guide me

I have visions of something like this for our breakfast nook. {image courtesy of Ballard Designs} I also have these visions with less of a budget...so my question to you is, where can I find a more affordable version of this party table? You know the kind you cover up with a big tablecloth, like this awesome-must-have-it burlap one?!!! love, love, love.

Help!!

and thank you :)

not to bore you...

but per the request of our family, here are some pics of our new home in PA! We found a lovely townhome to lease as we navigate our new living up in the land of the Steelers. Welcome to our empty home :)

The kitchen:

Breakfast nook looking into kitchen area, and my sweet husband:

Momma always checking cabinet space:

It is a 3-story layout; mudroom, laundry, and garage on 1st/kitchen, dining, powder bath and living on 2nd/three bedrooms, two bath, and computer corner on 3rd:

I love how super functional the layout is, the powder bath is in between the kitchen and living room. Baby gate goes here...

Big screen goes HERE :) on top of the mantle!

Our view out of the living room, very hilly and full of trees. So pretty.

Even our bathroom upstairs comes with a view!!

and look who else lives in these parts?!?!? a deer!! can you see it????? awesome.

I hope to have more pictures once we get all moved in, but atleast this gives you a basic idea of our new home, and where we will bring home baby!!!!!

not the only baby

Our kitty babies really are that, our babies. They know only how to be spoiled and loved, or atleast ask for it 24 hours a day...especially this one. Meet Charlie {Beanie} who loves his momma more than anything else in his whole kitty world. He is stuck to me all the time. He's a kitty leech.

He's the one we will have to watch with Hudson because he is quite the snuggler, and we don't want him smothering our sweet tiny. He usually lays on my belly but since it has increasingly gotten larger, and in his way, he's found new spots on me to make himself comfortable. Here he is enjoying the George Strait concert we watched last night...

In baby news, we have reached 30 weeks TODAY! We are only 10 weeks away from holding our squishy, sweet, kissable baby boy. I had a check-up yesterday, and I'm measuring "perfect" and right on track for 30 weeks. To further increase the anticipation, I scheduled the remaining appointments from here until his due date...there are only SIX left. gah.

Sleep isn't as fun anymore because my belly feels more like a bowling ball, and rolling over is like doing a 3-point turn in a car. It wakes husband and kitties up, and I end up getting a cramp in my leg; I say mean things to the kitties because they won't move...and I always end up elbowing JR in the back which results in some hateful sleepy grunts.

In hopeful news, my appetite has slowed. Thank the starry heavens above. My portions are smaller and I'm back to some serious fruit cravings. This is promising considering the number of pounds the scale showed at the doctor yesterday. No, I did not gain 7 lbs in 5 weeks.

It's breakfast time y'all.

sweet home oklahoma

After Aruba, JR had to fly back to PA to head back to work and I stayed back in TX coordinating {eating donuts} the move. Since we have been in temporary living, all of our stuff had stayed behind until last week. I could not have done it without the help of my parents, who so willingly helped me take shifts as we watched all of our belongings get packed, loaded, and driven off to PA. After a 3-day move, JR flew back and we made our old drive up to the Farm. It was a weekend filled with this....

A weekend filled with fresh air, fishing, 4-wheelers, and some darn cute kiddos. I think there was even a fish fry in there. We had perfect weather everyday, with some afternoon spring showers, and a 4-wheeler showdown.

We can go a million places in the world to relax and enjoy, but there is something about being home and being able to ride out into the pasture with your niece and nephew that makes you realize there is no where else you'd rather be.

Some poor critters got thrown into the mix, and because Aunt Nat isn't a lover of critters...I got to play photographer while they all try and convince me to just "pet" them. If it doesn't have fur and meow, bark, or moooo chances are I won't be interacting much.

I'd trade places with this little guy if he'd let me come post up in OK, wherever he may live and I'll switch him and give him our spot in PA. He doesn't seem like one, much for discussion?? It's also very okay that my niece and nephew have to tell me the difference between a toad and a frog.

On weekends like this, to be down in the creek and look up to see a clear blue sky and hear nothing but the sounds of Oklahoma really really makes it hard to accept that we are a thousand miles from where we want to be.

We have our days. Some good, some bad. Some sad, too. Overall, it has been and I know it will continue being a learning experience and quite an adventure for our little family but it doesn't take away our heartache of missing our family, friends, and being able to watch pool time.

...or to even share in spotting a hummingbird nest up in the tree.

My husband is so at peace out there, and there is no greater joy for me than to see him so happy.When daddy ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

I have to stop myself sometimes and realize that we chose this move. We chose this. It still can't take away how much we miss home, but I pray daily that we grow. That we grow in more ways than one.

It's easy to get caught up in the trials we all face, but for me, and not without struggle it's easier now to see how blessed we are. How blessed our life is, that we were given the opportunity to pursue a career, and given the opportunity to share this time together, and most importantly given the opportunity to start our own family. I simply could not ask for more.

