Tis The Season

Friday was my last day of work this year! Yay! Jason has to work a few days this week and then he's off too.

Saturday night we went to our annual Stooksbury Christmas party. As always, we ate great food, played dirty Santa, competed in cut-throat Cranium (Go Girls!), and had tons of fun.
Andrew, Jason, Jason, Kenny and John Curtis. I'm just happy they behaved for at least one picture.

The girls: Angelina, Brooke, Me, Sarah and Kim. Note to self, the red and white horizontal strips definitely make me look way pregnant.

The three moms-to-be. Kim is due in March, me in April and Sarah in July! Our next Christmas party is sure to be different and I can't wait.

I bought Chester a new toy this week, a squirrel. It's his first new toy in four years. He loves it. Even though I've been a little under the weather this weekend, these boys take good care of me and keep me entertained. Only five days until Christmas!

Booty-Do

I learned a new term this week from my basketball team. One of the girls told me before practice that I had a "booty-do." After the team regained composure from their hysterical laughter, they explained to me that my belly looks bigger than my "booty-do." What will they think of next?

In case you haven't heard, Monday Jason and I found out that we're having a boy! John Thomas Kirkpatrick. He is developing right on schedule and he even weighs above average for his age (6.5 inches long and 12 oz.). I feel him moving much more often now and love every second of it.
These are his little baby feet. It also happens to be my favorite picture so far.I decided to use some discretion and spare you the "winkie" shot. Here, although he looks like an alien, he is looking right at the camera and has is hand on his face. I hope he's not bored already.

Friday, after our much needed victory, we met my parents out for dinner. It was an unplanned and pleasant surprise. Saturday, I stayed around the house all day and it was wonderful. I was able to tidy up, wrap presents, spend time with the family and get some much needed rest. Jason and I also made our first major baby purchases, a crib and the baby bedding.

As you can gauge from the photo, Chester is starting to feel normal again. Although I'm not sure what's normal about a 70 pound lap dog.

Baby On Board

I had such a fun weekend! I finally got to take my maiden voyage on the annual girl's Atlanta shopping trip. Every year in early December my group of girl friends go on a shopping extravaganza to most of the outlets and malls in and around the Atlanta metropolitan area. I finished nearly all of my Christmas shopping in less than 12 hours. Besides spending time with some of my favorite ladies, we got to stay in one of the swankiest lofts on Peachtree.
From left to right: Kim, Brooke, Sarah, Angelina, and Me. This picture was taken by the concierge in the Park Place lobby (where we stayed). Most of us definitely felt like fish out of water walking into this place, but it was super cool of Brooke's uncle to let us crash at his place.
All the common space was done with marble floors and almost every room had a complete view of the Atlanta skyline. This is what Atlanta looks like from the 25th floor.Even the toilet paper holder was fancy!

This morning we headed to Buckhead Church. It was a really cool experience. No kidding, I felt like I was at a concert or something. Besides the great music, the message was challenging. It always amazes me when pastors take a typically overlooked biblical phrase and turn it into a thoughtful, even provocative lesson. The video of this morning's message hasn't been posted yet, but let me encourage you to check out their website and look for today's message later on this week. http://www.buckheadchurch.org/

As promised, here is my baby bump. I will be 20 weeks on Tuesday. Halfway there--yay! Jason and I go to the doctor tomorrow morning to find out if Baby KP is going to be a momma's boy or a daddy's girl. We can't wait and we'll keep you "posted!"

A Weekend To Remember

Friday night we got to spend some time with our favorite ex-neighbors-to-be. It was a perfect night to hangout outside, so we played darts in their garage. I was trying to be a trooper and stay up to help greet their fellow Auburn alums who were coming in for the game. All seven of their friends ended up getting stuck in traffic and I ended up going to bed, so I missed out on all the football banter. I'm hoping that their smiles have less to do with bidding us goodbye and more to do with the fact that they whipped us all over the dart board.
He's got such good form, you'd never know that we didn't hit a bulls eye all night. Maybe we need to hire a multimillion dollar coach (and his dad) to come and help us win some games. Never mind, that probably won't work either.

We finally broke the news to Chester that Tommy and Stephanie were moving away. I'm pretty sure he was really laying the charm on heavy to try and persuade them to stay. We all may need to be comforted after they finally seal the deal in two weeks.

