Nursery Progress

The nursery is almost ready for Sadie Grace. We have all of the bedding and window treatments put up and her clothes have been washed and put away. All we have left is to hang things on the walls and wait for Sadie!

Baby Shower for Sadie Grace

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends! On December 6th they all worked together to throw me an amazing shower. The theme was pink and red (pink for a girl and red for Christmas). They used Christmas tress and ornaments to decorate the room. It was an amazing day and I cannot thank them enough for all of the effort they put into it. Also, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who came and brought gifts for Saide. We feel truly loved!

Update-28 Weeks

This week was an eventful one, as has been this month. Earlier this month I had a flu like virus and was out of work for a week. Everything seems to okay with Sadie, and I was able to get the H1N1 vaccine to hopefully prevent any other illness. Two weeks ago I found out I failed my 1hour glucose test. So this past Monday i went in a three hour test. The test involves fasting from midnight on. When you get to the doctor at 8:30, you have to drink a 100 bottle of glucose solution. Then every hour on the hour for three hours they draw blood to test. Well an hour and a half into Monday’s test I could not keep the solution down. Therefore, I had to go back today to try again (yuck!) This time I made it though! Halleluiah! I get the results Monday or Tuesday of next week and I am praying I pass! The doctors have also discovered my iron levels are a bit low do I am taking an extra iron supplement along with my prenatal vitamin. I go in for my next doctor’s visit Tuesday. Sadie seems to be on track and growing every day. She is VERY active now! I cannot wait to meet her, only 12 more weeks!

Mariage Enrichment

The semester Daustin and I have had the privilege of taking a marriage enrichment class at Southern. It has been great because we have learned a lot, it carved out time each week for us to spend together, and Daustin got three hours of credit for it! We really enjoyed spending Monday nights together! This past Monday was the final" exam. All of the couples got dressed up for a banquet. We had great food and at the end of the evening we had a re-commitment ceremony. It was a great evening and an encouragement for Daustin and me after a long semester. And of course me being 27 weeks pregnant I cried during the ceremony :)

Crusing @ 24 Weeks

My wonderful husband took me on the babymoon of a lifetime! It was our first time sailing on Holland America and our first room with a balcony! The ship was only a year old and absolutely beautiful! The crowd was considerably older then us, which meant a nice quiet, cruise, just the way we like it! It was eight wonderful days of bliss. We left Saturday October 17 and did not return until the next Saturday. Our cruise left out of Ft. Lauderdale Florida and after a day at sea sailed to the beautiful Grand Turk in the Caribbean Sea. This was our favorite stop! We just love the beach there. We spent a relaxing day floating in the warm ocean and lounging on the beach. The following day we spent in Puerto Rico, what a fun and eventful day full of sightseeing and shopping. The following day we arrived in St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. We visited one of the most beautiful beaches where the fish would swim right up to you and eat out of your hand! After another day at sea we spent a day on their private island. It was sad to return to the real world. It was nice to have eight uninterrupted days with just my hubby! I think it will be a while before that happens again :) Thanks so much my love, I love you!

Sadie Grace

Yesterday I finally hit 19 weeks, almost half way there! Today I had my ultrasound and we found out that we are expecting a little girl!! I secretly had a feeling it was a girl but didn't want to get my hopes up :) So many of my good friends and family had guessed it would be a boy, but I guess God had other plans in store for our family. Her name will be Sadie Grace. Sadie has been a name that Daustin and I feel in love with shortly after being married (it means princess) and Grace is for my wonderful best friend who is expecting her second daughter in October! I am so excited that our two little girls will grow to be best friends just like their moms! Because the ultra sound was at 11:00 am today I had to take the whole day off work, so my Mom and I got to spend some much needed girl time shopping for baby clothes (and some clothes for mommy too!) Below are some pictures of our beautiful baby girl, me, and some of the clothes we picked up today!

Finally a Fence

After three month of living in our new home I finally convinced my husband to begin working on fencing in our backyard so our cute puppy can have a place to run and play. After several weeks of hard work , and lots of help from my wonderful daddy, it is almost complete! All that is left is putting the finishing touches on the storage shed and the few feet of fence that connect it to out home. The have done an amazing job and I am so gratefully for the time and energy my wonderful husband has put into this project! I love you babe!

Nursery

While there is so much we don't yet know about our little one, including the sex of the baby, we are beginning the process of getting the room ready! Thanks to my wonderful parents and inlaws we have beautiful new furniture to welcome home baby! My cute Mommy wanted to be the first to buy the baby something so she has purchased a few gender neutral items. She and my dad are going to great at being Nanna and Poppy! I can't wait until we begin decorating the room for the little baby and begin buying clothes for either a boy or girl. It seems like forever until we will get to meet our precious one, but he or she is worth the wait!

17 Weeks

Yesterday I had my third check up appointment at the doctor. It was so amazing to hear the heart beat! It sounded very strong. I can't wait until September 17th when we get to find out the sex of the baby! In the past few weeks my belly has begun to grow and I have begun to feel small movement the baby is making and it is such an amazing experience! As of right now my back is my major complaint. The baby still seems to be sitting on my Sciatic nerve. It doesn't help either that I am back to teacher 8 hours a day :) It is so great though that the morning sickness and extreme tiredness is a thing of the pass. This trimester is turning out to be much better then the first! Keep praying for the health my baby and mommy. Only 23 more weeks to go :)

**Update**

So... Long time no post... I apologize for the long delay in postings! A lot has happened in our lives over the past few months. To start Daustin and I have purchased a new home. It is a 3-bedroom two-bath ranch style home with a full basement. The lord provided a wonderful home for us that is in great condition. With new flooring and paint throughout the house was move in ready. It has been great settling in and making this new house our home!

