White Christmas in Texas?!

I can't believe we got snow here in Wichita Falls, TX!  I sure did not see that one coming!  Well, I definitely wasn't going to waste the opportunity to take some pictures of James' first Christmas with snow!!!  Here is my beautiful little snow angel!

I did it!

I haven't exercised in quite a while and my body isn't exactly where I want it to be.  Plus, I just had a baby a few months ago!  So, I decided to really get into the whole working out and ready right thing.  Let me tell you, it's rough.  I feel like my whole day is nursing James.  :)  I really love that but it doesn't leave much room during the day for anything else.  And now that he's a little older he is sleeping ALL night, which is awesome, but now he's awake ALL day long.  :)  And the little guy needs his attention. And I can't help giving it to him.  :)  I'm a sucker for his cute little smile.

I knew that I  needed something structured.  I decided to try this free 10k app.  If you haven't worked out in a while and you don't enjoy running, like me, then this app is perfect.  It's a 14 week program and you run/walk 3 times a week.  The first week it had me running for 60 second intervals.  I was dying!  I could barely keep going!  Talk about being out of shape!  Well, I'm happy to report that today, after 5 weeks I ran for 22 minutes straight!  22 minutes!!!  I know that may not be a lot for some of you people out there but that is A LOT for me!  I have 9 more weeks to go and I am very excited to be able to actually run a 10k.  

A Long Night

Last night was a little rough.  James has been really good at sleeping during the night.  He usually has a 6 hour stretch and then most the time after he wakes to eat you goes back to sleep for another hour or two.  Last night was not one of those nights.  For some reason he randomly gets really congested and he has a hard time breathing.  I put a humidifier in our room but it only helps so much.  He kept waking up because he would cough when he couldn't breath out of his nose.  I had to bring him into the bathroom with the shower running on hot three times.  The poor little guy just wasn't able to sleep.  It's so hard to see him struggling and you can't do much to fix it besides just cuddling with him and trying to help him feel better. 

After no sleep last night I figured he would be tired today and take a nap in the morning but he was wide awake. lol  We went grocery shopping together and picked up dinner stuff for the missionaries coming over tonight.  James will usually fall asleep in the car ride, but that was not the case.  He just wasn't in a happy mood this morning at all.

However, after we got home and he ate and napped for about 10 minutes he woke up wide eyed and happy.  He just kept smiling and chattering away.  It's times like these that make the hard times worth it.  I'm fine with not sleeping, forgetting to eat, or living in a somewhat messy house because I have an amazing little boy that has blessed my life in so many ways.  Five minutes of his cuteness completely outweighs a hard night.  :)

Here is a video of what completely made my day.  :)

Carving Pumpkins

Today was the day we carved our Halloween pumpkins.  This being James' first Halloween we definitely had to get him a pumpkin to carve.  Well at least watch us carve the pumpkin for him.  :)  Daryl and I went to Walmart to get our pumpkin and of course since we waited until the day before Halloween there wasn't very much to pick from.  We ended up with two 'cute' ones though and we got to work.

James was able to watch while sitting in his bumbo.  That thing is a lifesaver!  He likes to sit in it while he watches me cook or clean in the kitchen.  :) 

We all had a great time as a family getting ready for our trick or treaters tomorrow.  James is going to dress up in his costume again and sit out on the front porch with us while we pass out candy.  Next year he actually gets to go trick or treating.  I'm sure Daryl has already started planning his next costume.

A Blustery Day

What a cold day it was today. It is definitely getting to be winter here in Wichita Falls, Texas. Even with the cold, today is one of my best days of the week. It's Saturday! Saturday means I get to spend the day with Daryl and have fun. It also means that we get to eat whatever we want. We've been on this diet for three weeks now and we've been eating really healthy and not allowing ourselves to eat junk food at all. It's getting easier though to eat healthy the more we do it. I actually felt a little sick today after we ate.
This morning I went for a run. I've been training for a 10k with this free iPhone app and I've been doing rather well at it. I'm excited to get to the end. I just can't imagine myself actually running a 10k.
Tomorrow is Sunday and we have to wake up extra early for church be sure the bishopric wants to talk to Daryl. He's probably going to be getting a new calling. He's been the mission leader for quite a while now and I'm interested to see what he gets next. I'm also excited for church tomorrow. Part of me wants to be able to sleep in and relax (not that I can really do that anyway with a baby lol), but I'm excited to go to my lessons and feel the spirit again.

Blessed

It amazes me sometimes with just how blessed I feel. I'm laying in bed and Daryl and I just finished reading scriptures and have brought the spirit into our home. As i look around i have my husband on my right and my beautiful baby on my left. I am surrounded by my family and it feels amazing. So amazing that it feels almost scary. Scary because i just cant imagine how i would feel if i lost them. I am so thankful for everything that I have been blessed with. I look forward to the future and all the many wonderful things we will do together as a family. Bring on the fun. :)

Baby James Movie Trailer

Ok, so I was playing with my movie software again and thought . . . how cool it would be to create a movie trailer for little baby James.  :)  I know it may be cheesy, but I had such a blast making it!

I am officially in my third trimester and feeling pretty good.  Other than the headaches and backaches, of course.  But, I'll be 10 weeks away in a few days and I just can't believe how close it is getting.  Our little miracle will be here before we know it.  

So, enjoy this cute little trailer!

Sorry for the bad quality of some of the photos... I didn't have such a nice camera back then  :)

And by the way... there's a much bigger version on You Tube for those who want to see it there...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6Lv1w72hbs

19 Week Ultrasound

I have been counting the days since my last appointment... it's bee a long almost 5 weeks..  I can't believe today actually came.  :)

And of course what better way to share our experience with family and friends with a small movie of the ultrasound.

Enjoy!  We love our supportive family and all the loved ones out there that have been just as excited as we have about our little bundle of joy!

(Video was taken on our camera off the television screen by an overly enjoyed new father, so it's a little bouncy)  :)

It's a Monster Party!

I was asked to make up cupcakes and a cake for a child's birthday party.  So excited!  I get to practice!  lol

The theme is MONSTERS!!!  I had a lot of fun with this!  Here are a few photos!

Yumm... Yummm...  Yummmmmm....

Green Toothy Monsters . . . with Pearlie Whites. . . 

Hypnotizing Monsters . . . don't stare too long . . .

and . . . The Smiling Cyclopes. . . so cute :)