Sno's New Cousin: Baby Bevo!

Introducing Sno's new Cousin:  Baby Bevo!  My sister Andie got her new puppy today and Sno and I are SO excited!  We drove over to my mom's house to greet her as she arrived at her new home.
Baby Bevo is a burnt orange toy poodle from Missouri.  Andie drove half way to meet her old owners and bring her home to Irving where we were ALL waiting for her.  My mom, dad, brother Wilson, his girlfriend Trisha, his dog Mitzi, Me and Sno Angel.  Bevo was shy at first, but Sno loved her and couldn't wait to play with her!  She actually likes her and I think it's because she reminds her of our old dog Tippy II!  Tippy was our old toy poodle that we had for 14 years!  She ran away two years ago and Sno misses her.   Andie missed Tippy II also, so that's why she couldn't wait to get a new toy poodle, Bevo!
We are so excited to have a new member of the Rivero doggy family!  :)

Memorial Day at Burger's Lake

"You know your wife is pregnant when she gets back from Hawaii and wants to go to Burger's Lake!" 

That's a quote from Cory's friend Jarrod. Haha!  And Yes, it's true! Cory had to work on Memorial Day so we wanted to do something fun!  Katie and Gregory also wanted to do something fun and Gregory had never been to this "lake" where Cory and Katie share all their childhood memories.  So it was decided, we're going to Burger's Lake!

We had a blast with Kiki and Gregory! They did ALL the fun things one after another... the slides, the trapeze, the diving boards and the high dive.  Being pregnant and all, I decided to stay in the water and be the photographer for all that!  The water was freezing cold because it comes from natural spring water which is even colder!  So it felt good to just be in the water on a steaming hot day.

We got Snow Cones and did all the fun things Cory and Katie used to do when they were little.  And we even snuck a kiss to our hubbies at the make out spot!

Although we always celebrate Memorial Day with swimming, cook outs, and fun in the sun we have to remember what the holiday is really about and that is our Veterans that have given it all for our country's freedom and the freedom of those around the world.   "That's why the slides are red white and blue!  We did that on purpose!"

           

For more pics from Burger's Lake click on the link below to see our Picasa Photo Albums.... 

May 2012

Babymoon in Hawaii

Aloha from Hawaii!

Aloha!  I feel like the luckiest mommy in the world!  A FREE babymoon in Kaua'i, Hawaii!  My band has traveled a few times in the last year.  Last June we played in Puerto Rico and in September we played Disney World!  Both were memorable trips that Cory got to share with me!  All I had to do was sing, which is something I love to do anyway.  So when I heard that we were going to Hawaii this year, I was so excited but also scared at the same time.  I knew I would be 5 months pregnant and I wasn't sure if the doctor would allow me to go.   It turns out doctors, books, and parenting magazines actually encourage it!  It's called a "babymoon"... you head off to a relaxing location so you and your hubby can enjoy one last vacation together before your entire life changes when the baby comes.  They recommend to do it in the second trimester so the morning sickness is not so bad and you can still travel comfortably.  Well, this Hawaii trip couldn't have had better timing!  My doctor said I shouldn't travel after June and she recommended that I stop singing with the band after June so I don't hurt Charlie's ears.  So this is really the perfect time for me to sing in Hawaii and enjoy a babymoon at the same time!  And it really was perfect!  We had a blast relaxing in the beautiful Hawaiian breezes and we had a few adventures!  Here are the chronicles of our amazing trip to Hawaii...

Sunday

We spent all morning traveling on long flights to get to Kaua'i but finally at noon Hawaii time, we made it!  It was beautiful!  We walked off the plane into a heatwave of Hawaiian breezes and the smell of fresh Hawaiian flowers.  We didn't get "laid" right away but we did as soon as we got to the hotel.  ;)  Haha...They gave us awesome shell necklaces! We stayed a the Hyatt Grand Resort and Spa and it was absolutely beautiful!  The first thing we did was explore the hotel and take pictures of the three luxurious pools, the gorgeous landscaping, and the beautiful beach.  We had the most delicious lunch which is now our new favorite... a Hawaiian roast beef sandwich with Teriyaki sauce drizzled all over it!  Teriyaki sauce makes everything better!  We went to our awesome room, changed into our swimsuits and headed straight for the beach until the sun went down.  We were really tired from the flight so we crashed out and went to bed early.

