Something Must Be In the Air!!!!!

For a very long time I have been looking for a cute short haircut for my hair. I haven't found one that I absolutely loved until last week!!! I had gone to Maly's to get some hair color to do my sister-in-law's hair. Then it appeared.....the haircut I wanted!!!!! The girl who cut the haircut also was working there that day! So, I made an appointment for today to get it cut!!!! THEN.....my niece, who does nails, asked if she could do a pedicure and manicure on me for Christmas! Gosh! Talk about pampering!!!! The last time I had anything like that done was a year ago! So, I cut my hair off today! It's above my shoulders and is SO FUN!!!!!! A couple hours later I went and got my toes and fingernails done!!! I feel like a new woman! Yay!!!!

85 MORE DAYS....give or take!

Today, as I was enjoying the warming weather of St. George, I got to thinking about the due date of our baby and how much longer we had to go! My due date is March 25th, which would put us at 92 days left. However, because I have to have the baby c-section I will be delivering the baby on either March 17th or 18th! Holy smokes!!!! That's really only 2 1/2 months away....give or take away some time. That's really scary to me! I'm excited for this baby, don't get me wrong. I'm also scared TO DEATH and really worry and wonder if I will be able to tackle this endeavor very well! Being a Mom is really hard for me. I just know that I love Connor to death and want to have another little one to love! I guess that's what keeps me going! Now the question is: Is this baby a boy or girl???? Check out the poll and take a guess!!!

TAGGED.....again!

Okay, so I've been tagged again! There may be some of you who are bored by what random facts I have to share so feel free to pass over this entry!

The rules are:
1) Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2) Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4) Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I was tagged by Aubrey!!!

1: I absolutely love airports and post offices! Airports because I love watch people! I wonder where they came from, where they are going, and what their story is! I also enjoy watch airplanes take off and land! It's awesome!!! No matter how much I've puked my guts out on the airplane I will forever love airplanes! As far as loving the post office....I just must be sick in the head!

2: I love to drive other people's vehicles, especially trucks!!! I turn into a giddy school girl whenever I see a nice truck and the owner lets me drive it!!!!

3: I love to sniff markers! Mmmmm! They smell so good! Right up there will artificial nail products, hair color, perms, and gas (especially from motorcycles & snowmobiles).

4: I've never seen a rated R movie.

5: I played powder-puff football as Defensive End.

6: I met Christina Aguilera's Dad (who is LDS) while serving my mission. He took us to KFC for dinner before we got on the ferry from Staten Island to head back to Manhattan.

7: I am a clogger!!!!

I NOW TAG: Tiffany, Ruth, McKenzie, Brittni, Kara, Rylie, and Kim

I'm So Hot I Think I'll Melt!!!

So, here I sit at 1:06am on Friday night/Saturday morning.....depending on how you look at it! I decided to check the temperature for outside and to my disbelief it is a BLAZING 30 degrees outside!!!!! Gosh! I'm not used to this heat and think I might die from heat stroke, exhaustion, or some other heat-related problem!!!! I sure hope it goes down to 12 degrees soon so that I may survive! OK....now that I'm done being sarcastic and mostly delirious, I think I will hit the hay, I just may, oh and by the way.....9 DAYS UNTIL WE ARE LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE!!!!

The Return of the Karate Kid!!!!!

I think my baby-in-the making has a future as the next Karate Kid! Last night I was having a paranoid moment about my baby, being worried that something was wrong. So, Mike put his head to my belly and BOOM....our baby either kicked or punched Mike in the head. So, Mike put his head down again and the same thing happened again! This morning I had a Dr. appointment for the baby. I mentioned my concern about the baby and how I am also concerned because I'm not showing/growing as much and as fast as I did with my other pregnancies. So, he said,"Let's check the heart rate of the baby and we'll go from there." So, Dr. Maser put the heart heart detector on my belly and BOOM....the baby once again either kicked or punched the monitor off my belly! It shocked/scared myself and Dr. Maser. We got a good laugh out of it. Dr. Maser said, "Uh yeah! I think you're baby is just fine!" Needless to say, I feel much better and will be enrolling this child in karate classes after it's a little older! Also, Mike, Connor, and I are unanimous in the vote that this baby IS A BOY!!!!! I know I strongly declared it was a girl at the beginning but that has changed!

My Decorating Is Done!!!!

