For the Texans...

My friend Emily sent this to me, she is a fellow Texan (Baylor Alum) living in Florida. Her and her husband Spencer (also Baylor Alum) have become great friends since we met them at church several months ago. It was too funny so I had to post it & plus I am too tired right now to think of anything creative on my own. Thanks Emily!

Due to the popularity of the "Survivor" shows, Texas is planning to do one entitled, "Survivor, Texas-Style." The contestants will all start in Dallas, then drive to Waco, Austin, San Antonio, over to Houston and down to Brownsville. They will then proceed up to Del Rio, El Paso, Midland, Odessa, Lubbock and Amarillo. From there they will go on to Abilene,Fort Worth and finally back to Dallas.

Each will be driving a pink Volvo with bumper stickers that read: "I Love the Dixie Chicks", "Boycott Beef", "I Voted for Obama", "George Strait Sucks", Hillary in 2012" and "I'm here to confiscate your guns".

The first one to make it back to Dallas alive wins.

Happy Friday!!

Oh, on a similar note we are now the proud owners of a gun...Son got to pick up his gun yesterday & of course I got a full demonstration last night (minus actually putting bullets in). We really need to go to the shooting range soon so that I can get used to it - not that I ever plan on using it, but if there was ever an emergency I want to be prepared. Not to mention how overly protective I am of this little baby that will be here soon.

We Graduated!

Last night Son & I officially graduated from our Lamaze Class - cheesy certificate of completion & all - the certificate is definitely going in the scrapbook. I only wish that I had remembered to bring my camera to take a picture of the big event. Yes, I am turning into my mother...

We enjoyed the class (or at least I enjoyed it & Son humored me by pretending that he enjoyed it), and last night Son decided that we needed to stop by DQ on the way home and get Blizzards to "celebrate graduation". I love how this pregnant wife thing is working out for him to get all his favorite treats! And trust me, I did not mind the vanilla sprinkle blizzard that he got for me - or the chocolate chip cookies he brought home the other day, and on and on.

My mom reminded me last night that she had me early at only 34 weeks - that is only 1 more week from where I am - scary thought that Collin really come at any time. ONLY 47 DAYS LEFT!!!

Updated Baby's Room Pics & other Vuong Family News

We have been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to take pictures - but here is an update. We have Collin's room almost complete - with just a few more projects to go. It has been so much fun to do most of it ourselves, but I am really getting tired lately, so I am ready to be done.



This is the crib - finished!




This is the bookcase that we bought & some little shelves that we hung on the wall - we really need to do more decoration type stuff, but at least we have the basics covered.




Here is my latest project - the baby quilt. I am almost finished with the top & then just need to put it all together with the middle & back. On a related note - if you ever purchase a crib-size organic cotton quilt batting from Jo Ann's, and you read the directions, do not confuse "pre-soak to eliminate shrinkage" with "pre-wash". I pre-washed it with the rest of the fabric and it came out in about a million little strings! That took forever to clean up...do you think they will take the little strings back at JoAnn's? I still have the receipt :)



And of course, Beau is trying to "help".





These are the curtains...and the rocking chair that I need to get recovered.






Our friends Winnie & Alan got us this adorable little FSU outfit. They are actually at the hospital right now having their first baby - Clara Renee. Collin is going to have so many little friends!




Even though we have been busy, there is still much to be done!



Also in Vuong Family news - we are going on Saturday to take our concealed weapons class...I know that is going to be funny (very big pregnant lady learning about carrying a concealed weapon!) Son has been wanting to take the class and get his permit for a long time, so I decided to tag along. Actually, he has been wanting to buy a gun for a few months now, but I kept saying that we needed to take a class first and then he could get one. I grew up knowing with guns in the house, and Son & I have both shot before, but we are by no means experts. I just wanted to feel more comfortable before we brought one in the house - more for me than for Son. So, now that this is going to be his last week of training in Tallahassee (yea!) he will finally be home on a Saturday to take the class. I don't know if I will actually get the permit, but I am going to go ahead and take the class just in case I want to.

Scary Realization

Okay, I just noticed that my due date countdown is down to less than 60 days...how did that happen?? I am really excited about Collin's upcoming arrival, but somehow knowing that it is "approximately" 59 days away is a scary thought! We have wanted a baby for so long now, and when you first find out you are pregnant 9 months seems like forever to wait. Now that we are getting close the time is just flying by. I have so many questions...

What type of delivery experience will I have?

What will he look like?

Will I be a good mom?

Is our house ready for a baby?

How will our life change?

How will I look/feel after having the baby - and how long will it take to get back to "normal"?

Will I be able to tell what is wrong when he is crying?

But, for every question that I have, there are also things that I know to be true:

God will prepare us for whatever type of delivery experience that He wants us to have, and will give us the strength to get through it!

I hope he looks like Son!

Son will be an amazing dad!

Our life is going to change dramatically - for the better!

This is an awesome blessing and I am continually humbled at everything that God is doing in our lives! We don't deserve any of it - and His grace truly is amazing!

"S" is for...

For the "letter-in-the-alphabet" posting tag that has been going around, I was assigned the letter "S" by my friend Angela at Bringing Creativity: http://angelas-notes.blogspot.com/ - okay actually, it looked like fun so I asked her to assign me a letter.

**I have been working on this post for a few days now...who knew that it would be so hard to think of 10 things starting with the letter "S"??


