Whitney K Baker

New blog....

2011-05-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

http://wkbaker.tumblr.com/

i will (hopefully) be posting on that one everyday!

Favorite!

2011-04-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Going on walks with my family is the best.

My sweet little Oliver

2011-04-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Me: "Oliver I love you!"

Oliver: "La la!"

It's pretty much the cutest thing ever...

He melts my heart.

Hiking!

2011-04-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

We went hiking and this boy loved it.

He had so much fun.

This is definitely something we'll be doing more often.....

now that I'm not a handicapped pregnant lady :)

Where does the time go?

2011-04-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

I have been having a really hard time with managing my time and getting done

everything that needs to get done in a day.

I didn't really have a problem with it before Carter got here.

BUT THEN he was born and now my work load feels like it's quadrupled.

Carter's on a set schedule which really helps and Oliver is on a loose schedule

and he's pretty flexible which is nice!

If he doesn't go down for his nap at precisely the right time he's just fine.

This week has been a fresh start and I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things.

Balancing babies being fed, changed, and napped.

Feeding myself, taking a shower, doing laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, exercising, and seeing

all of the things that still need to be organized and given a proper place

and thinking of doing it (that alone makes me tired).

It's getting better and Kaleb has been super patient and loving through the transition.

Not to mention a lifesaver seeing that he's been such a tremendous help.

The little things make the biggest difference and I don't think he realizes how much that means to me!

Being married to a wonderful husband and Daddy is the best! <3

Anyways if anyone comes over to my house you probably won't see past the living room

just so you know :) The rest is better left unseen!

Five weeks later

2011-04-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have officially hit the twenty pound weight loss mark!

This is great seeing that I only gained thirty-one pounds this time.

Right after I had Oliver(and before I got pregnant with Carter) I was able to get

below my pre-pregnancy weight!

Although I only got to enjoy that for a few months :)

I'm hoping this time I'll be just as lucky. Not without the hard work of course!

It's been five weeks since I had baby Carter.

At three weeks postpartum I started running 3.5 miles

(almost) everyday.

It's a little harder to get out having two kids

but thankfully my awesome sisters watch the boys while I go.

I see it as a nice little 30 min break for me and I come back refreshed and ready

to chase Oliver around, change more diapers, feed Carter, etc.

all while trying to juggle dishes, laundry, and routine housecleaning.

I try not to stress out about the housework too much as long as I'm enjoying the boys

and making sure they are well taken care of. It's been fun!

Later this month I'm going (as well as Carter & Oliver) with my family

to Disneyland. We are all so excited to take Oliver!

Carter won't enjoy it too much yet, but Oliver is going to love it!

Hopefully it won't be too hot or too crowded.

There will definitely be pictures!

my plump little heart....

2011-03-31T11:08:00.000-07:00

is full of love

for these two cuties.

i am beyond blessed.

Carter Lee Baker

2011-03-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

Born February 23, 2011

At 6:57 am

Weight: 7 pounds even

Length: 20 inches

The labor was very different this time seeing that I didn't even know I WAS in labor. Almost didn't even go into the hospital. My mom had to talk me into it and I felt like the biggest idiot going in and saying "Well I'm not contracting but I need to be checked!" Everyone looked at me like "Right....". Turns out I was contracting every 5 minutes just didn't feel them or felt very few of them and my labor ended up stopping once I dilated to 7. The doctor of course did not want to send me home at that point seeing that I probably would have had him at home or on the way to the hospital! He started me on pitocin which didn't really work so he eventually just broke my water and he was born an hour and 2 pushes later. He is so sweet and has a big brother who is pretty fond of him. Oliver started saying "brother" and "Carter" as soon as we brought him home and even asks for him when he wakes up in the morning. We are so blessed and I love being the mommy of two little boys. They are precious!

Life is much busier and I feel like I'm non stop 24/7 seeing that at night I'm up every 2 hours feeding and changing a baby. But I love it and am so grateful to have been blessed with two healthy beautiful babies and an amazing husband who takes care of all of us. He's a great daddy and works really hard for our family. We love being a family of four!

36 weeks

2011-02-17T11:24:00.000-08:00

Thankfully we got our guest room and bathroom (almost) completely done over the last couple of weekends! We're still a month away from our due date, but the doctor thinks Carter might be here in the next week or two at the most!

What?? In the next week??

This is crazy to think about! Although we got done what we needed to get done we now have a clogged kitchen sink that we haven't fixed and stuff still strewn about from painting and rearranging things! Not to mention the fact that Oliver just started another round of teething with some congestion which makes it hard for him to breathe. So he's been a little under the weather and has been having a little bit of a hard time sleeping at night. I hope it clears up soon. It'll be hard enough for him to adjust to sharing everything with a new little brother and getting used to hearing him cry! He's a trooper though and will do just fine! I really don't think the baby will care if things are out of order around here, but it would be nice to get everything back to normal before he arrives... we'll see what happens in the next week or so!

