Flight Suits and Fairytales

Farewell

Last night I was "fare-welled" by our Spouse's group...it was pretty emotional for me. Before I left the house to go, I had a few minutes to just remanence about our time here. Looking back, I can't believe we've been here in England for 2.5 years. It seems like only yesterday that I was having a nervous breakdown (not really, but it was close!) on the bed in TLF, wondering what in the world we had gotten ourselves into! It was raining and bleak, and our precious savings account seemed to be quickly depleting itself. Slowly but surely we met some great friends, got a house, started traveling, and started to make our lives here. The fears that were all too real and overwhelming just a few short weeks before had already started to fade. And the adventure just seemed to get better.

Now that we're leaving again I'm filled with the same mixed emotions. I'm so excited about our new house, exploring Mississippi, and the birth of our little girl. But I'm also sad to leave all of the wonderful women that I've met here, though I was reminded recently that it's not "good-bye", it's "see you later". I will surely cling to that sweet comfort in the months to come. The picture above is from our Annual Red Dress Coffee last year, and it is one of my favorite pictures of all the squadron ladies. I've had a such a great time with all of them, and I will remember them always.

Family Shower

While I was back in Texas for a few days after the wedding in San Diego, our sweet Aunt Dianne decided to throw me a "family shower"! Since Chris & I will only be in town for about 10 days or so in July before we move to Mississippi, this shower was the last chance I was going to have to celebrate with our families before our sweet little girl arrives in September. Aunt Dianne is quite the party planner, and the afternoon was simply lovely! She made her famous baked ziti, and baked her amazing Gooey Toffee Butter Cake just for me (it was a special request!). She, and a few helpers, decorated the house in pink, brown, and green (the nursery colors), and made the living room into a baby wonderland. It was absolutely beautiful, and I am so thankful to her for doing that for me (us, really!). AND, I got some GREAT stuff as well...which is just an added bonus! Below are some pictures of the wonderful day.

Whoa!! Well, hello there Belly!!

Gayle (Chris's mom), me and my mom

Donna (Chris's step-mom), me and my mom

AWESOME finger puppets that my sweet sis-in-law got us!!

181 Days Down, 99 To Go!!

I'm already in the double digits!! Where has the time gone? I feel like it was only yesterday that I found out I was pregnant...oh, how time flies! So much has happened recently, I feel like I have lots to share. First of all, thank you so much to everyone who responded to my "questions" post. I received lots of wonderful feedback, and I honestly feel like I have a better handle on everything now that I've heard from some other mothers (and soon-to-be mothers!). The info that I've received has already helped me to make some important decisions, and I appreciate the fact that you all care enough about me to share your opinions.

For Chris's first Father's Day, I thought I'd surprise him by getting some 3D & 4D pictures/videos taken of our sweet little girl. Though the surprise didn't quite pan out (thanks to the very prompt staff who called to confirm the appt. 3 times!), it was still really cool, and Chris is loving the fact that he can now see her face much more clearly now! The pics aren't very clear, but that's because I'm a terrible scanner, and the "pro" isn't home at the moment!

Look at that sweet smile! She's just the cutest!!

Our tech said she was a "snuggler"! Doesn't she just look so cuddly in there!

I received some wonderfully sweet cards for Mother's Day, though I'm still not "technically" a mother yet. My dad got me flowers and a cute balloon, and Chris got me the awesome diaper bag that I've had my eye on for the past month. My mom got me a diaper bag too because, let's face it...a girl can NEVER have too many bags!!

This is the one from Chris...I love the colors!!

This is the one from my mom....gotta love Vera Bradley!!

Our mover's come on Monday, so I'm just the tiniest bit stressed out at the moment! I get a little anxious when I start to think about living in a house filled w/ loaner funiture, no TV, and minimal clothing choices for an entire month! (Not that I have that many clothes to choose from now anyway since my closet consists of stretchy jeans & over-sized tops!) But, I'm trying to focus on the fact that we are now the proud RENTERS of a fabulous house in Columbus, MS, and that we're moving back to the States in exactly 32 days! It's going to be a whirlwind of a month, especially for this 6.5 month pregnant girl, but I think it's totally do-able!

San Diego Wedding Weekend

I recently made a trip back to the States so that I could attend my cousin, Amber's, wedding in San Diego. My mom & I made the wedding weekend into our annual "Girls Trip", and we had lots of fun exploring Southern California! We went shopping (of course!), to the San Diego Zoo, and relaxed poolside at the amazing Rancho Bernardo Inn, where we were fortunate enough to stay. We spent a day at the spa, where I was treated to a fabulous "Mother To Be" massage...oh my gosh, it was heavenly!! And we spent 2 days hanging out w/ Amber and the family getting ready for her big day. She looked gorgeous, the groom was handsome, and the weekend was just fantastic! Here are some pics of our adventures....

