First snow!

Okay, I have a lot of things to post about today so prepare yourselves!! :)
This morning we woke up to a little surprise!

35 weeks!!

Ok, finally I'm going to post some new pics. Although I wasn't happy at all with how they turned out. I need a girl around here!! Maybe that's why the Lord is blessing us with a little girl. :) I need someone to tell me to turn my head this way or that. I'm hoping to get some professional pics done when Libby is a few months old so that will be nice. Plus, hopefully I'll be done with this lovely puffiness in my face that I'm currently experiencing. Nothing like having people who haven't known me very long telling me I look nothing like the pictures that were taken just last year! :( But since I'm 35 weeks hopefully I'll be back to 'normal' before too long! :)
Something like this...

Taken spring '07 at my parent's house

Taken this past April - 5 weeks! 30 weeks ago?!


And now for the current ones...


My neighbor Christine and I - she's due about the same time I am!


Alright, so I guess I'm proving myself to be incredibly vain but hopefully that will spur me on to get back to 'normal' after Libby is here! No excuses!! Well, it would be nice not to have to deal with 11 degree weather in January but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get out in that! Especially with a tiny newborn! But I know I can do it and y'all are gonna help me!! I know my peeps will be there for me. :)

Texas Trip Re-cap #2

Okay! So anyway back to Texas...

Sunday afternoon Rebecca, Mom, Lizzles and I drove from the ranch in Wimberley to my parent's house in Magnolia. Mostly an uneventful trip except for one minor detail, we were starving! We decided to eat on the way as we had left about 2pm and hadn't eaten anything since breakfast several hours before. So we started looking for a Whataburger. Not sure why except that since I was in Texas I wanted things only found in Texas! And as all my Texas readers know, Whataburger is VERY Texas! So we drove, and drove, and kept driving. All the while passing up about four Sonics. Unfortunately we had four very undecisive women in the car and no one wanted to say "yes! lets just go there!" so we didn't. And everyone at one point was certain there was a Whataburger in the next small town, just 10 miles down the road. Until finally the preggers lady was about to barf. And then we were saved! Finally! We saw the Orange W up ahead, in Giddings, I believe. And we were saved. And Rebecca was saved from me barfing in her little red car. :)

That evening we made it in around 6 and were greeted by my dad and two youngest brothers. It was so cute seeing the reaction of Robert (the 8 year old) to my protruding belly. He really handled it well and just seemed excited. And later when we sat down to watch a movie he brought me his favorite blanket and pillow to use. :) So sweet!

That week with my family was just wonderful! It was relaxing and busy, in the perfect amounts. I hung out with my parents and family a lot, drove to College Station to see my sis and her husband, went to lunch with Lizzles, and to the Galleria with Jess! And mom and I dragged poor Robert around town looking for a baby book and shower supplies. He was really sweet though and totally enjoyed his Wendy's frosty. I also helped (a term I use very loosely) my dad burn some cleared brush in the back of their property. That was fun and nice to hang out with my dad.





Meeting up with Jess and eating with Elizabeth were two high points as well. It was so nice to spend time with good friends! I've known Elizabeth since highschool so we're old buds and have had many adventures together! And Jess and I worked together at Drs. Alexander's Orthodontics which was also quite interesting at times! And dinner with my sis Stephanie for her 23rd bday was fun as well! I finally got to see her apartment too. :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPH!

SiStErS!


And then on Saturday morning my mom and sisters threw me a beautiful shower with lots of our friends. And my two SIL and MIL came to that as well!! It was a lot of fun and so wonderful to get to see so many old friends! And blogger isn't letting me attach any more pics to this post so I'll have to devote one to that shower. There are a ton of good ones, believe me. :)

Texas Trip Re-cap #1

Ok, the house is messy and I have a million things to do but I really want to write a little about my Texas trip. Oh and seriously, Libby is one spoiled lil girl already!! She has so many beautiful clothes, stuffed animals, and gear. I'll post some pics when I get things straightened up and in order.

