and a HAPPY new year

There have been many, many moments in the past few weeks that I've wanted to update this blog. But alas, I decided to log my thoughts and wait...

It goes without saying that the holidays are a very busy time, and that certainly held true in our household. For one, we received some positive and exciting news right around the time that I posted last. News that has officially changed the course of all of our lives (for the better). What could it be? I'll give you a hint...

Two days later was Ev's 25th birthday, and I wanted to surprise him with a sweet little announcement. I wasn't going to be popping out of any cakes, so this had to suffice...

But it turns out hubby's intuition is much stronger than I gave him credit for and he suspected something the night before when he asked me point blank if I was pregnant. I couldn't contain my smile.

Then as we prepared for Christmastime festivities, including the arrival of Ev's grandparents and my mom and grandma, I wanted to come up with a creative way to break the news. What better time than Christmas to announce the pending addition of a new family member? I set to work...

Gotta love some good ol' arts and crafts time. I went to Michael's and picked up the plaster ornaments for less than $.50 a piece, as well as the wooden stamps and ink pad. And since Michael's is always having sales, everything came to under $20. Seeing the reaction on grandma and great grandma-to-be's faces after a long day of traveling? Priceless.

Christmas came and went, and after a slight delay due to our first winter storm, we saw the relatives off and slowly started to regain some normalcy. No more gift buying, cooking and preparing, or running around. The daily hustle calms down, the outside grows colder, darker... it's time to relax and renew.

On New Year's Eve morning another amazing thing happened. I received confirmation that I do, indeed, have another little heart beating inside me...

Yes, that little pixelated blip is our nugget. And that extra little something on the right side? A heart. With a beat. I'm in love. And in August this new momma's gonna get one hell of a 25th birthday present. I can't wait.

Here's to an amazing 2013!