Southern and Simply Classic

Picture Day

2011-04-02T21:48:00.001-05:00

Today was picture day for baby Jett! This sneak peak from the super fun and fabulous Jeana just about sent me over the edge!!

We had so much fun with Jeana today at her family farm! This little guy melts my heart in an instant!! I cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures, I know they will all be just as adorable as this one!!

A Few Random Thoughts...

2011-03-29T11:59:00.000-05:00

Just a few random thoughts for you on this oh-so-fine Tuesday morning...

I finally ~~made a decision~~ got a new car and I love it! I'm so thankful to have the hubs truck traded in especially with the way that gas prices are right now! He travels so much that he probably won't even miss it...too much.

The postpartum hair loss at this point in time can only be described as straight.out.of.control! Not only am I totally sicked out by it and forced to vacuum all the time, but I am also a bit concerned at this point that I might have a bald spot on my right temple.

I am also wondering if postpartum hormone changes can also affect your eyelashes because mine are not what they used to be! I'm thinking about getting some falsies for Jetts pictures this weekend ;)

It is going to be so nice here on Saturday and I can't wait to have Jetts pictures done...they were supposed to be 4 month pictures, but we had to cancel last weekend because it was freezing. He will be 5 months and 4 days when he gets them done, but we'll just pretend he's still 4 months old!

Jett has been in his crib {in his room} for the last 3 weeks and it's going well except for the fact that this week he has decided that he likes to wake up like a newborn at night again. I think that he is trying to get his first tooth!

Speaking of teeth...I had a full blown crying breakdown last week because my Mom thought she felt a ridge on his gums. I was devastated that even though ~~it was a false alarm and~~ I've been checking every night, she was the first to find it.

I pretty much hate being a working mom at all moments, but I am staying faithful that my day to be a SAHM will come soon! I pray about it every night and I believe that He knows the desires of my heart!!

Kenny Chesney is here in concert this weekend and I am sad that I didn't get tickets for the hubs and I...he puts on the best show!

I am beginning to wonder when all the fat will be coming off of my body from all this breastfeeding I've been doing, or is that a trick?

I am getting my hair done on Friday and I am tempted to do it brown instead of blonde, but my Mom informed me that I looked sick {like pale and ill}, thanks Momma!

I need suggestions on some sort of sleep training for Jett. I'm not a huge fan of the cry it out method. I've tried to let him fuss a little while also patting him to let him know that I'm there, but it always ends in chaos and screaming bloody murder. I cannot understand why he is waking up at 2am not to eat, but just for me to rock him back to sleep...this tired Momma needs help!

I told you that it would be completely random ;)

This Face

2011-03-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

See this face...

I am so completely in love with this face!

I took this picture last night after I had rocked him to sleep. Secretly, I just wanted to hold him all night long instead of putting him to bed! I could stare at him all day and night and never get tired of looking at him...he is so amazingly precious to me!

I am so thankful for this blessing of mine! I am so in love with the fact that I am his Momma and I get to stare at him everyday and love him forever!

Fun with Mommy

2011-03-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

I took these pictures of Jett playing on the floor the other night! He was so happy and smiley ;)

More pictures Momma!?!?!

I love our time together in the evenings and just adore my sweet little babe!

Have a great weekend!!

Jett at 4 Months

2011-03-09T10:07:00.000-06:00

Sweet baby Jett you are 4 months old!

I absolutely cannot believe that you have already been in Mommy and Daddy's life for 4 months...times flies when you're having fun!

You already have developed such a little personality and you are an absolute joy to be around! We love you more than we could ever put into words and we are so thankful everyday that God blessed us with you sweet baby boy!

We went to the doctor last week for your 4 month shots and checkup.

You weighed 13 pounds 14 ounces {30th percentile}
You were 24 1/4" long {25th percentile}
Your head measured 42 3/4 cm {60th percentile}

You are absolutely perfect!!

Here are some things that you are up to this month...

During the day you eat a breastmilk bottle every 3-4 hours.
We started cereal bottles this month for your last bottle of the night {and you were sleeping through the night} but we had to stop giving it to you because it was making your sweet little tummy hurt!
Now that you aren't having cereal you will sleep a 5-7 hour stretch at night before you get up for another bottle.
You are wearing a size 1 diaper.
You can still wear size 0-3 months in your sleeper sets, but the outfits that you wear in the day are primarily size 3 months.
You don't mind having tummy time for a little bit each evening and you have great control of your head...such a big boy!
You are spending a little time in your bumbo almost everyday and don't mind sitting up in it.
You love laying on your play mat and looking at all the lights and reaching to try and grab the objects hanging down.
You have your fingers/hand in your mouth pretty much at all times these days...you think fingers are delicious!
You can almost roll over from your back to your tummy! You can always get over on your side, but since you always have your hands in your mouth it makes turning all the way over a little difficult ;)
You have become so vocal over the past 2 weeks and we think your little voice is beautiful!
You are constantly smiling {with your mouth wide open} from the moment you wake up in the morning, you are such a happy boy!
Your new favorite thing to do is to lay on our bed with just a diaper on and dig your heels in, arch your back, and then scoot backwards. You think it's so fun!
You still let me rock you to sleep and I love every second of it!

We love you with all of our hearts and can't imagine our lives without you! Mommy wishes that you could stay her baby forever, but as you grow bigger we can't wait to see what milestones are ahead for you!

A Much Needed Makeover

2011-03-07T09:46:00.000-06:00

I got a much needed blog makeover this weekend from the fabulous Jessica over at Diamond Doll Design!

Not only is Jessica super sweet, but she is also so super nice and easy to work with!! I had a vision of what I wanted my blog to look like and she made it happen and I couldn't be more excited about the new look!

Head on over to Diamond Doll Design and get yourself a fancy makeover like mine today! She is running a special for March and I must say...it's pretty special!! This month you can get an entire makeover for your blog for only $30...what a steal of a deal!!

What do you think? I hope you love it as much as I do!!

Reflux?

2011-03-04T15:39:00.001-06:00

Baby Jett had his first non-shot-getting visit to the doctor yesterday. His first appointment where I was humbled to admit to myself that I had no idea what was wrong with him. It all started 4 days ago...

At a moments notice and for no apparent reason at all Full.Blown.Bloody.Murder.Screaming {FBBMS} has ensued at my house...no fun my friends, no fun at all! When the FBBMS happens Jett does not want to be held, laid down, fed, rocked, or consoled in anyway. Believe me if there was a song I sang it and the shhhh-ing has been in full soothing effect, but to no avail.

I am still only feeding Jett breast milk, but we introduced rice cereal a couple of weeks ago. When we introduced the cereal the regular pooping stopped and the tummy troubles began. I feel like he constantly has gas and an upset tummy...the kind that makes him draw up his legs, bless his heart! When the FBBMS started this week we just assumed that it was gas and gave him some Mylecon to help.

He was just at the doctor {to get his 4 month shots} on Tuesday, but the FBBMS was not in the "routine" at this point so we mentioned nothing of it to his doctor. After playing the guessing game for a few days we decided that it was best to take him back to the doctor. She checked his ears, throat, and tummy...all were just fine. I explained his symptoms to her and she concluded that he might have reflux which could totally make sense to me. After having heartburn straight from the Devil when I was pregnant, I knew that it would be enough to make him have FBBMS attacks...I know I certainly wanted to cry when it happened.

She recommended that we do the following: discontinue cereal until further notice, give him Pedialyte for 2-3 feedings, and Mylanta every 4 hours for the next 24-48 hours. All of these things would ideally calm his stomach down and the Mylanta to neutralize the acid with the reflux.

We started last night and gave him the Pedialyte and have been giving him Mylanta every four hours. He has had one FBBMS attack today and hasn't really had much of an appetite at all. I feel so bad for him...being a Mom is hard especially when you have no idea what is wrong with your precious little babe!

Do you have any ideas or suggestions about reflux?

To Wubbanub?

2011-03-02T10:43:00.000-06:00

We are having some issues with the paci, but only at night. Jett doesn't really take his paci {it's a Soothie} alot during the day, but always goes to sleep with it in his mouth at night.

Once he falls asleep the paci always falls out of his mouth and most of the time this happens once he is down for the count in his ~~bed~~ {no judgement please, it's really hard} pack-n-play.

He started sleeping through the night a couple of weeks ago and now our only issue with sleeping is the paci. He generally sleeps from around 8pm to 7-8am, but wakes up almost every morning around 5am for me to put his paci back in his mouth. He is totally out of it when he wakes up and as soon as I put the paci back in his mouth he is immediately back to sleep for a couple more hours.

To all you Mommas out there...have you used the Wubbanub?

Since he is not yet big enough to find it and put it in his mouth on his own, I am wondering if this would help? He loves to snuggle with his blankets and even burp rags, so I am wondering if he learned to snuggle with the Wubbanub it would eleviate the issues with finding the paci at night.

Have any of you used it?? Any other brilliant ideas that you Mommas have up your sleeves??

U of A Boys Love Katy Perry!

2011-02-24T12:59:00.000-06:00

These Arkansas boys LOVE Katy Perry and are not afraid to show it, ha! This video is so funny...you have to watch it, too cute!!

Sweet Baby Bubbles

2011-02-23T09:05:00.000-06:00

One of baby Jett's new favorite things to do...

Blowing sweet little baby bubbles! Love him to pieces ;)

Completely Mortified

2011-02-18T16:23:00.003-06:00

Let's talk about this picture for a second...

Let's talk about how completely mortified I was when my sister proceeded to post it to Facebook! I practically died of embarrassment and laughed until I cried!

Who gets this excited over modeling a Hooter Hider for everyone at her baby shower?? I do, I guess...
Happy Friday!

A Few Random Thoughts...

2011-02-16T14:45:00.001-06:00

Just a few random thoughts running through my head this oh-so-fine Wednesday afternoon...

I am so thankful to have my handsome hubby back home after travelling for work for the last week! A week away is just too long!!

I am officially loosing my hair at a rapid rate. I {thankfully} am not starved in the hair department and could afford to loose some, but the hair loss has now reached the point of instanity.

I thought that Jett wasn't feeling well/maybe teething on Saturday because he was super fussy. The only thing that would cure his fussy spells was to eat. I realized on Sunday that since he was cured by more breastmilk, he was probably just hungry and not staying full for as long anymore. MAJOR.PARENTING.FAIL!

While I am so thankful to have my wonderful sister watch Jett while I am at work, I still struggle on a daily {workday} basis having to leave him. It just breaks my mommy heart.

With all the snow that we have had so far this month behind us {hopefully} I am so ready for spring.

There is nothing I wouldn't love more than to head to the beach this summer and see my little baby's tiny toes in the sand!

I can't find a new car because I am too picky and undecisive. I'm sure that it has nothing to do with the fact that I have champagne taste and am trying to stick to a beer budget!

I cried last night while watching a new reality show on Lifetime called One Born Every Minute because I was thinking about being in labor with Jett. With that said, I ~~secretly~~ wish that I was pregnant again right now!

I have been delaying as long as possible, but I am pretty sure that my almost 4 month old should be sleeping in his crib instead of in his pack-n-play in our room.

I might as well go ahead and admit {while I am at it} that I was the mommy to be that swore my child would sleep in his crib from day one...that worked out pretty well, huh?!?!

I am tired of my the way that my blog looks and need a makeover asap...like the sooner the better!

I told you they were all random ;)

First Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:34:00.002-06:00

There will not be any candy for our little buggy this year on Valentine's Day, but that's ok because the only thing he is interested in eating {besides milk} are his fingers!

Since a "couple" of fingers will do for Jett, I thought I would enter this picture in the contest hosted by the girls below!

Red Velvet...If You Please!

2011-02-11T16:21:00.001-06:00

I found myself a little bored {to say the least} last week. Stuck in the house as we experienced the first round of The Blizzard of 2011. We have since had a round two snowstorm and have received more than 25 inches of snow so far this month. Today is the 11th, I do not joke it...it's pretty much been a fronzen tundra for the last 2 weeks...rediculous!

I thought that ~~since I had nothing better to do~~ I might as well channel some inner Bakerella while I had the chance. I might need to also add that I am pretty sure that Bakerella does not use cake mix for cupcakes...she probably makes them from scratch, but I digress.

I have an {unhealthy} addiction to Red Velvet ~~anything~~ cake/cupcakes! I had a box of Red Velvet cake mix just waiting for me in the pantry...coinsidence, I think not! I whipped up some Red Velvet cupcake beauties and while waiting for them to cool I decided that I would get extra domestic and make some homemade frosting for these delicious little cakes.