I have been having contractions and have been feeling a lot more like things are moving in that direction! We'll see how long Carter decides to wait to make his appearance. We can't wait to meet him! And we can't wait to introduce him to his big brother! So we wait.... and scramble to get everything together! Probably just to wait some more.... but thats okay. We're excited to know that any day now we'll be bringing home a new baby!

Oh if only

2011-02-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

If I had $500+ laying around I would definitely be purchasing this stroller!

It's the only one that I've found that's light and fits into a compact trunk.

And not to mention the fact that it's not the size of a car!

I would not mind taking the boys on daily walks in this beauty....

34 weeks

2011-01-31T12:55:00.000-08:00

6 weeks left until my due date....

but I'm thinking Carter will be here well before that.

He's already dropped and I've been having contractions that are starting to get more painful.

The doctor's been keeping a close check on things and says that Carter was measuring

to be about 5 lbs as of 2 weeks ago.

This will definitely be a good thing if he comes early.

If he's on time or late he's going to be big!

Let's think positive!

Oliver was born at 38 weeks and weighed 7 lbs 3 ounces.

I'm hoping Carter is around the same size. We'll see...

I already have my hospital bag (somewhat) packed just to be safe...

His drawers and clothes (somewhat) organized for his arrival...

and have yet to put his bed and carseat together.

But really I'm just trying to stay on top of laundry and household duties!

Not to mention this extra above and beyond stuff...

(like finishing their room or hmm maybe the guest room that their Grandma Baker will be staying in!)

We'll see where we're at in a couple of weeks!

Oliver's list of tricks at 12 months

2011-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

At 12 months Oliver is......
   a crazy crawler...
   standing on his own (and even pulls some dance moves while he's at it)...
   walking around objects but doesn't really take any steps by himself yet...
   eating anything and everything put into his mouth....
   loving anything musical (preferably the guitar or musical drums he just got)...

He loves:
   his Papa...
   FOOD...
   animals...
   visiting Dad at work for lunch......
   FOOD....
   laying in his crib.....
   owls......
   going on walks in his wagon...
   playing toys at home with Mom and Dad...

Words he says...
   "No no no!"
   "Dog"
   "Mama" & "Dada" of course!
   "Nana"
   "Num nums" (for food)
   "Car"
   "Bye bye"
   "Night night"
   "All done!" (with his cute little hands in the air)
   "Hoo hoo!" (when you ask him what the owl says)
   and some other words that I can't think of right now....

He's tried to say "Tyler" and "Beth" and "bugs" and "thank you" but has only successfully said half of the word..... he's pretty stinkin cute. I enjoy watching him learn and grow and change... he's 1 now! Growing up too fast....

I love that boy....

Happy Happy Birthday to my boy!

2011-01-19T21:44:00.000-08:00

January 19, 2010 at 3:16 am

this little cuteness was born

and my heart plumped up with love

one year later he's just as cute

and i love him 10,000 times more

which I didn't think was possible

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T22:57:00.000-08:00

First and only Christmas as a family of 3! We had a lot of fun and can't wait to add another to the family and celebrate as a family of four next year.....

29 week baby belly......

I definitely feel a lot larger than this picture looks....

Owls

2010-12-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is the theme for the boys room and I am so excited about it!

I plan on making some bed sheets and curtains out of some very cute owl fabric that I've found.

We've already found a couple of cute little owl nic-nacs for the top of their dresser...

It's going to be so cute!

Recent Happenings

2010-12-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

So much has happened the last couple of months, I've been too busy to even post about what has been going on! So here is a quick update on life with the Bakers...

First off we're having another little BOY...

His name will be Carter Lee Baker. He is set to arrive in March, we'll see when he decides to show his cute little face.... I think Oliver is going to love him! He adores other babies so I think he'll handle it really well. I am almost 27 weeks pregnant and can't believe how fast time is going! He's due in just 13 weeks!!!! Oh my goodness.... can't wait to meet him.

Also, we have moved! Finally! We moved in at the end of October, we've just been painting and cleaning and moving everything in. All we really have left to do now is painting a few more rooms. Hopefully by the time Carter is born they'll all be done, but if not OH WELL! It's still home and we still enjoy it!

If you want/need our new address just let me know and I'll get it to you! Oh and come see us we love visitors!

Kaleb was very sweet and bought me a sewing machine! I still have a few more tools I need to get before I can really get into it, but I've been trying to teach myself a little bit until then and it's pretty fun so far! I can't wait to start making some awesome stuff! And maybe one day open my own etsy shop....we'll see!

I am officially a home body! I stopped working to stay home with the boys, and I'm really excited about it! So far I absolutely love it! It's so much better for Oliver too. I need some time to enjoy just him before Carter gets here. Give him some special love and attention before he has to share me with someone else... At the same time I can't wait to throw Carter into the mix and embrace the changes in our little family. God has blessed us with two little boys and a new house all in one year! We weren't expecting to be in the position that God has put us in, but we are so grateful that He has. He constantly provides for our every need and even gives us extra :) We are very very thankful!

Love,

The Bakers

Beyond stressed but learning to trust...

