Baby Shower!

On Saturday, the girls at work threw me my first baby shower! It was so much fun and so exciting! To be completely honest, those situations make me 100% uncomfortable. It is difficult for me to be the center of attention in that way and it is hard for me to truely express my appreciation for something like that. It is just hard to believe that people would want to do something like that for me! Regardless though, it was so much fun and I am so grateful to work with such amazing people!

Here are the hosts! Nancy, Leslie, Jessica, and Jennifer. You may remember Leslie, Jessica, and Jennifer from my cake class! All these ladies are truely AWESOME!

This is my mom and aunt Joan (her sister)...you may remember her from my Utah "vacation" in July. Joan was able to come into town for the shower, which made it really special. That morning we went to brunch and I took her on a "tour" of Dallas. This is slightly funny because most of the time I have to ask for directions around Dallas myself! Thank God for the GPS!

We had a good time chatting with everyone, opening gifts (we got a lot of amazing stuff! I just can't wait to start using it all!), and of course had snacks and cake!

(notice the ADORABLE signs that Jessica made! she is our artist! so cute! i cant wait to scrapbook them!)

Check out this cake that a friend of Jennifer's made. WHAT?! How adorable is that?! She said that I am her "cake lady" but she couldnt ask me to make my own cake but umm...I am your cake lady?! I think I have fooled her into thinking I am better than I am! This cake was adorable, precious, so stinkin cute...oh and tasted amazing. : )

And no shower is complete without a diaper cake!

Leslie made this one! How cute is that?! We even got to keep the stuffed animals...they were absolutely adorable. Look at the elephant!! So cute!

All in all, I had a blast. We are so blessed and I can not wait to introduce our little one to all of these wonderful women!

Happy Shower!

"Punkin Tracker"...

So I just noticed my "Punkin Tracker"...89 days left until my due date. That is less than 100 and even less than 90...terrifying.

I have decided that I think he is going to come on June 26th. I have no other reason other than Hubby and I keep telling people that he is due on the 26th (he is actually due on the 27th) and I wonder if it is my brain telling me to be ready?! Just thinking aloud here.

Happy Baby!

Strut Your Mutt - 2010

Last Saturday...March 20th...Hubby and I participated in the 5th annual SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) STRUT YOUR MUTT! This is our third year to participate and each year is becoming more and more of a success!

We started "raising money" (aka sending out those annoying emails) in January/February asking people to help. Our goal as a team was $1000! Last year we raised over $500 so this year, we decided to challenge ourselves even more. Last year we established team "Paws for the Cause", which included a friend from work and a really good friend of mine. She is a crazy dog lover like me, so you know we get along well. : ) You might remember her from Bailey's story. One of her girls, Drea, is Bailey's mom. : )

Anyway...this year our team started with Hubby, Sissy, and I and soon grew into a team of 6! (Thanks completely to Sissy) Although it was just the three of us the day of the walk, we were supported by our remaining team members.

The week of the walk was amazing. The weather was perfect, you could tell spring was in the air, and we were really looking forward to another great year with beautiful weather. And then Saturday came along...and it was let's just say...less than pleasant. Rain...COLD ASS RAIN...40 degree temperatures and wind. It was gross...but we carried on and strutted with the rest and the best of them!

To date, "Paws for the Cause" has raised over $800 this year!!!! We fell a little short of our goal but who cares! We had fun, the "kids" had fun, and we helped a great cause! We cant wait until next year when we can carry "Punkin" along for the strut!

Happy Pups!

Fun Friday - Discontinued

Maybe not for good...so don't break out your hankies quite yet...but just for the time being. Why this haste and rash decision you ask? Two reasons...pressure and my waistline. Pressure because I aim to please and when I cant think of anything good to make and/or post about...I feel guilty and I feel like my blog shouldnt do that to me...I mean, seriously. My waistline for obvious reasons. Yes, I am preggers and yes, supposedly you can eat whatever you want BUT I shouldnt and I am going to lay it out on the table people...I just cant resist. Sure, I would love to say that I dont sneak 6...or maybe 12 or maybe even 20 cookies when I make a batch...but then that would be lying and who likes liars? Also, Hubby is thin...Hubby lost 30 pounds last year...he doesnt need my sweet and delicious treats either. Not every week.

Dont fret though, I will definitely still be baking and posting about it BUT Fridays will just have to be fun without the calories and guilt.

Forgive me won't you?!

The transition has begun...

I have officially started reading parenting blogs. Wow. As most of you know, I really like to cook. Have for forever. I even convinced myself as a kid that someday I would find myself on The Food Network. I used to practice. Dont judge. Although The Food Network hasnt called, I am not giving up hope. That being said, I read a lot of food blogs. I love them. Especially the baking ones...EEK...they suck me in! I mean yesterday for example, I found a recipe for baked donuts, cheesecake, and "the world's greatest frosting"...I MEAN COME ON!

Anyways...although I am still enjoying my cooking blogs...I have started reading a really awesome parenting blog. Chronicles of a Babywise Mom. She really promotes the Babywise philosophies (which we plan on trying) and really has some great ideas! I am dipping my toe into the parenting world water...the water is cold but I am sure it will warm up soon!

