Happy New Year!!

Hello, dear friends! We're back from a wonderful vacation with family and in the process of getting organized and unpacked. Nick was a hero today, as he drove 10 hours (Indiana to Gaithersburg), then turned right around to come pick me up from the airport. I, on the other hand, enjoyed my short little 1 1/2 hour flight. :) We're glad to be back home and out of suitcases. I'll post more soon with details of our Christmas as well as pictures. Happy New Year, everyone!!!!

Getting Ready...

I decided this week to try to get baby stuff ready, just in case this baby comes earlier than expected. When we get back from Christmas travelling, we'll have 3 weeks until my due-date. So my project for last night was making a bassinet sheet out of an old pillowcase...it turned out great, even though it took a little longer than it would have, had I known what I was doing! :)

Then I set up the Winnie-the-Pooh mobile that Mom gave me, so now all that's needed is a bumper. I have an old sheet that I'll try to make into a bumper with some foam...we'll see. That's this weekend's project. We also managed to clean out one of our closets (which had become a collect-all), so that there is lots of room for baby stuff.

Our First Baby Shower!

This last weekend I headed down to Charlotte for my first baby shower! I left at 6am and got there around 12:30 (I did find that stopping every two hours, like pregnancy books recommend, helped from getting too stiff). One particularly fun thing was that my mom was able to come down from Wheaton. What a fun combination to have friends from Charlotte get to know her and vise versa. So I got there Friday afternoon for a relaxing evening at the Freases house with Mom. Saturday morning was the shower, and I was completely blown away by how many ladies came! For those of you reading the blog who were at the shower, thank you so much for coming and blessing me in that way! Not only was it a fun time to see all of you and catch up, but I was really impacted by your generosity to help me with the things I need for this baby. Several of the ladies pitched in to get us a very snazzy travel system (stroller/carseat combination), which was the main big thing that we still needed. In fact, I think we'll install the carseat in Nick's car when he drives to Indiana for Christmas (JUST in case!). Two highlights of the shower- a slideshow that Juli Morrison put together with secretly obtained photos of me when I was little and of Nick and me. Mom and Nick, you were both very sneaky! I didn't have a clue about it! The other surprise was a love letter that Nick wrote, which Kristin Freas read out loud. I had no idea that Nick had done that! Of course, I started crying before Kristin even started reading the letter! I guess I have a few more weeks of blaming those pregnancy hormones! :) Nick, thank you for your constant encouragement. As always, you are such a source of joy in my life! I love you! After the shower, a few ladies stuck around to go out to lunch at Chilis. After lunch, Mom and I did some shopping...note to self, stay away from Concord Mills Outlet Mall before Christmas! We did manage to get a parking spot after following someone to their spot from the door of the mall. We felt a little bit like stalkers. :) We picked out some very cute boy and girl clothes from Babies R Us, which makes me appreciate the reality that this baby really is a little girl or a little boy (well, duh!). Seriously, though, I do feel like I'm anticipating finding out the gender of this baby even more now! I am glad, however, that we haven't found out yet. It's fun not knowing! I stayed in Charlotte until Tuesday morning, enjoying lots of time with friends (and eating out quite a bit...what a treat!) Tuesday morning Jeanie Lechner and I managed to fit all of our stuff (with Alathea in the back seat) in the car. I think if we had had one more thing to take back, it wouldn't have fit. But we made it! All in all, what a wonderful weekend of fellowship both with Mom and with friends from NC. I was glad, though, after 4 nights away from Nick, to come home and be in his arms again. :)

My Hot Chocolate Expertise

I learned something new a few weeks ago, and that is that Starbucks offers kid's size hot chocolate for close to $1. It is a little smaller than a "tall," but not by a huge amount. It's not on the menu, so you have to ask for it (I asume they do it for coffee too, although I don't know for sure). And for the amount of sugar that's in it, it's probably about the right size! :) I've also made a wonderous discovery: "Trader Joe's Natural Mint Hot Chocolate" tastes almost identical to Starbucks's "Peppermint Hot Chocolate." As a hot chocolate coneseur (sp?), this is a very exciting discovery (ok, really it just means I can have really yummy hot chocolate every morning!!!)

Blessed are the Meek...

"Let not pride swell my heart...Keep me humble, meek, lowly"

(Valley of Vision, PRIDE)

MEEK- 1. Of gentle and long-suffering disposition. 2. Submissive, compliant. 3. Humble, lowly.

HUMBLE- 1. Having or expressing a sense of selflessness, meekness, modesty, etc. Syn: modest, meek, selfless, unassuming, submissive

LOWLY- 1. Meek, modest, or humble.

"But the meek shall inherit the land

and delight themselves in

abundant peace"

Ps. 37:11

"The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD..."

Isaiah 29:19

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

Matthew 5:5

"Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble,

but he keeps his distant from the proud."

Ps. 138:6

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

James 4:6

Lord, make me aware of my pride. Help me cling to the cross and learn to lay down my life in humility. How my flesh fights this battle! How often I strive for my own praise and recognition, and how this grieves you! Give me grace to humble myself before you and others. I desire to sit at your feet in humble submission, drinking in your daily grace to me, a sinner.

"Help me to stand with wary eye on the watch-tower of faith, and cling with determined grasp to my humble Lord; If I fall let me hide myself in my Redeemer's righteousness, and when I escape, may I ascribe all deliverance to thy grace." (Valley of Vision)