Happy Halloween!!!

I know what you're thinking. "Wow, it's only been a week, how could she possibly have another blog post already?!" I wanted to do a post for Halloween, because I love all things Holiday. So, here it is!

I love Halloween. Especially now that we're not in an apartment. Being in a house, in a nice neighborhood, means we get trick-or-treaters! Tonight was no different, we had plenty of little kiddos. Layla was not amused. The season gets me excited about next year this time. I'm really looking forward to decorating this little Butterbean for the Holidays next year. I really cannot contain my excitement.

Anyway, because most of you will never have the joy of seeing our house decorated for Halloween, and because I needed something to fill up this post, here's a quick tour!

Starting in our kitchen:

The table normally isn't out full-size like this, but we had some people over this past weekend for a Southern-style BBQ, so we needed the room! Also, notice the cauldron mugs in the top corner. I'm in love with these mugs. They came from Williams-Sonoma this year. I only got two, and when I went back to get more they were out :(. The candle holders are also mini cauldrons, with my dancing witches around them.

This is our living room table. As I mentioned earlier, we had some people over this weekend, three of whom were our friends Mallory and Dave with their 5 1/2 month-old, Miss Addelaide Rose. She was pretty fascinated by this table runner; she kept trying to pick up the rings and was quite frustrated when they didn't come up!

My newest additions to my decorations. They're still on the floor, leaned up against our bookcase. I am hoping to hang these at some point.

And finally, our front steps. Mr. Bones sitting proudly by the front door! The pumpkin on the top step to the right is my sea turtle pumpkin. Not the best picture of it, sorry. In other news, I used a drill this year to "carve" my pumpkins. The one on the top left step says "BOO," although you can barely see it. The one on the bottom step looks a bit like a disco ball. Slightly more successful than last year's S/5 fiasco.

And that's our Halloween set up!

Paul gets up to go to the gym early in the morning. One morning he came home and surprised me with these! He said he thought I'd like them because they are fall colors. He knows me so well :).

So anyway, the reason you all read this, time for more pictures of the belly :)....

 Here I am at 15 weeks (well, 15 1/2).

And again. This time from the front so you can see my awesome shirt. That I made myself. I may have effectively ruined our iron when I forgot to put the overlay sheet down over the iron-on decals. Small price to pay in the name of DIY.

So far the pregnancy is going well. I'm finally getting a little bit of energy back, which is definitely a welcome relief! I'm still getting crazy heartburn and bad headaches pretty regularly. I also don't sleep much, because for some reason I wake up every night around 2:00-3:00 and then I'm up for about 2 hours. Not the best, but I guess it's just preparing me for what's to come!

On a lighter note, I'm hoping to start feeling little Butterbean soon! From what I've read, this is about the time I can start to expect to feel flutters...

Virginia Trip!

Sorry it's been a few weeks since we've updated this. That just means this post will have more things to update, and therefore be much more entertaining for you. So really, I'm not sorry and you're welcome.

Since the last time I updated this, we have been to MSU's homecoming game vs. Iowa, back to Virginia for about 48 hours, and experienced 13 and 14 weeks in this pregnancy. The game was disastrous. Cold and rainy. Oh, and we blew it. In overtime. So we'll just skip past that. No need to dwell on that. Or the fact that MSU is now dangerously close to not being bowl eligible this year.

Onto the more fun stuff. Virginia!! Paul and I were lucky enough to get to go home this past weekend for approximately 48 hours. We flew from Lansing into DC Friday morning, rented a car, and drove to Richmond. While in Richmond I was able to fill up on sweet tea and my Nanny's cooking. I also got some Sweet Frog :). Which was perfect because I was able to get a lot of fruit to top my frozen yogurt, which is what I've been craving recently. Anyway, we were really only in Richmond Friday night, because Saturday morning we headed out to Cumberland to the Deitrick family farm. (So I apologize to those friends I wasn't able to see or get in contact with, but next time for sure!)

