Everett James

My nephew, Everett James, was born while I was visiting my family in Illinois. It was special to be at the hospital when he was born and be able to see him at just a couple hours old. He is adorable!

Everett James

7 lbs. 1 oz. 

22 inches

September 11, 2012

Everett James

 

 

 

Mum and Pop admire their first grandson

Future golfer, just like Daddy

Meeting Aunt Tasha

Bright, beautiful eyes

Cute little yawn!

14 Weeks

Woohoo! We've made it to the second trimester! I have to admit, I was hoping that once I hit 14 weeks, the nausea would magically disappear and my energy would reappear. So far it hasn't, but that's alright. I am thankful both have improved. I am just enjoying being pregnant and so thankful to be in this position, that I will gladly take the nausea and naps!

This week I've spent a lot of time thinking about the reality of the impact this will have on our lives. A lot of time has been spent debating over which doctor to use, decor for the nursery, names, what to register for, and other less important issues. I just finished reading "A Love that Multiplies" by Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar (more to come on that in another post) and it brought to mind many areas of parenting and child-rearing. I have enjoyed spending time in thought, prayer, reading, and meditating over some of these areas. My approach with this pregnancy has been to educate myself as much as I can about a variety of topics. I use this same philosophy when considering parenting. I realize that I won't have a full understanding until I am knee-deep in parenting and experiencing it first hand. I realize that some of my thoughts, opinions, and goals will change. And I'm alright with that. However, I want to be intentional in how we raise our children. I find it worthy of much thought, prayer, studying, and discussion. So, that's what's been on my mind this week.

Oh, and picking out fabric for the nursery. :)

12 Weeks

Woohoo! We have hit 12 weeks! I am so excited for the second trimester to be right around the corner. I'm already feeling like I have a little more energy, but I do still enjoy my naps! :) I'm looking forward to  heading home to Illinois to meet my niece and (hopefully) nephew this week. We're anxiously awaiting my nephew's arrival into the world.

6 & 11 Week Baby Bump

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to document my growing belly. I love seeing pictures of women as they grow and change throughout the pregnancy. I took a picture a few days after I found out at 6 weeks to show the starting point. I got it all ready to post, but knew it would have to wait until after we made the official announcement. Since there haven't been  many changes between 6 weeks and now, I waited to take another picture until I reached 11 weeks. It's my hope to take a picture each week and share a few things I want to remember.

Last time wearing that dress for a while!

I think the dress makes the picture a little deceiving!

And Baby Makes 3!

Words cannot express how excited and thankful we are to announce that we are expecting our first little blessing on March 23, 2013!

We have known that we are pregnant for a little over a month and it has been HARD keeping our little secret! I am thankful to be feeling pretty well so far. I've had a little nausea, but nothing too miserable. Our first appointment was last Tuesday and we were able to hear the heartbeat! What a special moment! I could have listened to that sound all day, but the OB was in a hurry to move along with the appointment.

There's no denying that I'm pregnant! I haven't had crazy cravings, just have moments when only one specific thing sounds appetizing. Last night, we were laying in bed around 10:30 and I was hungry (which is a constant state for me). Chris looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I really wanted a salad from a salad bar. Ice cold lettuce, crisp peas, egg, ham, cheese, onions, ranch dressing, sunflower seeds, and croutons. I couldn't get it out of my mind! Earlier in the night it was a blizzard from Dairy Queen. That's all I could think about! Of course, I'm too lazy and practical to give into the cravings. I never understood the hype about pregnant women getting cravings, but I completely understand now! I find myself buying things at the grocery store I would have never considered buying before. Chicken nuggets are on my list for today. I don't know if I've ever bought chicken nuggets, but I'm buying some today!

I hope my lovely readers don't get tired of reading about the baby! If so, you might want to stay away from the blog for a while (or forever)! It's the most exciting thing in our life right now! Much more exciting than reading about the dog! :)

Charleston and Savannah Trip

Chris and I enjoyed a much-needed getaway to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA last week. It was a bit of a spontaneous trip, but I love those the most! Charleston and Savannah have been on both of our lists of "must see" places for quite some time. The trip was a lot of fun and a perfect time together. There was so much to do in both cities. We enjoyed seeing the sites, doing some of the touristy things, eating a lot of good food, but mostly just being together. My favorite part of the trip was the time we spent just strolling through the streets, window shopping, and admiring the beautiful southern homes. 

Our only picture together from the trip.

We arrived in Charleston around 5 pm Tuesday afternoon. After checking into our room, we headed out to start walking the streets of Charleston. We came across this beautiful church cemetery and gardens.

This was my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and serene to watch the sailboats and listen to the waves.

 

 

 

Wednesday morning we visited Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. The oak-lined drive was beautiful!

Boone Hall Plantation in Charleston. This is still a working plantation, which provides produce and crops for local restaurants and a farmer's market. The outside of the home was used in the movie "The Notebook." It was absolutely beautiful and beautiful grounds!

Slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

A glimpse into the slave quarters at Boone Hall Plantation.

One of the beautiful churches in Charleston

Beautiful Antebellum homes in Charleston

Rainbow Row in Charleston

Drayton Hall Plantation in Charleston

Our room at the Savannah Bed and Breakfast Inn in Savannah for Thursday night.

City Hall (I think?) in Savannah. The dome on top is real gold!

The beautiful, oak-lined drive to the Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah.

A colonial establishment on the grounds of Wormsloe,

The ruins at Wormsloe. The drive and the walk to the site was so beautiful, but it was a little disappointing to only see some stone rubble.

We ate supper at Lady and Sons in Savannah on Thursday night. It was yummy!

Karen Kingsbury

As you know, I love to read. I love to read a variety of genres and topics. You can see from the reading list on the sidebar the wide range of books I've read so far this year. Reading is a way for me to explore, learn, escape, and relax.

My very favorite author is Karen Kingsbury. I know I can pick up one of her books and be captivated, inspired, and encouraged. She is a talented Christian fiction author. While I don't completely agree with some doctrinal points she makes in her writing (i.e. Armenianism), I can get past that and enjoy the basic Christian values represented.

I have her newest novel, "Coming Home," sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I've had it for about a month, but I've been hesitant to read it and be done. I've read almost all of her books and I hate waiting for a new one to come out. I just found out that she has another novel being released in October, so if I read "Coming Home" I won't have to wait too long for the new one.

Out of the 46 novels she's written, most of them are part of a series. She has written 10 different series and 12 stand-alone books (not including children's books). If you're interested in reading some of her books but you're not sure you want to be completely sucked in, I would recommend starting with one of her stand-alone books. I was going to suggest one, but I can't pick my favorite. If you want to go at it full force, then start with "Redemption." You can check out her website for the full list of books and the series orders. If you start reading the series out of order, you will be confused.

So what are you waiting for? Check out her website, pick out a book, then go to the library, and start reading. Just make sure you don't have anything to do for several hours (or days) and a box of tissues handy.

Latest from my craft room

I've been spending a lot of time in my craft room lately, which I love! Baby gifts for my nephew due in September has been the focus of my attention, among a slew of other random projects. I wasn't sure that sewing for a baby boy would be as fun as it is for baby girls, but I was wrong! I had to resist the urge to make ruffles and bows, but I enjoyed finding new ideas. I've included links to the tutorials I used for most of the items. I wish I could say I came up with these ideas on my own, but the truth is that I'm just really good at copying other peoples' ideas. :)

Onesies and mittens

Tummy time mat with loops for toys - - idea from here

Door muffler and taggie

Picture of how the door muffler is used

Burp cloths

Pee pee teepees

Changing mat, wipe case, carrier

Nursing cover

Quilt

Craft Wars

Have you seen the previews for the new show starting on TLC?!?! Craft Wars starts tomorrow night and I can't wait! From the previews, it looks like this is just the show for me. Three crafters compete to create winning masterpieces using only items provided.  It's on kind of late (10 EST), so the DVR is set to record just in case I fall asleep.

Realty TV + crafting = awesome!

Lily Jane

I want to introduce you to the newest love of my life. My sweet niece, Lily Jane, was born last Wednesday, June 13th. She was born at 9:21 pm weighing 7 lbs 12 oz and 20 3/4 inches long. I have yet to see her in person and hold her, but I already know she's just precious. My brother has been great to send me several pictures every day documenting her exciting life so far. I can't wait for August to get here so I can hold her!

Our first glimpse of Lily just hours old

Lily holding onto her Daddy's finger

 

 

 

One day old

Getting her hearing checked - - this picture makes me smile!

4 days old and just hanging out

We got to Skype with Lily (and my brother, sister-in-law, Mom and Dad) on Saturday night

3 Days Old

8 days old and out on her first shopping trip

Dream Jobs

If you ask a small child what they want to be when they grow up, you're likely to get some slightly outlandish answers. Astronaut, President, archeologist, baseball player, chef....these are all typical answers. I can only remember four things I said I wanted to be when I grew up: doctor (pediatrician), teacher, wife, and mother. Now, my Mom might remember other aspirations from when I was younger, but these are the only four answers I can remember giving to the favorite question. I held onto the dream of being a pediatrician until I was in middle school when I learned just how much schooling was required. I  knew that my main goal was to be a mother and going to school for a gazillion years and working ridiculous hours wouldn't work so well with raising a posse of little tykes. So I switched to wanting to be a teacher. Specifically, I wanted to be a special education teacher. Growing up, I had a very good friend with cerebral palsy. I loved to play with her and help her in school. I wasn't interested in doing my own work because I wanted to help Brooke first. I loved doing hand-over-hand to help her with her assignments. I thought her switchboard was the coolest thing to help her make choices and answer questions. Then my cousin was diagnosed with autism when I was in middle school. Even though we didn't live close, I enjoyed spending summers with my grandparents and helping with his therapy. In high school, I read an article in our local paper about a young family who had recently moved to the area. Their daughter has cerebral palsy and they were looking for volunteers to help with therapy in their home. I was excited to get to know this family and help with her therapy. From the first time I met her, she reminded me of Brooke. Her parents were also homeschooling her and I was able to help with some of her schooling. These three experiences combined led me to the desire to be a special education teacher.

