Halfway there!!!!

I am finally halfway through my pregancy! :) Going on 21 weeks!!! My belly has definitely grown this past weekend because I couldn't stop eating, my stomach would get striking pains in it and my belly is itching like crazy (stretching). So, I just got back from the pool at the Gtown Country Club and all the ladies said that I did grow. I enjoyed myself at the pool because I could just let my belly hang out and not worry about sucking it in!!! :)

However, I do feel like this little boy is growing in my BEHIND because that is growing, too. But, I will continue to say, "I don't care, I am blessed to be pregnant!"

4 more months to go! As I sit here, I am feeling him "kick" for the first time!!! It is the weirdest thing...it feels like a heartbeat in my belly, but it's his little kicks. So cute! I have been trying to poke at my belly for the longest time to make him kick or something. :) If he has legs like his daddy then I am in for it!!! They are BIG and very strong (like tree trunks)!

-----------------------------------------------
Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 (New Living Translation)

Weekend in La Grange visiting the Blackwells

After the adoption in San Antonio we went to La Grange to visit one of Rich's best friends, Wess Blackwell, and his family. Wess is a doctor (I think the only doctor) in La Grange and he is the nicest and most honest person I know. Rich and him remind me so much of each other. They have been best friends since the 7th grade and they are so lucky to have had such a wonderful group of guys to hang out with. Success was honorable with this group as they pushed each other in sports and academically and celebrated one another's accomplishments. What a wonderful thing to have growing up! Their loyalty is forever, like brothers.

We went to Natalie and Noah's swim meet...it reminded me of when I swam back in the day. We brought Ellie and I have never seen a swarm of kids around a dog all day long. It was unbelievable. We were calling Natalie "Paris Hilton" as she would take Ellie around by the leash and everyone would surround her and want to play with Ellie...Natalie would then say, "Okay, we've got to keep walking, excuse us!" I had Ellie's pink spiked collar on her and two pink bows in her hair, like pigtails.

We were playing cards and Natalie acted like Ellie was playing, too. This dog gets wayyy too much attention.

We had a great time with the Blackwells and on the way home we stopped at the best bakery and I had SO MANY JELLY ROLLS, UGH!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't stop eating. I don't even like jelly rolls.

Rich had Ellie in the car with him and he said when he stopped at a stop light she would get up on his arm and look at the cars next to them and Rich said he did not feel too manly when this happened. HA! That is funny. But he loves her.

After the long weekend, Ellie slept for 8 hours!!!! She was exhausted with all of the kids playing with her. She didn't move a muscle. :)

------------------------------------------------------
Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.

2 Timothy 2:15 (The Message)

After the Adoption...

After we left the courts, we went back to the Scott house to celebrate. Rich is so fun to watch with the kids. He was so gun-shy to have one...but is so enthralled with kids when he is around them (unless they are disrespectful - he has no patience for that). Derek and Kelly have a 40 pound tortoise (Franklin) and this thing was chasing Ellie around everywhere - for about an hour!!! It was the funniest thing. Sometimes if Ellie knew she had Franklin in a precarious situation, she would go "nose to nose" with him. It was hilarious. I am anxious to see how Ellie does with our new baby. She is used to being the baby...she even sleeps in between Rich and me at night...she loves to snuggle and stay warm.
----------------------------------------------------------
I loved this scripture...forgiving is one of the hardest things ever to do. But when God is in your life, He gives you a peace inside that fills you up and there is no room for bitterness and grudges. I love it!!!

"If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good.
If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"
John 20:23 (The Message)

Tyler's Adoption

Well, Tyler (TJ) is finally adopted. It has been a year and a half in the making! Rich and I are his Godparents and I am so happy for him! He came from a family that were all in prison or selling/addicted to heavy drugs such as Meth. It was a very sad life that he had, but he has such a happy one now!!!! I can't imagine a mother not wanting to give her son the best possible life. But, it is a vicious cycle and the life you grow up in is the only one you know. As parents, we want to build a solid foundation for our children so they can make solid decisions. They will not listen to everything we say, but they will sure imitate our actions.

