What I've been up to Lately

Hello friends and family - it's been a while!  These past few weeks have been pretty busy for us.  I can't write a whole lot about everything, but care for some highlights?

• A few weeks ago, Lacey and I went on a little road trip to go visit my dear friend Nicole (and her adorable daughter Evie) in New Orleans!  We had an absolutely wonderful time!
• A lot of my free time has been spent knitting (I'm knitting Christmas gifts this year for some of the women in my family and Blake).  
• I'm also reading a wonderful little book called A Mother's Rule of Life.  I'll write later about how it's helping me with my vocation as a wife and mother!

Thanksgiving and Lacey's Baptism

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this past Thursday.  We went to lunch at Blake's grandparents' house in Baldwin, and baptized Lacey that afternoon.  Most of our family was able to make it, including my family and grandparents!  Here are a few pictures from Lacey's baptism!

Lacey wore the baptismal gown that my great-grandmother made for me!



It was so special for Blake's grandfather to baptize another great-grandchild!

Lacey's godparents, Herb and Catherine!

The Steiner family!

The Chauvin family!

Isabelle just LOVES to kiss Lacey every chance she can get!

Our little family!



Isabelle sleeping on her Uncle Eric!



Catherine, me, and Ariel!



We're so happy to welcome Lacey into the Catholic faith!  May she grow in wisdom and in grace, and may God bless her always!



A Very Happy Birthday to Me!

Well yesterday was my birthday, and I had a wonderful day!

Since we go to Blake's parents' house just about every Wednesday for Family Night, we celebrated my birthday then.  Blake's mom was there, as well as Ariel, Catherine, Ethan, John Michael, Maw-Maw Gerry and Paw-Paw Harry, and Blake (of course).  My wonderful mother-in-law made my favorite dinner, rice and gravy (with macaroni and cheese and green beans on the side).  I got some wonderful presents and had very delicious and addicting ice cream cake for dessert! 

Yesterday, my actual birthday, Isabelle had an extra-stinky present for me when I woke up (but she did let me sleep late, so I can't complain too much)!  After making a quick donut run to Meche's, we came home and ate our breakfast before heading out again.  I've been wanting a new Miraculous Medal for a while, so we went to the Rosary House to look.  By the time I picked one out and we were leaving, Isabelle had made friends with everyone who worked there (especially the nice old lady in the red shirt).  Isabelle was literally clinging to this woman (who didn't mind in the least, I'm pretty sure Isabelle made her day) and did not want to come home with me!  It was too funny!

We did a little grocery shopping, errand-running, and housework.  I also found some baskets that will be perfect for my changing station (I'm majorly nesting right now, but I'll write about that in a different post).  Thanks to the rice and gravy leftovers Mrs. Michelle sent, I didn't have to cook!  In the evening, I took Isabelle out for a little walk around the block to enjoy the beautiful cool weather and the amazing sunset! 

The day's only bummer was that Blake had to stay at work late to be at a meeting.  But he got out a little earlier than he thought, and made it home in time to catch the end of a little family dinner with me and Isabelle.  He wanted to take me out to eat or bring home some take-out from Chili's, but since he didn't know what time he was getting out of his meeting, it was a little difficult to plan.  But he said he's going to take me out to dinner soon (hopefully before Lacey comes, lol)!

I love checking facebook on my birthday.  It means so much to me that my family and friends took the time to call, text, or write on my wall wishing me a happy birthday!  Even the people I haven't seen since middle-school made me smile yesterday.  I had a wonderful day, and I'm so thankful for my life, my family, and my friends!

Isabelle's First Birthday Party

Sunday we celebrated Isabelle's first birthday at Blake's parents' house!  It was mostly family (and just a few friends), and we had a wonderful time! 

Our little (growing) family!

My First Night Apart from Isabelle

So Friday, Blake's dad offered us some LSU football tickets for Saturday's game against West Virginia!  We really wanted to go, but what to do with the munchkin?  It was an 8:00 game, so bringing her with us wasn't going to happen.  We decided to leave her at Blake's parents' house with Mrs. Michelle and Catherine.  Overnight.  For the first time.  Ever.

Maybe it's not a big deal for those of you who are experienced parents, but being away from her for an entire day and night was a big deal for me.   I guess part of it was that I felt guilty - like I was dumping her off on Blake's mom so we could go have fun and enjoy the football game.  But the reality of our situation is that leaving Isabelle for a night is inevitable.  With Lacey's due date quickly approaching (I'll be considered full-term only 4 weeks from today!!), I'm going to have to get used to the idea of leaving Isabelle for a little while.  So this Saturday was good practice for both of us. 

My Poor, Sick Baby

Well, I haven't really blogged in a few days because I've been taking care of Isabelle, who has had a high, unexplained fever for the past few days.  And as I've really been trying to focus on taking care of her and myself, I've let my blogging, not to mention my housework, slide for a few days.

