Afternoon Project

Here is what I was working on this afternoon: 2 new maternity skirts...

A fun week

We spent Wed-Sun. in Hot Springs with family. We had a really nice time.. Here are some pictures.

[caption id="attachment_399" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Some of the gift baskets I made for family"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_401" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bags of granola for the baskets"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_402" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Aprons for gifts, they were fun to make"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_403" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Nana's apron"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_404" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Tina's apron"][/caption]





[caption id="attachment_407" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tay and his sis playing with a new I-Home that she got"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_408" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pretty Table"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_409" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Even James got gifts....."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_410" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="....and his own stocking!"][/caption]



We had such a wonderful time! I am so blessed to have such wonderful family!

Bye for now

I won't be updating the blog for a few days as Hubby and I (and Sweet Pea of course) are getting ready to go to Hot Springs for the rest of the week. We are looking forward to a wonderful time with family! It will be nice to just take it easy, as I have been quite busy getting ready for this trip!

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Hubby's Haircut

So, this weekend I asked Hubby if he would let me cut his hair, as he needed a haircut. I was pretty sure I could do it, as I watched last time he had it cut... He nervously agreed to let me try... And this is the end result (he has it gelled in this pic)



He said he likes it so much that he wants me to do it again, he likes it even more than the barber cut...YEA!! I love cutting hair, and it will save us money!

23 weeks

[caption id="attachment_390" align="aligncenter" width="354" caption="Growin' Growin!"][/caption]

Runnin' out of space

James is apparently getting a little squished already. He sure does kick and stretch a lot! During the night when I was trying to go back to sleep, I felt his little foot way over on my right side. I could actually feel his little body parts right under the skin...How sweet! He is going to be like a pretzel by the time he comes out! I just love this part of pregnancy, feeling him move so much makes me bond with him, it seems... Both Hubby and I are more than ready to meet our little man, but we know he has to bake a little longer!!

It is hard to believe that you can miss someone you haven't even met, but the other night Hubby said that he misses him, and I feel the same way!

Introduce yourself

I know that I must be getting a lot of people visiting the blog that I don't know. I am curious who you are? I think it would be fun to kind of get to know my readers a little bit. So, if you would leave a comment introducing yourself, maybe what state you live in, how you found us, and if you have a blog and wouldn't mind others seeing it, put it in there too?

Hmm...this should be interesting! I am looking forward to the response!!

21 1/2 Weeks!

[caption id="attachment_379" align="aligncenter" width="137" caption="Growin'!"][/caption]

I prefer to think that James is the one that is growing, not me! But that is part of pregnancy and I don't mind it.

I guess...

Winter is here early! It sure has been chilly... Although I don't like being cold, there are a few advantages..

A thick, warm, feather comforter on the bed....so cozy

Hot baths to soak in at night...

Warm cups of hot chocolate, latte, tea, etc

EGGNOG!!

Hubby in sweaters....sooo handsome

Slippers and winter pj's...

Sewing projects

Warm maternity clothes- no sweaty uncomfy hot days

Good Books to read

When it is cold, it makes me even more happy and thankful to be at home, in our cozy nest. Pregnancy might have something to do with that, too..

I am currently reading a book called Praise Her in the Gates by Nancy Wilson. It is about Christian motherhood. It is very good, and makes me even more excited to have James and other Sweet Peas. It is challenging, too and I know in my own strength I could never do it, only with the Lord's help day by day.

IT'S A..........

BOY!! James Watson Otwell due April 17th. We are thrilled! Now to pick out bedding, stroller, carseats, etc!

He sure is an active fella...He kept moving the whole time the ultrasound was being done. He sure does kick a lot, too!

 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Taylor's family. I enjoy spending time with them, but I sure did miss my own family!  I can't wait till we have a family to start our own traditions with!

 

We sure have a lot to be thankful for!!

Fun on Mt. Nebo

We spent the weekend with Taylor's Dad, Sister and Tina on Mt Nebo in a cabin. Here are a few pictures from our time there:

[caption id="attachment_362" align="aligncenter" width="276" caption="Happy Birthday Marc!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_363" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sitting on Lovers Leap"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_364" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hubby, me and sis"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_365" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A different edge.."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_366" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Us under the waterfall..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Marc & Tina"][/caption]

We also played some really wild games, Blurt and Guesstures. Things got really crazy!! It was so much fun...We also had some really great food, and I am sure we all gained a few extra pounds! Next year we will have Sweet Pea with us...it may be a little different, we already talked about toning the noise level down when playing games!! As it was SP was going crazy!!

We  went hiking on this "trail" which we named the "Goat Trail", because we figured it was more suited for mountain goats then for us! We certainly got our exercise in!

