Ringing In Tha New Year

For the past two years I've had a party on new year's eve.

This year, as expected I just couldn't do it. Christmas wore me slap out!

I am thankful for the rest and low key night we have planned. Benji's got about 50 bowl games to watch and hopefully Emery will find entertainment in the form of her new toys.

I plan on getting caught up on blogger and setting up my new Kindle.

I know, I know, I'm actually against the whole idea of Kindle, BUT my mom gave me one as a surprise Christmas gift.... SOOO I think I'll give it a try and of course I'll love it. :) The best part of the Kindle, which I learned after the fact is that all the classic novels you can download free! Holla! Which means I'll be reading some of the ones I never did in school.

We are also having a mini marathon of baby room makeovers. There's alot of spray paint flying today and toys, pictures and clothes being moved from one room to another.

Hopefully one more weekend like this and we will have Emery in her new big girl room and a nursery patiently awaiting the arrival of our BOY.

Every new year I enjoy the process of reflecting on the past year and making goals/plans for the new one ahead. This year, however, I feel the need to just let the new year ring in peacefully and restfully! No horns, no hats, no goals!

Merry Christmas! 2010

We had a ball Christmas day with both sets of family.

We are so blessed and so thankful for all that the Lord has handed us.

This doll baby being one of them.

Santa Take 4

Emery doesn't love Santa. Ha! We tried FOUR times this season to get a picture... My friend Liz had a great kids cookie/Christmas party complete with an awesome Santa! Perfect for pictures, Emery still wasn't having it. Oh well there is always next year.

She did LOVE the cookies though! She probably had about 15 different kinds. You can tell she enjoyed them by all the icing on her face in the pictures.

We had a blast at our LAST Christmas party of the year. I've had such fun this season but I'm not going to be sad when it's all over. I love the fresh start of the New Year. I also know that the end of this month gets me one month closer to having Jesse outside of my body, which will be a such a glorious day.

Speaking of New Year, my cards went out today, Hooray for me! Seriously, they were such a pain in my side this year. I really shouldn't have done them and I told myself I wasn't, but I ordered them at the last minute and then HAD to send them.

Enjoy the pictures. The last one is of Emery and her cousins, Luke and Lydia, they belong to Benji's brother. Emery loves all her cousins so much!

Red Bowl Tacky Sweater Invasion

I saved my last Phenergan for Tuesday night and I'm sure glad I did!

My friends and I had our annual Christmas GNO. This year instead of a pajama party we headed out for sushi in our tackiest sweaters.....Well, THEY all had sweaters but me. I could not find one that, 1. would fit, 2. wasn't 15 bucks (even at thrift stores) and 3. I have a pregnancy induced fear of being too hot. I think it must come with the nausea.

Any way, so I was the party pooper this time and wore a t-shirt...BUT I put on my festive Santa hat.

There's no pictures of our time at dinner because we inhaled our food.

Red Bowl Asian Bistro is sooo good. It was PACKED on a Tuesday night. Not everyone in our group eats sushi so this place was great because they have a ton of menu items. I think my sushi was gone in five minutes. I totally would have ordered more but I was splitting my check with another girl and we were heading to one friends house to indulge in desserts and gift exchange next!

You should have seen the looks we got as 15 girls in THESE sweaters headed into the chic Asian bistro! Hilarious.



Waiting in anticipation as the gift exchange begins. There's me in the background in my party pooper T-shirt still dreaming of more sushi.



Amy had the BEST sweater! It was like Easter and Christmas all in one. Individual snow flakes covered the neck, the sleeves and the back. Amazing!

My Journey Thru New Sickness Each Morning

Okay. So second pregnancy and I've gotten a ton of tips on what can help with morning sickness/all day sickness and nausea.

Frankly, the BEST thing for it is sleep! Lots of sleep.

Second best thing for it is Phenergan! Lots of Phenergan.

But, sleep is hard to come by, especially if you work or if you are like me and running after a two year old all day.

At the beginning of this pregnancy I had the foresight to sign Emery up for Mother's Morning Out at our church two days a week. She goes from 9-1 and that is the perfect time for me to catch up on sleep (or Gossip Girl if I'm feeling good).

Phenergan can also be hard to take if you can't find a pillow...It tends to make alot of people VERY sleepy. It is an antihistamine, like Benadryl, so if Benadryl knocks you out it probably will too. It is safe to take though, just like Benadryl so if you're really sick, it's a life saver.

