Novakancy

November -December

2009-01-18T10:37:00.018-07:00

Nine month chair pictures So big!

Dressed for the snow

Putting the angel on the tree

Sink bath at GG (Great Grandma) Novak's

Christmas at Aunt Judy's

Farm toy from Aunt Lana

Sock hands

Helping vacuum

Stand up toy from Aunt Rhonda

Out

Christmas morning at Nani's

Stockings at Nani's

Cousins

left to right: Hope, Brandon, James, Faith, Caleb, Andi

Bath toys from G & G Novak

Cuddling with Auntie Em on Christmas day

Stockings at home with Mommy and Daddy

Auntie Em made me this hat

I hit my lip on a chair and bleeded

Pick-a-Mandy put a barrett in my hair

All the cousins:Faith,Caleb holding Luke, James, Brandon, Andi, Grace, Hope

She has a red nose like Ruldolf! Clint's birthday party

Tights from Auntie Em

Outfit from Uncle Kevin, Aunt Tara, Rachel and Sam

Halloween

2008-11-02T08:28:00.010-07:00

My pretty stained glass pumpkins all lit up! Be careful, Andi, that princess said that she wanted chicken for dinner!

Hope: Pouting Purple Princess

James:Spiderman, Grace:Ice Princess, Caleb:Batman, Faith:Pink Princess, Andi:Chicken, Hope:Purple Princess

What does Andi have?

Princess Faith

Amanda and Hopie - Amanda is wearing a pumpkin costume

that was Seth's when he was a little boy

Our fearless heroes and their damsel in distress! I think I've seen that guy in a panteen commercial.

A cool dude and a cute chick

Seven Months and Counting

2008-10-26T10:58:00.037-07:00

My first ponytail

A cold day on the boat with my daddy!

Grandma invented this "seat" for me out of the cupholders on the boat. It holds my toys and helps me sit up straight. Thanks, Grandma!

Do you want to play with me Grandma?

I love this baby doll!

We saw Chris Sligh at the airport in Denver on the way to see Auntie Em and Uncle Chris! Cool!

My first airplane ride!

Eating lunch at Auntie Em's

Dot

Paisley

Seven month chair pictures

Sink bath

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo with Chad, Missy, and Evy Buyers

Our little chickadees: Andi and Evy

Laptop time with Daddy

Snuggling with Emmy

Chris' work: Sweetwater, he gave us the tour

Doing tricks

Two beautiful girls

Squish

Hilger's Market with Missy and Evy

Andi loved Evy's sweatshirt and would not leave it alone.

She just kept grabbing...

grabbing... grabbing...

grabbing...onery!

We put our 'punkins' in the wheelbarrow.

Paisley's thinking, "Alright, now this just crosses the line!"

Emily is 'studying'

We drove to Pakagon, visited the Pokagon Inn, had a picnic lunch at James Lake, went for a short hike, and walked through the nature museum.

Cork and Cleaver

A spoon for each hand

Big piece of bread

Andi will only snuggle like this with her Aunti Em.

Playing in Em's laundry basket

Lazy Princess

Nakie bottom after diaper change

Andi got all tangled up in the monitor cord before Auntie Em rescued her.She doesn't look ornery at all does she?

This was our last day in Fort Wayne-Missy and Evy met us at a park for some swinging fun!

Baby swap

Stuffed in

Curly hair

Smooch! My Grandpa Craig planted pumkin seeds for me

this spring...now I have a pumpkin the size of me!

My green beans are so messy!

I ate chicken for the first time last night, and then I threw up in my bed.

Today, I don't feel so great.Playing with my baby

Swinging at English Ranch park Sitting in my pumpkin...it's cold!Helping Daddy clean out the pumpkinFirst day of swimming lessons

Grandma and Grandpa bought me a new wagon

On this day, Mommy was putting my snuggly on my head and taking my picture.

She took A LOT!

Then, Mommy wiped my nose and I was sad.

Andi Abigail: half-way to ONE!

2008-09-13T15:13:00.034-07:00

These first pictures were taken on Andi's 6 month birthday: 9-3-08. Kim Cormier does such a good job. Andi leaves a lot of laundry to be done, but the end result is fantastic!

This one is Mommy's favorite!

This one is Daddy's favorite!

