We're celebrating our TWO year anniversary this week!

I've been pondering over this post for a while now, and am excited to share it. I was especially excited to read last years and then to build off that. God really is faithful in continuing to grow us. In this past year of marriage I've learned...

* Just how blessed I am to have a husband who takes his role as a husband so seriously. He's quick to listen and when we have conversations about our marriage, it always leaves me feeling so blessed to be in relationship with him.

* When considering the (Lord willing) 50-60 years of marriage we'll get to experience together, issues-even crisis seem much smaller and are easier to move past. When we're in our 40's this [insert issue here] really won't be an issue anymore. If it is, God will be faithful in working in it then just like he's doing now.

* "Spouses sin against us the most out of anyone. " This means a lot of forgiveness gets to happen. A lot of remembering  it's a two way street gets to happen: I sin against Ben more than anyone else sins against him. Humility for breakfast. Apologetic language gets to be a regular practice in our home.

*Being forgiven authentically, and forgiving the other authentically is by far the most freeing feeling. It's also by far the hardest thing to give or accept. Anticipating the need of forgiveness makes forgiving easier.

 *Relationships change you either positively or negatively. For me its been positive.. I've become stronger in my faith, better at loving, and more compassionate because of Ben's example. His character still impresses me.

*Before shooting off my mouth, praying prior changes everything.

*Shortly after I've decided that nothing-even 'that'- will cause me to stop moving towards my spouse-that thing somehow happens. Marriage lets me practice my talk more than anything else I've experienced. Christ has moved into my heart in areas I didn't even know he went to.

*After hardships pass and are dealt with by encouraging each other, the relationship seems 10 times more solid. Laughter comes 10 times more easily.

* Friendship like this is the most wonderful thing I've ever experienced.

*The benefits of being married to Ben far outweigh any responsibilities.

*Attention giving to ones spouse in a world that tries to steal it is harder and more necessary than one might think.

*Physical intimacy means more as relational intimacy deepens. It gets even richer. (Woot!)

*I thought I loved Ben then. I didn't have a clue. (I probably still don't know the half of it)

*I've learned what having the other persons best interest really means-or atleast a little bit more than I did before.

*Thinking "This person's needs and wants are more important than mine' allows me to move past my selfishness. This mentality allows a lot of freedom to love sacrificially. (Luckily, Ben demonstrates that he is working towards the exact same thing.)

* Having someone know me intimately-even the stories from my past that still make shake my head in sorrow-and having them know me in real time-when I do things currently that make me shake my head in sorrow- and having them love and respect me still is probably one of the most beautiful aspects of emotional intimacy. This testifies to the gospel more than anything.

*Ben has gotten even funnier over the past year.

*Ben ripens his good-looks with age. I married an improved version of George Clooney.

*Whatever area I think we've got the corner on, (I.E. "We communicate so well! We're being such good stewards of our money!") it will get challenged.   It teaches me to hold on to Ben, and not aspects of our marriage. He's who I married, not a great marriage that runs smoothly.

*Ben is a phenomenal man. I lightheartedly talk a lot about it on the blog-about his sexiness and his wittiness (which are there all the time and deserve constant mention)-but his character and his heart are solid. I can definitely see how God would see this creation and call it good. Ben is in all senses of the word "Good."

*For me, marriage has meant a whole lot less of actually changing my situations and more of me changing my perspectives. Situations have needed to be changed-and they've changed, but my perspective on how I see everything has been the thing that I most often control and has either benefited the situation or turned it to hardship. Grasping that is something I'm still learning how to do.

*My belly has gotten a good workout from all the laughter that man brings me.

*Seeing him as a dad this next year and beyond will most certainly make my heart explode.

*God is for my marriage. Seeing him work to restore, to heal, to bring joy, and to just enrich our togetherness has made me love God all the more and become more passionate about loving Ben well. God really does good. I can only imagine how beautiful this marriage will look when God's done in it. I look forward to seeing that day. Hopefully it'll happen when we both die at the exact same time and get to heaven. I'd be cool with that.  (Figure I'd throw that in there since, you know, God reads my blog.)

