O'Steen Family Weekend

My family is spread out across the country. My parents live in California. One brother lives in Florida. The other brother lives in Maine. Sister lives in Virginia, and we are in Georgia! Planning a holiday celebration with everyone together is nearly impossible, especially with everyone's different work schedules. It wasn't working out for Thanksgiving or Christmas, so we chose the first weekend in November to get together. It was the first time in two years we had all been together. Christmas 2011 was the last time I saw Scott! Way too long. I still can't believe it worked out for everyone to come visit at once. It took lots of coordinating on my mom's part with flights, etc., but it was a success!

Since most of us hadn't seen Scott and Shelby since they got married, we decided to have a little wedding party for them. It was fun to celebrate them as a couple!

Scott & Shelby!  

 John & Toby

 So fun to have them visit for the first time!

 Dad and Brian putting together the stroller we got at the shower! I'm so excited about using this soon!

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon at Piedmont Park for some time at the dog park, a picnic, and  bocce ball! It was a beautiful day. 

The whole family (minus Dan, who we greatly missed!)

 Brothers

 All four, plus baby Parker :)

Scott & Shelby

Bocce ball!

 John and Toby took a little nap....

That night, we had a little Christmas celebration... Not your normal Christmas though. Many of you know that my mom has been to a ton of shows in LA with out of town visitors and has won a TON of free stuff. When I call her in the afternoon and her phone goes straight to voicemail, I know she's at a show. Usually winning something amazing. Of course the one time I went with her, all I got was shampoo and conditioner. :) She thought it would be fun to wrap up a bunch of stuff she has won and have a white elephant gift exchange... We all drew numbers and started opening gifts and stealing items we wanted! I wish this could become a tradition. Notice the Justin Bieber Christmas wrapping paper. 

There were some interesting gifts unwrapped... I laughed to the point of tears. Mostly with what Scott opened. Hip hugger ties, Rita Wilson's country CD, shoe pads, and boot straps, gift cards, head phones, a hair straightener, and DVDs are some of the things I remember. 

We spent the evenings playing Dominion, which was a lot of fun. I really couldn't have asked for a better time together. I love my family and am so thankful for this special time we had together. 

GA baby shower!

Back in the summer, when we found out we were expecting, my sweet friend Anne asked if she could host a shower here in town. I've been looking forward to it for so long! I started working closely with Anne last year, and she has become a dear friend. I can't say enough about the shower. I am still overwhelmed by how wonderful it was. The people, the food, the decorations, the gifts... Anne knows how to throw a party! It was fabulous, and I felt so blessed by everyone who came! This baby is already loved by so many! 

My mom, sister, and sister-in-law, Shelby all came in town for the shower. This ended up being an O'Steen holiday weekend- it was the first time we had all been together in two years! I'll post more on that later, but here are some pictures from the shower.

 Aunt Natalie! 

Shelby, Mom, me, and Nat

The decorations and details were so lovely.

Look how cute this diaper cake is! 

The food was so yummy! 

Baby stuff is so fun! 

Loved this fox pillow Julie made!

Me and Kristin.. So thankful for this friendship- I don't know what I'd do without her! 

Julie and Susanna! (Baby Parker's future girlfriend) 

I love these ladies so much. Anne (who hosted the shower) is on the left and Krissy is on the right. They make my job easy and enjoyable. They work full time in the self contained moderate class at school, and I'm the SLP who serves those students. It can get a little crazy at times, but those are the moments we find ourselves laughing to the point of tears. I am so thankful for both of them!

Joy Lynne, Meg, and Susan

 Both of baby Parker's grandmothers! 

When we got back home, we unloaded the gifts in the nursery and just looked at everything. It was so fun imagining our little baby wearing all the cute outfits and playing with the toys. Natalie and I kind of wanted to keep these hats for ourselves. :) I can't wait to see them on our little boy!

It was the sweetest shower and such a special memory. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it! 

pregnancy: weeks 22-24

Weeks 22-24 were pretty good... Baby Parker continues to grow! I was still running during these weeks, but it definitely started getting harder. Any time I felt weird pain, I'd stop. Mostly, I'd feel pressure on my bladder which wasn't very comfortable. The only reason why I was still running was because of running club, but that is finally over! I'm still enjoying the higher level of energy! The highlight of these weeks was feeling the baby kick for the first time! I felt the first kicks from the outside while I was in Charlotte. I had been feeling movement internally, but it's so fun to finally feel real kicks. 

Week 22

 Week 23

 Week 24

I've been working on the baby's room more, trying to finish little projects as I find the time. I made these felt animals for a mobile one rainy Saturday. I found a mobile on etsy that I loved, but it was $88 for three animals, so I decided to make my own!

Toby continues to love this spot by the crib. The fact that there are stuffed animals in it might have something to do with it.

I stopped at the Pottery Barn Outlet on my way home from Charlotte and found these two cabinets. They were the perfect dimensions for the space under the window in the nursery. Even though they weren't matching, I bought them because they were a great price.

When I got home, I painted the inside of the cabinets with gray chalk paint. I think they turned out great! The paint was still wet in this picture which is why it's blotchy.

I love that these cabinets close so it won't look so messy when we fill them with baby things!

I also got this little hedgehog sippy cup because it was just too cute not to buy. :)

I also ordered a few prints from etsy and have a little collage wall finished above the crib, but I'm not ready for that reveal yet. We think we know the name, but we're not ready to make an "official" announcement. Naming a human is a big deal! 

Hamilton Lakes Girls Weekend 2013!

For our third annual Hamilton Lakes Girls Weekend, we all went to Carrie's house in Charlotte! She greeted us with a yummy lunch and the most adorable place cards. :) With this group, there's no telling what will happen. We all talk at once and jump around from topic to topic about the most random things until we're laughing to tears. I don't take these friends for granted. It's rare to have friendships that are 24 years strong.

Reagan got to join us again this year! She had changed so much in a year. She's so grown up!

Last year, she wasn't as mobile, so it was easier to take pictures of her, but this year she was on the go!

We spent the afternoon at a park in Uptown. Reagan got to run around.

 My little etsy shop model with her fall leaves onesie. We're going to need to switch to tee shirts soon!

We stayed in and cooked dinner at Carrie's which was so nice and laid back. As you can see, we got lots of laughs in!

On Sunday morning, we woke up slowly, drank coffee, and went to Toast for brunch. It was so yummy! 

I love these weekends so much and look forward to them every year!