Got my cashcrate check!

Pretty excited that this finally came in the mail! You can earn little income from the comfort of your home,  too. I also got a free tampon sample. Haha.  Check it out!

http://www.cashcrate.com/5534934

Earning a tiny income from home

Hey blogger friends!

If you're anything like me (SAHM, broke as a joke, can't handle working away from your kiddos, live in town where rent is through the roof, etc) then you might constantly be looking for a way to bring in a buck or two. This isn't a "get rich fast" plan. This is a "earn 20 bucks in a couple of months so you can help pay bills" kinda thing.

First up, ebates. Ebates is really simple and uses about 0 brain cells and minimal time spent doing it. All you do is sign up using my link and start doing your online shopping. You get cash back!! I've earned 6 bucks from shopping at overstock.com and oldnavy.com. It also gives you cash back for shopping online at walmart, target, ebay, macys, kohls, etc. Seriously good stuff!! And not only that, but I received a $10 Target gift card just for signing up. Plus, if you get friends to sign up UNDER you, then you get EVEN MORE. Which is precisely why I'm telling you about this. :) So here, use this link and I'll love you forever:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=Jjk7ntOKgzNBQZibGJQRrg%3D%3D&eeid=26471

And next in line we have the good ole survey option. No joke, these work. This is a painfully slow, but ridiculously easy way to earn some cashola. I like to use globaltestmarket.com. I've earned about $20 bucks doing their surveys. You can get paid via paypal. Join under me today by visiting this link:

https://www.globaltestmarket.com/join.php?contact_email=&utm_source=gtm&utm_medium=refer_a_friend&utm_campaign=friendreferral&utm_content=text

My favorite is this one, however. This is from cashcrate.com. Super easy and dare I say even a little fun at times? I have a check for $20.04 coming to me. I actually prefer to do the offers. You just have to know how to weed through and pick the right ones. You can go through them super fast, especially if you download roboform onto your computer. Perfectly safe and harmless, btw. It will fill in some of the fields automatically for you. I've even received free samples. Please use my referral link when you sign up!

http://www.cashcrate.com/5534934

And last but certainly not least, you all know I sell Jewel Kade!! Gorgeous, fun, fashionable, vintage AND modern, timeless, personal jewelry. ;) Many of you have ordered from me and for that I am forever grateful! It blesses my entire family! Have you thought about doing direct sales? It's something that I personal think is a lot of fun and a really great way to earn some income while making your own schedule. I do 1-4 parties a month and have earned anywhere from $50-200 per party. You can do online or home parties. I prefer home parties because then your customers can try pieces on and see the beautiful bling in person! Check out my personal Jewel Kade website and read all about Janet Kinkade, creator of JK, and see what you're missing out on. xo

https://gabbarossi.jewelkade.com/Home

Why is it so hard to just get ready for the day?!

Confession time: I'm lazy. Okay, so maybe that's not news to some of you, but just thought I'd throw it out there. A while back I decided to check out The Fly Lady and her helpful website. Man, she is a real go-getter. I'm not like her. I'm really, really not. Ya, I want to be. But if I try to be just like her, I'll just make myself depressed. I can't even DO a load of laundry a day right now because I don't have a washing machine. We also don't have a dishwasher so I make no promises that my sink will be empty and sparkling clean when I wake up in the morning. (In fact, it usually isn't because I'm never the first one to wake up!) And if I'm being completely honest with you, which I am, I don't even do the dishes very often. Jordan usually does them. Now, I'm trying to break that habit. I don't want him to have to hand-wash 2 bins of dishes. I did them last night and it took an hour and half. My arm is literally sore today from that endeavor.

Dishes is not what this post is supposed to be about, however. That was just an aside. Or an introduction. Or whatever. This post is about "getting dressed". Funnily enough, almost exactly 2 years ago I wrote a post called "Getting Dressed". (Read it here.) Apparently this is an ongoing issue?! Am I REALLY that lame when it comes to getting ready for the day? Sheesh. Pre-motherhood I think (I hope) that I did a better job. Or, maybe I was simply forced into getting ready for the day because I had a "real" job.You know, office gigs and what not. Although I do recall always looking a little less put together than my co-workers. At least, my hair did. I reeeally don't like doing my hair. Maybe it's because it won't hold a curl, or it loses body in 5 seconds flat. I don't know. I just don't like it.

