Almost That Time Again

I was going through photos yesterday and realized that we are less than 2 months away from celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary! 

I love looking back at our wedding photos, you can never go wrong with a Vegas wedding. Granted we only had 2 days to plan something and I moved cross country the next day. It was perfect for us. :)

I have become a lot more sentimental lately, I am going to blame the pregnancy hormones for that haha. 

Happy Wednesday!!

NIAW: The Importance of Asking Questions

This week is such an important week for so many and to be honest what you may not realize is that someone you know well or casually may be struggling with infertility. It should not be a taboo subject, it should be openly talked about and it shouldn't be something that brings shame. 1 in 8 couples struggle with infertility and to me that is a staggering number and more awareness needs to be out there for it.

7 years ago when Kyle and I started our journey to have children we never thought that we would be included in that statistic. It was something that never crossed our minds because we were young and seemingly healthy. However, infertility does not discriminate. 

We spent years dealing with miscarriages, medications, new doctors, failed cycles, countless negative pregnancy tests, and overwhelming disappointment. It was absolutely devastating. It was not something that we ever expected to go through, it left us both questioning ourselves and it led to bouts of depression. It tested our marriage in more ways than I ever thought possible, it has not been easy journey. 

We absolutely understand that we are HUGELY blessed to finally be experiencing a healthy pregnancy but there are still so many out there who have not made it to this point and that breaks my heart. We have been lucky to have the amazing support and love from family and friends since day one but not everyone has that because they are still suffering in silence.

I will continue to do all I can to bring awareness to this important cause because it has been our lives for the last 7 years, we have lived it. 

So I ask you all to listen to those you know are struggling with this, ask questions, and offer support in any way that you possibly can. Understanding infertility and bringing awareness is absolutely critical. 

You all have been a part of our journey and you each have played a huge role in getting us to where we are today. Support means everything to those struggling.

Let those going through this no that they are not alone

#StartAsking

Hello Week 22!

Well here we are at week 22 of this pregnancy, can I just say how crazy it is to be this far along already! I feel like time is flying by. 

The funny thing is I do not look pregnant from behind haha, my belly is just going straight out. As long as she is healthy and growing I'll be okay with however my body changes. I have my next appointment on the 4th and I'm excited to see how baby girl is doing.

I am still feeling good, I'm able to get a lot done during the day but usually after dinner I get really tired and end up falling asleep on the couch. I'm in bed by 9:30 most nights and sleep pretty much the whole night which I am loving. 

I have been spending a lot of time in Emersyn's room. The only thing we have set up right now is her crib but it is pretty awesome to see all of this stuff in there just waiting to be put where it needs to go. We are waiting until all of our visitors have come and gone before we do much else in there.

One thing I can't control is my desire to buy clothes for her haha. Her closet is pretty full (thanks to family and friends) and I scored all of this below from Carter's thanks to a HUGE sale they were having last week. I picked up a lot of onesies and sleep gowns.

Speaking of clothes, I ordered my dress for our maternity photos in June! I love it! I wanted something simple and comfortable. I love the colors and Kyle will most likely be in a mint green button up shirt.

We don't have any plans for the weekend since Kyle is just finishing up a rotation. It will likely consist of lots of relaxing and walks for Emma. :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Getting To Know Me!

So I have noticed that I have some new followers as of late and I thought it would be fun to write an about me post. It's always fun to share some things that I find interesting about myself. 

* I talk a lot about my sister, Lisa, but I actually have a total of 4 siblings. I am the youngest of 5 kids but she and I are closest out of all of us. 

*I grew up spending all of my free time at the Drag Strip. My Dad has been racing since I was 4 years old and some of my best memories growing up are from the race track. 

 

*I have never broken a bone and I am hoping I can continue that streak throughout the rest of my life haha.

 *I am absolutely terrified of heights, however when I was 18 I went skydiving with my sister. It's probably one of the craziest things I have ever done.

*I have 8 tattoos, this one always leaves people puzzled. If I am wearing a tank top you can see 4 of them otherwise you would never know that I have any. 