Here are 10 things about me that Start with "S":


1. "Son" - This was an easy one - this is my husband's name! We have been married for almost 3 years, and he is my best friend! Also, I am having a son in April :)


2. "Sushi" - one of my favorite foods. Even though I can't eat the raw stuff while I am pregnant, I still get cravings for & enjoy the California rolls & other cooked options. The hard thing is that not many of our friends like sushi (thankfully Dustin & Angela do!) so we usually have to go by ourselves - which is hard to find time for lately! My favorite place to get Sushi in Jacksonville is Sushi Rock in San Marco. They have this dynamite roll that is really dynamite!

3. "Sunbathing" - This is one of my favorite activities. Although this year, I will probably look more like a beached whale for the first few months until I lose the baby weight! Son and I love to go to the beach with our friends in the spring & summer, and usually bring lunch and our volleyball net for a fun time. I also like to bring my hot pink floaty and ride the waves, although the last time that we went about 6 of us got pulled out of the water by the park ranger - apparently we were in a "no swim" zone???


4. "Sewing" - this is one of my favorite hobbies. Lately I have been trying to find time to finish the sewing for the babies room, but the sewing machine has become a permanent fixture on the kitchen table until I'm done. My parents gave me a sewing machine for Christmas 2 years ago and it has been very useful. So far I have made drapes for the sliding glass door to our backyard (my mom helped with this), curtains for the living room, a baby quilt for my nephew Jaeden, a baby quilt for my neighbor Kellie's baby Danika, a little dress for my niece Lilo, throw pillows for the couch, and now the bedding and other stuff for Collin's room.


5. "Savior" - I believe in the living Savior, Jesus Christ, who was God's only Son, who came to earth, died for our sins, and 3 days later was raised from the dead, so that whosoever believes in him shall have everlasting life!


6. "Sleepy" - I have been very sleepy lately! However, it seems that we keep getting busier and busier with no time for naps...boo! And I know that in just 8 short weeks I will be getting even less sleep.


7. "Swollen Ankles" - this is really the only issue I am having with being pregnant now. It has gotten really gross to look at my feet lately. I used to have very small ankles & narrow feet, and now, by the time I get home at the end of the day they are huge!! I really hope they go back to the normal size when I have the baby - this would be very upsetting if it was permanent.

8. "Spring" - my favorite time of the year! Living in Florida in spring it is warm enough to go to the beach & spend lots of time outside, but it's not yet so hot that it's miserable. Also, my birthday is in the spring so that is good too!

9. "Short" - for everyone who knows me this one goes without saying. I really like being petite (5' 0") - much more so now than when I was younger. The only problem is that it is really difficult to find "short" lengths in pants at most stores, so I end up getting most of my pants & skirts hemmed. Lately though, the maternity stores have had several petite sections, so I haven't had to get any of my maternity clothes altered yet - that's a good thing since I (hopefully) will be able to get back into my regular size before too long - yea!

10. "Steak N Shake" - this is a guilty pleasure of mine! I have been trying to avoid fast food as much as possible & eat healthy, but it is soooo tempting because I can literally see the sign out of the window in my office. I have been good the past few weeks, but I think I may break soon...now you know my secrets!

Have a great weekend & Happy Valentines Day!!

How I realized that 7+ Months Pregnant does not equal Graceful!

Okay, I am about to confess a really embarrassing moment here, but this weekend I realized how my growing belly is affecting by balance and coordination...

On Saturday I went to Jo Ann's (a fabric/craft store here) to pick up some stuff to Finish a few projects I am working on for Collin's room. I had finished in the fabric department, so I was carrying around the cut fabric that I had purchased, and I was half-way through in the scrapbook section, so needless to say my hands were full (or maybe I am just making excuses here :)

Anyways, I was in the scrapbook section, and I was looking at some paper that was on sale, and it was on the bottom shelf, so I was squatting down to look through the stack. When I tried to get back up I realized that I was sort of "stuck" so I grabbed the shelf to try to pull myself up. Next thing I know, the shelf comes crashing down, and probably hundreds of stacks of paper come crashing down to the floor...everythign in my arms goes flying...and I fell flat on my butt in the middle of all the paper!

This is not a pretty picture! And anyone who has been to Jo Ann's on a Saturday knows how busy it was, so there were several witnesses to this incident.

I just sat there laughing for a minute (the only thing hurt was my pride), and then another shopper come over and helped me put the shelf back on the wall, and all the paper back on the shelf - this was a very embarrassing 10 minute task!

Anyways, just thought I would give everyone something to smile about this weeek!

Answered Prayer!

This is going to be a very short post, but I wanted to thank everyone who has been praying for my glucose test. I actually got the results back this morning at my doctor's appointment & I passed all 4 tests!!!!

Son went back to Tallahassee for training today & won't be back until Saturday night, so I am going to get busy on finishing the sewing for the baby's room this week.

Also, we had the hospital tour at Lamaze class night & let me just tell you that those hospital beds are kind of scary! The move in about a billion different positions, then right before the "big delivery" the end of the bed comes off...wow, I don't know if I am ready for that! I guess I still have about 9 more weeks to prepare myself!

Thanks again for the prayers!

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." - Psalm 55:22

Happy Monday

Well, I had to start out my Monday at the lab this morning doing a 3-hour blood glucose test - not fun! Basically you have to drink this nasty orange syrup and they draw your blood at set intervals over a 3-hour period to see if you have gestational diabetes. I took the 1-hour version of the test at my doctor's office 2 weeks ago, and because it was higher than the "normal" range I had to move on to the 3-hour test. I should know the results early next week...so please pray that they are normal & that I don't have gestational diabetes! Apparently it is pretty common and manageable, but it can cause your baby to be overweight and put you you and your child at risk for developing diabetes later in life.

Anyways, Son had his first day at his new job today - training in Tallahassee and said that it went well. He is driving back to Jacksonville now and has tomorrow off. Yea!!