Now, at the age of 25, I have been able to experience two of my dreams. In 2008, I was blessed to become a wife to a wonderful man. Being a wife has been the greatest joy and blessing. I know I don't always do my job well, but the Lord is merciful and my husband is patient. In 2009, I was blessed to teach for one year in a great school with an amazing group of kids. That year changed my life in many ways and helped prepare me for where I am today. There are days when I long to get back into teaching, but mainly just to teach that same class again. I know this isn't possible and life moves on, but I still think about my students every single day.

Being a pediatrician is no longer a dream of mine, but being a mother still is. We hope and pray the Lord would bless us in that way. Until then, I enjoy making a list of "dream jobs" I would like to have. Most of these I would like to experience for just one day, but others are a little more serious. Here's my current list:

• Small business owner -own a craft, vintage, home decor type business
• Author - I've often considered writing about dating, caregiving, the challenges of being a young Christian in such a worldly society
• Photographer
• Clothing Designer - specifically modest clothing for women and young girls
• Chef/Caterer
• Doula
• Operate a Christian pregnancy care center
• Bat girl for the St. Louis Cardinals :)

What are some of your "dream jobs?"

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is a very special day. It's my Dad's birthday.Woohoo!

Happy Birthday Dad!!! 

I love you! 

Dad and Me at a Cardinals game, 2010

Proud Pop admiring his first granddaughter, Lily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Wedding Day, 2008

One of those days

I'm having one of those days where my brain isn't quite firing correctly. Some people might be convinced every day is one of those days for me, but I object. They just seem to happen to me more often than other folks.

In the 4 hours that I was out running errands today the following things occurred:

• Tried to use library card at the ATM
• Forgot my headphones and armband to workout at the gym (an hour workout with no music is PAINFUL!!!)
• Forgot to bring a post workout snack
• Realize I forgot my purse at home. Thankfully, I grabbed my wallet, but not my purse. I struggled through Walmart as I tried to juggle my wallet (which refused to stay closed), keys, phone, and shopping list. Of course, today would be the day I chose to wear a skirt, thus no pockets. 
• Got incredibly distracted  by every odd thing I saw in Walmart. It's Walmart, so that's A LOT of distractions! One of the most interesting sites which caused a great deal of pondering was the guy I saw with 5 potatoes in his cart, not in one of the little plastic bags. Just sitting in his cart. 
• Dropped my phone in the parking lot as I was trying to juggle getting everything loaded in the car. Cracked the screen. Awesome.
• Chugged a bottle of chocolate milk and a package of almonds. Then wanted to puke after realizing I consumed more calories than I just worked off at the gym. 
• Go to Aldi where I'm so flustered I forget several things on my list. 
• Nearly back into someone backing out of my parking space at the library. 

I think I should go to bed and try again tomorrow. Let's all pray no one gets seriously injured throughout the rest of the evening. Amen. 

Black Thumb

Both of my parents are wonderful gardeners. Their yard is perfectly landscaped and they enjoy spending time working to keep it looking great. My mom always has a ton of flowers planted in the flower beds, pots around the yard, and hanging baskets on the porch. Growing up, when people would find out where I lived, they would usually make a comment about how pretty our yard was. Dad has done a great job landscaping all of the yard. It looks professionally done.

Let's just say their gardening abilities were not passed down to me. I don't know if they were passed down to my other siblings. I haven't seen any evidence of it. But I can't keep a plant alive for anything!

Case in point #1:

 

This poinsettia was given to us as a housewarming gift when we first moved here. It was so full and beautiful. Once the Christmas season was over, it got moved to our patio. It's still alive, but pretty sad looking. I might remember to put some water in it once a week or so. Poor poinsettia.

Case in point #2:

Chris bought this hanging basket shortly after we moved in. Like the poinsettia, it was full and beautiful and really helped brighten up the front entrance. I did really well remembering to water it at first, but it slowly started slipping my mind. Once it got to sad and unattractive for the front of the house, it was also moved to the patio. I was excited that the one measly flower popped up after I watered it one day this week. It really is a sad, sad story.

Up until last week, those were the only two plants we had under our care. Our yard is beautifully landscaped, but the landlords pay someone to take care of it. Very wise choice on their part!

Last week, we added a new plant to our care:


 

We bought this beauty at IKEA for only $1.99! I thought that was a good price to pay for something that might end up dead in a few months. The cute pot was also only $1.99. The best part about this plant: it only needs to be watered every 5-6 days! The instructions say that it needs to be completely dry before watering again. Perfect for me!

I have high hopes for this little guy! Perhaps my black thumb will begin turning shades of green.