My better half

I just wanted to take a few moments to talk about my amazing husband. I am completely in awe when I think about our relationship and why God chose me to be his wife. I know I've talked on here about how Adam is such an amazing man, but can I just tell you that he's even more wonderful being a Dad!

Pretty much all during the day I get emails asking me to send him pictures of his little princess. When he comes home he makes a bee-line to wherever she is to see if she's sleeping or awake and to give her a kiss. He feeds, burps, changes (yes, changes), and holds her whenever he can. He stares at her when she sleeps and says over and over how beautiful she is. He is an amazing Dad.

Some of you might know Adam has a couple of extra jobs on top of his full-time teaching job. He gets up at 4:45am every morning to drive the morning bus route for the Elementary kids at our school, he tutors multiple students after school each week, and he heads up after-school detention. He does all of this because he loves our family and he will do anything and everything he can to provide for us.

Adam, nothing you do goes unnoticed. Leah and I appreciate everything you do for our family! You are an amazing man of God, a devoted husband, and one proud Daddy! I love you with all my heart and never forget that you have what it takes to do whatever you want to in this world and Leah and I could not be happier to be on this adventure with you! Love you!

I'm ready!

It seems like all I post about lately is Leah. I can't help it. She has consumed my thoughts and actions. She was supposed to arrive yesterday, but she has decided she will be fashionably late. Maybe she's waiting for Valentine's day. I just got through hanging up the last of her clothes and I think she may have more clothes than I'll know what to do with. We'll just have to play dress up during the day.

[caption id="attachment_388" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Her closet :)"][/caption]

On another note, when I got home from school today I found the most beautiful bouquet of tulips waiting on the counter for me along with some chocolates and a card. My husband's the best! He knows I love tulips and chocolate is pretty high on my list and to top it off, he surprised me with a couple's massage to have after Leah comes. I'm so thankful to be married to such an amazing man of God who would do anything for his family! Love you babe!

[caption id="attachment_392" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Happy Valentine\'s Day!"][/caption]

Nesting, maybe?

I don't know, but I might have entered into the nesting stage. (Or I could just be "wanting" to be in the nesting stage because I'm so anxious to meet my little girl). For the past two days I have had sudden bursts of energy to get things done. Usually I'm either in bed or asleep on the couch by 9:00pm, but as you can see it's 10:15 and I'm wide awake writing a post! I know...it's a miracle! I'm dying to get things done in Leah's nursery, but I keep getting delayed. Adam and I were going to go to Hobby Lobby today to pick up a few things to do some wall art in her room, but they were closed. Needless to say I was disappointed, but I do respect their willingness to be closed for a day of worship and rest. Then, I had waited all day to get some pictures developed to put in her nursery and waited an hour at CVS to get them done...but did that happen...nope. I got frustrated and my emotions got the best of me and I left. We're supposed to be getting her bedding sometime this month and I can't wait to put everything together! We are also ordering a very cool wall decal from one of my favorite sites. I'm very excited about it! Oh! We also went and got Leah a coming home outfit today. We wanted to get her some different sized outfits to bring to the hospital for her to come home in because we don't know how big she'll be. Speaking of clothes, I'm so ready to start washing all her clothes (which will take me about a week)...but I'm waiting to see if I get any of the "Dreft" detergent at any of my showers.

I know Adam is about tired of me being pregnant. He's ready for me to be normal again and for all my mood swings and emotional outbursts to subside. Only 5 more weeks babe (or sooner)! Well, I've got to start winding down...work always comes on Monday! Goodnight!

Exciting things to come!