(Christmas Tree 2006)

With all the snow outside, it put me in the mood to get my Christmas decorations out and make my home look festive! So, I did just that. It took me the majority of the day but I was able to get Christmas lights on all of our windows and on the railing outside that goes around our deck. I was also able to put up various decorations throughout my house. Connor was such a "great" helper! He went through the toter grabbing every ornament and saying, "Ooooh! I love it!" He'd then throw it on the ground and move on to the next ornament! It was fun having him around to get all excited about Christmas! The only thing we'll be doing different this year is we won't be getting a Christmas tree because we're leaving in 21 DAYS for St. George. So, we'll do the Christmas Tree thing there! Christmas has got to be the BEST time of the year!

ONLY 29 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!

The Countdown Begins!!!!

Christmas is coming!!!!! I am so excited because we fly out to UT in 28 days!!!! Wow! I can't believe it's less than a month away! We fly out of Lansing on December 17th at 7:00am. St. George.....HERE WE COME!!!!

Back In the Saddle Again!!!!!

Thanks to the kindness of the Doty's and the Hogge's, I am now able to return to the life of a psychotic computer person again!!!!! YAY!!!!! Thanks friends!!!!

Monitor Malfunction!!!!!

My stupid computer monitor has given up the ghost, or something!!!! Aaaaagh! Life without a computer! What shall I do?!?!?! Heaven help me!

The 2 Cent Tour!

Julia, Connor, Sky


Connor
Allie
This is a picture from inside an elevator. All of us looked up into the mirror/ceiling while I took the picture.

While wandering around Downtown Lansing last night, we ran into Steven Doty a.k.a. Brother Doty. He & his family are in our Branch. He works in the George Romney building and also on the committee to pick the State Christmas Tree. So, he offered to take us on the 2-cent tour. We couldn't pass that up! So, we went inside, took our coats off, and got to see the whole thing. We even got to go into Professor Grandholm's private office and have a look around! It was very cool! Thanks Brother Doty!!!!!

It's Christmastime in the City!!!!

Sky & Tiffany
Megan & Allie
Angel (Connor) & Laura
Connor refusing to smile or look at the camera!
Sky!

We went to Silver Bells in the City again this year! Last year we got there late and we weren't able to see as much of the parade as we wanted. This year we got there earlier and was able to see quite a bit! I love all the lights! Christmas is the best time of year with the lights, music, and the focus on Christ! People just seem to be better this time of year. We happened to be next to quite an interesting family. I think the majority of them only had 2 teeth. Always an adventure!!!! The fireworks were awesome, as usual, and the tree is beautiful all lit up!

He's a Rib Man!!!

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what Connor's meal of choice is!!! He absolutely loves ribs and, like his daddy, eats the meat clean off the bone. The other day we decided to have ribs for dinner. We only got one slab because we thought that would be plenty for the three of us! We were wrong! Connor ate half the slab (4-5 ribs) just by himself, leaving 5 to split between Mike and I. Luckily I really only wanted one so we survived!

Best Buds!

Connor's best buddy is "Guys", which is the name that Connor calls him (Sky). Those two fight like cats and dogs but they also play really cute together! Whatever Sky does Connor repeats. Wherever Sky goes Connor will follow. Connor is constantly saying, "Where's Connor's Guys?". The other day Tiffany asked Sky what he wanted to do for fun and Sky said he wanted to go play with "Little Connor". Sky has a cousin who's name is also Connor except he's older so my Connor is "Little Connor". I am so happy that Connor has made such a good friend!!!!

The Verdict Is In!!!!

Baby McGinnis face, stomach, and hands.
Baby McGinnis foot shot!

Today we had an appointment to have an ultrasound. Before you go you have to have 32 oz. of water in you at least an hour before the appointment. I had forgotten how much water that is to carry around without being allowed to empty it!!! Omigosh! I wanted to blow up! Mike and Connor came with me to the appointment. So, the ultrasound took FOREVER! Our little munchkin did not want to cooperate! The technician kept trying to get shots of the the baby's face, etc. and the baby would keep putting up its hands and fist to hide or something. After over an hour we finally were finished then went to meet with the Dr. to go over the pictures they took. Everything looks great and we're right on track. About the sex of the baby.....it looks like we're going to have either a boy or a girl!!! Ha ha!!!! Mike is sure he saw girl parts and I am sure I saw a boy part. So, we still are undecided and will be for the next 20 weeks! Sorry that we didn't find out but you'll know soon enough. Oh, and I lost weight again! Yay! So, knock on wood, I have yet to gain any weight!

