2 years. We've stuck it out!

It's safe to say.... (and I NEVER thought I would say this) that I LOVE North Dakota! Being here for 2 years at the end of this month has made if feel like home.

A lot has happened within the last 2 years and it has gone quickly but what a JOY life has become.

First of all, I need to bring Brooks into this blog. He was born August 19, 2016 and is now almost 2 years old. He has been the most fun little boy I could hope for! We love that guy so much and he has two big sisters who are always doting on him/bugging him to no end.

Spencer's job has been great and he is really enjoying it. Summer is obviously a lot less stressful for the oilfield here and he is happy!

I've been able to build up my photography business slowly, which is fine with me. And also do real estate for my dad which has really been fun and rewarding!

So here are a few pictures. Not nearly enough to cover all we've done in the last 2 years, but you get the idea :)

Andrea and Jason Album

North Dakota: Round 3. 3rd time's the charm.

We made it to Killdeer and things are good! We had a 3 day road trip and stopped at GramGram's in Ogden and then Billings the 2nd night. The girls were champion road trippers. Baby boy did great. Mom probably complained the most.

When we got here we stayed at Ashley's one night and then moved into our house! It is such a sweet little house with all re-modeled interior. Pretty finishes are probably saving me this time. It makes a big difference when you like to look at your house. It's not old and grungy like a lot of the houses here. And we have an amazing yard. With a hot tub. Nuff said.

We have been super busy since we got here. When moving, you basically have to spend all your money to get to a place of normalcy again. Utilities, double rent for a couple weeks, no deposit back on the last house, paying a deposit on the new house, switching over to verizon because sprint doesn't work here, getting food to fill the cupboards. And the list goes on. I just can't wait till everything balances out and we can get a firm grasp on our budget and start feeling less stressed again. It's pretty overwhelming.

So once we finally get settled in, we will be going to Glacier National Park with the Costley fam and camping in cabins. It will be so pretty there I can't wait. Then I'm on to AZ to have Baby boy. That is the other stressful thing, but I'm trying to take one day at a time and if I can make it to August 1st or so, I should be able to forget everything else and focus on bringing a baby into the world. I want to meet him so bad. I've been feeling more and more pain lately. I'm getting swollen and sore. But it will all be worth it. Now we need to pick a name for this little stinker pants!

Magnus, Boss, Olson, Robby, Cedar, any ideas!?????

Maternity Pictures for baby boy!

Thank you Selena I am so glad I got to do one more photo shoot with just the girls and document this baby boy growing inside. Lately I've felt how real things are about to get. This little stinker kicks and wakes me up at night. And he tickles my belly so I can't go back to bed! It's so funny and yet not funny at all. Sometimes I think how weird it is that I have a human inside of me. Maybe because he is my 3rd I know exactly how the next couple of months is going to play out and I will be holding him before I know it. I'm just super excited to have him and not be pregnant anymore. haha, It's not my favorite. But I sure am thankful I get the chance to do all of this. 30 weeks along!

lost time capsule

so i've been thinking about my blog lately and how much i absolutely love looking back at it. i look back at gretta's first year and how i have such vivid memories because of the pictures i took and things i wrote and i'm so thankful! and now that i have a little boy coming and london is seriously the cutest little thing and gretta is getting so so big. it's a shame to not document it in this little place. so i think i'm going to try to start up again and take pictures and write about my time with my small small children. they will be gone before i know it.

above is 2014

above is 2015

 when londy turned 2

 gretta being 4

are you strong enough?

sitting here in a silent house full of packed boxes. we are moving yet again. spencer has been at the new job for 4 weeks and we have 1 more week until we see him. it has been... long. 

i'm 7 months pregnant with my little son and moving and trying to figure out where to give birth and not having my husband here for weeks and gaining lots of weight and not sleeping. everything together, it's a lot man. 

we are doing it though. and we are more positive than we would have been 3 years ago. we have built up some courage and confidence and we have matured in life a little bit more. our marriage has become more solidified. that being apart feels so unnatural but we are dealing with it one day at a time. and FaceTime. 

but trust me i cry a lot. and my big 7 month pregnant body with a raging appetite and exhausted mind is not easing up for a couple more months. and that is hard to think about. so i try not to. i try to think about a boy who will be coming and changing the dynamics of our family more than we can even imagine and i can hardly wait for his sweetness to be in our home. i know it's going to be really good. 

i can get skinny later, right?

so now i need to think about my girls. they get the short end of the stick in all of this. i wish i could always keep them happy and entertained and bellys full of their favorite foods and friends to play with at all times and never yell. but i can't do all that all the time. i have a job, and i have my selfishness when i just can't take another minute of this. but i always regret it when i loose that darned patience. i always feel horrible and want to give them the world. i have a hard time balancing making them happy, teaching them right from wrong and not completely loosing my cool. but i know its a lot to do with my state of being right now. so i look forward to being me again. 

i'm really lucky to have my life and i don't want to forget it. i don't want to complain and be down and i really don't want people to hear me go on about my worries. because they are nothing compared to people who really have bad things happen to them. i love my people and i love my life. 

so now that we are all caught up to date, i still like to take lots of pictures of my people. ....

years gone by

little sisters, summer, silly faces, sunshine. super happy.