2010-10-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

There is so much going on and so much to do and not enough time and life is crazy! Make it stop! Okay so there may be a light at the end of this long dark tunnel, but the fact that there might not be is what gets me. Let me explain... We are buying a condo as explained in a previous post. Well, we now have an escrow close date yippee! There is also a catch... we HAVE TO close by Monday October 18th or the entire deal is off. That's right people we close by Monday or we are homeless. Ok fine not homeless, but everything we own is packed in boxes and stored in my parents garage. Frustrating to know that we are so close to moving into a place that we own and having everything for it either picked out or bought already, but it all might come crashing down if paperwork doesn't get done fast enough. I know that I have been learning alot from this entire experience. Trust is the major lesson learned. In this entire situation we have had no control over when things get done if they get done and how long it should take. It's taken longer than we wanted, the bank has taken forever to give us answers.... it's been a growing experience we'll leave it at that. God is in control of everything. He knows where we'll end up. He has a plan for us! I've been praying for patience and trust that no matter what happens something will work out and we will be taken care of. The selfish part of me wants this to all be over on Monday so that we can move in and move on with life and have time to be excited for the new things to come. New baby, new pace of life (slow I'm hoping!), and a bunch of other stuff. Life has been so crazy that I feel like our family is choking and being deprived of just being together. Just us. Privacy! Oh privacy.... maybe someday. But for now we will be patient constantly in prayer that His plan is perfect. Because it is! He knows far beyond what we know and He has the control. So maybe soon I will learn that I am the one stressing myself out and giving it all over is the easiest way out of that dark hole....

It has begun...

2010-09-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

The separation anxiety has officially started, but only at nighttime of course! Oliver has been the BEST sleeper ever since he was born. he would go 5 hour stretches from the day he was born and at 6 weeks started sleeping 10 hours and soon after 12 hours. About 3 weeks ago he caught a cold that made him really congested, so it was a little harder for him to breath at night. He would wake up screaming I would cuddle him until he calmed down and put him back to bed. This would happen maybe 3 times a night... now he thinks this wonderful cuddle time should happen every night which don't get me wrong I love cuddling him but we need sleep too! Especially since there's another little bundle on the way! So last night was the first night of cry yourself to sleep/back to sleep and boy was it rough! An hour plus of screaming just to fall asleep and a couple more little crying fits in the middle of the night. I'm tired. He's tired. He's been waking up at 7 am everyday and has not been napping well. So please pray this ends soon so we can rest up in preparation for more sleepless nights.... I love my little Oliver and he brings so much joy, but it has been a little rough lately!

The loveliest time of year

2010-09-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

Now that it's 80 degrees outside it doesn't quite feel like fall, but it soon will. I love everything about this season! The pumpkin spice lattes, the decorations, the eventually crispy air. It's all wonderful and I can't wait for all of the holidays to arrive. Even Halloween! Although I'll probably have to work AGAIN this year, I'll still try to enjoy it. Plus it's little Oliver's first holiday season so it's time to start some family traditions.....

Just a little hobby...

2010-09-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

That's right people! I am going to learn how to sew! My very cute husband even offered to buy me a sewing machine. What a sweet guy. Many many cute things are to be made in the future, as soon as I perfect (well, learn) this very practical skill. I'm pretty excited about it...

Still waiting....

2010-09-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, we're buying a condo. No, we haven't moved yet. We started this process at the end of June? Why yes we did. And it is now the end of September? Well it sure is. The entire process is stressful and such a test of my patience! Which yes, it has been reaffirmed through this whole thing that I am lacking a little, okay a lot, in that area. I am praying that all of the worries, stresses and that stupid feeling of being in limbo land would go away. I shouldn't let it bother me and yet I do.

We are currently living in a 1 bedroom apartment that is super tiny. Oliver sleeps in the living room, which is not fun at nap/sleep time. I can't really do anything outside of my bedroom that makes any noise because he knows its me and just wants to be held instead of sleeping. All of our stuff is half packed seeing that we were told "You'll be going into escrow next week and from there it's going to go really quick. Be ready" That was going on 4 weeks ago... So our little apartment full of boxes and stuff everywhere is kind of hard to live in right now. I'm just hoping this entire process is over soon! Plus we've been getting tons of cool stuff to put in our new place which I'm really excited to start doing :) Not to mention the completely awesome washer and dryer that my Grandma and Papa Mugg bought us! Yay we'll be able to start cloth diapering finally...

All of this to say I'm praying for patience. I can't wait to get back to normal, it makes life seem crazy and it goes by way too fast. Life slow down so I can enjoy my little boy while he is still little and while I still have him all to myself! I am REALLY REALLY REALLY excited for this new little baby to join our family, but it also makes me REALLY enjoy my time with baby Oliver while its still just him. I'm loving every second.

Need I say more?

2010-08-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

My boy is getting so big. 6 1/2 months old... We love him to death, he's a very sweet boy! Can't wait until his brother or sister is here to bring that much more joy to our little family. We're very excited...

Two years ago today..

2010-06-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 year anniversary to the love of my life... I couldn't imagine life without you. I am truly blessed to have you as my husband...