The Last 6 Years!!!!

I saw this little questionnaire on a friend, Kara's, blog. I thought it was interesting and fun so thought I'd do it. So....here we go!

Six Years Ago:
1.) How old were you?: 23
2.) Where did you go to school? No school for me. Mike was attending SUU!
3.) Where did you work? For an online company called Professional Teeth Whitening
4.) Where did you live? Cedar City, UT in the basement of a home owned by good ole' Judith! We never could tell what activities her and her dog were taking part in!
5.) Where did you hang out? At other couples homes or just at my apartment. Ken & Georgia Bettridge (owner of the KB Phillips 66's in Cedar City) would often pick us up to go for drives or get dinner at the Market Place!
6.) Did you wear glasses? Contacts 98% of the time. Glasses the other 2%!
7.) Who were your best friends? Mike, Becca, Dan, Victoria, Brady, Ken, Georgia & Nicky
8.) What car did you drive? 1999 Honda Accord. I absolutely LOVED it!
9.) Had you been to a real party? Depends on what you consider a real party.
10.) Had You had your heart broken? Yes

Three Years Ago:
1.) How old were you? 26
2.) Where did you go to school? I didn't. Mike was attending USU.
3.) Where did you work? Quik Payday & doing hair at my house
4.) Where did you live? Logan, UT
5.) Where did you hang out? At Scott & Jackie's house or at my family's houses
6.) Did you wear glasses? Contacts, and still glasses rarely
7.) Who were your close friend(s)? Scott & Jackie, for sure! Nicky, always!
8.) What car did you drive? 2001 Mazda 626 (Piece of crap---the transmission went!)
9.) Had your heart broken? Yup!
10.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Had been married for 3 years.

Today:
1.) How old are you? 29
2.) Where do you work? At home
3.) Where do you live? Lansing, MI
4.) Do you wear glasses? Still contacts...
5.) Who are your close friends? Where do I begin? I've gotten close to so many people!
6.) Do you talk to your old friends? Not nearly as often as I should, but I do the best I can!
7.) What kind of car do you drive? 2001 Ford Winstar!
8.) Has your heart been broken? Yes
9.) Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Yes, we have been married for 6 years.

New Poll!

I've included a new poll on our blog site! It'll only be around until late Tuesday morning so get in on the guessing!!!!

The Carving of the Pumpkins

BRAD
MEGAN & JUSTIN ALLIE & JUSTIN
MIKE
CONNOR HELPING HIS DAD

Brad & Diana had us and the Call's over for a little Halloween pumpkin carving night! It was so fun! There was yummy food and it was just fun seeing what people came up with. I am horrible with knives, since I have tremors, so I sat back and watched. Mike did Jason, with the hockey mask, Megan did a cat complete with ears and a tail, and Brad's was so funny! It had a hatchet stuck in the side of its "head" as well as nasty fake teeth in it's mouth! The pumpkins were AWESOME!!!

My Reign Continues!!!!

The Band!!!

Costume Winners
The eating of the cow tongue

Brian preparing the nasty sardines
The Final Four

(Rylie, Laura, Janee, Christie)

Tonight was the Hogge's annual Halloween Party! As always, it was awesome!!!! Besides the great food, great company, and AMAZING band, there was the all-time favorite "Fear Factor" event! Last year I won the event so I knew I had to do it again this year. About 45 minutes before we started I was in the kitchen and noticed a cow tongue sitting in a pan on the stove, tastebuds and all! I really wanted to vomit and knew that when it came to that part of the competition that I would have to bow out. So, the time came to start. There were approximately 10-12 people that wanted to take part. The 1ST ROUNDwas simple. We had to eat 3 Hot Tamale candies to move on to the next round. All of us completed that easily. 2ND ROUND: We had to eat a spoonful of baby food (ham, pineapple, ?). Most of us still stayed in. 3RD ROUND: We had to eat one Harry Potter Jelly Belly. At least 4 of us had the grass flavored jelly belly, which was actually pretty fruity tasting. 4TH ROUND: We were all handed an onion and had to take a bite out of it, chew it, and swallow it. Ok, by now things were going fine and I had forgotten about the cow tongue. Then, my fear came to be! 5TH ROUND: We were each given a big chunk of cow tongue, with the tastebuds still on it, and had to chew and swallow it. By now I had lost count of how many were still in it. I just couldn't take my mind of this nasty piece of cow on my fork. Janee devored it like it was a piece of chocolate cake!!! GO JANEE! Meanwhile, Megan Hogge was munching on it too! Connor wanted to chew on it but I wouldn't let him. Erika gave us the 1-minute warning and so I finally threw the chunk in my mouth, chewed it down a little, and then swallowed it! YUCKKKKK! 6TH/FINAL ROUND: This round was timed and, if I remember right, there was Christie, Janee, Rylie,and myself left. Brian brought in a plate of whole sardines....spine and all. The first one to eat there sardine, swallowed and gone, would be the winner. Janee and Rylie took their spines out (very smart). I didn't even think to do that! So, they started us and I cut my into 4 pieces, then just grabbed & swallowed one at a time. I WON!!!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!! This year I won a gift card to Wendy's! I love Wendy's and I love food so it's perfect! Thanks Brian! You out-did yourself this year! However, I think there should be a new rule that whatever we eat you should have to eat!!!!

