Can we do it again?!

I wish I could go back to last Thursday and do this past weekend all over again! It was so awesome having my sister in town and getting to hang out with the family. She got to do a lot of rubbing on baby Grayson and he loved it! :) It was such a treat to have her here! I miss my seester so much!
Here is a little picture book version of our weekend... (a lot to catch up on!)
I didn't get a picture of this, but on Wednesday Chris the Easter bunny surprised me with my own Easter egg hunt! I guess he figured I needed one too! :) It was so funny, my cheeks were hurting! He came up with some pretty clever clues and in the end I had an awesome Easter basket waiting! Yogurt Mountain gift card & new Maui Jim sunglasses!! I was soo excited! I don't splurge on sunglasses for myself, so I will be taking extra special care of these... I mean they are especially from my hunky Easter bunny! Ha!
Thursday my sister got in town and we made it an El Porton night! I know I crave it sometimes, but when you live a thousand miles away I can only imagine! It was a lot of fun and I stayed up until after 1:00 a.m. talking with my sister & mom!! I. cannot. hang. anymore. Ha! I was hurting when the clock struck midnight, but I knew I didn't get these moments very often so I toughed it out. Let's just say I felt almost hung over on Sat. after my "late night". Haha! Hopefully it's just pregnancy and not that I'm getting old, ha.
Friday we had a lunch date at Thyme Bistro - I love this little place! It's right around the corner from my house and the patio is perfect for a nice quiet lunch or dinner.

My sister, Me & My Mom @ Thyme :)

Friday night was BBQ night at the Hemphill's. Patio time at the parentals never fails for a fun time! My mom and sis said they had a few things to give me and Chris for baby Grayson so to come over a little early. Well we arrived and there was no "few things" about it - they had me a dadgum mini shower! Ha! They way out did themselves!! Grayson got so much cute stuff!! :)

All the goodies ;)

Momma & Daddy!
My favorites:)
and my other favorite;)

Saturday we went to Mr. Hudson Miller's 1st birthday party! The weather was beautiful and it was great to see some good friends! And most of all mister Hudson looked as precious as ever:) Saturday night we had a relaxing night and watched the Grizzlies game at my parents. We made a pallet like old times and cuddled ourselves to sleep! It was great!

Sunday was of course Easter and Chris & I got to host our first Easter Sunday!! We went to church with my family and then headed to our house for some good grub & good company! Chris tried out a fried turkey in his oil less fryer I bought him for Christmas. It turned out yummy, but was so huge it took forever to cook... so we demeated (word?) him as much as we could and then stuck him back on to cook while we ate. Next time we will start that big bird a lot earlier. A little different than our little chicken we usually cook! All in all the meal was wonderful and I think I pulled it off with the help of my mom & mother-in-law!

Copper had no complaints ;)

Well we have decided that the Clark/Hemphill/Young Easter cannot occur without the annual egg toss. This year we stepped it up a notch and the boys were challenging each other to driveway to driveway tosses! I opted to not take place in those after egg yolk went sliding down my shirt! Yuck~ but it was so much fun! These pictures will have you cracking up!!! Nonna's o-u-t! lol
And yes, Meg & Dave are the reigning egg toss champs!!

This Easter was one of the best in a while! I will try not to get sentimental on you, but when we were standing up in church singing praises I glanced down and saw my whole family together right there in a row... I glanced down and saw my tummy and a feeling of so much peace and gratefulness came over me. What I had right there at that moment is the most important thing in life and I hope I can hang on to that feeling forever! It wasn't just about each one of my family members I am so thankful for, or my wonderful husband that I love more each day or the fact that I have been blessed with this little angel in my tummy, but the fact that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose from the dead so that I could live this amazing life. He sacrificed everything he had and because of that I am able to look down that row and feel so blessed. He did that for all of us, he did not just pick some he gave his life for US, all of us. I am not preaching, because I am by far at fault, but I hope that everyday when I feel blessed or am grateful for something in my life - I will not only simply thank Him, but truly grasp the reason why I am given these wonderful things in life. Also, the sense of peace we are able to have knowing that these miraculous things on earth are so petty compared to what he has prepared for us in Heaven- I hope I can do more each day to show him how grateful I am!

