36 Weeks and I feel like a fire truck.

Big, red, and everyone sees me coming!

Everyone said the last few weeks would be the hardest and I think I'm starting to believe them. It's starting to sink in that I could be a mom in less than a month! I'm trying hard not to get too anxious, but started thinking that I might need to be a little more prepared in case I go early. I don't think I'll ever be ready work-wise, but could at least get a few more things squared away at home.

I did a little more shopping on Saturday and finally decided on a black bookshelf to put next to the glider in the nursery. Incidentally, this was only $24 in store, not $39 like it says online. My co-worker and I were just discussing how different the prices are online compared to in-store and I'm finding lots of examples! Check the store first before you order online and have it shipped to the store "free"! The bookshelf holds my orange totes, our new CD player, some books, and provides a surface next to the changing table for wipes, etc. I also took my sister's advice and went for the mini dome touch lamp from Walmart because she highly recommends being able to turn on the light hands-free and it's not too bright to wake the daylights out of the baby.

It was fun showing the nursery to my mom and sister this Sunday while DH went fishing with my dad and BIL. We also took the dogs for a nice long walk. I am LOVING the weather lately and enjoy sleeping in about a 63 degree house. It's getting harder to get up from sitting or laying down and my fingers are super-stiff in the morning with sore forearms by mid-day. I have continued to struggle with heartburn but I am not looking for sympathy (nor will I get any since I had chili for supper and just finished off an ice cream cone).

One of the last details I'm looking for is a cool mobile that doesn't clash with the rest of the room. I haven't seen anything in stores but a check of ebay came up with a few fun ideas. This one is quite nostalgic for both DH and me: Vintage Fisher Price Mobile. When I looked for something black and white, I was hoping for something modern, but instead found this doozy of a "don't": Polka Dot Skirts on Bears. I was excited to find a super-cool modern one made in Denmark called Flensted Mobile Black Rhythm, but the $379.99 price tag may be a bit over the top. Although I'm not really down with the baby animals, this Musical Mobile Elephant Giraffe one might actually have some potential color-wise. Have you seen any cool mobiles that would match a black/white/orange/brown/olive/Four Seasons theme? I'm open to suggestions!

Well, it's getting late (did I really just say 9:50 was late?) and since I stayed up watching America's Best Dance Crew last night, I think I'll get ready to head for bed.

And/or watch show choir videos on YouTube until Ultimate Cake Off is over.

Wedding Day for A&K

Saturday was the big day-the day of A&K's wedding! In the morning, I headed to Indulgence salon in Orange City to get my hair done with the bride, matron of honor, and personal attendant. They did a great job on everyone's hair and I was impressed with the decor of the salon. Then, we all got ready in the nursery of the church. Everyone was pretty calm and it was a fun morning. We took pictures for a few hours and DH and I snuck outside to take a few pictures ourselves since it was such a gorgeous day. Here we are all dressed up!

Our photographer also insisted on getting a "side-view" shot since I'll always wonder just how pregnant I looked in a bridesmaid dress! (Sidenote: I will always be grateful to K for being so understanding and for letting me pick out my own dress! I was about 34.5 weeks pregnant in this pic.)

The wedding was beautiful and there were many family and friends there to share the day. We rode from Hull to Hospers in a limo and I got a shot of the happy couple:

The reception had great food topped off with cheesecake and then we sent them on their way.

It was a great day and we wish them only the best!

It's All Coming Back to Me Now

I've been unexcusably absent from blogging for a while, but here's an excuse for that: extremely busy week, late nights, and aggravated carpal tunnel. So, I'll try to post a few things from our last week or so of life for those of who either weren't at these events or don't have facebook :)

Last Friday night, we had wedding rehearsal for DH's brother's wedding. It was fun, yet efficient (this is the style of DH's dad, who was officiating the ceremony and running rehearsal). This is why V and I get along so well. Our motto is usually "Have fun, but get it done!"

It brought back a lot of memories since we got married in the same church 5 years and 4 months earlier!

