OH BABY!

Okay, it has been a REALLY long time since my last post... lots to tell... so here it goes!


Biggest news first...
We are very excited to share our news that we are expecting (for those that haven't already heard)! We just returned from an adventurous trip back home where we got to share the news with all our family in person. Everyone seems really excited and now I can keep you updated as events unfold.


Today was our 12 week appointment and we got to see the baby again! It was AMAZING!! It was jumping around so much that even the doctor was laughing because she was having a hard time getting it to stop for a photo. She said, "I can't wait till you get bigger and can feel this, you are gonna have an active one!" Still not sure if that is good or not :)... but I'm excited for the day I feel it move - kinda weird all that is going on and I'm virtually unaware of it! The appointment went well, strong heartbeat and limited weight gain (only a pound). They say that will catch up when the nausea stops... we are still hoping for that to happnen any day. She gave me some stuff to help combat it and told me to "hang in there" and continues to assure me that it will get better!

The printer wasn't working very well/ and you get a scanned image to boot so I hope you can get a little of an idea with the ultrasound below: The baby is laying face down with the head to left side, the spine on the top and you can see one leg to the right - Good luck :)

Okay Jess, here's the belly shots you've been begging for :) Shaye insisted on the the shirt up!












In other news...


My job is going Really well. I love working with the kids, meeting all the new staff, and just beein a speechie again. The principal is very optimistic that the job will be there next year and looks forward to having me back!

Our trip home was really good, well, all of it but the flying part. We were able to spend time with family in Hot Springs, Shaye's parents in Gillette, and even friends in Rapid. We even made it home in tme for my Great Grandpa Gillis's 101st birthday! We definitely didn't have enough time for everyone, but enjoyed it all! We even got to shop!! Now, maybe not such a big deal to some, but when you live in England and pay pounds... Shopping in dollars is heaven!

The "big" event at home was my lil bro's wedding! He is all grown up wth a wifey now ;) It was a beautiful ceremony with an exciting reception. Loads of family made it home, we were even able to see some great aunts and uncles!

The Bride and Groom!

Jake, Me, Jess, & Chad

Four Generations!!

Cousins (and 3 spouses)

While we were home we also were blessed with SD weather and found ourselves in a blizzard!! In true midwest style, the storm lasted a day and melted quickly over the next two days. Snow in May... not something we are likely to see here in England.

Daisy did fine with her stint in the kennel. She was VERY excited to see us and lost quite a bit of weight while we were gone (she gets a little anxious in new places and doesn't eat), but is easily settled back into her routine now that we are home.

Hope you are all well and I will update as new and exciting stuff happens... should be more frequently wth my growing belly :)

Until next time...

Will April bring more Sunshine?

Well, we really did get snow as forcasted for Easter. Easter morning we awoke to a covering of white everywhere and slippery roads as we made our way to church. We had a very nice and quiet Easter with ourselves. I took some pictures as this has only happened once in our 15 months here, but unfortunately cannot post them right now. My computer decided to black out on me a couple days ago and I stupidly have not backed-up any of my pictures or files since last summer :( I have a friend working very diligently to help me fix it. He believes it is only a software problem and that the harddrive still exists so fingers crossed I will have it all back soon!!

I got a formal offer with an acceptance letter to be turned in tomorrow for a speech therapy job at another school on base. I am happy to say that this is my last week of work as an aide, I then have a week for "spring break," and will start my new job on April 14th! We are both very excited about this change as it will bring me back in touch with my profession and will also be bringing in a bigger paycheck with less hours of work!! ;)

Other than that we are looking forward to coming home very soon and counting down. We are anxious to see everyone and enjoy some American food favorites!

Our love to you all!

Happy Easter!

Flowers blooming everywhere, Daisy making new friends, and a forecast of snow for the Easter weekend? This is what Spring in England is bringing us this year...

Shaye made it home safely on Sunday from the states and is quickly getting back on schedule with our local time. Daisy got to play with Maximus, a five year old Weimaraner, on Saturday and wore herself out!! She was a little confused at first because it has been so long since she has been aloud to interact with other dogs, but quickly caught on and we look forward to more play-dates in the future. Max is the dog of a new friend I have made at school.

The daffodils are blooming everywhere in the area and it amazes me at how vibrant it can look when it still only in the low 40's a lot of days. We even have some flowers popping up in our back garden. Tulips are the only ones (of the 3) that I can name. The people before me were quite the gardeners and seem to have something for all seasons. I like Shaye's style best, he brought a beautiful array of colored tulips home for me that are currently on display in our kitchen. :)

Still waiting to hear on the job status. The principal stopped in to visit with me on Tuesday saying that "the paperwork is all in, I'm just waiting for the official list to hire out". I figure it is a good sign that he is keeping me updated!

Nothing else new right now. Thinking about taking a trip into London again early April for the theater... "Wicked" sounds like a must see.

Until next time... I'll try to get some pics of the flowers to brighten up the page for my next posting!

Test, Job, and Visitors!

Whew, where the time has gone... and yes I finally got this updated :) Shaye FINALLY took his test for rank on the 21st and he says it went well. We won't know anything about it until June though so now we sit and wait.

I received some really great news last week at the possibility of a speech therapy job in one of the base schools. It is the Intermediate School which is grades 4 and 5. The current therapist is leaving (PCSing) with her military husband and recommended me to the principal! I had a very informal meeting with him last week and he was very optimistic that it would all work out, although he doesn't have the formal approval to hire anyone yet. Cross your fingers and say a prayer because I would be SO excited for this opportunity and would start April 14th if it all works out!

We also were lucky enough to have Mike and Regina here for a week in February and got to see lots more of England. I believe they enjoyed themselves, although were happy to leave behind the traffic and the hustle of London.

We spent two exciting days in London where we attempted to see the Changing of Guards at Buckingham Palace. This was quite crowded and we saw bits and pieces, but fortunately saw it all on video from the gift shop after the fact :) We made sure to visit the main attractions (e.g., Big Ben, Westminster), went for a fabulous ride on the London Eye, and of course popped in to a London Harley shop! Among these stops, Mike and Regina got their fill of pub food at various local pubs. They were also able to see some local entertainment that lines different squares in London - I was told these are art/theatre students earning extra cash, but I don't actually know that for sure.

On the Eye, View from below, and View from the Top!!

These people perform if you give them money.... and Harley Davidson.

We also took a trip Southwest of here over the weekend to see Stonehenge, a couple of Castle ruins/ remains, and the town of Bath where we toured the Roman Baths. We made a 2 day trip of it and stayed at another Air Force Base. It was a nice weekend trip and Shaye and I have decided to do more of them, as it is a Great way to see differnet parts of the UK!

Nunney Castle and the Farleigh Hungersford Castle (Mike just barely fit :)

Stonehenge... The city of Bath and all it's amazing architecture (Royal Crescent, Putney Bridge).

Cathedral in Bath and The Roman Baths (the water was very yucky).

We had a GREAT time and hope you enjoy all the pics. I had trouble deciding just which ones to use and I'm sure all bore you all with many more when we are back in April ;) The weather is shaping up... Mike and Regina got to experience the worst fog we've had (since we've been here anyway) and some pretty cold winds, although I was assured it wasn't as cold as Wyoming!

Wishing you all well and counting down the days till April 22nd! All our love as always, j,s & d