-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!