Tomorrow Adam and I are getting something special done. Our last ultrasound of Leah was at about 18 weeks when we found out she was a girl. I have been wanting to get another ultrasound just to see her again and to re-assure myself that she is my little princess. I was told that we wouldn't get another ultrasound unless it was necessary. Some of our close friends in our small group recommended some places to get a 3D ultrasound done. I checked them out and they had some great specials going on (maybe because of Christmas), but we are getting one tomorrow! It's our Christmas present to each other this year and we are both so excited! You get to invite up to 10 family members to come and sit in a theater style room and see the ultrasound on a 100 inch screen. So, Adam's parents, his brother, my mom and dad, and my sister are all coming to see Leah. I couldn't be more excited because if you've ever seen the before and after pictures of these ultrasounds, it's pretty amazing how close they look like their ultrasound picture when they are born! Technology is amazing! I will be sure to post some pictures after we get them!

On another note, I said in my previous post that if I did any Christmas shopping I would update you...well...we did! Saturday we got some of our shopping done, but not all of it. We braved the mall and pushed through our way of the crowded aisles. Adam and I told each other that when we go back, we will definitely be going in the morning.

Today was an exciting day at our church because it was the commitment day for our one year pledge for the building we are building in Blakeney. The leaders of the church gave a couple of weeks ago and the outcome was simply God. 400 leaders gave $1.5 which was the amount we had to have by the end of the year to close on the land. I am so proud to be apart of such a huge move of God and I could not think of something better to give to than a church who is investing in the city of Charlotte and more importantly in the lives of millions of people around the globe. Today we had the privilege of giving away $250,000 to the different outreach ministries we partner with around Charlotte. I'm still in awe of the generosity and faith of our church and Adam and I feel truly blessed to be apart of just a portion of it.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday night...I'm scared to ask this question...Vikings or Panthers?

My Amazing Husband

Well, yesterday was just one of those days. Let me explain...woke up, went to work, had a dentist appt. to get 2 cavities filled, came back to school because my girls had 2 back-to-back games to cheer at, and finally got home at around 9:30pm. That may not seem like a long day to some of you, but to a pregnant person, it's a different story!

Taking our stuff out of the car and transporting it to the house from the garage is an ordeal for us (just because we always have so much stuff)! So when we pulled into the garage last night I was not looking forward to lugging all my stuff in from the day...but when I opened the trunk, I saw a very pretty wrapped gift with a card on top that said, "Elizabeth". My spirits immediately lifted because I love surprises! I asked Adam who it was from and he wouldn't tell me.

Well, when we got inside I opened the card and, what do you know, it was from my amazing husband! Now, let me preface this a little...

You see being pregnant is a wonderful thing, but when your clothes start to get tight and you have to "button" your jeans with a rubber band, and even when your comfy t-shirts are fitting snug, it seems like your insecurities are at an all time high. Even though you know you have a growing baby inside you and it's a wonderful thing, there's still something that's hard about not fitting into your "normal" clothes (at least from a pregnant woman's point of view...all my pregnant friends know what I'm talking about)! It's always an ordeal for me to pick out what I'm going to wear the next day and Adam always finds me standing in my closet staring at my pre-pregnancy clothes wishing I could still wear some of them. Every time before he leaves me in my slumber, he always embraces me and tells me I am beautiful no matter what I look like.

Ok, so I start to open my gift and I find two, yes two, very cute maternity long sleeve shirts that fit like a glove and a bag of Reece's! My man knows me! I love it that my hubby has a great sense of style and I love it even more when he tucks all my insecurities away and makes me feel beautiful...as long as he thinks I am, that's all that matters (and it makes me a happy girl)!

I know this may seem un-important to you, but it's the little things that count and when Adam does these things for me to show me he loves me, it speaks volumes! So, thank you to my sweet husband whom I love with all my heart! Thank you for being my best friend, the man of my dreams, my soul mate, and Leah's father. You mean the world to me and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Another Doc. appt...

We had another doctor's appointment this past Wednesday to get my results back from all the bloodwork. Everything came back normal and my doctor told me the risks for miscarriage go down tremendously since I am in my 2nd trimester. We also got to hear our baby's heartbeat again which is always a good sound! I've only gained a pound so far, but she told me I will start gaining about .5 lb per week now. I've also gotten kind of lazy on my exercising, but I plan to start back soon!

