Staycation!

With a tank of gas costing more than a car seat, more than 15 white chocolate mochas, more than 300 diapers, more than... well, you get the point, we decided that this year we were going to stay home for the long weekend.

This was a great idea too because I'm not getting around quite as spryly as I used to and we've still got lots to do at the house before Emma arrives.

So, we took the time to finally open up the pool, put together some of Emma's gear, put the car seat in the car and lots of other pre-baby things. Actually, Robby did all of those things. I mostly did laundry and watched all of the hub-bub.

Oh, and I also took a few photos of some of the beautiful sights on our exotic staycation paradise.

There is a peach tree in the front yard that is filled with peaches. This one surprised me because it bloomed at the same time all the cherry blossoms were blooming around here. I didn't look closely at the leaves and just assumed it was a cherry tree too. Nope. Peaches! It's almost like being in Texas! I'm dreaming of homemade peach ice cream already. There are also strawberries and blueberry bushes in the beds nearby.

I think I need to add a blackberry vine to the mix just for old time's sake. I remember many times as a child coming into the house, my fingers and face stained purple from the blackberry juice, smiling a huge purple smile.

Then there was this dogwood. The blossoms on this one started out green, then turned white, and now... they're starting to turn pink! Just for Emma. :D

And there were Tropicana roses just for Grandma. They're her favorite. She'll be coming soon to visit and help out with all of the fun new baby stuff, you know, like sleepless nights and diaper changes. :D

I'm looking forward to having her here and I can't wait for her to meet her newest grandbaby.








Overall, the staycation was a grand success. The weather was great, making for lots of time to go outside and enjoy the birds, and squirrels and other wildlife. The smell of honeysuckle is so amazing. I feel like we've moved to the country. It's wonderful. On Sunday we woke to see two deer outside our window. I didn't get any photos of the pair (unfortunately, I had packed away the camera and fortunately, Robby had packed away his rifles ;) but it was a lovely way to start the day.

Home Stretch

Just one more month to go before Emma's due date and things are starting to get really...real. The thought of having her here is so exciting. I've imagined what she's going to look like so many times and am surely going to be surprised when we finally see her. Up to this point, the days have been an almost constant loop of -- excitement (over the upcoming arrival), fear (of the unknown), worry (about what could go wrong), guilt (for the worry), relief (when I remember that God is in control of all things), and then excitement again. Add to that the fact that I've got a zillion times the amount of hormones in my system than is "normal"/non-pregnant, and you can only imagine the good times.
One more week and she'll be considered "full-term" and so she could be born at any time after that and not be considered premature. So far, she hasn't been measuring big. This is great news because that is the major concern with Gestational Diabetes. My blood sugar numbers have been very good. Hooray!
However,
I have been thinking about some of the things I've been doing without for the past two months and am already making plans: After Emma is born, I'm going to eat cake! Cake with butter cream icing. Then, I'm going to send Robby to Chick-fil-a on a cookies and cream milkshake run. Pizza! and French fries too! Ok, so I'm not going to eat it all at once. Well... maybe not.

Train Ride

Robby and I (and Emma too) took a train trip to Groton Connecticut this past week. It was a nice relaxing time for all of us. Well, actually, I think Emma was stirred up quite a bit by all of the train vibration because she was hopping and jumping like a cirque acrobat.

Emma is already a shining star. Either that or my belly is stretched so tightly that I really am starting to give off a glare!

Groton is only a few miles from Mystic, Connecticut. I wasn't able to take in any of the famous "Mystic Pizza" because it is one of the things on the list of forbidden foods for me. That's ok. We ate plenty of good food anyway.

We also toured the Mystic Seaport and did some shopping in the Olde Mystic Village.

The area is beautiful and the weather was great. I thought the trip itself would be a little more scenic but, unfortunately, I've found that train tracks seem to attract the worst of the cities they go through-- a lot of rubbish and vandalism. It didn't really get very pretty until after we had passed through New York and New Jersey. I did get to see a little bit of the Philadelphia Zoo, but that was about the extent of things to see from the train car window.

