Week Twenty Three

Preparing For Baby

We registered for babycakes this Friday!  It would have been a completely overwhelming experience for Josh and me if it weren't for our dear friends The Mathis' coming with us.  To truly understand the word "overwhelming" let me paint you a picture.  Josh and I had to open our registry at Target two weeks ago so that we would qualify for a $20.00 gift card.  We ended up only registering for ONE thing...a baby monitor; and it took us 45 minutes to actually decide!  So, let's just say if Josh and I had registered alone the evening probably would have resulted with a few tears shed.  We are so thankful for our friends coming with us.  Meg was a fountain of wisdom as we perused through the aisles.  They blessed us so much!  A quick word of advice to first time mamas and papas about registering for your baby....I would HIGHLY recommend having seasoned parents accompany you! 

Here are a few photos from our time at Target

Carson and Coleman ready to rock

 Love the way the Mathis' use their shopping cart...very strategic!

 I noticed these next ones were a bit blurry.  But on the bright side, at least Josh's finger didn't take up 1/3 (or more) of the picture of me (this happens quite frequently when he uses my phone to take pictures).  I only had to crop out a smidgen of his thumb :).

Meg and Carson

 David and Coleman

Kiddos all tuckered out from shopping for their soon-to-be buddy

We had such a great time with David, Meg, and their adorable twin boys!

Our Babymoon: Part Two

The Wonderful Ways We Spent Our Days

1. cooking/eating- Lately after work I have been too tired to try new recipes and whip up interesting meals.  The babymoon was a perfect time to enjoy leisurely time in the kitchen.  Josh actually was "head chef" for most of our meals.  I didn't mind being "sous chef" though :).

Handsome Head Chef

I heart crepes!

2. reading/resting- Time slowed for the few days we were up north.  We woke up and went to sleep without ever looking at a clock.  We also enjoyed a few afternoon naps :).  We loved to cozy up on the couch with a cup of coffee and spend extended time reading God's Word.  The cabin is so peaceful; no sounds of cars rushing by or sirens blaring.  God used this quietness to affect our hearts as well.  We also got great joy from reading Frances Chan's book Crazy Love.  Both Josh and I would highly recommend this book!

3. sewing- I love, love to sew.  Along with being too tired to cook fun things these days I have also had no energy to do creative endeavors like sewing.  These few days refreshed my soul.  I adored sitting behind my sewing machine and listening to the machine hum happily along as I made our little boy's diaper bag.

4. exploring- One afternoon we ventured out into the 30 degree day and took a walk by the frozen lake.  Our feet crunched through snow as we talked about our little life and dreamed about the future.

We also did some exploring in town one morning.  Breakfast was delicious at the Schwarzwald Inn!

The pancakes were as big as the plate!

 funny little things hanging from the ceiling...

Josh and I had babymoon full of blessings.

  Thanks Mike and Jackie for lending us the cabin for the long weekend!

Our Babymoon: Part One

What could be better than starting off a babymoon with ice cream and an ultrasound?

 Before our appointment I had to drink 34oz. of water.  Josh snapped these funny pics with my phone in the waiting room

He patiently waited while reading the sports section.

 Here's Josh with our first picture of our little boy after the appointment!

Thursday morning we packed up the car and began our journey up north (but not before stopping at Dunn Bros. for some coffee and hot chocolate :)

A few phone pictures taken from the passenger seat as we traveled along...

We arrived in Park Rapids around lunch time.  We decided to go to Rocky's Pizza, one of our favorite mom and pop restaurants around here.

more stories and photographs of the babymoon are soon to come :)

Week Twenty Two

My First Diaper Bag

This was my spring break project during our babymoon (thanks Megan for the pattern!).  I had incredible amounts of fun with this whole project.  From browsing the beautiful fabrics to sewing seams I couldn't keep from smiling.  I kept thinking to myself...there are going to be baby things in this bag for OUR LITTLE BOY!!!  Sewing this bag was a time for me to really slow down and reflect upon the changes our family has been going through these past months and to look forward to what is to come.  It was a time that I could talk to God and also be quiet and listen. 

Babycakes and I are doing just fine this week.  His kicks are becoming more recognizable and frequent (mostly at night).  One of the best things has been waking up in the mornings to Josh's hands on my belly as he prays for our little guy.  My belly seems to be more recognizable now.  The parents and students at school are more confident when they approach me to say "congratulations" :).  I hope to write about our babymoon soon!

Have a lovely Sunday,

                                           Jen 

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