I found a recipe for some vanilla frosting on PW's website that was dubbed the "best frosting I've ever had." The title alone sucked me in and I knew in an instant that this was the one that I was making. I whipped it right up {it was super easy} and frosted my cooled little beauties.

That is when something magical happened...

I tasted one bite and I am here to tell you now that this frosting was the most amazing frosting I've ever had! I am not even joking, the best I've ever eaten...amazing would be an understatement.

I might {or might not} have eaten at least 3 per day while snowed in...I also might {or might not} have been forced to pour dishwashing soap on them {Miranda from Sex and the City style} in the trash can to not even think about snagging one back out!

Our Baby Story

2011-02-10T13:56:00.002-06:00

This is the story of the best day of our lives to date. The day we received one of our biggest blessings to date. The day that our precious little boy, William Jett, was born and changed our lives forever!

My pregnancy was so unbelievably easy for the most part. Things got a little more interesting towards the end of my pregnancy. I developed high blood pressure and was put on meds and modified bed rest for a bit. Everything was fine with Baby Jett, but for some reason my blood pressure could not be regulated within healthy parameters. I was scheduled to see Doctor N on 10/28 to have my blood pressure taken to make sure that it was not slipping out of control. That morning I woke up and tried to stay as relaxed as possible before my appointment in an attempt to keep my blood pressure low.

I was shocked {to say the least} when I was told at my doctors appointment that today was the day...the day that we would meet our dream come true!

My blood pressure was completely out of control and Dr. N said that he didn't feel like we should wait any longer to have our precious little babe. I was concerned that Jett would be 3 weeks early and was worried about any complications associated with an early delivery, but was assured by Dr. N that we were doing what was best for both myself and Jett considering the circumstances.

I left the office {in shock} and immediately called Billy to give him the news. He was just as surprised as I was of course, but we were both instantly overcome with so much excitement. The moment was just so "real" and we were finally getting ready to meet our baby boy! We didn't have the carseat installed, or even our overnight bag for the hospital packed so we immediately went into mini crisis mode. We are both planners by nature, so we were both making lists and checking them twice!

We got to the hospital a little before 3pm and I hung out until around 7pm with a pill on my cervix to thin it out. At 7pm we started the pitocin and there was no turning back :) We were so excited as we waited on our sweet boy!

I was in labor ~~all night long~~ for 12 hours and then started pushing at 7am. After over a little more than an hour of pushing, we welcomed our sweet baby boy into the world at 8:20am. He was 5 pounds 9 ounces and through my tear filled eyes, he was the most precious thing I had ever seen!

I am overcome with gratitude and so thankful that the Lord gave us our precious little Jett. My heart practically explodes everytime I see his sweet little face!

I fell in love with my husband over and over and over again that day. Seeing him holding our son in his arms melted my heart. I already knew that he is my everything, but now he is Jett's everything as well and the thought of that makes me happier than I can put into words. This was the beginning of us as a family...the family that we made out of our love for one another!

Since Jett was born right before Halloween, the nurses dressed him up in a little pumpkin hat...so cute!

We got settled into our room and our family and friends could not wait to meet baby Jett! These little darlings were especially excited to meet their new cousin!

Jett was 5 pounds 4 ounces when we brought him home, he was so tiny! We adjusted to having him home and rested as much as we could. He was up every 3-4 hours to eat. The majority of the time Billy would wake up with me so that I would have someone to talk to while I nursed him, we were so very sleepy. After a couple of days we were no longer sleepy and just constantly running on adrenalin, but I wouldn't change anything! This little guy slept all the time {cute as a button} swaddled in his bassinett.

Billy took the picture below one morning after I had finished nursing Jett and had gone back to sleep. Billy had already gotten up, so he just layed Jett back down in our bed. I feel like this picture pretty much sums up our first couple of weeks home together...Jett asleep and me trying to get some much needed rest right along there with him :)

This picture is so precious to me!

Looking back on my labor and delivery of this sweet child, I have decided that I could do it ten times over! I loved everything about being pregnant and my delivery {aside from the high blood pressure} was so easy...in fact, I was plesantly surprised at how easy it was. As a first time mom you hear all kinds of stories about nightmare deliveries and in combination with all the hours of TLC's A Baby Story that I watched, I didn't really know what to expect!

We are so very thankful for our sweet little babe! He has made each and everyday since he was born one of the best days of our lives to date.

"SnowBored"

2011-02-07T10:53:00.000-06:00

Baby Jett is super cool...

Even while sleeping!

This picture was taken this weekend while still trapped in the house due to the ~~snowstorm~~ blizzard of 2011. Obviously, we were a little bored ;)

The weather here in Oklahoma has been out of control for the last week and we are suppose to get another round of winter weather tomorrow night. This new storm is forecasted to bring another 5-10 inches {what a huge range, huh?} of snow! We just aren't equipped to take on the massive amounts of snow that has come our way! Today is my first day back to work since Monday of last week!!

Even though we were ~~stranded~~ stuck in the house for a good 5 days, I couldn't imagine any other place I would have rather been! A solid five days at home enjoying my boys...I had the best week ever!!

My Sweetness

2011-01-27T09:42:00.006-06:00

Look who wanted to say hello to his Mommy this morning!

As I sat here at work just trying to make it through ~~this week~~ the day, I heard my phone beep letting me know that I had a text message. The next thing that I saw I was this sweet little babe staring back at me and that is all that I needed to make it through my day!

I can't wait to spend the weekend loving on my sweet boy! Thanks for sending the picture Mom and for keeping my sweetness this week!

Stadium Stompers

2010-12-23T13:36:00.003-06:00

Have you seen these???

I am IN LOVE with these cuter than cute rubber cowboy boots! How cute would these boots be while cheering my Razorbacks to a victory...super cute of course!! They come in all your favorite team colors, check out the website here.

These are definitely too late for my Christmas wish list, but hopefully these cuties will find a new home in my closet very soon :)

Hope that you're having a great day...Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Busy as a Bee

2010-12-08T12:55:00.002-06:00

This little guy has been keeping his Mommy very busy...

The best part is...I couldn't imagine it any other way!

I hope that you're having a wonderful day!

10.29.2010

2010-11-06T13:08:00.003-05:00

My labor was induced on 10.28.2010 due to my high blood pressure. We were so excited as we patiently awaited the arrival of our sweet boy!

William Jett made his arrival at 8:20am on 10.29.2010 weighing 5 pounds 9 ounces. We were instantly in love!

Our little family has been soaking up every second of being with each other for the last week!

It's Almost Time...

2010-10-19T11:42:00.005-05:00

It's almost time for Baby Jett to make his appearance! I went to the doctor yesterday and got the precious picture above of my Sweet Boy! I was so thankful to see his little face because for the last 2 months ultrasounds he has been shy and buried his little face in my placenta. I was beginning to think that what/who he looked like was going to be a total surprise when he was born, ha!

My original due date was November 15th but Doctor N wants to deliver me a couple weeks early which means that Jett will be here the week of November 2nd...which is in 2 weeks! If you remember my previous post about my visit to Labor and Delivery due to some high blood pressure...well, the phantom high bp has struck again! I like to call it the "phantom" because it is high one minute then completely under normal the next...what the heck?

I was not put on bed rest this time and there was still not a trace of protein in my urine. Doctor N decided that considering the phantom bp issue there was no reason we shouldn't just go ahead and get this sweet, precious, adorable babe out in 2 weeks. Now I just need to pray that I will dilate/thin out in the next 2 weeks time!

Yesterday I was 36 weeks and it was the first time that I was checked and I was not dilated, not effaced, not thinned out...nothing! Do you know of any secret tricks to get things moving along? If I am induced and not dilated/effaced at all I will have to just lay in bed for 24 hours with a pill inserted to thin out my cervix before they even start petocin. Please pass on the prayers and any tricks/wives tales that you have up your sleeve...the countdown has begun! Baby Jett will be here in 2 weeks...oh.my.gosh!

The Big 3-0!

2010-09-23T07:58:00.005-05:00

Today is an BIG day...and by BIG I mean large in number, ha! Today is my 30th Birthday and I can hardly believe it, I swear I still feel at least 26 years old!

Since people say "you're only as old as you feel" I guess it's a good thing that I only feel 26!

I thought that I would put together some pictures of lovely things all about Birthdays...from the looks of these pictures you might guess that some cupcakes are definitely going to be in my future! They all looked so delicious, pretty, and festive!

All images

My sweet hubby will be back in town tonight, so we will be celebrating with dinner out tomorrow night and I am so excited about that!

I hope that you have a Wonderful Friday Eve...we've almost made it to the weekend!

Bed Rest

2010-09-21T11:23:00.003-05:00

I have spent the last 4 days on bed rest because my blood pressure was high last Thursday when I was seen at the hospital to make sure that I was not leaking fluid.

When I was released from the hospital Thursday night, I was instructed to follow up with Dr. N on Tuesday and to be on bed rest until then.

During these last 4 days on bed rest I have found myself more rested than ever, ha! I watched every lifetime movie entertaining enough, got tons of fall/decorating ideas from HGTV, and discovered at least 15 different recipes for fall that I need to make from the Food Network! I am pretty sure that I will be at least 10 pounds heavier by the time that baby Jett comes due to the fact that there are so many new things that I need to make, ha!

I was up bright and early this morning for my follow up appointment. I made every attempt to stay as relaxed as possible this morning to try to avoid any increased blood pressure. As I sat there patiently waiting to be called back I prayed that everything would be fine. I prayed that my blood pressure would be normal, that baby Jett would still be great, and that I could be released from bed rest to return to work. All I wanted was to be able to continue to carry this sweet baby and get ready for his arrival.

My prayers were answered this morning, Praise the Lord! My blood pressure was below normal like it has been through out my pregnancy so far {113/76} and there were absolutely no traces of protein in my urine from the 24 hour test! I almost started crying I was so thankful and excited!! I was released from bed rest to go back to work tomorrow and I don't think that I have ever been more excited to go to work, ha!

Thank you to all of you that prayed for me and sweet baby Jett! Now that things will be back to normal around here I need to get back to regular blogging! I still have to do some weekly preggers updates along with updates on the nursery decorating...super exciting!

My Trip to Labor and Delivery

2010-09-18T20:59:00.000-05:00

I spent the day yesterday in Labor and Delivery...yesterday was quite the day for sure!

If you are the least bit squeamish by anything related to pregnancy, it would be my suggestion to you that you make the choice not to continue to read, ha!

My day started yesterday with something not normal for me thus far. I woke up and my panties were not dry {sorry, I warned you}, but not in any way that they have been before during pregnancy...if you know what I mean. I called the doctor and they told me to monitor the situation for a few more hours then call them back, after a few hours it was still happening. At that point they told me to head to labor and delivery to make sure that I was not leaking amniotic fluid...dreaded!

Let me interject real quick that my hubby was out of town yesterday and was 5 hours away...that definitely added some extra anxiety to the situation for sure!

I called my best friends Tennyson and Brooke and we all met at the hospital. They hooked me up to all the belly monitors and sweet Baby Jett was totally fine. He was moving all around like crazy and his heartbeat was right where they wanted it to be, so he was totally fine...Praise the Lord! After hooking me up to all the monitors they did the litmus test that would show if I was leaking amniotic fluid and again, Praise the Lord it was negative!

After the test came back negative for amniotic fluid, my FABULOUS nurse Libby {who is proceeded to call Libbs all day} came back in and informed me that she had called my doctor to tell him that the fluid test came back negative. I thought at this point that I was home free {it was around 2:30 pm}, boy was I wrong...little did I know that I was going to be there until after 10 pm!

Libby informed me that my blood pressure had been super high the whole time that I had been there {like 146/105} and she said that Dr. N wanted her to run some blood work to make sure all my numbers weren't in the range of having preeclampsia. Keep this in mind...I had been to the doctor on Monday and my blood pressure was fine then, in fact it is always fine every time that I go {like 116/70} so this whole high blood pressure situation was totally out of the blue.

The preeclampsia tests came back within what is considered "normal" parameters, so she said that Dr. N wanted to do a 24 urine analysis to make sure that there wasn't any protein in my urine...which is a sign of preeclamsia because your kidneys start not filtering all the protein out. Sweet Libbs informed me that she was going to move me to a more comfortable room and start the test. At this point I was in an exam type room that basically had a gurnie for a bed...it was seriously uncomfortable!

Once we got to my room and I was hooked up to all the monitors again I just tried to relax and watch some TV. My blood pressure was completely fine once I was moved to the new room...I secretly think that it was the gurnie that I was on that was breaking my tailbone that caused the high blood pressure, ha! Once about 5 hours passed and my blood pressure continued to be lower than average I asked Libbs if I could continue this urine test at home. She said that she was leaving at 7pm and that she'd call Dr. N to see if that was possible...of course to my extreme disappointment he said no.

