It is possible…

for me to run a 5k at 30 weeks pregnant!

When my friend Laura asked me if I wanted to sign up for the Color Run, I was only 20ish weeks pregnant. I wasn’t sure I could do it but thought it might be a great motivator to stay in shape throughout the next 10 weeks. David loved the idea so we forked over the cash and registered back in March.

To be completely honest, I haven’t been working out much since. My schedule is a bit tight in the  ”me time” section so I don’t really make it to the gym. I love to take Elijah on runs {in the jogging stroller} but a few weeks ago a 2 mile run almost put me into labor. I think that pushing a 30 lb stroller, a 30 lb kid, being pregnant and running was a bit much. Since then, I have been taking it easy and wondering how I would be able to run 3.25 miles with an even bigger belly.

A few weeks ago David, being the humble man he is, promised to run, walk or crawl with me for the entire race so I wouldn’t have to be alone. I was happy to know that at least I wouldn’t be lonely as I huffed and puffed along.

Then at the last moment, the person who was watching E for us backed out and we had to bring him and the jogging stroller along during the race. Thankfully this was a race that allowed them. We tried to cover the stroller the best we good and prayed that the “colors” wouldn’t ruin it forever. David pushed E most of the way. He did cry a few times…Elijah not David..but mostly loved watching all the action as he downed a couple granola bars throughout the race {a toddler had to stay properly fueled!}.  I am happy to report that I only had to walk for about 3 minutes when Ella decided to flip positions in utero. Go figure, running without having to push an extra 60 pounds is considerably less painful.

The funny thing was how people were almost afraid to squirt my belly with color. David and I ran the exact same way for the entire race but he was considerably more colorful than me. Elijah came out looking pretty clean too.

If you ever have the chance, I would wholeheartedly recommend this race. It was tons of fun, low stress, benefits charity and is obviously good for ALL ages.

A newborn sense of style

Ella is already looking to be one of the year’s best dressed.

My mom made her the sweetest little basket with a doll, blanket and lots of adorable clothes.

My friend Sophie sent me my very first baby gift shortly after we found out that we were having a girl. She handmade the cutest shoes and head band–they are SO precious!

Look at all the adorable details! 

Then one of our friends, who is a Thirty-One consultant gave me a *girly* diaper bag for FREE. It was so sweet and generous of her!

Don’t you think that every little girl needs a pair of pink shoes and a tutu,?! My friend Heather kindly gifted Ella with her first.

Then last weekend David’s sister, Kristi, gave us some amazing newborn clothes. Elijah just so happened to wear an outfit from Kristi home from the hospital so she is trying her hardest to win that honor with Ella too. I am not making any promises but there are two outfits (not shown below) from her that are definitely in the running!

Often times with the second baby you have a lot of the stuff that you didn’t have with the first but you still do need some things {especially when you are having a different gender}. I am so thankful that David and I both have such generous, giving people in our lives to bless our little Ella.

Girl clothes are definitely SO much more fun to buy than boy clothes…can I get an Amen?!

The Royal Treatment

On Mother’s Day, my sweet boys outdid themselves. I woke up to lots of kisses and smiles {along with a few big kicks from our sweet girl}. Then David and Elijah went on an adventure to get me breakfast, returning with breakfast quesadillas {the best ever!} and Starbucks Chai. While they were gone I was told to sit on the couch and blog {anyone notice the increase in post’s this past week?!}.  Once all the food was gone my sweet hubby made me a bubble bath and told me to take my time getting ready. I painted my nails AND toes, did my hair and finished my makeup without any interruptions! Then we went to get some flowers at a local nursery and had lunch at Pei Wei. Later that night we also went out for my favorite, frozen yogurt. I had a delicious mix of blackberry, chocolate cake, and cake batter flavors with some cookie dough and brownie pieces. Don’t judge…Ella loved it. It was the perfect day with my most favorite people. I am so thankful to be a mom.

Of course I had to have a photo shoot with my sweet boy who is the whole reason I get to celebrate Mother’s Day {Ella is in there too. }  Elijah wasn’t very smiley but I think we got a few good ones. Oh what I wouldn’t give to have his perfect skin…

Can you believe how much he has changed since last year?

on a side note: my photography instructor will be pleased to know that I picked the spot for our photo shoot because of the awesome lighting and then set all the manual settings on my camera. These shots are all SOOC.  

Time is flying by!

We are officially in the third trimester {which seems crazy!} and I am feeling it.

Ella is growing and moving lots these days. I can already tell she is going to be lots of fun for our family. I must laugh at her almost daily as my belly sways from side-to-side. She kicks and kicks all.day.long. At my last ultrasound she was breech {still too early for that to matter though} and I know from experience that she likes that position lots. She is always moving around so it is really hard for the ultrasound techs to get a good picture but we finally did!

