Christmas card 2011 + Christmas fun!

These cards should have hit mailboxes many days ago, so I wanted to share our 2011 Christmas card on the blog! If you didn't get one, I do apologize...I was working with our wedding address list, so I'm sure I overlooked some. No hard feelings, promise!!

Anyway, I used Shutterfly for our cards again this year, and I love the way they turned out! My favorite cards are bright and cheerful. And of course, I was so excited to get to include a baby girl in ours this year. I cannot believe she'll be the 8-month-old star of the show next year :)

Hope you like it!

Now for some Christmas fun in the way of a survey...

I saw this on Katie's blog and thought it sounded like a fun little addition to this post.

Play along if you'd like!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I like both, but I'd have to say hot chocolate with LOTS of mallows!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When we were kids, Santa always set up (or set out) our big gift and the rest were wrapped. Santa always left a couple gifts for us (plus stockings) and the rest were from mom & dad.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights on the tree, and I like either on houses.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I haven't before...maybe I should.


5. When do you put your decorations up? The weekend after Thanksgiving. I like to have time to enjoy them!

  

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Ohh, I love it all! Seriously, I don't think I can pick one...they're all yum.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? My parents always made Christmas really special for us, but I can remember making Funfetti cookies for Santa and hardly being able to sleep on Christmas Eve because of all the excitement. Christmas is so magical for kids, I love it! Another thing I loved was picking a child from the Angel Tree at church to get gifts for. We'd get them a want and a need, and I remember that always being so much fun to go shopping for!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I really don't remember. Obviously it was a traumatic experience! ;) Ha

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We do Christmas with Rob's mom on Christmas Eve, but with my family, no. We save it all for the main event!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Our tree is really colorful...all jewel tones and lots of glittery silver! I love a FULL tree, and our's is definitely that.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT! But we don't see much of it where we live, so that's why I love it so much. I'm sure if I lived in it all the time I wouldn't love it. We have a chance of snow today and Christmas Eve! YAY!

12. Can you ice skate? I haven't done it in a long time, but I could as a child, yes.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? In middle school I got my own phone line...I obviously thought that was AWESOME. As a child some of my favorites were littlest pet shop, Betsy Wetsy, and BARBIES!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being with family and truly celebrating the birth of our Savior. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, but it's so important to us to remember the reason we're celebrating.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Probably pumpkin pie.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Waking up Christmas morning, have a yummy breakfast with lots of coffee, Christmas music playing in the background, and being with my family.

17. What tops your tree? A glittery silver whimsical star.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I love both, but there's nothing better than seeing someone's reaction to a great gift!

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? I could take 'em or leave 'em.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Elf, Serendipity, The Holiday, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone

21. Favorite Christmas song? ANY song on the Amy Grant Christmas album. Love them all!

home-home

We've been lucky enough to get to spend some time home-home in Abilene this week, and we've had a lot of fun! Last Friday night Rob took his grandparents to Lubbock to see his brother graduate, so I third-wheeled it with my parents on their anniversary date.

They were celebrating 34 years!

Aren't they cute?

They are the greatest example to my brother and me of what marriage should look like, and we're so thankful to have grown up with them as our parents. 

I pray that we can do the same for our own children...it's the greatest gift.

On Saturday night, Rob and I went to the wedding of our friends Jay & Ashley!

dressed up & ready to go!

the gorgeous bride! she looked awesome.

my forever friend--anna

in case it isn't obvious, this is the bride's twin sister, Emily! love those girls.

*****

After the wedding, we went to hang out with coaching friends still at Cooper. I can't remember whether I ever mentioned it or not, but one of the coaching families bought our 'old' house in Abilene, and that's where we hung out Saturday. It's always funny to go back into that house now because it feels like I should still be living there. We only lived there for about 5 months, after all! Anyway, it was fun to be with everyone again...we always have a good time with them! :) Plus, 3 of us are preggo, so there's lots of baby talk.

*****

We're just hanging out and enjoying family and friends now! We're finished with Christmas shopping, and all the presents are wrapped. I'm so excited for Christmas this year! We even have a chance for snow on Christmas Eve! YAY!!

WILW!

What's NOT to love about this Wednesday?! It's no work and all play for us right now!

Definitely one of the benefits of working for a school district...gotta love it.

I'm loving that Christmas is basically HERE!!! Eeee, I love this time of year.

I'm loving that baby girl's bedding fabric has been picked! We also have an idea of a paint color and general direction for the room, so I'm excited about that! Can't wait to see it all come together.

I'm loving that I have a lunch date with 2 of my best girlfriends today at our favorite place! Now I just have to figure out if I want a chicken-avacado-sprout sandwich (g-free of course) OR an herbal rice burrito. Decisions, decisions.

I'm loving Falsies mascara. I'm one of those girls that buys a different mascara every time I need it...I rarely buy the same one twice, but I may just do that with this one! I love it!

