small portion of the BIG reveal

I have had a lot of requests to post pictures of baby girl's nursery, and I can no longer keep you all waiting :) Really, the reason I haven't posted any until now {and will only be posting 3 pictures} is because it is not totally done. I know that doesn't matter to some of you, but I hate to post pictures of a room that is not completely complete. The finishing touches should be done in the next couple of weeks, and thankfully, I am not responsible for making any of them happen! My portion of the decorations is done. So, here is a little teaser of the nursery. We love it, and I hope you will too!

Her crib & the canvas with our prayer for her.

A close up of her crib. You can see the absolutely precious quilt my mom made...doesn't it match just perfectly?!? Way to go, Mimi!

Her bookshelf...it is loaded down with all kinds of goodies. Besides the books, my favorites are the silver cup {that was given to Chris as a baby} and the spoon & fork inside {given to me as a baby with my name and "stats" on them.}

I promise that I will post more pictures as other areas of the room are finished. Let me know what you think. Blessings...

six weeks.

That's right, folks. Only six weeks left until baby girl's due date. I have said for a while that once we got to six weeks that it would seem that much closer, and in reality, it kind of does. You see, in school, grades are taken by the six week period, and because I not only was a student for many years but also a teacher, six weeks is a very tangible period of time for me. It makes sense. I get it. I know about how long six weeks takes. And, even if it seems like plenty of time to get all the grades you need, it always sneaks up on you. ALWAYS. I am sure that these next six weeks {although I will not be rummaging through old papers to grade} will also be gone before I know it. I am ready to meet my sweet daughter and see her precious face, sweet little feet, and tiny fingers. I am ready to watch my husband cradle her in his arms. I am ready to hear her cry and watch her sleep peacefully. I am ready. But, until then, I will soak up the time Chris and I have left, "just the two of us." I will enjoy taking a nap whenever I want. I will enjoy getting everything done on my to-do list in a day. I will just enjoy the time I have right now, right where I am in life. And, I will pray...for our daughter and our new adventure.

Chris and I decided to venture outside for the belly pics today, so enjoy some different scenery from 34 weeks.

Top Ten Things I Love About Being Pregnant...

#6 Praying for our daughter with Chris every night. Those are some truly sweet moments.

trunk or treat

Last night, our church hosted a Trunk or Treat at a local apartment complex. The rain held off until just the right time {as we were all driving away}, so the weather was just perfect. We set up a few games for the kids to play, and they got to take home some baked goods, sodas, and even made Halloween picture frames.


A couple of our members are excellent artists, so they painted several little faces through the evening.


It was fun to see the joy on the kids' faces and to watch our church family using their gifts to bless the kids and their families. After the games, the members of our church went over to our cars, where our trunks were already decorated, and got ready to pass out candy to the kids as they came "trick or treating" by. Let me just say that these kids walked away with as much candy as I remember getting in a solid couple of hours of trick or treating! Oh my goodness...they definitely hit the jackpot! Some people had games set up in their trunks/truck beds for the kids to play as they came by.


It was such a blessing to be able to love on these kids and give them an opportunity to have a little Halloween fun early. But, more than that, I feel so blessed to be part of a church family that would dedicate a couple of hours on a Sunday evening to go to this place where we have basically no connections and pour themselves into these people. The smiles and energy that were given really taught me a lot about Jesus, his life, and his love for us and others. To witness the gospel coming to life is pretty amazing.

We also got to have a little fun, and Chris encouraged all the members of the church to dress up. Seeing what people came up with was so much fun! Enjoy some of these pictures of our friends!

Zombie Fisherman

Scarecrow & Big Mac

Yours Truly :)... Chris & Stacey {can you guess who is whom?}

Andy & Jessie from Toy Story... they were the winners!

It was an incredible evening...so much FUN!

*****
Scroll down {or click here} for another new post.

I love my sister!

We had a great weekend, mostly due to the fact that my sister, Lindsey, and Meghan came to visit us. This was the first time they were able to come up since we moved here, and I was excited to show them around our new home. They got here on Friday evening, and we enjoyed a relaxing night just eating dinner and talking. I definitely stayed up past my bedtime, but it was worth it. On Saturday, we had lunch with some college friends and loved visiting with them too. Chris and I took Lindsey on a "tour" of Rowlett before heading out to dinner. On Sunday, they got to come to church with us which was just awesome! I haven't had the opportunity to worship with my sister in quite a while, so it was really special.

