Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!

Another Christmas come and gone.

Next year will be all that more exciting! And even the years to follow!

We spent this year in town, and although my family was dearly missed, I’ve learned the secret to a much less holiday season… staying home! Christmas eve we went to the afternoon service at church and enjoyed watching the adult choir but not as much as the infamous children’s choir! Where you see little ones waving to family or adjusting clothing or singing silly because the spotlight it on! Or of course just fascinated with staring at the crowd that has no problem staring back! Brandon and I decided we are definitely excited to see one of our own among the group in years to come!

After service we went to B’s grandparents house for dinner and watched the little kids experience the excitement of santa and gifts!

Christmas morning was just the two of us {or three really!!}. As we slept in til 9 or so we took it all in knowing this will be the last Christmas we will sleep in for a LONG time!! And we exchanged gifts and stockings we had stuffed for each other and then lounged in our pj’s until about 1 o’clock! It was great!

In the evening B’s mom and family came over for dinner and we had a great time just visiting and laughing and of course eating!

Yes it’s true, I think I’m rounding a corner finally!! It still hits me every couple days, where I’ll be throwing up all day and then for a couple more days I’ll be fine… We are at about 11 or 12 wks {give or take} so it’s about the right time to be wrapping it up. And boy are we ready for that!! It’s been just as hard for B to watch me go through the constant puking as it has for me and my body.

I’m starting to show a tiny bit.. . my pants are rather tight, but we are expecting to grow considerably here in the next couple months!! Baby Cakes is already grown from an embryo and is now considered a baby {or fetus}!! My uterus is the size of an orange or so and will continue to grow and press on my bladder more and more! Oh goody 

Hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did and God Bless you in the New Year!!

Finally Had One…

I’ve had quite a few people ask me if I’ve had any cravings yet…

I usually look at them like they are crazy since pretty much the smell of 99% of foods, let alone the thought of most foods, makes me feel sick. How can I have a craving for something when food seems to be my enemy these days?!

Seriously I’ve been living on fruit popsicles and sprite most of the time. Once in a while I can eat a little of a real meal. But…

For a couple days now I’ve had a craving for this resturante we have called Atlanta Bread Company, it’s just like a Panera Bread, but better! And I always order a pickle on the side…

Today I wanted more… so Brandon went up and got me a plate of about 4 pickles!! They were so GOOD!! I wanted more after that, but decided not to push it since I spent a few times with my head over the thrown yesterday.

Pickles! Yum!

Baby Cakes Is Getting Bigger!!

We had another appointment today since we went in so early on for the last appointment. She wanted to see us again. And she took some pictures for us!!

You can see the head and even little hands… if you look closely!! The head is to the far right and one hand is on the top. On the screen in the Dr. office we could see the heartbeat again {too soon to hear it yet} and the image was bigger and clearer. We could make out the nose even!! I can’t believe how big it’s gotten in just three weeks!!

My pregnancy book said that if the baby grew at the same rate it is now after it’s born, after one month it would be 15ft tall!! Baby Cakes is growing FAST!!

Our next appointment is Jan. 7th and we will have an hour ultrasound that time! Can’t wait 

If you want to compare from the last ultrasound click here.

Time For An Update.

We have been out of town for the last two weeks on a trip for work so I haven’t been able to post in that long!

The trip was good, got some training in, but we are so happy and glad to be back home. This year I am actually so excited for Christmas! Usually I am stressed out with shopping and I was pretty much always traveling this time of year. Maybe this year is different because we kind of skipped a Christmas last year being deployed of the season. And it could also be that this year we are setting our traditions and having the holiday the way we want it. I have a house to decorate and we are staying home for the holiday this year!

We got back into town yesterday afternoon and we both wanted to get our Christmas tree up right away! I’ve been feeling much better as I’ve found a routine that works and drugs to help manage the vomiting. So we out and found our tree at a local nursery. We were both so in the mood we decided to get a wreath for the door and another decoration, and cider!! We hurried home to get the tree in water and started stringing lights.

I’m still getting tired easily and some days its worse than others {although everyday I feel like I could lay down and sleep ALL day!} so we stopped after the lights and went to bed. We plan on finishing the tree this after noon and what better weather with some snow on the ground that appeared over night! The sun is shining now and it will proably all melt by this evening but I’m soaking in every minute of it!

It’s so cute while we are decorating we both stop to think now and then what it will be like next year and the years to come when we have little feet and little hands to help us bring in the Christmas spirit and it excites us both for the next chapter of our lives together!!

I’m Excited –

…about this book!