But once in Connecticut, the scenery was great. Lots of rocks and water and blossoming trees.

I have now officially been as far east in the US as I have every been. Ironically, that place was in Westerly, Rhode Island.

I'm getting excited about Emma Grace's arrival. The house is starting to look more like a home. I've got just a few more boxes to unpack and a few more items of furniture are arriving this week. Emma's nursery furniture probably won't arrive until she does but I'm pretty sure she won't notice. I have a feeling I won't be putting her down for very long those first couple of weeks anyway. :D

So much

It's amazing how much has happened in the past few weeks. We closed on the house on Friday the 18th and moved in on the 19th. So many awesome folks came out to help us haul all of our stuff to the new place. It was amazing. We started loading the truck at 8 am and were mostly done and eating pizza by noon. By 2:00 that afternoon, Robby had already cleared the garage and mowed the front lawn. It was quite a sight to behold. Unfortunately, I wasn't much help at all. I would get short of breath just watching it all. And the fact that I have strangely lost most of my brain function due to the perfect storm of hormones flooding my body, I wasn't even able to help much in directing folks where to put things. Completely useless. Totally grateful.

On Sunday, Robby and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! Wedded bliss! We also attended a baby shower for Emma at our Sunday school directors' house. Emma has so many awesome new things to start her life right in the new house. She also has a great crowd of fabulous friends who can't wait to meet her. It won't be long! :D

The past week has been a flurry of unpacking, working, shopping, teaching Sunday school and finishing up the details of cleaning out the old apartment. Robby has done the work of ten men. It's unbelievable. I don't know what I would do without all of his energy and talent and his great "can do" attitude.

Thankfully, to this point, I've been able to keep my blood sugar levels under control through closely watching what I eat and exercising. I can't tell you how many trips up and and down the stairs I've made just trying to get things to the right room. Who knows how long it will be before everything is actually out of the boxes and in the right place. I'm really looking forward to getting the swimming pool opened up and feeling nice and "bouyant", as it's felt like I've been carrying a bowling ball with me everywhere I've gone for the past little while.

Diet and Exercise!

Last week I found out that I have Gestational Diabetes. Booooo! This means that I have to watch my blood sugar very closely and make sure I'm getting plenty of physical activity. Since these are things I need to be doing anyway, this diagnosis is actually a blessing. It has been the kick in the pants that I've needed to pay better attention to my health. My family, on both my mother's and my father's side, has a strong history of Type II diabetes and I guess I've just always chosen to live in denial of my own predisposition to this disease.

Hopefully, this is the wake-up call that will change my unhealthy habits and turn things around for good. Gestational Diabetes usually disappears once the baby is born, but, it is an indicator that I am more likely than those who do not develop GDM to have it again in a subsequent pregnancy and to develop Type II diabetes in the future. This means that it is also slightly more likely that Emma Grace will develop Type II diabetes as an adult.

Since this is not just about my health now, it has been a lot easier for me to stick to the diet, do my walking, and to test my blood sugar throughout the day. Robby's been so good and has been helping out immensely. We're all very tired (including Emma) because we're missing our sugar fix. In the long run, though, I'm sure we're going to have a lot more energy in the future.

We've just about gotten everything packed and ready for the move this weekend. It's been a stressful but exciting time in our lives.

Hooray!!!

It looks like our house hunt is OVER!!! Yippee!!!

We close on the 18th of this month. I'm so excited! Emma is going to have a nursery and I'm going to have a washer and dryer! Woo Hoo!!!

Everything is just going crazy here lately. So many things are happening all at once. Our heads are spinning.

This has definitely been a year of MAJOR changes. Can it be that I am finally a grown up.... after all these years????

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was a very special day. First of all, it was a day for celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. What a glorious day!

Secondly, it was also my birthday! Woo hoo! Since I'm no longer in school, this is the first time in a long time my birthday has also fallen on a holiday (ahhh Spring Break, how you are missed).

The weather was a little chilly (high 30's/low 40's), it was a great day. We started the day early with the morning service at church where we were treated by some special guests from Hawaii who shared their great gifts for music and worship through.... hula dance!

