Pre-Christmas Festivities in Iowa

After we all got in, we took a day trip to Des Moines to shop in the afternoon and then go out for dinner before seeing this great comedy, Triple Espresso.  If you haven't seen it and they are in a city near you, you HAVE to go!  It is hilarious and so much fun, and totally clean...and that takes creativity and a great sense of humor!  I highly recommend it.  We all loved it, even Ava, who was kicking enough for my sister Jennie to feel her :)  

Travis and I at the restaurant, Centro.  It was YUMMY.  I could have eaten that bread all night!!

Stacie and Jesse, feeling much better after the travel day from you-know-where!  Finally Jesse was not in pain.

Jennie and Dave.  It was a nice break for Dave to be a patron at a restaurant, instead of in charge.  He is the sales manager (I think that's right) at Olive Garden, so he knows all the stress and work behind the scenes. *** Updated, I've been corrected, Dave is the culinary manager now :) ***

My Dad and Mom, the gracious gift givers.  Thanks for such a fun day and night out!  It's so fun to all be together, laughing and making memories :) 

And this was how we left poor Ryley, seconds after he realized we were all getting in the car and he wasn't.  Is that not the most pathetic look you have ever seen??  Good thing he's loved and spoiled rotten!!  

SiX MoNtHs!!

This week I am 24 weeks or 6 months pregnant already!! Where is the time going??

As you may have guessed from the picture, Ava is now about the size of an ear of corn! We thought that was fitting, as we are in Iowa this week at my parents house, home of many fields of corn. She is almost 12 inches long and she gained approximately 4 ounces last week. Judging from the number on the scale at my visit on Friday, one of us has gained a lot more than a few ounces :) She is definitely growing and I am continuing to feel her move more and more. I've figured out when she's awake and when she's sleeping and so far we seem to have our schedules in sync! But I am holding to that loosely because I am sure when she makes her little debut in April, she will be like most newborns who are completely confused by day and night. Oh well. At least she's letting me sleep right now! I am hoping she will get really active this week so my family can feel her move too. Speaking of family, we are all home, for the first time since the wedding in June and we are ready for a great week together! Getting here was another story however...

It is a winter wonderland in Iowa right now, there is so much snow on the ground, over 12" in many places. Travis and I came down on Sunday afternoon, after carefully watching the online reports from the DOT, and Stacie and Jesse were supposed to fly in from North Carolina, but we got a call from them in the morning, after they found out that all flights into Iowa were cancelled. Major bummer. They were able to get a flight yesterday, but had to add a leg through Atlanta, just to make that happen. We got a text saying they were on their first flight ok, and then the next call we got was not so great. Poor Jesse had a bad toothache, which required some vicodin, and he spent the morning throwing up on the plane, on each leg of the flight, from Raleigh to Atlanta to Cincinatti to Cedar Rapids. You can imagine how much fun they were having at each point! Stacie had to get him from gate to gate and manage all their bags and poor Jesse was in growing agony. They finally landed yesterday afternoon and my Dad and sister went to pick them up. Because it's the holidays and because it was already a horrible 24 hours, the next piece of news was just par for the course. In the shuffle of all the flights, they lost their luggage, with all their clothes and all their gifts. We have yet to see them show up at our door, but they were promised by 2:00 this afternoon, so we'll see. Also upon landing, my Dad had to take Jesse straight to the dentist for an emergency appointment to see what the problem was. Unfortunately for him, the problem is requiring a root canal and the first appointment he can get is on New Year's Eve. Merry Christmas!!! He is out of pain for now and has a temporary "fix" until then, but needless to say, it was not a great 24 hours for Stacie and Jesse and we are all very, very glad to have them here!!

My Mom and I decided to make sugar cookies yesterday, while we waited for updates from the travelers :) I was happily in my jammies for most of the day!!

