Bootcamp 5K Run

Shanna and Jen - Georgetown Ultimate Bootcamp CEO's...LOL!









My Bootcamp partner, Shanna Cahill, and I got our Bootcampers to do a 5K today...it was really fun. I love this stuff. I could live doing this everyday!!! Again, it was 100 degrees out, so I decided to walk and take pictures. Everyone is very thankful of the results they have seen in Bootcamp...they said this morning, "You've changed my life!" That is the best thing I could hear. Women were out there this morning that would never have thought about doing a 5K or running in any type of race. It's so awesome! Can't wait to get my babies out there, too! FUN!
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"Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities." Luke 16:10 (NLT)

Servants do every task with equal dedication. Whatever they do, servants "do it with all their heart" (Colossians 3:23 NIV).

Sometimes you serve upward to those in authority, and sometimes you serve downward to those in need. Either way, you develop a servant's heart when you're willing to do anything needed.

Uma and Gumpy

I laugh at the title of this blog entry because my son has to remember several "unique" names for his grandparents. Rich's parents go by, "Uma and Gumpy" and my parents go by "Moosie and Pa"...poor little guy. LOL!!! These pics of Uma and Mason and Gumpy and Ellie. We call Gumpy "The Gumpster"...anyway, Gumpster LOVES little Ellie Belly. :)

G and Jen

Gianna is a goofy little girl, especially when it comes to pictures...she makes all kinds of funny faces and it makes me laugh.

Ellie Belly and Mason

Ellie was very curious about Mason...she wanted to play with him, but obviously Mason wasn't very interested in Ellie. :)

Rich, Jen and Mason

I was holding my belly in the pic above saying, "Can you believe a baby like that is in my belly???" :)

Visit to Mason

These pics are from our visit to meet Mason. He is such a yummy little guy. Just chills all day in his "boppy", as you can tell by his hands behind his head. I was very surprised at his color, very tan. You can see the difference in skin color between Gianna and him in the picture. It should be interesting to see if our little boy and Mason will look alike! I wonder if the Beaudet or Elsasser genes will come through?

School almost starting...

Since all of my friends have children in school, I still experience the "craze" of getting ready for school. All of the kids are getting their schedules, teachers, clothes and materials for school. I taught a private volleyball lesson to 6 Jr. High girls and you could tell the excitement in them as they were very hyper. That age is hilarious...they are so curious and asking me all about my baby. I have always related to that age well. It's just very exhausting to teach that age because they just want to have fun and don't really care about learning. But they still want to please you so we had fun today. Tomorrow is my last day to train my 14 year old soccer player as well, Paige. Paige is doing great...she is going to be one heckuva soccer player, too. She reminds me of Mia Hamm.

I am starting to get subs aligned for all of my classes (Bootcamp, etc...) and lots of people said they are not going to attend until I come back. Oh no.

I wonder what my children will do as a career? Sometimes I think I would not want them to go into education because there is no money in that career. However, in times of a recession like we are in right now, that is the only job field that seems the most stable.

Rich is still going for both Superintendent jobs (Gtown and Taylors)...so, I am praying he gets one of them. If not, I know that God has a different plan for us.

Tomorrow night I am playing Pokeno with my group (it's a card game that is really fun!!!) and then Saturday night we are going to a fund raiser for Dr. Schwertner who is running for State Representative. What to wear, what to wear....it's tough when you are 7 months pregnant and it's 102 degrees out! FUN FUN! LOL!

Time for bed. I am so thankful I do not have to wake up early tomorrow...but always lots to do!
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Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small
crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 2
Corinthians 9:6 (NLT)

Express Baseball Game

We went to the Express Baseball Game the other night and it was HOT! Texas has been around 101-103 degrees lately. It is crazy that at this ballpark they have a swimming pool and play area for kids. It is really fun for them. We sat on the grass and the kids rolled down the hill. I can't wait to be able to take my kids to these games, too. :) I wonder if my boy will be a baseball player? Hmmm. Lots to think about, but after seeing Erin's baby, Mason, this weekend, there is not much they do besides sleep, eat and poop for awhile! :)
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A life is not important except in the impact it has on others.
Jackie Robinson

Today...

I still don't have my laptop back, so I miss the days of just laying in bed being able to update my Blog...instead I have to sit on a computer chair while my belly is up to my neck. HA!! So, today I am finally feeling good after my ribcage has healed. I taught Bootcamp, then personal trained, then taught 2 volleyball private lessons. WHEW. It tires a mama out!