Happy Reading!

26 weeks

IT'S ALIVE!!!

The bump...is growing people...GROWING!

Happy Punkin!

Fun Friday - Cookie Bouquet

So a few weeks ago, my very best friend in the entire world had a major life milestone. It was finally time, after all these years, for her to start the downhill slid towards achieving her doctorate! Her final proposal and when she WILL be awarded her doctorate comes in August, but this was the first step to getting there...her dissertation proposal. I know...it even sounds scary!

Anyway...she was ready. She has been ready. But I still wanted to do something that I thought would make her smile and let her know how proud everyone was of her and how excited we were for her....so what better way...than with a cookie bouquet! 

I planned on buying one since I had never made one before BUT after looking at prices...geeze...people are sure proud of them! I decided...what the heck, she wouldnt disown me if it turned out terribly so why dont I give it a shot!

I used this recipe for the cookies...which were okay. They turned out perfect for what I needed but I wished they tasted a LITTLE better. I am going to experiment with a few other recipes but if you are looking for something that will work...definitely give this recipe a shot! And I used this recipe for the royal icing...which I have never used but seen many a time on Martha. Here is a good starting guide if you want a few tips!

So I got started and here is what I came up with!

It actually worked! And if you dont mind me saying...actually looked pretty cute!

She really liked it so here is my tip; next time you think about buying that gift...what about making it instead?! It may save you money and sometimes it means a whole lot more when the person receiving knows all the time and love that went into it! That is all I am going to say about that.

Happy Friday!

(OH! And most importantly...SHE PASSED!)

Happy Birthday Bailey!

Happy 2nd Birthday Bailey Girl!

Have your cake and eat it too!

Read her story here.

Who knew...

Little did I know a year ago at this time, that in 2010, I would be blogging about and excited about a breast pump! Who knew?! But I am! We finally get to check something else off the list! No, I havent tried it out yet...I had a friend tell me it was a bad idea and can in some cases put you into pre-term labor (ummm NO THANKS) so...it will have to wait a few more months before it gets tested. Based on the looks of it though...I have a feeling that I would fit in well at a dairy...just saying.

Happy Milking!

A quick note...

So I started reading "On Becoming Babywise" last night (I figured we only have 15 weeks to go...better get started on my reading sometime!), which is a great book that focus on Parent-Directed Feeding. A method that establishes a feeding routine while also incorporating baby's feeding cues. Not for everyone but a good read for anyone interested in that type of thing! : )

Anyways...so I started reading it and it starts out by discussing the importance of a healthy marriage when raising children. I think the line that stuck out the most to me was "Great marriages produce great parents". I hope it is clear by now how much I adore my husband but I also really feel that we have a great marriage. Dont get me wrong, we have our bumps along the way and it has taken a lot of help from an outside perspective for me to appreciate him as much as I should but seriously...I absolutely adore him and I can not wait to raise our baby with him.

Well that being said, I had a rough weekend dealing with what I thought was bronchitis but soon realized was allergies. Man...I never appreciated Zyrtec-D more than when I couldnt take it! Yesterday evening though, it was getting to the point where I was miserable. Runny nose but completely congested, watery eyes, sinus pressure that felt more like someone was standing on my face than anything, and I was just downright grumpy. Well not only did my husband research online the okay drugs for me to take (this was after he spent ALL DAY trying to fix our computer with our neighbor), he then took me to CVS where we spent $50 (yay for most of it qualifity for FSA!) on stuff in hopes of making me feel better.

As I took my Vicks shower and attempted to wash away my sinus trouble, I continued thinking about how great he is. These thoughts followed me out of the shower and persisted as I brushed my teeth. It was then, that "Punkin" gave me about four BIG OLE' KICKS right in the gut. I would like to think that it was his way of agreeing with me on how awesome his dad is. : )

I just dont know how I got so lucky and I hope that our great marriage, really will make us great parents.

Child-bearing hips

So my mother used to tell me that I had "child-bearing hips". Awesome for one's self-esteem at 14 years old. To be completely honest, I was never really sure what that meant until I got older and realized that it was a nice way of saying "a big square ass". I have come to terms with my wide load. I even managed to find the humor in the situation when someone yelled out of their car window as Shawn and I were walking out from the movies, "YOUR GIRLFRIEND HAS A BIG ASS!"...maybe that's why he doesn't like going to the movies...

Anyways, I am now finding out the benefit of and embracing my butt...it really has come in handy being pregnant! I have somehow managed to squeeze myself into my normal jeans for the past 24 weeks and have avoided buying maternity jeans, which I am finding less than flattering when I do try them on, and I have kept my shape and my love handles have just become apart of my bump! All-in-all, I am realizing that I don't look THAT bad pregnant! Now...how to I convince Hubby that he should keep me knocked up continuously so I can utalize my trunk junk...maybe I'll make him watch the Duggers!

Happy Big Butts!

MIA

I apologize for my absence. Our computer has been down and life has gotten in the way! I hope to be back soon...dont stray to far...I promise to be back soon!

In the meantime, visit some of the blogs listed as my favorites. They are sure to keep you entertained!