Baby Shower

Last Sunday Kyle's mom, Joanne, threw us a wonderful baby shower in Wilmington.  It was such a sweet celebration and Kyle and I felt so loved and supported by all our family and friends who came. I could not believe that it was all for us and our baby!  We were given so many adorable gifts that were much needed.  The way that God continues to provide for us through His abundant resources is such a blessing and I see Jesus in people when they give so generously because He is the ultimate generous giver of full life.  It was really special getting to see friends from high school, college and Topsail and having family come into town for the occasion.  I loved having so many people that we love all together.  I enjoyed getting everything settled into the baby's room this week and I just washed all the blankets, crib sheets, burp cloths and clothes and loved picturing our lil shug in each outfit! Baby clothes are so dang cute! We are really beginning to wonder when we are going to get to meet our little one and what they will be like!  Thanks Momma Jo for all that you did for us and for everyone else who helped in one way or another, we are thankful for you!

Sweet Raleigh Friends

Laur with Charlie and Libby with Lillie

So pretty!

Charlie and Lauren (Dooley)

Aunt Mary Beth and Mom- sweet cousins!

The Yancey's!

Papa-to-be getting some practice in!

Lillie and Catherine

Kellay Raye 

Lovely Wilmington girls

Nana with her girls and grandbabies

Marveling at the baby belly!

Winston-Salem Weekend

This past Sunday my sister Lauren had a baby shower in Winston-Salem.  Yes, my sister and I are pregnant with our first babies at the same time! And it is so fun! We like to do things together, like getting married within four months of each other...  I am curious to see if the trend continues with our future children. So, two, dear, long-time, family friends Christine and Morgan along with my mom came up from Wilmington and Kyle and I went up for the weekend for the shower.  While all the women hung out at Lauren and Brad's house Saturday night and Sunday before the shower Brad and Kyle were out bow hunting for deer.  While Brad is a veteran hunter this was Kyle's first hunting experience.  Kyle was pumped to have this opportunity and I know the guys had such a great time hanging out together.  The whole deer stand concept didn't appeal to me so much but I tried not to think about it.  It was new seeing my husband in camo and it reminded me of  his first day of work on the farm when he was decked out in suspenders and a straw hat! Life is full of surprises! So Kyle didn't actually have a bow of his own but Brad graciously gave up his bow on Sunday morning and Kyle went out and he got a deer!! How crazy?! I had prayed that the boys would have fun and at least get to see some deer and maybe take a few shots, but God had even better plans than what I asked for!  I am learning that this is true in all of life.  Lauren and I woke up to a phone call and the boys came over to show us the deer, neither Kyle nor I had seen a deer like this before, except on the side of the road.  It wasn't so fun to look at, mind you, but it was an exciting event!

The shower was such a sweet celebration of my sister and her soon to be here daughter, Eva.  It was held at Brad's brother's house and hosted by all the Gerstmyer women.  They did such a fabulous job, it was elegant and the food was SO good.  Have you ever heard of monkey bread? If not, you should look up a recipe and make it! It was so good!  There were four different kinds of quiches to choose from, scones, amazing little ham sandwiches with melted cheese, a large, colorful fruit platter that had completely vanished by the end of the shower and your choice of a chocolate or vanilla cupcake to top it off.  Lauren received so many great gifts, all of which were adorable and some of which were handmade, including a stylish teething necklace Laur can wear (and Eva can chew), and great things to have like a beautiful nursing cover and a baby food processor.  It is so good how God provides for us, even little Eva who isn't born yet! We all had such a great weekend.  It was such a blessing to all get to be together and to have Christine, Morg and mom come from Wilmington.  I am thankful for the fellowship and sweet time that was shared. Here are some pics from the weekend.

Lucy giving Morg some lovin!

Mom, Me, Laur, Morg and Christine

Three pregnant sisters! That is Mary Beth Gerstmyer, one of the hostesses and this will be her third child!

My Belly is HUGE

Kyle and I cannot believe it is already September and that will be meeting our son or daughter so soon! We are getting more and more excited to meet our lil one and more and more anxious to know if they will be a he or a she! It is crazy that the baby really could come anytime from now or 6 weeks from now, it is really up to them and when they are ready to come out.  After our 36 week appointment we will be having appointments every week until the baby comes. We have three more classes for our Bradley Birth class.  We have met twice with our friend Kellay Raye aka our doula and are so excited about her being a part of our child's birth, not to mention thankful!  Her knowledge and passion for childbirth is such a blessing to us.  Check out her website if you are curious about what a doula is or if you live in the triangle area and are in need of a doula... ohbabydoula.weebly.com I have started thinking about packing our bag for the Birth Center and getting together some things that we may need in the car for our 40 minute drive.  I have been trying to picture us in labor and picture what the heck a contraction will be like and I honestly have no clue...I guess I will know soon enough.  I feel great assurance, confidence and comfort knowing that Kyle will be with me the whole time and that Kellay will be there to help us too.  Not to mention that I am completely out of control as to how labor will go and that I constantly have to commit my trust in Jesus and rest in the Truth that He will be with us the entire time and that He cares for us.  I receive peace only after committing my worries and fears to Him throughout the days whenever they rise up. His peace is so good.

I've added some pictures of the baby's room thus far.  I have had fun working in there and getting the room arranged just right.  The room used to be our guest bedroom and will now act as both baby room and guest room (I am thankful for how big of a room it is).  There are still some plans I have for what I want above the crib and not to mention actual bedding for the crib and a bunch of other knick knacks we still need to get.  But overall the room has come a long way and is ready to welcome babe.  We also have a wooden cradle in our bedroom where newborn babe will sleep.  My grandfather, aunt, uncle, mother, sister and myself have all slept in the cradle (maybe some cousins too).  It's really amazing that our baby will now sleep in it, I love stuff like that!

Friends I know from college, Caroline and Danielle came to the farm to visit not long ago and we had such a sweet time together.  It was so good to get to catch up with them and to get to visit with them face to face.  I am thankful Raleigh isn't so far from here and allows for such times.  We had fun checking out the pigs who are now huge (like someone else I know) and aren't so cute and cuddly anymore.  Pigs are pretty hilarious to watch, they really remind me of fat dogs and are so aggressive when it comes to eating.  When Kyle was feeding them two ran through his legs, knocked him off his feet and he landed sitting on their backs! They also nibble at his feet every time he goes in to feed them.

I hope you are enjoying September as much as I am and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

This is made using a piece of a burlap bag that once held blue potatoes that were planted on the farm (and were delicious)!

The fabric hanging in the window pane has blue flowers on it and the giraffe guy on the crib plays different sounds for play time and sleeping

Kyle made the "S" blacksmithing and we made the ribbon board from a canvas (with a failed attempt at a painting on it), an old towel for batting, fabric, ribbon and buttons!