The Huss Family

23 November 2008

XMAS ???s

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
anything that wraps a gift - newspaper and comics work well.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
love the smell of real but hate the maintainance and cleanup, so i'll choose 6' artificials - cheaper in the long run.

3. When do you put up the tree?
AFTER - and only after- Thanxgiving

4. When do you take the tree down?
just after new years, no later than the 6th

5. Do you like egg nog?
absoutely not!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
bike?

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
personally, one. since i live at my mom's house and she has tons, i have tons.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
my dad. what do you buy a man that has everything? i've resorted to services and manua labor as girfts since i've run out of options.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
will, he doesn't care.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
i try to mail b/c real cards are awesome!!!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
purple crocketted blanket b/c it was itchy. but i loved it b/c my grandma Paul made it for me!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
elf!!!

13.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
breakfast casserol mom made Xmas morning

15.Clear lights or colored on the tree?
WHITE!!! colored ones just look cheap.

16. Favorite Christmas song?
doesn't matter just as long as they're not over played

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
home. unless i want some snow, then i have to travel

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
never could. never tried.

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Xmas EVE so the entire day can be spent in rememberance of the birth of the Savior and w/family

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
crotchidy ppl

21. Favorite ornament theme or color?
??? ppl do themes ??? i just decorate w/what i've got


22. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
mashed potatoes

23. What do you want for Christmas this year?
serger sewing machine, but i kinda already bought my present when i bought P90X. serger will have to wait for my bday.

24. Who is most likely to respond to this?
nobody in their right mind

25. Who is least likely to respond to this?
everybody

22 October 2008

Bill's 50th birthday!!!

10 OCT



office depot adventure!!!

in the midst of cleaning the house for Karen's arrival on sunday evening, i've been taking will over to Lula (grandma) and Lulo's (grandpa) house so i can work, and i decided to take a break and do something for Bill since his 50th birthday was today.

i went to office depot and had a lady help print 50 little cows on cardstock and a poster saying "holy cow!!! look who turned 50 today! happy birthday bill!" then i cut out the little cows and taped them to some popsicle sticks to put in the front yard while the poster was plastered on the front door. i did this all while bill was gone to a lunch meeting, so it was a surprise when he came home.

dedicated to BRADLEY LARSON

i saw this while i was waiting for the lady at office depot to ring up all my items. i couldn't believe that your name was on the list!!! it sent me back to the wonderful days in ANTIOCH with amazing ppl!!!



18 October 2008

"the world's largest halloween party" -zoo








Halloween at the Zoo!!!


i dressed up will as a little COW while matt and i were 'farmers' for our trip to the zoo :) after matt returned home from work bill and susan came over and we carpooled. it was so much fun going to the zoo! i haven't been in over 5 years to the louisville zoo, so it was fun to relive some childhood memories. (below: entrance to the trick-or-treat trail)


matt was so excited to see ONE of the animals up and about - the puma. all the other animals were asleep and in their cages. we were hoping to see more animals but that's too much to ask for after dark. oh well.




things we loved:


pumpkin carvings - esp willy wonka and jack skellington


"yellow brick road"


willy wanka


puma


cow costume


candy taxes on will


barromeo's pizza afterwards

what a great date/outing!!!



10 October 2008

kids say the darndest things!!!

Due to a power outage, only one paramedic responded to the call.

The house was very dark so the paramedic asked Kathleen, a 3-yr old girl to hold a flashlight high over her mommy so he could see while he helped deliver the baby.

Very diligently, Kathleen did as she was asked.

Heidi pushed and pushed and after a little while, Connor was born.

The paramedic lifted him by his little feet and spanked him on his bottom Connor began to cry.

The paramedic then thanked Kathleen for her help and asked the wide-eyed 3-yr old what she thought about what she had just witnessed.

Kathleen quickly responded, "He shouldn't have crawled in there in the first place...spank his butt again!"

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

my friend morgan pugh from my mission sent this in an email and i just died laughing when i opened it!!! thought i'd pass around the kicks and giggles!