So I flew out Thursday afternoon from Newark airport and our plane was delayed, wa-ho. We had one lay-over and then I finally made it into DFW at 9:30. And my sweet Chris and Katey were there waiting for me! It was so good to see them! They took me to their beautiful, new house and we stayed up munching on goodies and catching up.
Friday we were able to meet Jess and the Alexander kids at Chick-Fil-A and it was so wonderful to see them! We laughed and ate and had a wonderful time!


Friday evening was our first shower hosted by Katey. It was so beautiful and so much fun! She and Chris did a great job decorating and preparing. There were yummy sandwiches and snacks and an adorable cake! I have a few pics from that but I'm still waiting on some from Katey...




Hopefully Katey has more pics of the people who came! Thanks so much, girls!!!

Saturday morning Bethanie and I woke up early (she spent the night with me and Chris and Katey's) and were on our way to New Braunfels by 7:57. Yep, thats right, people, a HENDERSON left on time!! She claims that Steve has reformed her but I told her it was because she was with a Shenk. ;)

We made it to Heather's beautiful house by 11:30 where we found a flurry of ladies preparing for our second shower. This one was given by my SILs Heather and Mindy and my MIL Carol Sue. And many other people helped too by preparing and making cakes. And were there cakes!!! Sweet cousin Abby took pictures and she did a great job. Although, again I didn't get many of the people actually attending the shower. :( There was a great turn-out and it was so fun to see everyone!! Thanks for coming!!






We had so much fun and Libby and I got some wonderful gifts. Plus, I got to spend a lot of time with some great ladies! Thank y'all so much!!
I spent the night with family and friends at the Ranch and then Rebecca, mom, Elizabeth and I left to go back Magnolia. I spent the whole week with my family there and that is where I will leave off and resume next time!

An unwanted visitor

Ok, so this weekend we had this guy show up and he has left a few times but has again returned. In my horrid state I never posted any pics but I can't leave it for any longer!




So what do y'all think?! Crazy, huh?

Kid Rock

I guess Tim and I will have to get used to kiddie music before too long. :) Maybe Libby will like this music. ;)



*Thanks to Bethanie for this one!!

Ohhh the pressure!

Well, sorry I've been MIA for a while.
This new thing my friends have on their blog that shows the most recently updated blogs on their link list puts a lot of pressure to write new posts! Plus, I'm feeling another type of nasty pressure. :(
I got back from Texas really early Tuesday morning and went to work doing laundry and unpacking. And then on Thursday I discovered an unwanted souvenir from Texas. A very awful cold. So since then I've been pretty miserable. Right now its taken up residence in my head and isn't moving. This morning I finished up my third box of tissues. Winter colds are awful and in my opinion even worse while pregnant. I wouldn't wish this on anyone! So right now I'm just taking it easy and trying to quell my nesting urges. Yep, people, I'm 33 weeks and getting things set up! My plan is to have all of Libby's things ready by week 36 so I can take it easy and just do cleaning and cooking until her arrival. Plus, you never know what day God will pick for their birthday! A friend of mine went into labor when she was 38 weeks but more often then not its around 41 or so. So we'll see!! No way of knowing at this point!!

One more thing, a big shout out to Hollie for my new blog layout! Thanks so much!! Y'all should all visit her funny site and maybe you'll get a makeover too!

I'll write more about my trip later but for now I'll just say that I had a fabulous time! I love my Texas peeps so much and had a wonderful time with them!!
Pictures to come soon!!

TEXAS!!!

Tomorrow
I'm going to

TEXAS!!!!!!!


The Land of


I can't wait to see everyone!! I love you and I'm so excited!!! :-D

Which Jane Austin heroine are you??

Take the Quiz here!

Take the quiz and then leave your results!!

29 Weeks!!

Here I am at 29 weeks!! Crazy to think that Libby will be here sometime in the next 8-13 wees!! Kind of a big range but we know how babies have their own timing. :) Like I read on another blog, its kind of like preparing for a surprise party for someone but you don't know when they're going to arrive!

