Thanksgiving, Christmas & Baby Shower - All in One!!

Russell & I enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving - Christmas - Baby Shower weekend in Louisiana over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend! Since Rhys is due January 25th, and I'm not supposed to travel from about Christmas time on, we wanted to make the most of our weekend with our Louisiana family. It will be at least late January until we get to see them again.

On Thursday, we celebrated Thanksgiving during the day and then Christmas that evening.

Above, from left to right, Rusty & Claudia (Russell's parents); Russell, Myself & Rhys :); Tami (Russell's older sister); Kristie, Todd & Sierra Grace (Russell's younger sister & her family)

On Friday, Russell and his dad and uncle went deer hunting and black-powder rifle shooting, while the girls and I :) stayed back on the homestead. Claudia cooked yummy seafood gumbo, which we all enjoyed! It was just a good, relaxing day before a busy next day....

On Saturday, Rhys was absolutely showered yet again with much love and fun gifts! Whew! It was a whirlwind of a morning...not enough time to visit with so many wonderful people. Russell and I are thankful for such loving and generous family. We are so supported, for which we praise our Lord!

Above, all the yummy goodies at the shower! Notice to the right...my favorite...Aunt Ora's Fresh Apple Cake, baked by our sweet Aunt Sharon. :) Also, my favorite sandwiches...chicken salad...YUM! Thank you, Tami!!!

Below, you've gotta look through Russell's and my facial expressions as we open gifts...all too funny! :)

And I took the above picture just for good measure (or for good memories)!! :) Hee hee! This was actually on Thursday afternoon, right after our yummy Thanksgiving dinner...we had to get outside and enjoy some exercise after all the delicious food! Of course, I think my man is quite hot, so he's now 'published' as such on our blog! ;)

Been a Bad Day - by Russell

Ever have one of those days? You know what I mean. Not one of those awful days where absolutely nothing goes right. But one of those days that is fairly ordinary...until...

Let me tell you about one of those days. It was going fairly well. Working in the morning, breaking for lunch, then to the computer in an attempt to catch up on things that I fell behind on last week.

Then, to assist my beautiful bride, I agreed to go to WalMart for just a couple of items to save her the trip. And I'm not a fan of shopping, especially between November and January! I decide to drive the Jeep....it needs the exercise. When running around town I tend to use the backroads as best I can. I enjoy them. But on this occasion I decided on the interstate. Well, as I'm exiting I hear a loud pop and faint low grind. I'm thinking transfer case or maybe transmission, could even be suspension. I turn onto the main road, off of the exit ramp to get into a nearby parking lot. I look into my driver's rearview mirror and see something mildly disturbing. I roll into the parking lot, climb out and snap this picture.

As you can see, and as I'm sure you've already determined, the C-clip that holds the axle shaft into the rear differential is no longer doing it's job. Thus, the axle shaft decided to crawl out of position. Another 3 inches and I'd be writing about road rash on my backside.

When I saw this I was afraid that the loud pop was the end of the shaft breaking. Thankfully it wasn't. Instead it was the differential insert that eliminates the spacing between each axle shaft. This shouldn't be difficult to repair. But it was definitely inconvenient. Needless to say, I never made it to WalMart.

But I can't complain. I'm thankful for this toy! Even the breaking of it is fun...and the sharing of the story.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I'm sure you could have done without the mechanic talk but I like it. Have a good night.

Here's another pic:

Fun, Warm Times!!

Russell & I got our Christmas present to each other early this year!! We want to enjoy it through all the holidays! Like our new outdoor fireplace?We've already had our first smore roasting!! We had a community group get-together at our house last night, starting out with warm Santa Fe Soup and all the yummy toppings and sides, pumpkin cake and brownies, and then we moved outside by the fire to enjoy some fun fellowship and smores of perfection!

Below, Kat looks like she's frizzling! :)Ben & Virginia cuddle to keep warm!
Same with JP & Megan, although JP did stay in a short-sleeve shirt all night. He must be hot-natured!Russell & I enjoyed the get-together, and we look forward to sharing in some good times around the fireplace with YOU! Give us a shout, and come on over!More pics here!

30 Weeks!!

Russell took this picture, and my response was and still is, "WOW!" Rhys has grown SO much SO quickly! It's amazing to me that we only have 9 1/2 weeks to go! Whew! I pray that the Lord will allow me to continue to enjoy each moment of this pregnancy, as sweet Rhys continues to incubate and develop inside my tummy! It's been a wonderful and truly miraculous experience! So far, I look forward to our next! :)

Rhys weighs in at about 3 pounds this week, measuring about 15.7 inches from head to heel.

