we had a great week and weekend.  thursday we got to see our little one on the sonogram while at the doctor's office - our baby is growing like a weed and we could not be more excited! we are measuring right on schedule and have a very busy bean working in there - lots of dancing around, kicking, and waving - it was so fun to watch - TEARS!  just so amazing...seeing those little tiny fingers and toes wiggle is just the most incredible thing.  this whole experience makes me even more in awe at God's creation and how beautiful this all truly is.  amazing.

jay had some work in austin this weekend, so after the doctor on thursday, we both headed southbound 35.  we took the pups and stayed at the hotel san jose on south congress...good times and such a fun part of town.  we ate breakfast tacos, went hiking, enjoyed the trails on town lake (and norm enjoyed the dog park!), had time with a lot of great friends, shopped, went to the gristmill in gruene, and just enjoyed some time away.  so jay had some productive meetings and i had some time to relax...a perfect getaway.  

fun on the lawn at the four seasons

norm rolling in the grass - so happy...

cool tree on our hike

the fur babies and me ; )

things are going great - we are all feeling good and happy that spring is here - along with the second trimester.  six more months to baby!!  ; )

mornin' norm...

jay sent me this photo this morning with the caption, "poor guy, he has no idea what's coming his way in about six months."  

bless his heart...gotta love the "little" guy.  he and mckenz' have been very aware that something is up with me, it's pretty cute to watch.  we like to think they are being protective of their first human sibling.   ; )  i love my puppy dogs so much, and love how sweet they are with my nephews and nieces.  i cannot wait to see our sweet baby coo-ing with the pups.

baby poll

everyone keeps asking me, so i felt i should report on the blog...yes, i am feeling good. still fitting fine in all my normal clothes and not quite as tired - a little dizzy now-and-then, but that's about it. the first trimester is almost complete and we are ready for the second, well, really ready for the baby, but trying to have patience! ; )

so i put up a poll for everyone to take a vote (see right-hand column)...what do you think our little one will be, a girl or a boy? this has been up for much debate on the link side of the family. i'm telling ya, they are all over the map on their predictions and they are holding to them! so go with your gut, vote, and let's see if we can collectively come up with the correct answer.

jay and i, well, we have no clue. we are new to all this baby stuff and making predictions - so we are praying for a healthy, bouncing baby - and maybe one that comes out wanting to sleep through the night? and sleep in on saturdays? too much to ask? hahaha - but seriously, take your pick - the only thing we have so far is the "chinese gender calendar" telling us our baby is a boy. apparently it's 90% accurate? i don't believe in all that kind of stuff, but i guess it has a 50/50 shot! so anyway, tell us your prediction - vote and/or comment here! we will report back just as soon as we know...so excited!

one tough grandma

i love the advocate, a magazine given out to our neighborhood, i believe it's for all of east dallas/lakewood/m-streets. anyway, in the most recent publication, i found an article about lillian, a 90+ woman that has a LOT of 'spunk' in her step. she has a couple of great lines in the article, but my favorite:

In her presence, one begins to sense that Rudd, whom many might peg as a 60- rather than a 90-something, might hold some secret about life and its answers. And then you get it:

Peering out her living room window at rusty ring above her driveway, she says, simply, “Basketball. When I am feeling blue, I can just go out and shoot some hoops.”

when i grow up, i wanna be like lillian!

i work at a bank, so i can dream, right?

if you went into work tomorrow morning and found a bonus check for $100,000 on your desk, would it change your life? well, maybe you were born wealthy, make a boat-load, or have a lot of money coming your way at some point in life, but me, well - i don't. $100,000 all at once and not-planned for would definitely change my life (can you tell it's been a while since i got a bonus?? haha).

well, there is a very generous bank executive in miami, florida that thought that money could change some lives, too. and so upon receipt of monies owed in the sale of his bank, he decided to shell out $60 million dollars in bonuses to his employees and former employees - from the execs to the tellers. the total spread amongst the 400+ people adding up to an average of $127,000 a piece.

wow. just wow. you don't hear of stories like that anymore ever. and in this economy, in my opinion, this kind of generosity is exactly what could save us. even president obama recognized this generous act in a speech he made this week - touting the bank owner as a "national inspiration." mr. abess, the banker that so generously shared the wealth, openly said that he has plenty of money and thought he would rather share it with these hard-working people than have more for himself. truly a selfless act from a man with a very generous heart. well done, sir. well done.