The adoption hearing was so sweet and heartfelt. The lawyer asked a series of questions to Kelly and Derek: "Have you loved this boy as though he was your own?" And they both said yes with tears in their eyes. "Will you love this boy unconditionally and accept him as he is forever?" And they both said yes while everyone in the courtroom was tearing up. The judge asked the CPS worker if it was in the best interest of the child that he be adopted by Kelly and Derek and the CPS worker said, "ABSOLUTELY!" Once he was adopted, the entire courtroom cheered and Tyler said, "YAY!" It was cute.

I will try to be the best Godmother I can be. I need to focus on Tyler, Sammy and Lexi as they are all of my Godchildren and I will try to teach them what I can about following God's path...it is the ONLY path that leads to happiness. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------
Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts.
James 3:13 (The Message)

Ellie's First Surgery...

Well, it was really a 'procedure' but Ellie had to get her baby teeth extracted because they wouldn't fall out on their own. I was so sad to drop her off this morning at the vet. She was so nervous and was shaking in my arms and was holding on to me for dear life like, "Don't let me go!!!" Then I gave her to the vet and as I was walking away Ellie looked over her shoulder like, "Don't go, Mom!!!" I was dieing! What am I going to do with a baby that has to go through more than that! HA! I am laughing at myself because of how sad I was for Ellie who just got her teeth pulled - pathetic. But as you can see by the pics, how could you not feel sad for that face???!!!

When I picked her up she just laid in my arms on the way home and as I put her down on the floor, she was walking sideways almost running into every wall. Her feet were slipping on the floor and she almost kept falling down. I was like, "WHOAAAA WHOAAAA!!!" She was then sitting straight up and kept falling asleep and would fall down. So now I've laid her down beside me and took some pics. Poor little Ellie.

Well, I think I will take a nap with her before my next class.

----------------------------------------------------------------
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.
2 Corinthians 3:5 (New Living Translation)

Weekend...

Rich went to Port Aransas this weekend with his dad, John Kyser and Todd Sager. They got to wade fish this time where you get out of the boat and fish in the bay. He said it was pretty cool. They caught about 40 trout and he loved it. This is when I'm excited we are having a boy so he can do things like this with his dad!

I worked on my grandmother's 93rd birthday scrapbook - for 16 hours! 8 hours each for 2 days. My entire extended family sent pictures and well wishes for my grandma and I just needed to print and sort everything out. It is A LOT of work, but so worth it for someone you love. I think it turned out good, I hope she likes it.

My niece Peyton wrote me the sweetest and saddest email that said, "I read ur blog about ur life and it put me in tears because i miss u and rich so much. i wish my family lived with u so we could c u everyday and not miss out the fun that u r. i really wanna c u and i miss u sooooo much. i luv u and miss u bye." I was dieing because I feel like I am missing out on them growing up. I wish they could be part of my daily life, especially now that I am having a baby.

Robin's birthday was this weekend and I put a dinner together at Dos Salsas with 16 girls...she knows more people than me!!! LOL! She is one event planning girl. I also went over to her house with some other families and the kids went swimming. One of the little boys who is 3 years old came up to me and said, "Hey, do you see this thing I got from my nose (it was a booger) Watch this!" And he ate it! I was shocked but at the same time I thought is was the funniest thing!!! I couldn't stop laughing. Maybe that's why I'm having a boy because most woman wouldn't think that was so funny.

Well, I've got to get up for my Ultimate Bootcamp early in the morning!!! Time for bed.
-----------------------------------------------
I love this scripture because we need to show the love of God for others through us (through our actions and words). God works through us and we are his disciples. I need to think about that every day!!!

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
1 John 4:12

Baby's Room

I am getting the baby's room ready...it is going to be a surfer/beach theme...can't remember if I already wrote about that (PREGNANT BRAIN)...anyway, I have a pic attached of what I want it to look like...I ordered these surfboards last night. I want the room to be bright and "sunny" but defnitley keeping it "boy-ish".

Today started by getting up at 5:15am (that is early for me as I am not a morning person!) we started our Ultimate Bootcamp this morning. We got our bootcamp website up and running: www.gtultimatebootcamp.com. It looks okay, but the pictures on the website were taken when I was in my first trimester and I can see I was so tired and feeling yucky. After every photo shoot I would sit down so I wouldn't feel so sick. Anyway, we had a lot of girls this morning and it was fun. I really do like teaching fitness classes and feel I am in my element when I am teaching. I also started personal training my girlfriend's 14 year old. That was a new twist to my day. It sure must be nice to have all the money these families have!!! These homes are beautiful and they have everything they could ever want. But, money doesn't create happiness and I always have to remind myself of this!!! And then I finished off the night teaching my evening bootcamp class. Rich and his dad take that class so that is always fun.

