Nesting

Drew has furniture, Andrew assembled the crib, and I'm nesting.
Gram came up to Temple for a couple of days and worked herself (and me) to death...but the house is ready and our closets are wonderfully organized!!
Kobe was left wondering what in the world happened to his room and his twin size bed that he used to have!

Baby Bump Watch

Merry Christmas 2007

Stephanie created the cutest Christmas cards for us this year, but DHL has held them hostage in Waco for over 2 days now. So, I'm putting it on the blog for you to see. They'll be "Merry after-Christmas" cards (hopefully) if the DHL truck can ever find it's way to our house!! Makes you glad Santa has reindeer and doesn't have to rely on DHL!
Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas...almost!

I love Christmas time!! This year we've been celbrating a little extra. The Ellison side of the family headed to San Antonio December 9th-11th to celebrate the season early. San Antonio has been a fun family tradition for the Ellison crew in years past, so it seemed like the perfect idea to visit again this year! We stayed in the Marriott on the river and had a wonderful time exploring San Antonio. We took a riverboat ride the first night and had a great time watching Avery as she took in the Christmas lights on the river. We stopped for dinner at Casa Rio, and then walked up to the Alamo to see it decorated for Christmas. Then it was party time. We all headed to "Gram & Grandpoppy's" room for presents and to feast on all the fabulous goodies they brought. We exchanged Christmas ornaments and all of the grandkids (yes, even the ones not born yet) got to open presents.

The next day, we toured the Alamo and walked through the Menger hotel and explored the mall a little. The boys played golf while the rest of us shopped like we used to do in the old days! Avery was the star of the show all bundled up in her little white coat with fur around the hood. She looked like an angel, and everyone stopped to say hi to her. She was so much fun to be around! We laughed at how this might be the last manageable road trip for a while, as next Christmas there will be 3 grandkids under the age of 3!!

We made some really wonderful memories on the trip. Thanks Mom and Dad for one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever!!

Shower Time

What an amazing group of friends I have. November 18th I was showered with blessings from many friends and family at Drew's baby shower. The hostesses were: Heather Bossen, KiKi Brabham, MarrGwen Dickson, Tamy Dillon, Jennifer Hannah, Lesley Hennig, Joni Lidiak, Elyse Spencer, and Stephanie Poage. Joni won the prize for traveling the furthest...she flew in from Kansas City to be a part of my big day. What a sweet friend!

The whole weekend was a big event. It started with picking Joni up at the airport in Austin on Saturday morning. We then hit Freebirds (as every good Aggie should do when they're within a few miles of one) with my parents. Joni, Mom, and I went down to Christmas Affair after lunch to do some shopping and had a great time. Then we headed back to Temple to show Joni the exictement of our tiny town. We went to Nami's for dinner with Adam & Heather and MarrGwen who was also in town from Austin for the shower. We had a great time.

Then Sunday we went to church and it was shower time!! The shower was at Belton Church of Christ. Jennifer Hannah made the cutest diaper cake for the centerpiece of the decorations! The food was great, and about 35 friends were there to help me celebrate and prepare for Drew's arrival. I was overwhelmed with blessings that day.

Where Does The Time Go?

Ok -- so I'm WAY behind on my posts!! :) Lots of exciting things have happened since Septmember!

Andrew has a JOB!! He signed a contract to join RGB Eye Associates and we'll be moving to Sherman, TX in late June 2008. We're really excited, as this is Andrew's "dream job" that he's had his eye on for the last 2 years. It's amazing to see how God's hand has been in this all along. The practice is owned by an incredibly smart, talented, generous and God-loving doctor who has been in practice for around 20 years. He decided to expand his practice in anticipation of retirement on the near horizon and began looking for 2 partners. He hired the first partner 2 years ago. That partner was one of Andrew's upper-level residents from Scott & White, and someone who had been a good friend for several years. There was still room for one more partner, and Andrew got the spot. It's wonderful to have your dream job AND to be able to practice along side friends that know you, know your talents, and love the Lord. We're very excited about Andrew's future out in the "real world".

