Week 31

Wednesday
Jason  received some big news.  Jason got the word that he had passed the PE exam.  With the passing result, Jason is now officially listed as a licensed professional engineer in the State of Texas.  Jason's friend and colleague, Matt, also passed the PE exam.  We all went out for a nice dinner to celebrate.

Saturday
Saturday was another big milestone for us.  It was our 5th Anniversary.  This gave us an opportunity look back and reflect on the past several years.  During that time, we have celebrated our college graduations, moving to the DFW area, taking on new jobs, buying new vehicles, buying our first home, and now having our first baby!  We have truly been blessed and we are very thankful for all of the great opportunities that we have been provided.

We were also excited to spend the weekend with our family in Amarillo.  On Saturday evening, Dennis and LuAnn hosted a barbecue dinner for all of our family and friends.  The food was delicious.  They had Rudy's provide the meat and since we do not have a Rudy's near our house, it was certainly a treat.  As good as the food was, the company is what really made the evening a pleasure.  It can be hard to stay in touch with everyone on a regular basis and this provided us a nice opportunity to catch up.

Sunday
Some of our closest family and friends threw a baby shower for Kennedy. The hostesses did a wonderful job and made some delicious food and adorable decorations! We are extremely blessed to have so many people in our lives that are so thoughtful and gracious to shower us with so many wonderful things. Here are a few pictures from the shower

Whitney wrote a little something for her and it reads as follows:

She is made from the dandelion dust that dances across the backyard of her Pop's

And from the wood shavings that garnish the floor of her Grandfather's workshop

She is made from the contagious laughter of her Meme and the intellect of her Great Grandpa

She is from a long line of shopaholics

And made of sweat dripping from the brows of hard working ranchers on a Nebraska summers day

She is made from the crafty hands of her Grandma and the creative needle of her Puma

The precious little girl is made from the flip flops of her mother, and the video games of her father

She is made from the paw prints her regal cat Sammy leaves in his wake

She is made from the camcorder that her aunt used to capture her adolescence

She is from the loyalist of Corn Huskers and Red Raiders

And from the stains on her uncle's rugby uniform

She is made from everything perfect and pure

She is Kennedy Scarlett Crawley

Last, but not least, the Week 31 belly photo:

Week 30

Checking in for Week 30.  We just got back in from Corpus Christi so this will be a quick one.  On Friday, we left for Corpus Christi for the Beach to Bay Marathon Relay.  Rachel elected to not participate because she didn't know how she'd feel when we signed up.  Jason did participate on the team of six.  It was sure a long car ride there and back.  It was pretty uncomfortable for Rachel, but she was a good trooper.  Her ankles started to swell from all of the time in the car as well as the heat and humidity.  That's not fun, but we knew that the pregnancy would have some challenges at some point.  Jason also experienced some discomfort.  He forgot to wear sunscreen and unfortunately, his shoulders suffered a harsh burn.

Kennedy has been wiggling in Rachel's belly and Jason seems to have a soothing touch.  Whenever she starts getting active and Jason tries to feel it, she calms down and quits kicking.

Week 29

Checking in for Week 29.

Rachel left town for San Diego on Monday and returned on Friday evening. When she got in on Monday, she made a trip to the San Diego Zoo with some co-workers and colleagues. It was a beautiful Zoo with some exotic and lush plants. It was pretty chilly on Monday which made many of the animals stay under their heat lamps. On Tuesday, she was able to go on a tour of San Diego. It hit many of the main attractions including Coronado, Little Italy, the Maritime Museum, Old Town, the Gas Lamp District, and many more. Tuesday evening was filled with a dinner cruise and casino night provided by one of the vendors at the conference. Due to a very generous dealer, Rachel fared very well in Black Jack and ended up with many raffle tickets. Some how she ended up winning a $100 gift card to Target! This will probably go towards some diapers... The rest of the week was filled with conference activities. The weather was cool, but very nice for someone going into their 29th week of being pregnant! Overall it was a wonderful experience. Here are some pictures:

On Saturday morning, we participated in the 2nd Annual Run for Retrievers. This is a 5K that benefits the DFW Lab and Rescue and was in memory of Eddie Pascacio, our running coach and friend's husband.  The weather was surprisingly cold and windy.  We also had a great time visiting with all of our friends.

