Catch Up

If I want to get the photo challenge done before I have a baby, I need to play a little catch up today so, here is Day 12, 13, and 14...

Day 12: A Photo of YouI think I'm 3 or 4 here? Anyways, I like this pic because I work with preschoolers all day and I always wonder what I was like as a preschooler....and, I like my Barbie cake :)

Day 13: A Photo of Your Best Friends

I've never really had ONE best friend in life (except now my hubby)...it's always groups of friends and for some reason, I've always had a threesome or foursome best friend group....and I like it that way :) Anyways, Tiff and Sarah...my senior year college roommates were/are SUCH great friends. We were friends before this year but really bonded our last year of college. I still call up these girls when I just need to cry or laugh with someone and miss them terribly now that we all live so far away :(

Day 14: A photo of one of your favorite family members

Totally cheating here but there were just too many to choose just one person to blog about so I just chose my cousins as a whole for "one" of my favorite family members. Above is one side and below is the other side (and is terribly outdated but it was just too funny not to include!)....they are wonderful and I'm so glad that I am blessed with wonderful cousins!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving turned out just fine :) My brother and his wife came down for the day and then my parents and grandma came to Mankato for the evening! I wasn't expecting to go shopping on Black Friday at all but my family brought all the ads and were scouting out their shopping strategy and I got sucked into it :) Aaron and Luke hit up Walmart at 12:01, slept for a few hours, and then got up at 4:00 to get in line for the 5:00 Best Buy deals. CRAZY people! But, they got some incredible deals so I suppose it was worth it! I, however, didn't hit the stores until 7:00...which I guess was still pretty early!

Speaking of Christmas shopping, I have ONE gift left to buy and then I'm done....I'm so relieved! I don't like Christmas shopping when I'm this pregnant....people don't care that you're weeks away from going into labor! So, I'm SOOO glad to be almost done! Anyways...here are just a few pics from Thanksgiving...I sort of forgot to take pics!

(Above) Scouting out all the deals

(Below) Thanksgiving supper

Day 11: A picture of your favorite film

There are so many movies that I could watch over and over again but That Thing You Do tops them all and is by far my favorite movie. My cousin "A" first introduced me to this movie when I was in 7th grade and we watched it at least 3 times just the first day. Then, the obsession began :) We can quote this movie like nothing else and have even used it as a way to cheat in the game "Rook". Good movie, good memories quoting it with my cousin, good classic chick flick....(have I convinced you yet it's a good movie?)

Day 10: Baby Pic

I'm super sleepy from 1) A Thanksgiving that turned out great and 2) A day filled with shopping the Black Friday sales....so, my brain is too gone to write anything! But, here is Day 10: My Baby Pic

In One Day's Time....

This has been my last 24 hours:

Tuesday, 5:00pm~ Weather forecast makes me think I should have a backup plan for Thanksgiving. I run to the grocery store to buy a few things "just in case"

Tuesday, 6:30pm~ Receive a phone call from my parents saying my grandpa is in the hospital and they are going to travel to see him before the winter storm hits and don't think they will be back for Thanksgiving (especially with the storm!)

Tuesday night~ Praying hard for my grandpa....

Tuesday, 10:00pm~ Receive word that my grandpa is doing a bit better, Call to make plans for my brother and his wife to come down and eat some of the "just in case" food I bought!

Wednesday, 10:00am~ Heard my grandpa is doing better and my parents are hoping to make it home in time for Thanksgiving evening. New plan is set

Wednesday, 3:00pm~ Dr. appointment to find out I've started dialating and my doctor said "No!" to traveling (What!?!? I seriously need to pack a hospital bag soon....but, I STILL don't think I'm having this baby early! Probably another 3-4 weeks is my guess so don't get your hopes up)

Wednesday, 5:00pm~ NEW plan is being set! But, at LEAST I have food to make tomorrow for Aaron, Luke, Monica, and myself!!

Oh yeah! And, did I mention it's my husband birthday today?

My GOODNESS! All of this happened in 24 hours! I am so thankful to hear that my grandpa is doing better and receiving the care he needs right now and I soooo wish I could be with my family right now. :( Any prayer warriors out there: I would covet your prayers for him right now as he continues to recover.

And, I suppose I would also love prayers for our family of 2 (soon to be 3, I guess!) because this is getting so very real and very surreal at the same time.

So, all that to say....this day of the photo challenge is appropriate because it is of my family:

(Above: My immediate family)
(Below: Picture of my grandpa and grandma at their house a few years back)

The family I married into! My inlaws...:)

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving and eat PLENTY of turkey for us!! There is so much to be thankful for this year even when things don't go as planned. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fave Musician?

