Wild At Heart, The Hike

Brad and 9 other guys from his Fellowship Group set off at 5am, Thursday, May 12th for a 3 night, 4 day, 32.7 mile backpacking trip through the Great Smoky Mountains!  He was like a little kid preparing to go to Disney World - he shopped for all of his supplies and talked about his trip for weeks leading up to it!

"The Hike" was the official end of his Fellowship Group. 

Here he is bright and early Thursday morning dressed and ready to go!  His pack weighed in between 30-32 lbs I think depending on his water levels.  At first I felt really sorry for him, but then I remembered that I have been carrying around a 20 lb "pack" for several months now with more to go so I didn't feel so bad!

Brad was the "Trail Boss" for the trip nominated by the priest in charge of the group due to his previous hiking and backpacking experience.  The guys called him "TB" for trail boss or "Boss" all weekend.  They each had nicknames for each other.  As the trail boss, Brad planned out the hike each day including where they would stay at night, the pace of the group, when they would stop for lunch and breaks, etc.  He is a great leader and enjoyed this job very much!

Brad took this picture Friday while on the Appalachian Trail!  Gorgeous! He said as far as he could see it was just beautiful mountains and trees!

 

Here is Brad on Sunday afternoon after he returned home!  He had already cleaned up at this point but had not yet shaved.  I love his scruff!!  You can also see how tired he is in these pics. 

He loved every minute of his trip! 

He came home 3 lbs lighter, with stronger and sore legs, no injuries, and lots of great adventure stories! 

One of Brad's favorite parts was the 7.4 miles that they hiked in the rain on the Appalachian Trail.  They also stayed at the Derrick Knob shelter on the AT Friday night. So cool!

On Friday, Brad and another guy at the head of the pack almost stepped on a 5' rattlesnake!  Thankfully, Brad spotted it before they got too close.

And finally, another great part...breakfast at Cracker Barrel on the way home!  He said they all ate their weight in food and couldn't get enough :)  Oh, and he hopes not to eat another Cliff Bar with either chocolate or peanut butter in it for a long time. Ha!

He also enjoyed getting to know the guys in his group so well as you can imagine you would after spending 4 days in the woods together.  I am so thankful that he was a part of this group and got so much out of it! 

32 Weeks

Here is my belly at 32 weeks!  

(I am now 33 weeks along)  

Still feeling about the same...mostly good with some back aches, a few charley horse leg cramps at night and general tiredness most of the time!  

Life is so so busy and not slowing down any time soon so hopefully we can get everything ready before she comes!  The crib and mobile are here - we just have to find time to go pick them up.  Mom & I are going to work on the crib bedding and maybe have some professional help - not sure yet - but not until after Elizabeth's wedding.  I am still on the hunt for a tall bookcase for the nursery as well as art work. 

We are signed up for breastfeeding class and childbirth class at St. Vincent's on June 25th.  

Should be interesting!  I also meet with a doula this week which was so interesting.  I  am still reading / learning about what I want for the birth, but I have a lot more to learn before I commit to a plan.

I also need to wash any clothing and organize all of my baby shower gifts, and Brad and I need to buy a baby swing, car seat, diapers, and a video monitor.  (There is probably more we need to get but I have not gotten myself organized enough yet to know what that is!)

I will be back this week with a week 33 update. 

I have so many posts from baby showers and Holly's wedding this weekend...one day they will make it to the blog!  Happy Memorial Day weekend!

31 Weeks

Here is my belly at 31 weeks (last week)!

I missed a picture for week 30 since my picture-taker was out of town. 

I went to the doctor last Wednesday and had a great report!  My sugar level was all the way down to 69 (needed to be below 120) so I don't have to go back for any more finger pricks!  I decided to just stop eating sweets for the most part since I was originally on the verge of gestational diabetes.  I know that the consquences of gestational diabetes can be very harmful to both Mom and baby so I wanted to take that very seriously.  My Mom had preeclampsia and toxemia with Emily & me and I don't want to have either if I can help it!  Also, I figured the lack of sweets would help with the weight gain :)  I actually didn't gain any weight since my last check-up so I am up to 20 lbs total so far.  I guess the lack of sweets really did pay off which was a big encouragment to continue!

I am so thankful to still be sleeping well, but unfortunatley, that doesn't mean that I am not always tired. :) 

I have now had both of my baby showers and recieved so many wonderful gifts!  Individual posts to come soon about each shower.  We feel a lot more prepared to have a baby should she decide to come early!

Jones Family Wedding Shower

Saturday, May 7th, my Mom & Dad and Aunt Janet & Uncle Andy hosted a Jones family shower for

 Holly & James and Elizabeth & Alex at our family farm!

Mom made the gorgeous flower arrangments with oak leaf hydrangeas from her yard as well as the moss covered letters!  Doesn't it look great!?!

Here is a great view of the "Kentucky cabin."  Its obviously named the Kentucky cabin since it is from Kentucky.  Mom and Dad's bedroom will be part of the lower floor and then two bedrooms are upstairs - one of which will be the nursery :)

Front entry into the newly constructed timberframe that includes the kitchen, dining room, and living room.  This part connects the two restored log cabins.