The past 3 days we've had cheerleading camp for the girls at the school. My future sister-in-law (whose also the coach for ASU) came down and did the camp for us. It was very fun and helpful, but also very hot and exhausting! I guess it gave me a little taste of how I'll feel after a full workday. Afternoon naps are definitely going to help me, and my sweet husband encourages me to take them because he knows I'm tired. I love him!

Adam and I will go back to the doctor in about 4 weeks to see what we're having (I'm about 14 weeks along). It's crazy because it seems to go by so fast! So...I want to leave everyone with a little poll...girl or boy?

[polldaddy poll=1873754]

13 weeks...I've graduated!

I am officially 13 weeks. Yes...I've graduated into my 2nd trimester! Woo hoo! No more queseyness...(well maybe a little more). Adam and I went to our 3rd doctor's appt. this past Monday for my 1st Trimester screening. The nurse took some pictures (which I'll post at the end) and I got some blood taken. She told us that as far as she can tell with the pictures, everything looks great, but we won't know for sure until my bloodwork comes back. We go back next Wednesday to get all the results.

While she was taking the ultrasound, she needed to get a specific picture, but low and behold...our baby was sound asleep! She even poked around on my stomach to see if she could wake him/her up...no such luck! I guess that could be a good thing when they come into this world! So most of the pictures you'll see, the baby is sleeping!

I've pretty much gotten out of being quesey feeling all the time. The only time I feel bad is when I wait too long to eat. The tiredness is still there and I've had people tell me that it only gets worse! I'll be starting back work in a couple weeks, so I guess we'll see how it goes...pray for Adam!

Our little baby is so cute already (maybe I'm a little biased)! I'll leave you with a few pictures of Baby Hamilton...

[caption id="attachment_291" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A profile shot (head is to the right)."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_294" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This is one of my favorites...he/she looks all snuggled up!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_296" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Another profile shot!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_297" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Here\'s a close up...you can see its nose, lips, and chin! (very photogenic already)!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_298" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A good shot of its arm...and all 5 fingers!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_299" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Here\'s a shot of its legs...his/her feet are heel to heel."][/caption]

Long time...BIG news!

First of all, my apologies for abandoning this blog! I guess you could say there was a drought, famine, or whatever you want to call it on the "2 are better than 1" blog. Anyway, my last post was Memorial Day and there has been a lot going on since then.

Let's see if I can sum up...Adam and I went to the beach with my family for a week. It was the first time in probably 12 years that I have been down with my side of the family and we had a blast. Adam discovered his love of fishing thanks to my Uncle Drenner and his boat.
When we got back, Adam's dad, my dad and I entered a 5k on a golf course. Hard stuff. Anyway, it turns out that I won 1st Female overall and Adam's dad won 3rd in his age group! It was his first race he'd ever run...congrats Dad #2! I'll post pics later...

The last week in June we got to go to the beach again with Adam's family. This was my 4th year going with them (I think) and I always love going down there. We rent a house at Ocean Isle with about 12 of his other family members and it's one trip that I look forwad going on every year! I'll post pics later for that too...

I've saved the biggest news of the summer for last...drum roll please...
On June 10th, 2009, Adam and I found out that we are expecting!! Yes, it is true, I am currently 9 weeks pregnant! People have asked us, "did you plan it?, was it a surprise?", well...let's just say God's timing is perfect and He knows what He's doing! It actually works out pretty good...I'm due February 12th, 2010 and will be out for so many weeks, then I won't have long until I get to stay home with the baby for the summer! Adam and I both are truly excited about this new chapter that has begun in our lives. There will be some changes, but change is always good...right? Now, I am new at this...obviously...so check back because I may have questions, wonderings, and comments for all you moms out there to help me out with! Until then, I'll leave you with our first pictures of our little gummy bear!
[caption id="attachment_278" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gummy bear #1"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_279" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gummy bear #2"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_280" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Gummy bear #3"][/caption]

We are truly excited to see what God as blessed us with. Please keep us in your prayers as well as our little one! I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more in the coming months with updates and such...so be sure to check back!

