State of the Thompsons

Roomies and Babies

2012-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I had the privilege of being with almost all of my college roommates (Chels we missed you dearly) and our babies. It seems like such a short time ago that we were discussing doing this someday and now it has actually happened. Its so weird to think we are all mommies. I had a blast and love love these girls so much and their kids are so cute!!

The whole crew (minus chels)

All the kiddos

Me and Linds. We get to see eachother most often of all the girls

Me and sweet Annabelle. She is the most precious little chunk!

I think Finn found his first girlfriend, at least she likes him.

17 Months

2012-01-22T19:26:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm finally over my anger. Last week I wrote the longest post ever and had tons of pictures uploaded and something went wrong with Blogger and it was all gone so here is a shortened version. I'm so unhappy with blogger, its impossible! My Baby is no baby any longer. He was 17 months old and he walks, runs, and talks like a little boy now. Here are his pics:

17 Months

Giving Stan a hug (stan hates this)

In his 17th month my poor Finn was really sick again. After he got over his cold and double ear infection in the 16th month, he then got Hand Foot and Mouth. You can even see some of the sores around his mouth in his pictures. He got a 103 temperature and felt terrible. He literally slept and laid in my lap all day long (and he is never still that long). It took a whole week before he started to feel better.
He weighs 26 pounds and is still wearing size 18 month clothes, 24 month pjs, and size 4 diaper. His pants are beginning to get to short :)
Finn got to spend 5 days with his Nana and Pops this month while we went skiing in Vail which will be a whole entire post. He did great of course and came home making elephant noises, signing "all done" and screaming just for fun.
He is becoming so much better at communicating. He isn't saying a whole lot of new words however he is making great facial expressions, babbling, pointing, and showing me exactly what he is talking about. One thing is for sure, he knows exactly what he wants.
He has been sleeping through the night like a champ. He usually sleeps from 8:00 to about 5:30 (yes, thats early) and then he takes one two-hour nap.
He still loves to eat and eats ALL the time. He is great with his fruits and veggies and breads but I wish he would eat more meat. He does ok but would rather eat other things.
Our major issue right now is that I can't get him to drink milk out of a sippy cup. I've tried a ton of diffrent kinds and he just doesn't like it. He loves milk but only out of a bottle which we only do in the morning and before bed. I'm afraid to just cut him off because then he won't get the milk. We've got to figure this out!

Also this month Finn's best friend, Tyler, turned one. He had a super cute 'Mustache Bash' party where all the kids wore ties and mustaches. Well, some kids wore mustaches but Finn wouldn't. Here is my precious little man in his tie:

Christmas 2011

2012-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm so late posting this but I actually have been trying to upload these pics for 3 weeks:

Christmas was wonderful this year. A few weeks before Christmas we met at Cade's family ranch for his big Thompson Christmas. It was fun to get away and relax with the family and eat and play games. That was the same weekend as my extended Mauldin family Christmas so I spent one afternoon in Abilene with my family. We got to spend Christmas day in town at my parents house. I was happy to be home because Finn and I were both really sick and generally unhappy. Even through Finn's yucky eyes and tears he spotted his new Cozy Coupe under the tree and ran to get in it. It just melted my heart. We didn't get Finn much beside that car and lots of goodies and an outfit in his stocking since he got so much from family. He got lots of books, a ride on truck (which he loves), a golf set that he is surprisingly good at, a rolling activity center, pajamas, and lots of little things. He banked this year. After Christmas I took him to the doctor and the poor thing has had a double ear infection as well as his cold moving into his eyes. Thankfully we are now all feeling much better. Here are some pics of our wonderful time:

We attended the Christmas Tree Lighting in Downtown McKinney and here are Cade and Finn in the petting zoo. Finn had fun seeing the animals, in the protection of his daddy of course.

At my Mom and Dad's house this is Matt reading to Finn and Haylee

Finn is wearing his Reindeer ears

This is Cade's Mom reading to all her grand babies. Of course Finn got prime seating for the book. Reading is his favorite thing ever!

Finn did really great at opening his gifts this year

He got a ride-on car and his cousin, Kinsley, wanted to steal it.


This is Christmas morning at our house. Santa brought him a car. Finn was very sick on Christmas day.

16 Months

2012-01-02T18:20:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late in posting this but I wanted to go ahead and get it posted for my own records. Finn is just becoming such a little boy these days. He does the funniest things like roll and around on the floor and laugh at himself. Here is my little boy:

Finn loves Stan so much. I can't really say the same for Stan but owell, haha.
Finn said his first sentence this month. He was standing at the bottom of the stairs holding on the gate and pointed upstairs and said "I go up" I was so proud of him.
He is saying more and more and his babble is becoming more understandable. I feel like he is making the right sounds and inflections. He is gonna take off talking up a storm at any moment.
He is still wearing his 18 month clothes but the pajamas are getting too short. He is wearing size 3 diapers and 4 night diapers.
He loves to eat and eats everything I give him.
He got several little ride on toys for Christmas and is so coordinated and great at riding and playing. Of course he still loves his ball.
The poor thing has been so sick this month, he has had colds and a double ear infection. He has actually done fairly well considering how sick he has been,
Finn now has eight teeth. He had a rough few days and I kept waiting for a tooth in the front to come in and we realized that he has a molar in now. crazy.
I really love this stage of life, he is so much fun!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

I was thinking today about what my New Years Resolution should be (if I'm actually going to have one) and I realized what a great year I've had. Although my year has been sleepless, it has been great. I have been blessed with a wonderful, loving husband who loves his family dearly and takes great care of us. I have a beautiful, healthy, smart, and busy son who has brought so much joy to my life. I have everything I've ever asked for and am spoiled to death. What a great life I have, I'm so thankful! So really, I have no true new years resolution this year. I already work out all the time and I'm not sure things will ever be the same after having a baby but I'm happy with myself. I have no professional goals unless teaching my baby to talk counts. However, I would like to write in my blog more and print more pictures that I take. I want to write more notes to people I care about and read my bible more. Lastly, I want my child to nap in his own crib (this is where all you mothers out there gasp in disbelief that this isn't normal at my house) Yes, its true, Finn naps in my bed but it was a result of survival skills during colic. I'm sure someone out there understands but he is completely capable of sleeping in his room for naps now, just like he does at night, and it will increase my sanity. Don't judge :)

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

"Go the F to Sleep!"

2011-12-09T18:31:00.001-08:00

Yes, very vulgar I know, but if you have ever had a child who hates to sleep, then that is the title to one of the funniest books you'll ever read. Google it. I bring this up because we are going through a stage (again) where Finn just doesn't want to sleep. Its about to drive me bonkers! Why is sleep his enemy? Its one of my best friends. At this very moment he is crying in his bed- I hate that but I don't know what else to do sometimes. Ok, so everyone pray that this phase ends soon.

On another note, I just wanted to share a few super cute pics of my little boy:

15 Months

2011-11-15T18:51:00.001-08:00

I took these pics several days ago but I'm behind in posting because Cade has been out of town and Finn and I both have been sick. Getting no sleep is no fun.

15 Months

This is pretty typical right now: throwing a fit, getting down, and running away

A few things about Finn right now:

He weighs 24 pounds and 3 ounces. I don't know how tall he is because I haven't been to his appointment this week yet. We upgraded to a size 4 diaper and mostly wearing all 18 month size clothes. Except for the shorts we wore today since it was 80 degrees in November! He fits best into his 24 month pajamas and his foot is still a size 5.
Finn has begun to run. Because of this, he doesn't walk anywhere anymore...he is always running. This also means we have had some epic falls lately.
He is beginning to express some frustration in ways that I'm not enjoying. When he gets really mad he will grab my face and yesterday he sort of bit me for the first time. This is no good and I'm trying to nip it in the bud right now. It seems he is most frustrated that he can't communicate what he wants even though he understands what I say.
Speaking of, he understands so much. I can't even list everything this month because I feel like he knows what I'm saying to him now. This is so fun!
He can be so precious and sweet. He loves to give hugs and he will caress my face sometimes when he is really tired. He loves to sit on the couch and read and lay his head on my shoulder. He also has the best sense of humor and is happy so much now. He loves to laugh, wrestle, tickle, play chase, peek-a-boo, chase Stan, and laugh all the time.
He still loves to play ball and these days, we spend a ridiculous amount of time reading books. He loves to be outside and I have to tell him no sometimes, like when its 6 am or raining.
He generally goes to bed really easy now and sleeps about 10 hours. He is taking one nap after lunch for about 1 1/2 hours to 2.
I haven't completely weened him off the bottle yet. I know I know, I should but I'm scared to because he is finally going to bed so good after his nightly bottle.
Finn technically has 5 teeth, which is late, but one should be through any day now. Because he is still teething he is putting everything in his mouth still which is why he is getting lots of colds. This has been so frustrating for us because I feel like he always has a runny nose and we've been to the doc several times lately.
Finn has his first real haircut this month. Here is a pic or two of the fun times:

During the haircut

The final product

I have a billion pictures that I need to get off my phone and post but we will save that for another time. Ta ta for now!

One of my Loves

2011-11-12T18:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Fall!

My LIttle Pumkin (or Shark)

2011-10-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween this year was so fun with Finn getting older. My little pumpkin was supposed to be a Shark for Halloween, however he hated his costume. I don't know if was that he was scared of it, it was way to hot, he hated it on his head or probably all three. On Sunday night we spent time at church at the annual Trunk-or-Treat. Our Small Group had a trunk and we did the bean bag toss, Finn loved putting the bean bags in the holes. Today, for Halloween, we went to a little Halloween Park here in Mckinney. Finn got to see some live animals, jump in a bounce house, and run around in a hay maze. Tonight, Cade and I sat outside to hand out candy to the kids in the neighborhood and Finn loved running around in the grass playing with his ball. Of course he wouldn't put his costume on again.

My Shark!

Freaking our about wearing it.

Dad and Finn walking around the Trunk-or-Treat

Playing with the bean bag toss. Looks like he is begging me not to put his top back on, haha.

dropping the bean bags in, he didn't get the toss part

Just hanging out

Me and my unhappy shark

Me, Finn, Cousin Kinsley, and Aunt Robyn

In the bounce house

He loved the dragon bounce house

In the Hay Maze

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL!

State Fair of Texas and then Roomate Weekend 2011

2011-10-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, my Dad took Finn, Haylee (my niece) and I to the State Fair of Texas. I have been talking about going since we moved here and I had still never been. I thought it was so much fun and the weather was perfect! We walked around and looked at all the fun booths, saw and petted the animals, ate corny dogs, chocolate covered strawberries and a funnel cake. I had a blast and I think the kids loved it too!

In front of Big Tex. He talks and it kind of scared Finn

In the animal barn. Finn got to feed and pet lots of different animals

Pops and Finn


Finn's serious face. He was checking out a water fountain

Then on Friday, I took off for Houston for our annual Roommate weekend and left Finn with Nana and Pops and Cade. I had such a great time seeing Chels, Linds, and Lyd (its never the same without you Lib). I loves these girls so much and I look forward to this all year. Its kind of funny because we hardly ever do anything but sit around and talk and go eat but it is so refreshing to get to catch up on every one's lives and just love on each other.

Me and Chels. I've known Chels the longest, since I can remember actually. It was so great to see her pregnant!

In our pajamas

We got pedicures

14 Months

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

14 Months. He won't sit still for even a second so this was the best one I got

Of course Finn and my dog Stan. He thinks Stan is sooo funny but I'm not sure Stan likes it that much.

He can get almost anywhere he wants to go these days, including getting off the chairs and couches, etc.

I can't believe my baby is not so much a baby anymore. Finn has transformed into a little boy in the last two months. He is so much fun and I love this stage of his life! Here are a few things about this month:

Finn is still super tall, taller than all his friends. He also weighs 23 pounds, 12 ounces which means he has gained almost two pounds since turning a year. He is still wearing a few 12 month clothes but really the 18 month clothes fit better. It needs to hurry up and get cold. He also is still wearing size 3 diapers but I've really been thinking about going up a size. I bought him some new shoes and his foot grew from a 3 to a 5 this month.
Finn is talking up a storm but still not saying much. I usually always know exactly what he wants though because he is great at pointing and making recognizable expressions. He does say mama, dada, dog, done, ball, banana, I think he says bath. He understand so much though. I can tell him to come here, go get his shoes, lets go take a bath, go upstairs, give it to Stan, lets go outside, do you want a snack or drink, playground, walk, don't do that, and much much more. I'm generally amazed at how much he understands.
He puked for the first time this month, on my couch. He put a plastic lid in his mouth that gagged him- yuck. I thought for sure it was too big to even go in.
He eats everything that I do these days but his favorite is banana.
He loves other kids and plays so well with all ages of kids
He is sleeping through the night and sleeping in until 7 or 7:30 sometimes. He also goes to bed so easy now. Night time isn't a struggle anymore and it is so wonderful! He can even spend the night at Nana and Pops house sometimes and does great
Speaking of Nana and Pops, he loves loves them, especially his Pops. He is going to be Pops fishing buddy someday
Of course he has been walking for a while now but he is beginning to run. He absolutely loves to play soccer with Cade, it is so cute
He is so happy these days. Of course he can still throw a super fit and is still very strong willed however he has a really sweet spirit.
He gives hugs now when I ask for one
He loves to play outside, go to the park, and take walks. He brings me his shoes and points at the back door all the time now.
He discovered bubbles at church this month so I bought some for home and he thinks they are so fun!
He still hasn't had a real haircut, besides the time I trimmed the top, and I feel like he really needs one but I'm having trouble letting go of that. haha
Did I mention he eats a ton!
His favorite toys are still all his bouncy balls and now his little soccer ball. He can entertain himself for hours playing with these. He also is getting into everything. He loves things in the kitchen and in my bathroom, including the dog food.

Like I said, I am loving this stage of Finn's life. Everything has gotten so much easier and he is actually fun to be with and he is so super cute!!

A small random post

2011-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today, I have been reflective for some reason. Many things have happened lately, not to me, but to others that I feel like just don't make sense. I also read a dear friends blog tonight that always makes me thoughtful and thankful. In light of these things, I am reminded that this world is not our home and that bad things do happen to good people sometimes but we have hope in the promise of our Lord. I am thankful for my life, my husband, my baby, my friends, and the security I have living in my little bubble.

My little Pumpkin

2011-10-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Hello world, I am still here. This month I have been reading several great book but most importantly "The Hunger Games". The moment I put Finn to bed I have been neglecting things, like my blog, and reading. Of course now I'm behind. I still have vacation pictures to post and tomorrow I'll post Finn's 14 month pics but for now here are some pictures of Finn at the Dallas Arboretum. Isn't he the cutest!!

13 Months

2011-09-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

When Finn turned 13 months, Cade and I were on our first vacation since Finn was born (which is a whole new post coming soon). My Mom and Dad kept Finn and they were thoughtful enough to take a picture of him for me on his 13 month day (sorry its fuzzy, I'll have to get a better one):


13 Months

Finn did totally awesome while we were on vacation in Cabo, Mexico. My parents said he hardly even cried., Sounds like he was better for them than for me, haha.
At 13 months:

Finn is still wearing his 12 month summer clothes even though they are getting snug, we are looking forward to all our new 18 month size fall and winter clothes. He is now wearing a size 4 shoe and still a 3 diaper.
He still eats a ton and eats all the time. He is a bottomless pit and loves everything I give him. He is totally on table food now and no baby food.
He started WALKING!!! It is the cutest thing I have ever seen!
He says banana, book, dog, mama, dada, nana, and a whole lot of gibberish. He is so stubborn though he only says things when he wants to, not on command
he points at everything. I like this because he can tell me exactly what he wants or what he is talking about by pointing at it.
He absolutly loves his Nana and Pops (my Mom and Dad) and I love this because it makes me feel good that he enjoys me leaving him with them.
He is so busy and moving all the time. Even in church!
He has begun sleeping through the night! This is the best thing thats happened to me since wine by the glass!! I feel so much better now that I'm getting a full night of sleep and I think he does too! He still wakes up about once a week but I'll take it.
His hair has gotten so long and has started to grow all over (no more natural mohawk) and he really needs his first haircut. That should be coming soon.

I've been having so much fun with Finn at this age. I finally feel like he is a normal baby, not so much a super cranky kid anymore. I'm so happy that he is past that really hard stage of his life and he is having fun. I feel so blessed to have him! Vaca post and pics to come...

