Multitude Monday

Counting my way to 1,000 blessings...

#561...A January thaw (kind of.)
#562...Hilarious and adorable text pictures of our niece and nephews.
#563...Clean kitchen and bathrooms.
#564...Sisters-in-law and good friends who throw absolutely beautiful showers.
#565...The generosity of family and friends.
#566...Gorgeous fresh flowers all over our house makes me think spring.
#567...A husband who takes time off from work for every.single.appointment.
#568...Getting the lovely invitation in the mail for my second shower - even more to look forward to!
#569...A fun dinner at Buca di beppo with coworkers.
#570...Seeing some positive changes in our daily routines.

I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Romans 1:16

New Member of the Family

Our dining room furniture is....

antique.

I told my dad I wanted it from my grandma back when I thought I'd someday be a lawyer and want it in my office. I think I was in middle school.

I love it because it's been in the family for so long and was a part of my childhood memories with my Grandma Sinclair.

I love that it's unique and different and holds meaning. I'm all about things that hold meaning. However, now that we spend more time in the upstairs living room since moving our computer in here, we found that the yellow velvet chair and love seat just are not...well...comfortable for relaxing and kicking back.

Sooooo, after a month of searching and looking around, I'd like to introduce....

Mr. La Z Boy!

This thing doesn't exactly fit our decor or my typical taste (I don't care for "puffy"), but let me tell you - it's COMFORTABLE. You sit in it and all your cares disappear. Rock. Recline. Rock while reclining. Throw your feet up and pick your perfect position. It does so much. AND it fits us both, which is a miracle in and of itself.

Which one would you rather sit in? *smile.

Yes, we take turns.

I think someone likes his new chair.

I love a happy husband.

I do believe we'll love it even more rocking a little someone in it very soon *smile.

Multitude Monday

Counting my way to 1,000 blessings...

#551...A reliable car that starts, even when it's below zero degrees outside.
#552...My 10-year old Columbia coat that still fits my growing belly (and keeps me extra warm. See #1.)
#553...A sparkling clean refrigerator (even underneath and behind it!) thanks to the initiative of the hubby.
#554...Precious time with childhood girlfriends (and their babies), swapping stories until well past our bedtimes.
#555...Pictures that capture moments I never want to forget.
#556...Hearing my boss say "I think the world of you."
#557...and then hearing her tell me she's willing to grant my request to return to work part-time after my maternity leave. Such a blessing that well be!
#558...Being encouraged by Focus on the Family CDs about marriage and loving my husband while on my 2.5 hour car ride. I can't wait to put my new learnings into practice. Wish me luck *smile. Step 1: stop trying to make him fit into what I think I need him to be.
#559...Photography jobs in the dead of winter - yay!
#560...Waking up feeling rested.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

32 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 weeks

Size of baby: 16.7", almost 3.75 lb

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 17 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Still some regular tops and loving those maternity pants.

Gender: Leaning towards boy, but won't know for sure until the big birthday.

Movement: He/she moves often. I like to press on little body parts and feel him/her move under my fingers. Tom says I'm disrupting it's development and over stimulating it, but it's just so darn cute!

Sleep: Takes a few minutes to get comfortable and then I'm out like a light until usually 5:30 am.

What I miss: Being able to snuggle with the hubby without having a huge pillow (and/or belly) between us.

What I WILL miss: Pressing on cute little baby parts. The mounting anticipation of so many exciting unknowns.

Cravings: This week I am loving oranges, raisins, blueberries and cereal, but don't really "crave" anything in particular.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, crazy emotions, dropping things sometimes multiple times, losing my balance, feeling absolutely stuffed after five bites, back achiness, and being very thirsty.

Best moment this past week: Getting the approval from my boss to return to work part-time after my maternity leave. God is good!

Exercise: Every time I run, I wonder if it will be my last time until after the baby is born, but I continue to try it and feel great SO despite looking somewhat awkward, I'm going to keep it up until my body tells me to do otherwise. I walk to warm-up and cool-down, stretch and still lift with Tom as best I can. Every time I don't want to go to the gym, I remember what my doula told me...."prepare for this (labor/delivery) like you would a marathon." So I'll continue doing my best to stay active for that very reason!

Once again, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for a wonderful and healthy pregnancy so far.

Cold and Snowy Friday Night

Last Friday was coooold and snowy here in Minnesota. It wasn't our night to go to the gym (we typically go every other night) and Tom wasn't feeling the best anyway, so we decided to make Spaghetti Carbonara and rent a movie, which has been a common thing in our house recently. (Renting movies, not making super delicious and rich dinners.) 

Have you made Spaghetti Carbonara? It's so easy (and cheap!). I'm sure there are better recipes out there, but this one was sufficient and we had all of the ingredients.

Mmmm...bacon...

Cooking up a variety of pasta *smile. I love using up ingredients we've had around for awhile.

It all tastes the same anyway, right? Right.