*Kyle and I met in the 7th grade, he claims that I thought he was a nerd. lol. Obviously the joke is on him since I ended up marrying him. :)

* I have only been out of the country once in my entire life when I was 18. I went on a mission trip with my church to the Dominican Republic for 10 days. It was pretty incredible.

*I am a hermit, I am the most comfortable at home in my own space. It's not that I don't like going places, I just hate dealing with people. 

Is there anything else you would like to know about me?!

Have a great Wednesday!

A Quiet Weekend

On Friday I finally went and got my hair done. I was going to do this weeks ago but the morning of my appointment I felt terrible and ended up canceling. As I normally do I went for a lighter color for the summer and while I didn't have my hair cut drastically I had it trimmed. I absolutely love how it turned out! My hair girl Amber is awesome and I will be so sad to leave her next summer haha. It really is amazing how good new hair can make you feel.

The rest of the weekend was spent running some errands (Kyle is working 7 days a week right now so it's just me) and getting ahead on some school work. I've finished up 2 quizzes for the coming weeks and it feels nice to have that done. It was a relatively quiet weekend and I'm definitely not complaining about that.

I also went ahead and schedule our maternity photos! I was on the fence about doing them but decided why not, Kyle and I haven't had professional photos done since 2013 so it's time and what a better excuse to do them. Mid-June can't come soon enough! :) Now it's time to find outfits and pick out a location.

Our next big event is our trip to Florida next week to see my sister and the kids. We always look forward to these trips and this time we will be celebrating Kyle's birthday, which is going to be a lot of fun.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

It All Started With Mud!

This picture showed up on my Timehop yesterday and it instantly made me smile. Yes, it's partly because we look absolutely ridiculous covered in mud but it's mostly because this race is what started my journey with running and it changed my life completely.

It's hard to believe that this one race led to the completion of 54 others including 13 half marathons and a full marathon. Kyle always told me that if I just gave running a chance that I would enjoy it, I told him he was crazy and to leave me alone haha well he was right (I will never repeat that to him lol). In no way is running easy, it's hard on the body as well as the mind but man it's therapeutic for me and to be honest it helped me get through a really rough patch in our fertility journey.

I have learned so much about myself throughout this journey the last 3 years and I truly believe that I am a better person for it. Even being pregnant I am learning to adjust my running style and while I'm not as fast right now or as motivated I still enjoy it. I am still participating in races here and there to keep the juices flowing. We received the jogging stroller from our registry and I am so excited to get back into my routine once baby girl is born. 

One of the biggest motivators for me is Kyle. That man is my rock, he has always encouraged me and while he runs out ahead of me he always walks back to find me and push me to the finish. 

I am looking forward to adding more races to our list and including Emersyn in one of our favorite things to do. 

From My Brain To This Blog

Every now and then it's fun for me to just write down the random thoughts that are in my head

*I really need to get a pedicure! I have neglected my poor feet and it's becoming increasingly difficult to bend over so I would rather someone else do it. I am going to make it happen this week along with getting my hair done. I love this coloring, maybe I'll go with something like that.

*People please stop asking me if I'm going to breastfeed...I don't ask you about your boobs so please don't ask me about mine. 

*I have ZERO idea as to what to get Kyle for his birthday that is in roughly 3 1/2 weeks! We will be celebrating it at the end of the month in Florida, so realistically I need to get my act together ASAP.

*My hormones are OUT OF CONTROL and I either cry or get angry at the drop of a hat, everything people have said about pregnancy hormones is true. They are nuts.

*I am hoping that Kyle and I can go on a little getaway at some point before Emersyn comes, keeping my fingers crossed lol I really want to rent a cabin at Toledo Bend so we can just relax in nature. This view for a few days would be nice.

*Grad school is finally going easy on me, thank goodness! I am taking Learning and Cognition as well as Social Psychology right now, my brain only slightly hurts.

* I desperately WANT someone to come clean my house, any takers?! Haha. 

What are some thoughts you are having lately? :)

Have a great day!

Friday Favorites

I haven't done a Friday Favorites post in a while! I figured it was time to change that. :) Here are some of my favorite things as of late.

~Fishy's new haircut! We had him shaved down to prepare for the hot weather and he is the cutest little lion.

