I won a blog award!!!

Jessica from Young At Heart Mommy just tweeted me to let me know that she nominated me for the Liebster Award! That just made my night!!! Thank you so much Jessica! :) It's been fun getting to know you through the #UBP12! I love making new bloggy friends! 

Please check out Young At Heart Mommy where you can get to know Jessica! She has a really cute blog and a darling little girl!


What's the Liebster Award? The Liebster Award is given to fairly new blogs with 200 or less followers. It's a great way to support fellow bloggers who deserve some more attention! 


Being nominated for a Liebster comes with a few guidelines...

1. Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog

2. You must link back to the blogger who presented the award to you

3. Copy and paste the blog award on your blog

4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs you think deserve some recognition.  Remember they have to have 200 followers or less when presented with a Liebster!

5. Make sure you let the bloggers you nominated know they have a Liebster! Leave a comment on their blog, DM on twitter, Facebook post--however you normally get in contact with them!

Here are my 5 nominations! (no particular order) These are all blogs that I like to visit that I feel deserve some extra attention. Enjoy! (And don't forget to follow and show your support!)

1. Jessica from Gardner Clan
2. Hillary from The Sassy One
3. Tamara from Four Girls & A Daddy
4. Kasey from These Five of Mine Plus Two
5. Angela from The Ps 37:4 Life

Pregnancy update: 31 weeks, 2 days!

Boy am I ready to be done with pregnancy!!!

 How far along: 31 weeks, 2 days

Countdown: 8 weeks, 5 days

Size of baby:  A honeydew! (19in, 4.5lbs) wowza!!!!

Maternity clothes: Joe's tshirts, or stretchy tank tops. Down to one pair of jeans that ride just under my belly. (given that the button needs to be popped anytime I sit!)

Movement: I don't know how he's supposed stay in there for 2 more months! There's NO room!!! He's got some rough kicks!!!

What I miss: A flat tummy! :) And clothes looking normal on me.

Sleep: Night sleeping is getting a little rough, naps are the greatest!!! 

Symptoms: Heartburn every night. More braxton hicks and getting stronger. Strong hunger cravings. Nothing in particular, just wanting to snack all.the.time. Well...I guess the cravings are more for junk food than anything else.

Cravings: I guess it's junk food! and coffee.

Best moment of the week: I can't remember...really, I don't remember what happened this week....All that matters is that nothing terrible happened!

What I'm looking forward to: Just holding a newborn. 

Lincoln loving on his little brother and mommy! :) Can't wait to see him as a big brother!

Linked up with:

My lesson from my son on parenting and God...

I had this little thought(s) go through my head the other morning as I was trying to start my morning devotions.

As my son is watching his morning cartoons, drinking his chocolate milk, he's constantly talking, asking, replaying the scene he just saw, and is constantly saying, "mom, mom, MOM!!!" 

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOUR FINE!!! 

Can you just PLEASE be quiet, and sit still for a little bit as I try to read my Bible?" 

(Now know this: I'm tired...I know that I've been short with him lately, I feel like a horrible mother, the house work is piling up, I just want to be in bed till baby gets here....that's where I'm at... that's why my response is so...fleshy)

My thoughts turned to, how do we sound to God? As His children, does He hear, "God, God, GOD, over here, look, LOOK over here! See?! hey, hey HEY!!! are you paying attention?!" Are we always asking sounding so selfishly for things that we probably don't need or deserve? Do we sound like annoying little children?

But then as I started my morning in Psalm 27 and was reading about God, being our shelter and how he never leaves us, and is always a caring God for His children, I was rebuked by my thinking process from earlier on. God has a concern for His children, He cares. So much more than I ever will for my son. 

So during those times when I'm asking God repeatedly, over and over, with a child like attitude, He actually shows that He's concerned and pays attention to my needs. As a parent I saw how I was not always responding to my son's needs with the right attitude. With CONCERN, with CARE.