At this point, one of us was done taking pictures...but these made really cute pictures.
Mommy, seriously, I'm done with pictures.
9-7-08 Andi got a new highchair and Daddy was feeding her sweet potatoes. It was bedtime.
So sad. :( Good grief, look how big Daddy's hand is!
9-7-08 On the way back from Mitch and Calli's wedding in Grand Junction,

there was plenty of time to sleep in the car.

9-5-08 This was Andi's half-birthday present from her Grandma and Grandpa Novak. Her feet don't quite touch the floor yet. But, once they do...look out!

9-3-08 6mo chair pictures

9-1-08 Andi loves this baby

8-27-08 Andi's sitting in Paul Bunyan's hand. This was on our way home from Minnesota where we went fishing with Grandma and Grandpa Novak, Aunt Lana and Uncle Rich, Justin and Katelyn on Lake Winnibigoshish.

The Novak family...awwww.
More sleeping in the car
8-26-08 "Horsey" outfit from Aunt Lana
8-25-08 Enjoying the lake
8-24-08 A rare photo of Pippy awake in the car.
8-23-08 Mitch and Greta's wedding in Whapeton, ND. Such pretty ladies!

8-22-08 We stayed with Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Novak on the way up north.
Great Grandpa playing with Andi

8-21-08 Riding the four-wheeler at Scott and Reva's.
Uncle Scott
Great Grandma Novak

Great Great Grandpa Novak established the Novak Farm in 1929. So, Andi is the 4th generation Novak to visit here. Neato!
8-21-08 Andi's first pony ride on Macy at Liberty Hill Farm (Uncle Rich and Aunt Lana's place)The mane is her favorite part!

Giddy-up Macy!

8-20-08 Aunt Rhonda is so comfortable!
She talks so sweetly to me too.

8-16-08 I can hold my own sippy cup
Fall is definitely on it's way, I need to be bundled up for a walk.
8-12-08 Papa Stoddard had a semi-retirement party at City Park in Ft. Collins

Hope had an orange sucker that she was 'sharing' with Andi.

Aunt Gail was visiting from St. Cloud, Minnesota, she and Andi are good friends. It was so hot

The Novaks, Stoddards, Forwood, and Fillers
Blowing Raspberries

Andi Abigail 4 weeks old

2008-08-17T12:59:00.045-07:00

We had these taken when Andi was four-weeks old. We are FINALLY getting them onto the blog after struggling with technical difficulties. She has grown so much since these were taken, it's incredible, and I just set up her six-month picture appointment today, so stay tuned for more adorable pics!

She's tinkling in this one...oops!

I think this one is my favorite of them all!

End of July and Beginning of August

2008-08-10T10:36:00.029-07:00

It was so hot outside this day

(Visiting Daddy while he worked on Grandma and Grandpa'a house)7-24-08 This is my kitty, Clyde. He let's me 'pet' him.

7-29-08 Playing with Aunt Gail and Pick-a-Mandy at the park by Uncle Seth's house.

7-29-08 family night
Swinging with Daddy in the 'special kid's' swing. This is the park by Uncle Seth's new house.
Hope and Faith
Daddy helped put a swamp cooler in the window at Uncle Seth's.
Watching a movie in Uncle Seth's living room.
7-31-08 Helping Daddy make grilled cheese and tomato soup. I'm in charge of the spoons.

Check out this video...there's a surprise at the end!

7-31-08 This is my ear. I found it all by myself.

I played with my ear until it almost fell off.
It made me very tired.

I pet Bonnie with my foot.

7-31-08 Sunset after church. We are so lucky to live in beautiful Colorado.

8-3-08 I'm 5 month old!
8-5-08 Faith is standing up all by herself. Plus she has Andi's pants on her head. Pretty fancy!8-5-08 Sleeping in my car seat (family night wears me out!)

Aunt Nancy and Uncle Larry bought this cute Gap outfit.8-6-08 Little Bo Pippy8-7-08 I have fun with my daddy.

July 2008

2008-07-19T07:16:00.022-07:00

7-2-08 On the boat with Daddy
I can drive the boat!
When Grandma and Grandpa are in the water, I hold the flag. Uncle Rich is helping me. Nice tan, Uncle Rich!

I love that stinkin' giraffe!
7-3-08 I'm 4 months old!