Finns Birthday

2011-08-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun on Saturday celebrating Finn's first birthday with our family and a few close friends. We had his party as a rock star theme and it was fun to decorate for. We ate hot dogs and I made cupcakes. Of course Finn ate an entire hot dog, string cheese, a bowl of Mandarin oranges and then when it came time for the cupcake, he that that whole thing too. I can't believe how much he eats. He was such a great sport and was happy for the party and participated well. He helped open all his great gifts and had so much fun playing.

He isn't quite so sure about the fire

yummy!

Feeding Dad some cupcake

After eating the whole thing

My sweet One Year Old

Riding his new rocking horse


opening gifts

Family Pic

12 Months

2011-08-11T18:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday my Finn, Happy Birthday to you!!!! 12 Month, holy moly I can't believe I have a one year old!
I keep saying that every day just keeps getting better and better. Of course Finn still isn't sleeping through the night yet but he usually does about once a week. He is still what I would call a challenging baby but things are a million times better than they used to be. I feel like getting him to a year old is a huge accomplishment for me, funny I know! Of course there are many things that I want to remember and this time I'm going to use bullet points :)

This is the first month we've hit where he is wearing that size clothes. Yes some of his 12 month clothes are tight and he is wearing 18 month size pajamas and size 3 diapers. I can't wait to see how tall he is at his appointment next week. Wears size 3 shoes right now.
He still loves to eat, and he eats everything in sight. His fav is still bananas but now he gets to eat almost anything I do. He loves bites from my plate
He is starting to throw temper tantrums when I don't want him to touch something or do something (like crawl up the stairs). I'm going to have to read up on some good techniques for managing strong willed children.
He has begun to dance when he hears music and he is pointing at everything.
He "talks" baby talk all the time but still doesn't say much except mama and dada. He does understand a lot though.
He is so close to walking but just not doing it yet. He can stand in one place for a bit now and I bet he takes off very soon.
He absolutely loves his Nana and Pops, so cute!
His favorite toys are still his rubber balls. He will throw and roll them all over the house and chase them, he does this for hours every day. When Cade gets home they play soccer and Finn loves it. He is going to be some kind of athlete.
Diaper changing is such a challenge right now. He doesn't care if he is dirty and doesn't want to be still long enough for me to change it. ugg
He only has two teeth on the bottom and one barely poking through on top. He had terrible diapers for a week this month a fever a few days, no fun, so glad that's better.
Love my little boy and I'm already so proud of him!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man I know!

2011-08-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last year, on the way to the hospital (in between contractions of course) we were realizing that it was inevitable that little Finn would be making his big arrival on my husband's birthday. I thought it was awesome but I think Cade was apprehensive at first. No more special day all to himself. So even before I had Finn that night I promised Cade that this year, we would celebrate them separately and he could go first, not that he cared that much but I wanted him to know I thought he was still special. So this weekend we hung out with friends, got a babysitter for a nice dinner and a movie, and I just tried to make him feel special. I do have a gift for him but I'm giving it to him on Wednesday so I can't say what it is. Next weekend will be about Finn but for now, Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man I know. Cade is hard working and dedicated to the things and people he loves, he is generous, caring, outgoing, and deep down inside he is soft hearted, he loves deeply and forgives easily, he makes me laugh everyday, he loves his son and even my dog, he is unique and special to many people, everyone I know seems to vie for his time and attention, he loves his Lord, he is patience and grounded, he brings joy to my life and everything is right with the world when he is home. Love you sweetheart and Happy Birthday (old man)!

My Birthday Boys- on the first birthday they shared together.

11 Months

2011-07-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

I really wish I wasn't so behind in blogging. I feel like since I've had Finn I just haven't been able to keep up with everything that I'd like to post. Now we are all the way to Finn's 11th month. I also wish blogger would upload my videos because they are so precious. Please excuse my rambling in this post but most of this is for me to remember later about my big little boy.
He is becoming such a big boy. He is walking holding on to everything and I think I have hand prints on everything in my house now. I think Finn is going to take off walking any day now. He still crawls all over the house and chases his ball all day. He is not saying many words yet. He says Mama and Dada and lots of other sounds that I have no idea what they mean. What he does best is eat. I think he has a hallow leg because he eats a ton and would eat all the time if I let him. He is pretty much on all table food now but I still feed him baby food sometimes when we go out because its easier. He really wants to feed himself though. He thinks he is such big boy. What I really love is that he loves his daddy and thinks Cade is sooo funny. They make me laugh. He also loves to watch Stan even though Stan doesn't want much to do with him. He is wearing his 12 month size clothes and they fit great now, I hope we make it to the end of the summer because i don't want to buy anymore this summer. He is still very tall for his age. This month Finn got his first haircut and he looks so cute!

First Haircut

This is what most of my pics looked like this month, he is so interested in paper

super happy boy

Stan really hates taking these pictures, Finn doesn't get to touch him much

I can't believe my baby is about to be 1 year old. It really has gone by fast and every day gets more fun.

A Hairy Situation

2011-06-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday, Cade has been out of town since last Wednesday morning. That is 6 full days with my teething child alone. I feel like my nerves are on end. I usually do really great when Cade is out of town, but this time has proved to be a little rough. Also, Cade missed his first Father's Day. I have several surprises for him when he gets home here in a few hours. For his gift, I totally organized his closet. I got him shoe racks, reorganized his clothes, I bought wooden hangers, and the coolest bench with storage in it so he can sit and put on his shoes. I hope he loves it.
The other surprise I have for him is that I cut about 12 inches off my hair!! Ahhhhh can you believe it?!? I haven't had my hair this short since I was 5 years old. I did it about 3 days ago and I think so far I might like it long better but I donated my hair to Locks of Love which I feel good about. I hope this will just be a good change for a while. I just really really hope Cade likes it! My Mom took some pics for me:

Before

After

10 Months and LOTS of updating

2011-06-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

I hate being so behind in blogging because I've had so much to share this month. It has been a combination of my slow Internet problems and when I did get on, blogger was having trouble uploading my pics. So here goes lots of updating. Lets start at the end, here is my sweet little Finn's 10 month pictures:

There is a special surprise in these pictures that you can't see: Finn finally has a tooth. One of his middle bottom teeth is coming in. I figured it out after being up almost all night 3 days ago. He has been extra cranky because of it. I feel like this has been the best month we've had yet though. Finn sleeps through the night (8-5:30) about once or twice a week now and I'm not feeding him in the night anymore. He is so much more fun to play with now and is all over the place. He is crawling, standing up on everything, walking around the ottoman, in my cabinets, drawers, laundry, and under the chairs and table or really anywhere he can get to. He weighs a little over 20 pounds now and my arm muscles are really great now. He is "talking" all the time now and so he only needs his passy at sleep times. He still isn't napping well in his crib but that's a whole another story. His hair is so long now that the mohawk is officially gone and I'm thinking he might need a haircut soon. He is eating almost everything and feels like he has to eat any time anyone else is eating, even if he just ate. He is my little disposal because he would eat everything all day long if I let him. He is so tall now that anything that has feet in it has to be at least 12 month size or bigger. He wears almost all 12 month sizes. His favorite thing to play with is his ball and he chases it all over the house. He also loves to go to the pool, ride in his stroller, and he does great at the mall (haha). I'm liking that he is understanding me more and more. I'm excited about the things that will come soon like walking and saying more.
Now on to other things from this month. I think I'll show you in pictures:

In my Laundry

He loves to be under the chairs, I pull him out from there about 7 times a day

Memorial Day: in the baby pool

playing with Dad in the pool

Playing in a tree house at his cousins birthday party

passed out with Dad on the couch

crawling under his walker

trying to walk up Stan's dog stairs

his favorite chair

He loves to play with the basket


He had to get his finger pricked for a blood test, see the bandage.

trying to eat his stroller

Hopefully that will help get me a little caught up with blogging. I still wish i would have written about our trip to Abilene, his first time to stand up, the tooth drama, etc but this will have to do for now.

This isn't YouTube, it's my life!

2011-05-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Finn is 9 months old!

2011-05-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

I think I say this every single month but I just cant believe I have 9 month old child. I still feel too young to have a kid sometimes. Every day is getting better with Finn, He has been happier and getting more fun to be with each day. He now smiles all the time and just chatters away . Its so fun to watch because he obviously knows what hes talking about and is so expressive. Him and Stan are even getting along better. I think Stan just decided that he likes Finn. This has been an epic month though for Finn and his development. He is all over the place with his weird crawl which I don't think is going to change, he is talking up a storm, and eating everything in sight. He has become very coordinated too this month. We sit and play ball, which is his favorite toy right now. He also picks everything up, including his food, and thoroughly inspects it. He is also completely weened which is such a blessing for me! He loves his bottle now. This month he also hasn't used his passy that much during the day. He would much rather be talking that sucking on his passy, that makes me happy. He still uses it of course when he is tired or at bed time. He has always been such a serious baby but lately he has gotten so tickled that he just belly laughes and that just warms my heart to hear. The poor baby still has no teeth which is such a tragedy because he is ready to eat so many things that I'm afraid to give him. These days when Cade comes home from work Finn is so excited to see him and takes off after him to get a big daddy hug. And last but not least, he is outgrowing his mohawk. His hair is actually growing on the sides now and the top is getting so long. I'm going to miss it. Here are some pics of my precious 9 month old:

My sweet 9 month old baby

His little closed mouth smile

Finn and Stan being friends. And of course Finn attacking my sign.

My First Mother's Day

2011-05-10T18:02:00.000-07:00

To begin, I'd love to let the world know that I have the best Mom ever! She is kind, loving, patience, giving, and has been a wonderful example for me. You should all be jealous because she is so awesome. Love you Mom!

I had a wonderful mother's day weekend! I have been kind of sick this past week so we laid low on Friday night and went to bed early. On Saturday, my brother and family came in town and I got to hang out with them and my parents. On Saturday night Holly and I got to go see a movie together. That was so fun to get to spend time with her! We saw 'Something Borrowed'. It was a good movie. We had both read the book and I actually didn't like it very much but the movie was entertaining. Definitely a girl movie. Cade did a great job putting Finn to bed for me (especially since he takes a bottle now- hallelujah). On Sunday, we got up and went to church and had lunch at my Mom's house. We had ham, twice baked potatoes, fresh green beans, fruit salad chocolate cake, and chocolate covered strawberries, it was super yummy. Mom and Dad made me and Holly feel so special and gave us each a charm for our Pandora bracelets. Then, Cade and I went home for Finn's nap time and to relax a little and then we were off to have dinner with Cade's family for his mother.
Cade was so sweet to me. He and Finn gave me a beautiful necklace that has their birthstone (since they share a birthday) a diamond in the middle and my birthstone on the other side. It was so thoughtful and sentimental. I feel like I did something special by having Finn and they certainly made me feel that way. Here are some pics of our day:

Me and my sweet Finn

My Family

My Mom and all her babies

Easter and the best week ever!!

2011-05-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I left my camera at my in-laws house so I'm just now posting about Easter. On Saturday, we celebrated with Cade's family. Everyone was there. We ate a wonderful lunch together, hunted eggs outside and let the kids play all afternoon.

Our Little Family

Finn and his beloved egg

Kinsley and Finn. All the cousins on that side of the family have a cousin that is their age and Finn and Kinsley are cousin buddies.

On Sunday, we went to church of course and then my parents came over for lunch. We had a yummy brisqet. Of course I had an Easter basket for Finn and my Mom brought one for him too. Excuse how bad the picture is, I had to take it with my phone:

Now on to the best news I've had in a while. I think Finn is weened!!! Finn took a bottle for the first 5 months of his life and just decided one day he wasn't going to anymore. Since then, I have been trying to give him a bottle every single night. I had also been told maybe that's why he wasn't sleeping very good since my milk supply was dwindling. This may sound funny but I have literally been praying and begging God for Finn to take a bottle because I really needed some sleep but also I needed some freedom from him and nursing him. The day after Easter, he took a bottle and has been taking it ever since. I actually teared up the first time and Cade laughed at me. A few days ago I quit nursing him totally and I'm so happy. I feel like this is such a blessing because I could leave him during "meal" time with someone or even Cade and not have to worry. I was also worried he wasn't getting enough nutrients from me. Of course right now I'm feeling the effects of stopping nursing but the good thing is I can take whatever medicine I want- yeah!!!! Also this past week he has been sleeping so much better. Not all night some nights but we are making so much progress. I feel so incredibly relieved that this time in my life of feeling helpless with him is going to pass!! Praise God for Finn's progress!

Have a great week my friends!

New pics of my sweet boy

2011-04-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

I had a few new pictures taken of little-man and thought I'd share. Isn't he the cutest!!

8 Months, and The Easter Bunny

2011-04-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Its true, on the 10th Finn was 8 months old. I think I say this every month but its hard to believe. Life is getting better every day though at our house. Finn has been so much happier these days. of course we still have a bad day or two. He still isn't sleeping through the night and every once and a while we have a really rough night (getting up 5 or 6 times). I have no idea what to do to make him sleep better, I've tried everything. I think this is something he is just going to have to grow out of. I look forward to a full nights sleep though.
Recently I have noticed that he is developing so fast. He is getting so smart. He will mimic me when we play with is toys. He does not want to be fed anymore, he wants to do it all by himself. That really means that he is a total mess but happy. I've had to give him a bath every night because he gets so dirty. He generally doesn't say too much but he can make all the sounds he is supposed to now and he says "ma ma" the most. I love it. All his summer clothes that we are wearing now are 9 or 12 month size. He is just so long. I can't wait to see how tall he is at his appointment next month. His mohawk is getting so long that it is kind of crazy now but I still like it. We get compliments on it everywhere we go. I've noticed that he is a people watcher and observes everyone in the room. He does really well when there is a lot going on around him. However, he is still a mommas boy and needs me to be close. I'm trying to break him of this but he is still super stubborn. He is still on a bottle strike even though I try to give him one every night- so frustrating!! I did buy a sippy cup though that he likes better so we have been working on using that more. Lastly, he is crazy! He isn't crawling yet but he is so so active and moving all over the place. He is army crawling across the floor and rolls everywhere. He can get pretty much anywhere he wants to go and he always wants to go somewhere. He is a very very active kid. He walks all over the place in his walker too. Because he is so active, its hard to get him to sit still so here are the worst pictures I've taken yet. Also, my camera flash was bothering him this time he kept looking away. Enjoy my terrible picture, this was the best one if you can believe it:

And lastly, my girlfriend and I took our boys to see the Easter Bunny. I thought he was a little creepy myself but Finn wasn't scared. He kept sticking his tongue out and turning around to look at the bunny so we had a hard time getting a good picture (I hope this isn't going to be a theme). Enjoy:

Firsts...

2011-03-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Finn has had a month of firsts. To begin this month, Finn has had his first cold. Poor baby, it was terrible. Actually is was terrible for both of us because he was so congested that he had trouble sleeping and woke up every hour in the night for about 10 days. I almost went crazy. The Sunday night before he woke up sick he was so tired (I guess already getting sick) that he feel asleep sitting strait up in his daddy's arms:

The weather finally got nice enough for me to walk outside with Finn. Of course I did this last summer after he was born but he didn't even realize we were walking. He loves it now. He loves to look around and see all the other people. I usually walk by the park at the end of our block and Finn got to swing for the first time recently:

Swinging

Asleep after a long walk

Finn has gotten so long that he now can't fit into his baby bathtub. So this month he also got to take his first "big boy" bath. I found a super cute bath mat at target that looks like a frog so he won't slip. He did really great and sat up wonderfully:

First bath

For a while, Finn had no desire to sit up. He could sit up but would just prefer to lay down and roll around on the floor. Now he loves to sit up, also, he now trys to sit strait up in everything including his stroller and bouncy chair:

Lastly, I'm hoping that I'll get to say he crawled for the first time soon. He is trying so hard so I don't think it will be long. He also loves loves his walker. He walks all around the kitchen area and bar in it. He also had decided that Stan is so funny. He watches Stan walk around and play all the time and he just laughs, it is so cute.

I specifically remember stating before Finn was born that my blog was not going to only contain information about my child because that drove me crazy when my friends did that. Haha, I guess I didn't realize that I was going to spend every moment of my life caring for Finn and that I have no information of significance that doesn't include Finn. Anyways, happy week!!

7 Months and random happenings

2011-03-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Finn is now 7 months old. I think I say that every month. This past month has been much better than previous months. Finn is starting to be much happier and he smiles much more now. The best thing though is that he goes to bed at 8:00 and I just put him in bed and he goes right to sleep. This is such an answered prayer because fighting him to go to bed and struggling until midnight some nights was really starting to wear on me. I now get to have some time to myself every night. Finn is now allowed to eat table food and he loves it. I still feed him lots of baby food because we are starting slow since he has no teeth however, he has loved everything I give him. He realizes now when we are eating and thinks he needs to eat too. He has just about outgrown most of his 6 month clothes and he actually has a few 12 month pajamas that fit. He is just soooo tall. Today I took his 7 month pictures and he loves paper so I had a really hard time with my sign. He wouldn't quit trying to eat it so I didn't get a really good picture.

