The best gifts in life are free

As mentioned in my previous post Paul and I decided to only do stockings this year and instead support two angel trees and maybe do a little after Christmas shopping when everything goes on sale. I did really well with his stocking. I had been collecting stuff for months and came up with some really good gifts. He kept telling me he had been so busy working that he only had two items for my stocking. I was actually glad to hear that because that meant, for once, I did better than him at the stockings-wrong!

First, he gave me some newborn razorback booties. I just love it when Paul buys something for the baby. Second, he gave me a homemade gift- a WHAT jar. Back when we first started dating on Valentines day he gave me a WHY jar. It was filled with all of these little pieces of paper of reason "why" he loved me. Most were funny and were things he made fun of me for.

So this year I got a WHAT jar that was filled with little tiny pieces of paper of "what he has learned since we have been married" -it was hilarious. So sweet and thoughtful but so funny. He had included things like "Dishes are not meant to be left on the counter", "breakfast does exist", "how to recycle" "diet drinks are better than regular ones" "Rooms are meant to have color patterns and are never perfect or permanent"-and I could go on and on. Definately the best gift ever and it didn't cost him anything!!

We thought for a good while about what to get our parents this year. We came up with the idea to give my parents SKYPE. Since I know nothing about computers I was sure it was going to cost more than our budget but one day we went to Best Buy to see how it all worked. We were told all you have to do is buy the webcams and you can download SKYPE for free. So we bought two webcams, one for them and one for us!! Now they can see us, my belly growth, and the baby whenever they want!! I think my brothers are even getting one so they can join in on the fun!!We got Paul's parents a Kheurig. My mom loves hers and since they like coffee and host house church often so we thought they would get some good use out of it. I think now Paul wants one-ha!

Away in a Manger

As I am getting ready for Christmas on this Christmas Eve I have been thinking of Jesus' birth. I am so guilty of getting caught up in gifts, wish list, Santa, reindeer, and food that I tend to not focus on the true reason of Christmas which is Jesus' birth. The story means more to me this year because I am pregnant and cannot imagine the things Mary and Joseph had to deal with or how wonderful and scary it must have been to know their child was going to be a Savior to all the world. That's alot of pressure! I can't imagine how they must have felt with nowhere to go and how protective Mary must have been over her child but yet had no control. I know I would be frustrated with God and would have mumble many things under my breath knowing he chose for me to have this Holy Child but yet he didn't provide a place for us at the Inn!! And here I sit and worry over getting a private room and my own nurse at the hospital-ha

There is a verse that says "Mary keep these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19) I wonder of all the things she thought about and how faithful she had to be to trust the Lord and how at times she may have wished for him just to be "normal" so she and Joseph could live a "normal" life and be a "normal" family. Christmas is to remember Jesus' birth, death and ressurection.

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because their was no room for them at the Inn. (Luke 2:7)

"The angel said to them do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10)

"Glory to God in the Highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men" (Luke 2:14)

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God will give Him throne of His father David. and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:32)

"Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel. Which is translated, "God with us"- (Matthew 1:23)

Merry Christmas from the Erwins!

The cutest ornament ever!

My mom, grandma, and all of my aunts bought and sent me this absolutely adorable ornament. Could it be any more cute? I just love it and will probably keep it up year round. Thank you!!!!
I got a manicure today and the lady said (in her foreign accent) "oh you have baby." That was the first time that has happened and it made me smile. I came home and immediately told Paul. He said "how did she know?" Um maybe because of my big ole belly.

Baby H at week 15

This week I am 15 weeks. So I think? According to the internet I am 14 weeks but my doctor says I am about 4-5 days ahead so that would make me around 15. One of my friends suggested I put a post it note with the week in my pics. I really need to do that because I am already losing my memory. Paul is my week counter. He keeps up with the weeks and the days but with everything going on we both have lost track.

We have picked out names but aren't telling what they are until we know the gender. We settled on a Girls name really quickly and have narrowed the Boys name down to two. All start with the letter "H." We got tired of calling our baby "it" so now we say "baby H."

