32 weeks, Is There REALLY More Room?!

It feels like only a week has passed since I was posing for my 28 belly picture! But here we are at 32 weeks and I'm having a hard time believing there is any more room in this abdomen of mine for four plus more pounds of baby! I mean really, I know I've carried all out front with all my babies, but it never ceases to amaze me how big I get in these last months. Only one more monthly picture at 36 weeks, then I'll try to take one each week, in case it's the last, from then on out. Please continue to pray for a healthy baby and pregnancy and for a smooth delivery in the end. I have mixed feelings about the ending of this pregnancy. I hesitate to say definitively that this is our last baby, but that's what we're both feeling at this point, so unless God changes our hearts and minds on the issue at some point, there is a bit of grieving that comes with the end of this pregnancy. The thought of never feeling life move within my womb again is just too much to bear! Every part of bringing new life into the world is so miraculous and wonderful, even amidst the aches and pains. I feel so privileged to have been able to do this three times already, it just never gets old. But more on these thoughts to come I'm sure. For now, enjoy my growing girth and if you'd like a bare belly pic for even more shock and amazement, just let me know and I'll email one to you. I'd also like to give Jenn a big "thank you" in advance for the shower she is throwing for me this coming Saturday! You are one of the most generous, selfless people I know and I am so humbled and honored that you would bless us in this way! I'll be posting some pictures from Emma's birthday party later in the week.

Blessings!

Happy Birthday Peanut!

Four years ago today...

At 12:02am, you were born. It was a surreal moment of slow motion, I was a mother! Something I had always dreamed of and there you were. My love for you was immediate and all-consuming. Little did I know how much that love would grow each day, each moment.

As that first year passed, amidst sleepless nights and countless firsts, your little personality began to emerge. You have always been passionate, vivacious, empathetic, sweet, smart and hilarious! Dull and average are never words anyone would use to describe you. There is a fire in your spirit that shines for all to see. We pray Jesus will capture that flame some day and use you as a mighty torch for His Glory!Your second year was not to be outdone by your first sweetheart! More discoveries, more need for discipline and teaching, more laughs and tickles and snuggles to share. This is the year your vocabulary took off in exceptional ways. You've always been our little chatterbox and we never want to stop listening!

Your sense of humor has always been beyond your years!

One of my favorite places in the world to be is with you laughing in my arms!Our morning showers together in that tiny shower stall (getting more and more crowded each day with your growing baby brother in my tummy!) are among the simple moments treasured my big four year old. For some day, you'll want space and I'll long for more together time. (Picture taken today, July 17th, 2008)

Please Lord, let this next year with my precious Emma linger. Happy birthday Emma Grace! I am so blessed to be your mommy!

Pictures from the 4th!

We had such a fun day on the fourth of July! Our neighborhood had its annual block party and it really was such a blast. For the kids, we had pools and a slip n slide, along with face painting and a bike parade around the block. For the adults, yummy food and drinks, great socializing time, and of course, we ended the day watching the local fireworks, which were only about a mile or two away at our local city park.

Chloe going in for a hug with one of our sweet neighbor girls. She absolutely loves any child who seems even a day younger than her.
Emma after a beautiful face painting job done by the professional face painter we hired for the day.
My goofy peanut getting ready to dive in!

Bringing up the rear of the kids bike parade. Seriously, my belly just cracks me up! It has its very own nose!

The bike parade in full swing.

Daddy testing out our slip n slide before opening it to the neighborhood. His comment was, "man, it's sure not as long as I remember it being as a kid!"

Launch number one, Super Emma!

Super Chloe really flew! She's such a water baby, no fear at all!

All in all, it was a glorious day, everything a summer day in July should be. Next week Emma has VBS (Vacation Bible School) and her birthday, it will be a full week to be sure. I am really in such shock at the way the summer is flying by! It's almost halfway over:(. But I love living in Colorado, because just when you're ready for a change in the weather, a new season begins. I hope you are taking in every sweet breath of your summer and relishing in memories made.