So, along with the new job in a new city comes the need for a new house!! Shortly after Andrew signed his contract, we started looking at housing and stumbled upon some new construction that was perfect for us. We found it early enough that we're able to customize it to our tastes, but we don't have to deal with construction financing or the headaches of a true custom home. We went up a few weekends ago to look at the lot and see it all with our own eyes, and we loved it. There's even a 15 acre city park right behind the neighborhood with huge fields and a little lake to fish in. Drew and Kobe are going to love that.

Belly Bump

By popular demand....here are some of the latest pics of my ever-growing belly bump.
Drew is kicking up a storm these days. From what I can tell of his patterns now, he might be a night owl like me! He doesn't do much in the early mornings, but I can feel the dance party starting about 10pm. Maybe one day the two of us can convince Andrew that night time is fun time. Sleep is overrated!

It's a BOY!

Watch out world, there's soon to be another Bossen Boy on the loose! We had our sonogram and found out that we have a wonderfully healthy little boy on the way. There's no doubt about it...he's definitely a boy! The sonogram was just amazing. You could see his little legs and feet, his hands and arms, and his little perfect backbone. That's about all I could see on my own. Andrew and the doctor kept talking about the kidneys, stomach, and all sorts of other parts that just looked like grey fuzz to me. But, I was glad to hear it was all in there and working well! My due date was confirmed for February 4th.

A funny story about the sonogram day:
I was in the restroom after the sonogram and thought I was by myself. I was so happy about all of the news we had just received and was actually giggling and laughing out loud. A million things were running through my head. As I was washing my hands and laughing some more, I said out loud "I can't believe it. I bet I'm going to get tinkled on a lot!". Then I heard a flush and realized I was NOT alone. Needless to say, I scurried out as soon as I could. No telling how crazy that other person thought I was!

Andrew and I are so excited to meet our little boy face to face in just a little over 4 months.

Drool in the Pool

We went to Lion's Park today for "Drool in the Pool"....an all dog swim day and fundraiser for APAC. Kobe had so much fun, and he was the best swimmer there. He even caught the attention of Rockin' Rick's band who played with him. The Temple Daily Telegram took lots of action shots of him and got his info, so he might even be in the paper!

Break out the Stretchy Pants!

I think I'm going to like these elastic waistbands!! Stephanie, Avery, and "Gram" took me on my very first maternity clothes shopping spree. We hit Destination Maternity in Dallas and had so much fun. It started to all feel very real when I tried on the full-bellied clothes with the padded baby bump tied on underneath. What an amazing 6 months I have ahead!

Sneak Peak at Baby Bear Bossen

We had our first ultrasound on June 21. There's really a baby in there!! It's surreal and so exciting. Here's what Baby Bear looks like at 6 1/2 weeks. At 10 1/2 weeks, Baby Bear had a heart rate of 160 beats per minute. The little one is working hard and growing strong. The "big" ultrasound is scheduled for September 7th, so we'll let you know whether to start thinking pink or blue very soon!

The Stork has Landed

Our Bible Fellowship class has a traditional way of announcing new babies. The Stork does it, of course! Andrew and I announced our pregnancy to the class (with the help of the Stork) on July 1st! It was so much fun. After watching many of our friends have Stork visits, having one of our very own was incredible! The Stork even gave me a beautiful red rose.

We took the rose home to Kobe and broke the news to him too. He said "What do you mean you're having a baby? I'm the baby!" He'll get used to it, hopefully!

We're Pregnant!!!

Andrew and I brought back the best souvenier ever from our summer vacation to Hawaii!! We found out at the end of the trip that we're going to have a baby. The "keiki" as children are called by the Hawaiians is set to arrive in early February. The baby bump watch is on. Here's a picture at the beach in Lihue, Kauai where I'm about 1 week pregnant!

