31 Weeks

This week hasn't been the most comfortable.  The last two days I've had the worse cramps.  I had pain in my abdominal area that literally lasted five hours yesterday.  Of course Dr. Google had no specific answers to my questions.  Thankfully it died down after I laid down for a bit.  I'm feeling better today and am just slightly sore.  I understand Braxton Hicks contractions are in my future but I hope I don't have more days like yesterday.

On a positive note we've gotten a lot done this week (and its only half over!).  I finished the nightstand and bookcases.  Yesterday we got a few more things in the mail for the nursery and my mom bought us a rock n play.  I also signed up for TWO huge consignment sales this upcoming month and am hoping to finish getting everything we need for Baby Girl between the two.  I'm all for consignments but I'm hoping that its not this mad rush to grab things.

Next week we start our birth class and I'm really excited to see what its like.  I'm also hoping to make it to a few breastfeeding classes and a cloth diaper class later this month.  I've taken a few classes already at the installation and all have been pretty useful.  I can't say I've learned a ton of new information but its turned into a great refresher as well as opens up discussions about child raising.

Its crazy how fast our schedules are filling up for August.  We also have an ob appointment next Monday.  I can't believe we will be at 8 months.  The time is just slipping away.  This weekend we are going away to Wilimington for a little R & R. I am super excited about this trip as it will probably be one of the last chances for Josh and I to go on a trip alone before she gets here.  I'm only a little disappointed because I won't be able to do some of the normal activities we would partake on a trip like this.  No diving, no parasailing, no surfing.  Of course I understand why but I love getting out and being active!

Overall I still feel like I can't complain.  I'm still pretty comfortable and getting some sleep (I'm at the point of waking up about every two hours or so).  Sure I had some cramps yesterday but for the most part I'm still pretty active and getting things done around the house.  I'm hoping this feeling lasts for at least another month!

31 weeks

Nursery Projects

The nursery is still a work in progress but we're getting there.  This weekend we picked up a few things for the walls as well as the paint for the bookshelves and nightstand.  As we get further and further along on this project I fall more in love with her room each day.  I love the teal, red and yellow combination so much so that I'm having trouble deciding what color to put where.  I realize I'm probably overthinking it but I just want it to be perfect and inviting.

Before meets....

I decided to reuse an old coffee table I had from my dorm days as a nightstand instead of picking up something new.  Its a little big for the space but I couldn't see throwing it away and getting something new.  After going back and forth between yellow and teal, I decided to paint it teal.  It was probably one of the easiest projects I've ever done.  I didn't really have to sand it down and just rolled on the new color.  The paint dried super fast in the sun and before I knew it I was done!

After

The bookcases took a bit longer.  Again I hemmed and hawed over the color finally deciding to go with red.  I opted for spray paint for this project.  The problems started when I didn't let the first side dry completely before flipping it over.  I ended up getting some newsprint stuck to the backside.  On top of that the nasty humidity of North Carolina caused them to stay tacky for about 48 hours.  Finally today they lost that tacky feeling and I was able to put on a second coat.  It rained last night so the humidity was low making drying time a breeze compared to the first coat.  I've got them together and now just need Josh to mount them on the wall :)

Ikea spice racks turned bookshelves

My last project is almost finished.  I spent last Friday looking at fabric and finally found a few samples that will work with my color scheme.  I just need the embroidery hoops to stretch it and then hang everything up.  I love how perfectly the older items fit with some of the new items I found; especially the pull behind Mickey.  I mean it doesn't get much better than that!

Items for the collage wall

As I cross off these little projects, I get more and more excited for baby girl to get here.  I know she may not be in this room for long (ah the life of a military family) but I hope she loves it as much as I do.

We're Not in Kenya Anymore

Lately I feel like we're constantly reminding ourselves that we're back in the U.S. and not in Kenya anymore. We got so used to our lives there that its been a bit of an adjustment being back.  (not that we don't love it here)  Here's a few examples that come to mind...

