Jr.'s First Limo Ride...

MAKING FUN OF MYSELF, TRYING TO ACT LIKE A MODEL WHILE 8 MONTHS PREGNANT. IT'S NOT REALLY WORKING FOR ME. LOL!







This weekend our friends got a Hummer Limo for Jeanie's birthday. It was the biggest thing I'd ever seen. It had a VIP Lounge and flat screen t.v. They were all going out dancing and so Rich and I just rode with them to the Dance Hall and then took the limo back home. We took some funny pics in the process.
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I love the Fruit of the Spirit...when I have these qualities I know that I am on the right track...and when I choose to hang around others that possess these qualities, it makes for a very PEACEFUL life. I hope to teach my children to strive for these qualities and to pick friends that hold these qualities as well. The opposite of any of these does not belong to God and we all need to run from them...it only creates drama and chaos.

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians
5:22-23 (NLT)

New Floors, again...

TOMORROW THE WOOD FLOORING GOES IN! THEN I CAN HAVE MY HOUSE BACK!





We finally have our flooring in....we have not been able to use our toilets or showers in both bathrooms for the last two days. That's a tough one when you are pregnant! Tomorrow a bunch of our friends are coming over to help put the wood flooring in the rest of the rooms. Then I can finally have my house back! I've had two baby showers and went to the grocery store since this craziness has happened in our home and there is no where to put things...so they are jammed in my car, laying on the floors, or anywhere else we can find a place to put these items. But, I still feel SO BLESSED with everything else that surrounds me.

I feel that so much has been given to me this year that I look forward to giving to others in need.
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When I feel angry or scared, these two scriptures below have helped define how my heart has been transformed by God. When I see someone lash out or show an uncontrollable angry side, I always hope that they find the love of God. It's definitely a more peaceful world:

“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

Ellie getting needy...

I think Ellie knows that this baby is about to arrive. She is stuck to me like glue. Not only does she follow me around, but she whines because she wants me to carry her! This is not going to be a good scenario when I have two babies that want to be held. :) I was taking pics of our new tile that just got put in and went to the bathroom and of course there she is, right by my side, so I took pictures of her while I was in the bathroom...yes, only ME...but that's who I am! LOL!!!

Since we couldn't walk on our floors all day yesterday, I couldn't get back to my bedroom where Ellie's cage was...so I had to take her to WORK! I snuck her in the Rec Center and then over to Georgetown Fitness. I put her in this huge bag but her head kept popping out. She sat through Lunch Crunch, 2 Spinning Classes and a Bootcamp. Dear goodness, the things I do for this dog and I was never really a dog lover!!!

Swelling....

I just stepped out of bed and because we have concrete at this time I tried to immediately put on my flip flops...well, to no avail...my feet have swelled so much that my flip flops no longer fit. I also had to take my rings off this week because my fingers have swelled so much. Ohhh, these are things that I said, "That won't happen to me, I will be different!" :) LOL! My cheeks also look like they are packing away nuts for the winter. I'm glad Ramsey took pics when he did! But, I know that all of these signs are healthy signs that my baby is on the right track...so bring on the swelling and I will take it all! :) I also painted my own toe nails yesterday...but it was hilarious because I had it all over my toes. I told Rich that he will be painting them next time. This should be interesting. I will be sure to take pics. :)
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One of the most important lessons I hope to teach my child is to be content with yourself...it is such a hard lesson to learn.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought." Matthew 5:5 (MSG)

I am your father...

The funniest thing happened today when Rich was about to leave for work and he was talking into my belly at the baby...he was saying, "Trey, I am your father..." Trying to be like Darf Vader talking to Luke on Star Wars. Rich kept saying it in that 'spooky' voice, "Trey, I am your father, give me a high five..." At that moment the baby punched as hard as he could right where his mouth was. We both looked at each other and started laughing because it was really weird. I thought Trey (or whatever the name may be when we see your face) would like to read that when he gets older. :) I like that you weren't scared.

Flood...