So anyhow, it's 2 years after my original post and I'm still struggling. But, I think I'm doing better! I still hate wearing jeans and shoes when I'm just hanging around at home and doing chores. So.totally.uncomfy. I'm honestly not as productive in jeans. I'm really not. I can't comfortably sit on the floor and play with my kids in jeans. I can't get on my hands and knees and scrub the floors. I just.can't. I HAVE learned of the incredible usefulness of the apron, however. Those things really do serve a purpose! If I'm going to be doing some heavy cleaning, washing dishes or simply making dinner I always put on my apron. Saves my clothes and it makes me oddly productive.

And then there's the whole "putting on shoes even when you're just at home" thing. Come on, Fly Lady. Shoes aren't even good for your feet. I try to be barefoot as much as possible. Either that or I wear slippers around the house. Heh.

I'm also trying to be better at putting on makeup.,..again, another lazy bad habit of mine. (Check out this blog post I did the other day. Click here.) I don't like washing my face at night and if I put on makeup, it means I HAVE to wash my face. :/ But, like most normal females, I look better and feel better with makeup on. I'm not above going out and about in yoga pants, messy bun and clean face...but when I'm dressed nicer and done up a bit while doing my errands I think I'm actually a nicer person. It must be because I feel more confident which then leads to me smiling more and talking more to strangers. I mean, I like talking to strangers regardless of how I look, but I truly think I'm nicer when I look better. Is that weird? Also, I just look tired without makeup...and then I think about these memes:

OK! I'm toootally just rambling. So look here, I've been getting dressed more! I even took photos to document the occasions. I should have taken a picture of my outfit on Sunday because I thought my shoes were exceptionally cute. (In reality they were just plain black ballet flats, but they were new, so that made them better).

Last Tuesday I went to Target. And I got dressed up to do it! I EVEN left my hair down, which is nearly unheard of for me these day. (Long hair + grabby 9 month old + summer heat = ouch/hot). I'm wearing a top and cardigan thing that my mom and sister picked out. My mom said it brings out my boho side, which she's always loved. They're both from Styles 4 Less. The jeans are a dark wash skinny jean from Target. The boots are from Kohls. The necklace is from World MarketI felt good that day. I even got a compliment from a mom pushing her 3 kids in her cart. She said she liked my top. Of course I had to go on and disclose that my mom and sister found it for me because I have no style of my own. (Why did I do that?! Why didn't I just smile and say "thanks"? Seriously people.)

Yesterday was Monday and I took Julian to the library and then did some grocery shopping. I got dressed in my Lucky jeans that I snagged off of Ebay, clearance rack Old Navy top and favorite gold sandals from Target. I really, really like these sandals. I got them on sale and I wish I would have bought a second pair in another color. I did my hair in a simple high bun (#momhair) and threw on an old belt to complete the look. JK...my pants are too big and I didn't want to be constantly pulling them up. P.S. Like the sticker on the mirror? Yes, I have a 3 year old. 

Here we are on Tuesday. I took this picture at my mom's house and I didn't have access to a full length mirror at the time. So, no shoes. :( I was just wearing some simple beaded flip flops from Target) I didn't have any grand plans, but I did end up going to my parent's house with the kids and doing a load of laundry. While they were there I did a solo trip to Big Lots. My peasant top is from Old Navy and the shorts are an ancient pair of cut offs. They used to be my favorite jeans from American Eagle Outfitter. Super comfy, but the bottoms were also super worn out. They're probably about 9 years old and I finally turned them into shorts this summer. I didn't wash my hair today (OK, so I didn't wash my hair yesterday, either) so up it went in a simple bun again. Not sure why I'm not wearing a necklace. Just forgetful, I guess.