Blake's Birthday Dinner at Mr. Lester's

Well we had a wonderful evening last night!  Blake's grandparents took us out for Blake's and Gregory's birthdays at Mr. Lester's Steakhouse at the casino!  The food was amazing, and we had a really great time!  Maw-Maw Gerry and Paw-Paw Harry are also going to be celebrating their 48th anniversary sometime soon (not sure about the actual date), so we were also celebrating that, and they also mentioned to our waiter that Ariel and I were expecting - so when it came time to order dessert, they brought out three of their "Birthday Bombs" - chocolate cake topped with a chocolate mousse, covered in whipped cream, and topped with a candle!  It was so much fun!

Baby Cribs, Sleeping through the Night, and an iPhone!

Well the baby crib I ordered finally came in, and though I haven't sold that queen bed and the yellow furniture quite yet, I managed to move some pieces to the office to make room for the crib.  Blake set it up a few nights ago, and it's absolutely gorgeous!  And Blake started priming my changing table so I can paint it (he has to prime it because the primer is oil-based, and pregnant women aren't supposed to use those)!  I'm very far from having the nursery the way I want it, but we're slowly making progress!

Cajun Dancing, New Babies, and a Great Weekend!

This weekend turned out to be so great!

Friday was Blake's grandparents' 50th anniversary, and Blake's parents and aunt and uncle threw them a beautiful party at Poche Bridge Country Club!  They renewed their vows, cut the cake, did a traditional "wedding march," and danced the night away to their favorite Cajun band!  The venue was beautiful, the food was delicious, the music was outstanding, and their family was all there - what more could you ask for?

Ariel and Gregory's Wedding Day, and some Thoughts on Marriage

Saturday was a wonderful day.  Blake's brother Gregory got married, making Ariel my new "sister!!"  It was such a beautiful wedding!  This was the first time I was actually in a wedding, and it was SO much fun!  I got to get my hair and nails done, and get in my pretty bridesmaid dress and hang out with Ariel while she got ready!  Since Blake was in the wedding too (he was the BEST man), we dropped Isabelle off with two of our very good friends, Rhiannon and Grant (thank you guys for taking good care of my little munchkin!).

Ariel was stunning.  Her dress was gorgeous, but it was nothing compared to the beauty that just radiates from a bride on her wedding day!  Everyone looked so beautiful and handsome, and I was really happy with the way our dresses turned out.  They were made to fit us, so mine fit perfectly - baby bump and all!

Crawfish Boil, minus the Crawfish (for me, at least)

I don't like crawfish.  They're gross, disgusting little bugs who crawl around in the mud eating other fish's poop.  I don't like the smell, I don't like the taste, I don't even like the way they look.  But I did have a great time at Ms. Anita's crawfish boil yesterday!  And I actually took some pictures this time!

Me & Baby Bean, Isabelle, and Hayley & Baby Hicks!

Bachelorette Fun!

Friday was Ariel's bachelorette party, and it was a blast!  Her Aunt Missy hosted it at her beautiful home (the same place as her bridal shower), only it was mostly outside on the porch and around the pool. 

They had wine, margaritas, and a delicious punch drink (for those who couldn't have alcohol).  Everyone brought something to eat, and I brought a queso dip similar to Chili's Skillet Queso - it turned out to be very good, though my poor tummy didn't take so kindly to something, and was hurting most of the night. 

My First "Official" Mother's Day

Sunday was my first "official" Mother's Day!  And though last year I was pregnant but still considered myself a mother, I feel like I've earned my Mother's Day this year, lol!  It's a different feeling - last year was like "Oh, hey, I'm a mother, and it's Mother's Day, isn't this fun?" compared to this year, when I've had the experience of going through a very painful natural labor and delivery, waking up at all hours of the night for feedings, changing hundreds of diapers, taking my baby to the doctor and spending days worrying about her when she was sick, and not to mention going through the fatigue and morning sickness because I'm about to do it alllll over again, lol!  I just feel like this year, I'm REALLY a mother - and what a wonderful gift!   This is one of my favorite quotes on the privilege and dignity of motherhood:

A Very Busy Weekend

So this weekend was a busy one - Blake was supposed to go play paintball with the guys on Saturday, but when it looked like the game was going to be rained out, he made plans to go to my parents' house in Baton Rouge.  The weather turned out to be nice, but he ended up spending a good part of the day cleaning out his truck and taking care of some things around the house.  We ended up getting to Baton Rouge really late, but Blake took us out to eat at one of our favorite places, Portobello's Grill (this was where we had our rehearsal dinner)!  I ordered my favorite dish, the Chicken Bianco, and it was amazing.