the beginning of fall!

i love fall. it's my favorite.

i may have mentioned that before...

well, we had a crazy week last week and i thought i'd let you in on it.

last weekend started with a trip to a place that is a surprising little piece of nature smack dab in the middle of green bay. it's right off of (kinda under) a major interstate but it's tucked away so well, you don't know it's there unless you know it's there... you know?  ;)

anyway, we had a great time hiking:

then, this week i had a busy week of crafts, including three purses i made for a friend:

we also found out that the little one who will be joining our family next february is a:

we made sure to display that on our chalkboard all week  :)

and, finally, on friday, we went home to tell our families the good news. by the time we got there it was so dark that i wasn't able to get good pictures, BUT here's how we did it. we hung black balloons all around a tree and let family members take turns throwing darts to try to pop them.

in one balloon we had put either pink or blue confetti. our nieces went and their balloons were empty. then my grandparents went and their balloons were empty. then my dad suggested that the mom's go together. so my mom and my hubby's mom went at the same time. their darts both popped the same balloon and out flew all the pink confetti! it was hard to see in the dark but my mom ran forward really fast and started yelling, "it's pink! it's a girl!"  it was absolutely precious. i wish i had it on video. it was so special to share the news with everyone that way. we spent the rest of the evening around a bonfire with hot cider and cocoa and yummy pumpkin treats. the temperature was perfectly crisp for a fall evening, but not too cold. i couldn't have asked for a better night with our families.

then, it was back home to sing on the worship team this weekend and watch the Packers DOMINATE the bears.  HA!!! such a great end to a great week!

hope you had a great one, too!
-kt

iheartfaces - A Touch of Sun

Oh, the sun. The hope it sends in spring. The beauty and fun it provides in summer. And, the memories and glory it displays in fall. It's so refreshing to our souls.

(Hey, there's a reason I left out winter... I live in the frozen tundra and most of the time it just produces a nasty glare on the snow during that season. But then spring comes!)

Anyway, this week's challenge on IHeartFaces is A Touch of Sun. I had to pick a photo of a senior I shot down by Lake Michigan this summer. She is gorgeous and it was a beautiful day. There were so many good ones I could pick but this one just screams JOY to me.  :)

Hope you enjoy it, too.

Then, head on over to www.iheartfaces.com to see more entries!

vulnerability

Here is a vulnerable moment for you:

I like being pregnant because of the miracle that it is,

but, I can't wait to be thin again.

My first pregnancy showed up during my training for a half-marathon. This one immediately followed me actually running a marathon. I like fitting into my clothes. I like feeling good about myself.

I still don't think that I've fully embraced this one. We've had so many issues so far and I've yet to feel the baby consistently move (at almost 18 weeks). I guess I'm still waiting for... I don't know.

And, when I was pregnant the first time, I was working at a hospital and was in "business casual" every day that I borrowed from a coworker. So, really, I don't have clothes that fit right now. Nor do I have the money to buy clothes that fit.

It's totally selfish, I know.

But, I just can't wait til this baby is here and I can get skinny again.

-kt

Fall

If you know me at all, you know that fall is my favorite season.

There are just so many great things that come with it! From pumpkins, to cute & cozy outfits, apple cider and everything you can do at a pumpkin farm, there is just so much fun to be had.

Really though, I feel like I love fall because it's a chance to start over. No matter how great of a game plan you went into summer with, most likely by the end of it you were craving some stability and routine. I know I was.

This turned out to be one of the most trying summers I've ever experienced.

We had a death in the family, another family member rushed into emergency surgery, lots of things that seemed like open doors for the hubby and me being closed ubruptely, among other things. Friends got busy, so I didn't have my support system. And, then there was this pregnancy...

I like to think of myself as a pretty stable person. (ok, ok... mainly when things are seriously wrong. I do like to make mountains out of molehills but when there is a real issue, I usually stay pretty cool). This pregnancy rocked me. While sparing you the personal details, I'll say this: we were to the point where we were told we were miscarrying and we came back a couple weeks later to follow-up only to find that the baby was doing fine. I mourned the loss of a baby I still have. It was an emotional rollercoaster. As I sit here and type, my little one is flitting around in my tummy and I still find myself feeling a big unattached.

So, bring on the cider! Bring on the caramel apples! Let's carve some pumpkins and get lost in a corn maze! I'm ready to watch the Packers win... lots! Let's get this belly bigger and the baby kicking more consistently. I want to be all there for my hubby and be all there for the little mister. That starts with me.

I may not be buying school supplies or back-to-school clothes, but I get to start over. Summer is done. We're back to our routine and I get to start fresh. It's so exciting!

And, with that... I will leave you with this...

-kt