PS: (It feels good to have finally gotten that secret out!)

2 are better than 1

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my sweetie! Two years ago today I married the greatest person in the world! I can't believe it has been 2 years! Adam has been everything I've ever wanted in a husband and he has definitely made all my dreams come true! Unfortunately, I am sick today, but Adam has made me feel like a princess!

It all started last night...yesterday, today, Thursday and Friday I have cheerleading tryouts for HGBCS which are from 5-7. Adam and I drove separately to school yesterday, so he went home when I stayed at the school. He knew that I started feeling bad yesterday, so he told me he'd have everything taken care of when I got home. Man, oh man! Well, it was pouring when I left school last night, so I was completely soaken, which didn't help the way I felt. I was really down in the dumps as I was driving home and having a pity party for myself. But when I got to the back door of our house, I saw a vase of flowers on the counter, candles lit, dinner ready, a completely clean house, laundry done, trash taken out, lunches made for the next day, and coffee on auto for the next morning. All that with a bad back makes my man the greatest man alive!

This morning I woke up feeling worse and didn't want to get out of bed. My straightener is terrible, so you can probably guess that I wasn't in a good about my hair (it's a girl thing). Then, here comes Adam around the corner with a card in his hands. It was the sweetest card and his words couldn't have come at a more perfect time (he told me that I was beautiful)...my hair wasn't much of a worry then. Today, we also had to drive separately to school because Adam has therapy right after. Well, the coffee didn't really turn out this morning, which was a bummer, but come to find out Adam made a surprise trip by McDonald's to get us some coffee and a biscuit! He's such a sweetie!

I teach some of the kids that he has for Spanish and they all came in today wishing us a Happy Anniversary and told me that I was all he talked about in Spanish class. I was probably blushing, but I didn't care. Then one student said, "yea Mrs. Hamilton, 2 years are better than 1"! She was exactly right! I know it's kind of Corny, but 2 years are better than 1...hence my title!

Thank you Adam for an amazing two years! You are the man of my dreams and you have totally swept me off my feet! Every girl's dream is to be a princess in a fairy tale and I can definitely say that I am living my dream! Love you hottie! Here's to many more years together as husband and wife!

PS: Adam and I are both Spanish teachers, so I can't end this post without saying, "Feliz Cinco de Mayo"!

Like I promised...this post is dedicated to Valentine's day and all the special things Adam did for me (I love to brag on my man)!

Well, the day started off as any other day...we woke up, had our coffee, watched some tv, Adam started working on our taxes. Adam was in our office working when I walked in and opened the blinds...and what did I see?? A fed-ex truck in front of our house. I didn't have a clue he was coming to our house until I saw him walking up our sidewalk. My mind started asking questions, "what did I order?", "is this a mistake?"...no mistake here, Adam had 30 tulips delivered to the house...for me!! Now, I'm not one of those girls who say flowers are a waste of money because they die anyway...no sir, I love flowers and tulips are my favorite! You can't help but smile when you look at them!



The day doesn't end there...we got to eat at one of our favorite restaurants (with no wait) and he told me to pack my bags because we were going to one of our favorite places in Charlotte for the night! Man, did he surprise me! The next morning, we woke up and went to The Original Pancake House to eat breakfast (best pancakes around) and then went "shopping" around at our favorite places (the tray you see was one of our purchases)!



I could not have asked for a more special, romantic, sweet Valentine's Day and I am so blessed to have a husband who knows my heart so well. Thank you Adam for making that day one of the most fun days ever!

The Love Doctor is in....

Happy Valentine's day people! Man, I hope your day has been "lovely" so far because my day has been the best! Adam definately over did it, but if you couldn't tell from my last post...this is my favorite holiday! I can't tell you about it now, more details to come later...until then, "love is in the air..."!

Te amo!

