a Sweet Surprise

My baby sister is currently serving the United States Navy and is stationed in Hawaii. My family misses her terribly, and there isn't a day that goes by when she isn't in our thoughts and prayers. We were blessed to have her home for Christmas last year, and thats when this photo was taken. :)

I wish she was closer while Baby W was cooking. She is near and dear to my heart and having so far away is hard ... for us both.

Today, while getting ready to step out of the door I got a phone call asking if I would be home for a half hour for a delivery. Scratching my head I agreed to be home, and went about wondering what the delivery was, who was it from, and why was it for me.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door to find a very nice man holding these :

even the pretty vase is pink!!!!

I LOVE the polka dotted bow. Perfect for a scrapbook page ;)

AND

this yummy box of assorted chocolates. YUM!!!!!!!

I couldn't wait to read the note ...

BRING ON THE TEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't stop crying.

Oh sweet baby, your Aunt Jessica is the BEST! I can't wait for you to get to meet her, probably closer to your birthday. Then, we can all celebrate that she is home again for another visit.

I love you Jesser.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

19 weeks

The last week has been full of fun and adventure!

I am officially officially feeling the sweet little twitches of baby W. They are amazing and strange and more amazing all in one motion. I can't wait for David to be able to experience it.

I bought my first maternity clothes. :) A pair of jeans {that if I do say so, ROCK, and I may wear them once I'm not pregnant ;)} and two cute t-shirts. Knowing I'm going to have to get through St. Louis summers I am still hopeful to get a few dresses.

When I bought the clothes I was with my sweet friend Maryl. We had a lunch & shopping date, and oh my was it just what the doctor ordered. We went to Olga's in the mall and then to Motherhood Maternity. At Motherhood, they had a 3 month pillow in the dressing room. It is to make sure the sizes you buy will last throughout your whole pregnancy.

Oh man, IT WAS FUN!

This is Motherhoods prediction of my belly at 8 months. HOLY COW!

WOW! I'm not sure I'm ready for all that! LOL

This was the real belly at 18 1/2 weeks. Belly is growing, growing, and growing!!!

I haven't bought this dress yet, but I'm going back for it.

It was like wearing a t-shirt! :)

This last weekend Hubs, myself, Grandma Holschen and Grandpa Holschen went to the Moms and Me Resale at a local school. While I was hoping for a few more BIG ites, we did have some good luck at the sale.

I bought a pair of maternity shorts, and a maternity shirt.

onesies

bibs

a wood puzzle (for $1.00!!!!)

a carseat neck rest thingy

nursing pads

and I think there were even a few other things all for less then $20.00.

SCORE!!!!!!! 

:) I love a good bargain!

And the biggest thing coming up ... FINDING OUT IF WE ARE HAVING A BOY OR A GIRL!!!!!

I still feel very strongly it is a girl, but we shall see. Truth is, I am SOOO excited to know! 

EXACTLY 1 MORE WEEK OF WAITING!!!!!!!!!!!!

{and then let the shopping begin ;)}

Staining the Floors

Getting the house ready for move-in has seriously been so much fun. I have LOVED every minute of watching the progress!!! {perhaps that is also because there was a lot I couldn't do} :) Everyone was def sore after all the work they have been doing.

I am so super appreciative of everyone who has helped! The floors look amazing!!!! I can't wait to bring home Baby W to the perfect first home that we put so much love into!

The floors had A LOT of stains on them from before. Although we sanded and sanded and sanded, some of it just didn't come up. BUT, they are sooo wonderful!!!

Next is the second coat. 

:)

Now all that is left is putting on the polyurethane coating. It will make the floor shine a little, and put some protection on it. Then, painting, a few construction projects I plan to put Grandpa Holschen up to, and then moving in.

I AM STOKED!!!!!!!

Vacation Part 2

David and I had all kinds of wants for our Wisconsin Dells Vacation. What we didn't expect was such a big tourist attraction to have an off season. I know the Dells is known for their boat rides and outdoor activities, so I expected those to be closed ... what I didn't expect was the restaurants, and shops to be closed. It was VERY surprising.

BUT, despite the very off season vacation, we had a lot of fun! It was a very relaxing few days!!!

Waiting to take the tour at the White House Exhibit ... it was not what we expected, LOL.

Wisconsin Cheese Store! 

This was not the place we had the best cheese, but was fun to look around ...

A yummy family style rotisserie chicken dinner at Buffalo Phil's. 

Pretty unexpected deer on the side of the road during out hour drive to House on the Rock.

Despite every sign saying Open Year Round, they were closed. {LOL}

Where David works is much larger. ;)

A giant troll in a shop we looked at ... it was pretty cool, and reminded us of an underground troll we visited in Seattle a few year ago.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden, and would HIGHLY recommend it.

The service was friendly and great, food super yummy, and it has a BALCONY!!!!

The balcony wasn't used as much as we would like because it was COLD ... but the morning before we left was beautiful, and I couldn't help taking a few photos of my sweetheart!!!

**************

While on vacation I also noticed how much my belly is really growing. 

Here is my 17 week photo ... and baby is certainly there!!! :)

How far along {in photo}? 17 weeks in photo but 18 weeks today!

Cravings: SWEETS SWEETS SWEETS!!! anything and everything sweet! {LOL} Rice Krispy Treats, Banana Laffy Taffy (and even the occasional "illegal") Frozen Coke. ;)

Biggest Moment: 2 weeks away from finding out babys gender!!!!!!!

Movements: anytime now ... {hopefully ...} I maybe might of felt something this morning, but I'm not for sure ... I will keep you posted.

What I'm looking forward to: painting at the new house!!!!

Baby's Milestones: Many of the bones in baby's body are starting to harden. Among these first bones to develop is the inner ear which is part of the reason why baby might be able to hear sounds such as my heart beating or my tummy growling.

Vacation Part 1

If you know my husband, you know he is hot tempered, good-lookin' {wink wink}, and kind just to name a few of his amazing attributes. He is my absolute better half, and I can't imagine my life without him.

BUT ...

hehe


You don't have to be around him much to know he is a PACKERS FAN!!!!!

Not just an I like to watch on TV every now and then, but an all-out know their trivia, eat and breath packers fan.



SOOO, because I love him like I do, we took a very nice vacation together over his Spring Break to Lambeau Field and the Wisconsin Dells. This was our last vacation together just the two of us, and the time spent together was very special. :)



Here are a few highlights ...

David realizing we were very very close!

Our first view of the field after the long drive 

Lunch at Curly's Pub in Lambeau Field.

We had our first taste of Wisconsin Cheese Curds, and we really liked them!!

Got our tickets for the tour.

On the tour, this is David in the box seats.

Us on the field, it was COLD!!!

Inside the Hall of Fame with the trophies.

{45 wasn't there}

The trip was wonderful fun.

Watching my husband light up at every single corner made me so very happy. He was in his element, and being their with him was such a treat.

I will do more photos tomorrow of the rest of the trip!

Friends

David and I have been blessed with such dear friends!! During the last three years we have had the PLEASURE of getting to know Cory, Holly, and Cailyn Brown.

They have truly become part of an extended family to us. Cory led our small group at church through bible studies, we watched and prayed as they brought home their sweet daughter Cailyn, and we have taken vacations together, babysat, laughed, cried, and have too many memories to count.

Cory and Holly

Some of the most precious time we have had with the Brown family was our weekly Wednesday night dinners where we shared all kinds of stories, prayed for each other, and just enjoyed each others company.

Cory serves our great country as a Major is the United States air Force. If there is one thing I know about the Air Force it is usually every few years you move. That time has come for the Brown's. We are thrilled to see what God has in store for their family, because we know it is BIG THINGS. But we would be lying if we didn't say we will miss so many things about having our dear friends being so close.

\

Holly and I at the Creation Museum 

A couple of Wednesdays ago {sorry I got behind blogging from our vacation} we went to dinner at the Brown's house for Cory's birthday. We had yum yum yum burgers and curly fries and it was delicious! We spent the majority of the night eating, laughing and celebrating the blessing Cory is to so many people.

After dinner we went to the living room, and Cory and Holly presented us with two big bags of clothes. :) They think Baby W is a GIRL!!!!! {hehe} and they gave us two whole bags of the cutest clothes. Dresses, pants, shirts, I mean just the CUTEST clothes. I could of spent hours going through each of the pieces that night. They also blessed our family with the most wonderful pack n play, pack n' play sheets, and a Max Lucado book. David and I couldn't believe their thoughtfulness and every time we put our sweet baby to sleep we will smile thinking of them and our friendship.

Holly's 80s themed Mystery Dinner Birthday Party with friends!!

Cory, Holly, and Cailyn we thank God for the blessing your family has been to us. We pray God's blessings on you as you move, and look forward to coming to visit next year! Our home is always open to you,  so come back soon!!!!!

16 Weeks

This weekend was one of the busiest weekends I have had in a very VERY long time.

Hubs, Grandpa and Grandma Holschen and myself spent the entire weekend resanding the floors at the new house!!!! We took lots of pictures on my Moms camera, but now I can't find the cord to upload them. BUMMER! Hopefully I will have a wordless post with pictures tomorrow.

We spent Friday removing molding, Saturday ALL DAY learning how to use the sanding machines and doing step 1, and Sunday doing steps 2 and 3. The floors look AMAZING, and the next step is staining. I am seriously beside myself excited!!!

Here is a quick video. :)

I must tell you, I am LOVING dreaming of designing. Choosing colors, changing stains, it is EXHILARATING!!!! So for now ... here is a sneak peak! ;)

living room color:

with this highlight wall:

and this in the kitchen:

What do you think??

Do they blend well together?????

I'm 4 months preggo today. :) 16 weeks.

I'm just sooo anxious to feel Baby W move ... I hope it is soon!!!!

The most exciting news is that today is day 3 with NO MEDS and NOT getting sick. It feels AMAZING!!!!!! I'm finally more like myself :) WHOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! and, we leave for vacation Friday! I am so excited I can't even tell you!!!

We are blessed. So so so blessed!

Snuggles

Hubs and I are housesitting for Grandma and Grandpa Watson right now. It is always an adventure, but while pregnant it is heightened. LOL Getting use to all the animals, new house sounds, and of course someone elses bed is never fun, but add that with pregnancy brain and life has been very interesting!


I love there sweet little fur-babies though ...

Heidi is an all-out diva mini-dauchsand and goodness she is SPOILED. She doesn't really like me, but she tolerates me if I have food, or if I am the only one around. ;)

Gretchen is their sweet sweet german shepherd mix doggy. I don't know what all she is mixed with but she is as sweet as they come! She wishes she could be a lap dog!


They also have a cat Forrest who does his own thing mostly. Except in the middle of the night if he is outside he whines to come in, and if he is inside he decides to eat at the most ackward hours {usually right when I finally fall asleep} ;)

Today though Baby W was spoiled!!! 

She was completely doggie snuggled on both sides.

Harley is our dog on the left, and Heidi is on the right in the photo.

Days like today make sleepless nights kind of worth it ...

I said kind of ... ;)