At 7pm Libbs came to my room to tell me bye, she was seriously the sweetest! I began to have a full blown crying breakdown to her. At this point no one was there with me {my dad was on his way} and I totally felt all alone. I was scared because I don't want to have Jett at 31 weeks, uncomfortable, I missed Billy {I told him that there was no reason for him to come home to be bored with me peeing at the hospital} and I was so tired of being there. I certainly didn't want to stay the night all just to pee...I could do that at home. I don't mean to sound like a total brat in any way, but you have to understand that Jett was totally fine and NOT AT ALL a concern and my bp was no longer a concern either...I was just completely over staying there to pee in a giant, orange reserve.

Libby told me that everything was going to be okay and that she was sorry that I had to stay there but that she would pray for me tonight in her prayers that I would get a good night sleep and feel better. This made me feel better and I just excepted in my mind that I was going to have to stay there by myself for the night and I knew that everything was going to be okay. Libby left for the night and I told her that when I actually went into labor with Jett that I was going to ask for her because she was seriously THE BEST...I loved her!!

As I layed there watching TV around 9pm, my night nurse Jamie came in and informed me that Dr. N had called to check on me and that since my bp had been normal for so long that he was going to let me take the orange reserve home and then bring it back to the hospital lab tomorrow. As you can imagine, I was so happy!!! She said that I would have to be on bed rest until when I followed up with Dr. N on Tuesday and that she was going to give me a shot of steroids then Billy would have to give me one again 24 hours later. The steroids they give just as a precautionary measure just in case you have go into pre term labor.

So I am hanging out on bed rest until Tuesday when I follow up with Dr. N and hopefully at that point I will be released from bed rest and back to life as usual. I have made a few trips up to Drug Warehouse to check my blood pressure and it has been normal each time, so I am hopeful that it will stay that way until Tuesday as well. Sorry for the super long picture free post! I would so appreciate any prayers that you would be willing to send my way. There is nothing more that I want at this point than to carry this sweet little babe to term! I hope that y'all are having a great weekend!!

Tasty Kitchen

2010-09-09T11:17:00.006-05:00

If you are unaware of the amazingness of the Pioneer Woman's Collaborated Cooking website, Tasty Kitchen, I am about to rock your world!

I am a girl that makes a weekly menu {most weeks} and this website makes it so much easier for me to do! Before I knew about the Tasty Kitchen I was constantly searching website after website to make my weekly menu. I am the type of girl that likes to make new things and not have the same tired casseroles and side dishes from week to week.

I love the TK website because there are multiple search options available. You can search by the meal category that you are making, ingredients that you have on hand for last minute meals, or by top community favorites.

Last night I made White Chili Casserole and let me just tell you...it was simply delicious! It was super easy to make for a weeknight dinner and it was so good that Billy and I both had seconds!

I only made one modification to the recipe...I left out the celery. It was so good and something different that what I normally make...this one will definitely be going into the recipe file for sure!

Guess what's on the menu tonight???

Ree's White Chicken Enchiladas...I can't wait! For some reason I was definitely feeling the white chicken theme this week, ha! I will let you know how the enchiladas turn out!

Happy Friday Eve!

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-09T07:42:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that it's Thursday and I am just now putting the weekend recap up, ha!

My long weekend was just as I expected it to be...simply lovely!

I enjoyed spending time with my sister, watching my Razorbacks win, and even squeezed in a mini road trip.

My sweet hubby and brother-in-law were working in Jefferson City, Missouri so my sister and I decided to take a mini road trip up to see the guys. Even though it was just a one night trip it was still so nice to see Billy and be able to eat dinner with him...I missed him so much while he was gone! It's the little things like eating dinner together that I miss so much when he is out of town.

We got home from Missouri around 8pm on Monday night, so as soon as I got home it was time to get myself prepared and in bed for work the next day! After a long weekend 6am sure does come early for sure. I have pretty much decided that we should have a 3 day weekend mixed in at least once a month...they are so nice!

Did you do anything super fun this Labor Day weekend?

Nursery Design

2010-08-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

We have cleaned Jett's room {previously the office} out and we are looking forward to getting everything we need to complete his nursery! I want to find a dresser that I can paint black to match the bed and then use it as a changing table as well as a dresser. I have been looking around town and on Craigslist, but haven't found anything that I really like...hopefully, I will come across something that will work perfectly!

Since I am not a theme person, I have had a struggle with "nursery appropriate" wall art. I have looked around a bunch on Etsy {I am addicted to this site} and have seen some really cute stuff...it's just so hard to decide. I have also been thinking about the idea of doing a monogrammed decal above his crib. Do you have any fun websites for wall art that I should check out?? Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated ;)

Here are the items that I have decided on for the nursery...

The Crib

The Crib Bedding

The crib bedding is from Mod Pea Pod and I absolutely love it! If you haven't checked out her website you must...she makes the cutest stuff and it is very reasonably priced for custom bedding! I think that this design is classic, but still mixes in some modern elements with the circles.

The Glider with Ottoman

The glider I found has slipcovers available and I think that I am going to go with a brown slipcover for the chair and ottoman to tie in with the brown in the bedding.

Okay, so what do you think about the design elements of Jett's nursery? I will definitely be posting pics of his room as we start putting it together, but wanted to let you know what I had decided on at least for now. I hope that you are having a good Friday Eve so far...I am so excited for the weekend to get here!

28 Weeks

2010-08-23T09:25:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 28 weeks today.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: As of the end of last month 10 pounds, but I am sure that will change when I head to my appointment on Friday!

How big is the Baby:

Gender: It's a boy and his name is Jett!

Maternity Clothes: I still have been living in non-maternity dresses!

Best Moment of the Week: Finally making a choice on the bedding...it's so super cute! Oh and finishing up on my registry...it was definitely a task, ha!

Stretch Marks: Yes, but still trying everything I can to prevent anymore from popping up!

Movement: Yes, especially in the early mornings and at night.

Sleep: Sleeping is still fine, but it's still sometimes tricky getting comfortable.

What I miss: Nothing really...just enjoying every moment of having my sweet babe inside of me!

What I am looking forward to: Decorating the nursery.

Symptoms: Still getting heartburn from pretty much anything, but as long as I nip it early enough with some Tums I am usually okay.

Food Cravings: Root Beer and Hot Glazed Donuts from Krispy Kreme...not together though of course! The craving for donuts just started this week and is so weird for me because I have never been a huge fan of donuts. Don't get me wrong they are certainly delish, but I have always just felt like they were too sweet!

Belly Button: Still an inny, but it's getting flatter my the day!

Signs of Labor: Thankfully, no!

Our Sweet Baby Boy has a Name...

2010-08-20T15:21:00.006-05:00

We are completely sure that we love our pick and won't be changing our minds, so it's time for me to let you in on a little secret.

I am so excited to introduce to you our Sweet Baby Boy...

William Jett

We plan to call him Jett, but William Jett will be his legal name. William is after his daddy and Jett we came up with from one of the baby name websites! We were browsing the website and I was saying all the names out loud to Billy and when we got to Jett he said that he liked it. My first response was "really?" {I tend to like more traditional names}, but after a few weeks the name grew on me too and we love it!

It is so nice to be able to call our Sweet Boy by his name! We are both so excited and can't wait for Jett to get here!

Heartburn is Straight from the Devil

2010-08-16T10:20:00.003-05:00

I have had heartburn since the very beginning of my pregnancy. I usually happens everyday in the afternoon and then also at bedtime, but it always goes away with a couple of Tums.

I am here to tell you now that in the middle of the night last night {great timing I know} I experienced the most horribly painful almost to the point of tears heartburn/acid reflux ever...I am convinced that it was straight from the devil {not really, but you catch my drift.}

I literally felt like I wanted to cry! I tried my usual remedy...tons of water to extinguish the fire along with 2 Tums...to my surprise and dread, this wasn't doing the trick! I was pretty much up from 1am to 4am this morning trying to put the fire out...let me tell you, it was exhausting! As I layed there I wondered what could be the cause of this beyond deadly heartburn!?!?? I had 3 hours of thinking time, so I thought about a lot ha!

I propped myself upright because that seemed to make it a little bit better and I thought about what I had eaten for dinner...a chicken strip, mashed potatoes, and a roll. That definitely couldn't be it...pretty blah if you ask me! I thought about the old wives tale, that heartburn is the sure ticket to a child with hair. Could this baby boy of mine come out with full blown 80's hair band rock star hair??...because I am pretty sure that is what it felt like last night, ha!

I was finally able to drift off to dreamland around 4am after the heartburn ran it's course, I was of course super thankful! Now that I have rambled on and on about my horrible heartburn...the bottom line ladies is that I need help! I need to know if any of you have any secret remedies for heartburn. I am telling you now that if I have the devil heartburn that I had last night again tonight I may need to call into work tomorrow, ha!

Happy Monday Ladies!

One Hot Momma To Be!

2010-08-09T14:00:00.005-05:00

I am officially one hot momma to be...I am ~~on fire~~ burning up!

This is the second {or third...I lost track} week now that temperatures have been above 100 degrees everyday of the week! Not to mention the heat index, yikes! The heat index for today is a brisk 115 degrees...out of control! Is it this hot where y'all are??

It's times like these that make you want to take an extended vacation somewhere tropical by the beach where at least you have the breeze from the ocean to keep you cool. For me staying cool has come from a little beauty such as this...

Thankfully my sweet hubby has not minded that I have a fan blowing directly on my face everynight as I fall asleep! Bless his heart...I know that he has to freeze some nights because I have seen him asleep with his entire head covered up. I can't help it though...seriously, I feel like a human heater at times!

I am officially 26 weeks preggers today so that means that I have broken the 100 day mark...secretly I am super scared! Not scared to be a mommy to this sweet little babe, but scared that time is flying by and I feel like I have so much to do to get ready for his arrival! One thing is for sure, I have felt extremely blessed during my pregnancy that I really have never felt like time was creeping by super slow! I look back remembering when I first found out that I was pregnant and it feels like it couldn't have been more than 3 months ago, ha!

I hope that everyone is having a good Monday! Soon to come...the big name reveal! We have picked a name that we love and I can't wait to share!!

2010-07-29T13:21:00.006-05:00

Guess who I got to see this morning??

A precious, sweet little boy!

Everything is right on track and going well! My appointments are extra fun especially now that he is getting so big. I can tell more and more each time about what/who he is going to look like! I was able to tell by the ultrasound pic this time that it looks like he has my nose! I absolutely love seeing him each time I go to the doctor...so exciting!

In nursery news, I found a nursery design that I am in LOVE with and I am pretty sure that I am going to coordinate the bedding {in a solid color} around the room colors. I will post some pictures of the room soon for sure so that you can tell me what you think...I hope y'all love it!

I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that tomorrow is Friday! Happy Friday Eve to you...hope that your day is going super great!!

Totally Random

2010-07-27T18:01:00.000-05:00

The following 3 things {I feel like} have been consuming my thoughts for the last week:

Deciding on the baby bedding/nursery...

Determining all that I need to register for...

Actually going to start registering!

Don't get me wrong...I am not lying in bed all night long thinking about these things, but just feel like any free second that I have to just rest is being consumed by thoughts that I need to get my "plan" {or lack there of at this point} into action!

As far as the baby bedding goes, I have found 3 or 4 sets that I really like on the Mod Pea Pod website. I am not really {at all} a theme person so I feel like it is hard for me to imagine what I want the nursery to look like. The fact that I have never had a child before also makes it hard because I don't want the room to look like all Natalie, I want it to look like a nursery {obviously}. I don't even know if that previous sentence made any sense at all, but what I am trying to say is that I want it to look like a nursery for our sweet little boy...not like any other room in my house just with a crib??!!??

When I started thinking about the nursery in the beginning I felt like if I just picked out the bedding first, it would all fall into place after that. Now that I have found some bedding that I like I think about the accessories to make it all come together...I am a mess! I know that it will for sure come together soon, I'm just going to continue the online research. Do you know of any cute nursery idea websites??

Then there's the registry...what do I need to take care of this sweet child of mine??!!?? I decided last night that I am just going to have my best friend go once with me then have my sister come with me to register that way I cover all my bases. I have been compiling a list of all the things that I am pretty sure that I need...well last night while reading the list to my sister she knocked at least 5 items off the list, ha! I think I am just going to leave this one up to the "professionals," the girls that already have babes! Of course any input you have on items that are a must would be greatly appreciated!!