After that I've got a few remedies that have helped me. None include Saltines, I mean really who came up with that one? And who does it really help?

First, REED's Ginger Ale

You HAVE to get this kind. All the other "soda" like kind doesn't count. It aint got real ginger, even if it says it is made with "real ginger", it's just ginger flavoring....

I've seen REED's at Walmart once, In Kentucky, But usually I get it at Whole Foods or Earth Fare. Probably some good Publix's might carry it too. It has like 20 grams of ginger per bottle, really really helps.




Second is Triple Leaf Ginger tea.
Along the same lines as the ginger ale, but it's not bubbly and it's not sweet. Sometimes it helped me more at night if I was wanting something warm. I've bought it at Walmart, Publix, Whole Foods and Earth Fare. I drank this the most because it's alot cheaper than the ginger ale. Reed's is a little pricey and you can get this tea for 3 bucks a box.

Third, water with lemon is one I've heard a bunch and it actually does help. The sour of the lemon really calms my stomach sometimes.

Sometimes a little bottle of coke (really cold!) or a glass of sweet tea with lemon helps me as well. I really try and listen to my body and see what it wants.

As you can tell I'm big on the liquids. Honestly I found no food that really helped me. Salty foods definitely set better with me, like waffle fries from Chick-fil-a. :)

If you've never been through the baby sickies, God bless you! It's like no other misery I've known. It's relentless and never ending some days. BUT! Like everyone says, "once you hold that little one in your arms you forget it all".......Right?? Right!!??

Ya'll It's COLD!

Real quick like, these pictures of Emery crack me up. We took them to have a picture of my TOMS because I want another pair, anyway she wanted in the picture and she had to take it in front of the tree. She is such a ham! I mean what kid takes pictures that good??? haha. Hilarious.


For realz. It is C.O.L.D!

I like to stay home on Mondays and do low key things. Usually as the week progresses we get busier and busier. Good thing I had no need to run around town today because it's like 10 degrees out there!

The next two weeks are going to fly by so today I'm trying to get all the gifts wrapped and Christmas cards addressed and stamped. I do New Years cards every year just in case I need more time to get them out, haha but I think I'm gonna make it this year in time.

Jesse is kicking me like crazy today! I think he needed a day at home to rest as well. It's crazy how different the second baby is. Yesterday about 9pm, (of course after Emery was in bed) I realized I hadn't noticed him kicking much all day. But Sundays are usually so full that I didn't have time to sit and wait for him to get active.

Once I got in bed I noticed him squirming around so I was reassured and this morning he hasn't stopped pounding around in there.

10 more weeks to go! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I look back and it's crazy to think that I was pregnant in June! Can't wait to meet the little guy.

Day By Day

Okay folks, I'm fully into my 3rd trimester now and all the 1st trimester fun has come back in full force.

I'm basically taking it day by day. Hoping that the nausea says goodbye soon! I've had two friends call me this week and I haven't even called back because I can't muster up the energy to talk on the phone...

Thank the Lord I put Emery in MMO this year. I seriously don't know how I would have made it without those two days she is in school. It seems the more sleep I get the better my stomach is.

I had two Christmas functions to attend this week, both of which I almost back out of....BUT I just took my Phenergan like a big girl and headed out to share some cheer. I'm glad I did because I had a great time, the first was Joceylyn's annual recipe swap and the second was our church's Ladies Christmas banquet.

I love, LOVE the time between halloween and new years! So much fun and friends and family time. :)


Benji has been my life saver. I know that's what he is for, but I also realize that their are many mama's out there who can't rely on their man for dinners, baths (for Emery of course! I can still bathe myself ha!) and for just being an understanding, considerate husband. I love him so much and am so blessed to be his wife.

I've done ZERO Christmas shopping! I do know most of what I'm buying, which is usually what keeps me procrastinating. Hopfully next week I'll get it all done.

Sorry for all the whiny posting lately. It's just where I am. I need to document all this so I can look back when I'm wanting a third. :)

My Year In Facebook Status Updates

right click on the photo to see a larger image. :) cool!

Happy Saturday!

I got the stomach bug again last week. I mean seriously? This time it was bad enough to call my doctor. I "got sick" about 12 times in 3 hours. Straight misery. The Doc called in some Phenergan, told me to take it every 4 hours until I was better.

