I'm dreaming of a White Christmas....

and I almost got it!!! The weatherman was right for once! It started snowing early this morning and by the time I left for church it was sticking and piling up. No snow on the roads of course, but still, count on a least a few Aikenites to freak out - meaning that church attendance was rather slim. We had two inches by lunchtime, but around 2pm the temperature rose and it all turned to drizzly rain and washed the wonderful snow away :( Sad day.
But not to fear! We headed up to Asheville where there was plenty of snow to spare! The driving was great until we got into my parents neighborhood, at which point I (deciding to see if it was icy) slammed on the brakes while going around a turn and sent us skidding a few feet with the anti-lock brakes engaging and going crazy. No worries, it was fun and I drove carefully the rest of the way! Now we're here and enjoying the 16 degree weather and foot of snow. Tomorrow we'll head out into the cold and see what Claire thinks of it!

And our baby is......

a BOY! Or as Cole would say, he has man parts ;-) We are very, I repeat VERY, excited about this! We were both secretly hoping for a boy, but didn't want to be disappointed if it was a girl. Mainly, we just wanted a healthy baby. But now that we know, we are thrilled! We have always said we want one of each and more. I would post a picture, but because of how he was sitting, the ultrasound tech could only get good looks at his nether region. All of our pics have an arrow pointing to his man parts with "BOY!!!!" typed in all caps. The good news is that I get another ultrasound in a month so that they can get a better view of everything else.

Anyway, now would be the time to throw names our way! We're thinking about going for a Jr., but are not sure yet. Questions, comments???

Blah

I named this post blah because I really have nothing to write about. Just various pieces of news. They might be blog-worthy. Or not.

* December is cold, very cold. Aiken has surprised me this year. Because of this and the fact that the heat has died in my car, Claire has a new peacoat from Dee. It is red and adorable. She looks like a tiny little grown-up toddling around!

* Holidays call for cooking. The week after Thanksgiving I made three batches of Pumpkin Crisp. Last week I made three batches of fudge. They were wonderful! Today I am baking shortbread :)

* Cole's old roommate Aaron and his new wife Katie came up to visit last week. I read her blog all the time so it was nice to meet her in person finally! We sat around and talked, played some cards, showed them Aiken, went on a double-date, and sat around and talked some more. Oh, and tried to convince them to have kids right away :)

* I have no motivation to work out anymore. Which is really bad with Christmas parties all around me! I think I've gained 4 lbs! Shocking for a pregnant woman, I know.

* Here a some random pics of Claire from Emma May's birthday party a month ago. I thought they were cute.

Thanksgiving in Asheville

We spent the two days after Thanksgiving in Asheville with my family. We went from 75 degrees in Aiken to low 30's and 40's in Asheville. It was wonderful! Good food, catch up time with the families, and fun watching the little cousins bond!

Bruton - 9 1/2 mo's, Caroline - 2 1/2 yrs, Claire - 10 mo's

Thanksgiving and I'm getting crafty

This is about as far as my decorative talents go, but I thought it would be fun to be crafty this year. I made the wreath from scratch (thanks to Hobby Lobby) and the rest is just accumulations of years past. I also repainted our front door since it was looking shabby. 

Oh facebook!

Bath time!

Photo booth Fun!

I had never been at a wedding with a photo booth before. So I was quite intrigued by what it would turn out. Thanks to Tara and Daniel, here are the results.

Apparently lots of this:

And this: 

And again:

But eventually we got it right :)

Yay photo booth! 

Exciting News!

CLAIRE WALKED!!!!! 

Here's a video of this momentous occasion, along with other general cuteness. 

Baby #2 update

So far this pregnancy has been really different from the last one. Some parts good different, some parts bad different. 

The good: 

No ovarian cyst this time, so I've been able to keep working out and running

Which means I haven't gained any weight so far (!)

I haven't thrown up once

I'm not working, so I can nap whenever I want :)

And lastly, I'm not as repelled by quite so many foods as last time

The bad:

I am tired ALL THE TIME (I could seriously sleep 15 hours a day)

I may not have thrown up, but when I do feel sick, it's more than nausea - it's pain everywhere

More headaches than last time

More dizziness than last time

And of course, I have Claire needing me so I can't melt down in the middle of the day

All in all, it's going pretty well and we are so excited to find out what we're having. Unfortunately, that won't be until the end of December. But I have my guesses........ :) 

O Fall, Where Art Thou?

