Our Little Punkin is 5 months!

What are you up to these days? Well, probably about 15 lbs (that's a guess) and for sure 2 feet! ; )
You love your bath, you love to splash with your feet.
You rolled over the other day...
You are very curious, you like to watch people and things very intently.
You have the most wonderful laugh. Mommy likes to make you giggle.
You are ticklish.
You like having your feet rubbed.
You are starting to grab for toys.
You hold your head up well, but are still working on upper body control.
You still love to sleep on your daddy's chest.
You are still wearing size 2 diapers.
You have grown out of 3month clothes, and 3/6 month stuff fits you well.
And best of all, you regularly sleep through the night now. (Thank you!!!)

We love you McKinley. You are our best blessing of all...

New Traditions

This year we are starting all kinds of new traditions with McKinley. Not that we needed to have a daughter to do that... but somehow she just makes it more of a priority! So this year on Thanksgiving morning, we got up and out of the house to participate in the annual Give'N'Gobble... a 5k walk through Sherwood. They gather food for those in need, and it is a great excuse to start the day by burning some calories! There is a 5k and 10k run too... maybe we'll work up to that in future years? (Ha!) This year though, we just enjoyed a leisurely stroll of just over three miles. It as a lot of fun, even despite the pouring down rain.



Our little racer, with her own race bib! : )

Giving Thanks

We have so much to be thankful for! Jeff and I discussed many times over the last week how thankful we are for each other, and for the life God has blessed us with. Of course, McKinley was number one on that list! She is such a blessing... such a treasure! I still have to pinch myself sometimes... all of my dreams have come true! I have a wonderful husband and a fabulous daughter that I get to stay home with. It doesn't get any better than this! All praise be to our God from whom all blessings flow...

4 months!

McKinley was 4 months old yesterday. We can hardly believe it... has it really been 4 months already? On one hand, it feels like it has been way longer than that, that McKinley has always been a part of our family. And on the other hand, it feels like she was just born last week. Funny how you can feel both things at the same time.

Anyway, she is a happy and healthy girl! We went to the doctor today and she weighs 12 lbs 12.5 oz and is 24 inches tall. She's such a big girl! She only cried after the second shot... but then was fine. Of course, she has been asleep since we got home. But she sure was a trooper.

So, just for posterity sake, here's what she's up to at 4 months:

You can hold your head up pretty well, although you seem to get tired of it after a few minutes.
You are trying to rollover, but very unsuccessfully so far.
You can clasp your hands together and love to try and get them both in your mouth at the same time.
You are starting to bat at or grab for things that are hanging in front of you. You love your bouncy seat and all that comes with it.
You can lift your head up while you are on your tummy, but you haven't quite figured out how to get your arms underneath you to support yourself. You do a great Superman impression.
You are in a size two diaper and are growing out of your 0-3 month cloths.
You love to squeal at the top of your voice and will jabber non-stop in the mornings once you've woken up a little.
You don't like to wake up in the mornings, just like your mommy, but once you do you are ready to start playing!
You don't cry much unless you are tired... but you don't cry just to cry or fuss.

You are a delight in our lives McKinley... we love being your parents!

McKinley has found her voice

Sorry this is long, but it was just too cute to not share! McKinley apparently didn't want to go to sleep and was talking to keep herself awake. She's spent most of this morning doing the same thing! I love it!

Just because

Look at that red hair!

I LOVE THIS SMILE!!!!

Meet Mr. Frog...

There isn't any rhyme or reason to these photos... I just like sharing pictures of my daughter. I think she's the sweetest thing ever!

Um... Huh?

This is the expression we get most of the time...

Halloween

Here is our sweet girl on Halloween. She was a Tootsie Roll... thanks to her Nana. : ) Mom and Norm were here for a few nights and it was a great time. The visit was too short as always, but the good news is that they'll be back for Christmas! Yeah!

