lovin' the rolls

don't you wish this was still cute at 30?

so the other day i took pictures of this sweet baby girl. she belongs to one of my good friends. we had too much fun with ALL of her!!! i know my own super baby will soon follow in her footsteps...my babes tend to get very chunky and cute as well.

i just love taking pictures of babies. babes are really my favorite subject to shoot because every picture turns out great. babies look adorable with every little face they make.

where credit is due

so i've found a few things that i just LOVE lately with this new little super baby that has just come into my life. so i'd like to share so others can share the love!


1. the ERGO baby carrier: this thing has been a LIFESAVER for me!!! it's not cheap, but it's TOTALLY worth the mula. i used the Baby Bjorn for my other two babes, but my back always hurt, and my chunka lunka kids didn't fit in them for very long. the ERGO can hold kids up to 40lbs with little strain on your back. my little lover boy always wants to be carried, and this works great! it can be used as a sling for when babies are newborns (with the newborn insert). when they get bigger they can either straddle you from the front, or ride on your back like a backpack. there are even video clips showing how to use these fancy-schmancy slings. let me tell you how comfy it is on my shoulders, and my back never tires. thanks so much to my sweet friends who went in together and bought it for me and my new little boy. (nope, not a pic of my hubby & me...though it looks real nice!)



2. this fabulous binki clip from LIZZIE JANE BABY {my hubby's aunt & cousins' business). one day i received a package with this adorable binki clip and burp cloths. it was SO NICE of them and really made my day. {thanks ladies!} i LOVE them and always get comments on how cute super baby's binki clip is. i know they have hooded towels and other way cute things!







3. BARE MINERALS so don't make fun of me, but during my middle-of-the-night feedings i watch infomercials...i'm often very tempted to buy the things that are being sold and i enjoy seeing all the new products out there, but i rarely give in. i always sleep on it, and some how i always come to my senses in the morning and decide i really don't need scissors that can cut through a penny or a zapper machine that will make anyone's thighs look amazing...however, this make up really looked great and the price was right. i hate foundation and have never worn it, but i have pregnancy patches all over my face and really felt that i wanted a more even skin tone. like most infomercial products, this came with a money back guarantee, so i felt like i could give it a shot. i was talking about buying it and talked about it with my mother-in-law...and come to find out she uses it and loves it too...after her testimony and the very convincing infomercial, i bought it. i have to say that i love it and since i have worn it i get compliments on my make up...i love the way it feels and looks on my face and it isn't goopy and nasty like foundation. it is also 100% pure minerals, so you can sleep with it on and it won't hurt your skin. you can also buy it at sephora.

baby mine

well folks...i had matt take a picture of me on the side of the house the other day to "document" my pregnancy. can't say that i love to look at my huge everything, but i'm sure glad at what's growing inside. i once read what a mother said about her newborn baby:

you not only grew under my heart, but in it

i love this saying...and boy does it hold true. it's amazing how much a mother's heart can grow for someone she's never met. maybe it's the HUGE sacrifice of pregnancy...throwing up most every day/several times a day for 5 months; only getting bits of sleep at night; every ligament and muscle just aching from the body change; that nice rash on my face; lovely stretch marks; peeing my pants when i cough, sneeze, or laugh; the emotional rollercoaster - i seriously cry during commercials!; getting winded from walking around the grocery store; having the feeling that my ribs are cracking every time he kicks....and yada, yada, yada...but it's ALL worth it.

here are the positives from the past 7.5 months of our lives: my boy, J, learning compassion - J rubbing my back when i throw up; J bringing me breakfast in bed when i was too sick to get up; J kissing my belly before he goes into his classroom without being embarassed to do so and then saying, "i love you baby brother"; my girl, G, learning responsibility; G cleaning the bathroom counter with a wet wipe; G sweeping the kitchen floor; G "folding" the laundry; G kissing my belly and telling baby boy all the fun things she's going to do with him; J & G praying every night for "our" baby; my sweet husband being so patient and kind even when my requests are irrational or difficult; making lots of fun things for our little man; seeing how i have people in my life who really care about me; feeling baby boy move inside me; and last but not least...anticipating his arrival. just knowing that the Lord is entrusting me with one of His sons humbles me, and i truly recognize the task before me. i pray every day that i can be a good mother to J & G, and i pray the same for this little boy coming into my life.

