Happy Anniversary!!!

It's so hard to believe that today Sean and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary. So much has happened in those 3 years and so many more exciting things are about to happen. When we met in college 6 years ago, we could have never planned our lives out this way but now I can't imagine them any other way. I'm so thankful for having such a sweet and loving husband to share my life with. I'm so excited to become parents together and begin the next wonderful chapter of our lives. Happy Anniversary honey!

I love these verses from our wedding: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13)

"Babymoon" Getaway

Sean and I had really hoped to have a chance to getaway together for a weekend before Porter gets here. Since we both had time off for Christmas, we thought this would be a great time to celebrate Christmas/our Anniversary/Porter coming all at once. We had such a great time! The Christmas snow almost kept us from going, but we decided to brave it anyways :) I'm so thankful we did- it was beautiful! Our hotel was on the top of a mountain in Gatlinburg so we were able to see all of Gatlinburg and the snow covered mountains. We did have some interesting experiences (i.e.- getting snowed in the hotel and having to eat at the hotel restaurant along with the other 15 floors of guests!, getting cold showers because the hot water couldn't reach to the 15th floor, being on the 15th floor- most people might have enjoyed that...the glass elevator and my fear of heights made that one interesting :) Other than the minor details we had so much fun being able to getaway and enjoy some time together. The picture doesn't quite do it justice, but this is the view we woke up to Monday morning.

He's finished!!!

After a very long and trying year and a half of hard work, Sean is finished with his Master's in Accounting. I am so proud of him and all of the hard work and late nights he has put in to complete it. He's somehow managed to keep up working full-time, working on his CPA, moving, and keeping a pregnant wife happy all in the meantime. I could not be more thankful for a hard-working husband that is so dedicated to me and everything else he does. I know he will set a wonderful example for our son. Way to go honey- I'm so proud of you!

The Third Trimester Begins...

Last Friday was the beginning of the third trimester for us. I'm getting so unbelievably excited yet so unbelievably nervous! Our little countdown reminded me today that we have 81 days left- oh my! I can't wait to meet this little guy, I just hope we'll be ready. Then again, is anyone really completely ready for their first baby? I'm sure there will be things undone even when he comes- oh well, we'll be so glad to have him here with us. As we sat at home this weekend- yes a weekend at home, thank goodness, we realized that we have around 11 of those weekends left as just the two of us (wow!). There's so much we can't wait to do with him. He is really moving a lot these days and it's so fun to feel like we can interact with him. He definitely loves Sean's voice. He'll always wake up to play when he hears Daddy- I still vote he'll be a mama's boy though :) He loves to move around and show off but night time is still his favorite! I can't wait to meet him and see what his personality will be like. Here's the 28 week shot:

Christmas Tree oh Christmas Tree!!!

So thanks to my ever so hardworking husband the decorations have been discovered and the tree is decorated! It's beautiful and makes things feel so cozy in our living room. I think even Porter was pretty excited- if a few extra kicks count as excitement :) We're so enjoying getting ready for Christmas in our new house and so excited to know that this time next year we'll have a little 9 month old boy helping us decorate around here. What a blessing this sweet little boy is already! And for your (ok I actually mean my) viewing pleasure- the tree...

We're moved in!!!

Ok, so I didn't say unpacked- I just said we're moved in. It's been a process and the Lord is definitely teaching me patience! I am so thankful that things went well at closing and we're officially homeowners (as of November 23rd). We have such sweet family and friends that came to help us move and clean- thank you, thank you!! Now begins the wonderful journey of unpacking and settling in. 'Nesting' has officially set in which makes it quite hard to sit back and stare at unpacked boxes and a very lonely Christmas tree- the decorations are somewhat M.I.A.   :)  However, we are confident that the Lord provides and we have been blessed in so many ways throughout the whole process- meeting new neighbors, spending some quality time together minus cable and internet, and being able to start setting up Porter's nursery!! We're beginning a wonderful and so exciting journey of learning this whole homeowning process and preparing to welcome our son. I'm trying to ignore the boxes and unpainted rooms enough to savor every moment. Here's a current favorite- our first dinner in our new house (minus tablecloth and don't worry it's just sparkling cider)

We'll have plenty more house pictures asap...stay tuned! Meanwhile- prayers would be appreciated as Sean finishes his last week of classes next week and he'll be DONE with his Master's- horray!! And my 28 week glucose test is this Friday- those of you that know me know how I feel about needles.

Christmas Tree Trip

One of my favorite traditions every year is going to get a Christmas tree in Boone. We always go to the same place to get the tree and The Daniel Boone Inn has become the designated 'after Christmas tree dinner' spot- amazing food for those of you that haven't been! This year was a little different knowing that next year we'll have a 9 month old along for the ride...I can't wait! Times like this make me so thankful for a wonderful family to share holiday traditions with.

