A Different Christmas

This year was a little different for Christmas. 

Being 8 months pregnant, I am restricted to traveling very far. Which means, we had Christmas in West Des Moines this year.  Cara and Jay's parents came over around noon and we started cooking.  We took a break to open presents from both sets of parents and got many wonderful and useful gifts. Dinner was amazing and we all stuffed ourselves too full; Jay is one spectacular turkey chef. We relaxed the rest of the night and made a game plan for the next morning.  

Cara arrived at about 6:45am and we were all off to breakfast at the Drake Diner and a morning of Christmas sale shopping.  Our goal was to get a Christmas tree for next year, but we were unaware that Christmas trees go on sale the week before. I guess we will just have to wait until next year. We did get some great sales on wrapping paper, candy,
and even a cute outfit for baby Udey :) 

The rest of the day we spent napping and relaxing. 

Overall, it was a very different Christmas. It was strange not to see my family on a main holiday and for Jay it was strange not to enjoy opening his stocking at his parent's house.  We both have traditions that we weren't able to do yet we enjoyed Christmas very much.  It even made me step back and take a moment to think about what Christmas is all about.  If it was about the presents, eating certain things, and seeing certain people, I'm sure I would be disappointed quite often. But to think, a King was born on this day and came for each and every one of us is amazing.  He loves each of us so much.

We even took a moment to snap a beautiful Christmas picture.

Lovely :)

Jay's parents stayed in town a few extra days and helped do some repairs around the house. Here is the most visible one. 

They spent time cleaning the rest of the carpet in the living room and the family room and it looks spectacular.

Darlynn and I spent an entire day running errands all over town. We went to 2 different Wal-Marts, 2 Targets, the mall, and many other locations.  Our goal was to get as many things for the baby's room, as the time for her to arrive is getting closer and closer.  Here was one of our projects for the day. 

Our beautiful lamp!

Many things were accomplished in the past week. It's hard for me to believe that in about 25 days, give or take, she will be here. Time keeps flying by and I'm sure it will when she is born too. Hope you all had a safe Christmas and New Year!

Another busy weekend!

Last weekend, we got to enjoy the wedding of our good friends Tim and Jenna Greeno. The weekend was full of fun with the rehearsal Friday night and pictures and the wedding on Saturday.  Saturday was also filled with another exciting event: We started having church at our new location!  It's in a great spot and is just the right size for us.

I got a picture of Jay and I at the wedding but it didn't look too hot, so I had us take another one after church. Cara and I got a few pictures in too.

Try #1

Here's the good one :) 

Auntie Cara, for the 2nd time, and me! 

Had to have a fun one! 

Update on the baby and I: Things are going well. Our appointments are still in and out which they say are the best ones. This is week 34, so after the next appointment we start going every week. That makes it a little more real that the big day is coming! I met with a pediatrician yesterday and am going to meet with another next Tuesday. Who knew there was so much to get done before she is even here! We're on the uphill here. Sleeping is starting to get more and more uncomfortable and I'm a little bit more tired during the day. Other than that, I think the Lord has blessed me with a very easy pregnancy. And am I thankful for that!

Entering the Cooking World

I’m attempting to get better at being in the kitchen. It’s a humbling experience for me at times, but Jay really does make it fun for me. I looked up recipes that include either sweet potatoes or any form of beans, as we’ve heard they are healthy for you.  This week the recipe proved itself and tastes amazing! Here it is:

Chicken & Sweet Potato

2 Stalks of Celery, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

2 Tsp Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1-2 Sweet Potatoes, diced

2 Chicken Breast, cooked and shredded

2 Cups Chicken Stock

1 Can (15 oz) of diced tomatoes, keep juice

1 Cup Water

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook chicken ahead of time and shred it up into small chunks or pieces.  Sauté the celery and onion in the olive oil in large skillet.  Add the garlic after a few minutes. Put in chicken, sweet potatoes, chicken stock, water, and the can of tomatoes, including the juices from the can.  Turn heat to low-medium.  Let cook for about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally and add salt and pepper to taste. 
Serve over rice. (I made 3 cups (dry) of rice to go with this; I’m not sure how much that makes after it’s cooked)  Depending if you serve with a salad or another side, you could serve 5-6 people easily.


Things on the home front are going well. We are getting ready for another wedding this weekend.  Our good friends Tim and Jenna will be getting married on Saturday and hopefully we'll snag a pictures to put up here. Another exciting thing this Saturday is, our church, West Town Church, has a winter location! It's located above Pegasus Gallery in Valley Junction on 5th Street.  It starts at 5pm; come check it out if you can!

Other than that, we continue to learn more and more about the birthing process at our classes.  It's beyond amazing to me that our little girl is being knit together even as I type this blog.  Reminds me of this verse: 

Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being;  

you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

 I just continue to be amazed with ever kick and punch she gives me, even if some of them hurt a little.  We almost have her room all put together which makes it quite a bit more real to know that we will have a precious little girl living in there in less than 50 days.  Until then.... :)