Beach = Summer

Just a pit stop before the beach to pick up some easy beach food. 

We had been waiting and waiting for the perfect beach day. We had been busy on all the warm sunny days and it was too cold or not sunny at all on the days we could actually go. Finally warm and available met and we hurried down to the coast. 

These are all over the coast here. You can buy them or rent them. They're a little base of operations on the beach. I think they are a great idea, now if only they were free. :) 

Ok not a beach pic. Only 32 days until my due date!!! Woohoo :) can't wait to meet this little man. 

Things to remember: 

Si wiggles and squirms ALL the time. My whole belly moves around and contorts into weird shapes when he's on the move. I look like I have an alien inside me…and I love it. 

I've been getting Braxton hicks for about 6 weeks but it took me about 2 weeks to realise what they were. 

My hatred for eggs is finally waning. I'm able to cook them for Alan now. I made some egg fried rice the other day and the eggs actually tasted good! I still won't be making myself an omelette any time soon but baby steps right? 

Alan is Mr. Prepared in general but especially right now. The nursery is done and the car seat is in the car! We still have four more weeks. Hahaha

We have been so so so blessed by our family and friends. Can't believe how The Lord has used them to provide so abundantly for our little man! 

A man stopped in the street the other day to stare at my belly and all he said was "whoa!" and then kept walking. Ummmm…what? I know I'm sporting a pretty big preggo belly but dang! I'm going to pretend like he was thinking, "Whoa! What an awesome pregnant woman she is." Seems plausible right? ;)

I may have the worst case of baby brain ever! I forget everything! Loose track of time constantly and can never remember why I've walked into a room. Poor Alan I think he'd like a dinner that wasn't slightly burnt sometime soon. I can't even remember anything else even though I know I think all the time, Oh I should write this down so I don't forget anything about this time.

I heart Downton Abby

We got to go visit Highclere Castle (where they film Downton Abby) today with Andrew and Carolyn. It was so fun, although a little hot for my preggoness but gorgeous none the less. My wonderful in-laws told us about it we had no idea it was so close to wear we live. (Only about 45 min away) 

All of us in front of the main house. It's a little smaller than the magical movie angles make it look but it's still huge! 

This is Alan's proper English face ;) 

The gardens were absolutely gorgeous! I love English gardens. 

Me finding a shady spot. I know all you Ca peeps are going to mock me but it was SO hot today. (Even our family from Bakersfield  agreed) It was only like 88 degrees but the humidity was killer. I had lots of cold drinks and a wonderful hubby who kept me company in the shade. :) 

3 in 1!

That's right 3 blog posts in roughly 1 month! Not quite sure what's come over me. ;) I'm actually blogging from my phone! Watch out :) 

I'm officially 26 weeks (and 1 day) preg! Yes the 1 extra day counts! Time is going by at a snails pace! But there are lots of little bench marks coming up so I'm hoping (like a lot) that time hurries itself up! Everyone keeps telling me not to wish this time away and to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong I do love it. (Well to be completely honest, I only love most of it ;) I like feeling him wiggle and kick and throw little 1am parties in my tummy. But seriously this can't be better than meeting our little guy! I've never wanted to meet someone so badly in my entire life! So yep I still hope these last 14 weeks go by in a flash. And if he wants to come a week or two early I'd be down with that. 

Not too much going on since my last post. Just life. Ya know that amazing gift from The Lord. ;) We do have lots coming up though! A few days up in York for a pastors conference. York is absolutely gorgeous. I could go on and on about York but I'll hopefully get around to posting some pics so you can just see for yourself. Also Andrew & Carolyn are coming for a visit! (Happy dance inserted here) Super excited about that! July is going to be awesome. :-D 

Here are a couple recent pics from my phone. 

Mr Silas Michael is coming along nicely. Everything is looking good or so said my Dr on last Tuesday. Got to here his little heart which I love. He got mad/curious at the Dr though and started kicking/punching the Doppler (heart beat thinga-ma-jig is its technical name). 

So dang cute! We got to go spend a couple nights in Cardiff a week or two ago. It was so nice to see our peeps, it had been way way to long! This pic is after a brother who shall remain nameless insulted tinker bell. The cuteness factor is maxed out in this girl. 

P.S. I'm writing this at nearly 2am.... Shhh don't tell Alan. It's Silas' 1 am parties to blame ;)

York

I was pretty rubbish at taking lots of pics in York. I liked this one from my phone though. It's not hard to imagine from this picture what it would have been like a long time ago before cars and other modern conveniences. There are lots of streets like this one full of restaurants, shops and cafes. We had a nice time up there. I always like spending as much time as possible with my hubby and to have him off work for two extra days this week was a treat. Well we were there for a conference so we did have to go to that but I still got to be with him. :) I also love staying at hotels, you don't have to cook or clean and you cant even feel like you should be doing those things because you can't! If you ever get a chance to go to York take it! You won't be disappointed. It is beautiful, quirky and quintessentially English.  

And now my brother and sister in laws are coming in a week from today!!! Oh I should probably start getting ready for that. ;)

Happiness is marrying your best friend!

