ROCKabye RESToration

Passion for food...

2012-01-04T16:49:00.003-06:00

Sorry I have been MIA for.... oh going on 6 months or so! I have been busy! Busy with what you ask? Cooking, being a wife, a mom, a Sunday school teacher, a dance teacher and new to the list...a jewelry consultant as well as we will be hosting a home group (for our church) at our home once a week! So you could say I have my plate full!

I am going to tell you a little about our family's nutrition. I am so blessed to have discovered, along with my whole family, the joys and rewards of eating a nutrient dense diet. Many people already know that we have cut out grains, sugars, and ANYTHING you can get on the inner part of the grocery store. This also means we do a completely organic, pastured and grass fed diet as well. My heart wells up when I see my little girl eating REAL yogurt made by ME at home from grass fed cows or I see her gobble up her "eggies" eggs cooked in grass fed butter in the morning. she of course LOVES meat! Chicken, fish, beef and pork! She also eats her veggies too, but I load them up with good fat like butter, ghee, or even bacon grease. Her favorite veggie combo right now is onions and mushrooms sauteed in butter and coconut aminos (kinda like soy sauce but we don't eat ANY soy not even the fermented kind). There are a few other key aspects to our diet that I will save for later.

Why do we eat this way you ask? To be healthy! As a Christian mom I have prayed through the question "Why is it important to be healthy?" while this isn't our "Goal" here on earth it is our responsibilities to be strong, healthy, and work hard for our families. You learn to REALLY appreciate and understand the things God has made naturally for our bodies. I have many moments of worship in my kitchen when I prepare the foods for my family because I know the science behind His creation and why I feed my family what I feed them. Man is sinful and does not have your best interest at heart when it come to you and your families health. The foods in most stores are filled with toxic chemicals, hormones, pesticides, preservatives and the tastes your tasting isn't even the food in many cases...it's "flavoring". People wonder why so many people are getting cancer, heart disease and diabetes to name a few. We are eating ourselves into the illnesses and I want to do my part and helping you and your family change this! I want to hold your hands and walk you through a very important life change! Kevin and I both have a strong passion for this and know that God has called us to help others.

Would you like to know more?

WIlla's 8 month pics

2011-08-24T20:35:00.003-05:00

I have posted these other places but I have family that follows this blog to get updates on our little bean so I am re-posting them! She is doing so great! She is crawling, pulling up to a stand, climbing the stairs, has 3 teeth, smile constantly, eating 3 meals plus a snack a day, still nursing, sleeping 12 hours a night, loves playing with her toys, kisses her baby dolls, and her favorite time of day is when dada comes home from work!! I love this little bean! She is the biggest blessing from God and it is a JOY to be her mother.

Play "Date" video version

2011-06-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Play "Date"

2011-06-21T12:00:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, Willa's boyfriend came over to play! I CAN NOT put into words how excited Willa was to have another baby over in HER playroom! I have a video I will post next so you can see them interact. Here are a few pictures of these two in action:

Willa is trying to tell Saber about all of her cool toys.

I was trying to get them to both look at the camera so i said Saber,

and he looked so I snapped the picture...

Then I said Willa an this was the face she gave me...so funny!

Bean having so much fun!

Saber has no idea what is going one... he's just thinking that Willa is a little too excited.

Maddy Moo's 5th Birthday!

2011-06-16T10:56:00.007-05:00

On Monday we were picked up in front of our house in a LIMO! My parents got a limo for

Maddox's 5th birthday because his dream was to ride in one. Willa was very excited and enjoyed every minute of it! The limo door opened and there was the family... my parents, my sister and Darren (her husband) and my niece Ruby and nephew Maddox. Maddox of course donned a birthday hat and was grinning from ear to ear!
We then headed to BJ's for some yummy dinner where uncle T (my brother) met us there. Here is a the whole gang:

Maddox LOVED all his gifts. We gave him a Roly Poly Playground my parents gave him baseball cards and an Aunt farm.

After this we got back in the limo andheaded over to Marble Slab for some yummy ice cream. Ruby asked for "princess ice ream" and even though there is no such thing the guys at the counter created one for her from strawberry ice cream and sprinkles!!

It was a great time had by all and I am BEYOND happy that my sister and her family moved here from Cali this year!

A letter to Willa

2011-06-06T14:17:00.006-05:00

Happy 6 months my sweet Willa. You are growing up so fast. You are way more than I had ever expected. Me and your daddy's lives have changed so much in the last 6 months but for the better! Our little bean, your doing so many things these days. My favorite is that last week your started saying "Ma Ma" not sure if you know yet that I'm mama, but you say it all the time!! "Tummy time" is no longer spent on your tummy. You are rolling everywhere and you are even starting to bring your knees up under you b/c you want to crawl so badly. If you see your toy across the room you scream until you figure out how to get to it. Mostly your efforts scoot you backward though. I feel so bad for you but I try not to intervene because I want you to learn on your own. You can now sit up by yourself to play with your toys (although you do still tip over after a while). Your favorite toys are the exersaucer, your Janet giraffe, and baby keys. I did just buy you some new toys for your 1/2 birthday that are also growing on you. Your best time of day is the mornings when you smile and talk to me and daddy. I am not sure who you get being a morning person from because both daddy and I are NOT so chipper in the mornings. You take 3 short naps a day. The naps last anywhere from 20 mins to an hour...but NO LONGER than that. You have had some sleep issues at night but I hope to clear these up when I stop working in a few weeks. You just like to eat all night long. Maybe when you start solids you will change this habit. You are quite the social butterfly. You pretty much love everyone and LOVE when they give you attention. You are still wearing some 0-3 month clothes but are mostly wearing 3-6 months. Don't think you will be in 6-9 for a while. You are in a size 2 diaper. You can FINALLY fit into size 1 shoes! Some of them are still a little big but we make it work. I think you have your mommy's short toes...I am sorry! You are kind of a little chunk these days too (at least for you). We went to your 6 month well visit and you are 24 inches long - 5th%, 13.5 lbs - 8th%, and your head is 16.5 inches around - 35th%!! Your still our little peanut! Your new favorite activity is the pool! You swim with me and daddy then pass out on the way back home. Splashing the water is the most entertaining thing for you! It is just so cute. My heart is so warmed when you give me little love pats and a cherish the time when you are still and cuddly. Gone are the days of you sleeping in my arms. You are just so active. I am most excited because this Sunday is your baby dedication where your daddy and I get to stand in front of the church and publicly make a commitment that we will raise you in accordance to God's word and teach you that He sent His son to die for your sins (you are very much a little sinner and I can already tell you need a savior!). I also want to teach you how to serve God and others because you love Him! Sweet child... it will be hard to understand why mommy and daddy don't give you everything you want. I believe that the things that are valuable are not here on earth but are in heaven. My prayer is that you gain the kingdom not the earth and that you will love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.

We love you Willa!

- Mommy and Daddy

Willa's first boyfriend

2011-04-23T10:38:00.006-05:00

Saber and Willa sitting in a tree...and you know how the rest goes.

I think Willa has a little boyfriend! They are so cute. She stairs at him he stairs at her. Last night they even showed up for church in coordinating outfits! Saber is in our home group (it is actually at his house) and his mommy Jayme is such a sweet friend! The babies were sitting next to each other last night and Kevin looked over to see them secretly holding hands... he asked Saber what his intension's were with his daughter, but he still can't talk so I guess that conversation has been left for another day. We did get some pictures of the two "LoveBirds"!! Here they are! Willa was really tired so she isn't her usual smiling self.

Saber, Jayme, Liz and Willa

Where do we look?

Willa still doesn't get it, bit Saber looks cute!

Love this one...

Saber is up to something here:

Yup, he did it...he messed with her bow! You don't mess with a girls bow!

It's all over now. They are adorable!

BLESSED

2011-04-23T09:46:00.003-05:00

Being a mom has been quite the challenge for me. I knew I would be a great mom because I had so much "experience" with babies and kids. Well, that is NOT what being a MOM is. Being a MOM is a whole bag off stresses, decisions, worries, backaches, sleeplessness, and never having any more "me" time. I have had the hardest week. I have struggled ALL week with these things. My life is not my own. I know that is what being a mom is but all these feelings and emotions that go along with that knowledge is what has been so hard. Last night we had a Good Friday worship service at church. Jeff and Jordan Johnson led us in precious worship and Afshin Ziafat our, former Islam now Christian, Pastor spoke about why Christ who led a sinless life died for our sins. I hear the Gospel all the time, but sometimes it just hits you... Last night it hit me pretty hard. This is NOT my home and we are here on earth only a short amount of time. All these things I "stress" about are ridiculous! I am so blessed to live the life I do and my ONLY job as a mom is to raise Willa to know and follow the Lord. It doesn't matter how well she sleeps or how much she cries or if she is "sensitive". We are hear to bring God glory and to tell others about what His son Jesus did for us so that our sin is made clean and that we can live eternally with Him. All of this would be nothing without the most important piece of information! Jesus defeated the grave and rose from the dead! Amazing! I follow my God because he is ALIVE! HE ROSE! I am blessed!

Here is one of the songs we did last night... Love this old Hymn and Jeff and Jordan do a great version! Here is Jeff singing "Old Rugged Cross" :

First word...

2011-04-18T21:38:00.002-05:00

Tonight after Willa's bath I had her on the changing table drying her off to put on her pj's (Kevin usually does this but he is gone tonight at the Ranger game) and she was"talking a lot". I started saying ma ma to her and I even leaned over to put my mouth up to her's to help her move her lips to make the mmmm sound. I kept saying "ma ma" over and over. I stepped away from her and she grind really big and clear as day she said..." DA DA!" . Not what I was trying for but she said her first word so I was pretty excited! I of course called Kevin and he was so bummed he wasn't there for it. Funny thing is she has been "talking" so much lately and I told Kevin just yesterday that I bet she says a word soon and she did! Can't believe she is becoming such a big girl so fast! WOW! Who knows if she will say it again, but she did say it!