In lieu of tailgating and going to the game, mom and I decided to go visit mamaw. She has been moved to a wonderful rehabilitation facility. Everyone there is so nice, it is beautifully landscaped and they even have an ice cream parlor that serves ice cream every afternoon. Since most of you have never met my mamaw, you have no idea that I inherited my sweet tooth from her. You can tell from the picture that this is a guilty pleasure that she'll never outgrow. I also got to push her around the gardens that surround the complex. Most of the gardens have been donated by various individuals and companies. I have never even thought of donating gardens to an assisted living facility, but it truly is a beautiful gesture. She loved every second of it. She said the sun felt good on her skin and this made me happy. The fall flowers were in full bloom and the trees were starting to "turn," so she thoroughly enjoyed our walk. We left just before her dinner time. I think all the excitement wore her out because she was unsuccessfully resisting a nap as we were saying our goodbyes. All the nurses think she's doing incredible (for her age) and she promised to be brave and work hard this week. I'm thinking there must be a cape under her blue sweatsuit that helps her have the strength to endure the challenges of physical therapy.

Chester was happy to have his mom all to himself last night while Jason went to the game and spent time with all the Auburn visitors staying next door. I guess if you can't beat them, you just join them.

No Pictures, Just Prayers

After an incredibly exhausting week, I was thoroughly looking forward to having a restful weekend. Jason went to Tunica in hopes of starting Baby KP's college fund. (Aside: We won't be starting our tuition account just yet, but we won't have to donate plasma this week to put food on the table either.) My (not so) big weekend plans were thrown out the window Friday afternoon with one simple phone call.

My mom called me at five o'clock with news that my 91 year old grandmother had fallen and broken her hip. Cue stoic daughter. "Okay mom. I think we should go, can dad puppy-sit?" So I rushed home, scarfed down my taco salad, packed, took care of some weekend chores and waited for my ride and tried to get the tears out before my mom showed up.

We drove through torrential rain nearly the entire trip and four hours later arrived at the hospital. Miraculously, mamaw was awake! She was so happy to see us that her eyes just lit up. She has Alzheimer's, so she did not remember falling and had to be reminded at least ten times that she had broken her hip and was having surgery the next morning. My heart shattered every time they told her because it was obvious that the news gave her fresh angst and distress all over again.

There was a silver lining to a midnight run to the hospital. I was able to show her the ultrasound of our little pinto bean. We talked about names and such. She is now rooting for her name, Mary, if we have a girl. She had a hard time resting so I offered to practice my lullaby singing on her. Even with her Alzheimer's she remembers that I can't sing, so she declined the offer.

My Friday night and all day Saturday was filled with prayer. Prayer that she would be without pain, that God would bless those who worked on her, that she may find His strength and courage after the surgery and throughout recovery. I prayed for the only mamaw I have. I found comfort and I know God was all around us. Jeremiah (33:6) promises, "Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security." I didn't know who would need healing more, my family or my mamaw.

The surgery went incredibly well. The doctor said that she has a better chance of recovery than most 91 year old hip replacement patients. Although she was in serious pain, I still tried to lighten her spirits by saying things like, "you got a shiny new hip...it's still got a tag on it...you even have that new-hip smell." She would chuckle, grab my hand and say, "not another one like her." I love her so much. She is so brave.

Sunday morning, after a restful night's sleep, I went back to the hospital. My mom, who only slept about seven hours all weekend, was still on bedside watch. We were soon relieved by the first shift, my uncle, so that we could get on the road. I treated mom to a Denny's breakfast before driving us home. By the way, if you haven't been to Denny's lately, it's really good.

