Blessings for the Little One

As I mentioned, we have been showered with blessings for our pending arrival!  C and I both come from LARGE families so we did each side separately so I could talk with all the guests.  Both showers involved fun games, gifts and of course, lots of delicious food.  Here are a few photos of both showers (I had a third shower at work but forgot to take a single photo, boo).

Shower hosted by my Mom and Celeste, my brother's girlfriend:

My Aunt Mary's delicious cheesecake

Mini Cheesecakes (we also had soup and sandwiches)

My cousin Erin and I, she's due about a month after I am!

My Grandma (My Mom's Mom)

My Grandma and shower host (My Dad's Mom)

Unwrapping a clothesline gift from my friends
Kelly (she blogs at Willful Design) and
Cari (she blogs at Follies of a Fat Girl)!

Shower hosted by C's Mom, Brittany, Danielle, Alicia:

The girls: Brittany, Alicia, Sonya, Danielle and Sharon

The shower was owl themed-hence the cute
"Baby Whoo" banner!  (you will see this again....soon)

Cute decorations by Alicia

Guessing the due date and gender of the baby!
Looks like most think it's a girl :)

Chris after assembling one of our shower gifts-
The BOB Jogging Stroller.  So excited to use it!

We truly are blessed with amazing family and friends and our little one already has such a network of love and support!  Can't wait to meet this little one!

2012-In Review

Now that 2012 has come to a close and 2013 is underway, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the past year.  It truly was a year of change for us!  I was happy with our progression toward our goals for 2012 and shopping local, baking bread and meatless meals are all part of our weekly routine.

In January, I took to meal planning every week.  It really helps keep the grocery list (and budget) in check and we get more variety in our meals and I'm not rushing around to throw something together after work.  I'm planning on taking the past year of meal plans and creating a month of meals for February after the baby arrives!  We also worked on some house projects!

In February, we finished our 1/2 bath remodel and announced that we would be MOVING!  I also signed up for a 10 miler and started training again.  C and I got dressed up and spent a night celebrating with the Junior League...so fun!

In March, we listed our little house for sale because we would be moving and I detailed why I run.  

In April, we hit the road to visit C's sister Alicia in DC and got to catch up with our friends Caitlin and Brian. I celebrated my last 20's birthday by spending the day with my Mom and then a wonderful dinner with C at a local wine shop.  I ran (and PR'ed) my 10 miler and detailed my must-have gear.

In May, I graduated MBA school!!!!!  And we bought a house in the Cleveland area.  It was a busy month and we also tried to enjoy spending time in Columbus before the pending move.

In June, I visited my friend Kelly for her bachelorette party and bridal shower.  Chris graduated with his MBA (yay!!!!!) and we moved out of our Columbus house.  We ended the month by celebrating Kelly and Altay's wedding.

In July, we moved into our Cleveland house and announced our BIG news that we would be expecting in February:)

In August, we had our first ultrasound and C celebrated being 29!  We ended the month with a Warrior Dash (C participated and I watched).

In September, we hit up the local Oktoberfest with my parents and our new house started to get into order but we still have a ways to go.  We ended the month with a trip to San Diego, our last get-away as a family of 2 before baby!

In October, my college roommate Jen got married and we road-tripped to Cincinnati to celebrate!  Mom and I painted the nursery and I made one last out-of-state trip to Nashville for a girls weekend and to meet baby Colin.

In November, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and picked up our beautiful dining room table.  Nesting also hit in full force.

In December, my Mom came back to paint the entryway/hallway/stairway, we attempted Christmas card photos, spent time with family and celebrated the holidays.

What a wonderful year!  How was your 2012?  Did it live up to your expectations?  What were your favorite adventures?

Gratitude Days 8,9,10,11,12

Day 8, Sleep: The Doodle sleeping on his back while we were cuddling on the couch:

Day 9, Holidays: My latest creation, a holiday table runner that I'm going to be gifting at Christmas (though I really want to keep it for our house:))

Day 10, Kindness: We'v started one of our holiday traditions, donating to the local food pantry.  We used to donate through our church in Columbus but this year we are donating through C's company.

Day 11, Friendship: My husband and my best friend, Chris.

Day 12, Music: Me, Lea and Alison in Nashville listening to some live tunes!

Lovin for our little one

We have been so blessed with love and support since making our baby announcement a few weeks ago. We truly are grateful to the wonderful family and friends who are supporting us on this journey to becoming parents. Just check out the cards and gifts our little one has received so far: