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.

3 things. {including a giveaway}

first off, i have to apologize for being so neglectful to this little blog and to you, my fellow readers. i started my new job last week and since then, it's been one crazy rollercoaster. not to mention i have had some psycho haters on my new blog as well, so let's just say that it has not been my week. i'll try to be better though!

second, i know the word 'saturday' is nowhere to be found in 'top five friday', but i'm going to do it today anyway. because this is my blog and i can do what i want. here goes:

#1 - my job. as crazy as it has been and as much drama that has already gone on there in the last two weeks...holy crap, i love it!! not even kidding, i probably think to myself at least five times a day how much i enjoy it and how i know that i'm meant to be there. it all feels like second nature to me! it's nuts to see how much comes back to ya when you haven't even looked at the subject material in 2+ years. hopefully, as i learn more, it will just continue to get better.

#2 - this pillow:

my dad and my brother are obsessed with memory foam pillows and i didn't think they were worth all the hooplah. that was until the mr. bought one and i found myself stealing his every time he was gone. they're so comfortable! then i came home from work last week and when i went up to my bedroom, the mr., being the sweet husband that he is, had this laid out on the bed for me. first off, i about melted at his thoughfulness and second, i was so excited to have one of these pillows of my very own! it has been so worth it. it feels like i'm sleeping on a cloud!

#3 - family. the mr.'s dad and step mom were able to come visit us last weekend and it was so good to have them here! it was the first time we've been able to host them since we've been married, so it felt pretty special. i've also been able to 'hang out' with my sister-in-law and best friend (she falls into the family category, because she's now my cousin. ;) lucky me!) via skype and it sure makes me miss them.

4 - golfing. i'd never been golfing before, until last saturday. there's a golf course on base and we decided to take the mr.'s parents to check it out. technically, i didn't even golf, but the driving around in the golf cart was fun enough for me! i felt like i was four wheeling all day. 

the mr. checked out every thrift store in town and was able to get some clubs and a pretty nice bag all for 13 bucks! i have a feeling there will be a lot of golfing in our future.

5 - the odd life of timothy green. umm, have you seen this movie yet? if you haven't, you need to change that tonight. actually, change it right now. it was seriously the best show i've seen in a long time. i know it may seem cheesy and all, but it was so touching! it took everything in me not to bawl my eyes out the entire time. of course i went home and dreamed about raising babies and adopting kids all night. weird brain. you really do need to see it. i don't want to go as far as to say that it's life changing but...it's kind of life changing. or at least day changing!

finally, the third thing i wanted to talk to you about today, is the fact that i'm finally getting to our '100 followers' giveaway! hooray!! when thinking about what i could give to you guys for being so faithful to me {thanks a billion!} i thought about some earrings i just got from a new website called my freshwater pearls. they came in the mail last week and holy cow, i'm in love with them! i'm pretty sure i've worn them every day since receiving them. haha anyway, i thought i'd spoil you guys a little bit and give away a pair of these earrings for free! they come in peach, rose, white, purple, and green. i got the rose colored ones.

this picture doesn't even do them justice.  it's hard to tell you how gorgeous they are until you see them in person. seriously, you will love them! and since it's taken me so long to get this up, why not throw in a $15 target gift card, just for kicks and giggles? :) to enter, just fill out the rafflecopter below. {since this is a giveaway to honor our followers, you must be a follower of this blog to enter.}

a Rafflecopter giveaway
also, if you don't happen to be the lucky winner, all is not lost. my freshwater pearls is giving all of you one awesome discount just for participating in this giveaway! here's the breakdown of it all:

you get $5 off when you spend $20 or more with the code: freefive
you get $10 off when you spend $40 or more with the code: freeten
you get $15 off when you spend $60 or more with the code: free 15

this is such a good deal guys! i really hope you take advantage of it. thank you again for following our blog and for all of your kind words over the years! we appreciate each and every one of you.

-the mrs.