Babymoon 2009

Wes and I just returned from some much-needed R & R, our "Babymoon" as you could call it! This summer has been so busy for us, that it was so great to get away, just the two of us! Wes scheduled a vacation that allowed us to have lots and lots of quality one-on-one time.

We had beautiful weather and a great hotel right on the beach that we definitely took advantage of. We spent hours just relaxing on the beach and playing in the ocean. That's right, my 6 1/2 month pregnant butt was jumping into waves and swimming with the fishies!

Some things I learned about vacationing while prego:

* A 10 hour drive coupled with heat and humidity equals 2 swelled up feet! Something I've been able to avoid thus far. Don't worry, the swelling didn't last too long and so far, I've still got ankles! (Yes, I'm holding onto that as long as I possibly can!)

* We all know that walking in sand is hard. Well, it's even harder when you're pregnant!

* Another thing that's harder when you're pregnant is getting up out of those beach chairs! Did they always sit so dang low to the ground?
* Relaxing on the beach can wear you out!

* 9:30 p.m. feels like midnight!

* The most important thing when in an unfamiliar place is to immediately learn where all the restrooms are!

* I found myself watching other people's kids to make sure they didn't hurt themselves or get too close to the waves if they were young. Does that mean I'm going to be an over-protective mom?

* I couldn't help but think about what our family vacation will be like next summer, with Tucker playing in the sand.

* I have an amazing husband! (Okay, this one I already knew, but he never fails to remind me how truly amazing he is!)

Home Sweet Home

A vacation is a GREAT get-away from ______ (you fill in the blank), but it sure is GREAT to be home too!!!

Wes and I just returned from our "Babymoon" in Sandestin, Florida. Yes, I have pictures. Yes, I have a couple of stories that are "blog-worthy" but for now, I'm enjoying the comfort of home-sweet-home, and the lovin' of my girlies who missed their mommy more than their butt wiggles can convey!

Great Friends + Old Memories = FABULOUS TIMES

There's nothing like spending some quality time with FABULOUS friends, especially those you don't get to see very often! That's exactly what I did last week. These girls are some of my best friends! We met 6 years ago in graduate school at UK. That means that we survived grad school together, and probably only because we had each other during those years! We've taken road trips to Atlanta and Gatlinburg and over the years have laughed till we cried more times than I can count. For three days last week, that's exactly what we did, laughed until we cried as we reminisced about good times and bad times, and made some new memories to add to the old. Oh, and Tucker was right there in the mix of things! He made sure all his aunts-to-be got to feel him kick inside Mommy's tummy! :)

Virginia, on the left, now practices school psychology in North Carolina where her husband is completing his residency. Selfishly, I hope one day his work brings them closer to me again. They are in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia. Their story is a true testimony of faith and obedience, love and patience. Check out their story here. I cannot wait until Baby E and Tucker play together!!!

Robyn is next in the picture. She is practicing in Hardin County. Even though that is not very far from me, with busy schedules, we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. She got married last summer and is about to celebrate her one year anniversary. On top of all that, she is an awesome Jazzercise instructor! :)

Jessica and I see each other pretty often. Her and her husband live in Louisville with their beautiful daughter, Savannah, who turned one in April. Jess is an amazing mom. I feel so blessed to have her friendship. I'm not sure I would have survived the last 4 years of my job without Jessica's love and support! Ha ha!

Girls, we cannot wait as long for our next "psycho reunion" (as Wes refers to it!). I had a GREAT time and LOVE y'all very much! I cannot wait for Tucker to meet y'all!!!! :)

Random Confessions of a 25 weeks & 4 days Pregnant Woman

* I eat a bowl of ice cream about 3 times a week. And when I say "a bowl" I mean a large bowl that could actually be 2 full bowls....
* My favorite thing about being pregnant is feeling Tucker move and kick....
* I LOVE writing love letters to Tucker....
* I'm not nearly as stressed about completing the nursery as I anticipated I would be....
* I have cut my workouts back to about 2 times per week and my dog walks to about 3 times per week.... (this was not a conscious decision, I'm just too worn out these days)
* I love my amazing husband more now than ever before....
* I'm hungry all the time....
* I always wanted to have a boy first....
* I don't read my labor book as much as I should....
* I fantasize about what Tucker will look like....
* I'm looking forward to our trip to Florida in 5 days, but not looking forward to strutting my pregnant look on the beach....
* I love that Wes still finds me sexy....
* I am still thankful that I have never experienced one tad bit of nausea during my pregnancy (knock on wood!)....
* I'm disappointed that I didn't get the silky, Pantene-Perfect hair that some pregnant women get....
* I AM NOT READY TO GO BACK TO WORK....
* I'm enjoying all this "free association"....
* I hope everyone has a good night!!!! :)

Just a Question...

