{the fun has begun!}

I'm collecting as many nursery ideas as I can, and without knowing if we're having two boys, two girls, or one of each, I have to be prepared for three different scenarios! Of course if it is two girls the room will be totally shabby chic with pastel shades. I love this bedding from target for a girly room....


And this chandelier would be so perfect (from Target also)


If it is two boys I found the cutest bedding on Walmart.com of all places. It is a lot more modern, but I absolutely love the bird and tree pattern.



And wouldn't this lamp from Urban Outfitters be so cute?!


If we have one of each, I'm leaning toward a simple green bedding like this one with neutral accents....

So many decisions! I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks until we can find out what we're having! Until then I'll be collecting tons of ideas. :)

{starting to show}

Maybe I feel bigger because I know there are two babies in there, but I'm definitely showing more. Here's a pic from last night at 12 weeks, 1 day. Not sure how much longer the regular pants are going to fit! Yikes!



Work officially begins on our kitchen today!!! The first thing he's doing in replacing our windows because they come down too low and interfere with the countertop. I'm hoping when I get home from work today I'll see a brand new window in there. So exciting!! I'll definitely be posting progress pics as we go along, so stay tuned. :)

Hope everyone is having a good Thursday!

{truly blessed}

Today has been one of the most amazing days of my life. It started out in despair, because I was bleeding and thought that we were losing the baby. I went to the doctor and was able to have an ultrasound at the hospital. To our amazement, not only was everything OK, but we're having twins! Seeing both of those little babies in there, moving around, with healthy heartbeats, was the most amazing sight God has ever blessed us with. Never did we expect twins, so we are both in shock, and I'm sure the next months are going to be a rollercoaster of emotions (and weight gain :)

Here is the ultrasound picture...aren't they already so adorable? Of course I'm a little biased. :)

Thanks for sharing in my joy and if anyone has twins, any advice?

{merry and bright}

The Christmas decorations are up and I just love how the house feels...so sparkly and warm. I had to leave some of my stuff in the boxes until after the kitchen renovation though...too risky to get knocked over or broken. Here are some pics!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend...it went by way too fast as they always do.

{11 weeks}

So some of you who read my blog already know this, but I've decided that I can finally announce the biggest news Dan and I have ever had to share. I'm pregnant! I'm 11 weeks today and so far these 11 weeks have been the craziest, emotion filled, nauseous, tiring weeks of my life. LOL :)

We found out on October 3rd, a week before our 4 year anniversary. What a gift! It is still all very surreal to me, because we haven't gotten to see our little one or hear the heartbeat. God is definitely testing my patience more than ever because all I want is to see the baby and know that everything is progressing as it should be.

Our parents are over the moon excited, especially mine who will be grandparents for the first time. Here are a couple pictures from when we told them. I told them I wanted a new picture of the two of them together, and instead of "smile" I said "say we're going to be grandparents!" It took a few seconds for them to figure out what I said, but it obviously registered. I love the look on my Dad's face...priceless. :) My Mom, of course, got very emotional.




It has been a rough 6 or so weeks for me, as I've been so tired and nauseous most of the time. I do feel blessed to not have the kind of morning sickness that keeps you in the bathroom all day, but it is still hard to go about your daily activities when you feel so queasy. Dan has been the absolute best, going to the store to buy me whatever sounds good to eat at the moment, taking care of household chores that I don't have the energy for, and being so supportive of my ever changing emotional state. I am truly blessed to have him in my life, and he is going to be such an amazing father.

So that's the news that I've been dying to share, and why I really haven't been blogging much lately because this is the bulk of what I have to talk about. Once we know the sex, I'll be going crazy with nursery decor ideas so those will be coming before too long. :)

Oh...and here's a really bad quality 10 week self portrait. Next time I'll have someone else be the photographer.


Today is my Friday because I have the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving! Hope everyone is having a great week and has a wonderful holiday!

{so excited}

It is funny how each year I catch the Christmas spirit at a different time. There have been a few years when it never fully found me, and then times like this year when I'm already excited about decorating, gift wrapping, Christmas music, time with family, and everything that has to do with the holidays. I don't want to neglect Thanksgiving, because it is my favorite eating holiday LOL :), but December always passes by sooo quickly that I want to get a jumpstart this year. Here are a couple fun pictures to inspire...the presents were wrapped by Danielle Thompson..aren't they fabulous?!?! I just bought some of the pretty paper lace trim from altered abbey on Etsy to try my hand at something similar this year. I might even try to make a few of the yarn pom poms!

{8 years}

November 13th is a special day in our house...8 years ago today Dan and I had our first date. It was also the first time we had ever met in person, because we met online. It is hard to believe that we have been together that long...I don't feel old enough to have been doing anything for 8 years! LOL :)

A lot has happened in that time...we've gone from college students to struggling job seekers to newlyweds and home owners. Little did we know that day as we sat on the swings in the park with absolutely nothing to say to each other that we would end up where we are today. Well, I think we both knew we would still be together, but the rest of this was definitely a mystery.

Today has also been an emotional day for me because it is my Grandma's birthday. She would have been 94 today and this is the first year in quite a few that I don't get to celebrate an anniversary and a birthday all in the same day. I miss her and the holidays this year will be hard knowing that both of my Dad's parents are gone. I miss them.

On a happier note, I'm so looking forward to Thanksgiving next week. I can't wait for all of my Mom's yummy food...her stuffing especially. We switch each year who we have the main meal with, either my parents or Dan's family. It is always such a big contrast between the two because my family is just mom and dad, my sister and her husband, and Dan and I. With his family, if everyone is there, there is usually a group of about 15 packed into a tight space with a bunch of dogs and lots of noise. I've learned to appreciate both for different reasons. I'm sure everyone has these different family dynamics that keep life interesting.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

{a chill in the air}

Yep...it is definitely time for the holiday season! Now that October is over, I really feel ready for Thanksgiving and even...*gasp*...Christmas!!! Every year we end up struggling to find last minute gifts for people and this year I have sworn that won't happen. I already have three gifts bought...yay me! I even ordered my Christmas card kit today...it is so cute! I usually make them from scratch, but this year I want to simplify things and this kit was too cute and affordable to pass up! You can check it out HERE.

I feel like the house is finally getting in order. We ordered the cabinets and countertop for our kitchen remodel on Wednesday...what a relief to have that done! The cabinets are white with a beadboard inset and the counter is black formica. This picture was one of my inspirations...I love the black with the white--->


And this is my idea for the floor...gray and white tiles but in a diagonal pattern--->


In other house news my parents came over this week and finished painting our porch railing for us which was such a blessing. With Dan's work schedule it is hard for him to get these things done so their help was soooo appreciated. It is all sparkly white now and ready for winter. I also had a guy come out and rip out all of the overgrown plants around the house, so come spring we'll be ready to plant some new stuff and put down mulch.

Halloween was fun this year. Mom and Dad came over for pizza and we sat on the porch to hand out the candy. My favorite costume had to be the little girl dressed in a purple sequined jumper. When I asked her what she was she said "I'm a diva". How cute is that?! There were quite a few scary masks this year...my favorite (not really) being the one with fake blood spurting around inside of it. Not so appetizing when you're eating pizza. ;)

Looking forward to a quiet weekend. Dan has tonight off (yay!!) and we are planning on going to see the movie American Gangster. We are both big Denzel fans and this one looks really good.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!