I'm loving that every time we come to stay at my parents' house my mom has "bed-treats" for us! It may be something small like our favorite candy and soaps or something more, like this time...his and hers Christmas jams! I adore fleece pants :)

 I'm loving that my hubby placed this package under the tree. He seems to be very excited about his purchases this year, so I can hardly wait to see what he got me! I'll be sure to report back.

I'm loving enjoying easy reads like this one over this break...

 See my nail? I'm loving those, too! I got a shellac manicure yesterday, and I'm really hoping this one lasts better than my last ones have. I love how shiny my nails are!

I'm loving my sweet, adorable hubby, of course!

And I'm loving that we're getting to soak up time with loved ones right now! So wonderful.

What are you loving this week? Go to Jamie's blog to link up!

24 weeks!

24 week bumpage

How far along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: According to thebump.com Jaqs is still the size of a papaya! She's about a foot long and weighs around a pound and a half.

Total weight gain: I think I've hit the 10 pound mark. My January weigh-in may be a little scary after all the Christmas goodies I'm  we're about to enjoy ;-)

Gender: Baby girl!

Movement: Yes, lots of movement. She's the busiest around 8 in the morning then again around 10 p.m. It's so cool to watch my belly bulge as she kicks, flips and flops. Last night I got her to respond to me for the first time, too! I hadn't felt her in awhile so I shook my belly a little bit, and she started squirming around :) Daddy didn't like that I woke up baby girl, though. I won't do that when she's here, promise!

Sleep: Sleep is still good. I do wake up with numb hands more often than I ever have, though.

What I miss: Being comfortable in jeans is about the only thing I can think of! Thank goodness for leggings.

Cravings: I've had a major sweet tooth lately...no bueno.

Symptoms: Just the numb hands every now and then. I really can't complain, we're smooth sailing right now!

I didn't like my hair in this pic,
so how about a close-up? ;)

Maternity clothes: A combination of both.

Best moment this week: So much has happened in the last 2 weeks:

-Rob felt Jaqs move for the first time on December 8th. That was such a sweet moment...we were both so excited!

-She's also been giving her Pappa B "high-fives" and squirming around for Grammie since we've been home-home in Abilene. They love it. I think Jaqs already has them right where she wants them!

-Baby girl's crib is set up in her room....that's still crazy to me! 

-I have her bedding fabric picked out, and Rob's grandmother is going to make it for us. Now we need to find a gilder chair that we love.

-Realizing that I'm almost 6 month pregnant. My goodness! Time's flying.

c-wives christmas

One night last week, Cassi had the coaches wives over to her beautiful house for some Christmas and scarf swap fun! We always have a blast when we're together.

We all brought a favorite snack/dessert and a scarf to participate in a White Elephant exchange.

the 'big' girls

the 'little' girls

photo courtesy of lyssa...thanks girl! 

kendra-julie-vanessa-kim

kim-roxy-me-cassi-melanie

cassi and i rocking our new scarves 

our husbands are so lucky

I'm so grateful for each of these ladies, they make life a little sweeter!

We missed you girls that couldn't make it.

cribs, cookies & showers

This post is a bit delayed, but y'all know how this time of year is! Busy...and I love it!

My mom rolled into the Big T Friday evening, and as always, I was so excited to see her and spend the weekend with her! Friday night was pretty low-key...we just picked up Jaqs' CRIB, had some dinner, and relaxed at home.

Saturday morning Rob put this beauty together:

I love it! Her furniture is antique white, and the crib goes perfectly.

I can't wait to see how the room comes together :)

We also did some shopping then ventured over to Round Rock for Ikea, outlets, and Pei Wei! Ikea was unsuccessful, the outlets were okay, but Pei Wei never disappoints! And we did finish our Christmas shopping, so I can't complain too much. I also got to enjoy a gluten-free cookie at GAC, so I definitely had a successful food day. And really, what else matters when you're pregnant AND g-free, right? Right.

Sunday was the main event: Roxanne, my mom, and I were hosting a couples' shower for the soon to be Mr. & Mrs....Mike & Lexi! The party was at the Spradlin's house.

my beautiful momma

decor...

the bestie/bride and myself

hostesses

some really sweet friends: vanessa & cassi...looove them!

the happy couple

party people 

a few more party people

After presents, we broke up into the usual guy and girl rooms, (funny how that always happens) and things got a little silly as they tend to do with girl-talk. We had so much fun!

Roxanne later decided to make a cast of my belly out of foil...

And hung it on her tree! Haha...she keeps us laughing!

I think it's safe to say the couples' shower was a success! 

The groom got some tools, the bride got some home essentials, and everyone had FUN! 

We are incredibly blessed with awesome friends...I cannot say it enough.

confessions

It's Friday, y'all! WOOHOO! We have a fun weekend ahead, so I'll try to actually take some pictures to document it on the bloggity! Wish me luck.

I've been seeing some of my favorite bloggers (A Blonde Ambition) doing weekly confessional posts, so I thought I'd join in that fun and tell on myself about a few things...

