Day 1: 15 Things About ME!

First of all, this one is kind of vague. Exactly what KIND of 15 things am I supposed to say about myself? Meh.... here it goes...

1. Well, I'm pregnant. For lots of reasons, I have done way more research this time around about women and pregnancy and birth and am truly fascinated with how amazing a woman's body is. I could go on and on about my changed beliefs, and if you want to hear it, I'm happy to share... but another time.

2. I'm a mom (obviously). It is the absolute best part of my life. There is not a day that goes by that Charlotte doesn't make me smile and laugh. I am constantly amazed at what she is learning and how quickly she seems to be growing. I love being able to stay at home with her everyday. I know it is an amazing blessing that our family has been given. Motherhood was something I couldn't wait for, and now that I'm in that phase of life, I am so incredibly happy every single day.

3. I'm a wife. Also one of the things that brings constant joy to me in my life. I have been blessed with an incredibly patient husband who loves me unconditionally and makes me crack up multiple times a day. I enjoy our deep gospel conversations and our talks about completely trivial things. I love planning our future together (a topic that has consumed our conversations a lot lately). I love being married :)

4. I love Mexican food. I crave it. I also love chocolate.... a little too much.

5. I am a recovering Diet Coke addict. I was seriously drinking it like it was going out of style, then I got pregnant and it grosses me out. I tried it again about a week ago to see if I still liked it and within an hour was sick. So.... I might be cured!

6. I love crafting, but have a REALLY hard time finishing a project. I get so excited about something and spend HOURS working on it, but it really is a miracle if I finish it. Projects yet to be completed...cross stitching from YW's, felt food, papasan chair re-do, Christmas stockings.... oh who knows. There's a lot.

7. I get bored watching movies. I think they're too long. I feel that if I can get drama, romance, suspense and action in a 43 minute TV show... why can't they do that for a movie? 

8. I love routine and HATE when it gets interrupted. I work so hard at my routine each day and when things get thrown in that were unexpected, it throws off my groove, and I'm not very kind about it. I should work on that.

9. I'm a germaphobe... sort of. When I'm around sick people or people that have been sick are in my house, I get a little psycho about it and run around like a crazy person with Clorox wipes and Lysol spray. It's a little ridiculous. BUT, we really only get sick once or twice a year, so I think it pays off.

10. Wow, I'm nearing the end! 5 to go! OK.... I love naps. Charlotte is an excellent sleeper and naps for 2-3 hours a day... which means I nap too. Every. Day. And I don't care who knows it!!! ;)

11. My favorite color is pink. Of all shades. Good thing I have a girly girl and get to dress her in pink almost daily!

12. I love all types of music. It changes with my mood. Right now I'm listening to Queen- We Are the Champions. Empowering!

13. I love vacuuming. It is the best chore.

14. I hate doing dishes. It is the crappiest chore. Luckily I have a husband that actually ENJOYS doing dishes at the end of the day. He says it's a way to "unwind". I think he's crazy, but I'm NOT complaining!

15. I have one very best friend that means the world to me. She is the older sister I never had. She has helped me through so many things and given me advice on things that are super important and life altering, and things like what stroller is best to buy. She's the best and I'd be a mess without her and our daily talks.

And (this is for you, Alicia!) Here's the most recent picture of me. Gag. The only thing I love about this picture is how long my hair has FINALLY gotten! It was this length when I was this far along with my pregnancy with Charlotte, but I was a brunette... aw, just for fun, I'll post that picture too.

So what do ya think...... blonde, or brunette?

30 Days

I've seen a couple people doing this on their blogs so I stole my friend Meghan's and am going to do this for the month of February :) Hopefully I stay on top of it :)

day 1- recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
day 2- the meaning behind your blog name
day 3- a picture of you and your friends
day 4- a habit that you wish you didn’t have
day 5- a picture of somewhere you've been to
day 6- favorite super hero and why
day 7- a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
day 8- short term goals for this month and why
day 9- something you're proud of in the past few days
day 10- songs you listen to when you are happy, sad, bored, hyped, mad
day 11- another picture of you and your friends
day 12- how you found out about blogger and why you have one
day 13- a letter to someone
day 14- a picture of you and your family
day 15- put your ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play
day 16- another picture of yourself
day 17- someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
day 18- plans/dreams/goals you have
day 19- nicknames you have and why you have them
day 20- someone you love
day 21- a picture of something that makes you happy
day 22- what makes you different from everyone else
day 23- something you crave for a lot
day 24- your last five facebook status'
day 25- what I would find in your bag
day 26- what do you think about your friends
day 27- why are you doing this 30 day challenge
day 28- a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then?
day 29- in this past month, what have you learned
day 30- your favorite song

Chicken Tikka Masala

Also an amazing recipe. I'm posting these on here so I have a copy :)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+pioneerwoman-full-rss-feed+(Pioneer+Woman+FULL+RSS+FEED)

Best Pancakes EVER

http://www.howdoesshe.com/cinnamon-bun-pancakes

Seriously, try 'em!