Happy Valentine's Day Eve!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I am super excited! Most people think Valentine's Day is overrated and stupid, but man oh man...not me!! Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday...yes, even over Christmas (it comes in at a very close 2nd). I don't know why...I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic! Adam tells me he's got something special planned for tomorrow and I can't wait! I guess it's just all the surprises and having a day where it's all about the love.

It's very easy for me to get caught up in all the gushy stuff, but I keep reminding myself, and want to remind you that Christ showed His ultimate love for us when He died on the cross to save us from death. When we receive Him as our Savior we receive His love and that is the greatest gift we could ever ask for. I want to encourage you to remember that as you celebrate Valentine's Day, and remember that "it's Christ in you who's shining through when you give your love away" ~Elevation Worship.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." ~1 Corinthians 13:13

The Verdict is In...

Well, Adam had his MRI yesterday and he went to the doc's today for his results. They found a pinched nerve in his lower back that seems to be causing him all his pain. They said it wasn't too badly pinched, however pinched nerves can cause different amounts of pain in different people. Thank you for all of you who prayed and I ask that you keep praying because he is going to probably have to get a cortizone shot in his nerve to straighten everything out.

Thank you Lord for answering our prayers and for allowing the doctors to find a cause to Adam's pain. Continue to give us patience through this process. Thank you for your promises and your faithfulness to us. We love you! Amen.

Requests...

Adam is still not feeling good...this stuff just seems to linger! Keep praying that he will feel better soon! Also, please pray for Adam's MRI scheduled for tomorrow. It sounds bad, but pray that they will find something...an answer...to Adam's pain and then we can go from there. We have enough frustration between the both of us to last a lifetime and we're ready to get some things figured out! I guess you could also pray for patience and that we would recognize that the Lord's timing is perfect. :)

Anyway, I'll keep updates coming...until then, adios!

Man, oh Man...

Disclaimer: If you have a weak stomach or cringe at the sight of the word "throw up" you might not want to read this post.

Can I just tell you that the past 5 days have been a whirlwind here at the house. Let me brief you...
Wed (12:30pm)-out with the hubby because we had a random "snow day"
Wed (3:45pm)-throwing up in Adam's car
Wed (4-7pm)-throwing up in our bathroom
Wed (7:30pm)-fainted in our bathroom...Adam called 911
Wed (7:38pm)-a fire truck and paramedic show up
Wed (8-11pm)-more throwing up in our bathroom

Thurs (8am)-wake up not feeling nauseous
Thurs (9am-8pm)-slept

Fri (8:30am)-wake up to the sound of Adam throwing up
Fri (9am-2pm)-Adam throwing up...me sleeping and being the nurse

Sat (9am-10pm)-layed around and watched HGTV all day

That brings us to today. Today has been the closest day to normal for us in the past 5 days. We successfully ran a couple of errands and are now watching the Pro Bowl on the couch. I tell you all this not to have a pity party for us, but to tell everyone to be thankful for their health! It sounds cliche, but believe me...you NEVER want to go through what Adam and I went through within the past couple of days!

Shout out to Mom and Dad #2 for helping us out and another shout out to my Mom for the beautiful tulips! I'll leave you with a more pleasing picture to have in your mind...

MAN DOWN!!!!

This is the other half of 2 are better than 1 writing today! We have a sick one on our hands at the Hamilton household! Elizabeth has a nasty cold and has been laid up sick since Saturday night. The poor girl is miserable. The reason I post today is because 2 are definitely better than 1. Since Saturday I have had to cook, clean, organize, wash, fold, etc... I do not write this post to complain, but to say thank you! My wife is the best! I did not realize how much the woman does around the house until she is down for the count for a couple of days. She is like superwoman. she gets so much done in so little time. For example it took me 2 hours just to cook pancakes for dinner last night and I burnt some of the bacon. Our house looked like a fog bank time I got threw. Well this is my time to send out a public apology. For all the times I asked my wife if she was going to cook this, fold that, clean this... I am sorry. In the words of Alicia Keys you are a SUPERWOMAN!!! You hold it down around our house and I appreciate you very much. I hope that you get better soon or we are going to die of starvation. I love you baby!