Monday

Today was an adventure!  My friend Rachel and her boyfriend rented a jeep to tour the island and they invited us along to go with them.  That's exactly what we did... an adventurous tour of the west side of the island.  We stopped at the Botanical Gardens, the Spouting Horn, and made our way up 4000 ft of Waimea Canyon.  Rachel really wanted to see a waterfall so we found a trail along the canyon.  We went off-roading in the jeep and hiked a mile trail to  the waterfall!  That's right I hiked... pregnant... in a dress... in flip flops!  And it was no easy hike!  We were up and down a mountainside until it got dark.  I had a great time reminiscing about the time when my mom took me on a long impromptu hike in Hawaii when I was 13!  This was almost exactly the same except I was pregnant with my own daughter!  Good times!  We drove back to the hotel in the dark and went to bed early after another exhausting day.



Tuesday

I really LOVE swimming so we just had to play in the Hyatt's three pools today!  We floated the lazy river down to the water slide!  I checked all the pool and slide signs and made sure it was ok for a pregnant lady to ride the slide.  As long as I didn't do it on my back I was ok!  So we did it over and over again and had so much fun!  I actually did have to "work" today... but it's fun work!  We had a sound check at 3 and then got ready to play at 6:45.  We played the Sterling Jewelers party from 8-12 and we had a great show!  Everything went well and we had alot of fun!



Wednesday

This was our day of rest!  We hung out at the beach all day and watched the surfers catch the waves!  We even saw surfer fight!  I learned that it's not cool to cut off someone else's wave.  I looked at Cory to be on "beach patrol" but he shrugged his shoulders and said "I'm on Vacation!"  haha!







Thursday

We were ready for another adventure!  Today we hiked up the cliff that was visible from our hotel.  I've been waiting all week to explore up there!  We found some great views and a great time.  The rest of the day was spent chillaxing on  the beach and at the pool.  For our last dinner in Kaua'i we made reservations at Yum Cha, the Asian restaurant at the hotel!  It was delish!  We took a final stroll along the gardens of the hotel and went to bed in Hawaii for one last time.




Friday

Today was spent mostly traveling.  We are flying back in time so it takes a whole day to get back. We started at noon Hawaii time and didn't get to DFW til 5am central time.   The good thing is that Cory got to fly back with me the whole way.  We didn't sleep at all on the plane and actually I'm STILL on Hawaii Time.   But we are very happy to be home sweet home and we are excited and ready to start getting our home ready for baby Charlie.
Aloha!






For more Pics from our Hawaii Vacation click the link below to see our Picasa Web Albums...

Hawaii 2012

Another Busy Thursday!

Cupcakes for Baby "C" ! 

Another busy Thursday for the Countryman Crew!  At school, the kids planned a baby shower for me and Baby Charlie!  My students are so sweet!  They made cupcakes and brought presents and we had so much fun! 

Charlie's pretty little face!

We had a doctor's appointment today, so I had to leave school early.  We met with a specialist today to check on Charlie's tiny little heart.  It was scary to think that something might be wrong with her, but we were excited to get to see her again on the ultrasound.  After the doctor checked her out, he let us know that Charlie is as healthy as can be and she is going to be ok.  What a relief!  We ended up with some awesome sono pictures of her and we even got a couple of 3D shots!  I love those!  You can really see her beautiful facial features!  She already looks like a good mixture of Cory and I.  Every time I see her, I fall more and more in love!  From our first sono where she was a little peanut, to the sono wear she actually looked like a bite sized baby, to the day we found out she was a girl and gave her a name she becomes more and more like a little person and a reality in our lives.  I love her more and more each day!  My mom sent me the sweetest quote for Mother's day and it's so true...

"Love is blind because a mother starts loving you before she meets you."

 ~ Leesa Wheeler

Baby Yoga!

After our doc appointment we had a delicious meal at Genghis Grill and went home to get ready for our busy evening.  The softball Championships were tonight!  The first game we won by a forfeit.  The other team didn't have enough players.  The second game started off great!  We went back and forth scoring until it was 5-5 in the 4th inning.  Somehow in the 5th inning we lost our touch and the team rallied 11 runs.  We lost, but we still got 2nd Place!  Even though some of our team was upset(Wilson!)  Cory and I still felt like we had a great season and were happy to take ANOTHER trophy home (our 3rd one!) this year!  We already start the summer season next week!  So we are ready to bring home another trophy!

