Christmas is Coming...

We are leaving for Chicago on Wednesday and I am stoked! Nothing puts me more in the holiday spirit than my parents' house at Christmas. I love it! My parents have started a tradition, since Leah and Erik have joined us. They take all 6 of us to a show in downtown Chicago each year for Christmas. We have seen Wicked, A Christmas Carol, Cirque de Soleil, and went to Second City. We all love it! The whole atmosphere is amazing! The beautifully lit city with snow all around, getting dressed up and going to a festive dinner and then a fun show! Amazing. We are so fortunate for this fun tradition, I can not wait to see where we will go this year! :)

I am ready to get on the plane!! Can you believe that this will be Lucas' SECOND plane ride?! I hope he does as well as he did on his first... 

Odds and Ends

Looking for a gift??

I am now a consultant for Tastefully Simple and am more than happy to get you what you need!  Our products come in beautiful gift packs that can be shipped directly to the person and in easy to prepare for guests and parties manner.

 All stocked up on food and looking for something else?

My wonderful friend, Cindy Boyd, owns the store Canaci that sells beautiful jewelry, handbags, scarves, luggage, and small artwork. She can order more of anything you see and would like more of. To contact her: cindy.boyd@gmail.com. She also has a Facebook page, Canaci that you can place orders from. However, to be honest, nothing beats visiting her fantastic home and see her items first hand! Her address is 3055 Gem Creek Road in Buford.

I was there this weekend for three nights and found amazing gifts for my family.
What are you buying this year?

The Days Are Long and the Weeks Are Fast

I swear I just turned around, perhaps blinked and now our turkey and dressing is all gone and our Christmas tree is up! WOW. I am truly amazed at how fast the time is going lately, especially since I feel like the days are long. Not long in a bad way, at all... long as in "whoa, look how much time we have been playing and the sun is just coming up" kind of long. A huge benefit to the fact that I am awake for a lot longer than I used to be! Good thing, too, because A LOT is going on here.One of the most memorable things is that Lucas went to see Santa Claus on Saturday. He was awesome. It was so much fun, and I am lucky enough to say that Kim and Erik were there with me to see how special Lucas is. We got our delicious smelling tree after that... How magical is the smell of a real tree?? I LOVE it and now it feels like Christmastime in our house because of that smell. I hope I dont blink and the season is over.... it is one of my most favorite times of year!! I can not wait to spend this one with our family and friends!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a huge success! It was Lucas' first and our first as parents... special all around! We went to Michigan to spend the week with Erik's grandfather, Grandpa. Kim and Terry came, which means we got to eat their amazing cooking! Not only was the car trip awesome, but the whole time was so relaxing and enjoyable! David and Leah came over to see us on Tuesday night, which was great. They had not seen our little crawling machine in motion, so that was a treat. My parents came in town on Wednesday and were able to stay until Friday. They also got to see first hand how fast Lucas has gotten! I am grateful for the visit all around.... we are so fortunate in the family department.

Here is a picture of my sweet men hanging out on Thanksgiving morning. It was not planned, but without their sweaters, they were definitely "twins"... haha

Plenty more pictures were taken by my fantastic sister in law, so when I see them, so will you!

On our way home from the trip, the three of us stopped in Chattanooga for the night and went to the Tennessee Aquarium on Saturday morning. It was awesome and definitely beat my expectations! Lucas was so enthralled with the fish; but that is to be expected, he is his father's son, after all! I will chalk up Thanksgiving 2010 as special and just the way I had hoped... I hope yours was, too!



A Little Late

I am a little late in posting Lucas' 7 months pictures. To be honest, I am late in taking the 7 month pictures.... these are actually 7 and a half month pictures. Please forgive me!



New Traditions

I am looking so forward to the holidays this year; more so than ever before because it is my first holiday season as a mommy! :) I can not wait to see what Lucas does on his first Thanksgiving and his first Christmas! I know we will begin to make our own memories and traditions as a new family, I can't wait! I think he will remind me see the season through his eyes, which is true happiness!

As always, kicking off the holiday season with fun Christmas cards is a must... we have used Shutterfly for so many things in the past; it is only natural that we would use them for Christmas cards as well! I was looking at their site and found so many fantastic ones. It will be hard to choose! Here are a few of my favorite ones:

   

Nothing puts me in the spirit faster than picking out Christmas cards! You should check it out, too....Click here to view the latest styles from Shutterfly! Let me know which ones you like best!

