Closing out another year...

I can't believe it's almost January and another year is behind us!  What a year it has been!  We rang in 2009 as a married couple...putting 5+ years of "dating" to rest!!!  In early May we discovered we were expecting our first child!  Wonderful news!!  And we spent the rest of the year busy with weddings, home-improvement projects, and enjoying family time at the cabin!  Now, as we close out 2009, we are soooooooooooooooooooo excited to welcome our baby into the world and for being blessed with her, even though we've yet to meet!  2010 will be the beginning of a new adventure for the Severson clan and we couldn't be happier!  We're becoming a family of 4 (including Sasha) and headed for many exciting new experiences!  


I'm going to post some pics from the last few months of 2010.......ENJOY!!


Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year, filled with many blessings and lots of love!  


Travis, Stevie, Sasha, and baby M!!!

37.5 Weeks pregnant.......pretty soon we'll have our little girl!

Travis, showing off the stocking I made him for Christmas.  My cute little carpenter hubby!

The stocking I made for myself!  I'm OBSESSED with animal prints!!

Travis made the most delicious meal for us on Christmas...filets and the works!  He is proving to be the better cook in our household!!

Miss Sasha's 2nd Christmas!  She loves opening presents!

This is us on our anniversary...12.12.08!!  We stayed home and painted our bedroom (aka nested), and had to sleep on a make-shift bed we put together on the floor in the basement!  One year of pure happiness!!!

The Severson Family!

Sasha says Merry Christmas too!!!!

Our Little Miss Sasha wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas!  Isn't she just the prettiest puppy??!!  She is going to be 2 soon (in February) and is our little BABY!  She's excited for her sister to arrive in January and even more excited that Mommy will be home for 10+ weeks to hang out all day!  We are going to have so much fun!!!  I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXO

Sneak peek...

Where our little Miss "M" will snooze away...

Sasha loves to lay in her sister's room already...

The stockings that I handmade for Travis and I this year!  Grandma Kathy made Sasha her stocking last year for Christmas.  They are too cute!!

OUR TREE!!!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is here!  Can you believe it?!  For those of you that know Travis and me, you probably know that Christmas is our FAVORITE time of year by far!  It's not just about the gifts....it's about the decorations, THE TREE, the lights, family, friends, and traditions!  Many of our traditions are falling apart this year, as my sister and her family are living in Florida, so we are without them this holiday season.  And we usually always make a trip up north to the Severson home for Christmas, which we won't be doing this year due to the fact that I'm too pregnant to be 4 hours away from our hospital.  So, this year will be a bit different.  Travis and I will celebrate at home, with our favorite little pup, Miss Sasha!  We'll make a trip to Faribault later tonight and spend a few days with my mom and Scott.  We might even make an appearance at my Grandma's get-together, which our travel plans have taken us away from for the last 6 years or so.  All in all, Christmas will be different, but still a WONDERFUL time of year.

Updates from the week...my doctor appointment on Tuesday went well.  Baby girl Severson is still breech and the doctor said she is VERY comfortable there.  She likely won't make the flip and so we are full-steam ahead to the C-section date of January 11th.  So weird to think that we know our daughter will be born on 01-11-2010!!!!  I asked Travis the other night if he could believe that we will have our baby living in our home with us in less than 20 days and he said, "I'm ready for her honey!"  Brought a tear to my eye!  He will be such a great daddy and I'm so excited to see how he interacts with her when they first meet...I feel like I already know her and am madly in love with this little creature that keeps me up all night!  We'll have another doctor appointment in 1 week and I'll post more updates at that point.


Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy 2010!  Travis and I are so fortunate to have such great family and friends.  We've been blessed with a very healthy pregnancy thus far and feel like the upcoming birth of our little girl is the best "belated" Christmas gift we could have ever asked for!!!  We can't wait for you all to meet her in the New Year!!!

Lots of love-
Travis, Stevie, Sasha and baby Severson

Mexico memories!!!!

 

 

 

 

 A few pics of what Trav and I were up to at this time last year!  We just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary!  So happy!!  And we're planning a trip back to the same resort in December of 2010...we just keep day-dreaming about all the fun we had!

Happy December!!

I've been told that I'm terrible at keeping this blog up-to-date...and yes, that is true!  Our computer has been on the fritz and we've been so consumed by house projects that it has been the last thing on our list of "things to fix" before the baby comes!!  Soon...I'm hoping we'll have the new computer set-up so that I can upload all of the pictures we've taken over the last few months, including pictures of my ever-expanding belly!!