This adorable pattern book has all the patterns you need to make the full crib set, a diaper bag, bibs, changing table top and a TON of other cute baby stuff!! When I first saw this book I just knew I would have to make our little one’s bedroom set accessories!! It will mean so much more and I KNOW i’ll have a blast doing it. The next fun step is picking out the material!!

Not only will this book be inspiration for Baby Cakes room, but also for adorable little gifts! Which I plan on having time to do when Baby Cakes is born and I am able to stay home. I’ll have more time to make things and I’m just dying to get there!!

In other news, we got home from a wonderful relaxing vacation in Cali and I must say that the trip home was so much easier than the trip out! I think I got a routine figured out that allows me to be functional and not just have to put up with the sickness.  Which makes me very happy. Considering we will be leaving again on Monday for a two week trip to Lousiana for our work.

Our next Dr appt will be when we get back. Dec 15th will be just over 8 weeks along and the Dr wanted to see us again that soon because she wants to keep us on the ’4wk’ cycle. Normally you aren’t seen at all until the 8th or 9th week, unless you’ve had complications, but we weren’t quite as far along as we originally thought.

As I get projects done for Baby Cakes room, I’ll post!!

Note To Self:

Traveling in the first trimester is not a good idea!

Especially if you JUST started throwing up everything the day before…

This happened to me yesterday {if you couldn’t tell}. We were leaving for CA to visit family and our flight left home @ 6:15, this ment we had to be up about 3:30 AM!! So I did the normal routine of sitting up slowly and eating a few crackers and sipped a little water. I also switched to taking my prenatal vitamins at night in hopes of keeping them down! I felt a little nausea but ok for the most part.

I got up and got ready and decided that since I didn’t know what the airport would be like and when I might get to snack again, I tried to sip a little orange juice for some substance and a little sugar. I proceeded to finish getting us ready to head out the door…

It hit me just as we were leaving… and I lost everything! But I felt much better. So we took off to the airport and got checked in, meanwhile my tummy is growling at me, loud! We take the little concourse train to our terminal and I make a bee line for the nearest bathroom. Apperantly I didn’t get it all at home… so I got it all there at the airport bathroom.

Still feeling shaky, we got to our gate and sat down. The McDonalds was open so Brandon went and got me some Sprite to sip on and hopefully help sooth my stomach. It was, except everyone around me we eating breakfast food and the smells where WAY too much for me…

Once we got on the airplane, I looked to see where the nearest bathroom was, luckely we were very near by! I just concentrated on breathing and staying calm and sipping my Sprite. Half way through the flight I headed to the bathroom to see if I could throw up again, since I always feel so much better afterwards! Of course I couldn’t but standing up felt good and the bathroom actally smelled like a really fresh clean which for some reason helped me  feel better too. So I wasn’t able to get myself to throw up so I went back to my seat.

Brandon had ordered a drink and it was gone, but the ice looked appealing so I started sucking on it and that helped a bit. We landed and we had a lay over of over an hour for our next and final flight in. We had to walk to a whole other terminal and and one point passed a couple of resturants. The smells didn’t do anything, because I had my nose plugged, but I made the mistake of looking at the Krispy Kreme sign and completely lost it… I looked for the closest trash can and used it. Luckily there was a pillar  on my right side and Brandon blocked my left side. But I DID feel better after wards!!

Eventually I was able to eat a cracker and continued one every 5 min or so, very slowly. And Brandon had gotten me a water that had electrolytes in it, so that helped. We finally made it in to San Diego and it wasn’t til we got off again that I started feeling just a little nausea. I belive it’s cause my body was so week since I hardly had any calories in me.

My dad and his wife, Cheri, took us to Seaport villages in San Diego and we walked around a little bit. I was able to sip on a fruit smoothy and get a little substance in me.

I also briefly talked to Cheri’s cousin, who is an OB, and she suggested a few things that have already helped me so far this morning! For one she said to stop taking the prenatal vitamins as they may be the cause of my throwing up. She said right now in the pregnancy I really only need Folic Acid which aids the baby’s brain and heart developing. And to start taking the prenatal again when the nasea subsides. Also, she suggested taking Unisom, just half a tablet and that will help with the nausea {so far it has} and then if that doesn’t work she wrote me a perscription for something that should help also. All of these things are proven to be safe for the baby and many women use them through their pregnancy.

She also said it may be that I live on cold slushies and smoothies for a while as those seem to help sooth the  stomach a bit.

Like I said, so far this morning I have been feeling much better, so she must know what she is talking about!

Another exciting thing is she said we could come in on Wed and she would do an ultrasound for my Dad {Cheri has to work} so he can see little Baby Cakes!! How sweet is that!

