A Shower for Beth

Meet Beth.  She's my sister-in-law.  She's also getting married in less than two weeks!  Isn't spring (especially Easter season) a great time to get married?  Color is beginning to bloom and new life is bursting forth everywhere.  Josh and I are so excited to share in their special day.

Last Thursday, Jemimah and I attended a bridal shower for Beth.

  Here are a few photos from the evening:

 the cutie pie cake deliverers

Shower Game Objective: get the ring out of the ice cube the fastest.  Jemimah and I were unsuccessful but it sure was fun!

  Can't wait for the wedding!

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