**They have a great promotion right now- if you're interested in getting 50 free Christmas cards, click here.

Happy Friday!

This just in...

Sweet Lucas is a crawling machine. He loves it. So do I! :)
He has been on the move for about 12 days. Which means we have also been on the move; we are the proud owners of two baby gates and hella outlet covers!

Sooooo.....

.....I am thinking about going back for my specialist degree... Any thoughts? Any suggestions? I have gotten info from Piedmont and Walden. Out of the two, Piedmont is faster and cheaper... that is surprising.

9 Hours....

Ok, this weekend was full of firsts....
Friday night, Lucas spent the night at his Grandma Kim's. This was his first sleepover without mommy and daddy and I slept through the night for the first time in 2010. We both did great. Kim kept Lucas so Erik and I could get up and go to the Georgia Tech Homecoming festivities and game on Saturday. It was a fun day and great to see my family! (they came down for GT, too... seeing how my dad and brother are alumni) I could not wait, though, that evening to give my little man kisses and hugs!

Saturday night, Lucas did not sleep well at all... got up like 3 times and then for good at 5am. yikes! (Seeing how he slept from 8pm-5am straight at Kim's, I was a bit perplexed)
SOOOOO, I watched the sun come up while I was reading about babies and their sleep patterns, habits, methods, etc.... and came to the conclusion that we need to let him try crying it out. I received some great advice confirming that we should give this a try. It also prepared me that it was going to be tough.

Last night, We did all routines the same and put him to bed drowsy, but still awake. (We got in the habit of rocking him because we loved it) We opened his closet door to a crack so he had a nightlight. He had tylenol for his teeth, a full tummy, and a clean diaper. We were ready to wait it out, no matter how long. Gulp. He started screaming and it was awful.... for three minutes. Three minutes? Three minutes. OMG. Even I could handle that.  I went to check on him a while after, just to see and he was peacefully sleeping.

When he woke up at 11pm (a new habit because of teething? I don't know, but a favorite of his lately), we let him cry... he screamed and it was awful... for 5 minutes.

Then, when he woke up expecting to eat about 3am, I was prepared for the longest cry ever. He screamed and it was awful... for 10 minutes.

Moral of the story? We all 3 learned he can do this... and all three slept better because of it. Lucas slept for nine hours straight interrupted only by 18 minutes! That is a record. I am proud! I hope tonight is even better... I hear three nights is the magic number it takes before he will sleep straight through. We shall see!  :)

October 4

Yesterday marked 6 months for my sweet Lucas! I can not believe it has already been six months and in the same breath I also can not believe it has only been six months because I can't imagine that there was ever a life without him.

He sits up and each day is getting sturdier and sturdier with it. Today he did not even wobble... he just enjoyed "reading" his book. Here is the picture of him sitting and reading.

He is so much more than I ever could have imagined... I am completely smitten and blessed beyond words. Happy half a year, Sweet Lucas!!

A Few Things I Have Learned

I have learned a few things since becoming a mommy to a very special baby boy:

1. He will only "spray" when you are not expecting it!
2. It is inevitable that Lucas will wake up within 10 minutes of me "resting my eyes" if I do not start my nap immediately after putting him down.
3. There is not much better in this world than his laugh.
4. As soon as he goes to sleep for the night, I miss him and want to go get him up. I don't. But I want to.
5. Lucas wakes up incredibly happy, no matter if he meant to wake up or not.
6. My priorities have drastically changed.
7. So has my idea of "fun".
8. So has my driving.

...and for his next trick

I have...

...a five month old son!! This became true on the 4th. Incredible, don't you think?

Here is his *monkey pic*, sans monkey.

Chicago or Bust

Lucas and I ventured via the friendly skies to Chicago this past weekend! It was fantastic. I was fortunate that both the flights were on time. Much to my pleasure, he did wonderfully on the flight! He is a remarkably laid back and content little boy. This is Lucas giving Erik kisses good bye.

My parents hosted an open house welcoming Lucas to Oswego. It was so much fun to meet the friends of theirs I haven't met, see the ones I have met, and have all of them meet Lucas. One of the most special guests was Chrissie. She and I went to high school together and then somehow she ended up living about 45 minutes away from my parents!! How cool! I loved seeing her and catching up. It is always sooo easy to catch up with her. We laughed, we giggled, we CRACKED up. It is what we do, and it was just what the doctor ordered, I had been missing her!