We took McKinley "trick or treating" to a couple of our neighbors homes. Nope, we didn't collect any candy, just showed her off! This is our cute little family. Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing. I love being a wife to Jeff and a mother to McKinley. It is my biggest dream come true! : )

Hallelujah!

McKinley slept through the night!!! It was divine... no, heavenly... to get 8 hours of sleep. I did wake up a few times, briefly thinking to myself that she should be waking up soon... but then immediately fell back to sleep. (Apparently Jeff (the responsible parent) woke up a few times and went and checked on her... I think she had him a little worried.) She finally woke up at 6 am (after having gone to sleep at 9:30 the night before) happy and smiling! What a sweet, sweet girl. I could do that every night! ; ) Thank you McKinley!!!

Of course I've learned my lesson about expecting great things like this to repeat themselves. I'm sure it'll still be awhile before she sleeps through the night consistently... but I'll enjoy these little treats when they come. Oh yes I will. (Not that getting up at 2 am has been bad. After all... then I get to watch my favorite shows... Three's Company (from 1am to 2am) and M*A*S*H (from 2am to 3am). Yep. I'm a 70's sitcom junkie. )

This is hard...

So it's been awhile since I've posted anything "serious". Mostly I like to post pictures of my daughter, because she is just so darn cute. But today, I have to admit... this parent thing is hard. I expected it would be... everyone tells you it will be. But they also tell you the joy that you experience way outweighs any negative experiences, and I would agree with that. But sometimes... I just don't want to be a mother for a moment. Just for that split second. It usually revolves around something McKinley needs that interferes with my plans at the time. My selfish nature rearing its ugly head. Sometimes, I just don't want to have to nurse at 3am. Sometimes, I don't want to have to change the nth poopie diaper for the day. Sometimes, I don't want to have to worry about whether or not she'll get the swine flu, or if she should or should not sleep on her stomach. (Can I just say that SIDS SUCKS!?!?!?! For the obvious reasons of course... but my daughter would take a 2 to 3 hour nap daily if she could sleep on her stomach. However, I am stuck with 15 to 45 minute catnaps all day because she sleeps on her back... mostly. Sometimes, I cave and put her on her stomach, like today, and she's been asleep for hours. I've been in there 30,000 times to check on her, but she's still been asleep for hours.)

Sometimes, I am frustrated with how having a child changed our marriage. Don't get me wrong, we're still happily married. But I rarely get to talk to Jeff anymore. Usually, he rushes home, we get dinner together and get her to bed, just in time for one or both of us to exclaim that we are exhausted and going to bed. As much as I feel like we are getting into a routine, and getting this parent thing figured out, we are still in survival mode... just getting by. Sometimes, I miss the carefree, let's just jump in the car and do "X"... but now, it's at least an hour scramble to make sure we have diapers, wipes, blankets, burp cloths, extra clothes, and... oh yeah, the baby.

Please don't get me wrong... I love, love, love McKinley. More than life itself. And in no way would I ever change our circumstances. She is delightful. She makes my heart burst with love in a way I never knew was possible. But sometimes... on occasion... I miss my old life. I miss sleep. I miss my old body. I miss my old marriage. And then I feel guilty, because I know there are so many women out there who would give anything to be in my shoes.

It doesn't help that right now, I feel completely disconnected from my friends and from my family. I'm sure it's just something emotional... but I feel alone. It's just something I'm going through... and I know that it will pass. But for right now, I feel stuck, and I feel alone.

The sad thing is, I realized today, that I've completely abandoned God. Not my faith, I still have that... but I don't pray, I don't read the Bible. I don't talk to Him. I'm just surviving. And I know... that if I could just do those things, this would be a lot easier. But sometimes it's hard. Oh, who am I kidding... Most of the time it's hard. It was hard before I had a baby!