Why is it that your house seems so small when you're trying to organize, but yet so BIG when you're cleaning??? Am I the only one?

We've been doing a lot of re-arranging at the Keene household. The guest room is becoming Tucker's room and the office is becoming the guest room. Which means, the former office is nonexistent. Now, I use the term "office" very loosely. Really, that room was home to our desktop computer (that never gets used since we both have laptops), a large dog crate (again, that doesn't get used), and all the other "stuff" that has gotten thrown in there over the pass 3 years. Getting rid of most of it wasn't too bad, it just involved a lot of creative organization. The most difficult thing with all this re-organization project was combining the 3 closets in our house (one in each of the bedrooms) into 2 so Tucker has his closet to himself. That means, we had to move all Wes's work clothes (shirts, ties, dress pants, etc.) out. Let me just tell you, if Wes ever complains about the number of shoes I have, I will definitely be bringing up his tie collection!

Anyway, we have made a lot of progress and we're almost there! (I'll post before and after pics later so you can really appreciate all our work!) Wes has painted the "former office" and the guest bed is getting moved in tonight. This weekend, Tucker's room will get it's second coat of paint. Then, all the fun can began, right Wes?!

24 Weeks and Kicking Up a Storm!!!

Another VERY special milestone happened at 5:00 am this morning. Wes was able to feel Tucker kick!!!! Believe me, this is something he has been looking forward to for the pass 24 weeks now! I've been feeling Tucker move since 16 weeks, but it hasn't been strong enough where Wes could put his hand on my belly and feel his SON move around inside. That is, until NOW!!!

This morning, Tucker woke me up at 5:00 am. He was wide awake and boy was he kicking! I put my hand on my stomach and almost immediately I felt him kick. I woke Wes up right way and instructed him to put his hand on my stomach. Like I said, this is a moment Daddy has been waiting for, so he complied, right out of a dead sleep, no questions asked. Almost right away Tucker kicked again. Wes felt it and was so excited! We laid in bed for the next 20 to 30 minutes, feeling Tucker kick together. It was so perfect, just the 3 of us! I couldn't help but just feel we were the only ones in the world awake (yes, I know, there are people that are awake at 5:00 am every morning, but let me have my moment, okay?), and it was just the three of us, a FAMILY of 3! (Of course, we could hear the girls heavy breathing as they slept which reminded us that it's actually the 5 of us!) I swear I could feel God smiling down on us as our hearts thanked him over and over for the gift of Tucker!

July 4th weekend

I hope everyone had a great 4th! Here are a few pics of our weekend....

A pic of Wes reading the anniversary card I got him and me writing in Tucker's notebook at our picnic lunch at My Old KY Home (where we got married 5 years ago).

Me, Wes & Tucker on our way to a cookout at Mom and Dad's.

The kiddos enjoying the fireworks.

The girls had to stay inside because they're scared of fireworks :(

In all our relaxing and fun this weekend, I'm still reminded of the men and women who protect us so we are free to have picnic lunches, holiday cookouts, Sunday naps, and much, much more. THANK YOU for your sacrifice and the sacrifice of your families!!!

Happy 5th Anniversary, Wes!!!!

It seems like forever ago, then again it seems like yesterday..... 13 years ago, when we first started dating, I never could have imagined we'd be where we are now. I love you more today than ever before and thank God every single day for blessing me with the gift of your love! I love you!!!!

Sneak Peak at Tucker's Nursery

We got Tucker's crib last Wednesday. A couple hours later, it was put together! (It would have taken a lot less time, but I admit, I misread part of the directions which caused us to have to retract several steps....) Tucker must have been excited, because he was wiggling and twisting almost the whole time!

I absolutely love it! Especially the height of it! I hope that Tuck loves it just as much!

Here is a sneak peak! :)