Right before he ate my sign

Stan and Finn (Stan doesn't want to do this anymore)

Finn is so serious all the time.

Finn loves to play much more these days. He also loves to go on walked and go shopping. I think he just loves to be around people and watch everything that's going on. The other day we went over to the shivers so Finn could play with his best bud Ty:

Ty and Finn.

Big Hug Mom! He is sitting up so much better now.

Finn LOVES his books but his favorite things are my cell phone and the remote control (just like a man)

His Mohawk is getting so long. I tried to comb it down but now it won't.

The one big hurdle we have left with Finn is weening him. He just won't have anything of it and is still on a bottle strike. I've tried everything, different bottles, sippy cup, four different formulas, Karo syrup, etc, and nothing works. I''m so tired of breastfeeding and I really hope in the next few weeks we can overcome this. Although my sweet baby is probably the most stubborn baby on earth, I love him dearly and I feel richly blessed.

Have a great week!

Updates on life

2011-02-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Since my last post Finn has been to his 6 month doctors appointment. He almost weighs 17 pounds and is 28 inches long. He is a super tall boy and is now wearing his 9 month clothes. Of course I still make him wear his 6 month stuff because I don't really want to buy more winter outfits but they are all too short. He has started sleeping on his side and loves to touch everything he can reach. He loves things that are different textures. We can now start table food but I have very slowly begun this process.
Thanks to all you ladies for your encouragement and advice. Believe it or not, I've literally tried everything that was suggested. The sleeping is getting better now actually. I've been letting him cry now for about two months and its working!! He has slept all through the night twice and last night I layed him in bed and he cried for under a minute! Now to tackle nap time more vigorously. I can only handle one mountain at a time. I've also quit trying to ween him right now. He went on a total bottle strike. I wouldn't even put anything in it, just get it out of the cabinet, and he would start screaming. He won't even take it with only breast milk in it. So for now, I'm taking a break and in a week or so I plan to try to continue the weening process- so frustrating.
Believe me, I had about an hour conversation with my pediatrician (who I love) about Finn. He said that unfortunately some babies are just really difficult. He did give me some good tips but mostly it was just good for me to be reassured that I really am doing things "right" he just responds differently than most babies. He said keep it up and this phase will pass. I pray it passes more quickly. Since becoming more vocal about my little monster I have since found out that I'm not the only person in the world with a baby who fights everything. Having a difficult child doesn't make me a terrible mom. In fact, I've decided that I work harder as a Mom than pretty much everyone else I know since he takes so much effort (no offense ladies).
As for other happenings in the Thompson household, C and I went to Sing Song last weekend in Abilene. I haven't been to Sing Song since I was actually in school. It was fun and always good to see friends and family.
Cade and I have also gotten involved with a company called MonaVie. We have seen a great opportunity with this company and we have had so much fun doing this together in our free time. You should check it out!
Lastly, I am a super bargain shopper even though I have expensive taste so I have must share my latest buy. The Dillards in my area is new and so not as many people go there as some of the other ones in the area and so they always have great stuff at sale time. They were having their usual 70% off sale but they did an additional 40% off of that. I bought two new tall leather boots that were originally each over $200 for $23 each. jackpot!
Have a great weekend!!

The end of my rope! HELP!!!!

2011-02-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Don't get me wrong, I love my baby more than I thought possible but I'm almost to the end of my rope. So for the first 3 1/2 months of Finn's life he had colic. Just in case your unfamiliar with that term, it basically means he cried ALL day long and no one has answers for why. Super exhausting and frustrating. At 3 1/2 months that stopped. The rest of the month was wonderful bliss. Then, around 4 months of age, Finn has decided to stop sleeping. For the last two months I have been doing everything I know to do to get him to sleep. We are now letting him cry for hours every night. On top of that, my milk supply is leaving me and so I've been desperately trying to get him to take some formula for the last three weeks and he refuses. I know he wakes up because he is hungry but he won't take anything. On top of all that, he still doesn't nap well, especially in his bed. I've read every book out there and tried everything I can think of. Everyone keeps telling me he needs to be on a schedule and he is. I do the same thing every day at the same time. Sometimes he cries through his entire nap time and gets no sleep.
So...I'm at the end of my rope. I'm exhausted and I'm now emotional and I'm beginning to think that I'll never get a good nights sleep. If anyone has any creative advice I'd gladly try anything (or if anyone owns a tranquilizer gun, just kidding).

Finn is 6 months old!

2011-02-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its been 6 months! Some days I feel like it was just yesterday and some days I feel like its been forever. Finn is so active now. He is making all kinds of noises, playing with all his toys, and I expect him to crawl very soon. He loves to roll around and he has just started sleeping on his side (when he finally sleeps). Here are his 6 month pics:

Getting a good picture of Finn and Stan is like herding cats, nearly impossible. Stan is Finn's favorite thing right now and Stan wants to have nothing of it.

I think Finn is trying to get a Valentine's Day date in this picture.

This was right before he ate my sign :)

Finn's best friend has arrived!

2011-01-18T15:24:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Shannon had her precious little son yesterday. We've been anxiously awaiting his arrival and we are so happy that he is totally healthy. Finn is so excited that his new best friend is finally here. Here is Cade and I, Finn, and Tyler Reid Shivers:

Welcome to this world little man!!

Finn's 5 Months Old, and lots of other things

2011-01-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

I have no idea how you other Moms do it!! I just can't keep up with my blog right now! Maybe its because my child never sleeps and needs attention all the time :)
So I never updated again after last months doctors appointment. Finn is tall and skinny just like his mom and dad. He is in the 45th percentile for weight and the 91st for height. I just laughed at that. Since his 4 month check up though we have been adding foods to his diet. He eats rice, oatmeal, squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I introduced peas the other day and he hates them so much that he won't even swallow them, he just gags. Tonight he is going to have green beans. I would bet in the last month he has gained two more pounds. He feels like a chunk and he eats all the time. He is so much happier now that he is fuller. I am loving the stage he is in right now. He is wanting to sit up all the time and can do it by himself for a minute or so before he falls over. He talks all the time and is quite opinionated. He puts everything in his mouth right now and I think he might be teething. He sleeps upstairs in his crib now even though he doesn't really want to. Last night he slept for 7 1/2 hours, that's the longest stretch so far (of course that was after it took me 2 hours to get him to sleep). Here is my precious son yesterday for his 5 month pics:

This picture makes me laugh. It is so obvious that Stan doesn't want to be there, he is hiding. Finn grabs his hair sometimes now so he wasn't thrilled about sitting by him. Also notice how my sign is all messed up--Finn tried to eat it!
We had such a great Christmas this year. We celebrated first with my family and then Cade's family came to our house. It was great to be with family and have Cade home from work for a while. My mom and dad got me a new set of silverware and some new brown boots. I was so excited!! Finn got new toys and clothes that he really needed. He is so tall now that he is out growing everything he had. Cade and I didn't buy each other gifts this year (we got each other a child this year-haha) We figured we buy ourselves things we want all year long so we would just buy for others for Christmas. Of course we did stockings, they are my favorite!

Candlelight Christmas Service

Finn Loving his food

Mom and Dad got the kids their own chairs for their media room.

Me and Finn

Cade and Finn about to open presents. Finn LOVES his daddy!

Me and my furry baby, I can't leave him out. He is wearing his super cute Christmas sweater :)

We also had a great New Years. We were invited by Cade's cousin out to their family ranch. We spent 3 days just relaxing, playing games, eating, and spending time together. Of course this week Finn has been kind of crazy since he was off his schedule and I'm trying to get him to sleep upstairs all night by himself.

I'm really looking forward to this coming year. I can't believe its already 2011! I'm loving being home with my child. I'm loving working on my J Hilburn business and I plan to grow it this year. I'm loving my husband more and more each day, if that's possible. I love that all my clothes fit again and I feel totally back to normal again. I just feel richly blessed and have everything to look forward to this year. Maybe I'll have more time to blog...

4 Months and Santa!

2010-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my little Finn is 4 months old now and not so little anymore. He is getting so tall! I go for his 4 month check up tomorrow and I can't wait to see how much he weighs. He wants to sit up all the time now and I think he'll be sitting up by himself soon. My life has begun to change for the better in the last two weeks. Finn has finally quit screaming and crying in the car. That was really rough and it kept me from leaving the house sometimes because I just couldn't take it. He is smiling and laughing so much more but most importantly he isn't freaking out in the evenings anymore. We are able to go places, see friends, go to small group, and basically have some of our sanity back. I was beginning to feel guilty that I wasn't enjoying him but now I'm having a lot of fun (still sleep deprived sometimes but way more fun). I think I'll keep him. Here are his 4 month pics, he was so cute and smiling and laughing at me this month:

One day last week Cade came home from work early and we headed up to the mall to see Santa. Luckily my Mom had dropped by that afternoon and brought him a cute Christmas shirt. I was so proud of Finn, he didn't cry at all, of course I couldn't get him to smile but I as happy with no crying.

Lastly, all my family and friends have been super busy this year having babies. Finn isn't even the youngest cousin in the family anymore! We are so excited to meet my Cousin-in-Laws baby boy tomorrow! We got to have a fun shower for her two weeks ago at my house. Also, last Saturday I hosted our church's baby shower for my friend Shannon. Finn is so excited for his friend Tyler to get here in January.

Shannon and her hostesses

I love love love Christmas and I'm super excited about all the fun events over the next two weeks. We've got Christmas parties, our church's Candlelight Christmas Service, celebrating with my big family, my immediate family, Cade's family, and then we have a fun weekend planned for new years. I love the holidays!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-05T10:48:00.000-08:00

This Year we had Thanksgiving Day at my parents house. Matt, Holly, and Haylee were there and my Mom cooked a yummy turkey,dressing, and all the fixings. I ate way too much but it was wonderful. My favorite part about Thanksgiving this year was that Finn laughed for the first time at the table in front of my whole family. It was so wonderfully cute!
My Mom bought matching Christmas outfits for Finn and Haylee. Of course we had to try to get a picture and this was the best one we could manage. Finn doesn't sit up yet by himself and Haylee is super wiggly so getting a picture was pretty tough.

Mom and her Grand babies. Its hard to tell but Finn's thanksgiving outfit says "I'm Stuffed"

My little family

I'm really looking forward to celebrating Christmas this year since I now have a child like everyone else in our families. Finn has been such a big boy lately. He loves to sit up but still can't on his own. He sits in his bumbo seat or I prop him up against things now. His colic is getting much better. He has been a much happier baby and smiling and laughing a little. He hasn't been sleeping that great the last week or so but I think he is just hungry. I'm holding out until we go to the doctor next week to start rice cereal and what not. I think he probably weighs 15-16 pounds now. He's huge! I can't believe its possible to love a little person so much!!!

Finn Sitting on the couch (Lib-this pic is for you)

I'm so behind!!

2010-11-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have so much that I wish I would have posted in the last month but now I don't have time to do all of it. I really hate that my blog is being neglected due to my sweet baby. So Finn is three months old and week or so. He has really started to be more fun. He is making all kinds of fun noises, making cute faces, grabbing toys, and smiling a lot. However, he is still pretty difficult in the evenings and still hates being in the car. He is getting better though and I'm really looking forward to next month when I hope I'll be able to start feeding him some cereal or give him juice to help his tummy troubles. At his two month appointment he was in the 80th percentile and he is still growing like a little weed. I usually put him in 6 month old clothes because he is so long. I have a feeling he will be a tall boy! Here is his three month old picture. He was saying something to me, not sure what of course:

Everywhere I go, people tell me how pretty his big blue eyes and long eyelashes are. I love that. Of course I think they are great too!
For Halloween this year Finn was a banana. Cade really didn't like that but I waited so long to get his costume that you just have to make due with whats left. I actually thought he was precious! It wasn't cold enough though by Halloween for him to wear it for very long. Finn is a little hot body.

My banana!

I was really worried how Stan would take it when I brought Finn home. The first month, he was really stand off-ish but now, he loves Finn. I put Finn down on a blanket while he was sleeping and Stan went to lay by him. Sometimes when I'm in the shower Finn will be crying in his bouncer chair and Stan will go over and lick his feet. I keep reminding Finn that Stan is my dog!

Looking around.

A new funny face he makes now.

I really feel like I'm settled into being Finn's mommy. Although he is just unruly sometimes, I have gotten so much better at calming him down or just loving him while his tummy hurts. I have tried to get out a little more even though he cries sometimes. The last two weeks we have been working on getting him to sleep in his own bed upstairs (instead of the bassinet) and we are making progress :) That was harder than I thought it would be.

Right now, I'm really looking forward to the holidays. Now that Cade and I have Finn, everyone in both families have kids and we won't be left out of any festivities. This Thanksgiving I feel like I have so much to be thankful for. I am so richly blessed.

More pics and updates to come :) Oh yes, I'm also reading President George W Bush memoirs and I'm loving it! I'll post on that too when I finish it.

The beginning of a smile...

2010-10-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

For the first time last week, I feel like Finn is actually smiling at me. Of course he has been smiling for a few weeks now but at random times and he is usually looking at something off in the distance. Now when he is happy and I talk to him or tickle him he is actually smiling. Enjoy the video!

I also want to share something that I'm not really sharing for anyone but myself. My baby is super cranky in the evenings. He has nights that he just cries and freaks out for hours. I feed him, change is diaper, bath him, rock him, hold him, put him down, pick him up, cool him off, warm him up, sing, dance, and basically stand on my head to get him to stop crying and sometimes there is just nothing you can do. I guess the medical community might call this "colic" even though no one knows a cure or why. I just want to share this because its hard to go anywhere at night or take phone calls when your child is screaming. I feel like many of my friends think I have abandoned them and that's not true. I also think the last two months have been challenging for my ego as a new mother. When your child is unhappy and you can't make him happy you feel helpless but mostly you feel like your doing something wrong. I'm the Mom, I'm supposed to have all the answers right! I think I have let myself feel judged by others even if in reality, they aren't judging me at all. If they are, they probably have no kids. I share this now because I have finally gotten to the point where hours of an unhappy Finn doesn't bother me so much. I know that I'm doing the best that I can. I know that this time will pass. I know that someday I'll be able to go somewhere without my child crying. I know that my friends will understand someday when they have kids. I know that I'm a great Mom and it isn't my fault if my child is opinionated. Hopefully it means he's really smart! Although it is challenging, I'm also trying not to wish this time away. I want to enjoy every moment, even if hes crying. Someday, when I'm able to go anywhere I want and do anything I want again, I'll miss my baby Finn. Ok, just wanted to get that off my chest.
PS- To the people at the grocery store: Yes, I know my child is screaming but my family still has to eat :)

Finn's 2 Months Old

2010-10-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

On 10-10-10 Finn turned two months old. I can't believe he is already at two months. Everyone told me the first few months are really hard and terrible but I don't think its been that bad. Of course there have been times I thought about packing up and moving to Alaska (without Finn), especially while he's been having some tummy troubles, but for the most part I've just loved it. He is now moving a lot and actually is quite cranky sometimes so I had a hard time getting him to be still for a 2 month picture. Also, I didn't change him into a cute outfit, hes just wearing a boring onesie- owell!

This was actually the best picture I got because he was so wiggly.

This is pretty typical :)

On Wednesday we had his two month check up. Finn now weighs 12 lbs. 1/2 oz. which is the 56 percentile. Also, he is 24 inches long which is the 80 percentile. I'm not surprised by that at all! He has grown 3 1/2 inches the last two months. No wonder he still eats all the time!! I'm still feeding him every two ours even though he is eating really well, he is just starvin marvin. I'm ready for his feeding to spread out some because it makes it hard to go anywhere and actually have time to do anything. Finn also got his vaccinations yesterday so he hasn't been feeling that great- poor baby. I hated seeing him get his shots!

Finn has slept really good at night really since the beginning but he is now sleeping a whole lot longer between feedings. Some nights he even sleeps 6-7 hours without waking up. I really don't mind getting up with him in the middle of the night because he is so sweet and lovable, he never cries during the night. He has started to see a lot more things and he looks at my face a lot now. He is also making the cutest little noises. The other day he was laying on his play mat and he grabbed the toy and put it in his mouth. It seems small but I love these little steps that show he is growing. I tried to catch it on video:

Happy 2 months little Finn! Have a great week!