*22/23 Weeks*

(Sorry I have to do some combining this week - I got a little behind and I will already be 23 weeks in just a few short days!!)
I'm 23 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 22/23 weeks
Size of baby: The size of a spaghetti squash/ jicama …11 ½ inches long, about 1 lb.
Maternity Clothes: Mostly pants and some tops
Gender: IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!
Movement: He has been moving a lot more! I feel more continuous movement instead of just kicks here and there!
Sleep: Sleep is good, can’t complain. I miss being able to sleep in on the weekends. My body is waking me up earlier than I’d like- but I guess I should get used to that :)
What I miss: Nothing really
Cravings: Coke Icees and Ice Cream (Yes, the Easter bunny knew my guilty pleasure:) )Symptoms: Just feeling larger – I know, I know everyone says “just wait…” it’s just a major change in the abdominal region I’m adjusting too ha, but can’t complain!
Best Moment this week: Week 22- FINALLY having my sister here to rub on Grayson!! He loves Aunt Uerster already! Week 23- Of course seeing our little angel on the ultrasound! I just love him;)

*We had our 22 week doctor appt. yesterday! Everything went wonderful and we had another ultrasound!! That will probably be the last one for a little while, but I enjoyed getting spoiled while I could. Grayson looked "perfect" as she said and he was a "busy bee"! She actually said he was measuring a little ahead of time, about a week early so nothing big but good to know. It was our first ultrasound with my doctor since we found out he was a boy and she confirmed to us he is indeed a boy!! I had a dream the other night "he" came out and it was a girl! Shoot, we would be tying some pink bows around alot of blue stuff! Haha! I don't think we have anything to worry about though :)
As I enjoy this beautiful weather today, I can't help but think of all the people that lost so much and even loved ones in the horrible tornadoes this week! :( My prayers are with you all! TGI(almost)F!!! Hope the Grizzlies win tomorrow!! :) Love you all bunches!!

SPRING FEVER!

I don't know about ya'll but I am ready for this pretty weather to stick. This weekend was so weird, freezing Saturday and gorgeous Sunday! Hopefully the rain this week will spare us and we will have some sunshine! There are far too many fun festivities coming up for the weather to get in the way! My sister is coming in town (ahhhh, she gets to rub on Grayson for the first time!!). When sister comes in town this entails a lot festivities... El Porton night, Patio/BBQ night... you get the gist! We need some pretty weather for these functions!
We also had a lot of fun times this past weekend! Chris went on his annual Easter Egg Hunt! Haha, don't laugh :) I started this 4 years ago and it has become tradition. It's fun and he gets excited like a little kid (hope he doesn't read this!). I hide clues in different Easter eggs around the house and he has to follow them to find his Easter basket!!

Thinking hard... "hmm, where might this clue lead to?"

Notice Chris in background... I think he found one!All kinds of fun stuff!!(I wonder if Grayson will wonder why Daddy still goes on Easter Egg Hunts too? ha!)

Saturday we went to our Pregnancy to Parenthood class. It was a long day, 8-4, but well worth it! It was at Methodist Germantown (where I will be delivering) and it was really a great class. I learned a lot, but I think the main thing for me is now I feel a lot more comfortable going into this. I knew quite a bit of it so knowing there was not a million other things I didn't know made me feel better. I think I can do this :) My friend went a month or so ago and told me to not watch the birthing videos. Well of course then I had to. I was afraid I would always fear what it looked like if I didn't watch and I am glad I did. Yeah it was disgusting and no it is not something I enjoyed, but a big ole' baby is... ok, maybe I shouldn't get descriptive here, but I know that moment isn't going to be all roses so seeing that helped me realize that it's nothing more than what I imagined. Once again, I can do this :) (I will probably keep repeating that to myself for the next 4 months:) It was a really special time for Chris & I. (Confession: Chris can swaddle better than me.) We had fun with it and I can't wait to raise this baby boy with him! I know we probably all feel this way, but I really think he is going to be the best Daddy!! And as much as Chris hopes he's not, I hope Grayson is just like him!