Then I read more on how the psalmist has confidence in God. Confidence in God's care and protection and confidence in knowing that God will never forsake him. This made me think of a child like faith. My son, as he's young, has the confidence in me for his protection. In his little mind, I'm never going to leave him, I'll always be there to take care of him. Now as he grows older he'll grow to understand that as humans, this isn't always possible and he'll learn to trust God, but in his mind for now, he's fully confident in me. Am I like that with God? Do I have that kind of faith?

I was not ready for my morning to be (really a lesson from my son) a rebuke on my parenting skills, for the parenting lessons and example of how God is to His children.

So here are some lessons/reminders for me:

• I learned that I need to work on my response and to be more patient with my son and show that I care just as God shows His children
• I learned that I need to be a better example to my son of God's care and concern
• I was reminded of the child like faith and that I too can have confidence in my God just as my son has in me. (But with God it's for oh so much more!)
• In the end I'm praising God for His care over me and that He's concerned and apart of every part in my life. Knowing that I can have confidence over everything because He is with me is such a help in this journey through motherhood!

Our children need to see Christ in our lives, and need to see us live it out on a daily basis. I'm no super Christian by any means and am still growing and stretching like every other Christian. I'm always learning and don't want to stop. I thought that maybe I'd share some of my thoughts as I've enjoyed reading others go through some of the same experiences/lessons. 

Has there been anything that God is teaching/shown you recently? Please share! Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with:

Pregnancy update: 30 weeks and 3 days!!!

Sorry I've been bad and not updating over the last couple weeks. I've been tired tired tired....Same old story for the last couple weeks. Just can't seem to get this fog off me. Pregnancy brain has been terrible and I just don't want to do ANYTHING!!! That's my excuse...Sorry...

So here it is. It's down to the final weeks!!!! We're in the single digits for the countdown!!!

(I take horrible pics, I know...)

How far along: 30 weeks and 3 days

Countdown: 9 weeks and 4 days

Size of baby: (still measuring a week bigger) a head of lettuce (19 in, 3.9 lbs)

Maternity clothes: Whatever I can find, (which has been hard) I need more tank tops and shirts. I hate to buy more clothes for just a few more weeks of big belly.... So I might pull out my maxi dress and see how that looks. Like today I'm wearing a dress/shirt from Express. Forgot how much I liked it! Bonus! It's comfy!!! :)

Movement: LOTS!!!! and lots of braxton hicks contractions too. Definitely more than last pregnancy. I think it's mostly because I don't drink water...I know....I really should be drinking water. I'm trying. I'm just not a water drinker.

What I miss: Being able to walk like a normal person. I'm so over with this waddle.

Sleep: Can't get enough. Though, I did pretty good yesterday without my nap! That's a first in a long while! My energy level comes and goes.

Symptoms: Sore back, fatigue, REALLY BAD PREGNANCY BRAIN!!!!

Cravings: candy. I think I ate most of my son's Easter candy. I can't go to Aldi's without buying some of the  Australian strawberry flavored licorice. (you know, that really soft licorice....my BIGGEST weakness right now) I heard of someone who refrained from eating candy and bought a little stash of her favorite kind to reward herself for after delivery...hhmmmm...can I do it???

Best moment of the week: Lincoln telling me that I make his heart happy! Makes all this mommy/pregnancy business all worth it! :)

What I'm looking forward to: The moment they place my son on my chest and we get to see each other for the first time!

Other random updates since last pregnancy post:
I passed my 3hr glucose test, so I've been spoiling myself. (which you've probably noticed with all the candy eating lately)
I had an ultra sound done yesterday and my placenta is not low like it was earlier on, so that's good news.
I got to visit my sister in Indianapolis couple weeks ago.
I rearranged Lincoln's room and made it into the 'boys room.' There's a pack n play in there and I'm making a dresser into a changing station.
I packed a diaper bag. (this one is just crazy to me, I don't know why....but it is)
Preschool with Lincoln has been put on hold.
Lincoln likes to look at the recent ultra sound pictures! One of them he pointed and asked,
"what's this?"
I said, "It's his pee-pee."
"OH!! HAHA!!!"
His reaction was just too funny!! He cracks me up!