Then we went for Easter dinner at a friend's house. What fun!

Happy Easter Everybody!!!

It's Blossom Time!

Since I've not been home for her to see, my mom has been asking me to send pictures of me "blossoming" as my belly gets bigger. I figured I would send her a real down-home photo, complete with overalls!

In other news, we're still house hunting. We've put in a bid on a place and are waiting to hear back from the seller. It's an exciting time but also a bit stressful. Our last offer was out there for almost two months so we decided to withdraw and start anew at a different location. We're trying to remain content and pray we are doing the right thing. Some times it's hard to know if, in our eagerness to find a place before Emma arrives, we're trying to jump ahead of God's timing. I think that whole "nesting" thing is kicking in. It's all good, though. Our Lord was born into a simple stable and did just fine. :D

Virgil's Legacy

February turned out to be even more hectic than I had anticipated. My dear father passed away on the 19th after a long struggle following a severe stroke 4 years ago. I am absolutely positive that he is rejoicing in heaven right now with our Lord and it makes me so happy to think about him dancing and singing and celebrating at the banquet. The service was in Texas and Robby and I decided to drive. In total, we traveled over 3500 miles. Needless to say, we made a LOT of stops along the way to make sure the pregnant lady didn't swell up like an anxious puffer fish.

The service was a great way to remember how much life Dad had in him before he became trapped by his failing body. There were many laughs and tears and those wonderful memories from all of the great stories told were beautifully focused for all of us to take forward with us as we await our own blessed graduation day.

Knowing how much Dad loved God's Word was such a comfort to me. Though his body couldn't communicate his thoughts to us in those last few years, I am convinced that he had a very active prayer life and that he and Christ were in constant communication. He had the Word of God stored in his heart and it did not forsake him in his time of need.

When Emma grows up, I'm so happy to be able to tell her that her grandfather was a strong, humorous, and fervent child of God. I'll be able to show her pictures, so she'll know exactly where she got many of the physical characteristics she'll most certainly have picked up from her grandaddy. More importantly, I'll be able to tell her the many jokes and stories that those who knew him share and that cause us all to smile whenever we think of him.

Still looking

February is a busy month. I'm glad we get an extra day this year because I truly need it. Between Valentine's Day, the upcoming Weekend to Remember, the Women's Retreat and other activities we've got going this month, it's going to be a miracle if we end up finding a house before the spring. Oh well, as long as I have my sweetie... it's all peachy.

Yesterday, while out searching the weather turned icy. It was a mess. I-95 S was completely stopped for hours. Thankfully, we were heading north. Wouldn't you know the whole place would ice over on voting day. ;)

Speaking of voting.....

On second thought, I'm going to refrain and just say that political seasons are a great thing for my prayer life. :D

Happy Valentine's Day everybody!

Home sweet home?

Searching for a house in Northern Virginia is quite a humbling experience. Robby and I have been renting for way too long because it is almost impossible to find an affordable home that is close enough to our church and to Robby's work. I would rather live in a tiny apartment than to waste away in traffic. But now that we have a baby on the way and things are finally turning to a buyers market in this area, we thought this would be a great time to take the plunge.

Wow! That's the word we keep seeing. Just about every listing begins with the comment "Wow!" and when we show up to look at the place... wow is not quite the word that comes to mind. "Whoa", maybe? Or "What???" possibly. It's unbelievable the conditions of these places. Yikes! Can these people be serious? I think about how much house this much money would buy back in our home states of Texas and South Carolina and I just have to shake my head.

But we are not giving up!

Somewhere the perfect house awaits.

In other (much more fantastic) news... My youngest niece, Angelina, has finally gotten out of her harness. She had one of the worst cases of hip displasia that the doctors at her hospital had ever seen. They were all shocked to see her progress. I, of course, was not shocked. I knew the amount of prayer that had been showered on this precious girl. Her birth itself is a miracle. And now, she'll soon be crawling and will have no memories of her trying first (almost) 6 months. But the rest of us will never forget how blessed she is. I'm certain my brother and sister-in-law will never forget what it was like changing all of those diapers while their precious baby was in her cast ( a three person job from what I understand). Hooray!

