Rumble and Tumble

I forgot how much I missed Target until I found my new favorite winter hat, plus matching scarf and gloves! Haha. It is probably a good thing that Target does not ship to APO or I would have been much worse off in Germany! I am incredibly thankful that I will get to enjoy in the Thanksgiving festivities with my family again for the first time in a couple years.

I am in my 22nd week with my little Ian and he is rumbling around a lot now. He loves the wee hours of the morning when I have to roll over and get comfortable again to let me know he is there. It is such a wonderful thing to feel him moving and kicking. I love that it is easier to feel him now because it is an ever-present of the miracle that God is working inside this tummy of mine. So wonderful. Well, off to get my hair trimmed and colored back to natural color so I don't feel like I have to mess with it too much during the rest of the pregnancy and when little bit comes along!

Birthday Bash

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to spend a day with my family celebrating the birthday of my sister-in-law early. We all met at my sister's house in north Georgia to go on a short afternoon hike. The trees were beautiful, despite some of them already surrendering their leaves to the seasonal change. We took the pooches because we figured it would be better than leaving them at home by themselves all day. Here they are on the drive up. They enjoyed the walk and we were able to wear them out a little because by the time we got back into the car they were both laid out! Haha! We got to spy on a few kayakers as they braved the rushing waters. It was quite the site. My brother even found a little baby snake which of course my dad caught to show my two nephews. They enjoyed the treat.

Here is the view from one of our look out spots along our hike. I do wish we could have seen the trees in their fall time prime but God'd nature is beautiful in all seasons. After our hike we delivered the dogs back to my sister's house to rest while the rest of us caught up on football highlights. If you know our family, you know how important sports are so we were a little excited to see that Texas A&M was giving Alabama a run for their money. After a little bit of chill down time, we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed dinner. I had alfredo which came in a heaping portion that would put anyone to shame if they finished even half of it! By the time I was full, my plate looked barely touched! Lucky for me, because it gave me leftovers to munch on for a couple more days afterwards.

After dinner, we headed back to sister's house to cheer on the dawgs. After the first half we had all digested just enough of dinner to make room for strawberry birthday cake. It was delish and of course with the professional candle-blower-outers at hand, those candles didn't stand a chance. It was a great day had by all. The dawgs even sealed a big win for Lisa's birthday bash. I have learned a lot about my sweet sister-in-law over the last few months. The biggest thing I have learned is that she is much stronger than her just shy of 5 foot appearance comes across. She is a wonderful person who is a mighty prayer warrior and encourager when you need one. She stands by her family through thick and thin. I am grateful the Lord blessed my brother with her, and consequently gave me another amazing sister.

Ten Fingers, Ten Toes

Well I promised to update soon about the baby boy. The 20-week ultrasound confirmed it is definitely a boy. This is a picture I snapped the morning I officially hit 20 weeks. It is so hard to believe that I am half way there. I feel like I have doubled in size since this picture, however I know that is not true. Haha. I will reach 22 weeks this coming Friday. I get to take the ever so coveted glucose drink test on my next doctor's visit. Yay! I got the drink that apparently taste like flat sprite. Haha, oh goodie! I have been feeling my sweet little boy fluttering around for a couple weeks now and it is amazes me each time. I am so thankful for the reminder of this precious life growing inside me.

Here is my sweet boy's profile at his 20 week ultrasound. He was very active during his ultrasound. I got to hear his heart beat again and even got to capture it on video, so I could send it to his dad. It also was a great thing for me because now I can listen to my sweet boy's heart beat whenever I want now. The tech checked everything and said everything looked great. He has ten fingers and ten toes, his heart looks great, his brain looked great, and his spine too. He got the hiccups during the ultrasound. I couldn't feel these but you could see his stomach jumping up and down and she said he had the hiccups. We have also decided on a name for our sweet little bundle: Ian Matthew. Everyday things get more and more real and it makes me so excited to meet my sweet boy!!

Beach Trip Wrap Up...finally :)

Well I never did finish posting pictures from the beach trip. Things have been a little crazy since then. I have been staying busy between subbing and other things. So here are a few more pictures from that trip.

One of the things sweet Sam suggested was a boat ride. So Thursday morning we headed towards downtown and my brother-in-law had arranged for us to go on a hour long boat ride. It was fun and we got to catch a glimpse of the wild horses off of Cumberland Island.

After a boat ride and lunch, we headed back to the condo where the girls partook in massages. This was my first ever professional massage and it was absolutely amazing! I did not want to move after she finished. I found myself wishing I could just lay on that bed for the rest of the day. Anyhow, after massages we got showered and headed downtown to try out a fairly new local place that came with a playground for the wild ones. It was perfect for the four little ones we had in tow, when you included my sister's friend's family. After dinner it was a short walk to the fudge and ice cream shop where the wild ones got superman ice cream...dyed vanilla ice cream. As you can see, Sam wasted no time in digging in! They had it all over their face!

Friday, the guys went golfing while us girls attempted to play at the beach. Unfortunately high winds coming in from Sandy made playing in the sand impossible and the waves much too wild for the comfort of mommies and an aunt of four little ones 6 and under. So we headed to the indoor pool of the fitness facility and the kids had fun swimming there instead. Later that night costumes were put on by all kiddos and we headed to the shops to trick or treat. While it was somewhat disappointing the kids had fun and we decided to treat them to a dinner with a playground again at a different restaurant.


The next day was all about the dawgs and how they lead us to victory over those ugly ole gators! Sunday we headed home and recovered from the trip. I will do my best to update soon about the baby and the latest doctor appointment. I would still appreciate your prayers. Things have been somewhat changing lately and still am looking for guidance and a miracle from God.