Pair with a healthy spinach salad and you have yourself one fab meal.

(No worries, our tree came down on Saturday. I just wasn't ready to let go of our "last" holiday before Baby B arrives.)

The Town had some a lot of fowl language, but was really good. Saturday night we rented Social Network, which is also a winner. (See...common thing these days. We're soaking up our free weekend nights!)

 Great dinner and snuggles with the hubby. I can't think of a better way to spend a cold and snowy Friday night.

Multitude Monday

Counting my way to 1,000 blessings...

#541...Making room in storage. Finally.
#542...Memorizing Bible verses together.
#543...A midwife who spends as much time with us as we need.
#544...Meeting friends for Sunday morning breakfast at the Woodbury Cafe (pineapple upside down pancakes? Um, new favorite.)
#545...A small fire put out in record time thanks to my impetuous hubby. A paper towel roll hanging over a burning candle = not a good idea.
#546...90 minutes of pregnancy massage bliss...so wonderful..............
#547...An afternoon nap on a Monday, which means I had the day off. Thank you, Hallmark Corp.
#548...Thursday night coffee and really yummy cake with friends I haven't seen in months.
#549...That split second in the morning when you remember that it's a weekend and you get to roll back over. (For at least 9 more weeks *smile.)
#550...Lots and lots and lots and lots of QT with the man I love so much (until he comments on how much cereal I've been eating...ok, even then.)

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Nursery!

Ohhhh, the nursery...

It's been quite the fun and time consuming project, let me tell you.

It started as an "office" complete with lots of books, stacks of old mail and plastic drawers filled with random craft supplies, cards, ribbon, tissue paper and everything else that just needed to go somewhere. I'm sure you have a room like this? I hope so. You can see part of it in the below picture that we took on our 3rd anniversary back on October 6th. (We take a picture on every anniversary so we can remember where we were and what we were doing.) This 3rd anniversary happened to be the night we announced our baby news to the world of Facebook - and had cereal for dinner. It was very romantic.

We cleared it out. Moved a dresser that was in the guest bedroom down to the basement that now stores craft stuff, ribbon, tissue paper and DVDs/CDs. Moved the books and book shelf (after donating a large stack of them - I didn't think I needed to continue holding on to books about dating) to the guest bedroom. Bought a computer armoire off craigs list and moved the computer equipment and TV down to the formal living room (which we are looooving). After deciding on the perfect bedding, it was time to pick out the paint color (after much research about no VOC paint), tape and get started painting! 

Good-bye grayish/blueish paint!

After trips to USA Baby (we were there for 3 hours...), Babies R Us and looking online for hours, we went with Baby Bargains A rated Ikea's Gulliver crib. It was a breeze to put together using only two small tools. My parents came up that particular weekend and we packed my dad's pick-up full of nursery supplies. It was so nice to not have to make multiple trips, because as you may know, that place is CRAZY.

The Ikea Mandal dresser was a different story. Lots of pieces and parts.

It's a good thing Tom can fit in small spaces. His smile was very fake. He was at a very crucial point in the dresser's construction, and the parts weren't going in correctly. He persevered though. I love that about him.

Hurdle #2: hanging the curtain rod.

Who would have thought? Not me.

Can you see the six large holes in my newly painted nursery wall? *tear.

Thankfully they healed well, and we were finally able to buy the right anchors to make it work.

It was a mess in there for weeks. And if you know me, I don't like messes so we just kept the door closed at all times. What you can't see won't hurt you.

There isn't a ceiling light so we bought Ikea wall sconces. I love the unique lighting.

Ready for this?!

Two months in the making....

 and a lot of effort and hard work on my sweet husband's part....

All furniture, rug, lights, curtain rod and curtains from Ikea.

Wall anchors from Ace Hardware *smile.

Bedding from diapers.com.

Glider and ottoman from craigs list. 

Tree decals from etsy.

Paint from Sherwin Williams.

Tree picture was wedding gift from Liz with the perfect verse on it for the nursery...

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
   his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 100:5

Now it's time to tackle the closet, and fill the drawers with cute baby clothes and tiny diapers!

30 Weeks on Sunday

 Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 30 weeks

Size of baby: 15.7", almost 3 lb

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 17 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Still some regular tops and loving those maternity pants.

Gender: Leaning towards boy, but won't know for sure until the big birthday.

Movement: I think I may have gotten my first kick in the ribs yesterday. It tickled more than anything...at least for now. Baby moves quite a bit and stops as soon as I tell someone to look or feel. Must not like to be the center of attention *smile. And someone has been getting the hiccups quite regularly lately as well.

Sleep: Takes a few minutes to get comfortable and then I'm out like a light until usually 5:30 am.

What I miss: In addition to being able to do more cardio, I miss being able to sit comfortably at work (back issues) and bend to do anything that requires bending.