Good times Baker style...

2010-06-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

We miss everyone already....

Yummy yummy

2010-06-01T14:45:00.001-07:00

well folks my little boy is eating solids. first we started out with rice cereal, but I got the reaction of "Mom, this stuff is for babies! Give me the real stuff!"

So we moved on to applesauce and banana baby food. he loves it... sigh... he's growing up too fast. he's chattin up a storm nowadays. he likes to join in on the conversations between mom and dad. i am thoroughly enjoying every minute of him! I love watching him grow up and seeing him discover the new things his tiny body is capable of. body part discovery of the month... his tongue. he figured out that he can make new noises if he uses it! its pretty cute.

4 1/2 months already....

I would like to introduce to you....

2010-05-27T13:22:00.001-07:00

the mullet.

Picture this

2010-05-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

We got a new camera!

Just in time for vacation....

East coast here we come. Now the getting there part should be interesting.

4 hours in the carseat that he hates. A six to seven hour flight. A three hour time difference to adjust to....

One thing is for sure. People are going to hate us on that plane. Oh well! It will be an adventure!

Just an average day...

2010-05-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

between

work

dishes

laundry

& taking care of a baby should make me feel like....

this at the end of every day...

but instead I end my day or only make it halfway through in tears. Being a working Mom is stressful, but I am so grateful because it brings me to my knees and reminds me that I cannot be a good parent on my own. I want to reflect the goodness of Christ, and I hope that my son grows up seeing that. I want nothing more than for my sweet little Oliver to know Him.

It is only Him that gets me through each day...

well the encouragement I get from my ever so patient husband helps too :) I am so grateful that I have him. Oliver is so blessed to have such an awesome daddy! I couldn't have asked for a better father for my boy.

Only sometimes....

2010-05-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

do i feel like this....

but then I see this beautiful little face.....

and i can't help but smile....

he's worth all of the stress, work, and bald spots....

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

Being a Mommy is such a blessing. I am so grateful for my son and everything that God is teaching me through him. There is nothing more humbling than being a parent. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with a beautiful baby boy!

Mom,
I love you so much and am so grateful for everything you do for us! You are a great friend, Mom and Grandma! We love you so much and are so glad that we get to see you as much as we do. Oliver loves Grandma time...

3 1/2 months

2010-04-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oliver is now 3 1/2 months old and full of smiles! Seeing him happy brings me so much joy. He doesn't talk a whole lot yet, he's very quiet and likes to observe what goes on around him. You can tell when he gets super excited, but he chooses to make facial expressions and smile instead of saying anything. I'm sure someday he won't want to stop talking, which I will still enjoy but for now I will be happy with smiles and funny faces.

This boy loves his crib! God has truly blessed us with a great little boy! He loves to go to bed at night. He will be cranky and fussy just so we'll lay him down in his crib. Crying turns into happy noises and a full 10 hours of sleep every night. So sweet...

He rolled over once when he was 4 weeks old and has decided that that was enough for now. He gets close to rolling from his tummy to his back, but he prefers his tummy so not too much effort is put forth. I can't wait until he's crawling around and getting into things. He may be an early crawler, he's got the turning himself completely around thing down pretty good....he doesn't like to miss out on much so he's got to keep up!

I love my little boy...

2010-02-05T09:58:00.000-08:00

he's such a sweet baby... he melts my heart! just like his daddy :)

Oliver Sherwin Baker

2010-01-28T16:44:00.001-08:00

Baby boy was born January 19th at 3:16 am weighing in at 7 lbs 3 ounces and he was 20 inches long! The labor and delivery was fast and easy. I really enjoyed the entire experience! It was amazing to meet him for the first time and can't wait to do it again someday :) He's a pretty laid back baby we love him so much! What a sweet little blessing. We thank God for him everyday and can't imagine life without him! He gets lots of love from everyone!

38 weeks :) :) hooray!

2010-01-13T17:52:00.001-08:00

2 weeks left! Maybe a little less how knows... the doctor says he thinks he may come a little early :)

Getting closer...

2009-11-24T13:00:00.001-08:00

So we are currently at 31 weeks... only 9 weeks left! I can't believe how fast the time is flying by... Baby boy is still super healthy and growing right on track. We can't wait for him to get here...

I've had some issues with my heart rate and had to be put on medication for it... after running a couple of tests they figured out that the sinus node in my heart misfires and causes my heart to race for absolutely no reason. It makes me really short of breath most of the time with the occasional nausea spells... definitely not fun to experience 2 or 3 times a day... the doctor said that none of this should affect the baby, which makes me feel a whole lot better. once the baby is born he said that all of this should resolve on its own... they took me off of work early, which I'm definitely not complaining about. so I am now spending my days working on my transcription training in hopes of finishing and finding a job before the little one arrives.....

It's a boy!

2009-09-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

We still can't believe it, but we are so excited to meet our son! We had our detailed ultrasound and so far everything looks good! Baby is nice and healthy... She couldn't quite see everything because of the way the baby was turned and he didn't want to change position! SO we get to go back again in 3 weeks for another one. I'm not complaining I love to see how much our baby has grown and I love to watch him rub his little face! It's so cute! It almost made me cry! ha So we are overjoyed to be having a son and we definitely cannot wait to meet him! Only a few more months...

