A Husband Free Guide to Survival

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We miss Scott. The end of today marks the halfway point of his trip, which means we've made it without him for five whole days! Well besides the play dates, friendly visits, and family time, there've been a few other things gettin us through. Definitely things I recommend for any good husband free length of time. First up is good movies and television. It's been a period film marathon over here, and thanks to some friends, I've become slightly obsessed with Friday Night Lights. Soo good.

Next on my list are good books to read. I go through phases with reading. I grew up loving it, devouring every book in sight, and sometimes I still get in those moods where I can't get enough. Lately that's been just my mood, and with Scott gone, I've had more time to get lost in my books each night. These are a few of my recent reads, rereads, and future reads.

Of course this list also wouldn't be complete without good food. For me this includes not only good snacks, but also delicious dinners. I finally feel like I'm out of my early pregnancy nauseous/lazy phase (it's about time at 21 weeks along!), but now I've been in craving city. Bring on the sugar cereal! These have been my most recent go to munchies.

And some favorite dinners as of late.

Last but not least, as of today, we've enjoyed some pretty fabulous weather, and I'm hoping there's a lot more where that came from. This means playing outside, which is a big deal. We haven't played outside for more than two seconds since like March! And this cute girl loves to play outside.

So there you have it, my must have survival list for living Scott free :)
Here's to lasting the next five days without him!

Talkin Bout My Girl

So Scott left today for a ten day business trip to Indiana. Let me tell you what, I'm not thrilled about it. We spent half our dating relationship doing the long distance thing, and I feel like I've paid my dues. The difference between then and now is that instead of lots of homework and five crazy roommates, I get to spend my days with the darn cutest girl I know. And that's why I'm grateful today. Eva's heart condition has been a pretty serious reminder to me of just how fragile and precious life is.

Since her little surgery, Eva and I have spent more time down on the floor playing, more time dancing in the kitchen together. I've felt myself trying to be a more patient, attentive, and loving mother to her, and these past few weeks, I've felt my love for Eva increase. Again, I am so grateful for this. Today though I'm missing Scott, I feel closer to Eva than ever, and I am so so glad for every day spent with her.

Last Week

I thought I'd just let Eva tell about her adventure at the hospital last week, so here goes...



(via Scott's phone)


(via Scott's phone)


(via Scott's phone)










(via Scott's phone)




















(via Scott's phone)




(via Scott's phone)

And that's pretty much that. We're back home now and doing great. You'd never guess Eva had surgery only last week, she's just as normal as can be. Now we'll just have to see what the doctor says at our follow up appointment.

Thanks again to all who thought of us and said a little prayer for Eva. Words cannot describe how grateful we are :)

Say a Little Prayer for Eva

visits to the cardiologist
echocardiograms
ultrasounds
lots of worrying
preparing for surgery

These are a few other reasons we've been absent from the blog this summer. Eva has had a heart murmur since birth that we'd hoped would go away on its own. Instead, we found out a few months ago that the murmur is a fairly serious form of aortic valve stenosis. We now know that this valve in Eva's heart did not develop properly in gestation and just doesn't open as much as it should. This basically causes the valve to work extra hard and results in a much higher blood pressure within Eva's heart as compared to the blood pressure of the rest of her body. At least this is my interpretation of all the medical mumbo jumbo.

So Eva will be having surgery tomorrow to help open her aortic valve and reduce a lot of the pressure within her heart. I can't help but get a little choked up at the thought of my tiny girl in the hospital. Just look at this sweet face. Lets hope I can keep it together.

New on the Photoblog

While you wait for me to be more responsible and such on this here blog, check out the recent loveliness on my photoblog over HERE.

Big News

Man, have I been a bad blogger. Sometimes I dread posting on here after a long hiatus. I just have so much to catch up on. I've started realizing though that I miss documenting our lives on here. Everyone should have a place to record the important stuff. I know someday I'll be glad for this blog and the other journals we've kept. Anyway, I do have some pretty good excuses for being MIA over here all summer so I thought I'd start by documenting those.

Excuse number one, I'm pregnant!

The good:
We are stoked to welcome a new tiny babe to our family!
Miss Eva is sure to be the cutest big sister I know.
I'm already 16 weeks along, and we can't wait for February to get here!

The bad:
I've been WAY more sick and miserable than I was last time around.
The nearly constant nausea has yet to pass even now that I'm well into the second trimester.
Holy crap. Two kids? Not sure I'm ready for this!

The ugly:
My growing belly is pretty much all I've got for this one. Ha.
I already feel huge and have all but kissed my regular jeans goodbye. Hello elastic!

Despite the nonperks of being preggy, did I mention how excited we are about this?! SO excited. Like x19083458970. Here's to hoping this pregnancy goes a little more smoothly than my last. And now a few recent shots of the cute big sis to be!

Being a Mom is the Bomb

"God could not be everywhere, and so he gave us mothers."

Lets just ignore the fact that this is a little late, ahem. I simply want to express how deeply honored I feel to be a mother. I am overwhelmed everyday by the divine nature of motherhood. I feel closer to God having been a mom, and there just aren't words for the love I feel toward my family. Pictures are better anyway.

It doesn't get better than this.

I'd like to point out that she finally has hair!

Loves of my life.

Three Years

Whew we made it to three years! Not that it was TOO hard. Being married is a joy when your other half is a master diaper changer, expert bug killer, and foot massager extraordinaire. I will (sheepishly) admit that most of the time I'm probably the one who causes the problems/fights/arguments in this relationship. Good thing I've got a while to work on myself. (Eternity sucka.)

We two celebrated over the weekend with a quick but wonderful stay at The Buttes Resort. This place is AMAZING. Gorgeous, relaxing, and not ten miles from home. And though we may have been just around the corner, it sure felt like we were far away. To top it off, Scott surprised me with chocolate covered strawberries that he made himself! Knowing Scott's lack of gourmet skills, and consequently the amount of effort he had to've put into this, I was super impressed ;)

In summary:

A marvelous anniversary weekend has been had.
Looking forward to many more moons together.
In honor of this happy day, a few of our favorite wedding photos.
Taken by Mary McGrath and edited by your's truly.