Catching Up

It's been a while since I posted last! I thought I would have all this time to post over my 2 week break from teaching, but apparently I was busier than I thought I would be! So, the next few posts will be catch up posts! Beware, its long!!

Pregnancy Update

As far as pregnancy is going, things are still going good. I have been having some lower back pain pretty regularly, which surprised me b/c I didn't think she was big enough yet to be causing that, but apparently she is! My doctor says everything looks great though, so it just must be good ol' pregnancy back pain. Cambry is a little over 1 pound now (according to books) and she is kicking away. Steve has been able to feel her and see her move, which has been so neat for us both! We decided on our bedding and furniture over the Christmas break and it should all be here around the end of February. We are anxious to start working on her room! So fun!
Below is a 23 week picture of me. One of my close friends and college roommates is pregnant too, so we took a preggo picture together when she came in town from VA!

Laura & Halie


Happy New Year!!

We have a yearly tradition that started in 2000 (we think) with my college roommates & our husbands/boyfriends to all get together and have a fondue dinner! We usually try to do it over the winter break since we all live in different places now. This year it worked out for it to be on New Year's Eve. Katie's parents started the tradition for us and have always hosted it at their house, but this year Sarah & Wade graciously hosted it at their new home in Keller and did a wonderful job! We enjoyed a cheese fondue, salad, a meat & veggie fondue, and then a chocolate
fondue for dessert! Delicious! It took us about 5 hours to get through all the courses, but it was a blast and we always treasure this sweet time together. They are some of my oldest and dearest friends and I am so glad that we have a time where we are all together again, even if we don't live near each other. Love you girls! We missed you Cindy & Matt!!

Steve & I just after midnight


The Girls! Katie, Laura, Traci, Me, Sarah


The Guys! Alex, Wes, C.J., Steve, Wade


Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year with family! We spent Christmas Eve morning with my family at my parents house. Then, we headed to Conroe that afternoon for Christmas Eve evening and Christmas Day with Steve's family. Then, we went out to Henderson (East Texas) for another Christmas with some of my extended family. Here are a few pictures of our time together!

Vinson Family...excuse the roughness, it was early in the A.M.!


On top of the piano, my mom always has a nativity scene out. As you might notice, there is a random dog in it. Growing up, my crazy dad always would sneak this dog in the nativity scene and my mom would always freak out and she would move it. It somehow always made its way back. After 29 years, it is still there! Gotta love my dad.

Sisters sporting our new slippers!

Cambry got a present for her room from "Pops." My dad just knew we were having a baby girl from the beginning and always referred to her as "Little Princess" when he would ask how she was doing, etc. So, it was just fitting that he got this for her! Precious!! Yes, I cried.

Family Portrait with The Hodgson's


My nephew, Clayton & I wrote a letter to Santa & his reindeer with some cookies and milk! He was so excited about leaving his letters for Santa!!


Clayton was helping Uncle Steve open a gift! What fun!!



Gaylord Getaway

Steve took me on a little weekend getaway to the Gaylord the weekend before Christmas. We had a blast! We got dressed up and enjoyed a nice steak dinner at the Old Hickory Steakhouse in the hotel. We also went to the ICE exhibit they have there. Man, was it cold (9 degrees), but it was amazing to see all that people created with ice! We enjoyed getting away from the hustle & bustle of the holidays and enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere there together! Thanks for a fun weekend, hubby! (I'm not sure where these pics are...I'll have to add them later)

Lifegroup Christmas Party

In early December we had our Lifegroup Christmas party. We ate at this yummy pizza restaurant in the new Watters Creek shops in Allen, but I can't remember the name of it. Then, we headed over to Tom & Aubrey's for our annual ornament exchange for the girls and white elephant exchange for the guys. It was wonderful celebrating the Christmas season together, as always!

The Gals! There are 5 of us pregnant...can you figure out which ones?!?

The guys sporting all their white elephant gear!

20 weeks!

