Following the Fowlers

Yep! We are going to be parents! We found out this exciting news a few weeks ago and have had so much fun sharing it with our family and friends over the past week. I am due April 10, and am currently 7 weeks along. The good Lord graciously answered our prayers that we would be able to have the baby towards the end of school so that I could take the remainder of the school year off for my maternity leave. We are just beyond words at this point. We are so excited, happy, prayerful, scared, and filled with joy, as I'm sure all new parents are. We ask for your prayers as we begin this journey towards parenthood.

This past Friday we were able to go to the doctor for the first time. We had our sonogram and everything looks healthy. We were able to see our little one, see its heart beating, and hear that precious heartbeat. It was on of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard. Over the past week I have had some pretty bad run-ins with nausea, but it seems to be getting better. I was able to get some medication to help me out! The Lord greatly answered my prayers for the first day of school, because I felt better today than I have in over a week.

So, I'm sure there will be many more updates to come. We just can't wait to tell you all about our baby!

On my first day back to work last Monday, I received a wonderful cookie bouquet from my parents. Thanks Mom and Dad! It is very yummy. Mark and I are still working on it!

On Saturday, Aug. 15th, we attended the 1-year-old twin birthday party of some of our very good friends, Justin and Alli. It was so much fun celebrating their first birthday. We have had so much fun anticipating the birth of Jake and Mallory, and then watching them grow over the last year. They are great kids and continuously make is laugh! Happy Birthday, little ones!

Tax free weekend is coming up next weekend Aug. 21 - 23. I have included a link that explains what is and is not tax exempt. I was surprised by some of the tax exempt items like pajamas, jackets, and baby clothes! Who knew?

My sister-in-law Emily, Mark's brother's wife, just sent us this picture of our niece and nephew going into school today. Anna is in 3rd grade and it is Ben's first day of Kindergarten! I thought this was absolutely precious. They grow up so quick!

I want to share this muffin recipe with you. It is from my wonderful mother-in-law, Nancy! Mark and I love it. The great thing about it is, you make the muffin batter once, and you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. Then, as you want muffins, you dip out of the batter and make as many or as few as you want. We prefer to make them into mini muffins, but that is just us.

Bran Muffins

one 16 oz. box Bran flakes (kind of hard to find, but Alberston's usually has it)

5 cups flour

3 cups sugar

5 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. salt

4 eggs

1 quart buttermilk

1 cup vegetable oil

Combine first five ingredients in a very large bowl. Add slightly beaten eggs, milk, and oil. Stir only enough to moisten ingredients. Store in an air-tight container for up to 6 weeks. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Tip: I usually use masking tape on the outside of my container and go ahead and label the expiration date so I don't have to try to remember how long it has been.

Mark - Thank you for 8 wonderful years! You bring joy, laughter, and happiness to my life every day! I love you!

On July 28th, we went to visit my sister and her family in their new home in Round Rock. We wanted to spend a day there so we could visit with Jessica and Aaron and Skylyn, and see their home they just moved into about 6 weeks ago. Their home is gorgeous and we are so excited for them and this new phase in their lives! Here is Mark playing with our 8 1/2 month old niece Skylyn.
The next day we headed back to Dallas, but brought my niece and nephew with us. Aaris is 5 and Titus with be 3 in September. We had so much fun having them visit with us for a few days. They are exciting, but so exhausting! Jess and Aaron, you have some wonderful kids!

As many of you know, my church (Prestoncrest church of Christ) had its VBS last week. I was not able to participate in the actual VBS, but I helped with the decorating. My church goes all out with decorating. This was the first year that I helped, and I was amazed at the amoust of time, energy, love, and joy that goes into the process. It was so great to see all of the different creative ideas going on all at once! I took a few pictures of some of the rooms. There was so much more that I didn't get pictures of. The theme was "God's Big Backyard", so everything was geared around outdoor/backyard activities and scenes.