Today, she got out of bed twice and was actually able to put some weight on her new hip. It was sad to leave her because I know that we truly did help liven her spirits. Mom is going back tomorrow and I'm sure I'll be heading back rather soon myself. Until then, I will find comfort in knowing, "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [y]our hearts and [y]our minds in Jesus Christ." (Philippians 4:7)

An Ultra-Amazing Week

On Thursday, Jason and I went to our first ultra-sound! It was incredible! After drawing about 10 vials of blood and doing the (oh-so-fun) routine check-up stuff, we got to see our eight week old baby. We could see and hear the heart beating (167 beats per minute). Here is the picture they gave us of our little pinto bean. I know it looks like some kind of astrological phenomenon, but it's our baby. The head is towards the top, the little arm nubs are along the sides and the leg nubs are at the bottom. I love him already!
On Friday, we celebrated our "last supper" with the best neighbors (Tommy & Stephanie) we've ever had. Okay, they're the only neighbors we've ever had, but they really are great and they really are moving to Birmingham. We decided to go to an Irish restaurant out west. You can order such Emerald Isle classics as corned beef and cabbage (YUCK!), sheppard's pie or bangers and mash (which is what I got).
Afterwards we headed to play some pool. It was only 8:30, but I was exhausted. I hung in there for about an hour and then I had to call it quits.

They at least look like they might be pool sharks. I'd say we are all more like pool minnows.
(In the pic from Left to right: Jason, Jason, Kim, Amanda, Jenna with her boyfriend Matt, and Scott is in the front) Saturday I finally got to hang out with friends for a UT football game. We headed to Scott and Amanda's house on Watt's Bar lake. They had petros, chips n' dip, rice crispy treats and various other goodies to make it a little easier to swallow our defeat.

Sunday after church I got a new cell phone. I'm officially connected with my new Blackberry. It's too bad I have no idea how to use it yet. The rest of the afternoon was spent grading essays, making spaghetti and going to small group.

I think Chester is ready for the rain to go away so we can get outside and do something fun! What do you think?

The Journey Home

My small group just finished the first part of our "Experiencing God" study, Victory Over the Darkness. It provides a pragmatic and challenging glimpse into who you are and how you can grow in your relationship with God. So, our group leaders decided we were ready for a weekend in the wilderness.

Never before has a weekend getaway felt so much like going home. It started Saturday after Jason lovingly dropped me off in the Powell Church parking lot at 8:00 in the morning. Eleven ladies from my small group were going on a retreat. Besides a sparse packing list (including sleeping bag/pillow, jeans and comfy shoes) we weren't given any other itinerary. After all the cars were packed and passengers loaded, we headed west out of town. It's exhilarating to take a trip without knowing the destination. This symbolic part of our journey did not go unnoticed. Lesson 1: You don't always know where God is going to take you. Approximately two hours later, we arrived at Smokey Mountain Christian Camp. These are the group leaders (left to right: Nicole and Janiece). They have done the study before and have truly embraced their roles as group leaders. They tried to maximize every moment of our experience this weekend, from the car ride to the campfire. After unpacking, we decided it was lunch time and set up our picnic in the floating gazebo across the lake from the cabin.

From left to right: Vicki, Nicole, Janiece, Heather, Andrea, Lynda, Anne, Me, Laura, Talisyn and Shelva. They are all very sweet women who are also seeking a stronger relationship with God. They also love to laugh and eat, which makes for my kind of company.

This was our bunk house. It could sleep eighteen and had four showers, four toilets and two window air conditioning units. Needless to say, we were actually quite cozy.

Andrea and I decided to take the canoe out for a spin. I'm not sure either one of us have any future as a coxswain (kok-suhn) but we managed to make it back to the shore without falling in.

We had to rendevous at the mess hall at one o'clock. Here we met Billy who runs the grounds, preaches at a local church and drives a school bus during the week. He did some "getting to know you" activities and gave us a pep talk about David and Goliath. Lesson 2: In order to slay your giants, you have to be willing to face them head on and know that God is in your corner. After our pow wow, we headed for the T-swing. Basically it's a rope suspended between two very tall trees. You get harnessed in, pulled all the way up to the top of the pendulum and then you have to let go. Lesson 3: In order for you to truly obey God's will, you must let go and embrace that you are no longer the one in control of your life.

All the women there were so courageous and maybe a tad nervous about me being pregnant and free falling/swinging 40 feet in the air. Whenever baby KP gets here, (s)he'll be happy to know they had quite an adventurous ride.

After we survived the T-swing, our leaders gave us two hours to spend time alone. I, of course, had to hike around the lake and spend time basking in a field while soaking in a perfectly delightful breeze. I have never spent so much uninterrupted time with God. I know He was giving each of us a huge hug all afternoon. Lesson 4: God is always there, sometimes we're too busy or distracted to notice. I would also like to add, I feel the closest to God when I am in nature.