Off Roadin' Weekend 2008

Russell and several guys got together for a great outdoor weekend at Gray Rock in Gardendale, Alabama! A couple of guys came all the way from Louisiana and Arkansas! They camped and road their off-roadin' trucks from this passed Friday afternoon through Sunday mid-morning. You'll see lots of pictures of Russell and his tan Jeep, Ryan and his red Jeep, Chris and his white truck, Larry and his yellow Jeep, along with some others! Thank you for all the great pictures, Chris!

Bonjour de Canada!

Just returning from an exciting weekend in Quebec, Canada!

Russell works with a flooring company, and one of their manufacturers hosts a mill tour in Canada each year. This year, I got to tag along! So, in addition to a work trip for Russell, this was our final "Babymoon" before Rhys arrives! Our immediate team from Birmingham...Russell's invited architects and designers...consisted of 4 others, in addition to us...an awesome team!

We all met at the B'ham airport on Saturday morning during the wee 5:00 hour, boarded our flight and arrived in Quebec City about 1:30pm EST. We unloaded our luggage at our ritzy hotel (pictured below), and we were off to find some lunch! I've truly never seen so many eateries in one town or city! So many quaint and cute cafes, restaurants, coffee shops, candy shops, etc! Our choices were many! "Jenn, Ryan, I thought about our trip to New Orleans so often during our stay in Canada! Remember how much we ate over that 4th of July weekend? Yeah, same story here! Russell and I are still recovering from all the food!" We ended up eating pizza waffles at a cute little waffle shop just down the street from our hotel in Old Quebec City.

Above, the wall/bridge leading into Old Quebec City, just below our hotel...

Above, our Pizza Waffle lunch cafe! Asparagus Pizza Waffle below. Yum!

We then walked around the city in the 40 degree, misty weather, all bundled up in our outdoor attire and gear. We made it back to the hotel a short while later, where I hung up my wet jeans to air dry so that I could take a nice, long HOT bath then nap before dinner!

Dinner...a whole subject for itself! It was phenomenal! We dined at Portofino...you guessed it...Italiano! We were lavished with wonderful red and white wines (yes, I taste tested EVERYthing!), appetizers such as fried fresh Parmesan, smoked Salmon, Salami, Bruschetta, other specialty cheeses and meats! I thought that was dinner, but we were then given dinner menus. I was already full! However, I didn't hold back! I ordered a mouth watering, buttery linguine tossed with crabmeat and leak. I was told to save room for dessert, too! Whether I saved room or not, I ordered on command ;), and I devoured my Chocolate Truffle cake, along with coaching Russell on ordering the Tiramisu so that I could taste test that, too! :) Dinner seriously lasted at least 2 or 3 hours! It was absolutely delicious and overly filling! I admit, I did NOT want to see food for a while! :)


The next day, Sunday, we toured the city, and I thought of many of you...

Notice the amazing architecture throughout Old Quebec!

Erika, the above and below pics are for you! :) I know your appreciation for quaint, historic village settings!

Stephanie, the above picture is for you...I thought of you when we passed by this quaint art store! :)

Above, one of many gorgeous cathedrals!

Below, Sarah, my sweet architect friend :), this picture is for you! I thought of you when Russell pointed out the curved facade! Amazing!

Darby, Jenn, I totally thought of you two when I took these pics (above and below)...all the shops had the most adorable decorations adorning their facades! I just wanted to go into each shop because of the tastefully decorated and inviting front awnings!


Below, a beautiful, HUGE mural! Quebec has so much character!

Sunday night, we were yet again 'wined & dined' to the max! This time a steak house! For starters, we were served some kind of patte (yuck! I learned that I cannot stand for my food to be mashed and blended together into a mousse-like texture that looks like dessert but tastes like some kind of meat! I much prefer to eat the original texture and know what I'm eating, thank you very much!) I did enjoy, however, the wonderful sour dough bread, fried brie, shrimp cocktail, a wonderful baked mushroom and cream cheese spread and more! As if all of that was not enough, we were once again given dinner menus...I ordered a fabulous French onion soup, of which I ate every bite and sip! :) I did order some kind of a fish, steamed vegetable and rice dish, but I hardly touched it. Sad, but it wasn't worth the room in my tummy, as I looked forward to dessert time! Even with Rhys in my tummy, I did manage to squeeze in some yummy desserts! I enjoyed a smooth and creamy chocolate mousse dome (Ashley, Dan, y'all would've LOVED this!) with vanilla icecream and chocolate covered strawberries. Once again, stuffed beyond my limit.