It's Good to Be Alive!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my 30th year on this earth (to avoid confusion, that means I'm turning 29). While some may bemoan the end of their twenties, counting every wrinkle, feeling "old", I just don't feel that way. Maybe it's because I've always been more of an optimist by nature (or choice), but I'm just feeling pretty darn blessed and lucky to be alive! For twenty nine years, I've seen the beauty of changing seasons. I've fallen in love, been heartbroken, said good-bye to loved ones, welcomed loved ones in. I've cried, I've laughed, struggled, and rested in sweet contentment. I've tried and failed, tried and succeeded. I've carried and felt life move within my womb, I've experienced the miracle of birthing a child. But most importantly, I've been wooed by my Creator into a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, I've been saved by grace! I'm not guaranteed tomorrow, but I have the promise of eternity! So as I sit here, on the eve of my 29th birthday, I am giving much thanks! "Thank you Father for every breath you've given me! May every moment of my life be lived for You and Your glory. Shape me and mold me into all you've called me to be!"

Philipians 1:21: "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

28 weeks!

I never thought I'd say it, but this pregnancy seems to be flying by now! I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that the summer always flies for me. I really can't believe June is practically over. I also can't believe I'll be turning 29 a week from Thursday, where oh where have my 20's gone?! But enough about the speed of time, here we have my ever-growing belly at 28 weeks today. If I follow my normal of being about two weeks "early", I only have 10 weeks to go! That's 2.5 months for those of you who need a little math help.

In other news of progress, remember all those painting projects I told you about? They are officially done thanks to my mom! Well nearly done. It was such a treat having her here for a whole week this past week, not just for her work, but for her beloved company. I won't give you pictures for another month or so, when I get get the decor on the walls, but I will tell you, both bedrooms turned out beautifully! I was also able to get Sawyer's dresser painted, along with a china cabinet I'm refinishing. It's all primed, now it just needs the paint, but should be complete within the next week or so. It feels so good to have these projects under my belt, they've been haunting me for some time now. My next projects include creating a play area in our unfinished basement for all the girls toys, moving Chloe into her big girl bed in Emma's room, and cleaning out my closet. Let the nesting continue! I hope to do a belated anniversary post some time this week, so stay tuned.

Roses

I think my little Canon Powershot was feeling a bit jaded after my previous post about her hopeful replacement, the Nikon D40X, so she decided to really strut her stuff today. Last mother's day, Travis got me a beautiful yellow rose bush. We did all our rose research about planting and pruning and feeding and this year, we are reaping the reward. Here are some of the first buds to blossom on the plant and let me just tell you, there are dozens more buds waiting in the wings! I'll post another picture of the whole plant when it's in full bloom. There's just something about roses. They look beautiful, they smell beautiful, maybe that's why we women love them so much. Could it be that we aspire to the same, hoping our inner and outer beauty and the fragrance of a sweet spirit will diminish our thorns?

Sawyer's Nursery

Ah...to decorate a nursery! Most of you remember where we were living when we brought Emma home from the hospital. It was a basement apartment with cinderblock walls and indoor/outdoor carpet. I did my best to create a nursery setting, but there were no fancy paint colors or nice curtains, and we were on a tight budget, so very simple had to do. Then with Chloe, we had just moved into a rental house two months before she was born and again, who wants to paint the walls in a rental only to paint them back again in less than six months? And furthermore, unpacking boxes was enough work for this pregnant mama at the time. But here we are now, in a home of our own, and I am just thrilled at the thought of getting to do a nursery for this, my "last" (sniff, sniff) baby. As I mentioned in my previous post, Sawyer is set with baby clothes. We have all the gear for the most part, minus a few odds and ends I'd like. So that leaves me with the nursery, something I've never officially had. As I did with the girl's room, let me try to describe what I'll be doing. The bottom 1/3 of the walls will be painted a darker, rustic red color. The top 2/3's will be alternating tan and brown wide stripes. The two sections will be divided by a 3 inch dark brown stripe. I'm going for a classic and vintage look that will hopefully carry him through childhood. Here are some of the decor items I've registered for at jcpenney.com, to give you a good picture of what it will look like.

Next week, my mom will be coming up for the entire week to help me with my painting/decorating projects. She's already insisted on doing all the painting, so don't worry your pretty little heads about paint fumes:). I'll be sure to post before and after pictures as soon as I have them.