Congrats to Zack & Kimberly!!

This past weekend we traveled to Lubbock for my cousin Kimberly's wedding festivities. We really enjoyed visiting with relatives and watching Kim and Zack become newlyweds :) Kimberly's twin sister Amanda was her maid of honor. Her older sisters Stephanie & Bethany were bridesmaids.

Here are some photos:

Here is a beautiful peacock. The wedding was held outdoors at the Spirit Ranch and there were tons of these birds everywhere! They laid eggs, walked around during the ceremony, etc!!



Below is a picture of the cousins in attendance at Kim's bridal luncheon. There were 7 out of 15 there.

Here is a picture of Jarrod & I at the rehearsal. What a beautiful place. It's not quite as HOT as it is here in central Tx....and there was much less humidity!

Here is the sweet kiss.....congrats to the new Mr & Mrs Zachary Hughes!!! Welcome to the family, Zack!

Here is our entire extended family in attendance. Most years we only see each other at Christmas time but fortunately we have enjoyed visiting a lot lately. We had Chassati & Rene's wedding last month and then this one :)

Here is our little family at the reception. This was taken just before it got rainy and windy and everything was moved indoors.

Of course Emma & I had to get a quick picture with the stunning bride!

Our little flower girl

Last night Emma was the flower girl in Lance and Lauren's wedding. Lance and Jarrod coach together in Cameron. It was Emma's first time to do this and she did so well :) She freaked out when the rose petals would hit the floor, so she ended up just carrying the basket. Her name has been in the newspaper twice in the past month :)

Her partner in crime (the ring bearer - Jackson, almost 3) chickened out right before the ceremony started, but I got some cute pics of them together at the reception! We all know how toddlers can be - their agenda changes by the moment ;)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's day to all of you wonderful dads out there! Emma made Jarrod a framed picture with her sweet little hand prints and a new pair of sunglasses that he has been wanting. After church we went to Outback Steakhouse for lunch....yum!

Half way there!

Today I am officially 20 weeks pregnant which means that I am half way to the finish line :) Since Emma came 3 wks early I am hoping I don't have another 140 days to go, but only time will tell.

Here is a fun pregnancy quiz I borrowed from another preggo friend!

How far along?: 20 weeks today

Total weight gain: negative 3 (so far!)

How big is baby?: the books say about 10.5 oz (and as long as a banana!)

Maternity clothes?: absoulutely - I love a good excuse to wear elastic pants ;)

Stretch marks?: none (and I didn't get any w/Emma, so maybe I'll luck out!) Oh, and I use "belly butter".

Sleep?: much better than it was about a month ago

Best moment this week?: When I woke up one morning he/she was in a ball very low - it was so obvious and neat!

Movement?: not a whole lot yet :(

Food cravings?: one week it was a Subway club, then a Sonic coney, then it was salad w/fruit, then it was Arby's!

Labor signs?: thankfully none yet

Belly button in or out?: way out

What I miss: having energy, eating caesar salad and drinking more than one soda a day

What I'm looking forward to: sonogram 16 in days :) I'm getting pretty antsy.

Milestone: I'm half way (20 wks) today!

Oh Baby!!

Yesterday I co hosted a shower for my dear friend, Sandra. She is expecting her second child, Christian, in mid August. Lots of mamas and kiddos from our Waco playgroup were there and it was fun to catch up! This was my first attempt at a diaper cake. With assistance from my wonderful husband, we did it!

Doctor's orders!

I had a prenatal appointment yesterday in Waco and Dr. Wang was a little concerned about my weight gain. In fact, I am still 3 lbs under my starting weight. Here's how the conversation went:

"Do you like ice cream?"

"Oh yes!"

"You should eat it TWICE a day."

"Really?! I wish my husband was here to hear you say that - he will never believe me."

"It has lots of calcium and will make you start gaining weight."

Then I was on my way to Baskin Robbins. If you know me well you know I love ice cream! I have many different favorite flavors....I can't choose just one! I even worked at BR for 3 yrs during high school and college!

My two pregnancies have been similar in almost all ways. The biggest difference I have noticed is that with Emma I gained weight much more rapidly and my dr at the time kept lecturing me about it at each appointment. She kept saying "Ya know, the holidays are coming. Halloween, Thanksgiving, then Christmas - lots of sweets will be around". I ended up gaining 45+ lbs by the time Emma was born. It wouldn't break my heart if it doesn't happen this go 'round :)

Marriage retreat

We definitely had a whirlwind of a week! We returned home from the beach late Thursday afternoon, did laundry, re packed, passed around a mini stomach bug and headed to a marriage retreat on Friday. We dropped Emma off at my parents' house in Temple and headed south to the T Bar M conference center in New Braunfels. Traffic south bound on I-35 is absolutely chaotic!