Day 8: A photo of your favorite band/musician

Picking a favorite musician would mean that I would have to pick a favorite genre of music....which is next to impossible for me! I love everything from classical to rock, pop to country, indie to jazz...you get the idea. So. cannot.choose.

So, I decided to pick the artist that I've been listening to the most in the recent days:
Michael Buble....seriously, such a talented artist! His swing music always puts a smile on my face and can send me into a sappy mood. There are plenty of other artists out there that I love...including my musically talented family! But, lately it's been Michael Buble....

Is any one else FREEZING these days!? Wow, the temps dropped suddenly! We're hoping to spend time with family this Thanksgiving but we will see what the weather ends up doing on Thursday! Can you believe Thanksgiving is two days away already? Happy Tuesday all!

My Love

Day 7: A Photo of Someone You Love

I really love my husband. When we were dating, I thought that love was fancy dates and never getting into conflict. When we were engaged, I thought love was planning a wedding and dreamily looking into each other's eyes. After I married this man, I found out that love was a commitment and I was shown this by my husband's dedication to our marriage...even when I was very unlovable!

Obviously, we've had our share of ups and downs, however, Aaron has tried to serve, love, protect, cherish, and selflessly give to me these last 4 years. He has practiced tough love by correcting me when I needed correcting yet has taken correcting when he needed it as well. I am amazed at how big his heart is for the lost, the poor, and the unlovables. He is far from perfect, but I love him :)

Day 6

Day 6: A photo that makes you laugh

My brother and I. What a pair :) We came up with some great ways to play when we were younger. Being "cowboys" and having couch cushions be our horses was one of our favorite games to play.

The brown couch in the background was made into a covered wagon and we would bounce around the house on our horses until we reached our "covered wagon". And, sometimes when my brother wasn't looking, I would sneak my dolls into the covered wagon. But, he could never know because I wanted to be like him too much....and dolls were for "girly girls" and I certainly didn't want to be one of those :)

This photo makes me laugh and the memories behind it make me smile :)

Most Recent Photo "Of Me"

Day 5: A photo of youI'm cheating by making this into a pregnancy post....but, hey, it said a photo of me and this is what I look like now!

I never know how much to update on our pregnancy but thought I should give the latest update. I think I mentioned before that my dr. said I was measuring small.....

SO, this Wednesday I had an ultrasound to confirm the dates and double double check to make sure Baby Willey was healthy and growing. Within the first few minutes, the technician started laughing and said, "Your dr. is going to be sooooo surprised! He has long legs, a big belly, and is almost 6 pounds already!" So, HE is definitely not measuring small :)

Whew....I was relieved! This ultrasound was great because I actually got to SEE him....see his face and check out who he looks like. He's looking very Albertson in the face but he could surprise me by looking like Aaron...we shall see :)

It's getting soooo hard to do things....getting into my car and sleeping are the worst! I haven't even thought about packing a hospital bag so I should maybe get on that pretty soon? I'm just SO sure this baby will be late that I want to have things to do as I'm waiting.....:) Oh, and Christmas shopping and decorating? Hmm....we'll see if those get done this year!

So, there you have the latest update if you were curious! We would love prayers right now as we prepare for the delivery of Baby Willey. Thanks all!

Last Vacation: Day 4

Day 4. A photo of the last place you went on holiday (aka vacation)

Disclaimer: This pic was taken after a FULL day at Worlds of Fun in which we rode every ride in the park (except 2 that were shut down)....hence why we look exhausted!

The trip to watch Aaron Scuba Dive wasn't truly a vacation so this is the last vacation I can think of....taken in '09 for our 3 year anniversary. We went to Kansas City to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun! And, seriously, it was WAY fun! We LOVE rollercoasters and every ride imaginable so we had a blast....

Unfortunately, this was the only pic we have from our vacation because I didn't want to lose my camera on the rides :) We got to the park as soon as it opened and strategically walked around the entire park, jumping on every ride. Going early in the morning is the BEST way to get on every ride we found out! Then, we revisited the ones we liked the best and were so tired by 6:00pm that we left and went out to eat. We got up the next day and did the same thing at Oceans of Fun and by the time we were ready to go home, we were EXHAUSTED! But, it was SO worth it :)

So, there you have it....our last vacation!