*Thinking I'm funny and actually being funny are two separate things-unless you have a husband who thinks its funny that you think you're funny-then you actually are funny.

*Marrying that guy is still the best decision I've made outside of following Jesus.

Last Years Lessons: here

32 weeks! And a Little Funny

 

I've had this tie-dye shirt for several years now. When I put it on today, I realized that the tie dye makes a giant bulls-eye on my belly. At first, I thought it was a little obnoxious and contemplated changing-but then I figure, if anyone needs help finding my ever growing little belly, I'll help um out. I'd be tickled if she some time during the day put her head exactly in the middle where the bulls-eye is. That'd be awesome.
***
The beauty of having such awesome friends and family is that they are able to share with you-kindly what to expect. I'm fortunate that I haven't had too many snide comments of the "Catch up on sleep now-because you won't be getting any afterwards! harty har" but rather have had friends and family give me tips on how to get that sleep after baby comes, how to stay well during those first few weeks, and how to overall stay intact. 

Due to ever present future reality coming our way, when we found this video, we had to laugh.  The way Ben and I deal with stressful situations is often through comic relief. Even in the worse of struggles, there's often been a few nacho libre quotes ("It SUCKS to be me right now!") thrown in for good measure. A line or two of this ditty has already found its way into our conversations. 

enjoy the funny and Happy Friday!

If we have a household of girls...

I'm going to mix Ben's musical ability with my ability to hold a camera and our love for awesome music and have beautiful little sensations like these two:

Aren't these girls, Lennon and Maisy

 incredible? 

  

Watch some more of their videos-They're two creative little geniuses. 

Struggle in marriage and Victory in Christ

The other day Ben and I were reflecting. Back when we began marriage preparations we read a book we loved. Its unfortunate I can't remember the name right now (fail), essentially it was on the first year of marriage. The book talked about how crucial it was to work out problems in that first year, to not be willing to remain quiet when something really hurt you and talked about different aspects of life. From time management, to in-laws, to sex, the book covered quite a bit of it.

That book was referenced continually that first year and for us, really allowed us to work through some incredibly hard conversations.


When the first year was over, be both sighed a big sigh of relief. We made it! That incredibly hard first year was now over and we were on to pure easy-life bliss. (I can see some of you couples married for 20/30 years laughing now.)

I would say that sensation lasted about 3 months. Maybe. We still were working through struggles even after that first year, and a few months after that first year mark, we got the exciting news we were going to have a baby. It was planned as much as anything else is, but I don't know how aware we were of all the hardships this would bring.

In the car yesterday, I asked Ben if he thought the first or second year has been hardest. He thinks the first-I think the second. I made the comment that it seems like all the stuff we had to go through that first year was small refinements, where as this year its felt like fire. We've had some incredible stuff to overcome.

Ben replied "Yeah, but we wouldn't have been able to handle this last year. And now we can."

The more I reflect on that, the more I see the wisdom in Ben. I easily forget that first year. The 'little' fights that lasted for 30-45 minutes past their time because we simply did not know how to communicate love for each other. The first year was a million refinements.  A zillion apologies.

This year? There's still a zillion apologies. But, we've learned/are learning the concept of identifying the problem (which is usually brought on by ourselves), rather than blaming the problem on the other person. We're learning to see it in light of everything else. We've had moments when both of us realize "This is God allowing us to love each other better." and moments when we realize "this is because we're tired and we need to just extend grace."

We're learning the significance of bringing God into the conversation in the beginning, rather than at the end.

I like writing about how awesome marriage is on this blog. Because it is. But to say its easy, or even all the time 'fun,' is a lie.

 However, looking at that handsome man that I've spent near 2 years of being his wife, and being his friend for almost 5, I'm left incredibly thankful.