The Coaches Outreach program puts on four different faith based conferences for coaches and their spouses during the summer (2 in TX, 1 in OK & 1 in AR). This was our first year but apparently it is extremely difficult to get registered for this particular conference and location. The coaches came from all levels including jr high, high school and college. There were approximately 300 people total. There was a speaker (pastor), music leader (who could have been a professional comedian) and a legendary NFL football star present. Our small group was led by the defensive coordinator from Huntsville and his wife. They were a lot of fun :) On Saturday afternoon we were given 5 hrs of free time so we decided to explore the outlet mall in San Marcos.

We enjoyed our time away focusing on one another and reflecting on what God's will is for our family. This was the longest (2 nights) ever away from Emma and we were so glad to be reunited with her today :)

Please pray for the Rasmussens

Early last Sunday morning I got a call from Katie, my friend Kristie's sister. This is when my heart broke into a million little pieces. Kristie and her daughter, Samantha (a little younger than Emma), were involved in our Waco Moms Club until they moved to North Carolina last Fall. Kristie is the most positive, uplifting, encouraging and Godly woman I have ever met in my life. She is an absolute joy to be around or to talk to.

Kristie was pregnant during the move and gave birth to Miss Amber Grace Rasmussen this past January. I had talked to Kristie several times since their move. Last Sat night Amber passed away in her sleep. Kristie went to check on her and discovered that her precious baby girl had gone to Heaven. After a series of tests, it is being called SIDS.

I haven't been able to think about much other than the Rasmussen family. I hurt for Corey & Kristie. I can't imagine the pain that they are going through. Below is a link to their memorial letter.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=78875aa24d&view=att&th=121d00d2b62317c5&attid=0.1&disp=vah&zw

MORE of day 3

Here is a picture of the whole fam! These are my parents, brother and sister-in-law. We enjoyed dinner at Fish Tales and I finally got my crab cakes! I love trying out different crab cake recipes wherever we travel :)

We returned to the beach house right as the sun set and rushed out to attempt a few quick shots. Here are a few of my favorites :)

Galveston - Day 3

Today we went down to the strand and to the aquarium at Moody Gardens. Here are a few pictures from our adventures. We enjoyed lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and then visited a few shops. There are quite a few businesses on the strand that are still under going remodeling from the hurricanes. In one photo you can see how high the water actually got - it's amazing!

2nd day at the beach

This morning we enjoyed more time at the beach. Jarrod built an awesome "Alamo castle"! We fed the seagulls bread and the waves were especially high today.

This afternoon my best friend, Lauren, came to visit! She and her husband just bought a home in League City so they live pretty close. Jarrod, Emma, Lauren & I took a long walk down the beach and then came back to blow bubbles on the balcony. My parents prepared and fabulous boiled shrimp dinner and Lauren's husband, Josh, joined us to eat!

1st day at the beach

This week we are in Galveston enjoying the sand and sun with my family. This afternoon we spent awhile at the beach and Emma loved it! She wanted to walk far out into the waves but we had to hold her back! Here are a few sneak pictures. There will be more to follow :)

Oh -- and included is a photo of my baby bump and the ocean. That's pretty much all I have so far! This morning I had a dr appt before we left and I have finally surpassed my non preggo weight. My diagnosis was a sinus infection that is close to bronchitus -- yuck! Thank goodness for antibiotics and nasal spray!

Great Wolf Lodge

We took a very sporadic overnight trip up to Grapevine on Thurs & Fri to Great Wolf Lodge. It is an indoor hotel and waterpark facility. Here are just a few photos from our trip. We spent some time in the pool, enjoyed story time, ate great food, played in the arcade and Emma and I both got pedicures! They have the cutest spa for little girls called "Scoops". It is actually for ages 4-12 but they had time so they just painted Emma's toes! She even got to wear a tiara which she called a "princess hat"! There is something for everybody! I would definitely recommend it to anyone with kiddos and look forward to going back sometime!

Next week we are headed to Galveston for our annual trip with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. We are staying in the same beach house as last year which is walking distance from the shoreline! My best friend Lauren lives closeby is even supposed to come visit one day!

As for a "little bean" update, all seems to be well. Sometimes I think I feel movement but it's not obvious at all yet. My next prenatal appt is scheduled for June 16. Only 30 days left until we know the gender! I actually purchased one baby boy outfit and one baby girl outfit at the Carter's outlet store yesterday. I guess I'll give the other one away as a gift :)

Free floats

Last night we took advantage of Sonic's FREE root beer float offer! Below is a photo that Emma took of us :) Above is a photo of Emma & Jarrod dancing in the drive way :)

A trip to the city pool

Yesterday afternoon we took our first trip to the Cameron city pool :) What a fun time we had! They had a large 5ft pool and then another large kiddy pool (1.5 ft) with a frog slide, water spouts, etc. I see many more trips to the city pool in our near future!

Wisdom from a 90 yr old...

I thought this was really neat! It is written by a 90 year old woman. Next week marks the one year anniversary of the passing of my grandmother, Mimi. She was also 90 yrs old at her time of death. I learned tons of priceless life lessons from her.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland,Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column oncemore:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends andparents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what theirjourney is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; Godnever blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one isup to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take nofor an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, willthis matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone for everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you didor didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'dgrab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."