This was one of the best July 4th's I have ever had!  Since I have been married we've never really celebrated July 4th because it always turned out that Adam was working.  Either the 4th and 5th were his (2) 12-hour day shifts in a row or he was working 12 hours overnight.

BUT, this year he has a new job.  It was great.  We spent the day together as a family around the house.  We just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company.  Adam had recently put all our home videos onto DVD's so we spent some time watching Isaac's first year.  Oh, he was SSSOOOO cute.  Well, still is!  :)

Then we were invited over to our pastor's house for a BBQ.  That was sooo nice because I had the night off of cooking.  I REALLY appreciate days like that.  Our pastor has some really great girls and his youngest especially just really loved Isaac and spent the majority of the evening playing with him and keeping him occupied so Adam and I were able to just hang out and talk with our pastor and his wife who Adam and I both love and appreciate.  They have really invested alot of time in us as people and as a couple and I can honestly say that we have the marriage that we do because of their friendship and counsel.  They also are great examples to us in every way and we are so thankful that God put them in our lives.

We ended up staying at their house and watching the towns fireworks from their backyard.  The awesome thing about it was there was a GREAT view and we didn't have to fight any traffic or crowds.  Two of our other pastors and their families came to watch the fireworks and it turned out to be the most relaxing and fun evening I've had in awhile!

But, wait, it got even better for me.  We ended up leaving about 10:30pm and headed home.  We put the cute boy to bed and Adam asked me if I was tired.  I wasn't really b/c I had had cofffee a little to late.  So, he suggested we sit out on the deck  and just hang out together.  It was soooo awesome.  It was absolutely perfectly beautiful outside.  We sat in our Adirondack chairs and just talked and talked.  It is one of my most favorite memories with Adam.  I looooooove sitting on our deck.  I sit out there every day that it doesn't rain here while Isaac is taking his first nap.  I really enjoy doing my devo's out there and depending what's on my to-do list I'll do some work on the computer or just read a book.  This summer has been a little on the cool side, mostly in the 70's so it has been perfect weather to be out there.  

Then on Sunday we went to church in the morning and heard a GREAT message!  We were reminded of God's mercy through the dead kings in the OT who didn't follow God with their heart.  We were reminded that there ARE consequences to our sin, and we do NOT choose those consequences.  We often think we are the ones who will get away with our sin, like we are the exception to the rules.  But, it was also great to see that God is merciful and loving and forgiving.  And there are times when His wrath should fall on us and He chooses to turn His wrath away.

We had a relaxing afternoon and then we got to head out to "Church at the Beach" which my church does a couple times every summer.  It was SSSOOOOO Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I just don't understand how some people from church can actually choose to sit home and do nothing and not come to church at the beach.  We were so privileged to get to hear 8 peoples testimonies on how God got ahold of their hearts and completely and totally changed their lives.  Each story was completely different from the other but they all shared in common God's great love for them.  I need to remember to bring Kleenex to these things because it is sooo overwhelming to hear about what an Awesome God I am able to serve!  Then we were able to see each of these 8 get baptized in the Lake.  I realize that I am totally overusing the word....but it really was AWESOME!  When we were finished all 300 or so people stood on the shore of the lake singing "Worthy Is The Lamb".  Wwhhhoooo!!!!  It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Oh, wait, I forgot....youth group stayed at the beach for a BBQ so we kept Isaac with us and stayed for a couple hours.  Isaac was extremely well behaved and stayed out of the kids ways when they were playing their games.  While eating he did discover though that he LOVES cheese puffs.  I am so thankful that lots of the girls adore Isaac and enjoyed helping me with him!

So, that was my holiday weekend.  My best July 4th holiday weekend ever!  :)

I am 2 days away from 34 weeks.  I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has gone by for me.  I do have days where it seems like forever but when I stop focusing on those feelings time just seems to fly.

Today we had an ultrasound to check the weight of the baby.  The ultrasound tech was funny and said that Addison was "covered with fat rolls" after looking at her for just a few minutes.  She also was surprised at how very active Addison was.  She flip-flopped all over during the entire ultrasound.  After taking all the measurements the nice lady told us that Addison was measuring 5lbs, 13 oz.  Yikes!  My cute little chunky monkey!

I was also told that I have more amniotic fluid than normal.  I dont' really know what that means.  The Nurse that I saw today didn't seem to think it was a big deal, she said it didn't mean anything other than Addison had more fluid to swim in.  She did say I would need future ultrasounds to monitor this. 

So, then I did a silly thing.  When I came home I googled extra amniotic fluid and of course found some scary and extreme cases.  I am trying to just trust God at this point until I see my Dr. again on Monday.  She will be back from vacation and I am sure she will put my mind at ease.   I bet Dr.'s think their worst enemy is the internet!  :)

I haven't been having any problem sleeping at night.  In fact I only get up twice during the night to go the bathroom and for the most part I sleep really well and am very comfortable.  Very unlike my pregnancy with Isaac.  With him I woke up every hour on the hour, literally.  I could never find a comfortable position and my sleep was just plain awful!  I am VERY thankful for that!

I am still experiencing some severe sharp pains in spite of the fact that I wear my maternity belt 24/7.  Some days are pretty good and I have hardly any pains, but then other days the pains are so severe that I eventually become sore.  It's not fun.  But my Dr. says it is just where Addison is positioned when these sharp SHARP pains come.

I have been doing great with my weight gain.  I have gained a total of 28lbs so far and haven't gained any weight in 4 weeks.  I gained a total of 39lbs with Isaac, so I'm doing much better this time around.

My craving at the end of this pregnancy is mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge on it.  YUMMY!  Unfortunately because of my GD I can only have a small amount but it sure hits the spot every time!  :)

Adam has been a tremendous help as there is alot that is very hard for me to do now.  He has been great with helping clean the house, or pick up isaac's toys or clean up after dinner.  I am very thankful for that because sometimes I feel it is literal torture to try to move around.  It is a little annoying that as soon as I sit down I feel totally fine!  As if I'm not even pregnant.  At least it is relief from the pain!  :)

Only 6 more weeks but most likely 4-5!  Yay!  :)

A favorite pastime...singing into his lego "microphone":

On a drive to Buffao I caught him snuggling with his blanket: 

Uummmm....a little to close I think.  Back Up, Isaac!!  (a phrase often heard in our house!)

Dr. Isaac

Playing in the car that Aunt Terri and Uncle Paul gave him before moving to AZ.  He looooves it.