Embarking on a New Adventure

I am officially 15 weeks preggers and my belly is growing! I am in that in between stage where people look at you like, "hmmm, is that lady pregnant or just chubby?" I like to tell complete strangers ALL the time that I am expecting. I pretend everyone in the world is as excited as I am :) Is that weird?

 

We saw the baby last week and I am in love. We will find out in early January what the gender is but I can already tell you that this baby appears to be very active (according to his/her movement on the ultrasound)! We are in store for some fun. Baby Leavitt is about the size of a large apple right now. Here is a picture of the baby when I was only 9 weeks pregnant. I will post new ones as we get them.

I can't say that every second has been bliss, growing a baby has its difficulties. My body and emotions are officially not my own. But, there is something wondrous about this process. I am constantly reminded of God's hand in my life and pregnancy has started me on my own little journey. I have been thinking a lot about my life and the characters in my story over the years. It is strange, especially when they show up in weird baby dreams. But, I am trying to take it in stride and use it as an opportunity to process this amazing thing happening to Zach and me. We are overwhelmingly excited about the baby. With this little life comes new responsibility, joy, sacrifice, and change that we can't quite prepare for. I can already say that God is changing me and I am looking forward to embarking on this new adventure with Zach - Parenthood here we come!

Eliana Adell Photo Fun

One of my close friends, Bethany, had her baby in November. You might remember her from my blog posts prego pics or baby shower. Check those posts out if you haven't already.

Eliana Adell was born 11-11-11 and is the sweetest girl! Bethany asked me to take a few pictures of her all dressed up. It is not that easy taking pictures of a little baby but it sure is fun dressing her up!! Enjoy!!

Riddle Me This

Do you like Payton's new shirt...and what it says?

Dreaming of the Swiss Alps

Gotta love lazy Saturday mornings! I am still in my PJ's and dreaming of our honeymoon in Switzerland. I am certainly not a fan of rain but in a valley surrounded by snow peaked mountains, beautiful lakes, lush landscape, and waterfalls, I was easily enchanted. I thought I would post a quick one today and let you in on one of our favorite places...Switzerland. I hope one day you will be able to go and be enchanted too.

 

 Happy Weekend!

The Payton Escapades

Doesn't she look so sweet and innocent? This is my four-legged, 6 year old husky daughter...and believe me, she is very, very sneaky.

Even though Payton and I have had a rocky road, we have a bit of an agreement now.  And I think I actually like her...despite her sneakiness.  Let's just say she is an expert escape artist, sock and underwear stealer, and food off of the counter eater.  Her love of late: dirty socks (yes, this means I have dirty socks on the floor and NOT in the hamper). It is no rare occasion to find socks tucked in the corner of a room or almost under the couch.  She is not so sneaky at hiding them but I rarely see her carrying them to their hiding place.  Pure sneaky!  So, right now, we have been living with her current sock escapades and I snapped a few shots for your viewing pleasure.  

Her nails just might be painted purple...what? she is a diva!

She had her eye on me and my proximity to "her" sock.

Despite the incredible annoying chore of gathering up "her" collections of socks around the house, we think it is kind of funny. 

Hope you are all having a wonderful, sneaky free weekend!

Sugar and Spice Baby Shower

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, That's What Little Girls are Made of!!

Let's be honest, I love being over the top and I love welcoming people into my home to enjoy it! This baby shower was so much fun to plan and attend (at least I think it was). You may remember my dear friend Bethany from a previous post. Boy does she know how to laugh and have a good time!! I hope she felt loved and honored at this shower. I wanted to make every detail perfect for her so I used Pinterest to find projects and decorations. If I can do it, anybody can do it. Enjoy the pictures and let me know what you think!

Can I just say...I LOVE chalkboard paint. FYI don't soak or you will have my unfortunate situation and lose all the chalkboard paint in the soapy water.

Red Velvet and Chocolate Cake Pops, Oreo Pops, and a variety of cakes in mason jars...SO easy people!!

Those pink poofs, as I call them, are cheap and easy to make out of tissue paper. The banner is burlap, paper doily, and paper letters clipped to a ribbon with clothespins decorated with paper doilies.

 Throughout Bethany's pregnancy, she has been taking pictures of her baby bump with fruits and/or veggies that match the size of the baby (SO cute). I have always loved that she has tracked her little baby's growth in that way. Luckily, with that in mind, I was pretty sure she would love our month-by-month decorated onesies, and she did!! We spent time at the shower decorating onesies for her little girl to wear each month for one year. I think they are adorable!

Cute right?

Bethany, I love you friend and hope you felt SO loved and SO blessed. The truth is, you really are loved by many and we all love that little baby girl of yours. She is known by our amazing God already and we praise Him for fearfully and wonderfully knitting your baby girl together!

Psalm 139:13-16

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
   all the days ordained for me were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.

My Little People

My mother-in-law often says, "It takes a village to raise a child." I don't know what it feels like to be a mommy, but I am an auntie in that village. 

Each one of my eight nieces and nephews has taken a piece of my heart forever.

I can't resist their chubby little hands and legs, their imaginary games, or their sweet little smiles.

My favorites are their sloppy kisses, "I love you's,"  and seeing them love their Uncle Zachy.

I wasn't always the most natural with babies or kids. But with these kiddos, it just feels right. Something changed in me when they became "my" little people. It is sort of like playing mom...without the responsibility and sleepless nights.

I feel an overwhelming sense of protection and pride over their little accomplishments, struggles, and growth. And, I just love being with them as they discover who they are.

 

It is a little sad for me to see them grow up and even more so when I watch them grow from afar. But I certainly do love "my" little people and I hope each one of them knows they have a safe place to land with Aunt Jack and Uncle Zachy. We will always be apart of the village that raises them, laughing with them and encouraging them along the way.

A Friend with a Purpose

I love that starting my blog coincides with a very special month. October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. One of my dearest friends, Natalie, was given a Greater Purpose when she gave birth to her beautiful boy Elias. Believe me, you will fall in love with his smile. Natalie is a true friend. Neither distance nor time can change the fun and love we feel for each other.  I love her spontaneous spirit, her kindness and gentleness, and her heart to stand for truth. She inspires me to see life with an eternal perspective, to laugh and be silly, and to love well. Something happens when those you love most have little ones. I don't see them much but I have such a deep love for her little family (and Aaron too). I am honored to call her my friend.
 
Check out her blog now and throughout the month to learn more about her Greater Purpose!

Photo from Natalie's blog, http://nataliefalls.com/

Her sweet little Vitali is also a cutie and a wonderful big brother for Elias. He reminds me of his redheaded, crazy fun mommy. Be sure to peruse her blog to see all the irresistible cuteness!

Playing Pretend...Photo Shoot #1

I recently decided to start practicing with my camera and blog. Hopefully, when the time comes, I have something to offer the blogging world; blogging is so in :) To be completely honest, I don't have a clue what I am doing behind the lens or in Photoshop or with crafts or on this blog. But when my friend Bethany asked me to take some pictures of her I said "why not? This will be fun and great practice." I am not ashamed to admit I had to search online for poses. Playing pretend photographer for one day is fun! You should try it.

Bethany is an honest, dear friend and truly one of the kindest souls you could ever meet. She laughs loud and hard, she loves people, and loves her baby girl. These are just a few of the photos I took (and messed around with in PS). I wish for you that you find a friend like Bethany; Jon is not too shabby either. Her baby is one lucky girl and I can't wait to meet her!

Is it weird that I think baby bellies are adorable?

                                                                            

Happy Love!