Quick Post!

It has been a rough week, hence my absence from working on my Priorities.  I will get back to that ASAP, but in the meantime, here's what's been going on:

1. Bunny was back at the doctor, AGAIN.  She's been to the doctor's office more in the last two weeks than she has in the last 6 months.  It was another double-ear infection and a viral rash brought on by her vaccinations.
2. I'm FLYing again.  Even pre-Bunny my house wasn't this clean!  It's amazing!
3. Bunny has moved on to only one long afternoon nap every day.  Surprisingly, it's more of a blessing than a burden; I get more done in that big chunk of time than I did rushing through her little naps throughout the day.
4. Bunny has also been having some rough nights.  Night terrors, ear pain, teething pain, and just general fussiness has led to a very tired week for MM and I.  
5. FALL IS HERE!  Well, not really.  But, in the Star household, we buck convention and declare September 1 the first day of Fall every year.  It works for us because the weather is already turning and we love this season so much that we'd do anything to stretch it out a little longer.
6. We are having the best time right now.  Life is so much fun and we are just loving every moment God has given us.  
7. There may be some big changes ahead in the Star household.  I really don't know what they may be, but they are in God's hands and we can't wait to see what He has in store.
8. And finally, Bunny-girl is getting so big, it's making me a little sad.  She is flexing her independence and really testing her boundaries.  And while it may be frustrating in the heat of the moment, we are happy to see that she is strong-willed and will be able to stand her ground when she needs to.

Catching Up

Phew! I can't believe how the time flies. Can you believe that our Bunny is due in 9 weeks and 5 days?! I can't!

So much has happened in the last two weeks that seems exciting to me, but would probably be super-boring to anyone else, so I'll give you the short version.

1. Vacation was a blast! I love my family and love that we all get along and have similar interests that allow us to hang out for a whole week without getting tired of each other.

2. There's nothing like being with a close-knit family to remind you that not all families are like ours and that is a sad realization. I pray for all of those from broken and hurting homes much more when I realize how fortunate I am. My heart breaks for everyone who is hurting due to their family relationships.

3. MM and I had a couples' massage on vacation. It was amazing. And will be something we will do again in the future. (I'm hoping sooner rather than later.)

4. 3D ultrasounds are the bomb-diggity. Did you see these pictures?! I'm still in awe every time I see Bunny's sweet face!

5. I'm starting to feel that nesting instinct kick in, but I'm so tired that I'm barely getting anything done. I will hopefully be back on a schedule after this weekend and will prepare in earnest for Bunny's arrival.

6. I seriously miss meeting with God. I need some Jesus and need to get back to the Word. How am I supposed to raise a Godly child if I can't meet with Him and know what He wants me to teach her? I can't.

7. I also miss swimming. Especially now. Walking is my exercise of necessity right now, but my belly is so heavy I feel like I'm going to tip over. What I wouldn't give right now for a private pool to use!

8. The 30-Day Challenge is going well. Again, it's easy to be nice to your husband when he's such a loving, caring man. I think I'll need to do the challenge again after Bunny is born. That may put things in a bit more perspective than when MM is pampering me all the time.

9. We have ONE MORE TRIP out of town and then we are DONE until Bunny has been out of my womb for a few months. I love traveling, but it wears me out. Thank goodness MM is doing most of the driving these days.

10. I am both excited and nervous about Saturday. I can't wait to see some cherished family and friends, but being the center of attention is causing me no small amount of anxiety. I'm sure I will look back on Saturday with fondness when all is said and done, though.

Well, that's it. My life right now in a nutshell. I will try to get back to my regularly scheduled posting, but that all depends on my energy level and free time. I do promise that I will at least post in 10 - 12 weeks to introduce Bunny to the world. Other than that, I promise nothing! ;)


Sadly, these are the only photos MM and I took our ENTIRE vacation. Oh well, at least we have something to remember the trip by!

Too Organized?

I'm afraid it may be possible. I may be over-organizing my pregnancy. I probably need to stop, but I just can't help it!

In the past three days all it feels like I've been doing is making lists related to pregnancy. How could there be so many lists? Well, for me, and some of you that have slight OCD tendencies as well, it isn't hard to come up with about a bazillion.


Here are some of the lists I've been working on:


-Labor and Delivery Birth Plan

-Important Upcoming Dates (Did I mention we have to have some semi-major foundation repairs done BEFORE we do anything else to the nursery? ACK!)

-Hospital Bag Packing List (including subsections on: Cosmetic Bag, General, For Daddy, Distractions for Mommy, Post-Labor Snacks for Mommy, and For Baby.)

-Nursery to-do list and potential dates

-Acceptable meals (trying to eat better for the last four months - I haven't been that great)

-Freezer meals (to-be made in the last month or two)


Unfortunately for MM, he gets each of these lists in his email to review, edit, and add to. He's being a great sport because he understands me so well, but I'm sure he's grumbling under his breath every time he sees my name in his in-box.

Oh well. I am who I am. In all likelihood, things are going to go crazy and nothing's going to go according to my lists or plans. That's alright. I'm okay with chaos as long as Princess Gummi arrives safely. Even if the nursery doesn't get finished, or my bags don't get completely packed, or I don't get a single casserole in the freezer, it'll all be okay. Once again, I just need to breathe.