So far I don't have any "cravings". There are certain things I want on certain days but usually after I get it I don't want it again. I can tell you that baby H does love potatoes (great, just what I need, alot of carbs) especially mashed ones and loves french fries. They have to be the big steak fries or the crinkle fries not the whimpy ones from McDonalds. Baby H also loves bread and biscuits, especially a plain buttered biscuit from McDonalds for breakfast. It does not like sweets or sugar. So odd because I have a major sweet tooth. However, this baby could care less for them. There are two things I really miss- diet cokes and sweet n low in my morning coffee.

I purchased my first maternity clothes this week. I officially can no longer fit into any of my pants! Mostly I've been wearing leggings and a dress but I did need some jeans and got a pair of corduroys. I also bought some flat boots because my high heels have been a bit much for me lately. I say flat but they do have a wedge heel. You didn't think I would go flat cold turkey did you?

Ho Ho Ho

I just LOVE Christmas!!! This year I didn't add very many new decorations. I barely felt like getting everything down to decorate and knew I wouldn't want to put it all back up. I did splurge on a few items this year though that I couldn't pass up on. The pups got stockings that I absolutely adore. I think they cost more than our stockings but seriously who could pass these up.

Paul is obsessed with stockings. They are his favorite Christmas tradition. I can't wait to do a little stocking for our baby next year and in the years to come. He loves the old school sweater knit ones and I happened to find this extra long one at TJMaxx. I thought it was perfect for him but now I am worried I won't be able to fill it. I would like to get his name knitted into it but he didn't care to much for that idea.

Paul and I decided to only do stockings for each other this year. We do not need ANYTHING! So we decided to get two angel trees instead. A boy and a girl. The girl was easy to buy for but I struggled with the boy. Paul went with me to target to get him some toys and by the time we left that boy had a buggy full.

There is this store close to my house that I frequent often for gifts and the owner has become a friend of mine. I had been "eyeing" this tree skirt in the window for months now and the last time I was in there I told her how much I loved it. She told me she only had one left! I was secretly waiting for them to go on sale after christmas but when she told me that I had to get it right then.

Mom and I bought this last year at an after christmas sale. If you are like me you have that one room where all the gifts go until you get time to wrap them. Our guest room has become that spot and currently the bed is full of gifts. I just close the door and put this up so no one will peek until I get a chance to wrap.

My mom bought me this plate and I think it is just precious. Thanks, Mom.

Special Delivery

Yesterday I got a "special delivery" in the mail. It was a Pregnancy Survival Kit and completely made my day!! My wonderful friend Kim sent me this package full of goodies to make me feel better. Thank you Kim it truly made my day!!! That was so thoughtful and creative!

This past week Paul and I had a date night and went to the Michael Buble concert. It was soooo good. We both really enjoyed it and would love to see him again. We started off with dinner at Prego, a neat little Italian restaurant close to our house. This restaurant is special to us because this was the restaurant we had lunch at and officially decided what home to purchase. We were engaged then but Paul had already moved and I was in for a 24 hour visit to look at houses.

Before the show! I was really nervous about how I would feel but I felt pretty good that night up until the lady sitting next to me decided to eat a really smelly hot dog!!

And.... this is what I have been up to for the past 13 weeks. Don't worry I am never alone. I always have a little white fur ball close by. So if I have missed your calls or not responded to text or email, I apologize, but this is why!

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my side of the family. We actually went to my parents house in Alabama late Tuesday night and Thursday morning went to Nashville for Thanksgiving with my mom's family. It was a very busy couple of days but we really enjoyed being able to stay for a few days. My Great Aunt Peggy even came down over the weekend. We aren't going to be able to see her over Christmas so we were happy she made the trip.

Since we all have birthdays close to each other (with the exception of my dad) we decided to have one big birthday bash!! Our birthdays go as follows: Paul-Nov. 12, Michael- Nov. 13, Me- Nov. 20, Mom-Nov. 28 and Chris- Dec. 5. One of the first things my mom said when she found out my due date was "thank goodness it's not November!"-ha.