ACU Homecoming

2010-10-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend Cade and I made the journey to Abilene for my 5th Anniversary ACU Homecoming. I always love going back for Homecoming. We did all the usually things. Cade played in the ACU golf tournament, we ate at some of our favorite places, we both attended our club breakfasts, saw the parade, ate with Cade's family, and just had a great time. Here are some fun pics of the weekend:

Me, Linds, and Finn at Kojie Breakfast

Linds, Me, Ann, Jamie, and Karen

This was all the girls that showed up from our pledge class.

Summer and Me with our babies at the Parade. Yes, I'm that weirdo with the baby holster on.

My Greenville Oaks friends, Kim and Jamie

My boys- aren't they so cute!

Linds and Robert holding my little Finn

Me and Cade at the reunion reception

I'm still here, I promise!

2010-10-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

I feel like my life is crazy right now and all I do is take care of Finn and occasionally work. It is absolutely amazing how much time it takes to care for a newborn! I'm am loving life however he wants to be held constantly still and cries a lot so its really hard to get anything done. Finn has had a few little tummy issues. I'm so ready for that to be over so he can be happy again. He is still awake most of the day (I feel like he never sleeps) but he is sleeping good at night so I can't complain too much. So much has happened lately so I'll post a little now and more later.

Last week I had 3 baby showers to attend, one being my sweet roommate Lydia's. I couldn't make it all the way to Fort Worth so we all decided to do lunch and have a little shower of our own. Me, Linds, and Lyd met in the middle of DFW. It was so great to see these two girls. We always have so much to catch up on. Isn't Lyd's belly just the cutest!!

Lindsay, Lydia, Me (Finn is hiding behind us)

Ok, I'll admit it- I had a birthday this week. I'm now 28- holy cow- when did this happen! I don't really even feel like I'm old enough to be a parent. Anyways, on Tuesday night we met Cade's Mom and Dad for dinner. This is my family there:

On Wednesday night, we had dinner with my family to celebrate but I forgot my camera and I'm still waiting on Mom to email me some of the pics. Cade and I are celebrating my birthday this Saturday. He is going to take me to buy a new dress that I can wear at homecoming (I'm a little larger than I used to be-thanks Finn!) This may seem boring to some but one of my favorite things in the world is for Cade to go with me to pick out clothes and tell me if he likes them or not. I'm silly I know!
Much more to tell but I'll leave it at that for today. Just for fun:

My sweet Finn!

Pictures

2010-09-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hope you enjoy the pics.

I wrote the longest blog ever yesterday and then it got deleted- so frustrating. For a brief description of my week: Finn has been constipated and when I took him in found out that he had a small virus. He has been super cranky. Meanwhile, I got mastitis and felt like I had the flu. This has been a super hard week but now we are both on the mends. I really really hope we aren't sick at the same time ever again!!!
PS- Finn is growing like crazy! The Pediatrician couldn't believe how big he is. He has gained about 1/3 of his original body weight coming in at a little over 10 lbs now and grown another inch and a half. He may be a big boy. No wonder he is constantly hungry. I can hardly keep up with this kid.

1 Month Old

2010-09-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my little Finn turned one month old. I can't believe it!! I feel like it has flown by already and I'm actually surprised by that. I've never been a really big "kid person". By that I mean that I really hated baby sitting, I never liked to hold other people's children, and I had always been really nervous around newborns. Because of this, I was nervous about having my own newborn to care for, but my motherly instincts kicked into high gear with flying colors and its been great!! Last night Finn slept for 5 whole hours without waking up, I couldn't believe it when I woke up and realized what time it is. He is still eating great and he is happy all day generally. In the evenings he gets kind of cranky and occasionally has a tummy ache. He loves to be held by Cade when his tummy hurts. He is spitting up a ton but my pediatrician tells me that's normal- yuck! I've also been feeling a ton better. I think I'll be ready to get back to working out again in a few weeks. I know I've recovered really well but I still feel fat. I think that's probably a universal feeling though after having a baby :)
Here is my man at one month old:

Lots of my girlfriends have used a teddy bear or something like that in their kids pictures so you can see how much they've grown throughout the year, Stan is going to be my gauge (I just couldn't leave him out). Aren't they cute together?!?

Close up pic

Sleeping away- he loves to be stretched out on the floor

wow- I'm tired!

2010-09-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Its official..I'm exhausted. I'm still totally loving my child but I think all my adrenaline has worn off and I'm exhausted. I feel good that I've lasted this long though without feeling too tired because I know that things will be getting better every week. Finn actually slept for a 4 1/2 hour stretch last night- awesome!! I'm a little anxious because we are taking our first trip this weekend, and doing it without Cade. My parents and I are going to Abilene on Saturday to see my grandparents, Cade's grandparents, and for my nieces birthday party. This should be an interesting experience, I just pray Finn does good for the car ride. For today, I thought I'd just share some more pics:

Mom (Nana) and Finn

Matt and Haylee wanted hold Finn

Look how red his hair looks sometimes!

He loves his swing. I just thought he looked so cute with his passy and hands clasped together :)

Loving Life!!

2010-08-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Finn

I am just loving life right now!! My sweet Finn is the most wonderful thing ever!! He is amazing and I feel so blessed by that. I'm not sure if I could handle anything else but him. He hardly ever cries, he is eating great, sleeping good, and just as lovable as can be. What a wonderful gift from God! Here is a little sneak peak of some pics we had taken of him. I can't wait to see all of them.

Finn and I had our first little outing together today. We went and picked up Dad's dry cleaning and went to Target for more diapers. Finn did soooo good, he didn't make a peep but just took in all his surroundings. I think he loved it! He will be a great shopping partner (at least for a while).

On a small side note, I am getting really excited because I have at least 6 or 7 of my good friends and family pregnant right now and I can't wait to meet all their little ones but I'm also excited that I'm going to have a great group of girls to share in this special time of life.

Have a great week!!

Finn's Arrival: Part 2

2010-08-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Man, its a lot harder to find time to write than I thought it would be. I feel like I've been really busy but have done nothing but hold and feed my baby (and loving every second)!
So, to continue to the story...after delivery, all the Grandparents got to come in and see me and hold Finn. They were all so proud of me and just thought Finn was precious, of course! It seemed like immediately we began having visitors and continued have people come see all day. It was really great to feel so loved by so many people however around 6-7pm I began feeling really terrible. I was in a lot of pain, I guess the epidural completely wore off. They gave me a little medicine and I ate dinner and tried to get some rest after everyone finally left. I felt slightly guilty but I did send Finn to the nursery during the night time. Our hospital had just remodeled their post pardom unit and all the rooms were full so for the first night I had to stay in the labor and delivery room. I didn't realize it until I moved but the labor bed is rock hard and I think that is part of the reason I felt so terrible. I woke up about 4am in the worst pain ever! The nurse came in and gave me pain medication and all sorts of things to help me be more comfortable. I guess I should have known to ask for them earlier but I didn't know any better. On top of that, they brought Finn in for me to try to breast feed several times in the night, that seemed challenging just because I was in so much pain I feel like I even had a hard time sitting up. Also during this time, Cade was really sick with horrible allergies. The nurses made sure he didn't have fever so it was safe to be around Finn. I felt so bad for Cade that he was not enjoying that experience! On Wednesday, we continued to have lots of guests, I got better at feeding, and we finally got to move to a comfy room. The bed in the post pardom room was like heaven!! haha! I was finally able to relax and start to feel better. We got to go home on Thursday.
My Mom came to stay with us for two nights and then Debbie came to stay for a night. I wish it would have worked out that they could have spent more time with us but they both had to go back to school on Monday. So Monday was officially my first day alone with my child all night and all day. Surprisingly, I did awesome and so did Finn. He is turning out to be the best baby ever!! He hardly ever cries and when he does, I just change him or feed him and he is happy again. He is even starting to sleep better at night. He is waking up every 2 hours to feed but besides that he is going back to sleep in his cradle.
As far as my progress goes, I'm beginning to feel a little bit better. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow to make sure everything is healing good. I have been totally surprised with myself actually because usually in situations like this I'm emotional and tired and I haven't been at all. I feel like God has just given me the strength and patience to handle all this with wonderful grace. Looking back, all my prayers were answered from Finn being healthy, my water breaking, having a quick delivery, and doing great at home. God is so good!! It is just amazing what he can do in your life when you let him. I am so thankful right now!
I thought I'd just share more pics too:

This is about 1:20am leaving for the hospital after my water broke. Last belly pic ever with Finn.

Right after delivery

Cade and Finn in the nursery with the nurse giving him his first bath and tests.

Weird I know, but this is us actually in the "pushing" stage, we are in between contractions (probably that's why I look so bad, haha)

When I got up to take my first shower, Cade got in my bed and Finn is on his chest under all the blankets.

My precious sleeping child.

I'm so excited because on Sunday we are getting professional pics of Finn taken. I can't wait to have some really pretty pictures of him to share. Lastly, thanks so much to everyone who has called, emailed, texted, and come by to see us. We have felt overwhelmed with love. Also, sorry if I didn't call you back, kinda busy sometimes :)

The arrival of Finnegan Grey Thompson

2010-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Finnegan Grey Thompson

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Born at 9:56 am, weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz., and 20.5 inches long

Finn's birth story, Part 1: Warning- if you don't want details, don't read this post :). Monday morning I had my last doctors appointment. I was so excited to go in and see how dilated I was and set our official induction date. I was 2 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced and we set Finn's induction date for Thursday the 12th. After the appointment Cade jokingly told me to go home and relax because he has several big meetings at work and needed me to not go into labor (haha)!! Also, we didn't set the induction for the next day, Tuesday, because that is Cade's birthday. I went home and spent the day relaxing, reading, and I took a really long nap. Around 5:00pm I decided to go up the road to Macy's and look at their baby clothes, just to give me something to do. When I got home, I all the suddenly had a really upset stomach. Cade came home early, around 6, and we cooked dinner together. I was having what I thought were braxton hicks contractions and just an upset tummy. Because of this I could hardly eat any dinner. I went to bed around 10:30pm. Two hours later, at 12:30 am I was woken up by a small weird pain my my lower belly. I thought it was weird and got up to go to the bathroom. I got a few steps away and my water broke!! I went ahead and went into the bathroom to double check because I just couldn't believe it! Next, I woke up Cade. He was hilarious!! He had only been asleep for about 45 minutes and he was really still sleepy and "don't we have 24 more hours?" haha NO! I jumped in the shower and made sure I had everything I needed for him and myself. We arrived at the hospital by 1:30am and I was having really painful contractions by that point already. They got us all checked in, in a room, me changed, put my IV in, checked all my vitals, and asked about 101 questions. Then they check my cervix, I was dilated to a 5 already- half way there!! I got an epidural around 2:30-3 am, which by the way ladies, I didn't even feel. After the epidural I was able to relax a little bit better for several hours. Time was flying by for me though and by the time I felt relief I had begun to feel some pretty strong pressure. By about 8 am I was feeling so much pressure that I knew it was getting really close and the epidural wasn't helping in that area. The nurse checked me again and I was 10 cm dilated!! They began preparing me, the room, and my doctor was informed I was about to start pushing. I started pushing a little after 9am. This part wasn't near as bad as I had imagined it. All I had ever seen was childbirth on TV or in the movies. I mean, it was painful but it was totally doable and I forced myself to stay calm and relaxed as much as possible. Cade was a super champion and talked to me and held my right leg for me :) (of course he refused to look at anything but my face). For some reason, my epidural only numbed my contractions but did not numb my lower "area" (I'm calling it that for lack of a blog appropriate term). The last few sets of pushing to actually get him out was quite painful but by that point I could feel exactly where he was so it gave me lots of motivation to get finished. He was born at 9:56 am. I have to say, although uncomfortable, I'm actually kind of glad I could feel because the feeling of him coming out of my tummy was the weirdest thing I've ever felt and I'm glad I got to experience that. They laid him on my tummy and I got to get a good look at him before they took him for measurements and tests while they sewed me up. We tried our first go at the breastfeeding thing. The whole thing was actually really strange feeling because Cade, the baby, and several nurses went to the baby nursery and my doctor left when he was done with me and I ended up in the room by myself for a few minutes. The quietness after all that craziness was really weird and I couldn't believe I had just had a baby. I felt like I had just climbed Mt. Everest or something really extraordinary! After Finn's first bath in the nursery, Finn and Cade came back and they let the 4 grandparents in to meet him.

I had been joking for days that I thought Finn would come on Tuesday because that was the one day out of the whole year that I wouldn't have chosen to have him. I wanted each of my boys to have their own birthdays. In the end though, I think Cade is slightly honored to have his first son surprise us on his birthday. They can take Father-Son birthday trips when he gets older. More to come later in Part 2.

Finn and Cade, my two Birthday Boys!

Our First Family Photo: please excuse my hair, I was in labor all night.

Baby Finn Update

2010-08-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

This morning I went to my last doctors appointment. I am currently 2 centimeters dilated and 90 percent effaced. We have set an induction date for Thursday. I'm going to be in that small percent of women who actually have their child on their due date! I never thought I would have made it this long but I guess Finn is just nice and cozy in there. A few days last week I felt just terrible but over the weekend I have felt great and I feel great again today. I am not as swollen as I was and my joints aren't hurting as bad. I do feel like there is no way my belly can get any bigger though, it is stretched as far as it will go :)
So for the moment, I am focused on celebrating my sweet husband tomorrow for his birthday.

Updates

2010-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor on Monday for my weekly checkup fully anticipating discussing my induction date since that's what we had talked about last week. After feeling my belly for a bit he said that he thinks Finn is only around 7 lbs which really is just perfect and he wants to see me back again this coming Monday the 9th. We had been worried all along that he would be too big but it seems that isn't going to be a problem at all. Since he had been telling me and I had been anticipating having my child this week though, I was actually really disappointed but once again, I've got to remember that I can't control this situation. Little Finn is going to come when he is good and ready. Of course I'm praying he comes this week still :) I do feel like he is sitting lower in my body and I've been feeling signs of pre-labor (but the books say that can last for two weeks). I really really want him to come before my appointment because the 10th is Cade's birthday and I want each of my boys to have their own special days and Finn not be born that day :)
So unless I go into labor, I'll be taking a 39 week picture tomorrow. Hopefully I won't be able to :)
More updates coming soon....

Doctor's Appointment

2010-07-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went back for my weekly doctor's appointment and was super disappointed. First off, I was there for two hours!! He had been out of town on Thursday and Friday and so he moved everyone to Monday and it was packed. After being there for two hours, all they did was check my vitals, ask how I felt, and said they would see me next week- ahhhh!! I really wanted to know if I'm more dilated this week than last. On Thursday, I'll be 38 weeks preggo and every little thing going on with my body right now makes me wonder if I'm going to go into labor. I'm just anxiously awaiting a sign :)
As for an update on how I feel...I'm generally miserable (I say that with love). I'm not sleeping good, my belly is really sore (especially my right ribs where his foot is constantly kicking me), I'm beginning to swell a little bit which is making my feet and hands hurt, and in general everything hurts. I'm really reallly looking forward to delivering my sweet child!! More updates and pics to come...

Holy Moly!!

2010-07-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I just looked at my ticker and it says 20 days!!! Wow! I'm so close! My Mom delivered 10 days early so maybe I will too (not to mention I think my due date is too far out). I'm so excited and ready for that day to come.
In general, my body just hurts. Finn moves around so much in there and I feel like there just isn't room anymore and it makes my belly sore, especially up by my ribs where he is kicking me. I also have to go to the bathroom now about 5 times during the night- SOOO annoying!!! Beside that, it is just crazy hot outside and so I've been trying to spend as least amount of time outside as possible, unless I'm in the pool.

Yesterday I put together the stroller and car seat. Cade is going to install the car seat tonight. I wouldn't say my bag is packed really but everything Finn needs is ready to go and my stuff is clean and stacked with the list of other things I need. I guess I feel like we have to the "READY" and the "SET" and now its just time to GO!!

On a side note, I usually give a little update on what I've been reading. I am currently reading 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. I bought this at Half Priced Books for like $3 not really knowing if I'd like it or not but it is really good. I have about 3 chapters left but I've had a really good time ready this one and even learning about a culture I really knew nothing about. I would for sure recommend this book! Before that, I read 'Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister' I choose this book because it is from the same author that wrote 'Wicked'. It isn't as good as Wicked but it was a fun read after I got used to his interesting writing style. I wouldn't recommend this unless you just couldn't find anything else to read at the time.

What I've been up to and few things I want to remember

2010-07-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend Cade and I got to go pick up my rocking chair! yeah! After we got it upstairs and put together I sat down in it. Before my rear end even hit the chair, Stan was in it with me- haha! I'm beginning to think that he thinks the nursery is for him. It won't be long until he receives the shock of his life!

