Too Many Choices

I've been looking at nursery ideas on line and I'm so overwhelmed. For quite some time I've been thinking about a more modern, sophisticated looking nursery. Maybe a black and white theme. I could accent with a fun color and make it look really cool. I think my crib color choice is white which is wierd because all the furniture in my house is dark wood. I've loved it forever but for my baby's room I think I want a delicate, softer look.

This is the crib I really like. Well, the one I like the best today, anyway......

Here are some bedding options I'm considering. First, the black and white. I like this because it looks chic and classy. They say that black and white is very stimulating for babies so that's also a good reason. I don't like the bed skirt very much in the second photo. I wish the stripes were thicker. The bumper is cute even though I won't use it.

Next, is a ocean/scuba theme. Nathan and I love the beach and we love diving! This would be kind of cute for our future scuba baby.....
Keeping with an under water theme, here's a cute Turtle bedding set...... This next one is an elephant theme. I love elephants!!! Even though it looks more baby-ish, it IS for a baby room and this little baby is only going to be this little once. I will always have time for modern and sophisticated later. What are your thoughts?
Keep in mind, we're not finding out if baby carmines is a he or a she. I love making things more difficult than they have to be. Really though, this is one of the surprises I knew I'd always want to have in life. I wouldn't trade it for anything even though I'm driving my mother crazy! That's alwasy fun, huh?

What Have I Been Up To?

Well, not blogging, obviously! It's been pretty busy....Easter, Family Fun, Work, Birthdays....well, see for yourself!

April is a big birthday month in our family! My mother in law's birthday is April 6th- Happy Birthday,Sylvia!! We didn't get to see her on her actual birthday but we celebrated a combined b-day celebration 3 days later on Nathan's birthday which is April 9th. Here he is below with my present. I got him some really great binoculars and we've been using them to watch the beautiful birds in our backyard.

It was a great, great day! We both took the day off from work and slept in. ahhhh- we both know those days are numbered. It's ok, though! We're ready!
Anyway, back to Nathan's birthday....we went to a new restaurant called Brasserie Pavil, or as Daniel likes to call it "Pavil Brassiere " he said it sounds like a french bra. Ha! Anyway, its a new french (you got that part right, big b!) place that has to-die-for croissants and danishes.
Later for lunch we met up with Larry (who shares a birthday with me on April 22), Sylvia and Daniel. In the evening we went to see Frost Nixon at the majestic. Thanks, Greg! The tickets were great but the show was a little too playwritish for my taste. I like dance numbers. I like music. Let's face it- I like Broadway musicals and opera much more than plays. But love or not, I really enjoy anything that's live theater. We had a great date night!

Nathan's birthday is so special to me because I'm so thankful he was born. He is my very best friend, a great husband and already a great father. He talks to my tummy everyday and I love that! I pray that this year brings him lots of love, happiness, joy and peace. I love you so much!

Here's the cake I made him. It's a giant cupcake! I saw this cake on Erica's and Mindy's blog. By the way, Erica's birthday is in April, too! April 14th. Happy Birthday!
On the Friday before Easter Nathan and I went to Joy and Brad's for dinner and Easter Egg dying fun. Here's a picture of their little Jayla. She's so cute! She loves sucking on these two little fingers. She always has them in her mouth!
Another cute thing that Jayla does is baby push ups! It's so funny! She does it again and again!

Easter Sunday was wonderful! We went to church and had a great day! Here we are with Joy, Brad and Jayla after church.

After Easter weekend our staff got a little breather! All the ladies from the office decided to go and visit a sweet friend that recently retired and built a new house in Pipe Creek. We left work early and went out to see Sharon. After touring her new digs we went to eat dinner in Helotes at El Chapperal. It was so good!

Something else you can see in the pics is I cut my hair! I love a shorter cut for summer and it's been about 10 years since I've had this cut. I love the 10 minute drying time vs. the old 25-30 minute drying time! So, that's what I've been up to! Now, I'm going to see what all my blogging buddies have been doing. Have a great night, all!

