A couple of weeks ago I started thinking that I really wanted to back up my blog somehow, in case something happened and it got messed up or wiped out or something.

So, I found this website called Blogger to Book that will download your whole blog into a word file for you to have for just $29.00, which was way cheaper than anything else that I could find.  And, he did an awesome job and it was super fast.  If I want to print it out or make it into a book now, it would be really easy too--which I might do in the future!

Anyway, just thought I'd share!

  So, as much as I think we've got this stay at home wife thing down, and as much as Landon and I are enjoying our days together, we're ready to change my new job to stay at home mom anytime this little one is ready. :)

 Dad--thank you for being such a wonderful dad to me and the boys.  I have learned so much from you about God and life and family (and random other things, like how to change a tire) and am so thankful for you in our lives.  We had fun celebrating you and Pop last night with PF Changs and Swirll--thanks for driving out to our neck of the woods for the celebration!
 And Landon.  What a difference six years can make; don't we look so young in this picture?  I was so hoping that I could fill the "world's best Dad" frame for you today with a picture of you actually holding your son, but for today we'll have to go with the picture of him still inside my belly. :)  I am so excited to be mom and dad with you and cannot wait to see you holding Aedan.  I know he will change us so much---and already has--and I can't wait.  He is so lucky to grow up with you as his Daddy.  Thank you for a wonderful weekend--while I cannot wait for us to be parents, I am also so thankful for these last few days with you and am trying to soak the moments up.  Even though we were just hanging out and keeping things low key this weekend, it was perfect.  Thanks for letting me hang out with you up at work (and for the awesome surprise video camera!), for the impromptu trip to El Bollio and Canino's and for a relaxing Sunday afternoon today, followed by our five mile walk.  I loved just hanging out with you, and while part of me is so sad that things will never be like this again, I am so excited for the times in the future when we can hang out, just the three (or four, or five... :)) of us.  I know it will be just as perfect.

All yesterday as I was out running errands, people were asking when I was due and it was the weirdest feeling to say, "well, today actually!".  It's fun to know though that each passing day brings us one day closer to meeting Aedan.  And, it's exciting and can make you go crazy all at the same time to know that each day could be the day, but we have no idea when.  Like Landon said yesterday, it's like waiting to go on vacation, or something you're really looking forward to.  Your bags are all packed, all the plans are made--but you have no idea when you're leaving!  We commemorated his due date last night by eating some yummy mexican food with good friends and by finally getting the car seat/base in our cars.  And we're trying all the things that people say can make labor start, but I have a feeling that little Aedan got both of his parent's stubborn gene and will come when he is good and ready.  Any time you're ready, sweet baby, your daddy and I are ready to have you home with us! :)

just memories' sake. :)
*picturing Landon holding our little baby and trying to imagine what he will look like
*the protectiveness that comes out in both Landon and I, at sometimes the most unexpected of times, of our little baby who we've never laid eyes on, but who is already so real to us.
*being able to (a lot of the time at least) not worry about how much weight I'm gaining but actually enjoy looking pregnant and focus on what that means--a healthy baby growing inside of me.  I am so thankful to Landon for his sweet words that helped me to not worry about the weight, but be thankful for what it meant.
*seeing Aedan's sweet little face and body on the ultrasound machine
*how sweet Landon is to me and the little things he does now without even a second though, like giving me a hand to help me stand up

*how my nails are actually growing, probably from the prenatal vitamins
*being pregnant with some of our good friends and being able to share experiences, stories etc--and dream about how fun it will be for all of our babies to grow up and be friends!
*how nice and helpful strangers are, just because I'm pregnant


...and, just for memories' sake too, things I will NOT miss once our little baby is in our arms and no longer in my stomach. :)


The FUN far outweights the NOT FUN!  And, at the end of it all, we get a precious little baby, which definitely makes ALL of the not fun things more than totally worth it!

It's weird to see June 16th on the calendar.  This is the day we've been counting down to for the last 9 months and it's almost surreal that it's here.  And, while we totally expected it, it's crazy that I'm STILL pregnant.

We got an email from babycenter today asking "are you still pregnant?".  Why yes, I am.  Thanks for pointing it out, ha!

It's also crazy to think that, no matter what, in 2 weeks max our baby will be here, because there's no way my doctor will let us go past 42 weeks.  Hopefully though, we won't get that far!

I'm so looking forward to the time when Landon calls me from work and I can say "why yes, I have been having contractions all day!" instead of "nope, nothing to report here really...". 

At church on Sunday one of the guys in our class was telling us that it seems like I've been pregnant forever.  As soon as he said that, I began thinking about how it really does.  In some ways, it's hard to even remember what it was like not being pregnant.  I guess 9 months is a long time, but I've honestly loved (and am still loving) being pregnant.

I'm working on doing a scrapbook of my half Ironman and Landon's Ironman from last month, which I've been wanting to do forever, so that's been fun.  It almost seems unfathomable that my stomach will ever be that flat again, ha!  I almost don't recognize myself in some of those pictures.

