Beardisms

Harlan found a blog he thought fitting to share with you, given the amount of hair currently growing on his face.  We had a good time reading through some of the posts on The Beardly and highly recommend browsing around if you need a good laugh.  Here's one of my favorites:

And speaking of beards, it's about time you got an updated picture of Harlan's:

There have been moments the amount of hair on his face leaves me speechless....

I'm truckin' along at just about 32 weeks.  I've decided not to even mention the weather in Texas anymore.  There truly is no point, as I will undoubtedly spend the remainder of my pregnancy with 100+ temps every day.  What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?  Here's my 32 week belly:

And the marathon continues...

I'm really hoping September will bring calm, peaceful, quiet evenings and weekends where we have the opportunity to say, "I'm bored!" and actually mean it.  As for August, we've had no such luck!  My neighbor has some baby girl clothes for me to look through, and I haven't even had the time to get over there.  I promise I'm coming soon, Amy!

So far, we've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, enjoyed both family and friend reunions, and still have more to go!  We had our 2nd shower this past weekend, and I must say, we are blown away.  I think there's maybe one or two items still needed on our registry.  The rest has been taken care of by the generosity of our friends and family.  We are so undeserving of these amazing blessings!

I conquered yeast!

Yeast.  A word that used to immediately fill me with fear.  I find a recipe I want to try, see it contains yeast, and immediately move on to find something else.  But no more.  I have successfully baked with yeast and feel a new-found sense of freedom.

Another co-worker celebrated a birthday last week and requested cinnamon rolls.  My schedule's been so busy I just didn't know how I'd be able to make them, but I was determined.  I used Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe, following the directions exactly.  The reviews were really mixed, which made me so nervous!  People's experiences ranged from hockey puck-like rolls to tiny ones that didn't rise.    I had no backup plan, so thankfully, they turned out even better than I could have hoped.

I timed these so they'd still be hot when I brought them to work.  It didn't leave much time for photos, so my apologies to all you photography buffs out there.  You may also notice one is missing.  You have to test things before other people eat them!

I'm still debating what to make this week.  After baking banana bread for 9 shower hostesses, you can rest assured it will have nothing to do with bananas.  Martha's been silently calling my name for weeks, so I'm thinking about these:

They're called Peanut Butter Surprises and they look delish.  We'll see if I have time to fit them in!

Reality hits at 3am

I am beyond excited to meet my beautiful daughter.  She has decided to train for the Olympics in utero, so one night I found myself awake at 3am and never did go back to sleep.  We prayed for this baby girl, know she's a miracle, and are anticipating some red hair on her sweet head.  However, at 3am, I was struck with the enormous weight her arrival will bring with it.  A human life.  I will be her mother.  For the rest of my life.  Whoa.  Quite a bit to absorb.

I know these thoughts are normal, but they have again brought me to my knees.  I know I can only be the mother she needs with lots and lots (and lots) of prayer.  I had to share with you a prayer one of my shower hostesses wrote especially for my sweet girl:

Father, thank you for the child You have placed in my care.  Guide me to teach her about Christian obedience.  Let me be a worthy example of Your love, discipline, mercy, and grace.  Help me nurture her so she becomes the person You planned.

As she grows and develops into the person You designed her to be, I pray for understanding to accept your design and for wisdom to nurture it.

She came into this world

Innocent and small.

She needs my love,

She needs my guidance,

But most of all

She needs to know

That there's a God above

Who loves her so.

How will I teach her?

What will I tell her?

One way is sure...

I'll have to show her.

Just as parents are kind to their children, the Lord is kind to all who worship Him. (Psalm 103:13)