Here is a pic of all the birthday gifts from my parents. Dad said it looked like Christmas!! He was right we decided to call this birthday and christmas because we do not need anything else!!!

Chris with his new tree stand

Michael and Paul with their framed Alabama and Arkansas pictures.

I got new Uggs! I live in Uggs in the winter and even more so now that I am pregnant. Do you see the stroller in the back? My mom bought that for her to keep at her house :)

We got mom a Keurig coffee maker. She also got another really big gift - a new car!! I meant to take a picture but forgot. Her other car was starting to break down and wasn't reliable so she and my dad went and got her a new one. If you see a cute lady with a white dog in her lap driving like crazy in a white BMW then WATCH OUT. That car has some power. I told her she was making me and my baby sick and I really didn't want to throw up in her new car!!!!

Thanksgiving day we went to Nashville to spend the day with my moms side of the family. It was a great day but for me, very exhausting.

Will loved playing with Paul, Michael, and my Dad

After lunch we found my Aunt Janna in the tree house with McDuff (their dog), when asked what she was doing she replied, "she thought if she stayed out there long enough we would all clean her kitchen!"

McDuff was scared of the stairs so he barked at the boys to help him down. And look who came to his rescue......

"hounds" tooth

I bought this skirt and matching dog jacket a couple of months ago from The Limited. I absolutely love their stuff and am soooo sad they don't make maternity clothes. This was my first and last time to wear it this year!! I could only zip it half way up!!!

12 Weeks

Today I am 12 weeks. We had an ultrasound about 2 weeks ago and everything looks good. I finally got some Zofran and it has helped with the nausea.... somewhat. We took our ultrasound pics home for Thanksgiving to show my family. When we got back to AR I was unpacking and just laid them on the kitchen counter. The next morning when I woke up Paul had found them and moved them next to his sink in the bathroom- made my heart smile!

(I finally updated my blog so there are a few more new post after this one)

B-A-B-Y

Well in case you haven't heard. We are expecting a baby in late June. I honestly can't believe it has taken me so long to post about it but with all that has been going on lately I just haven't had time. OH and it could be that I have been sick for um I don't know the past 12 weeks!!

This post is really long and is basically me scrapbooking the moments so it will not hurt my feelings if you don't continue reading.

The week before we found out Paul and I were at target and he asked if I wanted to get a test. I declined and told him I didn't think I was pregnant and didn't want to waste the money. We had been trying for a few months and had taken a test every month and this month I just wasn't up for it. I had actually been to the doctor 2 weeks early discussing any necessary test and options in case we couldn't get pregnant. With my age, RA and a few months of unsuccessful trying we just wanted to cover our basis. Plus we have meet our deductible for the month so if we were going to do any testing I wanted it done by the end of the calendar year so it would be paid for. Yes, my mind works that way!

I know God had to be shaking his head at me!! Here I am trying to take control of the situation instead of just letting his plan be and have faith in him.

In mid October Paul had a guys weekend planned to attend the Arkansas vs. Auburn game in Auburn. That Friday I started to feel like I was getting the flu. 9 times out of 10 I get the flu so this was no shock. I laid around for a few days and finally I decided I needed medicine and some ginger ale so I made myself get up and go to Target. While there I got a test to make sure I wasn't pregnant so I could take lots of meds to knock me out. I came home took the test and it immediately came up positive. Thinking I had a "faulty" test I took the other in the package and it too was positive. Then in my crazy head I felt that the Target brand of test were not reliable so I took my sick self to Walgreens and got a more "reliable" brand. Yep, I'm crazy. They were also positive. After the fourth test I completely freaked out because Paul wasn't home and he didn't get to experience it with me. I felt sooo guilty and was so upset over it. If I had thought for one moment they would be positive I would have waited until he got home. It was just me and the dogs celebrating and my best friend Jodi. (I had to tell someone-ha)

Paul's Big Suprise

I had to wait three long days for Paul to get home and tell him the news. I sometimes laughed to myself that weekend thinking that while Paul was off in college town tailgating and enjoying some guy time he had no clue what he was about to find out when he got home.