Marc kept a nice fire going in the afternoon/night and morning. Hubby and I have decided that we need a fireplace in our future home! It is so nice and relaxing...

All in all we had a GREAT weekend and made lots of fun memories! Thanks for the good time Marc and Tina!

Why?

I was wondering why weekends always seem to fly by...way to fast... I guess it is only two days, but after looking forward to it all week, I wish it would just stay a little longer!

We had a wonderful weekend, short though it was...

Friday night Hubby took me out to Furr's Buffet on a date...the food was great, and it was fun to be on a date with my Hubby!

Saturday we went grocery shopping for the week and we played a little basketball, which after playing Sweet Pea was quite active! He/she must sure wonder what mama is doing sometimes!!

Sunday we went to church, and as usual the message was great...This week Chris was teaching on the beatitude, "Blessed are the pure in heart". He made the point that the world is saying that in order to be happy, we need to draw attention to our outer appearance, and have that just right, but Jesus saying that in order to be happy we need to have a pure heart.

Then we came home and had chili from the crockpot, I love making crockpot meals, especially on Sunday's!

At 2:00 I went to a baby shower for a young lady at our church. It was lot of fun celebrating this new little life that God has given them!

And then we enjoyed a quiet evening, ourselves..

And...that is our weekend, I wish it could have stayed longer, but I am thankful for such a good weekend!

Prayer Please

I have a pretty serious prayer request that I thought I would share. Steve, my mil's fiance' has bad pneumonia and he has been on the ventilator in the ICU since Wednesday. He was making some slight improvements, but now they found that his kidney's aren't functioning right so they are starting him on dialysis. They said he may be on the ventilator for weeks.

Also, pray for Debbie, my mil, she is pretty upset (understandably), and for Steve's family. We went to Hot Springs yesterday afternoon to visit Debbie for a little bit.

So....please pray!

Protein, protein and more protein....

Well, last night I went to see the midwife for my monthly checkup... My blood pressure was lower than the last two times, so she told me that I have GOT to eat a lot more protein to bring it up. So last night Hubby and I went to Walmart and we got some protein bars and steaks. For breakfast I had a bar with 31 grams of protein and for lunch we are having steak and scalloped taters! YUM! I have been feeling much better today.

 

Now, for the good news....We heard Sweet Pea's heartbeat going strong as ever and a few swift kicks at the doppler. The midwife said this baby seems VERY active, and I agree! I have already felt quite a bit of movement... I get more excited about our baby every day and can't wait to meet him/her!

 

We love you, Sweet Pea!

Daddy, Mommy and Sweet Pea!

Saying Goodbye

Last night we went to my family's place to say bye, they are moving to WY today.... It was a bittersweet visit.

Saying bye is so hard to do when you love someone so much...It was really hard leaving, everyone was crying and it really touched me when Gabriel, my 4 year old brother who I am really close to just started sobbing and sobbing... It seems like the Lord is leading them to WY, but it sure is hard to see them go, when I don't know when we will see them again...

Like Hubby said, it is a new chapter, but sometimes new chapters are not fun...Sometimes  I wish I could stay in the same chapter! I guess it is part of growing up... I think it will bring Hubby and I even closer together, since it is just us now...

We also got word that Taylor's grandpa died yesterday, so that is hard on him. It was a rough day for both of us...

Hair Fun with Sis

Taylor's mom and sister came up and spent a few days with us. It was a lot of fun, we really enjoyed their visit. While they were here sis, Darian showed me how to do this fun hairstyle. I really like it, (and so does Hubby ; )

[caption id="attachment_343" align="aligncenter" width="222" caption="Curling"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_344" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Finished product"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_345" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hats!!"][/caption]

Thanks for such a great time Mom and sis!!! Love you...

Tea Party

The other night, I felt like having a tea party, and since it is only Hubby and I (so far), I decided I would ask him and see if perchance he would have one with me. I was surprised my his hearty "yes, that would be fun"!! So a few days later I made some Chocolate Peanut Buddy Bars, and I made some tea (well, Hubby had milk, since he isn't a tea drinker) and lit all the candles in here...

What could be better than a candlelight tea party with your Best Friend? Trust me, it was very romantic, you should try it sometime!! And Hubby said "we should do that again"!!! We will, I'm sure!!

[caption id="attachment_340" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fun!!"][/caption]

Friends and Fellowship

Some friends of ours, the Loukota's invited us out to their place on Sunday after church.

We had a delicious dinner, and then we went out to shoot....

[caption id="attachment_334" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Taylor gets so excited when he is going to shoot"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_335" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="There is just something about guys 'n' guns!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_336" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Hubby Shooting"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_337" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me shooting!! Fun!!"][/caption]

After getting a few shots in, I went to the house. Tracy and I had latte' and I helped her finish the binding on a quilt that she was making. We had a good time of fellowship over our needles!! I didn't get any pics of this, but I sure enjoyed it.

