Time to just enjoy what God has given!

Lately I've been a bit overwhelmed...I mean, I'm not sure why - it's not like I'm pregnant - due in 8.5 weeks, a matron of honor in a wedding, having a baby shower, preparing for our home for the holidays, probably hosting a Thanksgiving, thinking about Christmas presents/cards/parties, training people at work to fill in for me while I'm gone, and trying to find time to spend with Shane just the two of us in our last weeks that it's just "us"! I sort of feel like I've got a lot going on...but it's all very good things - just a little overwhelming! :) So I've been reading Rob Bell's book "Velvet Elvis" and today while I was reading I was calmed by him writing about taking a Sabbath......

Sabbath is taking a day a week to remind myself that I did not make the world and that it will continue to exist without my efforts.

Sabbath is a day when my work is done, even if it isn't.

Sabbath is a day when my job is to enjoy. Period.

Sabbath is a day when I am fully available to myself and those I love most.

Sabbath is a day when I remember that when God made the world, he saw that it was good.

Sabbath is a day when I produce nothing.

Sabbath is a day when I remind myself that I am not a machine.

Sabbath is a day when at the end I say, "I didn't do anything today," and I don't add, "And I feel so guilty."

This is such encouragement to me to take some time to just exist and nothing else...Time to just enjoy what God has given!

30 Weeks!

Yesterday we had our 30 week appointment! I can hardly believe we have only 10 weeks to go! It keeps getting more and more exciting! Our little boy's heartbeat was 136 yesterday and he seems to be measuring right on track.

He is definitely an active little guy! There's even been a few times he's kicked me hard enough in the ribs that it hurts! I guess he's going to be a feisty one like his dad. :) The doctor thinks that he is head down right now, but says he can still do some moving around...not sure how, but that's what she said!

Some fun stats on pregnancy at 30 weeks...

He is approximately 15.7 inches long

He weighs almost 3 pounds

He's about the size of a head of cabbage

Camping Weekend!

This last weekend we had a family camping weekend! Shane and I went with my parents, my older brother Chris's family, and Tyler and his fiance, Kendra. We went to Wisconsin for the weekend and we all stayed in tents! Shane being the wonderful husband that he is, made sure we purchased an air mattress before we left. Unfortunately, the very first night we found out it leaked! 28 weeks pregnant and sleeping on the hard ground......not my idea of a great scenario, but I survived and didn't even have a backache the whole weekend! Check out our pics!

Dad cooking over the campfire!

We have a lot of jeeps in our family...and we went on jeep trails while we were there. Some of the hills were a bit scary for me, but overall it was a ton of fun!

Shane and I in our jeep - nice pic of the baby belly too!

Izzy and I - we went in Grandpa's jeep while the other guys went on some rougher trails!

The boys in the other jeep!

Shane trying to sleep in...too bad it was light out, no air in the air mattress, it was a little chilly, and Izzy and Wyatt were wide awake ready to go for the day! Time to get up!!

Baby A's first UNI Game!

A few weekends ago we attended Baby A's first UNI football game...I'm sure it's the first of many in the coming years!!!

Shane's new job!!!

I mean besides all the diaper changing he is going to be doing….Shane has accepted a position at Waterloo Industries as a Financial Analyst! We are both really excited. Shane has worked in the banking industry for over 6 years and he is really excited to make the change to corporate finance! This is something that we had definitely been praying about and are excited for the change, although it does come at a very busy time in our life already. This is Shane’s last week at US Bank and he starts his new position next Monday! This change also means that I will be only working 4 days a week after our baby boy arrives. Something I am really looking forward to! I don't have to give up work, plus I gain quality time with our baby...best of both worlds! Staying home an extra day a week is going to make the adjustment easier for everyone. I can’t wait!!! J

A big new toy in our house!

We recently got a BIG new piece of furniture in our living room! A coworker of mine was getting rid of her 55" big screen tv and she gave it to Shane & I!!! We were absolutely thrilled! Shane has been in love with this thing since the day we got it...and I must say the HD picture is a pretty nice! :)

Some things we've been up to lately...

Well, we've been up to quite a bit actually, but here are some highlights!