5 months! what?

2009-09-07T18:28:00.000-07:00

Hopefully in a week we'll know what we're having!
Still feeling really good can't believe how fast the time is going!
I love feeling little kicks and flutters. Baby likes to roll around when I'm doing yoga!
We're excited to know if there's a little boy or girl in there... we'll know soon enough!

16 weeks...

2009-08-14T10:11:00.001-07:00

Baby just keeps growing... we find out in a month what we're having!

Nights 1 & 2

2009-07-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

So I promised Kaleb that I would cook dinner every night this week because well, this is one of my fears... ha I was never really taught how to cook so I basically just learn as I go... So far it's turned out really good and Kaleb seem to really enjoy it which makes me very happy!

Night 1: Mexican Pizza and Fresh Avocado & Corn Salsa

Night 2: Blackberry Chicken Salad & Green Spring Vegetables

Meet bitty baby...

2009-07-20T16:00:00.000-07:00

12 weeks... as you can see I will definitely be ginormously huge by the time 9 months roles around. Hopefully all 5' 3/4" of me can handle it :) I'm hoping we can find out what we're having in just a few weeks...

Growing...

2009-07-14T16:05:00.000-07:00

The first trimester came and went faster than I thought it would! And hallelujah only had two weeks of a hate relationship with food! It's pretty amazing and I'm pretty grateful (and blessed) to have had it this easy so far! I hope we stay on this path of goodness... I pretty much haven't been able to wear my regular jeans for about a month now and people are starting to look at my belly with funny facial expressions wondering "Is she?? No she couldn't be! But maybe she is!" Kinda awkward... :)

I'm still working on my medical transcription training so I can stay home with bitty baby once he/she arrives! I'm about halfway done with it and it shouldn't take me too many more months to finish it completely. I'm pretty excited about that.

I'm working all day shifts during the week now which has made it so much easier for me! I'm not as tired and I just feel better while I'm there. Plus I get to see my cute husband every night and actually get to eat dinner with him! I know, so spoiled.

We're really excited for all of the changes that are to come, but at the same time enjoying each other and the alone time that we do get...

Sweet baby...

2009-07-09T21:33:00.001-07:00

We got to see our baby again this last appointment and it was amazing! The baby was wiggling around and waving it's little arms... it was so cute! Definitely more visible than last month, which is quite amazing! He/she has been doing a lot of growing lately! We're excited for our new little baby....

New baby...

2009-06-11T14:59:00.001-07:00

heres a picture of our tiny baby....

we are very in love with him/her already...

hearing the heartbeat is pretty darn amazing....

eat sleep eat makes me happy

2009-05-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

yes, its true! their will be a new addition to the baker clan! we are very excited!

January 27th is the estimated due date!

Springtime...

2009-03-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

I love all of the green grass and pretty yellow flowers....

Not to mention the weather is nice and warm, which makes great hiking weather!

Can't wait for summertime...

Happy Trails....

2009-02-25T10:19:00.001-08:00

This past weekend was a lot of fun! We did a lot of hiking and such. Saturday morning Kaleb and I decided to walk to Starbucks to spend some time together... that was a lot of fun. Later in the afternoon we went with my family up to SLO to hang out. We walked around and hung out down by the creek for awhile. We love going down there it's a lot of fun! Last time we ended up having a water fight it was pretty funny. Only me and Kylie got wet! They all ganged up on us... so then we decided to go hiking we headed over to Madonna Mountain and made our way up.... the weather was perfect and it didn't rain! After that we decided to go to Shell Beach to see what kinda cool things we could find. Beth likes hermit crabs and mackenzie collects cool rocks so that was a lot of fun. We all just walked around climbed some rocks and looked for stinky sea life. After a long fun day we headed home for some hamburgers and ended up having a sleepover at our house with all the siblings. That turned out to be pretty fun... we tried to watch the Last Samurai but between talking farting and laughing not much of that was accomplished, but definitely made things interesting. I don't think we've all laughed that hard in a long time :)
The next day we went to church and decided that we wanted to go up to SLO again. So me, Kylie, and Kaleb went up and the plan was me and kylie would run the trail at madonna and kaleb would mountain bike... It wasn't raining so we figured it would be fine not too muddy.... we were all looking forward to it! So we get up there we're running Kaleb's biking and all of a sudden the entire trail is sticky, muddy, clay puddles. We thought "Oh the trail will get better once we get past this part" So we kept going! And everytime we kept thinking the same thing until it was too far to turn back and we had to keep going! Kaleb didn't even bike very much! There was so much mud that his tires wouldn't even spin anymore and everytime he tried to ride through it he would get stuck ha! It was actually pretty funny! Mine and Kylie's shoes were caked in mud so we kept slipping so running didn't work out so well either, but it was fun! When we got back to the car I decided to put my phone on the back of the truck while we changed our shoes and such but ended up forgetting to grab it before we drove away.... RIP my poor cell phone. I have no idea where it went so now I have an old phone. So sad. But all in all it was a great weekend I love not having to work!