More Pageant Pics

Getting Out of Character

This weekend we had our Concordia Palm Sunday pageant. Nathan was the disciple, "Bartholomew" and I narrated. Nathan has been letting his hair grow. Not necessarily for the pageant but it certainly did help his disciple-ly look.

I guess he couldn't wait to shave and cut his hair any longer. Daniel will be sooooo happy! Here's his miraculous, partially at home, make-over.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....much better! I love that sweet face!

Bad Veins

That's my arm after having to give blood at my last doctor's visit. GROSS! I have the worst veins. I always tell them but they don't believe me until they try and stick me. I don't mind being stuck. Even repeatedly. I just hate it when they get the needle in and then start moving it around like they're performing liposuction! In and out. In and out. Side to side. Back and forth!

Actually, this time the girl got the vein on the very first try. Not a normal thing for me. She got it on the first try but this is what my arm looked like 2 days later. I've been wearing long sleeves so that people wouldn't think that my husband beats me.

Random Stuff

A few weeks ago Concordia had their annual benefit auction and this is what some sweet friends got for us... a Daddy Diaper Bag Basket. It has so many wonderful things! Here's the contents...

Thank you, Mary and Julie! What a sweet and thoughtful gift! Nathan will look so awesome sporting this masculine daddy diaper bag! (He's kinda rolling his eyes right now but no worries, he'll see that real men DO carry diaper bags!)

Recently we went camping with our friend, Brian, at his family's ranch in Pearsall. Zeta and I just went up for the day but Nathan camped out overnight. Here's Nathan preparing dinner for everyone. Brian sure does have it made on these camp outs! Nathan does all the work. (Sorry, Brian! You know it's true!) He does all the cooking. Kills the rattle snakes. Gathers all the wood and supplies to make the fire. Brian's main role in the outing is to just sit in his chair with a book and repeatedly say, " Gosh, it just feels so good to sit here and relax." Well, duh!

Check out the "grill" Nathan cooked on...
I know what you're thinking......Rednecks, right? Don't think that, rather, think....resourceful! In case you haven't figured out what our grill is, it's an old single bed frame. It worked great! There used to be a normal, more civilized iron grill out there but we don't know what happened to it. Maybe some of the deer hunters took it.

Below is the beautiful sunset.

20 Weeks!

I'm officially half way and I've been feeling pretty darn great! I don't have to get up every night to pee...just every once in a while. I'm not craving anything weird....just my usual grapefruit and fish. Not together, though. I daily have a sonic grape slush although today I switched things up a bit and had cherry. I'm trying to display some self control with my ice cream intake but geez- BlueBell Moolenium is just toooo yummy! I can function if I don't take a late afternoon nap but hey, if I can have one, why not?! Being pregnant is pretty fun.

I had my sonogram this past week and it was so precious. The baby was moving around like a little wiggle worm. We got some cute pictures of baby sucking his/her thumb! The tech and the doctor were very careful not to reveal the baby's sex. Thank goodness! We've been so excited about it being a surprise. So far, so good.

My doctor said that since this was my first pregnancy, I wouldn't probably feel any movement until week 20-22 but as we were getting ready for bed on March 18, I felt it! It felt like a little butterfly flitting around in my belly. I'm guessing that was the baby. I've felt it just about every other day since then. I can't wait until I feel a big 'ole KICK! Nathan keeps saying how it isn't fair. He keeps asking What does it feel like!? What does it feel like??!! I can't wait for the day when he can put his hand on my belly and feel the baby. What a miracle, huh?

As we were watching the sonogram screen I couldn't help but think how amazing and detailed God is. He created us so perfectly. We had a level II sonogram which is a little more detailed, so I'm told. We saw all 4 chambers of baby's heart, saw the kidneys, the stomach, lungs, and so many other things- I can't even remember b/c I was overwhelmed at the wonder of it all. The pictures were great. Baby's heartbeat was 150 and baby weighs about 10 ounces.



Every night Nathan and I take turns and pray for our little miracle. We pray for all the normal things that every expecting mom and dad pray for. We are so thankful for an uneventful pregnancy thus far, for God's protection over us and the baby, for great doctors and great care, for wonderful friends and family and their excitement and support and the list could go on and on! Okay- enough gabbing- here's baby Carmines....