Moving on Up... Moving on Up

That's right folks...we are moving on to bigger and better things and becoming First Time Homeowners. There are some big changes happening in our little family and we could not be more excited. Me and Mr H started decided to start looking for houses before we found out we were expecting. And when we found out about the little bean it only confirmed that we wanted to find a home of our own. We both agreed that we did not want to raise a baby in a rental house.

The search began. We saw alot of houses, most of the houses showed us what we didn't want. Then we found this beauty, only a day old on the market. We were the first to see her, love her and we knew we needed to make an offer before anyone one else stole her away. After a few negotiations we are proud to say that we are...

UNDER CONTRACT!

We are praying that everything goes smooth from here on out with the financing. If so, we will own our first home and be moving on May 27th. Holy moly that is soon! Almost one month away... let the packing begin!

Next blog on the agenda- Pregnant, Packing & Hormones! Stay tuned...

Miracle

Mr. H and I had our second doctor's appointment yesterday to actually meet the doctor who will be delivering Baby H. During the appointment we were able to see that sweet little nugget and hear the heart beat again! :) This time the sonogram was a little less invasive with an over the tummy check... hallelujah.

I cannot express how happy it makes me to hear that sweet thumping heartbeat. It's so unexplainable... I have never heard anything sweeter. So much quicker than my own beat, reminding me that, that little pitter patter is depending on me alone. It is truly a miracle to watch my sweet baby on the monitor. No bigger than a lima bean at 10 weeks I could sit there all day and watch that little flicker.

The joy I have knowing that I am growing life inside is nothing I have ever felt. It is truly an amazing experience and what I always imagined it would be...

I don't know if it's the rollercoaster hormones that have taken residency or my weekly Biggest Loser cry but something has me feeling all sentimental.

Tom & Kate + Baby H :)

Last weekend Mr. H and I hosted my birthday celebration BBQ for the inlaws and my family. It was the perfect opportunity with the entire family together to announce that.......

We are expecting!!!! Our first little bean will be making his/her debut in November 2011.

We could not be more surprised and excited! Mommy and Daddy to be...

It was so fun to see our families' reactions when we pulled out a clothesline of onsies from a Victoria's Secret bag. Not quite what they expected... eh?!? :)

Here is the Auntie to Be :) She had kept this big secret for 3 long weeks before we told the rest of the family. I cannot wait to add one more little nugget to our girls nights on Fridays!

Needless to say there has been a lot going on.. We are so excited about the changes and looking forward to the next 7 months full of hormone rollercoasters and bulging bellies... I cannot wait!

I guess I will have a lot more to blog about. Love our Little Baby H! :)

The Thrill of the Hunt

Tomorrow we will start looking for our very first home. I am so very excited! We have been looking through many listings and may be a little overwhelmed but we are ready to jump right in. We are meeting with our realtor and going to look at a few homes!!!!! I feel so anxious. It's like the first day of school. What do I wear?!? I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.

Hopefully we don't look this distraught...

I told you... there are BIG things in store for our little family! 2011 is off to a great start! :)

Popcorn Trees & Spring Break

Spring has Sprung in Texas! The weather isn't quite warm enough for me yet but the temperatures keep climbing higher and higher. The sunshine is also blooming some of my favorite trees, Bradford Pears. I love the white blossoms and trees that look like clouds which line the streets.


Walking out to recess one day we passed a Bradford Pear tree and one of my sweet Kinder babies yelled out, "Look! A popcorn tree!" How perfect.... my heart was happy and from now on I will call them Popcorn Trees.

Spring has also spring in our backyard. Mr. H may feel the opposite of me because it means edging and mowing the lawn now that the grass is no longer dormant. I am loving all of the blooms which reminds me daily of God's creation and beauty.

Here are some of the pansies my mom and I planted this fall. I thought they had died with the snow storms we had this winter, but they are more perky than ever!

We have a real Pear Tree in our backyard. It just started blooming this week! I cannot wait for some juicy pears to appear. Bring on the Pear Crumbles....


These crazy looking blooms intrigue me. I am curious to see what they turn into. Right now they look like crazy green caterpillars crawling out of the branches.


School is out and Spring Break has started. This is just one of the million reasons I love being a teacher, we still get Spring Break! :) My beautiful college roommate, Jenna, came to visit us. I finally got to meet her adorable baby girl, Anleigh Jo. I had so much fun catching up with these girls and Jenna's mom and sister.