1. When reserving a campsite for this weekend we were shocked when the "primitive" sites were listed with having just a fire pit and pit toilets.  Wait this is primitive?!  That's normal in Kenya.  A bath house and grill who needs those when camping...

2. Multiple types of cheese...wait cheese in general.  What's this?!  Oh we're not in Kenya anymore.

3. Running to the store to just grab one thing and that thing being in there.  Insane!  I think it took me about three hours to do the first grocery store run.  Too many things to look at.  (first world problems)

4. Josh fell asleep in the car while I was driving the other day.  His response, "The roads here just bore me."  Yes there is far less to worry about on the road here.  Oh were not in Kenya anymore.

Friday Love List

1. I am loving being home.  Sure my short trip to Illinois was great and I loved getting to see my parents and friends, but nothing beats being home.  I love being back with my husband and the Bud-ster (although I'm not quite sure he's happy about me being home :)

2. I am loving that Josh has two four day weekends coming up.  Yes TWO!!  What does that mean you ask?  Road trips!!  I am super excited about getting out and exploring North Carolina a bit and of course spending some quality time with the hubby before baby girl arrives.

3. I am loving looking at all things nursery and hopefully finally making some decisions about things.  There's just too many fun prints and colors to choose from!  I am particularly in love with this store and this store.  Just trying to decide before pulling the trigger.....

4. I am loving that tomorrow is the weekend.  I hope Josh is ready for this but I'm feeling a surge of energy coming on in the form of organizing and cleaning.  Particularly the nasty outside windows and tackling this sudden invasion of spiders.  I swear we just knocked down all the cobwebs a few weeks ago.

30 Weeks

So we've finally hit the 30 week mark.  Its all downhill from here right?!  In all seriousness, hitting the big
3-0 mark makes me a little nervous.  Before we know it August will be over and little girl could be here any minute.

We have a ton to do the next month.  I want to tackle the few projects I have looming in the nursery and make sure we have everything we need for her arrival.  We are also supposed to start our birth class in a few weeks and need to finish our birth plan as well.  I'm thinking about also taking a cloth diapering class at a local shop as well as meeting with the local La Leche League.  Surprisingly I'm not too stressed about it all yet.  Its there and it needs to be done but I have confidence that we'll make it.

The beginning of the week was a little rough for me traveling back from Illinois.  It was hard to switch mattresses and get comfortable at my parents house.  Its nice to be home in our bed.  I'm convinced baby girl's feet are up in my rib cage.  She really likes to stretch out in there and I am constantly feeling her moving her legs and arms.  She doesn't really kick too much anymore but definitely makes it known that she likes her space.  I'm wondering how she's going to manage to stay in there for 10 more weeks!

Otherwise I feel pretty good for being this big.  I don't have any swelling or any of those other "fun" pregnancy side effects.  My belly button is starting to look a bit weird shaped but its still in!  Thankfully I think I am mainly carrying her in front and even though I'm seeing the scale go up it seems to be all baby belly.

We have our 32 week appointment in two weeks and I am excited to hear about her progress and talk more about the birth.  I'm getting a tad nervous about birth which I know is normal but also really excited.  I still can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by and how soon we're going to be able to hold baby girl in our arms.

Hello 30 weeks!

Jill Gets Married

This past weekend I headed up north to celebrate the wedding of one of my best friends.  The day was absolutely beautiful and filled with so many homemade details.  Jill is so talented that way and I didn't expect anything different for her day.  She made beautiful bags for each of the bridesmaids as well as really cute hair pieces that were in her colors.  Not to mention the cake topper, her veil, and I'm sure the list just goes on and on!

The three of us

We started off the morning with hair appointments and lots of laughs.  By noon we were all in our dresses and ready for pictures.  I am so thankful that my dress fit.  I was really concerned that my belly would get too big for it.  I did have some issues with the upper half of the dress but not really anything to worry too much about.  I was even able to find some low heels that I felt confident I wouldn't trip down the aisle in.