Then Tyler and Tracy played a game called Nertz with Hubby and I. It was very competitive and fun!!

The little kids kept Taylor and I very entertained the whole time, they are so cute!!

Thanks for the wonderful time, Loukota's, we REALLY enjoyed it....Love y'all

Fall Pic

I thought it was time to post another pic, it has been a while...Not that we have changed much or anything! Now that sweater weather is here, which we just love, and hot chocolate, chili, cider, stew season is here, we just had to have a pic!

Feisty Lil' Sweet Pea

Last night we went for my 12 week (and 3 days to be exact!!) midwife check up. Things look pretty good, and we got to hear Sweet Pea's heartbeat on the doppler. It was so neat!! But while we were listening, he/she kept kicking at the doppler, and we were able to hear it! It was loud!! Midwife said that the heartbeat is nice and strong and the baby is real active!! It helped us both to bond with our baby more I think being able to hear that fast heart beat! It makes pregnancy all worth while when you realize that there is a lil' baby in there just growing, growing, growing!!

Count your many blessings....

How could one not stop and thank God for blessings on a day like this? Perfect fall weather, beatiful clear blue sky...ahh

So here are some of the things that I am thankful for:

For the Lord Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer...

My WONDERFUL husband who takes such good care of me, and has such a heart for leading his family to serve the Lord...

For our Sweet Pea...Feeling better, I am now 11 weeks pregnant and I only have a few bad days of sickness a week...

My family who mean so much to me... And Taylor's family who accepted me like their own daughter, and are so sweet...

Our wonderful church and fellowship with believers...

Our home and Taylor's job...

And these are just a few of the things!! What are you thankful for today? Surely there is something!

Our Growing Baby

Our little Sweet Pea is growing, growing, growing. We just love our little baby and we haven't even seen him/her yet. Children are certainly a blessing from the Lord, how could you not want a baby that God has blessed you with?

Here is a pic of a nine week old baby:

Hubby's Blog

My husband started his own blog. Check it out!

http://prodigalgrace.wordpress.com

Our Willow Tree Collection

Someone as a wedding gift gave us a Willow Tree figurine of a husband and wife. Then while we were in the Christian Book Store the other day I saw another one that I really liked. So the other day Hubby was a little late coming home and then he came in the door with his hand behind his back and told me to look away as he went into the bedroom. When he called me in, this is what I saw:

[caption id="attachment_316" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Cute!"][/caption]

Labor Day

We went out to my family's house for Labor Day. It was a lot of fun. We had a Chicken BBQ with all the fixin's..yummy! It was fun to spend time with the kids, too. My littlest sister wanted "Abby Do It", the whole time I was there, it didn't matter if it was changing her diaper, fixing her plate, she wanted me to do it! She is a little darling....All my siblings are...My little brother wanted to play the "marble game" on Taylor's IPhone the whole time....And then he showed us how he can ride a two wheeled bike by himself, he was zipping around everywhere!!

I love my family!

Pregnancy Fun

Well now that Taylor's family knows about our baby, you will be seeing posts about the pregnancy. First of all, I think this picture comes first:

[caption id="attachment_221" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="It's official!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_222" align="aligncenter" width="186" caption="First of many belly shots!"][/caption]

I have been pretty sick, which is a good sign! I find that if I snack a lot I don't get nearly as sick.  My hubby takes such good care of me! He is so supportive!

Hospitality

We had supper with Debbie and Darian on Friday night. It sure was yummy and we really enjoyed our time with them. We stayed the nights at Marc and Tina's and somehow I didn't get a picture of them? Anyway, they made me feel at home (of course Taylor felt at home, he lived with them!)  and we had many good conversations. I really appreciated everyone's warm hospitality!

On The Border

On Sunday after church we went out to eat with Debbie, Darian and Zach. It sure was fun!

[caption id="attachment_214" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Don't you see a resemblance?!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_215" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Us"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_216" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Best friends, wow that's tight! Ok, just an inside joke!"][/caption]

Party at Nana and Pa's

Nana and Pa threw us a big party on Saturday evening. They sure put a lot of work into it. The food was delicious and we had lots of fun. And it also made it a perfect time to break the big news to them, that we are expecting! Everyone was VERY excited!!

[caption id="attachment_202" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Napkins"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_203" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Pretty table setting, the napkins were kerchiefs!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_204" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melon that Pa carved, yummy!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_205" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Pa"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_206" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Nana"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_207" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sisters!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_208" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Brother and sister"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_209" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Father and son"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_210" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Basketball!!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_211" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Fun!"][/caption]