Last night, my sisters Jennie, Stacie and I, along with our "surrogate sister" Cady, decorated them. We realized we forgot to pick up some cute sprinkles, so we had to work with what we could find :)

I think they ended up pretty cute anyway! As you can see we were working with a red, green and blue palatte...sort of Christmasy ??? Anyway, we are all heading to Des Moines today for some shopping and to see Triple Espresso tonight. I'll take lots of pictures and update tomorrow. Hope you are having a blessed week! Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Tour 2008

Well, I didn't quite get my act together this week to participate in BooMama's Tour of Homes, but I thought I would still take some pictures and give you my own tour.  This way, instead of being on a list with 900+ people (yes, there are that many!) I will stand alone for my 10 readers to enjoy :)  Welcome to The Armstrong's House!

  

Our front door...remember we live in a condo, so our door is in a hallway, with green walls that work well with Christmas decorations.   I stood out here in my jammies this morning, praying my neighbors wouldn't open their doors and see me!  

The view of our front door, from the inside.  I bought that new wreath this year,  it goes with our tree, but I never did anything more with it except put a bow on it...Oh well, here's to next year!

Right inside our door, next to our entry mirror.  That "let is snow" sign has always been one of my favorite things.  It's especially fitting now that we live in Minnesota.

The name of my game this year is "SIMPLE."  I scaled way back on everything and made my decorating easy on myself.  I was just too tired to go overboard!  This is our hutch, inside our front door.  Normally I would empty it and fill it with Christmas greens and Christmas things, but this year, I just added some sparkly berry wreaths to all my candles and a little ribbon.

  
My favorite thing every year is my Willow Tree nativity.  This year I put it on our dining room table, which I really liked.  My parents have bought us new pieces every year to add and I don't have too many more to go.  I love the idea of keeping this on our table, because it's a great centerpiece and a way to keep Christ in our celebrating :)  

I hardly did anything in my kitchen, but I always put this Christmas frame somewhere with our picture from 2005.  Last year my cousin gave me those cute mugs from Caribou and that little Christmas mouse always seems to land somewhere too :)  I'm thinking I might come up with something creative for Ava next year involving that mouse...it's so cute and I love hearing about some traditions that involve a little animal showing up all over the house counting down to Christmas.  I can't wait to start fun things like that with her and she must be excited too, because at this very minute, she must be doing flips in my stomach!!

My little ornament set worked on our stove this year :)  They are actually place card holders, but I like them better on a shelf or something.  I got those on an after Christmas sale for like $5 one year! 

Ryley's stocking, and yes, we fill it with treats for him!  I bought this at a dog boutique in Texas a few years ago and I LOVE it!  I'm just sure he does too!

Our stockings and our "mantle."  We don't have a fireplace in our condo, so we use this bar height counter.  We got those stockings our first year of marriage, but I think next year, I'll order some new ones when we pick out Ava's .  I like them, but I'd like some new ones with our names on them.  

We've got just enough spots for the three of us and an extra hanger for Ava next year!  I love that red and white Church.  We got that a few years ago and I love to put it out every year. 

I put our stack of Christmas cards on that bottom shelf.  I am one of those people who LOVE Christmas cards and I keep every single one that we get.  I put them in a book every year, so we can look at all the people we love from year to year.  So if you send me a card, you can rest assured that we are enjoying it and will be keeping it!  

A view into our Living Room (with a bonus celebrity reading his Bible).  Like I said, we kept it SIMPLE this year :) 

Our tree and some gifts underneath it.  We went with the easiest option this year and bought a fake, pre-lit one.  It's great and we've been really happy with it.  I miss my fresh tree, but they are just too hard to deal with in our second floor condo!  

I thought I'd show you some of our favorite ornaments.  This is one my Mom and Dad found for us and gave us on our first Christmas.  It's so cute, I always love to hang it in the front!

This is one of Travis' favorite.  I found it in a darling store in Texas.  We have lots and lots of Texas ornaments on our tree and I'm glad we do.  They remind us of Travy's "roots" :)  

Last year, we found this willow tree angel holding a little baby.  We got it to represent the baby we lost last fall.  We don't dwell on that much, the Lord has really healed our hearts and obviously replaced our sorrow with great joy this year.  But, I would love to keep this on our tree from year to year so we don't forget that we have a baby waiting in Heaven for us too :) 

Our "A" for Armstrong, although this year it could work for Ava too!  I haven't gotten any ornaments for her yet, but I'll probably look for some after Christmas.  