Our Four Month Old

2011-04-16T13:53:00.003-05:00

Well, we have made it FOUR MONTHS! Actually it was four months on the 6th but close enough right? Better late than never. I have just been too busy to get on here and make the post! Her four months check up went great! She went from 2 % up to 11% in height at 23.5 inches! Her weight went from the 7% to 20% at 11 1/2 lbs. Her head I think went from 14% to 22%. The doctor said she is short but looks very healthy and is staying nicely on the curve! Willa has been rolling from tummy to back since she was 3 months but is now (this week) rolling from back to tummy! I guess we need to child proof the house soon! She is just the happiest baby ever! She loves her toys these days and lights up when her daddy says ANYTHING unless it's the bible and that just puts her to sleep (guess we need to work on that LOL). She is a gabber for sure! She talks all the time and when she gets really excited her whole body flaps like a penguin : ). Her sleeping is HORRIBLE! From day one she was THE BEST SLEEPER and 2 1/2 months she was sleeping 8 hours! Well, now she is waking up every 3 hours to eat again! UGH! This has been going on for almost a month now. We are working on it and I pray for my sanity that something changes soon! We are not starting her on solids until 6 months per doctors request. She is still a little small and isn't really interested yet anyway. She L O V E S her some TV although I try not to let her watch it she still arches her back all the way to sneak a peek! Not going to lie I did set the swing in front of it the other day so I could get some house work done and it worked like a charm! We really are so blessed to have such a happy and easy going baby. I am pretty sure this means our next one won't be so "happy and easy going"... Here are some pics (already facebooked them but oh well) :

Road Trippin

2011-03-20T15:46:00.004-05:00

Hello mommy's readers! Guest blogger, Willa, here to tell you all about my AMAZING weekend!

On Saturday morning mommy and daddy woke me up from my beauty sleep bright and early. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I did notice that my fury siblings were nowhere in sight (Lola and Rider). I saw daddy taking huge bags with some of my favorite toys and putting them into the car. I wasn't quit sure what to make of this but I went along... They put me in the seat that I can't move around in and just like that we were off! I talked to myself and the things around me for 15 whole minutes and then I may have dozed off but when I woke up we were in Oklahoma! Mommy says this is my first time to be in another state. I guess thats pretty cool : ). They got me out of the car and this lady was holding me that seemed strangely familiar. Daddy told me she is mommy's good friend Anna and we also saw her funny husband Justin too! It hit me then that Anna came to see me when I was just one week old! It's really hard to remember that far back, but I did!

We went into their house and I was a hit! Everyone wanted to hold me and that's ok with me b/c I don't really like to be put down anyway. After lunchtime all three of us girls went shopping at a place called "campus corner" in Norman. Apparently there is some big college (whatever that is) there. Mommy talked and talked with her nice friend Anna for hours while I hung out looking cute...so cute that everyone had to stop and tell me how cute I was! One nice lady gave me a really cute pair of baby socks! I started to get hungry so after a few hours of walking around we went back to Anna's house where daddy and Justin were chatting it up and watching basketball.

When we got back I showed them how I roll over but I got a little camera shy when they tried to video tape me doing it. We played for a long time then I passed out with my toys. After my nap we went to dinner at a fabulous sushi restaurant that looked a lot like an old Pizza Hut, or so I'm told. Mommy and daddy looked like they had a lot of fun saying words to their friends! After dinner they got me ready for bed and turned on a movie, but I was a little fussy so we had to pause it a few times until I fell asleep for the night.

The next morning they woke me up early again so that we could all eat breakfast and hang out for a bit before it was time to hit the road and head back to Texas! It was kinda sad saying bye, but my new friends said they would come visit me soon at my house so I am waiting for that! I hope that they come tomorrow : ). Thank you Anna and Justing for making my first time out of the state a memorable one! Oh! I almost forgot! Here are some pictures of our trip:

Willa bean talks!

2011-03-10T14:55:00.002-06:00

Well she can't SAY anything yet but she's using her voice a lot! My big 3 month old is over TEN LBS!!!! She has doubled her weight since birth! Crazyness! Here is a little video of her talking:

Wittle Willa

2011-03-02T16:41:00.003-06:00

So my little Willa bean will be THREE months old on Sunday! I can't believe how fast time flies! I just put her on the scale and she is 9.4 lbs! She can hold her head up on her own and she can also hold some of her little baby toys now. Lots of tummy time and so far not too much rolling. She, as I have posted, has slept over eight hours but has kind of bounced around from 6 to 8 hours a few times. Oh!...and her birth announcements went out this week so check it out under this post.

Hippie Chick

2011-02-26T23:19:00.004-06:00

I know I know... I am kind of a hippie. At least that is what some people call me. I am really not that bad but I occasionally like to do things different than what you may call the "norm". I am super pumped about something and I have to share my latest hippie trick! I was reading in a sleep book trying to figure out HOW am I going to get will to sleep in her crib? She HATES it and has since day one. The minute I set her down she starts to scream. I have tried the whole cry it out thing a few times and she is a stubborn one. The only thing I could get her to sleep in is this little napper thing that goes on top of the pack in play. Every time I describe this to someone I always say "It looks like a hammock". Well in this sleep book they were talking about this "Amby baby hammock"....hold on....back up...what!? BABY HAMMOCK? Hello? I have to google this greatness now! So I did some research and found out these hammocks run from $300+ and I don't have that kind of money. So naturally I am a craigslist-aholic and found one there for $40!! I picked it up as soon as I could and what do you know, Willa LOVES IT! She slept 8 1/2 hours in this thing first night out! I am beyond excited and just think it is the coolest thing since sliced bread. I took a little video of her napping in it. She is so stinking cute! You can tell she liked it so much she just wanted me to leave her alone.

Prego Pics

2011-02-21T09:27:00.003-06:00

Here are some prego pics I never posted that Julie took of me when she was in town from California just days before I went on bed rest! I just put them into a collage for everyone.

2 months!

2011-02-12T17:24:00.003-06:00

Monday Willa had her two month check up and the doctor said she looks to be doing great and is right on the curve (according to her age and size). She weighs 8lbs 12oz at 7% and is 20 1/2 inches tall at 2%. She is low on the charts but at least she's on the charts! She has really long eyelashes now and is starting to take notice of the things going on around her! She spends much of her time flirting with the fan and anything that is over her head! It is super cute! She had a cough during the snow week and I am so happy it wasn't RSV! Her cousin's Ruby and Maddox moved here last week and she has been spending a lot of time with them. Willa also took her first gymnastics class on Friday. I will post those pics later! Here are some pics I took on Sunday:

Kevin and Willa

2011-01-30T21:19:00.003-06:00

Here are some pics of Willa and her daddy taken by my AMAZING aunt! These are some of her newborn pics... I will post more in the next coming weeks.

Cute little booty!

I love this one! So sweet. He.loves.her.

Wubbanub

2011-01-20T15:27:00.002-06:00

Just want to find out who uses the wubbanub with your babies? I want to get one for Willa and need to know if this is a skip it or a must buy item?? She keeps her paci in pretty good, but I love this cute little animal attached... if I got her one I think I would go with the pink pony. She has to have everything pink and girly : ) Here it is:

Biggest Loser

2011-01-18T11:39:00.003-06:00

I just got home from the doctor and I have been cleared for ALL activity! Time to get this baby weight off! I am so ready to fit into my clothes again... Every Wednesday I will post about my weekly progress and I hope that YOU ( my readers ) will keep me accountable! I have officially cut out Coke and Fast Food and will be fixing all of my meals at home. Kevin and I are both ready to get back to our pre-baby healthy lifestyle. I am not going to get too low in my calories b/c I am breastfeeding, but the healthy eating and working out should do the trick for now! I would like to lose 18 lbs by this summer and then the last 7-10 by November. I am giving myself a year to get this off. That is how long it took me to lose my weight the first time. Now if it comes off faster than that, I will be happy. Heres to my new journey! We will see how easy it is to fit my workouts in AND be a mom AND work AND cook AND clean, BUT! I am ready for the challenge.

I also start work back up this week. 14 office hours and 3 teaching hours. YIKES! Luckily Willa gets to go with me : )

5 weeks

2011-01-10T13:32:00.002-06:00

Our little Willa bean is 5 weeks old today and we braved the snow to make it to her 1month Dr. apt!! Before she was not on the charts for weight at 5lbs and now she is 7lbs 4oz and in the 5th percentile! She was 10 percentile for height at 18 1/4inches but that went down to 3 percentile today at 19 1/2inches (she is now the size of the average newborn!!). She in in the 11th percentile with her head circumferential at 14inches! Willa will not be getting any shots until she is at least 6 months old and we will not be giving her any and every shot either. I have done my research and for me and my family this is the best thing for us. I am excited that I have found a doctor that supports these decisions and also helps me understand what is important for us based on our lifestyle! She is a holistic pediatrician and we are so excited she is overseeing our little baby! She did say that the skin is a window into her health and that Willa's skin is perfect which means she is a supper healthy baby!

Happy 1 month Willa!

2011-01-06T22:41:00.002-06:00

I am so excited for my little girl that is growing so fast! She has her 1 month Dr. appointment on Monday so I will post her stats then but she is progressing so great! She lifts her head and turns it from side to side during tummy time, she is starting to smile (a little) with her eyes open, she is eating great, and she sleeps pretty good too. I will start her in her crib on Monday after her 1 month apt. Kevin and I still stare at her all day everyday and we feel so blessed to have such a good baby (so far)!! Thank you Lord for your many blessings on our family!

not sure anyone even reads my post's so...

2010-12-22T17:26:00.002-06:00

My friend Katie just posted about postpartum issues and I just wanted to second her experience! I too had the baby blues! People don't talk about this stuff and it really should be mentioned. After Willa was born I think I was just on this high for a few days b/c things were just perfect! About a week after we were home from the hospital I started to feel myself pulling away from my mommy roll... not physically (ie - diaper changes, feedings, holding her etc...) but emotionally. I felt withdrawn and like the worst mother in the world! I didn't understand why I didn't want to hold her every second of ever day? I had many tear sessions alone and with my husband (he was such a great encouragement!). I think the worst day was when I was getting off my pain meds, Kevin went back to work, and of course I still had these postpartum hormones. It felt like I was never going to feel happy again like I was just trapped in these feelings that I was having. I have slowly come out of these sad withdrawn emotions and started to feel much better. Occasionally I get anxiety when I nurse her but if that is all that happens I can handle it! I just wanted to share my story to help girls know that you will most likely go through a few days of these un-fun emotions but let it out, cry if you need to, talk to other mothers and you will soon feel better! If you don't please talk to your doctor!

On another note, Willa is perfect! She is my little princess! I thank God daily for giving us such a special gift.