24 Weeks and a Closing Date!!!

This has been an exciting week for us and an answer to countless prayers! God is good and is teaching us patience and trust through this whole experience. I am so thankful for such a wonderful husband that has been handling our housing process from the financial end. Needless to say, my expertise as a Kindergarten teacher hasn't brought much to the table where loans and bank issues are concerned! In early October, we looked at a house that we instantly fell in love with. We loved everything about the house and had that "right" feeling. After deciding to make an offer, we officially began the process of buying a house. So many prayers have been answered throughout the whole process to make all of it happen that we feel confident we have made the right decision. We are so appreciative of all of the prayers and support from family and friends and are right now set to close November 23rd. We know we're not in the clear until we actually close though, so please keep the prayers coming! This is going to be a crazy month as Sean finishes his Master's in December and takes another CPA section on November 30th. Oh yeah, me and Porter aren't much help with the whole moving process either :) Our plans are to paint on Wednesday (the 24th) and move on Sunday (the 28th). Any available people are more than welcome (we pay in pizza and cupcakes haha)! (House pictures to come after moving day...)

In baby news, we had our 6 month appt. on Friday and things are going well. I'm measuring right on time and Porter's heart rate was great. I'm feeling like we might not have such a small baby on our hands here though. I feel like I have doubled overnight! We are so enjoying him growing because we're being able to feel him kicking and moving around frequently. He seems to be quite a nocturnal baby, which I'm hoping might reverse by March (wishful thinking!). I can't say enough how thankful we are for this sweet blessing in our lives. My prayers right now are that he would continue to grow and be healthy and that God will give me wisdom and guidance to prepare me to be his mommy. It seems kind of crazy (and still a little unnerving) that we will be meeting our little boy in less than 16 weeks now! Here's our 6 month photo shoot:

Shopping with Nonni and Pumpkin Carving

We had such a fun weekend getting to spend some time with my mom (Porter's Nonni) and enjoy some Halloween fun! My mom came over Saturday for us to go baby shopping and out to lunch. I think we went to every place in Charlotte that sells anything baby :) . I loved having that time so spend with her just walking around shops and talking. She is such a sweet mom and is going to be an amazingly sweet Nonni to Porter. We got to enjoy a wonderful lunch at Cheesecake Factory also. Bread (for whatever reason) has become a recent craving and theirs was amazing! And some lunch pictures...

 

Another favorite tradition at the Mitchell house is to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and carve a pumpkin. This year's pumpkin was a Yankee pumpkin as Sean's still a little bitter they didn't make it into the World Series this year. He seems to be so busy these days between work, school, and CPA which makes me appreciate our time together so much! He is such a sweet husband and is going to be a wonderful daddy to Porter. And the Yankee pumpkin...

21 weeks

I can't believe another week has already passed! It feels like hours ago we were finding out that our little Porter is a boy. I told Sean he might be in trouble...I could be one of those people that likes being pregnant a little too much to only have 2 kids: 2=his number, mine's a little higher :) . We'll see how labor/delivery and sleepless nights changes our perspective on the matter. (Ask us in a year or so)

This week was pretty exciting for us. Sean has been able to feel Porter moving for the first time. He's quite an active little guy right now. We think he may be getting hiccups in the evenings also. We can see my stomach jumping for a couple minutes and then it stops. It's fun to feel like we're beginning to be able to bond with him. He seems to like when I rub my stomach, he will usually always move then.  I'm feeling pretty torn between really loving being pregnant and being so anxious to meet our son.

Here is our 21 week picture:

Baby Boy Pictures

I've always heard people say that the love you have for your child is unlike any other love. After being pregnant with this little boy for 5 months, I am beginning to understand what they meant. Sean and I are both so proud of him and already think he's the cutest little boy in the world. I'm willing to talk about him to anyone that will listen :) We both love him so much already and can't quit talking about him and the things we can't wait to do with him.

It was amazing to be able to see a little face to put with the thoughts/feelings we've been having about him. I can't wait to meet him and be able to hold and cuddle him. Until then, pictures will have to suffice. Here are some of our favorites from the ultrasound.

It's a BOY!!

Ok, so I was wrong and I'm totally ok with that! :) However, Sean is loving his small moment of being right. Our ultra sound was amazing and this little boy definitely wanted us to see that he was a boy. It was the first shot we got and was quite clear. The last time we saw him was at 8 weeks and he was such a peanut then. It was so wonderful to see his sweet face, arms, and legs. He was moving so much during the scan so we were able to see him sucking his thumb, moving his mouth, kicking his legs, and covering up his face. He is 10 inches long and weighs 14 oz. It's crazy to think he weighs almost a pound already.

