Baby booties, gardening, and Valentine's day

 These booties were my first attempt with this new pattern. I believe they have the potential to be adorable, but these seem to be way too big, particularly too deep. So I will be making another pair soon with Debbie Baby Bliss Cashmerino yarn, hopefully with a matching hat!

 On Valentine's Day, Leah had planned and made a delicious dinner, to which she kindly invited us. 

 We had pork chops with cranberry gravy, mashed potatoes, an onion casserole, salad, and fresh steamed broccoli! 

 Allison and Melissa decorated the kitchen and the table with lots of red candles. They were allowed to turn the lights off for the dessert course. It was some kind of incredibly chocolatey cheesecake. I need to ask Leah where she got the recipe. Those of you who have had Leah's cheesecakes know that they are always amazing, but this one....she surpassed herself!

 Brett is not romantic in the typical meaning of the word. He can be very romantic, but not usually when it is expected or feels "required". So while he has randomly come home with flowers for me several times, I think this was the first time he gave me flowers on Valentine's Day. Not only did he give me flowers, but also a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a bottle of sparkling wine! I was surprised. And I love the fact that he gave me tulips, because that shows how well he knows me=)

 I planted some of my seeds in grow boxes! An assortment of heirloom tomatoes (hopefully some fun colors like purple and yellow), Mr. Stripey tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Black cherry tomatoes, banana peppers, basil, zinnias, marigolds, and blue sage. I am very excited about having a real garden this year! 

Happy Nater! 

Evelyn Pregnancy Update

As of yesterday, I am 35 weeks into this pregnancy. Of course I could have up to 7 weeks left of being pregnant, depending upon when Evelyn decides to make her appearance. But still we are getting closer!

On the other hand, 5-7 weeks sometimes sounds like a very long time! In the last week, I have grown considerably more uncomfortable. How I feel right now is how I remember feeling when I was full-term with Nate. Sleep is becoming more elusive and I am moving more slowly than I would like. Thankfully, God has been using these little difficulties to teach me how to "give thanks in all things" and to "learn contentment". So except for the occasional deluge of hormonal despair, I am doing very well. =) Next week we will begin weekly doctor's visits!

I am excited to go to my next doctor's appointment on Monday. We will discuss labor and delivery and I have a list of questions prepared. Last appointment Dr. Tate talked to us for a while and was extremely encouraging to me. Not that he said anything particularly amazing; in fact, most of the time we talked about another lady whose twins he had just delivered. It was simply the vast knowledge and confidence that he exuded that comforted me. He told us that he had just delivered twins, about 7 weeks early I believe. They had to be born early because the mother had developed acute preeclampsia. But they were able to be delivered naturally and were doing well, considering the complications! I also asked him about episiotomies and he said he had performed TWO last year...out of an average of 360 deliveries a year! One had shoulder dystocia and the other was a difficult breech birth. I feel very comfortable having the delivery of my child in his capable hands. Here is an article about him: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/august-14-2009/dr-t/3115/
And a short one about his VBAC delivery of triplets!
http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/vbac-of-triplets.html

Tomorrow Brett and I are planning to tour the hospital! All of these little things are exciting because they are making Evelyn's arrival more real in my mind.

When we ask Nate, "Where is Evelyn?", he pats my belly. So cute!
 ...And then he will lift up his shirt and pat his belly! So he will be very confused when we bring Evelyn home, though I try to show him babies and tell him that "Evelyn is our baby!". He is so precious!

Doughnut Muffins

Hints of freshly ground nutmeg with a little crunch of cinnamon sugar on top, sweet and dense but not overly so..."Doughnut muffins"! My doctor may wonder why I have gained an extra 5 lbs this week, but these are worth it=)


I have been craving donuts recently. Monday night Brett had to unexpectedly go to NC and I was feeling lonely, so when I saw this recipe I gave it a try! I did not have nearly enough energy to make real donuts, but these were a pretty good stand-in. Donuts and tea make everything better! 

These muffins were reminiscent of Hot Milk Cake, which brings back childhood memories, as it was one of our favorite desserts growing up. I think I particularly loved it because you could eat several pieces before feeling that you consumed entirely too much sugar. I've always had a major sweet tooth! 


If you want to quick, easy, sweet something to go with your tea or coffee, give this recipe a try! 