I feel like Cade and I have been really busy lately but really its just been Cade. I'm trying to soak in every moment I have right now with peace and quite in the house during the day because any day now my life is going to change and never be the same again. I've spent a few hours every day focusing on my business for J Hilburn but I've also allowed myself time to do the things I want to do. I've been to the pool some and I've really enjoyed reading some new books lately. I love going to grocery store in the middle of the day when no one else is there and I've gotten to spend a little time with my Mom. Of course I've continued to "nest" and am still looking for the perfect thing for above Finn's bed. I love eating lunch at home and also eating with my girlfriends during the day a few times a week. I've also had to take naps because I've gotten back to the point of being really exhausted.
So as far as pregnancy update goes, last Thursday I went in to the doctor and he checked my cervix for the first time. He said it is getting soft and I am dilating. He didn't say how much though but he did tell me no more activity. He said I needed to go home and relax. He may tell everyone that in the last few weeks but I took that as a sign that I'm getting really close and I'm so excited. Just in the last week or so I have had just a tiny bit of swelling. No one else could probably tell but my wedding ring is just a little too tight. Cade made me take it off and put it away (hes probably right but I didn't want to walk around pregnant without a ring on). I've been sleeping on the couch now for about two weeks. I just can't get comfortable in our bed and I'm having a harder time breathing when I'm laying down so my heavy breathing is keeping Cade awake. I'm much more comfortable on the couch. I'll be happy to be next to my hubby in bed again soon though. Also, I haven't been as hungry as before. I think I just hardly have room anymore for big meals. I eat smaller things usually but more often now. I'm loving all the fresh fruit right now, what a great time of year for fruit. Of course it has been super HOT outside! Its funny because that's what everyone says to me now is how horrible it must be to be so big while its so hot out. I do admit, I have been hot, especially in church, but that isn't my major complaint. My number one discomfort during pregnancy has been my back pain. I've tried everything, I've gotten massages, been to the chiropractor, worn flat shoes (I know-that's miracle for me), I've taken Tylenol, and I've slept with tons of pillows but nothing seems to help. That is the relief that I'm dreaming about when Finn is out of my body :) Also, at this point in my pregnancy I'm just really ready to hold my precious child. I can't wait to see his little face, find out what color of eyes and hair he has. So excited!! I know that's kind of ramblings but they were things I wanted to remember :)
My last thought for today...last Sunday in bible class one of the questions posed had something to do with letting God in your life. We have multiple pregnant girls in class and the two other pregnant girls in class that day were talking about how they worried so much about their babies, being a good mother, etc. As I listened to them talk, I realized once again how peaceful I feel about my life right now. I'm not worried about Finn. I'm not worried about delivery and being in the hospital. I'm not worried about bringing him home or being a good mommy. I just feel this overwhelming sense of peace about whats about to happen to my life. I feel so blessed to be where I am and I feel even more blessed to be sharing this with Cade (who I believe will be the best dad ever!) I give that credit God because I know he is the only one who can give me that peace that passes all understanding. I will not live my life in fear of the unknown but I choose to live my life in Faith that even when the unknown comes, Gods on my team!

NURSERY PICS!

2010-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

I know July 4th was forever ago, but I thought I'd go ahead and share this pic of Cade and I about to watch fireworks:

So Finn's nursery still isn't completely finished but I'm ok with that :) My rocking chair won't be in until almost August and I need something to hang above Finn's bed but I'm just not really worrying about those things right now. If he comes tomorrow, I'll be ready. Also, I am very much a neat-freak and sort of a minimalist with my house so I don't even want a bunch of things sitting around in his room or on the walls.
Here is an overall view of the room so far:

I'm loving the stripes my wonderful husband did for me!! Here is a picture of the bed:

And yes, I know there aren't supposed to be pillows in there while he sleeps, those will go in my chair when it arrives. Here are the curtains:

This picture doesn't really do them any justice, this is actually one of my favorite parts, it just brings the room together so nicely! And Lastly here is Finn's changing table:

Notice the stuff sitting on the changing pad- that's what I'm taking to the hospital for Finn (aren't I so prepared-haha).

Last Saturday Cade and I took the first half of the baby birthing class that our hospital offers. It was actually really great information for me and I learned a few things I didn't know. There were about 20 other couples in the class and so many of them were so serious!! Cade and I, unfortunately kept cracking up at things (it actually was quite comical). The teacher had us whisper in each others ears encouragement to practice for the Dad's to encourage us Mom's during delivery- that was hysterical. I'm sure the people around us thought we are too immature to be having a baby. I plan on making this a fun experience if I can though :) We have the second half of the class this Saturday and we will get a tour of the hospital's Labor and Delivery wing, I'm excited about that. I can't believe it's almost here!! Another doctor appointment of Thursday and I should find out if my body's preparing for delivery- yeah!!

Have a great week!!

35 Weeks!

2010-07-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

I'm now 35 weeks pregnant and I'm almost ready. I've washed the clothes, burp cloths, and blankets I think I'll need for the first few weeks, got Finn's hospital stuff ready, and at least got what I can of mine sort of ready (not really packed but I could in about 10 minutes if I had to). I got motivated this week to get things ready because I feel different than I have been feeling. Its hard to explain but I'm exhausted and there is just a lot of pressure like my belly is super heavy. I'm getting so excited. I just need to install the car seat this weekend and we have a baby birthing class to attend on Saturday. I realize this picture is terrible but I had to post it anyways :)

35 Weeks

Latest Happenings

2010-07-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Don't give up on me...I'm still here! I feel like I've had so much going on lately that I just totally forgot to post anything. Of course my belly is getting huge and starting to be really uncomfortable but that also means I'm getting really excited about meeting my little Finn soon! I'm not sleeping well or breathing well at night for that matter. Also, my belly has started to feel really heavy! Last Thursday was my most recent doc appointment and I've almost gained 40 pounds (not quite yet though). That's a lot!! I'll post pictures soon. Next time I go in though he is going to see how my cervix is doing, maybe it will be getting ready to deliver- at least I'm wishing it would be. I'll be posting 35 week pics soon!! Also, I want to post some pics of the nursery but it isn't finished yet. I need something fun to hang above the crib and my rocking chair won't be in until almost August, that's what I get for procrastinating :) I may just have to post some pics without those two things.

We had a great 4th of July weekend! We hung out with church friends, work friends, and family. Yesterday, Halo was was closed and Cade and I spent the entire day together- it was great!! We are trying to cherish these moments we have left of just the two of us :)

Stay tuned..much more to come.

Halo Shower and My Totally Awesome Husband!!!

2010-06-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

We were super busy this weekend but it was so much fun! On Friday night we had a shower hosted by the lovely ladies below for all our work friends. We got lots of great stuff and it was wonderful to be able to celebrate with our work peeps. Thanks to Reif and Meagan for graciously opening their home for us! Thanks to all my wonderful hostesses, I love yall, and thanks to all of Cade's friends who have blessed our lives during this time!

Amy, Shannon, Becky, Me Meagan, Robyn, Andrea

Cade and I

He has a mouth full of food :)

On Saturday, I woke up early and put away baby things from the night before and we hung my curtains in my nursery. The room now looks totally awesome (pics to come soon). Then I prepared for lunch. Around 10:30, Cade's parents and Cody and Robyn and the kids came over the celebrate Father's Day. We grilled out burgers and had chips, baked beans, fresh fruit, and a yummy chocolate cake. We played a little Mexican Train and everyone headed home about 3:00. After that I hurried to get ready and we left to pick up Reif for our fun night.

This is the part I've been excited to share. First because my husband is awesome and I don't brag about him much but this gives me perfect opportunity (just don't tell him)!! Cade was nominated, and then advanced all the way to a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award. This was such a great honor for him because there were only 38 finalists and it was for the whole entire Southwest Region of the United States. Yes, I know, my husband is awesome!!! So, on Saturday night we attended the black tie awards dinner at the Sheraton in downtown Dallas. Myself, and all of the Executive Team at Halo got to attend:

Paul, Dad, Reif, Cody, Cade, Derek, Tony, Robbie

All of the finalists were in this months issue of D Magazine, check it out http://www.dmagazine.com/Issues/D_CEO_JUL-AUG_2010.aspx. Cade didn't win however we were so honored to be a part of such an elite group of business people. Cade was by far, the youngest one in the room (and the hottest if I say so myself). Way to go hon, your totally awesome and I'm so proud of you!!
Lastly, I haven't taken a belly pic in forever. You've probably never seen a 32 week pregnant woman in a formal dress before so here is my 32 week picture all dressed up for the dinner. I didn't say it would be hot but I did my best :)

32 weeks

Finally, on Sunday, we went to church and spent the afternoon resting and catching up on some much needed sleep after our crazy weekend. Sunday night we had a time of fellowship and singing with our young-marrieds group at church which was a wonderful time together!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Greenville Oaks Church Shower

2010-06-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first shower and it was so much fun! It was my church shower thrown for me by the lovely ladies below:

Top:Crystal, Julie, Shannon, Me, Sarah, Eva, Kim, Marcie

Bottom: Shara (and Andi), Laine, and Becky

It was decorated beautifully, the cake was amazing, and I got tons of gifts! Most of all, it was just wonderful to have so many people show me they love me, its almost overwhelming. My Mom, Mother-in-Law and all my sister in laws got to come too.

Holly, Mom, Me, Debbie, Summer, Robyn

Me with all my loot

Thanks again to all my family and friends. Now I'm having a blast unpacking all the baby stuff, organizing, hanging curtains, and putting on my bedding. I kind of feel like this is actually going to happen now that I have baby stuff in my house. I can't wait to post pics of my nursery when its finished! 59 days until my due date and I think he's coming early so hooray!!!!

Rommate Weekend

2010-06-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

Twice a year, me and my college room mates get together for a fun weekend of girl time. This past weekend we met in Austin and did nothing but eat, lay by the pool, and spend time together. For more of exactly what we did you can check out Chelsie's Blog.

Me, Chelsie, Lindsay, Lydia

(please excuse the fact that I'm as big as a house in the picture)

For today though. I'm going to share just a little about each one of my precious freinds. I'll begin by saying these are closest friends I have ever had and they hold a special place in my heart. It is always so wonderful to see them.

First is Lydia. We went to a Mexican food restaurant that is known for their Avocado Margaritas. Since we are both pregnant, here we are with our waters (haha!). Lydia has a wonderful joy about her. She is has a bubbly personality and could always make us laugh. I'm so thankful that I'm getting to share the experience of being pregnant with her!!

Next is Lindsay. She is our creative picture taker! Lindsay and I became good friends when we were about 16 years old. She is very nurturing and a wonderful listener. I was so excited that we got to go to college together and cherish her friendship to this day.
Also there is Libby who isn't shown in any pictures because she is on the other side of the world. I met Libby during Welcome Week at ACU and we have been friends ever since. I love her happiness and adventurous spirit. Libby we missed you so much this weekend and thought about you a lot. It isn't the same without you.

Lastly, there is Chelsie. Chels and I have known each other our whole lives. I'm not sure if there are many people in the world who can claim that and are still friends. Our friendship has evolved and been shaped as we have grown up but nothing makes me happier to still get to share my life with her. I remember spending the night out on Chels' trampoline talking about being friends forever and talking about our own families. It almost brings tears to my eyes just to think about her holding my little boy someday. Love you!

The last day we spent together, Sunday, Chelsie and Lindsay took me and Lydia to a really neat place in Austin for brunch and had a mini-shower for us. They gave us the custest little outfits and changing table diaper holder thingy with all sorts of goodies in it. I loved mine but most of all it just meant a lot to me to spend that special time with my best friends.
Lindsay, Lydia, Chelsie, and Libby- thanks so much for all the love and support you've shown to me. I love you to pieces and wish I had better words to tell you what you mean to me!!! I'm done being sappy now :)

PS- Its is always wonderful to be back in a world where all my friends are as tall as me :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend was wonderful!! It was wonderful mostly because I got to spend time with my wonderful husband! On Friday night we went over to my parents house and cooked out burgers. Friday night was a full moon and was supposed to be one of the best fishing nights of the month so my Dad and Cade headed over to the "lake" across" from my parents house and fished until the wee hours of the morning. I got to spend some good time with my Mom but of course, I went home and went to bed by 10 (I can't help it, i'm pregnant).
On Saturday, we slept in, ate breakfast and drank coffee together. Cade headed off to play golf and I headed to the pool. It has been so nice to lay out this summer even though I'm no so swimsuit worthy as I used to be. Sorry to all the people at the pool who have to explain to their children why I look so funny! On Saturday night we had a wedding to attend for one of the ladies at Halo. Here we are:

On Sunday, we went to church and then ate sandwiches at home. We both totally passed out on the couch for a while and then headed to the movies with our friends. The boys went to a different movie but us girls went to see Sex in the City 2. It was fun to go see however I was kind of disappointed. It wasn't near as good as the show was or the first movie. I think its time to quit making those :) Sunday night we rented the movie Valentine's Day and vegged out on the couch. My Hollywood love, Bradley Cooper ends up being gay in that movie--so dissappointing! Cade laughed so hard about it though!
On Monday, I rode with Cade on his golf round. It was so nice to be outside and just hang out. I also didn't wear makeup all day which was slightly liberating even though I looked terrible :) Here we are in the golf cart:

After golf, we showered and ended up ordering a pizza and renting another movie. I love being lazy sometimes! What a great holiday weekend!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2010-05-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

I've been inspired by reading everyone's favorite things posts. I'm not going to do this on a weekly basis however today I'm going to share a few of my favorite things and some random things I love:

My favorite clothing item is a good pair of jeans, meaning a really long pair of jeans. I've always had super long legs (and heels) and no one makes long jeans for little girls. Because of this I think I wore highwaters until junior high. Now I'm obsessed with my jeans being long enough :) The Buckle is my favorite brand to buy because they fit me so good and I can buy them super long. I'm missing all my jeans while being pregnant.

I love my calendar! For about 10 years now I have kept a calendar of all my school work (back in the day), events, meeting, business appointments, birthdays, things to remember, etc. Yes, I do use my outlook calender too however it makes me feel super organized to actually write it down and mark things off my "to do" list. The last 4 years or so I've used a DayTimer brand, love it.
I love Haribo Gummie Bears and Blue Bell Fudge Bars!
I love writing people notes. I actually used to be a lot better at this but writing people notes just makes me feel good. Maybe its because I love receiving notes.
I'm actually a really simple person. Some of my favorite things to do are sit on my couch with my coffee and my book, walk my dog, bake yummie deserts, go to the book store, and lay by the pool. I've also begun to really enjoy shopping alone. Sometimes I like to look at something, and then look around while I decide if I want it and then go back and look at it again. I can do that when I'm alone.
I really enjoy quietness. I work from home and I usually never turn on the tv or music, I just love being able to think and relax in peace. (I know, I'm boring)
One of my favorite dishes is the Chicken Lo Mien from PF Changs. Its not even close to the same as the one from Pei Wei (which I love too) so you have to get it from PF Changs.
One of my favorite things is my church. I've really loved our church here, I've made great friends and loved being a part of that family.
My all time favorite movie is The Princess Bride.
My favorite fruit are strawberries. You just can't go wrong with them. You can eat them plain, on cake, ice cream, in yogurt, cereal, dipped in chocolate, there are just so many options (haha).
I love my job. I have the best job in the whole entire world!!
One thing that isn't my favorite is this new blogger post maker thingy- It won't let me drag pictures around anymore and put them where I want them! If I were really good at computer web pages and such, I'd make my own blog and not use blogger :)

28 Weeks

2010-05-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

10 weeks to go!!! I'm still feeling great except for my back hurting and I'm now counting the weeks I have left instead how far along I am :)

My Goodness, I look worn out. I registered yesterday so I was totally beat!

Making Progress...

2010-05-18T11:16:00.000-07:00

My baby furniture was delievered on Friday!!! I have been going upstairs just to stare at it a few times a day- haha! It seems really odd that I have a crib in my house! It seems even weirder that that crib is about to filled with a baby. wow!
Here are a few pics of the room after we finished all the painting. I must give a huge high five to my wonderful husband who painted everything for me. He used a laser level so all the stripes are perfect!! Isn't he wonderful!?!

And here is my new furniture. Now I can't wait to see what my bedding and everything will look like all put together!

