dear baby a,

hey. it's me again. last time we talked, i was feeling kind of bad about all the things i hadn't done for you {and by you, i really mean me} and was feeling like a slacker. i'm over that. i just can't wait for you to be here. which you will be. tomorrow actually. {as long as everything goes as planned.}

i'm 5 centimeters dilated and 90% effaced and have been for quite some time. not to mention, you dropped like a month ago and i've been able to feel your hiccups in my butt ever since. pregnancy is weird. apparently, you are your father's child and are just a little bit stubborn. ;) i'm kidding. i'm pretty sure i'm the stubborn one in the relationship. glad to know you inherited something from me. i kind of wish you'd just pop right on out on your own, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon. the docs suggest we force ya out ourselves and as much as i wanted it all to happen naturally, it's sounding better and better by the day. especially as i sit here typing this with my arms fully extended, trying to soften the little number your feet and rear end are doing on my ribs. not pleasant. but in all honesty, i think i'm going to miss those jabs and the closeness we've shared these last nine months. it really has been just about everything i hoped it could be.

i feel like i've had it pretty easy with you. sure, you made me quit my job and put me on bed rest at 32 weeks, only to laugh in our face as you teeter on going over your due date. but i really can't complain much. i mean heck, just yesterday, i went floating down the river with your pops and aunt arika. {thanks for deciding not to make your big debut then, by the way. that coulda been awkward.} i don't think very many prego chicks get to do that every day.

i have high hopes for what things are going to be like when you're here. i'd be lying if i said it's going to be easy to let go of the 'zach and sarah' duo that has existed for the last two and a half years. we've kind of loved being able to fly by the seat of our pants and do whatever we want on a whim. but i am so so excited to make it a trio, come tomorrow. we're going to be best friends. all three of us. and that flying by the seat of your pants thing? we don't expect that to change much, so come ready, little girl.

and before i go, i should probably let you in on a little secret - you've got one amazing dad. between all the camping trips and tea parties he's already got planned for you, i'm hoping you guys will still have time to hang out with me. he is so stinking excited to meet you. he tells you that almost every day. he's already making plans on what gun to buy that will be most intimidating to the boys who want to date you. don't worry. i'll only let him pull that card until you're 25. he loves you to death already, sweet pea!

and as for you and i? just expect us to be that mom and daughter that has to talk about everything and doesn't get sick of it. i'm sitting here in your nursery on my last night as a not mom and as terrified as i am for the trials of parenthood, i can't wait to meet you little bean. bring on the crazy adventure!

-your mama

p.s. it's a full moon tomorrow. try not to let that turn you into a weirdo.

i believe...

...in dropping everything to slow dance in your bedroom.

...that 'boy meets world' will forever be a classic.

...sewing has therapeutic effects.

...pregnancy should end at 8 months instead of 9. there's only so much more pressure my pelvis can take.

...this sticky bun breakfast ring is my new favorite breakfast.

...every town should have two walmarts and who gets to shop at each walmart is dependent on their average walking speed.

...that judging from the amount of stares I get, the majority of the public have never seen a pregnant chick before.

...it's way easier to want to clean up your messes if your house is already clean.

...having contractions 5 minutes apart doesn't mean squat. despite what the doctors tell me.

...moving and packing up yourself is no fun. no fun at all.

...having a sick husband is also no fun.

...everybody should start a blog and make money off of it. it's amazeballs.

...having no a/c is pretty much the pits in the dead of summer.

...waking up to the mister still being home is one of the best feelings ever.

...eating ice cream is good for the soul.

...we picked a really good dog.

...i need to go on vacation. stat.

dear baby a,

where to even start? i've had countless conversations with you in my head {and out loud}, but i have yet to write even one of them down. being pregnant is weird. my entire life {and especially after pinterest came about}, i've had this vision of what pregnancy would be like and how i would handle it:

i would take a picture every single week in the exact same outfit in the exact same place at the exact same time.
i would spend hours upon hours reading about everything there is to know about being pregnant/childbirth. ie. what i can and can't eat, best exercise moves, natural or epidural, etc.
i would have a closet full of the most adorable outfits and a whole trunk stuffed full of bows that i so easily made.
i would eat only the best of foods and work out every single day, so as not to get chubby.
i would write in my journal every day, documenting every movement and feeling of you in my belly and exactly how it all made me feel.