And of course Ryley has a spot too.  We always show this to him every year and he usually licks it, then walks away.   We got him in 2004, so I love that this one is personalized for him :) 

My lame-o end table.  Usually, I make arrangements for all my tables with fresh greens and berries, but this year I lost the motivation.  I made some for my cousins, but I ran out of steam for our house.  This candle is the best I could come up with :)  It's low maintenance, which reigned supreme this year!

A Christmas pillow on our couch.  The other side says "Be jolly."  Travis reminded me of it's message the other night when I was particularly crabby.  I'm not sure I needed to have it read to me.  That may have made me more crabby :) 

Again, a spot usually brimming with fresh greens, but this year, not so much.  My little bucket is holding our remotes instead!

I love to have Christmas candles all over the place and I like having wreaths around my candles to dress them up.

You can't really tell very well in this picture, but these candles are so beautiful.  They are covered in glitter and sparkles.  They look much better in person. 

Another bonus celebrity on our tour, the "world's best dog" himself!   Doesn't he look thrilled to have you over for the tour??  He must be tired, normally he'd be trying to sniff you and bring you a toy to throw...

As you can see, we have the perfect weather this morning for a tour.  It's snowing like crazy outside and it is gorgeous!  I'm so thrilled with the timing, because it just makes my Christmas house and Christmas carols all the more fitting!  

We are in the middle of a snow storm, so by tomorrow night, we should have 4-8 additional inches outside.  Bring it on!!  It's Christmas and it's supposed to be snowy outside.  Be thankful that you could take this tour from your computer though, as it may have been hard for you to get to me.  Hope you enjoyed the Christmas Tour of '08!  We wish you a very Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!

Christmas Cuties

Thursday was my last day with my little guys until after Christmas break, so of course that meant it was "present day!"  They didn't know that until after Barrett woke up from his nap and Finn got home from school...then they spotted their stack of gifts on the kitchen counter and from that point on, it was torture for them until I let them open them!  Ben was at school when we did this, so I didn't get a picture of him.  I will miss these little guys for the week I'm off, but it is so nice to have a break too :)  

Barrett with his gifts.  He kept asking me, "Now Stephie?? Now can I open?? My turn yet??"

And cute little Finn, who was just as excited as Barrett, if not more.  He was talking a mile a minute, explaining to Barrett how to open a present, as if ripping it open needs an explanation!

Seriously, am I bad or what?  I kept making them take pictures before I let them open them :)  This is Barrettt trying to cooperate, but so excited he can't stand it!

So sweet...this was our best attempt at a picture :)  I just love them.  Ava is going to love them too!

Finn wanted to take our picture and he did a good job!  Isn't Barrett just the cutest thing??

And of course Barrett had to have a turn too.  He didn't do a bad job for being 2 1/2 :)  I'm not totally cut off!

And here are some funny junior highers with Travis, at our annual "Wacky, Tacky Christmas Party" on Wednesday night.  These are some of the kids who dressed up :)  

Oh the Hustle and the Bustle...

What would December be without crazy schedules, errands that never end, and the anticipation of a Christmas vacation???  We are just coming off all of that and almost ready to leave the hustle and bustle behind, but not yet :)  We've had a great week, but we are both so tired, and so thankful that it's almost over!  

Tomorrow starts our vacation (for the most part) and we cannot wait!!  We have a fun day planned for just the two of us...an extended date you might say.  We were so blessed by someone, we don't know who, with several generous gift cards and so tomorrow we will be spending them by shopping, eating out and going to a movie.  We've been so busy, I feel like I've hardly seen Trav lately, so I'm glad to have him all to myself tomorrow.  We'll also get to hear little Ava's heartbeat tomorrow at my 24 week check, which always makes our day :)  Then I'm getting a much needed trim from my favorite hairstylist (and friend) and then we're off to spend free money!  The best part is that we can sleep in tomorrow morning a little bit, something we haven't been able to do lately.  It kind of makes me want to get my jammies on now just to extend it! 