My goal this week is to get registered. Everyone thinks I'm crazy for not registering yet but it has been kind of an overwhelming task for me. Unfortunately, I'm super picky about certain things and Babies R Us has some things I like and Buy Buy Baby has some things I like and both don't have other things that I want so I stressed over where to register. Silly I know!
I have also been on the search for the most perfect rocker/glider. I realized very quickly that everything I liked was ridiculously expensive. I finally found exactly what I was looking for at Babies R Us. It is super soft, the back comes up high enough for my head to rest on, and its foot rest pops out like a recliner in stead of a separate ottoman. It was super reasonably priced and on sale for 20% off and I had a $100 gift card already- score!! I ordered it today and it takes 10 weeks, that means it will come in the week Finn is due (I shouldn't have procrastinated so long!).

Putting it all "Back in the Box"

2010-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

A while back in small group we went through a study where the underlining theme was that life is like a board game, when its all over, you put everything back in the box. It sounds a little high school devo-ish but during the time we were studying this, I went through my down syndrome testing for little Finn and it ended up meaning a lot to me. I thought I'd share a little about that today.
I'd like to start by saying that in general, I'm a worrier. I know that it doesn't help anything but I do it anyways. I worry about things that matter and even things that don't. I've worked really hard over the years to let go of those insecurities and have faith that everything is going to be ok, even when it seems its not. With that said, many also know of our little scare with the down syndrome testing for little Finn a few months ago. After hearing the news that it was possible for Finn to have down syndrome and actually going into the office to hear the results was 4 days of Jamie-the-worrier. It was agonizing to think the child I already loved so much might not be "perfect", I worried about the future, his health, and selfishly what my life would be like. I worried although there was nothing I could do about it. What I didn't know was that this experience was providing me an opportunity that I'd really never had before in my whole life. This was an opportunity for me to give this situation up to God. To completely let go and have faith that no matter what happens, God will take care of me. Looking back on my life, everything that has happened to me I felt like I could control, at least even a little. Being faced with this situation put me in a position where the was absolutely NOTHING I could do. The human being growing inside my body was going to do and be whatever God wanted it to be, no matter how much I worried about it or what I did.
Through this, I feel like I have really learned a valuable life lesson about giving my worries up to God. I also feel like I have been richly blessed by doing so. The last several months I have felt at complete peace about my Finn and that God has wonderful plans for him and his life. At the end of the day, all the pieces of my life will go back in the box and what will really matter is that I faithfully followed my God.

Announcement and a good weekend

2010-05-10T06:59:00.000-07:00

This week was busy but great! I have really enjoyed having my time back to focus on J Hilburn and prepare for my precious babies arrival. First, Cade and I have officially decided on Baby T's name. Are you ready for this? His name is...
Finnegan Grey Thompson, and we are calling him Finn. I'm in love with it and its final so if you don't like it- too bad haha.

On top of telling our name, I have felt much more accomplished this week. On Tuesday, my cousin-in-law took me to Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us and she helped me look at all the millions of things. She helped me know what I'll really need and what she loved most. That was super helpful and I hope to get registered this week. Also, we have been painting all week. We had to do two coats of the flat paint and here is the finished product of that:

We did the first coat on Friday and the second coat on Saturday. After it dried, we have begun the tedious process of taping for the painting of my glossy stripes:

We still have half of the room to tape and then we will paint the stripes. I have to give a shout out to my wonderful husband. He has been working so hard to do exactly what I want, he is the best! I can't wait to see the room paint all finished. My furniture is being delivered on Friday- yeah!!!

Also this week, I got to eat dinner with my Mom, Dad, Matt, Holly, and Haylee. It is always good to get to see them and spend time with the fam. Haylee is getting so big, she is precious!
And of course, we celebrated Mother's Day yesterday. I got several cards in the mail this week and I thought it was really fun. At church, they always give flowers to the Moms. This year, although all my friends wanted me to get one, I didn't stand up. I am a mother in that I have a living human being inside my body however I haven't gotten to experience what it is like to actually mother my child. I am looking forward to that though! Cade's Mom and Dad came to church with us and we ate lunch at Pappadaux's.

Cade and I on Mother's Day

And, just for your comparison, here is me and Cade at Easter. I can't fit into that dress anymore because I have grown so much bigger in the last few weeks:

As far as pregnancy goes, I'm still feeling really good except for my back hurting. I have been so proud of myself because I have worn flat shoes like my doctor asked everyday the last two weeks, except for Sunday. I don't really think its helping but I'm willing to try anything. I also got a preggo massage on Saturday and it was sooooo great!! I have a feeling my back is just going to hurt until little Finn is out of my body. I only have 11-12 weeks left, I can make it!!

Have a great Monday!!

The painting begins

2010-05-03T06:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, my sweet husband began the painting process on my baby room. A few years ago we painted that bedroom a dark blue and used it as an office. I loved the blue we used however it was so dark that the first thing we did was prime. My Mom and Dad came over for a while to help get everything ready and tape so I wouldn't have to do too much. Here is my precious husband, doesn't he look like he is having a blast!?!:

We finished all the priming. I have ordered fabric swatches from the bedding I'm going to register for to help me pick paint colors and they haven't arrived yet. I know for sure that I would like stripes. I want them to be subtle stripes where they are almost the same color or even the same color with one stripe being a flat paint and one stripe being a glossy paint. Because of this we are thinking about hiring someone to actually paint them for us since we are in a hurry. My baby furniture came in 6 weeks early and they are waiting on me to let them deliver it. Of course I'm super excited to get it in.
Also this weekend, I finally felt like summer is here. Last night for small group we cooked out and sat on the back porch by the pool. The weather was so beautiful and it was really refreshing to just sing and fellowship and enjoy each other's company while praising our God. I feel like I have been so blessed by my small group this year!
Tonight I have my monthly book club. This month we read 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' by Alan Bradley. I really enjoyed this book. It was a murder mystery told by the perspective of an eleven year old girl who is witty, smart, and lovingly mischievous. I really enjoyed reading this one.
Because I have book club tonight, I'll be missing the Greenville Oaks softball season finale playoff game. Shout out to all of our boys!

25 Weeks

2010-04-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was exactly 25 weeks!! I can't believe I'm 2/3 of the way through this! Only 3 months left! Here I am at 25 weeks (please excuse how awful I look, I had been cleaning out the closet in the baby room):

I look at this picture and realize I'm not as huge as I feel, haha! I got to go to the doctor again yesterday and he said everything is looking great! They didn't do another sonogram but they tested my blood, pee, blood pressure, baby's heartbeat, etc. I have gained 20 pounds, no wonder my back hurts!! I was really surprised that I've gained that much actually because I really haven't gained weight anywhere except my belly. From this point forward though, Baby T is basically fully formed and will just be getting bigger until he is ready to make his entrance into this world.
As I said, I have been cleaning out the closet upstairs. My furniture was supposed to be in next month but they called this week asking if they could deliver it on Wednesday- what?!? I asked if they could hold it for a week. I know that sounds crazy but Cade and I really wanted to paint before the furniture arrived. So guess what we are doing on Saturday?? Painting!!! Well, Cade is painting and I'm here to "supervise" or as I will tell Cade, I'm just moral support. I feel better about making some progress in everything I have to do before he arrives. Next week we will get registered for everything!
Lastly, I think we have a name!!! We for sure have a first name and are making our final decision about the middle name. More details and the great reveal to come.

I'm alive!!!

2010-04-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

The last six weeks I have felt incredibly busy. I probably haven't been as busy as I feel like I have been though because I go to bed now around 9:00 which shortens my day significantly. I find that I don't really think straight after that time so I might as well go to bed anyways.
So the last six weeks I have been filling in for one of my friends at my old job while she was on maternity leave. We were super busy. My old job is in the title industry and I think everyone in DFW was trying to buy/sell thier home by the end of April to insure they could take advantage of Obama's tax credit. It was fun though. I had a good time with the girls in the office but most importantly, I made some extra dough for Baby T. I've got all my baby furniture ordered--yeah! It won't come in until next month but I'm super excited. Here is a picture: I bought the crib, 5 drawer dresser, and changing table with the hutch on top:

It is actually very ironic because the bedding I had picked out if I were having a girl is the bedding shown in this picture. When I bought the furniture in the store, it had boy bedding on it. I just laughed when I got home to find a picture of it on the internet, I guess my taste really is the same all the time. I have been looking all over the place and I still haven't found any bedding that I like better than the one I posted a few weeks ago. We will probably go with that.
So I woke up on Saturday and realized that I am only going to be pregnant for 3 more months. After I realized that I got really anxious! I have a feeling the last month I'm going to be so big I won't feel like doing anything which means I have two months to get my act together. I haven't done anything yet. We have no name, I need to clean out the room and the closet, we are going to paint, I haven't even registered yet, I haven't even decided where I'm going to register- ahhhh!! I also feel really behind with my real job, J Hilburn. Over the next few weeks I plan to accomplish all of this and catch up with all my J Hilburn clients.
I would like to say that I realize I haven't posted a picture of myself in a while and I do plan on doing that on Thursday because I'll be 25 weeks. I have gotten so much bigger over the last 3-4 weeks, its amazing!!
For now, I leave you with a picture of the man who is the happiest that I'm home:

Stan-the-Man, happy as a lark, sitting at his "post" on the stairs where he can see out the front door.

5th Anniversary

2010-04-11T14:46:00.000-07:00

Friday was Cade and I's 5th Wedding Anniversary!! We decided not to buy eachother gifts this year since we just bought new baby furniture and paid the doctor bill for my upcoming delivery :) however, I think this was my favorite anniversary yet! Cade surprized me with flowers at work:

I just love them!! Look at little Stan in the backgroud, haha! After work we went to dinner together at Roadhouse and then went and saw the movie 'Date Night'. Our night was fun and laid back and we still got in bed by 10 (just call me grandma!). I think this was my favorite anniversary because every year that passes I am more in love with Cade and more blessed to him as my husband. We go perfectly together and this year, we are looking forward to starting the new adventure of partenthood together. There is no one in the world I'd rather share that with my my precious husband!! Happy Anniversary honey!

On Saturday, we got to sleep in (meaning 7:30) and lay on the couch and watch TV, eat cinnomon rolls, and read for a while. After we got dressed we took our own cars and picked up food and met at the car wash and ate on the porch while they washed our cars. We got to run by our friends house and hold their sweet new baby and then I was off to my Mom and Dad's. Matt and Holly came in to spend the weekend and so I went over to play with Haylee for the afternoon. She is precious!! On Saturday night, Cade and some of the boys played in the Wylie Rotary Bowling Tournament. One of our friends is in the rotary and got them all signed up to be a team. They got all into it and had bowling shirts made- it was hilarious!!

Cade, Michael, Dave, Grant, Dusty

A few of us girls bowled a game after they were done and believe it or not, this pregnant girl got a Turkey (3 strikes in a row)!!

Today, my Mom cooked a fabulous Sunday lunch for our family. She made ham, beans, potato casserole, broccoli with cheese, fruit salad, cucumber salad, and bread, and a chocolate meringue pie- yum! So I ate until I felt like I could pop and went home and took a nap. What a great day!!

21 weeks and Opnions Wanted!

2010-04-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

At this very moment I'm sitting on the couch, eating cinnamon rolls in my pajamas- I love Saturdays. Later I'm going to buy my baby furniture because they are having a huge Easter sale, yeah for saving money!! Here is my 21 week pic. You can really tell my belly is growing in this one:

21 weeks

Also, I think I may have said this but I'm letting Cade pick out the decor for the baby room. Although I already nixed a few things we found this that we like:

We are thinking we paint the walls that sort of steel gray-blue color but do big fat stripes where one stripe is the glossy paint and one is the matte paint. We both also would like to get a shaggy brown rug like that one. I am going to buy really dark brown furniture and my soft rocking chair will be brown. Do you think its too girly, I really need some opinions!! We are having the hardest time finding something we like because all the boy stuff is themed, like baseball, monkeys, trucks, etc., and I really don't like some of it.

Lastly, now that we have told everyone its a boy, every one I know is asking for a name. I don't think Cade and I are planning on keeping it a secret but we have absolutely no clue!!! We haven't even come up with one name that we like. I can't even think of one that I like much less that he agrees on. I'm going to be really picky! I love short, strong, manly names but I also want an nontraditional name. So it may be months before we pick one.

Have a great Easter Weekend!!!!

Telling the World

2010-04-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, when we found out we are having a boy, we texted, called, emailed a ton of people. It was so fun to get everyone's final guess before we told them. Just for my mother, I'll state for the record that she guessed right :) Here is a few pics of dinner on Tuesday night of the whole family, Matt Holly and Haylee, and Cade and I:

Me and Cade

I have been so busy lately! Its a good thing that I've been feeling great!! I'm going to be working at my old job until the end of April and I'm still keeping up with my J Hilburn business. I'm looking forward to relaxing a little this weekend and hanging out with some friends. I think on Saturday, Cade and I are going to buy baby furniture (of course I've been looking for months). Cade got really excited about thinking about boy stuff for the nursery so I'm going to let him pick out our bedding and decor- isn't that fun!

On Monday night I'm excited about my book club. I've been invited to a book club that has a whole bunch of older ladies from church but they are so fun. This month we read 'The Help' that is about Black housekeepers in the early 60's. This isn't the type of book that I would have picked out myself but I actually loved it and would recommend it.

Baby T is a.......

2010-03-30T18:59:00.001-07:00

BOY!!!

Tell me what you think...

2010-03-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I'm finding out if I'm having a boy or a girl- I'm so excited!!! What do you think it is?? I might not tell until you guess!!

Half Way There!!

2010-03-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I'm 20 weeks pregnant. The newness of being pregnant hasn't worn off yet and now I'm over the peak. Actually, I've really loved being pregnant so far. It wasn't too much fun for a few weeks around Christmas when I felt super sick but now its great! I've been feeling really well and I've definitely been keeping myself busy. The last two weeks, my belly has really grown a lot. Its a little harder to tell because of the dress I'm wearing but its nice and round now. Here I am at 20 weeks:

18 weeks

Now, for what I've been up to lately. Last week was my Mom's Spring Break so we went with my brother's wife and my niece to the Fort Worth Zoo. It is so much better than the Dallas Zoo! While we were there I got an email from my old job saying my friend was having her baby early. The next day I started my 6 weeks at my old job. I've been working there for a week and a half now. Of course I'm still keeping up with my J Hilburn business so I've been really busy. I still get tired in the afternoons so by the time I get home at night and cook dinner, I'm exhausted!! This is a perfect time for me though to be able to help out because I'm feeling good and my belly isn't super enormous. Although I'm glad I'm doing this, I'll also be glad when its all over.

This weekend, Cade has been out of town on a golf trip with some of his guys. Friday I woke up with him gone and realized that something was wrong with Stan. He was obviously not feeling well. I had to go to work so I came home at lunch and checked on him and he was still acting funny, like something was hurting him. As soon as work was done, I ran him to the vet. They checked him all over for broken bones, etc and didn't find anything. Today he is doing alittle better but still acting moppy. It just breaks my heart that something is hurting him and I can't fix it. I worried about him a lot yesterday, I wonder what I'll be like with my real child!! I was supposed to do dinner with some of my girlfriends but I didn't have the heart to put Stan back in his cage so I put my pajamas on and we layed on the couch. Truthfully, the rest was really good for me!

Today I plan on catching up with work emails for J Hilburn, washing my sheets and cleaning my kitchen. I also bought the longest, smallest, maternity black dress pants I could find, I've decided they are too big and too short so I think I'll go return them. Maybe I'll lesurly walk through the mall with no one to please but myself today. Sometimes I love just doing whatever I want.

Lastly, I find out if Baby T is a boy or a girl on Tuesday- so looking forward to this!! Can't wait to tell you! I've been dreaming its a girl so that is what I have thought it is all along. Everyone keeps asking me what I wantand truthfully, I don't care. I loved having an older brother so having a boy would be so much fun but I love pretty things and ruffles and dresses and bows so having a girl would be great too! Its so cliche to say but at this point, I just want my baby to be healthy. I pray for that constantly! Isn't it such a miracle!!

Bad Blogger

2010-03-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so, I'm so busy right now I can hardly see stright. Of course still working on my J Hilburn business and loving it but I'm also helping out at my old job for 6 weeks while one of my friends is out on maternity leave. We have had dinners, friends have kids, birthday parties, places to be and things to do. Today after work I'm leaving to spend the weekend at my grandparents in Clyde. I have some really cute pics to post (my belly is getting HUGE!), at least I think so but those will have to wait until I have more time. Yeah for 19 weeks preggo!! I might be half way there depending on when I deliever- isn't that just crazy!?!

Problem: My legs are too long!!