Changin it up!

2009-01-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to look back and think about the direction you were heading and compare to the direction you have now and realize how quickly God can change things...

One month ago I was finishing a super hard class that stressed me out like no other and meeting with a counselor to see how close I was to applying to the next program. She basically told me that I HAD to have an A in English 101 to be able to get into the RN program from the LVN program and I wouldn't be able to retake it because I had a passing grade already. They added algebra II to the prereq's which sets me back an entire year! They are also adding a wait list between LVN and RN which tacks on another 2 years yippee! So all in all it would take 7 more years from this point to have my Associates Degree in Nursing!! What the heck!! I could almost have my masters degree by then! So I was really frustrated. I was thinking that was my only option, our family is depending on my getting through this. It really upset me. We had agreed that we wouldn't start having kids until I got out of school, we would be here until I got out of school, etc. That's a long time to wait! It's already taken me 2 years to get to this point... so after praying and talking about everything Kaleb and I decided that I would just start working full time to start saving money and once we do get pregnant I would just be able to stay home with the kids. This decision was probably the biggest stress relief... I felt like a burden had been lifted and just felt at peace about the whole thing. I'm really excited with what the future may hold. We are truly blessed to be in a place to make huge decisions like that and it not affect our current living situation and things like that!

Because I will end up just staying home, Kaleb has decided to go back to school to get his welding certificate and hopefully be able to find a really good stable job in the future. The economy really sucks right now and we are both very grateful to have jobs! although our situation right now isn't ideal. (i hate working opposite of kaleb... i wish i could just come home and spend every night with him) I'm trying to find a full time day position but not much is open even at the hospital! I really do enjoy my job but i never get off earlier than midnight and i'm not getting full time hours. It's always super random one week I get 32 hours and the next i get 12.... not cool. and I work every other weekend.... kinda stinks.

Being patient and trusting that God will work everything out, knowing He has a plan for our life has been the biggest challenge. It's so easy to get caught up in I have to go to school so I can provide for the family... instead of just trusting that God will take care of everything. So we are now in transition and growing closer together as husband and wife. It has been challenging a roller coaster of emotions but we trust that everything will be worked out... I love my husband more than words can explain and he has been so supportive of every decision that has been made... he's amazing...

Doug & Evie have been such amazing friends through everything! They are always so encouraging and willing to listen and talk with us! We hang out with them a lot and feel very at home there :) They are very dear friends!

So that's the skinny on what's going on with the Baker's... :)

Kaleb's new blog...

2008-12-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

He made a new blog dedicated to his woodworking projects! It's pretty cool and I think you guys should check it out... he just started it so not too much yet but more to come!

http://brentkalebaker.blogspot.com/

It was time for a change...

2008-12-17T15:30:00.001-08:00

before

after

I decided to chop my hair off and I donated it to Locks of Love! I cut off about a foot of hair! Jeez but it came out really good! I love it!

I love...

2008-11-29T09:50:00.001-08:00

all of my sisters...

And the countdown begins...

2008-11-12T21:48:00.000-08:00

4 Weeks until school is out!!!! YESSSS!!! I am almost done with Anatomy and I'm passing with flying colors! I guess marriage agrees with me! This class was so hard for me before and now... ok it's still hard but I'm passing it this time! I'm looking forward to not having to study every waking moment outside of class and work. I'll have about a month's break and then I get to start the next Biology class... PHYSIOLOGY! So excited... kind of. This is one step closer to applying for the LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) program and being able to work as an actual nurse... woo!

1 year ago....

2008-11-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

We got engaged! Boy how time flies! I can't believe all the things that have happened in the last year.... Well, one year ago was a great day! And we've had many more great days and many more to come <3 I'm so happy he asked me to marry him!

snip snip

2008-11-05T08:01:00.001-08:00

Kaleb cut his beautiful curls and he still looks handsome! :)i think he's going a little a-wall now Obama is president! As soon as he got home it was straight to the bathroom with the scissors! yikes I hardly had any warning! but it came out great I really do like it! he's a new man!

before

during

after

for dana

2008-10-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Pretty drives, good coffee, & lots of relaxing!

