The Ice Storm Cameth

Jason and I are working from home this morning because of this crazy ice storm that came through Dallas last night. It was sleeting during a lot of the night and this morning it was 19 degrees! My Texas temperament is not used to this at all so being able to work from my nice warm pajamas is great for me. =) My office didn't even open until 10, so no one from my team went to work. The roads are totally iced over and we have just been watching the news all morning. A lot of cars are just stopped on the road because they figured out too late that it was a bad idea to get out. Here are some pics from our window and out the front door. Too cold to actually get out in the yard!


It doesn't look that bad from these pics, but our front walk is completely iced over!

A Nice, Relaxing Weekend

This past weekend was the first really relaxing weekend I have had in a while. Seems like the entire Fall was so busy. We had something every weekend for at least a month before Christmas and then the past couple weekends we had family in town to help us do baby stuff. Which is awesome and I love those weekends too, but it was nice to just have some down time.

So Friday night we went over to the Reed's house and the Jordan's came over too and we grilled out. When we got there the weather was awesome at about 75 degrees. Perfect grilling out weather! After some steaks and a few rounds of trivia on PS3 we headed home and it was probably closer to 40 degrees. I swear, Texas weather!

Saturday we slept until the dogs thought they couldn't wait another second to eat, so until about 7. Then we got up and around and went to look for a place to get carpet. I had a list of about 5 places to check out, but by the time we got to one that wasn't open and then talked to a guy at another we were starving so we went and ate at Twisted Root in Deep Elum. If you haven't been there you should try it out. They have the best burgers, and even if you aren't a meat eater, they have the most delicious onion rings and they have a different brew of root beer every day. Saturday it was an amaretto flavored one. YUM! Then Jason had a genius idea and took me to Sprinkles for a cupcake. Sweets are my biggest craving and he had brought me one the other day, but Gretta got a hold of it before I got to eat it all. =( So I had a red velvet cupcake and some milk. Heaven I tell you!

We ran by Northpark to pick something up and then by this time I am exhausted. I am in my third trimester now and am starting to get tired very easily again. So we headed home and took about a 2 and 1/2 hour nap. It was glorious. Then Saturday night was Jason's company party down in the West End at the place Planet Hollywood used to be. He was a total sweetheart and surprised me by getting a room at The Joule hotel downtown. Like I said, I get tired easy and he knew I probably wouldn't want to stay up late partying. So the party was fun and I am proud to say I stayed until 11:30! That was when everyone left and went to the Ghost Bar - apparently they were all on 'the list' so they were pretty excited to check it out. I figured I would pass and get some sleep instead. So I just went back, had a long shower and watched Cast Away until about 1.

Sunday we slept until 9 o clock! That is a record for us. Helps not to have dogs waking you up early. =) Then we ordered room service and just laid around until checkout time. It was so nice. When we are home I am always up and at 'em with things to do around the house, so it was great to just be able to relax. The rest of the day was pretty lazy. Looked at some more carpet and went grocery shopping. Watched The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. Nice weekend all in all.

I promise to post more belly pics soon. I am getting humongous and Isabella is kicking me all the time. I only have 11 weeks left! I can't believe that. I am kind of freaking out with all the stuff I know we have to do. Once we get the carpet in we can really get going. Talk to y'all soon!

Movie News From Today

So this morning they announced the Oscar nominations. I have to say this year I was not quite as vested in who got nominated simply because I have not seen as many of the movies that were expected to be nominated. I don't know if they just have all come out too recently, or if I have just been slacking on my movie watching responsibilities. Jason and I have gone to see several in the past weeks such as Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler, but other than that I am way behind.

However, I did have one movie that stood out for me as one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time for so many reasons and my only hope today was that it would get nominated for Best Picture. This movie is The Dark Knight. I wrote some about how much I loved it in one of my August posts, but I just have to quickly recap how awesome this movie is. It has everything. Let's start with the script - smart, exciting, scary, romantic, funny and really made you think about some deeper moral issues. Definitely a step above most superhero stories. The cast - I dare you to name one of the main characters that was not amazing in his or her role. You can't do it! Perfect casting, amazing acting. Other than that there is the fact that this movie was beautifully shot and Christopher Nolan (the director) is a genius. I have read so much about the stunts on this movie and how they were done. I am not 100% sure how much of the film was real and what was CGI, but I know some things that you might see in a (much) lesser movie such as a Transporter series or something, such as an 18 wheeler flipping over end to end, would have been done digitally. Not this movie! It was the real deal baby. Anyway, I will stop gushing, but to say the least this movie was an accomplishment on so many levels that it just blows my mind that the Academy would not have shown it proper recognition. It's like if a movie is popular then it can't be good or something. So I am thinking my day is ruined when...