The little giraffe is only about a month old!

I thought this parrot was GORGEOUS!!

We caught this Panda eating her morning snack!

The Rancho Bernardo Inn (this was the spa pool)

My mom & I before the wedding.

Amber & Evan, cutting the cake.

Ahhh, they didn't even cram it into each other's faces!!

Good-bye, sweet Kelly!!

It's that time again...time to say good-bye to dear friends. Honestly, I think it's the worst part of the military lifestyle, the saying good-bye. No matter how many times we do it, it never gets easier.

I met Kelly while we were stationed in North Carolina. Actually, we met while playing one of my favorite games ever...BINGO!! (I've never denied being a huge dork!). Kelly had already started the moving process, as she and her husband would be moving to England about three weeks later. I remember how much I already liked her, even after that brief encounter...from her cute piggy-tails to her infectious smile, I had made a fast friend. When Chris & I found out that we would be moving to England a little while later, I was excited to already have someone I could call on for some support.

And support, she did. Kelly & her husband let us borrow their car during our first few weeks in-country. Though it was right-hand drive, and oh-so-terrifying, we were thankful to have it! She introduced me to most of the squadron ladies, and invited me to go with her to a Bible Study group as well. That group has been such a blessing to me during our time here...the ladies I've met through it will remain in my heart forever. Kelly basically took me under her wing, and helped me adjust to the many differences that we faced in England. We've traveled to multiple countries together (the Italian police fiasco has Kelly's name written all over it!!), helped each other through our husband's first deployments, eaten countless meals together, and have become better friends than I could have ever imagined. I'm so grateful to have her in my life.

As Kelly & her husband leave England for bigger & better things, she will definitely leave a much-missed hole in our sweet little group of friends. Good luck Downings, in all that you do. May God bless the road ahead of you, and may we meet again in the future!!

Kelly & I on Homecoming Day

Our Naming

New Year's Eve

At Pee-Dog-a-PaLooza!

On my mind...

Obviously, with all of the big changes that are coming up in our lives, I have quite a bit on my mind. I thought I'd just post some of my questions/concerns/worries/ideas here for y'all to ponder and perhaps help me out with. Some are silly, some serious...feel free to be as honest as possible, I need all the help that I can get!!

1. Vaccinations. Where do I even begin with this one? Any good book recommendations or suggestions? Are there any pro-vaccine people out there? Con-vaccine people? Just don't really care people?? This has been on my mind frequently lately!

2. Our child's name. Holy moly, how hard can it be to come up with one that we both like??? I'm seriously starting to consider Amy Jr.! (We've already got 3 Amy's in the family, why not add one more?)

3. Sleep Routine Books. "The Baby Whisperer", "Baby Wise", "Parenting for Dummies"? Any suggestions? And if you do have one, can you tell me why you like it?

4. Vinyl Wall Designs/Letters. Yes, I'm thinking about these...A LOT! Do I use them? Do I not? Has anyone seen any cute ones? What do you guys think of the one below? Remember that the room will be Pink/Brown/Green :)

5. Car Seat/Stroller. Why is the ONE car seat/stroller combo that we really like sold out of every store in America? Anyone have a Chicco Keyfit 30 combo in Romantic...if so, I'll pay just about anything for it!

6. Houses. We're still in the midst of our house search, with one promising lead. We have the sweetest lady in the world working on it for us, but I'm still just wanting something to be settled already!

Hmm, I guess that's all for now. Like I said, feel free to give me some honest feedback...I promise you won't hurt my feelings if you think I'm a complete mess for thinking about all this stuff!...I'm fully aware of my mess-ness!

Our First Baby Shower

This past weekend some of my good friends hosted my 1st Baby Shower, and I can officially say that I'm ready for our little girl! Well, maybe not COMPLETELY ready, but I definitely think that she'll be the best dressed baby on the block!! My friends made plenty of yummy treats, we played some super cute games (none of that "smell the diaper" stuff for me!), and I had a great time chatting with all of the ladies who made it out to celebrate this special time with me.

I can't believe how much stuff we got!! From rattles and blankets to washcloths and bottles, I was overwhelmed at everyone's generosity. My mom sent about a million children's books over. She found the ones that I loved as a child, and surprised me with them all. It was such a sweet gift, and it was absolutely perfect coming from the woman who taught me to love books! And the clothes...oh my gosh, the clothes!! We now have a wardrobe fit for a true princess...I think Chris was a little taken aback by all the pink! The hostesses went in together and got us the Pack n Play, which was SO fun and SUCH a surprise! I love that thing...it's like an entire room/activity gym all squished together!

Thanks to Wendy, Kelly, Missy, Emily, Kate, Kim & Melanie for an truly wonderful shower. I couldn't have asked for anything more :)