As for Wagoner family news, I just keep getting bigger and bigger. Little Emma Grace is busy flipping and flopping like crazy. Robby is still the hardest working man in the auditing business. He somehow manages to take care of all of us and make it look easy. What a man! :D

Little girls are the BEST!

A friend of mine has recently introduced me to a rising star on the British music scene-- Connie Talbot. I guess I'm a little late in coming to know about this tiny girl with the huge talent, but I'm so glad I've finally seen it for myself. This little girl is six years old. Such poise. Such cuteness. She sings so beautifully and so clearly, and she doesn't even have her two front teeth!



Another six year old that has completely blown me away by her talent is little Emily Bear. What a genius she is! God has exponentially gifted this child. Just watch and be amazed!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

Oh thank Heaven for our little girl!

The news was so sweet-- everything looks great! We were able to witness some amazing gymnastic feats as little Emma Grace flipped and wiggled her way through her second ultrasound photo shoot. Healthy heart, head, arms and legs... all measurements within the normal range. What a blessing!

Check out these cute little tootsies!

And now I'm seeing pink everywhere! Pink! Pink! and More Pink!
Everything is so cute and frilly and adorable and PINK! :D

Robby and I are so thrilled. We can't wait to see our sweet baby girl in person. There's been something of a baby boom in our Sunday School class. There has also been a "baby boom" among my friends. I have two different friends in two different states who have both said that suddenly ALL of their friends are currently pregnant.

So many of the Fun Young Couples (married couples w/o children) are now pregnant that the church has started up a whole new class called "Great Expectations" for first time parents. The rest of the FYC class is considering changing the coffee maker, thinking there must be something in those beans.

This new class is another huge answer to prayer for us. When we first found out that we were expecting, we immediately prayed for help and for resources. We knew we were going to be so unprepared for the many changes ahead. Only a week or two later the new class was announced. God is so amazing is has blessed us so greatly. His provision never fails and is always exactly what we need. Our prayer is now for Him to prepare us to be Emma Grace's parents and to raise her up in the way she should go so that when she is old she will not depart from it.

I have a feeling it's going to be quite an adventure.

A New Adventure!

2008 is only just beginning but it already promises to be a year Robby and I will never forget. It will be a year of change to be sure. It will be the year that Robby and I will enter that honored stage in life known as-- parenthood!

Yes, we're going to be parents. It's hard to believe. In less than six months, close to everything we've come to know in this life up to now is going to change. And we couldn't be more excited, not even if Ty Pennington were here shouting "WELCOME HOME" in our ears with a bullhorn.

We find out next week whether or not we will be welcoming a baby girl or a baby boy to our household. I think not knowing has saved us a lot of money up to this point, but all bets are off after Monday (unless, of course, baby wants to play hide-and-seek with the ultrasound technician). There are just tooo many cute things out there-- most of which they won't remember having, or having spit up on, but it's still too tiny and irresistable to pass on in the stores. I feel certain that this child will one day resent its mother for all of the photos I'm going to take and eventually show their future spouses, but (like my own dear mother) I'm doing it anyway! Tradition!!! ;)

Estimated arrival date is June 25th, 2008!

We'll make sure to keep the blog updated with new information on pink or blue, as it becomes available.

The Bavarian Inn

Robby and I enjoyed ourselves at the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. There wasn't a whole lot to do around town, especially so with it being Christmas and all, and that suited us just fine.

We ate some great German food. Sauerbraten, red cabbage, potato dumplings and black forest cake. Robby barely complained.

It was a great time of relaxation and reflection upon what God has for us in the coming year. I can't wait to see if what we've planned comes anywhere close to what He has waiting.

Sharpsburg/Antietam

While traveling through Maryland, we took a few hours to tour the battlegrounds of the "bloodiest day of the Civil War". More men were killed or wounded here on September 17, 1882 than on any other single day of the Civil War.

Clara Barton, eventual founder of the Red Cross, tended to the wounded during and after the battle.

