Nesting!!!

I love the nesting phase of pregnancy.  Even with 9 years between the my sweet babies, I still remember that phase of my pregnancy with Caroline VERY well. I think it's because I thrive off of efficiency and productivity.  There is never a time in my life that I've been more focused and more determined to get a LOT done than in the last two weeks of these pregnancies.  It makes me giddy.  =)

Yesterday afternoon, Caroline and I decided that plain white burp cloths just wouldn't do for our sophisticated baby boy.  So we set up the machine that a dear friend is letting us use, and went to town.  I know there are lots of ways to fancy these up even more with ribbon details and pinking shears, but those methods would have required a trip to WalMart and we all know that last-minute trips to WalMart or Target are NOT conducive to efficiency and productivity.  :p

I sewed the first one to get a general idea of what method we should use with the fabric I had, but Caroline did the second one herself.  I'm not sure if it says more about her sewing skillz or my lack thereof, but you can't tell a difference between either finished product.  Such a sweet and fun activity with my lovely girl!

This moment brought to you by Debbie Greer and the JoAnn Moving Sale!

January 30: Flutters

*************  This is a private entry I wrote several months ago as I was feeling the very first flutters of Baby Cox.  I'm amused when I read this because right now I'm so full of baby that everytime he hiccups my chair creaks.  Last night he rolled sideways and he was so big that I could visibly make out shoulders and knees.  My, how time flies! *************

It's the moment I've been waiting for.  It's the moment I've been dreaming of.

I'm feeling the small but distinctive flutters of life inside my tummy.  I want to jump up and down and shout and laugh and sing and pray.   Except that I'm afraid the activity will stop.  Instead, I'll stay absolutely still in this perfectly awkward pose as long as possible... soaking it all up. 

This is really happening.  God really has blessed me with this unimaginable gift.  He really does love me this much.

My Kiowa Kutie

Caro enjoyed Kanakuk so much last year that we agreed to send her back this summer.  This year she moved her session to the beginning of the summer to make sure she would be in Indy for the baby's arrival, but that meant she had to miss out on the chance to see her Texas friends, Caroline and Adalae.  =( 

So Chris drove her to St. Louis to get on the Kamp bus a couple of weeks ago, and she rode the rest of the way to K-Kountry with her fellow campers.  Two weeks away from Mommy and Daddy sure will make a kid grow up fast!  While we missed her tremendously, it was easy to see from her letters right away that she was in the right place at the right time, just laughing and loving and growing in her faith while she played in the Ozarks. 

Chris also had to do the solo drive all the way to Branson to pick her up two weeks later, but I think she made it worth his trip with giant hugs, great introductions to her barn-mates and counselors, and one very special award.  =)

Our little sweetheart of a daughter was recognized with the Kiowa Spirit award.  Only one Kiowa and one Kickapoo receive the award each session, and I was proud beyond belief that my little CaroPop had shown the sort of love and encouragement and integrity that the award symbolizes.  Yay! Yay!  Yay!

Product Review: Pork, Be Inspired

It seems like a farce to call this a product review in the typical sense, but BzzAgent invited me to take part in their Pork, Be Inspired campaign and I clicked "Accept" so fast my computer did a double blink. 

I looooooooove pork.  And throughout this pregnancy, it's been one of my very favorite foods to eat.  We buy it every Sunday afternoon after church and then grill it up right away for lunch and again for dinner on Monday evening.  It's probably my favorite family routine that we have.

We decided to mix it up a bit when we received the Kroger coupons, and we tried new cuts of pork as well as a couple of new seasoning techniques.  As much as I loved the citrus and spicy recipes we tried and the assortment of chops, ribs, and sirloin cuts, I am still head over heals for a good bone-in pork chop with Montreal Steak Seasoning. 

Here's a quick photo of our final pork extravaganza experiment.  We had a guest all the way from TEXAS(!) this weekend and we grilled some corn-on-the-cob and pork sirloins, and then finished off the meal with key lime pie.  It was a super way to end this campaign!