We're getting pretty excited but we still have a ways to go. My mom's babies were either a little early or on time but I don't know what that means for me. I'm hoping she comes right around her due date because my mom is planning on coming and I want her here! Unfortunately, she can't come for a whole month so we're just going to have to make a guess.

Oh and you might notice the lovely preggers acne I have going right now. Apparently I don't have the pregnancy 'glow' that so many are blessed to enjoy. Got any suggestions? I've been washing my face 2-3 times a day and doing a mask or scrub every couple of days. I'm willing to try anything!!

Less than a week until Amy and Nathan come and two days after they leave I'm following them back to the great state of TEXAS. I'm going to be gone for 10 days and am going to be in DFW, Austin, and the Houston area. Yippiee!! And my dear friends and family are being so generous as to throw a few showers for me so that will be fun. Kind of a baby party/reunion! Its really a good excuse to get everyone together and eat cake. :) I know I'll have a blast but I'm really going to miss poor Tim. I say poor Tim because I hope he survives. Tim has a the 'unfortunate' problem of forgetting to eat unless food is placed fully-prepared in front of him. So I'm going to be busy the next week prepping and cooking all of his favorites that can be easily frozen so he can just pull them out and heat them up. I'll probably still have to remind him every day though. :) I think its the engineer in him. I'm sure we'll both survive but I am going to miss him a ton!! However, it will be a blast to see all my dear Texas friends and family!! There's just something about Texas, no other place is like it! I think I'll cry when I fly into DFW. Anyway, we'll be back for good before we know it. :)

One more note before I sign off...Tim and I are playing against each other in our Fantasy Football League and I'M KICKING HIS BUTT!!! :D Heeheehee!! I'm the only girl and I got most points last week and it looks like I'll get that again this week. Loads of fun. :) Have a great week!!

Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac - who's to blame??

ONE WEEK!!!

Just one more week before these punks come to see us!!!
My little bro, Nathan, and my baby sis, Amy, are coming in Thursday afternoon and are staying until Tuesday! Yippie! I can't wait to see them!!
Amy and I goofing off at my parent's house at Christmastime.

Nathan holding Tim's niece Annabelle at my graduation last summer.

Amy and I at my graduation.

Goofy Nathan shot at my parent's house at Christmas (notice my HS grad pic in the background? :) )

Amy poppin her colla' and visiting me at Arlington - we share a love of Macs and Starbucks. :)


Can't wait to see you two!!!

28 Weeks!!

I'm sitting here in my pj's drinking a cup of tea and writing this post. At the moment I do not have a decent picture to share of my growing belly but I promise one soon! I do want to give a little update as to how things are going and all that. So if you're easily bored go read this blog and you will be much more entertained. Someone else pointed out that they wanted to write things down on their blog as a type of diary to remember how things were at a certain time. So seeing as I have roughly less than 3 months childless I should do the same!

My belly is getting rounder almost every day it seems and there is no hiding the fact that I'm pregnant! I think I'm normally sized although people still ask if I'm 4 or 5 months and then get surprised when I tell them when I'm due. Two sweet Hispanic ladies in DC were convinced that I was having a boy (because of the way I'm carrying?) and weren't sure if I knew what I was talking about when I said "nope, a girl!". I know that everyone carries differently but I'll take anything that will help me avoid getting stretch marks! Oh and if you're preggers or when you are you have to use Burts Bees Mama Bee Belly lotion. It is the best! If I don't use it or if I use something else then my skin gets dry and itchy within an hour. But this stuff is fantastic! Who knows if its actually helping me avoid getting them but I think it does. :)

Libby kicks and very hard! Last night I couldn't sleep so I went and laid down on the couch and watched "What not to Wear" and the Sunday Night Football game. Yes, I have very varied taste. :) And I could see her moving and kicking even with a blanket wrapped around me! Also, after she finally relaxed my insides were a little sore! Maybe my sister is right, maybe she is a future soccer player. :) Another interesting note about her kicks is that I usually notice them in the same place! Anyone else experience that? She's usually kicking way down low or to my right. I hardly ever feel her kicks on my left side. Don't know whats up with that! Its fun to see her move around and I hope she's good and jumpy for my family next month!

