{a Merry Christmas to all}

It is hard to belive that Christmas is already over, and ours was full of so many emotions this year. We had such a great time with our family. First, mine on Christmas Eve, and Dan's on Christmas Day. The entire time I was reminding myself that this is our last Christmas as the two of us, and next year will be blessed with two children. It will be quite a different holiday! I was also feeling very sad this year now that both of my Dad's parents are gone. I thought about them so much this past week and still am, wishing they could be here to see their great-grandchildren when they are born.

Christmas Day with Dan's family was more chaotic than expected. It is always fun with tons of people and gifts, but this year was quite a bit more stressful. Dan's Grandma is in the late stages of alzheimer's, and lives in an assisted living facility. She fell yesterday afternoon and did quite a bit of damage to her head and face that required a trip to the emergency room and stitches. Dan's mom and her siblings spent about 6 hours of the afternoon at the hospital with her. We were all waiting at the house, hoping for good news and sad that Dan's grandma was going through such a rough time on Christmas. Luckily she is back at the nursing home and hopefully she is doing OK. I know this has been a rough time for Dan's mom and her siblings, as this is marking the end of holidays spent with their mother.

On a positive note, it was the first Christmas for our cousin's little boy, and it was so fun watching him open his presents (with a little help from Mom and Dad). He is such a happy baby. Here are a few pics from the past few days. We were blessed with so many fun gifts, including a couple adorable outfits and pacifiers for the babies. :)

{this makes me happy}

The one little piece of countertop that was made correctly is in!! Oh how excited I was this morning to have somewhere to put my cup when I poured my OJ. :) Just picture the walls a nice shade of tan and a new pretty parquet wood floor.

We also have pantry shelves which excites me sooo much. Please ignore the hideous walls...they obviously need a coat of paint. Until this pantry we never had good storage for our dry food/canned goods, so this is going to be such an improvement. Both of these things cheered me up a little after the bad cabinet news. I'm still holding on to a glimmer of hope that they will come in sooner than expected.

And just for Christmas...a pic of our house decked out in snow. I was so excited to have my new railing to decorate with greenery this year. I think it looks so pretty with the snow on it. :)

{standstill}

This week has been frustrating so far, as the kitchen is at a standstill. Found out today that it could be as late as January 7th before we get the reordered cabinets...quite a different story from the "few days" they told us last week. That definitely didn't make me happy. I'm really just sad because we are having my family over on Christmas Eve for appetizers and gifts and now I probably won't even have a sink to use. I'm trying to focus on how great it will be when it is done, but my pregnancy hormones are definitely trying to have their way. Patience, Mandy, patience.

I am really looking forward to a long holiday weekend though...five days off is sounding really good right now. Still have a few Christmas gifts to buy, but I think I know what to get as long as I can find it. Even with starting early, there are always those last few minute purchases.

{a real kitchen}

The kitchen is finally starting to resemble a kitchen again, which is so exciting! Our contractor hung all of the cabinets yesterday, aside from the ones that had to be reordered. Now we just have to wait until next week for the new cabinets and the counter (it was ordered too big...dumb Lowe's) I just can't wait to see my farmhouse sink and pretty new faucet in there! Between this and being pregnant, my patience is being tested more than ever!!

So happy that it is Friday. Not sure what the weekend holds...definitely need to sign and send our Christmas cards and maybe get some more Christmas shopping done. Hope everyone is having a great day!

{more progress}

The kitchen is slowly starting to take shape, and I'm so excited to see it come together over the next week. Thanks to some mistakes by Lowe's, things have been slowed down...a couple cabinets were wrong and our counter was made too long. Thankfully our contractor has handled everything which has been a Godsend. We also had to have the sink plumbing and electrical wiring to the dishwasher and disposal redone yesterday...can't wait to see that bill! The previous owner was the king of poor DIY jobs, and obviously worked his "magic" on every surface of that kitchen. Here are a few more progress pictures...the windows have been finished with new trim and the cabinets are out of their boxes! Our contractor is starting to put them in place today.




What do you think of these cute bin pulls for our drawers?? Not sure what I would label them with...numbers...kitchen words. I know I've seen them in a magazine article on kitchen drawers...wish I could remember where!


Onto baby news...I'm 14 weeks along now. Hard to believe. With all of the kitchen mess we haven't been putting too much time into baby stuff right now, but once that is all over we'll have more time to think about furniture and all of the other things we're going to have to purchase over the next few months. It still seems very surreal that I will have two children in a matter of months. Ready or not! :)

{progress!}

The kitchen cabinets arrived yesterday!! So this is what our dining room looks like currently since we don't have a garage to store them in--->



Although I'm excited about the new kitchen I'll be soooo glad to get my house back in order. It is a mess right now!! Our contractor also removed the built-in yesterday and drywalled--->



And the new windows are in!!



It is so exciting to see some progress finally!

In other fun house news I ordered a new desk and chair for our office from Target. We'll finally have all matching furniture in there for a change!



I want to get the house looking as best as possible before the babies arrive, because God only knows how long it will take for things to happen after that!

I feel like I've been shopping way too much lately...with Christmas gifts, furniture, and maternity clothes which is such an anxiety inducer. I've yet to find dress pants for work which is really stressing me out. I'm still fitting into my regular pants, but I have a feeling it won't be long before they'll have to be put out of commission.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday!

{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!!

{reconnecting}

I really believe that God brings people back into our lives when we need them, no matter how long it has been since you last connected. Tuesday morning, Jenessa and I met at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and it was just the thing I needed. We hadn't seen each other since my wedding day 4 years ago! And while we still keep in touch through our blogs and email, face-to-face contact is worth so much more. We chatted non stop for 2 1/2 hours and when we realized it was nearing lunch time we both had to laugh at how much we obviously needed to catch up. We definitely can't let that much time go by again before we get together, especially since we still felt there were tons of things to talk about that we hadn't even gotten to yet. Thanks Jenessa for all of your wonderful advice about you know what...it really calmed my anxieties and lifted my spirits! :)