Birthday Blog

2010-12-21T09:57:00.004-06:00

It's my husbands birthday today and I am sitting here wishing I could give him the world right now b/c that is what he does for me every day. I know i'm one of the lucky ones. He is an AMAZING husband and now perfect father. He takes his roll in our marriage very seriously and always looks to God for his daily guidance!He works so hard to provide for us and never complains. He loves our daughter whole heartedly. The way he looks at her melts my heart. My husband deserves the world today... but all I have is many thank yous, much love, and a Happy Birthday!

I love you Kevin Rock! You Rock My World!

pics from the first two weeks!

2010-12-19T10:55:00.004-06:00

Willa's Aunt Michelle gave her these cute boots...i'm betting she

will be able to wear them next winter too!

Willa's Fan Club

2010-12-13T11:20:00.013-06:00

Willa had MANY visitors in the hospital! We tried to get pictures of her with everyone that came but there were some we missed. Here she is with all her adoring fans!

Papi (Kevin's Dad) with Willa

Mimi (my grandmother) I just love she could be here for this!

My Childhood best friend came from Oklahoma to see her! Anna did not come to the hospital but I felt it necessary to include her in this post!

Amy Jo (one of my closest friends and hairstylist... yes, I credit her for making me look good)

Emily (another very close friend... and the most talented dance director ever!)

Cathy (my mom's best friend but I call her my "other mother" b/c I have known her since I was a small child and she has always been like another mother figure to me)

Jay (my best friend Amber's dad... she just moved to Florida and couldn't make it, but her dad was so sweet to come and hold her in Amber's place)

My sweet sweet friend Bre (we danced together in the past and is one of my closest friends!)

My mom and Aunt (Dad's sister - she is AMAZING and has also taken some

cute pics of my lil Willa)

Lacey (Sweet friend who I love dearly... know her for years!)

Unlce Travis (my brother)

I am realizing there are no pics of Willa and my best friend Zip!! This is HORRIBLE! Not sure how that happened but Zip, we need to remedy this ASAP!

Thank you to everyone that has shared this special week with Kevin and I! We are so blessed to have such great friends and family.

December 6th 2010

2010-12-12T15:47:00.014-06:00

This date will forever be stored away in my head as the best day of my life!

Kevin and I had spent all day Sunday together just enjoying eachother's company. We had the best time knowing that on Monday it would all change! Here we are after our last "date night" pre baby:

The next morning I was up at 6:45 taking my time fixing myself up for my first time to meet my little Willa! I spent extra time on my hair and makeup and even decided to go with pink eyeshadow in celebration of having a girl! We headed to the hospital by 8am and once we were there we were taken to our room where I was hooked up to all the machines and ready to go! Here we are waiting for the doctors to come take us away to deliver our baby:

Kevin in his scrubs:

Here I am all ready for them to cut me open! I was a little nervous as you can see:

Here she is getting cleaned off! The nurses were so good to her and Kevin stood by the whole time to make sure everything went ok:

Me and Willa right after she was born... I was in love!

We had birthday cake ready to eat! We all celebrated with a sparkling cider toast also.

Here she is all nice and clean after her bath:

Over all this day was AMAZING! We had many people visit us in the hospital and I will be posting pictures of all Willa's visitors tomorrow.

I just have to say... I am so happy! Willa is perfection! She has changed my life already and although I don't have much time to blog or facebook anymore, it is WAY better! What can I say? I love this whole mommy thing. I do also have to mention that Kevin is an AMAZING daddy. Willa is a week old tomorrow and I have only changed TWO diapers. I was healing from m c-section but now Kevin is just willing to do it. He says it "their thing". LOL! Who knew?

Baby Watch!

2010-12-01T11:06:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had my amniocentesis at Presby Allen. Kevin and I arrived to the labor and deliver and were escorted into our room where we waited for about an hour. Finally a nurse arrived (one whom I had not met yet after my long stay in the hospital a few weeks back). She was very short with me and at one point down right rude to the point that Kevin and I were a little nervous! I just continued to be myself and gave her no reason to be like that. Kill them with kindness usually always works! I later over heard her tell one of the other nurses (from outside the room) that was coming into meet with me "This is her room here...she's really sweet". I thought... hmmm she must be warming up to me! From that point on she was much nicer. I guess she just wasn't much of a morning person. Around 9:15 Dr. Sloan came in to do my amnio. There are some risks involved with this procedure. My water could break from the needle or I could start having contractions that could bring on labor. Needless to say the room got very quiet when she broke out the long needle! Kevin was standing by my head trying to distract me but when that needle started to go in my belly he stopped mid sentence and his eyes grew as big as the moon! Of course that really wasn't helping me. It did not hurt too bad. The only pain I felt was when it was going through my uterus muscle. Everyone in the room kept complimenting Dr. Sloan's work and saying how great she was doing. This was so encouraging! She managed to get everything she needed in one try. Apparently this is a great thing. I had to wait until 1pm for them to release me b/c they had to monitor me and Willa to be sure nothing went wrong.

Now we wait! They told us we should hear something by around 4pm. We went to eat and stopped by target (even though I am still supposed to be on bed rest) b/c I needed to get a few things. First off...I have not been to target in FOREVER! So you can imagine my excitement! Second... I knew I was not supposed to be "walking around" so I ended up driving one of the rascal carts around. HAHAHA! It was a sight for sure! Not going to lie, it was nothing short of amazing! I could go up and down all the isle without getting winded! Thank you Target for supporting those who can't walk through your giant store! We were able to pick up the little odds and ends we needed for baby and headed home!

Once we got home we started looking at movies and thinking of where we were going to go to dinner once we heard back from the doctors. We were getting so excited and nostalgic that this was to be our last night just the two of us! We went to rest for a bit in bed waiting for "the call" but 4pm came and went and no call : (. We both nodded of for a while and around 5:30 my phone rang!! Both of us jumped to find it under the covers... I answered and it was Dr. Sloan calling to let us know our results were in. She said "I have bad news" my heart sank. Baby Willa's lungs were just not ready. After hanging up the phone I was not sure how to handle this news. On one hand, Willa is top priority and we trust in Gods plan above anything else! On the other side, this means more bed rest, more discomfort, and worse more fear of going to bed and waking up in a dangerous situation! It took a bit but I was okay in the end.

This morning I wake up to a call from the sweet OB coordinator Carolyn. She explained that my doctors consulted with Dr. Peters (the perinatologist I have been seeing) and he said baby still needs to come out sooner than later. I am higher risk now after 36 weeks and Willa's life is less jeopardize in the NICU than inside my body. They put me on some oral steroids and I will OFFICIALLY be having her this Monday December 6th at 10am. I am in constant prayer now that Willa's lungs develop over this week and she will not need to be in the NICU at all! We are excited to meet our baby girl but just want everything on Gods timing!

Thank you all for the love and support through this crazy ride of a pregnancy we have had! God has blessed us abundantly with amazing friends and family! Without you all, Kevin and I would be having a much harder time with all of this. We love you!

Getting anxious!!!!

2010-11-21T16:06:00.002-06:00

Top ten things I am looking forward to when Willa comes:

1. Having my body back to myself. It is so nice to feel her move around but come on people it is like having this house guest that just won't leave!

2. Getting back to normal emotionally...I know it won't happen right away, but I am always going from happy to sad. It is tiring!

3. Sleeping on my back and not being so uncomfortable all night long!

4. Regular bathroom habits.

5. NOT being on bed rest!

6. SUSHI!!!! Not the cooked stuff like I have had a few times during pregnancy but the real deal raw fish! I am going to have the biggest plate full ever when I can!

7. A glass of wine here and there!

8. Dancing! I miss it so much!

9. Working out.

and......

10. Being able to meet my precious baby girl!

I leave you with a peak at Willa's room. It is not completely done (some more stuff will be done to the walls) but it is mostly done : )

Enjoy!

33 weeks!

2010-11-09T11:04:00.002-06:00

I have made it two weeks since I had to go to the hospital because of my previa! So happy! The latest news is if my previa doesn't cause me to have to deliver sooner I will be having this little sweety December 1st! Because she will still be a month early I will have to have an amniocentesis (where they stick a long needle into my belly to collect some of the amniotic fluid) to make sure Willa's lungs are mature enough. This will happen the day before my c-section. She is growing nicely too! Last week when I went to see the specialist he told me she was about 4lb 6oz already. I am predicting her to be about 6lbs at 36 weeks. We will see!

Here are a couple of my prego pics taken when I was 30 weeks:

Hospital update

2010-10-29T13:24:00.004-05:00

Hello readers! Coming to you from the hospital today. Looks like I will be here at least until Tuesday possibly for the remainder of my pregnancy : (.

Last night I was trying not to get worked up over my precious Rangers (Anyone who knows me well knows I have been invested since first pitch of opening day this year) and while I was doing my part my sweet hubby wasn't so happy. He was watching two games, FSU and Rangers, both teams not doing so hot. I started getting braxton hicks contractions very close together (within the 6 min apart range) but never a consistent time. I went to bed and woke up at 2:15 or so with some significant bleeding. Those of you who follow my blog know I have placenta previa... this can cause tearing a weakening of the placenta since it is in the wrong spot.

The Doctors said Willa is not in any stress! Good news! I just need to be closely monitored and if I have any larger bleedings they may have to take her sooner than later. They have already given me some steroid shots to help develop her lungs and intestines quicker... just in case. Please pray that I hold up at least until 36 weeks (I am 31 weeks and 2 days)! This is the main goal. I will post more when I know more!

Thank you for the prayers!

Willa's Bedding

2010-10-10T21:04:00.006-05:00

I am so excited! Willa's bedding is all done and it is everything I had envisioned! My mom is truly a servant and has worked countless hours on making this bedding. It is PERFECTION in every way and Willa will be such a pretty princess in her bed : ). Thank you mom! You are AMAZING and when I grow up I want to be just like you! Of course the lighting in the room is really bright so the colors seem a little off but you get the idea... Ever piece was made except for the fitted sheet.

Check it out!