I've been told I need to relax and enjoy my pregnancy more. What some people don't understand is that list-making and organizing IS how I relax. Half the time things don't turn out like the picture in my head, but for me the fun is in the planning.

So I will just continue to relax by freaking out and list-making and enjoying planning for her arrival that way.

Phew - all this list-making has made me tired. I guess I'd better schedule in a nap.

A List Is All I've Got!!

We've been crazy busy, which is good, but it has left me little time for online interactions! Here's an update:

1. I've been in the Austin area for schooling WAY too much lately. I was there through the Thursday before Thanksgiving and will have to be there again starting Sunday. Bleh.
2. One upside to the above is that my hotel is 10 minutes from my parents' place, so I've been getting lots of family time!
3. Another upside is that next week is my review for my BIG test. After that, my traveling for courses for work will reduce DRAMATICALLY!
4. Thanksgiving with family is the only way to go.
5. I regret not making more time for more family.
6. I loved the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I WILL watch it every year now.
7. MM and I do NOT make good shopping partners. We just egg each other on and end up spending more than we wanted to.
8. I found out it takes me 15 minutes to fix the budget after we fall to temptation as above. That's comforting, but also a little bit scary!
9. Hanging out with my family, holiday or not, means that hilarity will without a doubt ensue. Laughter burns calories, so it's a win-win.
10. I miss our church family and SO want to know where God wants me to be involved there. They need people to step forward and I need to DO SOMETHING!
11. God's finally getting me up early enough to spend some good, quality time with Him and His Word. I need to do it. He's making it easy for me and my human self is still resisting.
12. I'm counting down to Christmas, but I'm so tired of traveling. I just want to stay home for two weeks in a row. Is that so hard?!
13. MM told me this weekend that he'd consider leaving Alpine once we had all our debt paid off. All we're lacking is his student loan. I don't know whether to accelerate our debt snowball further or slow it down. I'm a bit torn.
14. Our prayers for a child are becoming more and more fervent every minute. Maybe it's the Christmas season and the joy in children's faces. Maybe we're just being impatient. I know we have to wait on God's timing, but it still hurts.
15. We will be praying for peace and comfort and God's strength as we face the next unknown days.
16. I know it's childish, but I'm still super bummed that I didn't get to go see any cool Christmas light displays while we were on Thanksgiving holiday. I hope to make up for it next week.


Okay....that's us in a nutshell! Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season and God's blessings to you all!

Anticipation!

Did you ever have a time in your life when you were just coasting through the current days, waiting to get to the better, brighter, more exciting ones ahead? That's how I'm feeling lately. So many things to look forward to:

1. Big Bend Cowboys vs. So. Louisiana Pipeliners this weekend.
2. Making more cupcakes (I think I'm obsessed).
3. My birthday in a few weeks; I know what I'm getting and I can't wait!!
4. Camping with my dear hubby in a few weeks.
5. Fishing, fishing, fishing.
   
6. Going to Austin in August; get to see the fam, get to learn some stuff, get to eat some great food, and I might even swim in the hotel pool.
7. Ruidoso, NM with the whole family in September!!!!!!
8. Eating at Michelena's in Ruidoso.
9. Presenting my family with a surprise I'm cooking up that I will not share with them until the night before we leave.
10. Shopping in NM. It's some of the best I've experienced.
11. Fall finally being here.
12. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin.
13. Our first Thanksgiving at home.
14. Our first Christmas at home.
    

Listing Works!!!

It's amazing how helpful listing things can be! I'm serious! I was thinking of the boredom factor of constant listing posts, then thought about my friend, Michelle, who's listing posts I love to read because they're to the point and are such a clear view of what she's thinking. Not to say that I don't love her other posts just as much, but I certainly don't regard her listing posts as anything less. Then, I thought of how many other things I list; key bible points from my bible-reading-time, sermon notes are almost always taken in a list format, things-to-do, motivational reasons for losing weight in my food journal and etc. I've come to realize that I don't know where I'd be without lists! There just seems to be such freedom in the process. No worries about proper grammar, whether or not something flows nicely and the subject is never diluted by unnecessary words. I even tend to list the day's events and emotions in my journal. So, without further adieu, another list!!!

1. Finding a substitute SS teacher can be really hard, but finding one this time was a huge blessing and seems to be helping me reconnect with an old friend.
2. I agreed to go hiking with Jason on Saturday (okay, okay, I may have suggested it, but moving on,) and now I regret it because I still have that irrational fear that we will be attacked by a bear. I'm hoping for violent-enough thunderstorms that everyone is safe, but hiking is out.
3. I'm pretty much buying a new, smaller wardrobe next week and I'm excited, but worried about the cost and how long I'll stay in the new, smaller wardrobe. I'm going to try to minimize my list as much as possible.
4. We had a HUGE hail storm last night and I cried while it was going on because our poor veggie garden was unprotected. I don't know what the damage is yet, but I'm hoping it's not too bad. We're going to check on everything this evening after it has dried up a bit.
   
5. Jason and I are discussing budgeting part of his recent raise towards starting to fix up the house. There are just certain things that need to be done, and soon, and doing a little every month will certainly help put the end in sight.
6. We are going to make a list of wants and needs on the house work/repairs/remodeling/addition and that is going to be one fun list to make.
   

Well, that's my list for this morning. I'm off to get some work done!

Thanks for reading and have a great Thursday!!