Here is the "Tennessee cabin!"  I love it with the wrap around porch.  This will be the "library" (I think) with a loft upstairs.

Side view of the Tennesse cabin.

Inside of the new timberframe. 

Inside of Tennesse cabin.

This is Dad's old tractor...I loved the composition of this shot with the roses and the tractor looking out over the land!

And finally, here comes lots of pictures of the family! 

Grandmax and Aunt Jean

Aunt Janet and Aunt Karl Marie

Entire Jones Family

I love this shot!

(30 weeks pregnant)

Dad and his girls!

I love this one too!

Brad & Me

Four Jones siblings! 

Jeffrey is now taller than Emily and I!

Alex kept snapping photos like he was the paparazzi and things got a little out of hand! 

Jeffrey (age 13) and Me!

Mom & Dad

The boys being men!

And the group shot from the loft of the TN cabin!

Steven, Dad, Emily, Jeffrey, Andy, Chuck

Anne, Terry, Grandmax, Alex, James, Harold, Janet, Katherine

Ben, Chrissy, Katie, Bob, Mary Frank, Nila, Eleanor, Mom, Elizabeth, Holly, Becky, Aunt Jean, and

Karl Marie!

And finally, my favorite shot of the day was actually taken on my iPhone! 

This is Mom & Dad taking a walk at sunset!

I LOVE this shot of them!

We get to enjoy the most beautiful sunsets at the farm!  Can't wait for many more!

Around the House Round-Up

I have been meaning to write this post for several weeks now but have just now found the time.  Anyways, back on April 23rd, we went to Elizabeth & Alex's Around the House Round-Up shower!!  It was so much fun and such a beautiful evening!

The party was at the home of our long-time, family friend's Mike & Susie.  Their property, house, and especially Susie's garden is all stunning!  I wish I could keep a garden like this.

The hostesses did such a great job of decorating!  The sunflowers were beautiful!  And check out the pictures on the table..."Cowgirl Elizabeth" and "Cowboy Alex!"  How adorable were they as little kids?!

Here are the guests of honor...Elizabeth and Alex!!  I am so excited for y'all and can't wait for the big day!

Below is my favorite picture of them!

Mom & Dad!

Alex's parents...Mark and Michelle!  They were so sweet to fly in all the way from California!

Dinner was perfect on the patio overlooking the garden and property. I love the red and white table cloths and bandannas as cloth napkins!

Brad & Me

(28 weeks pregnant)

All 5 girl cousins on the Jones side!

Our hosts...Susie & Mike and their daughter Summer

We had a great night and Elizabeth and Alex got lots of fun wedding gifts!  

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and Mother-in-Law and to all of my friends who are Moms too!

I had a great first Mother's Day and hope that my Mom and Mother-in-Law did too!!  

Brad and Layla got me a manicure and pedicure to use for the upcoming weddings in our family!

Here is my new table set!  We enjoyed the table so much all day!  

My family came over for brunch.  Emily, Elizabeth, and I planned a menu including omelets with lots of fresh ingredients and fruit salad and cinnamon rolls.  It was delicious and all turned out very well!!  

This is the only picture we took.  Unfortunately, it did not turn out very well.

For dinner, we had Brad's family over.  I cooked chicken-pot-pie and rolls.  As you can see, Layla helped me while I cooked!  Nicole brought her delicious salad and homemade salad dressing that I love!  For dessert, I made one of my all time favorite strawberry cakes!   (Deana - it did not turn out as well as they used to...the cool whip was making such a melted mess.  How did we used to ice the cake?)

We finally got a couple of good pictures with Brad's family!  

Tom & Joanne

Me, Brad, Taylor, Tom, Nicole & Joanne

It was a great day full of food and celebration!  Happy Mother's Day!

29 Weeks

Here is my belly at the end of 29 weeks!

I went to the doctor this week for my glucose test.  Unfortunately, I failed by 1 point!!  I couldn't believe it.  The nurse is not making me do the 3 hour glucose screen, but instead, I have to come back once a week for the next several weeks and have my finger pricked exactly 2 hours after I eat a meal to test my blood sugar.  I am trying to be good about not eating too many sweets to help also. 

Otherwise, the baby's heartrate sounded good and she moves around all the time!  I can now feel actual body parts (even though I can't always identify them) as they kick and move around! 

I also just signed up for child birthing classes.  The nurse said people usually call at 16 weeks to sign-up.  I called at 29.  Ha!  I feel like life is so busy with work, the two weddings in our family, and life in general that I can't think ahead on much of anything...I am just lucky if I get it done.  I also contacted a doula.  I don't really know everything that they do exactly and I don't really know what I want for labor, but I thought it would be good just to talk to her!  I do have some questions and a few thoughts to talk through with her. 

Other than that, I have been feeling like this baby is coming soon and I need to get ready!  I supposedly have 10 more weeks, but I know she can always come early too.  Ahhh!  Exciting and nerve racking at the same time!  I am looking forward to and very thankful for my showers that are coming up in a few weeks to help get me ready!  I think that will make me feel a little more prepared.

Happy Weekend!