halfway

Spring is definitely here in Southern Utah... The fact that I was wearing short sleeves by Valentine's Day should have been a hint that it might be getting warm soon.  ;-)

Life has been a crazy back and forth of very busy and very laid-back days.  It really feels like either everything or nothing is happening!

Andrew and I celebrated our first Easter out here.  We spent the weekend with his family (I say "his" to avoid confusion... they definitely are my family as well, especially now that I've had the chance to live closer to them and get to know them all better!).  Easter Sunday fell on April 5th this year... which is a hard date for me.  It was Promise's due date last year.  Hard to believe our first baby would have been a year old already!  It helped my heart so much on what could have been such a terrible day for me to instead be celebrating my risen Lord.  He truly is my reason for hope.  I am abundantly thankful for His sacrifice on the cross and victory over death!  It is because of Him that I have the assurance of eternity with my loved ones, including the baby I never held.  <3

Andrew's work schedule has been rather hectic lately, giving us hardly any time together.  Little outings are such a sweet thing right now.  Before going to be with family for Easter, Andrew showed me a beautiful spot near our town.  It was so tranquil and movie-scene beautiful!

Easy walking is about all I can handle right now.  I lost a lot of strength through the first trimester.  It's been good to (slowly, but surely) feel bits of energy and endurance come back.

19 weeks!!

I am definitely loving my bump.  It's SO nice to be past the awkward "is she pregnant or chunky?" stage.  I knew I finally looked pregnant when a lady offered me her place in line for the restroom!  "You need it more than I do, dear!"  :-P

This last weekend we got to visit some dear friends, Logan and Rachel (and their son, Josiah), in northern Utah.  It was so good to catch up and even minister together.  Andrew and I were able to take part in their Sunday Service and lead worship.  It's been a while since we've been able to do music together and it felt SO good.  :-)

They took us walking on a nearby trail.  It was so beautiful!  We also went to see a local production of Les Miserables one evening!  SUCH an incredibly fun weekend!

Andrew and Logan... sadly, the only picture I got of any of us together!  I utterly failed in the photography department.  

Andrew and little Josiah switched hats.  Josiah got Andrew's typical cowboy hat... this is what Andrew got.  It looks a bit better on Josiah, I have to admit.  ;-)

On Monday we also got to visit more friends, Chris and Danielle (and their son, Isaac).  Andrew knew them through Bible School and it was so great for me to finally meet them!  I had so much fun getting to know Danielle a bit better since we had become good friends through facebook!  You just can't beat meeting in person.

20 weeks today!!!  Halfway to meeting our baby girl!!!!!

This week was pretty laid-back... which was good since I felt pretty sick yesterday.  Feeling much better today and SO excited to already be twenty weeks along!!!  Maxi skirts are saving my life right now and, thank goodness, Rachel (seriously... it was a bit confusing over the weekend having two of us!) gave me some of her old maternity clothes (thank you, my friend!!!).  Hopefully that means I can wear jeans every so often now... though I'm not complaining... skirts are so comfy right now!

She has her fist under her chin... my own little "Thinker".

Today we also had our 20-week ultrasound!  Serenity looks amazing!!!  She's super healthy.  Also quite long and skinny with the cutest up-turned nose I've ever seen!

The technician says she is measuring perfectly for her due-date (she already weighs one pound, which is actually a bit on the large end!!!).  That's so good for me to hear since I haven't gained a bunch of weight yet.

Thank you all SO much for the continued prayers (please don't stop!).  The fact that this pregnancy is going so beautifully is indeed a blessing from God!

Beautiful profile!!!

The rest of my week will be spent preparing for the arrival of my mom!!!  She'll be arriving on Monday and staying till the following Tuesday.  I can hardly wait!!

What has April been like for the rest of you, my wonderful readers?  I apologize for the lack of posts recently.  Are there any kinds of posts you would like to see me do besides life/pregnancy updates?  Maternity fashion?  Setting up my new house and/or projects???  Random musings/writings???  Let me know and I will definitely try!

<3