7 months

Once again, the last month of pregnancy has absolutely flown. It's so hard to believe that we are officially in the third trimester and will be meeting our sweet baby boy in just a couple of months. The past couple of weeks have been pretty eventful with two visits to the hospital for pre-term contractions, but we're praying and believing for a smooth and calm remainder of the pregnancy from here on out. Apparently my body is just over being pregnant these days... Luckily, despite its craziness Hayes has remained unaffected and continues to grow and thrive! I have definitely started to feel the impact of the last trimester, but outside of the usual tiredness and the extra weight-induced waddling, I still can't complain about the way pregnancy has treated me thus far. Besides the fact that keeping my eyes open past noon is quite a challenge these days, we seem to be progressing as we should and Hayes and mama just keep getting bigger!

Now that we're in the holiday season, we know that the next two months are going to fly, and we couldn't be more excited. Can't wait to hold Hayes William!!

Wild for Hayes!

A couple of weekends ago, we were blessed by a group of sweet Harlingen ladies who threw us our first baby shower. I could not have asked for a more perfect celebration, and the hostesses truly created the perfect soiree, complete with lots of animal print and "rustic chic" style, just the way I like it! I continue to tell Cody that I can still channel style into our little man with full assurance that he will remain as masculine as possible. Not sure he's convinced yet... :) The shower was just sassy enough for mama, and every bit fun for little man, and boy did we collect some goodies! We were truly overwhelmed with love and can't wait to introduce all of our special friends and family to Hayes in just a couple of months.

One of my favorite outfits!

Auntay Kay hooked it up with a toy storage bin, which she said could use a few more toys... guess we need to work on that, huh? 

Between hunting, football and baseball, this little man doesn't stand a chance!

Mima sent a sweet, handmade blanket that we just loved. Can't wait to snuggle Hayes in it!

Aunt Julie definitely won the award for most unique gift with her "elk skin rug". It is the perfect addition to Hayes' rustic themed nursery, and I am already having visions of Cody with it draped over his back as toddler Hayes chases him through the house with his toy gun. I could not be more excited for that day to come!

Grandma Johnson and Mimi- love these two ladies!

Ali Colvin, one of the sweet hostesses and Teri Zamora

So happy Aunt Mel and Aunt Pam were able to make the long trip down to celebrate with us!

Daddy can't wait for his little hunting buddy to get here!

Mimi and Pap gave Hayes lots of new books and his first Charlie Brown doll

Football and camo... what more could a little man need?

One of Cody's favorite teachers, Mrs. Walker, gave us a sweet quilt for Hayes. We love it so much and are so happy she was able to be there with us to celebrate!

Visiting with Mrs. Walker

The fabulous GG!

My sweet friend Christina made the drive from SA to celebrate with us, which meant so much to me!

The must-have girl pic-- love my mama and sissy!

Me with almost all of the hostesses-- Sarah Falls, Ali Colvin, Sarah Johnson, Leslie Farris, Cheryl Johnson & Pat Keltner. Thank you again ladies for the most perfect shower!

Aunt Pam, Bethany, & Aunt Mel are the best! Such a blessing to have them here.

Getting lots of love from Aunt Cheryl, who opened up her gorgeous home for us!

So thankful for this beautiful lady! 

Hayes is one lucky little man- aren't his GG and Mimi fabulous? 

We can't wait for the second celebration in just a couple more weeks. Hayes is already so loved and blessed with an incredible amount of special people in his life!

6 months

As I write this post, I am having a very hard time comprehending that I have surpassed the 6 month mark in this pregnancy. There were days early on that I felt that I would never reach this point, but I can definitely say that now it feels as if a fast forward button has been pushed and each day is truly flying by at lightning speed! I am still feeling better than I could have ever imagined, and have managed to regain some of the energy that I've been lacking over the past few months. As we continue to pray for a smooth remainder of the pregnancy, we are so incredibly thankful for our healthy baby boy that is definitely growing and thriving, as evidenced by my large and in charge belly! We have made a good deal of progress on the nursery and are anxiously awaiting our first baby shower in mid-November. I know that with the holidays being right around the corner, the third trimester is going to come and go incredibly quickly, so I'm definitely soaking up every day and experience that I can in the meantime. I must admit though, more than anything I just can't wait to hold Hayes in my arms and my impatient self is also thankful that the process is going quickly. :)

Football, Fall Festival & Fun in the Sun

A couple of weekends ago, Cody and I welcomed my family back to Harlingen for a visit. It was the first time for my sister and dad to see the house, and my grandparent's first visit to deep south Texas... needless to say, we were super excited! Everyone arrived on Friday night, and the weekend was full of lots of bonding time and of course, yummy food. After breakfast on Saturday, we headed out to say hi to Lynn and Tami and show Grandma and Grandad their house, land and citrus orchards. It was a little warmer than what my family was expecting for early October, but we survived nonetheless. I guess that's what happens when you live close to the beach, right? After visiting for a bit, we headed to the Calvary Fall Festival where we girls (and Cody) scoped out all of the awesome silent auction items, sampled some delicious sweet treats (and bought a few, obvi), and got a tour of where Hayes will be going to "school" come April. It was so fun to see the nursery and where he'll be hanging out everyday! We know he'll be in great hands, especially with his Mimi on premise to love on him throughout the day.