My appetite is about the same although I'm trying to eat more protein and veggies so that gets tiresome. I've gained a good amount of weight, right in the middle of the range they say I should be at. My doc says I'm doing fine so I'm not worried about that. I don't want to blow up like a balloon but I also don't want to become overly concerned about my weight so I don't eat the right things for Libby's development.

My youngest sister, Amy, and the oldest boy of my family, Nathan, are coming up to visit a week from Thursday! I'm extremely excited to see them and I know we'll have a blast. They're 18 and 21 respectively so I'm sure they'll have a lot more energy and get-up-and-go than I do at present! So I'm just going to drop them off at the train station and let them explore the city a little. Saturday I think we'll all go in together and I'm really looking forward to that! I wonder if NYC in the fall will be like it is on "You've Got Mail". And now I have an overwhelming desire to watch that movie. :) The weather has been very rainy and humid since Friday so its been a bit dreary without being too cold. I'm really hoping that its bright and sun-shiny and chilly when Amy and Nathan come! They'll really appreciate that!

Tomorrow is my Gestational Diabetes test at my doctors office so hopefully everything comes back normal and I don't have to deal with GD. I haven't had any "symptoms" so maybe that means I won't have to worry about it!

Well, I guess I'd better get some stuff done around here! Hope you have a fantastic day! I think I'll watch "You've Got Mail" today, seems appropriate!

Why Maddie is Crazy

Thanks, Uncle Todd!!

More of DC

Have I mentioned on here that Tim and I have a special place in our hearts for squirrels? I'm sure that some of you will say "ewww! they're gross" or something but whatevs. :) So it was very exciting in DC that the little guys were so tame and I got some great pics. And of course I called Tim and told him all about it. And if we had iphones then we could've sent pics back and forth but oh well. :) Maybe next year.
So here for your viewing pleasure are some very tame squirrels!


Come and get the cookie!

See, isn't that yummy?

This little guy thought he was really cool.

This one loved my purse and had no fear. He was actually searching for the source of the yumminess, smart guy!

What can you get for $22?

THIS!! ($15)

And THIS ($7!)




I also got a winter coat for $5 and some other random stuff. I went with a friend of mine who put some of my stuff in with hers. At this thrift store you just "buy" a big black trashbag and fill it with stuff, she had room so she added my stuff to hers. I will certainly be checking back there for anything we need. Tim already wants me to look for a bookcase - he was very impressed with my finds. :)

I <3 The Weekly Standard!!

Hey guys,
I've added some new links on my site for some news and political sites I enjoy. I especially love the Weekly Standard. They have a great group of editors who all write very intelligently about current events. And a lot of times two of my favs (Bill Crystol and Fred Barnes) guest on Brit Hume's "Roundtable" at the end of the 7pm show on Fox. You gotta check it out!! I'll post some of my favorite stories on here but I challenge you to check them out for yourselves. It is so important to stay informed and reading these sites will really help with that.

The Irrationality of Anti-Americanism

The Passion of Dick Cheney

Sarah Palin and the Sham of Feminism

Let me know what you think! Love 'em, hate 'em? I wanna hear it!

Home sweet home

I got in really late Monday night and am just now getting settled back into the swing of things. The house is a wreck and I've got a lot to do but right now I'm drinking some (de-caf) coffee and watching foxnews. So I will have to conquer those piles of laundry and stacks of dishes...later. :)
The trip was amazing!! I had such a great with sweet Kristin and we did a lot of really fun stuff. I got there on Thursday afternoon and after she got off we went to her house and dumped our stuff before going to the new 911 Pentagon Memorial. It was very powerful and a terrific monument to the people who died seven years ago. The memorial had been dedicated that day and they still had a military band and choir out there. The music was beautiful and the images were very powerful. They had a bench with a reflecting pool underneath each one for each person who was killed. And each bench faced either the Pentagon or away from it based on whether they were on the plane or in the building when it was struck. A lot of the relatives had visited already so there were flowers and pictures on most of the benches. Please go there whenever you visit DC, and I think it was even more special because we went at night. So try to go after dark. :)

