Friday's Fave Five #20

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Living To Tell The Story

1. My husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on the 6th! Here's us only a month after we met. We were introduced over Thanksgiving weekend 2001, were engaged that February and married August of 2002! Talk about a whirlwind romance!



My mom came over to watch both boys so we could enjoy a leisurely dinner together--the first since Ethan was born! It was lovely to talk uninterrupted and enjoy each other's company!

2. I got lots of organizing done this week! Besides looking sooo much better, I'm amazed at how much better I FEEL, too! Check out that post

HERE

3. I actually sat down at my craft table and made some cards! I haven't made time for that in quite a while and it felt great!





4. Speaking of crafting, I got a $40 order in my Etsy shop this week--all the way for Canada!! That's my biggest order so far and the first time I shipped internationally--pretty exciting!

5. Two play dates this week, which definitely helps the days go by faster when you're "stuck at home" all week! One day, my friend Jen brought her boys over, including her 3-week old. We were "pregnancy buddies" and it's fun now to compare babies instead of pregnancy symptoms! Here's the boys together--that's my Ethan on the left. Isn't he huge???



And for good measure, here's the latest picture of the boys:



It was a great week--we are truly blessed!

Friday's Fave Five #19

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1. My mom has been on her summer "vacation" (she won't call it a break) for the last two weeks so she spent some time here to hang out, see the boys and allow me to go to my doctor's appointments. She watched Andrew one day and both boys the other day, AND let me use her car! Such a blessing. Here's her with the boys.



One of my appointments was with a dentist after (gulp) seven years. Good news: no cavities and my teeth are healthy. Bad news: I need my wisdom teeth out. EEK!

2. Mom also took us to get Andrew's hair cut, followed by a trip to Starbucks--such a treat! Here's his new 'do!



3. The end of swimming lessons. I'm actually sad that we won't be going anymore but glad that Andrew is a much better swimmer now and able to navigate the pool without wings. He loves his freedom!!! He's doing really well and is terribly proud.

4. An impromptu visit from my dad when he was on my side of town for a paint job. I made us lunch and he got to hold Ethan. I found out later that my mom was happy to have the extra time at home to get her projects done, so it was a win-win for everyone. Here's Ethan smiling up at him!



5. Ethan getting more and more active and alert. He's been kicking like crazy and loved getting his feet high and kicking these toys. He even made the zebra spin so the music would play!



When he smiles up at me like this, it just melts my heart! And he does this a LOT.



I am a blessed woman!

Friday's Fave Five #18

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To preface this, I am feeling much more like myself these days and finally have my appetite back, so you'll see a lot of food mentioned! :)

1. My dear friend Jen had her baby and we got to meet him over the weekend! He's so tiny and looks just like his mommy! He makes our lil' guy look HUGE! This is me holding him. I love newborns!



2. I finally got back to my weekly menu planning and shopping and made some pretty good meals this week, including this. I did pulled pork in the crock pot (just used root bear!) with peas and oven fries. They're plain steak fries but I added some seasoning--yum!! The sauce on the meat is from our favorite BBQ restaurant in Florida--my folks brought it back for us on their recent trip.



For lunch, I'm loving SMOOTHIES!! I have one almost every day and it's great because I can add flax seed and protein powder, plus get my daily dose of milk, yogurt and fruit in one drink! They're so refreshing in this heat, too.



3. Beating the 115-degree heat. I dumped out Andrew's sand box and filled it with water for him to use as a "pool" and he loves it!





4. I'm trying to cut waaaay back on sugar but I don't want to deprive myself completely...so I treat myself to Bryer's Fresh and Dreamy ice cream (half the fat!) with fruit on top almost every night. Yes, I sometimes add a crumbled cookie and chocolate syrup!



5. I can't let a Friday go by without mentioning our "angel baby." This boy is so happy, so laid back and so much FUN! He's cooing and smiling at EVERYone and gets more active and more alert every day. He just melts my heart!

He's two months old now and just starting to get interested in toys. It's so much fun to "play" with him!





I hope you all had many things to be thankful for this week, too! We are blessed!

Friday's Fave Five #17

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1. One ridiculously happy, content, ADORABLE baby....





...and a big brother who obviously adores him.





2. One-on-one time with Big Brother, who is evidently tired of seeing the camera out all the time. See the animals I made??? I'm pretty proud.

I do treasure time with Andrew these days and have to remind myself that he still needs some snuggle and play time with Mom, despite how independent he is! I need it, too...he is my baby, after all.