Annnndd..... It's a........

GIRL! We're so excited and a bit relieved. Name ideas are welcome, we're still up in the air on that.

Wonderful Christmas!

We really had a nice Christmas together. It was just the 3 of us, but George got to spend the WHOLE DAY with us, and that was really nice. He had Christmas Eve, Day and that Sunday off, so we thoroughly enjoyed Dad/Husband time :) 

These pictures are totally out of order, but cute. So enjoy!

Charlotte got Lego's from Grandma and Grandpa Jex. Let's just say that she and Dad spend a LOT of time playing with these. This was one of the big towers they worked on together. After the picture she knocked it down, it's her favorite part.

Aunt Teira sent some cute headbands to us! Charlotte wanted her baby and teddy bear to be pretty too, so they both wore them for the day. PS- In this picture, Charlotte is saying, "cheese!" but she has a bit of a lisp, so her tongue is out and her jaw is crooked. It cracks me up :)

This was the cute shirt that Charlotte and I made for George. He loved it, she did not. Background story on her-- She hates to be messy. With meals, when she gets messy hands, she instantly wants it wiped off before she can finish eating. She hates Play-doh. It gave her the chills, haha. And when we did this shirt, I dipped her hands in the paint and she looked up at me with this disgusted face like, "Mom, GROSS!" and fussed until we washed her hands off. After she went "whew" out loud. Again, this girl cracks me up!

Hard to see, but this is our little apartment decked out with lights and the tree to the left. Thanks to our old neighbors/friends for giving us their old lights!!

Christmas morning after opening her baby doll from Grandma and Grandpa Hunt. She was SO excited. She is a sweet little mommy to this baby.

She got some new bath toys from Mom and Dad and was pointing out the "guck" aka pelican... hehe.

I'm not really sure when this was taken on Christmas day, but she seems to be WAY excited about something! I love it!

Opening the Lego's from Jex Grandparents.

The traditional Jex Christmas Morning Casserole. It was heavenly. 

Charlotte giving baby a drink :)

This was one of our favorite gifts. My mom made this patchwork quilt for us! It's so comfy and nice to have in the freezing cold here in Tulsa!

We are really looking forward to this new year! Lot's of fun things happening. New baby, new job, new location, new home! It's the year we've been waiting for! Oh, and check back soon... tomorrow we find out if this new baby is a boy or girl! Can't wait!!

Merry Christmas to All!!

This is our official Christmas card to you all, since we didn't get to get any out!

(image credit)

Updates for our family--
George-
- Just found out he got A's in both of his classes this semester (yay!) and will start next semester on Jan 10. He'll graduate in July (yay again!!). This upcoming year is going to be crazy.... deep breaths.
- Still serving in the primary as a teacher to the 10-11yr olds. He loves it and teaches the lessons to us every other week for our FHE. The kids really like him as their teacher.
- Work is up and down. Some months are great and some are really hard. But that's what happens when you work commission. It's a fabulous company to work for (and buy a car from!!) and the insurance is great, so we are VERY grateful for that.

Rebecca-
- We find out on Jan 6 what this little baby is. Crossing my fingers for a boy... but I'm pretty sure it's a girl. I guess we'll see!!
- Still serving in the primary as the chorister. I LOVE this calling so so much. It's the best. We have a really small primary (30 kids on a good day) but they all really love to sing and actually sing really well.
- Started sewing Christmas stockings for our family. I finished 1 3/4 and still have 2 to go.... they are way more time consuming than I thought they'd be. But fun nonetheless. I am also making a little rice warmer thing. It's fleece filled with rice and you microwave it for a heating pad. So fun and warm and cozy.

