Raleigh's Room

We have officially started on Raleigh's Room!!!  I know I am a little bit biased, but I think it looks pretty darn good.  Here are some pictures..

Her bed and name

Her bedding a little bit closer.

Things that you definitely want to hear on your birthday...

Some of the great quotes from my birthday...

"You don't look a day past 29." - that would make anyone who is turning 28 feel awesome.

"Your hips are growing at a rapid pace, so much so that your skin can't keep up." - anyone would want to hear that from their chiropractor....right?

"You are 30 weeks along?  You don't look that bad."

Overall, my day was pretty delightful.  The random comments were a little hard to swallow, but with a lot of laughter it was no big deal.  My sweet husband did a great job of making a big deal out of my birthday (he deserves an award).  I had a great time.  Welcome to the world of being 28 years old.

It should only take a weekend...

"It should only take a weekend to put in a patio..." Those are the famous last words from Carl and Clint. What is it about us that we think we can accomplish so much in so little time? Where is the realistic voice in our heads? Of course we don't listen to the voice in our heads that say, "You are a silly little fool to think you can finish a patio in a weekend." I should listen to that realistic voice more often, but I tend to listen to the voice that reminds me that, "they do stuff like this on TLC all the time." Stupid. Not Smart. Not realistic. Needless to say, we (Clint and Carl) are still working on the patio and are very close to being finished. They have worked so hard and it is so beautiful. We can't wait to use it!!!

The beginning stages of the patio.

Carl and Levi figuring out the pattern of the layout.

The beginning stages.....

Our First Baby Shower

At Thanksgiving, we had our first family shower.  It was so much fun!!  It was so good to see Clint's side of the family.  I feel like we haven't seen everybody since before we got married.  I wish we could get to Dallas more often to see everybody....I guess there is only room for improvement.  Thanks again to Anne and Cindy for hosting such a wonderful party for Raleigh.

Clint and a picture of the Adamcik girls (these girls Cindy kept since they were little and are like sisters to Clint).

Happy Birthday Ellie!!

On Tuesday we made a quick trip to College Station to celebrate Ellie Mariana Rice's birthday!!!  She is so beautiful and quite a good little baby.  I am not sure where she got her dark hair, but she is so cute!!  The oddest thing happened when I was holding Ellie....Raleigh was totally still and when I started to hold Ellie, she went crazy inside.  While Raleigh was going nuts, Ellie opened her eyes very wide and got a little wiggly herself.  I guess the cousins were meeting for the first time and didn't even know it.  We can't wait for the baby cousins to get a chance to spend time together.  Congratulations Matthew and Carrie!!

My brother Matthew holding baby Ellie

Big brother Mason showing that holding a baby is serious business.

Precious girl!!!

This week in the life of Raleigh...

This is what is going on in the life of Raleigh this week:Hair today, gone tomorrow? Your baby develops two kinds of hair in utero--the soft, downy body hair called lanugo, which generally falls off before or shortly after birth, and the hair on her head. Many parents are surprised (to say the least) to see their baby's hair at birth--blond couples often have black-haired offspring, dark ones are just as likely to deliver a little blond or redhead, and parents who have tight, wiry curls often produce babies with soft, loose ones. The bottom line seems to be that birth hair--or lack thereof--bears little resemblance to your child's "real" hair. The birth hair generally falls out by the time the baby is 6 months old, to be replaced by a more logical set of tresses.  Raleigh is about the size of a 1lb. bag of coffee beans....

Gospel Lakes!!!

Clint and some kiddos went to Gospel Lakes on Saturday.  Gospel Lakes is an intercity daycamp.  I was in a workshop learning how to give kids an "evil eye".....seriously, that was what the whole workshop was about.  

What we look like at 21 weeks

This is what Raleigh and I look like at 21 weeks (  a little over 5 months)...growing, growing, growing!!! 

Up dating of the rooms part 2

We finished the guest bathroom.  It connects to the guest bedroom and Raleigh's room (which was once the office).  We tried to make it match the same color scheme to the guest bedroom, but add a little touch of girly to it.  Check out the pictures below....

Cute, huh??

Polka dot fun!

Up dating of the rooms part 1

We have decided to redo a couple of rooms before Raleigh comes.  I know, we haven't even lived in this house a year, but we wanted to make a couple of changes.  The first thing we changed was Daniel's room (the guest bedroom that was occupied by the college pastor Daniel for a while).  We have made it into a guest bedroom.  I feel like it turned out pretty nice....thanks to Keenan and Anne for the bed.  Check out the pictures below...

The new bedding, bed, and side table.

Curtains and wall.

The other wall

The Difference a mm can make!!