Our final day, Russell was off to treat his clients to a mill tour! I was literally alone from waking up at 6am until 8:00 that night! I'd really prayed toward this day, asking that the Lord would give me His peace, strength and courage in getting out and about in the city...to not be lonely, scared or too bored on my own. The Lord really provided, as I spent several hours walking through Old and New Quebec, shopping, eating breakfast and lunch by myself (I've always feared having to eat out all alone! Now, I know that I can do it!), going back to the hotel for rest and naps, reading by the hotel's fireplace, and constantly praising the Lord for leading me through the day. I was so thankful at the end of the day for more than 'surviving' a day to myself in a big city with mostly French-speaking strangers surrounding me! I admit, at one point during the day, I told myself that I was so ready to get away from all of the French speaking...I needed some English-speaking fellowship! :) Russell and his team returned just shy of 8:00 that evening. By then, I was too exhausted to do anything but eat a turkey sub from Subway (yay for a simple turkey sandwich! :)), pack, set my alarm for 4:00am EST and go to sleep!

We're home safe & sound, with a wonderful experience to remember and share! I praise the Lord for the richly fulfilling time with HIM and with my husband! What a wonderful Babymoon! "Okay, Rhys, we're 'officially' ready for you!" ;)

All Canada trip pics here!

Anniversary Delight with the Wright's!!

Russell & I were spoiled, once again, last night to a delightful evening with Rusty & Claudia. After their visit here last weekend, they continued on to Chattanooga, TN for a gorgeous trip through all the mountains and changing Fall leaf colors. Then, they came back through yesterday evening and treated us to dinner on their anniversary! :) "Thank you!! Thank you!!" The treat was certainly in the fun evening of fellowship, which, of course, led us back to the house for a couple of games of Joker!! "We'll get 'em next time, Claudia! Thanksgiving's just around the corner!!"

Dinner consisted of lots and lots of crab legs at Joe's Crab Shack! YUM! We started out with an appetizer of shrimp. Then, our waitress brought out bibs, 'tools' :) and hand wipes...preparation for a messy but yummy din-din! The crab truly was delicious! All the yummy sides, too. I had actually ordered Maui Mahi (ie, eaten via fork...no 'tools' necessary :)) because I wasn't so sure about the whole idea of using tools to get to my meat. :) Everyone encouraged me to try the crab, and it was delicious and not too terribly difficult to get to. Of course, we, then, splurged on dessert...the best and most beautiful Bananas Foster I've ever seen, along with an IBC Root Beer Float! :)

Happy 37th Anniversary, Rusty & Claudia (aka, Papa & Grandmom ;))!!! May the Lord continue to bless your marriage and lives together to His glory! Amen!!

It was just too cute that they were so well coordinated in their browns and we were so well coordinated in our blues! Certainly not planned! :)

P.S. Rhys seemed to enjoy the crab and seafood, too! He was movin' and pokin' around very excitedly, hopefully enjoying his meal! :)

Rhys' Nursery - Thank you, Baba & Mama Nili & Aunt Soraya

Rhys' room is coming together beautifully! Thanks to his grandparents, Baba and Mama Nili, and his Aunt Soraya, he has furniture!! It has all come in, and Russell has put it all together...all by himself, in fact! I went to Bible study last Wednesday evening and came home to this!

The crib will convert to a day bed and then a double bed!! There's even a functional drawer underneath to store diapers, clothes, etc.

The dresser is SO nice! Huge drawers, and the changing station on top will be so helpful for changing Rhys' diapers! Russell chose the Nautica theme, so when we saw this sailboat lamp, we immediately liked it! The blue shade offers a soft, sweet color when the lamp is on at night. Notice the mirror, too!Finally, the most comfortable of all...the glider and ottoman. I've found Russell sitting (ie, gliding away!!) in it at night, reading or just resting. :) I'm wondering if I'll be able to stay awake in the comfort of this chair while feeding Rhys at crazy hours! :) We'll see!

"Thank you, Baba, Mama & Soraya! We appreciate SO MUCH these generous gifts! Your grandson and nephew ;) will enjoy growing up with this nice furniture, as it should serve him for years to come!"

Showering Rhys with LOTS of Love

Rhys, you are SO loved already, and you're only 28 weeks old! I wish you could've seen all the love that was showered over you this passed Saturday, as our sweet friends threw us a baby shower!"