So there you have it. A really long blog post about how I don't like getting ready for the day and a few simple outfits I threw on. Thanks for reading! Hope I inspired you to get dressed, too. :D

Mondays at the Library

It's the beginning of the week again. It's Monday. Right now it's about 3 pm and I'm having my second cup of coffee. (Which may come back to bite me in the butt at 1am...but for now, I'm thoroughly enjoying. Genevieve is taking her afternoon nap and Julian is having a little quiet time. I wish that meant he was in his bedroom and I had the entire house to myself - nice and quiet. But, I tried that, and he kept trying to sing, and I wasn't about to let him wake up baby sister! So, now he's in the recliner behind me reading books outloud. I'll take what I can get.

Today was library storytime and I'm trying to get Julian out of the house more often. Genevieve came down with a cold so thankfully I was able to leave her home with Jordan today. I didn't want other moms glaring at me as snot dripped down my daughter's face. I don't mind some germs, but I definitely don't do sickee ones. Why expose your kid to illnesses if you don't have to, right? Anyhow, it's amazing how easy it is to go on adventures with just one little 3 year old! I don't even need to pack him anything these days! (Although I do bring a water bottle and snack for us to share and a toy for the car). Getting in and out of the car is quick and easy (except for when he sees the park across the street and begins flipping out because we didn't go there today. Oops). He holds my hand when we walk most places and he is a very good listener when we're out and about. It helps that we put the fear of death by cars and abduction by strangers in him. Heh.

While at the library he enjoyed showing other kids his Bumblebee Transformer and asked if he could help build with the Lincoln Logs. Of course, the other little 3 or 4 year old said "no" but I would expect nothing more. Julian isn't that into building things anyhow. He would much rather play pretend or with with his action figures. So then it came time for the story and songs. He sat front and center and was later joined by his Lincoln Log building friend. They proceeded to being very silly and bit disruptive together. Giggling and wiggling and what not. Boys will be boys. Afterwards came the craft, which Julian is totally into. I feel bad because I'm very much so not crafty and don't provide any sort of "craft" for him to do at home, aside from coloring. But, thankfully, the library provides that kind of entertainment. ;)

We came home with a few picture books, a couple chapter books to read at bedtime, 2 chick novels and Anne of of Green Gables VHS tapes. I'm pretty stoked!! New laundry folding movies. ;) Julian also brought back his project and colorful Wonder Woman.

And so that was that! Now the dishes await, as does vacuuming and folding laundry. Oh, and I should probably figure out dinner. Until next time...

Actually Doing a Pinterest Pin

I saw this pin on Pinterest and I was like, hey, I'm gonna try that. It was a makeup pin. The gal claims that it takes her less than 5 minutes to do this routine (which is vital because she has a baby crawling around her legs) and that it helps her tired eyes. (P.S. I didn't notice dark circles on her..sooo there's that. #jealousmuch)

Even though I'm not even leaving the house today and Jordan isn't even here, I tried it. A) It took me 15 minutes, not 5. B) I look nothing like the model, so that's a bummer. C) I look silly smiling with my mouth closed. D) The model appears to already have perfect, even, freckle-free skin. E) I must have really low brow lines?? But alas, here is me compared to her and also my before and after. Scary how much of a difference eye makeup makes, btw. Also, I think I look better IRL without makeup on than I do in photos. At least I hope I do...

P.S. Here's the link to the chick's tutorial: http://www.laurenmcbrideblog.com/2014/04/eye-makeup-tired-eyes/

And summer is nearly over...August 2014

Well, this brings us to the current month and it's now more than half way over. Sooo much going on! We had  4 weeks of swim lessons for my little water hater named Julian. I am beyond thankful that his wonderful teacher, Miss Casey, was so patient with him. He is no longer terrified of getting splashed and will even, on occasion, let me wash his hair! It's nearly a miracle, I tell ya.

This month has had its ups and downs! We discovered our toilet has been leaking thus causing not only a terrible sewage smell but also a case of black mold. I may or may not have had a little emotional breakdown last week, but this week things are looking up! I love Sundays and worshiping our Lord with my spiritual family at Covenant Presbyterian in Paso Robles and sometimes at Redeeming OPC in Santa Maria. (Jordan preached there twice this month, btw and did a great job!)