I am sitting here brooding over the Oscar snub and pouting cause that means most likely Gary Oldman will not be attending the Oscars, then lightning strikes. I go to E! Online to see what Kristin had to say about last night's Lost episode (SO excited that it is back on!!), and what headline do I see? "Veronica Mars Movie Finally in the Works". WHAT! If you know me very well, you probably know that Veronica Mars is a television show that I LOVED and it was canceled a couple of seasons ago. Much to my dismay. I own all three season box sets on DVD and I seriously never buy TV shows on DVD. But I have watched them from beginning to end at least twice and I just love the show. I love Kristin Bell and I want Logan, I mean Jason Dohring, to be my boyfriend. Well, if I wasn't married. =) So you can imagine my excitement to see this news. Rob Thomas, creator of VM, not lead singer of Matchbox 20, has apparently been working on a script, and his latest TV show Cupid had fewer episodes ordered than he had hoped, so he now has time to work on it! So anyway, basically within ten minutes of each other I was totally pissed and then super elated. Now I am just tired. I think that third trimester is really kicking in cause I am so dang tired!

I also love free stuff!

So I had heard about this lawsuit where department stores and cosmetic companies were price fixing or something. And they said on the news today that starting today and for the next week they were giving away free stuff at Macy’s. I knew there were some other stores, but wasn't really sure. So I went to Macy’s during lunch just to see and they are giving away free stuff! All you have to do is sign your name. And not only Macy’s, but Dillard’s, Sak’s, Neiman’s and Nordstrom. Also, like Bloomingdales and such, but we are not so lucky to have those. If you are in NYC you are lucky! I went to Willow Bend and they have four of those stores so I basically went trick or treating for free cosmetics at lunch today and thought I would share this with you in case you hadn’t heard about it. Pretty awesome!

I Love Productivity

If anyone knows me they know that I am a very organized type person. I make lists for everything. I hate clutter and rarely just sit around and do nothing. I really like being productive. Well the last two weekends have been molto produttivo and I love it! I already wrote about how we painted the nursery last weekend along with Jason's parents. This weekend my parents and Amanda and Jared came up to help us get some more stuff ready for Isabella. We met them at their hotel on Saturday and had breakfast and then the boys headed towards the house and the girls went shopping. =)

Mom, Amanda and I started our day going to Lone Star Baby, where I am registered for my crib bedding. Mom and Dad were going to get that for me so we went to get that and to also look for a dresser and hutch for the nursery. We had fun looking around and then completely forgot to get the bedding! We then went to Northpark to do a little shopping and to also get a refreshment from one of my new favorite places Orange Cup. My friend Sejal told me about it a few weeks ago and it is DELICIOUS. It is frozen yogurt, but like real good for you yogurt, not the one step away from being ice cream yogurt. It is all natural and has the live cultures and there are three different flavors that you can either blend with fruits like a smoothie or just have topped with fruit. My favorite is the acaiberry yogurt topped with blueberries. SO YUMMY!

Anyway, I digress. After the mall we headed up to Babies R Us. This has become a danger zone for me lately. I have been going a lot and can't seem to get out of there without buying something. They have been having clearance sales on baby clothes, which she'll obviously need, and then 30% off those prices! I mean what a deal right? Here are some pics of cute clothes I and the grandmothers have bought in the last couple of weeks. =)


Are those the cutest things you've ever seen? =)

So after Babies R Us, we went up to the Lone Star Baby in Frisco since we were getting closer to that one by this point. Plus they didn't have some of the stuff I wanted to show them at the one in Dallas anyway. So we got Bella's bedding and I also ended up finding a dresser and hutch that I loved! They said it was going to take about two months to get it so we went ahead and ordered it. Here is a picture of it that I found online in case you are interested. It is the dresser and hutch on the left...
It totally matches our crib and changing table so now we have all our furniture!! Now, the plan was for the boys to put together the crib while we were gone so we could come home and put on the bedding and take lots of pictures to show all you fine folk, but it was not in the cards. Apparently the main brackets that hold everything together were missing from the box. Annoying and weird, but now I am sort of glad because we are getting new carpet soon and we would just have to take it apart probably. So once we get new carpet we will put everything together and I promise to take lots of pictures.

Sunday we went to church and had some barbecue and then headed home and basically cleaned and cleaned out the house for a few hours. Jason took down Christmas lights and I cleaned out our laundry room. I think I am in that 'nesting' phase, because I feel the need to clean out and organize every room and cabinet in our house right now. Goodwill is very fond of us right now. =) We also cleaned the downstairs really well since we were having company that night. Wes and Beth were in from Tulsa visiting family and friends. It was really good to see them and their son Hank. It has been so long since we have seen their little guy, I can't believe how big he has gotten! We got to hang out and go eat some Mexican food with them, so that was a great end to a nice weekend.