I am just excited that I will be able to eat Turkey day dinner! Atleast some of it 

Baby Cakes 1st Dr’s Appointment!

Dr Etten is who we saw for our first pre-natal appt yesterday and so far we really like her. After I checked in I had to give a urine sample and I will do that at every visit I have there after. I guess it’s to check protien and sugar levels. When the nurse called us back {Brandon come with me, of course  } she weighed me and then took us to a room where she asked me questions about the symptoms I’ve had so far. She also took my blood pressure and talked a little bit about what the Dr was going to do.

When Dr. Etten came in and introduced herself she was very bubbly and seemed excited which was nice because I know she obviously sees a lot of little mommies every single day. And being that it’s our first, I appreciated that she didn’t come in and act like we were just another pregnant couple. She first did a couple exams. And once the ultrasound machine was available the nurse brought it in.

It was so exciting, we were able to see my uterus and then the little bean that is housing our little baby cakes!! In fact baby cakes is SO little we found we are actually not as far along as we thought. According to when my last period started I should be about 7 weeks, but in fact I am about 6 weeks and 2 days today. Which was a little disappointing and normally they don’t even see you until your about 8-9 wks along, but she said it was fine and that she will see us again in 8 wks just get us on and keep us on the every 4week appointment cycle.

The most exciting part about the whole visit was that we got to SEE the heartbeat!! There was this little flashing on the screen and that was baby cakes little heartbeat!! It was so amazing and I even got choked up when we saw it, I don’t know how I will be when we actually HEAR it and see little fingers and toes : D ! What an exciting day that will be!! {And they want to argue that the baby isn’t really a baby yet?!}

So here is little Baby Cakes at 6 weeks… look close or you might miss him! {The little white dot inside the dark one in the middle, that is the sack holding Baby Cakes! The bigger white circle is my uterus.}

So this means that our due date is now set for July 16th.

Baby, It’s Cold Outside! – Err

not…

Is it really one week til Thanksgiving?! Cause by the 70 degree weather we have had so far this week would lead me to believe that it’s actually 4 months til Christmas instead of less than 2!!!

Of course the nice weather is tolerable…. but it’s getting a little difficult to snap out of denile that we only have 36 days til Christmas! So… I thought changing the blog background might encourage the holiday spirit along 

Baby Cakes update:

We have our first appointment in 2 days!! I am getting so excited I can hardly wait!! I will do my best to updat- WHO AM I KIDDING! Of course I’ll post and update on how it goes and what we learn! {I’m personally hoping for some pregnancy sickness tips on how to help deal with it :s }

Then on Sunday we are on our way to Cali to visit my dad and family for annual Turkey day {: D} and we are so excited for a little vacation! We will be out there for a week and i’m looking forward to seeing one of my younger brothers {unfortunately, the other one can’t make it cause he’s up in Northern Cali studing for school  } and we might even get to see one of Brandon’s brothers, if he’s able to come down a couple days {he lives in San Fran}!! So needless to say, we are excited about the upcoming events on our calender.

On another note…

Well Brandon and I are going to wait and be surprised on the gender of the baby when it’s born. Brandon really wanted to do it this way and I could go either way but gave in cause, lets be honest, I knew that if I knew… I would slip! And that would be really disappointing to Brandon. So even though it’s difficult to forgoe the preplanning of gender specific appearal and room decor, we are going to hold out… AND I CAN’T WAIT!

But I should also add that I have this weird feeling, and it’s happened several times to me, that it’s a girl. I don’t know why, but I’ve even had a dream about it. I can truely honestly say that I am perfectly fine with it being a boy or a girl! I am so thrilled to be having a baby that it doesn’t matter to me any more.

As much as Brandon has said he wants 6 boys for his hockey team… he even said he thinks it’s going to be a girl! And he doesn’t know why either… it’s strange.

But let me just say that I am excited to be suprised and whether it’s just a feeling or a true inkling, it doesn’t matter. I just can’t wait to meet Baby Cakes!!

We do have two boys names picked out that we BOTH love and just one girls name that we BOTH love. So if it’s a girl, that will be her name. And if it’s a boy then of the two names we have both agreed on, when Brandon sees the baby for the first time, he will choose which he is : D

We will just have to see… for now it’s Baby Cakes.

Symptoms So Far…

The nausea started a little bit last week. Off and on I would feel it but I could still eat and function. This morning, it was a different story. I felt like I was going to gag at every thought of food or eating. I managed to get to work and by the time I sat down at my desk I felt like I could vomit at any second! My wonderful husband is understanding and was able to drive me back home (the wonders of working together) and then go back to work.