It is funny how much attention people give you when you are pregnant...it is so funny to see everyone's eyes on my belly and not on my face. People always smile and give me a wave like they know me. I wish everyone was this nice all the time! :)

It is crazy to know that we are going to have this baby in a little over 2 months. Rich's sister had her baby and we went to see him and he was cute! Very tan skin with little skinny legs and arms and big hands and feet. They named him Mason, so that name is now eliminated from the short list we had in the first place. Mason is such a football player name! SOOO, I guess we are back to Richard Lee Elsasser III...I just keep trying to say "Trey" over and over and it doesn't come out very easy. I'm not sure why. I LOOOVE A.J. Elsasser...that's a football name! And I love Beau, too. Rich does not like either name. HMPH!

Gianna and Kacy were hilarious while we were in San Antonio. 4 is a funny age! They can talk and think for themselves and they say it like it is. When we got to Kacy's house she said, "What the HECK are you guys doing here?" What the HECK??" It was so funny. And then when we were leaving she yelled, "Be good to Rich!!!" How do they think of these things?

My little man has started to turn in my belly. It is so fun when he pushes out I will push back and he does it again. We just keep pushing back and forth. How do they know how to do that already!? But when Rich does it, he stops. I laugh because everytime Rich puts his hand on my belly Jr. stops moving all together. I wonder if he can tell the difference between us? The other day Rich was laying on his stomach watching t.v. and I laid cross-ways to stretch my back. My belly was on top of Rich's butt and the baby instantly started kicking...Rich said, "Is that the baby kicking???" I said, "Yeah, the first time you feel him move he is kicking your BUTT!!!!" I thought it was funny.
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I liked this scripture because I am definitely a people pleaser...I could run around trying to please everyone, but through the grace of God, I have learned that if you mean to do what is right and you are pleasing God, it doesn't matter if everyone is angry at you...there is nothing you can do about it and God will take care of you.

Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Romans 12:18

Office Baby Shower

My office at Keller Williams had a shower for me and they got me a jogging stroller! The gift I've always dreamed of. :) That is a serious statement. It is crazy how people will come out of the woodwork and do the nicest things for you when you are getting married or having a baby. Every day someone compliments me on "OHHH, you are so cute!" I just smile and say thank you because I always remember saying that to ladies that I saw pregnant and they would always look at me like, "REALLY? Are you kidding me???" I see these pics and I think to myself, "Oh I hope the swelling goes down in those tree trunks, I mean legs!" LOL! But, I am so blessed that God trusts me to carry a baby in my stomach! What an honor and what a privilege!

Esther's Follies

This past weekend we went downtown with Rich's best friends and their wives. We went out to eat at Z Tejas and then went to the Comedy Club called Esther's Follies down on 6th Street. It was hilarious!!! Even though my back was killing me sitting there all night, it was worth it. Nicki Kincaid is 4 1/2 months pregnant as well and they think they are also having a boy...so that should be fun. Dawn Blackwell is in the first picture with her "not pregnant" sign up...we laugh because Steph and Mike Tippit are also trying to get pregnant so I hope that happens and it will be BABY HEAVEN!!! :)

Third Trimester

Well, I am officially in my Third Trimester! Unbelievable!!! People say, "TIME FLIES" but not really when you are pregnant! I always say, "Time stays still right in my booty." HA!

They say my baby is about 15 inches long and 2 1/2 lbs now. WOW! That seems big. When I read about the growth they always compare the size to things I don't even know what they look like...for example, it says the baby is the size of an eggplant right now. ??? Throughout the months they have also compared it to a fig, turnip, avacado and spaghetti squash. They can't do better comparisons than that??? LOL!

I don't feel the baby kicking much throughout the day when I am active (which is most of the day)...but as soon as I stand still this baby is kicking and moving and turning. The other day he had his butt pushing up on one side of my belly and so I pushed it down and something came up on the other side..it was funny. I think this boy is SO USED to being in motion in my belly all day that it doesn't know what to do when I am still. But I think he must be working out in there.

I will write more later...I have got to go personal train then teach volleyball lessons. :)

He just kicked a good one right now. :)
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I will always try to teach my child...God will always reward you for being honest.
Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest. Proverbs 19:1 (LB)

Baby Carrier

My mom got us this top-of-the-line baby carrier and Rich opened it and he thinks it's too feminine for a guy to wear...he vows to never wear it in public. I said, "Put Ellie in it!!" So he did and she LOVED it...when we took her out she was crying to get back in. HA!

Getting bigger...

I am definitely showing and growing like crazy lately. I still haven't been able to workout so it's difficult teaching all of my classes when I can't workout with them...but my mouth works very well, as everyone knows!!! :) I haven't written in awhile because my laptop is in the shop getting fixed and my camera isn't working either...two main items that you need for a blog! LOL!

Rich just got back from his grandfather's funeral in Michigan and he said it went well. He brought home some pretty cool guns that were his grandfather's. Very old school...and it was funny to watch Rich show these to me and even make sounds like a little kid while acting like he was shooting something, "Boom Boom" would say.

He got back about 1:00 in the morning and I woke up to the t.v. on (it felt like it was screaming at me)...and I looked over at Rich and he was sitting next to me eating a piece of cake. He said, "Want some rum cake?" I just started laughing like, "Are you serious?" You would think he was the one that was pregnant. HA!

My parents are coming back from New Hampshire visiting my Nanny (my dad's mom). She is not doing well as her cancer is really taking a toll on her. They gave her less than 6 months to live. It is very sad to watch someone deteriorate so quickly. I feel sorry for my dad...but he takes stress pretty good. It's somewhat funny because little things in life seem to bother him (he is very Obsessive Compulsive about a lot of stuff)...but the big things in life don't seem to bother him much. My mom is the opposite...the little things don't bother her much, but the big issues in life seem to really stress her out.

Being pregnant, sometimes these situations seem surreal because you are bringing someone into the world while their ancestors are leaving. This child would not been created without either grandparent. I wish I knew more about both of them...but they both lived so far away (Michigan and New Hampshire) that it was hard for Rich or me to get to know them very well. I know they were both very nice people.

I hope to leave a leagacy that will make my grandchildren proud.

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I like this scripture because it tells us that God is not here to judge us, but to save us.
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save
the world through him. John 3:17 (NLT)

Funny stuff...

These pics are of a shirt I wore to all of my classes...Babylicious...oh yeah. I made Rich take a pic of it 'cause I am documenting everything on this blog.

The second pic I made him take is of my muscle I thought I was making...since I'm injured I won't be able to lift weights in awhile so I thought I would lose any muscle tone I had. Well, after he took this picture (reluctantly)...I noticed there is no muscle tone to lose!!! HA!!! Oh well. But, I had to add this just to show my baby how cheesy I am!!!

Pulled Muscle

I ended up pulling a muscle around my rib cage last week and it has gotten worse. I guess when you combine a pulled rib muscle with a baby who is now 2 lbs and your stomach is growing up under your ribs, it is a wonderful feeling! LOL! So, I am laying in bed while Rich is at Sunday School. I am proud of him because he usually doesn't go if I can't go. When I told him I had to stay in bed he looked at me in shock and said, "What? You never miss because it is so important to you." Things usually work out this way...I have subbed for many classes this month(including doing my own classes) and have started showing a lot more property as I am trying to make as much money as I can before I have this baby...well, now I am out for at least a week, so with the money I will be losing, I am back to where I began! I was doing wayyy too much and never had time for anything else...even this blog...so here I sit with a heating pad and faithful Ellie by my side (she hasn't left my side in 2 days). I just want to be sure the baby is taken care of first and I know I can't be in this much pain while going through labor...so, rest is all I can do for now. It's humbling.

I told Rich to take his Bible to Sunday School and to start writing little notes and scripture that mean a lot to him. Down the road we can give these Bibles to our children (or they can have them once we are gone) and it is the best gift for them to be able to read our thoughts and some of our favorite scriptures. I started doing this over a year ago in one of my Bible Studies...I should find it to see what I wrote!

Okay, I hobbled out to my car got the Bible and it is a gift from my grandmother...
I wrote: My Grandmother, Betty Unckrich, gave me this Bible. She is an incredible Christian woman that has mastered GRACE in all sense of the word. She has followed the word of God throughout her life and at the age of 91, she has affected many people in a positive "light". She has instilled in us: to spread "light" to the world- not darkness. And to always be a BLESSING...not a burden. That was definitely my Paw Paw's motto as well.

This is very interesting because I wrote this when I wasn't even MARRIED yet:
I am writing in this Bible with love for the Lord. Every word is for my child that I do not even know yet. But the love I already have for my future child is the love the Lord has for me. Read this Bible and all of my notes I've written,...I have been through many life experiences...but nothing takes the place of following the Lord and being FAITHFUL!!! It is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life - but the most rewarding. When you follow the Lord - you do not have to worry about anything else! God will take care of you. I love you.

Awwe, that's sweet if I do say so myself! HA HA!!!!! :) I know I talk about the Lord a lot in this Blog, but I feel this is my Christian journal as well and this is my time to reflect. :)

Finally a birthday celebration...