After the class we headed to a sweet little girls birthday party, Katelyn Jane Miskel! Of course Momma Ashley had it to a tee and it was a precious "Paris" themed party! Here is Kate ripping into some presents! She is such a good baby!!Speaking of 1st birthdays, we have another precious little boy to celebrate this weekend! Sweet Hudson (another reason this rain needs to leave us alone!!).

*21 Weeks!*

I'm 21 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 21 weeks
Size of baby: The size of a banana
Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7lbs. (Oh, but next Wed. after the doc this little # will change:)
Maternity Clothes: Mainly just pants and some tops… just bought my first maternity swimsuit! Yay for summer!
Gender: IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!
Movement: He must have loved the church service Sunday because he was having a hay day in my tummy! I’ve been feeling him a lot midmorning and mid afternoon… I think by night time he is pooped like Momma!
Sleep: Overall pretty good, I’ve only had a few bad nights.
What I miss: Nothing really… maybe trying on clothes and them fitting? Ha!
Cravings: Coke icees, Ice cream and Caramel Cadbury Eggs!!... they need to get these off the shelves asap!
Symptoms: This past week I have had some major pregnancy brain – anyone who finds my black running shorts or kitchen scissors, please let me know!! (I have a feeling they are somewhere verrry random!)
Best Moment this week: Our pregnancy to parenthood class… a sweet day I’ll never forget :)

I guess we never keep bananas in our house because Copper was so amsued by it. She wouldn't get out of the picture because she wanted it so bad. I let her figure it out for a little while...My baby girl;)

Easter is right around the corner! I hope everyone takes some time out of their day filled with family & food and remembers the true reason for Easter! There is so much to be thankful for and it's all because of HIM! Don't let that slip your mind this holiday! Enjoy :) xoxo~

Whooah, I'm half way there!

Whooah, livin'... j/k I won't sing you the whole song, but you get the gist... I'm half way there! :) Yay! Sunday marked 20 weeks. It gets me so excited knowing that in just 4 1/2 short months my baby will be here! I just had a friend that delivered 20 days early, so now I'm like woah it could be before. However, I won't complain either way as long as God is ready for him to come into this world and it's not the night my pregnant arse is in a wedding (yes, 2 weeks before my due date. I have lost it!)

We had a great weekend, nothing planned and just did things at the spur of the moment. I love weekends like that! Saturday I went to a sweet friend, Debra's, baby shower. She is having a boy in June, baby Cameron! She got so much cute stuff and it definitely has reeled me in to checking out the new store Itty Bitty Bella! My goodness they have some cute things! Here is her array of "stuff":

(I didn't take many pics so I had to steal these 2 -Thanks Alicia :) )

Debra looked beautiful. She is one glowing Momma!

Sweet friends!

So after this shower I got so excited about getting new things for Grayson that I took the cheap route and went registering instead of shopping! Haha! It kinda felt the same?! I got a lot done and it was so fun!!! We then headed to the new Ghengis Grill with my parents. It was SO yummy! Chris has decided he is going to eat there weekly :) fine by me! We then hit up a little Yogurt Mountain before heading home to lounge on the patio. (Which a guy at YM said I looked like a professional filling up my ice cream cup. Dang it! So what, I've been there a time or 2... or 9:) ) Then Sunday we headed over to our good friends, the Miskel's, and had a little cook out. I got my baby fix playing with sweet Kate on the swing set! (Who is turning 1 tomorrow! Happy Birthday Kate! We can't wait to celebrate Saturday!) and I got to watch Cole make his star of the week poster! They are 2 precious kids and I can't wait for all those fun times to come with little Grayson! It was a great weekend and we had some awesome weather! I am so ready for pool time so me and the belly can just float :)

Here are the weekly stats. Sorry no cantaloupe, when you have to tinkle down every aisle the less grocery trips the better. The bi-weekly trips are rough I tell ya!!