So I slept for 20 hours and woke up feeling somewhat normal again. Luckily Emery had school that morning and Benji had a lot of errands to run for work. He picked her up and took her with him on all his errands. He is really the best father and husband ever. I was so thankful for him that day. He even stopped by Sonic and bought a bag of their crushed ice for me. (If ya didn't know it's only a dollar fitty for like a 5lb bag!)

Thursday I was much better but still didn't' feel much like eating. Benji and I served at our church's widows banquet that night and it was so fun. I was glad I decided to go and felt good enough to be there.

Benji had a packed weekend planned so we let Emery spend the weekend with Grammy and Granddaddy. Friday and Saturday he went to two powder puff football games, a basketball game and a wrestling tournament. He also really wanted to get some hunting in because poor thing has only killed 3 deer this year.

Sunday we start a new session in Small group and Sunday night we are having all his small group leaders over for our Christmas party.

If you saw my house right now you would think it was hysterical that in less than 24 hours there will be 25 people showing up for a party, but hey, if Benji gets time to hunt, then I get time to watch two movies! So I'm waiting for him to get home to start cleaning. :)

Jesse is moving like crazy! I am getting so anxious to meet him, I can't wait to see if he looks like Emery. She was such an adorable baby I can't imagine having one that didn't look like her.

I've lost 5lbs this week because of this stomach thing, and I got a little dehydrated. I've been chugging water and trying to get my appetite back. I've just realized that I'm not going to feel great again until he is out of my gut. Honestly I've been pretty miserable this pregnancy. I did pass my glucose test, so no gestational diabetes for me! (But I wasn't really worried about that much.)

I'm heading into the 3rd trimester this week and today I started feeling that "ugghhh, I'm so gross" feeling.

Funny though, as much as I sound like I'll never do this again, I have been thinking that I may be able to do this JUST one more time. This time as flown by much faster than the first. BUT! we will see.....I'm old and that thought is a long way off. :)

The only thing that makes me think that 3 may be a possibility is how much I adore Emery. Who wouldn't want more of her!!???

We do have a time slot set as well as a date for the C- section. February 23rd at 2:00pm.

Now we just have to get this house cleaned for a party tomorrow. First things first right?

Dreary Tuesday

I slept 12 hours last night! I feel great!

So that must be the secret to making it through pregnancy, just go to bed at 8:30 every night????

Anyway, Emery had school today so I did the grocery store sprint and hit up Costco, Publix and Trader Joes, all in the rain BUT kid free! I don't mind the dreary weather most days. But thought we all could use some cheering up.

Parisian style....

27 Weeks Then And Now

Here's two comparison pictures 27 weeks with Emery and 27 with Jesse. I'm much bigger here and Jesse's much lower.



Today I scheduled my C-section for Jesse. I didn't realize what a relief it would be to actually schedule "the day" but I feel so relieved about getting that out of the way. So February 23 is the big day!

I went back and read my blog post from the same week this time in 08 (with Emery)...It was funny to see that I had gained 30 pounds by now with her! DANG GINA!!!

I've definitely watched it this time and have only gained 14 so far. I weighed today at my appointment, which I didn't think was very fair so close after thanksgiving. :)

I also read in my previous posts that my stomach DID bother me with Emery as well. I swear I just don't remember, but I blogged it so it must be true! Crazy the things you forget about pregnancy. I guess that's natures way of making sure you have more than one. Ha!

I did the glucose test, which doesn't really bother me, heard the heart beat and even found a new recipe in a magazine while waiting.

We are excited to have our big day on the calender!

Home For The Holidays

Before we moved to S.C. we lived far far away in a land called Kentucky. For four years we were 7 hours away from family. The past two years traveling for the holidays has been a breeze compared to those four years.

I am so so thankful that the Lord allows us to serve in a church close to our home. We are so blessed to be able to share our children with our parents.

This thanksgiving was a much needed break from mine and Emery's routine. I got some rest and some food I didn't have to prepare! My sister and I even got in a tiny bit of shopping. We got some great deals at Old Navy on black Friday. No not at 3 a.m....I am definitely NOT that girl. I'd pay money to sleep in, so I'm certainly not getting up early to be stressed out shopping!

Anyway, we went about 3pm and it was not crowded at all and I still got some great deals on some maternity clothes. I also picked up some onesies for Jesse that I had been watching for awhile, got them for 3 bucks instead of 10! Yay!

Friday night we all piled into a limousine (borrowed from the funeral home that Benji's dad works for) and headed for the Lake Lanier Magical Nights of Lights. It was COLD! The wind from the lake was brutal, but we braved it and had a great time. Emery loved the lights, she loved naming all of the animals and things that she saw. When we left she wanted to "see more lights".... I remember loving this tradition through the years. I'm hoping we can take her every year.

My sis and I also got to spend some time with our friend Dana. Kathi and Dana have been besties for ever, luckly in college I got to know Dana and she quickly became one of my dear friends as well. The 3 of us met for lunch at one of the many places I have to eat each time I'm home, 2 Dog A Local Restaurant. One of my favorite places in the world. If you're ever in Gainesville, eat here. :)



Emery coloring in the "girls room" at Grammy and Granddaddies (Benji's fam)




Emery having marshmallow treats at the end of the ride through the lights. There is a Christmas store, complete with a great santa, huge fire for making smores, adorable window displays for photos,hot chocolate, coffee and lots of fair type rides for kids.

27 Weeks

Jesse is about 2 pounds now. I am exhausted! I keep thinking I don't remember being this tired all the time with Emery, but Benji assures me that I was...haha. So I'm taking his word for it and sleeping as much as I can....

My stomach has really been bothering me this time. It must be the hormones, or the pressure from the baby, or BOTH! I've learned to live with an upset stomach most of the day. It does kind of take the fun out of getting to "eat whatever" because most days I have to make myself eat.

I have been craving Texas Roadhouse fries lately! YUUUM! I also still find anything from Panera very appealing, which I craved while pregnant with Emery.

I've gained about 10 pounds give or take a few.

We just returned home from a few days with our families and it was a much needed break for me. I love going home to see family, but I also love coming back to our home. I'm so thankful for the way the Lord has blessed my growing family. It is so nice to come home refreshed and ready to start the routine again.

Dongy

Emery has the Fisher Price Little People Nativity Set that we get out at Christmas for her to play with.

There is a donkey in the manger scene. Emery calls it a "dongy".... and it is hilarious.

We die laughing every time.

Man, do we love her. Life is so much fuller with a daughter around.

Here are some pictures that her aunt Kaki took over Thanksgiving.

Cranberry Heaven

I'm not sure how I could forget my favorite new recipe of the season in my last post, but I did! (I Blame it on the baby hormones.)

Martha Stewart's Cranberry Sauce

One of my friends made this last year for our GNO and I have thought about it ever since. This year when we got together for our thanksgiving meal, I begged her to make it again. It is so fresh and so tangy, and FARRRRR from the canned jelly stuff. It's the perfect side dish for any meal. YUM!

Recipes To Die For!

So I had another interesting week.

It involved a fall retreat in the mountain with high schoolers and driving my car off of a ledge.

And two bats in the the bathroom. And butt dust accusations.

BUT I'll save that for later. This post is of the selfish nature. I've come across some new recipes that I can't wait to try.... It's easier for me to access the recipes if I have them linked on my own blog. (I'm lazy about printing stuff out.) NOW....If I ever get a minute to actually get my self together enough to grocery shop, I will cook!

Bobby Flay's Brussel Sprouts

Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Bread Pudding

I also have a mac and cheese recipe that a friend shared. I can not wait to make this one. I am always wanting a good mac and cheese recipe. Most of the ones I've tried are good but just not great so I'm hoping this one's the keeper.

Mac and Cheese

-1 3/4 c. small elbow mac
-1 1/4 c. 1/2 in. cubes extra sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 oz.) (NOTE: I think 1/2 in. cubes are too big & I make mine smaller)
- 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
-1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
-1/4 tsp. black pepper
-1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
-1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
-1 1/3 c. half & half
-1 1/3 c. whipping cream
-2/3 c. sour cream
-2 large eggs
-3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
-1 1/4 c. packed grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 oz.)

CHEESE SIDE NOTE: This recipe actually calls for 10 oz. total cheese but I just buy the 8 oz. block & it is plenty. I just open the pack, cut it in half & grate 1 half for the top & cube up the other to mix in with the noodles.

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly butter 13x9x2 glass baking dish. Cook mac in salted water until just tender but firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to prepared dish. Mix in cubed cheese.

Wisk flour-nutmeg ingredients until no lumps remain. Gradually wisk in half & half, then whipping cream & sour cream. Add eggs & Worcestershire sauce, wisk to blend. Pour over mac mixture, stirring to blend. Sprinkle grated cheese over.