On Friday I went in to work with Kristin and hung out a bit before going on a tour of the East Wing of the White House. A lot of people were on this one as you can get a pass through your Congressional office and that was great but I was disappointed in how casually people dressed. Some were wearing shorts and t-shirts even! I know that most of us were tourists but still! Come on, people, you're visiting the WHITE HOUSE!! Okay, done with that rant. :) I hitched on to a group who had a guard who was leading a tour and I learned some neat facts. He was a pretty interesting guy as well! Quite the character. :)
Friday afternoon was probably the neatest thing that I've ever gotten to do in DC. We were able to go to the South Lawn of the White House and greet the President when he came in on Marine One. That was very exciting and very loud! I've never been that close to a helicopter before! He got off and was only about 20 feet away from us! There weren't very many people there so we were at the very front so I got some good pics. He was very happy to see everyone and took a while waving and smiling. It even seemed like he waved and made eye contact with each person. It was a great experience and very neat how he was so excited for everyone to get to be there and he recognized how important it was for us. He's been getting off that helicopter for almost eight years but he still took the time to smile and wave for everyone. Then when we were walking back we saw the Presidential doggie water bowl so I took a pic. Too funny. :)

That night we went back to Kristin's house and one of her sweet roomies made pancakes, bacon, and eggs for us. YUM! (Sidenote: Kristin's roomies are AWESOME! They're some of the coolest girls ever and they make me wish I had had the opportunity to live in a big house o'girls.)

Saturday we had a lazy morning, or at least I did. Kristin went for a run and then mowed their lawn before I even got dressed. She's a hoss. Good thing I rested though because we had a very loooong day! We went to Eastern Market and browsed through a ton of clothes, paintings, jewelry, food, fruit, and pretty much a ton of stuff. We went to a great used book store and I spent a ton of time looking for books on my "Good History Books" list. And success! I found 6 of them! So I should have plenty of reading material to last me a while. And we went to a neighborhood garage sale that ended up being one lone table. However, I found some cute bags and a roomy top, all for $4! After that we hightailed it back to the White House where we found everything roped off. We changed clothes in a coffee shop and were able to do a West Wing tour! So amazing! It was great to get to see the Oval Office, Roosevelt Room, Cabinet Room, and the Rose Garden. Very cool!!! Here is a link to the White House website where the President and others give video tours. It was very exciting to see so much that I've only ever read about or seen in books or movies.

Saturday was a long and tiring day and it felt so good to get back to Kristin's house, take a shower, and make a huge dinner. :)
Sunday we went to Kristin's church and heard a great sermon and I got to meet some of her friends. That afternoon we rested a bit then did a little shopping and ate some pizza that night and watched the movie "Hitch".
Monday I went to work with Kristin again and after some yummy cinnamon rolls made by her co-worker I went to the Holocaust Museum. Again, something every person must do while they're in DC. It was incredible. There were a lot of people there but everyone was extremely quiet and moved silently through the exhibit just trying to take it all in. There weren't a lot of children there but I would think it was suitable for some young people. There were some disturbing videos but they were very strategically placed so you had to consciously choose to watch them and wouldn't just happen upon them. I started out walking very slowly through and reading everything but I realized it would take me all day to get through the museum so I had to scurry through the second half. I got back in time to hang out with Kristin before she walked me to my bus stop. And then I rode a bus for four hours, walked a mile through NYC, and took a very late train (after I missed an earlier one), before finally getting picked up by Tim around 9:30. It was such a fun trip and I'm so glad that I was able to go!!! And if you've been able to read through all of this, here are some pictures as a reward. :)

The spot where the plane hit the Pentagon.

3,000 flags set up at the Pentagon.

On the South Lawn just after the President arrived - it was windy!!

George W. himself!

Kristin and I.

The Press Room where the newsmedia attempts to eat Bush or the WH spokesperson alive.

In front of the White House.

Cooking in Kristin's kitchen!

And the view of the White House from the street.