Let me close with this... please don't go looking up those postpartum depression hotlines. I'm not in that place. I'm not thinking of harming myself, or my baby... I love both of us way too much for that. No... I just needed to admit out loud that this is a lot harder than I thought it would be, and in different ways, and at different times. Yesterday was a particularly difficult day. And so I vent. That's what blogs are for, right? And now... I feel better.

Love,
Melissa

McKinley is Three Months!

What we're up to

That really varies from day to day. Sometimes we get lots done, sometimes we watch movies and sleep in the chair all day long. It just sort of depends. Jeff has been great to let me sleep the last couple nights, only waking me to nurse her, but changing her and putting to back to bed. It's been great. I still long for the night when M will go down at 8pm and sleep until 8am... hopefully sometime sooner than later.

M is getting cuter all the time... and bigger too. She weighed in at 1o 1/2 lbs almost 2 weeks ago... so we can guarantee she's over 11 lbs now. She's starting to fit into her 3mo clothes and has many outfits to choose from. It's fun dressing her, although a lot of days we stay in our jammies a lot later than I'd like to admit! ; )

Here's some photos of our precious angel... I just love her so much!

We're having fun!

We've had a good week... sleeping pretty well, eating pretty well. Mommy even has gotten a few naps here and there! I know this video is longer than it needs to be, but I haven't figured out how to edit them yet. McKinley is smiling more and more, and even sort of giggled today. It wasn't really a giggle... but I think we're getting close. Anyway, this is from a few days ago. I sound ridiculous, but I love to see her smile!

I love the smiles!

McKinley has started smiling at us more and more... it makes my heart melt ever time! I can't wait for the giggles to start...

McKinley is 2 months

As you can see, McKinley is growing!!! Nobody can accuse her of being starved, that is for sure. Her 2 month appointment was a little over a week ago, and she weighed in at 8 lbs 14.5 oz and 21 1/4 inches. If you look closely, you can catch a glimpse of her double (going on triple) chin and her cute belly... or as my dad would say "ol' fat tummy". We still can't decide who she looks like... although I see more and more of Jeff in her every day.

She is just the sweetest girl...

My cup runneth over.

4 Generations

We took an opportunity a few weeks ago to take this photo of the 4 generations. We cherish these times, as Grandma (McKinley's Great Grandma) has had a number of health issues over the last year. She has good days and not so good days. Unfortunately, it seems the not so good days are more and more frequent all the time. We do not know when the Good Lord will call her home, so we cherish each of these visits. She absolutely adores McKinley. And we are so grateful that McKinley gets to spend a little time with her Great Grandma from time to time.

Aunt Julie!

Julie and I have been friends since 1994... when we met as freshman at ACU. Our freshman year, Julie's boyfriend was still in Houston and my boyfriend was... well, let's just say he wasn't very attentive. Anyway, we became pals and then roommates for the next four years. Funny thing though... I think we are better friends now than we were in college. Julie is one of my most cherished friends. I love her, and I love her family. A few weeks ago, she came to Oregon to meet our newest family member. We didn't do anything really, but we had a lot of fun. She left her girls at home, so I got her undivided attention!! She loved McKinley and gave me lots and lots of help. Thank you, dear friend, for coming for a few days. Thanks for all the help, and all the advice. It makes me wish we lived closer!!!

There aren't words...

There aren't words to describe the love I feel for this beautiful little girl. There aren't words to describe the joy I feel each morning as I look down into her sweet little face. There aren't words to describe the wonder I feel when I ponder the women she'll become. There aren't words to describe the excitement I feel when I think of the life that she'll live. I want so much for her... I pray for her safety, I pray that she'll never have a skinned knee or a broken heart. I want her to know only happiness. I know that is silly... and impossible. But that is what I want for her... to remain pure, innocent... untouched by the evils of this world.

I am so honored to be her mommy. I am so blessed that God chose Jeff and I to be her parents. We are having so much fun, and learning a lot along the way. We pray that God guides us as we raise her. And our number one desire is that she will know Him.

