Grover

Who is Grover you might ask. . .
This is Grover. . .

at 13 weeks. . . 
I feel like Grover has really decided to make his/her presence known to the world this week.  Maybe it does not look like it to you but there is most definitely enough of a little bump there for me to notice.

Why Grover you might ask. . .
Well, Ryan is called Cookie Monster by my family and I have some funny siblings who were reading Good Night Little Grover to Mollie and. . . well. . . Grover is Cookie Monster's son or daughter.  We have embraced it because it is easier than using the word "it" which was Cookie Monster's word of choice when referring to the baby before the name Grover came around.

When will Grover make his/her entrance you might ask. . .
Sometime around March 6.

Will you find out boy or girl you might ask. . .
YES! can you imagine me not knowing?

Are you sure it is only one baby you might ask. . .
YES! We had some trouble locating the heartbeat (they found it, everything looks great, do not worry) so we got to have an ultrasound and see Grover and we were assured it was only ONE baby.

How are you feeling you might ask. . .
We are super excited about Grover. . . I feel pretty good. . . I may go to bed at or before 8:00 some nights. . .

*DISCLAIMER: The face in the picture is due to the fact that Cookie Monster does not tell you when he is going to take a picture, he just snaps , no count, nada and he does not care whether you know or not.  He also does not care what is in the background of the picture. . . :-)
Cookie Monster's rationale after reading this post: "It is because I am the Cookie Monster, not the Count."

Better Late Than Never

 Ryan's older sister Kari married Derek on August 6.  Time has gotten away from me since then and we have been super busy but at long last, here are some pictures from their special day.  They were married at Izatys on Lake Mille Lacs.  It rained all morning but stopped just in time for them to be able to be married outside by the lake just like they wanted.

Saying vows.

A view of the whole thing. . .

They are married! :-)

The wedding party.

More wedding party.  This time with a little attitude.

Kari and her parents.

Look at these three spiffy guys!

Kim, Kari, and I

The Cloeter family.

Kim and I.

and last but not least. . . us. . . 

Hot Hot Hot!

Last week I had the opportunity to hang out with this little girl (Houdini)

The weather was nothing but HOT so we spent most of our time inside: napping, eating, talking, laying on our playmats, smiling, getting out of our swaddles etc.  

Uncle Ran flew down on Thursday night and he and I decided it would be fun to take Crosby to Cracker Barrel for breakfast Friday morning.  She liked the biscuits and eggs and sausage but it made her a little gassy :-)  He taught her how to touch her nose with her tongue. . .

Saturday we went to lunch and had some awesome hamburgers and I had tater tots and they were AMAZING!!!  brought me right back to my Granberry Elementary days.  Here is the cute fam at lunch:  Yes Crosby was trying to be a football player, if only you could see the sock shoes. . .

Ryan and I went to the Fort Worth Stockyards on Saturday afternoon and sadly there are no pictures.  We did find Pecos Bill, the bull Aimee and I rode the last time we were there. . . we shopped, ate sno cones, and saw a little old lady on oxygen in a motorized cart singing on the street corner with her husband. . . 

I almost forgot, we went to Sprinkles for cupcakes after lunch on Saturday.  It was a special occasion as it marked Ryan's first trip to Sprinkles. :-) Again, sadly, no pictures. . .

Sunday took us home.  We went to church and then Chipotle before heading to the airport where we held a mini photo shoot :-)

 Crosby thought you might want to see how long her legs are so she stretched them out:

Tim and Danielle and Crosby: Thanks for letting us come and hang out with you!  We are blessed with such wonderful families! 

Two Years Ago. . .

 There was anticipation. . .

And family. . .

And friends. . .

 

And tears. . Happy tears. . . 

 And vows. . .

 And burned fingers. . .

 And prayer to an awesome God who blesses us in ways we don't deserve. . .

 And a kiss. . .

 And a party. . . with food, family, friends, and dancing. . .

It was the beginning of a whole new journey and we couldn't have enjoyed it more.  Happy anniversary Ryan!  I love you more today than I did then and I loved you a lot then!  We are so blessed and I look forward to seeing what God will continue to do in our lives!

Thankful

Yesterday, the question of the day on the radio was "what are you thankful for?". I started to think. . . In no paricular order here are things I am recently thankful for

1. I am thankful for family. . . The fact that I have two of them is that much sweeter.
2. I am thankful for marriage and the journey that it is.
3. I am thankful for the growing families of our family and friends and each and every healthy birth.
4. I am thankful for the fact that my husband is driving us to work so we can spend more time together and I don't have to drive.
5. I am thankful for the warm sunshiny weather.
6. I am thankful for Jesus and what he did for me and the fact that he forgives me every single time I make a wrong choice no matter what.
7. I am thankful for skype and the ability to see my nieces as they grow.
8. I am thankful for next week and the time I will get to spend in Texas.
9. I am thankful for a break from teaching-I am not quite ready to go back yet but I will be here in a few weeks. It is amazing what a break can do to renew your love of teaching and your energy.
10. ( no shocker here) I am thankful for my husband and the fact that he cuts the grass and drives to work most days and takes care of us and works hard for us and shovels the snow in the winter and provides for us and takes care of car maintenance and grills and helps me with whatever I need and I could go on and on and on. . .

What are you thankful for today?