'Tis The Season ...

... to eat, and eat, and eat and eat and eat. And socialize. ;) We had so much fun this weekend attending three different Christmas parties: one for some friends from church, one for one of Mike's colleagues, and one for some of our neighbors. Whew -- I'm pooped! :) (I'll have to do a separate post on our wonderful neighbors. They are seriously so kind!) I wish I had brought my camera to all three shindigs, but I'm never that prepared. I did happen to have my camera in my bag at one of them, so I snapped a few shots. I just love Christmas festivities and seeing how others decorate for the beautiful season. This particular house looked spectacular!

Giveaway!

p.s. She (Amy) is doing a giveaway for many of her crafty, beautiful creations! Check it out and find out how to win here: http://mommyandbeyond.blogspot.com/

I Love My New Bag!

Isn't this bag darling? My great friend Amy, an amazing seamstress, made it for me for a belated birthday gift. I love it! It features two inside pockets, just the right size for diapers, and a cool key hook (perfect for people like me always losing their keys!) She also used red stitching to make it pop! I love the contrasting, yet coordinating, fabrics inside and out.

I wanted something classy yet fun, and I think Amy chose the perfect prints. This is my new diaper bag. Thanks for a gorgeous bag, Amy! (On a side note, must add that Amy's a pretty darn good matchmaker too ... she's the one who introduced Mike and me back when. Thanks for finding me a great husband, Amy!) Creating bags and matchmaking -- Amy's got some skills. ;)

Amy actually sells her bags, which come in the most amazingly beautiful fabrics. You can check out her blog here and her etsy shop here! Not too late to order a great, customized Christmas present!! Thanks again, Amy!

Here are a couple of examples of bags she just finished. Aren't the colors great?!



Watch out, Vera Bradley! ;)

Some detail shots of my bag:





(All pictures taken from Amy's blog.) :)

Baby Number Two On The Way!

I went to my last doctor's appointment and learned that I'm further along than I thought -- I'm 14 weeks! That puts me due on May 22, and we find out the gender (in theory) on Dec. 17 ... just before Christmas! So fun. We think little Aaron will be a great big bro. We're so excited for another addition to the family.

So far I'm feeling great ... just tired. The fatigue has waned a little now that I'm over the hump of the first trimester. I feel my energy returning, little by little. But that still doesn't mean I have any desire to stay up past 10 o'clock! :) It just feels so good to sleep ...

Also, my appetite is returning. Seriously, the only thing that tasted good the first trimester was soft-serve ice cream. Could it be anymore cliche?? :) (It was that way when I was pregnant with Aaron too. That would explain the 40-pound weight gain!! I'm determined to gain significantly less this time.) That's a trademark of my pregnancies -- I totally lose my appetite the first trimester, which is bad, because you have to eat! But now I'm craving other things like spaghetti and apple juice (my new addiction.) I really hope other things start sounding good too. The first ultrasound is tomorrow! We'll keep you posted. :)

Much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving: the Gospel, family, friends, a warm home, a baby on the way, and let's not forget soft-serve ice cream (I don't care how cold it is outside!) ;)

Father-Son Bonding

(In bottom picture): What better way to bond than by watching a previous year's Tour de France? ;) Worked for these two! Mike says Aaron's getting prepped to watch the Tour this July. Now if we just had cable ... ;) Minor detail!

Aaron's First Haircut

A couple weeks after the fact, but here are some before and after shots of Aaron's wild and then more-tamed do. Notice the curls in the third pic down and then poof! Gone! Just like that! (Don't worry all you curly hair fans, it'll be back. No escaping it in this family!)

Our friend, Amy, took the "after" shots just after Mike's mom took him for his first official haircut. Thanks for the darling pics, Amy, and thanks for taking him to get the haircut, Dianne!





And after the cut ...

A Few Updates

Added a few pictures to the post below.

Also ... a friendly reminder to vote on Tuesday if you haven't already! :)