Greetings From Manitoba!

We've been having a very busy but wonderful week so far with my family. The weather is GORGEOUS! It's so beautiful out here; I've missed some of the sights and smells of Fall on the prairies, and how it feels to live in a small town. It's so peaceful here.

I don't know if I've ever told you guys this, but one thing I don't like so much about living where we live is how unfamiliar everything is. Whenever Art and I go out, he always runs into someone he knows, but of course I never do because I hardly know anyone! I yearn for that feeling again, but it takes a while. So it's nice to be back in a place where I know the people around me.

We've been spending lots of time with my sister and her husband and her two kids. Kiera is nearly three years old, speaks in full sentences, and seems to have endless amounts of energy (and words! That girl can chatter!!).

Blake is almost one, and he has quite a bit of energy too! He can't walk on his own yet, but he so desperately wants to. We spend a lot of time holding on to him as he teeters around on his wobbly little legs; he's a big boy, so it's quite tiring! But he loves it so much, and he needs to get stronger, so we give in every time. And his two-tooth grins melt my heart over and over. Who could possibly say no to his little charms?

We have our extended family gatherings today and tomorrow, and I'm excited to see everyone! I miss my whole family. Every family is changing and growing (as families tend to do) and it's hard to keep track of it all when I'm so far away. I can't wait to catch up with people, and just fellowship with my relatives.

That is something I am so thankful for: a large family, full of believers, who are all so loving and supportive and have no bad blood between them. There are no family feuds. It's such an incredible blessing, which also makes it so hard to be away from them sometimes. But I guess that's better than being glad I'm away from them.

And I won't lie: I'm kind of excited to stuff myself full of delicious Thanksgiving food, over and over and over. I don't feel like my appetite has actually increased (yet), but I'm not ashamed to use my pregnancy as an excuse to fill up anyway. How many times does a girl get five Thanksgiving meals in one season, while pregnant? (Three separate meals while in Canada, and at least two more for American Thanksgiving.) I have to take advantage of these opportunities! :)

Anyway, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all my friends and family, and to any strangers out there who might be reading this but are too shy to comment. :) It has truly been a week full of moments that I can be thankful for. God has been so good to us in so many ways! I pray that you too will be able to see His goodness in your life.

Prairie Girl Leaving the Coast

Callie asked me for a new belly pic, and she's right: it's about time! I took this one on Saturday, in my new orange Old Navy sweater.

That's my 15 week baby bump! Not much has changed in the past week, other than my slowly growing tummy. I can't close my pants now. Other than that, I'm still feeling good. I still get nauseated here and there. I still find it hard to take all my vitamins (they make me gag).

I had a tiny muscle spasm in my lower abdomen the other day, and I started to wonder if maybe I was feeling the baby move. My doctor said the earliest I would feel something would only be next week, and she said she couldn't feel any of her babies move until after week 20. But I'm suddenly impatient for that feeling. I want it now! :)

Well, hubby and baby and I are off to Manitoba for a week to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. We'll be pretty busy, but I'll see if I can't squeeze in a quick post while we're there (mostly a "Hey, we're having a great time!" update.)

Falling For Fall

Art and I are going out for dinner soon, so I don't have much time to say anything substantial, but I really felt like blogging.

[Side note: did you know that I'm always blogging in my head? I'm doing a lot more walking these days, which gives me lots of time to think, and during my thinking, I come up with things that I want to post here, but then I almost never actually post them here. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.]

Anyway, I really just wanted to gush about how much I love Fall. I don't know that I've ever disliked it, but I think this is the first time in my life where I'm really loving it! The air is crisp and cool in the mornings, and...I kind of like it! But the afternoons are still sunny and warm. Well, NOW they are. September was mostly rainy, but this week has been quite beautiful.

The leaves are changing color, and I'm looking forward to my new Fall/Winter maternity wardrobe. (I may or may not have dropped more than $100 at Old Navy this week, buying long-sleeved tops and sweaters in larger sizes in anticipation of my growing belly. In my defense, I never buy clothes for myself. And I'm going to need them. So I guess I don't really need to defend my shopping spree.)

And there's something about this time of year that makes me dream of pumpkin-y treats and sweets. It's just so right! I had a pumpkin spice steamer from Starbucks on Sunday, and I'm going to make Paleo pumpkin muffins tomorrow. Maybe THIS is the most wonderful time of the year! :)