lollipop cupcakes

I had a good idea for cupcakes, Derrick had to help me with them to get everything into the frosting bag, and then I didn't end up having sticks to make them how I wanted, I wanted them to look like giant lollipops, hopefully the idea is still the same (or you can see how it would have looked)

best day ever!

today we were taken off of the high risk pregnancy! hopefully we won't have to go back ever again!

Here are a few pictures taken today of baby either Kayzlë (Kay-z lee), Kya, or Zoë

cookies

So I was home alone yesterday scrubbing carpets when I saw my high chairs sitting up against the counter...and I got this picture in my mind...me with my little girl decorating cookies like I did with my mom (well up until I moved out and Ruby and Scarlett took over...) I dug out my cook books and found my moms sugar cookie recipe and went to work, I had trouble with the recipe so I had to call the expert and get help! The whole time I was making them I was smiling! I can't wait until my little girl is big enough to stand on a chair and help me cut out and frost cookies, it is a small little thing, but it is something I am THRILLED about doing! I was always....ok still am my mom's third thigh- and I hope to have the same relationship with my daughter as I do with my mom! So here are some pictures minus my little girl in tow of our cookies we made for Daddy Derrick! I hope that I am able to pass onto my daughter all of the wonderful traits my mom has passed onto me! Even if it celebrating silly holidays such as Jack Frost and Ned the Elf! I know Derrick won't understand the crazy little things like that, but its good to know my mom has given me a little bit of her holiday crazy traditions- Layered Jello must be at Thanksgiving, Valentines Day needs sugar cookies, birthday's must have a homemade cake, and Halloween is to be celebrated to its fullest extent EVERY year! Thank you mom for passing these onto me! I cannot wait to do all of this with my daughter and show her how awesome it is to enjoy the small things in life...like licking the frosting off of a spoon!

1st "high risk" dr's appointment over

So today we got done with our first appointment with the "high risk" specialist. Everything went well on the ultrasound, the ultrasound tech said that the cervix was find and the correct length (the dr verified this with us as well). We have to go back in two weeks in order to double check everything. He did say that there was some excess fluid and that might mean diabetes (I get tested on the 10th for that) and the same day go back to the "high risk" dr. I say "high risk" in "quotes" because I don't like to think of my pregnancy being "risky" and it just makes me feel better putting it in quotes. Derrick did notice on the form though that they also were checking for clubbed feet on our little girl (no dr has even mentioned this to us- the one today didn't say anything or our normal ob) it is a little frustrating that this might be a risk for our little girl and we aren't being told by our dr's if it is a possibility we want to know so that we can prepare for it! We want to be educated parents and we don't want to seem like we are crazy- but we do want to know that if there is a possibility of her having to have major surgery (or casts) right after she is born that we have the right to know this and be aware. Anyway, that is my ranting on going to the dr's yet again! at least two more visits with the "high risk"-ness!

perinatology is a scary word

this week has been quite the roller coaster of a week. We went to the dr 2 weeks ago to find out the gender of the baby (yes we went to a 4d ultrasound clinic to find out before the dr's office visit)it is 100% a girl! they ended up doing duel ultrasounds one on the tummy and an internal one. after meeting with the Dr he said I needed to come back the following week for another ultrasound because i was on the high end of having a cervix that was short. he said not to worry that it was just a precaution. thursday came around i went back to the dr and the same results came back that i was at the high end, i got the impression from the tech that everything was fine, that i'd just go on normally and that they would just have to check from time to time because it hadn't gotten shorter- well...apparently the dr had different plans, i got a call on friday while at work saying i needed to call the dr's office as soon as possible. I called and they are now sending me to a "high risk" pregnancy dr on tuesday because they are the only ones that can get me in before the end of august. so from being in a normal pregnancy to a questionable to a good to now "high risk" this has been quite the crazy week! just pray i don't have to go on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy- because then i don't get maternity leave! lots of anxiety from now until tuesday!

the road to home away from home

Five years ago today I was able to have the experience of a lifetime...well not just today...it was 21 days worth of it! My sister Amanda used to say two words describe me...Skydiving and Kenya...and since I wasn't quite 18 five years ago it would have to be the second...

I don't know why I am telling whoever reads this blog about Kenya five years after the fact, I think it is because I don't want to forget about it myself- I said that I would be back within two years...and five years have passed and I still have not made my return.

When I was a sophomore in High School I was determined to be a foreign exchange student, I found a program through Rotary International (thanks to the help from my dad) I was going to go to New Zealand for 16 weeks during the summer. I had all of my paper work in and all I was waiting for was the approval in New Zealand to find my host family. A couple of weeks before I was to find out about my host family my dad received a call from the head people in Salt Lake telling me that they had forgotten to submit my paper work and that I wouldn't be able to be a foreign exchange student anymore...I was crushed.

My dad being the amazing guy that he is found a different program for me to travel with during the summer through Rotary International. I was going to go to Peru with YouthLINC a group from Salt Lake that does humanitarian projects around the world, but first it starts in your local area where you have to log a specific amount of service hours half of which have to be in one place. I was so excited to go to Peru, I had only been out of the country once and it was with my family to Mexico. It was November of my Junior year of high school, I already had a scholarship to go to Peru to help pay for the costs, when my dad (the youth rep for Rotary) got a call saying that I had been approved for Peru, however the program was full and that I was the one getting bumped. They did have a solution- there was an opening for the Kenya group, there were more service hours and the planning had already been going on for months. YouthLINC told my dad that he needed to speak to the girls parents and see if it would be ok that she went to Kenya instead of Peru. My dad goes oh I don't think that would be a problem. She accepts. They didn't want to take his word for it until he said he was the parent and that she would go to Kenya instead of Peru.

I got a call from my dad at school. He goes you aren't going to Peru anymore. I was about to object and get upset when he quickly followed with, You are now going to Kenya in July. Your first meeting with the Kenya group is on Saturday. I was thrilled! I couldn't believe it! I was actually going to be getting in a group to travel for the summer!

The next couple of months, things were all about Kenya- I had meetings, school, volunteer hours (most of which were with my Uncle Vince), shots- allergic reactions, and packing for Kenya. Before I knew it I was about to start the summer before my Senior Year. (the summer I was only home 2 weeks)

Barbie Kennedy

So today is my favorite person in the whole worlds birthday!

She goes by many names...
Barbie Kennedy
Amanda Jane
Bear
Sis
Mom
Amanda Albrecht and the nasty teddy bears
President of Club Amanda
Amanda Panda Bear
the bear in Annie's Bears bows

so even though I was never allowed a membership into Club Amanda I guess I still can forgive her and wish her a Happy Birthday!

My favorite sister is moving across the universe tomorrow...I don't know how I feel about this! ok I KNOW how I feel about this- but I was the first one to move away so I guess I'll just have to save up so I can visit one of the best Zoo's in the world!

I love you Amanda- I hope you have had a wonderful birthday! You are going to have such an adventure in Omaha- and you better not forget about your first Niece! remember she and Adam are best buds already!

love you!
-little sister Annie