Painting the Little Boy's Room...

This past weekend Patrick and I decided to tackle the project of painting our nursery for the little boy.  Since his bedding is pretty busy and the room is kind of small, we decided to do something very clean and simple.  Three of the walls we just painted back to a basic off-white and one wall is a light blue with a white strip in the center.  We had such teamwork!  I did all the outlining, while Patrick did all the rolling.

Our plans are to add some type of decorations in the white strip...whether its circles, his initials (wish we knew what those were going to be?!?!), his name, frames...you name it.  Another "getting ready for baby" item that we can check off of our list!  Next is to finally tackle the bedding...I have to make the first cut :)

More pregnancy updates...We started our birthing classes this past Sunday.  Our teacher is great and we are looking forward to the next few weeks.  We've been doing our exercises and Patrick has been very supportive.  Wish us luck!  At our doctor's visit this week, I have now gained 15 pounds....eeks...he's growing!  We had to do the glucose testing and will find out the results tomorrow.  Hopefully all is good and mom is nice and healthy.

3rd Annual Tacky Christmas Sweater Party

This year the annual sweater party was held at Kari and Skinny's house.  We left Saturday afternoon and carpooled to College Station. Words can't describe some of the outfits this year.  Each year they get tackier and tackier. Besides the great outfits, we got to visit with some of our best friends and got to catch up with those we haven't seen in awhile.  Some of the highlights...Scud Ice, the living room dance party, Will's midget pic, flowing sessions, and more!  Enjoy the pics...

Another free scrapbook design by Smilebox

Happy Turkey Day!

I'm a little behind with my posts, but I didn't want to leave out our Thanksgiving holiday festivities!  We started off the holiday by doing a little Christmas decorating.  Patrick successfully got all the lights hung on the house and they look festive and sparkly. Thanksgiving day we bundled up for the A&M vs. t.u game....it was cold!  We met up with some of Patrick's buddies before the game and once we got in the stadium the weather wasn't too bad...cold but comfortable.  There were a lot of Aggies at the game which was awesome and we ended up with a victory...whoop.  Beautiful ending to a great turn around season.

Will, Schneider, John, Brent, Patrick, and Wade

The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band

Friday we left early for La Grange to spend time with the Hebert's.  Mark fried a delicious turkey and Rebecca and I pretended like we knew what we were doing while making the sides.  Everything turned our delicious!  Poor Kathleen was very sick and wasn't able to enjoy any of it...but if I haven't told...her and Mark are also having a little boy...two Hebert boys only a few weeks apart...could be scary :)  We of course got a little Mexican Train in before heading to Hallettsville.

Saturday we spend out at Hackberry with the Freytag's.  Mom made another delicious dinner, not turkey and dressing, but it was yummy.  We had a chance to play with Aubrey and Luke and also celebrate Mom and Dad's birthdays.  Sully, like always, had the time of his life out in the country...he had his fill of cows, stickers, and running free.  It took Sully a few days of sleep to recover from all the excitement :)  My camera unfortunately never made it out of the truck, so no pics :( 

Patrick and I have so much to be thankful for in our lives right now.  We have such giving and supportive families.  God has blessed us with a cozy home, our pets, Sully and Oscar, jobs, great friends, each other, and most of all...a little baby boy on the way!

December Yard of the Month!

So Patrick's dream finally came true a few days ago!  We now have a nice Yard of the Month sign outside our front door.

Granted we have worked really hard bringing our yard back to life since we bought the house, since it was literally hay and dirt when we moved in, but it really doesn't compare to some of the other nicely manicured and luscious gardens in the neighborhood.  We asked ourselves..."Why us?".  But little did we know, one of our neighbors nominated us and told the HOA we had been working really hard and deserve it!  Somebody noticed our work at least...sooooo for the next month we better keep it lookin' good.

Here is the yard about a year ago..the BEFORE.

 

And AFTER...It will always need work, but "yeah" for us!!!