Since some of our awesome friends came and deep cleaned our house on Monday, it makes me want to not do anything so that it stays super clean for Aedan to come home to--I don't want to cook, shower, do laundry, let the dogs in the house...but, of course, I do.  I'm just trying really hard to not mess anything up. :)

Last night my mom brought my grandfather over to our house for dinner and to hang out.  I was going to go over there but it makes us a little nervous being kinda far away from our house (though it shouldn't because it doesn't seem like my body is going to go into labor any time soon...).  So, they loaded up and came to our house, which we were so thankful for.  It was so good to see Pop and I'm so glad he's here in Houston with us now.  It was weird and sad though to see him and hang out with him without Mere.  It was the first time I've seen him since she passed away.  And, he's about to sell his house in New Orleans, which is a good thing and what he wants, but that's so sad to me too.  We have so many good memories from there, it's crazy to think that it won't be his anymore.

I'm jealous of the three people I know whose babies actually came on their due date.  That sounds so fun right about now.  Even though we still feel like we have no idea what we're doing in many senses, we're as ready as we're gonna be and so ready to meet our son.

Our sweet friends, Wade and Wendi, get to meet their little Jake on Monday!  I can't wait to see his sweet little face!

At our last doctor's appointment, my doctor said that the next time I come in (on Monday) we'll see how things are looking and set an induction date in case he doesn't come in time.  I REALLY don't want to be induced, so I'm praying so hard that he comes before then, on his own!  I don't want to do anything that would be dangerous for Aedan, but I also want him to be able to come naturally, when my body's ready.

As I was walking on the treadmill yesterday at the gym I was reading some at the end of Isaiah.  At one point, He's telling his people the things that they will be judged for and one of them was "pursuing their own imaginations".  I reread that a couple of times and had a little mini "aha" moment.  On Tuesday of this week, after my doctor started talking about inductions, I was worried and stressed all day about how things would turn and out and when Aedan would come and I totally spent the day pursuing my own imagination, letting my mind wander to all of the things that could go wrong and end up not how we wanted etc.  I did this all day instead of praying, instead of asking God for faith, instead of trusting Him and knowing He's in control of everything and His plans are good.  And as I was walking yesterday I had to pray and ask God to forgive me for that.  And that's what I've been working on since then--not pursuing my own imagination, but rather trusting that God knows Aedan better than we could ever dream of and has him in His hands.  I love how you can have read something in the Bible fifty times and never noticed it and then read it again and something hits you out of nowhere like that.  So cool.

We're going out with some friends tonight to eat some Mexican food--maybe the walking I'm about to do and the spicy food will convince him to come out today!  If not, we'll continue waiting and enjoying these last few days as just us--these last few says of the single life, as Landon's co-worker calls it. :)

About four and a half years ago I started going to a Bible study on Monday nights with some girls from church.  We all lived in town and had been driving out to Sugar Land every Monday night.  We'd meet at someone's house and carpool down there and then drive back and get home around 10pm.  And after a few months of doing that, even though we really enjoyed going, we decided it was too much, too late of a night. 

So Pam, one of the girls who we'd been going with, volunteered to host an "in town" group on Monday nights for people who lived in Houston.  And, I am SO glad she did.  It was a smaller group and we really got to know each other, which was fun.  And, though the group has changed significantly over the years,  both in size and in people, it's been such a good thing.  We've done countless Bible studies, prayed for one another through good things and bad things and shared a lot of delicious meals.  We've talked and laughed and learned a lot.  And, it's just been a good constant in my life over the last few years, even during the seasons of life where I had a hard time making it there every Monday because of other things we've had going on.

And a few weeks ago, after I was unable to make it to our Bible study one Monday because of work, I got an email from one of the girls saying that they wanted to come and deep clean our house before the baby arrives.  I was blown away.  Seriously, that was one of the nicest things anyone has done for us.  As I've been making my "to do before the baby" lists these last few weeks and worrying about getting everything done before he comes, it's been SO nice to not have to worry about the house.  I mean, I still picked up and tried to keep things relatively clean, but to know that someone was coming right before Aedan to really clean so that he could come home to a clean house, was such a load off. 

And tonight they came and did just that.  They showed up with all of their cleaning supplies and after we hung out for a few minutes, they divided up everything and got to work.  It's amazing how fast a house can get cleaned when there's 8 people all doing it together!  I felt kinda bad just sitting as they dusted and vacuumed and cleaned everything all around me--some things that hadn't been cleaned probably since we moved into the house, like the windows!--but it was so fun to hang out with everyone.  And, we were SO appreciative of them serving us like that.  I can't wait to repay the favor one day.  I never would have thought of offering to do that for someone that's about to have a baby, but it is something I definitely want to pass on to other friends having babies!

Thanks again girls!  You have blessed Landon and I so much.  I am SO thankful for your love and friendship!  We can't wait to introduce Aedan to all of you. :)

 I've been reading like a crazy person, trying to make sure that I know all that I can possibly know about what is to come, all the while still thinking that I have absolutely no idea what we're about to get ourselves in to!  But, I still feel better after reading everything.  And, as an added bonus, Landon gets to be the recipient of my newly acquired tidbits of knowledge every day when he gets home from work. :)
 We've been watering our yard and our garden like crazy people too.  Right around this time last year we went out of town for 3 weeks and almost everything died--surely we'll be able to remember to water (or have someone else do it) after Aedan gets here, right?  I'm determined to keep things alive this year!
 I've also been organizing and cleaning out everything I can think of.  I just want everything to have a place and to be in it's place. I'm not even really sure why, but it just makes me happy.  I think this is driving Landon a little nuts, but he's indulging me and sorting piles I give him etc.  It's so nice now to have things cleared out and put away--and now, there's more room for his sweet little things, like this bassinet we now have room for, for him to sleep in beside our bed.