Our house flooded this week with the aftermath of the tropical storm. It was a true God-sent that I could not sleep that night. I was up at 12:30am doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen...I had to wake up very early in the morning for my 5:30am class, so I was nervous that I was still wide awake with a ton of energy. I was "blaming" it on being pregnant...but now I am THANKING Jr. for keeping me up! It has saved us a lot of money and stress. Thanks, baby boy! :)

As I was up cleaning, I noticed some water coming in through the wall, then more coming in through the door...it was so much water that is was over-whelming. I ran in the bedroom and woke Rich up and we stayed up all night laying down every towel and blanket we could find. It was heart-breaking as Rich just laid these floors down with his dad over a year ago. To rip these up seemed like a bad dream. This was a very stressful week, just knowing that we have minimal funds to put flooring down again and only have 1 month before this baby comes! EEK! Anyway, I am at peace now with everything.

Friends have come forward and helped with so much...meals, helping rip up the floors, washing ALL OF MY WET LAUNDRY (SO MUCH), steam cleaning my rugs...bringing over fans, I was so thankful and again I hope to pay this forward someday. You know a true friend when they are there when the chips are down. Even Ramsey, Kelly and Derek said they would drop everything and come up to Austin and help. I know they would. When I go to San Antonio, I feel like I am with family...I can ask them for anything and I never feel weird. They just know me and laugh...well, everyone laughs at Kelly and me. :)) Thank goodness I'm not alone.

I was in so much control before this flood came. I would rearrange my baby room almost daily, every single item had it's place, I would rearrange the clothes in the closet to sizes, and so on...now the baby's room is full of doors, stacked furniture and everything else that we needed to move out of the water's way. We are so lucky that the baby's room did not flood. I think this is a lesson from God to get me ready for my world with a baby - to teach me to let go of so much control and being obsessed about my house being perfect. Many more "disasters" are about to occur in our house for the next 18 years and we should be able to handle it with grace.
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Whenever I think my life is stressful or I get the "poor me" attitude, I need to remember this quote:

“If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want.” ~Oscar Wilde

Baby Shower #2

The group of ladies at Jill's house.






Guess how big my belly is???







My friends, Jill Marshall and Beth Borkosky, put on a cute Bunco Baby Shower for me this week. They had my favorite restaurant, Mama Fu's, cater it and they had some really cute games. I had to taste several jars of baby food, so that was interesting because I have always wondered what they tasted like and nothin' like getting to know 1 month before I have a baby!!!

I have been SO BLESSED with friends who want to throw these showers for me and continue to give me all of their baby items they are no longer using. I am having 6 SHOWERS!!! and I have no family that lives here so I feel very lucky. I am so appreciative of every single shower and gift I receive. Sometimes it blows my mind because in high school I came from a somewhat negative atmosphere where people did not want to promote others I think because of that small town mentality. It is so different here...I have met so many friends that just want to give to others while expecting nothing in return. So many people have a Christian heart and I truly believe that is the difference. When God is the center of families, they put others first. Most of my friends have a lot of money here in Georgetown and they give to so many charities and have been very generous to me and Jr. as well. It is more than I could have ever dreamed of. AND I just had several showers/bachelorette parties just 1 year ago and no one cared at all. I am the one who felt bad because that is a lot in 1 year! We got married on Oct. 23, 2009 and our baby is due Oct. 31, 2010. I hope to pay all of this generosity foward to others who are in need and hope to make them feel as special as I do. I love coming home from the showers and Rich goes through all of the "loot" to see what technical items I got. This time I got a cool Video Monitor...he immediately put it together and he thought is was awesome that it has night vision as well. :)
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Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3-4

Doris Beaudet - Remillard

VISITING NANNY IN FLORIDA



My grandmother, Doris, died this week at the age of 83. My Nanny was very kind and used to remember every story about when I was young. She was a very pretty lady with bleach blonde hair and very good skin. She had a very thick New Hampshire (Boston) accent. She would say, "That is wicked good." Or finish every sentence with "Yah?" It was always a very different culture when we would go visit my Dad's family in the New England area. Everyone could speak French and they would kiss you on each cheek when saying hello or good-bye. When my sister and I were young they would want us to sing and dance for them...I was mortified but they were all funny. My grandfather died when he was 50 years old and he had 8 brothers (I think). None of them lived too long. My grandmother comes from a large family as well, I think she had 6 brothers and sisters. My grandmother got married again about 12 years ago to Paul Remillard, he was 10 years older than her so no one thought she would go before him. He was also from a very large family of 16 kids. He had some very interesting stories about his family and growing up during the Depression with 16 kids, he was the oldest. Nanny and Paul lived half the year in New Hampshire and half the year in Florida. We went to visit them about 4 years ago in Florida and they had a really cool house not too far from the beach.