The weather cooperated and we had one of the first cooler days to get out and get some great shots.  Jill had hired the same photographers as Josh and I had and it was great to see them again.  They are so talented and seriously one of the nicest couples I have ever met.  I also got to see our wedding planner/videographers again.  I can't wait to see what they do with the footage.  They are also super talented and somehow manage to capture the essence of the day.  Only wish I could have visited with them more!

The getaway car

The ceremony was beautiful and so personal.  Adam pre-recorded himself playing most of the music they used and then friends and family sang the rest.  Such a great touch!  The little flower girl was also adorable carefully laying down each petal before Jill walked down and everyone got a little teary eyed as they said their vows and were pronounced husband and wife.  I loved how even during their vows you could see their personalities shining through.  They giggled and laughed and that's just SO them

Matron of Honor's speech

The reception kept the celebration going and I indulged in one too many cupcakes :) Delicious!  Little girl was getting cramped in there so I hit the dance floor in hopes of lulling her to sleep.  Adam and his groomsmen entertained the crowd by having a dance for every song.  I loved seeing them do the wobble! By the end of the night our feet hurt and we were exhausted from dancing; all great signs of a good party and day!

Huge congrats to Jill and Adam!  Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day.  I can't believe we are all grown up and MARRIED?!  We're so old ;)..........

Mr. & Mrs. Sparks!!

Friday Love List

1. I am loving my amazing and supportive husband.  He has been awesome this week and it just reminds me how much I love him.  I am missing him tons while I am visiting family in Illinois.

2. I am loving all the sweet little clothes my mom bought baby girl yesterday and today.  I'm pretty sure she has doubled our stash.  It's been fun shopping with her and hearing her thoughts on all things baby.

3. I am loving the amazing hammock that I won from Allison over at Nestful of Love.  Her talented sister who runs Sew inn Love made it and I can't wait to take it camping or hang it on our porch (more detailed post to come).

4. I am loving that one of my best friends gets married tomorrow!!  Congratulations Jill and Adam.  Love you guys and I can't wait to be a part of your special day.

29 Weeks

This week has been a bit trying as I've been busy getting ready to head to Illinois among other things.  I think I'm finally packed and have the house at a decent status the morning before leaving.  Although I'm excited for Jill's wedding and some time with my family, I am going to miss Josh so much.  He surprised me with a mini date night in last night and it was the perfect way to spend the evening.

Not much has changed in terms of baby girl this week.  She's still growing in there and being pretty active.  She is especially picky about how much space she gets.  If I pull up my legs or roll into a ball she immediately kicks in protest.  I think she really likes stretching out in there!

I've hung up a couple of things in the nursery this week as well as purchased the rest of our cloth diaper stash. We still have a few more things to get and make but it doesn't seem as overwhelming as it did a few weeks ago.   I'm sure I'll get a few things when I'm shopping with my mom this week and the rest we'll fill in the blanks when I get back.

I'm still feeling quite big and its starting to make sleeping uncomfortable.  A good night's sleep has been redefined for me.  I now count it good if I only wake up once or twice to use the restroom and roll over because of my hips hurting.  This morning I was woken by a nasty storm and couldn't get back to sleep.  I'm hoping that not having my maternity pillow the rest of the week won't affect me too much.

29 weeks which means about a 11 more to go.  Before we know it the day will be here!

Dear Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl,

You've changed our lives so much and you aren't even here yet!  We never thought the Lord would bless us with a baby so soon but we couldn't be more excited to add you to our little family.  I think we'll quickly wonder what we did without you in our lives :-)

I still remember the day I found out you were growing inside of me and getting to tell your daddy that he was going to be a daddy for the first time.  The look on his face was priceless.  I'm not going to lie.  We were both a little scared about the huge responsibility being parents is,  BUT we loved you from the beginning and that love will only grow as you do.  

You are one shy girl!  You rarely kick your mama and are especially shy when your daddy puts his hand on mama's belly.  I love feeling your little movements inside of my belly and will really miss it when you're born.  Its like some special secret that only you and I share.  Even though I'll miss having you inside, we can't wait to hold you in our arms.  I can't wait to snuggle you on my chest and hand you over to your daddy to hold.