Independance Day brunch at Nani's
We went to the par 9 golf course in Loveland to watch the fireworks
Standing on Mommy's hand

Mommy and me
Our family

These are my cousins (Caleb, Grace, James, Faith, and Hope) and their cousins.
7-7-08 I'm visiting Daddy at work...he's really comfortable to sleep on.
7-8-08 My four-month doctor's appointment: Dr. Sampera had a baby boy just a few days ago. So, we saw Dr. Ballard instead.

Lookie at my tummy...I'm healthy.

This is the bad part, I hated it.

7-12-08 My Grandma Jean and Grandpa Craig bought this Rainforest Jumparoo for me. I played so hard, I couldn't stay awake anymore! It was so much fun!!

I wore myself out.

7-14-08 Denise from work hand knitted this little sweater for me...it's perfect.7-15-08 We celebrated Nani's birthday on Family night...my Papa is so silly7-16-08 Taking a nap on the floor7-16-08 Look what I found...toes!
So then I tasted them They taste good!

7-18-08 Is this the cutest outfit or what? It's linen and it's the same color as I am...pink!

Gramie's 90th Birthday trip

2008-06-22T08:55:00.012-07:00

6-16-08 Going to my birthing class reunion6-17-08 We went to Nebraska this week to celebrate Great Gramie Johring's 90th birthday!

We stopped at Ole's Big Game Bar and Grill in Paxton, NE. Right when we sat down, Mommy was holding me on her lap and I bumped my lip on the edge of the table. I was VERY sad. But, then I was happy and Daddy held me when this picture was taken.
When we were driving, my Nani sat with me in the back seat. We had a lot of fun.
This is my Great Gramie; Doris Johring. She thinks I'm a good baby.

Napping on Gramie's couch
This is my Uncle Roger. He came for dinner one night while we were at Gramie's

I had a good time kicking around on the blow-up matress in the living room.
Our little family played together on the blow-up matress

Daddy looks silly, he's trying to look like ME.

My legs go straight as soon as my feet touch something.

I look like Superbaby!

My daddy told me that Dumbo used his big ears to help him fly...what do you think he's trying to say?

Beautiful girl!

My mommy and daddy took me to visit the place where Papa Forwood is buried. It's just his body there, though, my Papa is in heaven. I wish that he could be here with us. I'm sure we would really like each other. Mommy and Daddy say that he would really love me a lot.

I LOVE this giraffe toy that my Nani gave to me.
I like to put the tail in my mouth. It tickles my tounge.I love you Mr. Giraffe! I'm getting a little tired.
My eyes are tired.Big yawn!Out like a light. These are the kitties; Capone, Albert, Clyde, and Bonnie.
This is what Capone thinks should be done with a Bumbo. He is a very naughty kitty. Mommy is REALLY angry at him. Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa think it's funny. Did I mention that Mommy is really super angry at Capone? She told him he could go play in the street.
The death of the Bumbo

Miss Andi Version 1.0

2008-06-01T08:35:00.051-07:00

Hi! My name is Andi Abigail Novak...this is the day that I arrived in the world. This is my mommy; Abby. She and my daddy, Clint, decided I would be born on March 3, 2008 at Medical Center of the Rockies. Mommy was induced at 7:30 in the morning. I arrived at 7:23 pm, this pic was taken at 7:34
My Auntie Em and Uncle Chris web cammed so they could see me.

3-4-08- My daddy loves me...can you tell?
3-4-08- My Grandma Jean made this quilt by hand. It has my birthday,

my name, and one part says, "Our little love bug"

3-5-08
3-5-08-My hearing test at the hospital...I passed! 3-5-08-On our way home from the hospital
3-5-08-This is my rocking chair
3-6-08
3-6-08-This is my papasan chair 3-6-08-This is my Moses basket3-7-08-My Aunt Lana and Uncle Rich sent me this horsey.They had a mare the day I was born and named her Andi!3-7-08-Hangin' out with Daddy3-8-08-I used to put my hands behind my head like this when I was in Mommy's tummyMy first bottle3-9-08-Mommy and I went to church with everone today

Mommy and Aunt Schleppy with me3-23-08-Easter SundayAfter church in my outfit from Aunt Judy4-1-08-Antique cradle from Forwood side of the family4-7-08

4-16-08- My Nani bought matching dresses for my cousins and me! 4-19-08-Listeneing carefully to my daddy
4-19-08-Snuggling after my bath with Pick-a-Mandy
My cousin Grace adores me ;)
3-6-08- I was three days old in this video.

