officially pregnant.

i've been relatively good about my eating habits. at least, i guess i have. i have in front of clint. because today, we stopped at wendy's to eat. i was driving...which meant that clint was in charge of passing out food.

so he hands me my spicy chicken sandwich...and then hands me my french fries. only...it was only half full. maybe half full. pretty much, there were like 10 fries in there.

now typically...i'd be disappointed because fries are my very favorite food. when i was a kid, my dad referred lots of football games on friday nights. high school games. and he would go to mcdonalds to get food on his way home. he would always bring me fries. and i can remember him waking me up to eat the fries. it was usually late. and i was young. but i'd always, always get to get up and eat french fries with him. my favorite part: the fact that he would unwrap his mcdonalds burger...toss out his fries...all on a nice plate. he'd add salt and pepper...and then ketchup. and then he'd take it up to the bedroom and eat it.

so..back to the story. clint hands me this cartoon with literally like 10 fries in it. and before i knew what had come out of my mouth....i go, "nu-huh. i want the other fries. there aren't enough in here."

just like that. that's what i said. his response included the word "chubbs"...so it's best i don't remember exactly what he said.

he thought it was funny and called my parents to tell them that their daughter was "officially pregnant". mom said she understood where i was coming from....glad someone does.

flowers

i love nothing more than fresh cut flowers. mostly...the kind that you can pick from your yard. but my thumbs are far from green.

luckily, clint's are very green. when he moved into this house, he and his friend jerrod planted several gardenia bushes along the front porch. this year they are bigger than ever. the one closest to the driveway has so many blooms on it!

the smell is just fantastic walking from the mailbox into the front door. i want to remember what the plants looked like. now...if only we could get some sunshine in the backyard...we could have a garden. that would be great. i read somewhere that if kids help in growing vegetables...they are more likely to eat them.

if you haven't seen it...it's worth watching.

good intentions

so today i packed fresh cherries, strawberries and grapes in my lunch.

i ate the cherries after my poptart...which was after my sausage roll...which was after my bowl of lucky charms. those all counted as "breakfast items".

my lunch items included...but were not limited to...(as it's only 126...still plenty of time for lunch items)...a lean pocket...the grapes...and finally...for calcium, string cheese.

so i was hungry again. or "we" were hungry again. so "we" ate. i got out the strawberries...but wanted something chocolate too. so i put some dark chocolate chips in a bowl with a little splash of milk. heated it for thirty seconds...stirred...and voila...i had my own miniature chocolate fountain.

well, not really. but close enough. and because taking the strawberry and dipping it in the bowl didn't pick up enough chocolate...i decided to cut them into bite sized pieces and just toss them in the bowl. take the spoon...coat the pieces of fruit (just to make sure they had no redeeming quality left)...and then i actually spooned them into my mouth. that's right. and with the piece of fruit, i got all the chocolate in the spoon. none was left. clean spoon.

it's official...i'm chubby.

our small group

right before clint and i got married, we signed up for a marriage class through our church. it was led by a couple from the church...bart and amanda. there was one other couple in our class...and then another female. she was a psychiatrist. which made her comments and insight interesting and fun for clint and me.

the class ended in may of last year, i think. anyway, shortly after the class ended, amanda asked us to join their small group. there were five couples. they met every other sunday night for dinner and worship.

it didn't take any time to say yes to her. we were very excited to be a part of a group...not only to have friends...but more importantly, friends who could hold us accountable. we had no idea what our first year would bring...and we needed all the help we could get...i mean, why not, right?

we have been blessed beyond belief with this group. sunday night we met at our house. it was nice. i got to cook dinner and dessert...cooking is probably one of my favorite things to do. just because i feel so close to my mother when i cook. in a silly way, i feel proud that i have a little bit of her in me. because that is the only reason i'm able to cook...because of genetics. i mean, my dad was the breakfast cook while in the sigma chi house...but i devote most of the talent to her. but i'll never be as good as her. never, ever. clint knows this...and luckily, he's okay with it.

anyway...everytime we meet, i remember how lucky we are to have these people in our lives. as clint described them last night..."they are all such normal, godly people." normal in that we fit right in...and don't have to pretend to be anything we aren't. i can't describe how nice it is to know that no matter what we say...no matter what we bring to the table...they are not going to freak out. instead, i am confident that someone has been through it. i think that 2 of the couples have been married for somewhere around nine years. nine years! this means lots of advice...good advice for the rest of us.

anyway...i know this is random, but i just wanted to express how much this has meant to both clint and myself. we love you guys.

a prayer request

hi everyone.

recently, i've witnessed the power of prayer. i'm guilty, all too often, of thinking something is too big for God. and i continue to be reminded that nothing is that big.

so i'm coming to you...for a favor. we have friends who had a baby a little early last week. he was born and from what i understand...taken to the children's hospital immediately. i don't remember the medical term...but if i'm understanding everything correctly...there is a hole in the heart that closes when the baby takes his first breath. something has gone wrong with this little guy's heart. and they have kept this hole open with medication thus far. now, they are trying to get it closed...get everything taken care of.

there is still a lot going on. he's been in the hospital for a week now. and they plan on being there for 2 to 3 more weeks. i cannot even begin to imagine what this feels like for mom and dad. to know that your baby is here...but you can't take care of him. you can't hold him. and love him.

i know that so many of you that read this...either have kids...or are about to have kids...so you understand.

please keep this family in your prayers. the baby's name is cash. i'll update you with anything that happens....just keep him and his parents in your prayers. i know that it would be much appreciated.

have great tuesdays.

things to remember, part two.

1. the other day clint and i were talking about the baby. about what he would be like. clint has trouble wrapping his mind around what this little guy is going to look like. he just keeps saying that it's so strange to think of a mixture of the both of us. clint basically said that all he wanted was for this baby to be kind. to be thoughtful. i couldn't agree more. and don't want to forget him saying that. what a tough thing to teach a child...

2. i no longer bend over to pick anything up off the floor. squatting is not an option. it doesn't feel right. i feel like i'm hurting the baby...and bending over makes me dizzy. and it's hard to reach my toes that way. seriously. if i come across something that should be moved...like say, shoes. i'm notorious for leaving my shoes around the house. instead of bending down to pick them up, i just scoot them with my feet...move them to where they belong. which is usually under the bed. that way when i need them, i can just scoot them out and slip them on. clint nearly broke his neck last night on a pair of my shoes. it was hilarious. at least it was to me.

3. i can take my iron pill and prenatal vitamin without tossing my head back to swallow....AND....i only need one swig of juice to take each pill. this is probably my biggest accomplishment so far. those pills are big.

4. i don't like for clint to drive anywhere alone late at night. he went out of town on saturday. he didn't get home till midnight. and i was worried the entire time. i find that i'm calling him more to check on him. i worry about him more now. worry that he's not wearing his seatbelt. it's weird.

5. i don't like staying by myself. the previews for that horrible movie the strangers has me completely screwed up. i shut every blind in the house now. because i'm so afraid someone is standing outside watching me. i mean, what's worse than someone watching you when you don't know it...with a mask on? one thing folks...a clown watching you when you don't know it...wearing a mask. that's the only thing worse.

6. i'm digging pb&j's. on fresh bread that dents in when you hold it too tightly. and lay's potato chips. yum.

7. i'm sleeping under a sheet only. because i get so hot. i can't stand the thought of putting our down comforter back on the bed. i walk outside and immediately start sweating. it's june second...and it's already 90 degrees outside. this is going to be a long, long summer.