Things have been good in the Bryant house...
Thursday we went to the doctor and got to hear Baby Bryant's heartbeat again! We will have another sonogram on October 1 and as long as all goes as planned, we'll find out the gender!! We can't wait!!!

Saturday was such a good day...the weather was a little gloomy until mid-afternoon and we took full advantage of that! We stayed in and watched a movie...I love lazy days like that! Then, we were able to spend some time with a family we've grown close to here. Doug and Jean are a great couple that we met through the interview process. During our last trip here last September (already a year!!), we stayed with them because the hotel was booked. Their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were in town visiting but Doug and Jean were excited that we'd get to meet them. Matt, Christy, and Caden live in San Antonio...Matt and Christy are around our age (I think Matt's 2 years older or something like that) and we got along great from the beginning. We've been around them a few times during our 11 months here. We celebrated Caden's 1 year birthday with them in May...we got a phone call from Jean when Christy announced to them they were (surprisingly) expecting Baby #2! Anyway, we had a great time hanging out with them Saturday night. Matt LOVES Wii so he and Mike spent time competing while we chatted. Christy is due between Thanksgiving and Christmas so it will be fun to get our babies together throughout the years. Caden isn't too much older either.

Mike's dad is coming to visit today! He had a jewelry show in the area and will come through for the night. We are super excited to visit with him!

Well, that's about it for now...How was your weekend??

Random update!

I love long weekends!!

I hope you all had a great one!

Mike and I did some shopping this weekend--TWICE! Well, I guess only once can be considered shopping. I found some new maternity clothes on Saturday in Corpus and we spent Monday looking at baby stuff in San Antonio. I love that Mike wants to be involved in picking out things like strollers and car seats! We had a good time finding just the right thing for our little one!

OH--and I'm excited! I am beginning to look pregnant! No more feeling like I just look like I've packed on a few pounds! I found a few outfits that I will be able to wear for a while. The maternity store I visited has a thing you strap on that represents 3 more months of growth so you can make sure things will last as you grow! It was so fun to see myself with a baby belly! I can't wait!! I figured most of you who read this don't get to see me daily so here are pictures from Sunday.

(Molly--one of my Fall Hobby Lobby purchases is on the mantel in the first picture! I haven't pulled everything out yet but decided to stick that there for now!)

Okay--so for those of you who have visited us, you know I haven't had a curtain hung on my front door but have used a blanket instead (we needed our privacy). Well, I found a curtain rod that was purchased years ago and never used and a curtain that we only have one panel of (that's all we needed in Brownwood!) and therefore, can't use anywhere else in the house. I decided to put it up and see how it looks. I am planning to have the curtain hemmed or have something done to shorten it. It works for now and is MUCH better than the blanket! My mom will be so HAPPY!!

In honor of Fall, I found these cute fall sticky notes at Target!! Check out the dollar section at the front!

Last but not least, look at Rowdie!! He is peeing in the plant RIGHT NEXT TO the litter box!! Yes, the litter box was cleaned out so we aren't sure why he is using the plant!! But, this does explain why the plant has been dying despite our best efforts!! Now, I can say my thumb is just a dark, dark green...not quite black!

Moving on up...to an avocado!

We are now up to the size of an avocado!!

I have my next appointment a week from today (Sept. 10). I am hoping to find out the gender of Baby Bryant then but I think I'm going to have to wait until the next appointment.

New blogs to enjoy!

I HAVE to share this blog with you!! Vicki (my co-worker) attended a conference this weekend and was able to hear Kelly Stamp speak. She has a blog that has become way more popular than she imagined! I've been looking at her blog and am in love with it! She is a mom and has a wonderful story...she loves the Lord and shares her faith on her blog. She has also set up a blog specifically for prayer requests due to the overwhelming response to her blog. From her blog, I have found others that are set up by Christian moms. They network together and many them make different baby items that are adorable!! For example, Veronica hand crochets hats, Stephanie has super cute onesies with faith inspired sayings, and many more!!

As I get closer to motherhood, I am so excited to have these blogs to read and be encouraged!

(for anyone technically challenged, click on any of the bold words, and you'll be redirected to their blogs!)

Hope you enjoy!

I love Falll, Autumn, Harvest...

Whatever you want to call it, I LOVE it!!

I love the smells...

I love the colors...

I love the fashion...

I love the flavors...

My friend (and fellow blogger) Molly posted a blog in honor of the start of Fall and asked her readers to do the same. I had a hard time wanting to do one...simply because the weather here hasn't cooled down yet, and I don't want to be too anxious for Fall and have to wait.

But that ALL changed yesterday...

The weather didn't change much, but I was able to embrace Fall. During a random trip to Hobby Lobby, I was surrounded by Fall decor.

Pumpkins

Golds, Maroons, Greens
Harvest

I couldn't help but purchase a new Fall decor item for my home!

To top off the trip, we stopped by Starbucks!

Although they just brought back their Pumpkin Spice drinks, I'm still a White Chocolate Mocha girl...but that was enough! The warm drink helped me remember that Fall is on the way...I can be patient enough to enjoy it! Happy Fall Y'all!!

3 girls I work with were on Good Morning America!!

Brittany and Becky are in the very middle of Robin and Diane.

April is to the right (our right) of Diane.

They took a vacation trip to NY and I'm so excited they got on TV!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yWbjWOocR8

Check it out!!

FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE!

I don't know if I'd say I'm a fan of football but I love going to football games!

Maybe it is due to me attending every football game throughout high school (thanks to band)...but I missed going to games during college and the last few years. I love sitting in the bleachers when the weather starts to have a chill!! I am very excited to be living in a small town and to attend the games every week! GO TROJANS!

We had our first 5th Quarter fellowship Friday night--we had 75 students there!! We weren't sure how many to expect and 75 the 1st week was AMAZING!! We had an illusionist there last week and he did a GREAT job! This week is INFLATABLES!!

Orange you excited??

Baby Bryant is now the size of a navel orange! I can't believe how fast he/she is growing! In 4-5 more weeks, he/she will be the size of a cantaloupe!!! CRAZY!!

My dear friend Kate responded to a text about the size with "Orange you excited??" Why yes, yes I am!!

Back to school....Back to school...

We had a Back-to-school event this weekend for the youth. We had all-nighters planned-the girls stayed at our house while the guys went to a lake house about 45 minutes away. The girls met up with the guys for breakfast and then those that wanted to stay for the afternoon were invited by the family. The entire event was great! Mike drove the youth on the jet ski and had a blast! Check out the blog for Grounded Student Ministries for more pics!

Us enjoying our time!

Today was Mike's first day back at school. I've missed a few times but I like to get a 1st day of school picture of him! He laughs at me but oh well! Can you tell he's a college student/youth pastor?? LOL I hope he is enjoying his first day of classes!

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??