"Thank you, girls!! We love each of you!!!"

Sculpting A Miracle

We had our 28-week doctor's appointment yesterday, and Rhys measures in at 45th percentile! I'm still not completely sure what that means, but the doctor says with a big smile of encouragement that Rhys is healthy, growing and measuring perfectly for his age! :) Mommy & Baby are both right where we're supposed to be! Yippee!

We absolutely praise the Lord for this praise-worthy update! We won't go back to our doc until the first of December, at which time we'll start going every 2 weeks...how exciting!! Having a child becomes more real each day!

Russell's parents spent the weekend with us...Saturday morning through Monday afternoon. Our time together was truly fulfilling, as God continues to bless each of our hearts through deepening those relationships and now carrying us into sweet life transitions, as we look forward to being parents, and Rusty and Claudia look forward to meeting their first grandson! Speaking of meeting their first grandson, I am so thankful that the Lord worked it out for Grandmom and Papa to stay in town just long enough to join us for our final ultrasound!

We only waited a few anxious minutes in the waiting room when they called, "Wright." Next thing the sweet ultrasound technician sees is Rusty, Claudia, Russell and I all piling into the small room to watch Rhys on the big screen! :) It was a sweet time to share with family, and after seeing the pictures and hearing his strong heart beat, we all anxiously await meeting this little miracle!

As you can see, Rhys wants his facial features to remain a mystery! :) For all 20 or so minutes, he hid his face with his arms and hands. Chris, one of Russell's best friends and accountability partners, says, "He sounds hostile and suspicious like his dad." Very funny, Chris. :)

We did, however, get a couple of amazing pictures of his leg and foot! Looks like a sculpture, huh!?!? What a great reminder that GOD is indeed sculpting this little fella to HIS perfection and glory!

I will also note that we have confirmed that this child is indeed a BOY! :) This was a small concern for us, particularly after some friends just recently had a boy, expecting a girl! We saw Rhys' evidence, and Russell is an excited daddy! He's ready to start teaching Rhys the lessons and 'dangers' (thank you, Ryan & Jenn!) of life in the great outdoors!! :)

"Thank you, again, Papa & Grandmom, for postponing your road trip to come to the ultrasound with us!! It was so good for our hearts to be able to share that once-in-a-lifetime experience with you! We're looking forward to seeing you on Thursday evening - your anniversary!! yay!!! - when you swing back through town!! Love you!!"

27 Weeks & Good News from the Doc!

Rhys and I passed our glucose test last week! I actually really liked the drink...like a highly-concentrated Sunkist without the fizz. :) Praise the Lord, we are gestational diabetes free!!

I also got to hear Rhys' heartbeat, which was good and strong! I asked our doctor if we'd have another opportunity for an ultrasound so that we could see Rhys at least one more time in the womb. At his "Yes" response, I just about leapt from the patient's chair! Yay!! We are scheduled for our next ultrasound for next Monday, November 3rd.

Gosh, Rhys has been so active, recently, which has been so sweet and fun. I was sitting in Bible study last Wednesday night, and I pinched a girlfriend and told her, "Rhys is moving!!" She got to feel him poking around in there! :)

We're 27 weeks, just over 6 and a half months! Rhys should weigh about 2 pounds, measuring about 14 1/2 inches long. Wow! I'm excited to see him next week on the big screen!! :) Before we know it, Rhys will be here! Especially with the rush of the holiday season coming!! We're thrilled!!

Another New Baby!! Welcoming Andrew Joel Murphy!!

I got to visit Katie Murphy and her new little man, Andrew Joel, this week! I just sat there, holding this sweet, warm bundle of joy, while Mommy Katie & I caught up. Both are healthy and learning a lot that I'm about to be embarking upon...oh, goodness. :)

Katie & Mike just brought Andrew Joel into the world a little over a week ago, and they're MOVING to a new house this weekend! Gutsy, guys! ;) No, really...I know that this is the Lord's timing, and that He will continue to more than sustain you guys through the difficulty.

I enjoyed our visit, Katie! I look forward to seeing you guys as a family soon! :) Love y'all!

Stacey's Stitches

I've waited to post this until I was able to give out the below gifts...I didn't want the recipients to find their gifts on my blog before they got them! :)

The creative talents of sewing, monogramming, embroidering, etc. impress me so much! I guess because I feel so inadequate to create something so beautiful and creative! I have no clue when it comes to a needle and thread. I'll just leave it to my girlfriends and support their businesses!

