Countdown to Baby!

Well, the countdown is on...at least for my mom who updates how many days until our due date on her facebook each day =) Today is the last day in the double digits and tomorrow we enter the single digits! Yikes!

I think in weeks for gestation and so when I saw my mom's status a few days ago, it hit me in a totally different way. Seriously, this pregnancy has gone so fast that sometimes it feels like I've hardly been pregnant! That is the grace of God!

It is so hard to believe that it's almost over and soon...very soon....our precious baby will be in the outside world with us. I'm soooo excited to cuddle!

This has been such a fun process. As I write, I am banned from the nursery where Shane is putting together the finishing touches on the dresser/change table. I can't wait to see the finished product! We have been waiting for a long time for our dresser to come in and we got it today! Yippee! I'm happy that it arrived before baby =)

Thankfully, the closer we get to my due date, the more at peace I feel about not rushing this little one's arrival. I was pretty eager around the 37 mark and now at 38+4, I'm feeling even more relaxed at being pregnant a while longer. Who knows but the Lord when this baby will arrive!

Pregnancy Photo Shoot #2 - 33 weeks!

Here are some of favorites of our photo shoot at 33 weeks! The photographer is Erin Leslie and we benefited with these pictures and a fun hour of photos by being models for her portfolio! God always provides in special ways =)

Time to Par-tay, Rest and Prepare!

I just arrived home not long ago from my last work shift before maternity leave! Ahhhhhh! I'm done! And so pumped about that!

We found out we were pregnant 2 weeks after arriving home from Kona back in March, before I started back at work. I picked up casual shifts for April, May and the beginning of June before getting a term at the end of June that lasted until today! The Lord has been so gracious to me. I got in my 600 hours for mat leave by the mid/end of October and I wasn't sick even a day in the process of obtaining those 600 hours! I'm soooo thankful! I got the shifts I wanted and all the pick-ups from April through September paid off!

It's been fun to be at work over the past 7 months. I really do like my job =) And even more over in 2011 doing 8 hour shifts instead of 12s and abandoning nights back in 2010 =) That sure makes it even better =)

I'm going to miss caring for people in such a special way. I sure love providing care for others. But now I'll have a new little person to provide all the love and care for that I want =) I've got a new assignment coming =)

I'm now ready to take off my nurse/work hat and rest. I'm ready to slow down the schedule, rest more and mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually prepare for our coming baby and the transition ahead. Part of me hopes this baby comes soon because I'm really excited to meet him/her and another part of me isn't quite ready to be finished pregnancy because I've loved it so much and I'd like to make the most of my rest time for a bit now that maternity leave has started.

Thank You Jesus for bringing me to today! You are so faithful and kind!

Blogger Review: Heaven Is For Real For Kids as told by Colton Burpo to his parents, Todd & Sonja Burpo, Illustrated by Wilson Ong

Heaven is for Real for kids is a book written for children by a young boy and his parents about his trip to heaven and back. This is a children's book for kids of all ages, but I think would target school-aged children more than babies or toddlers. This book shares some of Colton's experiences in heaven and with Jesus and the take home message is loud and clear - Jesus really, really loves children and He really, really loves you!

I enjoyed reading this book! The illustrations are beautifully done and are sure to capture the attention of children. The words on each page provoked thoughts, questions and emotions from me as the reader. The message is clear and there is a strong, spiritual message from cover to cover. I like the scripture references included on the pages.

I'd definitely recommend this book to people of all ages and especially parents and their children. I found an increasing desire in my heart rise up to see Jesus and this book left me asking lots of questions about the details of heaven. I'm excited to experience heaven myself one day! It's going to be incredible and it's so great that Colton got to take this trip there and share the story when he came back!

(Booksneeze provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions I expressed are my own.)

Babymoon 2011!

Definition of babymoon according to Wikipedia: "More recently the term has come to be used to describe a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby."

Well, I wanted a babymoon, a little get-a-way with my love before the baby joins us =) We didn't want to spend a whole bunch of money while preparing for baby. It didn't seem wise. But I still had the desire in my heart.

So, I told my Abba my feelings and let Him know my desires, yet partly surrendering them at the same time. It seemed wise to throw out the question on facebook if anyone had any ideas. Lo and behold, I got a lovely inbox message with a wonderful offer!

We got to spend 2 nights at a cottage...well, as you see on the pictures, it is more like a beautiful home on the lake =) We relaxed, slept, talked, ate, walked, read, watched movies, listened to music, and talked some more. It was relaxing, rejuvenating and recharging for Shane and I relationally, spiritually and personally. It was exactly what we needed!

The Lord knew that we didn't need a hotel room, a busy-paced weekend or the city. We needed peace and quiet to connect with each other and with Him. He was kind, brilliant and so kind to hear my little prayers about a babymoon and make a way =)

Thank You Lord for Your kindness and care about the small things! He even gave this preggo a babymoon =)

What To Pick?