Tonight we are going to our Church Christmas concert.  I have been working for the last 2 nights after work, decorating the stage.  We came up with something new to try, which I'm very happy with, but it was almost the death of me.  You know how you have something designed in your head, but when it comes time to flesh it out, it isn't working like you thought?  Let's just say that I've had several waves of panic in the last 48 hours, but it all got done and no one has called to tell me that it fell apart today!  I'll try to get some pictures tonight, if I can remember, but given how tired I am, I am making no promises :)  

On top of this busy week, I am coming down with a cold.  It doesn't surprise me, it's FREEZING here, literally the high on Monday was -10, with a wind chill of like -20 or something??  It's hard to stay well when you're constantly going in and out of the cold, but I have been trying to bundle up as best I can.  I really should take a picture of me in my winter jacket...it's so tight now and so funny looking!  I'm literally poured into it :)  I am going to be on the lookout for a maternity coat after Christmas, but that is not an easy task.  They aren't very cute and I need a really warm one to survive here!  We have tons of snow and we're getting a big storm tonight...it's really beautiful outside.  I'm also desperately in need of some boots, so I will be purchasing some tomorrow.  It's impossible to live here without a good pair and especially when you're pregnant!  It would not be good if I fell on the ice.  I'm also getting to the point of not being able to bend over and tie my shoes without pain, so I'm looking for easy on and easy off...style is really out the window at this point!  

I hope you've had a great week, without too much stress.  I keep trying to remind myself of why we celebrate Christmas and what the point of all this is when I get overwhelmed.  It's so hard not to neglect time with Him just because I have a long to-do list.  But this season is truly all about Him, so I'm looking forward to worshipping tonight and just making my heart quiet before Him... He is the reason for the season after all.  I so badly don't want Him to get my leftovers, but I'm so close to that with the pace I've been keeping... the good news is, it's never too late to correct that.  Hoping you are enjoying this cold night.  Blessings to all my blog friends!

Mango Baby

23 Weeks today!!  Isn't God amazing?  I am loving this phase of pregnancy, it is so fun to see how much I'm growing and to be feeling Ava all the time now.  She is quite the acrobat these days!  All of the sudden, I am very aware of when she is awake and when she is asleep.  Sometimes I swear she must be doing flips in there because she's kicking me all over my stomach :)  Travis has been able to feel her move twice, which was very sweet for him.  He was hoping that would be his Christmas present, but I was sure he wouldn't have to wait that long.  She's just been so active these last few days and I'm certain she already loves her daddy!  We read today that she is over a pound, about 11 inches long and the size of a large mango.  I'd like to add that she's also as sweet as a mango :)  I'm speaking that prophetically!  

Travis was such a big help to me this weekend and we were able to finish every single gift on our shopping list!!  I'm so proud of myself for being this organized, this soon.  It really makes my week more fun to not have that pressure weighing on me.  Now we can enjoy these days leading up to Christmas, instead of being stressed!

Today Travis and I had such a sweet, unexpected blessing waiting for us.  After Church, we found a gift in front of Trav's office, with an anonymous note and 3 VERY generous gift cards.  It was such an incredible gift and everything in me wishes I could know who it was from so that I could thank them.  But, I know that through their generosity we were so blessed and I'm praying that the Lord will bless them greatly in return.  We are so thankful for the people in our lives who are such an encouragement to us.  What a wonderful treat that was to us!

Today I was just mulling that over and thinking about how we'll teach Ava to appreciate unexpected gifts and how we'll demonstrate giving with a generous heart to her.  There are times when fear grips me about being a parent.  When I put such pressure on myself to not "screw it up" and to get everything right with our first baby.  But I'm reminded quickly of how short I will fall when I make perfection my standard.  Today we talked about grace and legalism in Church and our Pastor walked us through truth from scripture to help correct our tainted thinking.  He reminded us that we don't live performance based lives as Christians.  Nothing we do can make God love us more and nothing we do can make Him love us less.  Our performance has nothing to do with His gift of grace.  Not only does that bring freedom from guilt, but it reminded me that perfection is not a goal!  It also freed me from some of the fear that we're going to make a mistake and "mess up" Ava :)  Mistakes are inevitable, but we don't face condemnation when we are in Christ.  Grace doesn't give us a license to do what we want, but it does allow us to enjoy an honest relationship with the Lord, regardless of how wrong or right we are in our actions.  I find great rest in that truth, in knowing that we'll do our best to seek the Lord as we raise Ava and to do what we believe the Lord wants us to do with her.  We don't have to buy in to any programs or philosophies, we just have to go before the Lord everyday and seek his wisdom in the practical, everyday things.  He'll help us in the big things when we're faithful in the small things.  What a relief :)  All the books and the articles and the experts are full of things to say, but if we listen to nothing but the truth of God's word, we will always find wisdom.  

