bb pics.

i've got nothin.....

so here are some latest blackberry pics.

ok, so this is actually from this summer, but i stumbled upon it again and i can't wait to see this cutie on xmas eve!!!

a student drew this.  it's me.  and that pink hat is my "peech at" [speech hat].  another funny thing about this kiddo: when he counts his twenties, he says, "titty one, titty two, titty tee, titty pour, titty pibe..."

snuck a picture of this hunk last wednesday...when i got to feed him his first bottle!

jake does have a heart.  i caught these two snuggle bugs tonight.  awww.  ya...................she is on the bed!

christmas sneak peak.

...

'tis the season

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas!

.....and remy has been helping me decorate.

she fit under that tree last year.  she's getting to be a big girly.

in other news...

jake and i are spending christmas in new york!  my lovely momma and step dad have offered to fly us out and we just couldn't pass that up!  i'm so excited to spend some much needed time with my mom, sister and niece!!  we may try to squeeze in a broadway show [much to jake's dismay].  i haven't spent christmas with my mom in so long...and, let's face it...sometimes a girl just needs her mom.  yay!

what's better?

...

the big house.

my dad is a university of michigan alum.  and when you grow up in this family, or marry in, you become a fan [whether you like it or not].

my dad finally got jake to the big house [michigan stadium] last weekend. 

some stats:  built in 1927 | in ann arbor, michigan | there were 114,000+ poeple the day we were there | only the upper 20 rows are visible from the outside...the rest are built below grade | it is the largest stadium in the u.s.

they played and beat nebraska [welcoming them to the big 10].

it. was. so. cold.

i have a small soft spot for nebraska because of my friend, audrey.

lots of people, which kept it rather cozy.

 i should have taken pictures of the tailgate we participated in.  it was amazing.  and, as a bonus, i got to see my aunt and uncle for a few hours.

one other fun fact.  my dad's dad, bob, who passed last christmas day was the biggest michigan fan who ever lived.  and when i walked into the stadium, i was greeted by a sweet old man wearing a name tag that read bob.  and out of 114,000+ people, i saw this bob probably four times.  it made me smile.  go blue.

 

thanksgiving.

my favorite thanksgiving food?  i can't answer that.  i love to put mashed potatoes on my plate first, put turkey on top of that...then corn...then stuffing and pile on the gravy.  and eat it all together.  so yum!

what i'm thankful for?

my health.
jake's health.
my mr.
my little furry friend, remy.
my family.
jake's family.
the little blessings of nieces and nephews.
my two grandmas.
my job, which i love.
jake's job, which he loves.
my gal pals.
a warm place to land every night.
this roof over my head.
my blog outlet and its readers.
for hope.

happy thanksgiving to you...

 

how is it possible?

how is it possible that i read these two stories within the same sitting...

both so tragic.  one, at the hand of his own mother.  the other, at the hand of god.

i had heard the uproar of this story, but hadn't read much about the details.  how could anyone do that to their own child?  for doing what babies do.  there are so many alternatives to unraveling completely.  hard to wrap my mind around it when it's something i want so badly.

and then there's this one.  a pint-sized little fighter.  and it's so beautifully written.

the arrival of a new little one.

this post is so over due! 

with a girls' weekend trip last weekend, followed by one crazy work week and then a trip to michigan this weekend...i have neglected my blog readers and i have failed to announce the arrival of...

drumroll p l e a s e.....................

hudson ryan davis

the first grand baby on my husband's side...and my first nephew!

stats:

born 11.11.11

8 lbs 5 oz.

22 in. long

the cutest head of dark hair

he wasn't intended to arrive until thanksgiving day, but he was ready to join the world a little sooner than everyone expected.  and aren't we glad he did!

*the pictures are courtesy of glory photography.  the photographer just so happens to be hudson's aunt (daddy's sister).  you will not regret visiting glory's facebook page.  and if you really like 'em, book them!  amy and christy don't disappoint!

go ahead and gawk at a few more!

daddy loves baseball

hats knitted by his grandma

snug as a bug

finally getting to meet him after my girls' trip!

i mean, seriously...

 and through the c-section scars, the excitement of welcoming her new son into the world and the hormone rollercoaster...tara (my amazing s.i.l. and this lucky guy's mommy) had the heart to ask me how i was doing.  how i was feeling.  because she's that good.

i told you here that we'd have so much to be thankful for this thanksgiving.  and, boy, is it true.  i'm thankful for this little guy and his mommy and daddy.  he couldn't have a better pair of parents.  and that...is the truth.

**i am anticipating that i will inundate you withblog posts this week, as i only work monday and tuesday.  i will make up for lost time. 

**as for an update on us.  there is no update.  i wish there were.  .....we're hopeful.

call your girlfriend.

i can't get this song out of my head.  their voices are gorgeous and the harmonies are amazing.

one of those cases where the cover is so much better than the original.

there's no way to explain that outfit and the odd dancing going on.

 

hope. patience. pray. repeat.

words of hope find their way to me.  friends send them.  i dog-ear things i see...or pin them.

my dear dear dear friend, audrey, "designed" this and sent it to me.  i made it my phone's wallpaper.  i love it.  a little reminder each time i get on my bb (which is a lot).

 

it's a funny thing, ...that hope.

some pinterest finds that i needed to see.


...

web surfing.

for anyone out there who's interested...some sites that i've found useful/comforting/enlightening as of late.

here is website dedicated to  spreading awareness of low progesterone in pregnancy.  it is filled with real life stories.

here is a website i posted a while back, but i thought i'd post again.  actual pictures of your "cervix cycle" in different stages and under different circumstances.  a real handy website if your charting.  maybe handy isn't a good word.

here is a miscarriage forum.  i find forums helpful some days and then not so helpful others.  i never share.  i just read.

 

let's have coffee.

in two weeks, i am going to visit some friends.  friends i went to grad school with.  friends i spent just about every waking hour with for a year and a half.  really.  great.  friends.  typically, we spend the better part of our mornings and into the afternoon drinking coffee, eating peanut butter and banana toast (which we have affectionately coined as da bomb) and chatting...catching up.  i can't wait for that.

if you were having coffee with me, you might learn:

i'm in a pretty constant state of worry lately.  worried that things may not go as planned.  i've got it under control for the most part, but idle hands can be bad for me.

i get anxious thinking of december 7th and there isn't a day that goes by lately that i don't think about the belly i should have or would have had.

i wish i could spend a day off with my mom, sister and my niece, who live in new york.  stop and get a pedi or just go see a movie on a friday night.  the older i get, the more i can't stand the distance.

i might let my dog on the couch when jake isn't home...even though that is a no no.  and maybe the bed.

on any given night, we have about 7-10 pillows on our bed and that is not a joke.  one pillow is in the middle for us both to lean on and there's definitely a between the leg pillow and two for the head.  among others.

i sing "these are a few of my favorite things" to myself at night when a scary situation presents itself.  raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.

i am uber excited for the arrival of our nephew, hudson [which may happen sooner than expected] and i'm also waiting to hear about another friend's little one due any day now!

i've been teaching idioms, or figurative language, to some students i have.  one, in particular, who has autism.  i get a kick out of how he pretty much speaks in idioms lately.  "mrs. menz, i'm all ears!"  "mrs. menz, i'm on top of the world because i got 100%."  "mrs. menz, it's raining cats and dogs!".  it's the cutest thing ever.

i'm pretty excited about the latest twilight installment.  and i'm not even really a huge twi-hard.

that's it for now.  i'm out of coffee.  and remy wants to snuggle on the couch. 

maybe a refill soon.  :)
and p.s. - can i get a few fingers crossed for hope right now?  danke!