In May, Daustin and I also celebrated our two-year anniversary! It was a wonderful evening for the two of us. Daustin surprised me by taking me to Morton's of Chicago. It is a wonderful steak house that has amazing food! We were greeted with menus that were created especially for us with our names and anniversary. The server provided an oral and visual menu presentation. We loved our steak and shrimp! It was a wonderful experience. My wonderful husband then surprised me with dance lessons as a gift. We have been enjoying learning the Salsa, Cha Cha, Swing, and Rumba.

In May, we also had another wonderful surprise! Daustin and I found out we are expecting a beautiful baby. Currently I am 9 weeks pregnant with a due date of 2-10-2010. At my doctors appointment the doctor said everything looks great and the baby appears to be healthy. Outside of some morning sickness and incredible back cramping Mom and baby are doing great! I promise to continue with updates and pictures as Mommy and baby grow over the next 7 months!

In June, Daustin and I had the opportunity to visit the country of Ecuador on a mission trip. We went with a group of high school students and college-age singles from our church. We went for the purpose of going into local schools with the intent of ministering and evangelizing to the children and teachers of the local communities. The Lord really grew Daustin and me and opened our eyes even more to the vast need for the gospel to be shared with the nations.

Finally an update as to where I will be teaching next year. After many long weeks of prayer and tears, the Lord finally answered my and my family's prayers. I will be returning to Camden, the school I taught at Last year, as a LBD resource teacher. I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity and I am excited to see how god will use me at school this year! Again, I promise to try harder at updating the blog on a regular basis! As baby Kratzer continues to grow and more life changes happen I hope to have more motivation to share our family's joys with you! Fingers crossed! :)

A home is where the heart is...

Sorry it has been a while since I updated the blog... To catch you up to speed Daustin and I have recently started the process of looking for a house to make our home. I must say the whole process is so exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I am so glad to be making the move from renters to homeowners but the responsibility seems tremendous. I want to find a home the meets all of our needs, but now only that a place where we can see ourselves raising a family. I just pray we make the right choice! Today I went out all day with looking at houses with our realtor today, who I love by the way because she is super helpful and knowledgeable! If you ever need a realtor let me know and I can get you her info!) By the end of the day everything was starting to run together, but I think I found a few houses I am really interested in! Please be in prayer for us as we continue the process of purchasing a new home and that we are able to trust God's guidance and follow His will for our lives! I will update you when we find the ONE!

Perry's Party

My good friend Emily McBride is expecting her first child, a sweet baby boy named Parry. Baby Perry is due in about a month and on Saturday I had the honor to help throw Emily and Perry a shower. Over the past three years Emily has become such a dear Friend of mine. This summer after Perry's arrival The McBrides will be moving to Tennessee. This made the shower such a sweet time. It was great to be able to spend this time with Emily before their big move! I will miss you Emily- a.k.a.Buss Buddy :)

A New Sound

This past week I had the opportunity to enjoy a concert by amazing singer songwriters Keith and Kristyn Getty and their band. The Getty's preformed lead a packed house at the Seminary in an hour and half of worship. It was such an amazing and intimate time of worship. What makes the Getty's such unique group compared to so many of the current praise and worship groups is the style of songs they write. The Getty's are on a mission to revive the art of hymns for a new generation. What I find so amazing about their songs is the unique way each song teaches the truths of the Bible. One of my favorite songs from the Getty's is "In Christ Alone." I always find myself lost in the powerful lyrics of this song and am so convicted by Christ unconditional love for a sinner like me. I would suggest these modern day hymns to anyone who is looking for a powerful worship experience...

Lyrics for "In Christ Alone"

In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My comforter, my all in all—

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied;

For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain;

Then bursting forth in glorious day,

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;

For I am His and He is mine—

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—

This is the pow'r of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home—

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

The Getty's

My Wife

So I have hijacked the blog tonight while Jessica is getting ready to suprise her with a blog entry.

SURPRISE!

I love you :)

Fondue For Two

Friday night Daustin and I were searching for something fun to do. We had eaten a light dinner earlier and were a little hungry when we came across a fun place named the Melting Pot. We had tries this fun restaurant before but it had been a while so we decided to be adventurous. Once inside they took us to our table a cute little corner booth for two, very romantic :) We started out with a yummy cheddar fondue that came with veggies and bread. For dessert, we decided on a white chocolate Amaretto fondue that came with an assortment of yummy treats like strawberries, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies treats. We would recommend it for anyone looking for a special date night!

The Cheddar Fondue

It was so yummy, we ate it all!

Trapped!

For the past three days school has been cancelled in Oldham County due to the Winter Storm that hit Louisville. The storm left behind 8 inches of snow and a few inches of ice... My apartment has felt more like a "trap" these past few days instead of a home because I have been unable to "dig out." School is cancelled again tomorrow, but hopefully I will be able to get out of my home! There are a few advantages though of being "trapped." Including catching up on sleep, being able to clean the WHOLE apartment, and creating this blog! :) I am out of things to do now...

The view from our apartment

Even our puppy Sophi was going crazy being coupped up!