3. My friend who came over to watch Big Brother while I went out to have blood work done, then showed me how she makes blondies. YUM! She even washed some dishes for me!! So sweet.



4. An order for 17 robot-themed birthday cards for a friend got me back into "crafty mode." It was fun to get back into the card-making groove!



5. Day after day of fun play-dates...BECAUSE A FRIEND FROM CHURCH LOANED US THEIR VAN FOR THREE WEEKS! When I prayed last week for a van, I should've been more specific! :) We desperately need another vehicle but it's funny how God provides in the meantime!! Andrew loooves riding around town in the van and going new places with his baby brother.

We are so blessed! Hope you all had a terrific week as well!!

Friday's Fave Five #16

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A day late! :)

Sorry I've been MIA for so long...every Sunday, I'd suddenly go, "Oh, no! I forgot my Friday post!!" Life comes atcha fast!!

#1 is of course that ETHAN IS FINALLY HERE!! :)

He arrived at 8:12a.m. on Tuesday, May 12th weighing 8 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 21.5". I had an amazingly wonderful (natural) birth experience and he is perfectly healthy in every way. He's a great sleeper and eater (which is all he does, anyway) for which we feel very blessed. As of 2.5 weeks old, he has already gained a pound!

You can check out pictures from these prior posts:

Newborn/hospital

First days home

Week 1

Here's a good recent one of "Mommy's New Man" at about 11 days old.



#2 is that we've been house-sitting for my hubby's aunt, two blocks from our house, for the past 10 days. She has cable TV and a pool so we've been camping out over there and having a blast! It's been nice to have evenings of just hanging out and enjoying each other instead of the inevitable chores and to-dos at home.

Andrew has especially enjoyed his "night swims."



#3 is that we got to host Memorial Day at the aforementioned aunt's house for my folks and my brother and his family.

Here's Ethan in his patriotic outfit.



And my and my two boys!! Yeah, turns out I don't own a red shirt.



Here's the whole fam enjoying the pool. Perfect Memorial Day weather!



#4 is that I've been anxiety-free for a week now and have even had my appetite back for the past several days. Food tastes good again!! I am very grateful to be feeling back to my normal self. Now I've just got to focus on staying healthy and eating well for my hungry baby!

#5 is that I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight already. That is, my pre-pregnancy weight from 3.5 years ago!!

The last two months of this pregnancy were marked by anxiety, profuse sweating and a lack of appetite. The only upside is that I dropped the actual pregnancy weight within a few days, and was back to my weight from 3.5 years ago (that was after a lot of effort on Weight Watchers, by the way) within a week or two. Of course I still have the "jelly belly" but at least I don't have a bunch of poundage to lose. Here's me, two weeks postpartum. Yes, I'm showing off a little.



There are about a million other wonderful things I could mention about the last week and we truly feel so very blessed to be in this season of life right now. I love my boys!!!

I look forward to catching up with all of your latest now!! :)

Friday's Fave Five #15

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This one will be short and sweet, no pictures, mainly because I'm actually tired of being on the computer after the week I've had. There are plenty of things that were praiseworthy and of good report, however, so away we go!!

1. My friend Chrissy, came through the surgery to remove a tumor on her brain on Thursday and I'm told she is "doing well" and they were able to remove it all (so no radiation, yeah!). Continued prayers are appreciated, of course, as she recovers. I've been the one reporting her updates to our church family, her church family, our Bunco group and others, so it's been a bit taxing but I'm very happy to do it. I also believe that God is at work in her life and in the lives of everyone that has been rallying around her, so it will be exciting to see what He is up to! The post about her whirlwind week is

HERE

2. I got to my due date so we know Ethan is fully cooked!! Oh, my, the waiting is getting hard!! Besides just being eager to meet him and being so ready to be done being pregnant, I've had some hormonal issues, problems with my appetite and the usual ups and down of the end of pregnancy to handle this week but, again, God has been SO good to me and is teaching me some wonderful lessons about relying on Him, prayer, resting, etc. etc. that I'll have to share after Ethan's story is done being told!! :) Pray that we will continue to be patient, for a restful weekend coming up and health for Ethan and I.

