-Thankfulness-

November is one of my favorite months of the year. Unfortunately it is the month where the weather really starts to turn cold, snowy, and gloomy in Colorado, however that does mean warm holiday drinks! mmmm.. It is a favorite month because I spend the whole month thinking of all the things I am thankful and trying to think of how to narrow it down to 3 things to list off at our Thanksgiving dinner. While it is very important to spend the entire year being thankful for all of our blessings, Thanksgiving really seems to bring it to the forefront of everybody's mind. As we drove home from spending 2 -very short- days with family, I decided to get on facebook and I was overwhelmed by all of the posts about people being THANKFUL! Thankful for family, friends, food, football, pie, life, puppies, skype, any many many more things. I am so encouraged that there is so much to be thankful for in a world where there seems to be so much darkness, sadness, and hurt.
This November was a month so packed full of blessings I didn't even know where to begin when it came to our tradition of going around the dinner table on Thanksgiving and saying what we are thankful for. Jason? Elijah? The rest of our family? Life? Food? A roof over our heads? Freedom? Grace? Love? Koa;)? Health? You know you are so incredibly blessed when you don't know where to start, and you can't begin to count your blessings. However, this year I have been reminded that everything we have been blessed with isn't really ours. We are given the opportunity to enjoy our blessings, and it is important to not take them for granted, but ultimately they are God's, not ours. Good will give and take away as he sees fit, and it is so important to enjoy the family, food, and life we have been given while we can.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." -James 1:17

So speaking of things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving, it wouldn't have been the same without Elijah. Our little man is 3 weeks and 3 days old right now. Where has the time gone? I feel like the first few weeks are just such a whirlwind with Doctor appointments, newborn screening, dirty diapers, and feeding every 3 hours. Also mixed in with the madness though are alot of baby snuggles, sneezes, and gassy smiles. I feel like every day I wake Eli up in the morning he is leaps and bounds ahead of where he was the day before. This wiggly little guy has even ROLLED TUMMY TO BACK 2 times!!! Where was the newborn stage? I talk to people who have 5 and 6 week olds that are finally fitting into 0-3 month clothes, and here is our big boy who never wore newborn clothes, and is wearing 3 month outfits already! 2 month olds that are finally 9 lbs, and our little munchkin is 3 weeks old and weighs 10 lbs! It is so exciting and fun to see the smiles forming and eyes focusing. Jason is really enjoying that he can start to interact with Eli and he recognizes his voice and face. Such a fun fun time, and we are learning the importance of taking it one day at a time and enjoying the baby steps.

Professional Procrastinator

I am finally getting around to typing up a new post! As many of you know or will soon find out, it is HARD to get anything at all done with a newborn in the house. Between eating, sleeping, crying, pooping, and me not being able to take my eyes of this little guy, not much gets done. Words can't describe how grateful I am for people being here to help, and my incredibly patient husband.
Many people have been wondering about Eli's Birth Story/My Labor Story.. So here it is!

Baby Eli was due on October 24th, and I had counted down the days (I even had hopes he would come early!).. Lets just say this whole journey has been a lesson on trying to make plans where only God can make the plans. We had this great plan that he would come on time, we would go home for hunting season and hang out with family, and everything would be perfect. Lesson learned - when it comes to babies being born - there are NO plans.. They will come when they are good and ready. Eli just happened to be on the 12 days late plan.
I woke up on Monday and had kind of lost hope that he would come before the induction we had scheduled for Thursday the 7th. I hadn't had any sort of contractions or signs that the little guy was coming, other than TONS of braxton hicks for the past few weeks. I had tried any and all forms of natural induction, including castor oil (yes I did try it.. nothing..) So monday I went and got some groceries, went to the library, got apple cider, and spent the day baking bread, cookies, enchiladas, chili rellenos, muffins, and turkey burgers for dinner. That night we got ready for bed and at 10:40 as I was about to fall asleep I felt a popping feeling and a bit of a gush of fluid.. To put it mildly I was shocked and not really sure what happened.. I told Jason that I thought my water had broken.. Sure enough not a minute later - SUPER PAINFUL CONTRACTION! We had planned on me laboring at home for a few hours and then going to the hospital when I couldn't handle it any longer. Well again as far as plans are concerned.. Eli and another plan. After an hour of contractions coming full on lasting 30 seconds to a minute and coming every 2 MINUTES, I HAD to go to the hospital. We loaded up and I had about 6 contractions on the 10 minute drive to the hospital, and 5 walking from the parking lot to our room. Safe to say my body and baby were not messing around. When I got there I was 5 cm and 100% effaced. My plan that I did end up being able to go through with was a NATURAL birth -drug free- so I hopped into the tub to help deal with pain. After an hour I couldn't handle it in there anymore so I got out and started trying to convince Jason that an epidural was in my near future. My midwife said she would check again and see how much I had progressed.. I was already at 8 cm!! Still, they were the craziest pain I have ever experienced, so I kept trying to convince Jason. Luckily 2 contractions later I was at 10cm and more than ready to push! I pushed for an hour and Elijah Paul Frink came flying into our arms at 4:15AM on Tuesday, November 5th, 2013.

