Getting Tan Before the Summer Season

Summer is just around the corner - so I thought I'd get a jump start on my tan.
My mom and dad agreed, and were surprisingly supportive in me catching some rays.  They were nice enough to get me my own tanning bed and blanket for my room! 

Mom keeps referring to getting a tan as "being jaundiced" - I don't know about that.
So what if my skin is a little yellow?  I think it goes quite nicely with many of my pink outfits. :)

So, I got to tan for 3 straight days. Who knew they made tanning beds just my size???

When not in the bed, I had a blanket to focus on my midsection. (Who wants a white belly when sporting a 2-piece swimsuit?)

Sometimes I got bored when laying in the bed, so I found ways to keep myself entertained...

And as quickly as the tanning bed was delivered, it was taken away.
Not before I got a nice tan - and the yellow is all gone!

Brennen Emma

Entering the World - Au Naturale

Exciting news at the Peacock house! We have a GUEST EDITOR for The Peacocks Blog!
Introducing BRENNEN EMMA PEACOCK!

First of all, I'd like to thank my Mom and Dad for bringing me into this world. I am DELIGHTED for the opportunity to share my thoughts and insight as a guest editor on this blog. And BOY - do I have a great story to start with!

"My Entrance Into This World - Au Naturale"

Saturday, April 7th was a busy one. Aunt Molly and her friend Laura were in town for the Lady Antebellum concert. Mom and I had so much work to get done - changing bed sheets, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming, shopping, oh and cleaning out the tornado shelter. I decided that I could help out as well - I kept trying to use my hands - but this darn uterus was getting in my way. Nothing some pushing and moving out of my way couldn't fix. "I'm on my way Mommy."

I started trying to wiggle my way out about 7:30am that morning. All my efforts only temporarily distracted Mommy with slight cramps every 30 minutes on and off all day. We had lots of work to get done, so I didn't try THAT hard to get out. We got all of our chores completed and even made a trip to WalMart for groceries. It was approaching 4pm, and we needed to get started prepping our dinner, as we were leaving the house for the concert at 6pm.

I remember hearing Daddy's voice announcing he was home around 4:15pm. (I sure loved hearing Daddy talk to me every day. His voice is so soothing...) We were getting fixins' for quesadillas ready and I decided that this was one meal I wanted to have in person - so I made the decision to get this ball rolling. And all of a sudden, I felt Mommy stop moving. Yep, that did the trick - a good ol' contraction. I think I'll keep reminding her I want to eat too every 5 minutes or so. I don't think she was happy about this as I recall her moaning and complaining of pain and just wanting to use the restroom. A LOT. 5 minutes was really too long of a pause, so I moved up my reminders to every 2-3 minutes. It was now 5:15pm.

Daddy called the hospital and inquired about when we should arrive. I thought, "I've done it for real! They are going to help me get out and get a quesadilla!" Hospital bags and my car seat all packed up, we finally decided to get in the car. En route to hospital at 6:00pm.

Mommy walked into the hospital by herself and chatted with the Registration lady before we walked to the elevators to go to Triage on the 2nd floor. A very nice nurse wanted to communicate with me, so she strapped up a monitor to Mommy and I was able to chat it up. I was doing just fine, but Mommy's blood pressure was up pretty high. After 15 minutes of evaluation, we learned we would get to stay in the hospital for good (quesadillas anyone?)

So excited about the news, I began to nudge for my quesadilla reminder every minute. More intense and closer together gets you what you want, right? The doctor came into the room and examined Mommy. She even ended up tickling my head! Silly lady - get out of the way so I can come out! The doctor had to break Mommy's water and noted I was ready to come out. As the doctor and nurses were preparing the labor room, I heard someone ask Mommy if she wanted to push and WOW! She said YES really quickly. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't a Mommy be hooked up to an IV and have some meds for this? Narcotics, epidural? Nah, not for my Mommy. Woah, woah, woah - I think this is happening faster than I anticipated. Just like that, I was being shoved out of my home. Squeezed out is more like it - talk about outstaying my welcome.

Showing my true coordination, I gave 3 more contractions and Mommy pushed 3 times and "TADA - HERE I AM!" I was born at 7:45pm. I weighed a slim 7 pounds and was 20 inches tall.

I was so excited to see Mommy and Daddy's faces. Tears of joy, along with my tears of a freezing cold room and having to breathe on my own, filled the room. The nurse lady finally got an IV for my Mommy while another one continued to ask hospital admittance questions. Shouldn't this have been done BEFORE? Oh right, I wanted out too fast. Well, like Mommy, like Brennen. Fast deliveries tend to run in the family.

So, 3 hours and 15 minutes of true labor, from start to delivery. Not too shabby, for myself.

Thanks for listening to my very first story. I'll have plenty more to entertain you with along the way.

Brennen Emma

And, I know you're DYING to know - I DID get my quesadilla, just not until the next day. Aunt Molly brought it up to me at the hospital (the food there sure was bland!)

Little Miss Peacock's Room! (as promised...)

5 weeks left for Little Miss Peacock's arrival - and I think we're ready.

Feels good to have the nursery completely functional and ready to go at anytime.

I'm in love with our theme and colors. The brown and pink is a favorite of mine - and we had always said we wanted the "African Safari" as the theme. I love my variation of the 2.

The art on the walls actually is one large mural (3 feet by 5 feet) that I did not want all on one wall. So I broke apart the individual animals to place 1 mural on each wall. Just traced and then painted with acrylic paint. The leaves of the trees I just utilized a towel for the texturing - and LOVED it.







We were fortunate in getting the furniture. I found all of it in a bundle combination, but 2 times I went to order it, it was out of stock. One day, I clicked again and it was in stock, so I was ordered. AND EARLY. We've had it since November, but I happened to see again that it's out of stock. So popular! The crib converts into the graduating stages (not sure why anyone wouldn't want this option) and the dresser and bookshelf will be used in the bedroom for years to come.

I love all the stuffed animals we have - I think a little too much for an infant, but she'll love having them in a few months.

Here's the rest of the photos of the nursery. My mom is making a quilt that is pink and brown striped, reversed with brown polka dots. Matching window valance and crib end organizer also. Can't wait until they arrive to complete the full look.

She's almost here!

Less than 6 weeks before Little Miss Peacock makes her way into the world!

She "smiled for the camera" today for us at my appointment. Just can't keep those hands away from her face.



Juandre and I are as prepared as we can be for her arrival. The nursery is almost complete (I will post separately with those pics) and ready to go.

Stay tuned - once she's here, more pics to come!

It's a...

Short and sweet post today...

Week 18 of the pregnancy is here. We can't believe it's almost the halfway point! Our little one will be here before we know it!



(Apologies if the 4D photo creeps anyone out...it kinda does me!)




AND...we've found out, we're having a GIRL!



Big promises on future posts in the next few months. Thanksgiving trip to Hawaii and then 2 1/2 weeks traveling the Southeastern U.S. with family from South Africa will provide MUCH to blog about!

The "Semi-Annual" Peacock Post

Yeah...as we've seen - I am NOT a good blogger. And I feel really badly about it.

Perhaps once we have children, I might be more apt to update this thing.
So for now, let's just keep the expectations low - and if I post more than every 6 months, it will be a present to everyone! :)

Juandre has successfully completed his first year as a PhD student; however is continuing to be busy throughout the summer. Working on his Thesis, grant work and taking classes, "summer" as he remembers it is not exactly a time for R&R. He is anxiously counting down the days until football season starts - in particular, OU football. We have purchased season tickets this year, taking advantage of the availability while he is a student. (No, I'm NOT a traitor...I support ALL college sports, especially those who have a good, historical tradition. I still have a BEAK!)

My sister Molly completed her MBA from Wichita State this year. It was nice to see her hard work come to an end! :)




On May 27, Juandre became a U.S. Citizen. Almost 12 years in the U.S., he's earned it. :) It's a nice relief to know any traveling to and from the States will no longer have the worries of not being allowed back in the country.



This past weekend, we celebrated the 4th weekend with our close friends, the Blignauts. It was a great time to gather, especially with their oldest son who has just returned from Afghanistan. We are thankful to have him home, as an attack took the lives of many of his troop. We enjoyed barbeque and games and mostly, the pool. Bella even joined in on the fun!



So, for now, we'll continue to make the best of our EXCEPTIONALLY HOT early Summer and wind down towards the Fall. With school starting and football season kicking off, we know that some BIG events are coming our way. Juandre, myself and my family are taking a Thanksgiving trip to Maui, Hawaii. Then, our South African visitors will be coming for a month, ensuing a 2 week road trip of many of the Southern States of the U.S.

Stay cool everyone!

2nd post in 10 days!!!

Look at me! I AM posting frequently again! :)

For Juandre's birthday on December 29th, we went to Lawrence for a KU basketball game. I booked us a hotel room with massages at the spa at the Oread hotel on campus. Upon checking in, we were told we received a complimentary upgrade for our room. Sure did!
We were put in the condo suite, the best room at the hotel. What a great birthday present for Juandre! The room was great, our company (Pete and Lacy Williams) was great and the game was great!

For the full album of pictures from our trip, including the fabulous shots of our hotel room, visit our Shutterfly site.

Juandre's semester starts in about 2 weeks - he's getting a little stir crazy in the house. Work is gearing up for our National Sales Conference for me, plus we have many open positions in which I do most of the recruiting for. Busy times heading into Spring at the Peacock house!