4-21-08-I have a bow stick in my hair with karo syrup. I'm a pretty girl!4-22-08-Mommy made these jammies for me the week before I was born. She also made ones with frogs on them for my cousins; Faith and Hope.4-25-08-Sitting with my Daddy. My kitties are chillaxin' with us too.

4-26-08-I'm at the cabin sitting with my cousins Faith and Hope and my Pick-a-Mandy.

Then I took a nap.After I had my jammies on, Pick-a-Mandy gave me these slippers. Then she sang the move it move it song with me. Move it! Move it! song

We practiced making heart hands.4-28-08-Daddy and I went with Mommy when she had her appointment with Dr. Tool. She took really good care of Mommy while she was pregnant.

She likes to hold me when I come to the office!4-2-08-We are charting my growth by taking a picture of me in my chair every month. I can stand up because my legs are so strong. Now I just have to figure out how to balance. I am two months old tomorrow!5-3-08-I watch Saturday morning cartoons while Mommy takes a shower.

I am 2 months old today!

5-4-08-Mommy and I got to go to church with Nani and Papa again today.

They both have pink shirts on!5-5-08 I have a tummy full of warm milk. It makes me happy!5-6-08-This summer outfit is great now that it's warm outside.

It's a hand-me-down from my cousins.
5-6-08-Mommy took this picture so she could always remember the color of my eyes.5-7-08-Making funny faces

I never have to sit still when my Grandma Novak has me. 5-8-08-I went to see Dr. Sampera for my 2 month appointment today. She is my pediatrician, and we really like her. She is 7 months pregnant in this picture. I was 11 pounds 3.5 ounces today. I am in the 50% for my weight, and 75% for my height.
This was when I got one of my immunizations. This one is for Roto Virus. I got to eat it and it wasn't too bad. I swallowed it right down.
When Daddy tried to distract me, I knew something was up. Then, Mommy got the camera out and I knew something funny was going on. Then, that mean nurse gave me three shots in my little tender legs. It was terrible! I took a huge deep breath and it took me a long time to let it out. I cried really hard. Mommy and Daddy both cried a little too. It was awful. But, it only took about five minutes for me to settle down. By the time we left, and I was in my seat, I was all better.
Mommy gave me a little Tylenol, and all was forgiven. We went to Chili's for dinner. My daddy really loves me...can you tell? Later that evening, we went for a ride on Grandma and Grandpa's new pontoon boat. They bought it just so that I could go out on the lake and not be cold. Wasn't that nice of them? 5-11-08-On Mother's Day Mommy and I went to church with my Filler family, Stew, Stewie, and Auntie Schlep, Auntie Mel, and my Nani and Papa. Pick-a-Mandy held me in church.

After church, Mommy and I went home to Nani and Papa's.

We played a little until everyone else showed up.

After lunch, we all went to a plant nursery to pick out some Mother's Day plants. It was a warm sunny day. We wished Daddy didn't have to work, so he could spend the day with us. But, Mommy was happy because Daddy gave her a pair of diamond earrings before church that morning! Wow, what a nice husband my daddy is! 5-14-08-Before going to the cabin today, we went to my friend Kenna Mae's 1 year birthday party. Her daddy works in Ultrasound at the hospital with Mommy and Daddy. She looked really pretty in the dress that we gave her at Christmas time, and her party was really fun.

There were a lot of people there. This is Kim Powers. Mommy and Daddy work with her at the hospital, too. She was at the party.5-14-08- At the cabin, Nani and Mommy gave me a sink bath.

I was pretty tired, so it was hard having a good attitude.5-15-08- The next day, Nani stayed with me when I took a nap while Mommy and Daddy went outside to cut wood. It was bright, so Mommy covered my eyes with a blankie, and my mouth with a blankie to keep my plug in.Just my nose was poking out.Later that day, Grace played with me. Talking to Grace

5-14-08-My friend Amy Austin gave me this outfit the week before I was born. It's Osh Kosh B'gosh, and it fits great!