This is the view on the drive going out to the farm. It's really hard to not be happy to be away from everything when you're heading down these back roads.

 Once you turn into the farm, this is the "driveway" up to the house and barn and everything.

And a lovely picture of us at the Hillcrest monument. This is Butterbean's first picture at the monument. Most definitely more to come.

Getting out to the farm was great! A nice day away from everything, getting to see friends and family, and of course, shooting shotguns. Because really, what else would you do? Which, as it turns out, I'm much better at shooting targets than flying discs. I'm also fairly certain someone pointed this out to Paul, telling him to "keep that in mind." I guess this means Paul should always be moving, especially when I'm brandishing guns? We're nothing if not classy.

It was gorgeous out there this weekend. I wish I had taken more pictures. While most of the leaves up here in Michigan have already turned colors and are now falling, leaving the trees bare and sad-looking, the leaves were just beginning to transform into fall colors in Virginia. I apologize for not being better with the camera, but you'll get over it.

We left the farm Saturday afternoon and headed north to DC for the evening. We went back to one of our favorite sports' bars while we lived there. Oddly enough, that particular bar is a lot more fun when you can actually enjoy the beer towers. Still, it was great seeing a few of our "DC" friends.

Monday we went back to the doctor's to see our little Butterbean. Here are a few close-ups:

So that brings us up to present day, and the 14-week picture! Which was actually taken at more like 14 1/2 weeks, but in my defense, 14 weeks was the day we flew back from Virginia and I was not at my best. To any onlookers I'm sure I looked hungover. Anyway, here's 14 weeks, literally taken moments ago, so it's almost like this blog is real-time. I'm so tech-savvy.

We take these pictures in the guest room/nursery and everytime I take a belly picture, I think "man, I can't wait until that wall is painted." Luckily, that's not too far away.

One last note before I end this blog. This arrived in the mail on Monday:

Nanny and Poppa were concerned about my ability to get Brunswick stew up here. Mostly because I think I've called them complaining about this no fewer than 20 times. So a special thank-you to them! I'm all set (at least for a couple weeks...)!

That's it for now. I'll try not to be away so long next time. 

"We're" Pregnant!!

The news is out! Paul and I are expecting our first little one, due to grace us with his/her presence around April 21, 2013! Layla even helped us announce the news. (Bandana from Etsy: Glamour Dog Boutique)

She seems to be overly excited about the whole thing. And by overly excited, I mean she has no idea anything is changing. Man, is she in for quite the surprise.

So far this pregnancy has gone fairly smoothly (much to my sister's dismay). In my defense, I feel like I have been training for this all through college.

I'm sure my parents have never been more proud.

Because we've been keeping this whole thing kind of hush-hush, there's a lot to update everyone on. We've been taking "belly" pictures every two weeks since about 8 weeks, so you will now be bombarded with them here. Enjoy.

Here I am at 8 weeks. No real "belly," if anything just one too many tacos. At this point all I wanted was Taco Bell and broccoli and cheddar soup from Panera.

And this is at 10 weeks. Maybe a little bump, but again, probably mostly the tacos... This was taken the second day of fall, so naturally I had been listening to Christmas music all morning and followed it up with a decaf s'mores latte from Biggby.

The day after the above picture was taken, we went to see the doctor again and got an ultrasound done. So here's baby. Who we sometimes affectionately refer to as "Butterbean." I could not get enough of those things at the beginning. Literally, on more than one occasion my dinner was a can of butterbeans.

Baby, "Butterbean," did a lot of punching and kicking during this. We got to hear the heartbeat this day, too. A very healthy 160 BPM. Also, after talking to my doctor this day, she informed me I could, in fact, still shoot guns while pregnant. This news will come in handy in 2 weeks when we make our way down to Paul's family farm.

