2011 Recap

What a fantastic year it's been for the Sides'!  It was pretty hard to beat 2010, but this year may have done just that!  I did one of these recap posts last year and think it's fun to go back and read, so here I go again! 
 

January
We rang in the new year just as we did the year prior with a NYE party at our house.  It's always a good time with great friends!  Sarah turned the big 2-8 and celebrated with a sushi dinner date and a spa gift card from the hubs.  We hit up Snow Creek for a day of tubing with friends and headed to O'Malley's (the cave bar) for a few beers afterwards!  Sarah also enjoyed the first few of SIX(!) snow days in January!

February
More snow days for Sarah as we were hit with the "Blizzard of Oz"!  We hosted a mini Super Bowl party and my family visited while my cousin, Nathan, wrestled in a tournament at Mill Valley.

March
With March came some slightly warmer weather and our Spring Break trip to San Francisco!  We almost didn't get to go because of Craig's weird eye infection.  Remember that?  Yikes!

April
April brought some very summer-like weather and the return of baseball season (two Royals games for us)!  Craig also ran in his first half-marathon in years (with little to no training) and finished in under two hours.  Other highlights include our first trip to the Farmer's Market this season, a new grill, a picnic at Blackbob Island, Easter in Wichita, and trip to Iowa for my cousin Beth's bridal shower.

May
We participated once again in Crawl for Cancer and had a blast "curing cancer".  More Royals games and Memorial Day boating with our friends Josh and Rachel (and their 3-month old Brayden).  Sarah also started classes for her master's degree at Baker University!  And who can forget the scary severe weather we had?  Counties all over the KC area were placed in a tornado warning during the school/work day!  It definitely made for an interesting day at work for both of us!

June
Sarah taught morning summer school once again.  Our Wichita friends Brandon and Jessica came to KC for the Ray LaMontagne concert at Starlight.  Trisha and Justin also came to visit for a few days and we took them boating, to the Legends, and to the hottest baseball (T-Bones) game of our lives!  We planned a huge Royals/Cubs tailgate with nearly everyone we knew and had a blast.  And, of course, June 29 was the day we headed out for Hawaii!

July
July was a crazy-busy month--all five weekends were filled!  We enjoyed our Hawaiian vacay by attending Sarah & JC's wedding and spending 2 nights on Oahu and 5 nights on Maui.  It was the best vacation ever and the most beautiful place I've ever seen.  (Speaking of...I've spent the last few days finishing my Hawaiian posts...just five months late...you can find them here, here, and here.)  We returned from Hawaii just in time to celebrate our 1-year wedding anniversary with a couples massage and dinner at La Bodega.  The following weekend, we headed to Greenville, SC to visit my cousin, Brad.  Then, Sarah spent a weekend in Herman, MO celebrating her friend Erica's 30th birthday.  And finally, we headed to Cedar Falls, IA for my cousin Beth's wedding to her longtime boyfriend, Gene.  All the while, Sarah continued classes for her master's!  Whew!  One last thing--we started trying for the future Baby Sides! ;)

August
Sarah began her 5th year of teaching, but decided to give up coaching dance this year.  She enjoyed her free time by being extra organized at school (in preparation for a possible maternity leave next year!).  We made our annual Labor Day trip to Iowa for the (rainy/stormy) Hawkeye home opener.  And after a break from home remodeling projects, we got granite countertops, new backsplash, and a new sink in our kitchen.  Our sweet doggy, Kinnick, also turned 3. :)

September
September was pretty low key.  Craig celebrated his 33rd birthday, we attended a Jayhawk football game, and Sarah had a blast at the Taylor Swift concert with friends.

October
Craig ran another half-marathon (and beat his earlier time) and we planned a big Chiefs tailgate.  Craig also started the remodel of our upstairs/guest bathroom.  But the best part of October?  Learning we were going to be parents!!!!

November
NYC was the last of many big trips in 2011.  We spent Thanksgiving in Wichita and finished the remodel for our upstairs/guest bathroom.

December
Sarah headed to Des Moines to host a baby shower for her dear college friend, Sarah.  We also went to another Chiefs game and spent Christmas in Iowa.  No NYE party this year.  (We decided against it after being up late on the 30th for the 9pm start Iowa bowl game.)  However, we look forward to ringing in the New Year with each other, our dog, and a pot couple pots of fondue. 

I swear, the years just keep getting better and better.  This time of my life is, by far, my fave!!  I have no doubt that next year will be the best yet!  Happy New Year everyone!  Best wishes for 2012!



Baby Announcement Photos

When I found out we were expecting, I knew I had to come up with a creative way to announce it.  Since Christmas was fast approaching, I thought a great way would be through our annual Christmas cards.  My friend Jamie is just getting into the photography business, so I asked her if she minded snapping some photos of us.  They turned out great and I had such a hard time choosing just one three for our cards.  Here is a slideshow I made of our favorites!