28 & 2 days

2010-10-08T14:17:00.005-05:00

Here we are... just had my 28 week checkup and my ultrasound to find out how my placenta previa is coming along. Good news is Willa is doing great and since I personally know my sonogram tech she snuck some great 3d images in too!!! One thing I have been praying for is that she has her Daddy's lips.... SHE DOES! They are big and oh so cute! She kept opening her mouth and we saw her yawn too! She is perfect! The down side is I have complete previa and am scheduled for a c-section on December 21st... which happens to be Kevin's BIRTHDAY! They will share such a special day together : ). This also means I will be home from the hospital by Christmas!! While I am sad I won't be experiencing real labor it is nice that this is all planned out ahead of time! I just ask for your prayers as previa can become dangerous for myself and Willa. It can cause major bleeding and in some cases can be fatal (not to scare anyone)! I just need to start taking it easy and not over do it for the next 10 weeks. Just send out those prayers! Here are some snapshots of our little beauty queen:

Heading into my 3rd TRI

2010-09-24T16:10:00.002-05:00

Hello readers! I am less than a week out from my third trimester and realized I have not blogged in a loooooong time! There are MANY reasons's for this! I am working a lot lately, I have been taking care of my husband (he had surgery on his achilles), and my computer has not been working properly for the last month. This weekend my computer finally kicked the dust. I knew it was happening but I am sad : (. I have had this thing for like 6 years! I knew it was time for a new one just tried to hold off as long as possible. Kevin and I are going to Best Buy tonight to pick up a new laptop! I am very excited to say the least! I will hopfully have all of my data up and running on my new comp by the end of this weekend.

Here is a little survey to catch you up on my pregnancy by 26 1/2 weeks:

PREGNANCY:
Mother Name: Liz
Age: 27
Father Name: Kevin
Age: 30
How far along are you now?: 26 1/2 weeks
FIRSTS:
Is this your first pregnancy?: Yes : )

My BABY: Due date:: Decemeber 29th 2010

Do you want to know the sex?: Yes it is a girl!

Any intuitions?: Yes... They were wrong. I thought it was going to be a boy

Any Old Wives Tale for Gender? The pin on a string...it said GIRL!

Do you know the sex?: Girl

Any names?: Willa Christina Rock

Any ultrasounds?: One at 7 and again at 19 weeks....I will be getting another on in two weeks from today!

Have you heard the heartbeat?: Yes, my favorite part about going to the doctor!

Who do you think baby will look like?: I am not sure but if she were to have a feature from her daddy it would for sure be his big lips! From me....I hope she gets my eye color!

Will baby have any siblings?: Judging by this pregnancy...not for a loooong time!

Have you felt baby move?: ALLLLLLLLL the time! It is the best part about being prego!

MISCELLANEOUS:
Did you have any cravings?: for the first few months fast food only would do... now I am wanting healthier stuff. I also have to hit up starbucks for a decaf mocha frap daily!

Did you have any mood swings?: Not really but I have had maybe 3 or 4 cry sessions over the last 6 months. Not too many. I am def not cranky or the "B" word.

Are you a high risk pregnancy?: Possibly, I have placenta previa. I will find out in two weeks if it has gotten any better or not. If not I will have to have a c-section. PRAY!

Any complications?: None so far. Keeping my fingers crossed to stay that way.

Formula or breastfeeding?: breastfeeding

Have you bought anything for baby yet?: YESSSSSSSSSS! I love to by her things! Mostly clothes and shoes : )

When did you start to show?: Really started showing around 13 weeks.

Are you excited?: Ecstatic!

Who will help with baby after their born?: My sister will be intown to help for a bit and of course Kevin! My parents also live 5 mins away too! I am so blessed to have such a great support system!

What is your favorite thing about being pregnant?: Feeling the baby move around! Also knowing that I get to have a sweet baby girl at the end of all of this is exciting on a daily basis.

What is the worst thing about being pregnant?: being sick for 4 months! BACK PAIN! just down right uncomfortable!

What’s one thing do you miss doing since being pregnant?: Dancing! And have a glass of wine every now and then.

Any days you wish you weren't pregnant?: Hmmm pretty much the first trimester and a half! I was greatfull for the blessing but it was VERY hard to keep my eyes on the prize some days...

Are you ready for baby?: NOOOOO I have SO SO SO much to do! I have to paint the dresser, order the furniture, sew the bedding/curtains, and put together everything we get from the showers!

Do you have insurance?: Yes!

How many kids do you want?: Hmm probably just 2 : )

Do you talk to your baby?: not really... I have before but it seems kinda weird.

Do you still feel attractive?: Not really, I think that has a lot to do with what I went through right before I got prego.

Have you had your baby shower yet?: My first one with my family is coming up next month! So excited! Then my best friends are throwing me one in Novemeber!!!!

Do you like kids?: I hope so I have worked with them for over 13 years!

What is your biggest fear? That she will come really early! I watch all those baby shows and a lot can go wrong! I am just not sure how I would handle having to leave her at the hosptial. My best friend Zip had to go through this just 3 months ago and she was such a great example to me on how to trust in God's sovereignty in a situation like this!

Well that's all fellow bloggers! Hope to update you with a pic soon!

Hair

2010-09-03T12:26:00.002-05:00

I cut about 8 inches off my hair on Wednesday! I don't have any good pics of it yet but I will post soon! I guess this means I am one step closer to looking more like a mom... lol : )

Here is what it kinda looks like:

22 and 1/2 weeks update

2010-08-29T14:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I HAVE MADE IT! I am finally out of the woods I think with this getting sick every day thing. I have much more energy and have started into the "nesting" phase for sure. I have been cleaning every day and am getting the baby room all planned and even painted it last week! Well I didn't paint... Kevin and my dad did, but I went up every so often to check on them : ). I have purchased the material to make the baby bedding and have also bought a crib, rug, and dresser (i still have to repaint this). I am really excited about the quilt my mother-in-law is making for Willa! She makes the most gorgeous quilts and CAN NOT wait to see the finished product!

Willa moves constantly! Kevin has been able to feel her for about 3 weeks now but she has just started to become visible to both of us! Our new thing is to WATCH her move around... it is the coolest thing ever I think! I am getting bigger every day. As of a little over a week ago people have been telling me I "look" pregnant now... I just don't know how I feel about that scale! I don't want to gain more than I should but I just may be on this track. I do get some contractions now and then (braxton hicks...fake ones) but they don't hurt that bad. Right now I am just waiting for my next sono in about four more weeks!!

I am sure most of you know God has decided to give me a little taste of how mother hood will be. How it feels for someone to be completely dependant on you!! Kevin ruptured his Achilles and had surgery on Friday and I have had to completely take care of him! It has been pretty good but I will be happy in a month when he can get around without crutches!

Think that's it!

That shirt is working hard!

2010-08-25T08:29:00.003-05:00

22 week belly pic! I don't look so cute in the face and hair! Just got out of the shower and it is early in the morning... BUT here we are in all our girly glory!

Willa's Baby Room

2010-08-05T09:00:00.005-05:00

Here are my nursery colors! I would call them Raspberry red, celery green and slate blue! The furniture will be a mix of walnut wood and white wood.

Here is my room inspiration! This is mostly inspiration I have a few fun ideas up my sleeve too!

It's a GIRL!

2010-08-04T16:25:00.007-05:00

Well, fully expecting this morning to see boy you can imagine our surprise when we hear..."It's a girl!". It was such a fun experience because I have known the ultra sound tech since I was a little girl! She is my best friend Amber's Aunt. She took her time with us and it just made the whole thing so exciting! Thank you Robin!

Here is a pic from the sono:

She has her hands up like she is Rockin' out!

On to the name! We chose her first name long ago. We both really loved the name and did not agree on one together ever since! So...we are excited about it! Her middle name is after Kevin's mom who passed when he was a senior in high school. We know that she would be so excited about a little girl and wanted to honor her! It also happens to my best friends name too ; ).

Pebble's name will be:

Willa Christina Rock

Of course after my appointment Kevin and I were naturally ECSTATIC! I called my family and surprised my mom at work! We ended up going to the mall to pick out some cute things for baby Willa. My Mom got her the CUTEST bikini for next summer along with some diva shades! We also got some Trumpet socks from Neiman's and the cutest lil' fake Uggs from Target! This is going to DRAIN my pocket book, but I am crazy excited to have a little dancer!

I will post about nursery ideas tomorrow...momma is wiped out from this fun day!

Here are some pics of what I got:

K daddy

2010-08-03T08:39:00.003-05:00

This post is dedicated to my one and only!

Here we are just about half way through this pregnancy... we get to find out what are sweet little baby is tomorrow! I wanted to take some time and thank my sweet Kevin for EVERYTHING he is, has done, and will continue to be for me!

Since day one of this pregnancy he has been AMAZING! It is no secret I have been pretty sick and he literally waits on me day and night. Need a 9:30 run for ice cream? He's on it. Need a coke after he has been at work all day? He's on it. Need a clean up on isle 4? HE'S ON IT! No complaining... no argument... just a smile and he's happy to help!! I know God really works on us women to prepare us for mother hood but ever since I have been pregnant I feel God is preparing Kevin too. I could not do this without him... LITERALLY! I ask him "Why are you so good to me?" and he just says "your doing the hard part I am just doing whatever I can to make it easier for you". May my husband receive many jewels in his crown for this! I truly am blessed beyond words! I know without him I would have lost my mind by now. I keep telling him that once I feel better or have this baby (whatever comes first) I will make it up to him! So... Thank you K-Daddy Rock for everything you do for me and our growing family! You truly are a man after God's heart and I thank you for being that spiritual leader in out home!

Cautionary Whale

2010-08-01T10:12:00.003-05:00

What!!! I had a large meal last night but I jumped on the scale this morning for the first time in a little over a week and I think I need to slow down on those yummy party burritos from taco bueno! Holy Smokes! I was not expecting to see the number I saw...

I would be okay if I knew how much I was gaining is okay I guess. Up until now I had only gained about 4 lbs... well that is for sure NOT the case now! Yikes!

18 weeks and a few days

2010-07-30T15:43:00.005-05:00

These weeks seem to fly by! This week I have still been sick but I seem to not be losing my mind as much! It is doable. I mostly get sick in the morning and then just mildly queasy through the remainder of the day. My shortness of breath seems to be getting better too! This week Kevin was in Vegas from Sunday through Wednesday for work and it was my first time EVER to be alone that long! I have always had roommates or lived with my family. I am not so much of an "independent woman" BUT I will say that this time apart seemed to fly by! Luckily I did not pass out or feel like death while he was gone. On Sunday my great neighbors brought me over some AMAZING homemade chicken noodle soup. I seriously ate on that for the whole time Kevin was gone! Thanks Brian and Lyne! On Tuesday night my great friends Billy and Emily had me over for some CRAZY GOOD spaghetti and a movie...although me and Emi ended up talking through the whole thing. Sorry Billy : ). So, much love to good friends! I feel so blessed to have such great people in my life that seem to really care!