I remember thinking that if we did things right, then we wouldn't face any struggles. Makes sense? That hasn't proven to  be true (although we certainly haven't done everything "right"). A lack of sin does not indicate a lack of struggle. (Although a presence of sin certainly will bring struggle.) God has allowed us to struggle-sometimes intensely-because we've decided to pushing more towards Him, and that means we welcome him to get rid of the stuff keeping us separated from Him. He's unwilling to leave our character and our hearts where they're at. He's unwilling for Ben and I to skip experiencing the deep love and appreciation of each other after we've survived struggle. And God, knowing how rich it is when two people move towards each other past hurt, and choose to love each other because of their relationship with Christ and the value they place on one another-well, he makes sure we get to experience that.

I would say that for a good majority of my life I have intellectually believed in Christ on a pretty constant basis. My heart, however would often times waver. This year has allowed me to cling to Christ with my heart even when it doesn't 'make sense.' He has shown up and proven that he is trustworthy, that he doesn't leave in times of struggle and he delights in making all things new. I don't think I was convinced he was 'for me,' as in fighting on my [like Brittany Sprague-individually] behalf, until this year. I am now convinced of it. God has worked good in every situation-often times in different ways than I had expected-but I have at the end seen it was most certainly the best. He's done well. He knows me and where I need to be and he has ensured he brings me there.

I have a deeper understanding that God is a whole lot bigger than any trial I could ever face-because he's already overcome things in my life that I thought were too big for Him. They aren't. He's won the battles and He's reigning victoriously: In our marriage, in my heart, in life. And whats so exciting is I know he's faithful to complete the work that He's started. Which means I can live without fear. It leaves me giddy.

I'm thankful that he doesn't let me or Ben stay in the sin that we sometimes are oblivious to. He's faithful to bring it out and to then allows us to practice being vulnerable in front of each other and get to experience both the weight of how it affects one another, and the freedom of forgiveness in Christ.

I think I'm growing to appreciate struggle (even in marriage) more and to even see the 'wounds' as areas of beauty. I can see how God has allowed Ben and my heart to be broken so he could reset it into the right spot. I can see how he's allowed pain to correct our posture and because of that, our responses to each other and others even outside of us has changed. 

So, I'm thankful. I'm thankful that there is no medium God can't use to bring good. 


Praise God.  

Hi Baby! 31 Weeks

 

She's moving around even as I write this. We have any where from 8-10 weeks left, depending on when she arrives. It's crazy to even remember what its like to not be pregnant. After you live near 10 months this way, its weird to think otherwise. It'll be something to then realize that I'm a mom. and Ben's a dad. 

 I think I'm most excited to see Ben when he holds his little girl.

While there's all sorts of things that can stress me-as you know if you spend any time reading this blog-there's something about when we go on walks and Ben comments "Think, soon she'll be coming with us"  that leave me excited. Ben is a natural teacher-and A good one. I can't wait to see all the things she'll learn under his guidance. I already know there's gonna be something special between them. Especially when He picked out her name. She was named by her dad. That alone will give them a special sort of bond, I think. 

I'm excited for all her stages. For those first few months when she's in complete observation mode-to when she starts revealing her little personality. I'm excited when she wants to help with everything (as all toddlers seem to be at some point or another) and when her understanding of the world is being shaped as fast as her "Whys?" can come out of her mouth. I'm especially excited for all the crazy reasons her dad will give her. I bet she'll get more than she bargained for-But boy will she get her answers.

There's a lot to look forward to. And I'm excited for it. only a few more weeks little girl, a few more weeks. 

Life Lately

When LDI finished on the 4th, I was expecting to find myself full of free time. While there's no doubt I have more discretionary time than before, I definately have found myself busier than anticipated. I was able to be an assistant photographer to a wedding a few weeks ago, and have an engagement shoot tomorrow that I'm incredibly looking forward to. Editing those photos, as well as getting prepared for the next set takes some time. As does getting ready for the baby-I'm excited to show you what I've been working on, meeting up with women and getting our home in order.  Thus, things have been restricted to being captured on my phone. Overall, I think my few weeks have been captured well. 