I am at the half way mark!! I feel like it has been going by so fast. I am having so much fun looking at little girl stuff now and trying to figure out what we want to do for her baby room. Our latest news is that we have decided on a name--Cambry Brooke! It is neat to get to call Cambry by her name instead of just referring to her as our baby.

20 week baby bump

It's a GIRL!!!

Well, we had the big appointment today that we have been anxiously awaiting for a while now! I had a coke just before we went to make sure our little one was moving around. Well, she was sound asleep curled up in a little ball. So, our sonographer took all the measurements necessary & then started pushing around on my stomach to wake her up. She finally did a big stretch and wiggled around enough for us to see the "money" shot! Our sonographer spotted it right away and said "It's a GIRL!" We were both in COMPLETE shock b/c most of you know that I was CONVINCED we were having a little boy and Steve was leaning towards that too! I had been so convinced that all I would look at was boy stuff, boy bedding, etc! Well, we were pleasantly surprised to find out we're having a little girl! I asked her about 5 times if she was sure and she showed me multiple times to reassure me it was indeed a little girl! :)

We are both just ecstatic and in awe of the tiny miracle growing inside me! (we are still in shock too!) :) I think the sweetest part was watching her move around, rub her eyes, yawn & then start sucking her thumb. Steve and I were both thumb suckers and it looks like we have passed that trait down! Here are a few pictures of our baby girl. They even did a quick 4D sonogram for free and gave us a couple of those pictures too! Thank you Lord for this amazing blessing!



Top Left: Spinal view, she is facing down
Top Right: It's a girl view
Bottom Left: 4D sono--she is facing us, sleeping, laying on the placenta
Bottom Right: 4D sono--she is facing us, sucking her thumb & you can see her arm (also laying on placenta)

Baby Update

It has been 18 great weeks of pregnancy, literally. I feel very blessed that it has been a smooth pregnancy thus far. My belly is definitely growing! I think the most exciting thing that recently happened was that I started to feel the baby moving!

I was 17 weeks exactly and my kids had just left my classroom to go to the library, so I was still and it was quiet. I was sitting at my computer and I felt this little "tap, tap" on my lower right side as if the baby was saying "hi, I'm in here!" It kind of caught me off guard and made me wonder if that was really what I was feeling. It then happened a few minutes later in the exact same spot. I knew that must have been what it was! How exciting!! I began to feel it the next few days at night when I layed down to go to sleep and in the morning before I got out of bed. Now, I feel it regularly when ever I am still. It is the neatest feeling and sure has eased a lot of my worries!

We find out if its a boy/girl on Friday! We are anxiously awaiting and hoping our baby will cooperate that day! :) We would love to hear predictions on what you think we're having! Cast your vote on the side of our blog!

Lucy's Favorite Things...

* going to the dog park
* dryer sheets
* digging in her bed
* stealing my slippers
* chasing squirrels
* hiding under our bed
* being chased
* peanut butter
* chewing her bone
* catching lizards
* going to Gi & Pops' house
* greeting us when we get home

And, my favorite is that she loves to snuggle! We love our puppy!

God Is So Good!!

Steve and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our first baby! I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and due April 30! We consider it such a blessing that God would allow us to become parents and entrust us with such a precious gift. We are looking forward to the day we get to meet and hold our baby!

I have had what has seemed like a pretty easy 1st trimester and I am so thankful for that! I wasn't ever sick or nauseous, just had the tiredness going on. I always thought I was going to be so sick during my first trimester, as my mom was so sick with me and my sisters, so I was all geared up for that & then have been pleasantly surprised!

We have had 2 sonograms & we have heard the precious heartbeat 3 times! So exciting and miraculous! I always get so nervous before the doctor appts, but it so reassuring to either see or hear that strong heartbeat!

Thank you, Lord for this precious blessing!

Here is a picture of our 8 week sonogram:

Isn't he/she just adorable already?!?

This is my 1st trimester baby bump!