I was in Atlanta for a conference this past week, and we were lucky enough to go to the Braves' game. So yes, we were there when the fans were going crazy and throwing all sorts of trash on the field. Despite this, I was pleased Baby's first baseball game could be a Braves' game, and Chipper's last game at that. (This is still a point of emotion for me, I'd rather not talk about the fact that Larry "Chipper" Jones will not be playing for the Braves anymore.) And yes, that is #10 painted on my face. I also ate Dippin' Dots out of a miniature helmet. I am 12.

And finally, here we are at 12 weeks. Starting to get a "belly," however, I feel like I just look fat. Also, we're under the "200 days left" mark, as denoted by the countdown to margaritas!

So that's it for now! I'll try to stay on top of this thing this time. Perhaps Paul can even make a guest appearance or two on here.

First week of classes, first MSU home football game, etc.

So Lindsay keeps giving me a hard time about not having updated this thing recently.  I apologize.  I know you all wait with baited breath for my next post.  Paul and I have been incredibly busy with the first week of classes, our first MSU home football game and my impromptu trip to NC for about 30 hours.  Not to mention the multiple fantasy drafts we've had. 

I'll start with classes.  Classes are going well for both Paul and myself.  I am teaching 6 BIP classes, which are basically P.E. classes, as well as taking 3 classes myself.  I am busy, but loving it.  Nothing eventful has happened for classes as of yet, but I'm sure it's going to.

Now, briefly, I went to NC to visit family very quickly.  It went well and I'm really glad I got to see my parents, Lindsay, Micah, Riley and my grandparents.

On to our first MSU football game.  Here's a little bit of what I got to see:

Sparty and Me - BFF.

OK, so Gerard Butler wasn't at this particular game, but nonetheless, they still do this cheer...  SPARTANS ... WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?!

I also got to experience a bit of this:

GO GREEN! ... GO WHITE!
(Although I will say, there is no closure to this cheer.  They need to take a cue from Penn State and say Thank you...)

Now, on to fantasy.  So this year I am in 3 leagues.  Paul, I think, is in 17.  That's a rough estimate.  We had our first draft together Sunday night, but as I was en route from Detroit to East Lansing on the Michigan Flyer, we did auto draft.  It turned out pretty well for me, as I ended up with Greg Jenningssssss, as well as Joooooshhh Freeeman (if you don't get this, you need to read more Bill Simmons).  Actually, I was lucky enough to pick up Greg Jennings in all 3 of my leagues.  Which is why I have one of the most best offenses in Fantasy history.  To get this, you need to YouTube: Best Madden Commentator (Paul didn't want me to post this video, as it has quite a bit of language in it and is less that appropriate for this medium).  We also got my family together to do a league, which has been not quite a debacle, but pretty close.  I feel like I'm regularly on the phone with Dad, who is saying, "I have to do this every week??  Why???"  Mom seems to be right on board with this, though.  Lindsay picked up the most random team in Fantasy history.  Dad drafted as many Eagles as he could and Ryan and Andrew continued to take every player I wanted right before my pick was up.  We'll see how this goes.

We're getting ready to go tailgate another MSU football game - they play FAU at noon!  So, hopefully you've enjoyed this post.  I'll try to get on this thing more regularly. 

Until next time ... GO GREEN!!!

As promised, pictures of the house ...

So here are some lovely pictures of the new house.  I should preface this by saying I am not a professional photographer.  I should have enlisted the help of my mother for this, because quite frankly, my photography skills are not that great, but nonetheless, enjoy!

A view of the kitchen from the living room.  That sliding glass door at the back leads to our deck and backyard/pond.

 Another kitchen shot featuring our new dining set where we actually do eat. 

 The kitchen hutch showcasing beach paraphernalia.  "Life is a Beach" sign from my Aunt Lori - matches my dishes perfectly!

 The other angle of the kitchen with a little view into the living room.