it's funny to see that list and to know i truly believed it'd be like that. i hate that i'm human and i'm not perfect at juggling time and cravings. this is how being pregnant with you has panned out so far:

up to date, i think i've taken maybe 4 belly pictures, with the last one being at 16 weeks - i'm now almost 24 weeks now. don't be mad.
i've bought two childbirth books - that's gotta count for something, right? i'm officially 17 pages into one of them that i started 3 and 1/2 weeks ago. as for reading about the best tips for pregnancy, i have three different apps on my phone that give me a short schpeel on what to do/not do. i guess it gets the job done.
your grandma has bought you loads of outfits, but as for me? i think i've bought you 3. don't get me wrong, they're so so cute, but i'm having a hard time spending money on them when i know you're going to be growing so fast when you're here! and i've made you one bow. that looks like poop. i wish i was a better crafter.
i'm sorry for the sugar overload lately, which i know you've noticed because you get more feisty every time i eat a piece of candy. i just can't seem to stop! i can feel myself putting on weight and it's not just the good weight either. i'll try to be better and eat healthier foods.
i've written in my journal twice during this entire pregnancy - the day i found out that it was for real and another day when i felt guilty for not doing it more.

i guess what i'm trying to say is - i'm sorry things didn't go as planned. sometimes i find that i've forgotten that i am even pregnant! that is until i have the sudden urge to pee when i know i just peed ten minutes ago. or when i catch a glimpse in the mirror of my big growing belly. or when i look at the scale and get disheartened to see that i weigh more than i've ever weighed before. i'm sorry i don't have every minute documented, so you can look back and see how much fun i had in your first stages of life. but just because it isn't documented, doesn't mean i'm not loving it. because i am. i love feeling you kick late at night and knowing that you're going to be a big time night owl - just like me. i love the way your dad gets when he talks about you - telling me how excited he is for you to be a daddy's girl and go on daddy-daughter dates and watch star wars together and go on your first camping trip. he even has your nickname picked out and he can't wait to use it. and i especially love envisioning the pretty little lady that i know you're going to be. i'm sorry i'm a little scatterbrained and forgetful, but always know this - i'll never forget to tell you i love you. not a single day of your life. hopefully that will help ease the blow of all of my many imperfections along the way.

we can't wait to meet you, little sweet pea. and until we do, keep growing healthy and strong.

love,
your mama

it's the little things.

like:

chatting on fb with your man all night while he's at work, just to talk about your halloween costumes...when it's only march.

hearing your favorite song on the radio.

when your husband shushes you, just so he can talk to the baby in your belly.

taking a nap with your adorable dog.

sitting down after being on your feet all day.

clean and folded laundry.

watching one of your favorite movies. {you've got mail}

going through old pictures.

having a husband that does the dishes. bless his soul.

driving around at sunset.

finding a good deal on shoes.

movie theater popcorn.

having a whole pot of leftover soup in the fridge, keeping you from having to make dinner for a week.

jellybeans. how i love easter time.

feeling the babelet move for the first time. and the second. and the third. and every time after that.

having slumber parties with the hubs and watching children's movies on netflix.

working part time. oh, it is glorious!

what are some of your favorite little things?

-the mrs.

operation paradise: part two

are you ready for part two of our caribbean palooza?? i could just sit and look at these pictures all day. i want to go back asap!

knock knock puerto rico. we're here!

god bless america...

cute cute cute.

umm, there's a bird on my head.

pb&j cupcake. coming up on the blog soon.

you can't have cupcakes without some milk, right?

"zachary, take a picture of me by this pretty fountain!" *spills snow cone everywhere*

mmm, so serene.

did i mention i'm prego? pretty sure this belly popped out overnight.

smoking hot alert.

let's get our snorkel on!

oh, hello mr. turtle.

and how are you today, mr. stingray?

got fried. had to wear a t-shirt whilst snorkeling. felt like an ugly teenage boy all day.

we read on the boat. a lot.

all dressed up for formal night.

two words: room service.

frog legs, anyone?

our besties.

every night. #nofilter #totallylegit

i really can't get over how great this vacation was. if you are thinking about going on a cruise - do it. if you're too scared to go on one {like i was} - get over it and just do it! you won't regret it. you'll never want to vacation any other way. that's all.

