Baby Stuff, Carrie Underwood, and the Easter Bunny...Taking Over Pike County

At 30 weeks pregnant, Craig and I made are way back to the hills of Eastern Kentucky for one last visit before Hutton arrives. Anticipating several stops on the eight hour trip, I was shocked to only need one pee break! Can you believe that? As soon as we crossed the line into Pike County, we hit the ground running. On Friday, we celebrated my parent's 29th wedding anniversary at Pikeville's new Japanese steakhouse...And it was GOOD!! My father attempted to eat sushi for the first time and LOVED it! Shocking!

Saturday consisted of golf for Craig, and baby shower stuff galore for me and the gals!! First of all, let me say that I have never been to a more elaborate and detailed shower! My beautiful sisters, Lauren, and Rachel Webb, all did a PHENOMENAL job of planning the most perfect baby shower I have ever seen! Here are a few pics just to give you a little taste!








So after good food, hilarious baby games, and opening up the cutest gifts ever, you would think we'd take a rest...Oh but no! Carrie Underwood had made her way to the mountains of Appalachia for a quick stop during her tour! It was now time to slip on our cowboy boots and head to the Expo Center to see my favorite musician of all time!! Here's a pic of all the girls before we left!



Her concert was everything I thought it would be! She is AMAZINGLY talented! We had a blast dancing and singing as Rachel and I were the only ones standing in our section! In one of her songs she rode in a truck on cables across the top of the Expo Center, starting out like right in front of us. I would make the claim that she waved at me!!

The weekend came to an end on Easter Sunday. We all put on our Sunday best and headed to church! Afterwards, the whole family came over for a cookout! Then it was time to hit the road again! (We made a lot more stops on the way back this time!) The next time we see our families, we will have a new baby!! Pretty crazy! Thanks for a great weekend! I love you all so much!

Seeing Blue!

From the Kentucky Wildcats, to baby gifts, to painting Hutton's nursery, our weekend consisted of ALL blue!! March madness is such a fun time of year here in the Howard home! We love watching basketball, especially when UK is dominating the NCAA tournament! In the mix of the Cats winning this weekend, I had my first baby shower while Craig painted Hutton's nursery! We were blessed with all kinds of fun gifts and now we finally have a place to store it all! Craig did such a great job, although painting is not one of his favorite hobbies. He took one for the team and devoted his Saturday to his son's room. Well done Daddy!

BabyMoon in Palm Springs!

I guess you could say that we got away for a little Babymoon this past weekend! Craig's friend Mike was married in Palm Springs, CA and we were able to go and be a part of it! Little did we know how beautiful it was going to be out there! We felt like we were back in Cabo, just without the beach! I'm officially at 27 weeks and growing like a weed!! Travel wasn't as easy as it used to be, but it was worth it to be in paradise for a few days! Here are a few pics from our trip!

Memphis...A Winter Wonderland?

Who would have thought Memphis could get such weather?? After a night of wrestling with the covers and trying to get comfortable, I was extremely irritated to hear my phone buzzing in the early morn. Who could be trying to contact me so early? Craig arose and started getting ready for work and I frustratedly reached for my phone. I had received two text messages from my fellow coworkers asking if the meeting I had scheduled for this morning was canceled due to the weather. Weather? What weather?



So quickly I reached to pull back the curtain and was blinded by the bright white light caused by the fluffy blanket of snow!! Could it really be?? I missed the snow day the week and a half before because of my bridal duties in Nashville! I was now given the opportunity to enjoy the snow in full! Although Craig had to head to the office, because it's literally 2 minutes away, I was thrilled at the idea of staying in my pajamas!




A much needed day of rest! From traveling every weekend, to hosting showers, to preparing for our major upcoming women's conference, the Lord heard my cry and knew my NEED of rest! He really does hear our needs and desires to answer our prayers! I praise you Lord, the Creator of beautiful snow!

Growing, growing, growing!

I went back to the doctor on Thursday and everything still looks good! I've gained 5lbs since my last appointment, as if you couldn't tell in the pictures, so Hutton is growing by the minute now! I'm right on track though! Craig felt him move for the first time this morning! It was really sweet! I feel him move all the time and it's so amazing! I can't believe I have a little person growing inside. It's so crazy! We can't wait to meet him!