//The garage sale loot!//coffee dates in uptown// Library// Drive home from wisco//sun shinin// Creepin// Good looking ben// Monday traffic// Backyard at home//  Excited to be going home//Sky//Favorite Chia//S.R. Harris-Amazing Craft Warehouse!//My Adventure Pal///Pink Stuff (recipe on rockstar diaries)//

Hope you have a happy Wednesday

Blog Facelift

The blog will be undergoing some changes the next couple of days. Mostly what you'll see is experimental, but hopefully by this weekend any weird editing you find will be all sorted out.

The Anticipated Pregnancy Mental Breakdown.

The much anticipated mental breakdown that pregnant ladies sometimes attest to has been experienced in the Sprague household. Last Night.

I'm a planner. Always. I pro-con list it up and read all the books to get the most accurate information. I reason the more I plan, the better I'll respond to crisis. Right? Maybe. But I think lately it's made me almost too aware. 

Sort of like-if you told me that marriage was going to be this hard and described all the struggles we would get to go through in detail(and we're only near 2 years into it!) well, my wedding day would definitely have still happened (Have you seen my husband? Gaw-geous. ) but would have had a more serious tone to it. Its like going to war (the struggles-not the whole marriage) knowing your going to win, but still realizing there will be battles to face and there will be wounds. It's worth it. Oh goodness its worth it, but there's no denying it'll make you a little nervous and sweaty to think about it. 

I'm discovering that baby raising is the same thing. This is going to be hard. It almost seems better to go in blinded just to avoid the cardiac arrest before the little squirmy babe even makes her entrance. Maybe some differ from my opinion, but I think there's almost too much information out there. Knowing that there's 5 gazillion ways of doing it (breastfeeding, child raising, diapering, general parenting), and every book screams that it's contents offer the best options-well its incredibly overwhelming.

This is where this post gets awkward. If you're a guy (other then Ben, because hey-you've already listened to the dialogue version of this post), you may just want to go ahead and skip this one. K? Thanks.

Well, last night, after reading a nice book intended to be light-hearted about breastfeeding ( which it was,  one of the stories even joked about being the "Hunchboob of Notre Dam" in reference to only nursing from one side. That's funny.) I kind-of-sort-of lost it. 

This is basically how I feel the job description of being a mom would go:

Seeking:  Full Time (and by that we mean your entire life)  Stay-At-Home (Depends on individual) Care-Taker Position

Wanting to work from home in a sometimes fulfilling environment? Then we have the job for you! Be a part of the next generation in raising a child and shaping the very identity they have. Teach them about all important life moments and experience one of the most (if not most) fulfilling life experiences you have yet to have! You will visibly be able to see the fruits of your labor for years to come! In fact, your work has an incredibly high probably to last even longer than you! 

Duties will sometimes include:

• Your body being completely altered for all of time. (Reactions may vary)
• More pain that you've ever experienced in your entire life (May occur during: Pregnancy, Labor, Breastfeeding, postpartum living, and other events during the course of this position)
• If choosing and able to Breastfeed: Providing every nutrient for a child day in and day out for the first several months of their life (in some cases, may cause issues such as cracking nipples, pain, bleeding, feeling like you constantly are feeding a child, feeling drained, exhaustion and the occasional mental breakdown)
• If formula feeding: Providing every nutrient for your child day in and day out, and having to continually prepare bottles and do dishwasher loads. Being concerned that your child may be missing something from not breastfeeding. Feeling judged due (depending on group of peers) to this choice and paying very large amounts to cover food costs for your child.
• Changing fecal matter several times daily 
• Change in sleeping habits from full nights rest to 2-3 (or shorter) hour shifts of sleep for the first weeks or months (depending on which style of feeding you choose is best) of child raising.
• Hormonal imbalance during and after pregnancy
• An occasional sensation that you aren't doing enough, and that your child maybe lacking in food, nutrients, interactions crucial for their development and other things you suspect they need, but don't even know what they are-which will occasionally be affirmed by insensitive outsiders who comment on nearly every choice you make for your child.
• A Fast paced environment! The minute you figure things out-the entire game changes as your child reaches a new stage of development!
• An occasional sense of isolation or lonliness, or boredom which will be followed with guilt for said emotions.
• No monetary compensation. 
• No guaranteed outside world affirmation
• The most difficult work you will ever have undertaken.

