For the GIRLS!

A couple of months ago something dawned on my sister and me. We have been sisters for... Well... forever and we had never planned any kind of getaway for just us girls. We have done the occasional day of shopping, late night trip to Target, a movie and even dinner but never had we gone off to do anything together with just the two of us.

So... We did it! We planned a weekend to getaway! My parents watched the boys (since their Daddy was in Mexico building a house) and I think they may have even checked in on David (Jess' hubby) a time or two, just to make sure he was eating while Jess was gone. ;) With our menfolk taken care of, we took off for the weekend!

You are about to see proof of our first annual Sisters Getaway Weekend! We decided our first trip would be to Fredericksburg, TX.

First stop, Hard Eight BBQ in Brady TX. 

 Oh, yes! We decided the best way to kick off our "girls" weekend was with some

yummy BBQ!

Jess, showing us how it's done! :)

During our time away (which ended up being two days and a night) we visited LOTS of little shops in Fredericksburg. There was plenty to see. We went to western stores, furniture stores, toy stores, jewelry stores, chocolate specialty shops (where we may have bought some chocolate for our husbands), antique shops, soda shops, ice cream shops... I think you get the point.

We stopped for ice cream and drinks and had a conversation over our drinks that I think needs to be shared... 

Me, "Is your root beer good? You haven't drank much of it."

Jess, "Yeah... It's okay. It has a weird taste to it though..."

Me, "Hmm... that's weird. My cream soda is gooood."

A few minutes go by

Me, "So, is your drink not good?"

Jess, "It just has a weird after taste. It almost tastes like... diet."

Me, "Um.. Jess... it is diet." (pointing at the word "diet" on her bottle)

Jess, ".... Dang it!"

Both in unison, "Bahahahahahaha!"  

We've had quite a few laughs about this one!

 Can I just say, Cinnamon Honey Butter is to die for! You should get some one day, seriously. Just don't buy it and then forget about it, leaving it behind in the bathroom. I'm not saying a certain pregnant woman who suffers from pregnancy brain syndrome did in fact do this, I'm just saying. In case you were wondering... It would be a good idea not to forget about the butter!

Among our findings over the weekend, I found these antique tin canisters. I got the whole set for $25! You can ask Jess, I was so excited about these! 

I didn't take any pictures of our luxurious hotel... HA! Let's just say between the "complimentary" WiFi that apparently wasn't "guaranteed" and the doors that weren't where we thought they should be... We're marking this one down as a learning experience and will do more research for next year's hotel. What we do have are some good memories! Like our up-stairs and up-hill room, right Jess?! 

 In this picture we were looking at these hanging lamps made out of record albums. We thought they were really neat but not worth the $$$ for them. But I have to say, it made for a cute picture!

Mexican food!

If you haven't noticed, our weekend was full of good food! This pretzel/pastry was sooo good!

Because of our mutual love for food, we decided one of these Getaway Weekends we will be visiting one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants. We do realize we will have to save up quite a bit of extra cash to support such a trip but we also really want to try his risotto! Oh... And we will be taking our husbands on that trip. For 2 reasons:

1. They would KILL us if we went and ate Chef Ramsay's food without them!

2. Chef Ramsay scares us. Seriously. We would want our husbands there purely for the sake of protection!

 

Our "sister" rings we got :)

I'd say, our first annual Sisters Getaway Weekend was a success! We had a great time and will look back on pictures and memories for the rest of our lives. AND, we have already put dates on the calendar for next year! Canton TX and First Monday get ready!!

Kit,
I had so much fun with you baby sis! Thanks for wanting to spend a whole weekend with your big ("big" meaning older not just because I'm very pregnant) sister. I love and cherish you.

~Lann                     

P.S. Can you imagine how many corndogs, roasted ears of corn and bags of cotton candy we'll be able to buy after saving our money for a whole year?!? ;)

The view from here: a babymama update

At 31 weeks and a few days this little guy is growing daily! I took an excerpt from babycenter.com to tell us more about him at 31 weeks:
"This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy."

Active is almost an understatement. I pray that active does in fact equal healthy because if that is the case this kid should be very healthy indeed! And yes, sleep is becoming an enemy of mine these days because of how active the little man is. I try to take advantage of naptime as much as I can so when the boys nap, I nap too.

During my last Dr's appointment my Dr mentioned that he's definitely going to be a big boy (which we could have told her that). She and I talked about the possibility of doing an induction. I am not opposed to:
a)not having a 10+ lb baby because he decided to check out past his due date and or
b)getting to meet him earlier than we expected!
So, possibly more to come on that subject if we do end up going that route.

In the meantime I will continue to enjoy my ever growing belly, knowing there is a little boy inside that God is diligently forming and shaping with His perfect hands. 

Oh... What's that? His name? Haha. Funny you should ask... We still have yet to name him. But we hope to soon reveal his name to all of our family and friends! That is... as soon as it is revealed to us. :)

Here are a few more pictures from my view...

Little man was interrupting my quiet time majorly with his bumps and kicks this day! 

What a sweet memory I'll get to hold on to.

This picture was taken when I was just starting to get a baby bump and the boys finally started noticing there was in fact a growing baby in there. The toy on my belly was placed there by big brother Peyton. He is very good about making sure the baby has what he "needs"... Yes, before he's even out of the womb. He often brings him toys or a blanket to keep warm (you know, since it's been 100+ outside everyday this summer). He also doesn't go a day without talking to the baby or singing him a song and never misses giving him kisses and hugs before naptime and bedtime... I can tell he and this little one are going to be special buddies!

Catching a reflection of me and baby (and Kohen) out by the pool.

My lap is getting smaller and smaller.

Just as I mentioned before, here's Peyton singing to baby boy. He will probably know Peyton's voice second after mine because of how much he talks and sings to him! Such sweet moments.

One of my best friends growing up, Leah Roller Walla is also prego right now. She is having her first little boy in September! What a blessing to get to be pregnant at the same time! Here is the two of us showing off our boys at her baby shower last weekend.

Every now and then the Daddy ends up with the camera and snaps a shot of me. Along with my bump, here I am sporting my newly found curly hair. Thank you baby boy with all the pregnancy hormones and also to my sister (who cuts my hair and made me aware of said curliness)!

 A quick picture with the other little guys in my life. Their Daddy has taught them well... Instead of hearing little comments all the time about how big I am getting they say, "Mommy, the baby is getting bigger!" Smart little men. And even smarter Daddy.

In wrapping up I would like to ask something of you. I know if you read my blog you are family/friends and you care about us. I would like to ask for you to pray...

I have continued to have back pain throughout my pregnancy that started up this spring before we even knew I was pregnant. I have slipped discs that because of my pregnancy will not stay in place. I try to keep some sort of schedule in seeing my chiropractor but our summer schedule has made that quite difficult. My chiropractor has explained that my ligaments will not be able to heal and hold until a few months after the little man is born. So, we're basically trying to do maintenance on something that refuses to hold.
I experience a lot of pain most days and it can even get me down because I am unable to do all that I can usually do.

Would you pray?

Pray that I will walk in the grace and strength of the Lord. That I would not lean on my own ability or fall back on pride when people offer to assist. God is good. He knows where He has me. And He is teaching me that I need Him. Pain or no pain. When I think I need Him and even if I don't think I need Him.

I need Him. All day, everyday.