{on a totally different side note, by sis-in-law, auburn, told me about these cool photoshop actions - things to change up a picture, so i used one on this picture called "seventies". the gal's blog name who created the actions is pioneer woman...check 'em out!"}

the best part

well, first of all, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! we had a great day, and i'm sitting here enjoying the smell of the 3 dozen roses my matt got for me. i love valentine's day. we enjoyed going to a monster truck show with some friends, thanks again beth, and our kids. G loved it more than J! she kept cheering on "grave digger" and "martial law"! it was too funny. also, we got to go on our first date in 5 months last night {we normally are pretty good about date night, but with having the yuckies for so long, date nights went out the window}. we went to Sakura, a hibachi place, the shrimp was to die for! our chef was fun too, he cooked the food right in front of us and even popped shrimp up in the air and into matt's mouth. we had a 14-year-old boy and his little sister from church bbsit the kids, which worked out PERFECT b/c both my kids had a "friend". J & G keep talking about how they can't wait for them to come again. when matt went to go pick up our bbsitter, he had just returned from a JV basketball game and did so well that his coach asked him to stay and play on the varsity team. he told his coach that he couldn't b/c he was bbsitting. his coach told him that he could get out of it, but he told the coach that he couldn't stay b/c he already committed to us. what a great kid. i'm so glad we know their family.

i love my husband and children more than i can say. i also love my extended family and friends. i am truly blessed with all the relationships i have in my life. isn't that what life is really all about - relationships, people...and my people make my life a wonderful one.

also, today i started looking for fabric for baby boy's room, and this is what i'm going to do...sock monkeys...i LOVE this fabric.

really, there are two things i like about being pregnant...of course, (1)the end result: a beautiful baby, and (2)getting ready for baby to come. i love crafting and making all kinds of baby paraphernalia for my sweet child-to-be. since finding out this baby is a boy, i've already made bibs, burp cloths, and i've started on blankets. i even got out my box of baby boy things to see what i had that would work for this little guy, and to try to figure out what i need {which i'm sorry to say is quite a lot.} i gave most of my things away before we moved out here to family and friends... any hoo - i love washing and folding all the baby clothes and i am constantly looking at them, imagining my sweet baby in those tiny onsies. do i really have 124 days to go? and let's be honest...my baby is way fatter than that widget on the side over there!

i wish...

i took this picture of my friend's cute baby

{the good ole' mister stork brought babies to us}
because this whole pregnancy thing is REALLY hard
we have a baby on the way and due to arrive June 19, 2009
it's gonna be a LONG winter,
but it will be worth it!

things i remember about being pregnant:
*the nausea! YUCK! (all day EVERY day!)
*i want nothing to do with chicken
*cereal always tastes good
*i'm in bed by 8pm or the next day is bad news
*every task seems daunting
*i can't wear perfume or scented lotion or i'll never wear it again
*getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom
*i'm ALWAYS "thinkin' Arby's!"
*i pretty much want to die from 3pm until i fall asleep around 8:30pm
*i kind of want to die the other times of the day
*my stove is the only thing in my house that is clean (i don't use it!)
*i have to say "no" to lots of things, when i'm always a "yes" girl
*i cry a lot
*i pray a lot

things i forgot or didn't know:
*i'd show a lot sooner with my 3rd baby (i look way more pregnant than my friend who is 10 weeks further along than me)
*crocheting can help me muscle past the urge to vomit
*a 3-year-old and 5-year-old can do many things they claim they can't do when forced upon them
*i miss my moms! (i wasn't embarrassed to have my mom come help me clean or come help me with J, and just give me moral support...it's not the same over the phone)
*i have wonderful people in my life here that are like sisters. it's been amazing and it makes me feel so good that i have friends who call, email, take my kids, and even bring me dinner. it is SOOOO hard for me to accept service, but i really appreciate it! thanks for being my ohio family.
*it's amazing how messy a house can get only after one day of not picking up after the kids

all in all, i'll take all the bad with the good. when i look at my two little ones now, and on wednesday when i saw the heartbeat of my little-one-to-be, i'll suffer all that i have to for a healthy, beautiful baby. just the fact that our Heavenly Father entrusts the lives of these little ones to me is humbling and it gives me faith and strength to do hard things...and pregnancy is a REALLY hard thing for me.

so, no i haven't fallen off the face of the earth...i'm just growing a baby!

how we told our families

{we sent our immediate families this postcard}
the other side of the postcard said:

Trick or Treat,
Trick or Treat!
Our 8 foot family
Is growing 2 feet!
We're so excited
We could scream!
Our baby will be
Here on June 19!

miss kate

today i finished a project for miss kate, jack's preschool teacher and soon-to-be-mommy for the third time. she is being induced the day after preschool! (it reminds me of when wendy and i taught preschool up until we were 9 months pregnant and wendy had her baby a few days after preschool). tomorrow is jack's last day at preschool. he will really miss his teacher, and so will i. she has become a good friend to me as well. our boys played football together, and our kids did swimming lessons together too. we are just beginning the many "lasts" of things here in az. kate is now one of the many reasons i am sad to leave. she has become a great friend and we have lots in common. i just love her and her positive outlook on life. hopefully we keep in touch and pick up where we left off when we return to good ole' az. by the way...these are birp cloths, bibs, and a diaper and wipee holder. i had fun making them...especially because they are for a dear friend.