What I WILL miss: So much...everything has been so new and exciting and I've loved sharing it with Tom. I don't ever want to forget what all these firsts (first hearing the heartbeat, first movement, first ultrasound, first showing, etc.) I think I will miss just being pregnant in general - I have loved it!

Cravings: This week I am loving oranges, blueberries and cereal, but don't really "crave" anything in particular.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, crazy emotions, dropping things sometimes multiple times, losing my balance, feeling absolutely stuffed after five bites, back achiness, and being very thirsty.

Best moment this past week: Finishing the nursery!

Exercise: Usually running a mile/walking a mile, lifting with the hubby and biking 2-3 miles depending on how hard I want to work *smile. I was even brave enough to attempt swimming laps this past weekend, but got to the pool and it was packed with kids. Must have been family swim or something and I wasn't about to strut out there in my stretched out Speedo. Maybe next weekend....

Multitude Monday

Counting my way to 1,000 blessings...

#531...Never running out of things to talk about with the hubby.
#532...Wrapping up yet another "baby project." We're getting closer!
#533...The perfect mix of Aveda, Lavera and Trader Joes skin care that makes my normally super dry winter skin super soft.
#534...Blueberries by the handful.
#535...Two back rubs in one week - glorious.
#536...Redbox nights.
#537...My sister, who always seems to say the right thing.
#538...Unexpected and super fun gifts in the mail (for baby, but I still get to open them and I love suprris.
#539...Valentine's Day Conversation Hearts to help me get over the huge loss of Trader Joe's seasonal Peppermint Joe Joe cookies *tear.
#540...Building relationships with women at our new church, slowly but surely. God is good.
We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. Hebrew 13:18

Barntsen Christmas 2010

Another great Christmas in Coucil Bluffs! Tom and I arrived a full day before everyone else, so it was nice to have some time with his parents and sleep in in our comfy new bed (like Greg and Nat, Tom's parents bought a king-sized bed that WE get to sleep in now! We're so spoiled!) They also redecorated a bedroom in their basement, so it was like staying in a luxury hotel suite, but the bathroom was across the hall *smile. I can certainly deal with that. We relaxed and ate and chatted and enjoyed the calm before the louder family members everyone else arrived the next day.

-----------------

Grant waiting very patiently to open his gifts...

 
Princess books!

Princess dolls!
Brooke carried them ALL around the entire weekend, except of course when they were "sleeping."

Uncle Tom and Iron Man watching tv.

One day shy of 28 weeks on Christmas Day.

Next Christmas will be a whoooole lot different for us.

In a good way.

But it was something I thought about a lot this year...

We couldn't leave Leo out! (And just in case you are wondering, he travels well

and doesn't mind the 6 hour drive. Well at least not that he indicates.)

Watchin' a movie with Papa.

They grow up so quickly! *tear.

(Brooke is 2.5 and Grant is 5)

Greg's and my contribution to the FAB-ulous Barntsen Christmas dinner is the fettucini alfredo.

Stirring in the parmesan cheese!

Mmmm...perfectly cooked beef tenderloin with bearnaise sauce, fettucini alfredo, fancy salad and warm rolls.

Fill.up.my.plate.

Natalie's parents, Al and Linda, usually join us for the delicious dinner. They're family afterall. Love them

The princesses were sleeping, but now they're awake.

Another great thing about Council Bluffs is that my sister is only 30 minutes away in Omaha! Yay!

So she, Robert and Weston were able to stop by on Sunday to see everyone for a bit.

And try out Weston's new sled from the Sinclair family Christmas, of course. He went down the hill allll by himself, whether he wanted to or not *smile.

Squish!

The hill looks "small" but try going up and down it a few times.
You'll get a workout in for sure.

Greg giving Tom a little extra speed.

There he goes!

Sisters are the BEST.

Love this guy more every day...

7 months pregnant and still sledding. No big deal.

Ok, I must admit I only went down these two times *smile.

The bending to sit in all that gear and then walking back up the hill was hard work. But fun.

So sweet!

Mimi and Papa planned a "treasure hunt" for the kids this year. They had to follow clues to where Santa left them one last present. Dun dun dun....

Grant was just a tad thrilled with his new guitar (as you can see.)

Brooke starting her hunt. She didn't really know what was happening, but it was still fun.

Finding her new princess baby and stroller.

Can you tell she's on a princess kick right now?
Adorable.

What a wonderful 2010 Christmas. Tom and I both made sure to soak it all up and treasure the holiday with our families. As much as we love the food, games, laughter and spending time with our parents, siblings and niece and nephews, the most important thing is the birth of our Savior, who came to save us and give us eternal life with Him by ultimately dying on the cross for our sins. My sins. Your sins. The price has already been paid on our behalf. What an amazing thing! We just have to choose to accept and follow Him.

He provides, heals, restores, redeems, forgives, comforts, grants grace and loves us unconditionally.

What an amazing God we serve!

I hope your Christmas was just as blessed and that 2011 brings many wonderful things.