Evelyn Update

We had our scheduled ultrasound on Monday. Sadly, Evelyn was curled up in a ball with her hand in front of her face so we could not get any good pictures of her. I was hoping for a peek at her little face but I guess I'll have to wait. Only 8 more weeks! Well, until my due date that is...we will see how many weeks it will be until we actually see Evelyn. =) I am trying to "expect" that she will be late, so if she is, I won't be disappointed and if she's not, it will be a pleasant surprise!

The good news is, everything looked great on the ultrasound! The doctor was specifically checking on my placenta and the scar from my c-section. Both looked good and Evelyn seems to be quite healthy! Actually, the doctor said she is rather large. She asked how big Nate was at birth and when I said, "7 lbs 11 ozs", she chuckled and said, "Oh this one is going to be bigger than that!" Apparently she weighs about 4.5 lbs now (though ultrasounds can be way off), and the "average" baby size at 32 weeks is 3.75 lbs. But that should be no surprise...Evelyn has the genes to be larger than average! Then the doctor announced that her head is "quite large", again with a chuckle, which was a little unnerving to me. Since I am trying for a vbac this time around, the thought of her having an "extra big head" is a little scary. =) 

Now that I've had some time to digest this information I am not very concerned, I suppose it just took me off guard. The reality that I am having a baby is settling in a little bit and I am getting very excited to meet her! 

She has been moving a lot recently, which I thoroughly enjoy. I liked feeling Nate move, but I love feeling Evelyn move. It means that she is alive!! I thank God many times every day that she is... I do not think I will ever again take that for granted. I am grateful for every day that we have together. 

Whenever I am tempted to complain, even in my heart, about being too big or uncomfortable or tired from being pregnant, I simply can't. At least, I can't with a clean conscience. In order to complain, I have to  consciously choose to ignore so many wonderful blessings; that I am able to get pregnant, that I have a beautiful life inside me, that she is healthy and strong, that I am healthy and strong, that I have a wonderful husband, and I could go on and on and on. 

If James' life did nothing else, which is far from true, he has given me a new perspective on life, made me more thankful, opened my eyes a little bit more to all that I have. James is on my mind a lot these days. 

A thoroughly relaxing day...

Here we are in the middle of a week with no Brett. He is out in CA again for training. The good news is that he only has a couple more trainings left in the near future! Poor Nate has a terrible cold. Monday night was our first real experience with the croup. We were up much of the night, taking time to sit in the bathroom with the shower running and then going outside to look at the moon. Thankfully, though Nate was fairly miserable, it was never so severe that I was really scared and considering going to the ER. It actually worked out well that Brett was gone because then Nate got his whole side of the bed! Last night he still had a lot of mucous and bad cough but was a little better. I am enjoying the fact (at this present moment) that I have absolutely nothing planned for the rest of the week and therefore Nate and I can just focus on laying low and helping him recover. 

The overnight trip to NC last weekend was truly lovely. It provided Brett and I with some much-needed quality time, which is especially helpful to look back on now that he is gone this whole week. While he was working all day Friday, I wandered around the little town of Sylva, NC. First I sat in a quaint little coffee shop with live music and journaled and blogged and talked to some locals. Then I found a used bookstore, spent a while in there, and bought a couple books with some change. Whenever I am in a bookstore, I am humbled by the fact that I do not recognize the vast majority of the titles or authors. I feel as if my impression of myself as a reader and book-lover is a facade. How can I truly love books and there be so many that I know nothing about? Of course, many of them would probably be a waste of time, but still... 

Do you ever think that while flipping through Netflix? "How in the world are there this many ridiculously dumb movies that people actually designed and produced?" I suppose my incredulity reveals that I have too much faith in the human race. =)

After my bookstore ramblings, during which I talked to the owner and found out that he also used to live in Maryland, I went to procure lunch. As I sat in a cafe, awaiting my ordered reuben and sweet potato wedges, I realized that I could not remember ever eating in a sit-down restaurant by myself in my entire life! Eating out was an extremely rare event growing up, and always a social one. In fact, I usually look at people dining alone and feel sorry for them. Actually, it was pretty fun. I actually was observant of the people around me! Lunch was yummy, so I took a picture, after it was half-gone. 

After lunch I discovered an incredible little shop, filled with pottery and other hand-crafted art after my own heart. I could have bought almost everything in there. Oh.....the mugs! 