I'm now (almost) 37 weeks pregnant!  Whew!  The last 7 weeks have, for the most part, flown by.  Physically, I'm EXHAUSTED!  Travis has been a big help and has been working non-stop on getting the house ready for the arrival of baby Severson!  He's "nesting" more than I am, I swear!  Last week we had a bit of a scare.  I was told to report to Southdale Hospital Labor and Delivery triage because they thought I might be leaking amniotic fluid.  Tests came back negative and so I was sent home, but had another doctor appointment the next day.  At that doctor appointment, we discovered via ultrasound that our little girl is in a very tight Frank Breech position, meaning her feet and hands are up by her head and her head is not down.  They also noticed that her little butt is beginning to "engage" or settle in my pelvis.  This gives her only a small chance of flipping prior to my due date.  She has not flipped thus far, and Travis and I decided against the external version procedure in which the doctor would manually try to turn her by manipulating the baby into position from the outside of my belly.  The procedure has some risks involved, and we just felt we'd rather not mess with nature.  So, we're hoping she decides to turn, but if she doesn't, we have a C-section scheduled for Monday, January 11th!!  I'm not heartbroken over having to possibly have a C-section...just thinking that we need to do what is best and safest for the baby!  In all other aspects, the pregnancy is normal and Baby Girl Severson seems to be growing and developing right on track.  She's weighing in at around 6lbs...and they anticipate that she'll be between 7.5 and 8lbs at birth!  Healthy little lady!


This week will mark our LAST busy week until our baby is born.  We've had an ongoing list of house projects underway since October.  We painted the exterior of our house, re-roofed the house and garage, converted one of our spare bedrooms into the nursery, put together a guest bedroom, painted and totally re-organized our own bedroom, and Travis gutted the bathroom on our main floor.  It's been overwhelming to say the least.  Last night I finished hanging the last of the baby clothes and organizing all of her little things in the dressers.  We're ready for her arrival now!!  Travis thinks she has way too many clothes, but what does he know?!  Girls can never have too many outfits!


This weekend, we'll host the Severson family for Christmas at our house.  We won't be making our annual trip up to Wood Lake...so sad, but our doctor thinks it's best to stay close to home since I'll be within 2 weeks of my due date.  So, this Saturday we'll have Tom, Kathy, Brenna, John, and Jesse over to our house for appetizers and a little holiday celebration!  Christmas just seems "different" this year, but I know that we have our minds on so many other things that it has been hard to focus on the holidays!  This will be the first Christmas in my ENTIRE life that I've been without my sister......this is her first winter living in Florida with the Kubes family, so I'll be missing her and Andy and all the kiddos!  Christmas won't be the same without them!


Next week, we have a doctor appoint on Tuesday and then we'll settle in for a relaxing Christmas week.  We'll spend Christmas Eve at home, just Trav, Sasha, and I.  On Christmas Day, we'll travel to Faribault to spend the holidays with my mom & Scott.  And then, whew, we can RELAX until this baby comes!  11 more days of work for me and then I'm off for 10-12 weeks!!  I'm sooooooooooooooooooooo excited!!


No pictures to post this time (that darn broken computer), but I'll get some new ones up soon!  Happy Holidays to all of you and Best Wishes for a wonderful 2010!!!!!!!!!


Much love,
Stevie and Travis (and Sasha too)!

Baby Girl Severson's 1st Gift from Daddy!!

Now she has a mini Sasha puppy for her crib...from her Daddy!!

Catching Up...

Ok, so I swear I am going to get better at keeping this up to date.  Our computer at home has been on the fritz...another thing on our to-do list, but there are so many other things to accomplish that fixing it has got pushed to the back-burner!  I can't believe summer is over...and fall has pretty much passed us by, and now WINTER is almost here!  Yikes!  Never thought we would see snow in October, but I've learned to expect anything and everything!

We made it up to the cabin in September one last time.  Brrr...cold weather!  I was also able to escape to Tom and Kathy's for a 4 day weekend break in early October.  Travis stayed behind to begin our bathroom remodel, which is officially underway and nearly complete!  I'll post before and after pics when he finishes!  We had the exterior of our house re-painted and we had the house re-roofed...both of which are complete and there are some pics below of the house (before the roof).  Looks totally different than before!

