Recent Happenings....

So it has been awhile since I've last posted....a LONG while. I suppose I should clue everyone in on what has been happening recently....

January 20, 2010--Macy was born! :) A cute little glow-worm bundle of joy!!

February marked the departure of my right hand (my mom) from her extended stay in Arizona. Matt's parents also visited. We are both hoping that BOTH sets of grandparents can someday join us in Arizona!

In March, Macy had her first plane ride, and first of many trips to Nebraska. Macy & I stayed for about 10 days and highlights included visits from many friends, my bridal shower, and bachelorette party! Matt also had his bachelor party in Las Vegas. Macy also saw snow for the first time in Nebraska! By the time we returned from Nebraska, Macy was also sleeping through the night!

April absolutely flew by! Some highlights include wedding plans, wedding plans, and more wedding plans. Workouts and workdays. And more wedding planning.

In May, my sister, MacKenzie, graduated from college and Macy and I visited Nebraska for the event. Then, came wedding day! It was perfect weather, and a perfect day, despite all the troubles our out-of-town guests had in their arrivals. :) Matt and I then continued on to Atlanta, where highlights included Olympic Park, the Aquarium, and Mushroom Mellow's pizzeria. Macy enjoyed spending time with Gramma and Grumpa Moore.

In June, Matt and I went tubing down the Salt River, celebrated Matt's birthday with ice cream cake and happy hour at Kona Grill, and Macy and I went back to Nebraska for a friends bachelorette party and Father's Day.

In July, our family watched fireworks for the 4th, and enjoyed a "stay-cation" at the Hotel W in Scottsdale. We tubed down the Salt River again, and continued our attendance at Red Mountain Community Church. Macy's bottom teeth "appeared" and she began to regularly eat solid foods.

August is now here, and in a few days Gramma & Grumpa Moore arrive to babysit Macy while Matt & I head to Sandals Ocho Rios in Jamaica. That's what we've been up too! :)

37 1/2 weeks, How many more???

Happy New Year!

2009 absolutely FLEW by!

A few highlights to remember 2009 by...

January 2009--Liz's 26th Birthday

March 2009-- Liz & Matt's Trip to Vegas for the NCAA Tourney

April 2009--Liz & Matt's Trip to Disneyland! (First-timer!! :-)

May 2009--Liz & Matt's First Cruise!

June 2009--Matt's 28th Birthday

July 2009--Liz & Matt's Engagement! :-)

October 2009--Matt Bought his 1st Home!

December 2009--1st Christmas in the New Home!

Now, 2010 starts off with a BANG! I think Matt & I were the ONLY people purchasing "alcohol removed" champagne at the liquor store on New Year's Eve! :-) It was too bad we both fell asleep before the new year began! But the champagne and egg casserole made for a phenomenal New Year's Day Brunch!

Matt is back to work today, first day back since Dec 23, and first day at ICE's new location! It sounds like a great building and Matt is all pumped up to be #1 overall for 1st Quarter 2010, just like he was for 4th Quarter 2009!

I am getting very anxious for Macy Grace to be here! My mom stayed after Christmas so she can be here when MG decides to make her debut! I feel like a walking time-bomb....everyday, just waiting! Now that the holidays have passed, there isn't a grand "to-do" list everyday. The nursery is done, presents have been bought, Macy has everything she needs, and my big item on the to-do list everyday is my 2 mile walk! :-)

She will come when she is good and ready, but Dr. Moon (a fellow Nebraskan!) said we can induce any day after the 15th...I would rather let her come when she is ready, but I do want her to be ready sooner than later! :-) I'm just ready for her to be here already! It seems like the last few weeks probably go the most slowly...

I hope your 2010 is starting off as blessed as ours is so far! The 70 degree weather certainly makes us love to call Zona home, but we still miss all of you!

Much love,

Liz, Matt & Macy

Hi friends & family!

Merry Christmas! With the holiday quickly approaching, I thought this would be a fun opportunity to do a little guessing game for what sweet little Macy Grace’s birthday will be! We haven’t determined the prize for the winner yet, but we thought it would be fun to do no matter what!

A few fun facts about our darling girl:
* Macy’s due date is estimated as January 22, 2010
* Mommy’s birthday is January 25!
* As of 35 weeks, Macy’s weight is about 5 pounds, 1 oz
* Mommy weighed 6 lb 14 oz at birth
* According to the ultra sound tech, Macy could be a tall little princess! :-)
* Daddy had TONS of hair when he was born, but Mommy was a little baldie :-)
* Macy likes to give Mommy lots of heartburn, but not really any pre-term contractions yet.
* Macy is measuring the perfect size, but Mommy still looks really small.

So far, the guesses stand as:

* 1-15-10 Mommy
* 1-19-10 Grandma Kay
* 1-20-10 Aunt MacKenzie
* 1-21-10 Aunt Kim & Uncle Mike
* 1-22-10 Daddy
* 1-23-10 Grumpa Charlie
* 1-25-10 Grandma Jane

Macy’s nursery is all ready, all that needs to be done is assemble her stroller and install the carseat in the Saturn Vue! (We will let the firemen take care of that!) We also have pictures to hang on the walls in the nursery, but we will wait for Grumpa Charlie and his level to get here before we attempt that!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has generously blessed our little family with presents for Macy! Without you, we would NEVER have completed the nursery on time, and Macy would not have all the essentials a little girl needs!

We can’t wait to see all of you in the New Year and to introduce Macy Grace to each of you!

May you days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white!