2008-10-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

So this is a little late, but I wanted to share our weekend getaway with you guys.... Carmel is beautiful, a little weird but it was nice to get away for a couple of days. We spent all day Friday taking our time driving up the coast on Highway 1. We stopped in Cambria for lunch and coffee, and pulled off on a couple spots to take some pictures and enjoy the views. On the way up I realized that I had forgotten the directions to the hotel but thought we would be okay. I was wrong.... we got lost and it took us over an hour to find it! Both of our cell phones ended up dying on the way up and we couldn't even find a coffee shop to plug into so I could call my mom for help :) We finally found a random plug outside of a grocery store, and the hunt for directions began. I'm just saying, the hotel DID NOT have an address and when we called the hotel they told us we didn't have reservations there so we thought we had the wrong phone number. That was an adventure...ha.
Saturday we walked into downtown Carmel and walked around all day had lunch, didn't buy anything because everything was so expensive! But we enjoyed looking at all the cool buildings and just being together. It was really nice. We left Sunday morning and decided to take our time driving back. We stopped in the tiny town of Gorda for breakfast. The most expensive french toast we may ever eat :) It was fun though. Kind of felt like something you would see in a movie with the weird small town waitress and only like 5 other people in the restraunt, but we really enjoyed it! So all in all we had a really good relaxing weekend that was very much needed. We had our own little private cottage to stay in with a fireplace which was nice because it was really cold at night....
We drove through Big Sur and decided that we are definitely going back for some camping and hiking. It was incredibly beautiful! The trees up there are amazing...
Now I need to go study for my test that I have in the morning, and from there I need to study for my other test that I have next week! Yikes it never stops :)

Tears to laughter

2008-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

The last couple of weeks have been pretty hard emotionally.... God is growing me in more ways than one, and of course it's painful! I am so grateful for times like these that reveal my true heart, and reveal things I didn't even know about myself! Bringing things to light that need to be fixed and dealt with. I am a selfish sinful person! I am realizing more and more as I grow and life changes, my need for Christ. Without Him I am unhappy and empty inside. I can't imagine life without Him. I'm pretty stressed out with work and school... school is hard and work is just frustrating! Trying to get through this on my own is just stupid... I will just continue to be stressed out, and constantly worrying about everything. Surrendering is often the hardest thing to do, but in the end so worth it. Nobody wants to admit failure and imperfection, but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. In the end the growth that takes place is worth every tear and time of distress. I am so grateful for my relationship with Christ....

I have been pretty irritable by the people around me and the situations I am put in. Mainly at work, which is very wrong of me. I need to extend grace to people just like grace has been extended to me. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes! I think that work is a test of my patience and very humbling at times. Working in a place where no one shares the same beliefs or even standards of what is appropriate is very challenging. I am trusting Christ will change my attitude towards the people I am placed with. I want to be a light in a dark place and allow Christ to shine through me.... lately that hasn't been the case, and I am ashamed of that... I am so blessed with this job!!! We get great health insurance, it pays really well, and is so flexible with my school schedule! I couldn't ask for a better job. (well until I get my RN :) )

So I am learning and growing and am constantly in need of prayer....

my poor husband has to deal with me... but I love him more than words can explain.

Weekend getaway.....

2008-09-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

So excited!!! This weekend with my husband, it's going to be beautiful and relaxing. I can't wait!
It will be a good time for us to spend together :) I love him....

Nice & Sunny

2008-09-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

I went running today...yay! It was nice and warm and felt so good to get out and get some good old excercise :) Starting out kinda slow because I'm so out of shape...so sad. But working my way up! We're going to the lake on Wednesday with some people from church and we're really looking forward to it.... maybe i'll even get my tan back! I get to work tonight til midnight and wake up in the morning to go take a test! I've been walking to and from school everyday and I really enjoy it! So much better than jumping in the car and driving in circles looking for a parking spot! And it's better for you...Looking forward to not having to work until Friday and having this next weekend off! Better get back to studying!!

New Tattoo!!

2008-09-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

It was fun, it hurt, and it turned out awesome!

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-26T20:26:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who didn't get to see our cute little apartment while you were here, I thought I would post some pictures to show where we're living! It's nice and cozy we really like it. It was fully furnished when we moved in so we've only done some little things as far as decorating goes. We have an amazing walk in closet! I absolutely love it...there is so much extra room so I seem to keep filling it with new clothes :) We have a king size bed which is awesome...when little Beth comes over she likes to sleep right in the middle! ha She's hilarious. Our apartment is close enough for me to walk to work and school which is really nice since we only have one car. I can even walk home for dinner on my 30 min lunch break to see Kaleb! All in all we've really enjoyed it so far, and are very grateful for my grandparent's generosity. They have done so much for us!

It's True...

2008-08-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start running and working out again...

I was pretty good about keeping up with it until right before the wedding and all went downhill from there! But since all of that craziness is over, I'm going to start again. Me and Kaleb took my sisters to the park on Saturday since we were watching them for a couple of days and let them ride their bikes while we ran behind them. It felt really good and the weather was awesome...I was sore the next day! What a fatty....ha! So yes, it's true I'm leaving my laziness behind me and starting fresh...

School starts tomorrow! I really just want to get this semester over with...and this is just the beginning of my hard classes...oo I have this entire next week off! I am so excited. I get to see Kaleb all night every night this week?? Yes!!!

I love him so much. He is so supportive and encouraging...he knows how nervous I am about taking this class again and he has nothing but encouraging things to say. He's always willing to stop what he's doing to help me in any way that he can...I am so blessed with an amazing husband.

I'm going to have coffee with my wonderful sister today...

I hope everyone who started school today is having a good first day back :)

We got an imac!!! Woo!

2008-08-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

August?

