Will you say an extra prayer for them please?

Will you please say an extra prayer for my brother-in-law, Matt, and my sister Lori? They said goodbye to each other this morning as Matt prepares to deploy later this week. He will be in Afghanistan for close to a year. I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this will be for them both. Matt, thank you for your service to our country and for selflessly signing up to join the military, even knowing we were at war. You are a brave man, and we are so proud of you! Lori, Grandma always said your love will pull you through. I know she and Grandpa are looking down on y'all with love and prayers this morning.

19 Weeks

How far along: 19 Weeks
Total weight gain: I think I've gained a pound or two this week. It is as if my belly has sprouted. I'm starting to get a little baby bump now!
How big is baby: about half a pound and about half a foot long
Maternity clothes: most of the time
Stretch marks: I was talking to my Mom the other night, and she said she never got stretch marks when she was pregnant, so maybe those genes were passed on to me!
Belly button: Mom never had an outie either!! There is hope for me after all. :)
Sleep: I'm either sleeping really good or not sleeping much at all. It just depends on how comfortable I can get.
Best moment this week: Celebrating Thanksgiving and the new life we will be welcoming into this world in April.
Food cravings: I had a craving for a birthday cupcake on Friday. I called Aaron and asked him to please bring me a cupcake when he came home from work. I wanted a vanilla cupcake with frosting - like a birthday cupcake. He didn't know where he would find one cupcake, but he did! It was one of the best cupcakes I have ever eaten. :)
What I miss: This may sound weird, but sometimes I miss that nauseous feeling of morning sickness, because as long as I was nauseous, I knew the baby was ok. I know I have nothing to be concerned about, but being sick meant the baby was growing in my mind. It will be so nice to see the baby in just a couple of weeks at our big 20-week ultrasound.
What I'm looking forward to: I'm still looking forward to Aaron being able to feel the baby move. I don't think it will be long because the kicks are definitely getting stronger!
Milestone: No major milestones this week. I'm still amazed at how awesome it is to feel the baby move. I am really starting to enjoy the pregnancy now that I am feeling so well.

18 Weeks

How far along: 18 Weeks
Total weight gain: Still haven't gained any weight...but I think my face is getting chubby. I always knew I would be one of those pregnant women with a fat face. :)
How big is baby: about 5 1/2 inches and about 5 to 7 ounces
Maternity clothes: I've started wearing some of my "new" maternity tops. It is nice to not have to constantly pull my shirt down all day!
Stretch marks: Still hoping the cocoa butter works...a friend commented on my last post that it didn't help her, so I guess we'll see!
Sleep: It has been pretty cold here at night this week. Neither Aaron nor I have slept well, but we think it is because we have too many blankets on the bed and are getting too hot. My silly brain thinks cold weather = lots of blankets, but sometimes too much of a good thing isn't good!
Best moment this week: I have felt the baby move several times this week!!!! It is so amazing to feel the little life inside of me! What a miracle!
Food cravings: Anything and everything! My appetite is definitely back. I think I ate four plates of fruits and veggies at the wine auction the other night!
What I miss: I'm not really missing much of anything this week. It has been a great week where I have felt really good, and I am just enjoying that!
What I'm looking forward to: Aaron being able to feel the baby move by placing his hands on my tummy. It is such an amazing thing to actually feel the baby moving around. It will be fun for him to get to experience that as well.
Milestone: Feeling the baby move! I have wanted to be a Mommy my entire life, and being pregnant is such an amazing experience! I just want to cherish and enjoy each moment of it!

This is my "I'm excited because I can feel the baby moving" face. :)

Wine Auction Fun

There is a big fundraiser here in town every year for the Holy Rosary Catholic School called the Wine Auction. They sell a limited amount of tickets, and we were fortunate enough to get tickets this year. It was a blast!! They have several different wines to sample and then there is a silent and live auction. We sat at a table with our good friends, the Carey's. They are great people and have made us feel so welcome here.

We haven't bought anything for the baby or the baby's room yet, but there was a basket of crocheted blankets, a hat and a jacket in the silent auction that we bid on and won. Funny enough, it matches the wall color in the baby's room exactly! I love crocheted blankets. They remind me of my Grandma Hoelscher who passed away earlier this year. The knit and crochet group at the church made it, and I can see Grandma sitting around with a group of ladies crocheting away. I always said I was going to get Grandma to teach me how to crochet....maybe one of my aunts can still teach me.

Back to the wine auction...they brought in a winemaker from Italy to talk about some of the wines. Aaron of course really enjoyed this part! After the auction everyone starting dancing and just socializing. We got a chance to hang out with our friends Jake and Mary and Kelsey. Kelsey and her husband Ty hosted the Halloween Party we went to and Jake and Mary are hosting the Christmas party. It was great to get to see them again! We decided we are getting our own table next year so we can all sit together. Fun times!!