The first pic is of my belly (JR) and Rich's hand celebrating his dad's first birthday!

I think it is so important to have get-togethers and a Bday party for Rich because he doesn't really care if he has them or not. He is an introvert and could go months without seeing anyone...me on the other hand...I LIKE TO BE WITH PEOPLE ALL THE TIME!!!! So, every time I get him to be a part of a party or celebration he loves it and always comments on how much fun he had. :) That's why I always say it should be interesting to see what type of personality this baby boy will have! :)

For Rich's bday we went back to the same restaurant (notice the same sombrero). Herman's got him a shirt that says, "Proud to be AWESOME" That is hilarious because that is so not his personality!! He loved it and actually wore it last night as we had a Euchre tournament at our house. I wanted to start this little club with some of our Midwestern friends because it makes me feel like a piece of the 'home' is with me. We had a blast!!! Rich was in rare form and it is great to see him laugh and let loose every once in awhile (rare form just mean really talking up a storm and laughing his butt off).

Elliotts got him a gift certificate to Best Buy...he LOVES technology...but I want him to buy a good camera for the upcoming baby moments! :) We'll see!

Back to his birthday, I had planned with some of the city workers of Gtown for weeks to get signs and stadium benches from the football stadium that Rich played on while attending school. They are tearing down this stadium and building an ampitheater. I ending up getting every sign on this stadium as well as 4 big benches from the home side for Rich and his 3 best friends, Mike, Wess, and Chris. He LOVED them and it meant a lot to have a piece of these awesome memories. When the ampitheater is built I will always remember being pregnant trying to get these signs off the building with the help of Bonnie Elliott and her dad...it was hilarious!!! Trying to get these old signs off the building using manual tools in 100 degree heat. I finally used Jr. to my advantage to help get those signs off - some workers came with their power tools, finally. :)

Granddad - Norwin Lee Elsasser

We were lucky to have made it to Michigan to visit Rich's Grandfather (he calls him Granddad) when we were in Ohio for my family reunion last month. He was such a laid-back, jolly little fellow (sounds funny to describe someone like that, but that is exactly what he was). He was pretty short (about 5'4") which is amazing because Rich's whole family is very tall. They lived outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan (where Michigan University is located!!! BOO!) in a small town called Dexter. It's beautiful there, so many HUGE pine trees and everything is so green and colorful. That is why I like going home to Ohio, too. My mom and my sister have the most incredible landscaping with flowers and trees. Their lawn is bright green and it is just amazing to look at (funny how you don't notice this stuff until you move to the desert). :)

While in Michigan we always go downtown where Rich's dad grew up...we drove past his house they grew up in (very nice) and go downtown to eat. Last time we ate at a really cool restaurant and ironically it used to be the gas station that Norwin owned. We also went to the Dairy Queen (I love me some ice cream lately) and of course Rich's dad had lots of stories of going to that DQ growing up. Rich's dad could tell stories forever!!!! It should be very interesting to see if he tells stories to his grandchildren, too. LOL!

While in Dexter we played Euchre, it was pretty amazing that his granddad was still extremely sharp while playing. He is one of those guys that can count the cards while playing...I was his partner and he could tell me exactly what I was about to lay down, it was unbelievable. I think I would make him laugh because I am very animated and I was floored everytime he told me what my card was. He would smile and he never wore his dentures so he had no front teeth. Everyone would laugh, but he didn't care. His house was still very 1970's with orange carpet everywhere and his furniture was even wrapped in this matching shag carpet. His towels in the bathroom were very retro as well as his artwork. He just never changed the place since he lived there...sometimes I think there is something so cool about that...being so content in not always trying to "update" and keep up with the times. The reason I say that is because my family is VERY into this and I can personally obsess about it with my own house. I could actually have a full time job just playing around in my house trying to make it perfect. Sometimes it's insane. But I do love to decorate!

Okay, DING! (My friends always say "DING" because I go off on tangents about other topics and can't stay on track). My point of describing Norwin and where he lived is for my little guy so he can read this someday and know about his great grandfather that passed away 3 months before he was born. I think it is so important to know your roots.

Norwin LOVED the Detroit Tigers...he could watch them all day long, they also used to attend many games. Funny thing that happened on Rich's birthday is that he turned on the television when he got home from work and the Tigers were playing Texas!!! How crazy. It was kind of a little sign from his granddad.

Well, one thing we know for sure is that we can keep his name going (Rich is the last Elsasser)...and we will make his middle name Lee.

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"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you."
I'm blessed because God is embracing me every step of the way (Matthew 5:4).