Heidi (Stevie's sister) and family are off to Florida!  They are re-locating to Anna Maria Island...working at a restaurant that is right on the beach!  I've seen pictures and it's beautiful!  We're wishing them the best of luck in their new home, but am sad to see my sister leave (boo) and the kiddos too!  I will miss them all so much!!  I'll post pictures of our final weekend with the Kubes' and the family packing day, happening tomorrow!

Bun in the Oven, er Basketball in my Belly (27 Weeks)!!

This pregnancy is flying by!  I just had my 27 week doctor appointment.  Officially 13 weeks to go.  I'll actually be 28 weeks on Monday and so begins my 3rd trimester!  I've been feeling great and according to the doctor, everything is looking good.  Our 3d/4d ultrasound results and report came back and baby girl Severson looks wonderful!  The Quad Screen results are in and it was completely normal, which is great news!  All in all, a great appointment!  I'm measuring right on target with my due date, January 10th.  And this little girl is a mover!  We were able to pick up her heartbeat right away, but she kept flipping from one side of my tummy to the other.  The doctor said, "Wow, she is on the move!"  Such a reassuring feeling :)

Here are a few pics of the most recent belly photo shoot, courtesy of my very own professional photographer...the hubby!!  Woohoo!

20 Weeks Down...20 To Go!

We've reached the mid-point of my pregnancy! Hard to believe that in 20 short weeks our little girl will be here and we will have a BABY living in our house! We're so excited, but there seems to be so much to accomplish before her arrival. Plus, the holidays are going to take up a big chunk of time during my last trimester. I know that January is going to be here before we know it! Bedding and color selections have been made for the nursery! I'm guessing we'll have to make our FIRST trip to Babies R Us one of these weekends to start deciding on a crib and other furniture for her room. Ahhh...all the fun! It will be an exciting couple of months! One huge thing that is out of the way (at least we're 98% sure) is the name selection! We've named our little girl and are just going to stay hush hush about it until she's born, in case we decide to change our minds! I think Trav and I have been talking about baby names since we were in the early stages of dating, and out of all the options we've toyed with, we went back to our original favorite! Can't wait! The pregnancy has been a breeze thus far, knock on wood. No morning sickness or nausea. I was SUPER tired during the first trimester, and now I feel great. I have some energy back, but am dealing with other issues...like my growing belly and the fact that I can't seem to eat enough! My tummy growls, literally, every 2 hours! And my blood pressure has been very low, like dangerously low, so I need to be sure to keep food in my tummy or I get light-headed. It just seems like a lot of eating. I've gained about 9lbs thus far, which is healthy and on track for "normal" pregnancy weight gain. The baby has started to be more active, or I should say that I'm now aware of her movements. I feel her move at various times throughout the day, usually after I eat and definitely when I lay down to go to bed at night! It's such a reassuring feeling! We'll continue to keep everyone posted on all the new developments!

Wishing everyone a very happy end to their summer!!

It's a GIRL!!!!

Travis and I had our first ultrasound on Thursday, August 20th and we found out that we're expecting a baby girl!!!! We are so excited, but even more happy that Baby Severson was happy and healthy, according to the doctors! I didn't sleep for 2 nights prior to the ultrasound because I was so nervous. But all of my prayers were answered and our little girl was flipping around in there, punching her little hands, yawning, and kicking! Thank God!!

Now I'm turning my focus to planning the nursery...while Trav continues to finish projects around the house. The painting is done and now it's on to the landscaping in the front yard. As soon as that is completed, we're re-roofing the house, and then Trav will tackle the bathroom! This is the most exciting of all the projects!! I'm thrilled at the thought of having a new bathroom in a month or two! Ahhhh! I'll post some pics of our baby girl and my growing tummy (I can feel her moving around in there already) for all of you to check out! We'll be ending our summer with an RV trip to Grand Marais...4-5 days of hiking, relaxing, and shopping in the town! Angry Trout, here I come!!

Baby Bump!

This is the beginning of the baby bump...I'm about 15 weeks in these pics!

New News and Catching Up...

Wow! Since my last post, a TON of things have happened in the Severson household! We've had a very busy spring/summer and are looking forward to a bit more relaxation time in August! Thank God! Where to start...

In early spring, Travis got a wild idea to purchase an RV. We made a trip to Pipestone, MN to pick up our very own Winnebago! It's 35 feet long and sleeps about 8...we've yet to use it for a weekend getaway since our summer became so busy so fast, but we do have some mini fall roadtrips planned.

Weddings, weddings, weddings! Some of our great friends tied the knot this year! Congrats to Sokthea and Jamie Sampson and also to Annie and Drew Feste! The weddings (and bachelor/ette) parties that went with them were a blast and we were so happy to celebrate with you guys!

