Happy Belated Valentines Day!

Okay, I'm a little late but I still wanted to share my day with you because it was a fun one.

I made a trip to Hobby Lobby where I spent waaaay too much time. I found some neat things that gave me some good craft ideas so I will be sure to post pics as I complete them. I actually already completed one craft that I'm really excited about! These were Hollyn and Harper's (Hollyn's soon to be best friend ;) Valentine's presents.

This was an easy and fun project. I found these precious socks at Hobby Lobby, added Velcro to the socks and to different colored bows, and twa-la! I love that I can always just by more bows and add Velcro! The girls are going to be very fashionable :)

When I finally got home, my favorite non-in-utero baby came to play. I had told Kelsey that I would watch Harrison while she went to her doctor's appointment and then insisted her and her hubby enjoy a Valentine's date night with no baby.

Snack time! (my boys really liked this)

I think it's adorable how he wants to put his cup in the cup spot.

We had lots of fun!

Bath time!

When Jeff came home, he had dinner and a surprise for me.

We don't normally don't make a big deal out of Valentine's Day so this was a nice, unexpected surprise.

Of course, I wasn't the only one excited to see my hubby. Harrison just can't get enough of his Uncle Jeff! Not sure what the connection is, but those boys just love each other. Harrison loves to snuggle with Jeff which is unheard of for this baby! It just melts my heart :)

So I have to say, it was a pretty awesome Valentines Day!

Drum Roll Please...

Well, boy won the vote...

But...

When we walked in the ultrasound room Jeff had a surprise waiting for me :)

Jelly Bean onsies, bibs, and a maternity top for me :)

I have to say, I was really convinced from the beginning that it was a boy but the last three days or so I kept saying "she" and "her" and having girly thoughts so for the first time I wasn't thinking it was a boy. The 4D ultrasound was such an amazing experience and the second the lady put the wand on my belly she said "I already know what it is." I was so excited because one of my fears was that Jelly Bean wasn't going to cooperate and we wouldn't be able to find out today. When the lady told us, she actually said she was 100% sure! But instead of saying "it's a girl," Jeff had a second surprise for me and she held this up:

So to add to the announcement, Jelly Bean doesn't have to be called Jelly Bean anymore!

Introducing Hollyn Norman! (Middle name to come later :)

Two very excited parents!

Growth Charts!

Well, I'm happy to say that I am working towards attaining one of my New Year's goals. I have actually completed TWO growth charts!

I made this growth chart for a friend's baby shower. I based it on the bedding she had registered for.

This is the bedding set.

This growth chart is for my first customer! My friend, Mayra, wanted to be the first to place an order so she requested a Chicago Bears growth chart which is to be a gift for one of her friends.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way both of them turned out. Even if I don't end up selling a lot, I think they make a really special, personalized shower gift so I will definitely make them for my friends. Plus, I find painting therapeutic and relaxing :)

Marriage, What Did You Expect?

This past weekend Jeff and I went to a marriage conference with some of our good friends. The speaker was Paul Tripp and he did an amazing job.

Dinner at Cafe Adobe in Houston

I thought I would share with you some of the things I learned from the conference:

• "A marriage of unity, understanding, and love is not rooted in romance, but in worship."
• Romance isn't a cause, it's a result.
• Our behavior is more caused by what's inside of us than what's outside of us.
• We often think that outside things cause our anger (i.e. traffic) but you have to first have that anger in your heart.
• The DNA of sin is selfishness.
• How much of your anger has anything to do with the kingdom of God? (Good question, right?)
• Your spouse will never be the source of your happiness.
• It's only when you are living for something bigger than yourself that your heart has room for marriage.
• "Marriage, this side of heaven, is always a war between two kingdoms;" the kingdom of self and the kingdom of God.
• If both spouses are living for their own kingdoms, there will never be resolution.
• Each spouse will always think the other spouse is the problem.
• It's only when God is in the rightful place that others (i.e. your spouse) can be loved as yourself. (Galatians 5:13-15)
• You have to first fix your relationship with God before you can fix your relationship with your spouse.
• We are always seeking some kind of treasure.
• Your marriage is either protected by or harmed by the treasure you seek.
• What you treasure controls your heart.
• What controls your heart will control your behavior.
• Earth bound treasures will never satisfy your heart.
• You do not NEED a spouse that loves and/or respects you. God never promised that. It's a blessing, but you can't turn it into a demand. (That's pretty tough to swallow, isn't it???)
• Your true ultimate need is God.
• If your kindness towards your spouse depends on your trust and actions of your spouse, you will never consistently be kind.
• Your kindness and love for your spouse has to be because of your relationship with Christ.
• "Love is willing sacrifice for the good of another that does not demand reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving."
• Self-sacrifice should not feel like a burden because of love.
• Love is more powerful when the other person is not deserving.
• Because of the love we first received from God while we did not deserve it, we should love others even when they are not deserving.
•  The biggest sin in marriage is forgetting the love we have received from God.
• In Christ's love, we receive the power to love.
• Your spouse is God's creation. Do you worship the Creator for the way He created your spouse? Do you see glory in His creation?
• As a spouse, it is our job to show grace to our spouse. God uses us to show grace to our spouse.

These are some of the key points that I took away from the conference. Head knowledge is great, but unless you learn to apply it, you're not going to get anywhere. My prayer for myself is to be able to whole heartedly apply these truths.