We decided that since we cannot afford preschool this year that grandma Nori will come up and spend the day helping me with Julian (taking him to the library, etc). Yesterday she was a HUGE help and I felt so much relief having her here! I even got ALL my laundry put away. LOL)

Tuesday I was supposed to go with the MOPS group to the zoo but we had a horrible night of sleep and didn't wake up in time. :( Thankfully it was a gorgeously cool day so I put on my walking shoes, put the kids in the double stroller and walked to the nearest park about 6 blocks away. The library is across the street so we also hit that up. Julian is such a fun, kind, social boy! He says hi to everyone, young and old. I love that about him. Afterwards Genevieve took a long nap, Julian watched a show and I took a little snooze on the couch. It was glorious.

Today felt like a lazy day. I did a small amount of chores, just enough to make me feel like I didn't totally waste the day away. I ended up running to Target (ALONE!!!??) in the afternoon and got some groceries and some adorable fall clothes for Genevieve. (Because seriously, I cannot resist that stuff!!) I also "dressed up" for this little errand. The other day I went shopping with my mom and little sister. I needed some serious fashion help. They took me to Styles 4 Less and I got a couple key pieces. (I'll blog on that later!) I felt pretty hip walking through the Target aisles, sans children. Note the boots and cardigan thingy. Hip, I tell ya.

Thanks for taking the time to read the updates on my life! I hope to keep writing more in the future, specifically more about the birth of Genevieve and our family's future career goals in the ministry.

-- 
Gabba Rossi

A Look Back

Funnily enough, the last time I blogged was one year ago today. It was on being pregnant and feeling ugly (read about it here). I was 6 months pregnant with Genevieve and we were nearing the end of our 12-week-long internship in Florida. (You may remember that time in my life). Fast forward to today, Tuesday, August 19th, 2014. I am neither pregnant, nor do I feel ugly. (Yay!) What in the world as happened this past year? How did I let time slip by me like that? Here's a quick recap:

August 2013: we wrapped up our internship, hopped in the minivan (me - very pregnant, Julian 27 months old, Jordan - our trusty husband, father and driver) and drove a bajillion miles back home to Escondido. Jordan began his third and final year of seminary at Westminster Seminary California and I resumed my roll as exhausted, pregnant mother and grateful wife.

September 2013: Julian (28 months) and I (nearly 7 months pregnant) hopped aboard the Amtrack in Oceabside and rode the train for 8 hours to San Luis Obispo. We hadn't seen our family in almost 4 months and were itching for a reunion! We had a wonderful time, of course, although I vowed never to make that trip via train ever again. ;) (Ok, at least I'll never do it alone with a toddler and while super pregnant.)

October 2013: Another busy month for us. Traveled alone with the 2 year old, yet again, up to SLO. This time I drove. I was honored to help throw my sister-in-law's bridal shower! It was a gorgeous day.

November 2013: This was the month we had been impatiently waiting for! I had a couple due dates and we were quite unsure of when Genevieve would actually make her appearance. I did a photoshoot to capture the glory of being pregnant. My mom came to stay with us the week before she was born and left just a couple days after. My mother-in-law drove 5 hours and made it before the actual birth with plenty of time to spare! Baby girl took her dear sweet time arriving on her birthdate. That's a whole different blog post, however, that I have yet to have written! Long story short, labor was over 24 hours long and by the time I hit transition she flew out fast and furious after ONE minute of pushing. I had her at a free standing birth center in San Diego on Tuesday, November 19th at 5:25 pm. (In a hot tub, "like a fish" as my big brother, Brandon, likes to say).

December 2013: Talk about not getting a rest! When Genevieve was just 2 weeks old we hopped in the minivan and made the 5 hour trek to back to SLO for my wonderful SIL wedding! We were delighted, although extremely tired, to a part of the beautiful day! I was a bridesmaid and Julian was the ring bearer. Sadly though, he got too freaked out on the big day and his position had to be taken over by another little cutie. Oh well, when you're 2, things like that just happen. We only stayed for a few days, drove back to Escondido so Jordan could take his school finals and then drove BACK to SLO for Christmas break. We stayed a whole month and it was really, really nice.