Dedication Day

Avery Elizabeth was dedicated at First Baptist Church Dallas on November 5th, 2006. Andrew and I headed up to Dallas Sunday morning to be able to see the dedication and stand with the family and promise to help raise Avery to know the Lord. It was a wonderful gathering of family and friends to celebrate the blessing of Avery's life and Collin and Stephanie as parents. After church, the family was invited over to Collin and Stephanie's house for lunch and to play with Avery. We all took turns holding her....she was quite the show stopper!

Happy Howl-o-ween

We started the costume festivities this year with a pre-party costume fashion show with Bailey and Kobe modeling their Howl-o-ween outfits. Bailey wore a purple spider web t-shirt & Kobe had a black Halloween hoodie. The dogs had fun posing for pictures and gobbling treats.

Kobe had a great time dressing up in his "Boo" hoodie and helping hand out candy. This year, we gave out chocolate candy wrapped to look like eyeballs (perfect treat from the Ophthalmologist's house). Kobe did really well and didn't bark too much at the trick-or-treaters at the door. We also found snack packs of doggie treats to hand out to any dogs out on the candy trail....but we didn't ever have any at the door. So, we opened a package and gave a treat to Kobe every time he sat nicely on the carpet when we handed out candy to the kids.

At the end of the evening, Ryan and Emily brought Bennett over to trick-or-treat at our house. He was a train engineer for Halloween this year. He posed with Kobe and Andrew for a picture before heading home.



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Viva Las Vegas

Andrew's Ophthalmology convention took us to Las Vegas from November 9-14. We traveled with our friends Ryan, Emily and Elizabeth and had a wonderful time in the glitz and glamor of Sin City! We arrived late Thursday night and had time to walk up to the shops at the Alladin where I promptly purchased the most overpriced pair of tennis shoes that I've ever owned. But, after walking what felt like 10 miles in high heeled boots with no support, I would have paid anything for a pair of comfy shoes!! We ate dinner after a quick shopping spree and then headed back to our hotel.

Friday, we decided to rent a car to explore and see what existed in Las Vegas beyond the strip. Emily, Andrew and I went to explore Mt. Charleston while Ryan and Elizabeth attended Retina classes. It was amazing to see the landscape of Las Vegas. In less than 45 minutes, we went from barren desert to mountains with pine trees and ski lifts! There was even a little bit of snow already on the mountain tops. The weather was cool and windy, and you would have never known that you were in a desert.

After the mountains, we headed out to explore Hoover Dam. Wow! What an amazing sight. I didn't know what to expect, so my first peek over the dam wall made my stomach do circles! It was a LONG way down!! We got there 6 minutes too late to catch the last tour, so we just walked over the dam and hoped the engineering really was as good as they say it is! It was fun to walk all the way from Nevada to Arizona in about 10 steps.

That night, we loaded up and explored Lake Las Vegas. We found the resort community of Montelago (where Oprah Winfrey and Celine Dion are rumored to own houses). There were quaint shops along cobblestone streets with chiminea fireplaces to warm your hands. We stopped and had a fine Italian dinner before heading back to the strip.

Saturday, Andrew headed off to the convention and the vendor expo where he cashed in on all sorts of freebies from shoe shines to jump drives with his name engraved in them! He even performed "virtual cataract surgery" on a computerized eye. Emily and I met up with a highschool friend of hers from Sioux Falls who now lives in Vegas and hit the shops at the Alladin again.

Saturday night was our big night out. We had tickets to Mama Mia, which was a really cute musical incorporating the popular 70's hits from ABBA. By the end of the show, we were tapping our toes and ready to hit the town. We went to Pure Nightclub in Caesar's Palace for a reception hosted by one of the Ophthalmology drug companies. Wow!! What a place. The terrace overlooked the strip with beautiful views of the Bellagio fountains and the Eifel Tower at the Paris Hotel. We danced and had a fabulous time. Around midnight, we were all hungry, so we headed across the street to the all-night diner at the Flamingo Hotel. Wouldn't you know it, when we were feasting on hamburgers, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Manillo arrived at Pure (where we had just been) to celebrate Nick's birthday! So, we had a "near encounter" with a celebrity!