I was able to keep down liquids and saltine crackers as well as a little tiny bit of chicken noodle soup. Other than that, the nausea just comes in waves. One minute I think I’m doing so much better and the next I’m holding my mouth shut and concentrating on keeping it down…

Despite the discomfort of feeling like vomiting all day, I have to say, I’m SO EXCITED to be feeling PREGNANT!!

What can I say, this is exciting!!!

Week 6 And Counting!

Just thought I would share an update on how ‘we’ are feeling since we are about 1/2 way through our first trimester!!

I’ve been taking a prenatal vitamin that I bought over the counter. It’s a honkin thing! I’m just taking that for now since I won’t see the Dr. for another week. At my appointment I plan on asking what I should be taking or if I need to be on a prescription vitamin. If the dr. doesn’t have a specific recommendation I might look into some supplements that a friend I work with sells. I’m just so leary about vitamins, I mean I know I should be taking them and I am for now, I just always wonder how much they are used and how much I actually pee out.

Speaking of peeing…

As far as symptoms go, waking up to go pee at least once in the night has been pretty routine now and was present even before we even tested. That was one of the reasons I thought I might be. It’s pretty annoying too! I have a hard time getting comfy as it is and when I wake up… have to get out of bed {and it’s usually cold!}… go pee… and then come back to bed a get re-comfy only to have the alarm go off seconds later {at least it feels that way!!}. Not really, it’s usually a couple hours before I have to get up for work but once my sleep cycle is interrupted it’s hard to feel like I had a good nights sleep. I guess this is just prep for when Baby Cakes gets here!!

The other symptoms I’ve had is light nausea, but no vomiting yet {whew!}. Still feel like a bottomless pit!! I think Brandon is worried I’m going to gain about 200 lbs before this baby comes, he always gives me funny looks when I say I’m hungry after I ate at least an hour ago. He finally realized that I really am hungry when not 20min after we ate dinner he could here my tummy growl… from across the kitchen! His eyes got so big  The other symptom I’ve had and didn’t realize it was one common in first trimester is dizziness. I’ll be sitting at my desk at work and all of a sudden feel like the room is spinning! At first I thought something was wrong, but I was reading my book this morning and it listed it as an early symptom. I’m just glad it’s normal cause I was getting worried!

So it’s been about 2 weeks since we’ve known we are pregnant and I still have the 2 pregnancy tests I took sitting my by bed side. I think I like them there because when I see them I can remind myself… YES! You really have pregnant!! It’s probably gross to hang on to them, but they have caps on them!!

Brandon is so helpful though. He loves to read with me about what’s going on with my body and trys to help and encourage me in anyway. Luckiley there hasn’t been too much icky stuff for him to have to deal with … yet! Another thing I think is so cute is that he is always asking questions to the guys that he works with {his shop is pretty close and they are a bunch of really good guys} who have been through pregnancies from the guys point of view. And then he tells me what they tell him and it’s so funny to hear their take on it all!!

A Little Praise Is Needed!

So PRAISE THE LORD!!

Have I mentioned how much I believe God is good?! He continues to pour out His love and grace on us and I am just so thankful!

Today Brandon was talking to a guy he works with, they were both in today working on the holiday for some fly bys, and this guy offers a crib, a night stand and dresser/changing table to us for about $200!! He said it’s oak and in really good shape and the crib is the kind that folds down into a toddler bed!! I couldn’t believe it when he first told me. But after he assured me that it was the truth, I think I almost started crying I was so excited!!

Now I’m super motived to gut and paint the nursery so we can get the new furniture in there and start decorating!! Although none of that will probably happen until after the holidays, but hopefully we can get a good start on it before I get too big!

Tomorrow I am going to try to stop by the Play it again Sports store by our house cause a friend of mine said they had a jogging stroller that was used but looked brand new for about $70 bucks!! I would love to get one of those cause I plan on taking MANY walks and just being outside once Baby cakes gets here!!

Just thought I would share the excitement 

3,000…

Diapers. Thats how many we will use in a year, at least according to the Babys ‘R’ Us associate who helped us set up a registery yesterday. {Do the math, that’s 8 diapers a day?!?! Sound right mommys??}

We had a blast doing our registery yesterday! We went down mostly because we were curious about all the things we were going to need for a baby and who can turn down ‘shopping’ with out spending money!! Brandon did the ‘Dad’ thing and looked at strollers and car seats for safety features and durability while I did the cute thing and picked out a few cute apparel type things and other ‘cute stuff’ like bedding decorating stuff.

We didn’t go too crazy cause we know it’s pretty earlier, but it was fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Still no syptoms besides being a bottomless pit. I suppose in a couple weeks I will most likely be wishing I was back at this stage… with out the nausea! We’ll see….