We now anchor down in PA in anticipation of the arrival of our sweet tiny who daily reminds us how much we have to look forward to with every little kick and rumbling we feel of him. He's getting ready to come out and play with his buddy Luke, who paid us a visit at the Farm :) We've gotta keep growing this baby, so he can too can fall in love with the Farm just like his mommy and daddy. Where is your Farm?

because I know you're curious

What does a 7 month preg look like at the beach?? {and you thought I was shy...the unveiling.}

The Aruban babymoon was a success. Success to me, has something to do with palm trees, family, the beach, and a virgin strawberry margarita. Well, that's how I measured success last week, atleast.

My husband, never one to pass up a competition of any sort, won himself a massage at the spa. He wins everything, really. It's absurd. These drunkies had been trying for over an hour to win this game, and JR walked up and beat them all. I was a proud pregnant wife playing photographer in the midst of drunk overly-tanned men, lavished in gold chains and mixed drinks.

We spent our afternoons sunning the belly, with our toes in the sand, and a good book. Left Behind dominated my week, albeit, a decade after you've likely read it.

Daddy read this, and a very informative read it is. GREAT recommendation for any daddy-to-be. I thought he was a good-looking friend, a hot boyfriend, an even hotter husband, but being the daddy to my sweet tiny surpasses all. Eesh. I love him.

The view from our room alone was worth the trip, waking up to a blue ocean and some boats is a kind of relaxing that you can get nowhere else but the beach.

That is until, you hear the music that goes to this...

No need for description. This is what we so desperately came in search of.

The future grandparents we must thank for such an amazing trip.

We made our way around the island one day, stopping at The Natural Bridge. A bridge on the edge of the island, completely natural with breathtaking views and crashing waves.

Hudson too, got a view.

We were able to get away, at just the right time. In the midst of moves, babies, phone calls, emails...life. A break. A much much needed break. You don't have to go Aruba to get this, go to your favorite place in the world or stay in for a few days with your husband/family/whomever and just be. A babymoon I recommend to all mommy and daddies to-be.

It's down to 11 weeks until the arrival of our sweet tiny. We plan on soaking up our last couple of months of JR & Nat, because before we know it...our family will be JR, Nat, & Hudson ♥

is it totally okay...

that I've felt such comfort staying at my parent's house all week?

that I keep telling myself that my appetite is slowing down, even though I can still out-eat you any day?

that I realized my showers are man-showers {bar of soap, shampoo/conditioner/, and a razor}? My makeup bag is a whole different ballgame.

that I can still very much rock out to Eminem in the car, and like it? Then feel guilty that I'm playing rap for my womb child...

that the lack of normalcy in our life is starting to feel normal?

that I secretly like having moved far far away {just for a bit}, just me and my husband? I find romance in that.

that I've been away from my kitty babies, going on two weeks now and I miss them more than I'm willing to admit publicly?

that being a housewife is WAY more work than I had ever imagined?

that my heart swells and feels like it could explode, when I think of how much I am in love with our son?

that I think it's totally awesome that I just now changed the name on my Social Security today? Over a year after our wedding...wow.

that I sit and stare at Hudson's ultrasound pictures daily because I can't wait to see his sweet face and smother him with millions and millions of kisses? poor child.

that I just read Left Behind, 10 years after the rest of the world?

showering Hudson

Lauren and Lauren, two of my very dearest hosted a most wonderful shower for Baby Hudson. It was filled with baby blues, family, friends, love, and cake. Cake and cupcakes.

...a Carole cake. Had one? You should.

and a cupcake surprise from my daddy ♥

We played the "guess the baby food" game. I got them all wrong.

Macaroni and cheese was not a hit.

Daddy and Grandpa.

Gifts are fun...

but an afternoon with your best's and family, you just can't beat.

JR and I both, are so unbelievably thankful for such a sweet shower thrown in honor of our baby boy. We are filled with gratitude to have such awesome family and friends, some of whom made long drives just to be able to celebrate with us as we get closer to meeting our sweet tiny. It made our day to spend time with all of you, and it is a day we will forever cherish.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

from the very bottom of our hearts.

Bye!

I come to you live from the Admiral's Club :) We'll be catching a flight in about 30 mins to ARUBA!!

We celebrate today our one year anniversary, our first year as husband and wife. We also start today our second year, and one now as a future family of three.

I cannot sit among these travelers and fully "blog" about our year (I have to fully concentrate), but upon return I promise lots of good updates on our anniversary, life in Pitt, and our BABYMOON!!

oh! and of Hudson's most precious shower given by Lauren and Lauren, too much to blog about!!!! Wow.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you sweet mommies out there! Have a wonderful day!!

throw your hands up in the air

Please! Join in on the celebration...

THAT I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST!!!!!!

{you will find me doing something very similar to this right now; photo circa our wedding day}

I was so worried/scared that I was "sweetening" up our precious tiny baby too much. We now can celebrate that tiny is safe, sound, and not full of sugar! Praise Him!