We got a juicer!!

I know, I know...I'm weird to be excited about a juicer, but that's me!

We stopped at Mike's grandparents house on our way home in June and they had a juicer out on their counter. I made a comment in passing that I wouldn't mind having a juicer...I eat my veggies and try to eat fruit but I know I don't get enough of the nutrients from them! A juicer would be a way for me to get different nutrients in an easy way. Two days later, we were at Mike's parents house and they told us they bought themselves a juicer (the same kind as his grandparents) and decided to get us one as well!! I was soooooo excited! :) So, we got the juicer last week sometime and Mike picked up some fruit and veggies for us to try it out!

It looks kind of gross as each item juices!! The colors don't mesh and kind of stay seperated until you stir it!

It took him a second to decide if he like it!

I liked mine but did decide I wouldn't use grapefruit in mine again. I'm not a fan of the taste!

I got to see my friends Kim and Angie last night!

They are in San Antonio for a few days to celebrate Kim's birthday and visit Kim's brother. I was so excited to get to see them!! They are part of my Bible study group in Midland and I've enjoyed getting to know these girls over the last few years! They've seen us go through all of our ups and downs...Thanks for the great night girls!! Send my hugs to everyone!!

We ate at Chuy's (where else??) and we got to sing to Kim for her birthday!

Peaches...

Baby Bryant is now the size of a peach! It is hard to figure out the size because fruits vary in size within each type of fruit...but, for now, the baby is a peach! Just 7 weeks ago, the baby was the size of a blueberry!!

More development details:

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries.

I know some of you may be creeped out by reading the development details but I find it SOOOO fascinating! And to read that if it is a girl, she has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries!!! WOW!! Isn't it crazy to realize that God forms us for creation while we are still in the womb?? I am in awe of God as our creator every time I read an update on size and development or see a picture of our baby inside my belly...He truly does put his fingerprints all over us from the time of conception...I love that I serve a God who loved me so much that He started on me from my very beginning!! And that He continues to love me and develop me in a different way as I live my life now.

My mom and step-dad visited last weekend and we had a great time!

We went to the Goliad Market Days and did as much shopping and browsing as we could stand in the heat!! We found a few things we couldn't live without!

Mike was off browsing through a booth full of seasonings so he didn't make this picture! I'm sure he'd say it was worth it!!

I LOVE my mom!! and I especially love when she visits! When I go home she has to share me with everyone else, but when she visits me, the time is all ours! I'm so lucky to have a mom who accepts me for who I am and loves me through everything. I'm so excited to have her as my kids' grandmother...we still haven't come up with her "grandparent name" yet. She'll be a GREAT grandparent!!

I LOVE YOU MOM!!

This is my mom's cousin Lynn's son, Tanner...he enjoyed the icing at the bakery where we ate lunch! I have to agree!! It was YUMM-O!

3 cows in one week!

Okay...so maybe they didn't look quite like this one!

I LOVE being in the country...there are definitely perks to living in the city...and I do miss them from time to time...but seeing 3 cows loose in one week makes for a fun drive to work! Also, there's a baby calf in the Children's Home's pasture! It is super cute!!

Plums, kitties, and a house!

Baby Bryant is now the size of a plum! We're working our way up the fruit list!!

I just wanted to share a new pictures of Rowdie and his FAVORITE snoozing spot! He has some of the funniest positions!

Here are some before and after pics of the house Mike's crew worked on at World Changers. It is awesome to see the difference!

We had our second doctor's appointment yesterday and everything went well. Not much happened but we did get to have another ultrasound! This time, we got a DVD of the baby's movement!! Towards the end, the baby started kicking and stretching and flipping...it was a lot of fun to watch and I'm excited to have it on a DVD. They will use measurements from the ultrasound, along with some bloodwork, to determine if there could be any genetic disorders with the baby. We won't find out until our next appointment...in 5 weeks!!

I got some of my baby fix today though...my co-worker Vicki has twin grandbabies and they came to visit!! I enjoyed getting to meet Scott and Lisa as well as the twins, Noah and Lily. I have been able to see the babies and get to know Lisa a little through her blog so it was fun to meet them in person. The babies are adorable and were fun to have around the office!

My mom and Craig are coming to visit this weekend!! I'm super excited! We hoped my Nana would come with them but some things came up. I'm excited for Craig to see our house and where we live, and I'm ALWAYS excited to see my mom!!

That's all for now...I hope you all are having a FANTASTIC week!

Encouraging and Inspiring evening

Last night was a great evening of sharing the things God taught our youth (and sponsors) during youth camp and our mission trip. Our youth were able to share with the church congregation the awesome things God is doing in their lives...their stories were so sincere and from the heart! I am SO excited about the things God is doing in their lives!! What a GREAT start to the school year!

After the share time, the youth didn't want to go home...so, it was over to the gym to hang out! We ordered pizza and the girls and I made a McDonald's run ($1 Large drinks!!). It was a great time to just hang out and finish up the night!