Dear Fall weather,
Are you on hiatus this year? Did you decide that we South Carolinians need more summer than usual? Did you and Spring get together and say, let's just skip being mild and go straight to the extremes? Because, as much as I love 80 degree weather in October, it would be nice for you to show your face around here now and then.

Just sayin'.

Love, a pregnant woman who would appreaciate a break

Fall colors

This past weekend Claire and I headed up to Asheville to see my parents and enjoy cooler temperatures :) It was absolutely gorgeous and we took advantage of the fall weather. We went to a pumpkin patch to let Claire explore, dad bought a fire pit and we roasted s'mores, we had a photo shoot in the front yard, and of course, Claire tried to eat all the leaves! I also dragged dad and James along on a run or two. Nothing like running in East Asheville in the fall! It was a great, relaxing weekend.

Covenant Homecoming

This past weekend, we headed up the mountain to Covenant for homecoming - the first one we've gone to since graduation. It was weird walking around campus not knowing anyone. My little bro James is there and apparently he's quite popular :) He introduced everyone to me. My, how the roles have changed! 
Anyway, it was great catching up with old roommates and friends. Claire and I stayed with my bff Carolann and Cole stayed with his buddy Chris. Fun stuff! 

Back at CC with a baby! Who'd have thunk it?!?

Showing Claire around her future college :)

Night out with Jordan, Chris, James, and Ashley. (No, Chris didn't wet his pants - that's Cole's shadow!)

Me with old friends - Sarah Jane, Jess, Carolann, and Sarah

The joy of Claire

Confessions of a Mud Runner

Dear Mud Run,
I would just like to thank you for showing me how incredibly weak I am and then rubbing my face in it. I mean hey, I knew I wasn't Wonder Woman or anything, but I must admit that I smugly thought I was doin' pretty good for having just recovered from baby #1 and already being pregnant with baby #2. You however, showed me how mistaken that assumption was. You got me covered in mud within minutes, you left me breathless after the first mile, you tore up my knees on the low crawl, you left my pride on the ground at the parallel logs, my husband had to practically carry me through the over-under logs, and best of all, the whole world got a great look at my mud-covered, spandex-clad rear end on the high wall. So thank you, Mud Run. My pride is sufficiently checked.


Oh and P.S. I still have mud under my fingernails.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu...

Gotta love the Sound of Music :)

Anyway, this week we say goodbye to our friends in ministry, the Spencers :( They are leaving us for a cold, faraway, ungodly place called.... WISCONSIN! Haha, just kidding. They are actually going to pastor a growing church up in the capitol city, Madison, and are very excited about their new ministry opportunity. We will miss y'all (heavy emphasis on the "y'all") but pray that the Lord richly blesses your ministry up north!

Some pics of our going away dinner with the staff:

Baby News!

Yes, the word on facebook and among your friends is true - I'm PREGNANT!!! Baby number two will be here sometime mid-April!
And yes, it is a surprise to us as well. But a great one! Claire can't wait to be a big sister!

Bring on the mud!

Yes, I am proud to announce that I am in for a muddy good time on September 25th! Thanks to brotha Ryan (who may be halfway across the world but never fails to get us off our rears) most of this crazy Nickell family will be running 4.2 miles through mud holes, over walls, across trenches, under obstacles, and across ravines.
And surprise, surprise! Guess who will join us? The other half of this crazy family, my little bros! Yep, Sam and James will be sloshing through the mud along with Ryan, Cole, Julia, and me. We like to make these things a family affair.

And yes, I cannot wait for this part ;-)

New haircut and Claire's 7th month stats

I finally did something with my long, nasty-wavy, post-pregnancy hair. Hormones sure did a number on my previously perfect hair. I woke up one morning and suddenly had waves... but not the good kind. The kind that crinkle at your scalp and then die out halfway down. The kind that make it look like you have bed head everyday. The kind that make straightening a necessity. Ugh. So I chopped about 5-6 inches off and added side bangs. 

Ta-da!

In other news, Claire is now 7 months old. And man! that girl loves the water :)

Her 7 month stats:
~Weighs about 14.5 lbs.
~Height - 26 inches as far as I can tell.
~As previously mentioned, she LOVES the water!
~Is sitting up completely on her own.
~Took her first crawl steps last week! But doesn't go far.
~Plays rather than naps in her crib now that she can move on her own.
~Wants to "taste" everything!
~Has a new smile where she winkles up her nose :)


I can't believe my baby is so old!!!

Baptism Pictures!

The whole Nickell/Marshall gang!

"What is happening to me?"

Pastor Mike - thank you for baptizing our baby!

Our little family :)