While we were in Oswego, Lucas rolled over from his back to his stomach! YAY! My dad actually got it on tape, how awesome is that?! I am so impressed with my strong little guy, he constantly amazes me.

My parents made it so easy on me. They provided EVERYTHING sweet Lucas could ever need and plenty of it! He had a room all ready for him, too! (The crib that David and I slept in when we were babies is in it, I love that!) There are toys and books and my mom made the most fabulous quilt for him to play on. (I took that home for him to enjoy on a daily basis!!) I am the luckiest girl I know. Not everyone's parents do what mine did (and always do), for that I am forever grateful!

The weekend was a whirlwind of kisses and hugs from Nonnie and Granddaddy and not nearly long enough; however, it was a perfect little get away!

Lucas' First Cereal

This was so fun, he did pretty good, and definitely got laughs out of Mommy and Daddy!!

Melts My Heart

Funfetti

Today is the last day of summer for Gwinnett County teachers. We start preplanning tomorrow, August 4. That means Lucas starts daycare on a regular basis!

In addition to that, tomorrow my baby will be 4 months old! To celebrate his *official* start to school and his 4 months of life, we baked! How fun would it be to bring in treats to his class for his teachers?? (Apparently I am going to be that mom, but I also know how fun it is to get homemade goods!)

So, I began....


...with a sweet helper


They turned out fantastic!!
We have plenty to share with Daddy, Lucas' teachers, my grade level, and of course our neighborhood friends, Lillian and Nolan!
Hurry on over, you can have some, too!

Chris' 30th Bday party

This was a blast... tons of side ponytails, off the shoulder shirts, neon colors, puff paint, Madonna look-alikes, Miami Vicers, short shorts on guys, it was all hysterical!! Katie sported NKOTB shirt, Dave wore Mighty Mouse, Erik was in Bugle Boy Umbros, Chris had on Jams... I was impressed by everyone! ;)

As promised, a picture of us.

Want to feel old?

My students for this coming year were BORN in 2003. Yikes!

Speaking of old, haha. Today is Chris Kennedy's 30th birthday! Jeanine is throwing a party in honor of him, and it has an 80's theme! I am so excited about it that Lauren is crimping my hair!! haha.... I will post pics (famous last words, right??) of our attire. It is going to be a blast!!

First Day of School

He did so good at school yesterday! The ladies were sweet with both of us, and patient with this new mommy! Lucas was all smiles when I picked him up- I couldn't kiss his sweet cheeks enough! We talked and cooed for a while, then I took these pictures. I can not believe how big he looks sitting on the couch! Soon after, he crashed from the busy, new day! This will be an adjustment, but one we can both handle!

Oy.

Today is Lucas' first day of daycare. I am going to call it *school*. I know he is going to be fine. Wish me luck...

I have a staff development class this week, and school starts back for us teachers next week. My boys stayed home together yesterday, that warms my heart and I am sure it was special for both of them...

Happy Friday

The Way I "C" It....

The show Wipeout makes me laugh harder than anything has in a long time. Repeatedly.

It excites me when I notice actors in movies or tv shows from other movies or tv shows. For example, Audrey on Dawson's Creek is now on Cougar Town. And Veda from My Girl is on a movie called The Good Guy, so is Jake from One Tree Hill.

I love ice cream. No really, I do. But for as much as I LOVE it, I equally dislike plain vanilla without toppings. What is the point? Vanilla needs toppings.

Clutter drives me insane... unless it is baby stuff in my living room.

I love Peace Lilies for the fact that I have had one since 2005 and it is still kickin'.

I have realized how truly important respect is.

It drives me INSANE when I hear incorrect grammar. Ick.

I require lots of sleep. I love that my husband knows that and doesn't make too much fun of me on the nights I go to bed and it is still light outside.

Traveling makes me happy. Really happy. I love it, and partly for the actual car/plane ride.

I am much more of a control freak than I realized.

I LOVE when people make movie references. I also love when I hear a song on the radio and it reminds me of a scene in a movie. I can think of two right off the bat that I hear often.

Catch up

Lucas is getting more fun by the minute... when he smiles at me, or hears his name and looks, or talks to Erik, it is truly awesome. I love him more and more and had no idea that was possible! We did dinner with the Kennedy's last night, that was fun! Both Kate and Lucas were wonderful and I need to remember my camera next time... so I can be "that mom"!