It's great to have Mike home. Even though I saw him a few times during the week, it is still hard when he is gone. We aren't apart very often so when we are, I feel it! We have our next doctor's appointment tomorrow. They'll do some testing to make sure everything is going good with the baby's development. I'll make sure and post something soon after the appointment, although I don't know that we will learn anything tomorrow.

Have a FABULOUS, God praising day!!

limes, limes, and more limes

Baby Bryant is now the size of a lime!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW!! What a big jump from a few weeks ago when it was a blueberry or a raspberry!

Here's the developmental info for this week:

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through it. But fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds, and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Isn't God's creation AMAZING?!?!?!?!

When looking for a picture of a lime, I found this one as well and HAD to share it! HILARIOUS!

I got a text from Mike early this morning as they were gathering to head out to their work sites. He said they had a really good church group time last night and that God was really breaking down some walls with a few of our youth! I am so excited to hear that things are happening. I had faith that they would but it is good to hear!

With Mike gone, I'm leading our youth time tonight! I haven't been the leader of a group in a while and am a little excited! Nikki-she helps us on Wednesday nights-and I will be sharing our Faith Stories with the youth. I'm very excited!! I decided to focus on the place they are at in their lives-teenage years! I always love getting to share how God transformed my life!! and...I'm excited to hear Nikki's story. I'm sure ours are polar opposites but I think that will be good. That will help the youth identify with either story.

Mike's picture is up on the World Changers site! It is mixed in with all the others from yesterday but if you'd like to take a look, the website is in the post below. His picture is in the group from July 28.

Hope everyone is having a FANTASTIC day and week!!

Want to see pictures and read updates about the World Changers mission trip that Mike and the youth are on this week??? Check out the website below!!

http://blogs.world-changers.net/corpus-christi-tx-july-25-august-1/

As I type this, there is a funeral going on in Andrews for the father of 2 girls I grew up with. Although we weren't super close friends, I've known them my entire lives, attended the same church as them as children, and we were involved in many of the same things during school. I knew their dad...he was such a nice guy...and everyone in town knew Jerry. He will be greatly missed in the community of Andrews! Kelsey and Korey, I'm so sorry for your loss...

I forget sometimes how much I'm affected by the memories of attending the Church of Christ (COC for my typing sake!). We attended the COC until I was in 7th grade and for the most part, those my age that attended had attended from birth as well. Although I have my own issues with the church, I do have many good memories of our time there. My mom sent me a message from the funeral saying she had a Hymnal dedicated to a friend of mine that passed away when we were in the 6th grade. That got me thinking about those memories. I can't think about Cole and not think about my time at the COC.

We all have things in our past that, when mentioned, can take us back to a time or place in an instant. Hearing the news about Jerry and hearing Cole's name took me back. What is it for you??

Fruit of the day...Prunes!

So....I opted for a picture of prunes before they are dried. They looked so unappealing shriveled up!! This week--week 10--Baby Bryant is the size of a prune. Here's what is happening this week!

With bones and cartilage starting to form and vital organs beginning to function, baby is making major progress. Body length will almost double in the next three weeks, and arm joints are now working. (Soon, legs will too.)

My baby's arm joints are working!! YEA! lol

Better late than never!

I finally found the cord for my camera! YEA!! So, these pics are a little old but since no one has seen them yet, they are new to you!!

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My dad and sister came to visit a few weeks ago and we had a great time! We traveled to Rockport and explored the town...it was a neat place and now that we know what is there, we can plan out next trip better.

Group picture in our dining room!

Mike, Christy, and I went out on a pier. It was neat to be that far off the land...we watched some jellyfish floating around! I am fascinated by jellyfish!

Christy being herself!

Us on the pier.

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A few weeks ago, we had a visitor at the Children's Home...a bunny!

Jacque (lady I work with) and I were watching it through the window when we realized it was licking the water from the sprinkler off the grass! How sad that it is so dry here!!

Introducing...Baby Bryant!

We had our first appointment yesterday at Victoria Women's Clinic and everything went well! They confirmed that I am 10 weeks and was even able to do a sonogram! Seeing the pictures and knowing this little creation was inside me growing was an amazing experience! I though I would get emotional the first time I saw our baby but I was just amazed! My camera is dead (long story of why I haven't charged it! Hopefully tonight!) so Mike took a picture of the print out with his phone, texted it to my sis, and had her email me from her blackberry. All that said, the picture isn't great but it shows you our little blessing!! We go back in two weeks!!

Green Olives

We made it back safely from Youth Camp!! We had such a great week...it was a different experience being at camp pregnant though! I had to rest a bit more than I planned! God did some amazing things through our youth!! Three youth began their walks with God and one finally gave in and surrendered to the ministry! He has been struggling with that for some time now. We are so excited to see him follow God's calling on his life. And we are SUPER excited for the 3 that decided to follow God with their lives! There were MANY that felt God speaking to them regarding different things and we are so grateful for the week and what was learned during our time away.