Sunday, Emily and I hit the fashion mall and explored the Wynn Casino while Andrew, Ryan and Elizabeth were in meetings. We had another drug company reception that night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. There was an hour long presentation about different developments in Ophthalmology and I got to see what Andrew actually does at work during the day! They had actual videos of different aspects of cataract surgery. It was a lot for this non-medical person to stomach....but I regained my appetite just in time for the fancy dinner reception that followed the presentation.

Monday, Andrew took me up to the expo to see all of the displays, and then I had to head back to the real world to get ready for work on Tuesday. He stayed for the remaining conferences on Monday and that night the gang went to another drug company reception at Tsunami at the Venitian.

Vegas is a great city for a convention...and a wonderful place to have fun with friends!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a fun time picking out the perfect pumpkin at the Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch. Kobe came along to help sniff out the scene...and he stole the show. We were trying to get him to pose for the camera, but he was flirting with the girls working at the popcorn machine! We finally had to pass the camera off to them in order for him to actually pose for the picture!

Call us Aunt Jen & Uncle Andrew!

She's here!! She's finally here!! Avery Elizabeth Poage was born Friday September 29th at 6:48pm after 15 hours of labor.

As I was hitting the snooze button not wanting to leave my cozy bed Friday morning to get ready for work, the phone rang. I had a sneaking suspicion that this might be "the call", but after a few false alarms in past weeks, I didn't want to get my hopes up.

I needed some motivation to wake up that day, so the phone ringing was a good start. I said "hello" and sure enough, it was my mom on the other side. She said that Stephanie had been having contractions since 4am and that they were heading to the hospital just as soon as they could get ready.

When Collin & Steph arrived at the hospital, it was the real deal!! They were in labor. We were all thrilled and full of anxious concern and excitement. We would hopefully be greeting the newest member of our family before the day was done!

Mom and Dad packed up the car and picked me up in Temple. We headed up to Dallas praying and hoping the whole way that things would go well and that we wouldn't miss the big event! When we arrived, Stephanie was in good spirits. She had some really painful contractions for a few hours and was thrilled that the anesthesiologist had finally stopped by and done the epidural. We watched the monitors, chatted with the nurses and tried to let Steph rest as much as possible.

We headed to the waiting room and found Steph & Collin's friends Glen & Lydia, along with Glen's mom. Around 5:30 we got word that labor had progressed and it was almost time to push. Shortly thereafter, Janice arrived. Then Kendra and Errol.

Kendra suggested we circle up and say a special prayer for Collin, Stephanie and Avery. We prayed right there in the waiting room for the perfect miracle that was about to happen. About 3 minutes after we were finished with our prayer, I saw Collin run down the hall to greet us and I knew Avery was here!

He said "she's beautiful"! He was full of emotion and said he could barely talk. But, he had pictures. So, we saw a few pictures of Stephanie and Avery. 10 perfect fingers and 10 perfect toes. She was completely healty and amazing.

We were able to see Steph and Avery for a few minutes before they took the baby to the nursery. Avery was bundled up and Stephanie was holding her. We all flooded in the room and rushed to their side. Avery was calm and quiet, but wide-eyed and surveyed the room full of people staring at her. She took it all in as we oohed and aahed over her -- and flashed all sorts of bright lights at her as we all wanted pictures.

Collin, Stephanie and Avery were all reunited in the hospital room around 11:00pm. We then had our first chance to hold their precious little bundle of joy.

We're Online

Well...it's time for us to join in with the rest of the world and jump on the blog bandwagon!! More updates to come.....