A Cake for Babycakes

Josh and I headed up north the day after our ultrasound appointment.  This meant that even though we were we bursting with joy to share our news (I almost told a stranger in the waiting room) our lips had to be sealed until Sunday when our families would get together.  Josh and I prepared a special "reveal" cake at the cabin.  Pink dye was to be used if we were going to have a girl; blue for a boy.  We used two containers of frosting to make sure the food coloring didn't show through!   We arrived at my parents' home around 5:00pm Sunday.  There was much anticipation about the cake; we actually cut into it before dinner!  But before the big event mom had everyone choose a pink or blue napkin based on their prediction about baby. 

Meet the Blue Team

and here's The Pink Team

The Cake

The Moment

It's a Boy!

We Celebrated!

Proud Papa

Josh and I feel incredibly blessed to have people in our lives that celebrate with us in special ways.  We love them so much.  We can't wait to welcome our little boy into the family!  Our love for him is like my belly, it continues to grow and grow.

P.S. A great big thank you to my mother-in-law Jackie for taking some of these pictures! 

A Lesson in Patience

I haven't had the time to write about our sweet baby or about the babymoon until now.  I was eager to catch up tonight when...I ran out of storage space for my pictures!  Has this ever happened to you?  This exact scenario happened to my friend Amber a few weeks ago and I had no idea what she was talking about (I totally understand your dilemma now my friend)!  So alas, I am in waiting before I get my "extra" storage space purchased for $5.00.  I am so looking forward to sharing my stories and photographs with you.  Perhaps Thursday, but more likely Friday or Saturday :).
                                 
                                          Until Then,
                                      Goodnight Friends,
                                             Jen

P.S. My post feels a little naked without the accompaniment of a picture!

Babymoon

Hello Friends,

We got back from our ultrasound appointment a few hours ago and we can't stop smiling.  Our sweet baby looks healthy and beautiful!  I'll have to give you more of an update later.  We aren't sharing the big news about whether baby is a boy or girl until Sunday when we arrive back in town and our families get together. 

Josh and I are going on a "babymoon" up to the Jacobs' family cabin.  I'm on spring break this week and Josh took off work for a few days for our little getaway.  The cabin is such a peaceful place.  I'm looking forward to lazy mornings with Josh, cooking up new recipes and sewing my first ever diaper bag!  Here is sneak peek of the fabrics I will be using: the outside is going to be gray canvas and the lining is Amy Butler's daisy chain clematis fabric.   

I'm off to hang out with Josh's fam before bed and then dream about our babycakes this evening.  Goodnight!
                                            Much Love,
                                              Jen

Week Twenty One

We are going to find out in just a few hours if our little babycakes is a boy or a girl! 

I actually have to leave right now to go my appointment(Josh just got home from work) so I can't gush about how excited I am :).  Hopefully I will be able to write later before we go out of town.  Until then, have a lovely day!! 

A Week(+) of Sunshine: Day Nine (Part Two)

A few photographs from New Years Eve on the ship:

Britta and Ben (newlyweds)

Mike and Jackie

"Uncle" Jordan and Jemimah

Jared and Beth (soon to be married!)

A New Year's Smooch from someone special

Week Twenty

Whoa baby, we're half way there!  I can't believe how quickly these first twenty weeks have gone.  To think about having our little newborn in our arms in 20 weeks is both exhilarating and terrifying.  God's grace is sufficient for me now and I am trusting Him for His grace in the upcoming weeks.  Babycakes is already the size of a small cantaloupe.  Baby is gulping down several ounces of amniotic fluid each day, both for nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting.  Can you believe baby's tastebuds actually are working already?! 

I received a sweet surprise this morning. 

A student I had last year brought in a special gift.  She wanted to give me two outfits she wore when she was a baby!  These are officially the first infant clothes I have received; they are so adorable.  I think either a boy or girl could wear them :).

                     Much Love,

          Mama and Babycakes 

A Week(+) of Sunshine: Day Nine (Part One)

Early Birds

Josh and I love to sneak away to catch a sunrise or two on vacation.

Have a lovely Sunday friends; enjoy a sunrise soon!

freshening up the blog...again

Hello Friends,

You may have noticed my blog undergoing a makeover (or make"under" depending on how you look at it) these past weeks.  I think I may have switched my blog header 4 times (perhaps even more?).  Here is a little look at the changes that have been occuring:

Buttons: This was the first blog header I ever created!  I took this picture in an antique store in Stillwater.  I still like the look of it; I just wanted a change :).

Travel: This header was also inspired from an antique store in Stillwater.  It lasted only a few days before I grew tired of it.

Typewriter: This photograph was taken at a bookstore in St. Paul.  I like the photograph; it was just a tad too dark for the kind of look I was going for. 

  Colorful Circles: I actually cut out paper circles and strung them together for this creation.  It was only displayed for one day before I got the itch to create a different one!

Floral Ribbon: I used floral ribon as the inspiration for this design.  We'll see how long this header lasts :). 

My Question to all of you out there:  do you have a blog design that you've stuck with for over 6 months?  If so, how did you create a design that you don't tire of?  I'd love to hear your feedback.  Maybe one day I'll create a blog design that I'm perfectly content with having for months.  Until then, forgive my constant re-arranging and let me know what you think of past or present designs :).

                                                                                                                       Love,

                                                                                                                      Jen

Week Nineteen

Hi Friends,

This week marks 19 on the baby countdown calendar.  Baby and belly continue to grow and grow.  I have been more in tune to babycakes tiny kicks.  I still smile every time. 

In other news...I painted my toe nails.  And let me tell you, this is NEWS because it took a lot of effort to actually bend over my belly and reach my toes!

 So please girls...enjoy the simple pleasure of painting your toes while you can :)!

                                               Much Love,

                                                                                                                               Jen

A Week(+) of Sunshine: Day Eight

Here are a few sunny photos for you amidst the gray days of March.  These were taken during our last destination on the cruise: Grand Turk.  It was a beautiful day filled with blue skies, aqua water, and searching for sea glass and seashells with my hubby.

Have a Happy Saturday!