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Mike and Stacy (one of our youth's mom) leave with 11 youth on Saturday for a mission trip in Corpus through the World Changers organization. They will be participating in construction work Monday-Friday. I was supposed to join them but with the pregnancy, we decided I shouldn't go! I'm disappointed that I don't get to be a part of the mission work our youth will be doing but know it is not safe for me or Baby Bryant. With it being in Corpus, I will go down a few times to join them for nightly worship. I'm SO excited to hear what our youth will learn next week! If you'd like to pray for them by name, there is a list on the Youth's blog. http://www.groundedstudentministries.blogspot.com/

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Speaking of Baby Bryant, we have our first appointment tomorrow!! I can't wait! I feel like we've waited FOREVER for this appointment...it has only been 5 weeks! I don't expect much out of the first visit. A friend of mine goes to the same clinic and said her 1st visit was very uneventful...but, I have to get the first one out of the way to get to the 2nd, 3rd, etc. Oh--and Baby Bryant is the size of a green olive this week! I wouldn't think a green olive was bigger than a raspberry but I guess so! My book also said it was the size of a grape...my question is, what type of grape?? There are tons of different sizes! Oh well, I stick with the olive!

Youth Camp

We leave for camp on Monday!! Please join us in prayer for all the campers and sponsors!
We have MANY campers going that are not regulars or even attenders at the church...please pray that they will be impacted by this week at camp! Also, it is SUPER hot in South Texas right now!! Please pray that the heat will let up just a tad so it is an enjoyable week. I'll be going as a sponsor and am a little nervous about the heat. The heat tends to make me feel sick so hopefully I'll be able to stay in enough.

Thanks for all your prayers! We appreciate them all!!

Raspberries

Baby Bryant is the size of a raspberry this week!!
I love getting the updates of the size in relation to fruit! I think it puts it in perspective for me how much the baby is growing!
Angela says everytime I send her a fruit update, she has eaten that fruit that day! Last week was a blueberry...wonder what next week will be!

Finally!

I'm so excited to finally be blogging about being pregnant! I'm not sure why I was so hesitant on announcing it online...maybe because I've always shared EVERYTHING and wanted to keep this to myself for a little bit. But, Mike and my sister were going CRAZY! They wanted to post things on Facebook so bad! I'm glad they held on until I was ready.

I've felt pretty good until this weekend. I had a hard time with feeling queasy but I think it was due to a hectic schedule. Maybe hectic isn't the right word, but unroutine (if that is even a word)! We went home Father's Day weekend to visit friends and family in West Texas and then had the pleasure of my mom and sister visiting last weekend for Wicked. This weekend, my dad and sister came down Thursday-Sunday so things have been a bit different than normal lately. I'm trying to get rested up before next week--YOUTH CAMP!

I'm excited about Youth Camp but a little nervous. It is so hot down here and I hope I feel well enough to get out and do some things with the youth. But, the majority of them know about Baby Bryant so I'm sure they won't hold it against me! HA!

I hope to have some pictures up soon of this weekend. I always misplace my camera cord so once I find it, I'll upload the pics!

Thanks Sarah Beth!


The rules are:
1. List 10 honest things about yourself that your blogging friends do not know about you.
2. Give the award away to 7 bloggers.
3. Let them know they've received the award.

Let's see......most of you know a lot about me so I'll try and be creative!

1. I love that our 2 cats are on the fat side...I think it makes them super cute!

2. I resisted texting until 2005 because I didn't want it to take over my life! There have been times but overall, it was a great addition to my life!

3. I can't go to sleep at night without a sitcom (Friends, Wings, Home Improvement, etc.) playing. I'll stay awake and think of a million things. As soon as the sitcom is on, I'm OUT!

4. I could drink Skim Milk with every meal! LOVE IT!

5. I still enjoy teenager movies and TV shows. Good thing we're in youth ministry...I can always say it helps me keep in touch with the youth!

6. I'll begin taking courses in the Fall to complete my teacher certification - 8-12 English Language Arts and Reading!

7. I'll pick purple over pink in almost anything if given the choice.

8. I LOVE creative photography...not that I am a creative photographer...but I enjoy looking at it!

9. I have been getting my eyebrows waxed since the 5th grade!!

10. I'm 7 weeks pregnant!! Not many people know about this but I'm making the online announcements this week/weekend!! The "10 things about me" was a good way! I have my first appointment July 21 and according to an online source, I'm due February 18!!

Now...I'm passing this award on to...

Kate

Molly

Tamisha

Jacey

Amber

Wicked Weekend

My mom and sister came down for the weekend!!

We saw the Broadway musical Wicked in San Antonio and it was AMAZING!

Of course, we had to stop by Chuy's first!

Even though I saw them last weekend, we had a great time.
I'll take any time I can get with my family these days!!

My sister gets to make the trip one more time this weekend!!

She's coming with my dad to visit for 4th of July...

Mike went with us to see Wicked and I'm so glad he did. He isn't much on theater but he was surprised at how much he enjoyed the play! I'm glad he was able to experience Wicked with us!