I hope that everyone is having a great week so far! Happy Wednesday tomorrow...we're almost halfway there, yay!

Welcome!

2010-07-26T09:45:00.002-05:00

Welcome to all you girls visiting from Jenna's blog! I am super excited about the commenting challenge and will be visiting your blogs to leave comments...hopefully we'll all meet some new friends along the way!

I am constantly trying to catch up on my blog reading while I am doing other things, so I am quite often guilty of not commenting. I am going to be better about it, promise!

If you are interested in participating in the commenting challenge as well head on over to Jenna's blog and link up!

Happy Monday Everyone!

23 Weeks

2010-07-19T11:51:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 23 weeks today.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: At my last doctor's visit I forgot to ask...I think that they act like you haven't gained any weight unless it's a problem, so I am guessing that there was gain just not too much.

How Big is the Baby: The size of a papaya

Gender: It's a BOY!

Maternity Clothes: I have been living in non-maternity dresses and gaucho type pants!

Best Moment of the Week: Feeling him move all around in my tummy! This actually happened for me right before my 21st week. I feel him move most in the morning and at night while I am laying still in bed.

Stretch Marks: Negative

Movement: Definitely and I love it!

Sleep: Sleeping is still fine, but it's still sometimes tricky getting comfortable.

What I miss: Being able to bend over and get out of bed with ease! It has been the strangest feeling to move around and get up from a sitting or laying down position with a ball that does not move attached to my body!

What I am looking forward to: Decorating the nursery and registering!

Symptoms: Still getting heartburn from pretty much anything...even water! Other than that I feel super fantastic!

Food Cravings: I have been craving vegetables constantly! I think I had steamed squash and zucchini three times last week, ha!

Belly Button: Still an inny, but it's getting flatter my the day!

Signs of Labor: Thankfully, no!

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous Monday!

A Year Ago Today...

2010-07-15T15:00:00.000-05:00

A year ago today I was in paradise...the Dominican Republic to be exact, but it sure was amazing!

A year ago today I married my best friend and the love of my life...in the Dominican Republic!

The trip was absolutely amazing! Just to add a little icing on the wedding cake...my best friend Tennyson and her hubby were there too making this little Weddingmoon of ours extra special!

After the ceremony we had dinner at the French restaurant on the resort which was oh so delicious, elegant, and lovely!

The day after our wedding, Tennyson and Chris headed back to Tulsa and we stayed in the DR for the Honeymoon portion of this fabulous WeddingMoon!

We spent the rest of our time there just enjoying each other and being married! As I look back on this day last year, I am flooded with memories of what a wonderful time we had together but most of all I am so thankful to have married such a wonderful man.

I always knew in my heart that Billy would be an amazing husband, but each and everyday he continues to surprise me with how amazingly he loves me! He is my everything and I truly fall more in love with him with each passing day.

I can't wait to see what God has in store for our future together because I know that it will be so absolutely amazing!

Happy Anniversary babe...I love you with all of my heart and am so very grateful to have you to spend the rest of my life with! I look forward to many more Anniversary's celebrating the day that we became Husband and Wife! I love you bunches!!

Any Guesses???

2010-07-14T08:54:00.004-05:00

At this time last year my handsome hubby and I were on a plane headed far away from Tulsa and away from it all...

Any guesses as to where we were going? I'll give you a hint...the reason we were there will FOREVER be a yearly celebration! Any guesses???

Happy Wednesday Lovelies!

Natalie

In Memory of Cohen

2010-07-01T07:08:00.002-05:00

A Day of Silence Lovingly in Memory of Cohen Marshall

Today Megan and Brent are having the Memorial Service for their sweet baby Cohen. Please join us in participating...you can find the details and link up here.

Megan and Brent,

You will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers! I pray that God will give you strength and peace today and in the days that follow.

With much love,

A Day of Silence for Sweet Baby Cohen

2010-06-30T10:20:00.003-05:00

What: Moment of Silence for Cohen

When: Thursday July 1st from midnight to 11:59 pm.

How: Bloggers participating will post the Cohen banner (below) or simply post Cohen’s name in large letters on their blog.

Why: July 1st Megan and Brent will be holding Cohen’s memorial service. The moment of silence is an opportunity for Megan’s blog community to stand behind her and support her on this difficult day. Linking up will give Megan a chance to see the support at a glance.

Participating bloggers can find the Cohen banner code and link up on July 1st at Send Love To Cohen. Please join us in participating!

If you do not have a blog and would like to participate via Facebook or Twitter you can find the details to do so on the Send Love to Cohen Facebook page.

The details listed above were taken directly from the Send Love to Cohen website.

Schedule your posts to participate now so that we can all support Megan and Brent on this difficult day and please continue to keep Megan and Brent in your prayers!

Top 2 Tuesday...Deserted Island

2010-06-29T07:41:00.008-05:00

Taylor over at Undomestic Momma hosts Top 2 Tuesday every week and I thought that this week I'd participate, yay!

The topic this week is Top 2 Things (not people) you would take to a deserted island!

1. First and foremost, I would for sure be taking some of this without a doubt:

Well, not necessarily Louis Vuitton toilet paper...but some sort of toilet paper for sure! You see friends...I am not now nor have I ever been a girl that likes to camp. The idea of "roughing it" in the woods is just not something that appeals to me at all!

While the idea of camping is ok I just cannot get past the fact that it most times involves sleeping outside with BUGS! I've excepted it about myself...I would've never even made it with Troop Beverly Hills!

2. Secondly, I would take...

I would also take my cell phone and I would pray, pray, pray that it would work on the particular island that I was stranded on! After all, I have to have some sort of communication with someone not stranded with me to get me off the island. I am not confident that I would be able to build a fire by rubbing two sticks together, ha! Maybe I should've considered bringing some matches for the fire/smoke signal...

Head on over to Taylor's blog and play along too! What would you take to a deserted island???

Happy Tuesday Girlies!

20 Weeks

2010-06-28T11:42:00.008-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks...I can't believe that I am halfway through! I feel like these first 20 weeks have gone by so fast!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: At my last doctor's visit still NO weight gain, but I am sure that will change when I see the doctor on Friday! I feel like I have "grown" a bunch in the last two weeks for sure!

How Big is the Baby: The size of a cantaloupe

Gender: We are 98.9% percent sure that it is a BOY, but there will be no doubt about it on Friday at my next doctors appointment!

Maternity Clothes: I have been wearing non-maternity dresses and gaucho type pants, but have definitely invested in some maternity shirts. All my pre-preggers shirts are too short now!

Best Moment of the Week: This will definitely be finding out for sure that we are having a little boy on Friday! I am ready to start doing some planning/decorating.

Stretch Marks: Negative

Movement: NONE YET, ugh! Everyone keeps asking, but so far...no out of the ordinary feelings in the tummy region.

Sleep: Sleeping fine, but it's still sometimes it's tricky getting comfortable.

What I miss: I get SO hot SO fast! Pre-preggers I was always super tolerable of the heat, but since I've been preggers I feel like I get hot SO quickly!

What I am looking forward to: Finding out FOR SURE {without a single doubt} what gender the baby is at the end of the week...yippie!

Symptoms: I still get heartburn from pretty much anything...even water! Other than that I feel super fantastic!

Food Cravings: I have been craving salad and sandwiches like crazy! I don't necessarily think that it is specifically anything about them other than they just seem light to me. I am not into anything super heavy sounding at the moment!

Belly Button: Still an Inny

Signs of Labor: Thankfully, no!

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous Monday!

Natalie

Exciting News...Drumroll Please!

2010-06-21T10:45:00.004-05:00

I am so super excited to announce that my handsome hubby and I are expecting a bouncing...

BABY BOY!

We found out at my 16.5 week ultrasound, so Dr. Nilson was super confident that it was in fact true...I am going to be a BOY MOM! I can't even begin to tell you how immensly blessed that we feel...we are both so super excited!

Since I had a girl name already picked out {like 8 years ago} I told Billy that he could pick our boy name. We decided that we would make the name a mutual decision, but I really wanted him to come up with some name suggestions that he really liked. We are 98% sure of our little boy's name, but I want to be 100% sure before we make the big announcement.

I am 19 weeks today and will be posting my bump picture tomorrow. I have still not felt the baby move yet, but I am super excited and feel like I am constantly waiting on the moment to come that I "feel" something! I read something that mentioned that the heartbeat takes longer to feel with your first pregnancy since you just don't know what to expect. I wish that he would move already...I am so ready to know what it feels like!

I hope that you girlies are having a super great Monday!

13 Weeks

2010-05-14T18:22:00.006-05:00

Here's my super bloated belly at 13 weeks!

{Please ignore the lack of makeup and hair in a ponytail...it has literally been raining for 3 days}

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 13 weeks

Total Weight Gain/Loss: ZERO pounds, yippie!

How Big is the Baby: The size of a medium shrimp

Gender: We aren't sure yet...At my ultrasound last week, Dr. N said girl then a few seconds later said boy! In the end, he said that he couldn't get a good enough look {the baby wouldn't move} ,so he said that we'd know next time for sure.

Maternity Clothes: Not just yet...I think I may need to invest in some longer shirts very soon! I feel like my shirts are getting shorter by the day. My pre-preggers pants are still working just fine, but by the end of the day I feel like I need some comfy pants on for sure, ha!

Best Moment of the Week: Starting to feel less sickly with every passing day!

Stretch Marks: Negative

Movement: Nothing yet, but I wonder what it feels like...

Sleep: Sleeping fine, but sometimes it's tricky getting comfortable.

What I miss: Being able to actually get hungry before having to eat! I have learned that if I can just eat before I feel hungry I won't feel sick at all, but if I feel hungry that usually turns into feeling super sickly.

What I am looking forward to: Finding out what gender the baby is at the end of the month...only 2 more weeks, yay!

Symptoms: I get heartburn from pretty much anything...even water! For some reason I have had a headache for the last 3 days, ugh! I am still super tired by the end of the day, but I think that is getting a little better.

Food Cravings: Nothing specific besides Mexican food, but that is pretty much normal for me! I am definitely not into anything greasy right now for sure!

Belly Button: Inny

Signs of Labor: Negative

Girl or Boy??

2010-05-04T11:44:00.004-05:00

I almost forgot to post our latest pic from our last ultrasound! This is our sweet little babe at 9 weeks 5 days...growing bigger every week.

I have my next appointment this Friday and I am super excited because we might be able to find out the sex of the baby! My doctor does an ultrasound every time that we go in for an appointment which I just love!

Last time we were there the heartbeat was 177 bpm to which the doctor said sounded "girly." This news of course sent me straight into thoughts of pink and big pretty bows of every color, ha! Hopefully we'll be able to find out this Friday and we will of course will be super excited with whatever the Lord blesses us with! What do you think it will be??? Any guesses friends???

P.S. I feel like I need a pregnancy pillow...Did anyone have a love story with theirs, or should I just make a pillow barrier all around myself?

MIA

2010-04-15T12:48:00.003-05:00

In case you've been wondering...yes, I am still here and everything has been going super great...I have just been a super slacker on my precious blog!
You see friends, by the time that I get off work and get home...

I am so tired from the day that I can hardly think about doing anything else, but taking a little rest. I do love you all and will be back super soon with a belly {super bloated} pic, which I am sure you are all super pumped up about...ha! xoxo

I miss you Summer

2010-04-02T09:51:00.005-05:00

As I look out my office window to an approaching thunderstorm I am reminded of all the things that I LOVE about Summer.

I LOVE the feel of green grass on my bare feet in the summer...there is just something about that lush, green carpet that I just can't resist! I LOVE the smell of freshly cut grass and it always reminds me of a sweet Summer evening just being outside and enjoying every second of it!

It's not even hot outside yet and this still looks so delicious to me! There is nothing better than a tall glass of iced tea, or pink lemonade on a hot summer afternoon!

I absolutely LOVE the smell of honeysuckle that always seems to linger in the air during the Summer time...so crisp, sweet and delicious!

Do you remember catching lightening bugs as a kid? When I see a lightening bug {firefly} I just can't help but remember Summer nights as a kid running around trying to catch every lightening bug that we saw...it was so much fun!

There is nothing that reminds me of Summer more than a trip to the beach! I grew up going to the beach and still have it in my mind that Summer is just not compete without a trip to the beach to have some fun in the sun on the beach complete with pretty white sand! I just LOVE the beach!!

Photos
I miss you Summer but I know that you will be here before long, so I will continue to wait patiently.

Happy {Good} Friday Girlies! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day so far....we've almost officially made it to the weekend! Anyone have anything super fun planned for this weekend? xoxo

Seriously Girls

2010-03-31T11:39:00.002-05:00

I feel like this picture would be the best depiction of how my office looks at this very moment!