05 October 2008

random pics of WMH

blessing of william matthew huss

28 SEP

Many from our fam were able to attend the blessing of will. matt, bill, steve, mike, and nate stood in the circle to name and bless him, and it was so touching. the huss fam was present, and veronica's fam and steph were there in spirit since they were so far away. wish they could have been here, but it's understandable and that's life.

matt was so nervous but did great! it was beautiful, short and powerful. the Lord has made such a wonderful plan to allow us the opportunity to grow and develop. we as parents of this beautiful little boy have great responsibilities to teach and help him learn the commandments of God. to help him realize his potential as a son of God. to show him the way of truth and happiness that leads to eternal life with our Father in Heaven and our families.

i've been tagged!

this little guy looks clean all the time. but the smell is a different thing ... spit up.



i love to have my hair fixed even if i'm not going out b/c it takes 2-3 min and a scalp massage feels great in the morning!
the bed is never made fully b/c will and i take a nap in the middle of the day.

the closet isn't too bad in my standards.

the fridge is a work in progress since there's tons of condiments and whatnot. but we love our food and always have a lot of it!!!

the bathroom is in good condition.


now i tag ciara, jenny, janina, and jackie!!! it's your turn now and don't cheat ... no extra cleaning ... just as is.

THRUSH!!! the yeastie beasties


it's so cute to see this little boy w/a purple mouth from the gentian violet that dyes his mouth to help w/the thrush.




9 OCT and WMH and i went to his pediatrician to diagnose his thrush and get some relief. she suggested that we try GENTIAN VIOLET to help him. it's this purple dye that gets all over everything and everyone!!! he stayed on it for a week and we were both ok. it was a rough little ride for a while b/c i had to nurse him even though it burned and hurt so much ... but that was part of the recovery process. it's a good learning process.

28 August 2008

26 August 2008

WILLIAM MATTHEW HUSS!!!

i am finally getting around to writing about William's birth b/c it's been kinda a lot to learn in the last few days as first time parents ... ;)

here's the short and low about the memorable day of August 21st:

around 0030 contractions began every 15 min and i thought that it might be time but i wasn't sure so i kept waiting. about 0230 i called Dori Ross, our fabulous doula, and let her know that it was time!!! there was no stopping the contractions and they were getting a couple minutes closer and closer together. in the mean time before the rush to the hospital, i was busy making a fruit smoothie, playing the piano, watching law & order: SVU, double and triple checking my hospital bag, etc. 0600 came around and i said emphatically and assertively "it's time to go to the hospital!" so matt put all the stuff in his mustang and i walk down, get in the front seat, and IMMEDIATELY yell "we have to switch cars! we can't take the mustang!" i needed to move around and not sit ... later he thanked me for changing cars b/c it was easier w/the carseat and better for me.

0630 we arrived at the hospital and i was hugging the walls with each contraction while we were registering at the ER entrance. i pushed the wheelchair that was brought for me b/c it hurt to sit ... i needed gravity to help me out and bring me this baby! i was 7-8cm dilated and 100% effaced and they had to make sure i was in labor before they put me in a room and let me have at it.



i used every position known to mothers to get comfie and make contractions effective from using a body ball, getting in the birth tub, leaning on matt or the wall, kneeling, cat-cow pose from yoga, and side-lying relaxation pose from the bradley method. the best was kneeling and leaning for me :) 5 hours later i felt little williams head pushing hard on my pelvis and yelled to the nurse and my doula that it was time and that i wasn't gonna wait any longer! now or never! a couple big pushes and out came little will all at once in a huge flash!!! the midwife had barely walked in to put on her scrubs and catch the baby. but then something odd happened: as i was reaching for william the umbilical cord just BURST!!! poor matt didnt get to cut it :( [he was looking forward to doing that]. crazy stuff! but atleast our baby boy was healthy, had all his parts, and was crying! he cried for a couple minutes and then was calm as a bug! such a quiet, accommodating, good baby :) we're so blessed!