Week 5, Day 1

It’s slowly sinking in that we are expecting and I think right now the exitement is higher than the nervousness because I just want to get a little furthur along already! The nervousness is sure to catch up the closer we get to due date!

My mind seems to be going about 100 million miles an hour with thoughts and ideas! I want to start on the baby’s room and mostly just want to be further along than we are so I can actually feel pregnant!!

So far my eating has been a drastic change to my daily life. I have been so much more cautious of what I eat or don’t eat. And I’ve been eating the proper portions of all the neccessary food groups.

To keep track I have created a chart using my new book about pregnancy to keep tally each day of what I have eaten so I can see where I am missing the mark when it come to the nutrients I need. From what I have read so far eating is the most important step right now because vital parts of the baby are developing to include the brain and heart!

Besides eating, I’ve been going to be earlier to get a better nights rest which is difficult having to get up and pee in the night… And I am actually motivated to stick to a excersise routine of walking for at least 30 min 4-5 times a week plus in the evenings with Brandon.

POSITIVE

This time from the blood test at the Doc’s office! I got the call this afternoon and it is affermative. Looks like our due date will be on or about July 9th 2009. We will know better when we have our first check up on the 21st.

So far so good… haven’t had any early syptoms yet {knock on wood} and the only thing that seems to be different and I don’t know if it’s related but I am ALWAYS hungry!! I have changed my eating habits quite a bit though. Yes, it’s true I was an addictive junk food eater before and since we have found out I immediately cut out all the junk food {ok not all, I had half a kit-kat yesterday… but you can’t expect me to quite cold turkey?!} but my new baby cakes diet is very strict and super healthy and so far it’s working great! It seems like I am eating so much more but really I’m just eating good stuff! Or good for me stuf

Week 4

I went to the doctor this afternoon to get a confirmation test {mostly so someone could tell me that I’m not just hopefully imagining the positive stick… twice} and Brandon went with me. He is so stinking supportive and excited and just wants to be so involved & I LOVE IT!! {He even picked out a book when we were at B&N for ‘dad’s’ that are expecting and it coaches him through how to react and help comfort me!}

So they made me pee in a cup… that was smaller than a measuring cup… gross.  And it came back ‘weakly positive’. What in the heck does that mean?! And doesn’t the fact that I’ve had three pee tests come back positive… not 1, not 2… BUT THREE mean anything?!! I have heard that false positives are pretty uncommon so I would hope the odds would say that I’m pregnant!!

The doc recommended that I get a blood test done and that would confirm for sure {you know, what we pretty much have confirmed already?!} So I agreed cause there is still some doubt in my mind floating around, especially since I haven’t had any symptoms really. But it’s early still too. The blood test will take about 24hrs so she said she would call when she recieves the results.

For now we are going with a yes, so here is belly pic #1:

As you can see baby cakes is very little! About the size of an apple seed!! But already baby cakes brain and cardio vasular system is forming… the heart will start beating before the end of this week!!

My first appointment with the OB/GYN is on 21 November @ 10:15, they usually don’t see you before you’ve be pregnant between 8-9 weeks.

Meet Baby Cakes!

By now many of you have heard our great and exciting news. And if you thought we have been busy so far… it’s about to get busier!!

Two days ago, in the morning and in the afternoon I took two different home pregnancy tests just to be sure. I haven’t felt any of the early pregnancy symptoms, I’m just 5 days late. It was just two months ago I was still taking bc and Brandon and I decided to together that we wanted to just let things take their course so we agreed to not ‘try’ but we weren’t preventing either.

The first month after, we tested but it was negative. This time it was good news!

We have both admitted to each other that we are a bit nervous and a little scared. WE HAVE NEVER been parents before!! So while it’s extremely exciting it’s also very nerve racking.

We sat down and talked about some things last night and Brandon made a good point that while this new baby in a new world will have to learn everything, so will we as parents and we’ll be learning together! I know that Brandon is worried about being a good dad and he has a difficult time picturing it right now (as do I being a mom!) but I can see so clearly that he will be an amazing daddy! He loves little kids and can have real converstations with them because he relates to them at their level and they look up to him (and not just literally…) Every time I’ve seen him with little ones not only is it evident that they are drawn to his playful nature, but he lights up and seemingly instantly lights up as he goes to play!!

Even though we are both nervous we are so excited and welcome the ups and downs ahead of parenthood! We are both truely confident that this life is from God and He wouldn’t have granted us the privilage of having it as our own with out purpose and I know we are both grateful and humbled by the miracle and blessing we will experience and love. Much like our Father in Heaven loves us, His children!!