My AWESOME FANTASTIC WONDERFUL neighbor, Elizabeth kept Lucas for me two mornings this week so I could go make some sense of my classroom. I feel so much better about having everything unpacked. It isn't all the way decorated, but DEFINITELY headed in the right direction. I think I am getting more excited about second grade now that I have seen what my room will be like!

Look at Lucas in his big boy toy... which we are borrowing from Elizabeth.


My sweet hubby has been working himself silly lately, lots of long days and plenty of overtime! He still gets up with me when Lucas does in the early morning, though, with a smile on his face. For that, I am grateful.

We have planned a trip to Chicago (Lucas and me) so he can meet my parents' friends. I am really looking forward to it! It won't be until Labor Day weekend, but I know that will be here before I know it!

Happy 4th of July

Guess what? My sweet little Easter baby is 3 months old today! Just another reason to celebrate today! Here he is in his monkey pic with his Oshkosh overalls, which I absolutely love!!!

Here is another few pics of a *conversation* he was having with Erik, they were talking up a storm and it was so precious to watch!

And the Winner is....

... A 2010 Ford Fusion SE.

We love it. It is perfect for us. I feel so great driving it! YAY for our little family's new wheels!

WHOA

Want to feel excited and overwhelmed all at the same time?? Sell one of your cars....then go look at new ones! We sold Erik's civic. It wasn't too much of a "family car" anyway. I am soooo excited about getting a new car, but soooo overwhelmed about taking on a car payment again. gulp. eek. yay!

Our Lately

Lucas will be 12 weeks tomorrow. He is growing and able to do so many new things every day! It is fun to watch him play. He will lay on his stomach for longer periods of time now and shows lots of interest in his toys. He is able to reach for them and can pull the toys near him, it is so impressive. I noticed that he "found his hands" this past week. He makes a point to touch and hold all things in his reach, I love it!

Lucas completely focuses on us and it is fun to talk with him. He stays awake for longer periods of time during the day and his naps are more predictable. Although we are not on a "schedule", we are getting there. Lucas' bedtime is 8pm and we do our best to have him bathed, fed, and changed for bed by then. He sleeps for longer and longer periods of time at night. At first, it was for 3 hour increments; then it was until about 2am. For the past two nights he has slept from 8pm until 4:30am,then eats and goes back to bed until 6:30 or 7:00am. I am SO pleased with this!

We are all feeling more confident in our roles and I am so grateful for this! I am enjoying motherhood so very much, every day brings something new! I am taking time to stare at Lucas when he is cuddled in my arms and trying to soak in all of his sweet baby coos and smiles and smells while he is this small! I think I could stare at him all day long...

Here are some pictures of this week. Here he is with his monkey. I showed Lucas this book today It was so much fun *reading* it with him, he loved it!.

Happy Father's Day

Today is Father's Day! I am excited to make Erik's first one a special one. Lucas and I got him an iphone to start his day off with and a fishing lure that will surely catch lots of big fish! Lucas is wearing a shirt that says "Daddy's Homerun Hero" so that should definitely make his day! ;)

Look how sweet Erik is with his son, I love watching and hearing them together!

My parents are coming to our house for a Father's Day dinner, as are Erik's Dad and his girlfriend. I am glad to spend the day with my dad and have Erik spend the day with his dad and his son.

Lake Trip

My parents came up to the lake on June 11. The three of us joined them that afternoon. Erik left on Sunday evening, but Lucas and I stayed until Thursday. It was awesome to be there with *Nonnie* and *Granddaddy*... very relaxing. I did manage to get some sun on my face, which I have not done in too long!! It was awesome to see my dad work his Granddaddy magic on Lucas... so sweet. I love the early mornings with my mom and Lucas, I wish we were able to start each day with her!

Nonnie and Granddaddy gave Lucas a sunhat and shades, he was definitely cooler because of them! Here he is sporting them on a boatride!

Fun times

Lucas and I have had quite the fun week. Tuesday we got to spend a little time with Jeanine and Kate at the Mall of Georgia, that was nice. We met Alyson and Claire for Tutti Frutti on Wednesday, that was lots of fun! We had a playdate at Duncan Creek Park with Dallas, Morgan, Charlotte, DJ, and Andrew (and their moms, too!)- great time, but hot! We ended that park date with a trip to Chickfila and Lucas did wonderfully! Then, on Friday, Katie came up to visit. We had lunch at Atlanta Bread Company, ran some errands, and went to the park. Lucas hung out in the Beco carrier while Katie and I hoofed it around the lake. It was perfect timing, because the sky opened up about an hour after we finished!

