a sweet escape

Jeremy and I both had some extra time off of work for July 4th and so we randomly decided to take a drive to Dallas, do some shopping and eating, and just get away together. It was a short "trip" but just what we needed! We grabbed some donuts and hit the road! In Dallas we ate at some favorite spots, and did lots of shopping for little Mav.  H&M has the best little boy clothes ever.  He will be one stylin' dude. We were so excited when it rained most of the afternoon; we're suckers for a good rain and some reading and coffee in a bookstore. The perfect afternoon. I am so thankful that we were able to get away and just enjoy each other's company without life's normal distractions.  Here's a few pics from the trip...

my week in iPhone photos

Man this week got away from me, and I haven't posted at all! I'll be playing catch up over the next few days, but still wanted to drop off my weekly pics from my phone so I can look back at all the small moments that make up our life! Hope you've had a good week, and check back for more updates soon!

^^^spent the morning at VBS sharing about church planting in Albany, NY^^^

^^^and then spent the evening popping popcorn for tons of VBS kiddos!^^^

^^^Jeremy and I enjoyed a Gilmore Girls marathon one afternoon. My kind of afternoon!^^^

^^^we went away to Dallas for the night... just because :) Little Maverick will be changing that spontaneous side of us soon, so we thought we'd take advantage of some time off work^^^

^^^celebrated the 4th of July with family and friends!^^^

^^^sometimes Dominos pizza is the only thing that sounds good for dinner^^^

^^^27 weeks! Look how fast that green bar is filling up!^^^

^^^sometime between dinner and bedtime, I had this HUGE craving for Eggo Waffles.  I tried to ignore it and could NOT get them out of my head. So Jeremy to the rescue! He ran to the store and got the waffles and syrup, and man did they hit the spot!^^^

^^^with Jeremy out of school now, we were finally able to enjoy a workout TOGETHER at the gym! Everything is better with your best friend.^^^

^^^enjoyed 56 cent pancakes from IHOP to celebrate their 56th anniversary!^^^

^^^last night, I finished the Hunger Games book, and i highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it yet! It was such a good read!^^^

my week in iPhones photos

^^^Jeremy took half the day off and surprised me with my favorite lunch during my break at work!^^^

^^^If you've ever pinned "4 ingredient peanut butter cookies" on Pinterest.... just go ahead and delete that pin now.  They don't turn out, are more flat than pancakes, and taste awful.^^^

^^^I got to listen to Jeremy teach the youth group at our church on Wednesday night.  He did a fab job!^^^

^^^hit the 6 months until Christmas mark! And the ABC Family app celebrated with a Xmas movie marathon. Of course, I participated!^^^

^^^weekly dinner and 24 watching with my family is a highlight of our week! Jack is so awesome.^^^

^^^Maverick got a gift from Jamaica from his Gigi and Uncle Isaac!^^^

^^^On another note, if you've ever pinned the s'mores graham krispie treats, do yourself a favor and make them! So easy and sooo good!^^^

^^^our first time visiting Roxy's ice cream truck.  it did not disappoint! So good on a hot summer afternoon!^^^

^^^So excited to see the countdown under 100! This baby will be here soon!^^^

^^^spent a rainy Saturday afternoon at the library^^^

^^^first firework show of the season with some good friends!^^^

^^^26 weeks!^^^

^^^I had to satisfy my Christmas longing with a good Christmas read from the library! Finished it the next day. It may have made me even more ready for the holidays... oops!^^^

^^^went to bed craving scrambled eggs so badly! I opted out of washing my hair the next morning just to make time for eggs before work. It was worth it!^^^

^^^made some homemade light ranch dressing that is so so good! I'll have to post the recipe later on the blog. I will definitely be making more, and I'm done with the bottled stuff!^^^

^^^celebrated Jeremy turning in his last assignment for school with some Chinese takeout!^^^

^^^made some skinny chocolate chip cookies-- my favorite recipe for cookies! So easy and so tasty!^^^

^^^a red, white, and blue cupcake my sister made for dinner last night to get into the holiday spirit!^^^

I hope everyone is having a lovely Wednesday! Excited its a short work week, and can't wait to celebrate the USA this weekend with family and friends! Be safe and watch lots of fireworks!

growing baby and belly part 2

^^^25 week bump^^^

How is it already the first of July?? I feel like I can barely keep up with how fast time is flying by! I know I say that in every single post, but I mean seriously... we're already halfway through 2014. That's crazy! 