Last week I was feeling a little overwhelmed and worrying that I will never get everything done in time for the baby, but we are so lucky to have such great families and Jason helped me out so much this weekend. It makes me feel a lot more prepared, at least more than I was last week. I know we still have a lot to do, but at least we are getting closer!

Last Weekend

Last weekend Jason's parents came in to town to help us start getting things ready for their grandchild. Jason and I had put on a coat of Kilz the week before over the gold color we had painted it when we moved in. So on Saturday Jason and his dad spent the day painting it a new light green color called Christopher Robin's Swing. =) Yes, it is a Disney paint from Home Depot. Are you surprised? These aren't exactly before and after shots, but it will give you a better idea of the colors before and after.

The yellow room -


The green room, with tape still on the walls -


So just a little softer and it will go much better with the pink and browns in her nursery. =)

Jason's mom and I went shopping during this time to start procuring some necessities that Isabella will need soon. I bought some baby detergent and butterflies for the wall and Rhonda bought a changing table pad and covers for it, the cutest brown and pink polka dotted dress, a cute ceramic cross from Lone Star Baby, some onesies, letters that spell her name for the wall...have I mentioned that this kid is going to have some grandparents who spoil her? =) She is very lucky.

Saturday night we went out to dinner at the always excellent Houston's and Sunday Jason and I finished up with a coat of a creamier (basically half a shade darker than white) color on the white walls and did touch ups on the green. I personally think it looks great and that is one more thing to check off our list of never ending to dos lately.

This coming weekend my parents and Amanda and Jared are coming up to help. The boys are going to put the crib together and hang some blinds and fun stuff like that while the girls go buy the bedding and do some more crucial shopping. =) We also have to get carpet very soon in the nursery and office/guest bedroom. So much to do and the time is getting less and less! Will post more later when we have more done!

As promised...

So far so good on my resolution to post more. Here are the promised belly shots. I didn't realize how huge I looked until I saw these pictures last night! =) And yes, I am wearing plaid pajama pants with the shirt I wore to work. Don't make fun of me!


So I spent most of last night cleaning up what will be the nursery. We are so lucky to have so many awesome friends and family members who have already bought Isabella gifts. So last night I went through everything we had gotten and organized it and put it in the closet so Jason can start painting. Everything is so cute! I thought I would take a few pictures of some stuff we have gotten and share with you.

First off, just wanted to show that there is no prejudice in our household...


And of course, no baby girl of mine would have a complete wardrobe without some Disney paraphernalia...




Then here is a cute blanket from my mother in law and a cross that my mom bought for her room. If you can't tell, our colors are brown and pink and I am sort of in love with polka dots right now...


That's all for now. This week we start painting and I will try to get some before and after shots of the nursery.

I Heart New York

We have been meaning to go up to NYC for a while to visit one of my oldest friends Serena who lives there. We FINALLY were able to do that the first weekend of December this year and we had a blast for the most part. Maybe I should say I had a blast and Jason had fun part of the time...

We flew in on a Thursday night and went to Serena's place and went straight to bed cause it was pretty late and Serena - who just got a job working for the Tyra Banks show - had to get up and work. We were also told to expect crazy loud construction outside our window at 7 am. So off to bed we went and we woke up the next morning at like 8 something to no noise whatsoever! They must have known we were coming and decided to keep it down. =)

The first day since Serena was working, we struck out on our own. I had never been to the city when it was the holidays and I wanted to see the huge tree in Rockefeller Center and maybe catch a peek of Matt Lauer and the gang. So we bundled up - it was about 30 degrees the whole time we were there - and went to get some breakfast at Dean and Deluca while we watched Al Roker outside doing some cooking bit for the Today show.


Then Jason took lots of pictures of the tree and decorations with his new awesome camera. Here are a couple...

Here is a picture of me in front of 30 Rock trying not to freeze. =)


So after we had some breakfast, saw some celebs and took in the beautiful Christmas decorations, we went to the MOMA. The last time we were in town they were renovating it so they had it moved to Queens and it was about 1/10 the size of the real deal. The new MOMA is awesome! They had so much awesome art. Tons of Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh, Matisse, Warhol, Pollock, etc. Their newest exhibit was this huge room where there was a circular couch in the middle and these movies playing on the walls around the couch. You were invited to remove your shoes and hang out on the couch for as long as you wanted and to just experience your surroundings. So we laid down for a while at the end to rest. They also had a Van Gogh exhibit going on so we got to see that. They had paintings from all over the world brought in. A couple I had seen at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, but they had the famous Starry Night painting that everyone knows and I had never seen it. Van Gogh is my fave so that was a nice treat.

