24 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 

24 weeks! 6 Months!! 

Baby size?

A cantaloupe. Ive got about a pound and a half of human life in me. How amazing is that?? And even though I decided not to do my weight gain (Do I reallllly want you to know how much weight I have to lose in 4 months??), Ive hit my 10-11 pound mark. Coming from a girl who has a little mental issue with weight gain, Im handling it pretty well!

Cravings?

Eh, just whatever. Food is good.

Aversions?

None. I feel normal. No more feeling so hungry that I could throw up.

Symptoms?

Back issues. A few headaches. On Wednesday I had to take the whole afternoon to rest. Like lay on the couch and watch tv until dinner. And then only put enough effort in to eat left over taco salad because Nick was gone until 12 PM. I was soo tired! We registered on Saturday and Sunday I didn't get much of a break either somehow. I. Was. Tired. My body shut down on me but I feel fine now!

Mood? 

I cried on the way to church Sunday. Couldn't tell you what it was about. Other than that happy and healthy! Have to be thankful for that!

Looking forward to?

Something next week. I can't say though! Im like realllllllly excited and can't wait to share! I know your like, you've already announced pregnancy and gender, what else? It's actually nothing life altering. Just something I am beyond ready for!

Mother's Day. Something about C in my belly on that day just makes me happy. I know that day will be so special in the next few years. 

Oh, a new blog design coming your way! Get ready for fresh new changes!

One more big one! One of my very best friends, Lauren, is due next week!!!!!! I love this girl so much. We met at a bible study in Destin and her friendship has become so, so special to me! We text everyday still and she always has an encouraging word for me. Also, her family is awesome. They have sent me encouraging notes in the past few months and I can't tell you how it has brightened my day! I only met them once! What a blessing! Anyways, go see her cute belly (seriously, she is the cutest preggo) and follow along her Alaskan Adventures as Eli enters this world. I can't wait to see her be Mama!!!!

What's new?

Rosie got a haircut. And a choke collar (I like the name pinch collar better). I know, aren't I the worst. She is a nightmare to walk with and this fixed the problem in literally 10 seconds. Hey, the moment she stops pulling, it stops pinching.

I love maternity shorts! Wish they were acceptable after pregnancy.

Carter is KICKING. All the time! He is still low so Im not hurting yet.

Nick this week?

Doing crazy Navy things. He comes home with fun stories all of the time. I love that he loves what he does. 

Nursery Update?

So since the beginning of looking at boy nurseries, I knew I had to have these prints I saw on a nursery blog. I somehow figured out what shop they were from and ordered the DAY I found them. I even scored a 40% off my order that day!

This is one of 4 I chose. I did 3 8x10s and 1 5x7. I love the whimsical old fashioned style. I can't wait to get them all framed and a shelf to put them on. They are so classy and remind me of old storybooks like the original Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo. It's all coming together very slowly, but I know exactly what I want to do. I just want a classy boy nursery that is soothing for the both of us. The only thing I might change is the frame for this print. I think its a bit to small. Please go check out Trafalgar's Square Etsy Shop. I am also going to purchase their new book Oliver's Tree at Barnes and Noble soon. All the sweet characters are in the book. I love love love it!

Have a great week!

Victoria

Visit to Gulfport

What a sweet time the last few days have been. I've gotten to refuel on being with my husband. I've gotten to spend time with a sweet bunch of kiddos that I get to see maybe once a year. Rosie has proven to be a dream with children. And my mom and I are on the road to hopefully being back in MS by Friday!  Oh, my heart is full!

I have blogged about the Dukes before but I'll say it again. They are family to me. Coach Dukes has been like a dad to me the past 6 years and I just love this family so much. Their daughter and her husband, Bethany and Matt, are in Peru preparing for their move as missionaries. Diana (or as her grandchildren call her, Dede- hope I spelled that right!) and I are here helping out with Bethany and Matt's five children while the are gone. These babies are BEAUTIFUL. We have had the best time the past few days. This house is full of love and is centered around Christ. It's so encouraging as I think about our future.

My husband is going to be the best daddy ever. He will make my job as a mom easy when he is home from deployments. He never gets tired of playing, kids LOVE him, and he has a voice that kids have no choice but the listen to him. I love seeing him interact with kids. I can just picture it now and I love it.