i tore a little bit and needed some stiches but nothing else eventful happened - thank goodness! i just can't help but look at this little guy and thank my Father in Heaven for this wonderful blessing!!! there is nothing to describe how i feel about this little person that has suddenly appeared. i've been imagining this day and seeing my belly get bigger and bigger over the past 9 months, but to actually have him here and see what he looks like, to hold him in my arms ... it's almost unreal!!! surreal almost! it's just like faith! you do things to help it grow, see side effects in your life, and when there is a real struggle and challenge to that faith it is in that moment of triumph that you realize and see your faith clearly for the first time as something tangible. God has created a plan and revealed principles that will lift us, refine us, and bring us closer to Him. There is nothing like hearing and learning these things from the mouth of living prophets and apostles today! Nothing like knowing and being blessed to have a family that will be together past the limits of mortality into eternity! i couldnt imagine living w/o my son, husband, parents, sisters, and extended family members. Thank God for His love and the restoration of His gospel in these days.




William Matthew Huss official stats:


8lb 21in - healthy


born at Clark Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, IN


time of birth 1121 on 8-21-08


parents Rachel Diane and Matthew Joseph Huss


12 August 2008

memorial for snoopy

today has been such a sad day! i left the house early to meet a pediatrician and when i arrived home i saw snoopy lying in an uncomfie position in his dog house and it seemed a little strange to me that he didn't get up and greet me. so i walked in and asked my dad if he noticed anything wrong w/snoopy - he went outside to see him.

snoopy wouldn't get up ... COULDN'T. he was only thirsty, wouldn't eat his favorite dog bones. he hobbled for a second just so he could use the restroom but then quickly fell over. he had been yelping all night long - i wondered why he was awake at night, he usually isn't - and now it all came together. he was stuck there unable to move all night and just crying for help!

so dad and i took him down to a pretty corner of the yard, said our good-byes, thanked him for being such a good friend, and let him go of his earthly duties. it was the saddest thing to see him go! i never want to see that again in my life, but it was so harder looking into his eyes and seeing the pain that i'd do it again in an instant! now we need to find a good size rock so he can have a headstone.

we love that dog! he is such a loyal, loving, and mischevious little dog! he had a spark about him and always wanted to love and be loved by you. he was the last of his litter ... the runt and the oldest living. he lived to be 14 years old. i wish animals could have longer lives, but i guess this way we get to have many wonderful friendships and relationships.

what a sad day it is. dad and i have cried tears of loss and tears of joy for snoopy. knowing that he's not gone forever, that i'll see him again, and that the gospel touches every part and aspect of our lives gives me great peace. religion isn't just something i do on sundays for a couple hours ... it is my life! it is what guides my every decision and makes me who i am.

thanx snoopy for all your love!!! we miss you so much!

05 August 2008

the up and coming move!

MJH and i have decided that by FRIDAY we're going to be living in dad's house ... so that means a lot of packing this week! we told our landlord that we'd be out of the apt by the end of this month, so mostly what we'll be moving are personal items. we'll get to the other things later. so most important are the clothes, toiletries, books, printer and computers, movies, etc. we'll be giving away the couches and bed and letting MJH's bros take the dinner table and old dishes.

i'm so excited to move our 500+ books to the house ... not! i'm gonna need to get another bookshelf for them all and move a couple things around before we decide where to put them. as i've found out, bookshelves are impossible to move once they're full of books. so location is key! plus we'll have dad's trailor and navigator to help move things. so i'm so excited!!!