Fun fact! I am finding out what baby Rock is on Wednesday!

Yesterday my bestie Zip , her good friend Amanda, and I went to the new Buy Buy Baby in Frisco... I have to say I am still a Babies R Us fan. When we got back to her house she gave me a pair of maternity jeans.... HOLY MOLY! These things have changed my life! So comfortable. I am not so big yet but they don't put all that pressure on my belly like my button jeans do. I decided I needed another pair that was a little dressier too so my mom and I hit the mall today! And got a pair of these jeans:

And two of these tops:

I am so excited! I have been eyeing these cute fitted shirts!

Last but not least I also needed a MUCH bigger bra and I got this gem! It's a spanx maternity bra that fits like a dream!

All and all it was a great little shopping trip! Thanks for helping me out mom!

Anyone interested in some belly pics??? Here it is! I am also including one of me and ALL my babies b/c they are my sweet loves too!

Week 16/17 in review WARNING - if you don't like vomit stories don't read!

2010-07-23T09:25:00.004-05:00

Hello there fellow readers! Hope all is well in blogger world today! Just wanted to shed a little more light on my INSANE and CRAZY pregnancy! I keep thinking...is this a joke? Is God around the corner laughing at me? Maybe it's that other guy??? Either way I have a few stories to share from just ONE eventful week in my life these days. I had an AMAZING 15th week! A week and a half of bliss! But once I hit 16 weeks things started going downhill and fast!

Last Thursday morning I was teaching a solo to a little girl and I kept getting really winded and dizzy. My heart was racing and all I could do was teach her a few steps and sit down until she picked them up. This repeated for an hour! The mom came and talked to me about this but all I could think was I was about to PASS OUT! I DIDN'T...BUT I was worried about driving so I sat at the studio a little longer until I felt OK to drive. I hopped on 121 and for anyone that lives in McKinney it's all construction and traffic. Well, without w

arning I proceeded to vomit all over myself! I grabbed a tiny juice cup and tried to get most of it in there. I had to balance driving and puking after at least 1 or 2 mins of this juggling act I finally found a place to pull over! Like I said SOMEONE must be watching and laughing!

Saturday Kevin offered to take me shopping for a new dress. I told him I wanted to go to Kohls! We had stopped off at Target first where I couldn't even walk around for longer than 2 mins before sitting down in the middle of the store to catch my breath! He asked me if I wanted to go home. I said "Are you kidding me? NO! I am getting a new dress!". We went on to Kohls and since I was short on breath I worked quick! I picked out 4 things to try on in about 5 mins. Went into the dressing room and after the second outfit I could barley breath... I was getting dizzy too. I told Kevin "We need to leave... NOW". We barely mad

e it out of the store before I got sick right there in front of the store! Kevin stood watch for me as I embarrassed myself for the next 10 mins! Just wish I could figure out who it is that thinks this is so funny!

I did end up in the hospital this week! Hang out with me and your not going to have a dull moment... well maybe many dull moments but there will always be something entertaining around the corner! I called my doctor to tell them how severe my shortness of breath was and they sent me to the hospital! Good news! I am all good! I was extremely dehydrated... DUH! I could have told them that! They gave me an IV to re-hydrate me and sent me on my way.

There were some more stories from this week, but I figured I would share the most entertaining ones with you all! I leave you with my hospital pic... I will post a belly pic soon! I PROMISE!

16 week survey...

2010-07-15T16:43:00.001-05:00

About the mommy.
Name:	Elizabeth Rock
Age:	27
Is this the first child?:	Yup
About the daddy.
Name:	Kevin Rock
Age:	30
Is this the first child?:	yup
Finding out.
What day did you find out you were pregnant?:	Monday May 3rd @ 6:30am
How did you feel when you found out?:	Beyond Happy
Who was with you?:	Kevin...kinda
How did the daddy react?:	cautious
Telling the grandparents.
How did you parents react?:	My mom cried and my dad had an excited laugh.
How did his parents react?:	They were just so happy for us!
How often do they call to check on you?:	I usually end up calling my mom to complain.
About the pregnancy.
When is your due date?:	December 29th
How far along are you right now?:	16 weeks
Have you had an ultra sound?:	yes...at 7 weeks. I have another one August 4th
Have you heard the heartbeat?:	yes
Sex of the baby.
What do you want. Boy or Girl?:	I don't care. I am just excited I am having a baby!
Do you know what you are having now?:	not yet. Find out August 4th!
Are you happy with what you are having?:
About the birth.
Who is going to be with you?:	Kevin will be with me in the delivery room... i'm sure family and friends will be there!
Are you going to video tape it?:	I would like to. Not sure if K can handle this task though...lol
Natural or medicated?:	is this a joke? give me drugs!
Do you think you will have a c-section?:	hope not
Do you think you will cry when you first hold your baby?:	I am sure I will!
Do you know what you will say to the baby when you first hold it?:	sooo...your a baby. cool.
Are you scared about the labor?:	who isn't
Names.
Do you have a name picked out?:	yes
Is your baby going to be named after anyone?:	yes
Did the daddy help pick the name?:	yes
Other random questions.
Where was your baby concieved?:	ugh... TMI
Have you felt the baby move?:	yes! It's crazy!
What was your first symptom?:	throwing up!
Will you have godparents?:	We haven't discussed this yet! I'm sure!
Who will be the god mommy?:	we'll see
Who will be the god daddy?:	we'll see
What is the babys room theme?:	boy room is Sock Monkey and girl room is just really pretty!
Are you ready to be a mommy?:	I hope so!
What do you think the baby will be a "daddys girl/boy" or a "mommys girl/boy"?:	Daddy's whatever... that's what our dogs are. I'm sure it will happen again!
Take this survey or other MySpace Surveys at PimpSurveys.com

lOvE ThIs GirL

2010-07-09T15:21:00.002-05:00

She is my heart!

Little RUBY LAYNE

15 weeks and some change

2010-07-08T17:31:00.002-05:00

This past week has been pretty eventful, and by eventful, no... I did not get shot by a firework or even get anywhere near fireworks, fun parties, and for that matter, people in general... Nope, I pretty much stayed home ALLLLLL Weekend! Fun huh? Here is the low down:

Thursday I had to miss work b/c I BLACKED OUT...yup... while taking a shower. It was the scariest thing! I managed to get out and make my way to my bed where I preceded to cry and panic b/c my heart was racing, I was dizzy, and all I could see were little black dots! This was shortly followed by an intense migraine (not related). I can thank all these tropical storms for that one! For those who don't know me I get migraines with the rain. Usually 24 hours or less before it rains. There was no rain in the forecast either...but like clockwork it rained!

I did get out the next day to help with the Vigilante's game where the Youth dancers got to perform half time with the DVD's! They were so cute and sweet! One of the little girls ask me "Miss Liz, why aren't you dancing?" while another little girl interrupted me before I could answer saying... "Because she's got a BABY BUMP!". I have never laughed so hard! I ended up leaving after halftime b/c low and behold another front was moving in the next day and I had the WORST migraine again! YUCK!

I was sick all day Saturday too. Kevin and I just had a movie day in bed... it was nice.

Sunday while everyone was getting on with their fun and exciting fourth of July I was home sick...AGAIN! Sunday morning Kevin called me on his way home from the gym asking what I wanted him to bring me for breakfast (he's the best) and ALL I WANTED was cinnamon rolls! He brought me these little cinnamini things from MacDonald's. They were pretty good! I ate them and was drinking my orange juice when I leaned back on the couch to say "Man, that really hit the SPOTaaahhhhhbllaaahhhhh" and right there projectile breakfast all over myself... I have never seen Kevin move so fast to get me a trash bag. When I start I can't stop. I couldn't even get up to get to the bathroom! Poor Kevin is so sweet to take such good care of me! I took a nap and later that afternoon Kevin was so board so we went down the street to my parents house to swim. My dad made enchiladas for dinner (which I loved eating) but unfortunately I could keep them down. Words of advice- enchiladas DO NOT taste as good coming up as they do going down! On that note...I went on to bed.

I worked on Monday and went to see Toy Story 3 with my family after work... which was so cute! Loved Ken! He was my fav! I got sick Monday night after me and Kevin went to bed... BUT! Knock on wood, I have not been sick since then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 days! I think that is a record!

Tuesday I went to the Doctor and got to hear Pebbles heartbeat! I teared up a little. I have a baby GROWING INSIDE ME! AMAZING! Because I have been so sick I have only gained ONE lb in the last month! My bump has not grown since my last pic so I think I will wait until next week to post a new pic! OH.... and I have my sono appointment set to find out the sex of the baby! August 4th! CAN NOT WAIT! Any guesses as to what it may be??

Think that's it for now!

Belly time...

2010-06-26T20:50:00.002-05:00

Me at 13.5 Weeks

I did just have a massive cupcake but I don't think that is why my belly is bigger... I think baby Rock is just growing! Lil Pebble is already 3.5 to 4 inches BIG! I also think I look bigger than usual b/c I am wearing a form fitting dress : )

Where is this glow people speak of?

2010-06-11T16:53:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to send out a little update on how me and the little Pebble are:

First off - who enjoys this? This has been the most miserable month and a half of my life! They say you get this "glow" when your preggo... WHAT!? I beg to differ. I am rounding the end of my first trimester and am SLLLLOOOOWWWWLLLYY joining in the human race again after almost 6 weeks of sleeping on the couch sick as a

dog everyday! I pretty much in my mind

had the stomach flu for 6 weeks! NOT FUN people! I hate to complain but it is all you can think about! I am so glad that I think I am starting to come out of this rage of hormones against my body causing insane things to happen to me including have the face of a 14 year old pubescent girl. I'm talking massive craters boys and girls! Enough of this bad stuff moving on...

Few things about my pregnancy:

I am currently 13 weeks pregnant as of tomorrow! This means my baby has most everything developed. Now it just needs to grow and get bigger and stronger!

For those who do not know yet my due date is December 29th. This is great but my baby will be sharing not only the holidays with her b-day but also many family members b-day's also. There are 7 close family members (including Kevin's) who's b-da

ys are in December! WOW! Talk about craziness!

Many of you have read my blog and know that Kevin and I had struggled with infertility for 3 years. This baby is a HUGE miracle! Not only was it a BIG surprise for us but we did not have to spend money on fertility treatments ether (which is what we were currently saving for). God constantly keeps us on our toes and is ALWAYS surprising us! I love that because it is such a reminder that He is there and He cares about us all!