Happy Photo

Day 3: A photo that makes you happy

Ooooohhh, this photo makes me so happy!! :) First, I'm in Europe. Second, this was taken after we discovered that we were standing next to our first castle sighting! Third, this choir tour was probably one of the best experiences in my life. And, fourth, I really REALLY want to travel right now and this pic makes me feel better since I can't travel for the time being :)

This experience came after an incredibly tiring senior year of college. I loved college (and especially my senior year!) but I tried to do TOO much and was very burnt out by the time I hopped on the plane for Europe. But, this trip made all the hard work worth it and I came back refreshed and ready to conquer the world (aka get married a few short weeks later :) Can I go back and relive this.....please!? :)

Day 2

Day 2: A photo of yourself from a year ago

This picture seems like soooooo long ago yet I can remember exactly what was going on. We had felt a huge calling for Aaron to go back to school for Nursing and minister in our church as laymen and volunteers. This was our waiting time last year.....waiting to sell our house, waiting to get jobs in Mankato, waiting for housing, waiting to see if Aaron would like his classes (which he absolutely loves!).....all the unknowns. It was sooooo scary and we clung to Christ and each other....I can't begin to tell you how this waiting time strengthened our relationship!

Almost every night we would walk around Spring Lake Park and pray for God to take us step by step. And, as you have read this past year, He did just that! He has provided in ways we could have never imagined! He not only provided for us, but provided a wonderful family to minister to the church family we left in Iowa. God is good and this picture reminds me of that :)

Projects!

Just looking at these pictures makes me tired! As I'm writing this post, I've just come back from a very full day at work and am absolutely exhausted. December 10th cannot come soon enough (last day before maternity leave)....*sigh* I'm tired, my back hurts, and I miss my husband who has a crazy busy schedule until Dec. 20th. But, on a good note, here are the last of the projects unless I suddenly feel like nesting after I'm done working!

The crib skirt....I TOTALLY cheated by not even sewing this :) My mother-in-law graciously offered to sew it for me and it turned out WAY better than if I would have tried!! Looks adorable and especially with the quilt that is coming!

6 pages done in scrapbooking! Doesn't sound like alot if you're not a scrapbooker, but if you are, you know that sometimes one page takes an hour! And, at least I started this crazy wedding scrapbook! It has been my favorite scrapbooking project so far...why did I put it off 4 1/2 years?

But, most importantly, I am almost over my bronchitis and attempted to do the rest of the things on my to do list....emphasis on "attempted" :) I'm allowing myself to be okay with not getting everything done....I just need to try to have energy to get through these last few weeks of keeping up with preschoolers! *sigh*

Photo Challenge: I'm in! :)

My friend Jenny has a 30 day photo challenge going on right now and I finally decided to join! I didn't know with Baby Willey coming soon if I would be able to finish it before then, but thought it might be an excellent way to make these next 30 days go super quickly! So, here is my Day one of the photo challenge:

Day 1: Your Facebook Profile Pic

Taken at my cousin Steve's wedding a month ago....I finally got to wear one of my maternity dresses and liked being in the "cute stage" of pregnancy :) How quickly that phase ended! :) There's not too much to say about this pic except that it reminds me of how much Aaron and I like to dress up....maybe something you didn't know about us :) We would go to plays and out to eat at ridiculously expensive restaurants if we could (and if we weren't so frugal at the same time!)

Project Update: This past weekend was wonderful to get projects done....however, I don't know how many more I'll be able to do because my back was killing me after just a few hours of scrapbooking! We were snowed in and without power all day Saturday so it was the perfect day to stay inside and do projects! I will post pics tonight after work!! Happy Tuesday!

A Year and a Half Later....

It's been a while since my group of high school friends got together! In fact, it's been a year and a half!! And, during that time, one had her fourth child, one had her first child, two of us bought houses, one graduated with her master's degree, one is moving to Argentina in a week, and one of us is pregnant (I'm the preggo one....and one that bought a house! :)

So, last night we decided to meet up and connect before our friend moves to Argentina..

While we talked and laughed....

Our husbands played Settlers :)

We'll miss you, Jo, Paul, and Baby Julia! But, we're excited for the work you'll do in Argentina!!

Pregnancy Update: I had a doctor's appointment today and the doctor said the baby has grown and everything looks great!! PTL! I get an ultrasound next week and then start weekly appointments after that! This is still soooooo surreal but so exciting!

Wednesday's To Do

Today I have the day off! Actually, I pretty much have the rest of the week off except a few hours on Friday! So, I made a list of things I want to do before next Monday. They are:

1) Get over my bronchitis (yep, that's what that "bad cold" was....I have pregnancy safe meds and am feeling MUCH better already!)

2) Wedding Scrapbook (I'm determined and have all the supplies....I'm going to at least start it today!)