31 July 2008

strepB pos+ ...


so the apt w/our CNM [certified nurse midwife] went really well except for finding out the whole thing about being strepB positive. this translates to having to go to the hospital a little earlier than usual so i can be pumped full of 2 doses of 4 hour antibiotics and staying in the hospital for 48 not 24 hours. it sux but it'll be best for little will.

on the brighter side, will is about 6 1/2 lbs and around 18" long, so he might be around 8-8 1/2 when he's born. he's on schedule for arrival around the 23rd, so we'll see what happens.



to help cheer me up last night matt took me on a date to a couple book stores. we love book stores and clearance priced books ... yeah!!! on the way to one of the stores we stopped by the aquatice center and i dipped my swollen little feet into the refreshing fountain -play yard ... a place little will and i will frequent. after the book stores we drove across town to The Homemade Ice Creame and Pie Kitchen.
what a delightful experience! i only wish i had shared w/matt b/c everything was so rich creamy and decadent! i had butter pecan and a slice of chocolate maringue pie while matt tried the raspberry fudge and a yellow cupcake w/chocolate frosting! wowsers!!! do they know how to bake! it was so rich that matt got kinda sick last night since we're not really used to sugar and ice creame any more. but it was a great time and i love going on dates w/matt!

29 July 2008

FOOT BATH!!!

last night my feet felt like itchy huge balloons! the solution: soak them in COLD water in the tub. and what better to do than read while i'm sitting on the edge of the tub. after a little while matt came and found me b/c i was quieter than a little mouse. so i cohersed him into joining me and there we sat - two married ppl reading their books soaking their feet in the tub! he wouldnt let me take a pic, so i had to find something closely related!!! it was just the funniest thing ever!

24 July 2008

belly update ... one month left

ONE MONTH LEFT! this is how incredibly big i look, but i feel 20x bigger! my abdomen is rock hard and i just don't know where he's going to grow. i went to the midwife yesterday and did that stupid strepB test, so we'll wait to see what the results are for next week's appointment. i'm going to see the midwife every week now that i'm 36 weeks along.

i have braxton-hicks contractions more and more often, but i think this little guy is gonna be either close to due date or later. i could be wrong, but we'll see. the b-h contractions are kinda like PMS cramps, so it's not something scarey but familiar. funny how mother nature gets you ready for something so many years in advance! we'll just have to wait and see how natural birth goes and i'll tell you if it's anything like PMSing or not.

matt met our midwife yesterday at the appointment and really liked her. i'm glad he likes her positive and spunky personality and doesn't mistake it for a hippie-tree-hugging persona.

23 July 2008

yuck!

i've come to the conclusion that there's nothing worse than being 8 1/2 months prego and getting sick! i had little energy before b/c little guy zapped it but now there's nothing left and i'm left tired but sleep isn't enough! i've gotta get better quick so i can get back to living!

22 July 2008

splish splash!!!

there's just something to all this heat that makes me hate it even more now that i'm 8 1/2 months pregnant. i used to enjoy walking, but now that's a bit of a struggle since my range of motion is limited and this huge belly of mine is in the way. yoga is great, but i need to get outta the apartment! so i've picked up SWIMMING. that cool water is just the best b/c it's like taking a physical break from being prego w/all the stress off my back and bouyancy change. but the best thing is that my cankles disappear when i swim! all that swelling goes down and i can see my ankles again! yeah!!!

but the best part is that i go to the pool w/my friend lacy lilly who has grandkids my age! he needs a swimming buddy for pool rules since there's no life guard on duty and i need a convient free pool to swim in. so we swim laps for 1/2 hour and then i float around a bit enjoying the cool weightless environment and we call it a day. then we do it again the next day. it's fun talking to lacy b/c he's got a million stories to tell and a couple of pranks too!
ps. this isn't me swimming, i just got a pic from online to make things more interesting :)

19 July 2008

OPENING DAY last night we went to the 9:30 showing of the Dark Knight w/christian bale and heath ledger. we were so excited and pumped about this movie that we had a little pre-show party. we had a trivia game of questions from batman begins, candy, cupcakes decorated for the occassion (y so srs, joker, etc.). we divied up tickets and planned where everybody was gonna sit. it was intense. we arrived early and saw the previews and had our snacks.