Baby Jack

Last week my long time friend from high school, Andrea, came in town for a bit from Houston to get away from the Ike situation. Her and her hubby just had their first baby 5 weeks ago and I got to meet him for the first time. Jack is just precious & loves to be held! We enjoyed catching up for the short time we had together at Tin Star! Come back & visit soon, Shephard family!

Game Time!!

Today we get to watch our first Aggie game of the season on t.v.! Even though we aren't expecting much this season, it is always fun to cheer on our Aggies! This is the site I saw just minutes before the game started.



Steve came around the corner with Lucy decked out in one of my Aggie t-shirts. I was laughing so hard! Looks like we need to invest in a dog sized shirt for her. She was trying hard to like her Aggie gear even though she couldn't walk in it. :) Gig'em Aggies!!

Baton Rouge Adventures!

Last weekend Steve and I headed out to Baton Rouge for Matt & Sarah's wedding. Matt was Steve's best man in our wedding. They had a very small family/close friends wedding at her brother's home in Baton Rouge. We were a little worried how things would pan out with the hurricane just passing through that week, but they were able to still have the wedding. It was a very quaint and sweet wedding outside around the pool.

A few funny/interesting things during our weekend out there:

*We rode on the smallest plane I have ever been on. There was 1 row of seats on each side. YIKES! Only 7 people were on the flight with us. There was a real
nice older lady from Baton Rouge who tried to explain where some restaurants were since most of the stuff was closed still from the hurricane.

* When we got there, we had to rent a car. Steve had asked for a mid-sized car rather than a tiny geo metro or something. We were given an old school mercury grand marquis. I laughed so hard, I cried. It was sitting next to all these normal cars and we were going to be cruising around in that. I eventually convinced Steve that we should ask for a different car. No problem...there were plenty to choose from. I can't remember the name of what we ended up with, but it was normal. :)

* We couldn't find many food places open, so we literally ate fried chicken for all our meals. Popeyes and Raisin'Cane's. Tasty. :) We tried to go to the only Chili's open one night but when we got there they said they were closed due to the 8:00pm curfew. Nice.

* The poor city was pretty messed up due to the hurricane. We drove around LSU's campus and a lot of the roads were completey shut down due to debris and big trees uprooted. All the streets were completely lined with huge piles of brush/debris from the hurricane. I did think it was very interesting and eye opening to see the aftermath of a hurricane.

We were so glad we got to be there to celebrate with them. They headed to Vegas for their honeymoon. Congrats, Matt & Sarah! We are so happy for you two!

Steve and our awesome ride ;)


The Newlyweds!

One week down!

This was our first week back to school with kiddos! It was a long and exhausting week, but I think I am going to really enjoy my class this year. I have a full class with 22 kids that are sweet and chatty!! In the seven years I have taught, I think this will be my most challenging year from the academic standpoint, but I am up for it! The long weekend was welcomed and it has been a refreshing one. Here's to week #2 in 1st grade!

steveandhalie.com is going away!

Please update your links and bookmarks to steveandhalie.blogspot.com. Thanks!

Michelle's baby shower

Yesterday we hosted a lifegroup baby shower for our friends, Michelle & Andy. Usually we do a couples shower, but this time while the girls were showering Michelle with gifts for baby Ryan, the guys all went to the Rangers game! Our theme was "pickles & ice cream" and we enjoyed ice cream sundaes and some salty snacks! It was really cute! I don't have any pictures of the cute set up, but I've got a few of the gals! We are excited to meet Ryan in just a few weeks!

The Mommy-To-Be and Me


Aubrey, Carrie & Rita


Melanie & Trichelle


Anna & Courtney

Lanette & Joe's wedding

On Saturday we went to Lanette & Joe's wedding. Lanette is one of my teammates and we got to share her joy this year as she got engaged in February & quickly started planning her wedding for July! Lanette looked absolutely beautiful and the wedding was wonderful! The happy couple headed out for their honeymoon in Antigua. FUN!!