-the mrs.

operation paradise: part one.

so, rather than try to tell you how awesomely fantastic our vacay was, I thought it'd be easier just to share some pics. in a two segment series. because there's so many of them. gosh, this makes me want to go back, stat! without further ado, here is our trip in megapixel form. {beware, i snuck a movie in there as well!}

"this is our house for the next 8 days? uh, yes, please."

bon voyage!

random horses. everywhere.

can't spend time in a tropical paradise without a pina colada!

Tortola - you're really pretty.

don't worry, i'm just getting warmed up. this is only the beginning! stay tuned for the second half of our blissful adventure.

-the mrs.

10 facts/tips for cruising.

some of you may or may not know that zachary and i just got back from my very first cruise! {i say my because zachary has been on 2 of them, prior to knowing me. i know - what was he thinking?} anyway, it would be an understatement to say that it was awesome. it was seriously the best vacation i've ever been on. even better than hawaii {if you can believe that.}

now that we're back in the states and we have some time at the airport to kill {only eight hours is all}, i decided to come up with a list of 10 things i learned on our cruise that i wanted to be sure to share with all of you. here they are:

1- if you eat a hamburger all 8 days of your 8 day cruise, you might get just a tiny bit sick of them.

2 - before you shower and get looking all cute, go outside first and check the weather. you're going to be ticked when it's cold and windy and your adorable little swim suit cover-up keeps flying up over your head.

3 - the casino always wins. always.

4 - when it comes to sunscreen - reapply, reapply, reapply. then reapply some more.

5 - when you order room service, make sure you're done showering before they stop by to deliver your food. that makes for an awkward moment outside your bathroom door.

6 - it is possible to gain ten pounds in one week.

7 - flying by the seat of your pants at every stop, with no plans and some cash in your pocket is the way to go. unless you're given the option to swim with turtles, sting rays, and squid. that's when you just fork over the 160 bucks for the cruise's excursion package and experience the coolest thing you've ever seen in your life.

8 - the first night with your dinner-mates may send you into shell shock at how awkward it is. but do not give up! hang in there and by the end of your cruise they'll feel like long lost friends and you'll miss them every time you sit down to eat afterwards.

9 - multiple soft serve ice creams in a day is awesome. but it's okay to say no sometimes too. which would probably help with the troubles of #6.

10 - when you can't understand your waiter through his thick foreign accent, just nod your head and laugh a little. unless he just told you his wife got knocked up by another dude and left him last month and now he's depressed. this would not be a good time to laugh.

there you have it. the ten most valuable things i learned this week. i hope you learn something from our mistakes experiences as well and in the meantime, be looking forward to a picture overload from our trip. it's going to be wild.

-the mrs.

the holidays/averetts 2.0

disclaimer: i wrote this post like a month ago and never put it up. don't judge me and just roll with it.

merry christmas, happy new year, and all the big shablang-blang! can you believe that a year ago, we spent christmas on the beach and this year it was spent with a foot of snow, sledding down the mountain?

it made me miss the tide pools we played in last year and the lovely picnic we had, but i wouldn't trade this year's christmas for anything. we went all out in our decorating for it and best of all - we spent it with some really great people. 

since we didn't get to go home for christmas, we made a new years trip. but only after we spent one heck of a second anniversary in vail, co!! zachary had been planning the trip for weeks and wouldn't even give me a hint as to where we would be going. i had no idea until we showed up. it was such a surprise! i'd be lying if we said we didn't feel kinda outta place there with everyone and their fancy clothes and cars. we weren't exactly able to blend in as well as we did last year in san fran, but it was still everything i could've ever wanted for an anniversary trip. we actually didn't stay in vail, but rather a little town a mile or two away called minturn. that was probably the best decision we zachary could have made. we were able to get the city/busy feel of vail, but then we were able to come home and relax at the bed and breakfast we stayed in, all nestled in the woods under three feet of snow. it was a winter wonderland! i couldn't have asked for a better way to spend our anniversary.

and besides, isn't my husband just adorable? i'm one lucky girl. i love that after two years, being together is still my favorite place to be. i love you babe! happy anniversary. {even if this is a month late...}

-the mrs.

christmas time.

it's december 9th {depending on where you live} and all i've done today is go to church and watch 5 episodes of surburgatory. right now i'm cuddled up on the couch, freezing my butt off with my dog. {who happened to be very naughty today.} cue picture:

yes. an entire stick of butter. i'm just as disgusted as you are. i wouldn't be surprised if he dies from obesity one day.