Charlotte-
- Talking a lot!
- Eating a lot!
- Playing a lot (she loves dolls and stuffed animals and pretends with them all the time)!
- She loves to color and look at books.
- She loves nursery and saying prayers (she always says, "May-men" 2 seconds before we end a prayer)  :D

We really love it here in Tulsa. We have really enjoyed living in a place with all 4 seasons. Especially since there are so many trees everywhere. It's also been really nice to live in a fairly conservative area. Especially when it comes to religion. We feel that it's better to be surrounded by people that believe in SOMETHING than surrounded by people who are so apathetic about God and religion. While neither of us claim to be a part of any "party" the way of life here agrees with a lot of what we agree with.
Next year is going to be a roller coaster. George graduates, new baby, George will go to the academy in OKC for 6 weeks (leaving me all alone!!) and while he's gone I have to find us a place to live and pack up our house to move to who-knows-where!! I'm mentally preparing myself for a lot of alone time. I know that George will be very busy. My new motto as of late is- "It's not forever!".
We are so grateful for the gospel in our lives. We have been blessed so very much this year. Every month that goes by we are seriously amazed at how much we've been blessed. We know that Heavenly Father is looking out for our little family and making sure we're taken care of.

So friends, family and friends we consider family, we love you and miss you! Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Venting........

I just want to vent about a couple of things and see if it's just me.

1. I hate when baggers put like, 3 things in my bag. Lady, I don't care how you were trained. I live in a second story apartment. The less bags I have to take upstairs (and less trips to make) would make my life a lot easier. So please, add a couple more cans to that bag that only has 3 in it. Also, no need to double bag the bag that only has 3 items. You're buggin'.

2. I always say I'm done with fast food, until I have a huge craving for something (OK, it's ALWAYS the waffle fries with honey mustard from Chick-Fil-A). Then I basically OD on it and am sick for the rest of the day. You see, we're pretty broke most days, so we don't eat out.... like, ever. So the one time a month that we do, both George and I are sick. I guess it's because my cooking is just so bomb-diggity?

3. Why do the bags of frozen stir-fry vegetables only have the stalk part of broccoli in it? That's the nastiest part! It's like chewing on wood! Bah, get it together frozen-stir-fry-vegetable-guys.

4. There are 2 sides to the cart return. One side is free and open to put your cart in, the other has a HUGE metal flap that says "Please leave carts on other side"!! Why is there ALWAYS at LEAST one cart on the "NO" side? Really? It's 2 inches away from the side you're supposed to put your carts in! Come on people.

5. I just want someone to take our family pictures for free. There, I said it. I'd even be willing to trade? I mean come on, my services of cutting and coloring your hair are definitely worth your time to take our pictures and edit them for hours on end, right? Right??

I think that's all for now. Just had to get that out there :)

Finally onto the 2nd trimester!

This pregnancy has been VERY similar to my last pregnancy. I am trying SO hard to be positive and not complain all the time, but being sick almost 24/7 is really not fun at all. I told George the other day that I don't even remember what it feels like to NOT be nauseous all the time! Annoying. Anyway, I am so excited to have another baby. There are lots of things I plan on doing differently with the labor and delivery part, and it honestly makes me excited for THAT part of the experience. We'll see how it goes! Hopefully we'll find out what we're having at the end of December. Check out the poll up top and tell us what you think this next one will be!!!

A post with lots of pictures is coming soon!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards!!!

Now, I haven't personally used Shutterfly YET, but my sister in law has frequently. Just this past visit, she gave us a sweet picture book with all of the cousins in it. She made it so the little kids can see their cousins that live far away. I love it. I am really excited to use this site for the Christmas cards. I've wanted to send out cards every year since we got married, but I always drop the ball. This will DEFINITELY give me motivation to send them out. I really love all the options Shutterfly has for the Christmas cards. You can make them with just one big picture, or lots of small ones. Not sure which one I'll use, but here's my faves!



Brown- Always my favorite!! And the writing on it is super cute.




This one is a little fancier, very nice :)
Click HERE to look at all their Christmas cards.

They also have super cute calendars that would make really awesome Christmas gifts!! Check them out here.

They have just regular holiday cards, but some of them are cuter than the Christmas ones!!

I love this because we could do one box for each of us. Last year we'll be able to do that!!


I really like the colors of this one. BAH! I can't wait to get my own!!!
Click here to view just the holiday cards.

Bloggers out there, if you want your own 50 free cards from Shutterfly, click HERE!