Shower- August 11th

I was lucky enough to have another wonderful shower with my family and girlfriends here in Columbus. We had great weather, no sunshine, but it was around 70 and we were able to sit outside and enjoy the breeze. It was so nice to get together with everyone and chat, since that may be a thing of the past very soon. A special thanks to Keri for taking the pictures and for hand making my banner and "poofs".  Here are some pics from our special day- thanks again to everyone who travelled near and far!

 

 

 

Kyong and Frankie were BFF's

Frankie was my special helper

Mom brought some of my old outfits 1984 style

Sarah and Brittani

Me and Melody

Aunt Emily came from Chicago!

Aunt Jeanne and Aunt Linda

Grandma Betsy

 

Riley- post party....

 

Recent Reads....

Most of you know that I LOVE to read. I have been trying to read as much as I can lately, because I know soon I will have no time to myself. For those of you who are looking for a good book here are my most recent reads and what I thought about them...

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn- I knew this book was getting a ton of great reviews so I downloaded it on my Kindle and read away. I couldn't put it down- it was a great murder-mystery ish book.

War Brides by Helen Bryan- This was a free book on my kindle and I enjoyed it. I love books that are set during WWII.

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult- Eh, not on my my favorites from her, but decent.

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult- Fabulous, loved it and couldn't put it down.

50 Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L James- I know this book has mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. If you can get past the raunchiness there is a love story in there.

Auschwitz by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli- I again found this on my kindle and it was so amazing. I love reading about the Holocaust and this was probably the best eye-witness account I've read except for Night by Elie Wiesel. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a piece of history

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen- I finally got around to reading this and really enjoyed it. Now I need to see the movie.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton- This was the first book I read of her's and it was wonderful. I couldn't put it down

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton- Not as good as The Forgotten Garden but decent.

And...currently I am reading Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. I am really enjoying it, so far so good!

Cincinnati Shower- August 4th

One of my best friends, Liz Moritz, was kind enough to throw me a wonderful baby shower in early August and here are the photos. I had such a great time catching up and hanging out with my Xavier girls- it was the perfect day. Liz had her house decorated beautifully and everything was so delicious. She wouldn't let me help at ALL, so everything was a surprise. My favorite thing had to be the 5x7 photos of Nick and I that she stole from the blog! It was such a great touch that I used them for my shower the following weekend! Thanks again Liz, you are the best!

Jess and I- she was 34 weeks along with twins!

Colleen, Molls, Jess, Liz and Laurann

Since the shower, Jess and Tony welcomed twin baby girls, Leah and Lillian! Congrats Jess and Tony!

Nursery

When I started to think of what I wanted in the nursery I didn't really have a "theme" in mind, I just knew that I wanted a lot of color, didn't want a pink explosion, and I didn't want it to be to kiddy. I had been eyeing the hot pink elephant sheets from PB Kids for such a long time but needed to wait until we found out what we were having. As soon as we got the news, I immediately ordered them. The dust ruffle is also from PB Kids, its from a different collection, but I knew the two would go well together. Once the bedding was complete ( she also has aqua elephant sheets and pink/grey medallion sheets) it was so much fun accessorizing. As you can see the room is quite small, but she doesn't need a whole lot, so thankfully I didn't have to buy a lot. I would say the only difficult thing was finding the perfect paint colors..poor Nick had to decipher between 7 different samples ( and most looked exactly the same :) )

                     

          

                

Here is my list of items and where I found them (in case you were interested)

Paint- Benjamin Moore (Robin's Nest) and Sherwin Williams (White Duck)
Crib/Dresser- Babies R Us
Crib Bedding- PB Kids
Glider- My Own Room
Lamp- Target
Elephant Box- PB Kids
Frames- Bed Bath and Beyond
Prints- Etsy- Mod Dog Shop and Paper Ramma
Shelf- PB
Curtains- Target
Mirror- Home Goods
Changing Pad Cover- Etsy- Baby Sew Beautiful

8 Months

Weeks Along: 32

Size of baby: Squash- about 4lbs and 17in

Cravings: Bread and bread. Oh and cookies and cupcakes ( but that's nothing new)

Stretch Marks: Nope! Thank you Cocoa Butter!

Sleep: Not too bad, mostly sleeping through the night- I get stuck in the grooves in our bed and have to pop my hips out in the morning

Movement: Oh yea, she's crazy! I have been saying that since week 14- although she is starting to run out of room and is really punching and kicking me hard in the process

Belly Button In/Out: Unfortunately it popped out- lets just hope it goes back to it's original home

Symptoms: Sciatic nerve pain, RLS, swollen fingers

Exercise: Yes, Simba and I go on a walk almost every night

Nursery: Done! pics coming soon for those not coming to the shower

What I Miss: Sushi, beer, wine ( would a Guinness at the hospital be inappropriate?)

Fave Part of Pregnancy During Summer: Fresh fruit, maxi dresses, walking outside

Best Moment This Week: Excited for my Xavier girls shower in Cincinnati and for Aunt Linda to visit.

If You Really Knew Me...

First off..this picture is a Valdepena treasure. The gorgeous smile, the stained Popples sweatshirt dress, the sweet bowl cut...Jane what happened to picture re-take day? Oh preschool :)

OK back to the post....Then you'd know...

- My family is the most important thing to me, and my friends are my family
- My dogs are my kids and I would do anything for them
- I love sports and going to sporting events
- I am much happier giving then receiving
- I think my parents are hilarious and truly enjoy spending time with them
- If you want to know how I'm feeling, check my facial expression
- I over analyze everything and worry too much
- I love dancing with my girlfriends
- I love to travel and will splurge on a vacation
- I am incredibly impulsive and impatient
- I either like you or I don't- there is usually no in between
- Fall is my favorite time of year and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday- mmmm moms cooking
- I tend to watch the same movies over and over again- When Harry Met Sally, anyone???
- I could eat my weight in cake and cookies
- I live for March and Girl Scout cookie time- I will ONLY eat frozen Thin Mints- room temperature just won't do
- I love to read and classic rock is my favorite music
- I haven't drank liquor in 5 years...college ruined me
- I have a potty mouth
- I have a shoe and coat obsession
- Giada De Laurentiis is my favorite chef- This is the best cake EVER!
- People who are late and smoking are my biggest pet peeves
- I don't understand people who are attached to their hair- cut it, change it....it will grow back
- I am so thrilled and blessed to have the opportunity to start a family with Nick and can't wait for the next chapter of our lives to start....very soon!

Chris Farley- My First Love

I came across a Chris Farley photo today and was thinking about how much I loved him and how funny he was. Here are a few of my favorite videos ( I couldn't find the original Chippendale's video which is the absolute best).

Also I found this on Pinterest- This poor little girl..but freaking hilarious!!!

One of my Favorites

Nick and I are 2 years old in these photos. I love how we were both blonde and have really dark brown eyes...not to mention sweet 1985 shoulder ruffles!