Thanksgiving Service

During church today they did things a little differently, opening the floor to everyone, giving us the opportunity to share something we have been/are grateful for in honor of Thanksgiving.
It was so touching to hear people share little bits of their personal stories. God can use anything and anyone to make such a difference in our lives. It's so important to look at situations through the eyes of a grateful heart, even when it can be hard at times.

While the service was going on I wanted to share some things I am grateful for...but I was getting choked up just thinking about the things I would say and I didn't want to be a ball of a mess in front of everyone. Well, my husband Steven raised his hand and stood up for the microphone. What he had to say was exactly what was on my heart. He shared that for the last two years it had been our desire to move to Idaho, but due to wanting to save more, find a decent job in the location we wanted to move, etc it didn't happen right away. And then when we were ready to move, things weren't falling into place and a few months passed. It was hard to not get discouraged, but we kept praying for God's will-not ours to show. Then after those few trying months things started falling into place one right after the other and fast! We got pregnant, Steven found a full-time job where we wanted to move to, the moving process went amazing, we found a house right after we moved, etc. Things were going so freakishly well we thought it was too good to be true. But, we were just being blessed with God's plan. We have some great friends here, and it has been great making those stronger. Plus, we were able to get plugged into a life group through our church right away that has been wonderful. The couples we are getting to know have been encouraging and here for us. (I may be missing somethings he said, but that was the gist.)

I loved that Steven shared this and pretty much as soon as he started saying these things I started crying. When he looked at me he was surprised to see the tears streaming down my face (but then in a way he totally wasn't surprised, because hello, it's me!! I did have a smile on my face, too) and then for the first time since we have been together I saw him get a bit choked up himself (which then made me more emotional). We are just so grateful for the ways life has played out, even though there were hard times as well. Those hard times taught us to rely more on God. We always know His plan is great - we just need to be patient and have faith.

maternity photos

We were blessed by Kris Ryan of Heart & Soul Images for our maternity photos!
It was a crisp fall morning, in a beautiful area and we were able to capture many great photos to look back on. This is such a joyous time and we will love having pictures to remember when this baby was in my belly. We love love them and thank you thank you Kris for helping us remember these moments-can't say it enough!!
I wanted to share some with you (it was hard to not put all of them on here)! Enjoy!

Steven tried to show off his belly, too, hahaha! Nice try babe!

27 weeks

Baby girl seems to be doing well in my belly! Her kicking/punching has gotten a little stronger which I am not complaining about (expect when I have to go to the bathroom and she hits the bladder-yikes!). She should be about 15 inches and a little over 2 pounds...so now she's adding to the weight I'm gaining, hehe. Most of her growth and progression is in her brain, which is beginning to send signals to the rest of her body. Plus, she is now opening and closing her eyes. I love reading the new developments each week! 

This last week or so I've been getting tired again and therefore getting a nap in pretty much everyday. And I've been sleeping in a little longer in the mornings. Some nights I can stay up till 12am and other nights I am about to pass out around 7pm. Plus, sometimes it takes me longer to get comfortable. Before, I could lay down and be conked out within minutes which my husband was pretty impressed by, but now I can hear him sound asleep way before me fairly often.  

The Monday before last we had our maternity photos! We got to see some of the shots off of the camera, and they look great! We should get them this week and I'll be sharing them with you! 

Steven finished painting the nursery, has put the new baseboard on (just needs to be caulked) and blinds up! Almost complete!!! Bit by bit we are getting the bigger items for the nursery as well! The other day when the crib arrived I asked Steven if he saw the box of it, and he replied, "Yes! Want to put it together?!" (Mind you, this was right when he got home around 8:30pm, after working his 12 hour shift.) I of course answered, "Sure! If you're up for it!" I thought it was so sweet and cute. This makes me think about all the other things I will hear him say and see him do before, and especially after, this girl is born. 

Two of my girlfriends sent me links (one to a song and one to an article) about parenthood. I've read and heard a lot things, but these two things were especially good this week. (The song is: 'I Get to Be The One' by JJ Heller and the article is: 6 Mommy Secrets Every New Mother Should Know by Ashlee Gadd.) There are so many times when I have mixed emotions about taking on the responsibility of raising a kid...and hopefully another down the road.  Since I can remember I have wanted to be a mom and looked forward to the day I would have one with my spouse. Steven and I have been married a little over 6 years and even though it's been wonderful just the two of us, we have wanted to expand our little family. But, I have worries that I will fail at being a mother. I know it will be hard. There will be wonderful days and challenging days. I know that it is the hardest "job" in the world, but also the most rewarding. I know I'm not the only one that feels these insecurities and also the excitement of raising a kid. And even though I have worries I am so thrilled to see love and God and humanity through new eyes that will change us, mold us and make us more aware of how small we are and how big God is (line from the article, it said what I felt so well). It will be good, it will be great and it will be grand!

Some photos from the past couple weeks...

(Bottom left: Halloween-Steven wore scrubs while I wore an x-ray shirt, like he took our photo, Bottom right: at end of 26th week, Bottom middle: bought some 0-3 month clothes for baby girl)