5-16-08-When we got home from the cabin, we met Mommy's friend Nicole Ballard at our house. She lives in San Fransico and was visiting her family in Ft. Collins.

I met her for the first time today. We had a nice time!

Big smileBigger smile! 5-20-08-Sleeping on Nani's lap

We were sitting on the back patio at Nani's house. It's nice and warm.

My Nani got hats like this for all three of us baby girls (Faith, Hope, and Andi). She had to add elastic so it would fit. There won't be any sun in my eyes! 5-17-08-On the boat with Grandma and Grandpa Novak

5-23-08-I am taking a nap before we all go out on the boat.

Daddy walked to the boat with CalebMy Pick-a-Mandy carried my cousins Faith and Hope...they are getting heavy.

Grace is ready to fish!Uncle Dan walked with Jamsie Guy.

James gets to be in charge of the net when someone catches a fish!Mommy, Nani, and Pick-a-Mandy were on full time baby duty. This is the week that there were tornadoes in Colorado. Faith sounded like a tornado siren today when she was so tired and she wanted everyone to know it! We had a good time!5-27-08-Grace and I match! My Uncle Kevin, Aunt Tara, and cousins Rachel and Sammy gave me this outfit. My shirt says: "My favorite things: Daddy Hugs Kisses"

My Uncle Dan is silly. I love him.5-29-08-Daddy had an appointment with the optomitrist today. Dr. Osius looked at my eyes. He said I will probably have either hazel or brown eyes.
On the way home from the eye doctor, we stopped at Sonic. I was holding Mommy's cup.6-3-08-My Aunt Rhonda gave me this adorable outfit when she was visiting. It fits now! Look at the ruffles on my bottom! 6-3-08-Three month chair pictures

6-4-08-Going to Grandma's- I'm exhausted already!
Grandma Novak's 54th Birthday dinner.
My first time sitting in a highchair...I'm so big! 6-5-08-I love my mobile

7 Weeks old

2008-04-20T07:26:00.012-07:00

Miss Andi is right at 10 pounds now and 7 weeks old. She is getting so strong and doing very well. We are pleasantly suprised at how much she is sleeping and growing. Here are some pics to see her progress.

Aunt Amanda and Miss Andi after bath time

Sleeping like a baby!

Pretty summer dress

We have been using this chair to document her growth

The girls; They are going to be good friends in mischief someday!

Andi made a trip to Sterling to meet Great Grandma Forwood and Great Aunt Bonnie

Grandma and Andi

Looking and listening to Daddy talking

Aunt Emily came to meet Baby Andi

She eventually did put her down so she could catch her flight! J/K

Miss Andi's Grand Arrival

2008-03-03T23:36:00.007-07:00

She is finally here! We welcomed her into the world at 7:22pm Mtn Time. She weighs 6lbs 15ozs and is 17.5" long. She is doing so well. Mom and baby are both doing excellent. She has been latching on and feeding pretty good for a 4 hour old baby! We are both very proud parents!

Talk to you all soon,

Clint, Abby, and Andi

Miss Andi 37 weeks

2008-02-23T16:12:00.003-07:00

This is a picture of Miss Andi from today...she measures up to 7 lbs 12 oz by ultrasound. I guess we'll find out on the big day! It's right around the corner! Just in case it's hard to tell-her little chubby face is in the upper left hand corner of the image sort of facing the lower right part of the image.

So close!

2008-02-14T21:42:00.007-07:00

We are so very close to welcoming Miss Andi into our lives. Here is how her nursery looks now. We found a really cute dresser at American Furniture that we loved. We still have to hang a couple of things on the walls but we are really close. I will be finishing up the cornice for above the window tomorrow and Abby is making curtains for the window and around the top of the crib.

This week is Abby's 36th week of pregnancy, and she is feeling great. That tummy is getting a little more difficult to carry around, but she loves being pregnant, and she looks great!

32 weeks

2008-02-14T20:55:00.037-07:00

We were so excited to document this special time in out lives on film. These pictures were taken at 32 weeks.

Miss Andi's Nursery

2008-01-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

We are making progress on Miss Andi's nursery! Look and see what we have done!