I went to Target tonight and got Rich a Father's Day present by giving him a newborn outfit that says, "DADDY'S FIRST DRAFT PICK." I thought it was funny. I think he liked it. Last time I got him a present I bought him Texas Tech pacifiers. He wasn't too thrilled about those...ha! He said, "Are these chocolate?" I think he would rather have chocolate. He is a chocoholic!!!

I know I write a lot about this baby, but I swear my life does not revolve around this baby, but I am trying to write all I can for him so he can read it in the future. He will surely think I'm nuts! :)

Last night I asked Rich to get Subway on the way home from his workout (he goes to workout at 4am and then works out again after work) now that is crazy!!! I don't know how he does it!!! Anyway, he brought me home a footlong (instead of a 6 inch)...I ended up eating the ENTIRE footlong...holy cow! I looked over at him as I shoved the last little bit in my mouth and I could see the smirk on his face. I said, "Are you laughing at me because I just scarfed down an entire footlong???!!!" He said, "Oh no, I was laughing at something else." It was quite humorous.

My friends Jeanette and Christi called me yesterday as they both live in San Diego and they got together. They said they had so much fun reminiscing about our past times together. We did so many crazy, fun things. We were all training for a marathon one year and we were all single, so on Friday nights instead of going out on the town, we would go to 24 Hour Fitness and workout. It would be like 11pm at night. Do you know who is working out at that time on Friday nights?!!! Some real unique people. We would be laughing so hard saying, "Just hangin' out with our peeps on a Friday night!" It was hilarious. And then we would go for our early morning training run (we were training with The Leukemia Society)and Christi and I both have no sense of direction, so we always got lost. Jeanette would be waiting for us knowing that we got lost. One time she watched us trying to find our way back running in circles and then ended up running into each other. OMG, those were the days. PLEASE PLEASE let me my children have a good sense of direction. If I have a learning disablility of any kind, it is a sense of direction disability...I wonder if they have diagnosed anyone with that??? Anyway, we have all kinds of funny stories with that crew and Jeanette has the best memories of our past and I laugh until I cry when I hear her re-tell them.

I am going to Ohio for the Family Olympics at the end of the month...can't wait to see my family! Especially my nieces. I hope my belly doesn't hinder me from going for the Trophy this year!!! I really do want to win these Olympics sometime...The Family Olympics has been going on since 1973 and I have not won one time!!! This is my year. LOL! We'll see.

Time for bed again! Another day...
--------------------------------------------------------------
I really liked this prayer:
"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

Memorial Weekend

Well, it was a long, fun weekend...we went camping with about 10 families this past weekend...about 20 parents and even more kids! It was a lot of fun...played Euchre (reminded me of the good ole Midwest) and hung out at the beach while the kids played in the water. All of the girls did cheerleading poses and pyramids and their kids were mortified. We were laughing. Tent camping isn't the best when you are pregnant, but I still loved it. However, Ellie slept with us and freaked out at every noise she heard, so sleep was minimal. Poor Ellie had burs in your fur from head to toe...the worst I've seen. When we got home and after she took a long nap (she was exhausted) we shaved her and it is a funny sight to see!!! She looks like Edward Scissorhand got a hold of her!!! She has been tearing up every piece of Kleenex she can find lately and hides all of my socks. And then she goes and plays with her little pirate dog buddy that Rich won for her at the Houston Rodeo, this dog is bigger than her. (Pics above)

I am finally wearing sunscreen every single day...I can't believe it, I've always been addicted to the sun...I MEAN ADDICTED!!! I am going to put sun block on my kids every chance I get...I don't want them to turn out like me! EEEK!

This Friday my Godson, TJ, gets adopted! FINALLY! 1 1/2 years in the making! He is the cutest little boy...doesn't say much, but has big blue eyes and bleach blonde hair. And he calls Ellie, "ELL BELL" he yells it and chases her. I will be going to Bandera this Friday to attend his adoption. I am so happy for the Scott's!!! Kelly and Derek never really complain about how hard it is to be a parent and I love that. :)

Kelly gave me TONS (I MEAN TONS) of boy clothes to go through...I had the time of my life...it was like Christmas but BETTER!!!!!!!!!! And it's free!!!!! I was so excited to go through every single piece of clothing! If I didn't know if I liked something I would take it into Rich and say, "What do you think?" He would say he either liked it or it was too girly. He likes only "rugged" stuff and camouflage!!! This boy is going to have to be a football playin' hunter!!!!

I am about to take a nap, I had 4 classes to teach today and I am tired. Jr. is starting to tell me when he's had enough exercise. I can't wait to start to feel him kick and move in my belly!!! I will love it! I start my Ultimate Bootcamp at 6am tomorrow (I am not a morning person!) and also start personal training one of my friend's 14 year old girls. Should be interesting. That age always is.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Children seldom misquote you. They more often repeat, word for word, what you shouldn't have said."
- Mae Maloo

4 months/ Kay's Bradford Bash

Well, I'm 4 months...and the monthly pic has been taken. My belly button is starting to pop out so Rich thought it would be funny to make a smiley face. I wonder if my poor flower tattoo is going to start growing? EEEK. That could be scary.

Rich said he took all of the pictures of the baby from our doctor visit to work today and he has called me several times to let me know that he has shown everyone in his office how developed this baby boy is. He said, "Everyone has responded, YEP THAT IS DEFINITELY A BOY!" He is very proud and I am seeing the excitement and relief he has now that it is a boy and HEALTHY. He is especially proud of the extra large "boy part". I think he is going to start beating his chest like a gorilla. LOL!!! It's very cute. Erin (Rich's sister) text messaged and said she is excited that the two boys will be only months apart. HOW FUN IS THAT!? I never had cousins close to my age, so I think that is awesome! :) Erin said that Gianna will be making these boys sit at her tea parties. Funny. I told her that Rich and #1 will have these boys hunting by age 2! She agreed.

Kay Bradford's party (Bradford Bash) was this past weekend...her twin girls are getting so big! They were dancing while singing, "Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground!" They wanted to wear all of my jewelry and my sun glasses... Poor Richie got eaten up by chiggers! Usually that's me...that's why I don't like being outdoors in the deep woods. Yucky. I had to put nail polish all over his bites, I didn't have any clear polish so he's got an extra pink shine to him today!

There is an opening at Rich's office coming up and I am really trying to talk him into applying for it. He will be doing his dissertation this summer and finally getting his PhD. He needs to start looking into getting ahead...he is brilliant and really good with people, so I am encouraging him. I'm not so sure about being a Superintendent...that is a lot of work and a lot of hours and dealing with a lot of problems. But whatever God has planned I'm sure it will come to fruition!

Went to lunch with a bunch of girlfriends. Robin got me the cutest little outfit that had a monkey on it and it says, "Mommy Loves Me." It is so fitting because I have a feeling any of my kids will be monkeys. Meg gave me a pack-n-play, a stroller and a breast pump...Dear Lord, I won't know what to do with that! But I am TRULY grateful for all of my friends. I AM SO BLESSED and I look forward to helping others like they have helped me.

Time to do Real Estate so that I can make as much money as I can before this baby comes. And Ellie is scratching at the door to come in. I told her last night that she was going to have a baby brother and she looked at me like, "OH CRAP!" I started laughing.

-------------------------------------------------------

Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!
Ecclesiastes 5:10-11

IT IS A..................BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Rich and I were on a HIGH!!! We went to the Specialist in Temple again and they did all kinds of testing to be sure there were no chromosome diseases or other problems with the baby. They took about 50 pictures and found out that it was VERY HEALTHY!!! And there was no doubt as it was very CLEAR of this little boy's gender. It was a BOY! Rich was so excited...and so was I. I was more excited about all of the doctors and nurses coming in looking at the screen saying how healthy and beautiful this baby looked. My belly is not showing that much and so I was worried that the baby would be small, but the doctor said that he was bigger than average! :) I was VERY happy to hear that! Looking at the ultrasound truly makes you realize this is a TRUE GIFT FROM GOD. The profile of this baby was precious. You could see his nose (we both looked at each other because this nose was bigger than normal as well) and you could see his eyes and even his lips. He would scratch his face and wave and even held up his finger like he was saying, "#1!" I truly am thankful that this boy is very healthy and the doctors could not be more pleased. Jr. was even sitting Indian-Style at one point and it looked so funny!