I find myself wondering what you'll look like, what your personality will be like.  Will you have blonde hair like your daddy did or brown like your mama?  Will you sport your mama's dimples or have the same birthmark on the back of your head like your daddy?  Will you be into sports or like dance?  Will you play a musical instrument?  Will you be funny, shy, outgoing, etc?  Baby girl just remember whatever you decide to be, your parents will love and support you doing it.  We will always be your number one fans!

Baby girl we already love you so much.  We can't believe that in three short months you'll be here and we'll get to look into your precious face.  Keep growing inside there and be kind to your mama these last few weeks.

Love, Mommy & Daddy

Weekend Wrap-up

This weekend Josh and I felt the urge to get out of Fayetteville.  Even though our plans were made kind of last minute we still had a blast exploring some of the shops and breweries in nearby Raleigh.  We started out the day with a trip to a local cloth diapering store.  I had found this shop online and was impressed with their selection and prices.  Low and behold the store was in Raleigh of all places.  Only an hour drive from our house.  So sure enough I dragged Josh there.  We got the rest of our diaper supply as well as a diaper sprayer and small toy for baby girl.

After that we hit up a small scuba shop next door.  We didn't have much time in the store but were able to browse a bit and get some information about some upcoming dives they have planned.  It makes me sad that I won't have the opportunity to dive for a bit (pregnant women aren't allowed to dive because it is unsure what the effects of pressure are on the baby.)

We then headed over to a local homebrew shop/brewery to look for a few parts Josh was missing for his new system.  I was so happy that he was finally able to find some local "experts" who were able to talk shop with him.  I'm always happy to act as a sounding board for him to talk out his homebrew issues but can honestly say that most of the time I don't fully understand his set up.  I have the overall picture but get a bit fuzzy on the details.  We missed the tour but were able to enjoy some of their brews (or Josh was.  I got a rootbeer).

From there we hit up two more local breweries in the area.  We had bought Groupon packages online the night before and were excited to check out some of the local operations.  The first brewery was quite small and only had a few different brews on tap.  The second was much more interesting as they are larger scale.  This company is actually expanding quite rapidly and their operation definitely speaks to that.  They had numerous brews they always do as well as a few speciality ones based on the season.

Afterwards we headed to a local BBQ joint affiliated with the last brewery we visited.  The food was awesome and we loved just getting away the two of us.  Sometimes I think we just get stuck in our normal routine or more so trying to get situated into a normal here in NC that we forget to take this time just the two of us while we still can.  The whole ride home we both kept commenting on how much fun we had.

The rest of the weekend was spent attending church and working around the house.  I got a burst of energy and finished trimming the hedges outside.  Josh worked on his brew system and a few other things around the house.  Overall it was a great weekend and I'm looking forward to many more here in NC.

A Nursery in the Making

Decorating the nursery was initially a pretty overwhelming task for me.  I wanted it to be a colorful, fun place for her but at the same time didn't want to spend a fortune on it.  I also wanted the room to appeal to Josh and I and be a reflection of us as well.

After some searching on Pinterest and scoping out some local stores I think I've got it figured out.  My color palette is

                                   

I tried to base it off of a beautiful Moroccan rug Josh and I picked up on our honeymoon.  The rug has little animals stitched into it in yellows, blues, and reds.

Josh hung the cubes for me last night.  

Our nursery furniture has taken on the dark tones and is actually my nursery furniture.  My parents kept it in such great condition that we were excited to reuse it in our little girl's room.  (Don't worry we've checked out the safety specs on the crib :)  The changing table we picked up from one of Josh's friends here in Fayetteville.  I'm still debating if I want to change the finish on it.  The lighter color doesn't really work with the rest of the furniture but I'm not sure I want to stain it to match.  I'm tossing around spray painting it either the yellow, red or teal...

This old rocker is comfy but could use some more padding!

Besides that I have a few other projects I want to accomplish.  I'd like to get a small end table for beside the rocking chair for a lamp and place to rest an early morning cup of coffee and I also want to get a small woven basket for toys and stuffed animals.   I am going to replace the photos in the picture frames with a few new ones and I want to do some kind of collage on the wall above the dresser.  We are also going to hang some bookcases on the empty wall for the tons of books baby girl has.

I love adding meaningful things to her room.  The mickey pull behind
came from her Aiti's house and the wood carving was done by
her daddy when he was young.

Everything is coming together and I couldn't be happier.  There's still little clothes to wash and a few other finishing items to get but its looking great.  Can't wait to bring little girl home to this room!

Need to put her ultrasound pics in these frames.

The wall for the bookcases

Friday Love List

1. I'm loving that we got to see sweet baby girl on the ultrasound this week.  I didn't think we would be able to see her face until we got to meet her.  Every time we see her face and hear her heartbeat it makes everything so much more real.  Can't wait to hold this little girl in my arms in a few months.

2. I'm loving all the movement baby girl has been making this week too.  What was a very quiet baby has changed overnight.  She is now head down and loving punching her mama.  Although sometimes I get a little uncomfortable, I know I'm going to miss those sweet little kicks.

3. I'm loving this stroller that my mom bought for the baby.  It rolls so great and seems more heavy duty than the typical travel system.  I can't wait to take baby girl out for walks in this!

4. I'm loving that its FRIDAY!  I've had a busy week and Josh has had an even busier!  We both are looking forward to a little relaxation and some sleep!

28 Weeks

Hello 3rd trimester!  Can you believe baby girl is going to be here in only three short months?!  I can't either!  The time is just flying by.  This week has been really busy.  On Monday we went to our 28th week OB appointment.  I was so happy Josh could make it and also meet the doctor.  Everything looked great in there.  We got to see baby girl again on ultrasound and as usual she was pretty shy.  Its so hard to get a good picture of her!  We found out that she's turned so her head is down.  I was really surprised to hear this because I was still getting kicks low in my abdomen.  Guess she was punching me not kicking!! I'm hoping she stays this way up till delivery but know she could decide to flip at any moment.

We also got to talk to the doctor more about birth and his birth philosophy.  He is really open to natural birth and really tries to follow his patient's wishes.  It sounds like I'll be able to be as mobile as I want to be during delivery as long as I let him hook me up to a fetal monitor every hour or so for a few minutes.  I think I can make this compromise :) Another positive is he said he would try his hardest to be on call for our delivery.  I was a little worried that I would just get whoever is on call at the hospital at the time.  Now this is usually the practice but come mid-September my doctor is switching to days on call.  This is promising as we are due September 31.  He also said that when we got closer he would give me his contact information and we could call him when we were headed in.  If he was around he would try to switch with whomever is on call so that he can deliver me.  Awesome!

Baby girl got some goodies from her grandma again this week.  Josh and I are so incredibly thankful for all the gifts.  Its really saving us some money!  She got a stroller, car seat, diaper bag and play gym.  What's crazy is there's more on the way!  Thanks, mom :)

Look what the UPS man brought!

I'm feeling pretty good this week considering.  I've definitely gotten slower and am getting a bit more uncomfortable.  I can now feel when she has her legs in my ribs.  She tends to rest her legs on this one spot on my back but will thankfully move them if Josh rubs that spot a bit.  Thus far no stretch marks, swelling, varicose veins.  Thanking my lucky stars for that.

I took the dreaded glucose test today.  The drink was pretty sweet but not as bad as I expected it to be.  Actually it reminded me a lot of how Fanta tastes in Kenya.  I had to chug the drink in a minute and then had an hour to kill before the blood draw.  I used that time to get my updated TDaP immunization and walk around the hospital.  I heard that you shouldn't really just sit so I walked and I walked.  Really want to pass this on the first time!!

I also attended a baby basics class put on by the New Parents Support program here on base.  A lot of the information I was familiar with but it was nice to have a bit of a refresher.  There's three more classes on safety, organization and bonding with baby.  I'm really looking forward to them!

Otherwise everything is great.  We're still working on her nursery and narrowing down our list of names.  (We have it down to about five favorites)  I'm also looking forward to heading north next week for Jill's wedding and to do some more baby shopping with my mom. I'm sure things will get really busy when I get back so it'll be nice to take some time.  I only wish Josh could come too but understand why he can't.

28 weeks and growing

My Thoughts on This Whole Pregnancy Thing

This being my first pregnancy, I am by no means any kind of expert.  Far from it to say the least!  I debated a lot about writing this post mainly because being pregnant you get a lot of advice.  Some great, some a bit uncomfortable, some just flat pushy.  Overall I am completely convinced that every pregnancy is different and its hard to gain any real/exact "truth" from others' experiences.  The best you can do is take in all the information and make the most of it.  I don't write this to offer advice but mainly to document some of my pregnancy observations for future reference.

As I'm entering my third trimester today these are a few things on my mind:

1.  You will feel bigger than you actually are. 

 

I look at every other pregnant women and feel 10x bigger than they are regardless of how far along they are.  Despite feeling this way, I've learned its useless to compare.  Each baby and body is different.  Baby girl is on track and that's all that matters!

2. All the attention isn't always welcome.

Yes I love talking about my daughter.  Yes I will share that she's a girl and when her due date is.  But please don't rub my belly if I don't know you.  It's weird.  

3. Slowing down is necessary.

This one is SUPER hard for me.  I feel like I can still move mountains but am constantly reminded that I can't.  I blame this on my upbringing on the farm.  :) Also yes I know I should slow down and I know the constant reminders are people's way of being sweet but I get it.  I'm trying!

4. Nesting is a real thing.

Ask Josh about this one.  I am all over the place emotionally with this.  All I want to do is organize and clean and put away and just make things perfect for her.  Some days I'm good with where we are in the house and others I want to crawl out of my skin.  I think moving started this feeling a lot sooner than most people.  

5. There will be highs and lows. 

Pregnancy brings a ton of excitement.  Excitement about this new life, blessing that is about to enter your lives.  Excitement over the subtle changes in your body and what it means for the little life growing inside of you.  But it also brings worries and stress and I find this completely NORMAL.  Normal to be a little worried about being a parent.  Normal to be stressed about getting everything done before baby's arrival.  NORMAL.

6. Let people help.

I've found that this one is hard for me.  I want to do everything myself and really that's just not necessary.  People are amazing when you let them be.  They will offer cribs, bedding, rockers, clothes, cleaning, food, etc. We have been so blessed by everything everyone has given us thus far.  I am so proud to say we've only spent about $200 on baby things (this doesn't count my maternity clothes/pillow).  People have been awesome!

7. Pregnancy is normal.

One of the biggest truths I've gained from those around me is that pregnancy is a natural thing.  Its not a condition to be delivered from (to quote my lovely sister-in-law).  My body knows what its doing and I have to just let it do its thing.  Sure the doctors and nurses are there for advice and if something goes wrong but you have to trust in your body a bit.  

27 Weeks

LAST week of my second trimester.  Um how did you get here so fast and how can we slow this down a bit?!  I'm not ready for baby girl to make her arrival in three short months.  Yes I realize that three months is still a long time but its going by so fast.  This week hasn't brought too many new changes.

I got a few new maternity clothes thanks to my mama.  Four new shirts that should last me through this hot North Carolina summer.  Baby girl also got a few new things from her grandma.  She got these adorable Aden by aden + anais Swaddle blankets in Oh Girl and a very cute purple outfit.  I also got her a few more long sleeve onesies for when we first get home.  I couldn't resist for $1 each.  She's going to have one great wardrobe!

This week we had Josh's change of command ceremony.  It was busy running around getting all the last minute details but it was totally worth it.  Luckily I fit into one of my nicer dresses for the event, just barely.  If the ceremony would have been even another week later who knows!  It makes me nervous for my friend Jill's wedding.  Hopefully I can still zip the dress and the only alterations that will have to be done are to the straps and length.

I'm still feeling quite big although I feel like that is pointless to say at this point.  I am learning that I can't do everything I once was able to and am trying to be more aware of that fact.  Baby girl is still pretty quiet in there.  She gets to moving around at night right before I fall asleep and in the mornings when I'm making my breakfast.  Josh was finally able to feel her the other night for the second time.  She gave him a few small kicks then decided it was time for bed too!

She has acquired a nickname the last few weeks from her Great Aunt Mary.  (This is a tradition and cannot be changed :) She will forever be dubbed "Kenya".  I like it as Kenya holds so much meaning to both Josh and I.  Even my mom has taken to calling her this so who knows it may stick.  Despite the nickname, we still haven't made any progress on the naming front.  I think we both have had too much on our minds to sit down and talk names.  Like I said before we'll probably feel the heat of it soon.

Speaking of pressure, I am starting to get anxious about her nursery.  There's still a lot of projects I want to get done and the tiny thing of buying a few more essential things for her.  Sure she has clothes but that's about it!  Thankfully I can say we have hit the ground running with our birth plan and research as that was the highest priority.

Looking forward to our next doctor's appointment next week and getting to hear her heart beat again.  I'm hoping Josh will be able to come with me so he can meet the doctor as well.  I also have the dreaded glucose test next week that I'm not looking forward to.  Sugary sweet goop doesn't sound too fun.

Is it just me or is my face looking a bit different?

Life Lately

The blog seems to have fallen to the wayside as life has gotten a bit hectic around here lately.  This past weekend Josh and I spent a lot of time exploring downtown Fayetteville.  We went out to eat Friday night to celebrate my birthday at Husky's Hardware House, a great little brewery.  The food was excellent or so Josh says.  I unfortunately had a slight cold and wasn't really able to taste the food.  We also got to walk around a bit before dinner.  The downtown area has some great little shops and it was fun to pop in and out of them.  We got Buddy new food and water dishes at a local pottery place and Josh got some diving booties at a dive shop.  My favorite store was probably the cloth diaper/baby store.  So much to choose from!  I will definitely be going back and stocking up on a few goodies as our due date gets closer.

 Saturday we headed back downtown to scope out the local farmers market.  Both of us had expected something a bit larger and were slightly disappointed with the small number of stalls and lack of fresh veggies.  There seemed to be mainly craft dealers with a few small farmers here and there.  We did end up picking up some T-bone steaks to grill this weekend.  A yummy treat this 4th!  After exploring for a bit, we headed back to the house to grill some burgers and veggies as some good friends of ours came over for lunch.  It was so nice to finally have them over as they hosted us for ten days when we first moved to Fayetteville.  We are definitely looking forward to more dinners in the future!  Later Saturday afternoon, Josh's parents arrived and we spend the rest of the day visiting with them.  We were really excited that they could come up from Florida to visit and attend Josh's change of command ceremony.

Sunday morning we headed to church.  After service we went back downtown for a late lunch at Blue Moon Cafe, a quaint restaurant on the downtown strip.  They had delicious sandwiches and a brunch menu that looked really great.  We then headed to Best Buy.  Recently we bought a new bedroom set and with that came a gift certificate for a new TV.  We had full intentions of getting the TV until we got into the store and saw that it wasn't the great deal we originally thought it was.  SO we opted to purchase a baby monitor instead and save the rest of the gift certificate for another day.  Josh spent the rest of the evening setting it up and making sure it was running properly.  I love the live video feed and night time vision.  The best part was it was so much cheaper than buying a "baby" product.  Essentially its the same thing minus the hefty price tag!

Monday we laid low as Josh had to go into work.  I'm so thankful for a mother-in-law that doesn't mind getting her hands dirty.  We scrubbed down the patio and washed most of the kitchen windows.  After tackling the outside for a bit we changed out the air condition filters and cleaned the panels.  They were so disgusting!  I'm pretty sure the previous tenants never changed them.  I can already feel the air working better and hope it cuts back on our electric costs a bit this month!

All in all it was a fun weekend packed with shopping, good food, family and friends! The first of many I'm sure here in Fayetteville.  It finally feels like we are getting more settled (lets forget the half a dozen boxes left unpacked) and transitioning into our new normal here.