Love,
Liz, Matt & Macy Grace

33 weeks and Nesting

Happy (approaching) holidays friends!

For those of you not yet aware, I have been blessed with the opportunity to be at stay at home mommy for the last few weeks of pregnancy and the first few months of motherhood (hey, I can dream that it's forever, but we will see!)

For the last few days, I have been in definite nesting mode. Matt gets home from work, the dishes are done and put away, all counter tops and surfaces are clean, dinner is in the oven..hard to say who appreciates it more, me or him! In all seriousness, however, a major stress weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I have been to the library, Christmas shopped, read, relaxed, and been able to detox all the negatives that had been hindering me over the last few months! (And this coming from the woman who did not take a single day off from work during the 16 weeks from Hades (aka morning, noon, night sickness) or any sick day the entire pregnancy!!)

Things on my to-do list still include addressing & mailing Christmas cards, finishing decorating the tree, finishing Christmas shopping (please tell me other expectant parents actually wrap gifts for their unborn child to place under the tree so I don't feel like a crazy mom!!), and watching the entire season 5 of LOST when it releases on DVD this week

This weekend Matt & I learned a valuable lesson on patience. We ventured out to get our Christmas/maternity photos taken, and arrived 5 minutes before our scheduled appointment. However, we ended up waiting for 1 hour and 20 minutes for our photos to be taken (which took 10 minutes max) and then another 20 minutes to view the photos, all surrounded by crabby people and children screaming (hey, I understand, kids, I felt like screaming too!!)! By the time we finally selected a photo and paid, we were told we could pick up our pictures in 30 minutes. Knowing the lines we had waited in all morning, we wisely decided to wait 45 minutes before returning, only to find out now that the printer was broken and we could not pick up the pictures till possibly Monday. I think that by having a good attitude towards the situation, we were both able to grow a bit. I know I typically would be raging at this point, but God gave me peace and I was (for once) able to look on the bright side (and we got to shop and have a fantastic lunch while waiting).

May God give you all the same peace he has given me over the last week!

32 weeks down, 8 to go!

Welcome back friends & family!

This week is Thanksgiving, and I am most thankful for a wonderful support system in Matthew, and YOU, our family & friends! I am also VERY thankful for our new home (pictured above), our 3 furbabies--Pogo, Luci & Carolina, a healthy baby (32 weeks and counting!) and the beautiful weather in sunny Arizona!!

Speaking of Macy Grace, Matthew just completed "Daddy Boot Camp" last week, you will all have to ask him about the tri-fecta! Haha! We also have successfully completed our "Birth Basics & Breathing" class, where we learned about Epidurals, C-Sections, and Natural Childbirth. Our class also ended with a tour of the hospital, including where to park and drop off! Hopefully, my mother will be here to drive us out, so Matt can keep me from panicking (or maybe it will be vice versa!). Matt was ecstatic to see a free coffee machine on each floor WITH cappuchino AND cafe mocha. :-)

My parents have been out here for the last week (ish) and my dad has been completing all the little "projects" around the house. He had to change out about 90% of the outlets in the house! We now have a working garage door, fireplace, and can leave the screen doors open for the kitties to look out the window without escaping! We also discovered that we have misters around the back pation to keep us cool during the hot Arizona summers! My mom has been helping with other projects, such as a Baby shopping spree, lunch dates, and wedding arrangements. Thanks Mom & Dad! :-)

Little Gummi Bear is doing well, she like to kick and play! We have almost all the essentuals for her nursery, should she decide to come tomorrow....but I think we will let her cook a little while longer ;-) On our shopping spree, Grandma Kay bought Macy the BEST book ever, entitled "Moo Baa LaLaLa"....Daddy wonders how many times he is going to have to read this over the next 5 years! I was diagnosed as being Strep B positive, and will need antiobiotics during labor, and have been tested for pre-eclampsia, but praise God, it came back negative!

I definitely need prayer and encouragement over the next few weeks, as our lives are about to change forever! (In a good way, of course.) The typical holiday "stressers" seem magnified this year, but at the same time, it will definitely make the next 8 weeks fly by!

30 Weeks Down, Less than 10 to Go!

So excited to be 3/4 of the way done with our first pregnancy!

Matt & I moved into the new house last weekend, and with the exception of not having the water turned on yet, things are going well. We still need to move the kitchen, master bathroom, our clothes, and pets to the new house, but other than that, we are practically done!

My parents are arriving Saturday to stay through Thanksgiving. We are thankful that my dad will be able to help with all the little "projects" around the house (painting Macy's room, fixing the tile in the kitchen, etc). My mom is also looking forward to doting on her daughter and unborn granddaughter....well, at least I hope she is!

Macy Grace is a little cheerleader already; she practices her kicks, flips, and jumps every morning between 9:30-11:00, every afternoon from 2:00-3:30, and every evening between 6-8 pm. She especially likes it when Daddy reads her "Goodnight Moon" and "The Hungary Caterpillar". She gives me insane heartburn everyday, but if I could make it through 3+ months of morning sickness, I suppose I can last another 2 months with the heartburn. I can't believe it's coming up so soon!

I am not looking too prego yet; when I went to pick up my prescription from the pharmacy, the pharmacist, asked me if I was on birth control, because "this medication can reduce its effectiveness" to which I responded, "sir, I am 30 weeks. I don't think that will make a difference at this point!" He looked very confused after I told him this. I suppose he could have thought I am a little chunky, haha.

This is my first posting, so hope this is what I am supposed to be writing!

Much love,

Liz (& Matt & Macy)