Another Fun DIY

While I was home for Christmas, I taught my mom how to use Pinterest.  She found and pinned this neat wall hanging and I convinced her we should attempt to make it.


Here's how.

Supplies: shoebox lids, spray paint, scrapbook paper, modge podge, ribbon, hot glue, nails, and a curtain rod

First, we spray painted the shoe boxes brown.  Then, we cut six different patterns of scrapbook paper and modge podged them to the outside of the box lids.  That was the easy part.  (Note: Use a very thin layer of modge podge or the paper will crinkle.  We ruined one and had to start over.) 

Next, came the hard part.  Figuring out how to attach the ribbon and at what length so 1) the boxes were all level at the bottom, and 2) they would hang straight and flat against the wall.  It was a nightmare!  Thanks to the suggestion of my brother-in-law, Justin, we finally decided to cut a slit in the top middle of each lid and stick the ribbon through.  My dad helped with that part because I was so frustrated by then.  It was still a process of trial and error to figure out how much ribbon to pull through on each one.  I started with one and then hung it on the rod (which was balanced between two chairs).  Individually, I pulled the ribbon through on each box so the bottom edge would match the bottom edge of the first box and hot glued the ribbon on the back side so it would stay put.

Meanwhile, my mom was complaining the whole time about the project being a huge mistake.  I am not one to give up though and my satisfaction comes from seeing the finished product!

My dad and Craig hung the curtain rod by resting it on two nails.  You can't use the brackets it comes with because it wouldn't be flat against the wall; therefore, the boxes wouldn't be flat either.

We still need to cut some letters (with a Cricut) to spell out FAMILY, but here's what it looked like when I headed home.  Not bad, huh?  The third box is a little crooked, but otherwise, I think it looks great!


Christmas 2011

This year, Christmas was spent in Iowa with my family.  We had a great time and got some great gifts!  My favorite part, of course, was sharing our baby news with everyone!

Christmas Eve before church

Look at all those presents!

Our baby bumps :)

Kinnick got a new coat!

And a Hawkeye jersey

Baby Sides even got a gift!

Hawkeye bib overalls for the future babies!

Still wrapped it for my mom

Justin & Craig showing off their new apparel

He looks excited

Hawkeye stuff is hard to come by here in KC, so that's what you get when you don't make a list!

I got a fun apron!

Trisha modeling her new bracelets

My mom's EVOO bottle

Another apron!  I'll be cooking up a storm!

Yay Iowa apparel!

The boys showing off their new shirts!
Side note: My favorite gift is my new Keurig!  Didn't take a picture of that, I guess...  What are your favorite K-cups?


Telling the First-Time Grandparents

Grandma and Grandpa Sides already have six grandchildren and the seventh coming in February.  Ours will be the eighth....so basically nothing new.  Not that they aren't excited for us...they most definitely are!  But telling them wasn't quite the same as telling first-time grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Fritz.

Our plans were to tell them at Christmas by wrapping something special.  In fact, we got this super cute onesie in New York that says "Don't you wish your grandma was hot like mine?"  See?


Our plans changed the weekend of November 19 when we got an email from my sister.  The email had the following pictures attached...

They pretty much speak for themselves!  Talk about the surprise of a lifetime!  She is pregnant, too, and expecting their little bundle of joy on June 15, just 3 1/2 short weeks before us!!  Who would have thought?!

{Side note: I was a little suspicious.  Her and Justin have been married for nearly five years and she finally found a full-time teaching job (read: insurance coverage).  In fact, I was concerned about sharing our news at Christmas just in case she was pregnant, too...I didn't want to take anything away from her.}

Anyway, after calling her for all the details--and of course, telling her that Baby Copeland would have a cousin just a few weeks younger--I tried to talk her into waiting until Christmas to tell our parents together.  But they already had dinner plans with them the following night and were planning to tell them then.  I completely understood and we hung up.

Not more than ten minutes later, she called back and said "What if we Skype you guys in and you can tell them right after we do?"  Though it wasn't how we pictured sharing our wonderful news (via the Internet), she didn't have to twist my arm.

The next day, we tested Skype a few times.  My stomach had butterflies all day!  6:20 meant go time.  We dialed them on Skype one last time...and then sat and waited.  My parents were to arrive at 6:30.  The plan was to tell my dad his birthday present was in the {old} office {now nursery}.  They had the computer camera facing the door so we could see their reactions the moment they walked in.

What felt like an hour later, the door finally crept open.  Never mind the BABY letters on the wall, my dad was more intrigued that we were on the computer (he is not the most technologically savvy)!  My mom, on the other hand was, thrilled!  After hugs, congrats, and a little chit chat, my mom said something like "I'm gonna be a grandma!"  It was at the point that Craig held up our sonogram picture.  My dad was confused again..."How and why did we have their sonogram picture?"  Oh, Dad...

My mom understood immediately.  And fell over.  And then explained to my dad what he didn't get.

And that is how we shared our news (and my sister's news) with the grandparents-to-be.  My parents went from no grandchildren to learning they will have two in a matter of just a few weeks.  How exciting for them!  And how fun for my sister and I to go through this process together!  And of course, for our future children to have a cousin so close in age!  Life is pretty great right now! :)

12 Weeks: No More Secrets!

That's right friends--Baby Sides is on the way!  Our official due date: July 9, 2012!  (One day before our anniversary!)  I am so excited, and relieved, and happy, and anxious to FINALLY share the news!  Sorry if your Christmas card arrived late.  Extended family didn't learn of our news until Christmas Eve/Christmas Day and I didn't want to risk any Facebook posts about the topic before family knew!  So, please forgive me!

I am 12 weeks along today!  I have been writing weekly updates, but not posting them.  So, please follow the "Baby Sides" tag to catch up on all my updates, or follow the blog back through October and you should catch them all!

We have been to the doctor twice now.  We had a sonogram at our first appointment (6 1/2 weeks along) and heard the heartbeat at our second appointment (11 weeks along).  We WILL be finding out the sex of our baby sometime in mid-February.  Of course, a healthy baby is our main priority, but I'm really hoping for a girl.  Craig, on the other hand, wants a boy.  We will be thrilled with either!  February can not come soon enough!

I have been feeling...okay...not great, but I suppose it could be worse.  I'm almost to my 2nd trimester, so hopefully the days of "morning sickness" (read: morning, afternoon, and night sickness) are coming to an end.

We are so excited about the arrival of our little one!  And, of course, I am excited to blog about it along the way!  Though I'm not really showing yet, I have started baby bump photos, just for comparison sake!  I'm going to try for a weekly update!

Here is our sonogram picture, as well as my 12th week update!



How Far Along: 12 Weeks

Size of Baby:
A plum  (~2.1 inches long and weighs ~0.49 ounces)

Milestone:
Most of baby's important parts and systems are fully formed!  The growth and maturation phase is beginning which means his/her main job is to keep growing!

What's Happening:
Baby Sides is opening and closing her/her fingers and toes and is developing reflexes.

Symptoms:
Nausea seems to be diminishing.  I can brush my teeth and take my large horse pill vitamins again without gagging.  But I do feel the need to pee a lot more now. 

Cravings:
I never used to like my mom's cheesy potato soup, but she made it for Christmas and it was delish!  I think it's something with the cheese.  (Remember all I wanted a few weeks ago was mac & cheese.)

Gender:
7 weeks to finding out!

Movement:
Haven't felt anything.

Sleep:
I'm sleeping a little better.  I have to get up at least once every night to pee though.  That has never happened to me!

What I Miss:
Beer and wine.  Everyone was drinking at Christmas. :(

Best Moment This Week:
Finally announcing it to the world!

Looking Forward To...
Sharing the news with my students when we return next week!

Not sure why it's so blurry...this was with no makeup after a day of travel anyway.



Merry Christmas from the 4 of Us!


And in case you can't read it, it says...

Wishing you a joyous holiday season & a happy 2012!  

Much love,
Craig, Sarah, "Kinnick", & Baby Sides

Have You Seen Our Doggy?


My Husband's a Good Wrapper

Despite agreeing on no gifts this year, this is what I woke up to this morning.  Hmmmmm...I wonder what it could be??


As if I didn't already know, when I went downstairs to grab my camera, "Santa" left the Ugg boot box on our living room floor.  Oh, and here's what he posted on Facebook last night...  

Just finished wrapping Sarah's gift. I hope she doesn't guess what I got her.

Only my husband would wrap the individual boots rather than the nicely shaped box.  That is why I love him! :)

2nd Annual Cookie & Wine Night

Yesterday I spent the entire day baking two double-batches of sugar cookies so my girl friends could come over last night for the 2nd annual Christmas cookie decorating and wine night.  We had a blast and, though I don't have any pics of us, I did take a few of the cookies.



The set up

Loads of cookies

Add caption

Look at those beautiful things!  It helps to have two art teachers decorating!

Even more!

Wow Chiefs


We had tickets for the Chiefs game yesterday.  I'm not gonna lie...I wasn't that excited because I figured it'd be freezing!  Little did I know, December 18 would be a balmy near-50 degrees!  It was still windy and a little chilly for this cold-blooded girl, but could have been so much worse!  Craig's parents were in town celebrating Christmas, so we didn't go real early to tailgate.  And I was too lazy to dig out my camera from my purse, so here are some I stole from Facebook.  Thanks Rachel!

My red was underneath my coat
Our Packers friends
Cheifs fans, Robbie and Tara

The Chiefs played the undefeated Packers....and beat them, despite only scoring one touchdown the entire game!  We had pretty good seats in the lower bowl, but again, I was too lazy to take any photos.  I was hoping to catch Ricki Stanzi, as there was a chance he'd play, but no such luck.  I guess I'll take a Chiefs win over seeing the former Hawkeye.  No more football games for us until next fall!