Uncle John's Cider Mill

It's been nearly 2 weeks since we went to Uncle John's Cider Mill so I thought I should post some pictures before they're too outdated. We met up with Brad & Diana Charles and also the Call's to go to Uncle John's Cider Mill. We had a blast!

We first stopped to taste the yummy cider and, of course, taste-test one of each kind of donut. Yes, I realize I looked drugged up in this picture. I'd like to thank the academy (Justin) for taking such awesome pictures!
After that we went on a wagon ride pulled by a train.

The wagon ride, pulled by a train, took us on a little trail that had different scenes with scarecrows in them. There was some really cute & creative scenes.

After taking the train ride we all headed down to take the horse-drawn carriage through the orchards. I thought the above picture was dang cute!

The scenery on the carriage/wagon ride was amazing!

The Call Family
Allie in the orchards

All we need in this picture is Mike holding pitchfork.

We then jumped on a wagon ride pulled by a tractor. Connor kept saying, "Papa! Papa!" because my Dad has tractors. This ride took us to the corn maze, the pumkin patch, and also an area with kids rides....which was our next stop.

Notice Mike holding the kettle corn? It was the most delicious, amazing kettle corn EVER!!!!!

Connor rode on this little train for kids. What you don't see is me sititng in the cart behind Connor, trying to find a comfortable position, with my knees up in my throat! I won't make the mistake of trying to ride that ever again!

The explanation on this picture is that we had been trying all day long to capture a fun picture for Mike but, besides our "family" picture, he would always turn away. We finally managed to somewhat catch him looking at us! Hooray!

Baby Update!

I had another Dr. appointment today. Today I met with Dr. Gibbs. She is very nice and I liked her a lot! They started out by giving me a flu shot! OUCH!!! The nurse must've been thinking, "Ready! Aim! FIRE!!!!" as she was poking me with the needle 'cause she nearly killed me! My arm is STILL so dang sore! Oh well! Dr. Gibbs came in next. She measured me then she next listened for the heartbeat. We were quite scared because she was really having a hard time finding the heartbeat! As you can imagine, every scenario ran through my head and I became very worried. Mike was too! However, after 5 or 6 minutes and 3 applications of the gucky stuff she FINALLY found the heartbeat. Our baby was hiding behind my vessel so that is why. The heartbeat is strong at 155! What a HUGE RELIEF!!!!! My next appointment is in 2 weeks (Nov. 6) for the ultrasound! Wahoo!

Pat-A-Cake

Today we had a Suprise Baby Shower for Erika! It was such a success and such a good time! The food was delicious, not to mention this FREAKIN' AWESOME cake done by Christie Taylor! I walked into the room and the only thing I could think of to say was "Holy crap!" This cake was so amazing with so much detail work on it! It matched the blanket that Erika has for the nursery. Christie should open up a business or something 'cause she has a huge talent for this! I am so impressed and I know everyone else was too!

WHY?!?!?!?!

I have a deep question that has stumped me!!!! Does anyone have the answer to the following question????? Why is it called babysitting if a Father is watching his own child????? Any ideas? Inquiring minds want to know!

