A look into our world

Here are some pictures of our newly painted room! It turned out absolutely wonderful, and I love being in there now. It is a complete night and day difference. It is bright, calming, fresh, and super comfy. We'll probably look into new curtains at some point, but for now the old ones really work fine. They may not be "perfect" for the look, but hey, who can afford perfect all the time, right? I feel completely at rest in our room now...it's such a great feeling. Actually, it's the first time I've ever felt this about our room since the day we moved in. I hope you enjoy the pics! The one of Seth and Bella is just a cute one I thought I'd throw in :)

Here I am at 23 weeks (I'll actually be 23 weeks on Sunday, and this picture was taken on Saturday...close enough.) My belly is growing, and my face is chubby....I look "maternal"....not sure if that's a good thing or not. People tell me all the time that I'm glowing....I chalk that up to a rounder face :) Anywho, we went to the Dr. yesterday for our check-up. Oliver's heartbeat was 148 (getting lower each time), I measured the right size for how far along I am, and after assessing the results from the ultrasound, my due date is still May 21. Things seem to be progressing normally. He is moving a ton and kicking and punching all around in there...sometimes not the most comfortable feelings in the world, but it is really neat to feel him moving around inside me. Kind of a wild phenomenon, and such a miracle to experience! This is all such a new experience for me, and some of it is just kind of weird....and this morning Seth said "you're such a beautiful pregnant woman...it's really a dream come true for you, you know...being pregnant." And that really made me stop and think and realize that it is a dream come true. I've wanted this my whole life and waited and waited for it. It just feels so surreal that it's actually happening.

We registered today at Babies 'R Us in Tulsa (you can view it online), and that was a lot of fun! That is an absolutely awesome store....we need to get one here in NWA. It was neat picking stuff out for our little guy, and I feel much better now (less overwhelmed) about being somewhat organized. Still planning on registering at Target as well...

This Colorado outfit was given to us by our college friends (who now live in Denver), Brad and Jen Edwards. It was so sweet of them to send us a gift! As you can tell by the picture, this is one of the cutest and coolest outfits I've ever seen! They even got it in 6-9 months, which should be the perfect size for Oliver next fall during football season. He'll have so much fun wearing this cool outfit! The pants are fleece and will be so comfy....if only I still had my CU cheerleading gear, we could take some really cute pictures!

One more Crowder song, called "You Are My Joy". Usually the first time you hear a song, you think, "yeah, that's cool", but it usually takes a couple times of listening to really feel it, you know? Well, Seth and I were listening to this one in Colorado on the way back home from the mall just listening to the cd all the way through for the first time and it came to this one. I was just looking around kind-of half listening trying to take it in, and when this chorus came on I thought "this is an amazing song"...so worshipful. Again, you need to listen to it to feel the effects of how he sings it that makes it what it is. But the words are amazing. So Spirit filled.

And He set me on fire, and I am burning alive.
With His breath in my lungs I am coming undone.
And He set me on fire, and I am burning alive.
With His breath in my lungs I am coming undone.

And I cannot hold it in and remain composed.
Love's taken over me and so I propose the letting myself go.
I am letting myself go.

You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy.

I need to catch my breath, I need to. I need to catch my breath, give me a moment now.
I'm laughing so hard, and I'm laughing so hard....

Okay, seriously an amazing song. I think your soul will be blessed and refreshed to listen to these two songs.

So, Seth got the new David Crowder Band cd for Christmas - it's called A Collision, and it's really an awesome cd. I haven't listened to much of their stuff in the past...knew they were popular and I'd heard them on the radio some, but I didn't really know their stuff. Well, the album as a whole is really good, musically and lyrically, but there are a few songs in particular that really speak to me. One of them is called "Come Awake", and I'd like to type out the lyrics for your reading pleasure. I wish you could hear the music and neat effects and sounds they do along with these lyrics, but for now (until you go listen to this song), the lyrics alone will have to suffice. Go to a thoughtful place in your mind and heart and take in the words...

Are we left here on our own? Can you feel when your last breath is gone?
Night is weighing heavy now. Be quiet and wait for a voice that will say...

Come awake, from sleep arise. You were dead, become alive.
Wake up, wake up, open your eyes.
Climb from your grave into the light. Bring us back to life.

You are not the only one who feels like the only one.
Night soon will be lifted, friend. Just be quiet and wait for a voice that will say...

Come awake, from sleep arise. You were dead, become alive.
Wake up, wake up, open your eyes.
Climb from your grave into the light.

(Then there is a super musically climactic bridge here that goes into these words)
Rise, rise, to life, to life...shine. Light will shine. Love will rise.
Light will shine, shine, shine, shine. He's shining on us now.

Okay, please go listen to this song somehow because the effect of the whole piece together makes it what it is and brings it to life. It's number 14 on the cd.

Last night we had a little celebration of Christmas with just our family. It was really fun a special! Seth got a cool shirt and sweater from J.Crew, and I got a beautiful ring! Seth did really good :) I thought you'd be able to see it in this picture, but it is a little hard to tell what it looks like. It's white gold; has three rows with space inbetween (so you can see my finger inbetween the rows) and 7 little diamonds--2 on the top row, 3 on the middle row, and 2 on the bottom row--spaced apart and all in "windows" (to use a cheerleading term :) ) . It's really beautiful! Then Seth got a sweet little sleeper for our baby, which is adorable. Our first clothing item for him! It's crazy to look at that little thing and think that we're going to produce a child who will fit in that! Such a miracle. Then the last picture is of our sweet Bella in her sweater. At first when we got it (at the beginning of December) she acted like her cousin Norah did with hers--thought she couldn't move in it and acted like she had a body cast on :) She would look down at her arm and back up at me like, "Mom, I can't move." It was seriously hilarious. Now she's all used to it and she acts no different than normal. I think it keeps her warm, and it sure looks cute! She is very excited to come to Grandma and Grandpa's house and to get to play with cousin Norah again! But before she can do that, she has to survive the Branson Pet Resort, where she will be staying while we have Primm Christmas (since pets aren't allowed in the condo.) She'll get all rested up and ready to play in Colorado!! We are so lucky to get to celebrate Christmas 3 times this year! Once together as a family, once with the Primm family, and once with the Elliott family. Christmas is our favorite time of the year, and we can't believe it's finally here! Can't wait to see all of our family!!