And while I probably will experience at least a handful of these, and other mothers do all the time-We keep doing it. Probably because of the other job stuff that moms tell me happen:

• A deep satisfaction at seeing your child progress in life and achieve different milestones (timing may vary)
• Delight over the child's personality as they continue to grow.
• A joy unspeakable at the smiles, giggles, and overall interactions you'll have with your child. These are often said to "Make it worth it."
• A sense of identity as a family unit with your spouse as you raise a little person together
• An addition to the family to celebrate and invite into your culture, and home. Who will refine you, and shape you, and teach you more about yourself and God than you ever knew. 
• A baby who will delight in time spent with you.
• A midget sized version of yourself and your husband which will be refining and funny.
• A bond that is both chemical, physical and spiritual. 
• A sense of accomplishment and pride at progressing through all the trials listed above. 
• At the end of your life, one of the decisions you treasure the most

I'm sure there's even more.

I think when I imagine a little toddler sized version of this baby, or the grown up version of all our someday kids, I get excited. Yet I'd be lying if I didn't say the idea of motherhood sometimes terrifies me. I like babies.  a lot. And I think I'm going to enjoy this season of life, and I'm looking forward to all the unanticipated joys i don't even know about. It's the next two years of life (and then repeated as we have more children, Lord willing) that are a bit scary. 

And when mothers, who are trying to prepare future mothers start telling me their stories, it can sometimes be alarming. Especially when the mom is in the trenches of it all. They'll share their hardships, then say: "But oh its soooo worth it!!!" I know it is. But all I can remember is the bleeding nip stories and the saggy bags under their eyes. Or the joking "It's pure chaos for those first few years, you just have to make it through those first few years-Oh wait! then they become teenagers-harty har har!"

I almost want to just hang out with 50, and 60 year old friends I know and love who have passed child raising and now are in the reminiscent stages. They glow. They let me go in with the giddy excitement. And then, if its not so awesome-then remind me that in 40 years I'll be all smiley and giddy like them. They tell me "It's so rewarding! It's so worth it! You'll do just fine. If it something doesn't work, its okay-they'll turn out just fine. Oh, You should be so excited! Praise the Lord!!!!!" Oh sweet, sweet women. I love you.

Needless to say, the conversation last night ended with a pretty awesome monologue by Ben. He ended it with "Brittany, its 11:20-you're tired-its time for bed and you're not allowed to read any more parenting books." 

Lucky for all you future parents, you will not have to fear. Parents will always be ready to share their experiences and more than a thousand books will tell you how to raise your children. I think as far as I go, however, I'm going with a pretty non-judging-you're doing whats best for your kid just like I am mine, approach when it comes to diapering, feeding, and the whole nine yards. I probably wont be able to give you the latest new book on parenting because I've been banned from reading them. My husband knows me well.

You probably picture a fuzzy haired, very scared brittany finishing up this post. I'm not. I actually was chuckling to myself for a good part of it. (because I think I'm funny.)  I'm doing pretty good. Really good. Ben unruffles my feathers like scissors to a chia pet. And God does an even better job of reminding me that the whole shaping of a person's character and keeping a body healthy is kind of his gig. So, I'm actually sitting nice and easy. God can handle it.  

We're excited. and in 8-10 weeks, the downpour of gushy blog posts about how perfect our baby is will begin. Then you'll get to roll your eyes at how I proclaim that our baby is prettier than every other baby and how perfect her little toes and feets and nose are. I may even explode the internet with such love proclamations and pictures.  

