Baby update!

Well, today I am 37 weeks pregnant! Yay! We're almost done! I had a doctor's appointment this morning and I am already 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. This is fantastic news because when I was induced with Caden at 39 weeks, I wasn't even 1cm dilated! I've been having contractions pretty much daily, but they're not horrible. I can pretty much do anything through them still, except I can't touch my toes when I have a contraction :) Oh, who am I kidding? I haven't been able to touch my toes for a while now :) Anyway, this belly of mine is big and all out in front. It's taking over my life! I love it, though, and I'm enjoying every last minute of this pregnancy because who knows if we'll do this again . . . Enjoy and I will certainly keep you all updated as to what happens, when it happens!

By the way, I was having a pretty good contraction during this photo shoot, so that's why it looks a little pointed :)


Just a little something extra. Isn't it funny how we make ourselves look like complete idiots to get a laugh out of our kids? Here's Nigel with a diaper on his head, and Caden thought it was so funny, he spit water all over. Nobody, I mean nobody, can make that boy of mine laugh like his daddy. It's music to my ears and my heart when Nigel gets Caden going. They have such a special relationship, it's amazing.

A few days in Central Oregon . . .

Spring Break was this last week and my parents had their condo at Eagle Crest, so on Tuesday evening, Nigel, Caden, Erika, Jude and myself drove over and met them there so we could have a couple of days of fun and relaxation. It was wonderful, as usual! What's not to love about Central Oregon? It's such a wonderful, beautiful place.

We woke up on Wednesday and Erika and my dad went skiing up on Mt. Bachelor, so my mom, Nigel, Caden, Jude and I had the morning to hang out. We played with the boys for quite a while and then decided to go for a little hike down to the Deschutes River. Jude got to hitch a ride with Uncle Nigel for the first time in the backpack and Caden had fun being a "moutain climber". It was beautiful and great, and even had a nice steep hill at the end just for me :) Then, we met Erika and my dad in Bend for lunch and some time with the ducks and a little shopping. It was great. We came back and all decided to go swimming at the indoor pool for a little while. After a busy day, the boys were ready for bed.

Thursday morning brought a delicious breakfast of waffles, bacon and eggs. We had a slow start to the morning and eventually made it down to the pool again. Jude and Caden LOVED the pool. Caden's getting to be a little fishy and Jude is just "testing the waters". Jude's favorite place to be was on the steps of the kiddie pool hanging onto the railing, where he would happily yell and dance forever. We went back to the condo, gave the boys a bath in the huge jacuzzi tub, ate lunch/dinner and then headed back home. It was a quick trip, but just what we all needed. Thanks for the great couple of days, Mom and Dad! It was wonderful!


The Schnackenberg family of 3, not for long! Look at that belly poking out!

Pure bliss for a 9 month pregnant Kristen! Swimming was wonderful :)

Why being a mom is so fun (and so hard) . . .

Being a mom is nothing like what I thought it would be. It's amazing, wonderful, challenging, crazy and so hard! But, I love it. It's always something new and different and you are always asked to be the best that you can be, so it pushes you to keep going. And, just when you think you can't go another day, like you might rip your hair out of your head or worse, your kids do something or say something to remind you how much fun it really is and give you the strength to keep on going :)

For example, my sweet little Caden seems to hate eating! I don't know where he gets this because I love to cook and eat, and Nigel LOVES to eat whatever I cook :) We've always been food-loving people. But, I think that this is what Caden is choosing as his #1 power struggle. The last week or so, every meal time, I tell Nigel that I would just rather not have to do it. It's such a struggle and always a big dilemma and it's getting so frustrating. Well, last night, I made spaghetti & meatballs with salad and bread. I do have to say, in my credit, that it was some of the best spaghetti and meatballs I've ever had! Anyway, this isn't about my cooking :)

I dished up Caden's plate with a little pile of spaghetti and 2 meatballs, a little salad with ranch dressing and 1 piece of garlic bread. He sat down at the table and I was just painfully awaiting the normal reaction to the food . . . "But I don't like _________." Much to my surprise (and joy) Caden picked up his fork, took a big bite of spaghetti and then said, "This is SOOO good. I LOVE spaghetti and meatballs." He then proceeded to eat all of the spaghetti (not too many bites of meatball got in there, but I'm taking what I can get right now), almost a whole piece of bread, and a good 3 bites of salad. WOW!!! Then, he wanted some more spaghetti so that he could have more noodles hanging out of his mouth. So, I grabbed the camera, took some pictures, and made a mental note to remember this moment. I know that for dinner tonight, I'll probably hear the standard, "But I don't like __________." However, this time, in that moment, I can remember that someday again, something I make, will tickle his fancy and he'll tell me about how much he loves it!

