Throwdown with Bobby Flay

As I lay in bed flipping through the channels, I come across the ever-so- yummy Food Network channel.  It's one of my favs...Throwdown with Bobby Flay!  I get really excited when either this or Ace of Cakes is on.  Usually it's late here, so it's not too often that I watch.  As Thomas was working on his Theology paper, I soak it all in...the Red Velvet Cake Throwdown!!!  If you haven't seen this show it's all about Bobby Flay taking on other chefs to see who makes the better whatever.  Last night was Red Velvet Cake.  YUM!!!

This is beside the point, but I thought for sure the challenger was going to win.  Just by the looks of it, his cake looked amazing!  Bright red, fluffy, cream cheese frosting, and layered.  I just wanted to dive into the TV and take a bite.  Now we get to the point.  CAKE!  I wanted cake so badly and didn't really care that it was 11:00 at night.  I had to have cake.  Thomas came in to see if I was still awake and to his surprise my eyes were wide and I was drooling.  I told him my craving and he laughed. 

All of a sudden I started smelling cake batter being baked in the oven.  Was I going insane and really thinking I was in the TV with Bobby Flay?  Nope...my adorable husband was actually baking a cake!!!  I lazily strolled into the kitchen to find him pulling the chocolate delight out of the oven.  Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, this was no Red Velvet Cake, let alone a cake from scratch.  But it's the boxed baked goods that I love.  The cake, of course, had to cool before frosting it and by that time I unfortunately was fast asleep.  Thomas came cuddling up next to me and I asked, "is the cake ready?".  He laughed and said, "let's have it for breakfast."  

So we did.

And we decorated it very girly....

Sitting Down

I call this post "sitting down" because that's how our our little one will go pee! Eventually, of course, when SHE is potty trained.

Going to sleep last night was like trying to go to sleep on Christmas Eve....I couldn't fall asleep at all and as soon as I would, I woke up every couple of hours smiling with excitement peeking at the clock. It was a restless night, but I'm thankful that I made our appointment in the morning. We didn't have to wait too long to discover that our little ball of energy would soon be our little girl.

The alarm went off (although I was already wide awake) and I got up and went to the bathroom. Then it was time to start drinking my 32 ounces of water...WITHOUT peeing! It was tough. The entire way to the doctor I thought I was going to pee my pants. Then I really almost did when the radiologist started pushing on my belly. Luckily, he let me free after a few minutes to relieve myself. After many measurements and numbers and pictures of baby, he finally zoomed in on THE SPOT. Apparently, there it was...or wasn't. We are blessed to say she has all of her limbs, a good size brain, a beating heart, weighs a pound, but not too much wriggle room. She was quite active, actually, and it was hard to get a good glimpse of her profile until the end when I shook her up a bit. She looks cute in there...albeit...cramped. At one point she had her two feet clear up next to her head!! At any rate, we are very excited!

Naturally, I went right over to Target after Thomas went to work. (Well, I called a few people before that:)) I got pretty overwhelmed looking at all the girl stuff and baby stuff and I ended up walking out of there with a little soccer ball and pink socks that say "Daddy's Little Angel". I figure she'll get some use out of both. Now, as many of you know I really love the color pink, so it's fitting that we are having a girl. So..THINK PINK everyone!!! And let's hope that we aren't surprised with a boy upon delivery or he will look really silly dressed in all those pink clothes with cute hair bows!

Love to you all! Keep praying SHE grows well and healthy!

What are we creating???

I was going through some pictures trying to get some together to print and I came across our Rocky Mountain National Park adventure.  Thomas and I went on a hike and saw loads of Elk about a month ago.  It was gorgeous.  The first thing I thought of when I was going through these photos was...is our kid going to be just like us?  If so...it might be a little scary.  Here is what I found...

Not mad...just posing for the camera.

Not sure what this pose is....

Nope, wasn't sick......

And here is DAD!

I'm not sure if he ever takes a picture without one of them looking like this.

Hmmm...

If our little being that is so fearfully and wonderfully made by God is going to turn out like us, picture takers beware!  The "normal" pictures might not outweigh the "not-so-normal" pictures. 

Whoa Oh We're Halfway There...

Whoa Oh...Living on a Prayer!

So here it is. The belly at 20 weeks. It feels big, but I guess I'm going to just keep getting bigger. I bought my first pair of maternity shorts the other day. I got really excited about them because they don't have that full panel that goes over my whole stomach and up my back and basically holds up my boobs too. It's just a below the waist band that is stretchy. I love them! But...I haven't been able to wear them due to RAIN. It's rainy and gloomy here, but I am confident that I will wear my preggo shorts soon.

Now this has nothing to do with my belly, but it has everything to do with my mother! I just want everyone to watch out! Because she is going to look sooooooooooooooo HOT at Becky's wedding. Her dress is absolutely fabulous and I'm really excited for everyone to see it. Good pick, Mom!

