We're halfway there!

Not a lot has gone on the last 2 weeks. Life has continued to be very busy as Joe crunches numbers, trying to push through to the tax deadlines. This season comes around every year and we have learned how to adjust pretty well. I will say, selfishly, I enjoy not having to think about dinner and what to cook (or try to cook). However, I will be glad when life is a little bit more normal.

Which...leads me to my next point...life will actually be very abnormal (in a good way) in just under 20 weeks! That's right! I hit the half-way point of my pregnancy. It has flown by and I can say I have enjoyed the last 20 weeks so I hope I can say the same about these next 20 weeks! Here is a picture marking the half-way point of our little one's growth (and my growth...).

A Happy Happy Birthday

Celebration for my birthday started last Saturday, but the actual day was yesterday (Feb 24) and it was incredible!

Joe and I found out that we are having a baby BOY!

We planned my ultrasound appointment for my birthday as I knew there would be no greater gift than finding out what our little bit was! He cooperated VERY well. Not only could we tell that he was a boy, we were also able to see how well he was developing. Everything measured as it should, his heart had 4 chambers and a great heartbeat, and there were 10 fingers and 10 precious toes! We are so excited about this little guy and can't wait to start picking things out for him...starting with his name. :)

We also continued our celebration by going to dinner with our families. It was such a sweet time as our parents were so excited about the news of our baby boy. Joe's family had a special excitement as this keeps their boy/girl ratio with the boys dominating. :) Our baby boy also got several little gifts from each of our family members. My mom gave him a baseball photo album...we only hope he will have Joe's athleticism to be able to capture some baseball moments. :) Mrs. Denson gave me some of the sweetest outfits that Joe had worn as a baby. It's so special to think our baby can wear his daddy's clothes (Joe was mortified that he wore some of these things). Also, Mrs. Sara (Joe's grandmother) gave him several goodies, most of which were centered around the family's love for Bama! And Lura (my soon to be sister-in-law) gave him some of her old books from her childhood which was so special.

We continue to be so thankful for this sweet baby boy and never want to cease to thank the Lord for this gift! Thank you all again for your prayers yesterday. I am thankful for all of you!

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The Beginning of the Birthday Week

I usually don't get into birthdays but I was so excited when Joe said he had plans for my birthday (a few days early). On Saturday Joe and I celebrated by having a whole day together. Those days are few and far between as our lives are always so busy. Joe planned the whole day out.

First, went to the Original Pancake House which is one of our favorites! We then went to the Zoo which was fun and reminded me of our dating days. We had lunch at another great restaurant the Crepe Myrtle Cafe. While we ate lunch, Joe told me our next stop was a maternity shop in Homewood for shopping!!! As you all know, this was a huge surprise to me as Joe has never encouraged me to shop...it usually comes very naturally, with no prompting from anyone. We ended our day together by seeing the movie Avatar! That night we met my family for dinner. My birthday pick every year is Brio, so this year was no different.

Below are a few pictures from our day!

- I was a little freaked out that peacocks were walking around the Zoo freely!

- Joe, a kid at heart, went in to pet the rhino. I chose to stay back.

- Joe and I at dinner, ending our day.

Ode to the bump

Let me start by saying, I do LOVE being pregnant and consider it a complete blessing from the Lord. With that being said, I do wish I had prepared myself (if it's at all possible) for the "changes" I would be going through during this wonderful process. I think my issue with the changes is how they crept up on me.

One day my jeans fit fine... the next, disaster. One day Spanx were the most ingenious invention...the next, the most awkward and uncomfortable. One day my size S sorority or youth t-shirts were the perfect fit...the next, Joe's size L's became the perfect fit.

I guess I thought the growth of the bump would be a little more gradual but for me it was overnight! It could be because of the delivery of the girl scout cookies and the weekly (sometimes multiple times a week) Chic-fil-a biscuit runs, but I am hoping that it is because my little bit is growing strong!

I mentioned there were a few changes, but thankfully the emotional ones (which definitely peaked a few weeks ago) are gone and now I'm just coasting through with the physical changes. I'm sure there are several moms out there that are laughing b/c I'm sure I've only gotten a glimpse of the true emotional changes but just let me dream that the Jekyl and Hyde part of my pregnancy has ended...at least let's tell Joe it's ended. :)

Oh and one last update/prayer request. We find out next week whether little bit is a boy or girl. I am so excited about this appointment but in all my ignorance did not realize how important this appointment was in finding out about the health of our baby. Please pray with us that little bit is healthy and developing as she/he should. Thank you all!

