ahhh...nesting

{Nesting Instinct} An uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

This is what I began experiencing during the last few weeks. Thus a word document of all the projects that NEED to be completed by the time our bundle of joy arrives was created. (In only 10 weeks!) This desire was spurred on even more by my wonderful friends Erin, Caroline, and Lindi who came to visit our new home this past weekend. Saturday was my day of inspiration! Josh had gone down to the bay house with one of his friends, so the girls and I adventured to Hob Lob and Home Goods...after checking out some fun new blogs that Erin recommended. The day was quite a success! We found some great wall decor for the kitchen and living room, and when they left Sunday morning my head was full of great ideas. I even ordered some new fabric for a project that mom and I are going to work on next week! Much to Josh's surprise he had a long list of "honey dos" when he got home yesterday...but he was so willing to help! What a wonderful husband :) I will keep you updated on the list and what actually gets done before the little one arrives...wish me luck!

For an update on the baby and our lives...week 30 began today! WOW! 10 weeks until we meet our precious baby boy :) He is more active than ever, and I am loving his hiccups! They are little rhythmic beats that make my tummy bounce and are so much fun! Josh loves it when he gives a good kick. He always says "wow" or "that was a good one" or there is always the funny gasp or question "what is he doing in there?" that makes us laugh. His big movements make Josh so proud to already have a strong son! We picked out the paint color for the baby's nursery last night, and will get started on painting it early next month! That's another item on my Nesting to-do-list...

This Sunday, July 5th, Josh and I will celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary! SO much has happened in the past year, and we have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed us beyond our wildest imagination, has drawn us closer to Him, and taught us so many things! It's so neat to look back at where we were a year ago and see how God used the experiences of the past year to shape and mold us into who we are now...with a lot more shaping and molding to come! My wonderful parents, who are such a great example of the importance in spending time together as a couple, gave us a weekend at the Hill Country Hyatt in San Antonio. What a wonderful getaway weekend it will be!

May God richly bless you and draw you closer to Him!

The Catch-up Post!

I am sorry that I haven't updated in SO long - life was going 90 miles an hour towards the end of the school year! We have had so many exciting things going on, and God has been teaching us so much in preparation for our little one!

Mother's Day
We began the wonderful weekend celebration when Josh took me on a date to Enchanted Forest. It's a beautiful plant nursery set back beneath huge oak tress with ponds running through the property and some of the most beautiful flowers you have ever seen! We picked out some new flowers for some of the beds in front of our home. Josh also took me shopping for a special dress for my 1st Mother's Day :) Then we set off to celebrate Mother's Day in College Station! I am so blessed to be a mom and to have been given the incredible blessing and responsibility of raising a precious little boy, who we are getting very anxious to meet! It was so special to celebrate that day with my mom, too. We spent the weekend laying out by the pool - I refused to begin the wearing of the maternity swimsuit - and had a wonderful time together at church and lunch on Sunday. Then, Dad and Josh moved some furniture from my parent's house to our house (for the nursery) and mom, Margaret, and I went to visit Nina and thank her for being such a wonderful mom/ grandmother. I hope all the other moms reading this had a special day, too!

At Enchanted Forest


All the Fam on Mother's Day


After a delicious lunch at Miramont :)


Showers
Last month my sweet class and the 1st grade team hosted wonderful baby showers for us! They were such special times, and we were so blessed by everyone's generosity! We received the most precious baby clothes, toys, gear, and some very practical things, too! The teachers also gave us a book of their baby advice, and it was full of humorous and Godly advice for our future. I am sure we will read it many times in the years to come. When we got everything home, Josh and I loved hanging up all of our little guy's clothes and organizing everything in his nursery :)


The Mommy and Daddy to-be

My 1st Grade Class @ the Baby Shower
Baby
At the beginning of week 27, he is stronger and more active than ever! On average babies are about 2 lbs. this week and packing on the weight quite rapidly! Sometimes we just have to laugh at how much he moves around. A few nights ago he decided it was time to wake up around 4am and rolled and kicked until about 5:15am when he finally calmed back down so I could fall asleep again. I know that I'll look back at these times as great preparation when I am up for those early AM feedings! Last weekend Josh and Jono (his brother) began painting the furniture for the nursery. It's white with red accents on the knobs and posts-we'll post those pics as soon as it's all finished - the red will really tie the furniture and the bedding together well. The crib bedding that we picked is "Baby Boats" from Pottery Barn Kids - in honor of how much Josh LOVES sailing :) We thought we should start our little one's love for it early. You can see it here: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/k5129/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1|12|||1|||||||baby%20boats&cm_src=SCH

Other than that, I am still feeling great! My belly button is getting closer and closer to "popping." I find myself staring at Josh's and wishing mine still looked like his. HAHA But I know it's a good thing and that it just means the boy is growing like he should be. We are looking forward to our vacation to Disney World next week with my family! We'll be sure and take lots of "bump" pics with Mickey & Minnie :)

Josh is so eager to meet our little guy. He talks daily about how much he wants to hold him - but 13 weeks really isn't that long - so he'll be able to sooner than we think! His excitement and eagneress is so precious. We are reading the book Baby Wise together each night, and loving it so far. For those of you who don't know, it's about how the baby best fits into the family and how to schedule his sleeping/eating, etc. I think it's going to be such a great help in figuring all of those things out :)
We hope all of you are doing well and enjoying God's blessings in your life! Look around because big or small, they are everywhere!

Much love,
Liz & Josh