Bake until just set around edges but sauce is still liquid in center, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let stand 10 min. to thicken slightly (sauce will be creamy).

Sounds like a complete meal is coming up! Look out Benji I know brussel sprouts are your favorite!

Natural Perfumes

I was going to do a post on the few perfumes I picked up awhile back at Whole Foods.

When I went to google more info on them I ran across a post that the Pioneer Woman had done on the exact perfumes...

So convenient! And such great taste she has!

I have the Guava, the Grapefruit and the Sandalwood. I LOVE them all so much I could never decide which is my fav. I keep the Guava in my purse so I probably use it the most.

Here is PDubs post on Pacifica Perfumes....
I know for sure you can find them at Sephora, Whole Foods, Earth Fare and online.

Do You Lilac It?

Yesterday was the first day I've felt remotely normal after a week of a nasty ol stomach virus.

So I felt like I needed a little cheering up! While Emery was at school I found myself in Ulta. (Sephora is much better, but we only have Ulta here so it does the job)....

One of the high school girls in my small group has this adorable lilac color nail polish that I have wanted for awhile. I finally remembered to look for it and let me say I LOVE IT! So fun and such a nice change from my usual dark polish.

It's from O.P.I and is called "Do you lilac it?" SO FUN!

I also just happened to mosey on over to the perfume section of Ulta and I found myself with a new one in hand.

I have a problem with perfume.

Problem is that I buy it. A lot.

Anyway I haven't "really" bought any in over a year or more. ( I usually get it for gifts).

I did buy some 'natural' perfumes, that I MUST blog about later, recently at Whole Foods, but I don't count those. :) (Since they were rather inexpensive)....

Any way, that's another story.

Yesterday I picked up Dolce And Gabbana's Light Blue. A perfume I've been dying to get for awhile. It was a perfect match for my new lilac nails. Fresh and clean and new!

I'm Baccccckkkk.

Well, the stomach virus Emery had that I thought was behind us, was not.

I got it and then Benji. It was a rough few days here in the Ladd house, but we are finally back to normal and feeling good.

Emery went back to school this week, she and I both were so glad! Putting her in MMO was one of the best decisions ever. She loves it, gets to have fun in a structured environment (I'm not great at the structured part) and I get a few hours to myself each week.

Today I slept the entire time she was gone! I was exhausted from all the sickness from the past week.

Yesterday a group of girls and I got together to swap Jesse Tree ornaments. There were 29 of us, so each of us were assigned a scripture and the ornament that went along with it. We all made 29 of our ornament and then swapped during a night of fellowship and great food!

Now I have 29 ornaments to place on our Jesse Tree, one each day for the Advent season. I'm excited about the tradition starting with our kids.

Here is a link to the devotions that we used...

And here is a blog post from a friend of a friend who did a Jesse Tree ornament swap one year. If you have a big group of girls, like a Sunday School class, MOPS group or whatever, this is a super fun thing to do together! This blog has great pictures of ornament ideas and more of what it is all about. Been There Blog....

The Hepners

I hope they don't mind that I stole their picture, but I really wished I had been able to get one of all of them while we were in Serbia in June.

Our trip to Serbia in June wouldn't have been half as special if this precious family had not been there.

The Hepners are some of our old friends from the first time we lived in Greenville.

They have been living and serving in Serbia for the past 3 years and are home for a few months.

We got the chance to spend a few hours with them today in our home and I am so thankful!

We love this family so much and are so overjoyed with what the Lord is doing with them and through them.

Please check out their blog, (it's in my blog roll) and if you are a praying person please add them to your lists! They're such a special family with FOUR adorable kids!

GNO Thanksgiving 10

This week we had our 2nd annual GNO Thanksgiving feast.

I love these girls. I say it all the time. But I am so so thankful that I have them.

We had a blast, Amanda's house was beautiful, and we ate like royalty!

I even had to rest on the couch for a few minutes after dinner. Baby Jesse wasn't making enough room for the two plates of food I had.

Our Christmas GNO is coming up soon and I can't wait.

New Each Morning

It's been a hard few weeks. Last week on Thursday Benji left to go hunting for a long weekend. It was his annual "man trip" with a few of his childhood friends.

Emery is a great child. We have the normal discipline issues, but on a whole she's a dream. She sleeps through the night, I just lay her down and she falls asleep on her own. She naps great still and she is pretty easy to take out to eat at restaurants.

All in all once she was born she found her place in our already established family, she didn't completely change the way we lived, if that makes since.