The newlyweds!


The 1st grade team & our principal

Las Vegas!

Steve and I just got back from a little summer getaway to Las Vegas! I had a parent of a child in my class this year offer us 2 free plane tickets on Southwest as a thank you, so we decided we would take him up on the offer! Very generous, I must say! We had both never been to Vegas before and we had a blast! We stayed at the Venetian, which was absolutely beautiful. We had fun exploring all the different hotels on the strip. They all seemed so close together but we learned very quickly on our first day there in the 109 degree heat, that they are a lot farther apart than you think! The monorail became our friend after that! :) I will let some of our pictures give a snapshot of some things we did!

Heading out to explore the Vegas strip!


Our hotel, The Venetian


In front of The Venetain at night...doesn't it look like we're really in Italy?!


Our private gondala ride...one of my favorite parts of the trip!


Steve loves to watch "The Deadliest Catch" on TLC. At the Bellagio dinner buffet, they had Alaskan king crab & opilio crab, which is what they are always in search for on that show. He was pretty excited he was getting to indulge in some!


This guy played us "The Yellow Rose of Texas" when he found out we were from Texas!



We had dinner at a restaurant in "Paris". We sat right under the eiffel tower on the "streets of Paris" & got a view of the Bellagio fountains during our dinner! It was wonderful!


Our dinner view of the eiffel tower


Our dinner view of the Bellagio fountains...so pretty!


You can't go to Vegas without a little casino time!


Steve played at a poker round table one day at The Exalibur...he was really excited about it!


The pool where we spent a good part of our afternoons to beat the scorching Vegas heat!


We saw the MGM lion exhibit. This lion played fetch with a man & this big blue spool. It was really amazing!

2521 Ashford Reunion!

I just got back from spending time with my precious college roomies! This year was our 2nd annual roommate reunion & we decided to stay local (for most). Sarah hosted us at her beautiful new home in Keller, Tx. We spent 3 days together eating, talking, shopping, getting manicures/pedicures, swimming, playing the Wii & reliving memories from our days in Aggieland! These girls are some of my very best friends & I am so thankful we make time to spend together each year even though we all live in different cities/states. Here are a few snapshots from our fun week together!

Dinner at Cristina's...we ate mexican food all 3 days! YUM!


Laura & her baby John


Wii Tennis!!


Clayton trying to be a longhorn fan in the midst of all us Aggies! Crazy boy! :)


Katie, Me, Laura


Manicures & Pedicures!
Me, Laura, Cindy, Traci, Katie, Sarah/baby boy #2, Clayton


Cindy being Cindy :)

Summer Fun!

Let the summer fun begin!! School was officially out June 6, but I had trainings for the district the first two days we were supposed to be off for the summer, so it took a few days into the summer to get into the swing of things. Since then, my team has started "Tanning Thursdays" & we all get together at someone's neighborhood pool to hangout & work on our tan! FUN!
This past weekend, Steve and I headed out to lake Conroe to visit his parents. It's boating season so we had a blast with family out on the lake & in their neighborhood pool. Our nephew, Clayton, made the visit too, so it was fun getting to play with him! I only managed to get one picture that whole weekend, though!
My college roommates & I are getting together this coming week for our annual summer reunion & I can't wait!! More to come on that...

Silly Clayton ready for the lake!

Dog Park

We have a new found discovery! Its the Plano dog park! Steve did a service project with his high school guys there about a month ago and he brought Lucy along to see how she would do. She LOVED it! Lucy is a super friendly dog with people and other dogs. She also has a lot of energy and thats where the dog park comes in handy! We have been a handful of times now in the evening over the past couple of weeks and she runs and plays with the other small dogs until she is wiped out. Then, we come home and she is so calm...it is so nice!! Its also fun when you run into some of the same dogs again & they remember each other...so cute! If you have a dog & you haven't checked out the dog park, we would highly recommend it!