2008-08-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it's already the middle of August! I start school again in less that two weeks...this summer has gone by way too fast. I'm trying to enjoy my last couple weeks of freedom with Kaleb before i return to having no life outside of work and school! I hate busy-ness but it's only for a time, i just need to get through it. I heard that they froze the LVN program's waiting list...which means they aren't accepting anymore applications for a long time! I really hope it's not true, but if it is I will be really sad...it's already going to take me FOREVER to get all of my prereq's done and then to have to wait to even apply! Thats depressing...I really just want to be done with school and be able to just work, but I'm only beginning! Goodbye to nights and weekends off!

I have been working alot the past couple of weeks...between picking up shifts and one night I worked from 3:30 pm to 5:30 am. I think that gets easier each time you do it I wasn't too tired by the end of it this time. By the time school starts hopefully that will be cut in half. There's no way I could work this much and still have time (& energy) to sit down and study for hours. I don't mind working this much, I kind of like it but not with school. Especially since me and Kaleb are working opposite schedules, he works days, i work evenings...he wakes up early to leave for work, I leave before he gets home, and by the time I get home at 12 or 1 he's already asleep. So 3 or 4 days in a row like that are not fun.

Everything else has been going really well. We've had Kenzie and Bethany over to stay the night a couple of times so far. It's pretty fun, Kaleb has fun going to Toys R Us and buying little cars and animals for Bethany! She has her own stash here at our house so she's always excited to come and play with them. We have been visiting a new church that was started just a couple of months ago and its pretty cool. We really enjoy listening to the pastor and some people that I work with also go there. It's really encouraging to have other Christian coworkers!

Well, that's all for now I guess. I thought I would give a little update and share some of the stuff that has been going on....

Honeymoon & A New Life Together

2008-07-10T15:43:00.001-07:00

We really enjoyed our Hawaiin honeymoon, laying by the pool and doing absolutely nothing for an entire week! It feels really good after a chaotic wedding week, although that was also alot of fun too! We both really enjoyed seeing our families, and I enjoyed meeting all of the Baker side. I am definately blessed with an awesome fun crazy family!

After a week in Hawaii we were ready to come home and start our adventure together. The trip home was an adventure in itself. We had a red eye flight from Honolulu to LAX, but we had to check out of our hotel by 11 am.....that left us with wandering the streets for about 8 hours, flying for 5, and once we landed at 6:30 AM we got to wait for our shuttle back to Santa Maria for 9 hours!!! We were so stinkin tired we layed out our beach towels on the airport floor and slept...that may have been the longest trip ever, but it was fun!

We have been super blessed with a place to live that we can actually afford and still be able to save money! We are renting our apartment from my grandparents for super cheap and it's fully furnished so we won't need to buy any furniture for awhile! How awesome is that? We spent a couple of days organizing and getting settled in and have really enjoyed it so far. It's a cozy quiet little apartment that we are very grateful for!

Well, thats all for now.....

oh and being married is amazing...i love it.

It's True.

2008-06-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

We're married.

6-20-08

My Life in a Box...

2008-06-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

In two weeks I will be getting married and of course, moving out. I started packing today and am probably only halfway done and the pile already looks like this! So much for living simply....I never realized how much crap I had maybe because all of it was stashed in drawers and corners that haven't been touched in a couple of years, but hey! I threw so much away thanks to Kaleb, even though he still collects junk that he think he will one day need (no comment)....:)

I'm very excited to move out, but of course am sad at the same time. I've been really enjoying these last couple of weeks with little Beth. I won't be able to spend my days off with her anymore, and there will be no more early morning wake up calls from Beth yelling because nobody will come get her out of bed......awww little Beth. We watch animal planet togther and I've been teaching her how to play checkers the past couple of days. She's pretty good I'm sure she'll be beating Kaleb in no time.

I'm REALLY looking forward to having a quiet apartment to study in. No matter how amazing starbucks is, it's not the best place to study the hardest class ever! I will defeat that stupid class next semester I'm determined...anatomy has killed me two semesters now and I need it to move on to other classes and not to mention the next step in the nursing program!

Well, I better get back to cleaning....

Keep in Touch

2008-06-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

So I have had many complaints from family that they don't know what's going on in my fiance's life because well, he never updates his blog. So, I decided to create my own and try to keep it updated with anything fun and exciting going on in our life.....plus it's a good way to keep in touch with everyone!

We're getting married in 18 days! We're really excited to see everyone, and I'm excited to meet the amazing family that I am blessed to become a part of! Thanks to everyone who sent gifts for our "International Shower" that was so much fun! Dave and Kari barbequed some amazing tri tip! It was fun spending some time with them. We got some very cool and interesting stuff! We'll post pictures later! The video messages were the best part! I absolutely loved the messages from the Klose kids! Sadly, I won't get to meet them in a couple of weeks but hopefully sometime soon.

Time is going by fast...I can't believe its already been 8 months since we got engaged! The last few months have been amazing as far as planning goes! We are so blessed with amazing friends that planned the entire wedding and coordinated everything for us. SUCH A BLESSING! I could not thank them enough....now all we need to do is wait for June 20th to come around!