So that's pretty much it! Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up with:

The Good Bad Ugly Link up hosted by: www.diamondsdogtagsdiapers.com

Ultimate Blog Party 2012

For those who are visiting from the UBP, thanks for stopping by! Let's get this party started! This is my 3rd UBP! (Go here to see my other UBP posts from the past!) I'm looking forward to this week of blog hopping and meeting new blog friends! :)

For those who are new to this UBP, click on the banner above to see what it's all about! (there are PRIZES!!!) And thanks 5MinutesforMom.com for hosting this event every year! It's a blast!

Let me tell you a little about myself, family, and blog. :)

About Me:

I'm a born and raised Christian Cheesehead kind of girl from NE Wisconsin, who's living in the South and am enjoying some snow-less weather!!!! I love my God, hubby, 3yr old son, and baby boy #2 who will make his appearance sometime in June! I'm a SAHM who loves candy, coffee, and couponing!!!!

I enjoy good times with friends and family whenever I get the chance. Summer activities like grilling, picnicking, boating, tanning, and campfires are my most favorite things to do with my family and friends back home in WI!

About my family:

I met my husband (Joe) in a small Bible college in the northwoods and we married in July of '07. Our son (Lincoln) came in November of '08. We traveled around for two years with a traveling evangelist and then settled in my hubby's hometown of Midland, MI. God had other plans and shortly after we started renting our first permanent home (one without wheels), we packed up everything AGAIN and moved down to the steamy HOT South Carolina! I don't think we'll ever get used to the summers down here! :) We're thankful that we are where God wants us, but it's still hard at times being so far away from MI and WI family. God provided a job for Joe and he's also doing what he loves on the weekends, which is singing and traveling with a quartet to local churches in America! Lincoln and I like to go along at times too! We get to see new places, meet new people, and Lincoln's favorite, RIDE THE BUS!!!

Lincoln is three and is looking forward to being a big brother! He enjoys playing outside, doing "school," and playing with his friend Charlie!

Introducing boy #2!!! In September we found out that we were expecting and couldn't be happier! Lincoln will be 3.5 yrs by the time little brother arrives and I think he's going to do just great! He's already been a big helper and is starting to be more independent! We have a name floating around for this little guy, but just not sure yet.... June 19th is my due date. But he's actually a week bigger in every ultra sound we've had, and Lincoln was born a week early....so....sometime in June. :)

About My blog:


I started this blog back when I was in college right before graduation thinking I was going to blog about wedding plans, being a newly wed, and such....but I'm on of those bloggers who has nothing to blog about. I really don't have anything to say. I just like to look and see what others say. I lack in the creative thinking area, and I didn't do so well in English 101, so I also lack the confidence in keeping up with a day to day blog.

Through out the years I blogged about our travels, places we've gone, and mostly updates for family members to enjoy.

Just within the past couple months I had the blogging itch come back and I've been appearing more than the once a month pop in... I've been blogging about motherhood, pregnancy updates, my son and his preschool creations, my coupon adventures, and just life in general. I'm mostly trying to keep family updated, and using my blog as some sort of outlet. I've also enjoyed meeting up with mommy bloggers for a source of encouragement and ideas.

I'm due for another pregnancy update if you'd like to come back and read that!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you again! Leave some comment love and I will do the same for you! I love making new friends!

For extra fun, in your comment, please leave a link to a blog that you've recently found and liked and think I should visit. It could be a recipe, a craft for a preschooler, a diy blog, something that encouraged you, anything that caught your interest and it needs to be shared! I'll visit them and will let them know that you recommended their blog!

Follow me on twitter, @bethanyev as that's where I'll do most of my partying!!!! Now let's party!!!