I love being a mom. Everyday, I hate it and I love it. Everyday. There's not a day that goes by without a challenge or a struggle, but there's also not a day that goes by that Caden doesn't beg for a "few more minutes" of cuddling at bedtime, or another kiss to get him through the night, or him saying something that just cracks me up.

And that is why being a mom is so fun and so hard :)

Jude turns 1!!!

On Saturday, we celebrated Jude's 1st birthday and it was also his dedication. It was a really fun time! I mostly took the pictures of Jude eating his cake, my dad got some more of him "opening" presents (Erika really opened everything, Jude wasn't really that interested!), and I got a few of the dedication, but they didn't turn out that great. Hopefully my dad got some. It was wonderful, with lots of friends and family, good food, and, of course, chocolate cake! Happy Birthday, Jude! I can't believe you're a big 1 year old already!

It's time to PAR-TAY!!!

After you've completed 25 weeks of police academy, you deserve a party, right? So, that's what we did. We had a little party for Nigel and celebrated what he finished and what is to come. Just a little get together! It was great! Thank you to everyone who came. We loved it that you all wanted to share in our happiness. It was a great afternoon, and of course, we ate Nigel's favorite foods. Sausages, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter cup ice cream cake! Delicious! Thanks for giving us a reason to party (and eat) Nigel!


Yay Nigel! Hans made this poster for the party, we love it! It's hanging up in our garage now :)

The happy Schnackenberg family, back together again! (Oh yeah, did I mention that I'm 34 weeks pregnant? Hello BIG belly!)

Caden partied a little too hard and fell asleep in the car on the way home, which only takes about 6 minutes :) Notice the gun - his favorite part of the party!

Can you believe it? It really happened!

Nigel actually graduated! We're actually done! This is so exciting for us, well, me. I feel like the pressure's off, I can relax a little, and now I get to enjoy my life :) Not that I hated it, but it's been a long, difficult road and I'm so glad that he'll be home more. It was a great ceremony - well, kind of long, but still really good. The ceremony started with us all going outside to watch the troopers do a marching drill, which I thought was great. Nigel got a "solo" because he was carrying the Oregon State Police flag. I love watching that kind of stuff, it was like Coast Guard bootcamp graduation :) Then, we moved inside for the "inspection" which was really more for show. Then, the actual graduation ceremony started with a few speeches, some awards and then the presentation of the certificates. The big picture in the collage is of Nigel and the Superintendent of Oregon State Police. He handed out all of the certificates. It was so exciting to sit there and know that at the end of that ceremony, we got to leave DPSST academy FOR GOOD!!! Thank you to everyone who came and supported Nigel - Mom and Dad Huffman, Mom and Dad Schnackenberg, Marly, Erika & Jude, and Jesse. I know Nigel was thrilled to have you all there. We finished up the day with a lunch at Applebee's and then we were headed home! Congratulations, Nigel! You are awesome, in my book, and I can't wait to see what you are going to accomplish in this job that you've been dreaming of for so many years. I love you and love that you're doing exactly what you want to do with your life :)



He's sure a handsome trooper, don't ya think?

Remember, if you want to see the pictures in the collage bigger, just click on the collage. Also - just a little note - my best friend Amy gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl on Friday, March 6th. She had a record delivery - she made it to the hospital only 8 short minutes before Miss Sophia Grace Hetrick was born :) Congratulations, Amy, Ian, Clint and Alivia! And welcome to the world, Sophia Grace. We can't wait to meet you :)

We're almost done!

So, tomorrow is Nigel's graduation from Advanced Academy. He's been at it long enough :) It's been a long and challenging 6 months, but we've made it through and tomorrow's the big day. I can hardly believe that starting Monday, Nigel will be home every day! This is something that is amazing to me, because in the 6 1/2 years that Nigel and I have been married, we've never had this luxury :) We're hoping we don't drive each other crazy! I'm so excited to see him graduate and begin this part of our lives. He is so excited. Right now, he's incredibly excited just to be done with school - but after tomorrow, he's going to be so excited to be starting his career and learning the "rules of the road".
Yesterday was an interesting day for Nigel, at school. They took them out in the woods and taught them crowd control. They had to learn how to "march" into the crowd in formation. However, they also had to get shot with a pepper ball and inhale some nerve gas. Sounds fun, eh? Well, the pepper ball left him with a pretty good welt in the middle of his chest. And then, he got the gas. He said that he did it twice. I asked him why and he said, "Well, because, no one else did it twice." That's my Nigel! Always going one step further than the rest of 'em! He's learned so much and come so far and I am so proud! I keep trying to put up the pictures that he sent from his cell phone to me, but it doesn't want to put them up. Anyway, if I figure it out, I'll put them up. Otherwise, check back tomorrow and I'll have some of him in full regalia with the rest of the troopers he's graduating with! Congratulations, Nigel! You've made it through and made us proud! We're so happy to have you back in our lives, now. It's been too long!