Celebrating our Anniversary-Downtown Austin

Over the weekend we celebrated our Anniversary with a stay-cation.  We are always going, so we decided to spend time here in Austin!  Friday we hung out with Shannon and Scott.  We all cooked the most delicious burgers and I tried a new recipe for my side dish.  Super easy, healthy, and easy to make alterations to...here it is...

Brown Rice Salad with Spinach and Tomatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 peeled cucumber sliced

2 cups baby spinach

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

First mix oil, vinegar, dill, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add rice, cucumbers, spinach, and tomatoes and toss to combine.  I think it would be good with an avocado too!

Saturday we slept in, packed, and then headed downtown to Zilker park.  We had a yummy picnic lunch on a park bench overlooking Lady Bird Lake and downtown.  One of the best views I must say.  And to top off lunch, a fellow Austin musician by the name of Woode Wood was playing his guitar and singing to all those running on the trail.  We of course struck up a conversation with him and he played us a love song...it was perfect!  After lunch we hopped on our bikes and weaved through the Townlake trails to enjoy the beautiful weather and burn a few calories. 

 This next part may sound really boring but it was one of our favorite parts!  We checked into the motel, watched HBO movies, and took a long nap...it felt great :)  For dinner we headed to Polvos (thanks for the introduction Erin)...nothing fancy, just good Austin atmosphere and a tasty salsa bar.  No delicious margarita but the food made up for it. 

Since the Aggies vs Baylor game started at 6, we quickly found a restaurant, Freddie's Place, with the game on.  We practically had the place to ourselves...guess everyone else was watching t.u...i'll stop there.  We lounged on sofas while drinking hot cocoa and Coors...And yahoo!!!!  The Aggies pulled off another "W"!  Freddie's was a cute place...washers, smores, live music, and a huge outdoor area.  Great place for kids too. 

 Sunday we planned to eat at the Magnolia Cafe but changed our mind when we saw the line.  Instead we sacrificed for amazing Torchy's Tacos!  

That about wraps it up...'til next year. 

22 Weeks!

3 Wonderful Years!

Tomorrow is our 3rd year anniversary!!!  I remember our wedding like it was yesterday :)  If you weren't able to join in on the festivities, we had our ceremony at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Hallettsville and the reception on the Shiner Legion Hall.  Had a blast, it was way too short, got to spend time with so many of our family members and best friends, and best of all I married my best friend. I couldn't have asked for a better husband. I could go on and on, but then you might want him and you can't have him :) Speaking of being a sweetheart, he got me sparkling white grape juice for our celebration tomorrow! Can't wait to drink it and watch our wedding video!

So many pictures...how can I only pick a few!!!

I know this is about our anniversary but I wanted to give a shout out to my mom for all of her hard work she did on our reception...sooooo many hours!  Not sure how she did it but she managed to put together exactly what I envisioned...thanks mommy...can't wait to help you with the next one.

This is our last year to be a family of two...next year we probably won't even have time to celebrate our 4th!

I love you Patrick!

Weekend Recap...

This past weekend was pretty relaxing.  Friday night we made a quick jaunt to La Grange to watch the high school football game.  At half time they were recognizing all those players from LG who won a State Championship, 2000 and 1975.  Patrick wanted to go reminisce and see all of his old buddies.  However, it was COLD and we left after half time!  It was good to visit with the Hebert's for a short while before our drive back.

Saturday was a gorgeous day!  We woke with no alarm and got dressed to try out the first-ever Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival down at Zilker Park.  It started out great...got to try a few yummy samples but then it got hot and the lines were forever long.  We stood in line for our last sample for almost an hour!  But we got our vitamin D for the day and we weren't watching football...yahoo.  And then the Aggies played one heck of a game and beat OU!!!  What a surprise :)  It reminded me of my freshmen year at a&m when we played OU.  Kari, Beth, a few other friends, and I had tickets for the third deck on the very tip-top row.  Now you may think these were bad seats and yes it did take an eternity to get up there, but we had so much space and got a fantastic draft over the back of the stadium.  Needless to say, we won that game too and it was one of my best memories of Aggie football.

Gypsy Picnic Food Festival

Cuddling with Sully during the Aggie Game

Sunday we went to mass and did chores around the house...touched up our coffee tables, vacuumed, cleaned, washed rugs...you name it.  And something that we have been talking about for a year now...we finally went for a bike ride!!!  Who in the world designed skinny, hard bike seats...helloooo, they are not comfortable!  But the weather, company, and exercise made it worth while :)  We also started making room for Little Hebert.  We switched up some beds, moved the crib to where it is going to live, packed up all of our high school and baby stuff for the attic....the decorating ideas are definitely flowing now!

Daddy Felt You!

Little Hebert,

For the first time last night Daddy was able to feel you in Mommy's tummy. I was lying in bed reading my book before bedtime and you were just doing all kinds of somersaults and kicks. Most of the time when I try to feel you from the outside you stop, but I called Daddy over and told him to place his hand just in the right spot.

We waited about a minute and you performed!  And Daddy was able to feel you move.  He was able to feel you two more times after that.  What an amazing moment!  I know there is lots more to come as you continue to grow bigger and bigger (not too big though :).  Love you and can't wait to meet you.

Mommy

Halloween at the Hebert's

Sunday we went to church and then prepared for the little kiddos that would be trick-or-treating that evening. Rebecca was in Austin for the weekend so she decided to stay Sunday night and help us pass out candy and scare the little children!

We first hung a tarp that enclosed our small front porch and positioned an awesome strobe light in the corner. We carved our pumpkins...one with a normal pumpkin face and the other with an ATM...we had to after our win on Saturday :) Once it started to get dark we put strobe lights in our pumpkins instead of candles, got our costumes on, and waited in anticipation for our first treater.

So Patrick had his face painted white with black eyes and red blood dripping down and dressed in his camo outfit. He sat in a chair near the strobe light while Rebecca and I sat at the door with the bowl of candy. Let's just say...many of the little ones never made it past Patrick or the "dead guy". It was tooooo scary! He didn't say a word or jump out...just sat there. Oh yes, and we had scary music playing in the background. Here are some videos of the ghoulish excitement (dark but you can still hear them)....

 The night was definitely a success and surpassed our expectations!  Ohhh the little things in life :)

Patrick's Theme Song...

Anything Like Me

by: Brad Paisley

I remember sayin' I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm okay
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said, "You see that thing right there, well you know what that means"

I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me

He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride his bike too fast
End up every summer wearin' something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street

He's gonna get in trouble, oh he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

I can see him right now, knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass tryin' to melt the Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on?
That'll be his first love 'til his first love comes along

He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens
And heaven help him if he's anything like me

He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket, he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skippin' class and be grounded for a week

He's gonna get into trouble, we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

He's gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by and I already dread the day

He's gonna hug his momma, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he can't wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out if he's anything like me
There's worst folks to be like, oh he'll be alright if he's anything like me

Czhilispiel 2010-Flatonia, TX

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4 Against 1.....It's a Boy!

That's right, I am completely out numbered now in our household.  Patrick, Little Hebert, Sully, and Oscar and then there is me.  But we are still so excited...we are having a little baby boy!!!  The Hebert name lives on!

Yesterday we had our doctor's appointment and anatomy ultrasound.  Nana and Pops (Mom & Dad Freytag) drove all the way to Austin to join in on the excitement.  Pics of us patiently waiting...

Let me just say...watching your little one on the ultrasound was absolutely amazing.  I think I could have watched it for hours just to see what he would do next. We didn't have the fancy 3-D imaging, but 2-D was good enough.  The ultrasound tech knew within the first 15 seconds that we were having a boy.  Patrick claims he saw the little winky, however I was too amazed with watching the heartbeat to even look or notice.  I guess you can tell where his priority was!  So far it looks like we have a perfectly healthy boy who is in the 51 percentile on length and weight.  We were able to see him arch his back, suck his thumb, touch his face, and of course wiggle.  Here are a few videos of the ultrasound I recorded off the tv when we got home...may not be the best quality...please excuse my comments...

 

 

And everyone keeps asking me if I have a bump...so here is a pic. I swore I wouldn't post any pics of just myself, but what else can you do :)

Week 20...

So we have finally hit the halfway point...yahoo!!!  It definitely wasn't easy, but now is the fun part.  Tomorrow is the big day when we find out if little Hebert is a girl or boy!  It's soooo exciting, but each visit is always a little nerve-racking as well.  You always think about if something is wrong or what if.  Maybe it's the mom jeans already coming out :)  The best part is Patrick and I really don't care what it is...just as long as it's healthy. 

Pregnancy Updates...
1)  I still haven't bought any maternity clothes yet.  They are tough to find and when you do, they only have limited choices.  So much for a cute wardrobe (not that I had one before but).  Heading to the outlet stores in Round Rock soon!
2)  I have gained about 8 pounds thus far...aghhh.
3)  Morning sickness and headaches are gone...allelujah...best update ever.
4)  I've realized those that spend $300 to $500 on their baby's bedding are insane...they are just going to pee and poop on it.
5)  I'm ready to decorate!
6)  Patrick is actually reading his manly baby books...so proud of him.  (His favorite is "My Boys Can Swim")
7)  And I am actually reading my baby books...if you didn't know, we don't read.
8)  Little Hebert is about the size of a banana from head to toe.
9)  Most disturbing thing...He or she is producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper....can't wait!
10)  I think we have our names picked out, but I checked out a baby name book yesterday at the library...just in case another attracts our attention...nothing's set in stone yet.

We will update everyone soon!

Acorns Galore!!!

So as I was walking barefoot in the backyard yesterday, I couldn't help but not step on a million acorns....Ouch!!  As you know they don't feel good on the little footsies.  However, instead of throwing out a few four letter words I just started laughing.  An old memory popped into my head of my brother, Christopher, and I and the neighborhood kids having acorn battles.  This is how they went down...

So we each set up our forts...it usually consisted of a cardboard box. Then we would all go around and hunt for our acorns and collect them in our shirts.  Then once everyone had their ammo..."on your mark, get set, gooooo!".  You could usually stay behind your fort wall until you ran out of ammo and then you were screwed.  Let's just say, if you haven't been in an acorn war before...it hurts!  Especially when your big bro is throwing them!

Happy Tuesday!

Uneventful Weekend turned Eventful...

Sooooo Patrick and I really didn't have plans for this weekend, but we managed to stay busy. I'll break it down by day...

FRIDAY:

Friday evening Patrick came home and surprised with "Guess what...let's go buy the new Beauty and the Beast movie for you!"  I was so excited however, when we went to the store we could only find it in the 3-disc combo set :(  We don't have blue ray, so it would have been a waste of moolah...bummer.  So we decided instead to go eat some juicy burgers at Moonie's Burger House...which actually have pretty amazing burgers with the yummy sour dough buns and a chocolate shake to finish it off.  After we rolled ourselves out of the restaurant, I convinced Patrick to go to Half Price Bookstore with me so I could look for a particular baby book.  Didn't find it, but instead I got another recommended book, "The Complete Book of Baby Bargains".  Of course I would get this book :)  We rented a cheapo red box movie instead, "the experiment"....weirdo movie...interesting idea but wouldn't recommend it.

SATURDAY:
Shannon and I went to Babies-R-Us Saturday morning to buy a gift for a friend.  Let's just say...we looked like two idiots that had no idea what we were doing :)  So much stuff and what do you do with it all!!!  There were like 50 strollers to pick from, bouncers, bibs, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc....did I mention there was so much stuff!  I'm definitely going to be lost when I have to register in a few weeks...I'll take any help or advice from you experienced moms.  Lunch at Jason's Deli, a trip to Michaels, and back home to watch the Aggie football game. 

Matt and Sara came over to the house to watch the Aggies lose another game.  Talk about a boring game!  Enough said on that.  We had a delicious dinner, sat outside by the chiminea 'til 11:00, and talked about small town memories. Almost forgot, Matt made us some fresh salsa that morning...delicious!

SUNDAY:
It started off like a normal Sunday, we woke up and got ready for mass.  I'm slightly embarrassed to write about this, but it definitely was eventful and I think I almost gave Patrick a heart attack.  We were about to go receive the Eucharist when I started to feel really sick and my ears started buzzin'.  I knew I was about to go down and quickly told Patrick I didn't feel well.  The next thing you know I'm in the cry room with a doctor asking me where I was! 

So yea, for whatever reason I passed out in the pew...thankfully Patrick caught me.  The women behind us went to get some help.  I sort of woke up enough to walk back to the cry room with the help of a few men and then on the way I went limp again!  I finally woke up later on a couch and a very, very nice family doctor checked me out and made sure I was okay.  Besides the embarrassment, I couldn't have asked for a better place to faint....with my hubby, under God's roof, around tons of caring people, and a family doctor in the mix.  They even brought us our own Eucharist after church since we obviously missed getting it at the alter.

The little guy/girl is still kicking this evening, so hopefully everything is okay.  I definitely took it very easy the rest of the day...and read my bargain book haha!

"Whata" You Know...

So I'm a little slow with this posting however, I thought it was very necessary to inform the rest of the world about a little secret...

We all love Whataburger's disgustingly salty french fries every once in a while right??  But did you know there are five different kinds of KETCHUP!  Last weekend on our road trip to Dallas with Angela Ross and Keaton Askew (by the way they are two of the happiest, easy-going peeps I know), we stopped at Whataburger for lunch and Angela told us her friends figured out the ketchup packages were numbered 1 through 5.  So her friends did a taste test with all five and thought each one had a slightly different flavor...more salty, etc.  I wanted to solve this mystery, soooo I asked our waiter what the deal was and he gave us a very detailed and professional explanation. 

Okay so finally the secret...basically there is a difference between the viscosity or thickness of each ketchup package.  Number one is the runniest and five is the thickest!!!  Our waiter also informed us that numbers 3 and 4 are the most popular...good to know. 

So that's it...I hope you were just as amazed as I was.

Our taste test!

Pumkins, and scarecrows, and RATS!!!...Oh my!

Who needs to buy rats to decorate for Halloween when your dog so nicely brings one to you at the back door!!!

You guessed it, yesterday Sully managed to find/kill/play with a rat that we have seen run along our back fence before.  I was home my myself and saw the poor thing fluttering in his Sully's mouth.  Luckily he didn't try to eat it, but he sure didn't want to let his proud catch go.  I finally tricked him into coming inside for a treat until Patrick came home to dispose of it.  

Thirty minutes later, we all went outside to check if it was still there...and yes the rat was still breathing and slightly kicking.  Up close, I actually thought it was kinda cute and felt sorry for it.  So Patrick shoveled it up and we took it across the street to the elementary school and gave it a proper burial/farewell. 

As long as Sully keeps them out of the house...I don't care.  I think that rat will last me until Halloween.

Weekend in Aggieland

This past weekend we made the drive to College Station to watch the Aggies play FIU.  Who is FIU??  That's what I was thinking, however the Aggies played terrible until the 4th quarter and then finally pulled off a "W"....whewww!  Patrick would not have been a happy camper the rest of the weekend.  Even though we still played like doodoo, he was pleased and happy to have a 3-0 record so far this season.  Check out the Heberts' Hullabaloo...thanks Hebert's for all your hard work.

We finally had the chance to visit with Whitney and Tyler Coats and, of course, our BFF's Kari and Skinny.  Skinny turned 27 on Sunday...Happy Birthday Skin!!  How about all the new SHINY Aggie rings...Congratulations to Garrett, Kimberly's boyfriend...so exciting...he dunked his ring in 31 seconds Friday night!  And best of all the weather was great...cloudy, cool, and a slight breeze. 

Little Hebert is still growing strong.  I keep waiting for the first moment I am able to feel her/him...my email said some women describe it as popcorn popping or butterflies???  I will let you know!  For the first time today I had to wear a pony tail band on my pants...it just felt soooo much better.  Although you still can't really see an official bump, things are definitely growing wider.

I'm loving the cooler, crisp mornings!!  Sully and I went for a run this morning...first time really since getting preggo (because of the way I've been feeling).  Can't wait for pumpkins to start appearing on the front porches and scarecrows :)  All for now...