I have only gained about 2 to 3 lbs so far. Don't know if that's a lot or not but I have been so sick that I would probably have gained much more than that! I am

still fitting into my tiny jeans so that's a plus. No muffin top either but I do feel pressure on my tummy so I have to unbutton them when I am sitting... lol!

Cravings - They are different every week! Literary! One week salty, one week sweet, one week fried (well I always like fried ; ) ) and I am FINALLY starting to eat salads again! The other day all I could think about was Chucks (for my p-wood crew) chicken tenders, curly fries and of course HONEY MUSTARD... ahhhh! How good does that sounds? Could not get it out of my mind! We ended up going to Babes Chicken and WOW that place is GREAT!

That's it for now! I leave you with belly pic! I feel like I look fat but you understand right?

Sorry for the bad pic quality I used my bad camera.

Thank you!

2010-04-14T16:16:00.002-05:00

I am so glad to here that my story has touched many people out there! I would be crazy to think that my success was all from my own strength....IT WAS NOT! There were MANY people that have inspired me and helped me along the way. I would like to take a few mins to thank these people! Of course all of my friends and family inspire me on a daily basis, but these people helped me get to my goals!

Kevin - My husband, provider, leader and incredible workout partner! He works out with me all the time and we are able to push and motivate each other to get through some GRUELING tough workouts! He is constantly not letting me get away with anything! Thank you for your encouragement and support throughout all of this! I love you!

Mom and Sister - These to ladies are two of the most incredible Godly women I know! They encouraged me in my training yes but also in the word... what more could you ask for?!?! My life would not be the same without you two!

Chelsea Duchene - She is the personal trainer I consulted for the two week diet plan! This is one of my sisters dearest friends and is not only one HOT mama she has one heck of a testimony too! Thank you thank you thank you!

Kelsey Toney Macke - You inspired me to get off my lazy bones and get out there! Your story is what kept me motivated! Thank you girl!

Ashley Ramirez - You are always leading such a healthy lifestyle and I just admired that! With all your healthy cooking and cross fit all the time... Thank you for your great example to all women!

Emily Scoville/Dana Stewart and all my DVD girls - Thanks being such great examples of healthy living! Dana thanks for kicking my butt twice a week! I never thought I would ever again do 100 man push ups : ) Emi- your an angel to even let me be apart of this amazing team! Thank you and love you!

Oh and last but not least! p90x - I LOVE YOU!

Battle of the "bulge"

2010-04-12T12:20:00.009-05:00

Sorry I have not been updating this since...WOW! January! I have had SO much to say but just have not been either motivated or even had the time. This may be a long one but if I can inspire just one person with this story of restoration then I will be ecstatic! Most of you all know I am no writer and terrible with grammar. If my run on sentences and misplace commas bother you than MOVE ON! Here it goes:

This was me Last February at a grand weight of 152 lbs on my short 5 foot frame.

Check out those arms! WOW!

I was happy with so many things in my life but realized I was a slave to food! Addicted to carbs, fast food and most importantly over eating! I asked myself "how did you get here?". Always being the epitome of health and active living. in 2005 right after I met Kevin I had (what I thought for 5 years was) a career ending injury. Four bulging/herniated disk ranging from my upper back through my lower back...OUCH! Unless you have had this you could not even BELIEVE the pain I went through! The slightest move would send me into (literally) paralyzing spasms! For years I honestly could not do an physical activity or even simple things like vacuuming. During this time my eating habits became pretty much all fast food! I could eat high calorie foods my whole life because of my amazingly active lifestyle so once I became sedentary I did not think "Maybe you should cut down on these late night trips to Whatarburger and French fries galore!" Slowly but surly I was growing out of all my cute little size S clothes and size 4/5 pants! I just thought "This is not fair! Why did God let this happen to me?"...

I started being more pro active about my back issues going to see many chiropractors, acupuncturist, massage therapist, physical therapy...you name it I did it! I wanted to stop living with such pain, but my goals were not for health and wellness. I was still eating like everything my skinny minny husband was eating. I thought "Unfair!! He can eat anything he wants and still look great!" but I failed to take a look at myself with honest glasses. Elizabeth, Why are you gaining weight? This is not just about your back. I would just push those stupid thoughts into my fat jeans and move on.

About year three things were getting much worse I was well on my way to the 140's and my husband was clearly saddened by my condition. Without getting into much it definitely strained our relationship. This made me upset at him that he would be so vain! "UGH! My husband has no right to criticize me.. this is not my fault! I have a bad back!". Choke... was this still my excuse? After 3 years of this injury you would think I could find something that worked for me right? Was it that I just wasn't trying the right things? I did many times try Jenny Craig, and "eating healthy" (salad is healthy right? I'll take that giant Cobb salad worth i'm sure 1500 calories) and to my dismay nothing was working or I would quite by Tuesday.

Year four...WOW! I was embarrassed to be seen by people at this point! Cellulite everywhere even on my ARMS! YUCK! Tears came out ALL THE TIME! It was this year that I really started to think that this could be GASP a SIN issue! Now I know some of my readers don't believe in these things but I do... so read at your own risk! I started to realize that my back issue was my crutch. I would lean on it to make people and myself think "Oh poor thing she can't help it." Visiting my sister in California I was sitting on her bed, that happened to break when I was on it, balling my eyes out! I could not believe I was up to 152 lbs! She comforted me and we talked forever about my weight gain. Trying to figure out how to get it off and why it was there in the first place. When I got home I was talking with someone close to me going through some reoccurring sin and I told them they just need to cut it out and to rely and depend on God to make it happen. Cough cough.... rewind! I can not expect someone to flee from their sin troubles if I did not do it myself! Literally right then and there I gave my food addiction up to God! He had been calling me to do this for 4 years! I just ignored it every time! Things were never perfect but God helped me through it!

First order of business was to give up fast food! That right there I dropped about five lbs in just about 2 1/2 months. At this point I said to myself I am going to do this! I practice my self control and look what it did for me! In May of last year I signed up for weight watchers and competed in my first 5k in about 5 years! I was seeing a new chiropractor and my back was feeling MUCH better. I think God honestly just wanted to teach me to trust Him! It was hard but I decided to start working out again. Eating well and working out got me down to 134 by October! At this point my back was feeling about 90%. I decided to keep up my healthy eating but to just maintain my weight so I could enjoy myself through the holidays! In November I started running much more and entered many 5k races. January of this year I did a 10k race and my longest distance in my training was an 8 mile run! I got down to 130lbs through Jan but after visiting my sister I gained 4 lbs back.

Mid Feb I found out that my close friend and former captain of my first year of Desperados was announced the new Director for AFL Dallas Vigilantes Dancers and I thought "Liz, it's your time". I had 2 weeks to lose 20 more lbs!!!! HELLO! Is that even possible? I consulted an informed friend about how to do it and she gave me a diet plan for those two weeks. I stuck with it and worked out twice a day and by auditions I had lost 14lbs! IN TWO WEEKS! I made the team as well as being named a captain! I have been able to keep it off and now I am almost to my pre weight-gain weight. Just 3 lbs away from a total of 40 lbs lost!!!!! That is CRAZY! When I complain that Kevin gets to eat the "fun" food he says, "Your eating for your job not for fun!". It really helps to think of it that way at this point! My back is holding up. Some days better than others but it is no longer going to stop me from doing the things I love! The best part about the weight loss is I get to get all new clothes! The worst part I have to BUY all new clothes!

If anyone wants to talk to me about there struggle with food, working out, or healthy living...I'm here! Hope my story has inspired you! Thanks for making it to the end! HA! Here is one last pic...me now!

This is from last Saturday:

Running thus far

2010-01-11T17:30:00.002-06:00

My training for my half marathon is half way done! I ran 7 miles for the first time yesterday and I am giddy like a school girl! It was refreshing and an overall AMAZING experience! I was nervous at first b/c I have missed some runs do to the weather and my leg had been hurt (still does a bit but I am working through this). I will be going to California at the end of the month and realized I will have to run 9 miles there! WOW! Literally my sisters neighborhood is ALL up hill! It is CRAZY! So we'll see how it goes! How is everyone else's training going this far I really want to here your stories! Got to get going Kevin just got home and we are going for a short run!

More Collars

2010-01-03T21:40:00.003-06:00

I made many collars this weekend! Here they are!

They range in sizes from S/M/L. I made most of them for my dogs but the

two middle ones are for my mom's dogs! I am thinking about making more so I will take orders if interested! The are called Martingale collars. They were created for dogs who's heads are similar sizes to their necks. The center ring pulls up and it clinches the collar tighter so that it won't come over their heads. Kinda like a choke collar but it does not hurt them.

2010-01-02T13:08:00.007-06:00

On Monday around 3:30 I looked on good old craigslist for Italian Greyhounds and 2 hours later we were leaving our home to pick her up! I have been BEGGING Kevin for over a year to get another dog (specifically an IG). I have looked and looked for the right one everyday! They have two IG adoption leagues and we had found one we liked but they are about $300 then you have to buy a crate and pillow and food.... We just did not have then money! I went on CL Monday and there she was...$100, potty trained, 4 years old, and female. Everything I wanted! I told Kevin and sent him some pics. When he got home from work he said "Well, lets go get her". So we drove an hour an 1/2 each way and took her home! She is the sweetest little girl and EVERYTHING I wanted! She is such a cuddle bug! So of course she did not yet have a collar so I HAD to make her some! Here are some pics of her and the collars I made her:

New Year and new DECADE!

2009-12-31T16:26:00.002-06:00

WOW! Here we are... quickly approaching the new decade (how is this happening?). I have to say this last 10 years was AMAZING! I can not wait for the next! To think, in y2k (HAHA) I graduated high school and started college at Collin County Community College, those were the days! I worked at TGP where I met (Zip) my best friend and roommate from 02-03. We had a BLAST and have memories imprinted! ; ) Of course I had to waist much of my time with a boyfriend (why do girls do this to themselves!?) for four of these years. I did learn so much from that and I am thankful! 2003-2005 were some of the most memorable years of my life! I changed jobs to work at an AMAZING dance studio and I was fortunate to be a professional dancer for the Dallas Desperados AFL team. I also got hired to work at Palm Beach Tan...and we all know who I met there!!! : ) Kevin and I quickly became friends (in a boss employee type way) and after about 3 months we started dating and a few months later we knew this was it! At the end of 2005 we started attending an incredible church called the Village where Kevin came to know Christ and was baptized (AMAZING! I got to baptize him). Summer of 2006 we were engaged and married only 3 short months later...2 months after that we started building our beautiful house. In 07 we moved into our home and I got my first big girl car after I totaled my old one. 2008 was full of ups and downs...our great love Rider came into our lives, but Kevin lost his job for over 3 months! We have seen great blessing in 2009! Kevin has a great job and we got our second little joy Lola. Along with all of these memories I have seen my best friends and family get married, buy houses, have beautiful babies, laugh, cry, and trust another day that God's plan is far greater than we will EVER know on this earth! Cheers to the last ten year and prayers for the next 10! I love you all!