Kelsey, Jill and Mary

Tortilla Soup

Not to long ago I posted something on Facebook about making tortilla soup and had some people ask me for the recipe. I meant to post it on my blog that week and completely forgot! My apologies to those of you who asked for it! I made it again tonight for supper and remembered that I was going to post it...so here it is. And I have to add that I got the recipe from my sister-in-law, Kathy. I think she got it from a friend when they were stationed in Germany. I've modified it just a little bit. Enjoy!!

Saute the following ingredients for about five minutes:
4 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch pieces (I accidentally did this one time because I read the recipe wrong. You can put these in or leave them out. The soup is a little thicker with them in)
1 large onion, diced
4 to 6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T dried cilantro
3 T oil

In large pot combine:
2 cups chopped chicken (I use 4 to 6 cups because Aaron likes it with more meat)
2 quarts chicken broth
1 can stewed Del Monte tomatoes (14.5 oz) undrained **Note: You MUST use Del Monte to make this taste good :)
1 can 10 oz Rotel tomatoes undrained
1 T cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Bay leaf

Add sauteed ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

I usually cook up some chicken thighs and use that broth rather than canned broth to cut back on the sodium. Then we add Julio's seasoning to taste.

Cut 6 to 8 corn tortillas into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips. Fry in oil. Sprinkle Julio's seasoning on top if desired.

Serve soup with tortillas strips, avocado and cheese.

17 Weeks

How far along: 17 Weeks
Total weight gain: I stayed about the same this week. My doctor told me I should gain 24 pounds between now and the end of pregnancy and that I seem to have a high metabolism and can probably eat whatever I want. Apparently he does not know me very well!!!
How big is baby: about the size of a turnip

Maternity clothes: I cleaned out my closet this passed weekend. A lot of my shirts are getting too short. Time to move in the maternity clothes.
Stretch marks: Still using the cocoa butter faithfully. Hoping this works!

Sleep: I'm a tummy sleeper...or was. Not anymore! I've adjusted pretty well to sleeping on my side.
Best moment this week: We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again at our 16 week checkup! It sounded great!
Food cravings: I haven't exactly been craving green olives, but I think I have eaten about 20 a day! I could probably eat the entire jar if I didn't make myself stop!!
Labor signs: I am taking this question out until later in the pregnancy
Belly button in or out: I'm afraid it is starting to expand just slightly. So much for my innie...

What I miss: a good glass of wine
What I'm looking forward to: I can't wait to feel the baby move. I'm about at the point in my pregnancy when I should start noticing movement. I think it will be so amazing!!
Milestone: I think I am over my morning/evening sickness!!! Yay!!! I have really started feeling great this week and am definitely getting my appetite back. Now...about those olives....off to find some!

(And for my fashion conscious friends, I did not go to work like this. I had a cute little green jacket on over my black top, but it hid my tummy so I had to take it off for the picture.) :)

A Special Thank You

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks out of her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. 'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?' She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.' They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said. 'Maybe it's our behavior.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.' And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.' At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.. Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

I don't know if this is a true story or not, but I think it makes a great point and thought today was an appropriate day to share it. We owe so much to our Veterans! Our family is honored and proud to have many Veterans. Three of our four grandfathers fought during World War II, and Aaron's Dad served in the Army. Currently, Aaron's twin brother, Nathan, is a pilot in the Air Force and has served two four month deployments in the Middle East. Here is a picture from when he returned home in January.

Nathan, Kathy and Elizabeth

My sister's husband, Matt, is a First Lieutenant in the Army and is currently preparing for a year long deployment to Afghanistan in early December. Our prayers are with him and his unit as they prepare to leave our country to go fight for the freedom of others.

Matt and Lori

No post about our Veteran's is complete without also acknowledging the sacrifices their families make on a daily basis as well. While their spouses are off protecting our freedom, they are left here to take care of day to day life and possibly children who miss their Mom or Dad.

This picture is from our front yard this morning. The local Boy Scouts sell these flags. For $30/year they will come and put out a flag on certain National Holidays like Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Independence Day, etc. It is so neat to drive through town and see people's yards covered in flags.

I want to end by saying thank you Mike, Nathan, Matt, all those who serve our great country and military families everywhere. Our prayers that God will continue to place his protecting hand over you as you protect our freedom and fight for the freedom of others. We pray for your health and safety and that God will continue to sustain you as you are away. We also pray for your families and for the sacrifices they make daily. Amen.