We really had a great time, and even though we didn't do a whole lot of exciting, spectacular things {or really any for that matter}, we really enjoyed our weekend with them. So, thanks for coming guys! We love you! And, we can't wait to see you again when our sweet girl is here!!!

It also didn't hurt that Saturday proved to be a GREAT football day in the Fieldhouse. Boomer Sooner and Gig 'em!

doubles?!?

In the past couple of days, Chris and I have had two separate occasions where someone thought they saw us, when in fact, they did not. Let me explain...

As we were taking Wrigley on a walk the other night, one of our neighbors said that she and her kids were driving along and saw Chris pulling into Taco Bueno. The kids were so excited and waved and called his name. The only problem is that Chris has not been to Taco Bueno in weeks!!! Our neighbor was certain that it was indeed Chris that they saw, and even tried to argue with us for a little bit about it until we convinced her that the day she thought she saw Chris, our car was actually in our garage with a dead battery.

Fast forward to today when Chris and I went to Home Depot. As we are checking out, the lady ringing us up calls to another worker and says, "Come here! These two were in here just the other day, and I went up to her and rubbed all over her belly. And, I don't even know her!" Hahaha...they got a good laugh out of it. We played it off by laughing too and saying something about how pregnancy seems to negate all social rules. But, we were definitely NOT in Home Depot the other day. {By the way, if this had happened, I think I would have run the other way if I saw this lady again. I am not a big fan of strangers invading my personal space...pregnant or not.}

I find it very strange that this has happened two times in one week. Do we just look like a lot of other people in this town or what?!? Weird!!!

take it easy

Well, I was a bit disappointed in the outcome of Saturday's big game. I was really hoping the Sooners would pull out a win, but they came super close. All things considered {Sam Bradford's injury being key}, OU played a good game against an undefeated team. I sure would have loved a win though. There is just something sweet about knocking off your rival!

******

On to other news... we now have less than 50 days until baby girl's due date! I told Chris that the other day, and he said, "I thought we were just at 99!?!" That is so true, and I feel like that is the theme of our lives right now. We have been pretty busy, but it's all been good stuff. And, I won't complain because it is making the time pass much more quickly than it could. Even with all the busy-ness, the theme of my world lately has been "take it easy." I feel like I should just play that song wherever I go! I am trying really hard to keep taking care of myself because I know that it will help me continue to feel good all the way to the end. We had an appt. with Dr. G yesterday, and all is well. It is crazy to me how I excited I get everytime just to hear her little heart swishing. We are also thrilled because we get to have another sonogram in two weeks! I just love seeing her. Here is a picture of the 33 week belly...getting pretty big!!!

*****

Top Ten Things I Love About Being Pregnant

#7 Feeling her move around. There is seriously nothing better than feeling her sweet little feet, hands, elbows, knees, everything move and roll around inside of me! Can't wait to see all those little parts!

Red River Rivalry

I love college football, and I love big games {even if they do make me exceptionally nervous sometimes}. I have also loved the Oklahoma Sooners for as long as I can remember. I never went to school there, but I honestly cannot think of a time that my family didn't cheer them on. We are die-hard fans...the kind that stick with the team whether they are the National Champions or last in the Big 12. I have fond memories of going to the games with my dad, and although I spent a lot of time being worried about things other than football at those games, I know that I was always excited when it was my turn to go to a game. {My sister and I took turns going with my dad, and we let my mom go occasionally!} I am still a die-hard OU fan, and I can get pretty passionate during the games--you can ask my husband! So, in about 5 minutes, I will be watching one of the biggest games of the year for my team. They will battle the Texas Longhorns today in a long-standing rivalry. This is one exciting game! I am sitting on the couch, TV on, and ready to get this party started. 

BOOMER SOONER!!!!

Top Ten Things I Love About Being Pregnant:
#8 Seeing our baby girl on the sonograms. I love looking at every part of her and watching her move around. My favorite part is hearing the sonographer say that she is "perfect!" She sure is!!!