I will post some pics of 2000-09 tomorrow! Just need to find the scanner!

ROAD TRIP

2009-11-30T22:21:00.005-06:00

Zach and Paige

Me and Paige

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law have just embarked on a nationwide road trip that will take place for the next I think 6 months or so. They have started a blog and are stitching off daily to update it. I find it fascinating yet CRAZY what they are doing. I would never have the guts to do something like this (most wouldn't) which is why they are allowing us to tag along through their blog! They left the day after Thanksgiving from their home in Portland, Oregon. If you are looking for a new blog to stalk THIS IS IT! I am sure there will be many incredible stories to come! Good luck Zach and Paige! Can't wait to see you when you make it here for the holidays!

Zach and Paige

Overwhelmed!

2009-11-30T19:30:00.002-06:00

Do you ever desire for God to literally shake the ground you walk on? Well He is shaking mine alright! All I can do is rely on Him and thank Him for the blessings He has given to me. A month ago I would have been shocked if someone had asked me to train for a half marathon. Then my mom and I made a packed to do the best we could and prepare for one. I was in minor freak out mode at first and we picked a half in Austin we wanted to do. I have been consistent with my training and have not given up. This Saturday we did a 5k (my mom got first in her age group...whoop! go Pam!) and this sucker was all hills! It about killed me and made me reconsider my Austin goal (mostly hills too). I remembered my friend Kelsey said she was doing one the week before mine and it was here in Dallas so I talked to my mom and we decided on that. Well a few hours later and now I know that Amber, Sarah, Kelsey, and Benny B are all doing it too. THEN I got a call from my cousin saying she decided to train for a half (not knowing about me doing it) and she is doing the same one with her hubby and of course my mom is training too! All this to say when we want something God will send in the reinforcements to make sure that it happens! I am so excited for the next few months to see how all this goes! I can not wait to see every ones successes!

See you all out there for the Rock 'n' Roll Half! March 14th!

Holiday Challenge

2009-11-20T16:28:00.006-06:00

I struggle a lot with the Holidays. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smells, the lights, the music, the family, and especially the true meaning of Christmas... but I have to say-the gift giving and pressure to give something special even when you feel you don't have the means to do so tends to get in the way. There is something about surprising someone with the perfect gift on Christmas that lights everyone up but I just feel like anymore people just expect it. It is so sad when we have SO MUCH and there are so many people out there with so little. We just sit here and hold our hands out for more! I would like to challenge ALL of my readers to give something to someone less fortunate this holiday season! My family has decided this year that we will be giving gifts to each other from the World Vision Gift Catalog. 100% of your money goes to exactly what you purchase from the catalog and they will send you a card to give to the person that you bought the gift in their name! Say I buy a cow for a village in a 3rd world country (they can use for milk, dairy, and even meat!) the cow is $500... I can give a card to my sister telling her I bought a cow in her name! I could send a girl to school for $140! That is Crazy to me! My heart goes out to this and I am so pleased to be able to do this!

If I can get at least 7 of my blogger friends to give to an organization (of your choosing) this holiday season and POST about it I will double my gift of $25 I was already planning on giving in the name of my blogger friends. Specifically to the help for sexually exploited girls. This is an area that brings me to tears just thinking about it and I am passionate about. Like is said I am already giving gifts from this catalog to my family so this will be on top of that! Are you up for the challenge? Comment here so I will know if you have joined the challenge! Try to get others in on it too!

Happy Holidays!

Here are some great ogrinazations:
World Vision
Samaritan's Purse

Giveaway!

2009-11-20T16:24:00.002-06:00

One of my oldest friends Ashley is doing a surprise give away in honor of her 100 followers (although now she is way past 100 already) GO ASH! If you are interested in entering today is the LAST DAY! GO to her page and enter now!

OPK and PT's

2009-11-14T11:11:00.003-06:00

Hello lady blog friends! I know many of my readers are married and are trying to have babies : ) I found this website that you can order 10 ovulation and or prego test....FREE! No surveys no credit cards! They are a none profit organization that help women try to conceive! How cool is that?!?! I just ordered mine... go ahead and try it!

Brag Sesh!

2009-11-10T15:44:00.003-06:00

My little Ruby is a Rock star! Her cousin is a model and her agent saw Ruby's pics (the ones I posted a few weeks ago) and signed her that day! This was late last week. Ally got a call like Friday telling her to be in LA for a Baby Gap audition. (this was her first audition EVER) After waiting a few hours and watching hundreds of babies go in and out Ally got word they wanted her back the next day for a "call back". She showed up today and they sent her away and said we will call you in a couple hours. They called her and said bring her back now we are starting the fittings!!!!! She got it! From what I hear this is for their whole campaign except TV. Advertising, store use, and catalog!

Sooo proud of you lil peanut!

Run Lizzie Run!

2009-11-10T10:17:00.004-06:00

Well, I am doing it! I am training for a half marathon! I am extremely freaked out and so sure I will fail! But I am going to give it my all! When I run I lose focus really easily and then I want to stop! I need to learn the mind games to keep me going! My mom is on this kick where she wants to do a 5k once or twice a month. She has already done one this month and we plan on signing up for one on the 28th, two in December, and a 10k in January. The half we are wanting to do is called Zooma. It is a race geared towards women's health and it is at the Hyatt Spa Hotel in Austin. After the race they have wine tastings, mini spa treatments, food, and shopping! Just sounds like a fun time : ) I would love to have good times for the 5k's but lets be honest I have some short legs and these baby's turn over really fast but don't get me very far LOL! My pedometer reads 2.6 miles and my google map reads 2.1 miles : ( This means I am working .5 miles harder then my husband that is 6 ft. and can finish a 5k at around an 8 min mile. My best time right now is 11.20 min miles and I feel like I am sprinting! UGH! Oh well this is why I just want to prove to myself I can do it. If I ever do a half again I will go for time.

WISH ME LUCK! I THINK I AM GOING TO NEED IT!

Followers

2009-11-03T12:17:00.002-06:00

I would love to know who is reading my blog! My friend Ashley just reached 100 followers! WAY TO GO! If you read my blog will you show me by following me? I just would LOVE to see who is! I will FOR sure do a giveaway when I reach 50!

Halloween or not?

2009-11-02T15:44:00.008-06:00

This year the thought of Halloween stressed me out! I was planning on going to Oklahoma to visit my good friend Anna and plans ended up changing last minute and did not want to rush costumes together for me and K last min. We decided to hang back and pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. They were all soo cute decked out in there costumes! Aside from passing out candy I did my friend Haley's hair and makeup for the party I would have gone to. Amber also came over and hung out! She helped with passing out candy when my hands were full of makeup brushes and hair! LOL! Here is and iPhone pic of Haley (not great quality)

After Haley left me, Amber, and KRock went to OTB for some much need food and drink! I was sad that Amber left when we got home but happy to curl up and watch Mad Men!

Also here are some pics of my niece, Ruby Layne's, costume that my crazy talented sister made!

This one she has her little Cabage Patch shoes on!

I just love her to pieces!

Wishful Wednesday

2009-10-28T17:22:00.005-05:00

'I wish' ...I was six years old and going trick or treating, and my costume would be:

Wounder Woman!!! I used to have this costume when I was like 5 no joke! LOVED IT! I would dress in it every day and my bro would pick me up and fly me around. I have pics I need to find them : )

Visit Kelsey's blog to find out more about wishful wednesdays!

My Touch

2009-10-27T12:32:00.003-05:00

Well... I have arrived! Into this century that is : ) I , for the first time, actually bought a cell phone. I am so that person that has REFUSED to buy a phone. I was always like...I don't care if it has a camera, I don't care if it is small, I don't care if it comes in PINK! COME ON! I just need to talk and it to be FREE! Through a series of events or eh ehmm....toilets. My phone did not work right. I would type a text on the "regular keys" not the "qwerty keys" and anytime I would hit a key on the left side of the pad it would send my unfinished text without my consent. This quickly became the bane of my existence. I ended up having to call everyone and explain why I just said "ho"..send..."how are y"....send. AHHHHH. Dial them up. "That was supposed to say How are you doing"! well after a torturous year and 1/2 of this I am in full text capability now. The other reason for the new phone is because my ipod and Kevin's ipod have both decided to crap out on us. I HAVE to have a music devise for work. Without further adieu here it is:

It is basically the same thing as the iphone just made by google not apple. I am OBSESSED right now! I can't stop playing with it!

2009-10-23T15:20:00.002-05:00

Can I just say how much I enjoy the blogger world?? I mean everyone is SOOOO encouraging and has the nicest things to say to each other. It is the healthiest Internet environment I can think of! Need someone to brighten your day? Read a blog... or go and re-read the sweet things people say about your own! I just love the network of empowerment and encouraging going on here! Keep it up girls! I love you all!

A few bloggers who have touched my heart:
Rawlings Report
Ramirez Family
The Seattle Smiths

Three years going on 80

2009-10-22T11:52:00.006-05:00

As I said in my last post it was our anniversary yesterday! The whole day was planned out. We woke up and I cooked french toast, eggs, and (supposed to be mimosas turned into just) orange juice. (we were not feeling the champagne at 8:30am). We then went to an 11am showing of Paranormal Activity... SO SCARY! After that we ran to our cars in the rain and headed to our "couples message" that I surprised Kevin with. He had never had a message before and I think I made a fan out of him for sure. When we finished that at around 2:30 we were starving so we went to Corner Bakery for lunch...YUMMY! With our tummy's nice and full we headed to Strikes bowling ally where Kevin kicked my booty in 3 out of 4 games. I was ready to head home for a little R&R at this point so we popped in the old wedding video. I was really disappointed to see that it kept skipping! UGH! The whole DVD skipped! So we had to work on it for a while and ended up watching what we could of it on the computer. By this time we were ready for dinner. Kevin and I jumped back into the car and headed to Saltgrass Steakhouse. It was so good and I just sat there not wanting the day to be over. Looking into his eyes thinking about how much I love him. AMAZING! Of course we topped the day off with cuddling up on the couch and watching our DVRed shows. Perfections!