This weekend we get to go home. Which means I get to hang out with the one person who makes me feel like I can change the world like no other:My momma. I already can hear her gushing over raising a baby girl and telling me what I need to hear: "yeah, sure its hard-but oh its so much fun!" I'm actually getting that weird gushy feeling now where I feel the need to squeeze something. Like a puppy. She does that to me. 

It's ideas like that-that this little girl might feel the same way that I do about my mom that make me thrilled to meet her. To know that I get to be such a source of encouragement and affirmation and to know that I might hold the deep significance in her life that my mom holds in mine. To know that our talks about Jesus and about how sure I am of God might keep her faith strong in rough times like my talks with my mom did for me. Well. by golly thats enough to make me want to pop a few more out. (Ha, i probably should wait till I deliver this one first.) Overall. I'd say good things are about to happen.

Thanks for reading, I'm done now. Woo, this woman can talk.

Britt

Influence and the point of this Blog

{via}

I've been thinking a lot about influence lately. In the past couple of weeks I've become keenly aware of just how much influence certain things or people hold over me even without them realizing it. Their words, or lack of words affect me. While at first my reaction is to decide to try and be uninfluenced by everyone, I don't think that's God's intent. From what I can see, he intends for us to be in relation with each other, which means we naturally influence each other.

I can see the beauty in this. I can see how awesome it is when we encourage each other and when we benefit from that. But I can also see that a lack of acknowledgement of my influence can cause a lot of hurt. I've often thought to myself "Doesn't s/he realize the effect that has?" Truth be told, 9 times out of 10 my guess is no, they honestly probably don't. It gives me room to extend grace, but it also gives me room to reflect on my own lack of awareness.

Because of this, I've been thinking about venues in which I affect people. And its lead me to think about this blog. Blogs are a funny thing because you can post whatever you want. I know for a fact that there are readers that I don't even know about. (Hi!) I look at the trends that blogger puts out and what not, and I've seen sometimes an occasional reader from a country I have no immediate relations with, and a few of my new friends have come out of the woodwork through this blog.

Because of this, that means many of us have never meant and you all don't necessarily know my purpose in writing. So, that's what this post is for. The purpose of this blog. 

Originally, it was just for fun to fill people in. I would argue, that it still is predominately that. I like to share with people the life Ben and I are experiencing. I especially like to look back on this pretty and see some of the funny memories that I wrote down, pictures that I took, etc. This blog gives me reason to keep documenting my life on a weekly basis, when my tendency is to only document the big stuff.

It also functions as a chronicle to what God's doing in my heart. Ben and I are Christians (for more on that we have the "We Believe" Tab) and we think the whole point of life is to give Glory to God. This blog often times chronicles how we see God working to bring us closer to Him. It's cool to have this blog to look back on that.

What I really want to say, is that while I'm talking on all these different topics-and written form is pretty powerful-I'm not the authority. Nor do I claim to be. Even the stuff I write is surely flawed and because of the fact that I'm not voicing it as an authority when I write, I allow myself room to be flawed. I share opinions and feelings, that had we had a conversation, depending on the topic (i.e. Our believe that Jesus is who He says he is are pretty set in stone, my views on how to better my marriage-there's a ton of room for growth!) I may change or enhance through our dialogue. What I mean to say is: I want to share life with you all and a lot of my posts capture life as I'm processing through it now. This blog isn't intended to give ammunition to any opinions, or to make any of you to lose joy because of something I write. Maybe this has never happened. That's my hope. But because I know blogs can have that effect,  I wanted to throw this out there.