The Last Few Months...and a Great Blessing

I bet everyone has wondered where I've been the last few months...well where in the blogging world. I have definitely dropped the ball on blogging and frankly just felt I was running out of any interesting material (not that the previous posts had been that interesting).

I also got very busy with with the rush of the holidays and tried every moment that I could to take it all in. I didn't want to miss out on the true meaning of Christmas and the time I could reflect on Christ's first coming! I always feel like I let Christmas pass me by because I'm too distracted with the glitz and glam of the season. This year was somewhat the same as years past, but I did find more time to stop and thank God for His son, for the blessings He's given me, and for His grace and mercies each day!

One blessing that I am so thankful for is the blessing of life! Yes, that is right. I am going to have a BABY! Baby Denson is due July 28.

Joe and I are so excited and have been praying for this child for a very long time. We had the pleasure of sharing with both of our families at Christmas and can I say, that was exciting! This is the first grandchild on both sides so we know he or she will be showered with love (and probably lots of toys).

We are so thankful for our family and friends who had been praying with us over the last several months. I know there were times I was very discouraged but mostly there were the times that I felt so light because I knew I was not carrying a burden on my own. God truly showed Joe and I what it meant to "cast all of our anxieties on Him"! It took us surrendering our timeline, our plans, our "wants" to Him and trusting him with each day. He had a perfect plan!

I can't wait to keep you all updated. We should find out in late February whether our little poppy seed (well that's what we started calling him/her at the beginning of the pregnancy, but we should definitely be bigger than a poppy seed now!!!) is a boy or girl!

Fall Update: FOOTBALL

As most of you can imagine, we have spent every weekend in some way consumed with FOOTBALL. I am not complaining...especially when it means we get to go to the games because I love spending time with friends and family and every game includes one or the other!

This football season started with a great weekend at DreamRanch in Guntersville with our dear friends the Johnstons, Glasscocks, and Picklesimers. It was a great way to start the season and great get-a-way for me and Joe as he has continued to be busy with work. We honestly felt like we were on a mini vacation as we were tucked away on a mountain in Guntersville. It was so beautiful and serene! And of course it helped (for the boys) that Bama did win their first game of the season (VA Tech...I think). We had an overall great weekend. Here are a few pictures from our time with our friends:

A few weekends later, we went to Oxford, MS to see our friends, Hannah and Daniel (see post below). We have made it a tradition to go to Oxford once a year for a football game and of course to spend time with our friends who we've missed so much. This year met all expectations that had been made from the years before! We had a great time with Hannah and Daniel, "groving", eating, facebook stalking, eating, and of course eating! We discovered some amazing restaurants in Oxford, one which has made it on my favorites list, Volta. The Stephensons are always amazing hosts and are ready to entertain. Oxford was a bit chaotic because of of the Bama/Ole Miss game and supposedly had the biggest turn out ever for a game. Despite the rainy and cold weather we enjoyed our time with the Stephensons and again...a winning football game.

We didn't take pictures at the SC game which was Homecoming, but it was a fun and eventful game as well. The team won again and we had a great time with Joe's family. It's never a dull moment when all of the Denson boys are together. :)

Next up was Tennessee. It was a beautiful day for a football game! We got to see Stephen and Stephanie since we parked at Stephanie's house (Thanks Steph!). We hung out with them for a while and got to see Natalie and Patton, who also took advantage of Stephanie's house...only 2 blocks from the stadium! We then met up with Joe's brothers and dad for some quick tailgating and then it was off to the game. Again, a great day with friends and family...and another (close) win for Bama.

Ole Miss Bound!

I haven't had a lot to post about in recent weeks so I thought I'd update you all on our weekend away! Over the past 2 years we have managed to go to Oxford for an Ole Miss game. Year 1 was to see Bama vs. Ole Miss and Year 2 was to see Samford vs. Ole Miss. Well today we leave for Year 3 (Bama vs. Ole Miss again). The best part about this weekend is not football...oh no. It's being with our dear friends Hannah and Daniel (aka Haniel). They moved to Oxford 3 years ago for Daniel to go to Law School. We have missed them greatly but look forward to this annual reunion! Here are a few pictures from last year.