THIS IS THE BEST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN!!! the performances in this cineamtice adventure were unhinged! the crime drama, menace, and art of this movie put it up there w/the GodFather movies!!! there weren't any lines that weren't good! no sceens that didn't keep the story moving forward! and any characters that weren't presented that didn't fit into the story. it was all amazing!!! 10/10 rating from me!


it's not for kids under 13, but the language is clean and there are no sceens that could have been omitted. IT WAS JUST AN AMAZING MOVIE!!! i will see it again soon ... and i'm the type that usually waits til it's on video to see it again. and just think, next week The X-files movie comes out ... wow! that's gonna be a great adventure as well!

15 July 2008

a little dilemma here

i'm contemplating a hard decision to make and need everybody's help. here it is: should i keep my facebook account or blogger? the deal is that i dont wanna do updates TWICE, i'd rather just do it once. so one is probably unnecessary and therefore needs to be eliminated. i'll continue to contemplate as you help me by answering the poll. thanks!!!

23 March 2008

wonderful day ...


nothing compares to working in the temple, going to the temple, or just driving by the the temple. since matt is no longer interested in blogging, this is my blogg now. bu-ah ha ha ha!!! jk.


any way, i went to the temple saturday and helped with the tons of laundry that needs to be done for initiatories and baptisms in behalf of those who have passed on. it was great, plus it was easy. what a neat thing to have a small house of God just around the corner where there's need enough that i can help and participate in many different capacities.


think of it this way: if this was a LARGE temple, cleaning crews are brought in, laundry is done by workers, and the landscaping is hired out. but in a small temple, sign up sheets are circulated for volunteers to help clean, do laundry, and help with other minor tasks needing attention. small temples are where it's at. personal. homey. inviting. not intimidating.

11 March 2008

SNOW!!!










snow is a hard thing to come by in KY, but FRI thru SAT we had our fair share for once!!! it was exciting to have all that wonderful powder but it messed up plans quite a bit for me! i was planning on attending a massage therapy continuing education conference in lexington, ky until the snow and slush made it terrible to drive on the highways! then to top it off, the storm hit worse in lexington than louisville so we'd be more than likely stuck there for an extra day ... not in the budget. so i had to cancel and not go the conference ... i was so poopy and sad.




but waking up sat morning to all that snow just made me so happy! i went out all by myself and played! i tromped around the yard and the street, made a snow angel, scraped the snow off the cars a bit to see how deep it was, and just enjoyed to freshness that was all around! i had missed that for the past several years being in the worng places at the wrong times to get the good snow. but this time i didnt miss it! it came to me! so enjoyable!




then later in the morning we decided to shovel the driveway (and part of the road so we could get in and out of the driveway) and almost everybody wanted to help! jen ended up getting burried alive in all the snow shoveled off the driveway by jon and nate. we had snowball fights. and every thing was just so much fun! thank heavens for 4w drive and front wheel drive! life savers in slush and snow!
at the end of the day (SAT) i took a walk and already my snow was beginning to melt too quickly! so one last shot saved the beauty of the snow for me! i miss it now that it's all mostly melted and gone ...

06 March 2008

a walk in the park!

today i decided to go to cherokee park after eating lunch w/matt. i just needed to get out and ejoy the weather today. i've become pretty restless lately so this was much needed! anyway, i began walking on the road, but i despise hard flat surfaces - they ruin the arches in your feet - and looked for the trail signs. i found one and was off! i didnt really keep track of where i was so i wouldnt get lost, so i just had such a fun time enjoying all the birds singing, the great views, and being active. one trail lead to the next and by the time you know it i could see my car again and decided that i would leave more adventures for the next time i came to the park.

i just love nature! i dont quite enjoy taking photos of ppl as much as i love capturing the brililant colors, dynamic contrasts, and eye-candy lines that just make me follow -them -until -i -cant -see -anything -more type elements i find more in nature. and the best part ... i took all of these photos AND EDITED THEM w/my PHONE!

hope you enjoy them as much as i did running up and down the paths taking them!