After the Fall festival we headed home for a mean game of corn hole and some grilling before the Aggie game. Grandma and Grandad even showed off their skills, but I think Mom and Dad ended up winning the championship, much to our dismay. Kirby and I sure did put up a fight in our boys vs. girls match though, just for the record. We might be slightly competitive in this family, don't ya think?! We cheered the Aggies to victory against Ole Miss, which was a huge relief after the late night, nail biter that the game turned out to be! (Thank goodness for DVR for those of us that can't seem to keep our eyes open past 10:00 these days. Ah, the joys of pregnancy!)

Rio loved all of the attention and games of fetch he got to play over the weekend. After chasing the corn hole bean bags from one end of the yard to another, a dip in his pool was necessary!

On Sunday we took a little afternoon drive down to South Padre to introduce my grandparents to the most legit beach in Texas. They were impressed with the beauty of the Gulf of Mexico, and couldn't believe how warm the water was in comparison to the California beaches that they have been to much more frequently. We were also lucky enough to see all of the awesome sand castles that remained from the Island's sand castle building competition the weekend before, which made the trip even more fun. There is just something about being at the beach that is incredibly therapeutic and relaxing, and I was thankful for the couple of hours to escape the busyness of our lives and just soak up some sun, sand and salt water.

My precious hubby had to take the "obligatory maternity photo" while at the beach. Note the heart shaped hands and the especially uncomfortable look on his face. :)

22 weeks!

 I just loved Grandma's reaction when she felt the Gulf of Mexico wash over her toes!

This one was too funny to not include.

As always, it was a great weekend with lots of quality family time, and we are so thankful to be closer and have the chance to do it a lot more often these days. Thanks to my fam for making the trek down to the Rio Grande Valley. We can't wait for the next visit!

Sister Gets Her Bling!

We always look forward to trips to Aggieland. The nostalgia of revisiting our old stomping grounds, the place we first met and the home of the Fightin' Texas Aggies just brings a sense of pride to us that is pretty much irreplaceable. This past weekend, however, we were filled with even more pride and excitement upon our return to College Station, as we were not only channeling our college past and Aggie spirit, but we were celebrating the biggest milestone of Kirby's college career-- Aggie Ring Day!

We surprised Kirby with our arrival on Friday afternoon, just early enough to accompany her to the Alumni Center to pick up her bling. She had no idea we would be there for every bit of the festivities, despite our long 6 hour drive and work schedules, but the look on her face when we showed up on her doorstep was absolutely priceless! The incredibly rainy (we're talking monsoon-style) weather wasn't exactly conducive to cute outfits, big hair or picture taking, but we made the most of the day nonetheless and celebrated with Kirby and her three roommates and closest friends. Later that night, we headed to Bee Creek Park and got nice and cozy with the rather large crowd of people that came to cheer on Kirby and her fellow dunkers in the continued downpour. Our awesome friends Ty, Lanna, and Carrie all made the trip to College Station for the weekend, so we had tons of fun spending time with them, too. How lucky are we to have the kind of friends that will drive more than an hour to hang out in the rain just to cheer my sister on at her Ring Dunk? They're absolutely the best.

Sister chugged that beer like it was her job, finishing first among all the girls in 47 seconds and making her family (especially Dad) incredibly proud. I've been proud of Kirby through her entire college career, but something about seeing that Aggie ring on her finger just made it all seem that much more real. Can't believe my sissy is all grown up and in her senior year of college!

Kirby and Shannon-- BFF's since Kinder!

Showing off our bling

Hayli, Caitlin, Meagan and Kirby- the fabulous four!

Proud Ags!

BFF's since Kinder and their mamas

Another close-up of the rings (which are much prettier than wet hair, but who's keeping track)

Proud parents with their Aggie girl

Look at that bling!

The proudest moment of my weekend... presenting my sis with her very own Aggie ring. Whoop!

Now let the dunk begin...

Getting pumped pre-dunk

One last photo op

And it begins...

Chugging like a champ!

Almost done...

She did it! Fightin' Texas Aggie class of 2014! 

 Seeing this girl made my weekend. Love ya, Roo!

Carrie, Shannon, me and Lanna

The next day, Cody and our friend Luke watched the Ags BTHO SMU at Kyle Field while the girls shopped. I was super excited to start picking up a few things for the nursery and to begin Hayes' wardrobe--priorities, people! Auntay Kay (as Kirby has dubbed herself) made sure he has a couple of gameday outfits and his first Aggie baseball cap, and GG (mom's official name, which stands for Gorgeous Grandma) ensured that he has an Aggie romper, so he is already well on his way to bleeding maroon just like his mama and daddy. This was definitely one of our best weekends in Aggieland, with countless memories made!