I do however hope that this blog has some influence. If you can relate to something I post ever, then I'm so encouraged! My hope is that God uses this to occasionally challenge people differently. If it causes you to coo at your husband more, or think to yourself, "Wow, my life is awesome!" I welcome that influence. If you've begun to think about God more and think about if Jesus is for you-I welcome that influence as well.  If anything like that happens, You and I can be challenged and can celebrate together! That gets me excited. But if its anything outside of that, I don't intend to influence that way. I want you to be pushed more towards celebrating your life, marriage (or singleness,) and worshiping God. If anything I write or say pushes you away from that-throw it out. I didn't intend for it to be used in that way. It's probably best to label it garbage and leave it!  Hopefully you all can hear my heart in writing this. I think you can.    

That's about it. Hope you all are having an excellent week!

Britt

//Life According to Instagram\\

 

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

I found this on 22 words today and thought it pretty awesome. Thought I'd share

29 weeks with a Little Photo Op.

 

    

 

 

 Now that LDI is over, we all of a sudden have a lot of evenings open! The change is well received and we've been finding fun things to do with this new-found free time. This past Friday night, we decided to head out to a park that Ben and I had yet to be at together-Minnehaha Falls- and decided to take some pictures. It was crazy to me how many professional photographers were there. I can see why, the place is beautiful and surely a minneapolis photographer favorite. 

I used to be a wimp when it came to taking pictures in front of people but Ben is one unashamed man. He'll set up that tripod, and get into it. Even as people pass he has no issue with just keeping on keeping on. I'm glad he's like that. I found I've become that way too. I'm sure many were entertained with ben's insistence on taking pictures with him rubbing my belly. I refused to let him do any of that stereotypical heart shaped hand on the belly stuff-so he of course would try to sneak it in any chance. 

After we grabbed a few at the traditional spots, we headed out to the middle of the forest. We spent some time talking, grabbing some more pictures, and when we headed home we grabbed some ice cream. 

Pretty nice date if I say so myself.

We're planning on getting a few pictures taken by a good friend of ours, but we kind of like our little tradition of taking a stab at it ourselves. Not too shabby, eh?

While I like the ones that turn out. There's a special spot for the crazy ridiculous ones. The "Outtakes" are my favorite. Its when Ben gives sass and the pictures end up looking ridiculous-mostly inappropriate-and yet overall awesome. I love those ones. And Ben, whenever he sees them is especially proud. But, I gotta hand it to him. Its the next 3 or 4 shots taken that end up the most genuine. His ridiculous moves are the catalyst for some pretty great pictures.

***

Little update on the spraguelet:

Baby's doing good. I was thinking she had more of Ben's overall chill personality.  She's gotten big enough that we can feel her just moving around, and for the most part that's what she'd do about a week ago. Just swim around with the occasional kick. Then somewhere in there she started becoming a spazz. I guess there's a little bit of my personality in her after all. This is good, seeing as she'll be spending a good majority of her time with me, she needs to be able to join in. Not one, but two crazy ladies in the house. Good thing Ben can handle it.

We registered at Target today-and Ben had a hayday. The gun they give you makes Ben a happy camper. It was also pretty fun seeing him looking at the baby gizmo's and picking out his favorites. Also, him insisting on pink stuff was a little surprising, yet overall sort of fun. If it was up to me she'd be all sorts of different colors, but I suppose with her dad she'll get to embrace all sorts of stereotypical femininity. 

He at least avoided all the kitten stuff. 

Registering then lead us to discussing what her style will be like. Pretty sure she'll be awesome. With Ben wanting a cool rocker feel (he's already searching for bass guitar onesies and little chuck taylors) and me getting giddy over all the pretty prints, I think she'll definitely have some blend of fashion. I was never one to wander baby isles. But, I think Ben and I both are going to have some fun. 

I feel like there's a thousand little things that are happening with her and us. But overall, i'd just say things are good. God is been faithful, and when I get anxious, have mental breakdowns, or get nervous about her health, parenting, our relationship etc. God's and Ben have both been faithful in walking me through it. I've got a good husband and an even better God. I'm blessed with that. 

Hope your Sunday is wonderful!

I'm off to go eat some enchiladas. 

Adios.