After the most mind blowing and exhausting 5 1/2 hours of my life our son was born. He weighed 9 lbs exactly and was 21 1/4 inches. Everybody was a little shocked to say the least. Our lives have been completely changed forever. I had heard that when you have a baby, it's like your heart is walking around outside of your body, and I have NEVER heard a more true statement. When I see our little boy and his daddy snuggling on the couch, I can't help but get a little weepy and think about what we have to look forward to as a family. We came home Wednesday and it has been a whirlwind for the past week and a half getting used to all the changes. I've decided it really doesn't matter how much you prepare, or how late you are, there is nothing that can prepare you for when they actually get here and all of a sudden in a matter of seconds you are a parent, and you have to know what each little cry means. But it is encouraging to know that Elijah is learning, just like Jason and I are.
So there is the birth story. I already can't remember what it was like to be pregnant, and I'm quickly forgetting what it was like to just be a family of 2. But I couldn't imagine going through life with any other 2 people than Jason and Eli.
Thank you everybody for your prayers, support, and encouragement. I have never needed those things more.

Fish and Whales and Sharks, OH MY!

My crafty side has finally started to appear now that we have a little baby on the way! I have successfully painted a dresser, and 2 paintings. Which for me is quite the accomplishment!

For the dresser I sanded it, put on 2 coats of oil based primer, and then painted it in a Cotton colored paint and painted the fish on it. The whale I just painted with Acrylic and did the 3 different canvases. SO EASY! I'm so excited to have it all done! However, it is hard for me to tell myself that baby doesn't really care what his nursery looks like because I care so much. Funny how that works out huh? Oh well. Fish and whales and turtles and sharks will adorn his nursery and in a few years, or when he has babies of his own, he'll understand and be grateful his daddy and I decorated his nursery:)

Before

AFTER!!

The shark painting my increadably talented husband painted :)

And the turtles.. Makes me think of Finding Nemo for some reason.

I sewed the fish and painted the whale!

<>Sweet September<>

Ahhhh September:) There are not words to describe how good it feels to be able to tell people I'm having this baby NEXT month! September has been great for many reasons other than that, but that one is exceptionally sweet. But before September was the rest of August!

August was kind of a bittersweet month. We really enjoyed the last few weeks by laying by the pool at our apartment, cooking some great food together, and having Jason's Mom visit! However, the end of August also meant Jason's return to school. It has been hard, but so exciting at the same time because Jason attended his LAST First Day of School! Such a relief and joy to know that this will be his final few months of school and when he graduates in December our little baby will be there to celebrate with us! Also the end of August brought a painful loss in the CSU vs. CU football game:( this is pretty much the only time you will hear me talk about football, so... The End.

But the sweetness of September picked us right back up from that dreaded loss with a wonderful 3 day weekend! We also got the crib and changing table set up in the nursery, and I FINALLY finished painting the dresser. It is so far beyond exciting to be getting the nursery all set up and ready for our little boy who will be here in approximately 6 weeks and 2 days. I'm hoping for a little earlier, but thinking it may be closer to the 27th of October. None the less, it is so fun to sit on the couch and watch him dance around in my belly. I've decided he particularly likes Indian, Mexican, Thai, and Italian food, because they always seem to get him wiggling and squirming just a little bit more than usual. We also started our birthing classes almost 3 weeks ago now, and they have been quite informative. I am not one to particularly enjoy sitting through 2 hours of class, but learning about what I can expect in the next few weeks makes the time fly by. And knowing that we will get to meet Baby Frink at the end of it all is definitely an added bonus ;)

The nursery is coming along =]

September has also brought around cooler weather, Halloween candy [i may have a slight weakness for halloween candy..], and I think a drop in Baby Frink's altitude! I've had a few people tell me recently they think that He has dropped.. and now that I have to pee almost every 30 minutes, I'm starting to agree. He is becoming quite the chubby baby weighing in around 5 1/2 - 6 lbs this week and I would not complain if he decided to make his appearance in 4 weeks.. But time will tell, and until then I continue to work, do online class, and prepare for him to get here:)

Looking like a basketball under there!

Where our feet may fail..

It has been so long since I've updated this and for many many different reasons.. It has been an entire 2 months since I last wrote, but the amount of things we have done since then is hard to put into words.. July was a very busy month of work and packing! We moved into our new apartment on Wedneday the 24th and then went to Westcliffe that weekend for a family reunion. It was such a great time to get to see Jason's Family and all of my family and extended family. We spent some time fishing, eating hamburgers, and taking story with family. Sunday my Mom, Alissa, and Jason's Mom threw a baby shower for us with some friends from home. It was such a fun time to see people we hadn't seen in quite a while and Baby Frink got some adorable clothes and tons of bed time story books:) We drove back up here Sunday night and were back to the grind stone monday and tuesday with work. Tuesday afternoon brought news that we didn't expect to hear and would hope to not have to hear for quite a while. We found out that Jason's dad had passed away Monday night in his sleep. The next two weeks were full of not only mourning the loss of somebody so close to us, but just trying to figure out all the things that had to be taken care of. Jason spent a week and a half in Westcliffe with his brothers taking care of things and spending some quality time with his family. I spent that week and a half driving to Westcliffe for a few days, back Ft. Collins for work, and then back to Westcliffe for the service, and back to Ft. Collins the next morning for work again. It was such a blessing to see family we hadn't seen in years or had never even met before. We have been so surrounded and blessed by friends and family in prayer and support, it has been amazing. Sometimes timing is so hard to understand, and circumstances don't make any sense to us, but it is so comforting to feel God's presence continually through everything. Jason drove back up here last Sunday and this week we have been trying to get back in the swing of things with work and preparing for school and our little man to get here.

Baby Frink is doing wonderful.. Safe and healthy as ever. He's weighing in around 4 lbs. right now and is about 17 inches long! He is moving constantly which is just a mind blowing miracle in itself, but also not very conducive to sleeping. "My feet hurt" has taken on a WHOLE new meaning due to carrying around all this extra weight and the extra blood pumping through them, but it is a small price to pay for the beautiful baby that will result from a few months of an aching body and swollen feet. We have been so blessed with great check-up after great check-up and can only pray that the doctors continue to tell us he is healthy and growing and acting normal. We toured the hospital and I know this sounds crazy, but I can't wait to be there giving birth to our little guy!!! We had another baby shower in Fort Collins yesterday put on by one of our lovely friends and it was so great:) We are so blessed by people that care about us, and care about our little man that they haven't even met yet! The love and support is humbling. So here we are 9 1/2 weeks away from meeting our baby (fingers crossed) and I could not be more excited or antsy or nervous for it to get here. I get asked about 20-50 times a day how i'm feeling, and get asked atleast that many times when I am due.. It is so neat to see how much people love babies and new life and care about it!

With all of the craziness that has consumed our lives these past two months, they have been a hard but blessed few months. This morning we sang a song at church that made me tear up (ok yes, pregnancy could be partly to blame, but probably not)... My mind has been blown by the prayer support we have received for the celebration of life and the loss that is going on right now in our lives. This song just reminded me (as if God's peace hasn't already) that God is so present in our every moment.. It doesn't matter what we may be going through whether it be good or bad. When we can't do things on our own, and our feet fail us, God is there carrying us. We can all take so much comfort in that thought.

Gymnastics and Summer Days

The past few weeks have been TOP NOTCH! It doesn't get much better than warm weather and long summer days. I get off work at 6pm and still have 2 1/2 hours of sun light! Lately our summer has consisted of otter pops, long walks, and softball! With the temperatures reaching mid 90s already, the only cure to my extreme body temperature seems to be the lovely otter pops. Making blood for 2, and my body being in extreme overdrive trying to keep this little guy on the path to healthy growth is quite the workout. Long walks after dinner are incredibly relaxing, and usually by then the temperature has dropped to about 75... perfect for a long walk around the park, or along the creek. This summer Jason is playing on our church's softball team. The games haven't turned out super awesome so far, but just hanging out with the ladies and watching our husbands have a blast is enough to keep me coming back each Monday night:)

-Taste of Fort Collins-

Last week my parents came up to visit for an afternoon, and then they stayed over night and we walked around old town and got breakfast the next morning. We went out for dinner on Tuesday night to celebrate my Mom's BIRTHDAY!!! Not only was it awesome to see them, but we got to celebrate her birthday and Father's Day. Wednesday morning we got up and ate at Snooze (THE BEST BREAKFAST PLACE EVER), explored Old Town, and then they headed up to Estes Park for a night and I went to work. I hadn't seen Dad in 6 months, so that was really great:) Saturday was a very busy day for us! I had an hour to lay by the pool which was much needed -- i have finally gotten rid of my chalk white skin color. Then Jason and I headed to Babies R Us and started up our registry! As fun as it was, it was super exhausting at the same time. So many things to think about as far as wants and needs and budgets and colors and brands. 1 1/2 hours later we walked out with 82 things on our registry.. the lady helping us said we should have 300 things on our list :/ After that, we filled out applications for an apartment which we DID get accepted into, so we have officially found a new place to live and will be moving July 24th. I can not even wait to be in our new apartment and start setting up a nursery! Some of our friends welcomed their handsome little baby into the world Saturday morning, so we went by the hospital and visited for a few minutes [not nearly enough time] before I had to go to work. He is such a healthy little baby, and it makes us so excited to be in that same place in 18 weeks!

A Lamb from Mom & Dad and Teddy from Jenna & Noah.. Baby's animal collection is off to a nice start:)

Baby Frink is doing wonderful so far! We had another appointment yesterday where we got to hear is heartbeat and ask all of our questions we had been thinking up over the past month. One of the most exciting things is that we have 1 more appointment and then we start having appointments every 2 weeks instead of every 4!! This little man has become a real gymnast in the past few weeks. He likes to roll and kick early in the morning, at lunch time, before and after dinner, and particularly when I'm trying to fall asleep or at about 5:30AM... I'm not complaining at all though, it is such a surreal feeling and I love every bit of it. Baby is about 8 inches long now and is weighing in at 1 pound! This means my belly is getting larger, this little man is growing, and I could not be more thankful for maternity clothes:)

Getting some sun and trying to find time to relax!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of week 23 and I am in shock.. Time has been flying by! However, we are signed up for a tour of the hospital, and our birthing classes, we have found a place to live, I have finished my class at CSU (now I just need to complete 2 online classes, then a break till January), and we are over half way through this exciting time in our lives!! God has truly been making himself present in our lives, and it is such a blessing. Between financial provision, housing provision, friends, and good times, we could not be more grateful for all He is doing in and through us. We are continually praying for preparation for parenting as that moment gets closer and closer and it is awesome to see the peace he is giving us. Hope your summer days are treating you all well:)

Handsome little man!

Just thought I'd share a few pictures we got yesterday of our little man!

AHHH such a cutie!! And it seems he already loves to suck his thumb!

19 weeks of pure bliss!

Well Hello! Life has been insane the past month to put it mildly.. I thought for sure I had blogged 2 weeks ago, but alas.. its been 4?! I guess that means I'm busy enjoying this life that God has blessed me with. So let me give you an update on the past MONTH! (i'll try to keep it short and sweet)

May 14, 2012 <3

I finished my spring semester, miraculously! It was one of the most trying, exhausting, rewarding semesters of my life and I am so happy to see it go. I learned alot, made quite a few new friendships, and enjoyed another few months of marriage to my wonderful husband. I drove home on the 13th to watch one of my beautiful best friends get married on the 14th! Yes, we share an anniversary, how cool! Then rushed back up to Fort Collins (with a little detour to L&Ls Hawaiian BBQ) to spend our 1 year anniversary evening with Jason. I came bearing Lau Lau and Spam Musubi and wedding cake. All of which was absolutely delicious, and we reminisced everything that has happened in the past year. It has been a year packed full of blessings which I will touch on later.

Musubi and Wedding Cake!!

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Moore!

Jason spent that week finish up his mind numbing semester of Financial Planning classes. Thursday though was the beginning of a much needed adventure! We drove to Westcliffe and spent the night there. Friday we got up bright and early, loaded into my little 1999 subaru forester and headed for Texas. After a long day of driving we arrived in Grapevine, TX and spent the next day seeing long lost friends from YWAM and watching the lovely Jenna and Noah tie the knot! It was a beautiful wedding!




Sunday we drove to Willis, TX and spent a fun afternoon with the best of the best, Ms. Brittany! We played some glow golf, which was -top notch-, ate pork chops, and relaxed for the evening. It was so awesome to see her lovely face and family after about 5 months!!

Monday bright and early we hit the road for Ray City, GA... 15 hours of driving later we had crossed Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. We spent the next 5 days with my Alissa and Brian, exploring Georgia and Florida. We made our way to the beach one day, Jacksonville, a beautiful mansion, and a winery (I ate the gold fish snacks!). It was such a wonderful time to hang out with them! And Koa thoroughly enjoyed 5 days of pure bliss spent with Abby (their black lab) in the back yard and the kiddie pool. As we drove away Sunday morning headed back to Colorado, Koa and Abby were both super depressed and refused to eat or play for the next few days:( Poor heart broken puppies..

On our drive back we made a 16 hour leg of the trip on day one, stopping for lunch in Nashville to meet some more friends from YWAM, Andrew and Madison! That day we ventured through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinios, and Missouri. The final day of traveling we drove through Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, and finally Colorado! It was a top notch trip but it is good to be home as well. 14 states later we arrived safely in my trusty little car..what a trouper. We put almost 4000 miles on that thing!

Now that we are back, I've been going to class.. Yes, summer class. I'm taking 10 credits this summer between one class at CSU and 2 online classes. But i'm doing it all in hopes that when I have to finish up class in the spring, I will only have to take 2 classes, which means less time away from Baby Frink! Speaking of Baby Frink....

It's a BOY!

He is still doing wonderful.. A big healthy baby weighing in at about 9 oz. at 19 weeks (average is 8.5). And yes, I did say HE!! Yesterday we finally had our ultrasound and we got to see and find out that we are expecting a handsome little man! While doing the ultrasound he was basically doing gymnastics.. flipping around, punching, kicking, and even sucking his thumb. We are both absolutely IN LOVE and can not wait to meet our little guy:) We went and bought him an adorable pair of BLUE slippers and a onsie. Can not wait to see him in it:)

As for me, I'm feeling wonderful at the moment! Headaches have decided to plague me for some odd reason, but it is totally worth it for our little man. Also pregnancy brain as gone to a whole other level in the past few weeks. Jason had to have asked me 10 times to check if we had Insanity on my computer, and every time I forgot.. oops! Luckily I have an understanding husband:) Other than that, my bump is expanding and so is my heart for our little guy!

19 Weeks!!

Sorry for the drawn out novel, but I guess this is what I get for cramming 4 weeks into one post. Hope you all are having a wonderful summer! xoxo

15 Weeks =]

How has it already been two weeks since my last post?? I'm down to 1 week of classes and then everybody else has finals while I work and go to a wedding! I am beyond ready for Summer and the snow again on Tuesday doesn't help at all. Last week ended with a beautiful weekend spent doing SO many fun things..

Prenatal Yoga

Going Away Party

Women's Spring Social with the women of our church

A long walk with Jason in the 75* weather.. Koa discovered that he LOVES water:)

Church

Another walk in the park which resulted in a little heat stroke :/

& of course.. Ice cream

SUMMER IS SO CLOSE!!

Monday however brought in a whole different story.. My week has been packed with projects, wine dinners, exams, quizzes, and exhaustion. Tuesday and Wednesday brought another 8 inches of snow.. and Wednesday night brought a terrible bought of food poisoning. I spent all day Thursday sleeping and was barely able to get out of bed. Which is probably why I only got out of bed 2 times in 34 hours and I slept for about 28 of those hours.. Jason was such a trooper through it all.. He brought me saltines, Gatorade and did everything he could to help me feel better. Finally this morning I was able to get out of bed and go to one of my classes.. All I can say is I'm grateful I did not have morning sickness because you need SO much more energy to grow a baby, and not being able to keep food down makes that a million times harder. Praise the Lord I'm getting over it all and am ready to take on my final week of school.

Baby Frink is growing like a weed right now! Measuring in at about 4 inches and weighing 2.5 ounces this little bundle of joy is well on his/her way into my arms. There are so many things i'm looking forward to right now! This month we find out the gender of our little nugget, and we get to go on vacation to TX & GA. I am going to a few weddings, finishing up a long stressful semester of school, and celebrating 1 year of marriage to my BEST FRIEND! Bring on May!!

Hello Trimester #2

What a crazy few weeks it has been!

Thus the reason I missed last weeks post.. Ok, honestly that isn't the only reason.. there is only so much you can talk about at this point in pregnancy and school. However this week was a bit more exciting! On Sunday we went to a friend's baby shower.. Their little bundle of joy is due in the middle of June. It was so fun and made me so excited for when we get to start having parties and celebrating our little nugget! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday brought in more snow than we have seen ALL winter long! As you can see from my picture below it is finally sunny and starting to melt, but 2 feet doesn't just disappear in a day or two.

Wednesday however, was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life. We had our second prenatal appointment and after 15 minutes of questions and scheduling our 20 week ultrasound.....WE GOT TO HEAR OUR BABY'S HEART BEATING!! The little heart was racing like a person that had just finished a marathon.. 164 beats a second and not missing one.single.beat. It was kind of a surreal moment because for the past 13 weeks I have known there was a baby in there, and it is quickly growing... but I guess it was never quite real until we heard that heart beat. Baby Frink is now in his/her second trimester and is growing like a weed! This week baby measures in at almost 3 inches, a peach is the fruit they compare his/her size to. 

I've been feeling much better as far as being nausous goes, however the exhaustion is still coming on full force which I think is because of school AND the little baby growing inside me. 6 months to go!!

Salvation and Sun and 11 weeks!

This past week was absolutely --> TOP NOTCH<-- Easter weekend was a bit different than usual. For the first time in my life, I spent Easter without my parents and my sister. I guess we are all growing up and life is getting busy, but I definitely missed out on the annual Easter egg hunt my mom puts on as well as the family time and Easter dinner with all of them. HOWEVER, I did not go family free this Easter! My Mother-In-Law came up and spent the weekend with us to celebrate her birthday as well as the Resurrection of our Lord! We spent the morning eating the most amazing breakfast at Snooze, then enjoyed Easter service at the lovely Mill City Church!

--OMG French Toast at Snooze--

We were also blessed with B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L weather which put us in the mood to go outside and throw the football in the sun for a while. Then we had an amazing Easter Dinner and spent the evening relaxing (in other words, not doing homework).

Matt and Koa playing Football!

Love this guy:)

the Frink Fam Bam!

Our amazing ham dinner..MMMMM

The rest of the week seemed to fly by between work and classes and here we are into week 12! This week came with some great news as far as my classes and everything are concerned. As most of you know, Jason and I were both planning on graduating from CSU in December. However, with our little nugget making his/her grand appearance the end of October, I was starting to think finishing up school in the fall may not go over so well. After talking to my AMAZING advisor, we decided that with all the unknowns, lack of sleep, and stress of having a baby mid-semester, that I should probably take the Fall 2013 semester completely off... While this isn't exactly what I had in mind going into this year, I couldn't be more excited!! Instead of December, I will graduate May 2014 and will only have to take 9 credits in the Spring(which means TONS AND TONS of baby time!!). It is so encouraging to see how God is making all of this work out.

My beautiful Easter Lilly

Overall this week was much better than the previous weeks as far as sickness and being tired, etc. I only had 2 days that I really felt like I needed to lay on the couch for hours on end and I am experiencing a whole other level of excitement lately. I feel like the weeks are flying by and Jason and I are so excited to meet the little baby! Also, we are only a few weeks away from Trimester number 2!! Pregnancy brain is resulting in more of a "I can't remember anything that is going on ever" feeling. I feel like I don't remember what I did 10 minutes ago, I am not planning anything ahead at all (if you know me, I have my whole week planned on Monday...usually), I'm procrastinating on important-ish stuff (homework), and I'm late ALL the time! Obviously I am not myself at the moment, but I kind of like it:) The only other odd thing that is happening is cravings and food aversions, I am still not nuts about lettuce and spinach AT ALL, but fruit, nut and cheese? Get in my belly! Last night I actually woke up at about 4am and was STARVING!! So I went to the fridge at ate a cheese stick. It was delicious and I got back in bed and passed out for a few more hours. Apparently our little >LIME< sized baby was working up a storm last night. Lastly, this weekend we have been enjoying the warm weather and trying to prepare ourselves for the 6-12 inches of snow that is supposed to come on Tuesday! Hope you all have a --top notch-- week like this past one was for me:)

10 Weeks + 1 day:)

Another week in the books.. Time just doesn't slow down right now. I'm already beginning my 11th week and I feel like it still hasn't quite set in that we will have a baby in 6 1/2 months! We have finally spilled the news to EVERYBODY.. well anyway I kind of figure once it makes it to facebook it is no longer our secret. We told our married couples small group on Sunday, the small group of college girls I lead on Wednesday, and then finally told the rest of the world on Thursday.. It is so encouraging to see all the friends and family that have been and will support us through this crazy EXCITING time in our lives.

This week was MUCH MUCH better as far as not feeling quite up to par. The nausea is finally starting to take a back seat and I actually felt like I could eat breakfast this week. My pregnancy brain has definitely been setting in lately. Everything from leaving my phone in a store to forgetting homework assignments to forgetting to lock the door when i leave for class. Obviously I have this forgetfulness thing figured out, and will most likely have some very entertaining stories in the future. Heartburn has also made it apparent to me that it will be hanging out throughout the next 6 1/2 months, and our baby will have a VERY nice head of hair if old wives tales hold true. However I will take forgetfulness and heartburn any day over the alternative (morning sickness).

Not really a bump yet, but definitely feeling changes!! 

--10 weeks--

This week I have started reading -Radical- by David Platt for the second time. If you have never read it before then absolutely by all means.. READ IT! This week I have been so convicted about how I view my walk with God, and what [radical abandonment] really means. Remember this week what Jesus gave up for us.. His life on a cross.. what do we give up? Hope you all have a very Happy Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Christ:)

*9 Weeks*

Happy Spring!! It is so exciting to finally make it through winter and into spring. However I don't think the weather is quite on track with the calendar because I woke up to loads and loads of snow being dumped all over Fort Collins. Such a beautiful white blanket is now covering the city. However spring also brought in one more thing for us, and that is week 10! I haven't blogged the past few weeks because lets be honest.. at this point in the pregnancy there isn't a whole lot to talk about. Unless you want to hear about the past two weeks of being on the verge of vomiting and living off of sierra mist and saltines. Luckily I have yet to actually throw up, but morning sickness and being tired are definitely taking over my life lately.. Jason has been absolutely AMAZING through all of my complaining and sleeping, he's been holding down the fort, running errands, doing laundry, and waiting on me hand and foot. Such a great man God blessed me with! We spent the past week enjoying a stay at home vacation. We both worked quite a bit and have been trying to get caught up on homework and sleep. ALSO this week we had our FIRST prenatal visit!! I know it should have been exciting but we basically just did a physical and the attempted to draw blood for initial testing.. which unfortunately ended in me almost passing out and sitting in a chair with my head between my legs. However they said everything looked great and we are well on our way to having a beautiful little baby:) This week we are planning on finally sharing the news with all of our friends, can't wait!!

--> seven weeks <--

Another week in the books, and what a week it has been..
Nothing too special to report from this week, other than that baby is still growing like a weed, or anyway that's how it feels in my tummy! This week has been a week of highs and lows. School has been super hectic because my professors are trying to cram everything in before Spring Break, so it was a week of exams. Luckily pregnancy forgetfulness hasn't kicked in too bad, so exams haven't been that challenging. The one thing that has kicked in full swing though is my mood swings! I feel like I have no control over whether I'm going to happy or grumpy once second or the other! So ridiculous. Also, nausea is kicking my butt almost every morning. That makes showing up to class on time a bit more challenging.
Other than these random pregnancy issues, life is wonderful and its becoming more and more real with every noxious morning and mood swing that we have a beautiful baby on the way! One more week of class and we will have a week of relaxing and picking out baby names. Speaking of baby...

Baby is the size of a raspberry right now!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Ours should be full of snow hopefully!!

6 Weeks

I am now 6 weeks along. This past week was quite the roller coaster ride! To put it in perspective for you...I started tearing up mid Castle episode. If you have never seen Castle, it is typically pretty funny and is a crime/law/comedy type show. What can we learn from this? My hormones are COMPLETELY out of whack!

What is going on right now inside of me is totally mind blowing.. There is a life just growing! I just don't understand how people can say there is no God. I have never felt closer to him than right now, just knowing that He is forming a baby inside of me:)

We have told the Fam Bam, and let me tell you.. Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunties and Uncles are all getting pretty stoked:) Not a day goes bye that somebody doesn't text or call asking how our little addition is doing. So far there isn't much to report. I haven't been overrun with morning sickness yet, which I think is because my mom never had it either. The nauseous feeling comes around every now and then, but not enough to lose my lunch. I am still craving hamburgers, and luckily last night got my fix at STUFT Burger Bar.. SO GOOD! I almost ended the night with a milkshake, but like my Mom said, I'm not really eating for 2 yet, and that number 2 will never weigh 100lbs while I'm still eating for him/her. So I have to make myself eat healthy.. thank goodness for Jason because He definitely keeps me on track in that area. Miraculously I haven't put on any weight, and obviously I'm not showing yet, but we are still getting more and more excited with every passing day!

Yea.. not even the slightest baby bump..

2 weeks until Spring Break, and I could not be more ready. I can't wait to have a little time to just sit on my couch and look at lists and lists of baby names! Also my first prenatal visit is in 3 weeks and I could not be any more ecstatic! Between School, Work, Small groups, and other school groups I haven't had much time to just rest and it is definitely starting to catch up to me.. just ask Jason! Right now we're just grateful for God's strength that keeps me plowing through every speech and homework assignment:)

Baby Frink

Do you want to know how big Baby Frink is right now?? You can check out the tracker and see what our little nugget looks like every week:)

Welcome To My Life

Hello! I have had many blogs before, but I figured it was time to start a new one. Life has been changing around these parts and it is time to start documenting it! I got married to my best friend and high school sweetheart last May. We had been dating for almost 6 years, and figured it was probably time to tie the knot, so we did. We had a beautiful wedding in South Kona, Hawaii. Since then we spent the summer loving life, getting used to being married [FINALLY!], working and eating frozen yogurt to cool down the 100*+ temps we were getting here.. Where is here? Here is Fort Collins, Colorado. We are both students at Colorado State University, and we have one semester left after this one!!! We are both in school at the moment, working, and taking life one day at a time. I have learned so much in the. Past 9 months of being married.. I have learned about love, forgiveness, and grace to names few. This journey has been such a blessing from God, and we love every second. I work at a gym, Jason works at a bank. We have an adorable little Jack Russell Puppy named Koa which was an addition to our little family this summer. However Koa is in for a big shock because we found out Monday that there will be another addition to our little family!!! 

  We are expecting Baby Frink to join this world in October 2013!! 

 That is the main reason for feeling that it is time to start documenting these crazy, exciting days=] I start my 6th week tomorrow! So far sickness has not overrun my life, and that is a blessing I cannot thank God enough for. Between school and work, I'm pretty sure God has not found time for morning sickness either. We spilled the beans to our family today because we just couldn't contain the excitement any longer. If you have never been pregnant, it is way too much excitement for 2 people to hold in. You really need an army of friends and family. The first few weeks of this journey have been life changing and so exciting and I'm excited to share the rest with you guys over the next few weeks, months, and years=]