Everything with the scan was great. They checked the heart, brain, umbilical cord, spine, bones, diaphram, etc. They all measured fine and I can't say enough what an answer to prayers it is to know that our little boy is growing and so healthy. He truly is fearfully and wonderfully made and we are so thankful for this sweet little blessing. We are so in love with this little boy already and I can't wait to be his mommy. We are so grateful for the sweet thoughts and prayers that have already gone out for our family and feel truly blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!

(I will put some pictures as soon as I scan them)

Tomorrow's the big day!!!

Our big appointment is at 4:00 tomorrow to find out whether this little one is a boy or a girl. Just for the record: I think girl, Sean thinks boy. We'll see who's right :) We both have somewhat mixed emotions about tomorrow being 5 months along. It has gone by so fast and we're both so excited to meet this baby already. We're praying for a healthy report tomorrow and are so anxious to see baby again. 8 weeks was the last ultrasound we had and it was such a peanut then. Tomorrow is going to look so different, I'm sure. Check back tomorrow for the results...

Fall Cookies

I'm not sure if it's the teacher in me or my mom (love you mom!), but I have a serious love for holidays and seasons. Each holiday and season has its own traditions and festivities, in my family anyways. One of my favorite parts of marriage has been for Sean and I to create our own traditions that we'll do with our kids. I could go on forever here, so I'll spare you and just say there are quite a few. I've been making sugar cookies with festive icing and sprinkles for a while now, but have yet to master the decorating part of the cookies. They never quite turn out like the picture in my mind. I'll continue to call them a work in progress. I certainly have fun with it, but let's just say they won't be selling any time soon! I so look forward to being able to do things like this with our kids as they get old enough. Hey, at least I'll have someone else to blame the decorations on :) Being pregnant has me always thinking of all of the fun things we'll be able to do as a family once our little one is here. For your Monday enjoyment...I decided to share a picture of the masterpieces. (BTW...All suggestions welcome!)

From Tofu to Corndogs...

So for those of you that know me well, you'll know how monumental this night was :)

From the beginning- 15 years ago I became a vegetarian (not an animal rights issue, I just didn't like the taste of meat). However, 3 years ago when Sean and I started eating together every night we discovered just how hard meals were going to be because he did not like ANY vegetables and I didn't eat any meat. The compromise was he eats salads, green beans, and well that's as far as we made it. My end of the deal was to start eating chicken. I have only eaten chicken since then and have had no desire to change that. Needless to say, Sean has had high hopes that pregnancy would bring about some meat cravings. I was very sure that wouldn't happen. Well, for the last probably 6 weeks I have not been able to stop thinking about...corndogs! I know, probably the strangest form of meat to want after not having eaten it for so long. I finally decided I couldn't wait any longer...I gave in! Our dinner tonight was none other than Cook Out corndogs and I have to say that it was the most amazing thing I have had in a long time. I know without doubt that this has to be chalked up to a pregnancy craving because I would have never, I mean never eaten a corndog!!!

Someone please tell me I'm not the only one out there with strange cravings...

Welcome to our blog!

So I finally gave in...we have a blog. This might take some getting used to so I am making no promises of speedy updates for the time being  :) However, we do have some exciting things happening that I'd love to share for now...

Baby news...In case you didn't know by now, yes we do have a baby on the way. My due date is March 4th and we could not be more excited! This sweet little baby has been an immense blessing to our lives even at 18 weeks old. The joy, excitement, sheer terror, and continued array of emotions has definitely set in- ok maybe that's hormones. Today is 18 weeks 2 days for this little one and it has already become such a huge part of our lives. I am so excited to say that in only 12 days we will know whether we're seeing pink or blue. October 15th is the big ultrasound day! It would seem that most people's favorite question is what our preference for the gender is. My honest answer- a healthy baby! We'd love to know your predictions though :)

In other news...we are officially house hunters! We have been praying for a while now for God's will to be revealed in our lives and for us to know with certainty whether we should persue looking for a house or stay where we are (renting) for a while longer. As doors continued to open, it became clear that now is the time for us to begin our search. While house hunting can be exciting I wish someone had informed me that the show House Hunters is not entirely accurate. After looking at 3 houses, you are not in fact guaranteed to like/want to buy one of them. (Ok, don't judge- I said we were new at this!) We've only been looking for a short time and there are many, many great houses out there. However, this is without question the largest/most significant purchase of our 25-year-old lives. Needless to say, we could use some prayer for wisdom, guidance, and discernment through this journey. We would love to be moved by the time the baby comes, but we'll see how that goes.