OUR LAST THANKSGIVING AS TWO

Like last year, Derek and I spent Thanksgiving as just the two of us, which was surreal as it's our last holiday to celebrate before baby comes! Derek was on-call (hence the scrubs in the photos!) meaning he was on the beckon call of his pager for the entire week. As well as struggling with a minor cold, he was very busy, but able to eat plenty of yummy food on Thanksgiving day. I spent the week in preparation as always, with my notes and recipes in hand while shopping on Monday, pie prep on Tuesday, and sweet potato and stuffing making on Wednesday, leaving Thursday very stress free while cooking the turkey and other finishing touches. It was a wonderful day, and we enjoyed yummy pie with homemade whipped cream for dessert hours later. Not only did we eat well on the day of, but for countless days after with copious amounts of leftovers! We had a wonderful day, and are so thankful for our first Thanksgiving in our new home!

(My 37.5 bump!)

MONTEREY TRIP

Derek and I were able to plan a weekend away to the seaside community of Monterey earlier this month. It was so refreshing to be back in a coastal town, with the picturesque views and cool ocean breeze. We stayed on famous Cannery Row, and were in walking distance to delicious restaurants, shopping, and the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. We spent the morning eating yummy cinnamon rolls and hot coca overlooking the crashing waves & floating kelp beds (with sea otters lounging!) before heading over to the aquarium. We fell in love with the atmosphere and the amazing exhibits before the crowds arrived. We also took the famous 17 Mile Drive along the coast, and fell in love with the beautiful over-looks, picnic locations, and the world famous Pebble Beach Resort. The 18th hole of the golf course is overlooking the beautiful vista (above), with crashing waves and a beautiful clubhouse to boot. It was such a relaxing and fun weekend, and we will be back after baby boy makes his appearance for long weekend vacations when we want to escape to the beach!

SACRAMENTO BABY SHOWER

My sweet friends Lin & Janelle from Sacramento were kind enough to throw me a darling nautical themed baby shower a few weekends ago. It was a perfect morning of yummy pumpkin bread & visiting, which are two of my favorite things. To top it off, the sweet women in that area were kind enough to shower me with darling baby outfits, shoes, books, and the MamaRoo both Derek and I were thrilled to recieve. We had such a grand time, we didn't manage to get any group photos, but the women and sweet young girls in that area will always hold a special place in my heart! While Derek was so busy during residency, they were there for fun girls nights, walks around the neighborhood and river, afternoons of crafting and much more. My favorite part of the shower was the darling whale print Janelle made for Grant's room. The sweetest part were all the thumb print drops of the YW I was able to serve while in the area. It's already in his room and looks so darling! 

MATERNITY PHOTOS WITH BEAUTIFULLY BLISS PHOTOGRAPHY

My dear friend Mandy of Beautifully Bliss Photography was gracious enough to spend an evening shooting in this gorgeous eucalyptus grove in La Jolla while I was in San Diego. As someone who has wished and hoped for a baby for so long, I knew I wanted to capture this sweet (and short!) moment of time in my life with some photos. Mandy made me feel both beautiful and bliss during this shoot, and these are photos I will cherish forever!