My New Favorite Sound

Last night I was on my way home from helping the Christensen's pick up and transport some furniture. I was stopped at the light, on the corner of Saginaw Hwy. & Canal Rd. I was minding my own business, chatting with my Mom on the phone, when this lovely & most beautiful sound filled the air!!!! I have discovered that my new favorite sound is that dang siren on the corner, kitty-corner from Horrock's. I think it blew my ear drums but that's totally ok!!! Ha ha! No, I am glad that they have that siren to use as a warning system. Just make sure you're not nearby when it goes off!

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!!!

I have been officially "TAGGED" by my friend, Kara. What you are supposed to do is blog 10 either weird, random, interesting facts, or goals about yourself. At the end you choose 10 people to be tagged and list their names.

10 FACTS ABOUT MYSELF:

1. After playing fast-pitch softball in High School I then went on to play on a Jr. Olympic Fast-Pitch Softball team for 2 years.
2. I absolutely love, love, love to deer hunt! I love the thrill of the hunt, the sound of a gun shot echoing and wondering who shot their gun and if they shot the deer! I love hiking all over the mountains, all day long, pushing out any deer that may be hiding!
3. I served an LDS Mission in the New York New York South Mission. This consisted of Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Staten Island, and ELDER MICHAEL MCGINNIS!
4. Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, I will start college(after high school I went to Beauty College and got my Cosmetology/Barber License)! Not only will I stop my brain from shrinking but I will hopefully pick up words and phrases other than, "Oh my heck!", "Holy crap!", and "Omigosh!". I also want to understand big words that all my friends use!
5. I HATE, HATE, HATE snakes! They're so ugly! Blah!!!!! Sure, I don't mind eating them! Rattlesnake tastes just like chicken, except a little rubber may be involved. Funny story, my 2nd year of Girl's Camp we ran over a rattlesnake. So, this nice man skinned it for us, then we cooked it, and ate it around the campfire. MMMMM!
6. Someday I will enjoy the life of a small C-cup (ya'll know what I mean)!
7. I've played the piano for 22 years and have been singing since I was 4 or 5 years old! I love to play the piano, mostly accompanying. I really enjoy singing as long as I get to sing a part other than Soprano....preferrably 2nd Soprano or Alto. Occassionally I can sing tenor.
8. Belching is an art that will NEVER die as long as I'm alive! It helps me to build my awesome abs! Don't be jealous anyone!
9. All throughout high school, and a little bit afterwards, I was a big time weight lifter! I LOVED it!!! My goal was to outlift any girl and to outlift as many boys as I can! I hold the record at my high school for the most weight squatted (that sounds lady-like, doesn't it?)....which was 210 lbs. It may not seem like much but I'm proud of it and earned a back full of broken blood vessels for it! SHE-RA!!!!!!!
10. Someday I will be the owner of an F-350 XLT Powerstroke Truck with a lift!!! It'll be navy blue with a hint of purple in it and some chrome as well!

I NOW TAG (if they want to):

Erika, Megan, Brittni, Alyson, Amberly, Janee, Natalie, Heidi, Amber, and Tiffany! HAVE AT IT!!!

I LOVE MY DALLAS COWBOYS!!!!

I'm so bummed that the Dallas Cowboys lost their first game this week! Grrrrr! They've done so dang good so far (5-1). It's not their fault that the New England Patriots coach, Bill Belichick, cheated off the Cowboys and figured out all their plays. I guess that the Cowboys have to let someone win once in a while! That's ok. It's the last time it'll happen this season. The next step is the Superbowl, which we'll win, OF COURSE!!!!!

Natalie's Farewell Party

Natalie Service is getting ready to fly back to her hubby in Idaho, to stay this time. So, Janee was awesome enough to throw her a goodbye party. What a great idea and it was such a blast! Janee provided YUMMY subs. from Jersey Giant Subs then everyone brought a dessert or something else to eat. My, my, there were some dang yummy food! I have to say that Sarah's homemade salsa was AWESOME! Yes, it left your mouth burning out of control, but I couldn't stop myself! I think I had 3-4 servings of it! It was a fun time and so good just to visit with everyone and to with Natalie well! I hope everything works out really well for Ian and Natalie!
We also had to snag a picture of all the pregnant women at the party. Of course, there is a large handfull of pregnant women who weren't there too. The picture is in order of who will deliver there baby first, starting from right to left (Erika, Alyson, myself, Natalie, Kim, Natalie). Erika is due in 4 weeks and then after that there will be a LARGE Spring hatching(has Janee has so appropriately named it)!!!!