During the day, we worked on school work and took Rosie on a walk. We all took turns holding the leash of course!

All eyes on Mr. Nick! He is always a hit. I'm the boring, nurturing one ;)

Our nights were filled with watching Ann of Green Gables and snuggling on the futon. I pray my future babies have tender hearts that love Jesus like these kids. We had a busy, busy week. I hope I get to see them one more time before their move to Peru. You can visit the Murphy's Facebook page HERE to see how God is moving in their lives. Please pray for this sweet family as they make this big change. They are such an example of true obedience. Life will be absolutely different, but they will find so many blessings in serving where God is placing them. 

This is Nick and me with Ava, Emmaline, Samuel, Lydia, and John Mark (and Rosie!)...Can babies get any prettier??

Hope your Thursday goes by quickly! Friday is almost here and that means I might be home! Lots of things have been thrown in the mix the past month but I'll be home soon and it will be sweet.

Victoria

i went to mississippi?

That's right! So it's obviously been a good week since my last post. Rosie and I covered a lot of miles since then. I decided to make a quick trip home to do a couple things that needed to be finished so that we can sell my house back home. Just moving things out and making sure it's ready to go. Hopefully more on that in the next few weeks!

So that meant Tuesday night, I planned to leave Wednesday morning after spin class. I was so excited to get back home for a couple of days. Nick didn't get to make the trip with training and all, but Rosie was at my side the whole time. Now, that we are married and moved away, visits home are JAM PACKED. We get pulled in 10,000 different directions, which totally makes us feel loved, but once we get home, I need a day to recover.

I was able to go eat at a couple of my favorite places and spend time with my family. I was so excited to spend the day with my friend, Kayla, on Thursday. Sometimes, just sitting in the same room is what the heart needs! We decided to try out a new class at the gym where she is a member that evening. It brought me back to our cosmetology school days when we would take Tae Bo after we got out of school. So funny!

I was needing some country scenery in my life so when I went to visit with Nick's mom, Mrs. Jan, I took a short run on their land. It's beautiful and it always brings me back taking walks with Nick during the first days of our dating relationship. Those memories are so precious. Rosie felt like a wild animal as she rolled in mud, sniffed everything in sight, and barked at the miniature horses and cows.  A dog's life! (Hey Jon Sharman- I'm thinking One Year pictures here!! ;) )

Since I am always on the go when I am in Senatobia, I decided to let my grandparents babysit Rosie. I didn't know how attached that pup is to me. A little part of me thinks it is cute, but I do want a well adjusted dog. Howling while I am gone is not well adjusted. I think she finally gave up after 30 minutes. I hope so at least. We also found out that she is very protective, also. Lucy, Trenton's Boston Terrier, has seriously turned into a mean dog. It probably doesn't help that we pester her non stop. She gets REALLY mad when we play with her and jumps at us while growling ferociously. Rosie wouldn't have it when Lucy was around me. Let's just say I ended up with a guard dog.

 This is what I saw when I came to pick Rosie up from my grandparents.

 Sweet Captain and Rosie during quiet time one morning.

Saturday, I went to dinner with Mom, Trenton, and Jessica (Trenton's girlfriend). We had a yummy dinner at Kubla Khan and had fun looking around for shoes in Southaven. We were all so tired that we went home early. It was so good to spend time with them. I am excited to spend a few weeks home while Nick is in training. 

Sunday, I decided to get on the road earlier than planned, so I ended up missing out on going to Lifepoint. We went for breakfast to Crackerbarrel with my grandparents. Always an adventure with that crew! I love them for it! :)

We were sad to leave but I was really ready to see my husband. We have less than a month before the training and separation starts. We are going to make this last month very special. I am so excited to have 9 days with him after graduation without school or training. I am hoping we are going on a little getaway during that time, but we shall see!

Sorry so long, but it has been a whirlwind this past week! Hope your Wednesday goes by quick so you can get closer to the weekend! Have a good one!

Victoria

crazy dog lady

Since Nick told me to not be the crazy lady who posts ONLY pictures of her dog on instagram (Whoops....I kinda do anyways), I figured I would just do a post about my little pup. When Nick gets home every afternoon, this pup turns into the biggest flirt you have ever seen. That tail gets going and she rolls around like she knows how cute she is. Just wanted to share some of the cutest tonight since I haven't made it to bed yet!

