the story of us: (P)raises

I have a lot of random things so I'm just going to throw it all into one.

It seems like just when we start feeling the crunch, God provides. Garrett got a raise in May after only six months of working there and I got a raise in July! We are so thankful for this and it could not have come at a better time as we are preparing to increase our family to four. This does not change my desire to spend more time with my family and we'll just have to see what the future holds. I am fortunate that my boss is very flexible and I am able to be with Hayden whenever I need to be. I will be taking eight weeks off when this baby arrives and will be paid for most of that time off so that is also a huge blessing!

I am about 10 1/2 weeks pregnant right now, but I don't really have anything else to report. I thought my nausea was getting a lot better until I got sick yesterday, but at least it is mostly in the morning now and usually gets better throughout the day. Everyone keeps telling me that it is probably a girl since I have been so sick this time, but I'm not so sure. All signs point to boy. Either way, we are excited to meet him/her! Some people have asked me if I will be disappointed if it's a boy...absolutely not!!! My little boy makes my heart smile every. single. day. and I know another one would do just the same...as would a sweet little girl.

Hayden is 16 months old today and as ornery as ever. It is amazing to watch him discover the world. He's like a little sponge absorbing everything around him. I just can't get enough of him! He talks non-stop and is beginning to test his boundaries. He loves to throw things in the trash. He takes his plate, his diaper or whatever else we ask him to throw away. He is quite the retriever too. He will go get his own diaper from his room and other things from around the house. He will also put his toys up with a little help. He LOVES books! He moved up to size 5 diapers. He will point to my belly and say "baby", but poor guy, I know he doesn't fully understand what that means. I hope it will be a smooth transition.

Christi's bachelorette party was a blast! We stayed at this awesome house with a beautiful view. We had lunch on a party barge out on the lake on Saturday and then went to Hula Hut and Cedar Street Saturday night. Radiostar was playing at Cedar Street and I love me some 80's music! Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I drove the 15 passenger van with all the lovely ladies. I didn't run over anything and we all arrived to our destinations safely! Here's a few pics below. My camera is broken so my picture taking is limited to my phone these days.

The lovely ladies

Who doesn't love "Jessie's Girl"?

The view from the deck outside our bedroom

And now to this past weekend. We went to Amy's Ice Cream and the children's museum with Scott and Christi! Hayden was in heaven! Again, my pictures are limited. I'll have to steal some from Christi.