We also had a Wedding to go to tonight!  (I'm telling you it was a busy day!  I was supposed to sing at Razoo's also, but thank goodness I got a sub!)  Cory's college friends, Bobby and Misty Willmington celebrated their marriage today in Hurst!  Misty looked Gorgeous!  I LOVED her dress!  And Cory was so happy to see his good friend Bobby on the happiest day of his life.  They are still going to live in San Marcos for a little while, but they might move up to DFW soon and we hope they do because we miss hanging out with them. 

To end the night, Cory read his favorite childhood book, to Charlize.  She can hear now, so he talks to her as much as she can so she knows her daddy's voice.  It was so sweet to hear him read "I'll Love you Forever,"  a book that we both grew up reading!  Now we're reading it to our own little girl.  It sounds cliche, but we both got emotional.  We even shed a few tears.  We love this little baby girl so much!  Goodnight, Charlie!

Happy Mother's Day!

Our little family on Mother's Day!

Today started off great!  I woke up to the sound of Cory secretly cooking in the kitchen!  ;)  He made me a mother's day breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and hashbrowns!  And as always finished it off with my favorite... pink milk!  I love it!  It was bittersweet to eat my first mother's day breakfast. This was my first year to not be at home with my mommy cooking her mother's day breakfast.  I guess we all have to grow up sometime.  I did always dream of what it would be like to have my own mother's day breakfast.  And I CAN'T WAIT til next year when Charlize will wake me up for breakfast and slobber all over my face! 
Cory also got me a Mother-To-Be gift!  After opening a sweet card, I saw this huge bag and thought, "Cory, you shouldn't have!"  It was perfect!  A Boppy Body Pillow for me to snuggle up with and keep this pregnant body comfortable!  I love it and I'm sooooo using it tonight! 
Today is also Meme's birthday party!  She's hit the big 75!  So after breakfast I had to hit the kitchen and make Scalloped Potatoes.  I made them all by myself and was very proud!  I'm still finding my way around the kitchen.  ;)  We got to her party at Aunt Tammi's house and it was so much fun!  The food was great and all the kids were having fun swimming!  We had a great time playing games guessing all of Meme's lifetime full of secrets.  We sang happy birthday and wished all the mother's there a happy mother's day!  We gave Cory's mom, Denise, a group gift from all 5 of her kids... a mother's ring with each of their birthstones.  So sweet!  Then it was time for Cory to get ready for work. 

Twin Cousins!

When we got home, it was 5:00!!  Time for us to watch our video from Shane & Whitney to see what gender Charlie's twin cousin will be!  After a looooooooooong five minute video, we couldn't wait any longer!  We found out Charlize's cousin will be a beautiful baby boy! Yay!!  I can't wait til Christmas, when they come down so we can lay our babies down together and let them crawl all over each other!

My amazing Super Mom! 

The time had come for Cory to go to work, so I got ready to go to Grandma's and see my family.  I had gifts for Mom, my Grandma, and my Godmother, Aunt Kee!   It was good to be able to spend time with both of my families today!  After hanging out at Grandma's I took my Mom and Andie on a date to Red Lobster!  Yum!  We ate so much that Andie looked just as pregnant as I did!  It was fun to hang out as just us girls and celebrate our Mom! 
Today was the best Mother's day in a long time!  To be a mommy-to-be, to get to see all the mother's of my family, and to hear great news made it a very Special Day!  I can't wait until next year!  :)

Charlie's Mommie's Day Card!  :)

Married for Half a Year!

Today is our 6 month anniversary!  We've been married for half a year!  Cory says it feels like ten.  Which is true because this summer we will have been dating for 10 years!  Crazy!
We started off the day bright and early at six in the morning getting Chick Fil A trays for my students.  They are taking the AP US History Exam today, which we have been preparing for all year.  It's a tradition to serve them a good breakfast before the test.  Mr. Countryman and I served them Chicken Minis, fruit, and "brain juice" as we wished them well on their test.  As always, the students were so excited to see him!  They hear so much about him and Charlie, so when they get to see him they can put a face to the name. 
From the sounds of it the kids did a great job on the test!  Everything I taught them this year finally paid off.  So seeing their smiling faces  and hearing how well they feel about their test, really brightened my mood.  My hormones were crazy today so I cried a few times for random reasons.  Because Cory dropped me off this morning, I got to get  a ride home with Mom!  She just started working down the street at the Oncor building.  It's nice to know that my mom is working down town with me and convenient for lunch dates and for hitching a ride home when I need it!  I went home with her and we watched "Midnight in Paris" as I waited for Cory to finish his IPD golf tournament.  It was a great movie!  So romantical!  ;)

Dinner at P.F. Chang's!  Yum!