I hosted a shower for my friend Aubrey here in Memphis today! There are five of us that moved to Memphis to go through the DownLine program and we are all pregnant! As you can see from the picture, we are really close in due dates! It's great to have such a support team of amazing women when we are so close from our families. These are incredible gals and I'm so blessed to have them in my life!




Craig is studying to take the Series7 Exam in less than two weeks! His first official day in the office was Friday and he absolutely loved it! He came home and was in such a good mood and excited about the days ahead! It made me happy because I love to see him enjoying what he's doing! Please pray for him as he continues to study. It's a big exam and can be pretty intimidating, but I know he's going to do great!! This has been such an amazing opportunity already and we are trusting that it's totally from the Lord!!

Halfway there!!

Well we are at the halfway point in the pregnancy...20 weeks! I'm feeling great and can't believe how fast the time is flying! Last week, baby Hutton completely popped out! As you can see in the picture, he's growing day by day! We are so excited to meet the little guy and the Lord is constantly preparing us for that miraculous day! Please keep us in your prayers as we wait for his arrival. Pray for continued health and growth for Hutton and myself. Pray for Craig and I as we seek the Lord for guidance during a new and foreign season! Pray for Craig as he prepares to start his new job on February 1st! So much going on these days, but it's all good stuff! Thank you for all your support and prayers!!

My Mom's First Boy...

Please check out the reactions of our family and friends as they figured out that we are indeed having a boy!! It's priceless!

The Big Reveal!!!!

Please check out our video to see how we found out about our bundle of joy!! It's super cute!!

Baby bump growing...

This picture was taken at 16 weeks over the holidays! Not much, but you can see a little growth! We are so excited about our new bundle of joy! I have been so blessed to have not been sick at all during this whole thing! Maybe a couple of times I was nauseous, but for the most part I have felt great! Of course I experienced the utter exhaustion that most do during the first trimester, but nothing unbearable. Seeing as how I work full-time, I was able to do my job! At 16 weeks I started feeling like myself again! Energy level back up and getting back in the gym! I want to stay as healthy as possible to make this process as easy as I can! We did find out today what the gender of our baby is, but it won't be revealed until tomorrow. So check back to see if Baby Howard is a boy or a girl!!

A little Howard on the way!!!

God is so good!! As Craig and I approach our one year anniversary in a few weeks, we have been blessed with the news that we are having a baby!! Little did we expect that this season would come so soon, but we are overwhelmed with joy and excitement about what lies ahead!!

I found out on the morning of Saturday, October 3, while Craig was at work. "We weren't trying, but we weren't preventing," which is a common phrase I've been hearing a lot lately and applicable to our situation as well. I woke up that morning, still have asleep, and realized what day it was, and decided to take a pregnancy test. Not expecting anything crazy, as I wiped the sleep from my eyes, I realized that what I saw wasn't a negative sign, but a pretty little PLUS sign!! In absolute total shock, I sat down in the middle of the bathroom floor, trying to adjust my eyes to make sure I was seeing it clearly. After staring for several minutes, it hit me. I'm pregnant!!!!



Tears started flowing down my face and I started pacing frantically around the house! I couldn't believe it! Then all of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with humility. I hit my knees on my living room floor and began praising God for choosing me to carry one of His own. During our time here in Memphis, we've been surrounded by several women that can't have children. So utter humility consumed me in this moment!

Craig wouldn't be home for another six hours, so I cleaned the house like a mad woman and tried to preoccupy my mind! I started thinking of a creative way to reveal the news to him! What I ended up doing was creating 8 different envelopes that contained scriptures that affirmed him as a man and husband! I read each one of them aloud and then shared with him how he portrayed all these qualities so well! The next to last envelope, I blindfolded him and took him to the back yard where the final envelope and a small gift was waiting. Psalm 127 refers to children in a man's youth being like arrows in a quiver, and blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. So I bought a quiver and arrow!! As he took the blindfold off and went to check it all out, I pulled my camera out and video taped his reaction! It was great!! Check it out below.

We couldn't be more thrilled about the gift of life God has placed in my womb! We know and trust that this is God's perfect timing and plan! Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare to embark on the journey of a lifetime. June 10th will be here before we know it!!