There is so much to show you all! I have pictures I'd love to post on a bunch of fun things over the last few weeks! 2 lovely preggo photo shoots, a gorgeous shower my sister threw me last week and our babymoon get-a-way this week =) I feel soooo blessed!

Thank you seems like the main thing coming out of my mouth these days, both towards others and towards the Lord. It's very easy to come with a spirit of thankfulness before the Lord these days =) I was talking with someone just this week and had a funny moment. It went something like this...

Friend: "Kristi, I got your letter the other day!"
Me: "Awwww....THANK YOU!"(in a very genuine, "touched" kind of voice).

The friend, a bystander listening and myself all burst out laughing! It was totally not the appropriate response but I'm so used to be thankful these days that it just came out =) We all had a really good laugh =)

So, I'll have to be a little more consistent over the next while with some posts to show you pictures of these fun times! Today, I'd like to show you some pictures of the beautiful family friends shower my lovely sister threw me! I felt SOOO loved and honored! It's so neat to gather with women who have known me for 25+ years =) What a beautiful history! My sister put together a gorgeous shower with so many personal and gorgeous touches. She did an incredible job and worked so hard for weeks! Thank you Stephanie! You are the best sister ever!

What a Wonderful Life!

It's been a fun month full of fun things! For example...

1. Prenatal classes with my hubbie!

2. Thanksgiving!

3. My 29th birthday!









4. Two pregnancy photo shoots! (photos to come)

5. Finishing off day shifts at work! (Only evenings to go in November!)

6. Preparing for baby! (shopping, planning, nesting, cleaning, setting up the nursery)









Here's a picture of last Sunday's 34 week picture! This Sunday I'm already 35 weeks! The belly/baby is growing!

Awake and Excited....Again!

It seems I'm in the same place as I was two posts ago and find myself wanting to post an early morning blog. I'm just so excited. About everything baby. That I can't stay in bed because my excitement is keeping me from sleeping =)

I'm so excited to meet my baby. It's crazy that I'm due in 8 weeks and 2 days! Pregnancy goes so fast! I'm sooooo excited to snuggle skin-in-skin and get to know one another. I'm excited for morning snuggles. I'm excited to give of myself to care for the needs of my little one. I'm excited to learn more about the heart of God through parenting. I'm excited to find out who this little one inside of me is. I'm excited to know the gender and the name! I'm excited to see the personality come out and recognize some of those traits from how the baby is in utero.

This morning, all I can think about and daydream about is the nursery and baby furniture =) I want to have a nice place for our baby to live and a room where I want to go to, since I'll be spending a lot of time in there =) I want to sit on a rocking chair and enjoy my baby =) My goodness....I'm excited!

Here are a few pics from our IHOP trip the other week! We had a wonderful time! It was a whirlwind trying to fit so many things into only 3 days but it was worth it!

The 3 pics above are during a stretch break at a rest stop en route!

A reunion with Allison, our friend from our DTS who is from South Korea!

A girlie afternoon with two of my favorite ladies!

Sibling supper at Cinzetti's as we say "see you later" to my bro!

Blogger Review: Thank You, God, For Blessing Me by Max Lucado, Illustrated by Frank Endersby

Thank You, God, For Blessing Me is a cute children's book written by Max Lucado. The story is about a caterpillar named Hermie and the short, 5-paged book is Hermie's prayer all about the things he is thankful for. The purpose of the book is to show pre-school age children to remember to be thankful to God for the blessings around us.

The message of thankfulness is definitely portrayed in a clear manner. The book is interesting and I think would be helpful for its intended audience to provoke thankfulness in the hearts of children. It definitely portrayed a strong spiritual message related to prayer and thankfulness, something I would want my children to learn about. The illustrations were simple and colorful, which I would guess would draw the eyes of little pre-schoolers. I would recommend this book to others with children. I personally liked the message and the physical size of the book and the material it is made of (card board type material). The smaller and thicker pages make it easier for children to turn. My recommendation would be to make the book a little longer and incorporate a little more of a story plus the prayer. 5 pages seemed so short!

What a cute book and I'm glad I own it for my coming baby! When I received it in the mail, I immediately sat down and read it aloud to my unborn baby. Thankfulness is a topic that I feel very strongly about and want to incorporate into my home and parenting.

(Booksneeze provided me with a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions I expressed are my own.)

Awake and Excited!

I just can't sleep. I'm too excited. About what you ask?

Well, there is just so much to be excited about! Life and things related to baby in general =)

I was awake and doing a lot of tossing and turning in bed. Then my excitement got rolling and I knew I was on the way to a very awake state. Then my cute baby got the hiccups. I decided, forget this lying in bed stuff. I'll just rise and shine early and take a nap later since I have the day off =)

I have sooooo much to be thankful for. I am constantly reminded of that lately and spend a bunch of my quiet time simply thanking the Lord for all the blessings.

