Life These Days

Hey all!
So it has been a while. This has been part due to the fact that we have been settling into a routine now that silage season is over and I get to see my husband more often (Yay!); and partly because we have been hiding a little secret that has pretty much consumed everything that I think and would write about. :)

As my last post indicated, we are expecting a little miracle the middle of June two thousand nineteen.  We are both beyond excited!

I am 14 weeks and 2 days along in the pregnancy today. Two weeks ago we were able to hear the heartbeat for the first time, and it made it finally feel real. I had been doing a lot of research about what was happening to my body and how our baby was growing. But it wasn't until I heard the galloping sound of his/her heartbeat that it all sunk in for me. I'm a momma, and Lord-willing, in 6 months we will get to meet our new son/daughter.

It's been crazy/amazing to watch the little bump grow! Our little munchkin is already the size of a lemon. <3

Morning sickness left last week, which I am very grateful for. I won't say I had it bad, because though I was nauseous most of the day, I never actually had to make a run for the toilet. (Which I can thank my mother for... she passed down the gift of a strong stomach to me.)
But it is nice to have energy for more than one or two hours in a day. Ben spoiled me, bringing me breakfast in bed, running errands, and making meals for me when I was down and out.

I had hoped to be able to get a midwife, but apparently there are a lot of June babies expected next year, so there wasn't room for me. It hadn't ever been a question to us that we wanted to be in the care of a midwife and deliver at home, so it was hard to let that go. But I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and I have been blessed with an amazing NP in a local clinic that I can see until 28 weeks.

We haven't yet decided whether or not we want to find out the gender. We both would love the surprise, but since we have zero baby stuff, it would be nice to be able to stock up on girl or boy things... instead of having to get everything gender neutral.
We would love to hear any thoughts or advice from those who have or haven't found out the gender before your little ones were born.

Ya, so that is the pregnancy update. :)

Calving season is rapidly approaching. Ben's Dad and brother bought a few cows that are due in December, and so we have had about 5 or 6 born already.
We also expanded our herd this year, so together with Ben's dad and brother... we will be calving out almost 200 cows.
Needless to say, with over 300 cows/calves/bulls on the yard, there is always something to do! If it is not getting calving barns and pens ready, then it is fixing fence or machinery. Feeding, bedding, sorting, and treating cows also takes up a good chunk of my hubby's day. And of course, once the calves come along, there seems to always be a calf being born, or needing help with finding his mama's milk. A farmer's work is never done!

I've also been tutoring Ben's youngest brother on school day mornings. Once a teacher, always a teacher. :)

So ya. That is life these days.

We Have an Announcement...

The Reception + After Party - {Wedding Series Part 7}

Hey! It's been a while. :)

The silage crew has kept us hopping this past week, they have been working closer to home for the past while, so I've been able to spend more time riding along with my husband, which has been great!!

Now, the final wedding post.

Here are a few reception decoration details...

We had our guests sign a canvas picture instead of a signing book.

I had a lot of fun painting this sign. :)

The head table

The pie bar!

All that is missing from this picture is the wedding cake.

This one was my favourite to make. <3

Ben's Dad helped him make the easels.

And.... the cake. Wow, the cake.

Becs did an amazing job!!!

Our wedding vehicle.

Ben's parents' Mercury. 

  

Zach was our Emcee. He did an AMAZING job, especially considering it was his first time! He kept everyone smiling and laughing, even as it started to rain. We all had just enough time to eat the wedding barbecue feast before we all made our way to the tent to cut the cake, and escape the raindrops.

I think this is the moment where I was deciding whether I should keep the promise we made to be nice to each other while feeding the cake. We had planned to take pictures afterwards, so we both agreed not to make a mess. Being the people that we are, if we decided to be nasty, it would have turned into a full on food fight... so we promised to keep it tidy.

Just a little nervous I was about to get a face full of cake. :)

Though it was a bit of a bummer that it rained during our reception. It was both mine and Ben's wish for our wedding to be small and intimate. Having everyone all crowded in the tent added to that feeling, and made the sharing portion of the reception that much better. I loved the atmosphere.

Best Man Speech 

Maid of Honour Speech

Open mic

Ok, I've been waiting to do this for a while. Below is a picture of us with one of the most amazing couples out there. Our friends Caleb and Rebekah Prytherch from Tennessee. 

Not only did the travel over 2000 km to attend our wedding. But they also tirelessly helped out, not only with setting up, but also directing the caterers and helping with food the day of the wedding. Without them, we would have been scrambling to get everything done before the moment that we walked down the isle. So, we want to extend a HUGE thank you to these two amazing people. We love you both so much!!

My heart. <3

Kissy pictures. :)

After the reception was over, and the pictures were done. We changed and enjoyed some volleyball and a campfire with our favourite people.

Ben surprised us all with some fireworks to end off the perfect day.

And... we were off!

We are truly surrounded by the most amazing group of family and friends. <3

And, that is the wedding!! Hope you enjoyed this peek into my favourite day. :)