After the MOMA we went up 5th Avenue, still admiring all the beautiful decorations, and went to eat at this place called Pop Burger. Serena suggested it and it was DELICIOUS. Really good burgers and fries. Yum. After that we walked down to Time Square to get in line at the TKTS booth for some half price theater tickets. We got tickets for Avenue Q and then went back to Serena's to crash for a bit.

That night we met Serena at a place called Vynl, which was sort of a retro diner type place with really good food. They had some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had. Then we walked over to the theater and watched Avenue Q. It was hilARious. It is unlike any show I had seen. First, most of the characters are puppets, but not like a puppet show. Like the people controlling the puppets are walking around with the puppets and talking for them, but some of the characters are just normal people. Second, it is about the most un-PC thing you have ever seen. Which, of course, lends itself to huge laughs.

After the show we went to the Divine Bar across from Serena's place and had dessert and then headed home around 1, which is when things started to go downhill. As soon as we got in bed, Jason started feeling bad. Next thing I knew he was in the bathroom 'disposing' of everything he had eaten that day. Long story short, he had a pretty bad case of food poisoning that kept him up all night and in the bathroom about every 20 minutes puking. I have never seen him so sick and felt so awful for him and totally helpless to do anything for him. I just tried to ply him with water so he didn't get dehydrated. By about 9 am he was up, but no longer upchucking, however he basically spent all day on the couch watching football. Not the worse way to spend a Saturday for him, but I think he would have preferred to be out and about. He told me to go on and do stuff without him though, and I had already planned to see another show without him anyway - he isn't a huge musical fan, can you believe it? - so I went and stood in line again for tickets to see Gypsy. Now for those who don't keep up with the current Broadway goings on (I am guessing that is about 99% of my readers), Gypsy was revived earlier last year with Patty LuPone starring and it won tons of Tony awards so I was really excited about it.

Before the show, though, Serena and I went to meet her friend for brunch at this place in Chelsea or maybe the Village. Can't remember and now I can't even think of the name of it! Wish I could, cause it was great. It had a fire place and a jazz band and just a really cozy feel to it. When we walked in it was pretty much empty, but they told us we would have to eat at the bar because they had no room for us. We are looking around obviously confused, but turns out they had a tour bus of French tourists coming in soon that would fill the entire restaurant. So we ate at the bar, which was still very tasty and had a good time chatting until I had to go to my play. I got in a cab and uptown JUST as the curtain was going up and the play was AMAZING. I love musicals and plays and when I see a really good one that just gives me goose bumps, there is nothing better in the world at that moment. I loved it.

So after the play I just ran by Dwayne Reed (NYC's version of CVS) and got Jason some sprite and crackers and headed back to Serena's. He was still feeling really crummy so we ended up cancelling our dinner plans and me and Serena went to this Mediterranean restaurant down the street where you get like samplings of hummus, artichoke dip, elephant beans and all kinds of delicious things that you don't see a lot of in Dallas and it was so dang good. I so wish I could find a place like that around here. It is so great to get to expand your horizons beyond your bubble when you travel, but then you are always reminded when you get home that, oh yeah, you live in Dallas where there is like one Greek restaurant and it is in Plano. Oh well. Just gives me something to look forward to for next time.

So that night we watched the Big 12 championship, which we wouldn't have gotten to watch had Jason felt better, so at least that was good right? The next day Jason still felt kind of crummy, but Serena had procured floor tickets to the Nick's game at Madison Square Garden and he wasn't about to miss that. So we met Serena's friend there and had a great time. I have never been that close to the action before and we were like five rows away from David Duchovney and Tea Leoni sitting with their two kids, as well as Spike Lee and his son. Pretty cool.

After the game we did a little window shopping around Macy's and Sak's and back up to Rockafeller Center to go to the top of the rock. It is a new observation deck at the top of that building sort of like the Empire State Buildings. So we went up to see that and then we walked back to Serena's and just ordered in food since Jason still wasn't 100%.

The next day, sadly, we had to leave. Jason still wasn't feeling super, so we just got up and went to the airport to try to get on an earlier flight home. I guess no one is flying cause all standby people got on the flight and there was tons of room to spare! So we got home around 5, got something to eat and I am pretty sure we were in bed by around 8 pm. Not sure what made Jason so sick, but he has made a full recovery and hopefully it won't be another 5 years before he gets to go again. Thanks Serena for being so hospitable! We love you!

Resolution I Promise!

Ok, so I realize I still haven't been very good about posting belly pics on here even though I promised I would be. I have had a lot of people on me about it so I am making a new resolution this year to post belly pics at LEAST every two weeks from here on out. I don't actually have any right now, not any new ones at least, but I will take some tonight and post tomorrow. Is it a deal? I also have not yet written my blog on our trip to NYC and I do have some pics from that so I will do that post today and then belly pics tomorrow. So stay tuned!