The Carpenter/Daddy-to-be

Fabric for the curtainsFabric for the valence

Andi's crib(bought from the Filler family) and rocking chair (bought on Craig's list). The chair needs to be recovered to match the room. My mom is going to help me make a bed skirt and curtain for the crib.Just getting started-lots of blue tape

So proud to be getting ready for his little girl

This is Albert's idea of helping

There's a belly under that top!

Holding up the chair rail to see what it will look like

We're Having a Girl!

2007-10-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

Abby is 23 weeks pregnant now, and things are going really well. Today we had an ultrasound and got to see our little GIRL wiggling around. We are going to name her Andi and she is already looking healthy and chubby. We are will past the half way point, and it's amazing that we only have three and half months left.

Here is a picture from today (23 weeks) and a video (from 13 weeks) both in 3-D...ENJOY!

We feel so blessed to have a healthy baby girl. Abby's pregnancy has been free of complications and that is a blessing too. Keep praying for continued good health for baby and mommy. Please also pray that God would continue to prepare us as a couple for the very important task of becoming parents and teaching this little girl to love the Lord.

Ok, so we goofed...SHE is a HE!

2007-09-25T20:12:00.000-07:00

So, as it turns out, we really needed to be looking for another boy name, because we found another set of testicles on the kitty that we thought was a girl! Oops!

We are set on calling the kitty with more white Capone, but we are still undecided on a name for the other little boy. Clint likes Albert, in keeping with something that matches Capone. I like Malone, and Duece. Malone just rhymes with Capone, and "The Four Dueces" is a club which the real Al Capone managed in Chicago.

Regardless of their gender or names, they are such sweet little guys, and even though the thought of having four kitties in the house is a little overwhelming, we are really glad that we have them.

Faith and Hope 3 months

2007-09-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

Amanda has found a great studio to have the kids' pictures taken in. She had the twins 3 month photos done recently. They are precious...enjoy!

Europe 2007

2007-09-02T07:09:00.000-07:00

On July 30, 2007 Clint and his parents and I and my parents all got on a big airplane and flew over the big blue ocean to London. We spent three nights there before we flew to Germany to spend a week touring the beautiful countryside with our friends the Hofmanns. It was a very busy and fun trip. We crammed everything we possibly could in to the ten days that we were gone. Here are some of the highlights.

At DIA before flying to London

The Underground

The Vanderbuilt Radison where we stayed while in London The London Eye

The Houses of Parliment across the River Thames

Big Ben

Houses of Parliment

London Pub

London Pub

On the red double decker bus in London

Pink Taxi Cab

Clint in a red phone boothLondon's Tower Bridge

Gates of Buckingham Palace

Feeding the Pigeons in Trafalgar Square

Cool street in London

Clint by our rental car...you should have seen the six of us pile out of that thing!

Awsome street art and artist

The Sherlock Holmes Pub
Human Statue in the park next to the London Eye

On the London Eye

Her Majesty's Theater
The Tower of London The whole family at the Tower of LondonThe Armor of a king that had a very high opinion of himself: Tower of London

Beautiful chapel inside the Tower of London

The Queen's gaurd outside of where the crown jewels are kept

Westminster Abbey

St. Paul's Cathedral

Street sign pointing toward Westminster Abbey

Mom annd Dad Novak on the London Eye

View of Big Ben from the London Eye

The "pod" we rode in on the British Airways sponsored London Eye

Memorial to Princess Diana and Dodi Alfaied inside Harod's Department Store

Westminster Abbey

Outside Westminster AbbeyThe front entrance of Westminster Abbey

At the Underground you hear this incessantlyWelcome to Walheim. This is the town that Bernd and Elke live in

Bernd...such a teddy bear! Couldn't you just squeeze him?

During our walk through Walheim. What a beautiful day.

Mein deutscher papa (My German Dad)

Clint, enjoying the finer things in lifeBeautiful German flowersElke's childhood churchMom & Dad Novak, Me & Clint, Mom & Dad Stoddard in WalheimBeautiful bridge in WalheimGorgeous vineyards on a hillside over looking WalheimThe whole gang except Mom Novak :(. From left to right:Bernd, Elke, Andy, Rosemary, Clint, Abby, Janina, Craig (Jean was taking the picture)

Baby Pictures

2007-08-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

We had our very first ultrasound today showing about 10 weeks gestation. We got to see the heartbeat and the baby move. I know that it doesn't look like much yet but we could see it on real time ultrasound. The heart was beating at about 170 beats per minute and it was moving all over the place already! If you can check out our facebook account to see a video of the baby moving.