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth." (Psalms 96: 11-13)

After dinner, we headed down to the campfire. We all had to bring a list of people we need to forgive. I'll just tell you the top person on my list was me. Lesson 5: Without God, I truly am my own worst enemy. Anyone who wanted to share their list could and then we each threw our list into the fire. Lesson 6: In order to truly love like Christ, you must truly forgive and learn to love others--even those who have hurt you. At the campfire we chatted, sang some songs and ate Smoreos. What's a Smoreo you ask? First, you unsandwich the Oreo, then you toast your marsh mellow and lastly you put it all together with a piece of chocolate in the middle. Although it was a beautiful night, I had to turn in at eleven.

After breakfast, we had about 45 minutes to squeeze in one last devotional. I spent my time in this worn rocking chair that had a perfect view of the sun coming up over the lake. I decided to read the book of Esther since my greatest challenge will be mustering up the courage to sacrifice my selfishness and insecurities in order to live out my purpose. It was an incredible weekend. I truly pray that each of you can experience God the way I did this weekend. Lesson 7: I am blessed.
Chester had his own retreat this weekend and Gamma and Grandpa's. He got to play ball all the time, wrestle with his best bud, Ozzie, and sniff Sassyie's...well, let's just say he had fun.

A Week of Firsts

It was the first week back to school for the kids. It is amazing how much more energy it takes to be a teacher when all the kids are finally back in class. I am definitely out of teacher shape. Having to TRY and be funny, interesting, and informative for five days in a row is exhausting. But, little did I know that I had an exciting, yet, valid reason to be sooo tired. It all started last Tuesday when I was talking to my friend, Sarah, and complaining about my recent and stubborn weight gain. Then, Wednesday night I was on the phone with my mom, discussing how completely spent I was from the week. Her first question was, "are you pregnant?" "Of course not mom," I replied. Thursday morning I got up to do a jog before school and I just didn't feel normal. I decided to ease my mind and take a pregnancy test. On the day before Jason's 31st birthday, he got the best gift I could ever dream of...WE'RE PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!

In case you needed proof, here it is. Notice the blurry plus sign, that means I am "positively" pregnant! I actually took a second test Thursday afternoon just make sure I wasn't dreaming.

Do I look like the cat that ate the canary? That is what I felt like trying to keep this a secret.

This is, of course, the daddy-to-be. He has been so cute already. He wanted to go ahead and pack the duffel bag for our trip to the hospital. And, whenever I leave the house he says, "you all be careful."

This is our new wine cooler we got for his birthday. We (meaning I) decided that we (I) couldn't enjoy any of our Napa Valley wine for the next nine months, so we better have a way to properly preserve it.

After some gift opening, we went with our neighbors, Tommy and Stephanie, to see our favorite local band, The Dirty Guv'nahs. I would like you to notice Jason's stylish Ugg handbag. He has already started working extra hard to support me. He carried my purse all night at the concert. At least it matched his outfit. The show was awesome! They played all our favorite songs. We got to sing along and dance a bit. Jason tried to act like my body guard when anyone came within a few feet of my stomach. Okay, it may be a slight over reaction but I loved every second of it.

Saturday, I had a golf tournament for the basketball team. I was there for nine hours. After the golf outing, we headed to Andrew's (Sarah's husband) surprise graduation party. Although I was beat, it was a nice evening. Her parents have a beautiful home, the food was delicious, homemade banana pudding, gorgeous night and some really good friends to share our exciting news with.

Either she deserves and Oscar or Angelina truly was excited for us. She is one of the few people that have actually started crying when I told them. As twisted as this sounds, I love the tearful reaction the best.

Jason must have known this picture was coming. I'm thinking that warning your "baby momma" (as he calls me) of pending Kodak moments should be added to the "nurturing hubby duties" list.

Chester had an interesting reaction when we told him. I'm not sure if this is him pitching a fit or celebrating with delight. You decide.

Either way, we are so thrilled and truly thankful for this exciting news. Thank you for all the support and love we've received from everyone who is in the know. We truly are blessed.