She is getting her hair cut on Tuesday. I'm sure there will be pictures of that. I wont let them touch those beautiful ears though!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Yay!

Victoria

Our 4 Day Weekend Update!

Hello all!

This past weekend was amazing! Nick had Thursday and Friday off so it was a double weekend for us. We got to see family friends, watch roller derby (yes, don't judge...it's apparently the thing to do in our group now), visit with family after church, and float down Turkey Creek with some friends here. Busy, busy weekend.

Friday, we were slow to get up since it was raining and we stayed up super late Thursday night. 12 is super late to me. Around lunch, we loaded up Rosie and headed to see our family friends from Tunica. The Carikers made a family RV trip to Navarre, FL, and they were too close not to go see! Heath and Nick went to highschool together and really, have been friends ever since they can remember. Their dads were best friends as well, so it is neat to see the generations remain friends. I told Nick on the way home that I bet our future babies will be friends as well!.....One day!

We met them at a local restaurant as they were finishing lunch and headed back to the RV...Which by the way was so nice! I could travel in it if someone made me ;). Rosie was her normal self with sassiness and the never ending wagging tail. Something about a puppy, huh? We made our way out to the local outdoor restaraunt/mall area even through the pouring rain. After we had enough of that awful weather we headed back and played Catch Phrase. So funny! We finally decided to get dinner ready and have a little cookout. By little I mean, I couldn't finish half of my plate..It was sooo good but soo filling! I'm definitely having yummy food withdrawls today!

We ended up staying until midnight and made our hour long trip home where I went straight to bed. I guess Nick took the hint and took care of getting Rosie out of the car and into the house..Whoops! We had so much fun with the Carikers. They have always made me feel like family since I've known them maybe 2 years, always have good advice on marriage and the military, and have always shown us a great time. Nick was so happy to see friends from back home! It's just what we needed to get going with the last 2 months of training!

Here are a few pics from our (too) short trip!

 Heath and Nick

 Rosie was not shorted any kisses. They loved on her so much!

(Corey, Meagan, Nick, me, Brittany, Heath, Mrs. Jackie, Mr. Chuck)

We had so much fun! Thank you for such a sweet day! 

Victoria

spaghetti and waffles plus a few letters!

Happy Friday! My legs are aching from my workout classes this morning! I was joined by a sweet friend here. It was so nice to know a face in the gym! We had fun but we will probably be texting each other about how sore we are in the morning!

 My computer has been fussy this week and I just haven't had the patience to deal with it until now. On Tuesday, Rosie baby had her "no future babies" surgery. It hasn't affected her at all. She is jumping and playing just as much as she always has. She would have made some pretty puppies, but with all the moving that we will do, it just didn't seem practical to breed her. Plus I would have kept them all!!

I figured I would  link up with Ashley with Friday's Letters since I'm feeling a little empty on words this week. My mind is just feeling a little blank. A lot of small things are happening around me and sometimes I need to process it through my complicated brain before I put it on paper. Oh the joys of a woman's mind. We are spaghetti right? Men are waffles? That's what Nick insists on telling me all the time at least.

Dear Friday, Thank you for getting here so soon. You are the most exciting day of the week. I can't wait to get you started, because that means it is closer and closer until Nicholas gets home. And then we will most likely sit on the couch all night. Marriage makes the little things really exciting. Dear Tropical Storm, I'm not nervous, just a little annoyed. Saturdays in Florida are for playing in the sun. That's the plan, don't mess it up. Dear Rosie,  You have been a trooper this week. You've only cried a couple of times. I milked the fact you needed to heal on Wednesday and decided we needed to be very lazy since you "didn't feel good". You're still the cutest dog I know, shaved belly and all. Dear God, You are BLESSING this bible study. It is the most amazing thing to watch a group of strangers come together and share their heart. Thank you for adding new ladies to our group each week. I love our little melting pot. Dear Nick, 8 months of marriage today. How time flies. You are so good to me. I can't even describe it. I am so thankful for your heart, your patience, your leadership, and just you. I love spending my life with you.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting this little place of randomness. I hope you have a great week!

P.S.- My Netflix watchers! What is your favorite tv series that we can get started.We just finished an awesome crime/suspense series and I am being so critical of every other show on Netflix now.

Victoria