~ Heart of the Desert pistachios, I am pretty much addicted. We visited this place a lot when we lived in El Paso (the pistachio farm is in New Mexico), and my sister brought us some back from her latest trip to NM.

~Dr. Teals Lavender Epsom Salt. I love soaking in this a few nights a week and it helps me with all of the common pregnancy aches and pains.

~ Maternity shorts from Target. Oh my they are so comfortable, with how warm our weather has been lately I live in them.

~Disney Magic Kingdom Game. It's ridiculously addicting haha. My sister told me about it a few weeks ago and now I'm obsessed, it's so fun building my own kingdom. I love this app.

~ Starbucks blueberry muffins! I could live off of these especially when they are warmed up. I may or may not have ordered 2 yesterday haha.

What are some of your favorite things lately?

Have a great weekend!

Halfway

Well, here we are! We have made it to the halfway point in this pregnancy! I can't believe that we have made it to this point and we are so excited. 

I am still feeling pretty good and have a ton of energy which is nice because there are a lot of things that I have been able to get done around the house. My appetite is hit or miss and maternity clothes are a must every day!

It is crazy to see my shape change everyday, I am LOVING every second.

On Monday since Kyle was off work we decided to put Emersyn's crib together, Emma was bound and determined to help Daddy. She was a pro at supervising lol.

I am absolutely in love with her crib! I love that her changing table is attached right now and when it converts to a toddler bed and a full size bed it can be removed. It is very surreal to walk in the room and see this, especially knowing that in August there will be a sweet little girl taking up residency in here. 

My next appointment isn't for another 4 weeks and until then we will just continue to cruise along and enjoy the ride! 

Happy Wednesday!!

Time Flies!

Well our time with kids and my sister has come to an end. We had such an awesome time and it always makes me sad to say goodbye. I feel like the time flies by way too fast. I actually made it a point this time to not take a ton of photos but to actually be in the moment and enjoy the time.

On Friday, it was a little rainy but we took the kids to the playground, to lunch, and then headed off to go bowling. They love bowling and always have so much fun. We indulged and had greasy bowling alley food for dinner, they loved it.

My sister flew back on Friday night just in time for the Dye Hard Warrior 5k Color Run. We all had a blast! Grayson ran with Kyle for about a mile and then they came back to find us girls and we finished the race together. We all had a blast!!! 

After the run we headed off to breakfast and then to the movies to see Zootopia. What a cute movie this is, if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it! We ended the night with mexican food and a relatively early bedtime to get ready for Monster Jam the next morning.

We headed off to Lafayette early so we could attend the Pit Party. The kids loved being able to meet the drivers, get autographs, and see the trucks up close. We had a blast!

After the event, my sister and the kiddos headed off for home. Another visit has come to an end but we had an amazing time and can't wait to see them again soon.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

April Already!?

 I can't believe it's already April 1st!

I feel like this week has flown by! Having the kids here has been so much fun. We have spent a ton of time at the park and hearing the high pitch laughter when Kyle pushes them on the swings is pretty awesome. He has been dubbed the best Uncle ever.

On top of having the kids here we are still chugging along and here is what is happening lately:

*I finished my latest 2 grad school classes and I still have a 4.0! I have to say that I am pretty proud of that. 

*Kyle started his new job yesterday and I can already see a difference in his demeanor. He seems happier and is loving the idea of not being in the field anymore.

*We will be having lots of visitors in the coming months. On top of having my sister and the kids here, my Dad will be here in May for 2 weeks and then my inlaws at the end of June. :) Plus we are planning a trip down to Florida for a week at the end of April/early May.

*In regards to school I am actively looking for scholarships and grants, I will have enough of the GI Bill left to pay for all but 2 classes. I will be off to the Ed Center on post next week to see what they recommend.

*We are prepping the animals for summer already, Fishy will be getting shaved next week. He is going to be pissed but he will be adorable with a lions mane cut. haha.

My sister will be back in Louisiana tomorrow and we have a fun weekend planned! Tomorrow will be a 5k Color run on post, seeing Zootopia and dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Sunday, we will be heading down to Lafayette for Monster Jam! 

It's going to be a lot of fun.

I hope you all have a great weekend.