I just have to brag on Stacey Picardy...a recently new mommy, who has just found her niche and interest in this line of creativity! Check out her online business - Stacey's Stitches - for more of her gift ideas and incredibly affordable prices!

I asked Stacey a couple of weeks ago...on a Wednesday...if she'd be able to make me the below burp cloth for a baby shower that I needed to go to that Saturday. I just gave her some ideas, and she brought it to me in TWO days! It was just over $10, girls! You can't beat the convenience and great price of such a custom-made, sweet gift! AND, most importantly, the burp cloth was very appreciated by Kathryn!! :)

Look below at how Stacey packages it! So cute!

Stacey made me this decorative, linen towel for a friend's birthday...again, very elegant and very affordable...UNDER $10, y'all! Unbelievable...for such a beautiful gift!

"Thank you, Stacey! Looking forward to calling on you with my next gift need!!"

Kathryn's Baby Shower

We girls had a great time last night in celebration over Kathryn's second coming baby!

Larry & Kathryn Hipp already have sweet Georgia Kate, and the Lord is now blessing them with a baby boy in the mix! One of each! How fun! We enjoyed showering Kathryn & Baby Lincoln with fun gifts and ooh's and ah's with all kinds of fun conversation...mostly about babies!

Several of the girls at the shower are pregnant or have babies! So, the center of talk was certainly all the other babies, right along with coming Baby Lincoln! :)

Left to Right:
Myself (due in Jan), Laura Broom, Lindsay Murray (due with #2 in March), Jenn deVilleneuve (just had #2!!) holding her newborn, Christian (1 month old!), Kathryn Hipp (due in Dec with #2), Sandy Phelps (due in Feb), Michelle Long (due in Jan).

"Congrats, Larry, Kathryn & Georgia Kate...okay, okay, and Bernie (the Bassett Hound :))!! We're excited for you guys and look forward to meeting Lincoln SOON!!" ;)

Date Night - Part Deux

A little over a week ago, Russell and I decided to reincorporate date nights into our schedule, in order to be more intentional in our quality time together. I got to create the first date night plans! I chose for us to go out to dinner and go through a fun list of questions to keep us communicating, which fulfills me! :) We both had a great time! Next date night would be Russell's choice, and I was truly curious what he would request that we do with our time together.

Well, Russell is a outdoorsy man, and no activity fulfills him more than losing himself in his outdoor hobbies! One of his answers to my questions was that he really wants me to experience true camping with him. I'm so darn cold-natured that I shy away from cold-weather camping. Russell's ideal camping weather is freezing temps, guys! So, you can sympathize with my hesitation. However, with a son on the way and Russell dreaming more and more about family camping trips, I knew that I needed to go ahead and 'get my feet wet!' I knew that we didn't have any plans for this Friday night or Saturday, so I suggested we go camping! We did!

Alabama has so many camping options! We ended up going to Desoto Caverns in Childersburg, AL, which is only 40 minutes from our house! We loaded up the Jeep yesterday afternoon with all of our camping gear, stopped on the way for firewood, and we had a truly wonderful night and morning together around the campfire! Gosh, we had the best, deepest conversations about our childhoods, expectations, thankfulness for where God has us at this time in our lives, what God is teaching us in our individual walks with Him and fun dreaming together about our future family, etc!

After we set up the tent, Russell immediately started up our fire! YAY! :) It kept us warm into the late hours of last night. Then, he started up another beautiful fire this morning about 6:00! Temperatures started about 60 degrees last night, constantly dropping down to about 43 this morning! Chilly!

I took the above shot in "color swap" mode...thought it was pretty neat!Above, our home for the night! Our sleeping bags kept us SO warm! "Thank you, Ryan, for letting me borrow yours! I want one just like it!! It worked great!!" I was VERY impressed because I'm VERY cold natured! Russell also coached me on how to layer appropriately in order to stay warm in the sleeping bag...quality thermals, socks and a beanie cap accessible if my head got cold during the night's sleep! I did end up using the beanie. I was so cozy and warm that it was actually refreshing to get out into the cold for my THREE potty breaks (beside our nearby tree) during the night! :) Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go! I was only spooked once during our night...when I heard what I thought might have been a fox just outside our tent, but Russell hissed at it, and it left us alone!

Hidden in a little hide-away at the caverns just before we headed home.

"Way to go, Honey! I enjoyed camping, and I'm ready to go again!"