Happy Valentines Day!!!

The banquet went beautifully and we are finally enjoying a relaxing weekend HOME together. This week has been CRAZY busy for me.



Today I got to go do my FAVORITE thing! Get. A. Haircut. There are few things that compare to having someone wash your hair while you rest comfortably on a chair without getting water in your eyes....ahh...pure bliss. As a mom, I have come to appreciate the little things! I got about 1 1/2 inches off and it feels SO much better.

"V" is very very...extraordinary!

I think the Lord knew I needed a little pick-me-up. :) He is always so faithful...especially in the little things. Have you ever wanted something that is considered a little self-centered and maybe even meaningless to some people, but would mean THE WORLD to you? Before my friend Ashley met her husband (Cameron) she had asked the Lord for her future husband to love Jeeps! And when she met Cameron, he drove up in (can you guess?) a black Jeep. It might've sounded silly or completely unreasonable, but God honored that simple request!

Anyways! Back to today. Champions has the 4th annual Romance Banquet coming up next Thursday (12th). With the "baby bump" beginning to grow, I have been wringing my hands on WHAT TO WEAR. The banquet is something I look forward to every single year. It's a time we get to dress up and be in a fancy environment with our friends. I personally LOVE feeling like a princess for a night. :)


Theses are from 2 Years Ago


This morning I went to the mall and thought I would drop by Dillards to check their formal dress sections. Lots of times there are good sales there! (I got the dress shown above at Dillards...) I had already settled that this year would probably be the year that I wore a skirt or a nice maternity blouse. But I still had a teeny hope of finding SOMETHING! My wishful goal was to find a dress that would stretch or hide "the bump". I walked through the section and found 2 dresses that were "OK" and one that I absolutely LOVED. So I tried on the "OK" ones and they were both really pretty. But the next one was perfect. Not only was it my favorite color, but the material was perfect for the trimester I am in now. It stretched cutely over the bump and was actually very flattering. I stood in front of the mirror for several minutes just smiling and almost giggling at how PERFECT this would be. Then...the price tag. *dun dun dun*

I kinda have this rule when I'm shopping for dresses: Never look at the price tag until AFTER I try on the dress. That way, I don't talk myself into liking one better than the other just because of the price. I knew when I tried on "the dress" that it was (by far!) the most expensive out of the three. So I took a deep breath and pulled out the tag. $140.00 marked down to $78.00! Well, as good of a deal as that, it was still too high for our budget at the moment. I had about $40.00 that I could spend. I decided to go ahead and have them hold it at the front...just in case. My mind began to think of ways to make some extra cash this week. Sell the XBox that we NEVER play? Last minute garage sale...ugh. Donate plasma?
I chewed on my thoughts as I handed the "most gorgeous dress of all time" to the Dillards saleswoman.
"Do you mind checking the price on that dress, just to make sure it's not on sale?" I asked casually. The lady got out her gun and zapped the barcode and the number on the screen made my heart jump! $35.00!!!

So...I bought my dress. I got home and twirled in front of the mirror for 30 minutes. A little thing...but it made my day. :)

Amatee

I am sitting here watching Aaron and Thomas play Wii Baseball. It is the cutest thing. Aaron really knows how to play! In fact, he has beaten Thomas fair and square 4-2. We've created alot of our family and friends as Mii characters and each time one of them hits or makes a catch, Aaron says, "Good Job Mimi!" or "Almost Andrew!" It's hilarious. Just now, my sister-in-law hit a home run and he jumped up and exclaimed, "Home Run Ashley!!"

Anyways, a few minutes ago my Mii character was up to bat and Thomas said "There's Amity." Aaron looked at the Mii, back at Thomas and said "Amatee? Barbara Amatee.." (and continued to sing the popular Veggie Tales Song "Barbara Manatee")

*sigh*

A coke a day...

...keeps the headaches and nausea away! Thank you KATY!
I've never experience real migranes until just recently. Ugh. How many pregnancy symptoms ARE THERE? With Aaron, I ditched the caffeine almost the entire pregnancy. Haha...and just last week I became a coffee drinker (decaf) and a coke-a-day girl.

Oh, and this is pretty interesting! The other day I was lying on the couch and began feeling little flutterings and movement in my tummy. I laid really still and just waited...and they kept coming. I hollered at Thomas and he pressed his hand down where I was feeling them and looked at me wide-eyed. It was really neat. So yes, it's an active one! :)

Productivity is so wonderful

This week was so productive! Aaron was back in school from being sick last week, I was able to go to work, and I thoroughly cleaned my house. It was a Good week.

Mother's Day Out has been a lifesaver for me. Aaron gets a fun day of interaction with other kids, crafts and games, while I get to be in the office and get all my ECM work done. Right now with the Valentines's Banquet coming up, my plate has been extra full at work. But I like it!

Connect Groups started up this week so my "Weekly Wednesday Cleaning" began again. Our home serves as a host home on Wednesday nights since Thomas and I are both at church. It's nice to have a little motivation to REALLY clean every single week. Over the holiday break, I got a bit spoiled and the cleaning began to pile up!

Yesterday, Thomas and I celebrated our 4th Anniversary. We made a lunch date at Fuji's and enjoyed having a meal alone together. After lunch he surprised me with a massage appointment at Absolute Perfection Day Spa. It was wonnnnnddeerrrrfulllll! I sent him to play golf today in return.

Well, gotta get dinner on the table.

freedom (by Run Kid Run)

Have you heard that song? It's probably one of my favorite songs on the radio right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJSl8F3Lkzg
There is a line in the bridge that says:

I scream "Father, please!
I need rescuing,
I need You and You alone!"

When I was between the ages 6-13 I would play dress up with my siblings. Rebekah would usually be the damsel in distress, Andrew would be the quiet hero, and I would usually be the rebellious character. I'd be the girl that would jump on a horse and be right there with the "heros". I'd kill off bad guys and scoff defiantly at the enemy. I'd play the Princess that would sneak out of the castle to embark on some dangerous, forbidden journey that would lead to a heroic victory. Sometimes I would even play the boy character, just because I was better at it!! I liked being the hero! I liked saving the day! Of course, I would occasionally play the Princess who would be swept off her feet by the gallant Prince, but there was never something romantic about your 4-year old brother coming to "rescue" you.

As I grew older, something began to tug on my heartstings. I longed to be rescued. I got tired of being the hero and the tough girl. I longed to swoon in Someone's arms and be completely vulnerable and trusting. But our society has taught women (and girls) to be catty, quick-witted and sarcastic. Be quick to cut others down, then slow to build them up. It's suppose to be sexy and attractive. The world has taught us that we don't dare show our weakness or let our guard down for a second. Once our trust gets broken, our heart gets hardened so we "toughen up." We begin to think that we can take care of ourselves and we don't allow ourselves to ever be rescued.

But that is not the desire of our Prince. He desperately longs for us to raise our arms in surrender to Him and present every weakness and every need to Him in a pure, transparent way. He joys in sweeping us off our feet and carrying us to a peaceful place. He takes us out of the darkest places and "trades us a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness." (Isaiah 61:3)

Father, please,
I need rescuing!
I need You and You alone....

thursday

Yes, I updated the site a bit because it was a getting a little boring for my taste. Here are a few updates:

Me: I'm 11 weeks and doing great. Zofran in the morning and Phenigren at night has worked wonders for me. The "nag" is constantly there, but I'm learning to adjust around it. I am craving the weirdest things. I crave things I haven't eaten in YEARS! Like fishsticks! And today, I got the oddest craving for those hot dogs with cheese inside of them. Wow...it's probably been 12 years since I've had one of those. Oh, and sweet tarts. Mmmmm.
I was watching "A Baby Story" today and the episode was about a woman who had a water birth. I love watching those shows and seeing all different kinds of people and different ways of birthing.

Aaron: Aaron got sick with pnemonia and was home from school all week. Here he is taking what he calls his "dinosaur medicine!" Poor baby.

I'm glad he will be better by next week because the firefighters and firetrucks are visiting his school and he wouldn't want to miss that. I hope they take pictures....
He has really enjoyed "school" (Tuesday, Thursdays 9-2:30).

Fam: My sis-in-law, Ashley was admitted to Baylor Hospital in Grapevine where she will be until the twins are born. She's 26 weeks pregnant and they are hoping to make it to 36 weeks. Since she is at risk for early delivery, the Dr.s want to keep a close eye on things. Contractions have stopped, and now they have named her room "The Baby Farm" because she is confined to her bed with the sole purpose of "growing the babies." I thought that was cute. :)

Our 4 year anniversary is coming up in a week! We are agononizing over the decision of going out on a much needed DATE or attending the LOST season premier party (which is the highlight of the semester!). *sigh*....will try to make the decision soon.
I got this sweet email from my husband last week. The Subject Line read: Want to Go on a Date?


"To The Caribbean on a cruise for our fifth anniversary in 2010?
Little _____ or ______* will be 6 months old and ready to stay with Oma and MiMi for a few days.
Think about it. Love you!

T"

*i hid names...

Soooo....we'll see! I doubt we will go in January because the baby will probably be nursing exclusively until at least 8 months. But maybe late Spring, or early Summer. This email was so heartwarming to me because, if you know my husband, he DOES NOT EVER plan things. He is a last minute kind of guy. So this was HUGE to me, being a big plan-aheader.

That's about it.