I am currently up to my eyeballs in work, ha! At least it is Wednesday though...we're halfway there, yay! Hope you are having a super great day!! xoxo

Say Hello to My Little Friend

2010-03-30T10:25:00.005-05:00

My new best friend is definitely the Zofran that I currently have in my purse, ha!

I am mostly sick in the evenings which makes it hard to have a good dinner and feel full to keep me going through the night. I have been taking the Zofran during the day and Phenergan at night and that seems to be helping a ton, so I am so very thankful!

In a way, I am thankful that I am feeling sickly because that just means that my little tiny babe is growing like a weed. I know that there are many new moms out there that have recently lost babies and that just breaks my heart for them! I know that everything happens in His time and pray that these sweet ladies will have tiny babes in their tummies again very soon!

I went to the doctor again last Friday {3/26} and based on the ultrasound the baby was measuring at 6 weeks 5 days which makes my official due date November 14th, 2010. We are so very excited to have a November baby right before Thanksgiving. I can't think of anything better to be thankful for than a sweet little babe! Here is the latest pic of our little babe...I think it kind of looks like a little glow worm this week...so super cute!

I hope that everyone is having a great week so far! It is so pretty here today...I think the high is going to be 80 degrees, yay! I am so very ready for Spring weather to finally stick around for a while, ha!

Low Key Weekend

2010-03-15T19:19:00.000-05:00

We had a pretty exciting Friday since we got to see our little "olive!" I {unfortunately} had to head back to work after the appointment, but my hubby enjoyed the afternoon off with a golf lesson. When he got home from his lesson, we met my Dad at a local Mexican restaurant and it was delicious! I have a new found obsession with guacamole. I am not joking, it is seriously so random...I am pretty sure that I have hated the texture of avocados ever since I can remember. I.Have.Never.Eaten.Guacomole.Until.Now! I cannot get enough of the stuff...so much so that I find myself making meals around what I can serve with guacamole, ha!

Saturday morning I had an appointment at the salon to do some eyelash extensions and came home from there exhausted! The rest of the afternoon and evening were spent relaxing and it was so perfect. My mom came over and we had pizza from a local take and bake place for dinner...I am obsessed with the Vegetarian Gourmet pizza, it is always so delish!

Sunday morning we went to church followed up by a trip to Walmart for groceries for the week. The rest of the day we just hung out at the house and relaxed. My Mom came over for an early dinner and my hubby grilled steaks since it was fairly nice outside, yum!

I have had some serious heartburn for the last couple of days, so I now have the Tums by my bedside...ha! Other than that things are going great, I think that I am going to start my belly pics/updates next week at 7 weeks. I can't wait to find out my actual due date...my doctor tells you your official due date at the 6-7 week appointment {when we hear the heartbeat} so that he can measure the baby's size when he provides the date. I know that it will be sometime in mid November, but I can wait to know the "official" date.

I felt like the time change was a little rough to get used to today, but I am sure tomorrow will go much smoother! I hope that everyone had a good Monday!!

It's Official...

2010-03-12T15:57:00.007-06:00

It's official...there is one little, bitty, tiny babe growing in my tummy! I had my first ultrasound done today {at 5 weeks} and I couldn't feel more blessed and excited. I totally think that the baby looks like a little olive in the ultrasound picture...way more impressive than I was imagining a clump of cells to look for sure, ha!

I have my next appointment in 2 weeks and we'll be able to hear the heartbeat which I am so excited to experience for the first time...it is all still so amazing to me! I have only experienced nausea a few times so far, but nothing too serious. So far I just feel really tired and still super bloated, overall things are super great!!

Here is our baby's first ultrasound pic...just precious!

Just Different.

2010-03-08T18:00:00.000-06:00

The question of the weekend was definitely, "how are you feeling?" Which made me want to respond "I haven't the slightest clue...I'm not sure just what or how I am feeling right now!" It is the weirdest thing to me, I just feel seriously bloated and different. I don't feel sick yet {praise the Lord} ,but the bloating makes me feel like I am already showing! All you moms out there, is the bloating normal at 4-5 weeks?

I went back to the doctor this morning for some more bloodwork. My doc does a series of 2 tests when you first find out that you are pregnant to make sure that progesterone supplements aren't needed and to make sure that HcG levels are increasing appropriately. My HcG level last Thursday was 64 and today is was 576. My sweet nurse informed my that she would be surprised if I was having multiples, yay! I have always thought that it would be so super fun to have twins!! Anyone else have levels that can compare?? I have no clue, but will definitely be doing some internet searching to investigate "normal" levels.

Our little bitty babe is currently the size of a poppy seed. I don't think that a tiny little poppy seed has ever sounded so precious to me!! I am so excited!!

A Little Announcement

2010-03-04T08:24:00.006-06:00

As many of you know I spilled the beans on my blog last week about the problems that hubby and I {well, really just me} were having getting pregnant. I was having a hard day and just felt like I needed to vent about the PCOS which was really frustrating me.

Well, the Lord works in mysterious ways because literally less than a week after pouring my heart out to you an announcement like this could be part of my future very soon...

That's right ladies...I took a test last night and then again this morning and they were both positive! I am still in shock that it is real...we are so excited!! I called my ob this morning and scheduled the blood test so I should have a definite answer this afternoon. I figure that at this point I am only like 3 1/2 weeks along, so if you would please keep us both in your prayers!! I am amazed each and everyday by His wondrous works!

I prayed for this child and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him!
1 Samuel 1:27

Consuming Thoughts...

2010-02-26T11:36:00.004-06:00

I am dying to know! Will it be a "normal" cycle?? Did I ovulate??

Or was it another case of the dreaded PCOS Cycle with NO ovulation??

I should know next week...if I start then it was in fact the dreaded PCOS cycle, but if I don't start until the following week there is a chance that I ovulated. I am anxious to find out so I can know for sure if I am ovulating or not. Once I do start, I will have an ultrasound to determine if I did in fact ovulate.

I was diagnosed with Endo/PCOS a couple of years ago and followed doctors orders with multiple Lap surgeries and the pill, so that one day when I was married and trying to have a baby it wouldn't be as complicated.

Now that we are trying to have a baby my thoughts are consumed by whether I have ovulated or not, so I just pray. I pray for the strength to be patient in waiting for His time because I have faith that I will be a mommy some day...all in His time.

Praying for Cohen!

2010-02-25T10:19:00.005-06:00

A very sweet blogger friend Megan over at In this Wonderful Life needs our prayers! She has a sweet tiny little babe in her belly named Cohen {precious} who is currently thriving in her belly, actively kicking and swimming all around. Cohen was diagnosed last week with a heart defect and will have to undergo treatment for that condition once he is born.

You can read more about Megan's journey and Cohen's condition here and here on her blog. While you are on her blog, make sure to grab the "Praying for Cohen" button to put up on your blog sidebar as well.

Please join me in praying for this sweet little family! I will be praying that sweet Cohen's heart will be healed in Jesus' name! I will also pray that God be always by the side of Megan and her hubby to provide comfort to them as they continue on this journey. I pray that they will continue to have strength and comfort {in Him} knowing that this is all part of His plan and pray that he will continue to guide them in every decision that they make.

Dreaming

2010-02-24T09:14:00.004-06:00

When June arrives, you will find me here...

I will be soaking up some rays and loving every second of it!

In June we are taking our First {Annual} Family Vacation to Destin, Florida! My sister and her hubby along with their precious little babes will be making the trip with us and we are so very excited! I cannot wait until June...the beach is calling my name. This winter has been so cold and full of snow that I will be counting down the days come May, ha!

Happy Wednesday friends!

A Super Fabulous Surprise

2010-02-23T09:07:00.004-06:00

Look what my sweet handsome hubby surprised me with yesterday...
Yay! I am the proud new owner of an iPodTouch and I am so excited I can hardly stand to be at work right now! Do you think that it would be horrible of me to take a vacation day based on the fact that I need to find every fun app that I can, ha!?!? I am sure that my boss would laugh as well!

What I am most excited about is Words with Friends app! My BFF {Tennyson} got me hooked and I cannot wait to play. Do you play Words with Friends? If so, I will need your screen name {leave me a comment} so that we can play together...it will be so super fun!

Any suggestions on any other apps that are a must have?

xoxo, Happy Wednesday girlies!

Sips of the South~Southern Etiquette

2010-02-19T20:16:00.007-06:00

I am joining in the fun over at Sweet Tea and Biscuits this week, participating in her weekly series Sips of the South! The theme of Sips of the South this week is Southern Etiquette...certainly a must have for sure!

I decided that my focus on Southern Etiquette would be geared towards all the manners we Southern girls LOVE our Southern boys to have!

Here are a few essential rules every Southern boy must have...

~Open doors for a lady, and for other men, for that matter. A simple gesture such as this goes to show the world that you are a kind person, willing to help others.

~Offer your coat to a lady when she is obviously cold. This is usually better accepted than the offer of your arm, especially if you have just met. If you are lovers, a coat and your arm is a welcomed gesture.

~Be kind and honest to those around you. Protect the woman that you are with - yes, while she is totally capable of protecting herself, its always nice to know when someone has your back. If another man tries to hit on her or makes a rude comment, simply place your arm around her and lead her away. There is no need to start a fight.

~Pick her up when you go out on a date. If its your first date and she wants to meet you at the restaurant, be considerate of her feelings. She's trying to maintain her safety, if she does not know you. However, still offer to pick her up. If you are insistent, however, it might make her nervous.

~Open the car door for her to get in, and if possible, to get out of the car as well. Pull the chair out for her in the restaurant and make sure she is seated comfortably before you sit.

~Allow her to order her drinks and food before you do. Take care of her needs first, or at least offer her the option.
Source

~It is always important to say please and thank you along with yes/no ma'am and yes/no sir.

Whether we are talking boys or girls, good manners are always essential!

How would you like to win this little gem...

You can enter to win this book {it's super cute} by joining me and my Southern Sisters in our cute little community group, Southern Mammas! You don't have to be a mamma to join {I am certainly childless for the moment}, so what are you waiting for?!?!

Happy Friday to you!

xoxo

It's Finally Friday

2010-02-19T10:39:00.004-06:00

Hey girlies, sorry that I have been absent from my blog this week! We have been so crazy busy, but have also had some fun and excitement as well!

More to come from me tonight and I promise to be a better blogger this next week for sure! I hope that everyone is having a fab day...I am so thankful for Fridays!

I Heart SJP

2010-02-10T14:45:00.002-06:00

Is anyone else so excited for the May release of SATC2 that they just can't stand it?

Oh, Carrie...so fabulous!

Oh.my.gracious I am so excited! I have loved SATC since the beginning in fact I still sometimes find myself watching the re-runs on TBS, ha! I am sure that their new movie will not disappoint...the girls are taking a trip to Morocco!

I happened upon this new book soon to be released while surfing the web...have you heard about The Carrie Diaries?

This book highlights Carrie Bradshaw before she met the girls and before she was sexy in the city...pretty much all about growing up Carrie Bradshaw! I can't wait for this one to hit the shelves, it will most definitely be on my reading list for sure!

I hope you girlies are having a Super Fab Wednesday! xoxo

Precious.

2010-02-08T17:31:00.003-06:00

Did you see the Superbowl Ad last night for Focus on the Family featuring Pam Tebow? I pretty much thought that it was absolutely precious! If you haven't checked it out you have to watch the video below...it's super short and super cute!

I now think that Pam is just as precious as Timmy, they truly have such a wonderful family! It is such a blessing that Tim has been able to be a witness to those who don't know Christ while doing what he loves...playing football.

Congratulations to the Saints on their big win last night! I am not a HUGE fan of the NFL {you know I am an SEC/college football girl} but I thought that it was a really great game and was super excited to see the Saints win! Who were y'all cheering for?

I hope that all you girls are have had a great Monday!

A Snow White Weekend

2010-01-29T22:34:00.003-06:00

A winter storm hit Thursday night starting with some freezing rain which turned into sleet and then snow yesterday. We got 6 inches of snow on top of all the ice that we received, yikes! I couldn't get any super great pictures because the snow was falling so heavy. All the pictures that I took include the big, white flakes which are so very lovely to me!

Hubby and I are snowed in tonight just hanging out next to a roaring fire and I am loving every second of it! I think that we might venture out tomorrow to do some sledding with my sister and her family, which I am sure will be super fun for sure! Do any of you girls have snow on the ground too?

Happy weekend girlies!

Seriously?

2010-01-27T08:21:00.007-06:00

I am sure that you have seen these pics {a hundred times already} since they are still swirling around the web. I feel like I see them everytime I open to Yahoo!

