2011

Well we've obviously had a lot on our minds lately, but better late than never. Here is a recap of our year!

This year was a year of answered prayers and many blessings!

Kyle got another promotion at work earlier this year. He now works in the networking department at the college and he is really enjoying it.

God has blessed us with a little miracle that is due to arrive around February 7th. His name is Mason Levi and he is already so loved and so spoiled! :)

In September, we stepped way out of our comfort zone as we responded to God's prompting in our hearts. We were/are unqualified and had no idea what to expect, but we were so excited as we started a small group that meets in our home every week. It has been a HUGE blessing. We have made some new friends and grown closer to older friends as we've studied God's Word together and practiced caring for and loving each other.

We celebrated our 3rd Anniversary in March!!

Kyle had mouth surgery but recovered while watching basketball.

We spent an awesome week at the beach with Lindsey's family over the summer!

Lindsey was a bridesmaid in her cousin's wedding in Atlanta in July!!

Lindsey took a photography class in the fall!

We spent another Thanksgiving in Myrtle Beach with the Fescoe's!

Goals for 2012:
Be the best parents we can be for little Mason!
Continue getting out of debt!
Give more away!

Birthday Celebration

Today is my 26th birthday! Time can slow down any day now. I'm 26 years old and I'm about to be someone's Mom. How can this be happening? I'm way too young for all of this. Kyle and my family made this birthday very special though. We actually celebrated yesterday. My grandparents came up and met us all at The Pit in downtown Raleigh for lunch. Their BBQ is seriously amazing, actually so is everything else on their menu. I was blessed with lots of presents too! Kyle had actually treated me like royalty the whole weekend and did whatever I wanted him to do. And he got me a piece of Godiva chocolate cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, which I ate half of for breakfast. He's the best husband ever! It was a great day that also included a nap, a win for my fantasy football team, a win for the Texas Rangers and a great small group meeting.

pregnancy weight is definitely showing now!

Photography Week 1

I'm finally getting around to taking a photography class this semester after having my Nikon since last Christmas! I'm pretty excited about it but week one was definitely over my head and I'm still way confused. However, our assignment was super easy. This week we were to take pictures of red objects. We were supposed to fill at least 2/3 of the frame with the color, which was much harder for me than it sounds. There is still much to be desired with the lighting/focus/depth of field, etc etc but we were just supposed to be creative this week so don't judge too harshly yet. Here's some of my favs. We'll see what the teacher thinks on Monday, haha.

I had to get this guy in there, the Clifford dog my Mom got for Mason

red dress

red barn

barn right down the street from our house, I think it's so pretty

trespassing for the sake of photography

wish I could have gotten more shots of the horses but they weren't red ;)

Can't wait to watch Mason slide down this slide

tunnel at the playground

dirty old fire hydrant

pretty flower

more pretty flowers

Jesus in every book of the Bible

This 11 year old gets it!!

He is MY Redeemer! He is MY Lord! He is MY Savior! He is MY Strength! He is MY LIFE!

A Family Wedding

My cousin Holly got married last weekend down in Atlanta. It was such a sweet time. I've been close with Holly since we were really small and she's the most special one to me of all my cousins. More than anyone else I've ever known, she deserved to have this wonderful day and a lifetime of happiness. Most of the family went down on Thursday night. Friday was a busy and chaotic day for everyone. All of us girls gave Holly a bridal lunch and shower. Then we came home changed clothes and headed back out to the rehearsal. The venue was absolutely beautiful! The wedding and reception were both inside of this big white country club on a gorgeous golf course. It couldn't have been a more perfect place. Friday night was the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and the bachlorette party. By the time I got back to the hotel Friday night I was completely exhausted. Then Saturday was the big day! Everything was perfect. Holly was beautiful, Josh was happy, my dress fit and the food was awesome (which is what this preggo girl was really looking forward to!). I only teared up one time and it was only after Holly did first! I'm just so happy for her!

some of the ladies before the Bridal lunch

Bridal lunch!

Me and Nevie (she is saying "cheese")

rehearsal

 

Lez watched the little ones during the rehearsal. Cutest picture ever!

Bachlorette party

me and the glowing Bride!

me and Kyle!

I love this picture!

New blog

Hey everyone! It's time for us to move past the newly wed stage of our marriage and into the parenthood stage! Ahhhh! In honor of this new chapter in our lives, we are starting a new blog. Visit us here:  http://agenerousheritage.blogspot.com/

Pesto Pride

I am so proud of myself I can hardly stand it. For the first time ever, I made my own homemade pesto with basil from my very own basil plants on my porch! I've waited weeks and weeks and weeks for my basil plants to be big and strong enough where I could get enough leaves. Kyle and I both love pesto and I saw this recipe from the Pioneer Woman (love her!) and have been wanting to try it for a while now. It was delicious! Usually I don't do tomatoes, but I was surprised that I actually ate them in this dish. I also added chicken because it felt right. Anyway, it's super easy and you should try it if you haven't! This is PW's picture, I didn't take my own picture because I was too excited about eating it that I forgot. *grin*