Today, I'm excited to see the midwife and have girls day. I'm thankful for the way Shane's job works which allows him to accompany me to the appointments and we get to hear baby together =) It's so very special. I'm thankful for my girlfriends. They are so special to me and I value friendships in such a big way.

Tomorrow I'm having another prenatal massage...ahhhhh...right on. Thankfully, my low back/rib pain has been settling down and feels better than it did for the majority of my second trimester. I'm totally pumped to begin Prenatal Bootie Camp tomorrow evening! I found it through the leisure guide and I'm excited to do something active that is specifically for me as a preggo! I hope it's fun and they don't run me ragged =) It will be good to get into shape a little more =) I'm even excited to wear my new exercise pants =)

Wednesday, Shane and I have a date planned and then we are having supper with my "little" bro and his girlfriend for the last time in the next few months as he heads off to IHOP to do an internship until at least mid-December. I'm looking forward to a sibling supper together =) I'm so thankful for my incredible family. My husband is amazing. I'm totally in love. I love spending time with him. Having my sister living with us is sooooo special at this time. I'm so blessed.

Thursday is work. I'm thankful for work. 8 hour shifts are awesome. I like work. I love helping and serving people. I love the honor of being present at births. What a special time for people. I like making people feel cared for and supported. Work has been good. Only 23 shift left before mat leave and I want to enjoy them all I can! I did a bunch of switches related to what is coming on Friday's thankfulness list and so though I don't have holidays, I am working this one shift in a stretch of 11! I'm going to work my butt off for it in October, but I'm excited for this little holiday =)

Friday, we're taking a sibling trip down to IHOP! Shane, Steph, Shaun, me and baby are heading down for a few days to drop Shaun off at his intership. I'm so thankful for this opportunity. I'm so thankful for my siblings and this time together. I'm so thankful for our friends in KC. I'm so thankful for the vision of Call2All and getting to work with them. I'm so thankful for fall in KC. I'm so thankful for my boss who was willing to give me nice switches to make this possible. I'm blessed.

I could go on and on. There is so much to be thankful for. I'm just so excited!

The Last Week of the 20s!

Today I am 29 weeks preggo and it's so crazy to think that there is only 11 weeks left to my due date! Crazy! This wonderful pregnancy has flown by at a rapid speed and I'm aiming to love each moment and take mental pictures to remember them =)

Last week, being the first of the third trimester, was filled with fun things! We registered for our baby registry, had a fun date with Daddy, spent a whole day with my sister, bought some maternity clothes for fall and bought our first little outfit for the baby. By not knowing the gender, it has really prevented us from shopping which has been such a blessing =) There is very little nice gender-neutral clothing out there. So, our little baby doesn't have much to wear yet but it will come in due time =)

Tomorrow we see the midwife, which is always a fun morning and I intentionally plan my midwife appointments on the same day as girls night =) Tomorrow is going to be a fun day!

Blogger Review: The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

This review is a long time coming! I received this complimentary copy of The Hole in Our Gospel from Booksneeze a while before we left for YWAM last year. I never started it at that time and only since returning from Kona and South Africa this spring, did I start the book. I was a little overwhelmed by its size but it turned out to be a very interesting read, and very timely in my life.

The gist of the book is all about the full gospel of Jesus, focusing on serving and loving the poor of the earth. Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision U.S and takes the reader on an in depth look at what the Bible says about ministering to the poor and the topic of justice.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the way Richard began the book with his own personal testimony in the first few chapters. It was very easy to feel his passion for the poor through his writing and I found my heart drawn and reminded about my own experiences the months before when my husband and I were on the mission field on another continent. I really enjoyed the stories of his travels and the incredible people he has met along the way.

Though I enjoyed the book, was provoked and challenged, I still felt something was missing. The basis of our service coming from a place of a living, intimate relationship with Jesus seemed to be missing, as well as a perspective of the time in history that we are living in in regards to the return of Jesus. There were parts that seemed to be border line with a very strong focus on works and service, without the connection to the Man whom we love as the point of our actions. It had a real social justice feel that didn't always seem to point to the true Answer. Because I tend to be turned off from materials that have a strong social justice feel, I sure didn't like the quotes from Bono =) I would have liked to see more connection at a heart-level to Jesus being the true Answer to poverty and injustice and more focus on the power of prayer. Chapter 12 and 13 were fairly depressing as they described in details the challenges surrounding the poor. I was hoping that Richard would bring the readers some hope in the midst of all the grim reality of Part 3 and 4. He brought some positive perspective, even if it wasn't the turn around that I had hoped for. I enjoyed Part 5 the most and really appreciated the challenge to the reader about what are we going to do to live out the Gospel.

On the whole, I really enjoyed this book and it was special for me to read it after returning from the mission field abroad. The extra special part was that one of the ministries we worked with in South Africa was mentioned over a number of pages, including a church that we visited and a pastor we met! That was the icing on the cake for me =) I would recommend this book as it is challenging and provoking about living out the whole Gospel.