Anyway I say all that to make sure it's clear that It's not "hard" for me to be her mother. I love it, I can take her anywhere and I even get my pregnancy nap in while she's napping.

But it's exhausting, and long and draining when her daddy's gone!

Emery LOVES Benji so much. I mean so much that when he's not here she talks about him constantly. I think the reason she is this way is because he IS here so much. He is so involved with her and his work schedule allows him to be with her more than I ever imagined.

He takes her to MMO twice a week most of the time since it is at our church, he comes home almost every day for lunch with us (we purposely bought a home close to the church so that he could do this) So for that I am thankful.

Sunday night as soon as Benji walked in from his weekend away, I mean as he turned THE KEY in the door she started puking all over the couch.

All over. MY couch. My very light covered fabric couch.

He walked in the living room and she was still spewing.

Not a fun night. I did have to laugh at the timing though, haha, I simply said, "hey! perfect timing! Glad you're home!"


Needless to say the week ahead was not so fun. THEN Emery passed her bug onto me. The only thing worse than puking is puking while 24 weeks pregnant. It was a nightmare. Thankfully it looks like I'm in the clear now. Benji let me sleep in today and I'm feeling much better tonight.

It's funny that the same struggles seem to follow me. I have always had a hard time seeing past my immediate circumstances.

I'm a good dreamer, A good planner, but when I'm faced with difficult days I have a hard time remembering that the hard days, like all the other hard days before, will also pass.

So this post is to remind myself that thankfully, God's mercy is new each morning.

We are all feeling better, Benji's home for the weekend and tomorrow is a new day. :)

24 Weeks

Well we already take less pictures of the 2nd kid and he's not even out of the womb yet.

Honestly it's mainly because I'm fatter this go round so it's taken longer for me to really look pregnant, even though I'm bigger this time. And my camera memory card is full so we've resorted to using Benji's phone. It is SOOO convenient to be able to upload pics instantly off of his phone.

Any way, it's late, and I just got home from our GNO Thanksgiving dinner, we had a blast as usual. Hopefully by tomorrow there will be some pics to steal off of facebook so I'll have some to share.

Oh yeah! haha that is why there's whipped cream on the counter in the picture. :)

I was about to walk out the door for GNO and was taking it for my dessert dish.

Hot Air Balloon Guy

This is our friend David, he was at Angela's annual Halloween party.

Isn't this the best costume ever!?

W.W....Who's That Girl?

I tried to post this for wordless Wednesday...but I just couldn't do it with out SOME words.

I do not even know who that girl is, in the pictures that were taken only a few years ago. Before babies.

Yeah the one next to my husband.

Honestly, this is probably the hardest thing about being a mother for me.

I love the way I look when I'm pregnant. I feel pretty and whole and comfortable with a growing womb. My skin clears, my hair is thicker.

But once the baby comes out.

Well, you know.

I'll never be that girl in the pictures again. I wish I had known then what I know now. I would have loved and appreciated her more.

Halloween 10

Once again my friend Angela's Halloween party was the best party of the year.

Last year Emery and I only got to stop by for a few minutes because Benji had a party for the high schoolers at our house. THIS year I wanted to make sure we were able to attend because I wanted Emery to trick or treat for the first time. Angela has the perfect neighborhood for little ones.

We didn't get many pics of the actual trick or treating, because it was dark by then and we were having too much fun!

Emery had a blast, as well as the rest of the kiddos and of course the adults were having a pretty good time too. :)

Reason # 234 I Love Greenville

We aint never leavin this city!

I joke all the time (even though I'm kinda serious) that I prayed God would let us serve in a city with a Whole Foods and Starbucks.

Well he did!

I also found that Publix is a main grocery store in town, which I love as much as Whole Foods, for different reasons.

One reason I love Publix is because of their Apron Meals. They regularly sample full meals and always have a stand near by with recipe cards, telling you exactly what ingredients you need for a full meal.


These Apron Meals are super easy, quick and I've never tried one we didn't love.

BUT the reason for this post is to mention that this week Greenville opened it's first TRADER JOES!!!!!!
Hallelujer, Hallelujer!

Trader Joe's is a cross between Whole Foods and Aldi. If you can imagine.

The company is actually owned by Aldi, which isn't widely known I don't think....

Anyway, many items in the store are organic. They follow similar standards as Whole Foods such as no item has any artificial ingredients, colors or preservatives, no genetically modified ingredients, no MSG and no added trans fats. Basically this means I can shop without having to study every label!