10 week video #1

13 week 4-D video #1

13 week 4-D video #2

We're Pregnant!!!

2007-07-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

After taking my temperature for about a month, my temp was still high. So, after having dinner with the family in Fort Collins, we stopped to get an E.P.T. pregnancy test.

At 5:22 am, I took my temperture again (98.4) and then took the test. I crawled back in to be to wait for the result. Pretty soon it had been the required three minutes, and this is what we saw!!!

Right after we saw the positive result, Clint suggested we both go to the bathroom and throw up together. Excited doesn't even begin to explain how happy we were. We prayed right then and thanked God for this awesome answer to prayer and incredible blessing.

Almost all of my side of the family was coming over to celebrate Independence Day, so we only had a couple of hours to figure out how to tell them. Waiting for the whole family to come was horrible. I was so sick to my stomach with excitement, I could have actually thrown up!

I went on the internet to see how other couples had done it, and I didn't like any of their ideas. So, I suggested that we write on my belly.

So when everyone got to our house, we gathered in the living room for prayer before we ate and Clint said, "I'd like to say a blessing for the food, but before I do, Abby has something to show you." This is what I showed them...

After the tears, and the jumping up and down, and the clapping and yelling, and kissing my belly we finally prayed for the food. Then after dinner we e-mailed the above picture to Emily and Chris in Indiana. I talked to Emily about this 'n' that while I waited for her to check the computer for the picture. It seemed like it took her forever!

Seth had decided to stay home, and I couldn't get ahold of him, but we e-mail him a picture too, and then Mom and Dad Stoddard told him the good news the next morning at breakfast. His comment in a later e-mail was "Here's to our rediculously expanding family."

Friday (July 6th), Mom and Dad Novak came down from Estes to take us out on Boyd Lake in the new boat: "Pd 4". When they walked up the driveway, I lifted my shirt to reveal the "Baby Novak" drawing. There was crying, and lots of hugs. We had a great time on the lake that day...here are some pictures!

After our time at the lake, we spent some time relaxing at home. Sarah, Ryan, and Brandon were on their way back from Crested Butte. They stopped by for a little bit after I told them the good news on the phone. We got to play with Brandon for a little bit. Here are some pictures of him that day... Later Friday night, Frank and Sabrina Wagner came over for dinner with their little muffin: Kenna. We had a great time with them. They are such great people, and we are so thankful that Kenna is only going to be about 10 months older than our baby! Here are some pictures from their visit to our house on Friday.

SO tired!

She is so cute, and we are so happy to know her! It's been a fun summer so far!

Welcome Faith and Hope!

2007-06-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Through Jesus we have access by FAITH into this GRACE in which we have stood and we boast on the HOPE of the glory of God! Romans 5:1&2 Early Thursday morning June 14th, Dan and Amanda drove to the hospital with great anticipation. Today they were to meet their twin girls, Faith and Hope. Amanda was scheduled for a 0730 cesarean. She got her epidural, but it didn't really take. The anesthesiologist asked her if her legs were starting to feel heavy, and she wiggled them all around. They started the procedure anyway and when the pain got too intense the doctor just injected some local anesthetic before cutting some more. She got through it! At 0821, Miss Faith Marie-Rose Filler was born. born she weighed 5 pounds 15 ounces.

At 0822, Miss Hope Emma-Lyn Filler was born. She weight 5 pounds 5 ounces.

They had great apgars and didn't even require oxygen! Yay!

Everyone including the kiddos came to the hospital to see the new arrivals and the happy mommy and daddy. We are so blessed to have two very healthy little girls. Our prayers have been answered!

Miss Paden

2007-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is Miss Paden Jacob! She is our cousin from Lincoln and a spunky little spit fire that we love to spend time with. She was a junior bride's maid in our wedding and wish we could see her more often. Hugs and kisses to Paden! ***Mooowah***

Caleb's 6th Birthday!