My friend Meg has so many baby supplies for me and I am SO THANKFUL! There are so many reasons that I know I had to wait for so long to have a child. In my 20's I would want NEW everything...I would be concentrating mostly on the materialistic aspects of the baby items. At this age, I am okay with all of the hand-me-downs my friends are so gracious to give me. I want to concentrate on being a better person for my child and family. My friend Kelly has given me tons of clothes already so I can't wait to go through those. Now I just need to get my husband to help declutter the house. He likes to keep everything!! "Just in case," he says. :) I need everything in place and organized! Well, okay, I'm kind of "messy" but I just don't like CLUTTER! ;)

This weekend is Memorial Day...we go camping every year at this time...Oh dear, a pregnant lady's dream! Especially in this Texas heat! I think about things like, will I take the baby next year, etc... I also think about what I am going to do when I go back to work... daycare? A friend? Gayle? Hmmm, lots of things to think about. I will not stress about these things, these are fun things to think about! And I AM BLESSED!
--------------------------------------------------

"What the mother sings to the cradle goes all the way down to the coffin."
-- Henry Ward Beecher

Garden/Hockey Game

Rich has made a huge garden in the back and we are growing all kinds of things...squash, cucumbers, peppers, melons, etc... it is about 20 yards long...I don't really enjoy going out there though because I hate bugs, MOSQUITOES and icky stuff. I am a wimp when it comes to that! I remember when Rich and I would go jet skiing at his lake...when we were finished, I would stay on the jet ski and Rich would hook it up to the trailer and pull me out of the water so I wouldn't have to touch the bottom of the gross lake! I don't know why I'm like that (I think because of my mom)...if I have a boy I sure hope he is not wimpy like me! Anyway, I am excited to cook up the veggies and eat the melons!!! I have been craving fruit so badly for the last month!!! It is like desert to me! :) I ran on the treadmill for the first time today and I felt very weird. Anytime I move around a lot in my classes I can feel little "movements" of the baby. Like he is swimming in there! It is weird and I think Jr is going to come out saying, "WHAT WERE YOU DOING FOR THOSE 9MONTHS THAT I WAS IN YOUR BELLY???!!!" LOL!

The Hockey Season is coming down to the finals...I like attending the games, and we always end up having a great time with the Elliotts and other friends that are there. We are very thankful to have this opportunity to attend these games, Rich absolutley LOVES them!!! One of the best times was when one of the friends brought their little girl name Alaysia and I held her the whole time...I was in heaven.

I am still feeling good! :) REALLY GOOD! I am so hyped up I can't even take a nap if I tried! I guess that's a good thing.
----------------------------------------------------------

Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage.
Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Philippians 2:3-4 (The Message)

Muddy Buddy

This past weekend we went to the Muddy Buddy where they biked, ran, did obstacle courses and crawled through mud. I did this a long time ago with Becky Vermillion...we were BeBe's (Beaudet/Basinger at the time). I was not in a good place in my life...so it was interesting to compare the two experiences...both they were both fun. This was my first time to just be a complete spectator. I took pics and videoed everyone crawling through the mud. That was even a competition for me. I wanted to get the best footage and I yelled SO LOUD and when I heard myself on the video, I thought...OMG, I am LOUD! I was thinking about myself at my children's athletic games and how they will be mortified with my yelling!!! I just cannot curb my enthusiasm during competition. I love it! Should be interesting! Luckily Rich is very subdued or we would be a crazy couple. :)

------------------------------------------------------------

If you want to be like Jesus, you must care about what he cares about most; you must have a heart for the whole world! You can't be satisfied with just your family and friends coming to Christ. There are over six billion people on earth, and Jesus wants all his lost children found. MORAL: WE ARE HERE ON THIS EARTH TO HELP OTHERS, NOT JUST OURSELVES AND OUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY! :)