Feeling so guilty about not having him here I wanted to do something special for him. I didn't just want to tell him. He deserved more than that. I went to the internet to find something creative and came up with nothing and anything that did seem somewhat entertaining required work or supplies and I was too sick for either. It was all I could do to get up and take the dogs out! So I came up with this idea to monogram some bandanas and let the pups help me tell Paul.

I know it's totally cheesy but we love our pups so to us it was special. Solomon's said "Big Brother" and Bella's "Big Sister." When Paul got home he was attacked by our dogs and all he said was- "oh dear what does Mommy have on you now" ( I almost always have something on the dogs, not so much Solomon but usually Bella, sometimes it's just a bow but it's usually something esp if there is a holiday invovled)

I told him to read their bandanas. He didn't get it-ha! He said "Yep Solly's the big brother and Bella, well Bella's the little sister not big??" I said well come look at this and then I showed him the test, all 4 of them. He was so happy and shocked!!!

I spent the next week on the couch, sick. Paul had to go out of town for work and I was so miserable he called his parents to bring me some soup, kleenex, crackers and ginger ale. I was so thankful to have them come to my rescue.

Girls Weekend (The part left out)

Girls weekend was extra special because I announced our pregnancy to my aunts. My mom already knew and somehow was able to keep it a secret until they arrived. She said it about killed her.
I knew my family would want a tour of the house so when we got to the office I told them it was currently an office but we were thinking of changing it to something different. When they went in they saw a VERY cheesy homemade sign that said "We Are Having A Baby" above the window and below it on the table was a bunch of baby stuff I have been collecting :). There was alot of screaming, a few tears, and lots of shock. It was definately a memorable moment.
Mom sent me these adorable bibs that said- I love Grandma and I love grandpa. I picked up these cute booties and burp cloth a the holiday house that weekend. Picture for the baby book. This baby is going to be showered with lots of love.

Bella is already not liking the lack of attention :)- ha

Girls Weekend.

This past weekend my Aunts, my Mom and my cousin Amanda all came up to visit for the weekend. We had a full weekend planned and it was sooooo much fun. They rented a van and all rode up together from Nashville, Tn. They had never been to visit since we moved here so it was a special treat.

We started Friday night off with dinner at Cantina Laredo and then went to the Broadway Play Wicked. It is in town for 2 weeks and I think all the shows are sold out. This was my second time to see it and it was still just as good!

Saturday we started off the day with Breakfast at Ozark Cafe. yummy! Paul's mom was able to join us!! Afterwards we went downtown to the Holiday House for some Christmas shopping. It was packed full of people but we still managed to shop for 4 hours and got lots of goodies!! I am now in the Christmas Spirit!! Holiday House is one of my favorite things!

Then we came home mid afternoon to find we had been locked out. I left my keys at home since I wasn't driving and we have this one door that sometimes manages to lock itself. Luckily after about and hour or so my mom managed to "break in." Thankfully, I got to our alarm just in time before the police we called. Thank you Vicki for coming over and trying to help us!

waiting to get in

waiting in the garage. Donna worked really hard to get this door opened but it would not budge.

on the phone with Paul asking for help then calling a locksmith for advice

Paul had gone hunting with his Dad. I don't know why he wouldn't want to stay with 6 crazy ladies!!! When he got home Bella was ready to play with him. She loves to wrestle with him.

PaPaw's 90th Birthday!

Saturday night we went to PaPaw's 90th birthday party. Alot of family came in town to celebrate the big day. You would never know he is 90 because he stills lives in his own home, drives and still takes care of himself. He is as alert as ever,full of stories, involved in many different organzations and keeps a busy calendar.

Could these two be more good looking??

so sweet!

never a dull moment with this one! gotta love him!