*20 Weeks!*

I'm 20 weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of baby: The size of a cantaloupe

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Bought some new pants that I will be sporting asap and some new tops for the summer. Right now it’s mainly the pants I must have in maternity!

Gender: IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!

Movement: I’ve been feeling him a lot more! Ready for him to kick real hard so Daddy can feel it!

Sleep: Good and I am in love with the boppy body pillow! (Chris is too… hehe!)

What I miss: Nothing really…

Cravings: Coke icees and Ice cream

Symptoms: Grayson moving a lot more, belly a-growin’ and of course potty breaks galore!

Best Moment this week: Feeling Grayson kick! There is nothing like it!

Finally the weather is back to being gorgeous today! It makes for a nice long walk for me & Copper! Then I'm going on a random baking kick. I cook, but don't bake often so we shall see! Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake by Paula Deen. (Strawberry cake is Chris' favorite!) I promise it's me just being a sweet wife and has nothing to do with my never ending craving for sweets!! hehehe:)

19 weeks!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I cannot believe on Sunday I will be half way there, as in half way through my pregnancy! I know the summer is just going to fly by (doesn't it always?) and before we know it, it will be August :) I long for the day when I will meet my baby boy!!

So of course the first thing any Momma wants to do when they find out what they are having is SHOP! Well, I have been trying to be really good since we are redoing the house and spending a lot of money towards that. {Thank goodness for Nonna, she has given me all of my baby boy fixes:)} But today I just knew it was going to get ugly when I had was dying to go in Janie and Jack to get a shower gift. Of course, the shower gift I was shopping for was for a boy due in June which did not help at all. I really think I have a problem with this store. I have never been one to have to have something, I can usually just put it down and say no. But today it was not happening. I bought the shower gift and returned 30 minutes later to purchase the outfit Grayson needed;). Needless to say I need to stay away from Janie and Jack for the next 4 1/2 months, or actually until my baby is out of size 6 :)

So did any of you witness the crazy storm that came through on Monday?! I could not believe how much damage it did. I was actually at home when it happened and got a little nervous after the loud booms, but decided to not look outside since it sounded pretty nasty. Our power went out in the middle of it and I figured since I couldn't keep tabs on if there was a tornado coming for us I'd be better off just not watching. An hour later it sounded like it was over and I thought we all made it through just fine. Well I was wrong! We got out a little later and our neighborhood was hammered. Half the streets you couldn't drive down because they were blocked with huge trees and unfortunately half of them had taken down part of a house or two. I am glad no one was hurt. However, if our neighbors 90 year old tree had decided to take a tumble on our new kitchen, more people might have gotten hurt :) hehe, jk!

This last picture amazes. Those winds must have been strong to uproot that honker!Well, sorry once again I did not take a picture of my bump this week, but it is definitely here!! I feel like I am showing a lot more! I promise I will get one with my cataloupe next week :) I didn't realize at 20 weeks they start measuring baby from head to toe instead of crown to rump like the first half of pregnancy. Pretty interesing! It's a good thing to know for those of you who might be wondering why he jumped from the size of a mango to a cantaloupe :)

*19 Weeks!*

*Pregnancy Highlights:

(sorry I cannot get this to not double space)

How Far Along: 19 weeks

Size of baby: The size of a mango (6 1/2 inches, crown to rump)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 7lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Still all regular clothes, but the pants are screaming! It’s time to go shopping :)

Gender: IT’S A BOY!!!!!!!

Movement: I definitely think I’ve felt him this past week. It’s not quite strong enough to feel on the outside yet, but I’ve definitely been feeling him on the inside!!

Sleep: So far so good!

What I miss: Nothing really…

Cravings: Ice cream – YoLo is going to be my best friend this summer :) Oh, and we just got a Yogurt Mountain right by the house~ yikes!

Symptoms: Feeling little Grayson moving around, 9000 potty breaks & (Chris would be glad to hear me admit it) hormones :)

Best Moment this week: Picking out details for the nursery!! They are coming to paint it Friday, so excited!!

Cheers {with a coke icee:)} to this pretty weather!! xo~