Most of the items are Trader Joe's brand, which keeps the cost super low.

They also have super fun specialty items. I'm in love!

Good Glory, My Day

I've been sick since around Thursday. I have insane allergies that have been a thorn in my side all my life. I was even tested for Cystic Fibrosis when I was younger because I had so much snot!

I took 8 allergy shots a week up until the middle of high school. Anyway, you get it.

So now I manage my all this mess with Claritin D when I'm not pregnant and Zyrtec when I am knocked up.

This week I came down with some nasty funk. I've been up for the past three nights trying to cough this baby out.

I called my OBGYN nurse on call. She told me to sleep with a cough drop....sighhhh....

All my friends on facebook convinced me to see my primary Dr.

Since I've had Emery I've decided that the most convenient way for me to see a Dr. is to go to Doctors Care, the walk in clinics.

Yes I feel like I'm one step away from the Health Dept. Yes I use my hand sanitizer every five minutes there....BUT It's never taken me more than an hour to get in and out and they always, always fix me right up!

AND I can walk in on Saturday and Sunday! I love me some Dr's Care.

Most of the time I even see the same Dr. I had yet another sinus infection and ear infection. I think this makes #4 since we've been back in Greenville.

A steroid shot in the rear, antibiotic, prednizone pack and glorious life saving cough syrup made me feel like a new woman by that evening!

Praise the LORD I am so much better. Being pregnant, with a 2 1/2 year old running around, taking care of family business while trying to hold the baby in so he won't get coughed out is NO FUN!

I'm green as they come in many ways, but I want real drugs! No sleeping with cough drops in my mouth for me.

P.S. I really do love my OBGYN and the on call nurse there is a sweet heart. I'm sure if she really knew how sick I was she would have told me to go and see my primary Dr. There's a lot you miss in a few minute phone conversation. I also understand why they wouldn't want to see me themselves, I don't want sickies sitting next to me in the baby Dr. office, so I do agree with their policy for only seeing well patients.

On To Coffee

I finished my tea, broke down and took some Sudafed, (don't worry! Dr's approval) and now I'm on to drinking decaf.

I recently bought these boots at Target. I LOVE them! Cute, comfy and affordable. I'm so fickle about boots that I decided awhile back I'd quit spending huge amounts on shoes I don't wear all year.



Okay! Now off to shower, maybe the steam will help me breathe! Can you tell I'm stalling? I really don't want to break out the Neti Pot.

P.S. The pregnancy brain is in full effect still. Please excuse any misplaced words, incorrect spelling and random thought process.

22 Weeks With Jesse And Emery

Well, I'm up too early! Emery's at Benji's parents this weekend. Which is good, because I've got my second sinus infection of this pregnancy! It's so frustrating because when I actually have a day to sleep in, I'm awake trying to breathe.

I'm sitting here on the couch, (which has become my bed since my hip hates our regular bed).....drinking ginger tea, trying to decongest. I decided I'd update everyone on the awesomeness that is Emery. I really need to start blogging what she says more, because she is hilarious, clever, kind and super entertaining. :)

Yesterday Benji was in the garage refinishing the dresser for Emery's big girl room. She walked out there, (unprompted by me)...gave Benji a big hug and said "I love you Daddy bug, thank you for fixing my dresser."

I mean really? My kid is adorable.

I have tried to instill in her an attitude of thankfulness and gratitude. I also try and make sure to tell her how much I love her every time I think it, which is a lot.

But I've never seen her exhibit that kind of emotion with such clarity before.
I. Love. Her!

She has gotten into the habit of calling Benji "Daddy Bug", which is absolutely adorable. She gets it from Kathi calling Asher, "Asher Bug".

Of course something not so cute she did recently happened last week. She was in a totally foul mood. She was eating a snack out of a bowl in the living room. When she was done she threw the bowl. Not necessarily AT me, (I don't think haha) but it flew in my direction and hit me. Well I grabbed her and popped her hand. It was one of those times where she fell apart.

She looked at me through her tears and sobs, crawled in my lap, hugged me and said, "I think it's tap for a nap!" So....off we went to lay down. :)

I've been feeling pretty good with Jesse. I feel like he is way more active than Emery was. I haven't had a headache in about two weeks, hopefully they are not coming back! My hip has been bothering me a lot lately, which is kind of discouraging because I'm only half way through. My hip makes it very difficult to sleep already. I'm hoping that I'll get some relief for a few weeks before the heaviness of the third trimester sets in.