January 2014: We rang in the new year in SLO, no doubt we were sleeping at midnight. Such is life for tired parents. We drove back to Escondido and Jordan resumed classes.

February 2014: Jordan's 25th birthday was this month. So naturally, we hopped in the minivan and made the 5 hour drive, yet again, to SLO. (Are we gluttons for punishment, or what?! Nah. We just LOVE our families and the SLOlife!). We celebrated JD's birthday by going out on a much needed date. This was also the month that Jordan began his final semester of seminary!!!

March 2014: What even happened this month?! I have no idea. I probably went to lots of parks days and struggled to keep up on my daily chores. As usual. No trips to SLO for us this month!

April 2014: Easter month means Easter break! Easter break means...you guessed it! A trip to SLO. We happily drove up to visit our families and celebrate our risen Lord.

May 2014: Life started getting a little crazier in May. (Not like it really ever settles down for us). Julian turned 3!! This was was also the month that we had to pack up our cozy one bedroom apartment, Jordan graduated from seminary and we moved in to my in-law's home in SLO for a couple of weeks. Graduation and moving was a whirlwind! So incredibly proud of my hard-working husband. 2 years old Cuesta college then transferred to Fresno Pacific University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude in Biblical Sudies. Then 3 years of Seminary where he graduated with over a 3.2 with his Master's of Divinity. He's handsome AND smart. I'm a lucky girl.

June 2014: Apparently we don't like to sit around because just 1 week after moving to SLO we packed up and took a 13 hour drive to Oregon. We had a wonderful time there with my in-laws. Julian was absolutely enthralled by the river house and everything to do with fishing. He asks to go back to Oregon frequently. I sincerely hope that some day we can! Oh ya, and my baby sister GRADATED from high school?!?! Seriously. Time flies.

July 2014: This is the month that we moved into our attic apartment in Paso Robles. We spent a month cleaning it out and making it livable and I couldn't wait to have my own space again. We are always very blessed to have such loving family to live with, however, and we couldn't do life without them. Our apartment is cozy yet roomy at the same time. For the first time in a long time the kid's have their own room! At night they still sleep with us, but during the day Genevieve can nap in her own bed in her own room and all of their toys are in there! No more toys taking over the living room! Our house has many quirks, but we are extremely blessed to be have this place. (Quirks: no oven, no dishwasher, no washing machine, rickety old steps, ugly short, blue carpet, short slanted ceilings, occasionally smells like sewage, black mold (and issue we are are working on resolving), not enough power outlets, a shower built for miniature people, lack of proper AC) And yet, despite all these things that some people may not want to ever deal with, we say thank you Jesus for this roof over our heads. (Okay, so I may complain about it...audibly and in my head, but for the most part...I feel thankful. Hehe.) We also got a puppy this month! Oh ya, and I turned 30. Ahem...

August 2014:

Well this brings us to our current month! We'll save that for a new blog post. Thanks for reading!

On being pregnant and feeling ugly

Ok. So, if you have ever been pregnant before, and especially if you have been pregnant and had a toddler and have been living in someone else's home in a new state for 3 months...then you know exactly how I feel! You feel tired. Ugly. Fat. Out of shape. Tired. But then there are those glorious days when you get enough sleep and actually take the time to pretty yourself up! For me, that happens oh-so-rarely. I mean, really, really rarely. I think I have felt pretty twice this entire summer. No joke. And I am not fishing for compliments, btw. I am just telling you the truth. And it's okay. Whatever. So I feel gross most of the time. These days will pass. At 29 I'm no spring chicken any more, but Jordan is only 24 so he keeps me young and hip. ;) just kidding. He is so not hip; that's why he has me. I keep him hip. Anyhow, I totally digress. P.s. this is my first time blogging from my cell phone and it is 10:50 at night. (Maybe that's why I feel tired and ugly all the time?!?!) Back to the topic at hand!