McKinley is One Month

I am so not a good photographer... but I thought I'd try to track her growth by putting some pictures up each month. I can't believe almost 5 weeks has gone by since McKinley was born. And what a blessing she has been! Thank you Lord for this sweet girl...

How precious is this face?

Are those some "must kiss" cheeks or what?!? McKinley loves to sleep and she loves to suck!!! We are working on a pacifier, although she doesn't like that nearly as much as daddy's finger. But since daddy's finger can't be with us 24/7 we are now hoping and praying that she'll take a pacifier. I never in my life thought I'd be encouraging her to take a pacifier... I suppose that is just one of the many things that will occur differently than I had imagined in my mind. : )

We are all doing pretty well. We have some tough moments... especially at 2:00 am when I really want to go back to sleep and she doesn't. But... we sing, and we pray and somehow God gets us both through it! And sometimes she doesn't like to be awake without fussing and crying. But we're working through that too... I just remind myself that this is such a short time and that she brings so many other blessings... And again, God just gets us through it all!

I just love her...

I have a better understanding now of how much our Heavenly Father sacrificed when he sent his only son to the cross. My heart has never been so full of love fo such a tiny little person... I can not imagine, nor remember, my life without her. We praise God for her every day... our special little blessing. : )

A few more pictures

Mom and daughter meet... what joy!!!


First Sunday dress... church really wore her out!

What????

So much has happened in the last two weeks, that I am sure if you looked closely you could see my head spinning. At 36 weeks and 2 days, our beautiful daughter, McKinley Rae, decided to make her appearance!! Apparently she'd heard her mommy talking about not wanting to be pregnant anymore, and decided to do what she could to help make me more comfortable. What an obedient girl! I won't detail the events here now, that would just plain take to too long, and I know what you really want is pictures... (plus I'm tired and ready to go to bed) : ) So without further adieu, I would love to introduce you to the most precious little girl in our world:

McKinley Rae

Born July 11th

Weight 5 lbs 13oz

Height 18 inches

Our family at 35 Weeks

I thought you might enjoy a photo of our whole family! Plus, this is the nicest I have looked in awhile... I actually did my hair and had make up on... not that you can really tell in the photo. It's funny... I just really don't even recognize myself. I know that's me... but man... I sure look different! ; )

And here's the belly photo. She's really getting big! Only a few more weeks. We've had a trend at church of all the girls going around a week early. Let's all pray that I continue that trend! I am so ready to meet our little girl... and to not be pregnant anymore!!! : )

Family

It was a great 4th of July weekend for us. We spent Friday and Saturday working on the baby's room and getting little projects done around the house. Then we spent Sunday with Jeff's family... celebrating a very special birthday for Diane and spending time with some family friends. It was a good day! Since we aren't doing the regular Sunriver trip this year, I thought it would be a good idea to take a family photo since we are rarely all together at once. Unfortunately, Addison was taking a nap when Grandma decided it was time to go... so we had to snap this shot minus our smallest member. But here we are... one big happy family! I love you all!

A New Chapter

Well, today is the first day of the rest of my life! I guess that is really true on all days, however, today is special. Today is my first day as a Stay At Home Mom!

Now, I don't have a baby outside the womb to care for just yet, but that will come soon enough. It is so interesting being on the first page of this new chapter. I have gladly left behind something that has always been a part of my life. I have always had a job... since high school. I have always earned my own money, and made my own way. It will be interesting to see how I do depending on someone else to provide those things. I really don't anticipate having too much of a problem with this... but it will be a big change.

The other thing that has occurred to me this morning is how faithful our God is. This is something I have longed for, for years. Literally, probably 10 years or more. I have wanted to be a stay at home mom since I can remember. I prayed and prayed that God would lead me to a godly man who wanted the same things as I did. And He was faithful in that. He lead me to Jeff, who is the most wonderful man in the world. And now, he has lead me right to this point as well... with a precious baby girl on the way, a wonderful husband and father to help me with her, and a beautiful home to care for. Someone pinch me. Did my dreams just come true? : )

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of this life you have provided. Please help me to cherish each day, each moment. Please bless me with the skills and the wisdom to be the wife and mother that You want me to be. I praise you my God, for your faithfulness!

I hope you all have a blessed day!

Love,
Melissa

P.S. Pebbles must be excited about this new chain of events... she's kicking up a storm this morning! : )

Growing into a little girl!

I had my 34 week appointment today... Pebbles has a strong and healthy heart beat and the doctor "guesstimated" her at about 4 1/2 to 5 lbs. That may or may not be accurate, but for now I am resting comfortably knowing that she's not already 7 lbs with 4 to 8 weeks of growth left! No watermelons here!!! Ha.

This post is rated PG13

So I've been cleaning out my inbox at work, and this is something that was emailed to me a few years ago. I've kept it all this time and watched it every few months just for kicks. I laugh out loud every time I see it... it never gets old. But before you clik on this link, please be warned... there is a bad word. (The three letter alternative for a donkey). : ) I do find it to be fairly innocent, and just had to share.

Out of the mouths of babes!

What a difference a few weeks make!

Holy Huge Belly Batman!!! : ) I just happened to be looking back over pictures that we've taken of my belly progression... and wow! If I ever thought I looked pregnant, or even bloated, 20 weeks ago, I was totally kidding myself!

Check out this comparison... me at 15 weeks and me today at 32 weeks:

I was svelte 17 weeks ago!!! And look how rested and energized I looked. What happened? ; ) Just kidding, I know what happened. And I am okay with it... really, I am. God has given me a peace about what is happening to my body. I am comfortable with the weight I've gained, and with the... well, let's just say "changes" that have occurred as I've gotten bigger. God made me just this way, and I will accept it gracefully. Or at least I'll try.

With that said... it's okay if you want to keep your comments about my size to yourself. I don't know what it is about pregnancy, but people seem to be very comfortable making comments that they wouldn't normally make. Like... "Yeah, you've really started to waddle". Or "I've noticed you've put on a lot of weight in the last week". You wouldn't say something like that to someone who wasn't pregnant. What makes it okay to say it to me now? I accept that I am heavier than I used to be, and that it is for a very good reason. But I don't need public commentary on it. Thank you very much.

I just needed to get that off my chest. : )

29 Weeks

This is as up to date as you can get. This shot was taken about 3 hours ago. I'm not technically 29 weeks for a couple more days... but you get the idea. I've definitely grown over the last few weeks! She seems to have really started to expand out front... It's fun to say that I have a 43" waist!!! Ha! I'm officially in my third trimester now, which I can hardly believe!

Pebbles is now approximately 16 inches long and approximately 3 lbs... Can I just say wow? Wow. She's getting so big! I know the next 11 weeks is going to really, really fast. I can't wait to meet our baby girl!

26 Weeks

This isn't a profile photo... but I don't think there's any doubt that there's a big bump out there in front!!! She's definitely been growing and growing and growing. Wonder if that has anything to do with all the ice cream I've been eating? ; )

This is 26 weeks... and our 2nd Anniversary!!!

23 Weeks (Easter)

This was Easter... and 23 weeks. I think it was also my first Easter dress in a really long time... probably like, 30 years! I have to do these things nowadays... I don't always feel so feminine in my larger state. : )

21 Weeks

I don't know that the horizontal stripes do me any favors. ; )
This is me at 21 weeks...

I love you Mom!

Some of the Reasons I love my mother:

1. She loves me!

2. She's creative

3. She's spontaneous

4. She doesn't let obstacles stand in her way

5. She loves God

6. She likes to read

7. She shares what she has with others

8. She likes to have fun

9. She sticks to a plan

10. She is excited about being a Nana!

11. She loves her family

12. She works hard

13. She's not afraid to get dirty

14. She love country music

15. She gives great hugs

16. She cries when she has to go home

17. She makes sacrifices when she needs to

18. She has a contagious laugh

19. She is loyal

20. She loves her church

21. She always sits in the front row : )

22. She wears socks with holes in them

23. She still has the very first Mother's Day gift I gave her... an Apron.

So this is only a partial list... of course there are too many reasons to count why I love my mom. But I did want to put a few of them here, so she'll know how much she is loved and how much she is missed.