I've gained about 8lbs so far, which is much better than my track record with Emery. :)

Hopefully with in the next few weeks we will get Emery's room finished so that I can start on my boy nursery! I have to say that I am pretty excited about getting to decorate for a boy. I adore my girl (obviously) but I am super excited that I get to experience something totally new this time. It feels kind of like having another first child because I know it's going to be SOOO different.... Hooray for Boys!

Petunia Pickle Bottom

Baby Boy means a new one of these!Even Babies can never have too many bags. ;)

Halloween GNO 2010

I am super worn out tonight! I know, I know nothing new. We had a great but busy weekend. We had our family/Emery's 2year pictures taken this Saturday. Sunday after our normal church routine we went to Stewart Farms with Benji's small group leaders. It was so fun. We picked pumpkins, had BBQ, took a hay ride and walked a corn maze.

Tuesday was my monthly GNO. Our annual Halloween night. We ate out, IN our costumes then went back to Ange's house, had dessert and carved our pumpkins. GNO is a balm to my soul. I am so blessed to have these girls in my life.

In baby news, I realized I had not started taking belly shots yet. I felt like last night was the perfect time to start the series! Haha! I'm getting super excited about Jesse's arrival. I'm getting baby fever and can't wait to feel him in my arms.

Apple Cobbler-The Easiest Eva

We picked about 10lbs of apples when we went apple picking recently. Good thing is that apples last forever, especially when they are a little unripe, which ours were.

I made a batch of apple sauce to freeze, gave a few away, froze some cubed up for later use and STILL had about 10 left over. We tried to eat a few but each one I peeled was just too unripe to eat.

So I scurried to find recipes to use up the last few. I found this one in an old cook book I had and I had all the ingredients on hand so we tried it for dessert tonight, it was delish! I can't wait to have some for breakfast in the morning!

~Crunchy Cobbler~
This can be used as a recipe for any fruit cobbler, peaches, blueberries, etc.
I of course used apples. :p

3-4 cups fresh fruit or pie filling (two large apples or 3 small,peeled and sliced)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (I used juice of one fresh lemon)
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger (I used fresh minced ginger b/c it's what I had, but I'm sure this means powdered)

Place fruit into 7x11 inch baking dish. (I have no idea what size I used, I just found one that looked like it would work and it did! ha!)

Sprinkle fruit with lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger. Mix it all so that apples are covered evenly.

If you need add a light sprinkling of brown sugar (or regular) to sweeten the apples if they are very tart.

For crust mix flour, sugar, egg and vanilla until lumpy. spread over fruit. Drizzle melted butter over top and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 until browned and bubbly... (Mine took more like 40 minutes).

Serve w/ Vanilla or Caramel ice cream! mmmm.

So So good and so easy, it really took like 10 minutes to prepare.

My New Domestic Obsession

I'm a huge fan of sparkling water. "Water with gas", "voda mineral", "water with bubbles"...whatever. If it's water and it's got bubbles in it I'm happy.

In my former days when I wasn't buying diapers and gallons of whole milk at a time I enjoyed splurging on Italian and French sparkling waters.

Specifically San Pellegrino and Perrier.

There is just something so refreshing and cleansing about a nice chilled bottle of Pellegrino, poured into a frosted glass with a slice of lime....that is perfection! Trust me on this and if you've never experienced it, try it.

Any way tough times called for a cut back on my international imports.

But, since I'm preggo I've tried to drink more water instead of my beloved Diet Coke....Which is why I was super excited when I stumbled across this gem at my Publix recently.

Way cheaper than my Italian and French loves and way more convenient since it comes in a can.

La Croix Sparkling Water comes in fun natural flavors as well. Yum!



P.S. I felt bad after dissing my Italian love, so I do admit that when Costco mails me coupon books with $$$ off of cases of Pellegrino I DO splurge and load up on a case or two. I mean who can pass up a Costco deal????

Benji's Birthday Week

Benji turned 31 this past week! Finally, he's not quite as far away from my age. :)

I'd say he had a great week! He killed the biggest deer of his life, got the phone he has been obsessed with for months and we went to a GA game and they actually WON!

I had a blast at the game as well. I really hope we can get down to at least one game every year. Of course it helped that they won, but I would have enjoyed the time with my man regardless.

Happy Birthday Benji! Love you more today than last year!