Six incredible, crazy, fun, memorable, wonderful years! 

Yep yep yep it's an anniversary post. :) I could not have dreamed six years ago how much I would grow to love my husband! So if you aren't in the mood for that mushy love stuff stop reading now it's only going to get worse. xxx 

Six Things Alan and Anna Agree on:

1) That every year has only brought us closer to the Lord and each other.

2) God really does have it under control! He's always way too good to us and has provided our every need and lots of our wants too. 

3)There is no one either of us would rather hang out with, every thing is always better together.

4) We love our Monday Starbucks and Bible Study.

5) Our lives should be in the service of our Lord and His Church.

6) That Chipotle is and always will be our favourite. It could be that our first date was there but it also tastes like utopia exploding in your mouth. ;)

Six Reasons Why He's So Good For Me

1) I could not imagine the Lord blessing me with the kind of love Alan shows me each and every day. I am consistently overwhelmed with not only God's love but Alan's too. 

2) Alan truly cares about my spiritual life and loving me like Christ loves the church. He's the best accountability.

3) He is so responsible! Where I can sometimes procrastinate and be a tad careless he's got it all covered. I always feel like he knows what he's doing and trust him totally. (And so thankful he is good with money!)

4) Oh man that man is patient. God knew I would need that. 

5) I always smile more when he's around. 

6) He is super smart, and knows God's Word really well. He is always blessing me with that knowledge. When someone talks about the Bible as much as he does it rubs off. So thankful that he's going to be the father of my children, so it can rub off on all of us. 

Six Reasons Why She's So Good For Me (I had to defer to him for this one!)

1) She's a prayer warrior.  When I'm on the go, go, go she's on her knees.

2) When I worry, she doesn't stress.  Her great faith and trust in the Lord is inspiring and refreshing.

3) Not a day goes by without an encouraging word from my wife.

4) The Kitchen is her creative studio and my culinary wonderland.  Never has a guinea pig been such an eager participant.  

5) We love all the same things!  Talk about M.F.E.O. (see Sleepless in Seattle)

6) She's going to be the best mother.  God has so well prepared her and I am consistently stunned at her wealth of baby knowledge.  Never heard of colic?  Anna has.  How long until they eat solid food?  Anna knows. What's the second verse of that obscure children's song?  Never fear, Anna's here.

Six Things We Are Looking Forward To

1) Silas, Silas, Silas! We cannot wait to meet this little dude! 

2) What the Lord is going to do in us, our lives, and in our little family.

3) Growing old together. 

4) The day after our 22nd Anniversary, we'll have lived longer together than apart.

5) Taking our kids to Disneyland for the first time.

6) Teaching God's Word to our children.

Six Things We Did On Our Sixth Anniversary

1) Went shopping for Silas! 

2) Went to Starbucks and had a Bible study. :) 

3) Drove through the beautiful blooming countryside. 

4) Saw a movie. (Great Gatsby) 

5) Had some amazing Chinese food! 

6) Talked about the last six years and how thankful we are for each and every day. 

Baby Boy

So… I guess it's been a while since I blogged! O.o 

Oh well, I thought I'd come on here and say…we're having a baby boy!!! I know everyone who reads this already knows but I wanted to record this for posterity's sake. 

This is the little skittle at our 8 week ultra sound! 

This was him at our 12 week ultra sound. 

This was him at 20 weeks where we found out he was a HE! (Even though I knew it all along ;)

Here's just one more from the 20 week scan. We had an amazingly wonderful ultra sound tech at this scan and I was sooo thankful because our 12 week guy was lame and not very helpful. Everything looks great and he's pretty much straight down the line average size and length. All except his tummy which is more on the robust side, I think the ultra sound tech called it cuddly. Now we don't have anymore scans  (well unless something goes wrong so hopefully no more) and the next time I get to see my little guy is when he's be born!!! :-0

Let's see. What to remember for later? 

I first felt him move on April 19th at just over 16 weeks. 

Alan felt him give some good strong kicks today! May 31st (just over 22 weeks) in fact we could see my whole stomach move today. 

Whenever Alan talks to him he goes nuts!  He can hear his dad's voice and at church when Alan's teaching or doing worship the little guy starts moving.  It's pretty cute.  

He also acts up sometimes when Alan's not talking to him.  He's a wiggler and a kicker, that's for sure. I feel like this week he's awake a lot more. He always seems to be moving. Which of course I love! (Except for when he kicks me in the bladder, that's not so cute.)

I'm feeling really good but time is dragging on so slowly! Hopefully as summer starts it picks up the pace a little. 

He seems to like spicy food because that's all I want to eat (that and an In & Out cheeseburger. Maybe it's a good thing there aren't any here.) 

He goes absolutely bonkers if I have any caffeine. 

I'm sure I'll think of loads later but right now I'm hungry! Hopefully I'll post more about our little guy but knowing me, who knows! 

:)

My husband has skills.

Never mind that he's smart, funny, a great preacher... Homeboy can carve pumpkins!