On May 5th, we found out that we're expecting our 1st child!!! We are tentatively due on January 14th and are busy trying to finish about a million projects at our house before Baby Severson arrives! I had a breeze of a first trimester, and now, at almost 16 weeks, we are starting to get very excited! We have a level II ultrasound scheduled for August 20th and hopefully we'll be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl...either way, we'll be happy as long as our baby is HEALTHY! Now if only Travis and I could agree on baby names...

I'll start to keep this a bit more up-to-date as the pregnancy continues. We hope all of our friends and family are having a safe and happy summer!!!

Severson Bridal Shower

I had the pleasure of meeting all of Trav's aunts yesterday for the first time! Yes, I know...we've been together for 6 years and I've never met most of his extended family. They are scattered about and family get togethers are few! Trav's aunts, Sue and Barb, threw the shower for me at Sue's house. It was so much fun!! We had a yummy brunch...egg strata, fruit, and a variety of breakfast breads, plus MIMOSAS (yum)! I walked away with LOTS of nice gifts and had the chance to finally connect with the ladies in the family. I'm including some of the pics from the party...

Happy Birthday, Sasha!

Our very own Little Miss Sasha turned 1 on February 5th! We researched various dog breeds and decided we wanted a British Lab...smaller than the American Lab and a bit more muscular, with a stocky build. We found a breeder in Atwater, named Diamond J Brit Labs. They had a litter due last February and we were looking to take our new pup home in early Spring, so it worked out perfectly!

Sasha has been the best purchase (though I don't really consider her a purchase) we've ever made. She has brought so much happiness into our lives and both Trav and I often wonder what we would do without her. She is amazing! If you haven't had the chance to meet her, maybe you will soon! She loves hugs and kisses...and her favorite thing to do is to swim in the lake up at the cabin.

Happy belated birthday, Miss Sasha Thumper!

Our Story...

It all began in May of 2003, on Wood Lake...a small lake in the city of Fifty Lakes, MN (near Crosslake for those of you that may not be familiar with Northern Minnesota). I was spending a week with girlfriends at the Jarvi family cabin...we had just graduated college from St. Ben's and most of us didn't have jobs, nor did we know what we were going to do with our lives once we made our way back to our hometowns! It just so happened that Trav's parents have a lakehome next door to where we were staying! It was "like" at first sight...and I spent the rest of the week referring to Travis as my boyfriend!

The next few years involved job changes for me, moving from my hometown of Faribault to Minneapolis, moving in with Travis, and going through the normal ups and downs of starting your adult life and trying to make it on your own. We bought our first house in May of 2005 in SW Minneapolis and we're still there! It is a work in progress, but with Travis being a carpenter, he's always full of big ideas and new projects. I'm sure once we get it the way we want it he'll be ready to move so he can have something else to work on! Carpenters are crazy!! But I won't complain about having a handyman in the house!

And then comes the next step...marriage! Travis planned an amazing weekend for us at Ludlow's Resort on Lake Vermilion in Cook, MN. The best part about the trip was that it was a surprise and I actually had to follow a set of clues, kind of like a treasure hunt, to make my way to the resort. So yes, I spent almost 5 h0urs in a car by myself, following a set of clues that Travis had left for me at random places...one clue was in our deep freezer, the next clue was at Lund's grocery store, the next at Hardee's in Hinckley, and the final clue was in an envelope taped inside my trunk. He really put a lot of thought into planning the weekend. He proposed that night and of course I said YES!

Wedding planning was so not my thing...and so Travis and I decided to have a private ceremony in Mexico. We were ready to tie the knot, so we booked our trip to Silversands Resort in Riviera Maya! On December 12, 2008 we exchanged our vows on the beach...just the two of us! It was absolutely beautiful and perfect. We spent 12 days enjoying the sun, beach, ocean, margaritas, and plenty of relaxation! It had been about 2 years since our last vacation and so we were in desperate need of a break from real life.

We arrived back to MN to temperatures in the single digits (brrr!) and just days before Christmas. Our holiday season brought us up north for a few days, and then back to Faribault to visit my family. And this brings us to now...starting a blog to keep all of our family and friends up to speed on any new developments in our lives! We'll share plenty of pictures of the wedding/honeymoon and of all the other fun journeys we may go on!

Travis and I are blessed to have such a wonderful group of people in our lives and hope you all know how wonderful you are...

Take care and check back soon!