Last Minute Romantic Get-Away

No, I am not advertising a mountain cabin somewhere. The title actually describes my weekend! Well, sort of. I am working this weekend but when I got off work yesterday afternoon Steven and I drove to Raleigh. He was speaking at a church in Apex this morning so we decided to send the kids to Charlotte via his Mom and go by ourselves, since I had to work and drive back seperately today. It was a great decision. The kids are having a blast with cousins and grandparents (we are so thankful for parents who are willing and able to take care of our kids!). My sweet husband, who is by nature pretty tight, spoiled me last night. We got a cozy hotel room and went to the Melting Pot for dinner, which is probably my favorite restaurant. We don't go much since it is pretty pricey, but it's where we went the night we got engaged so it holds a special place....plus it's just incredible food. I love the atmosphere too, the booths are very private and the atmosphere is relaxed, something about cooking your own food, slowly, makes you enjoy it more. We had a great complimentary breakfast at the hotel this morning then headed off to church, getting out the door is a breeze when we are by ourselves. We enjoyed a nice lunch then I headed back to Pleasant Garden for a quick nap before work tonight. It was a sweet 24 hours and I am thankful for my husband. As he said from the pulpit this morning, we can't really conceive of God's ways, they are higher than ours. His main point was not about how the Lord sovereignly brought us together, which He did, but how He designed the plan of salvation, beginning with the birth a little baby in a manger. Nothing we could have ever come up with, but what an awesome thing it is. Thank you baby for a great date night! And everyone else....Merry Christmas!

Pregnant, painting, and shopping.

Well it's that time of year again. I'm pregnant! I'm pretty sure I have told most people in my life but since it is pretty monumental I think I should blog about it, too. It has been a pretty smooth pregnancy so far, I am one of the lucky ones that does NOT get morning sickness, and other than living for naptime (aka - snoozing on the couch during Dora) and bedtime, the first trimester goes pretty well for me. I am 15 weeks tomorrow so the energy is actually starting to pick up a little, which is good since I took on a new project after Thanksgiving....painting my dining room. I am obviously not an experienced painter since after I had primed the walls I realized I was using oil based paint, and I also didn't put down drop cloths. NOT SMART! Needless to say my floors have a little color in them now. After that the job went very well and I am pleased with the results (from the base molding up). Especially pleased to have it done. The house also got decorated in there sometime for Christmas, which I love. We have a new addition of a lighted deer in the front yard thanks to my mother-in-law (we can't pass the thing without Eli saying "Dee! Mawmaw!")  I love it.
Backtracking a little, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We drove to SC on Wednesday and spent Thanksgiving at my Grandma DuBose's house with my parents, my brother and his family, and one of my uncles and his family. My mom and I were so organized that we even had time for a brisk walk before lunch was served! The next day we saw most of the Nash side at a post-thanksgiving barbeque lunch. I have to say I cried many a tear as we drove away from the home that used to be my grandparent's, losing both Grandmas in one year makes me sad but also thankful for the years and years of memories I do have with them. It is fun to see my parents and in-laws making those same memories for my kids to cherish when they are grown.
Speaking of kids, mine are keeping me busy as usual. Sadie is very excited about the baby. I took her with me to an appointment the day before Thanksgiving and she was thrilled to get to hear the "new baby's heartbeep". Her vote is definitely for a girl and she informed us today that Eli wants a boy (not sure how she knows this, his vocabulary hasn't picked up that much in the past month). Even though he only has a few new words he has taken to singing quite a bit. No real words, but there is usually a tune and it is very loud. He gets that from his Daddy. I took them shopping with me today at Kohls, by myself, to knock out some Christmas shopping. I actually got quite a few things and was feeling a little smug about my accomplishments, with my kids in tow, when I went to crank up the car and realized I didn't have my cell phone. Thankfully, an honest person found it and left it for me at customer service, but I was nonetheless humbled by the experience and again reminded that shopping without kids is much preferable. On our way out of Sams today with my Mom we gave Sadie and Eli some change to put in the Salvation Army jar. I, again, was becoming slightly prideful at this wonderful teaching moment when a lady passed by and handed Sadie a bill to put in the jar. I was quickly reminded of my child's depravity when she looked at it and said "I think I'll keep this." Lesson learned.
It is a sweet time of year. Despite the commercialism and craziness I do love the decorations, the food and fellowship, and of course, and most importantly, the many reminders of the truth behind Christmas, the salvation that was started with the birth of Christ. I hope you are enjoying this time as well. It wont be another month before the next post....I promise. Goodnight!