******
Since I have been pregnant, I have definitely encountered some interesting side-effects. Some are really quite funny while others are down right strange. Some involve others' reactions to me and my growing belly and others involve what is happening with my crazy body {don't worry, nothing should make you uncomfortable!}. In an effort to remember these things, I am going to make a list here. In honor of having 8 weeks to go, I have come up with 8 things.
Funny/Interesting/Weird Things About Being Pregnant:
1. I run my belly into things ALL THE TIME. I guess I just forget how far it sticks out from my body because I am always opening doors into it, etc. Poor thing, I am just beating it up.
2. I am super forgetful! I usually have a decent memory, but I will forget things in 5 minutes if I don't write it down.
3. I have also become really clumsy! You can bet if there is uneven pavement somewhere, I will find it and trip on it.
4. I can {and have been able to for a while} see the inside/back of my belly button. That is NOT natural! Thankfully, the belly button has not popped out yet.
5. I have people ask a lot how far along I am or when I am due, and when I tell them, they inevitably get wide-eyed like "oh goodness...I thought you were much closer." Am I really THAT huge?!?!
6. The cravings--I haven't had many. It started with fruit-particularly bananas which I have never liked in my whole life, then M&Ms, and the latest one this summer was peaches.
7. I went through a phase where I could NOT tolerate any spicy food. Sooo weird, but I am slowly recovering.
8. I am out of breath A LOT! This can happen at any given time, not just after physical activity. Sometimes it happens when I am sitting on the couch, watching TV. Sweet pea is crowding my space.

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Here are me and my girl at 32 weeks and 2 days...

She is still growing like a weed and weighs right about 4 pounds. She is supposed to possibly double her weight over the next 8 weeks, but I am not quite sure where she is going to go when she keeps growing. I think she's already starting to run out of room! This week has been really fun for me, and I think my nesting instincts are really starting to kick in. I have been finishing some detail stuff for the nursery that has been hanging in the balance for a while, and I have done about 5 loads of baby laundry. I love that my laundry room smells like a sweet little baby! I can't wait to hold my girl and soak up that great smell on her!! I have also done quite a bit of organizing in the nursery. It won't be long before it will be ready to make its official debut on the blog. Get excited!!! So, it's been a good week, and I love getting ready to make our little world just a bit bigger. Be blessed.

so blessed

We were so blessed with an amazing baby shower on Sunday in College Station. Some family friends from the church where we grew up and some great friends we made during our time at Central in Bryan hosted a sweet shower for baby girl. It was so much fun, and our little sweet pea is already beyond blessed! Watching people support and love on our daughter like that, before she is even here, is an incredible blessing. We are so thankful for everyone who helped to host the shower and for everyone who came to support our little family. Now, for some pictures from the exciting event...

The hostesses

Me, my mom, and my sister

Me, my mom, and my mother-in-law

Cute {& yummy} cake

Sweet centerpieces on the tables

The precious quilt my mom made for her first grandchild...amazing!

I had lots of little helpers :)

All the goodies finally made their way from here...

...to sweet pea's room.  She's one lucky little girl!

Love it! We are so thankful for all of our friendships and for the blessing that each of these people is in our lives! Can't wait to introduce them to our baby girl!

******
Yes, today is 32 weeks! I will write a 32 week post and include a belly picture in the next couple of days. Right now, my attention is focused on getting our lovey's nursery organized...which is a little more fun :)

Run For Their Lives

8 runners. 240 miles. Run For Their Lives: a relay to rescue African children in captivity.

Sound crazy?!? Well, it's exactly what will be taking place 3 weeks from today. Chris organized this relay in an effort to raise money for the Touch A Life Foundation and particularly for The Mercy Project {a fundraising effort we have personally taken on}. Chris and seven other runners will leave from Lake Ray Hubbard here in Rowlett on Thursday evening and will run to Lake Conroe, arriving on Saturday mid-morning. It seems outlandish, dangerous maybe, but isn't that exactly what the slave children in Ghana experience every day? Their lives are crazy, unfathomable, to us, and the work they do is certainly dangerous. Each runner will run about 30 miles over the 40 hours, and just like the children, they will be there to support and encourage each other when the going gets tough. And, isn't this exactly what Jesus did? He went into "dangerous" places, where no one else wanted to go, and did things that were considered crazy, but he did it all because he wanted to rescue his people. Isn't that what he calls us to in our lives today? He calls us to live loving lives, with reckless abandon, all in an effort to continue his rescue and redemption of his children. Because, like Micah 6:8 reminds us, God wants us to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with him.