 Here is our back deck with new patio set and view of our gorgeous pond.  We do have a grill, but that's not pictured as it's still in the garage.   Genius idea putting it together in there as opposed to on the deck where it's going to be ... 

Partial view of the kitchen and the living room.  First look at some of our new living room furniture!  Quite comfy.  A gift from my amazing fairy Godmother, Carmen (Paul's real Godmother...).  LOVE it!

 Living room.

 New couch!  (And new curtain panels :) ).  Topsail Island sign by the door and a new driftwood mirror made my Mary. 

 Here's a better look.  That lamp was made by my Poppa :).

 I think I already posted a picture very similar to this, but oh well.

 Other side of the living room.  Layla portrait.  You can kind of see the Deitrick caricature on the back wall from Lindsay & Micah.  Oh, and Layla's toys.  They still don't have a real home, so they will go there for now.  Layla likes to keep an eye on them.  That beautiful dish has flamingos on it :), courtesy of Diane & Greg.  You can't tell from this picture, but that IS the VCU road to the final four book!

Front of the house.  We've already had some compliments on all the things from Virginia (UVA & VCU).  Well, one compliment from the guy who brings his beagles to our yard to use the restroom.  Thanks buddy.  Oh, and there's Layla.  And another flamingo in the yard.  Can you tell whose house this is?!

 Office.  Paul's hockey jersey and ginormous diploma.

New grownup desks!  My desk with my normal sized diploma.  That lighthouse lamp was made by Paul's grandfather.  No Nanny, you cannot have it.

A look at the guest bathroom because it looks like a spa.  I bet Mary is yelling at me right now for not ironing the shower curtain.  The wrinkles really show here.  This stuff was a gift from my Pettis cousins.  Looks nice!

So that's it for now.  Once we wash our comforter from smelly Layla being on it and get our bedroom looking nice, maybe I'll post that picture.  The guest room needs a bit of work as well.  We need to get a mattress instead of the air mattress in there now.  If you want more detail, you'll have to visit!! 

Great Lakes, Great Times...

We've decided to start a blog because we have so many important things to say and I know everyone out there wants to hear them.  Or possibly to keep friends and family updated as we strike out on new adventures in Michigan.  Either way, here it is.

Speaking of Michigan, we made it, safe and sound.  Actually it only took us about 10.5 hours.  Very uneventful. We've spent the majority of this week unpacking and cleaning.  Cleaning a lot.  Apparently our landlord thought it best not to vacuum before our arrival.  Or do any sort of cleaning for that matter.  Oh well.  Our new dining room set has arrived, as well as a patio set and new grown up desks.  No more target desk for me!  Paul's mom has been here all week and we put her to work.  Our living room and kitchen/dining room got a fresh coat of paint and the yard has been spruced up a bit.  Apparently our landlords are not what you would call "outdoorsy," so our yard was, well, lacking.

Layla loves having a yard.  She plays a lot with her flippy floppy and walks around like she runs this neighborhood.  Let's be honest, she does.  She also LOVES swimming in the pond in our backyard.  Which makes her smell wonderful.  We've put up a baby gate on the porch to keep her from going down in the pond when we don't want her to.  It is nice to be able to open the door and let her out, instead of worrying about walking her down a flight of stairs out of an apartment into a parking lot.  We still take her on evening walks around the neighborhood.  There are some weird kids here. 

We have also done some exploring of our quaint little town of Mason.  It's pretty much adorable and a little like stepping back in time.  Somewhat Mayberry-like.  We had dinner "downtown" the other night at a pretty good Mexican place. Then we walked a couple blocks away to an ice cream shop (they love their ice cream here) that serves ice cream from MSU's dairy store.  Really good!  There's a big music fest coming up the last weekend in August and I am very much looking forward to mingling with the local town-folk.  Everyone we've met so far has been really nice.

I'm hoping to have everything put away and cleaned up by next week, so I'll take some pictures of the new place then and post them here.  Keep an eye out; it will be life changing.