Family Rehearsal Dinner

Hubby and I got on the road at 10:30pm MST Wednesday night and arrived at his parents home in St. Louis at 5:00pm CST Thursday afternoon.

We were due at his brother's wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at 6:30pm.

I'd say we clean up pretty well, in a hurry, when need be:

Here are some other pictures of the fun night:

4 and 3 Amazing Years

4 years ago today, the most wonderful man in the world (although I didn't know he was the most wonderful man in the world at the time... I just knew he was pretty interesting, and worth getting to know) asked me out on our first date.

3 years ago today, the most wonderful man in the world offered me the most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen (in a snowstorm, with 12 new inches of snow beneath us) asked me to be his wife.

Today is a very special day to us... and both memories feel like yesterday -- and ages ago.  These have been 4 and 3 amazing years, and I am more in love with my husband today than ever before.

I cannot put the last 3 or 4 years into words except to say I love being married to this man.  We grow closer together every day, every week, every year.  There is no challenge we cannot face together, and we become better at loving each other with every challenge that comes our way.  I see God's love in this man every day, and he challenges me to be more like Jesus every day.  I love every day with him, and I can't imagine forever being enough time with him.  I am so grateful and humbled that God chose him for me.

Treasuring the Present: Predictability

I struggled a little in deciding on what I could treasure in the present today.  I found myself making a sarcastic list about treasuring how tired I am... but at least I can sleep through the night at the moment -- things like that.

 We have so much on the horizon right now that is either exciting or overwhelming depending on the moment you ask me.

After thinking about all that is ahead of us, I realized that today, I am grateful for predictability.  There are two more days to this week before Hubby and I head to St. Louis for his brother's wedding... and I am grateful for the predictability of life together.

We have a few busy days coming up, but Hubby and I have our routine, we have learned how to work together and support each other during busy weeks, and we will eventually get out of town, with both animals, and loaded down like Santa's sleigh, to travel to St. Louis.

Our life is about to change in a HUGE way... but for today, it is still just the two of us, with two animals... and I am very grateful for how predictable, dependable, and beautiful our "just the two of us" life is.

Preggers I: 33 Weeks

33 Weeks

 

Playing with our kitty baby, while she's still the only baby.

How far along?  33 weeks

How I am feeling?  Well, emotional.  Physically I'm feeling well, but I do notice myself getting overwhelmed, whiny, and emotional suddenly and without warning.

 

How big is baby?  The size of a durian fruit...17.2-18.7 inches, and 4.2-5.8 pounds.

Sleep:  Sleep is my best friend these days, which is sad because there are so many other things I'd rather be doing this time of year BESIDES sleeping.

 

Boy/Girl Prediction:  No prediction.

 

Baby Nicknames:  Pretty much Baby, Jitterbug, Nugget, or Little One

Best moment this week:  This week has been very productive as we've done the following: baby laundry, baby clothes organization, set up our hospital tour, and began packing our hospital bag.  It feels really good to check things off major TO-DO list.

 

Food cravings:  Coconut shrimp, food that is spicy, and cheerios... but I've been trying to eat more hard-boiled eggs for protein rather than my cravings.

Missing:   My usual energy during this time of year, and time to relax and soak in the Christmas season.

 

Movements:  I feel like I write the same thing every week, but I LOVE these baby movements!  Feeling our little one move and kick is my favorite thing in the world.  My favorite times are when I'm stretched out in bed, so the baby has a little more room, and can kick to its heart's content without making me uncomfortable.

Labor Signs:  No.  Thank goodness!

General Attitude:  Focusing on saving as much energy as possible so I can be a great bridesmaid, and wife on Saturday at Chris' brother's wedding in St. Louis.  It's going to be a LOOOONG day, and I'm a bridesmaid, and Hubby is best man.  I'm so excited to be a part of this wedding, so I'm doing everything I can to gear myself up to have all the energy necessary to make it a wonderful day.

What I am looking forward to this week:  It will feel so nice to welcome in Christmas break.  We are going to have a CRAZY busy Christmas vacation, but I'm excited to have a break from work and have a few weeks to focus on family, Hubby and Baby.

Milestones:  Well, I'm not happy about this milestone, but, at the instruction of my husband, I have removed my rings for the duration of my pregnancy.  I have 4 rings I wear every day (my wedding ring, engagement ring, and two small rings that were my sister's), and every day I take off 3 rings and leave my wedding band on all the time.  Well, after church, Hubby saw me struggling to get my 3 rings off, and told me, the time had come to surrender all four of the rings until after the baby arrives.  I'm so bummed about it, because I LOVE my rings... they are each very sentimental to me, and I wear them daily for a reason.  Also, I DID NOT want to be 8 and 9 months pregnant without a wedding band.  So, Hubby and I went to Wal-Mart, and I now have a larger, very simple pregnancy wedding band that will suffice until I can put my beautiful engagement and wedding rings back on.

 

1000 Words

1000 Words

**Note:  These clothes are SO tiny!  I experiencing the exact opposite phenomenon I experienced when Hubby and I were first married.  His clothes seemed so BIG when we were first married -- all those loads of laundry compared to my clothes.  Now, these baby clothes seem SO TINY!  So many little baby clothes fit into one load.

Worth 7 Minutes

If you have 7 minutes, this is worth your time.  Hubby and I were laughing really hard.

Friday Letters: FRIDAY!!!

• Dear Friday, OH FRIDAY!!!  WELCOME!!!  I have been needing you since Monday.  This has been a LOOOONG, hard week.
• Dear Christmas Cards,  This weekend, it's you and me!  You are getting finished and mailed!!!
• Dear Today, I am absolutely savoring today, and this weekend.  One week from today, Hubby and I will be on Christmas break (yay!)... but we will be in St. Louis, running around like crazy for Chris' brother's wedding, up to our ears in family, and probably a little tired.  Not that we are not looking forward to the wedding in St. Louis -- its going to be beautiful... but I am SAVORING TODAY!!!  This is a Friday before a weekend with my hubby.  We get to spend time together, keep preparing our home for baby, enjoy our beautifully decorated Christmas house, and relax!!!
•  Dear Beautifully Decorated Christmas House, I have not bragged about you on my blog yet... time to fix that!

I love our beautiful Christmas tree -- it's real -- chopped down by us in the rocky mountains

I absolutely LOVE this nativity scene -- I keep it up all year long, but I add lights at Christmas

LOOK AT OUR STOCKINGS!!!  We're really going to be a Mama and Daddy!

• Dear Little Baby,  I LOVE feeling you move in my belly!!!  It is the craziest, AWESOMEST thing EVER!  Hubby and I can actually see my belly moving when you move how, and it is crazy -- and awesome!!!  I am going to miss this so much when you're born.
• Dear Tears,  You were really necessary this week.  A few days, things were really hard, until I burst into tears and bawled on my husband's shoulders... then things seemed manageable again. 
• Dear Friday-the-13th, I LOVE THIS DATE!!!
• Dear Lexie, I'm glad that you're liking our little pack-n-play for the baby.  You will have to give this up when the baby arrives.

I covered the pack-n-play and bassinet with a quilt, and Lexie loves the new nest.

• Dear Lloydey, I'm glad you're feeling better after your week of allergic reactions.
• Dear Lord, Thank you for your protection and provision.
• Dear Newest Ornament On Our Tree, You are hard to photograph... but I absolutely love you!  What a wonderful addition to our tree -- Hubby and me with our sports teams, and our teacher's books... and our animals, anticipating our little baby.  I love the life changes that are depicted in our ornaments each year!  :-D

I LOVE this ornament.
Check out LissaLou Designs on Etsy.