They killed GOATS!

Wayne and Andy traveled 13 hours to a huge ranch in Texas this weekend.  It's their annual turkey hunting tradition.  The first day they were there they killed goats.  Wayne even got one with his bow!!!  I thought it would be a grand idea to full body mount one of the goats for our lodge, but apparently none of their kills were big enough to warrant such a mount.  I never realized that goats are pretty - I really like the black one in the center!  Apparently its horns are suppose to get really big.  In college I always thought Wayne & his roommates needed a goat to keep down the grass in the backyard, but that is a different kind of goat altogether! 

35 weeks...

How Far Along: 35 weeks (just 5 weeks to go)
Total Weight Gained: ugh... alot!  But I don't want to talk about it!
Maternity Clothes:  Thanks to my sweet friend Maghen I have the cutest maternity clothes available!  And thanks to Granny I also have some shorts which have been great in this HOT weather!
Best Moment of the Week: Painting Ely Reed's room & assembling her crib, dresser, BOB, etc.  Go Wayn-o!  Our paint  pro friends, Dustin & Amy, lead the painting effort.  And Sissy (MIL) helped with the assembly!
Movement: She is moving & shaking & wearing me out, but I love it! 
Food Craving: I heart dill pickles; we even painted the nursery dill pickle!!! 
Food Aversion: Red sauce or anything that causes heartburn!!!
Morning Sickness:  It's more of a continuous heartburn issue, but peppermint gum is helping tons!
Gender: It's a girl!  Ely Reed
Labor Signs: None, Zero, Never felt those here!
Belly Button: The good news is that it has not popped so I am happy as can be!
What I Miss: The ability to breathe!
What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!!!  Seeing our baby girl!!!  In that order would be nice...
Weekly Wisdom: Just bc your weekly appts have started doesn't mean your baby is ready to come!  She is still high and just hanging out in there with no signs of arriving anytime soon!  For now this is great bc Wayne is going Texas to turkey hunt with Andy this weekend!  
Why I think my husband will be an Awesome Dad: Wayne has been such a good sport!  Yes!  He has a weak stomach, but he is so great during our childbirth classes - he has excellent breathing techniques & he even suggested that we make a list of the items we need during delivery.  Although he may give me a silly face, he is happy to help with anything I ask!  Gotta love that!

Thankful Thursday

Ten Things I am Thankful for:
1. Wayne takes the PE tomorrow!!!  I know he will do AWESOME!  He has studied so hard!
2. We did not have any kids at nursery last night!
3. It's TAX DAY and I am stress free bc our refund is already in the bank!
4. Wayne enjoyed childbirth class this week!  He even suggested that I make a list of all of the things that we need!  What?!?!  I did not know the word list was in his vocabulary!  And he was very involved with breathing techniques and massage!  I was so impressed!
5. We finally found someone to clean our house!  I walked in yesterday, and it smelled like lysol! Yay!
6. Paint will go on the walls in Ely Reed's nursery on Saturday - thanks to the help of our sweet friends Amy and Dustin and Wayne, of course!  The color is dill pickle - how appropriate!
7. Ely Reed's crib and dresser have arrived!  We just have to put it all together - well, Wayne is going to do that!
8. We had Nagoya twice this week!  We usually don't eat out a lot but we both wanted fried rice after cb class.  Then Mel and Chris were in town yesterday so we joined them, the Turner's and Caleb for sushi!  Yum Yum!
9. My nesting has spread to work, and I am getting so much accomplished!  Hopefully it will make my transition to home easier!
10. My visit with Dad and Carolyn this past weekend was great!  And I got to love on the most adorable 2-year-old in the world!

wayne's new toy

Wayne received his personalized duck call in the mail today!  It is a Rich N Tone - that is a brand for all of you who are clueless!  He was so excited after looking at the call all day and not being able to blow it at work that he made up for lost time when he got home!  :)  There is nothing louder than an acrylic duck call and wood floors!  I personally think it's a bit redneck to have a personalized duck call, but I am married to Wayne Black!

Thankful Thursday

Ten Things I am Thankful for this Week:
1. My 2 week doctors appointment!  I gained 3lbs so I guess Ely Reed is officially in her growth spurt!  Dr. Carroll gave me some great exercise to help my back pain!  And it was a quick appointment!  :)
2. My wonderful husband picked up our custom wood furniture from Star Furniture!  It is exactly what I was thinking!  Pictures to come later!  Wayne has also been on a cleaning streak this week - matching socks, washing dishes!  I heart that he is joining in my nesting!  
3. I was the leader for newspaper sales this week!  Yippee!  This is a rarity!
4. I cooked dinner by myself tonight, and it was ready when Wayne got home!  It was just chicken alfredo but it was good, and we had leftovers!
5. The spring weather is officially here!  I began the celebration today by purchasing red adirondack chairs for the backyard!  I plan to buy geraniums and ferns for the entrance.  And the flowerbeds need a bit more color - I am thinking more yellow!  
6. I finally submitted and approved the final proof of our wedding album this week!  Yes!  We have been married for 3+ years!  We should be receiving the coffee table book the week before our first child arrives!  Ha!
7. Childbirth classes!!!  Wayne did not really enjoy the natural childbirth video, but it lead to some great open conversation at our house!  And our teacher is funny!  
8. We welcomed seven new families to join our church on Sunday!  We had a Meet & Greet on Wednesday to chat with the new female members, and it was well attended!  And so much fun!
9. Shoney's!!!  Wayne and I had breakfast at Shoney's on Saturday!  I had probably not eaten at a Shoney's in 13 years, but it was delicious!
10.  I am  going to visit my Daddy this weekend!  Yay!  Although we only live 2 hours apart, we just don't visit enough!  I miss seeing him!

Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be thankful for!  I may thank God for an answered prayer.  I may mention a blessing to Wayne.  I may thank a friend or family member for something they have done.  However, it almost seems taboo to discuss my many blessings with others.  On the other hand, if I have some drama I am quick to mention it!  So, I am going to start a healthy habit of listing ten things I am thankful for each week!  Please feel free to join in!

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful for:
1. My husband is a wonderful cook!!!  He literally cooks every meal that we eat, hence the nickname Chef Wayn-o!  And when I say cook I don't mean Hamburger Helper - although his HH is great!  Last night we had fried bream - I caught 'em but he scaled the whole fish with a spoon (Poppa taught him this!) and did all mixes to make the batter perfect!  My fav dish he cooks is wild turkey which he marinates in a secret sauce for a few days then wraps in bacon with a dollop of honey and grills!  It's amazing!
2. Ely Reed is a wiggle worm!  Ha!  It is so comforting to feel (and now see) her moving all around.  While I am in the shower I usually get a swift kick to the ribs - and if I decide to sleep in it is a good alarm clock!  When I drink something cold I feel like she is swimming around!  And after I eat she is all over the place - maybe that means she will like food like her mommy!  I think all of this activity may mean that she will be a bit hyper like her daddy, but that is perfectly okay with me!
3. I have the best girlfriends!  From my college friends to my work friends to my church friends to my mommy friends and more, I am blessed with a well rounded group of girlfriends who are quick to give advice, eager to listen, ready for a girls night, happy to share an easy recipe, etc.  I am so thankful for each of you!
4. Tonight I have my breastfeeding class!  And yes, I really am thankful for it!  I don't know what to expect and I am a bit nervous/excited, but I glad there is a nurse who felt it was her calling to teach women how to breastfeed.  And I am so glad there are other women (besides me) who think breastfeeding is so important for their children that they created a need for a class!!!  Because I surely am not comfortable asking my (male) doctor about breastfeeding!
5. I heart my job!  Yes... we have tons of deadlines!  Yes... it makes time fly by!  Yes... some days are pretty stressful!  But... I have the best clients, the funniest coworkers and tons of fun with it!  It's high energy, and I simply thrive in the environment!
6. My Planner & To Do List!!!  I do not want to focus on material things, but I really am not sure what I would do without these items - especially with pregnancy!
7. I am off work tomorrow!  Yippee!  So excited about a long weekend!  So excited to have a full day to focus on the To Do List!
8. Two little black girls will be so excited to see me when I get home tonight - one may even be excited enough to pee a bit!  Ha!  Nova and Neeli make me smile!  I love them like they are our children, and, well, they are!  In fact, I love them so much that all of the black hair on my wood floors bothers me less and less each day - now that is a big deal!!!
9. Deadline day is OVER!  And all of my magazine ads are tucked safely into the folder!  Go ME!!!
10. The opportunity to give back!!!  I fell in love with community service in college, and cs has continued to be part of my life since!  I am so excited to enter my provisional year in JLJ - the new friends, the projects, the fun!  Cannot wait!!!