2010-03-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

Today, I am pleased to say that I am 18 weeks pregnant!! Yeah! I can't believe I'm almost half way there, this is going by faster than I thought it would. Baby T is the size of a sweet potatoe this week weighing in at 6.7 oz. and is about 5.6 inches long.
According to the Bumb.com, "Baby's become amazingly mobile (compared to you, at least), passing the hours yawning, hiccupping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking, and swallowing. And baby is finally big enough that you'll soon be able to feel her movements." I haven't felt Baby T move yet but I'm looking forward to it.
My belly is officially growing now. Almost no pants I own will button. I've been using my belly band a lot but I feel like everyone knows my pants are undone :). I bought my first pair of preggo jeans online last week and can't wait for them to come in. I need some relief when I sit down. I did have to order a special pair of jeans so they would be long enough. I have the longest legs ever!!! I'm about to help out at my old job for about 6 weeks while my friend is on maternity leave and this means I'll have to have something to wear. I've been looking for some preggo dress pants. They are ALL rediculously short. I can't even wear flat shoes with then, they are still highwaters! The only place I found dress pants that would almost be long enough is the Pea in the Pod and they were $165! WHAT!?! Are you kidding me!! Anyone have suggestions for a reasonable pair of black maternity pants?? I'm just praying for warm weather soon so I can wear skirts and dresses comfortabley.

This is what I feel like...with not so many legs of course.

What a week! One I don't really want to re-live.

2010-03-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

In my last post I talked about the funeral we attended on Thursday. What I didn't mention was that right before we left we recieved a call from my doctor that said that a blood test I took came back showing there was a possibility that Baby T had down syndrome. What a shock this was to my system! I wasn't really sure what to think but the more I thought about it the more emotional I became about this news. We set an appointment for our genetic counseling for Monday morning at 9am, their first appointment. We had to go through the rest of the weekend not really knowing any information. We did decide to share with our small group on Sunday and I'm so glad we did, it felt good to be covered in prayer for a while.
After the longest weekend of my life, Monday finally came. As it turns out, I have a 1 in 257 chance of baby T having down syndrome. That means that there is less than a 1% chance. I felt like this was better than I could have asked for. I wish they would have told me that on the phone :) Of course we had to go through the whole conversation about our options with our doctor. There is an amnio test that can be done to tell us for sure but there are a few risks and it tests all the chromosomes so we could find a multitude of problems. After much thought, we have decided not to do that test. No matter what test results came back, we would never terminate our pregnancy so we sort of feel like it doesn't matter. We just have to have faith that God will take of us and not give us anything that we can't handle. I'm really liking the odds, but if for some reason Baby T does have down syndrome, I'm going to love that baby just the same and God will still take care of me and things will be ok.
I had an appointment set on the 19th to have my next sonogram and find out what the sex is and they have moved my appointment back to the 30th. I was kind of disappointed by that since I have to wait longer now. As a lesson learned for me: I won't be participating in the quad blood test for next preganancies. There are too many false positives and I feel like it has caused me more stress than good. I understand that making a baby is a complicated thing and so many things could go wrong but I just look at it as a miracle and gift that God is blessing me with and however that gift comes, I will be thankful!

It puts life in perspective.

2010-02-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I accompanied my sweet husband to Jenny (Ross) Bizaillion's funeral. I'm sure most of you have heard by now if you are in the church or ACU network about her story. Cade's family grew up with the Ross family in Mesquite and Cade's sister was a good friend and college roomate of Jenny's. As I sat there yesterday my heart just broke for their family and close friends. I can't imagin losing one of my college roommates so early! Although it seemed that it sholdn't have been her time, I have never attended such a great funeral. It was so encouraging to hear the thoughts of the family and hear about what a wonderful Christian daughter, sister, mother, and wife Jenny was but most of all it was awesome to hear the family praise God and share in that time with them. It just really puts life in perspective. It makes me feel so blessed to have my family and the wonderful health we have been blessed with. It makes me thankful for this little person growing in my belly and that I have such a wonderful man to share this experience with.

As of yesterday, I am now 16 weeks pregnant. Baby T is now around 4.6 inches long, the size of an avocado- crazy hu?? I'll have more info to post on this soon.

15 weeks and counting

2010-02-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

So...my pants are officially getting tight. I've worn these jeans for the last two weeks because they are the biggest ones I own :) My dress pants are so uncomfortable that I don't think I can wear them anymore. On Saturday I went to Target and bought one of those belly band things so I can wear my normal pants for a little while longer and just unbutton them with the band over it. I have been feeling really great though. Of course still more tired than usual but I've been told now that that will be for the rest of my life (haha). So three weeks and 4 days until my next appointment. Can you tell I'm excited since I'm counting down the days?? As long as Baby T will cooperate, they will be able to tell me the sex!! yeah!! I can't wait to find out!!

On a totally different note, this weekend we went and saw The Lightening Theif. I just want to say that I was so dissappointed. It didn't do the book justice at all and I'm not going to see the other movie they make in that series :) It just wasn't close enought to the book for me. Just thought I'd share!

Is it possible to eat that much??

2010-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I think I ate my body weight in food. Every morning for the last month I have woke up very hungry so that was nothing new. I had a wonderful lunch with my sweet friend Amy at Mi Cocina. I ordered the Nachos al Carbon and I ate everything on my plate :) Then I got to have dinner with another friend at PF Changs. I had the Chicken Lo Mein (which as a side note- isn't served at Pei Wei) and I ate every bite. I got home and I had a huge glass of chocolate milk before bed. I didn't really even know that my body could handle so much food but it was wonderful! I also didn't know I could handle drinking milk but pregnancy does weird things to you.
Today I am 15 weeks preggo and loving every second of it! Tomorrow I get to go in and do all the genetic testings for the baby. From there, I will schedule and appointment for a month away and thats when I'll find out what I'm having. I'm really looking forward to that right now! Time has just been flying by so hopefully it will go by fast. Then I can start planning and decorating and all that fun stuff :) I have my camara set out for Cade to take a picture of me tonight so hopefully I'll have one to post tomorrow.

Winter Wonderland

2010-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

I guess the groundhog was right this year..it is very much still winter!! I think for the first time in my life, it snowed all day at my house where I live. I've been skiing and places like that where it has snowed all day but never at my house. Yesterday morning at 3am it began snowing and didn't stop until after I went to bed last night. Its like a beautiful winter wonderland outside. The only sad thing is my little Stan doesn't know where to go potty. Doesn't he look so confused in his picture. He has on his camo fur hooded jacket to stay warm :)

As for a pregnancy update, I'm now 14 weeks. The last few nights I haven't been sleeping very well because my stomach just feels kind of uncomfortable. I'm thinking it may be stretching a little bit inside for the first time. Five weeks from today and I'll find out what I'm having, I can't wait!!

13 week pics

2010-02-10T07:04:00.000-08:00

I'm actually really hesitant to share these pictures because I look so horrible :) It always seems to work out that when Cade and I are both home and I actually remember to get a picture, its late at night and I look like I've been run over by a simi truck. We took these after a long day of church, hosting a baby shower, and super bowl festivities, I was beat. Can you see my little belly though? I'm at that point right now where most of my dress pants and about half of my jeans are really tight and uncomfortable. Especially at night, it feels huge and sometimes uncomfortable. A lot of my girlfriends are saying they can't tell at all which has made me a little sensitive. I shouldn't be sensitive at all but I hope they aren't thinking I usually look like that!?! I'm not ready to have a big belly but I'm ready to look pregnant, not just fat :) I'm still loving every minute of this though. I've been feeling really well. Still tired of course but I don't think that will change.

The other thing I wanted to share today is about my wonderful husband. He is going to want to kill me for posting this but sometimes I can't help but tell you how amazing he is. After his company became publicly traded in October, he had to expand again (for the thrid time) into more space in his office building. Because he takes up so much of the building now (and is awesome) they put his logo on the building. It is such an accomplishment! This is the largest buildidng in Allen and right on the highway but most importantly, I'm so proud of how hard Cade has worked and how much he has accomplished in such a short period of time. Halo also won third place last year in the Collin 60, which is the top 60 fastest growing businesses in Collin County. Also, his CFO won CFO of the year in Dallas! I'm so proud of Cade, I love you honey!!

PS- has anyone noticed there is no spell check on the new blogger post layout?? Maybe I'm blind but excuse my misspelled words :)

A few random things and Questions for the masses

2010-02-03T07:02:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've been experimenting with my blog design so bear with me as I change it a lot. Its so weird, the one I really like ends up looking huge and you can't even see the design- so frustsrating!!

For today I thought I'd just share some random thoughts before I post 13 week belly pics tomorrow. First, I've been seriously searching for another good book or book series to read. I'm so picky about books. Last year I read Twilight, the Sookie Stackhouse Series, and the House of Night series. Total, that is about 17 vampire books- crazy I know. I love books that are mysterious and fun to read so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm in dire need of something good to read.

The other thing I wanted to share is about my job. First, I love my job. I am so blessed to get to work with who I want, when I want. I'm really looking forward to still being able to work after Baby T is born. I think it will be important for me to have something thats just for myself. Want I want to share though is that I'm on a mission to add a few partners before August. If anyone knows of someone who would be great at working with men and fashion, is organized, and wants to make some extra money, have them contact me. They can be from any city as we are trying to expand our company into every state. They can also check out our website at www.jhilburn.com.

Last question. I've started to search for baby furniture. I want a beautiful crib and changing table with a hutch on it. I've looked a few places in my area and haven't been too impressed. If anyone has any suggestions for brands, please let me know :) We won't order furniture until we find out what we are having which will be about 7 more weeks :)

12 weeks

2010-01-28T15:42:00.000-08:00

I know you were all expecting to open my blog and see a belly pic of 12 weeks- sorry!! I've been so bad about getting Cade to help me do that! I'll have one soon I promise. I feel like I'm getting a bump now but Cade laughs at me. Maybe since I'm so tall it won't show too much for a while. The last week or so I have felt a million percent better. No more nausea!!! yeah!!!! I only feel bad when I get super tired but is only because my body needs sleep. I'm still taking naps a lot and I've been really hungry lately. Its kind of fun!

I also want to share with you a milestone in my life. The last month I have actually gotten out the fingernail clippers and cut my real nails. Many of you may laugh but this is huge for me!! I have super thin nails and have an awful habit of biting them but yeah for prenatal vitamins! haha

I wanted to give another update on little Stan. Now that I work from home I have been surprised to find out what he does all day. See the pic?? That's it, that's all he does. He sleeps ALL day long and then happily crawls in bed with me at night and sleeps all night. And I thought I was sleeping a lot!

Tonight Cade and I have been invited to a new couple from church's home for dinner, The Garrett's. I'm super excited, I love making new friends! We are also going to teach them a new game, I might actually win since this will be their first time :)

Ramblings of a News Junkie and a Recipie

2010-01-22T07:22:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I watch or listen to the news all the time. I love it. I love knowing whats going on in the world all the time. Actually, my dream job would be to be a news anchor on Fox news, silly I know. OK, now to my point. Yesterday I was completely amazed and astonished to hear about John Edwards admissions that the 2 year old little girl of his mistress is indeed his child. They kept playing back his heartfelt lies where he repeatedly denied first that he even had a mistress and then that her child was his. What is this world coming to?!? During the presidential election he represented himself as a wholesome, family man who had been married for 30-something years to his wonderful wife (by the way, his wife is wonderful). He also said over and over that he wanted America to really know him as a man. I think that statement came back to bit him in the butt because America knows now that he is a man with a problem and sadly, a liar. I'm just tired of politicians and famous people doing things like this. Where are our morals and standards. What am I going to let my kids watch on TV?

On another note, I have the cutest dog on the planet! However, he is a terrible mess sometimes. On Wednesday morning when I was in the shower he peed on my bed. Seriously?!? On my Bed!! I really thought I was going to kill him. I can't really remember ever being so mad at him. I've said this before but he is my favorite dog I have ever had BUT..I'll never get another yorkie!! Just look at his Little sleepy face in the pic though, you have to love him!

Lastly, I have had the hardest time trying to decide what to make for dinner lately. I've been pretty hungry but nothing sounds good, especially thinking about eating a big piece of meat. It has seemed as though types of pastas have really been my go-to meals. I thought I'd share my favorite Chicken Spaghetti recipe with you today. It makes two 9x13 pans so I usually freeze one for a few weeks down the road.

1 Chicken Boiled and Cut Up ( I never do a whole chicken because it grosses me out, I use about 4 bone-in chicken breasts and then pull the meat off the bone. The bone make the broth taste better)
1 lb. Spaghetti
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 4oz. jar chopped pimentos
1 8oz. box Velveeta
1 stick butter

After boiling chicken, cook spaghetti in chicken broth (do not drain unless you have a lot of water).
In a large skillet, saute onion, bell pepper in the butter until tender. Add cheese until melted and set aside.
Combine skillet mixture with spaghetti and soups. Add chicken and mix well.
Pour into two cooking dishes and bake and at 350 until bubbly- approx 30 minutes. I like to top with grated cheese
* if I'm having a lot of people over I also add 1 can of cheese soup to make a little more.
ENJOY!

10 Weeks and Counting

2010-01-18T15:28:00.001-08:00

Up until this week I haven't felt like I was showing AT ALL so I didn't take any belly pics. This week, I have felt fat and its kind of fun. My girl friends have been laughing at me because they can't really tell yet but I can tell a difference. I have always been very blessed to have a flat tummy and especially lower down, between my hip bones, has always been flat. Now it is curved and much harder than usual. I'm thinking that I'll be wearing my jeans and clothes for a month or maybe even two more. But anyways, here is my first belly picture at 10 weeks, 4 days. Can you see the tiny little curve (please excuse my nasty hair)?
The last week and half or so, I have been feeling so much better. I am finally not nauseated all day and I've been hungry. Being hungry is a great feeling after having trouble eating for several weeks. I have been craving subway sandwiches. Of course I've been having them heat up the lunch meat separately and they always act annoyed but I'm OK with that. Also, today, I think I ate the most wonderful thing in the world. My Mom was in Burleson on Saturday, where there is a Rosas, and she brought me back some chips and queso. It was delightful!
Just a few more thoughts I want to write down before I change my mind. This summer, I am going to bust out my two piece swimsuits. I always thought it was super cute when other preggos do it so I think I'm going to make my mind up now that I am too. Also I've decided that my baby bag is going to be one of the most important things that I purchase. If I have to carry that thing with me everyone where I go I want it to be perfect, stylish, functional, and something that I absolutely love. OK, that's all the ramblings for now!

What everyone wants to know...

2010-01-11T09:44:00.000-08:00

So everyone that I have told that I'm pregnant so far has asked the same questions: How am I feeling, and do I want to know what it is.

The 2-3 weeks before Christmas I was feeling pretty miserable. I have been more tired than I even thought it was possible to feel and I was super nauseated. This last week has already gotten better. I've been able to eat more and haven't felt as sick. This weekend however, I think I got some kind of stomach bug and felt absolutely terrible for about 24 hours. I'm not going into to detail about that :)

The answer to the next question is YES, absolutely! I'm such a planner that I think I would go crazy knowing that I could find out if it is a boy or a girl and and not knowing. I'm going back to the doctor once a month now so my next appointment is the first week of February. I won't know then so maybe when I go in at the beginning of March I'll know. Of course the follow up question is always "What do I want". I actually feel some sort of relief that I don't care. I would be so happy with a boy or a girl. I can think of wonderful reasons that I would enjoy each of them.

Have a great week!

The Best Post I've Ever Written

2010-01-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

I've been so bad about posting anything lately. This isn't because I don't have anything to talk about but because I've been keeping secret what I really want to talk about about:
I'm Pregnant!! Yup that's right, I'm actually pregnant and so excited about it! Here is one of the first pics of Baby T:Around Thanksgiving I was beginning to get suspicious and a few days later I took a pregnancy test. It was one of the kinds with the lines and there was a line there but it was really faint. I had no idea what that meant so later I went and got one that actually says 'pregnant' or 'not pregnant'. The first one of those I took said not, I was so confused. I waited till the next day and took another one that said pregnant! I called my doctor and got to go in. They didn't see anything at first even though their test said I was pregnant too. My doctor told me that he felt like I would miscarry this one. We made another appointment for two weeks later. Let me just tell you, that was the longest two weeks of my life. At the next appointment there was a huge sac and he realized I was just less further along that he thought and so we made another appointment for two weeks later. Between those two appointments the signs began to appear. I have been more tired than I have ever been in my whole entire life. I felt literally worthless not to mention extremely nauseated. Monday was our lastest appointment and we got to see the fetus and heartbeat fluttering inside. It is so cool to see what will be the arms and legs and head. It was such a flood of relief. What a miracle! On Thursday I'll be 9 weeks pregnant and my due date is August 12th.
I realize my post about Christmas was super lame but Christmas this year was the best one ever since I got to tell all our families. Thanks so all my family and close friends for their prayers! Keep them up, especially for another month or so!