2007-05-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

On May 8th our nephew Caleb turned 6 years old. He got to have lunch at Red Robin with his family, Nani, and Clint. He really likes the fries and ranch!!! Then for dinner the whole family got together at Nani and Papa's house. We played soccer and threw the frisby before dinner. Caleb's special request for dinner was spaghetti and white sauce. That is alfredo for everyone over 6 years old. Caleb really likes bread and espescially likes to put the white sauce on it. After dinner he got to open up all of his presents.

One of them was a sprinkler that has a bunch of little hoses for the water to come out of and then they spray all over the place because of the pressure. All the kids really liked that gift but wished it was a little bit warmer!!

Another favorite was a hydrogen powered rocket that uses water and sulfuric acid to make a chemical reaction to produce the propulsion for the rocket. It would go almost 100 feet into the air! It was fun for all ages!

After we exhausted the last bit of daylight remaining launching the rocket we went back inside for CAKE!!! Caleb's request was for three different flavors of cake with strawberries on top. It was strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. It was sooo good. Caleb even got to cut his own cake (with Mommy's help)!

Veranda Adventures

2007-05-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

Finished 5/30/07:
The truck arrived late today at 10:53. After inquiring about where the truck was the person who answered the phone told me that the mix was too wet and that he had to reload the truck but should be here any minute. We also saw him drive out of the neighborhood to the west of us so he was a little bit lost as well.
Included in the price of the concrete is 30 minutes of off-load time. I really thought that 30 minutes was not enough time for three people to haul three yards of concrete from the truck into the back yard. We sure did it though! It took right at 30 minutes to fill the forms to perfection.
Remember the chance of rain this morning with afternoon thunderstorms? This morning was beautiful and cool. Maybe 65-70 degrees and pretty clear. The rain did come, however it held out until 1:30 or so. My dad and I used old deck boards to span the fresh concrete and put a tarp over that to catch the rain. This worked okay but the tarp touched the concrete and messed up the nice finish that dad worked so hard on. We plan to put a surface coat of something on to make them all uniform anyway. No big loss. All in all it was a great day. Huge thanks to Dan, Kevin and my dad for all of their help. The hard work for this year is done!

5/29/07:

So after the first slab was done I came to realize that the bags of concrete are not for pouring patios with! It was a really big reality when I found out that it was actually cheaper to have a concrete truck deliver the mixed concrete. I was blown away by this; not only is it WAY more work to mix it yourself you just look stupid paying more for the bags. The first slab turned out okay, not great. So as you read earlier I already aquired 4 pallets of concrete because they were on sale and I thought I was so cool to get them all while they were on sale. After much heartache I finally gave in and loaded most of them back onto pallets and returned them to Lowe's. Talk about learning the hard way! That brings us up to our current status. The 3 quarters that are left are now formed out and filled with sand to make them less of an abyss for concrete to fill. The truck is scheduled for 10:30 am tomorrow. Weather Forecast is for rain in the morning and then scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Hopefully it will work out!

5/16/07
The first and LAST one done!!! We give up. I sure am glad that it's only 75degrees today!

5/14/07

This is the first section of concrete that we are getting close to pouring. It still needs some more forms and some bracing but we hope to pour this Wednesday, weather/eye bank permitting. Before we pour I need to rent a hole digger and dig the holes for the future roof supports. They need to be THREE FEET deep! We did the first hole by hand and it seems like you will never reach three feet! After the first one we decided that it would be worth it to rent the gas powered auger drill! Worth every penny!

This summer we are embarking on the task of revamping the backyard patio. We will keep a photo timeline for you to follow.

This is Dad and Mom Novak's trailer weighed down with a pallate of concrete. Each bag weighs 80 pounds, there are 42 bags on a pallate, Clint moved four pallates, each bag by hand from the trailer to the garage floor in one day. That's 13,440 pounds! My husband is so strong! He can haul more than six and a half tons of concrete in a day!

Kevin, Tara, Rachel, and Sam

2007-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Sam are almost one! Their birthday is June 12th. Sam is our godson, but we love them both the same! They are very active, growing, and adorable! They are a precious gift from God! Don't they have the coolest blond hair and blue eyes?! Just like their daddy when he was little. Kevin is Clint's cousin, and Tara is Kevin's beautiful wife. They are the most wonderful people, and the BEST parents. They live in Nebraska, and we visit them whenever we get the chance.