despite the cold {it's 8 degrees right now, mind you} and being without the mister, i am loving this holiday feeling! our house is officially all lit up,

and the tree is officially bought! {but not decorated...} we wanted really bad to go chop down our own christmas tree this year, but it was kind of difficult to do so without a truck. so we went to lowe's instead and found the perfect tree:

then we got all redneck {which, if you've been to cheyenne, you'd know that'd totally acceptable} and tied said tree to the top of our '96 honda civic with twine. we felt really cool.

we brought it home, set it up, watered it, and then it died the next week. so instead of a gorgeous, sparkly, smell-good tree in our living room, i'm looking at a puke green, wilted looking one instead. we're going to fix that this week hopefully. it still adds to the mood nonetheless! i just love this time of year. that's all.

-the mrs.

top five friday.

i'm not even going to draw attention to the fact that i've been a slacker over here and haven't blogged in weeks. i really don't have any excuse other than i work 4+ hours every day {soon to be 9}, i have a growing blog that needs taking care of, a puppy that needs immediate attention always, and not to mention my sweet, sweet mister that, as sad as it is, has basically gotten nothing more than my left over time after doing all of these aforementioned things. thank heavens for a supportive husband! i know all of this may seem like nothing to some people, but it's been a serious change of pace around our house and it's taking some getting used to. bear with me, friends! anyway, i vote that it's time for another top five friday. here goes:

#1 - my sister-in-law, arika,  is in town!! i picked her up from the airport the other day and have been loving every moment since. it's always fun to have family around. we have learned to cherish it so much with not living close!

#2 - bicycle rides. in denver. yep, that's right. arika and i got brave and rented bicycles in downtown denver and rode them all over town. this was the first time i'd ever ridden a bicycle in traffic before and i almost got hit by a bus only once. talk about success! i have now decided that bicycling is the only way i want to tour any big city from now on. i'm not kidding! not only was it nice to get some exercise in, but it was so freaking fun! i couldn't stop smiling the entire time. my favorite part? riding in the park and some black guy yelling, "hello beautiful white ladies! how y'all doin'?" haha! totally made our day. i highly recommend this activity to everyone!

#3 - pinkberry. don't know what pinkberry is? imagine some of the most delectable frozen yogurt you can think of. it's not self-serve, which is annoying, but it tastes so delightful! maybe it's my imagination, but it actually even tastes healthy compared to most frozen yogurt.

my friend whitney has told me on more than one occasion that i need to try this place, but i haven't ever gotten around to it until now. thanks whit, for officially getting me hooked!

#4 - job upgrade. as i already said, i am officially going to full time work in a week and a half. i am beyond excited, but let's be honest - i'm also scared half to death. i worry about how i'm going to take care of everything i need to here and i also worry about having enough to do in the day. we stay pretty busy while i'm at work now, but a few of my co-workers have said that it gets slow in the afternoon/evening. there's nothing that will make me feel more uncomfortable than having nothing to do when i'm on the clock. i want my boss to feel like he's getting his money's worth outta me! speaking of money, my boss told me i'm getting a raise as well. hooray! i don't know how much it'll be, but i'm grateful it's happening at all considering i've only been there just over a month. talk about some serious blessings! i absolutely love love love my job and i hope it continues to just get better and better!

#5 - photoshoots. did you know that arika is an awesome photographer? because she is. zachary and i haven't had pictures taken together since our engagements, almost two whole years ago and arika was kind enough to take some for while she's been here. i am so excited about how they turned out! there will be more to come, but here's a little sneak peek:

i can't wait to blow all of them up and put them in our house!!

i hope you have a fantastic friday folks {wow, that'a tongue twister} and that you can get some relaxation in this weekend! we're headed on a roadtrip to utah and i'm so excited to see everyone! peace out.

-the mrs.

giveaway winner!

i'm so sorry i'm late in getting this up. my family came to visit this weekend {hooray!}, so we were busy having fun and bonding. i am so excited to announce though, that the winner for the free pearl earrings and the $15 target gift card has been announced! behold:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

congrats mary! i will be e-mailing you shortly. thanks a million to all of you other wonderful people that entered and have supported this blog. love you all! i hope you're enjoying this fun fall weather with september having rolled in and everything and i hope to see you around these parts again real soon!

-the mrs.