Today, we are going to veg. Jessica is coming to pick up some diapers for her sweet little girl. We were so lucky in that department and were given so many that we did not use them all! (Thanks, Mindy!) I can not believe he is ALREADY IN SIZE 2s... when does this happen??

8 weeks

Lucas was 8 weeks old on May 30th! He is getting quite the personality and is definitely king of the facial expressions. I love how much he is already interacting with us! I love that I get to be his mom!

Soooooo

I lied. I didn't mean to, but I did. I charged my camera battery, and that is as far as I got to taking pictures this weekend. It is a good thing Leah was here. She never misses a great photo op. Here are a few moments she captured....





It was a great weekend! David and Leah seemed to get good amounts of "Lucas time" and introduced us to a dice game called "Farkle"; it is addictive and lots of fun!

Memorial Day Weekend

So many wonderful things lately...
1. My Sweet Hubby turned 30 this past week. Yay!
We celebrated with friends at Atlantic Seafood Company on Sunday, it was delicious...
We are celebrating this Sunday, tomorrow, with his family at our house for dinner. That will be fun!

2. David and Leah are on their way from the airport RIGHT NOW to spend the weekend with us. Ok, I know they REALLY came to be with Lucas, but I will get to see them, too! :)

3. Memorial Day party at the Schmidt's today- that will be fun! (PLEASE stay away, rain!!)
Glad my bro will get to visit with my friends again....

4. My precious Lucas will be 2 MONTHS old tomorrow! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? WOW. They aren't lying when they say it flies by, whoever they are! :)

I will impress you with the pics I will take of these occasions... you just wait!
Happy Weekend to you!

New Discovery

I just discovered that a handful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch dry is a pretty scrumptious treat. I have never had the cereal until yesterday.... and am so excited for the new find! :)

Pretty Exciting

I have been reading tons of books on schedules and sleep training, as well as asking anyone I know what their thoughts are, as well.... I came to the conclusion that you need to take bits and pieces of all and make it work for you. (especially since there is no one *right* way to do anything and everyone has different opinions!)

The frustrating part about the books and some of the advice was that it applies to when your baby is older than what Lucas has been. (Some books start at 8 weeks, some advice starts at 3 months, etc.)Seeing how he is 6 weeks, he is just now getting to be old enough.

Well, I was reading last night about how many naps they can take, and what a typical schedule can/should look like... so, I decided today to try it out. It advised to get a set time for the first morning feeding and if going on a 3 hour feeding schedule, which we are, to have him nap the last hour and a half or so. I did this, 6am would be the first feeding time. This morning, we ate at 6:00, then played until 7:00. He was so alert and not fussy at all... then he started to yawn. (Which I have read means he is already sleepy and in need of a nap- it said not to wait until they are fussy, then they are past sleepiness) Interesting, right? Seeing how he has only been active for one hour.... but I thought, try it!

Just so you know, it is 7:29am, and he has been in his big boy crib, sleeping (not tossing and turning, or fussing, or sucking his passy)for about 28 minutes. O.M.G!

I have also read that the earlier you put your child to sleep at night, the longer and better they will sleep through the night. Also, not to skip or skimp on naps. I see where I have been letting him get fussy instead of picking up on the cues for naptime. This has made for shorter naps, crankier evenings, and I am now attributing it to the fact that Lucas has been overly tired. I am going to try this book's advice out- and I am already convinced that it will work like a charm.

I am pretty pumped about it. You have no idea. It feels like I just solved a riddle or something. YAY. Keep your fingers crossed... now, I may take advantage and go close my eyes, just for a bit....
:)

My First Mother's Day

This past weekend was my first Mother's Day. It was awesome, for more reasons than one. My sweet little family went to the lake for the entire weekend. Lucas' first trip! We packed up Grace and her things, Lucas and his things, our things, the kitchen sink, and hit the road Thursday afternoon. My parents joined us that weekend! Erik grilled delicious meals, my dad took us on fantastic boat rides, my mom rocked at feeding the baby and playing with him, and I soaked it all in... Each day I took a walk with my mom, my son, and my dog while Erik and my dad went fishing. It was perfect weather to be outside. I think it is fair to say that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. It was just what the doctor ordered and went by incredibly too fast. I am a lucky girl.