Happy Birthday Adam!

It's my man's birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetie! You see, birthday's are a huge deal for me...it's like having your own holiday that should be celebrated by all! It's the day the Lord brought you into this world to start your life! Everything that you know of in the past or that has happened in the past you would have never expierenced it unless you were born! So we all need to thank our Heavenly Father for cultivating His idea and His intention to bring our life into this world! Think about it...there could be no you right now...no name, no address, no job, no family, no friends...but that is not what the Lord had intended! He has a plan for your life and He wants you to live it out! That's why He created you...that's why He gave you a birthday!!

So, anyway...Adam, I hope you have an amazing day today and I love you with my whole heart! Thank you for being the man of my dreams and for guiding me through life. You have lived 23 great years for the Lord and there is no doubt that year 24 will be any different! I want to challenge you this year to go for your dreams and hold nothing back! I want you to live up to your potential in the world and in Christ! There is nothing too big that we can't handle together...dream big dreams and go for them! You have what it takes!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY HOTTIE! (i love you)

BREAKING AND ENTERING!!!

I have just successfully broken into my wife's blog account (Hence the Post). She is always telling me that I should post something on her account, but I constantly refuse. I have an obsession with blogs I have to admit. I read everyone's blog from church and I love to read my wife's blog when she posts. What I love about my wife's posts is that they are always from the heart and they let me in on what is going on in her world! Every married woman should have a blog and every husband should read their wife's posts. Reading my wife's blog is like getting in on some secret stock option before it goes public or like finding a Christmas present early. Her blog let's me know what is going on inside of her even though we talk all the time. Her heart comes out in her posts and for me it lets me know how I can serve and lead her. In looking back over her posts I have come to realize one thing. My wife is selfless. She never gets on here and writes about herself or about what she needs or what she wants it is always about others. I love how my wife goes public with bragging on folks and writing sweet letters to family members for all to read. She is absolutely selfless and would do anything for anybody. For example our pastor has been speaking about hearing God and how God uses ordinary things in our lives to speak to us. The other day the wife and I where having the Hamilton family budget meeting(This is always fun!) and I was dead set on setting a limit for each family member for Christmas. My wife was all in agreement until we got to a center member and she said "Adam, you can take some of the money you were going to spend on me and we can spend it on so and so... Like you can take all of it." In that moment God spoke to me and said, not out loud, but in my heart SHE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL! And she is! My wife is Special and I am so proud of her selfless sacrifice. I would never trade her in or get rid of her. She is truly a blessing from God. Elizabeth, thank you for letting Christ shine through you each and everyday. You inspire me and make me more like Christ. Thank you for showing me what it means to find joy through giving and sacrifice! I love you so much and could not live this life without you!!!


ADAM

Lazy Saturday

I love Saturdays! Today may have been the laziest day ever in the Hamilton household! We woke up after 10, picked up the house, went to the store and came home to watch Appalachian squash Western Carolina. Currently, we are still on our bums watching some tv and hanging out together. Today has been awesome and I wouldn't trade any second of it! There was really no point to this post other than telling you how much I love Saturdays and I guess how lazy we are! Oh well...I love it! Here's to great Saturday's with your husband!

My Blog Title: 2 are better than 1 takes on a new meaning!

Can I just tell you that the past 3 days have been not so fun. Adam left on Monday with the 8th graders and headed to Washington. He'll be back tomorrow, PRAISE THE LORD! I know I may sound a little desperate to you, but I don't care...I love my husband and I never want him away from me!

I have been staying at my mom's house for the past few nights and tonight, as I write this entry, I am staying at my other mom's and dad's. I will stay at my house when I absolutely have to, but when I know someone in town and they offer their home to me...I'm there! I'm not one to stay by myself. I have to be honest with you...I've been pretty pitiful without Adam here and I am counting down the hours till he comes home...let's see, only 23 hours to go!

So, Ladies and Gentlemen...2 are DEFINITELY better than 1!!