People continue to comment on how “big!” I am. While I am thankful to have such a healthy little basketball under my shirt, it can get to me from time to time. I know they are often referencing my belly when they comment but it can still sting. I am clearly pregnant and growing each week but I have little to no control over how “big!” I am. And when people say, how much bigger I am than they ever were or how much bigger I am than with Elijah or that I look like I could pop any day, it makes me feel, well, ugly and fat. Silly? yes. But true nonetheless. I guess it is confession time…

However, the other day a sweet lady at Walmart said the nicest thing to me…she was pushing her own two babies in a cart. She stopped me and said, I know you don’t feel this way but you are beautiful and look great. Wow! What a breath of fresh air. I wish I weren’t so human and that her nice words would ring more true to me than all the “big!” comments. Why is it so much easier to believe the negative ones?

Things are starting to come together for Ella’s room. I still haven’t settled on a paint color though. The paint chips are so different from the colors I see when I try them on the wall. Why is that? In preparation for Ella, we will be putting together Elijah’s new big boy bed this weekend {we got it at Ikea}. I am a little nervous for that transition but also kind of looking forward to it.

Every Monday for the past month, E has woken up quietly and played with his poop while sitting in his crib. I have tried onsies; I have even gone around his diaper with masking tape but he still finds a way to get it out and all over the place {sheets, crib, elmo, cookie, etc.}. It is just as disgusting as it sounds and I am over it. Remind me of this when I am trying to keep my little explorer in bed and am sleep deprived, thanks!

Speaking of my little man, he is waking up from his nap and I can’t risk it. Till next time…

her name is…

I had sort of planned to keep our baby girl’s name a secret {on here} until she was born. But I can’t seem to keep it quiet any longer. Whenever I write a blog about her, I have to stop myself from typing her name any time I reference something she is doing. It just seems silly. Most everyone already knows her name since I have loved it for so long {6 years} and Elijah even calls my belly “Ella!”

I loved her name long before I ever knew what it meant. I just seemed so feminine and elegant. But after giving Elijah his name {which means “the Lord is my God.”} we wanted to be sure that Ella also had a name that would also declare her identity.  Ella has a few different meanings if you search the internet but the two I love most are above and they mean:

Foreign, other: She is not of this world. She belongs to the Lord and her citizenship is in heaven.

Light: She will be the Light of Christ to those she meets and who know her. 

Her middle name will be the same as my beloved’s. Elijah has my middle name {my dad’s name, Michael}. David’s middle name is Lindsay. It is a family name from his mother’s side. Most of the men take ‘Lindsay’ and the women take ‘Lynn’. But we wanted Ella to be named after her daddy.

After researching the meaning of Lindsay, I was curious to know what was so special about a Linden tree that would merit it’s own name. I found that bee’s often are attracted to the tree’s sweetness; and since honey is used for healing, then it is also known for that. It is also special because the most shiny part of it’s leaves are on the underside {unlike most trees}. Therefore, it reinforces the fact that beauty is not always on the surface.

All this talk about Ella definitely makes me want to see her beautiful face! Until August, this new {and much better!!!!} ultrasound picture will have to do:

God gave me her

My mom is not perfect. Neither am I.

But I am so very lucky to have been given her as my mother.

I often times write about how much I miss my dad on here because let’s face it, I do. I am one of those people who somehow got two wonderful parents. I don’t take that uncommon blessing lightly. And it just so happens that I only had my earthly father for 11 short years.

But my mom, now that’s another story. She’s been here through it all; and since I am, ahem, almost 30, I have gotten to have lots of great times with her. When I think of what I could tell you about her, I have many compliments. She is gifted in many ways, smart, fun and kind. However, the thing I treasure most about her is her relationship with the Lord.

People often comment that helping someone decide to believe in Christ is the pinnacle of service to God. I believe that to be true on some levels but I honestly don’t even remember who prayed the prayer when I “officially” gave my life to the Lord. I do, however, remember the person who daily showed me what it meant to have a real relationship with God: my mom.

So much happened in our lives when I was younger. So much trial, so much pain and so much testing. I stood by her side (often oblivious to how hard it was) watching her walk through the fire with grace and dignity. There were tears, fear, and many hard days. Yet, she never once faltered in her faith. When my dad died, she didn’t blame God, she simply told me what the Word promised us both about being widowed and fatherless. When people we stealing from us and the opportunity for justice seemed bleak, she told me that God would fight for us. She kept praying; she kept believing; she kept sowing; and she kept serving. I know God is proud.

My mom has taught me many things but the most precious treasure I gained from watching her is how to have a relationship with the Lord. He truly is EVERYTHING to me and I would be nothing without Him.

Thank you mom for living your faith and not just using your words to tell me about God. I hope that I can live a legacy of faith like yours for my own family. You are one of God’s greatest blessings to me.  Happy Mother’s Day!

nnnn-NANA!

My mom is called Nana by all her grandchildren. She originally wanted to be “Granny” but my niece decided otherwise. And to teach Elijah how to say her name, my mom has him say, nnnn-NANA! over and over again. It’s pretty cute.

Last week Elijah and I made the trip down to the Springs to see my mom and spend the day with her. We went to the zoo, ate lunch, went to the park and hung out at her house. It was a lot of fun and the weather was perfect.

It was E’s second trip time at the Zoo and he loved it