So, all this talk about the second trimester being such a breeze, as actually turned out to be pretty true... most days.  Weeks 16-21 were the BEST.  My energy was back, I was comfortable at night, wasn't getting up to go to the bathroom constantly, I actually ate a few meals and felt full afterwards. Then came week 22. I don't know what happened, but EVERYTHING changed.  I haven't slept through an entire night in three weeks, it feels as though Maverick is literally dancing on my bladder when he moves-- which is all the time-- making for frequent trips to the bathroom, my back hurts so bad just about all day long, and this whole new thing of crazy intense heartburn as soon as I go to bed is for the birds.  I tell myself daily, "only 15 more weeks... I can do this!" 

Maverick has discovered my ribs now, and that is one strange feeling! I can usually massage/push him back down-- which Jeremy finds so rude for me to do to him--- and he will move back down at least for a little while.  His kicks are getting stronger and stronger everyday! They are visible now from the outside, even with my shirt down. It's the strangest and most amazing thing watching your stomach move all on its own, and knowing that little baby inside there is letting his presence be known.  I've also noticed that he is responding to certain voices and my touch. A few times I'll put my hand on my tummy, and he will find it and start kicking so hard against it. Maybe I'm annoying him, but I like to think its his way of saying "hi mom! Thanks for carrying me around. I'll see you soon!"  

I feel like we found out I was pregnant, I blinked, and here we are at just over 6 months! We are so ready to meet our little guy, we just can't hardly wait! I know Jeremy will be glad to get his bed back to normal... my four, sometimes five, pillows needed to get a decent night's sleep totally defies the laws of sleeping in a queen size bed with another person. But he sure is a trooper, and so helpful, and does whatever he has to do to make me comfortable (including a few nights of moving to the couch--which I'm not sure are entirely for my comfort or for his ha!)  I'm trying hard to enjoy these last few weeks of it being just Jeremy and I.  Life is about to change so much, and while I'm so excited for all of those changes, it is a bittersweet feeling knowing that our newly wed stage, late night food or movie runs, spur of the moment trips or date nights are coming to an end.  These have been such fun times, and I want to savor the rest of the time we have left to just be us.  

But in the meantime, I hope Maverick can hear his Pa talking to him each night before we go to bed. I hope he can hear us talking about how excited we are to be his parents.  I hope he likes hearing about all the ideas I come up with for his room.  I hope he hears it when so many people tell me that they can't wait to meet him. I hope he likes hearing his name said over and over again because we just love saying it so much. And I hope he can feel how happy we are that he is coming into our family.  

Because one more blink, and that day will be here. And I just can't hardly stand the waiting. 

Healthy Habits--- Breakfast foods!

It's time for another Healthy Habits post linking up with Katie! I love participating in this because so many of the other posts are so inspiring and motivating.  I love discovering new ideas and insight into leading a more healthy lifestyle and finding more blogger friends!  \

This week, I've decided to start focusing on my breakfast habits. I am NOT a breakfast food fan at all, but the older I get the more and more I believe that it really is the most important meal of the day.  On the days that I make time to eat a good breakfast, I have so much more energy throughout the day, and feel more productive getting things checked off my to-do list. Also, after quite a serious low-blood sugar scare last week, I've tried to be more intentional with my choices.  I love searching Pinterest for new high protein breakfast options that will help my blood sugar stay level and make me feel full for longer periods of times... which is a difficult task while pregnant. 

So I thought I would share with you my most favorite new smoothie recipe I've found! It was super easy to make, and gave me soooo much energy, and seriously kept me feeling full for almost 3 hours, which again, is a LONG time for this pregnant lady!

I did leave out the oats only because I didn't have any, but I want to try that next time! My honey isn't raw honey either... I've never bought raw honey before, so I just used what I had on hand... close enough right?

One thing I loved about this was how easily it blended up! It was so smooth, and not too sweet or filling that you couldn't drink the whole smoothie. And man was it yummy!!

 I will definitely be making this  a regular part of each week!!

What are some of your favorite breakfasts?? I would love to hear anybody's suggestions!