I love you Mom!!! Happy Mother's Day!

This and That

It has been awhile since I've posted anything, although I find that is a normal trend.

We are progressing along without any incident and Pebbles is growing right on track! We had another ultrasound a few days ago. Our little girl looks healthy and happy... we continue to pray that she'll grow healthy and strong. I'm not praying for big anymore... we'll let her grow big once she comes out! Ha! I am officially 23 weeks... only another 17 or so to go. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly, although time seems to do that these days. We set up the crib and changing table in her room the other night. Wow does that make it so much more real! Now every time I walk by that room, I see that crib in there and realize, if only a little bit, how much our lives are going to change in a few months. And what a blessing it will be.

My Mom and Norm are coming today and will be here for Easter weekend. I am so excited to get to visit with them!!! They stopped for about 36 hours on their way back from Mexico last November... but other than that, it has been almost a year since we've seen each other. Of course, I look a little different now than I did back in November. Think they'll notice? ; )

I am anxiously counting the days until I "retire" from this job and start a new one... as of this post only 51 more days! Our plan is for my last day to be June 30th. That is so exciting and so scary all at the same time. I have always worked... I have always supported myself. Of course, walking away from a great job during these odd economic times is cause to make one stop and think. But I trust in our Lord... He has always provided. And I know he always will. I am so grateful to Jeff for being on board with this plan too... just another reason why I know God brought us together.

Speaking of Jeff, have I mentioned ever that I have the most wonderful husband in the world? I do. He's the best... and I don't tell him that often enough. He makes my heart smile every day, and especially on my bad days. He helps me to see the good in people, he inspires me to love others, even when I don't want to. I praise God for him and look forward to 58 more years together! I LOVE YOU JEFF!!!

Have a wonderful Thursday... have an even better Easter. May we all remember the true meaning of this most important holiday. The death, burial and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. All good things come from Him, through Him all blessings flow. Do you know Him?

My friends

I have known Julie for almost 15 years. (Wow... that makes me feel old.) We met at ACU during our freshman year. One of my first (an fondest) memories is us lip syncing to Mariah Carey's song "Hero" during the freshman follies performance that fall. That was certainly a good indication of the fun we would have over the years. We won't mention the choreographed dance to Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby". : ) I recently had the pleasure of finally visiting her new home in Tennessee and meeting her newest daughter, Audrey, who was born last November. That's the longest I've waited to meet any of her children... but with the holidays, her visitors, our "trip" to Montana and all that followed, we just didn't find the time until now. We enjoyed a very nice couple of days visiting, talking about babies (new and old), going through maternity clothes, baby clothes, nursing advice and all of that fun stuff. I am blessed that we are still friends, after all these years and all the miles. We haven't lived in the same state for over 10 years! In fact, we finally realized recently that we hadn't seen each other since my wedding. I think that is the longest that we had ever gone between visits.

Anyway... I just wanted to share these pictures of my precious friend and her family. I admire her so much for the great job she does with three energetic girls... and I hope that I can learn some things from her as I grow into this parenting thing. Thanks for having me Jules! I definitely felt like one of the family... just like always. Can't wait to see you in August! I love you friend!

18 Weeks

Here I am at 18 weeks... Getting a little bigger around the middle! ; )

These aren't the most flattering photos in the world, but it's good to see the expanding belly. I know I'll be happy to have them later when I've forgotten exactly how this all went.

I can't believe we are almost half way through this "phase"!!!

(P.S. Thanks for the shirt Jen! : )

It's a GIRL!!!!