This past sunday I got a good amount of sleep and felt decent enough to do my hair! How now, brown cow?! I wore it down Jd slightly pulled back at the sides. I spent, like, AN HOUR curling it and product-ing it. (And this is why it is in a pony tail most days....I don't have the patience to spend an hour curling my hair knowing it will go flat in 30 minutes ). It did go flat. The curls turned into miniscule waves. But whatever. No one can ever tell me I didn't try. So I had to blog about it, of course. Because when one is pregnant, entering their 3rd trimester, up 18lbs from their normal weight, and feeling rather blah about one's overall appearance, one must show the world that they DO have good days! Albeit few and far between.

And so I leave you with a few selfies of this hour-long hair'do. Was it worth it? Ya. I guess so. It helped me feel better about my pregnant-self and I even got a compliment. 27 ish weeks pregnant:

Loving my Son

Julian was not an easy baby. He was your typical Dr. Sear's "High Needs Baby". He nursed every 45 minutes and didn't "sleep through the night" until he was about 2. (He was still waking 6 times a night at that point). I learned to kind of go with the flow with him and follow his cues. I was never away from him for longer than an hour or two until he was 18 months old. He never took a bottle and I was the only one who could put him to bed. A LOT of patience and understanding was needed on Jordan's and my part. It was not easy.

But you know what? It was all worth it and looking back, it was such a short amount of time! He's really turning into such a well-adjusted little boy. He is sweet, loving, and even cuddly! (He was NOT a cuddly baby). The past month or so he has been sleeping great at night! Only waking once or twice and falling asleep easily and on his own. Two weeks ago we started having him nap again and this week he has been able to fall asleep on his own for naps instead of me laying next to him for an hour. He's even been napping an hour straight lately, which is a rarity in and of itself.

As of this week, he is almost fully potty trained. (And he did that on his own, too!). He now knows that pee peeing in his undies feels yucky so he doesn't do it. While at the museum on Monday he was brave enough to potty in the public restroom. He even used the public restroom at the library on Tuesday. (He is terrified of public restrooms due to the loud hand dryers). He naps without a diaper on and will get up and use the potty before falling asleep and when he wakes up. Last night after I put his diaper on and was putting him to bed, he got up and walked around the bedroom looking for his potty so I brought the potty in the room and he used it. He doesn't stay dry overnight, in fact, sometimes he pees so much he leaks through, but I'm not concerned about that in the least. I'm just feeling incredibly "lucky" that he is potty trained at all at the age of 27 months! I was prepared to be changing his diapers for another year.

He's down to nursing maybe once a day and sometimes not at all. I'll admit that I cried hard the first night that I realized he didn't ask for any milky. (This was just a couple weeks ago). I'm okay with it now, because all little babies have to grow up and wean at some point...I just didn't know that it would be so emotional for me!

I am amazed at this little boy. This kind, smart little boy is a good listener and a fast learner. A lot of days I feel like I fail as a mom. I feel like I'm boring. Lazy. Mean. Etc. I don't live up to the standards of motherhood that I would like to live up to. But, he loves me anyhow! He calls me "Princess" and gets jealous when I'm hugging daddy. He hugs me tight when he's falling asleep at night and never wants to let me go. This little guy completely melts my heart and I feel so unworthy of his love. But, so incredibly grateful for it.

Hug your babies tight. Cherish every moment of clingyness, neediness and those horrible sleepless nights! They certainly grow up way too fast.

Updates and Ramblings

Weeks along: 26, give or take.

How I'm feeling: aside from tired and uber emotional, pretty good. Seriously, my hormones this time around are so whack. I have no idea who I am. 

What the baby is doing: baby girl is kicking and moving and being your typical tiny baby in utero! She's been head down for at least a week now and is still like that. I'm sure she'll continue to flip flop about, though. According to all the websites she's about a foot long and a pound and half. 

Weight gain to date: 18lbs. Basically, I'm right on track with where I was at this time with Julian. I feel large, to be honest. But hey, I'm pretty sure all pregnant women feel large at some point in their pregnancy. I mean, I packed on nearly 20lbs in a matter of months. Scary. 