- We're reading the 90 day Bible with our small group. We are actually turning it into the 180 day Bible, so we aren't committed to reading so many pages each day. I'm really excited about this! We're only into the first couple of days so far, but I'm really enjoying the structure of sitting down once a day and reading the Bible. And I've never read the entire Bible before, so this is a really good start on understanding more of the Bible!

- We recently dog-sat my brother's family puppy for a week while they went on vacation. Bo was a really fun pup to have around, however we decided that we really enjoy having TRAINED dogs live with us. Bo is such a sweet puppy and so playful, but he likes to do all things puppy...chew on shoes, pee in the house, bite others dogs (in a playful way), and is all around clumsy! He's adorable, but we were happy to have him leave with only 1 vase broken, a couple of flip flops chewed, and no stains on the carpet!

- We had another doctor's appointment last week - at 24 weeks! I can't believe I'm already 6 months pregnant! Time is just flying by. Our little guy's heartbeat was 144 the exact same as my 20 week appointment. My doctor said everything is looking good and our boy is growing! I'm noticing him growing everyday...the past few weeks he has gotten very active! Shane has felt him kick now. And it's fun to feel him moving around - definitely makes me excited and anxious for his arrival! The only issues I'm having right now is my back is quite sore. Usually it's most uncomfortable at night when I'm trying to sleep. I've also lost control of my emotions...and I'm sure my husband will second that. Luckily, even if I do have a temporary meltdown, I can laugh at it within minutes. And thank goodness Shane is a patient and humorous man...makes going through the roller coaster of hormone changes worth the ride! I wasn't sure if I would be confident enough to post belly pics on the blog, but it is really fun to see him (and me!) grow...so check out these pics!

16 weeks

18 weeks

20 weeks

25 weeks (current)

-I started sewing a baby blanket! Well actually this is supposed to be my "practice" blanket. I'm using old scraps of fabric to make this one, because I have no clue what I'm doing. I'm just learning as I go! Hopefully I'll have the finished product done soon!

- Baby A's nursery is still not decorated...but, Shane has the crib put together as well as the changing table. Shane's mom bought us both of these. We looked at a number of different choices, and she actually did enough internet shopping to find us the one we liked best! Now I need to figure out colors for the nursery so I think about crib bedding!

- We've been blessed to have some friends donate some of their little boy items to us. Our little guy already has a good start on clothes - we've got clothes in all different sizes. Hopefully they will fit him in all the correct seasons!


Oh yeah - and Bailey and Bongo are doing well too! :)

Christmas on the Lake!

This past weekend Shane and I took some of the couples in our small group to Lake Delhi again. The weekend just happened to be Christmas on the Lake. We decorated my parent's pontoon in Christmas lights and the shoreline was decked out in Christmas blowups thanks to our friend Bailey who LOVES blowup yard decorations! :) And our efforts weren't left un-rewarded...we placed 2nd in the "Best Decorated Boat" category. We had a few issues when all of us piled on the boat...we were quite weighted down and one particular boat made a HUGE wave right in front of us...we had a big wave come over the top of the front rail on the pontoon!!! And guess who was sitting in front!?!? Somehow I managed to block the wave for every other person on the boat. 9:00 at night, 50 degree temps, and soaking wet clothes = freezing Jackee! I ended up stripping down and wrapping some towels around me to stay warm...I took one for the team and spent the rest of the night in my underwear...haha. It was a night to remember!!

Eating some dinner before heading out on the boat!

Putting final touches on the decorating...our theme was "Hunting for Santa"

The whole crew (minus mom, the picture taker) getting ready to go out.

Shane and I...before the wave!

Shane and I the day after...it was a gorgeous day. We really love spending time in Delhi.

Kansas City Weekend

This last weekend I went to Kansas City for Erin's Bachelorette weekend. The 6 of us girls had a great time! The weekend entailed a lot of sun, shopping, and socializing. And the weekend did not include a whole lot of sleep!

At the pool!

Out to eat!

Getting ready for a night out on the town!

Our Dinner...

When Shane and I decided we were going to find out the sex of our baby, we decided we didn't just want to find out at the doctor's office. We thought it would be fun for the ultrasound technician to write it down and we would open it that evening when we went out for dinner together. We had so much fun doing it like this! We went out to eat at Montage in Cedar Falls...not only do we love eating at Montage, it also was the location of our first official date! It was fun to capture the moment of finding out we are having a little boy! A date I surely won't forget! :)