Anyway, more belly pics on the way. Off to bear the weather--maybe in shorts...we'll see!

Lying in a Hammock eating Raspberries

Doc says I'm 17 weeks and 3 days, but books say I'm 18 weeks along.  Either way you look at it, I've got a belly.  A belly that's screaming for stretchy pants and bigger shirts.  But so far all I've really done regarding baby is start a blog, had numerous headaches (which my aunt calls "practice headaches" for when baby is a teenager), no morning sickness, lots of gas, one puke session and I've bought one toy.  It's been easy peasy so far....thank God!  My favorite thing about being pregnant is two fold...one is hearing the heartbeat when we go to the doctor and two is Thomas.  My next visit is June 17 and we will find out then whether our baby...as mom puts it...will pee standing up or sitting down.  Woohoo!!!  When I think about a kid I think about buying it footballs and baseball bats, but my mind soon thinks of hair bows and tea parties.  I think I'd prefer going to baseball games than having pretend tea parties, so hopefully baby...if it's a girl...will be like me!  Most days I'm really excited to be a mom (mostly becuase Thomas will be the dad) but on a rare occasion I FREAK OUT...thinking to myself what the heck am I going to do?!  I have to breastfeed...holy s***t!!  The freak out sessions usually end with thoughts of labor and then I quickly grab some ice cream or a pickle to forget about it all.

Now back to Thomas...  he is pretty much the best thing EVER!  He has been absolutely wonderful!  From making dinner to being patient when I cry over silly things to letting me drive because I get car sick.  He's a great hubby and I seriously thank God for him every day!  Im' not joking when I say that right before I started blogging this entry I was lying in our hammock on our deck watching the sunset and Thomas comes out and says dinner is almost ready and hands me a bowl of raspberries for my appetizer.  Now that's the life!  That's the pregnant life!  Don't you all wish you had Thomas around?!?!?!  

Becky's Shower

Mom and I flew to Atlanta last weekend to celebrate Becky!!! It was such an amazing time. It was definitely a whirlwind of a trip because it was so fast, but we made the best of it as always. Becky and David picked my up after a bumpy flight at around midnight on Friday (I couldn't miss my last day of school) and then we went right to bed. After getting ready for the shower, it was off to the Library- a really great coffee shop with yummy bagels! We drove, well, Becky drove, for about 2 hours and we reached the celebration spot! It was David's parents house in South Carolina. They live on a lake and I was bummed I didn't bring my bathing suit!!! I'm not sure baby would have liked the jet ski ride, but it looked really inviting.

Lots to eat and drink and people to meet at the shower! It was really fun to get to know some of Becky's future family members. Luckily, mom and I won at the "How well do you know Becky Game". It would have been a little embarrassing if we hadn't. Becky got lots of great gifts and I'm sure she feels very blessed. I loved the shower!!!

As you saw, there are some picture above and I think you can see my growing baby bump in some of the photos. Yippee!!! Hope everyone is doing well. More posts to come soon!

I LOVE YOU BECKY!!!

Heil Valley Ranch...More Like Hurl Valley Ranch

The other day I went on a field trip with my students to Heil Valley Ranch. We took our nature journals, lunches and hiking shoes and started exploring all the scat, prints and wildlife we could find. Well, the bus ride there was a bit bumpy...a lot bumpy actually. I was sitting in the front seat near the window so you'd think I'd be OK. HA! When we finally arrived, I thanked Jesus I was on land again. I felt fine hiking around and laughing with my group of students, especially at the one kid who decided it would be a good idea to taste things along the trail. (I hope he's OK) It wasn't long until baby really decided to tell me bus rides were NOT a good idea. After playing in the creek (pronounced crick around these parts) we ate our lunches and got back on the bus. That's when it all turned upside down...literally. Now, if you're eating or preparing food, or just have a weak stomach, stop reading now. But for those of you who might need a laugh, keep reading. I tried really hard to breathe deep and get some air on the way back to school, but I could just tell I was going to hurl any second. As soon as the bus pulled up, I jolted into my classroom and sat near the trash can and hoped the kids would just go right to recess. They did. After a few minutes of just feeling sick, but nothing happening, I went to the hall to ask my teammate to watch my class when they got back inside. I only made it to "Hey Amanda, will you..." And then it was straight to the garbage from there puking up everything in me. This poor lady who works with me held my hair back and got me water and napkins. It was gross to say the least, but at least she is a mom and has seen worse...I hope... Well, after that, I felt much better. Just needed to get that out of my system and now I know to NEVER ride the bus! So far, baby has taught me these two very important things: Never ride a school bus and never eat hot dogs. We'll see what else is in store! Hope you all have a terrific day! After all that, I know you're thinking...she has the best job ever! I do, I know. It's awesome. As you all were sitting around working, I was on a hike in the mountains with my students...doesn't get much better!

Love to you all!