3) Nursery Decor (Crib skirt, mobile, hanging his name on the wall...it's almost done!)

4) Clean, clean, clean!! (laundry, ironing...anything else I'm feeling up to)

5) Relax and watch a movie? Hmm....I heard I won't have much time to do that after Baby is here so maybe I'll make that a priority :)

Hope you all have a great Wednesday! I'm off to start on these projects!

34 Weeks!?

We are 34 weeks pregnant! I seriously cannot believe it! This third trimester has gone the fastest for me and it seems SO crazy to think that I could "potentially" have the baby in 2 weeks (even though we ALL know that he'll be late...come on, he's part Albertson! We're always late!). So, don't expect any announcements for another 6-7 weeks!

At my last appointment, the doctor said our baby was small and that we would see at my 34 week appt. if it's something to be concerned about or if he's just running on the small side. I think Baby Willey heard her because my belly has grown the most in the last two weeks and I'm huge now! I'm anxious for my appt. on Friday to show her how much he's grown! (and hopefully it's not just me gaining weight! :) While the news initially shook me up, it was just another reminder to entrust this baby into God's hands and not worry! :)

It seems like it's been a while since I've updated preggo pics SO, here's a couple before we toured the hospital for our prepared childbirth class tonight:

This is our "freaking-out-that-we're-going-to-be-parents-in-6-weeks" look :)

Oh goodness.....exciting times....crazy times....this is quite the journey!

Dining Room

Yesterday was supposed to be a day to work on the nursery.....BUT, we sort of got sidetracked :) We finally had our house all organized and decorated but our dining room was just not appealing to either one of us. We had a huge desk with our computer on it and a teeny tiny space for our dining room table to go. Yesterday we thought about what it would be like after we had kids and we decided we needed more space in our dining room....thus starting the reorganization!

Then.....we remembered that our fish tank and stand was still in storage (all of our fish died after our move last January!) and would make our dining room look more like a dining room instead of an office/dog space/dining room. We went from this:

To this:

Even if you can't tell, there is WAY more space to breathe and it opens up our entire house! We might actually start using our table to eat at now :) And, Aaron is pretty excited to have fish again :) AND.....because we had just organized our basement, we had room for the desk down there....ah, organization! Love it!! Now I'm off to fight this ridiculous cough! I'm taking it easy today and trying to get better! Happy Sunday!

Meeting Evelyn

We got to meet our niece yesterday!!! Yay!!! :) She's sooooooo beautiful!!!! :) :) :)

We loved having some quality time with this little one (and of course her parents too!) and can't wait for the next time we get to see her!!! :) :) We love you, Evie!!!

Sorry for my awful blogging the last few weeks (besides the few pics here and there!)! I have been hit hard with morning sickness again (thankfully it's truly "morning" sickness as it goes away soon after I get ready in the morning) and a really bad cold on top of it all....I kept hesitating to share this because I feel like I've been sick this whole pregnancy....oh wait, I have been! :) But, I didn't want to complain because I really am enjoying this time in life despite it....but seriously, morning sickness in the third trimester?? Give me a break, Baby!

This weekend I have a weekend at home to get better and get going on Baby Willey's nursery. It's painted but doesn't have decorations so this weekend is all about decorating it! I WILL update pics....that will be my accountability to make sure it gets done :) Have a wonderful weekend all!!

Our Weekend

This past weekend was SO fun....not only did we have our fun Halloween party but my cousin got married meaning some good quality family time! :) We soaked up every second catching up with family and gaining some incredible parenting advice from those who have kids already. It hasn't really hit me that the next time I'll see them, I'll have my own sweet baby!

Speaking of, this last trimester seems to be flying by! And, we're getting really excited.....but very very content in the here and the now. It has been such a sweet time for Aaron and I as we're in the waiting stage...and trying to do as many spontaneous things as we can before our baby comes :) The wedding made us reminisce about our last 4 1/2 years together but I'll save those memories for another blog post :) Instead, I'll leave you with a few pics of my sweet cousins....

Halloween Party

Last night we had a really really ridiculously fun Halloween Party with friends!! I decided to go as pregnant Claire from LOST and Aaron was Charlie from LOST......

Hurley and John Locke came (also LOST characters :) Loved these costumes!

Percy Harvin and a ref

The Jolly Green Giant and Joe Dirt :) Love it!
Joe Dirt's AWFUL hair!! HA! It was hilarious :)

All the LOST characters! HAHA! Loved all these costumes...goodness we have creative friends!

And, the party was complete with Halloween treats....
Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!! It's November already! Woah did October just fly by!!!