Cory picked me up from Mom's and we were ready for our anniversary date!  We got dressed and headed out the door.  As we left, it started to down pour!  A huge Texas rain storm moved in and the streets were flooding within a few minutes!  As we were driving Cory spotted a woman walking home from work in the rain!  Poor lady!  He felt so bad so he told me to look for an umbrella we could give her in the back.  I wouldn't have even thought to do that, but Cory always does!  That is what I LOVE about him.  He is always willing to help a random stranger on the side of the road.  That is what will make him a good police officer!  His brother Bryan said it right when giving his Best Man speech at our Wedding... "Cory is the most compassionate and helpful guy you can find, and I'm sure that is what Cherie saw in him and why she fell in love with him."  It's SO true!  I never met a man who was as thoughtful and caring to a person in need as Cory is.  SO.... I climbed my little pregnant body to the backseat and searched for the avon umbrella that I knew I had in the trunk!  We pulled a u-turn  (or "batman turn" as Cory calls it) and found the lady to give her the umbrella in the pouring rain.  She was very thankful.... except that she couldn't open the umbrella!  As we watched her walking in the rain she struggled with the umbrella and Cory pulled another U turn to help her open it!  She couldn't find the button to open it! 

So after that and a ring fiasco at the mall (Cory gets his wedding ring cleaned every six months and they couldn't find it!  Then they said it wasn't ready!), we headed off to dinner at P.F. Chang's!  We figured we had Asian food at our wedding so we will celebrate with Asian food tonight!  Plus, Charlie really likes it! 
Then after a wonderful dinner reminiscing over how awesome our marriage has been, we decided to  go to our new favorite movie theater!  The Cinema Suites in Grapevine Mills Mall have these amazingly comfortable reclining chairs AND they serve you dinner!  Since we already had dinner, we went for dessert and before the movie even started I downed this delicious waffle ice cream dessert! Charlie LOVED it! It was a crispy waffle topped with vanilla ice cream, topped with candied bacon (Cory's favorite!) and caramel sauce!  Yum!  The movie we saw was absolutely perfect for our anniversary... "The Five Year Engagement."  We laughed and cried and saw ALOT of our relationship in the movie.  Since we've wanted to marry each other since high school it seems like we had a nine year engagement before we finally got married!
As we were leaving the theater on our way home I thought about how blessed I am to have married the love of my life and how happy I am to finally be married to him and get all the things we've always wanted for so long.  We have a house, our dog, and a beautiful baby on the way!  I still can't believe the life I'm living!  I'm married to CORY COUNTRYMAN!  :)  And I'm having his baby! ;)  This is really real!  :)  And I love every minute of it!  Here's to forever...

Game time!

Cory and I started a softball team a couple years ago so that we could fulfill our recreational needs.  In college we played every kind of intramural sport we could find and when we were finally at the same school we started teams together from softball to soccer and even volleyball.  When we were both settled in Irving we knew we needed to get back into the game, so we started our softball team, "We got the Runs" in the Irving Adult League.  It was a great way to bring our two families together before we got married and it has grown into a team full of family and friends. 

Tonight turned out to be a big game for us!  This season we have done pretty well with only one loss and several wins!  We knew we needed to win this game to assure our 1st place spot in the playoffs next week.  We started off great with big hits from both the ladies and the guys and great pitching from our baseball superstar, Gregory.  We kept up a shut out until the very last inning, which proved to be a very eventful inning if you ask me!  We were up 11-0 and just had to hold the home team down for three more simple outs.   With a runner on 1st and second the batter hit it to the outfield and we had to get it back in fast before they got a runner home!  With an error on our part one runner made it home and another was on his way.  Gregory raced home to tag the guy out and he got him!  But unfortunately the umpired called SAFE!  We were all in shock!  Even the other team knew he wasn't safe!  There was no way!  Cory, as our confident coach and team leader, approached the umpire for an appeal and the Umpire threw him out of the game! 

What?  Cory.... ejected?  Was this really happening?  I was SO angry that I marched up to the head of the league and told her exactly what happened!  I said... "A guy like Cory doesn't get thrown out of games, my brother does, but NOT my husband.  He did nothing wrong."  The game continued with tensions high.  The other team was also trying to get our team to forfeit because of the ejection.  They scored one more before the final out... another battle for Gregory and runner at home plate.  Gregory for sure tagged him out and though it was questioned AGAIN we go the out and finished the game 11-3.  As our team was clearing out of the dugout the umpires had the guts to exit though OUR side of the field!  Words were exchanged and one of our girls asked for his name so that she could call his boss.  He said "It's Richard Norman, Can you spell that?"  I went off on him and called him a sexist and how dare he speak to one our our female players in that condescending manner... All that good stuff.  And it seemed like EVERYONE was up in arms.  We followed him and Cory all the way to the office where they shut the door and had some kind of meeting with the league director. 