There is no way we could ever understand what the trafficked children experience or what their lives are like, but we want to do what we can to change the world in which they live. This relay is one small way that we believe we can make a difference. The money that will be raised will go towards The Mercy Project, which is a fundraising effort to build a home in Ghana where rescued children can go to live and receive an education. We want them to experience hope, joy, and love.

These pictures are hanging on the wall in our living room, and they serve as a daily reminder that our world is much bigger than us.

These are the faces that the runners will carry with them on their journey. Faces of children that no longer have a childhood, but this relay can help them to have a second chance. Even when they get crazy looks, when family and friends don't "get it" and keep asking "why?", they will run for their lives.

So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for the runners--their safety and endurance--between now and particularly over October 29-31. But, more importantly, pray for the children.

single digits

We are officially in the single digits in reference to how many weeks until baby girl makes her debut. I am 31 weeks along today, which means we only have 9 weeks until her due date! I am getting really excited, not that I wasn't before, and I have been having dreams about baby girl a lot the last several nights. They are all actually very pleasant dreams, and it makes me even more excited to meet her so soon! Here is the latest belly shot.

We had an appointment with Dr. G yesterday, and she had only great news for us again. She said that our little girl isn't quite as big as we thought she might be, which is good news. I love chunky babies, but I will be okay with delivering less than 8 lbs! I am always reminded when I leave the doctor's office of how blessed Chris and I are with how smoothly this pregnancy has gone. I feel like I have had it so easy, and it has made me really enjoy being pregnant. If pregnancy needed a spokesperson, I would be a good one :)

Some really sweet friends are throwing us a baby shower in College Station on Sunday, and I am really looking forward to seeing lots of friends and family. Can't wait!

Now, I will continue the countdown I started last week:

Top 10 Things I Have Loved About Being Pregnant

#9 It is such a great conversation starter. It is unbelievable the number of conversations I have been able to have with complete strangers, and I really am thankful for that.

childbirth class...

Today, Chris and I went to our {ALL DAY} childbirth class. It was informative, and, ummm, interesting. I already knew some of the stuff that we went over, but we were able to glean some valuable information. There were, of course, awkward moments that make you feel like a middle school boy in health class, particularly when accompanied by a man who can almost always come up with a one-liner to make you laugh. Chris definitely kept it interesting for me! I am always thankful for his sense of humor, even if I do get embarrassed at times. Life is certainly never dull. The best part of the whole class {besides all the wonderful information :)} was the 15 minute back massage Chris had to give me...bliss! We decided that bringing a camera into the class would be a bit much, so we documented our attendance before leaving the house. {If you are wondering why we have the teddy bear and pillow, we were instructed to bring them. We even practiced putting a diaper on our bear...exciting stuff, I know!}
Before leaving...looks like Chris already knows what he's in for here.

Practicing our "after the storm" looks

**Please note that Wrigley somehow snuck into both pictures. Awesome.

After a visit to the hospital to have a tour, we came home to rest. A Chick-Fil-A dinner and some of this action in our living room are the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening with my love.

Yes, we are watching both games at once. It's pretty awesome.

Taco Soup, the perfect fall dinner

Put all the ingredients in the pot and let it heat up, and you can smell all the flavors blend together in perfect yumminess.

Top it off with some cornbread, shredded cheese, and great conversation with friends, and you have the makings of one great fall evening. We'll be enjoying just that tonight.

The recipe I use is below. Hopefully you, too, can partake in some of this deliciousness on a cool fall evening soon! Be blessed.

*******
Taco Soup
1 package of MorningStar Farms Crumbles {you can find these in the frozen foods section, but you can also use 1 lb. of ground beef.}
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
2 cans Ranch Style Beans {undrained}
2 cans hominy {undrained}
2-14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch style dressing mix
2 cans tomato sauce {I use a tad less}
1 1/2 c. frozen corn
1 c. water
**I also add a can of black beans, but I drain the juice first.

Saute the onion in a little olive oil in the bottom of your stock pot. Add crumbles and taco seasoning mix. After crumbles have thawed, combine all ingredients in the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour. {Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. I like to also serve cornbread and crackers with it.} ENJOY!