I am a mug-lover. Brett teases me about it and says that I don't have any room in the kitchen cabinets because they are overflowing with mugs. Of course, I disagree and actually think that my mug collection is far from desirable in size and quality. He has agreed that I can occasionally get a new mug, but I must get rid of an old one when I do. Either that, or build more cabinets. =) I bought large cream-colored mug with a brown horse etched on the side. The shape of it was not as appealing as some of the others, but I loved its rustic charm and just could not get away from the horse. For as much as I love horses, there are not very many horsey things in my house. The mug, I decided, would help remedy that. After chatting with the owner of the shop for a bit, I tore myself away before spending too much. 

All in all, it was a lovely day and I felt thoroughly spoiled. It was so fun to have a whole day with no obligations, all by myself. Growing up in a large family means that you are never alone. Even when I would run to the grocery store, I would take someone along...either an older sibling for fun or some younger ones to give mom a break. Even now, I consider going out by myself almost a waste, when it could be a social event. So while I do generally prefer to have company when out, I have discovered that I enjoy a day here and there of solitary adventure. 

Nate Update

It's been a while since I've posted anything about Nate and I know if I don't record them somehow that I will forget his little milestones.

 The last week or two we have ventured into previously unknown territory---temper tantrums!! Since Nate has always been laid back, these are fairly laid back tantrums, but are clearly tantrums none the less. I remember thinking that disciplining was very clear, when it was other peoples' children that needed the discipline. Now that it is mine.....it is much more confusing than I previously believed! 

He is walking pretty well and loves to run around outside. His favorite outdoors activity (whenever I say 'activity' I always think of Brian Reagan and laugh) right now is to make a beeline for our steep driveway and attempt to plunge headlong down it. I used to take him down to get the mail with me, which is when he discovered this pleasure. Now we are trying to avoid the driveway...always. 

Yesterday I had him dressed to go over to Papa and Grams (the Hawkins) and decided we could go outside for a bit, since it was so lovely and he was dying to go out. I opened the door and turned around to get a jacket. Big mistake! Apparently that was just the perfect amount of time for Nate to dive his arms into a large container of rainwater right outside the door. He was splashing energetically and laughing in glee when I got to him. By then he was totally soaked, shoes and all, so I let him play in it for a couple more minutes. Then we had to cut short the outdoor adventure and go inside to get dry clothes. 

A little bit later Brett came home, was putting something in the car, and left the garage door open. Nate, of course, followed him and slipped in a puddle of water. Thankfully he didn't hit his head or anything, just completely soaked the back of his new set of dry clothes. So he was changed for the third time. Then we put him in his carseat while we packed the rest of the car. =) 

We are communicating more and more, though he has not learned many new words. I think all of his brain has been focused on walking recently. He now says "banana", actually "anana". 

 This is a picture from when we went over to Miss Judy's for tea. 

 One day last week I was feeling particularly energetic and tackled the leaves in the front yard....yes, the leaves that most people get up around November. Nate sat in the stroller and watched for a while and then played in the leaf piles. 

 Nate snuggling with Dad.

 He is fascinated with airplanes. Even when we are inside, if he hears an airplane (which is very frequently), he stops what he is doing, grunts, and points up. If we are outside, he looks around for it and then points excitedly at it. He loves birds too. 

 Melissa is in the background of this picture...after hunting with her dad. 

 A gorgeous sunset visible from the pipeline. In reality, it was very pink and purple....sadly the camera on my phone could not capture most of the beauty. 

 There's Evelyn!! Getting very big! She moves a lot more than she used to, but still not as much as Nate did. Perhaps she moves as often as Nate, but her movements are smaller and gentler (I may be singing a different tune 2 months from now=). It's hard to describe, but she just feels different. It is amazing to me how they have their own little personality, even in utero. I have another high level ultrasound scheduled for Monday and hopefully will have some good pictures from that. I am excited about seeing her! 

Brett has a job today in Cullowhee, NC working on some lab equipment, so he brought me along for the ride! We drove up last night and this was the view off of our hotel balcony. He has been busy with work, and even when not actually working, his mind is preoccupied by work, so it has been nice to spend some time together. This was the first time we have left Nate for an overnight! He loves going to the Hawkins so much, he probably has not even realized that we are gone.