During the battle, the Texas brigade bridged a threatening gap in the Confederate line and suffered a casualty rate of 82.3 percent. This was the largest percentage of loss by an infantry regiment, north or south, during the war.

The Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) was the sight of much of the mid-day phase of the battle. Over 5,000 casualties occurred during nearly 4 hours of fighting.

The Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) was a key factor in McClellan's failure at Antietam. A few hundred Georgia riflemen, and a few from South Carolina, held off the Union troops for most of the day.

Almost Christmas!

My mom's trip to DC went well. With reports of possible severe "wintry mix" storms, we were a little worried that things would be a mess, but other than the freezing temperatures and some very strong winds, things were pretty good. :D

We did have to make sure to bundle up before heading out to take in some of the Christmas sights. The picture above was taken in front of the US Botanic Gardens. They have a great holiday train display. We were impressed.

We walked over to see the Capital Christmas tree and then to Union Station for their display.... a Norwegian Christmas tree (?).

I'm pretty sure Mom got her fill of cold weather for the season.

It's hard to believe that this year will be the first year I've spent a Christmas outside of Texas! There have been some Christmases where it has been 80 degrees outside. Not this year.

This year, Robby and I will be going to Shepherdstown, WV to spend a few days at the Bavarian Inn. We're hoping for some snow. I'm excited about eating some authentic German cuisine and getting my sweet husband to join me. It's not his favorite. Every time I mention it, he mumbles something about it smelling like an old wet foot. Mmmmm... yummy. He says he's going to give it a shot this time-- his willingness to try is good enough for me. :D

I pray you and your families enjoy a wonder Christmas this year and create many great memories to recount in the years to come.

... I wonder if Robby will fondly recall this Christmas every time he catches a whiff of an old gym shoe? Oh well....

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

PSA

Fat Dog continues to be a web search favorite. About the only people, outside of my friends and family, that see this blog are folks from across the country that are looking for the fattest dog in the world. Now that my sweet dog Baxter has passed on, his memory is kept alive through the the net.

I thought I would put up a picture of sweet Baxter from his younger, more slim, puppy days. It gives a little insight into just how he ended up weighing as much as did. Unfortunately, like so many others these days, Bax was a computer junkie. It started as an occasional dabble on the purebred sites, but soon led to an all-out gaming and facebook addiction. It was all so easy. Let this serve as a warning to those of you who are spending too much time in front of a computer screen. You can learn a lot from a beagle.

I'm just sayin....

(the beginning)

The More You Know

Christmas Tree Time Again

It's the Holiday Season! This past week we were blessed with a visit from Robby's mom, Iris. My mom arrives in town on Friday. This year, instead of making the cross country drive to Texas and back via South Carolina, we decided to have the mommas come to DC instead. :D

There was a beautiful blanket of snow on Friday. It quickly melted away and we were able to enjoy a nice visit. We went to the Living Christmas Tree at our church (Robby and I didn't sing in the program this year), and then we went to the National Christmas Tree with our friends Leslie and Blake to get in our obligatory "tourist" stop. It was a beautiful night.

(Iris, Blake, and Leslie)

Mail Call!!

Actually, this post is going to be more about all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for this year, but, I didn't have any really cool Turkey Day photos, so, I thought I would just put up a picture of me and "The Gunny" (R. Lee Ermey) at this year's AUSA Conference.

So, now to the Thanksgiving stuff! Much has happened since this time last year. There have been births... My nephew Logan, born last November, and my niece Angelina, born this August. There have deaths... My grandmother Edith, and Robby's nephew Daniel, and, most recently, our beloved beagle Baxter. There have been illnesses... My father is still holding on in the ICU. What a fighter!

Through all of these events, I think Robby and I have set a new record ourselves in doctors and dentist visits. God has been so good to take care of us through it all. He's given us each other, he's given us a wonderful church home and family, and he's given us great jobs to help pay for all these visits. (Hooray!! I am now able to work predominantly from home! NO COMMUTE!!!)

As for Thanksgiving day, we decided to forgo any more travel and stay here in Virginia. We made the rounds, visiting friends and enjoying the beautiful colors of the changing leaves. It was a good day.

