EASTER Sunday

Nick and I started our day with a wonderful breakfast that Nick prepared...cherizo and egg tacos...and the movie "Oceans." The dogs also got to celebrate with an Easter treat.


Dory and her bone...

Nick, the dogs, and I spent most of our Easter in Livingston at Beth's (Nick's mom) house. Livingston is about 100 miles from our house. We spent time on the way out there chatting about Nick's dream for a future country weekend place halfway between here and San Antonio. I keep telling him with all the stuff he wants to buy he needs to play the lottery. :) He hasn't started yet...

We got there about 11:30...right before Beth and Derek, Nick's brother, arrived home from church. We visited for a bit, and we had Derek open his belated birthday presents before lunch. He LOVED them! We wish that Derek's girlfriend, Amy, would have been there to visit too, but she was in Chicago visiting a friend. We missed you Amy! Parker, Dory, and Lazlo spent a few minutes getting reacquainted with Diesel, Derek and Amy's pug, and then they were back to their meddling selves. They love running around out in the backyard.

Derek and one of his awesome presents...a ZigZag Racer...to use at the lake by his apartment. He also got a really cool snowboarding beanie and a couple Pez dispensers since he collects them.

Reunited...and it feels SO good...Parker and Lazlo.

The lunch table...very festive!

Beth prepared a wonderful Easter lunch for the four of us. Ham, roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, mango salsa, and homemade bread. I highly recommend any of Beth's cooking, but her bread is always DELICIOUS. It was awesome...very hard to resist eating too much of it since I am still on my gestational diabetes diet. Dessert was a really good sugar-free raspberry jello with a bit of whipped cream. I liked it, but I was too full to eat much of it.

Nick was the designated ham slicer. He takes his kitchen jobs so seriously.

Ready for lunch...

 

After lunch we played a couple games of Jumbo Sequence. Derek was a Sequence rookie, but he's a fast learner. Nick and I won one; Derek and Beth won one. Beth and I then decided to take an afternoon nap while the guys went outside and cut trees down with her chainsaw. Boys will be boys! They get so giddy out there with power tools.

The afternoon ended with more visiting (and eating) before we left around 6. It was a very low-key day, and Nick and I really enjoyed ourselves. We are looking forward to spending more time with Derek & Amy when they come visit Katy in May. We also can't wait until next Easter when we have Ryker for the Easter bunny to visit. Yay! It'll be so fun!

Baby ShOwErS

Over the weekend I had my second and third baby showers in San Antonio. Saturday was my "family" shower, and Sunday was my "friend" shower. Everything was really awesome at both showers...all the hostesses did such a good job. Nick and I appreciate all their hard work so much! It was overwhelming to see how many people already love and care about Ryker. He is going to be a spoiled little boy. We were also able to spend time with Nick's mom, my parents and sister, and a few members of my mom and dad's side of the family this weekend. It was nice to get in some visiting with everyone while we can. We probably won't be seeing as much of them for awhile after Ryker arrives. Here's some of the pics from my showers this past weekend.

FAMILY BABY SHOWER

The clothesline my sister made...

The cake...

The sign-in table...

My Mamaw and I. Mamaw is 75 years old now, and I swear you can't slow this lady down. I love her so much! Isn't she cute?

My sister and I...

Me and the soon-to-be grandmas...Beth on the left and my mom on the right...

The GIFT table...

Aunt Val got Ryker a BOKO. He's the Texas State mascot and a t-shirt that says "Hugs...25 cents. Starting my college fund" from TS. SO CUTE!

Nick and I checking out the hostesses' gift...the exer-saucer Nick picked out.

The rocking horse my Dad made for Ryker...so sweet!

Me with all the hostesses...minus Carmen.

FRIEND BABY SHOWER

The hostesses and I...Jaylyn, me, and Maya :)

Me enjoying the yummy punch...

A few of me opening gifts...Nick really loved the football and bib that Maya and Jaylyn's hubbies gave to us. GO CHARGERS!

The pregnancy game every expectant mom dreads...

All of us ladies...

Ryker's room after we brought in all the stuff from the showers...

My first baby shower was a couple weeks ago. It was thrown by my wonderful co-workers. My work BFF, Ashley, did all the planning and most of the execution. It was really fun, and we received a huge amount of loot for Ryker from the gals. It was a very special day for me...sort of made everything with my pregnancy feel real and emminent. Plus, who doesn't love opening all kinds of presents? Here's a few of those pics...

Ryker is SO blessed already with lots of people in his life who can't wait to meet him...including his parents. <3

Our first BLOG

As I sit here...writing our first blog...I am wondering what kinds of things people would like to read and/or see on here. I am going to attempt to make this blog mostly about our everyday lives here in Katy. Nick, me, our jobs, our weekends, our dogs, and soon to be...our baby. My main goal is to keep family and friends updated on our lives with very little effort on their part. Just one website to remember and look at. I expect rave reviews...especially from the soon-to-be first time grandmas. :)
With Ryker's arrival approaching, I have been thinking so much about having family nearby. Like the nearby in the same city, day to day kind of thing. I never thought in a million years while I was growing up and dreaming of the future that I would be in the position of raising a baby in a different city than my family. Don't get me wrong...I love living in Katy (and have finally adjusted to it), and I wouldn't have it any other way. God has truly blessed us by giving Nick a job here 3 years ago. But believe it or not, I am still shocked by the "no family nearby" reality some days. Nick and I will be on our own with Ryker most of the time on a day to day basis. No grandmas, grandpas, aunts or uncles, and most importantly...no babysitters...living in close vicinity to us. The closest grandma is Nick's mom, Beth, who is 100 miles away. YIKES! My mom and dad...150 miles away. Valerie in San Marcos. Derek in Plano. It's a real wake-up call. I know that we will absolutely LOVE and ADORE Ryker, but having Nick as my only back-up person is a little bit scary. Not because I think he can't do it (I know he can and will.), but because it's a lot to ask of just one other person. I know in the long run that it will make our marriage and family so much stronger, but it's feels like it will be a daunting task sometimes. We'll just have to take it day by day...every day. At some point, I am sure that we will appreciate the fact that they are as close to us as they all are. Having a baby will be a HUGE adjustment for Nick and I both, but I already know that the sacrifices will be worth it every single day. Plus, I am hopeful for lots of family visits for the first year after he arrives. :)