We recently found out that our little Bam Bam is actually a Pebbles!!! Imagine my surprise, as I was beyond certain that we were having a baby boy. So much for Mothers Intuition!! ; )

We are extremely excited and just as nervous too... really it just makes it so much more real. This is a precious little person. Not just an idea or a plan for the future. Wow. That is a bit overwhelming. Not to mention that at some point, she'll actually have to vacate her current housing situation and be welcomed into the real world. Um... ouch.

All that aside though... I grow more and more excited each day. I definitely feel her moving now! It is still really subtle, and it can't be felt from the outside yet, but she is definitely in there moving around. It makes me feel good to know that. I have spent some time wondering what she is going to look like. I can't wait to see her precious little face... to kiss her precious little cheeks.

Needless to say, we love her so much already and we haven't even met her yet. I know this is going to be a love that neither of us can even fathom. I guess it'll help me to understand a little better what God, Our Father, feels for us. And that, in and of itself is just amazing.

Early

I don't like to get up early. I know that really isn't a surprise to anyone who knows me, but sometimes I just like to state the obvious. ; )

So, I had to get up early this morning, to cover the 6:30 am shift at the office. It is not something I ever relish doing. In fact, it makes me loathe getting up on Mondays even more than normal. However, once I actually get here, and I have an hour or so of peace and quiet before the rest of the crew come rolling in... I secretly like it. Just a little. Don't tell anyone. I also really like driving to work when no one else is on the road. And I really like going home around 2 pm... that right there makes it all worth it. So the moral of the story is this... I see a nap in my future.

Happy Monday!

I panicked.

Yep. You read it right. I finally panicked. It was a couple of nights ago, and I honestly can't put my finger on any one particular incident that caused it. I had worked an eight hour day (which doesn't happen very often). I had driven home in 5 o'clock rush hour traffic and come home to my sweet husband cleaning the kitchen and getting dinner started, which of course is the best thing in the world. But as I went upstairs to get changed, it just hit me. We're going to have a baby!!! WHAT!?! When did that happen? I mean, are you serious? I know God is all knowing, but does he really think it is a good idea to trust me with such a small, precious and delicate little life? No... he can't be serious. Can he? So I laid down in my bed and I cried. Poor Jeff... probably thought I "fell in" because after about 20 minutes he came looking for me only to find me curled up under the covers with a tear soaked pillow. I can only imagine his thoughts... "What am I going to do with this poor, crazy woman? I never know what I am going to find!" He truly is the sweetest man in the world though... he just let me cry and fuss and reassured me that I will be a good mother, that we'll do it together and that God won't let us mess this kid up too much. And then it was over.

So I wonder... how many more times will that happen before August?

Love,
Melissa

Happy Birthday Week!

It was Jeff's birthday this past weekend... we started our celebration the weekend before with a very impromptu trip to Cannon Beach. We love Cannon Beach. We spent our honeymoon there, and our first anniversary there and have made several trips back in between.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday. It was sunny, clear, blue sky, and no wind. By mid morning, it was warm enough to walk on the beach without our coats. It was heavenly. We had a good time standing in the sun and being amazed at the power of the ocean.


We are getting good at the self portrait:












Saturday night, we went to a dinner session at EVOO... a cooking "school" in town. Jeff had gone there with a work group a few years earlier and we have tried a couple times to get in on subsequent trips back to CB. They talk about how to pair food and wine, how to cook the meals and it's all prepared right in front of you. It was a fabulous meal and I am so glad we finally go to go together. I so look forward to going back when I can enjoy the wine selections as well!!!











We ended the birthday celebrations with a family party yesterday. I think Jeff spent most of the afternoon introducing the majority of the family to Wii Fit. I'm not sure who had more fun, him or the kids! See a selection of his birthday gifts below... Who's birthday was it again?












Happy Birthday Jeff... I love that I get to celebrate with you!!! XOXOXO