-I might take the occasional mirror pic...so sue me! I wanted to show Mateya that I was wearing the scarf she gave me a couple years ago!

-On Wednesday night I was getting my night cap ready (chocolate milk, duh) so I could enjoy Modern Family with my hubby. Well, the chocolate syrup bottle farted not once, but TWICE and I went into hysterics. I'm talking ugly-crying-can't-talk because I'm laughing so hard. Rob just stared at me and laughed during my 5 minute spell. I promise I can be mature ;) 

I don't even know why I thought it was so funny...I'm sure Jaqs was annoyed I woke her up FOR THAT.

-Another night this week, Rob and I had a very serious conversation about candy bars. I mean, really serious. This was brought on by him mentioning he liked 3 Musketeer's. I find that to be the most boring candy bar ever. I want something with CARAMEL & nuts! Mmm, Snickers, Baby Ruth. 

-When I text or type my daughter's name, I often put "Jaws" rather than "Jaqs." I'm sorry, baby girl...I promise to try to eliminate that mistake by the time you're here! At least I haven't actually sent that error to anyone without noticing, right?

-We bought a 5 pound bag of Cuties on Sunday, and there's less than a pound left. I have been eating those things like CRAZY. So yum!

A little snack at work

-Rob and I have decided that we're like an old couple because we're fighting sleep before 9 every night on our designated couches. I blame it on the time change. My body is ready for sleep after 4 hours of darkness! It's only natural.

-I laugh daily at @90sgirlproblems on Twitter. Do y'all follow her? I can say, "yep, that was me" to about 95% of her tweets. I'm not alone, Kaila & I had a discussion about this one:

I definitely still have my beanie babies. Just waiting to cash in.

-Everyone in my family may (or may not) have a gift under the tree from Jaqs. She's just a really sweet, thoughtful girl, y'all!

-Yes I just typed Jaws again. MOM FAIL.

Have a great Friday!

22 weeks!

Change of scenery for Christmastime! :)

How far along: 22 weeks

Size of baby: According to thebump.com Jaqs is the size of a papaya! She's about 11 inches long and nearly one whole pound! What a big girl.

Total weight gain: Almost 8 pounds. I feel like I've gotten a lot bigger in the last couple weeks. Especially when I see pictures of myself...whoa.

Gender: Baby girl!

Movement: Yes, movements are becoming more consistent, and I love it. I read that she's sleeping about 12-14 hours a day, and I'm starting to notice that pattern. I can't wait for Rob to be able to feel her too.

Sleep: Still good. Thankfully her rolling around isn't keeping me awake just yet ;)

What I miss: Nothing really. Although, it will be nice when I don't have to google everything I do to make sure I'm not doing something harmful! Ha, for example, I found out this week I'm not supposed to use my OxyLight...dang it!

Cravings: I've been snacking on g-free pretzels with peanut butter all the time. I'm also loving cereal, mandarin oranges, and LOTS of milk! Not all at once, by the way.... ;)

Symptoms: Just some stretching/growing pains at times but that's really it. This part of pregnancy rocks!

Maternity clothes: I have one pair of maternity jeans, but I'm still working with the belly band for all my work pants. Hoping that will get me through the whole 9 months! Tops are mostly my regular ones, but I do have a few maternity tops as well.

Best moment this week: I had an appointment yesterday, so hearing her sweet little heartbeat is always amazing! We are growing right on track. I also scheduled the rest of my appointments for the remainder of this pregnancy...that's nuts! I only have one more monthly appointment in January, then we go to every 2 weeks. WOW! Time is really going to fly now. Baby girl's crib came in today, I can't wait to put it together this weekend and start arranging her room! Now if only we I could pick out fabric for her bedding...

I still can't believe we're going to be parents! Babe, when did we get old enough for this?!

what's in a name?

When we first found out we were expecting a sweet baby, we immediately started racking our brains for our favorite names. We knew we wanted something timeless and meaningful. 

As it turns out, naming a person for their whole life feels like a lot of pressure! But without further adieu, our baby girl's name will be....

Jacqueline Kate

We're going to call her 'Jaqs' (pronounced like Jacks) for short rather than the more traditional, Jackie. We wanted her name to be unique but still classic. Her Grammie and I have already started referring to her as Jaqsy and Jaqsy-girl though, so I'm sure she'll have plenty of nicknames :)

Jacqueline's first name is after my maternal grandmother...

And her middle name is after my paternal grandmother...

 I love both of these women so much, and we wanted to honor them in this way. 

I think it will be special for both of them to know that their great-granddaughter is named after them, and it is definitely sentimental to us!

Jacqueline means "may God protect." I love that. My prayer for her is that God will always protect her and that she will always look to Him for guidance and direction in her life.

Kate means "pure." Obviously she will be born without flaw, and it is my prayer that she remain pure and true to herself and our Lord throughout her life.