Ready to shop the Allen Outlet Mall... what a sweet girl!

And why in the world are there no pictures of me and Jenna?!? I don't have an answer, we will just have to get together sooner than later. I feel so blessed to call her my friend. She is the best mother and I am so grateful for a friendship like hers.

Spring Break is off to a great start and it will only get better! :) I wish you love, sunshine and a whole lotta "Popcorn Trees!"

First Friday

Getting crazy on a Friday night... first weekend with no wine for the month of March. Laundry and a new read sounds good to me. Too bad I only got a chapter in. I guess the cut back on caffeine was getting to me :)

March Madness

Our gym's 60 day Paleo challenge is almost over. Tomorrow marks the 50th day... only ten more to go. Or so I thought. On a wine crawl after a tough Friday workout a few fellow crossfitters and myself were discussing the paleo challenge and some struggles and a new challenge was devised. This is not one for the light hearted, in fact it has me shakin in the sheets as I think about it tonight.

It's not as long as the first. 30 days, the month of March.
It starts March 1st which rolls into the last few days of the 60 day challenge. And I may only teach Kindergarten math, but 60+30=90 which also equals a LONG time.

Here are the guidelines: This is from my crossfit coach :)

Start: March 1st

End: March 31st

March 1st weigh in and tape measure total (hips, waist, mid thigh, bicep) add together for total

* NO weigh-ins during the month. If you get near the scale I will yell. We are taking weight out of it. Only measurable means will be how your clothes are fitting.

Dos and Donts:

1. Do: Lean meats- Chicken, grass fed beef, free range eggs, lamb, fish, lean pork cuts

2. Don't: Sausage, bacon, salami, etc. even if its nitrate free

3. Do: Green and Colorful veggies

4. Try to limit fat addition other than fish oil

5. Don't: Fruit in any form or fashion

6. Don't: Sweet potatoes, winter squashes**

7. Don't: Anything white (minus cauliflower)- bread, pasta, cereal, grains, legumes, dairy

8. Don't: Sugar- both artificial and real

9. Don't: Alcohol, coffee, caloric drinks

10. Do: Drink tons of water (this will be the ONLY allowable liquid)

11. Do: Eat within 30 minutes of waking, protein emphasis try to get 30 g protein

12. TRY to get 8 hrs sleep per night

** Only allowed on re-feed days

Since we will be pretty much "low carb" it for the month we will do "re-feeds" every 7 days minus the first 12 days. A re-feed is a large jump in calories and carbs to keep your metabolism cranking so it doesn't slow down during this period of caloric restriction. It will be calorically restricted due to the fact that it will be hard to overeat on protein and veggies. The goal on a re-feed day will be to eat a sweet potato and/or winter squash with every meal with added fat to the meals. Consider it a "binge." Below is the schedule for the month.

Tuesday March 1- Friday March 11: Low carb no refeeds until Saturday March 12

Sunday March 13 - Friday March 18: Low carb- Re-feed on Saturday March 19

Sunday March 20-Friday March 25: Low carb- Re-feed on Saturday March 26

Sunday March 27-Thursday March 31: Low carb

2nd weigh-in and measurements will be done March 31st.

Oh good grief..... my stomach instantly started hurting when I read that email. I am anxiously nervous and excited at the same time. I already feel different after the 60 day challenge so to change it up with this, something new, it will be interesting.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. No fruit. If you have been looking at my food log I have some every morning for breakfast. And the biggest worry.... NO COFFEE! When I decided to give up my first true love, Diet Coke, B.C (before Crossfit) my addiction turned to a new caffeinated love coffee. I cannot tell you the last morning I started the day without some java. And if I waited too long I was greeted with a "Good Morning Neglector" caffeine headache. So I may be a bit edgy and cranky for the next month. Those kinder babies better watch out in the mornings. I wish I would have listened a bit closer so I could've weaned myself off slowly instead of the cold turkey that will be greeting me tomorrow.

I went on a bit of a binge before the March Madness started. A little red wine and some paleo orange chocolate scones to go with the Oscars tonight. Gotta get it in before saying "Sianora" for the next month. Cheers! :)

Jodi, my sweet friend, was the coconspirator in this challenge. Follow her here: http://mymarchmadness.blogspot.com. (I stole her clever blog name for the title)