PRAISE JESUS!!

Ain' Nothin' like...

Just listening to a mix on my iPod and Brad Paisley come on with his song 'Ain't Nothin' Like' and its so catchy and puts a smile on my face : ). So I thought there just ain't nothin like having an 'Ain't nothing like...' list:

Ain't Nothin Like...

... Going on a weekend getaway with the love of your life.

... going to Washington D.C.

... seeing the momorials and monuments at night, all lit up.

... God's glory and riches in a time of National uncertainty.

... peanut butter and stawberry jelly.

... watching Sunday/Monday night football, knowing you are going to win your fantasy football game.

... dreaming about the future.

... seeing the leaves change beautiful colors.

... snow on the mountain caps.

... jamming to a favorite song, that just expresses how you are feeling right then.

... feeling the chilly breeze that means fall and craving some chili soup.

... having lunch with a good friend.

... doing something spur of the moment and completely unplanned.

... making something handmade or baked for someone and then giving it to them.

... holiday baking and decorating.

... finishing a really good book in less than 3 days.

... walking hand in hand with someone who needs you.

... memories and remembering someone who meant so much to you that you just miss them.

... the first snowfall.

... babies, little hands, little feet.

... knowing that God's hand was in something because of how it worked out, it could only have been a 'God thing'.

... security for the future, knowing that God is in control of everything.

... homemade apple pie and ice cream (and peach pie too, B :P )

... carmel apples and kettle corn.

This is a list I started, but can you think of any 'Ain't nothin' like...' statements to add :) ?!

Long time no blog

Where have we been! Actually, where have we NOT been! Things have gotten pretty busy lately and I haven't had much time to keep on the happenings...

Mostly we have been helping out with the High School youth group at church and that has been a blast just hanging out and getting to know the kids. We all know that HS was a difficult/weird/stressful/crazy/sad/exciting... you get the point! I remember it was a time of inconsistancies and LOTS of shall we say drama... because everything somehow seems to matter SO much and most of us don't realize until we get out of HS and look back that those things we worried about really weren't that big of a deal. But it's so encouraging to be able to come along side these kids and just let them know that someone cares about what they are going through and just be with them.

Brandon and I are so blessed to work with an amazing group of kids who are excepting to new people and just want to have fun! We are going on a weekend retreat with them in a week and a half...

Besides that we have been busy going with friends to the mtns, going to Bronco's games, b-day get togethers, drill weekends, fantasy football {we have a team in a league with some people at work: Killer Bzzz!}, and just hanging out and enjoying each other!

It has been an amazing first 4 months of our marriage and it's true that when you really invest in each other and getting to really know your spouse, you really do fall more and more in love with them! I am just left speechless sometimes when I realize how amazing the man I married truly is! I couldn't have been happier with anyone else.

So on a couple weekends we have gone once to Garden of the Gods {we renamed it God's Garden, since there is only one true God} and once up Estes Park, the Rocky Mtn National Park and B has had some great opportunities to play with and learn our new Dig SLR camera! I decided I just don't have the patience to take lots of pictures so carefully and accurately, but I sure do love looking at them!

We really want to get a few blown up and framed to put up in our home! Have a look:

Aren't the colors this time of year just incredible?!

Rachael's 20th Birthday!

I took the day off from work and took my little sister and best friend to the Denver Zoo! We had an incrediably wonderful day! Check it out...

Sisters.

Check out the gut on this one...

So majestic.

Naps, we all need them.

Brandon's gift to Rach: a baby giraffe!

Coma-coma-coma-chamilion!

This one is a Sleepy-sleepy Hippo!

Rhino. Look at that nose.

CRAZY girls!

Komodo Dragon. Such a poser.

I just loved watching the elephants! How can something so LARGE be so graceful?!

Stopping to smell the giant Hibscus'.

Pretty kitty.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so there you have it!

soul food

Memorizing bible verses has always been a task on my list for as long as I can remember, I just don't do it as often as I wish I did. I have verses posted all of the place at work so I can try to do it by continualy looking at them, but what actually happens is I just stop noticing them because they become a part of my every day scene.

What I think I need is a little bit of discipline and some accountability! So I've asked B to join in with me on memorizing a different verse each week and maybe even take turns each week deciding on the verse...

The thing is God's word is so powerful because it's speaking truth into the world. How many times do we find ourselves in a situation where we are talking to someone and they need a little encouragement (or a lot!) and we are at a loss for words... And sometimes that is good cause our mouths can get us in trouble so easily!! But there are times when we share empty words or even words that could lead them astray. God's word is loving and good, always. Because His word is Love. And it's Truth.