I feel so bad for Heidi and I am sad for her {yes, even though I know that she does anything she can for attention} because this was such a BIG HUGE mistake! Your thoughts on this newest makeover venture for Speidi?

The Bee Bee Bandit

2010-01-16T16:31:00.004-06:00

I never imagined myself saying this, but have officially fallen victim to a drive-by shooting...the mildest form of one of course!

Let me quickly brief you on what was going on at the scene of the crime before the crime occurred around 2300 hours {I think that is 11pm, ha!} last night. I sat comfortably in the living room in a chair {by the window} catching up on some blog reading while my hubby sat five feet away from me catching up on some Call of Duty {don't even get me started on this game} on the Playstation.

Out of nowhere we were alarmed at what sounded like pea gravel hitting the windows in the living room...

Hubby says: "What was that Nat?"
I said: "I don't know, I'm scared" {shocker, huh?!}

Something inside of me thought that it was nothing...so I proceed to head outside to see nothing. No one fleeing the scene on foot, or driving off in a car. The streets were quiet and I was confused, there was literally no one in sight! I returned inside the house to get the flashlight so that we could investigate the window.

With flashlight in hand, I begin my window investigation to find not one, not two, but three bullet {bee bee} holes. Here are some pictures of the evidence that we uncovered...

I was immediately irate and wondered why someone would do this??? Hubby got in his truck to drive around the neighborhood to see if he could find someone trying to flee the scene...no luck. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and proceeded to call the Police, who I might add were here in no time at all.

The officers looked at all the windows and discovered that there was actually another hole in another window on the other side of the front of the house, ugh! Just in case you have lost count now with all these bullets flying around, grand total we have 4 bullet holes in 3 windows-not awesome!

I made a special request that the officers do a search of the neighborhood to see if they could catch these bee bee bandits! Can you believe that happened?? Who would have thought that a relaxing evening at home with my favorite pizza and my hubby would turn into an evening of drive-by shootings! Just one of those things I guess, probably some crazy kids out to terrorize!

Hope that your weekend has been super fun and relaxing so far...oh, and free from drive-by shootings especially, ha!

A Heavy Heart

2010-01-14T17:55:00.004-06:00

As I layed in bed last night saying my prayers before I went to sleep, I was overcome with extreme sadness for the all people affected by the Haiti Earthquake. As I prayed that God would wrap His loving arms around them to comfort and heal all those affected by the earthquake, tears began to roll down my face.

As I cried just imagining how scared and helpless all these people must feel, I was reminded of a sweet young man that my hubby and I met at the resort while on our weddingmoon in the Dominican Republic. This young man referred to himself as "Goofy" and had the kindest, sweetest heart. Goofy explained to my hubby that he lived on the opposite end of the country in Haiti and was there to work in the Dominican Republic for the "busy season."

He explained that each year during the busy season he would travel to the Dominican Republic to work at the resort in Punta Cana only to return back to Haiti with the money that he made to live on the for remainder of the year. He shared with us that he made $500 during the busy season and that is what he and his future wife would live on during his time away from the tourists in Punta Cana. I was blown away by the fact that he lived for 6 months on $500 and quickly realized just how poverty stricken the region was.

When we left to come home we gave him our email address so that he could let us know how he was doing and gave him a little money so that he might live a little more "comfortably" while he was back in Haiti. We have never heard anything from him, but pray that he and his wife are safe. I am sure that there are other stories like mine...simply about people meeting sweet people from Haiti along the way in life that have left us all wondering tonight about their safety.

I cannot even begin to imagine what these people are going through in Haiti. I knew that it was very heavy on my heart to help, realizing all of our blessings. I know that there are numerous organizations that are raising money to aide in the crisis efforts in Haiti.

An organization close to my heart is Compassion and the money that you donate will go to help children and their families affected by this crisis. Just $35 will give a family in need there food and water for a week. If you are unable to provide monetary support at this time you can still help all those in need, PLEASE PRAY! God will hear all of our prayers!

Haiti Earthquake

Guess Who's Back...

2010-01-12T17:22:00.004-06:00

My favorite show is back for it's second season and I am so very excited!

Giuliana and Billl are back...love them!

If you haven't seen this show on the Style Network yet, you so need to set your DVR! It is such a super fabulous show. This newly married couple spends half of their time together balancing their careers. As you probably know Giuliana is a host on E! and is based in Los Angeles while Bill runs his own business in Chicago.

This new second season is an adventure in them making babies and starting a family together...so exciting! This would be a great season for you to start watching...don't worry you can catch all the re-runs from last season online so you can get all caught up.

I hope that everyone is having a great week so far!

I Never Imagined Saying This...

2010-01-07T19:13:00.003-06:00

I'm not quite sure how this is going to sound because I can honestly say that the following words have never crossed my lips, but here goes nothing...

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

In case you have been living under a rock {or just don't care} the BCS Championship Game is tonight! I am of course an SEC girl, so you better believe that I will be cheering the Alabama Crimson Tide to a victory. Better yet even if this wasn't an SEC game I would still be hoping for a Texas loss, ha! No hard feelings to any of you Texas girls out there!

Go Bama!

Beat Texas!!

My hubby and I are settling down for the face off to name the National Champion. I sure wish that I was in Pasadena right about now since it is suppose to be 0 degrees tonight, yes I said zero! The high tomorrow is 9 degrees due to the Arctic Blast that is currently blowing here in Oklahoma. The windchill tomorrow will be 10 degrees below zero...where am I, Alaska? Crazy weather! I am so ready for it to warm up...at this point I'd be happy with a daytime high of 40 degrees, ha!

I am so glad that tomorrow is Friday! I hope that everyone has had a great week!

Natalie

Starting the New Year Off Right!

2010-01-03T19:17:00.003-06:00

One of the New Year's Resolutions that I made for myself this year was a promise to be better about getting in His Word each and everyday!

What better way to do that than with this... I picked up this little gem at my church bookstore today and I am really excited about starting it! I can't believe that I am going to read the entire Bible...so excited! I have done a daily devotional for the last couple of years now and in each entry it makes reference to a specific Bible verse, but I thought that this year I would try something a little different.

I made a promise to myself that I would be better about setting specific time aside for God. Aside from praying through out the day, I want make time to sit down and take my mind off of everything else and focus only on Him. I think that this One Year Bible will be a great tool for me in fulfilling my promise to myself and to God.

This is something that I have been working on {with myself} for a while and I couldn't think of a better way to start the New Year off right than in His Word! He knows everything about me and I want to know everything that I can about Him...after all, He has my heart and is so awesome and amazing! This New Year I will continue to live for Him and in His Word.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend! It's back to work for me tomorrow...have a great Monday!

Natalie

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T12:38:00.003-06:00

Wishing you and your family AMAZING Blessings for 2010!

Natalie

Simple and Relaxing

2009-12-30T18:45:00.004-06:00

We have no big extravagant plans for News Year's Eve tomorrow and I am so excited about it! We will have my hubby's son Nate {who we have every other weekend} so we are planning a nice relaxing evening over at my sisters house, yay!

The boys plan to grill steaks {in whats left of the snow} and we'll have all the fixings...I am so very excited about it! I am not quite sure how the boys plan to grill steaks outside in the freezing temps, but I am sure that they have some sort of plan in the works, ha! I love hanging out over at my sisters house. We always have a super fun and silly time, plus the kids {she has 3 that love to play with Nate} always have fun when they get to get together and play!

I can remember when I was in my early twenties {yikes} and New Year's Eve was always such a big deal. The special occasion called for serious planning of the evening as well as a new outfit especially for that night! We always had a ton of fun, but by the end of the night we were always exhausted from the crowds and all the festivities.

It's funny how things change...when I think back on all the parties here and there and the celebrations that always took place, I think "why did I ever think that was fun?" I feel like I am more content now than I have ever been. I am totally content with just hanging out over at my sisters house and just having a low-key night and I couldn't have imagined that for myself just 6 ~~short~~ years ago. Do you find yourself feeling the same way?

I absolutely love that I am spending the holiday with all the people that mean the most to me. I can't think of a better way to start the new year than with my wonderful husband completely surrounded by family. What plans do you have for tomorrow night? Whatever your plans are, I hope that you have a wonderful time...I am so excited to ring in 2010!

I know that God has a perfect plan for us {and you too} and I can't wait to see what blessings unfold for us in the New Year! I will continue to put my trust in Him because only He knows my heart!

Happy New Year's Eve lovelies!! Let the countdown to midnight begin...yay!

Natalie

Excessive All the way Around

2009-12-28T12:27:00.006-06:00

Does anyone else think that this is a tad bit excessive? Coffee, tea {unsweet of course} and more tea! By the looks of things I am pretty sure you would think that I was seriously parched and this was all just while I was at work!

The Starbucks cup that you see...I am completely obsessed with it! My best friend Tennyson got me this cup for Christmas and I do not joke when I say that it was probably one of my favorite gifts received! It is an insulated cup so it never sweats and I am definitely not a fan of a sweaty cup, ha! If you don't have this cup you might have not known until just now, but you desperately need it! It is not only super cute, but also fits perfectly in the car.

Which reminds me...I have ~~to bribe my handsome hubby~~ to dig my car out of the ice/snow from the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 {as the news appropriately has dubbed it} for work tomorrow. My car has not moved since Wednesday of last week and this is her current state of snow covered oblivion...

I think that the weatherman has predicted more snow/ice this week! You would think that we were in Montana by the looks of things around here, but no it's just Oklahoma. You never know about the weather around here, it was 60 degrees one day last week then snowing the next! In fact they have a saying that if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait 5 minutes, ha!

Natalie

In All Her Glory

2009-12-27T16:00:00.011-06:00

I thought that before December ended I should probably ~~admit that I am a total procrastinator~~ post pictures of my Christmas Tree, ha! I sure do love how she turned out this year, so without further ado...here she is in all her Glory!

I don't know if you can tell or not, but the tree shirt is actually toole that I bunched around the base with a strand of lights placed underneath. The idea for the lights under the toole was from my sweet friend Brooke, we have the same sense of style and I just love her!

Here is a picture of one of my favorite ornaments...

My tree just isn't complete without the accent of some glittery gold curly-q's...

A little touch of some zebra ribbon placed here and there...

And of course a crown of glitter and jewels placed on top!

Well, better late than never I suppose...I hope that you enjoyed the pics! We are still trying to dig out of the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 around here! Who knew dreaming of a White Christmas could get you a full blown blizzard, ha!

A Very Merry Christmas to You!

2009-12-25T17:09:00.003-06:00

We have had a lovely white Christmas here in Oklahoma, in fact a blizzard of a snow storm moved in yesterday to grant my Christmas wish for snow. I absolutely love, love, love when it snows and there sure was plenty of it!

I don't think that my car will be able to move out of the driveway for a couple of days, but thankfully my hubby has a truck that we have been on the move in all day. We had to make Christmas at his Grandparents with all the fam and it sure was fun!

I hope that you have had a wonderful time with your family today celebrating. I am so thankful for my wonderful hubby, family, and friends but I am most of all so thankful for Jesus!

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." John 2: 10-11

Happy CHRISTmas Eve, Eve!

2009-12-23T12:47:00.001-06:00

Make a Smilebox invite

She's off the Market...

2009-12-22T09:17:00.007-06:00

Did you hear the news?? Oklahoma's very own Carrie Underwood is engaged!

I just think that Carrie is so super cute and always so very fashionable!

She was flashing her new engagement ring at a hockey game this past weekend while watching her fiance at work.

Her Canadian hockey player beau is Mike Fisher...looking very dashing here in his suit and tie!

I have to say that I think they make a pretty cute couple.

Just look at how cute she is here at a hockey game, just watching her man, she is such a beauty!

I hope that you girlie's are having a super great week so far! I can't believe that Christmas is only 3 days away, I am so excited.

I still have not even started wrapping presents which I take great pride in, but I think that I am going to save that until Christmas Eve since I am off work. I still have yet to post a picture of my tree, so hopefully I can get that done tonight!

Natalie

Advent Calendars

2009-12-10T07:32:00.002-06:00

My church is doing something really uplifting that I wanted to share with you.

They have created a fabulous Advent Daily Devotional Calendar. Aside from the time that we spend in prayer and in the Word each day, this calendar will provide you with a daily Bible verse as well as a thought/question for the day in preparation for the birth of Jesus. As Christmas time approaches it is important that we remember exactly what we are celebrating...the best Gift ever, Jesus!