Lots to ponder on a Sunday night, but welcome to the hardest job on earth, right?  Being a parent.   

Have a wonderful week before Christmas!  Back to addressing my Christmas cards...

Blessed To Be A Blessing

I wanted to share with you one of the great joys in my life, the blessing of 8 sweet women who are so dear to me.  They are the wives of the other Pastors at Grace and they are precious to me in every sense of the word.  I realize what a gift it is to have other women to walk alongside of, especially in a staff role.  We haven't always had that privilege, but at Grace we have been so blessed to love and respect the people we serve with.  From day one, these women have been so kind to me and have welcomed me with open arms.  

Our group has changed over these last few years as the Lord moved, but with every new addition and loss, I have praised Him for allowing me the great privilege of knowing so many dear women, whom I have LOTS to learn from and admire.  Just when I want to complain and argue with the Lord about some of the sacrifices of being married to a Pastor, I see one of my friends so graciously serving and allowing her husband to be freed up to serve as well.  I love the diversity of this group and the bond that brings us together.  I was so caught up by that today as I sat among them at our Women's Brunch at Church.  The Lord didn't have to pour His blessings out in this way, but he did and Travis and I are so grateful and so thankful to be where He's called us.  Our fellow staff friends are often the source of encouragement we need when the days are tough and the challenges many.  

I know this season won't last forever, but for right now, I am LOVING it and I am GRATEFUL for each of my sweet friends.  We got a picture of our group today, which is always a challenge with a bunch of women!!  We had such a great morning together with 400+ ladies, eating, talking, listening to some beautiful music and hearing our Senior Pastor's wife Cheri, speak about Immanuel, God with us.  She so beautifully reminded me of why as Christ followers, our Christmas is indeed "merry."  Christ has come, to us, our salvation is here...Is there any greater reason to celebrate than that??  

You'll appreciate the following shots while you understand what it takes to get 9 women ready for a picture at the same time :)  

Perfect!  It only took us 5 tries to get this shot :)  At least we kept trying!!

One of the 58 tables.  I was able to use some of the inventory we already had at Church and just "spruce it up" a little bit.  I like doing that because it's good to remember that we don't always have to have something new!  You can bring new life to old things with just a little creativity :) 

Centerpiece #1-A hurricane with a candle and various berry garlands.  Simple.

Centerpiece #2 -SO easy and inexpensive for your table!  One floating candle (although 3 are even better), fresh holly leaves (although any Christmas green would do), and some berries (cranberries are best).  It's easy and pretty while it's lit!

Centerpiece #3- A wreath with a hurricane and candle.  Most of the stuff in that wreath is silk, so I did them days ago.  I just added a few stems of fresh flowers to enhance them :) 

I sat with the Pastors wives and friends....Lisa and Holly, and Holly's Mom Joyce.

This is Carol, Greta and I...Greta is ready to give birth ANY minute!!!  We are praying that little girl out before Christmas!!  Maybe sooner???

And two more sweet friends, Cathy and Deb.  Deb is our nursery coordinator, don't you think Ava will be in great hands?? 

And here I am in my one and only holiday maternity shirt!  My necklace makes me match the tree!!  

Ava and I had a great time today :)  She is moving like crazy and within the last few days, I've felt her almost constantly now.  Travis even got to feel her for the first time on Thursday! She's growing, tomorrow we'll be at 23 weeks already :)  I love it!  Christmas is just a little sweeter this year with Miss Ava in the picture!