After rehearsal, we had a great buffet at the Pizza Ranch. PR pizza has not been setting well with me during my pregnancy, but there was plenty of salad, cheese sticks, chicken, potatoes, and blueberry dessert pizza to make up for my inability to process pepperoni products. Unfortunately, on the walk back to the house, DH's grandma fell on the road and broke her wrist in 2 places. A trip to the emergency room was not what the mother-of-the-groom had in mind the night before the wedding, but we are all thankful the injuries were not worse. Grandma M ended up getting it splinted and then had surgery when she got back to MN.

On a less serious note, but still a minor problem, we figured out Friday night that the tux rental place had switched jackets, pants, and shoes between DH and his dad (who is several inches shorter). His dad had already gotten everything hemmed to fit him but in the end, we ended up finding a combination that worked with some last-minute hem-letting by Aunt Connie.

Sequence

It was another rousing Saturday night at the Boone household with a heated game of Sequence.

Someone hasn't quite mastered the poker face.

Treasure Hunt

In my never-ending quest for a bargain, I went to the local "Treasure Chest" with my sister today after seeing they were having a "Fill a bag for $3" sale. Megan picked up a a few pairs of shoes and clothes for Lincoln and I thought the maternity tank was worth $3 alone, so after that, our mentality was that anything extra we could fit in the bag was free. So, into the bag went 3 onesies, 2 excercise tapes, 6 books, and 3 CDs. Even with the cheap second hand prices, it was still $19.25 of merchandise for just $3. Can't beat that for a bargain!

Bed Skirt-because shorts are a little too informal

With the extra fabric cut from the bottom of the curtains and a rookie attempt with a borrowed staple gun (plus some duct tape when the staples ran out and I couldn't figure out how to reload), I created a bed skirt for the crib. The main purpose of it is to hide the area UNDER the crib where I plan to store things like the Pack 'N Play and play mat.

To anyone who knows me, you will not be surprised that this little project did not come without injuries. One would think the staple gun would pose the biggest threat, but no, I accomplished the nice little blood blister between my thumb and index finger with nothing more than lightning-quick reflexes and a tape measure.

Be impressed.

Four Seasons Nursery

Although the nursery is not completely finished, I wanted to post pictures of how it's looking so far. My goal was to create a gender-neutral modern nursery that won't be outgrown in a year or two. Pastels are just not my style! I had my heart set on orange and once I found the curtains, it cemented the "Four Seasons" theme. Since I spent hours searching the internet for bedding and nursery ideas and hated it when people posted pictures but never specified where they got everything, I'm going to list my sources for most of what is shown in these pictures. Click the collage to see a larger version.

• Curtains: JORUN LÖV from Ikea
• Black Curtain Rods and holdbacks: Walmart (not available online)
• Paint: Badger Brown from Ace Hardware
• Crib, changing table, bookshelf, and black glider chair with ottoman: garage sales!
• Crib mattress and Diaper Genie: from Once Upon a Child
• Orange crib sheets and changing pad cover: Carousel Designs on babybedding.com
• Black Eyelet Totes: from Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Orange "leather" totes: from Hobby Lobby with an online coupon
• Seasonal cutouts: leaves, snowflake and acrylic paint from Hobby Lobby, pineapple from a disassembled napkin holder I got for 10 cents on a garage sale. I threaded black ribbon from a hole in each cutout and hung it on a cup-hook from the hardware store that we screwed into...
• 10" square black shelves: from Hobby Lobby (waited until shelves were 50% off)
• Black Eyelet Totes: from Bed, Bath & Beyond
• Orange "leather" totes: from Hobby Lobby with an online coupon

Once the room is complete (we're still looking for a hamper, end table and lamp), I'll try to post a finished picture!

Baby Shower

Tonight my wonderful friends Heidi and Cathy hosted a baby shower for me at Heidi's house. Look how cute the "baby carriage" watermelon filled with fruit is! I also loved the purple and gold flowers and diaper cake (go Panthers).

We had some yummy food, fun games, and wonderful gifts. I also got some great advice from these experienced (and new) moms. Thanks everyone for making this a fun evening together!