Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  This year, Aaron and I celebrated Christmas with my family in Olathe, KS.  I always love being able to stay in Kansas City over the holidays and wake up Christmas morning at our house.  Even if it is just Aaron and I, it feels magical.  It is such a great feeling to build our own traditions, especially as we prepare for Baby P.  Due to me being in the 3rd trimester, Aaron and I were restricted from any long trips.  I definitely did not want to go into any type of labor in Western Kansas.  No offense to the Penningtons, but there are not many options for labor and delivery units out in Aaron's hometown.  More specifically, there are none!

Pennington Christmas Tree

 

33 Weeks and 4 Days

 

This Christmas we enjoyed a nice and relaxing day. Unfortunately, Aaron and I were both battling a sinus infection, so we were pretty much worthless throughout the day.  Thank goodness for my Mom and Dad pampering us.  My parents, sister, Aaron and I started the morning with the traditional breakfast casserole. If you haven't had this made by my mom or me, then you should definitely put in a request. It is a fabulous treat. Every Christmas growing up I remember getting excited to eat this casserole. There is only one Christmas when we did not get to enjoy the casserole. That was the year that the casserole dish exploded on top of the oven. That story would require a whole other blog, so I will not go into how that happened here. As we enjoyed our brunch, we exchanged gifts and celebrated just being together. 

 

Aaron & Emily & Baby P.

 

 Amy, Dad, Mom, Aaron, Emily & Baby P. 

 

Of course Christmas would not be Christmas without a feast cooked by my Mom. Since we all went our separate ways for Thanksgiving, we opted for a traditional turkey dinner. It was absolutely amazing. We had all of the fixings too! Stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, noodles, hot rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, you name it. All I can say is thank goodness I was wearing maternity pants. They do have their perks with the ever expandable wasteline.

 Christmas Dinner...YUMMY!

2012 was such a great year, and we are so excited to look into 2013, when we get to welcome our newest family member, Baby P.  Next Christmas, will undoubtedly be much different.  By then Baby P. will almost be 1 year old.  Oh how fun it will be to create new Christmas traditions and memories with him/her. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Maternity Photos

Aaron and I had a great time today taking some maternity photos at Moments & Memories.  We wanted a way to capture our pregnancy and love for each other, prior to Baby P's arrival.  The last time we had professional photographs was our wedding day.  It was so fun to celebrate our next milestone as a couple with some amazing pictures.

In just a few short weeks, it will no longer just be Aaron and me.  This scares me a little bit, but also excites me beyond belief.  Aaron and I love each other very much and look forward to sharing our lives with Baby P.  I know that as long as Aaron and I stick together and continue to put each other first, our love for each other will continue to strengthen and we will be able to take on anything.  I am so lucky to have Aaron in my life.

Let the Nesting Begin!

Aaron and I have been patiently waiting, but the time has come to clean-up the baby's room, or rather clean-out, as well as, patch and re-paint.  We (mostly Aaron) spent the weekend, patching, painting, etc.  Now the room is all set for the furniture to arrive.  I can't wait to see how it all looks in the room.  The bedding came in a few weeks ago and looks absolutely amazing.  The room is starting to finally feel like a nursery!

Now, many of you know that we are not finding out the gender of Baby P.  This makes it even more exciting.  While Aaron was wrapping up painting, I went to get a mani and pedi.  Every pregnant mama to be needs this type of rest and relaxation.  Well, I had my first prediction wagered from "Ha" my technician.  She looked at my belly and said..."It's a girl!".  We'll see if she is right.  What do you think?

KSU vs Texas Tech - 8-0!

Go Wildcats Go!  K-State football appears to be unstoppable this season.  Aaron and I traveled to Manhattan, KS to see the Wildcats take on Texas Tech.  Aaron had a great time catching up with his college buddies.  We also ran into Shelby and Landon (high school friend and hubby) and their son, Quentin.  In addition we had a brief chat with his cousin Andy and girlfriend Reagan who are heading to California to live for awhile.  It was a great day for college football. 

The first half of the game was pretty suspensful, but after a Bill Snyder pep talk at half-time, the Wildcats put the game away winning 55-24!  Next week, we move onto OSU.  Oh how we love college football!

Dash to the finish line...13.1 Miles!

Aaron is a running pro!  After months of training, Aaron finished his first half marathon running through the streets of Kansas City.  For those of you who don't know a half marathon is equivalent to 13.1 miles.  He did such a phenomenal job.  His discipline in training (running every day) was so great to watch.  Since I am pregnant, and also because I have no desire to run for that long, I cheered him on from the sidelines.  It was a cool Saturday in Kansas City on October 20th, but my hubby, best friend ran like a champ.  I could not have been more proud of him and all he accomplished!  Go Aaron, Go! 

Running Stats

• Total Time: 1 hour 55 min
• Overall: 1282 out of 4906
• Division (Age 30-34): 158 out of 366

Bye Bye Sable...Hello Hybrid!

After some amazing adventures, we said good-bye to our beloved (well not so loved) 1999 Mercury Sable.  For those of you who don't recall this car, this was my college partner in crime, since my senior year, when my Altima croaked.  My Mom and Dad were very generous to gift me the Sable to get me through, and boy did it.  The Sable was 13 years old and had seen a few scratches, dings, you know the drill.  The occassional, windshield wipers going off without any cause, wheel bearings noise, just all the fun you could imagine.  However, with Baby P on the way, this pregnant Mama-To-Be said, we need a new car.  Fortunately, the sable went to my cousin Liz.  She will get such great use out of the car and was willing to do a little work to get it into order.

So, now the Penningtons have officially gone hybrid, and we LOVE IT!.  We bought a 2012 Hybrid Camry XLE.  We love getting over 40 miles per gallon.   The car is so quiet and my number crunching husband loves that he is saving, saving, saving.  Next time you pass by the Pennington house in Prairie Village, you will see the Pilot has made its way to the driveway, and the Camry has taken over the garage.  We have officially grown up and now no longer have our high school and college cars.  Gosh, its amazing what 30 years has to offer.  We are so blessed.

Happy 60th Wedding Anniversary - Betty & Mike Hunt!

Aaron and I have been married for 5 plus years and loving every minute of it.  I cannot even begin to imagine what we will be like after 60 years.  Hold on tight! 

This weekend we celebrated Aaron's Grandparents (Maternal) Mike and Betty Hunt's 60th Wedding Anniversary.  It was such a wonderful time to get together with the family and reflect upon all that has transpired during their wedded bliss.  I really enjoyed reminiscing about all of their triumphs and challenges.  I was so privileged to compile years of photos for the Hunt family into an album.  It gave me such great insight into countless relatives and moments that I was not able to share with this family.  I truly loved flipping through the years to see all of the wonderful moments.  Congratulations, Grandma and Grandpa!  You are one amazing couple!