I couldn't help but think of how different the holidays are now from what I remember as a child. With both of my grandparents passed on now, we will no longer gather at their home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, and every other holiday where folks get together. Now that both of my brothers are married and have kids of their own, new traditions are beginning. Living so far from them all adds additional challenges for us too.

I'm sure this next year will be filled with its own set of "adventures". I'm also certain that the Lord will bring us through those as well and will continue to draw us closer to each other and closer to Him. I have the best husband in all the world and God has shown his amazing mercy in giving me a man who is FAR better than I deserve.

I am so thankful for every trial, every blessing, of this past year. God has shown Himself faithful as always. As the new year approaches, I can already feel that familiar excitement/fear of standing on the precipice of something new and wonderful about to happen.

As my good friend Shanda will remember from our skiing trips of old... standing by as I foolishly gunned it down the mountain at way too fast a speed, no fear of the possible harm that could befall me, no cognizance of the moguls or my lack of skiing skills, there's sill really only one thing for me to say at times like these....

"YEEEEEHAW!!!!!!!"

Just For Fun

Oh my goodness. It has been WAY too long since my last post! Things have been as crazy as usual around here and don't appear to be getting any less so. Soooo, I'll just fill you all in on what's up with the Wagoner's these days.

After three trips to Texas in a little over a month, two funerals, several big projects at work and a pretty bad cold... Robby and I finally decided to take a trip that didn't involve us visiting a hospital or a cemetery. We were also a little weary of air travel (I suspect all the flying didn't help my cold any) so we drove to Myrtle Beach.

It was beautiful. The weather was great! No crowds, so we were able to stay right on the beach-- no problem. Saturday morning, we were surprised to find the beach covered in .....

Horses!!!

Apparently, we walked in on a "Beach Ride" to raise money for the American Heart Association. What an awesome sight.

We enjoyed our relaxing weekend and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays.

Heroes

It has been a sad month for Robby and I. It's never easy when those close to you are sick or hurt. For the past few weeks we've been traveling to see my father in the hospital. His condition is steadily worsening, yet he continues to fight on and amaze his doctors. Nearly two years ago, we gathered by his bedside in much the same way. The doctors were sure he wouldn't make it.

Expecting to hear bad news about my father, we were stunned to receive a telephone call two weeks ago with bad news of a different kind. Barry, Robby's nephew, called us from his hospital bed, shaken up, but ok. His patrol had been hit by an IED. Barry's cousin, Daniel, who was also serving in Iraq, called his younger cousin a few days later to give him encouragement.

Daniel died on Friday-- killed by an IED.

Daniel leaves behind a wife, a young daughter, many grieving family members, friends, and a grateful nation.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/18/20357/8391

http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/TerryDWagoner

We leave tomorrow to travel to South Carolina for Daniel's Funeral. Our hearts are hurting, but we are comforted by the knowledge that Daniel is a Christian and is with Christ in heaven now. He died to protect us and we are thankful for his sacrifice.

It is hard to see our young men go. It's hard to see an old vet go too.

These men are heroes. And saints.

Labor Day Weekend

What a BEAUTIFUL holiday weekend. Blue skies, sunshine, cool breezes-- the weather was perfect.

To make it all even better, my best friend from law school, Lisa, came to visit. We decided to get ourselves outdoors and see some of the DC sights.

We had a great time visiting and talking about the many things that have changed so drastically since we met that very first day of school.

Back then, we never could have guessed our lives would be as they are today. Who would have put either of us in any state but Texas??? And yet, here I am in Virginia, and she's in Alabama.

When we first met, I was as lost as a "ball in high grass", yet, somehow, Lisa didn't judge me nor did she give up on me.

Today, we are strong Christian sisters and our love of Christ has made us even better friends. We've both been through a lot in the past ten years and our friendship has helped us get through the toughest of those times.

It was a wonderful weekend. I'm so thankful to have been able to spend this time with my good friend. Once again, it is a precious reminder of what eternity will be like... only better-- perfect conditions and surrounded by saints.