There are two calenders that you can choose from. There is an adult calendar as well as a calendar that you can do with the kids as a family. I have added the links below to each calender for you to print out. I made a paper chain out of our devotional...I printed our calendar out, then cut each daily devotional into a strip, making a circle out of each strip, then linking them all together by date. You could make your paper chain more fun by printing your calendar on alternating red and green construction paper, how cute would that be?

Click here for the Adult Calendar

Click here for the Family Calendar

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous day!

xoxo Natalie

HP Giveaway!

2009-12-09T11:54:00.006-06:00

This is for sure a giveaway that you don't want to miss out on! Head on over and visit BooMama's Giveaway page and register to win this...

{picture from BooMama's Blog}

That's right friends...a brand new HP Touchsmart 600 computer! Wow, what a prize it would be to win this beauty! Oh and just by heading over to the Blogher site you can enter yourself for 4 more chances to win this lovely HP with 4 other bloggers...yippie!

Merry SITSmas!

2009-12-08T08:36:00.006-06:00

{this is my tree from last year...we are headed to the Christmas Tree Farm this weekend}

It's time for the annual Merry SITSmas party today over at The Secret is in the Sauce and you have to check it out! It will be so super fun for sure! They are giving away a different prize every hour, wow!

As a SITS girl we are all about some comment love, so I will be sure to visit as many of my Sitstas as I can today to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas! While you're here, you might want to watch this hilarious video of me and my handsome hubby...I elfed us, ha! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and hope to see y'all back very soon.

I hope that all you girls have a wonderful Holiday season, Merry Christmas!

XOXO,

Natalie

Battle for the Boot

2009-11-28T18:09:00.008-06:00

The Razorbacks are playing tonight at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge trying to bring the boot back to Arkansas for the third year in a row! I am so excited about the game, Whoo Pig! My hubby and I will be cheering the Razorbacks to a victory against LSU from the comfort of our living room, ha! I am hoping for a much deserved win against the Tigers...come on Hogs beat LSU and bring back the boot!

Go Hogs Go!

Natalie

Loving the Holidays

2009-11-26T18:17:00.004-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I told you about my Thanksgiving menu in my previous post and I am happy to report that it was a huge success, yay! I did what I could last night so that I wouldn't have to run around like a crazy lady this morning to pull it all together...that proved to be the secret to my success.

Now that the kitchen is clean and Thanksgiving Day is coming to a close, I am dreaming of Christmas. The season is upon us and I am so excited, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I have decided that I want to do something a little different on my tree this year, so I am going to do a little online investigation this evening to check out some new ideas.

I always have red and gold accents on my tree full of white lights and I absolutely LOVE it, but I just feel like this year I need a little something else {a little spice} to add to the usual mix. I'm not sure yet, but I am thinking that the addition of some animal print might be exactly what I need on my tree!

With so many things to be thankful for, I have had a wonderful day! I hope that your Thanksgiving was great too!

Natalie

Thanksgiving at the Newlyweds

2009-11-25T08:00:00.004-06:00

Billy and I are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year for the first time and I couldn't be more excited about it!

Here is a list of all the yummy goodness that I will be preparing for the big day...

Turkey. We always buy just the turkey breasts and cook them since we don't have any fans of dark meat in the fam. Did you know that you can just buy the breast at the store...this was at one time news to me and brilliant I might add. Billy will be smoking the turkey this year which I am sure will prove to be fabulous!

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. Need I say more? Each Thanksgiving I am convinced that I could potentially have mashed potatoes running out my ears because I have consumed so many, ha!

Seven Layer Salad. My mom is going to make this one, it's one of her specialties ...it is definitely a Southern family favorite!
Cornbread Salad. I've told you about this one in a previous post...another one of my Southern family's favorites and a must have for any family gathering.

Green Bean Bundles. If you don't know about these delicious little bundles of love, then you are truly missing out. I will pass on the recipe to anyone that needs it, just let me know.

Mimi's Dressing. I will be attempting this one for the first time this year so wish me luck! Thanksgiving just isn't complete without some yummy dressing {a.k.a stuffing}to go with your turkey and potatoes.
Rolls. What better to compliment an entire plate of goodness? I am just not sure that there's a better one, ha!

Pies. My mom is making some pies to bring and I am not sure which ones she will choose to make, but they will for sure be delicious! I am sure that after dinner when the pie time is prime I will be too full to even think about eating a single piece, ha!

I have so many things to be thankful for...I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband to share my life with and love unconditionally, I just can't imagine my life without him. I am thankful for our families, who mean the absolute world to me. I am also so thankful for our wonderful friends who we enjoy supporting and sharing our lives with. We are so blessed and most of all I am so thankful to God for all the love and blessings that he has given us!

I have a busy evening ahead of me...I am going to get as much as I can prepped for tomorrow. I am so excited about hosting our first Thanksgiving! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

Natalie

I Love Sweet Tea and Biscuits...

2009-11-20T22:45:00.005-06:00

Insert my ~~scary~~ sweet singing voice...♫♫I'm so excited and I just can't hide it...♫♫

Guess what I was surprised with today...this Fabulous Award!

I was given this adorable award by a sweet blogger friend at Sweet Tea and Biscuits, yay!
You have to check out her super cute blog...it's super southern and simply darling. She's starting a spotlight award that will showcase a new Sassy Southern blogger each week! Can you just imagine how super fun this will be? I am so excited, you have to join in on the fun...don't miss it!

I am so thankful to have received this award! Check out the Sweet Tea and Biscuits blog to see the other Sassy Southern blogs that were chosen and then check out the blogs of these sweet southern ladies. Tomorrow I will be passing this award on to some of my favorite Southern blogger girls.

What a great way to start the weekend off, I love it!

Blind Side

2009-11-20T18:29:00.007-06:00

How bad do you want to see this movie?

I think that I cried the first time I saw just the preview for this movie, ha! It was definitely one of those previews that leaves you thinking, I have to see that movie!

The movie is based on the true story of Michael Oher. Michael is a kid from a broken home and is taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do family who help him fulfill his potential. As a football player and student, Oher works hard and with the help of his coaches and adopted family he becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

The movie stars these two...

Sandra looks pretty fancy...don't you think? Then there's Tim...does anyone besides me think that Tim McGraw doesn't really quite look like himself without a cowboy hat?

I cannot wait to see this movie, I think that it will be so super good! I think that my hubby and I might go see it on Sunday...that is if we aren't putting up our Christmas lights on the house, yay!

Happy Friday everyone, I hope you have a great weekend!

Natalie

Our Christmas Music Video, Ha!

2009-11-19T10:11:00.004-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

A Serious Struggle for Nat...

2009-11-16T11:36:00.008-06:00

Have you ever had a crick in your neck before?If you have experienced this pain before let me just say, "Bless your heart!"

I have spent the last 4 days ~~on my death bed~~ in bed almost constantly feeling absolutely dreaded. It all started out on Friday, but I woke up that morning with everything feeling fine and normal. Once I got up and started getting ready for work, my neck seemed to get stiffer and stiffer as time went by. I went to work and by mid morning I could not move my head to the side without crying. If you have ever had a crick before, I am sure that you can empathize! The smallest movements (like walking) can trigger the worst possible pain and it's is the kind of pain that just makes you want to cry your little eyes out.

I was able to take a muscle relaxer (which didn't really work at all) and some Ibuprofen to make it to my best friend Tennyson's birthday dinner Friday night at the Melting Pot...this fondue style dinner was totally worth all the pain and anguish because it was so super fun and delicious! Little did I know that this trip to the Melting Pot would be the last departure I made from my house all weekend!

I spent Saturday and Sunday in bed with alternating hot and cold treatments...it was so horrible! I am the type of girl that likes to be on the move so I felt so bad that I was stuck in the bed. I kept telling Billy that I was sorry that I couldn't do this and that, but he was understanding and was a super great nurse!

My sweet Mom came over yesterday and rubbed my neck for 2 hours...I am so thankful for her. After she was done with the rub down, I seriously felt a little better which was a huge milestone compared to the way I had felt 24 hours before! I was amazed that I could actually lift my head up from my pillow without severe pains shooting down my neck, ha!

As I layed in bed all weekend I prayed that God would take this horrible pain away. I was thankful that this little incident happened over the weekend so that I had time to rest without having to miss any work, that was a blessing for sure. I found comfort in Jeremiah 30:17 "I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord."

I awoke to a sniff neck this morning and thought that I was back where I started again with little improvements, but I made myself get up and get ready for work. I took all the necessary gear with me to work...this included the hand held massager and the heating pad. As the day progressed my neck started feeling less stiff...Praise the Lord!

I am happy to report that as I sit here at 4pm, all I can think about is all the stuff that I want to do when I get home. I couldn't even blog over the weekend I felt so bad...I could just not get comfortable no matter how I positioned myself! I am feeling back to my old self again and couldn't be more thankful!

I hope that you everyone had a great weekend! I can't wait to catch up with my favorite blogger girls!

Natalie

Seriously Wynonna?

2009-11-12T15:25:00.006-06:00

I guess that Wynonna is sad that her career is all but over seeing that she made such a negative comment about sweet Taylor Swift.

Taylor won Entertainer of the Year last night at the Country Music Awards. Wynonna said in an interview with USA Today, "You want my honest comment? It’s too much too soon."

I personally think that there shouldn't be a time frame put on the achievement of success. Who cares that she is only 19 years old, she works very hard and she deserves it!

I watched the CMA's last night just hoping that I would catch a glimpse or performance by you know who...

Needless to say, I was not disappointed! Did you watch the CMA's last night? If you did, who was your favorite?

Natalie

It's Official...

2009-11-10T10:53:00.002-06:00

I wanted to write a quick post to fill you in on the good news...

I PASSED MY TRAINING COURSE!

I am officially a Lash Stylist and could not be more excited about it, yay! I will have more details later {since I am at work now} because I definitely want you to know about all the grueling training fun!

Hope you're having a great day!

Natalie

A New Career

2009-11-07T20:53:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow and Monday I will be in Oklahoma City for training to become an Xtreme Lash Stylist!

Do you know about this new and fabulous procedure?

Eyelash extensions add length and volume to your natural lashes and look simply fabulous! Can you imagine waking up each morning and having lashes that look like this? I love long beautiful lashes and can't wait to master the technique.

I did hair for a couple of years, but left the salon for a more "stable" career. When you first start doing hair it is SO hard financially since you are trying to build and establish a clientele. As a single girl I had to move on to plan B and leave the salon. I was blessed with a great job and a wonderful boss/office family. After 3 years at my current job I was blessed with an opportunity that I could not pass up.

I know that anytime you make a career change it is most always hard, but I am so excited about the opportunity I have to do eyelash extensions at the same salon that I left just 3 years ago. This job will enable me to have the same income and a more flexible schedule...perfect for a mommy! I know what you are thinking now and no I am NOT pregnant...at least not yet! I can't wait to be back with all the girls at the salon having so much fun!

We have turned it all over to God because he has a plan for us and we trust in Him with all of our hearts! I can't wait to see what the future holds for us...I am super excited!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! My day was wonderful especially because my Razorbacks beat South Carolina!

Go Hogs Go!

Agree to Disagree...

2009-11-06T18:13:00.007-06:00

If you caught this post, you already know that I absolutely adore this man...I mean...how could you not love him?While my handsome hubby DOES like George Strait {not as much as me of course}, he DOES NOT like this FANCY lady...
In fact, he would have you think that he'd rather hear you scratch your fingernails down a chalk board than hear her voice! You might ask yourself, "how is this possible?" I know that I have asked myself that question at least a hundred times...I often wonder how this could be possible as I sing "Fancy don't let me down" at the top of my lungs, ha! How can a boy born and raised in Oklahoma not like Reba? She is from Oklahoma as well...as far as I am concerned she should be the pride of Oklahoma in his eyes...not happening, ha!

My HH calls me at work earlier this week and we had the following conversation ...

{insert HH's excited to break the news voice}

HH: Guess who is coming to the BOK center in February?

Me: Who?

HH: I'll give you a hint...it's someone that you've always said you HAD to see in concert.

{insert my giddy, super excited voice}

Me: George Strait?

HH: Yep, he's coming on February 20th. Do you want to go?

Me: Are you really asking me that? Of course I want to go...in fact, I would give my left leg to go! I am so excited, we'll have so much fun!

HH: I was thinking that you could go with your sister or Tennyson (my BFF.)

Me: Why?

HH: Well, guess who's coming with him?

Me: I don't know, who?

{insert HH's not excited voice}

HH: REBA!

{insert me dying laughing}

Me: Oh, you are totally going and I will sing "Fancy don't let me down" to you until I no longer have a voice! You're not getting out of this one...we'll have so much fun!

HH: Okay...