Christmas Day

2009-12-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

This year was my Mom and Dad's year to have Christmas Day. Cade and I got up on Christmas Day and did our stockings. Stockings are my very favorite thing, there was all kinds of fun things in it this year. Cade and I didn't exchange gifts because we got each other 1 big gift. I bought Cade some new suits to wear to work and Cade bought me a beautiful desk. It is the hutch and credenza that go up against the wall. It will go in my front room where Cade's piano will be someday.
After having a little time just for us, we went to Mom and Dad's. My Mom made turkey and dressing and all the fixings for lunch. It was so yummy! After we ate we taught my mom and dad how to play canasta. Cade and Dad won. Later we went to see Sherlock Holmes and we loved it. Went back to the house and had homemade stew and cornbread and played more canasta and dominoes. It was a wonderful Christmas! Since Matt and Holly couldn't make it, we plan on opening all our gifts on Friday so I have more Christmas to come.

On Sunday, we had all of Cade's family over to our house to celebrate Christmas. We cooked out filet's on the grill and I made twice-baked potatoes, corn, salad, green bean bundles, and bread. Then we had a Thompson Family Talent Show. It was absolutely hilarious. My brother-in-law video taped all of it so hopefully I'll be able to share some of it. His family just did gifts for all the kids this year so we watched the kids open gifts and play forever! That took up most of the day so then it was time to watch the cowboys. It was a great day!

I have been so bad about taking pictures but Cade says we are getting a new camera soon so hopefully I'll get better :) I'll have some to share soon. Merry Christmas!

Christmas is Coming!

2009-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was our Church's Annual Christmas Party. This year, I organized the whole thing. We picked the theme of "Toy land". It is a lot of fun. Everyone comes to the church and goes into one of our huge classrooms and has appetizers and pictures. Then, they head into the auditorium for dinner. In the auditorium we set up 30 round tables that seat 8 people each. We got ladies from church to decorate one table each with their Christmas stuff. It is so fun to see every ones Christmas plates and decorations. We eat dinner, have entertainment and good fellowship. It was a ton of work and I'm so glad its over. Here is what the stage looked like:

The auditorium with all the tables decorated

My table that I decorated

This weekend was much more relaxed! On Friday night, Cade went hunting with Grant. Becky, Shannon, and myself took the opportunity to have a girls night. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and then walked across the square to DSW to shoe shop. I always love spending time with those girls! On Saturday night we went to my J. Hilburn Christmas Party. I didn't know as many people there as I thought I would but it was good to get to see the girls on my team and introduce them to Cade. On Sunday morning I skipped church (shhhhh) to go to the White Rock Marathon in downtown Dallas. Shannon was running the half marathon. She did great and even beat her goal time! Good Job Shannon! Originally I was supposed to be seeing Becky run the full marathon too but she broke her foot a few weeks ago :( I also got to see Lindsay and Robert there too as Robert ran the half marathon too!

Becky, Shannon, and Me

On Sunday night, the young married group at church got together to decorate gingerbread houses. It was fun but Cade and I are not so creative and our house looked awful :) It was great to get to spend some time with our friends!

The group with our gingerbread houses

Shannon and I in our Aprons- aren't we cute!?!

I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. I love this time of year!! This week my Dad is having his 60th birthday!! wow!! This weekend the Mauldin Family is coming in town to celebrate Christmas. And in the next few weeks we will get to go to see the Rockettes for Nanny's birthday, celebrate Christmas Day with my Family, and spend the Saturday after Christmas with Cade's family. I'm so excited!!

Thanksgiving and Such

2009-11-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, Cade and I met Lindsay and Robert in Grapevine for some Mexican food and New Moon. We had so much fun. It was wonderful to get to catch up on their lives and spend some time together. Linds and I loved the movie. Please take note how totally awesome we are in the picture below wearing our New Moon T-shirts! Cade and Robert did laugh at us as well as the movie :)

Me and Linds and New Moon

This year we spent Thanksgiving at Cade's parents house. Everyone was there. Debbie and Nanny did the best job cooking- it was awesome! Of course all of us girls brought something too. We are around 12:30 and then played dominoes all afternoon until we got hungry for turkey again. Cade and I did play with all our nieces and nephews for a little while. We were in the back bedroom playing with some blocks that Debbie keeps in a Tupperware bin. The boys wanted to see if we could get in the bin, here Cade is totally stuck in it. Summer and I both had to help him get out! haha

On Friday, Cade went to his Aunt and Uncles to play more dominoes and I got to spend a little time shopping and with my Mom. I didn't really buy anything but was totally amazed at the crazy shoppers. maybe when I have kids someday and they really want something I'll understand getting up so early to save $2 on something. In the evening, my Mom and I went to Downtown McKinney where they have the Dickens of Christmas. All the little shops are open and there is music, food, lights, and decor. All the people who work in downtown dress up like old time Dickens era attire. We also watched the McKinney tree lighting.

Mom and I in front of the McKinney Christmas Tree

On Saturday, I put up my own tree. This is one of my favorite things to do. I absolutely love Christmas and this just makes my house so wonderful during this time of year.

My Tree

Today was back to the grind. I had a lot to catch up on for work. I did get to go downtown and see one of my friends new baby that she had yesterday- that is always a joy. I'm in the middle of planning our church's annual Christmas party and it is totally stressing me out!! I want everything to be perfect so I'm off to begin decorating!

On a sad note, thanks so all my friends who have prayed for my Brother's Mother-in-law. She went on home to be with the Lord this morning. My heart breaks for Holly and Matt today. It is times like this that I am thankful for the promise we have in Jesus and it gives me a sense of joy knowing that she believed in that promise, and has her place in heaven.

Thanksgiving in the Park

2009-11-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, my church provided Thanksgiving Lunch for the community around an elementary school located sort of behind our church. We do a lot to help the elementary school kids there and it was a great idea to feed the whole family at the school's park. Since Cade and I are eating Thanksgiving at his parents house, it was fun to still get to cook some Turkey. Sarah, Shannon, Me, and Kim at the Park

I am so ridiculously pumped!!!! Tonight I am going to see New Moon. One of my college roommates, Lindsay, and I have been planning this movie date for months. We've even convinced our husbands to go with us. I can't wait to see the movie and I can't wait to see Linds and Robert!
Tomorrow for Thanksgiving, we are headed to Cade's parents house. I'm excited to stuff my face with turkey and all the fixins. Hopefully I'll get the courage to play dominoes with the family. I don't totally understand the game (its hard) and they are all sooooo competitive but if I don't learn I'm going to end up in the living room with the kids for the rest of my life! Wish me luck!!

Good ol' ACU

2009-11-20T15:29:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday morning, Cade and I headed into Abilene to ACU where he was invited to speak at a Chapel Forum. We got to eat with his sister and brother-in-law. We also looked at the new building on campus. We went by my D-daddy's shop and then out to the house to see my grandmother. It was good to see them although it was for a short time. Then we headed back to ACU.
Before the chapel forum the business department invited about 20 of their top students, some professors, and a few CEO's from companies in Abilene to a question and answer session with Cade. They were all so interested in what Cade had to say and they had great questions. We could have spent a long time in that room but we had to get to chapel in time. We headed to a different room where about 200 students listened to Cade give a great "speech". I guess you call it a speech. He was asked to speak about entrepreneurship, business, and faith. He was awesome! He talked about the greatest entrepreneur in the world: Jesus. I just thought it was really neat to get to go back and share with the students. I'm always so proud of Cade and I was proud to be his wife!

Cade talking with Students

Cade and I

Nemo and Bunco

2009-11-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Nemo was great! Stan however, didn't think so. My little Stan did not eat for the first two days that Nemo was at our house and then began acting up. After much thinking, I decided to find a great home for Nemo but not at my home. I would have loved to keep him but it took me 4 years to train Stan and I just can't stand to regress. For my next dog, after Stan, I will for sure rescue one!

This weekend was so busy for me. All day on Saturday I was showing J.Hilburn at a holiday bazaar. Then on Saturday night I had a bunch of girls over to play Bunco. We had so much fun and I almost won! I wish I was better about taking pics because I have none to share today.

Tomorrow morning Cade and I are headed to ACU in Abilene. Cade has been invited to speak at a Chapel Forum and to some other event on campus at ACU. I can't wait because I get to go and listen to him.

As a small note- for those of you who know me and my family- please say a little prayer for my sister-in-laws Mom and their family!

Finding Nemo

2009-11-11T14:17:00.001-08:00

A few days ago we saw a picture of this cute little Maltese that needed a new home. His name is Nemo. He was the product of a divorced family and neglect. Cade and I have agreed to take him into our home for a few days to see if him and Stan get along and if we want to keep him. He is a precious little dog and is so so sweet. When he was rescued he had flees so bad that he has lost a lot of his hair and he doesn't like to be left alone. They think his owners left him alone for days without food and water.
I'm so torn because I want to give him a good home but it is such a big commitment. Stan and Nemo are getting along fairly well considering how scared Stan usually is of other dogs but he is really jealous. I've got to make a decision in the next few days but I wanted to share a few pics:

Sleepy Nemo

Best Pumpkins ever!

2009-11-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

Every year, Cade and I carve pumpkins for Halloween. Here is a few pics from this year:

The Master carver at work

Our finished product. We did SNL Characters. Can you tell who they are??

Just to prove these really are our pumpkins here is a pic in the light on my counter. Notice JT has staples holding the pumpkin together...we had a tragic accident when it rolled of the bar haha- it was repairable though.

Camping

2009-11-03T18:59:00.001-08:00

The weekend before last Cade and I went "camping". I say "camping" because it actually turned out to be really nice. We drove about an hour north to the lake and rented a little cabin. We thought it would be bad but it was awesome. On Friday after work we headed up. We cooked hot dogs over the fire and sat outside for a long time/ On Saturday, the boys shot their bows, Becky and I fished, and then we spent hours playing games and cooked out on the grill. It was a great break life!

Here the boys are paying with their bows

This is Cade fishing one the arrows out

This is Becky and I showing off our school pride. We always give each other a hard time for attending rival schools. ( we also look awful- it was first thing in the morning)

Book Review: For Women Only

2009-10-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Of course I'm still stuck on vampire books. I think the last 4 series I've read have been vampire themed: I love it. But, in a few quite moments over the last month I have been reading "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn. I happen to have been browsing in Christian book section one day and this book caught my eye with the catchy title and bright cover. I read the back of the book and it sounded really good so I got it. Now that I've read it, I'm so glad I did.
The main premise of the book is to describe how men think. She goes into great detail about what men think about important subjects, why they think that, and most importantly, how that can affect your relationship with him. She conducted a national survey of all different kinds of men from all different places, interviewed thousands of men, and used her research to write the book.
I feel like I learned a lot from this book but I was also very encouraged to learn that I already knew a lot more about Cade that I thought and most importantly, I do (or do not do) a lot of the top things that men wish women knew. I also realized that having the best man in the world as my husband makes it easy. They are:

He needs respect in public and in private
Although he likes it this way, his need to provide weighs on him heavily
Sex is how he shows love and emotion
He really does WANT to be romantic
Guys are visual and although they may NEVER say it- how we look does matter to the

To get the gory details, get the book. It's great! Lastly, thanks to my wonderful husband who does share with me what is important to him to help our relationship grow. By the way, who wouldn't want to respect, love, and take care of the man who takes care of me, loves me unconditionally, is super duper HOT, can fix or do anything, and is the smartest person I know!

ACU Homecoming

2009-10-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Cade and I at the ACU Football game. We are the same height when I'm standing on the bleacher!

This weekend Cade and I went to Abilene for ACU Homecoming. I always love being back in Abilene! Cade left on Thursday so him and some friends could play in the Alumni Golf Tournament on Friday. I came down on Friday with Shara and we met the boys at Lytle for dinner. On Saturday we got up super early and went to our club breakfasts. It was great to get to see some of my girlfriends. I do have to say..although I won't get on my soap box..but ACU has changed the pledging process so much that it makes me upset that the girls don't get the same experience that the rest of us did the last 50 years. If you can't tell I think ACU is making a huge mistake by taking away these long traditions! OK enough of that. Went then went to the parade and the Kojie won the float this year- good job NuNu's (oh wait I can't call you a NuNu anymore). We ate lunch with Cade's family and attended the football game. I was so sad that ACU lost. Nanny and Papa live in Abilene now so we spend Saturday night hanging out at their place with the family. I got to eat Rosa's for dinner- yum!!

It was great to go back and see friends and family. One of my favorite reasons for being back in Abilene though is that it reminds me of the time I spent in school and all the great experiences I had- including falling in love with Cade. It reminds me how lucky and thankful I am to have him!Cade and I at the parade

My Big Exciting Secret!!!!!

2009-10-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in a while. The reason is that Cade and I have had something huge happening that I couldn't talk about until now. I am so excited to tell you that my husband's company, Halo Group Inc., is now officially a PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY!!!!!!!

Just in case you missed it...HALO IS PUBLIC!!! Whoohooo!!

This has been the biggest accomplishment of my husband's business life so far! He has worked toward this specific goal for a least two years. He absolutely amazes me everyday and I can't even put into words how proud of him I am. I don't think he is the youngest CEO who owns a publicly traded company, but he's close!!

After they closed, a bunch of us got to go to New York City! Here is our trip in a few pics:

We left really early on Tuesday morning. This is the view from our hotel window. We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It was awesome! Cade and some of his business partners were attending a Mortgage Conference held at the hotel. Reif, Cade's cousin and corporate attorney, brought his wife Meagan for me to hang out with. We walked around the city for a little while but had to quickly get ready for dinner.

We were invited to eat dinner at The Four Season's with the owners of the company that Halo merged with. Although I didn't say much at dinner, this was one of my favorite experiences. It was kind of surreal to be in NYC having a business man toast my husband for his accomplishments. Above is some of us after dinner.

On Wednesday, Cade was a speaker at the conference they were attending and of course, he did awesome!! This is Cade and I about to head out to do some shopping and eating with Reif and Meagan.

On Wednesday night, we ate at an awesome restaurant called TAO. It was probably the nicest Asian food I've ever eaten. After dinner we went to the Broadway show of Mary Poppins. I loved it! After the show we went to one of the comedy shows in Times Square. It was pretty funny but mostly just a fun experience.

On Thursday, we got up and went to Wall Street. Above is a picture of Reif, Cade, and Paul, Halo's CFO in front of the New York Stock Exchange. It was such a great feeling of accomplishment to know you can look up Halo now.

This is Cade and I in front of the Bull on Wall street. After a little more shopping and sight seeing we had to go back to the hotel to head to the airport. It was a quick trip but a wonderful one. I'm so thankful that I got to tag along and be there for this special time in Cade's business.

Birthday Celebrations

2009-10-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, I feel sort of old. I am now officially in my late 20's. yuck! Tuesday I turned 27. I had a great day and am still celebrating. Tuesday night Cade ended up having a business function that he needed to attend so I ate at PF Chang's with a group of my girlfriends. On Wednesday, I ate dinner out with Cade. Tonight I am eating and celebrating with my family. Matt, Holly, and Haylee are coming in town for it so we are going to be celebrating Matt's birthday too. Friday night I plan on hanging out with a whole bunch of my friends at the Glover's house. Saturday night we are celebrating with Cade's family. I wasn't joking when I said I would be celebrating all week!! I'll have some pictures and fun things to share soon (I've been so bad lately about pictures!)

Also, I have something really exciting going on next week that I am busting at the seams to share...stay tuned!

Roommate Weekend!!

2009-09-21T16:15:00.000-07:00

Every year (or six months) all of my roommates from college plan a weekend to get together and catch up. This past weekend I hosted them at my house. It was so wonderful to see them. No matter how much time we have spent apart we pick up like we had just seen each other yesterday. These girls hold a very special place in my heart. They are friends that I'll have for the rest of my life. It was so refreshing to catch up on all the details of their lives, jobs, families, husbands, and churches. We had fun laughing together, crying together, and remembering our fun college extravaganzas.

This time was a little different as Libby wasn't with us because of her new job half way around the world. We missed her! Libby did mail us some beautiful scarves from Kenya that we are all wearing in the pic below (and in our pajamas). We also got to talk to her for a short time on Skype on Saturday. All we did this weekend was sit around and talk, eat good food, get pedicures, and do a little shopping. What a great weekend!!Love you girls!!