I wish I could have gone to the funeral to support my parents, but it was in New Hampshire and me being almost 8 months pregnant has not allowed me to go.

Again, I am writing this for my little guy and I want him to know all about his roots. He will have lots of French and German in him! :)

Nanny...

My Nanny is not doing well, her health is slowly deteriorating. I feel so badly for my parents and her husband, Paul. I also feel bad because I live so far away and can't help my parents during this unfortunate time. For example, at least get their mail or help in anyway.

During this time, I always think about my parents getting old...you always think, "Oh that won't be me." But it becomes everyone. Life comes full circle. You are born without words and are dependent on others to feed you and change your diapers. Well, as you are in the process of dying, the same things start to happen. It is so strange to me.

My parents went to visit my Nanny as hospice recommended they come up. I get nervous because I would want my mom to be here for the birth of my son, but realize that my Nanny dying would need attention first.

I just want peace for everyone in my family. Life can be hard, but it is a blessing to be able to live for that long.
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I think it is very important to be non-judgemental. You never know where someone is coming from or the hard journey they've had to endure. I know that I have had to ask for A LOT of forgiveness and I hope to teach my children that it is so important to forgive others as well.

Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Large Jicama...

A large jicama is what they say my baby can be compared to right now. Who knows what a large jicama looks like????!!! Not me. Anyway, I do know that it is about 17-18 inches long and about 4 lbs! I am going to have a baby next month! YAY!

This weekend we had a busy one - it was Labor Day Weekend. Friday we went to the GT Football Game...it was hilarious walking up those stairs as our seats are all the way at the top. I was like, "Please don't let anyone I know see me try to walk up these stairs..." And of course every couple of feet someone would yell, "Hey Jen!" It was embarrassing as each step felt like it was Mt. St. Helens. :) Gtown won, so that was good!

Saturday Rich's sister came into town and we had a fish fry at our house. It is always great to have tons of kids swimming in the pool and people in my house having fun.

Sunday we spent the day with Rich's family and Gianna and Mason. Mason still doesn't do much, but he is cute. And then Sunday night we went to Jill Marshall's house for Paul's birthday. They had it catered by Pappasitos (SO GOOD) and they had an outdoor theater...it was REALLY cool. The kids were loving it! We just sat by the pool and ate and talked.

A full weekend of friends and family is what I love. I love being part of the community and spending time with others. I feel blessed with my life! With my job I get to motivate people to be healthy and I get to work out in the process! I just love it! People are like, "You are due next month and teaching all of these classes?!?!" I think it's a God thing, he will give you the strength and energy for what you are truly meant to do.

We thought of another name for our baby, Jase...I like it. :) But Trey still is in the front running. "T" I would call him.

If I ever have a girl...the names I like are Emma, Drew, Kendall, Aiden, or Addi. For the second boy we could do: Jase, Aiden, Beau (I'm still pushing for it!), or Bradon.
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I like this Scripture...it is so true that if you are wise, you will use your words for healing and making people feel good about themselves. That is why God gave us words....

Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)

Pregnant Pics

Ramsey took pregnant pics of me this past weekends...it's pretty brave to have your belly hanging out, but things have changed over the years and it's okay to have your belly show. My belly is growing daily, I think. My boy is kicking more and more...even now. It feels so good to know that he is healthy, I don't have to worry every day about things that might be wrong and when I do ultra sounds, I am so thankful that everything looks good. I do not take it for granted! I just wish my family lived close by...sometimes I just want their honest opinion, help or especially when the baby comes just someone to be there unconditionally without me feeling weird about asking. However, I am very happy and I am blessed beyond belief.
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