Thankful Thursday

2009-10-22T11:19:00.003-05:00

This was from our wedding reception
Yesterday was me and Kevin's THREE year anniversary! I have to say I did not think it was possible to love him even more than the day we were married....I DO! I DO! It is crazy to me that people can not see God in the blessings of our lives! Even when things are so bad for me Kevin is always there to remind me what is important. He is constantly showing me how to be a better christian. Watching him grown in the Lord is AMAZING to me. To think back that he did not even have a personal relationship with God when we met is such a testimony. I can always remember the day he excepted Jesus into his heart. 04-05-06...pretty easy huh? I don't even know my own spiritual birthday! We were engaged about four months later and married just 3 months after that! I knew he was the one for me! They always say first year is the hardest. We were good for about 7 months then for the next 7 months was a little rocky (we were buying a house). I don't really talk about this much, but after a year of marriage we started trying for kids thinking.... we have a house....extra rooms to fill... but no baby : ( six months later no baby and six months later no baby. Then... Kevin lost his job. I thought, thank you LORD! You no WAY better than I do on when we need a family. How could we have supported a family when we had no income for 3 1/2 months! Finlay in Feb of 09 Kevin found a job! Better than what he had before! Financially we are almost to the place that we can start saving again and get back to the place we were pre job loss. Having a baby is still important to me but I have learned this is something I can not control and that God's timing is perfect! He has shown His faithfulness to me time and time again. Kevin, Family, House and Friends. I am thankful to God for all of these things.

Free business cards!

2009-10-20T11:18:00.003-05:00

In this economy we are al trying to find creative ways to make some money...right? Well these sites are here to help! They are offering 100's of different styles of FREE business cards! Just put your info in and they do the rest. I will be getting some for my makeup artistry and maybe some more for my dance teaching! Do you have a company you are trying to start but don't have a lot of money to invest in it? This is a great idea for you! Here is the website! and another!

Face - Lift

2009-10-19T16:50:00.002-05:00

I have decided I want to blog more soooo.... I gave my blog a face lift! I am no longer staying with the origin of this blog. I will at times post about my "master bedroom" BUT I will be saying other things as well. I am still going to try to keep with my restoration theme. As I was contemplating the big "Change" I realized....HEY! I am ALWAYS in need of some restoring. Inside and out! I found this (1 Peter 5:10) verse and it looks like God does some restoring on all of us all the time!

Today I have been thinking about what is holding me back from restoration. I so often chose to rely on myself and not on God. This tends to where me down and also causes me to be even more complacent. My goal today is to give all my worries and fears over to Him!

What is keep you from restoration?

MY BESTIE

2009-10-10T19:09:00.005-05:00

Please send some prayers out to Amber and Josiah this weekend as he deploys over seas for another 4 months! This pic was taken 1 year and 2 months ago. Since then Josiah has already been gone on a 4 month deployment! I can't even imagine how hard this is to go through for them. Josiah is a hero to all of us! We are so proud of you Jo! I am also so proud of Amber. Such a patient wife staying in Abilene making sure all the bills are payed and the home is in order. For most not that hard of a task but she has only lived there a short time and is still trying to make good friends. Yes...I am only a phone call away but it just isn't the same I am sure. I just want you to know that I love you! You are such a good and loyal friend! Our prayers are with the both of you as you go through this journey together!

A Little Brag Sesh

2009-09-28T16:15:00.010-05:00

My sister's sister in law is an awesome photographer and she gets AMAZING pics of her kids all the time! LOVE IT! This past week she took some photos and I just got a glimpse of them. BEAUTIFUL! Ruby is the most diva-litious baby of all time! She is always making the "prissy" face and is breathtaking! Of course I am partial because I am her aunt! Oh! Did I mention my sister? She is crazy beautiful too! UGH! Unfair! So without further adieu here are the pics and some other ones Julie has taken of my sis and her fam!

http://www.julsmegill.smugmug.com/

Paint and bedding

2009-08-14T08:58:00.006-05:00

I painted ONE wall in my room! I did not have time to paint them all yet. While I was painting Kevin asked me "Do you want me to go get your camera so you can put this on your blog?" LOL! He is such a sweety pie! I also put my bed together with my new bedding. Ever piece of bedding is from a different place!

Thankful Thursdays

2009-08-14T08:36:00.007-05:00

I love this idea Ashley... and it will keep me blogging in the meantime! Just list the things you are thankful for!

**I am thankful for what God has provided me. I would never had even planned my life to be this good. Yes... I can't just go out and buy anything I want at anytime, but when I do I am that much more appreciative of what I have been blessed with.

**I am thankful for a God fearing husband that clings to the word of God and leads our relationship and family accordingly. He is a hard working, HOT, and dedicated husband that loves me as Christ loves the church. What more could a girl ask for?

**I am thankful for cleaning b/c it is then when I look at my house and realize how thankful I am to have it to clean!

**I am thankful for my dog! He is such a blessing! He teaches me responsibility every day!

**I am especial thankful for my family today. My sister is in town with my precious niece and nephew and they are here for a family reunion next week. Last night I was holding them and loving on them and my heart just wanted to jump out of my chest with aw and amazement at Gods creation!

Here are the little angels: Maddox and Ruby

TV stand

2009-06-27T16:26:00.005-05:00

I got and put together this cute whimsical TV stand from Ikea! Well....not supposed to be a TV stand it is really meant to be a sideboard/buffet table. When I say I put it together really I mean I read the instructions and Kevin put it together. Ikea's instructions are supposed to be "universal". They have NO words LITERALLY! I was confused most of the time here is a pic of the instructions and Kevin putting it together:

After we got most of it together Kevin was getting tired so I stepped in and tried to put the drawers together. Ummm well... I failed! I put two of them together wrong and they were hammered together with this crazy plastic screw that was meant to never come out! Woops! Needless to say Kevin was pretty upset with me. Rut roooowww : (
I was able to talk my dad into saving the drawers for me and we got them in so this it what it looks like in place: (Note - the walls are not the color they are going to be, It will look much cuter when they are and I have decor around it)

Firplace Restoration

2009-05-14T21:16:00.004-05:00

I am finally finished with my fireplace! After taking a nearly two month hiatus of working on it : ) My before picture is just a few post down check it out as a reminder. Here are the after pictures!

ENJOY!

Long time no blog...

2009-05-06T14:01:00.003-05:00

I promised myself this blog would be only about my restoration and not about my life. Unfortunately my life has gotten in the way of my restoration lately! Since the end of March I started painting my parents old house that they are trying to sell. THE WHOLE HOUSE! BY MYSELF! I agreed to do this b/c I need money for my room decorating : ) I can't get everything I need unless I have money right? A few weeks ago my neighbor came to me and asked if I could look after her precious 8 month old baby girl. I could not turn down the opportunity to spend some time with her! So I just spent the last two and a half weeks playing mom. I know... I know... it is different watching someone else' kid than your own, but it was fun to pretend what it could be like at times. I did earn some more money towards my restoration for doing that too! Now I need to get back to work on my parents house and then once I am done it will be full steam ahead on MY room! YIPPPEEEE! Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but I PPPPRRROOOMMIISSSEEE there will be TONZ to talk about in the coming months. : )

Here is a pic of Carys!

Amy Butler

2009-03-17T15:31:00.004-05:00

I love amy butler! She is FANTASTIC! Her colors together just make me feel happy inside! I am totally excited about using her stuff in my new room! I will for sure be using fabric from the BELLE line and possibly some of her other stuff too. : ) If you are looking to make some pillows or a bag or even a hat! Check out her fabric you will not be dissapointed she has something for everyone. Here is the link to her website!

painters hand

2009-03-13T16:50:00.005-05:00

Okay well I am on day 2 of restoring the fireplace. I have come to realize it is not so easy. My hand hurts really bad and I realize as I am painting I need to go back and sand some more before the second coat... I woke up this morning with this horrible pain in just one hand I couldn't figure it out... then I realized it was from the spray paint! Holding the nozzle down for that long is quite the workout. It is starting to look much better though. I am still excited! I would like to be done with it by the end of next week. (It is my spring break! not that I need it I only work 1 day a week)

We all could you use a little restoration ourselves,
I leave you with this:

Restoration

The act of restoring or bringing back to a former place, station, or condition; the fact of being restored; renewal; reestablishment; as, the restoration of friendship between enemies; the restoration of peace after war.

The state of being restored; recovery of health, strength, etc.; as, restoration from sickness.

That which is restored or renewed.

Spread Sheet

2009-03-12T15:26:00.004-05:00

I am using an Excel spread sheet to document the items I want to get for the room. It has the item, how much I will be willing to pay, and how much I actually paid for it. My goal is to come in thousands of $$$ off the original price. For example... I have been searching antique fireplace mantels for the last year. Most of the ones I see in stores, say downtown McKinney, cost upwards of $400. I decided to "budget" $200 for one. I found a Mantel I LOVED on craigslist and after bargaining the seller down we landed on $50! That is a savings of $150!

Moral of the story....you can ALWAYS get the look for less. NEVER settle!

First Restoration

2009-03-12T15:17:00.004-05:00

I will be restoring this antique fireplace I found on on craigslist:

I am very excited about it! I have some really cool ideas for the mantel (btw that is painters tape around the inside) I will post the finished product when I am all done!

YES...I HAVE A BLOG!

2009-03-12T00:35:00.015-05:00

MY BFF Amber has been asking me to start a blog for quite some time now and I have been SUPER hesitant because well, as most of us know, I am not much of a writer. You will notice I am not very witty on paper nor am I much of a speller (thank the Lord for spell check) ...BUT I will do my best and hope I can make this fun and interesting enough for people to actually read. If you don't you will not hurt my feelings : )
The reason I started this blog was so that I could track my experiences and explorations of creating the best master bedroom (for me) ever! I will be restoring antique furniture, collecting cool accessories and even sewing a thing or two!....WATCH OUT! I'm going Martha on yo behinds! I am venturing out into many uncharted territories (for me) and I am just hoping everything turns out like I planned. My next entry will be some pictures of an antique fireplace I will be restoring...

Until then....Here are a few pictures that will demonstrate the color scheme I have landed on:
*Note items will not actually be in the room just for color purposes.