So, here is where we'll be on February 20th

I am so excited and I can't wait! I am sure that we will have a super fun time...we'll be together after all and we always seem to have a fabulous good time!

Is this a Joke?

2009-11-04T12:39:00.004-06:00

I usually take a glance at Fox News every morning just to make sure I didn't miss any big news from overnight, ha! This morning I saw this headline and was completely blown away!

Colorado Man Stabs Himself to Miss Work

Straight of the presses from Fox News online, the article said that the man stabbed himself in the leg and made other cuts on his body as well...all as a ploy to miss work that day! While the article does not confirm this, I am sure that this "ploy" was a success and the man did in fact miss work yesterday...so that he could spend some quality time at the police station. He now faces charges for obstructing justice...surely this man won't pull a stunt like this ever again. Further more, I wonder if he still has a job at Blockbuster?

News like this just boggles my mind...the fact that someone would go to such great lengths just to call into work?? His boss must be seriously mean!

It's Almost Time...

2009-10-30T11:36:00.006-05:00

I am super excited for this weekend not only because it will be Halloween, but also because Halloween is my sweet little niece Emily's birthday! She is our little pumpkin and such a very sweet little girl...she is such a blessing! Her party is Saturday afternoon and she couldn't be more excited...I think that she has been asking about her birthday for at least the last couple of months, ha!

Remember my sweet little helper?

My precious little Emily will be 3 years old and I can't believe it! I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday...it is so amazing how time goes by so fast! She has the sweetest little heart and can make me melt with her sweet little voice.

I love you Emmy and hope that your birthday is everything that you dreamed of and more!

Hope you are having a great Friday!

Natalie

Bless Martha!

2009-10-26T14:14:00.009-05:00

I would have never dreamed that I would have received a compliment from a candy quiz, but I did...ha!

My blogger friend, Traci, over at Her Hillbilly Highness did a post today about a quiz that she had done on the Martha Stewart Blog. The quiz claimed it would tell you what type of Halloween candy you are...it sounded super fun! I rolled up my sleeves and answered the questions to the best of my ability...and the results could not be more correct, ha!

After my score was tabulated it was determined that I am...

Undoubtedly a Snickers To further explain she went on to say, "Your tastes tend to be more complex and multi layered; you like sweets but are most satisfied when they're paired with warm and savory flavors. Your standards are high, and you're most satisfied when they're met, but you don't take offense when they're not."

Thanks for the sweet comment Martha!

Happy Monday everyone!

Natalie

Guess what?!?!

2009-10-16T20:32:00.006-05:00

They're back...

Oxygen just signed on for a 5th season of Home Sweet Hollywood! Tori, Dean, Liam, Stella, and the rest of the crew will be back on my DVR as of the Spring of 2010. I am so excited...I can't wait!

While Tori and Dean have been on a "break," these two have been cracking me up!

The season finale of Giuliana and Bill was last week, but I am sure that you can catch the re-runs on the Style network. It is such a cute show and so super funny!

I am getting ready for a football filled day tomorrow...it's going to be a big day for my Razorbacks. Hopefully the day will end with a WIN!

Go Hogs beat the Gators!
I hope that everyone has a super fun weekend!

Natalie

We'll be a House Divided

2009-10-15T08:23:00.009-05:00

Well, that ~~dreaded~~ time of the year has arrived yet again! Unfortunately {insert sigh} I am not referring to the fact that there is a crisp in the air and Fall is officially here. What I am referring to is the one game of the year that I absolutely ~~despise~~ dread...Arkansas vs. Florida!

You are probably asking yourself, "what could possibly be so dreaded about a good SEC rivalry?" Well let me put it this way, how would you like to hear the excitement of the ~~stupid~~ Gator Chomp in your living room while you are in another room {of the same house} trying to Call the Hogs to victory?

If I was actually at the swamp it would be one thing, but to have my hubby in the living room of our house plotting a most brutal defeat against my Razorbacks just kills me! Seriously, in a situation such as this there is always that unspoken "code of conduct" that applies to the way that you should conduct yourself in front of your spouse. This "code of conduct" does not in any way take away from the fun and excitement that each individual has in cheering for their team {Go Hogs} on game day. The code does prohibit any sort of ~~violent~~ hand motions similar to the "chomping" of a Gators mouth, or any verbal references made to your competitor {or spouse} as "Gator bait."

I will remain faithful that we will defeat the Gators and I will cheer my little heart out. I am just grateful that my hubby and I have so much fun together watching football, we always have a great time...even when we're playing against each other. It could be way worse after all, what if my hubby's team was not even a team in the SEC? The thought of him trying to encourage me to cheer for a Big 12 team is inconceivable, ha!

Do you and your hubby cheer for opposite teams that play each other like we do? I hope that everyone enjoys this fine Friday Eve!

Natalie

Ready to Run...

2009-10-12T10:42:00.006-05:00

Today is the big day...I am starting the Couch to 5K running plan and couldn't be more excited about it! I love to run, but have been ~~out of my routine~~ lazy for quite some time now. When I say, "quite some time" don't let me fool you...it has been the kind of "quite some time" meaning YEARS since I've been an active runner, ha! For those of you who aren't fimiliar with the program you can check it out here. This week-by-week program eases you into running slowly so that you are able to easily stick to the program and accomplish your goal of running a 5K in 9 weeks. The thought of being able to run 3 miles right now makes me really excited because there is no way in heck that I could get out there and just bust out a 3 mile run, yikes!

Tonight will be my first night at it so wish me luck! I will keep you updated on my progress for sure! I hope that everyone is having a good day!

Natalie

I've been Working on the Railroad...

2009-09-30T18:37:00.009-05:00

My brother-in-law works for Union Pacific and was working his crew last Saturday morning while we were in Dallas. His crew was repairing some rail right under the "big ball" in downtown Dallas! It was so very cool to be right down in the midst of some very serious railroad action!

My sissy and I were pumped to be there and potentially execute some rail repair! To our surprise we were haulted by my brother-in-law {count your blessings Union Pacific} before stepping foot on the tracks, all because of this small infraction...Footwear infraction, are you kidding me? No flip flops allowed on the tracks, huh...I can't imagine why??? We were pretty much over the whole experience as soon as we found out that we weren't going to be able to be right out in the middle of the action. My sissy and I found ourselves perched in the hot Texas sun waiting on the boys (Charlie and my hubby) to ~~get all geeked up on machinery~~ verify that the crew was getting the job done. My sissy and I were so very hot, but were rewarded for our superior art of supervision with a nice lunch date with our hubby's here...I had never eaten at Hard Rock so I was super excited! After we ate we headed back to our hotel to make the trip from Dallas to Allen to hit the outlet mall.

I told you in a previous post that my sissy and I are on a constant laugh attack when we are together. Prime example...take a look at this picture and tell me if you notice anything "different":Not anything too crazy, right??? Just some big high-top tennis shoes...right??? Now look at this picture:Oh my gracious! Your eyes are not playing tricks on you, these are HUGE! These bad boys are size 22's and my sissy and I ran across them at Nike while shopping at the outlet. The shoe was way longer than my entire lower leg, ha! Please ignore the fact that I look crazy in the picture because I was trying to hold back the fact that I was dying laughing! We were amazed at how the shoes didn't quite look as HUGE in the pics until you saw them with my body in the pic as well, ha! Who in the heck wears a size 22? I guess that's why they were on closeout at the outlet, ha!

After a little outlet shopping on Saturday night, we headed out to a delicious dinner at Uncle Julio's. It was super delicious and the atmosphere was great! It was such a nice night out so we ate on the patio and that made it even better! If you are in Allen you have to try it...so yummy!

We made one last trip to the outlet on Sunday before heading home, just to make sure we didn't miss anything fabulous! We all had so much fun together and it was so great to have a weekend getaway with my 3 favorite people. We grabbed some lunch then it was time to make our way back home. Here's my hubby's favorite driving assistant... ha!

Natalie

I was in total Shock and Awe!

2009-09-28T21:29:00.004-05:00

My handsome hubby (HH) got me the most thoughtful gift that I have ever received this year for my birthday! In order to completely understand my absolute shock and awe, you will have to have a little background info...so here goes! For those of you that might not know, my HH and I got married this August in the Dominican Republic.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful and so very romantic...it was so perfect! I loved the fresh beautiful flowers that adorned my room at the resort everyday. The maids were so very sweet and so thoughtful. The bouquet that I carried for the wedding was more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. After the wedding ceremony, I placed my bouquet in a vase in my room carefully changing the water each morning. I wanted to take this beautiful bouquet home to dry/preserve and save as a keepsake forever.

I was in for the ~~shock~~ surprise of my life when I arrived at the airport to depart home. I was told by the customs agents that I was unable to take the flowers home, but could take the greenery and ribbon. I thought to myself, "is this some kind of cruel joke?" I mean the greenery and ribbon, ha! I was mad as a snake to say the least and proceeded to have a mini emotional breakdown. As I ripped the ribbon off the bouquet that I so carefully tried to keep fresh for it's trip back to Oklahoma, I cried. The tears would not stop coming and all I could think of was the fact that it meant so much to me and I was throwing it away! I was so very upset!
My birthday was last Wednesday and to my surprise I came home to find the most thoughtful gift that anyone has ever given me! My HH had an exact replica of the bouquet that I loved so much made for me....was this a joke?...my ~~trashed~~ long lost wedding bouquet? There was no joke about it, I have the sweetest hubby ever! He secretly emailed the florist a picture of my bouquet and she made it exact...even down to the ribbon! If I didn't know, I would think that this was the exact same bouquet that I carried down the aisle the day that I married my best friend and love of my life!

I am more and more amazed everyday at the way that he loves me! This was by far the best gift that anyone has ever given to me...such a sweetheart HH is, I love him to pieces!

I hope that everyone had a great Monday! I had a great time in Dallas over the weekend and will have a post tomorrow about all the fun!

Natalie

I'm Going to the Big "D"...

2009-09-26T20:41:00.007-05:00

...and I do mean Dallas ladies! My handsome hubby and I are having a nice weekend excursion in Dallas with my sissy and her husband Charlie. We planned a little weekend getaway to celebrate my birthday (it was last wednesday) and we are having a great time! I have some funny stories and some hilarious pictures to share so stay tuned! My sissy and I pretty much have a constant laugh attack when we are together...fun times! I forgot the cable for my camera so I will have to wait until I get home to post some pics.

I am really sad that my Hogs lost to the Tide today, but I'll be ready to cheer on a victory next week for sure. I am glad that the Gators were able to pull out a win against those Wildcats!

Go Gators!

I hope that everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

Natalie

Natalie Reporting Live

2009-09-24T07:28:00.003-05:00

After trying to conceive for years, Julia Grovenburg and her husband of Fort Smith found out that she was pregnant. Imagine their surprise to find out the they were having 2 babies, but they were not twins. In fact they were conceived at 2 different times! This condition of conceiving while pregnant is etremely rare...check out this amazing story and family interview from Fox News Fort Smith.

Every Little Bit Helps!

2009-09-23T07:49:00.011-05:00

We have a wonderful, selfless God that always loves us unconditionally. I believe that giving is not only an act that expresses our desire to be as loving and selfless as Jesus, but it also encourages us in our daily walk of faith to live like Him.

In Luke 6:38 it says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

My good friend Brooke and her husband Seth have two precious little boys. Here is one of their family pics...they are an absolutely precious little family!

Their youngest son Cash has down syndrome and is the cutest, sweetest little boy ever! Tell me that you couldn't just eat him up...too cute!!

In order to help meet the needs of the Down Syndrome Association of Tulsa, my friend Brooke and her family are doing the Buddy Walk in October.
The Down Syndrome Association of Tulsa (DSAT) is a non-profit organization that exists to enhance the lives of individuals with Down syndrome, their families and caregivers. This is accomplished by providing support, encouragement, current information, education, opportunities for socialization and by promoting community recognition of the inherent dignity of all people with developmental disabilities.

To support their effort in raising money for DSAT you can go to this website to sponsor Cash and make your donation...just remember that every little bit will help!

Natalie

My luck has changed...

2009-09-21T17:51:00.005-05:00

Do you know those people that you feel like win everything? Those people that are constantly winning somthing?? I am not that person...for sure! I never win anything, but don't worry that never stops me from trying to win!

Remember this post when I told you that you needed to go visit Kelly at Fabulous K Creative to sign up for her fabulous header giveaway???

Well ladies, my luck has officially changed and I am so super excited!

Kelly does such a wonderful job! I am so thankful to have won and I can't wait for the upcoming transformation. Get ready...Southern and Simply Classic is about to become absolutely fabulous!!