I also want to be able to defend my faith at any time. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready {But sanctify the Lord God[a] in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear} And although MANY people try, you can not disprove the bible. The word of God is truth and timeless.

So I also want to post my God's truth on my blogs for anyone to read and in the mean time I'll be memorizing that verse. Feel free to join us!!! If you have any suggestions for verses please let me know!!

The countdown ...

I am excited that I will be able to launch my new website/blog featuring all my first creations and one day get my business up and running! The first thing I had to do was come up with a name that represented who I am and what I wanted to do... with some help of a few friends and a wonderful husband... we came up with a name: "Servant Stitches" and also a design for it!! I can't wait to show you all what it is... on MONDAY!!! That's when I will launch the new blog with the new design and hopefully a few more projects too...

Last night I was digging through all my crafty stuff and I came across a bag of BUTTONS!! {that is actually what I was looking for!} I dumped out the bag and I was having a lot of fun just looking through them... I found some really unique ones and it inspired me to do something with them. I hope to have that done and I'll share it with you on my new blog next week!!!!

Grace & True Love

Grace. By Phil Wickham
The sky is grey and the light is far
The sea is a rage within my heart
I turn my sight to the crashing waves
I cry in the night just to be saved

I need eyes to be my guide
I need a voice that’s louder than mine
I need hope I need You
Cause I can’t do this alone

Grace I call Your name
Oh won’t Your smile fall over me
I’m cracked and dry on hands and knees
Oh sweet grace rain down on me I need You grace

I pray for dawn a new day to live
I pray for mercy only Jesus gives
Though darkness falls and a million cry
I believe over all there’s a greater light shining for us

Come down and save me

I love this song and with the music it's even better. I'm craving grace in my life lately. I don't think I can ever get enough. The thing is I am FINALLY beginning to understand that my Father's grace from above is given and in limitless amounts. All that I have to do is accept it. Done. But I'm learning that to the degree that I 'know' and comprehend God's grace towards me, that is the degree of grace that I will have towards others. Therefore if I'm not extending grace to those around me, then I'm not understanding the grace that God is granting to me. That grace He gives that is renewing by the second! The very fact that I am still breathing yells multitudes of grace on my life!! Believe me, I'm not perfect {most of you know this ;p} and am constantly being put back on my heels because I push through this life daily thinking I have the power, the ability, the strength to do it myself. And some of you know, very well, the pain that can be caused to myself as well as to the people around me. But God is good and merciful and FULL of GRACE! Thank goodness that He is ready and willing... and just waiting to pour it out on us.

I want to choose to accept it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come close listen to the story
About a love more faithful than the morning
The Father gave his only son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the Father's broken heart
Tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, the day that true love died

Search your heart, you know you can't deny it
Come on, lose your life just so you can find it
The Father gave his only son just to save us

The earth was shaking in the dark
All creation felt the father's broken heart
Tears were filling heaven's eyes
The day that true love died, the day that true love died
When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, the day that true love died

Now Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
Jesus is alive
oh He is alive
He rose again

When blood and water hit the ground
Walls we couldn't move came crashing down
We were free and made alive
The day that true love died, the day that true love died

Come close listen to the story

How someone can write, read, or hear these words and not get chills, get tears, get some sort of emotion is truely beyond me.

Jesus is the story of True Love. He was a perfect man, sinless {look for yourself in the bible, find something He did wrong} and then proceeded to die and sinners death. Why? Why would He do something so crazy, so selfless, so humbling, so not what any of us would do?!

True love, that's why.

I love the line in this song also by Phil Wickham that says 'listen to a story about a love more faithful than the morning'. Some times I can hear that line in my head over and over and over, but i never get sick of hearing it. I think its a wonderful thing to be reminded of constantly, of how faithful God really is in our lives. Simple things that prove that faithfulness: Do we question wether or not the sun will go down sometime this evening? Or that sometime in early morning it will rise again? Wow! Yet I doubt sometimes and believe that God may have forgotten about me and even though I don't sit around a think that to myself, my actions show my doubt. My lacking to just trust Him, so I worry about little unimportant things. Stupid things.

'Can't Take my Eyes Off of You'

B got his new glasses today. Although he is lamenting about 'feeling old', I think he looks sexy! I mean it...

I can't take my eyes off of him and every time I look and see his new look I just can't help but smile :) I am so blessed with such a handsome hubby. And best friend!

We are just loving the day today! We have been busy with yard work this morning. Followed by some cat bathing... and then we went to get B's glasses and go to the grocery store. We came home and watched a movie together {I worked on my stitching project} and then we put together an amazing dinner if I do say so myself! I found the recipie... actually I don't remember where I found it, but it's definitely a keeper!! It's from the Biggest Loser Cookbook, but I found it online somewhere... Any who, I'm going to include the recipie on here because I would ABSOLUTELY recommend it to anyone looking for something tasty!!