{P.S. If any of you have some positive stories about past-due pregnancies, feel free to comment!! I'll take all the encouragement I can get!}

3. I had my "Blessingway" on Saturday with my mom, two sisters-in-law and dear friend. It was a tremendous blessing, indeed, and I hope not only for me, but for all who participated! Blessingways are just a "mother-centered shower of love" so if you want to check it out and see pictures (there are some of my henna-painted belly!) go to
This Post

4. God has really been teaching me some amazing things this week that I can summarize in one word: ABIDING. I've been really focused on that word/idea/concept for a while now and it's amazing to see how He will teach us things when we ask. I'm learning how to better love others, how to pray, how to take my thoughts captive, how to take life one day (and even one moment) at a time...and so much more. I feel like I'm really "in the flow" for a change and it's really cool. I love it that He is so interested in a relationship with us and wants to show us Who He is and what He can do...we just have to be willing! I have to admit that, at times, it seems over-whelming and "heavy," which you can pray for...but I'm also getting use to the idea that it's totally worth it. Whatever we go through, when God is with us, it's worth it!

5. Having quality time with Andrew this week. We've done Lego's, played trains, sat outside for hours, watched videos...it's been nice to just slow down and spend time together. The three of us have also done some projects and taken trips to the park, too. I know I'll cherish these last few days as a family of three!!

I know I'll have a nice pick-me-up when I read everyone else's lists for this week! :) Hopefully, next week's will involve our new son!!

Friday's Fave Five #14

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Living To Tell The Story

1. Easter was such a wonderful day. We actually attended our Saturday night Easter service so while it was weird to not be in church on Easter Sunday, it was nice to sleep in and enjoy our morning together!

My mom did the cooking and cleaning on Sunday at her house, leaving me to sit and relax. My hubby even got to take a nap!! I also had a spiritual breakthrough that night that has really made a huge difference in my daily walk with the Lord and has definitely helped in the anxiety department! You can read that post

HERE

2. The Saturday before Easter was a fun day. Our park had an Easter party, so Andrew got to go in the bouncy house and ride a train. My hubby took him so I could go house hunting with my sister-in-law (as I will mention in #3).

Later, we made cupcakes! He loved icing his...



...and adding sprinkles...



And eating it, too.



Yup, I had one, too. OK, more like six or ten (but over the course of a few days).



3. The aforementioned sister-in-law (this is the one who introduced me to my hubby and that has lived with us for going on 6 years) is house hunting in our neighborhood because housing prices are so affordable. We're thrilled that she's hoping to stay close by (but sad at the prospect of losing her as a house-mate)!

She put in an offer on this house and it's about a quarter-mile west of us and move-in ready. It's gorgeous, perfect for her needs and just has a really nice, spacious, open feeling. We're praying for God to work out the details so she can snag this baby!! We've seen a lot of houses and this one is definitely a winner.



4. My doctor has officially declared me "FULL TERM." Or Ethan, actually!! Here's us the day I turned 37 weeks. Large, and in charge, baby!!



This is such a huge relief. Premature births are way too common and they don't always know what causes babies to come early, so there are no guarantees. I feel very fortunate to have made it this far and without any complications.

An additional praise is that Drew and Andrew came to my appointment, which made it extra-fun. She said I'm softening and at 2cm dilated, although he hasn't dropped yet and there are no signs of impending labor. I'm measuring right on and she expects him to be about as big as his brother if he arrives around the same time (Andrew was born 6 days past my due date and weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz.).

AND, another praise...she gave Drew the go-ahead to leave town next week to Florida for four days!! We're glad he gets to go--I really want him to, it's a church planting conference with our pastor--and hope Ethan and I can HANG ON until he gets back!! Drew has made me promise to call him if anything happens, and he'll get back ASAP. I feel sure that things will be utterly uneventful while he's gone! In the meantime, no long hikes or heavy lifting for me!!

My mom is coming to stay this weekend while Drew is having some alone time and doing some spiritual "questing" before Ethan's arrival, then she's staying every night he's gone, too. Thank you, Lord!

5. I am just grateful in general for my recent spiritual growth, which was "set off" by that weird anxiety I had two weeks ago. I've had some wonderful visits from friends since then, have been able to bless people since I'm feeling well and have found so many encouraging nuggets of truth in the Word. I just feel so grateful to God for His providence and protection, and all the blessings in my life.

#6. BONUS! :) "The kindness of strangers." Beth over at "The Power of Your Love" made and sent this precious newborn hat for Ethan to wear in the hospital instead of the hospital-issued hats. I can't wait to see him in it!! Thank you, Beth!!



Excited to see how everyone else's week was!! One of these FFFs will soon include Ethan's arrival! :)