Next appointment: Tuesday, August 20th to do the glucose testing. Everyone hos and hums and huffs and puffs about this one. I have it pretty easy, I think. I don't even have to drink the goo. All I do is eat a hearty bfast of 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, 8oz of OJ, 8oz of milk (in my case, almond milk) and 8oz of water. After I shove it all in there as quickly as possibly and attempt to not pee my pants, then I go to my appointment (an hour after eating) and they draw my blood.

What's happening in G-ville: I'm really enjoying our twice-a-week romps to the library. Julian's little personality shines when we are at storytime. Some days he's your typical cranky, ornery, shy 2 year old and some days he's full of energy, loving every second of it! Last week he was so cute. They passed out scarves to play with during music time. Julian had to go around the room to every single adult, put his face right in their face, smile his huge, adorable smile and wave his scarf at them. He also tried getting a little 18 month old girl to dance with him. 

We always look forward to Sundays. I haven't been hanging out with people too much during the week, but on Sundays we get to have some good teaching and fellowship. Julian has even learned to sit through an entire hour and a half church service without talking or running around. Pretty amazing. I didn't think it was possible for a 2 year old to do that, but after a few Sundays of trying it out, he just got used to it. Of course, I bring a coloring book, crayons, a bag of small toys, stickers, juice and snacks...but hey, you do what you gotta do! Haha. He learns things very quickly and it amazes me all the time! He really is such a good, sweet little guy.

So when do we go back to Cali: Soon! The time has gone by quickly and the end date is near! We leave on Thursday, August 29th after being here for 12 weeks. While I am definitely looking forward to being back home, I will miss the amazing people I have met at Redemption OPC. What a loving, caring, kind, and open church family! I tend to get very attached to people, so I'm not excited at all about our last day and saying our "goodbyes". I will cry, just a fair warning. I was an emotional person before getting pregnant and those emotions have now been magnified x100.

What happens when we get home: Literally, the next day, Jordan starts school! I know, crazy. We will just be diving right in and being busy. The following week Julian and I will head to SLO to have a LONG OVERDUE visit with our family!!! Julian talks about his grandparents almost daily. Jordan will be able to join us there later, but just for a couple of days due to school.

I've had the pleasure of coordinating and helping plan my wonderful sister-in-law's bridal shower coming up in October, so in that month I will once again travel to SLO to help with that. I'm excited! I love weddings. :) And family weddings are the best. Although I wouldn't really know because this is the first one I've officially been part of!

Then comes November! Due date month! I really don't know when this baby is going to come, but I have 3 EDD's: Nov 15th, 18th and 22nd. Julian came 4 days "early" and I'm feeling the 18th might be our closest bet for baby girl! Either way, she'll come when she's ready. Just not too late because I have a wedding to attend on December 7th! Oh ya, Thanksgiving is around this time, too. Well, I have a feeling Turkey Day will be spent with some nice family in Escondido who has pity on us. :)

Which brings us to the December month! WEDDING TIME! Sis-in-law is marrying Marky Mark the first weekend of December and it will be just a lovely, beautiful event! Jordan and I will be "honorary bridesmaid and groomsman", accompanying Julian down the aisle, and oh, baby sister will be in tow as well! How cute is that? Truly a family event and we are so happy to celebrate with our loved ones! :) Right after the wedding, Jordan will be taking his finals and then a couple weeks later it's Christmas!

FOR REALS, PEOPLE! This year is going to fly by so fast for my family! Jordan graduates from Seminary in May and then it is on to a whole new place and a whole new life! I'm really looking forward to whatever surprises God has in store for us. Just please, let them be in California. ;)

And some pics:

Me in all my pregnant glory: yoga pants, comfy Nike flip flops tank, pony tail. Oh yes people. Glamorous, indeed. 

A cute, cute little boy crawled into my bed and said he was daddy, then proceeded to grabbing Jordan's Bible and "reading" it. Melts.my.heart. 

Just a quick snapshot of us. :) Boy, do we look tired!

My sweet little monkey climbed into these baskets and did what he does best: looked cute.