Well, Raleigh is already costing us money.  I went to the dentist the other day to fill 5 cavities and get 2 sealents.  I know, 5 cavities seems like a lot, but I am the family member that seems to have mouth problems.  I went to the dentist and 1 of my teeth has extra nerves in it and if the cavity would have grown a mm more, I would have had to have a root canal.  That's right, a ROOT CANAL!!  Yikes, Yikes, Yikes, I have never been so thankful for 1 mm in all of my life.  The sweet dentist seems to think that my cavities got so bad so quickly because of all of the glorious throwing up that I did (up to last week).  This may be way to much information, but today's lesson is: be thankful for the little things.

Bear Grylls has some competition!!

Good gracious....Ike beat the tar out of us.  I would like to say that I am a great survivor, but the truth is, I am a huge baby.  My doctor warned me that funny things could happen to my body while the hurricane was doing its' thing.  Boy did it ever!!!  The baby did some crazy stuff when the hurricane hit.  My stomach was going nuts, it was almost like muscle spasms...weird huh? The whole time I kept thinking that Bear Grylls could live without air conditioning, power, and eat weird foods....and so could I!! (thanks to my husband's influence of TV watching) Not so much!!  I lasted maybe two days and was out of there!  Clint stayed cause Fellowship of the Woodlands was a pod station...and because he and Bear Grylls could live on nothing.   Much respect and props go to Clint...watch out Bear Grylls, Clint could be taking over your show soon!!

Survey says....

We went and had the 3D ultrasound the other day.  Thankfully, everything looks great and healthy.  It was one of the neatest experiences of our lives.  We watched and saw as our baby did flips and turns, scratched its nose, sucked on its thumb, and kicked its legs.  Unbelievable!!  The technician said that the baby was extremely active.  We wanted to stay and watch the video all day (now I can see why Tom Cruise bought one of those machines for his house).   After looking at many different angles...the survey says....IT'S A GIRL!!!!  We are surprised, but so thrilled.  Clint was convinced it was a boy.  Our doctor was convinced it was a boy.  I held strong to the feelings that it was a girl, and for once, I was right.  We have decided to name her Raleigh Lorea Ivy.  The Lorea is after my grandmother (my mom's mom) and we picked Raleigh because it is different.  The due date is still the same.  Get ready world, cause here comes Raleigh Lorea Ivy!!

Keeping the Firemen away...

We got a new washer and dryer!!!  So exciting!!!  These things are awesome!!!  We got a great deal at sears and recieved extra off because of hurricane Ike.  Our old dryer did not shut off and had become a fire hazard... we didn't want the firemen to come to our house any time soon.  I haven't washed anything in it yet, but today might just be the day.  Clint and I have a bet of how many towels can fit into the washer.  I say 26, he says 23.  Time will only tell...I think I am right.....maybe....

Do Firemen Practice?

Totally random, the other day I hear all this noise across the street.  This is what I saw... What in the world??  We live near a fire station, so I guess they were practicing.  I had never thought about fireman practicing how to shoot water.  Things that make you go hmmm...... 

The big news....

I am sure that you have probably heard, and most of you know, but we are officially expecting!!! Around February 24th, our lives should change drastically. We are so excited!!!! On Tuesday I will be 19 weeks along. On Wednesday, we find out if it is a boy or a girl. I have thought from the beginning that it is a girl, but Clint (and our doctor ) think that it is a boy. Things so far look great....the baby is healthy, I am healthy, I only wish that I could stop throwing up. It has been quite funny all of the crazy places that I have thrown up, but to get the end result, it is totally worth it!! Let us know what you think it is...or whose side you are on....

Titus' new trick

Excuse the fact that it is sideways, but check out Titus' new trick!!  PS-Keenan and Anne, I think you will love this!!!

This Summer....

Ok, I know that it is really almost October, but there is no way that I can not catch you up on what has happened since May.  I know that you are all probably saying, "Thank you so much...we are so tired of looking at your stupid flower bed."  This summer we were only home a total of 14 days, it was a chaotic ball of fun.  Brace yourself, there are a lot of pictures.  So here it goes:

June

• We left 2 days after school left out and went to Florida for high school camp.  If I had to sum it up in one word....AMAZING!!!!  The Lord did not only change my life, but the lives of so many high school kids.  It truly was unbelievable.  We were on the beach in our own secluded spot and had a blast.  I can not wait to go back next year.

• We went on vacation with my family to Leakey. It is a blast!  No one's cell phone works, so we played dominoes, floated the river, ate a ton, and scrapbooked.   I love spending mass amounts of undistracted time with my family.