Cory spent a LONG time discussing in the office with the umpires and the head of the league.  Our families, including Sno, waited for him outside the park to here the verdict of whether he is aloud to play in next weeks playoff games.  He was in there so long that Sno was worried.  As my mom was walking her around the park, Sno lead her straight to the door of the office and opened it!  That's when Cory finally was ready to leave.  He came out to us and said "Everything is ok!  I'm playing next week!"  And the umpire had to sit in the office and get a talkin to!   After an eventful night we had alot to talk about and finally left the park.  What a game! 

Next week... We're going to the SHIP!  :)

Dr. Countryman DDS



Cory is so proud of his brother, Dr. D. Bryan Countryman, DDS.

Bryan's last day of dental school was yesterday and Cory got to spend the entire day with him!  Cory and his dad served as Bryan's last dental school patients.  They both had cavities filled by Dr. Countryman.  After spending all day filling those cavities and getting his dental work approved by a pannel of dentists, Bryan officially passed it all and is now an official Dentist!  As soon as he was done, Cory called and told me all about it!  Cory was so proud of Bryan and so happy to be there for his brother as his last patient in dental school! 

Afterwards, we all gathered at Zaza's house for a small family celebration dinner and the cutest dentist themed cookie cake that Michelle made!  We're so proud of Bryan and so happy to have a dentist in the family!  :)

Mommies Lunch with a Dear Friend

Today my sister and I went to lunch with a dear old friend!  Jessica Soto is also pregnant with a baby girl and we've been planning to have a mommies get together so we can chat about all the baby things going through our minds.  Andie's not a mommy, but of course she had to come too. We just couldn't go out without our sisters.  And I know that Jessica's sister Erica was there with us in Spirit.  That was us!  The four of us were always together in high school.  The last time we went out to a restaurant together it was the four of us  (Jess, Andie, Erica, and I) at Chili's in Irving.  I remember all the times we had together so vividly. 

2003 Twinkie Day with Erica, Jessica, and Andie

This time was yet another great time.  Jess and I shared lots of pregnancy stories and plans for our baby girls.  And we all laughed at Andie's non-pregnant anecdotes as well!  We had a wonderful time together, but through all of our laughter I did almost tear up a few times thinking of Erica.  I really miss my friend and I know Jessica misses her so much more so I tried my best to hide the tears.  Because Erica is not physically here to be a big sister to Jessica, I feel it's my duty as her friend to watch out for her and make sure that Jess and her beautiful baby girl are ok.  That's what Erica would want me to do.  And I promise to spend more time with her now that we live closer and we are going to have baby girls together.  I can't wait for Jessica's baby shower in July... I wouldn't miss it for the world! 

Rest in Peace Erica April-Marie.  We love you!

Great Wolf Lodge

Family Fun!

Saturday morning we had the great privilege of going to the Great Wolf Lodge Water Park with Cory's family, compliments of his grandmother, Meme, who works in the restaurant upstairs.  Not only did we get in free, but she brought us free Great Wolf pizza as well!  We love Meme! 
Cory had an awesome time riding the big water slides with his dad, Kiki and Greg, Bryan and Michelle, and his nieces.  He loved to hear his dad's laugh all the way down those slides!  Even though I couldn't ride any of the slides I had a fun time with the little ones playing in the wave pool and the baby slides.  (The wave pool has always been my favorite anyway!)  I had fun taking Annabella and Brynn to the deep end of the wave pool and watching Cayden play in awe of those water spouts in the baby pool!  They are so funny!
We must have had a memorable time because the next day Shannon texted me saying that Annabella said "Cherie has a special mermaid baby!"  I laughed so hard because I remembered the time we had in the wave pool!  When we first started to swim out to the deep end, Annabella asked... "Can Charlie Swim?"  I answered "Oh yeah she can swim! She's actually swimming around in my tummy right now.  Like a little Mermaid!"  The idea must have stuck because she really thinks I have a special mermaid baby in my tummy!  LoL!  I can't wait to tell Charlie this story when she grows up!