If this is a preview of what family vacations will be like in the future, I am looking so forward to them! :)

My Baby is 4 weeks old today, I can not believe it! :)

One Month Already!!

I can not believe that Lucas will be one month old tomorrow... wow! :) Where did the time go? It seems as though it flew by, but then at the same time, I cant imagine life without him anymore... amazing.

He has truly blessed us and makes me want to be a better person. I am so lucky I get to be his mom!!

I like how people post pictures (usually monthly) of their child and a stuffed animal, so you can see growth each month. I am going to try and do that.

Preciousness

Best Easter Ever

GOOD NEWS, Lucas arrived on Easter Sunday! :)
Erik and I could not be more excited by and in love with him. It is an incredible feeling of emotions every time I look at his sweet face or hear his sweet noises. (He likes to squeak and wrinkle up his forehead- simply adorable!)

His birth story is simple, and one I will never forget.
On Easter morning I was awake early, as usual. I decided to make a bagel about 7:00am, and as I walked to the kitchen, I felt what turned out to be my "water breaking". I wasn't sure, so I continued to toast the bagel and cut up some fruit. I was a little excited with the possibility that "this was it!"... but did not want to get too eager, as it was still 9 days before the due date. As I made breakfast, the "water" kept coming, and I decided to wake up Erik. I was giddy at this point.... and called the doctor. He said to go on in to the hospital, and he would see me there. OMG. SO EXCITED!
We grabbed the bags and threw on some clothes and called our parents. We decided to let them know if it was "for real" before letting them head our way, though, by the time we arrived, it was VERY clear that this was no false alarm!!

They got us into a labor and delivery room, which was huge and wonderful... and hooked me up to pitocin. (I was only dialated 1 cm.) It was a fairly uneventful morning, just hanging out drinking juices and water. Our doctor showed up and told us it would most likely be a slow process- apparently getting to 4 cm is the slowest part.

At 2pm, I was only 2 cm and was DEFINTELY feeling the contractions. Seeing how I was not out to be a superhero, I asked for the epidural. At about 3:30, Erik and his mom went to grab a bite to eat and let our dog out, and I took a nap. At 6pm, I was 6cm dialated and I was getting excited! It appeared we would meet our little man about 10:00pm! :)

AT 7:15, the FANTASTIC nurse checked me again, and guess what??! I was 10 cm and ready to go. We just had to wait on the doctor..... I started practice pushing about 7:30, and from this point, it went really, really fast. Erik was right there and so involved. I did not expect him to be, as he always joked he would be holding my hand standing at my head... not the case! The doctor arrived a little before 8:00. I started pushing, and sweet Lucas arrived at 8:14pm that night! It truly was an easy delivery and I know how blessed I am to be able to say that!

The part I was most looking forward to was hearing his voice for the first time, it was magical and so surreal all at the same time. They weighed him and cleaned him while my sweet, supportive husband took pictures.

Lucas weighed 7lbs. 14oz. He was 21 inches long, and has blue eyes and brown hair. He is more perfect than I could ever have imagined. I love him with my whole heart and can spend hours just watching and listening to him. He already has us wrapped around his sweet little fingers!! Lucas has Erik's cleft chin and his toes. I think he has my mouth and my fingers. He has such a good disposition and is so patient with his new parents.

I am happy to say our Grace is wonderful with him, very sweet and gentle. It warms my heart to watch her with Lucas; almost as much as it does to see Erik sing and talk to his son, now that is the sweetest!!

My parents, brother, and sister in law made it down about 9:00 that night, and were instantly in love. David and Leah stayed until Tuesday morning and made an incredible DVD slide show with pictures of Lucas' birth. My parents stayed a week, a gift I can never properly thank them for. They were such a support and help, and I am so grateful.

I tell you what.... I don't know if it is the hormones or what, but I am SO VERY thankful and am feeling especially blessed these days. I have a great husband, fantastic parents, loving brother and sister in law, and now the sweetest son imaginable. What more can a girl ask for?

WOW

Today is a big day for me. It was my last day of teaching for the school year! :) This coming up week is spring break, and I will enjoy the last few days relaxing as much as possible before Lucas joins us. Then, I will be able to take the rest of the school year off to be with him. I am looking so forward to it! :)

The shower thrown by Jeanine, Jessica, and Kim was fantastic. I felt VERY special, they went above and beyond. The food at LaMadeleine is so delicious, the room was nice, the friends were plentiful, and the time was wonderful. Here are some pictures: