Heads Up!

Some nights while drifting to sleep you feel a sense of accomplishment from that particular day.  THIS photo is a reminder that life can smack you in the face (or in this case sleep butt-first on your head)...however you choose to look at it. 

Can we talk about being eight months pregnant in the summer heat?  And that I feel like a bull in a china shop everywhere I go?

Make no mistake; I am not complaining about pregnancy.  This is one of the greatest blessings we could have ever received, and I would never be so insensitive as to whine about it.  But I can make it funny.

A task as simple as getting dressed in the morning is a battle.  All of my shirts suddenly look like they came from Baby Gap when I put them on.  Therefore, I usually throw on a shirt of Ryan's, much to his displeasure.

My bad - were you gonna wear this one today?

Half of my time in public places is spent apologizing for bumping into people, because I quickly forget that the amount of mass I'm carrying around has significantly increased.

Is it just me, or are these grocery aisles WAY more narrow?!

And nothing- I repeat, nothing- could have prepared me for the beastly heat this year.  I get so hot at night that I've seriously contemplated sleeping in my freezer; anything for relief.

Cold baths have been a lifesaver.

Things have been absolutely nonstop since our glorious, week-long beach trip.  Can I just go back?!  We were at least able to squeeze in some fun for the following occasions:

1) Church

2) Emerson's daycare had a VBS class for three year olds, so she had a blast with her friends.  Ross's last day was that week, and we were so sad.  She's made some wonderful friends there.

3) We also celebrated Trace's fourth Birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese.

4) And played dress-up with Audrey and baby Hazel, followed by an afternoon at the pool!

5) We ended our celebrations with Uncle David's Birthday.  Then it was time to get back to the grind.

Ask me my feelings about our house still being on the market at 35 weeks pregnant.  On second thought, don't, because you may regret bringing up the subject.

Now please excuse me while I go write "God has a plan and purpose" 250 times on this chalkboard.

The home projects and improvements are unending, and Ryan and I are giving it all we've got.  But pretty soon my get-up-and-go will have left the building until further notice.  And that's all I'm going to say about that.

 

One ray of happiness was when we created registries for our very soon-to-be baby boy.  This time around we had a little helper who scanned about 95% of the items all by herself.  One lady at Target considering hiring her on the spot.

"Wham, scan, thank you ma'am."

She was so helpful and well behaved that she earned a set of Paw Patrol finger puppets and five rides on the carousel.  

I would have gone on the carousel with her, but it would have turned into the Round-Up ride once I stepped on.

#SafetyFirst

You may remember back in January when I was a member of Abi's wedding party.  What no one else knew in this photo was that TWO of us were hiding big secrets.

???

That would be Monica and yours truly.  I remember being so hungry after the wedding that I couldn't eat my food fast enough.  But welcome to any regular day, really.

Don't mind us; we're just searching for the pantry.

We enjoyed showering Monica with gifts for her little baby that's due just three weeks after Landon.  I am crazy excited about my own baby shower this Saturday!

That afternoon I had been trying to call Ryan, but he wasn't answering, which I thought was odd.  Maybe they were both taking a nap.  Imagine my surprise when I came home to find the crib and dresser boxes in a heap on the back of Ryan's truck, which could only mean one thing.

He- and Emerson- were setting up the nursery furniture as a surprise.

It was the sweetest thing EVER!  She was so into it and even used his drill.  I'm telling you, this girl is going places. 

When you work hard you can play just as hard.  Emerson had a blast with the mattress foam from the daybed that they took down.  I'm not sure what was louder that afternoon; the thunderstorm or her constant jumping from the couch to the floor.

Lots of recent rain calls for the right gear, so on one of Poppy and Nana's latest visits they bought her a butterfly umbrella.  Because a regular umbrella is just...meh.

Earlier that day I drove my parents to my Dad's follow-up heart appointment, and if I came within 25 feet of the car in front of me they reacted like this.

You would have thought I was still in driver's ed, and I was admittedly getting annoyed.  After all, the appointment was way across town in an area that I'm much more familiar with than they are, so I had offered to drive as a favor. 

Do you want to be on time or not?!?

When I pulled them safely in the parking lot to the appointment - EARLIER than his scheduled arrival time- my Dad apologized for acting so frantic.

"You really are a skilled driver, Katharine."

But then he added, "So is Mario Andretti."

This incident has been filed in my "Thanks a Lot" folder...

The next weekend we visited Uncle Kevin and had a wonderful time on Folly Beach.  We were also in town for our maternity/family photo session with the incomparable Valerie Schooling.

And then- you guessed it- back to the grind again.  Having to keep our home constantly show-clean meant that over the months things have been tossed haphazardly into the attic.  And it had been sorely neglected.  I took one look in there and almost had a panic attack.  

That afternoon I happened to call my parents in tears because I had lost my car keys.  They have a device on them that rings, but - guess what- it wasn't working.  It was one of those days when I was at my wit's end.  One of the many.

My parents graciously offered to drive up early the next morning to help me find the missing keys, but by the grace of God I found them in the garage while we were still on the phone.  Sometimes it's just having a voice of reason on the other line that makes all the difference.  And having two of the best parents in the universe.

I was still in a tizzy about the attic and knew that my time remaining to actually DO something about it is coming to a close.  So at 7:00 the next morning my work crew reported for duty to help me with the insurmountable burden of a mess. 

We started by sorting everything in piles: giveaway, Emerson's toys, fall/winter clothes, Emerson's clothes (which accounted for about three bins), and just random JUNK.  Old cords, holiday decorations, you name it.  At one point my Dad said we just needed to stick a white flag in the pile and surrender.  Issue an SOS.  Then we died laughing when we realized that SOS could stand for "Stay Outta Stores."  I'll never think of that phrase the same way again.

After everything was sorted we went to Wal-Mart to get bins, and I got so tickled seeing my work crew coming out of the store with the supplies.

To make the most out of the next photo please envision one of the following songs playing:

1) Toy Story's "You've Got a Friend in Me"

2) The theme song from 'Friends'  

3) Mariah Carey's "I'll Be There"

While I still have lots to eventually sort through and give away, it is a VAST improvement and will prevent my name from being in the obituaries when Ryan goes in the attic again.

During a brief break this weekend we did a little shopping with Jamie, Chris, and baby Cora, whom Emerson sweetly calls "Co-Wa."  Costco might just be one of our new favorite places.

Things are unfolding for us very quickly, and some days I have no concept of time...but remember that in the grand scheme time is just like weight; it's a number.  Don't lose sight of the life around you!