, I did a little shopping {I went to Target, and got a cute shirt on clearence for $3. AND I'm going to be brave and try leggen's} and then headed to Benzonia to chill for the night. Sunday we headed to Cadillac to get a few things and I needed stuff for my oil change. My car did get an oil change and I did 2 haircuts :) But now I guess I cannot do haircuts or color for the week, because I must have pregnancy brain and left my bag up north! oh well!!! So overall I had a great weekend.

PENNY

So dirk got Lego's from Nana Yesterday, for halloween,and when he woke up he wanted to build his new lego boat. he asked me to help. I HATE LEGO'S!!!! but being the good Auntie/Nanny that I am I helped dirk build his lego boat. It took about 45 minutes and the boat was complete.... He loves it and is so proud of it!!! After he was done he had to pick up his living room, he found a penny and gave it to me. "Auntie, here, this is for you for helping me build my boat, I love you." and in that moment I had to remember it's not the fact that I HATE LEGO'S, its the bonding moment I had with my 5 year old nephew. "I love you too Dirk!"