July

• At the end of June, beginning of July we went to Junior High Camp(2 weeks).  Also awesome, but a totally different experience than high school camp (maybe it is dealing with jhigh kids).  I also wasn't feeling very well that week ( I will tell you more about that later).  Next year, I have decided that I am going to hang out with the pastors' wives, unless somebody pays me to lead a small group.
• We came  home for a couple of days and then left for Florida (the second time) for Student Leadership University 101.  We took about 90 potential leaders that met with other leaders around the country for a week long conference.  We also believe that if they learn about leadership, they should put it into practice.  After the conference, the kids worked really hard at Give Kids the World (they partner with the Wish foundation for terminally ill children).  I only got to see a little bit of the mission trip because I was really sick (I even had to go to the hospital on the charter bus...thanks again Rachel), but what I did see was an experience that will still bring tears to my eyes today.
• We came back from SLU, and left that next weekend for Vegas to see Clint's parents.  We love going to see Clint's family whenever we can.  It is such a relaxing time... and they spoil us like crazy.  You should see Clint on the lake, he is so happy, it makes me want to buy a boat (it is not in the budget, and not happening anytime soon).  I have to mention that my suitcase did get stolen from the airport, which was a huge letdown, but we had a great time.  We came back from Vegas and had our big week-long King of the Beach event at the church.  We had a week off and the next week Lauren started school.  Whew!!!  So crazy busy, but so much fun. 

Take 2 on the yard

On Monday we finished the front yard....I think it is beautiful.  Way to go Clint and Carl!  Thanks Tammy for lending us your expert gardening husband.  The next feat is to keep it all alive.

The view of the front.

I don't know what this plant is called, I just thought it looked like cheerleading pom poms.   Go garden!

Part of the stone trim and of course, the Aggieland rock.

The rock wash (awesome if you don't have gutters) and some colorful flowers.

Our crepe myrtle....gorgeous!!

Kar's Wedding

Congrats Kar and Victor!!!  We are so excited for you guys.  We had such a great time at your wedding.  Kar, you were absolutely stunning!!  It was so great to see everyone and catch up on life.  I have to admit, as I listened to myself talk, I started to feel old.  We are definitely going to have to do something about that.  Danny and Laura- it was so good having you at our home and catching up on what is going on with you guys.  Kirby and Charlie- Have I told you how great you look pregnant!!  So great seeing what the Lord is doing with your family.  Susan-I miss my Aggie mom!!  Hopefully, we can visit longer soon.  Becky- Let's make that reunion happen.

Pictures of Clint and Lauren

What a sweet husband!

I think we have lost our minds...

Consider yourself officially invited.  We will be running a 1/2 marathon on November 16th!!  It was Clint's idea and I think I must have lost my mind to agree, but we have started on our second week of running.  We are only running about 2 miles at a time, but it will get longer and hopefully less winded.  Please run with us!  It would be so fun to do together, everybody in San Antonio... and just think... after you run you can eat as much mexican food as you want without feeling like you need to go workout the next day.  We will keep you posted how far we have run in our endeavor.  Last week we ran 4 miles....

No more Grounded

Last Wednesday was our last grounded.... we are so sad!  We have been so blessed by our 20ish high school kiddos.  Over the past semester we have laughed, cried, shared, become friends with people we wouldn't normally be friends with, fellowshiped, understand what the 20 inch rim of discipleship is, and had a blast.  You guys are one of the reasons we love doing what we do.  Thank you for being real and transparent and allowing God to move in your lives this semester.  We are so proud of you...oh gosh, I am starting to sound like an emotional crazy.  We will see you soon.

Our Cute Kristen!!!

Do I miss going to prom....probably not.  For the past month all of the high schools have been having their proms, I have to admit that it creates a little bit of havoc in the city, but it is creating memories so I guess we will let it slide.  A couple of weekends ago I got to experience the craziness of prom.  Driving back from gospel lakes and stuck in traffic, Kristen and I started to get worried about her missing her hair appointment (I don't know when the last time I worried about that, If I am feeling the need for pampering I will let them flat iron my hair).  We also met for pictures and somewhere mixed in there was an unexpected jewelry run.   So much excitement and fun!  We love you Kristen and hope you had a great time.

Our thumbs might be turning green...

That's right, check your thumbs ladies and gentlemen...our thumbs are turning green!  We have taken on a gardening project that just might survive (it would be the first and only).  With the help of a sweet friend we decided to add a little flair to the front yard.  With Carl's vision and Clint's manual labor (I really did nothing) the front yard is starting to take form.  There are some cute little pics below.  I forgot to take a before picture, just use your imagination.

The yard after it has been tilled, reshaped, new stonework down, etc...

The beginnings of the flower beds

Beautiful boxwoods!

The view from the sidewalk.

We still have a way to go, but it is getting there!  Yippee!!!  Yea Clint and Carl!!!