Finished Nursery!

Yes, I know, there have been many nursery posts. But I thought I would document the "finished product" (or at least, Josh sure hopes this is the last of his projects for this oh so tiny room!)

Bookshelf, dresser, changing station, and swing

Crib, blanket, blanky

Crib and fish mobile

Crib, chair, side table

stuff animal hammock, memory wall, chair

a peek through the doors

closet organizers

More closet organization

Inside view of the doors/blinds

closet, changing station

Job well done, Josh! Boy, that was a lot of projects!

A walk through the neighborhood

The blooms in our neighborhood are bursting with color and we are delighted! It is so fun to go for walks with Teddy and Josh each day and notice all of the new blooms- planted or not. Many of the blooms make us tell stories we wouldn't have recalled otherwise on our long walks...

for example, these azaleas of course remind me of my ER trip for mistaking azaleas for Honey Suckle with a dear friend when I was very litttle...


And the wisteria makes me think of summer days spent with Nan and Pop in Greenwich and how beautiful the wisteria is along their porch

There are so many beautiful sites in our neighborhood

...and then the also frequent reminder of the part of Florida we live in, haha...I suppose it's better than a giant purple blowup spider on top of a house year round (ahem, Pensacola.... ;))

...Good memories...good times!

This is a picture of the unoccupied nursery that was sold awhile ago and then several homes were built around it. Some time in the next year this nursery will turn into several more new homes on the street- bittersweet.

Yesterday a 90 year old gentleman on our street told me he built his house and never once paid a mortgage (yes, he's now told us this story 20 times). He added that his house used to be the only one on the street aside from a horse barn. He's lived in the same house 57 years! We just love hearing stories like this (even when we hear them every day- hehe)

We are also starting to see our first blooms in our very own yard- this is all exciting because we've never experienced spring at this house! What a gorgeous iris- there's only one so far, but I just jumped with delight to take a picture of it.

I won't say how many times I've had to replace these hanging baskets due to negligence...but they sure are beautiful...for now!

I can't remember the name of this plant- also in our front yard. Any guesses?

Pretty buds down the street...

We love this part of Jacksonville- the lack of emphasis on palm trees and unique, old trees...

Thanks for joining us on our walk through the neighborhood!

Staycation

This weekend we took a "staycation"- no laundry, groceries, cleaning, cooking, or chores! It was a fabulous vacation- with the added benefit of the comfort of our own bed- a must for this preggo these days. Of course a vacation wouldn't be a vacation without including Teddy too ;).

Saturday I enjoyed a half day at the spa- it was the most incredible and serene spa I've ever been too- ahhh....Josh played a round of golf with two Scottsmen at the Slammer and Squire in the World Golf Village (his spa, haha).

We later enjoyed dinner al fresco with Teddy by our side.

Today we spent some time at the dog park- Teddy swam halfway across the lake and ran like a zebra after tennis balls for hours. Next we took him along to Ponte Vedra Beach for a long afternoon of walks and relaxing in the sun and sand. He wasn't too keen on the waves at the beach but overall we had a wonderful, relaxing afternoon!

Teddy running away from the water

Now we're both ready to get back to work! Thank you Lord for beautiful weather and a wonderful week!

Special Gifts

Josh and I recently returned from a wonderful visit to Connecticut. We were blessed with an incredible shower for our baby boy. So many wonderful family and friends attended to support us. A highlight of the shower for me was having my mother give a devotional and a prayer for our newest addition. While I've always appreciated my mother's role, I am beginning to notice new treasures about her as a mother as I prepare to become a mother myself.

It was also a fun surprise to read through encouragement and advice shower attendees had put together in a scrapbook :)

We also had the special gift of spending some extra time with Josh's family before he gets ready to deploy in June. The Lord really worked out all of the details fabulously!

One special person from my childhood, Debbie P., who was not able to attend the shower, sent some beautiful and creative gifts to us the other day

What incredible detail!

Again, such thought and detail- and they happen to be my favorite colors!

My favorite item from Debbie was the bunny ears hat, as our little man is due to arrive easter weekend- how perfect!

I also just had to snap a picture of this neat mobile we received from Aunt Melinda- I can't get enough of watching the fish float through the air as if they are swimming against our pretty blue walls. Notice the tiny red worm and fish hook ;)

Two other items I wanted to showcase:

A few years ago I received the rooster on the left with a picture of me holding the rooster from my very dear live-in nanny, Angela. I used to go into her room and ask to hold her letter holder (the rooster) frequently. I'm not sure what the attraction was, but it was so special to receive it after so many years. One day, if we have a little girl, I can't wait to put the picture of my Raggedy Ann patent up from my Grandma and Grandad and my handmade doll chest from Nan and Pop.

At the shower, Mom A surprised us with a picture of the dishes her mother and father gave to her while she was in the hospital having Josh, in addition to the actual china. I am so nervous about them being up on the wall in the event they are somehow knocked over, but it brings both of us such joy to display such treasures and memories.

We are so blessed for so many reasons, but I thought I would share some new and old material memories that have made us feel especially loved and thought of.