Putting together the ingrediants...

Just before it goes in to bake, just long enough for the cheese to melt

Southwestern Chicken Pileup:

1 teaspoon salt-free Mexican or Southwest seasoning {we used taco seasoning}

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 small (1/4 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed visible fat

1 whole wheat pita (6.5" diameter)

2 tablespoons hummus, preferably red-pepper flavor

2 tablespoons no-salt-added canned black beans, drained

Several red onion strips (works better chopped)

Several red bell pepper strips (chopped also)

2 tablespoons chopped tomato

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese

4 teaspoons guacamole or fat-free sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 deg F. Preheat grill to high heat.

Sprinkle the seasoning and garlic powder evenly over the chicken. Place the chicken on the grill rack. Reduce the heat to medium. (If it's not possible to reduce the heat, cook the chicken away from heat.) Grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. {*****NOTE: We discovered that using a meat thermometer works so much better with chicken. If you take it off the grill or out of the oven when it reaches 165-170 deg F it will still be juicy instead of dried out. This temp is FDA approved so you won't get sick*****}

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the pita on the grill rack. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly toasted. Place the pita on a nonstick baking sheet. Spread evenly with the hummus. Top evenly in layers with the beans, the reserved chicken, onion, red pepper, tomato, cilantro, and cheese.

Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Slice into 4 wedges. Top each wedge with a teaspoon of guacamole or sour cream, if desired.

Per Serving: 356 calories, 38 g protein, 38 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (1g saturated), 68mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 489mg sodium

This recipie made more than enough for B and I to eat and be full!! Yum, enjoy!

And last but not least... a few pictures of my new 'Do'...

I have my eye appointment next Monday... and I already have my 'eye' on a cute pair of Kate Spade frames...

Watch out world! Two of the goodest looking old people are coming your way!!! ;p

So far, so good

That is, our weekend has been.

WOW! Things are finally getting to be how I remember them to be, relaxed and much more easy going. So far this weekend has been quite enjoyable, well besides the summer cold I have seemed to pick up from somewhere :( I have had a cough that is vicious since Thursday, but I am pressing on and determined to enjoy my weekend despite it!

Yesterday we went to the zoo, but B and I. We had a wonderful time just hanging out together, almost like we were on a date :o It's a weird concept I know, I mean we are married now. There is no need for dating... ;p We really did have a good time. The only thing that was really a challenge was the 'baby blues' I had seeing all the cute moms with their babies and little ones running around and just so excited to see the animals! There were some really cuties! But every time one of them was misbehaving or screaming and/or crying, B would look at me with these 'We are so waiting' eyes. And I honestly couldn't help but agree. Don't get me wrong, we are severely excited about the time we will start a family of our own {we already have some names picked out...} but we are also so sure that we have the time for that and we are going to enjoy THIS time, where it's just the two of us and no extra responsibility. This right now is time we will NEVER get back once we start having little ones. We realize that once we have kids, we are stuck with them forever, FOREVER!!!

And someday that will be just the right time and place for us... but right now it's just the two of us :)

After the zoo I went and got my haircut, I have been dying to do it for a while now but just wasn't sure how I wanted it, how short that is and what style. But after a scourching hot day at the zoo, I said 'Enough', just cut it, layer it and thin it a little. I love the way it turned out and I've gotten quite a few compliments too!! People have said they like my hair shorter than longer and I would have to say I agree! I don't have a picture yet but I'll try and get one up soon.

Then last night we went to serve and help in the HS youth room at our church! B and I are getting serious about wanting to commit our time to helping out and getting to know the high schoolers. The are thristy for a true relationship with Christ and I am really looking forward to getting to know them and I hope to get a bible study going at our house once school starts. Please be praying about that opportunity if you think of it!

Today was church and more youth stuff. Then I spent the day shopping with my sister Rachael and we made a major find of this little boutique at a mall near my house!! It's so cute and much more affordable than Urban outfitters and Anthropologie. We were so excited and plan to visit much more often. B hung out at home and read and napped, got some much needed rest. Tonight he has a hockey game! I hope they win...

I'm also really thrilled about a purchase I just made for some projects that Im going to be working on...

They are from Heather Bailey's new designer line and I got them on Early Bird Special {10% off!!} I can't wait to get them in and get to work... I just have to wait til after the 14th of August, when they will be shipped out. But I know it will be worth the wait :)

Thanks for tuning in... more to come!

God Bless!