On Saturday afternoon, we made our 2nd trip to Storkvision in Frisco.  That is the same facility where we had our first sonogram.  This time, we got the 3D/4D package.  When we went in and got set up, the sonographer said that Kennedy was in a good position and being very cooperative.  That allowed us to get some great headshots.

When looking at these photos of Kennedy, we don't just see a special sneak peak at a precious unborn baby. We see chubby little cheeks, cute little clothing, giggling, first steps, first words, a first day at kindergarten, a loose tooth, a clever little kiddo, an awkward adolescent, a first date, a high school graduate, a lovely lady and a living legacy.  We are truly blessed to be stewards for the growth and development of this special little lady.  We simply can't wait to hold her and plant a juicy kiss on her chubby cheeks.

We're happy to report that the bump continues to grow!  Take a look at the Week 29 photo below.

Week 28

Hey Folks,
Checking in for week 28.

We continue to participate in our running groups on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  On Wednesday, Rachel got her hair done and it shouldn't be a surprise that she came home with a pretty dramatic change.  She got a cut and went with a dark brown and red coloring.

Saturday
Sherie and Keven were nice enough to help us pick up the last remaining item for Kennedy's room, the nursery chair.  We went by after lunch and brought it back that afternoon.  We love it and the color is perfect!

Sunday
We went out to the Dallas Arboretum to celebrate Mother's Day.  When we arrived, we spent a few moments strolling through the gardens.  The weather was almost perfect.  After our stroll, we had brunch.  It was a fun experience.  We snapped a few photos to document our trip to the arboretum.  Take a look at my bride, still looking as beautiful as ever.

On our way back home, we swung by the maternity store to get Rachel a new dress.  She needed another look to wear to her upcoming showers.  She also spent some time packing up because she's headed to San Diego next week for a conference.  She leaves on Monday and returns on Friday.  Last time Rachel left town, I missed her pretty bad so this time around, I used a gift check to pick up a couple of video games.  These should help keep my mind occupied while she's out.

Week 27

Alright Folks,
We're checking in week 27.

This was a good week for us all.  Jason's workload continues to allow him to leave on time and we are certainly thankful for that.  Although the pregnancy has been almost ideal, Rachel is starting to experience the discomfort of the third trimester.  The little aches and pains are becoming more and more common, especially in her back.  Take a look below for a quick recap of this week's activities.

Wednesday
We went to a Texas Rangers ballgame.  We thought we'd take advantage of our remaining days where we can easily do something like that on a weeknight.  They were playing the Toronto Blue-jays and although we didn't get to stay for the entire game, the Rangers ended up winning on a home run that was hit as we got up from our seats, so our timing was pretty good. It was also dollar hot dog night so we got a couple.  It's a good thing that they were only $1 because they weren't very good.

Saturday
Jason went for a bike ride at Lake Grapevine with Kevin while Rachel went antique shopping with Courtney and her family.  Rachel was on a mission to find a red egg basket for her friend, Mallory.  Mallory uses them for taking photos of newborn babies.  Although Rachel didn't find the basket she was looking for, she did find a miniature red suitcase.  It was actually a case for antique roller skates.  Rachel ended up purchasing it for Mallory.  That afternoon, we installed a wall decal for Kennedy's room.  It's a large decal of a tree.  We anticipated some bickering during the installation process, but it was actually pretty easy to install.  We didn't fuss at each other even a single time.

Wall Decal

Sunday

Jason went to go get some donuts in the morning and Sammy tried sneaking out the door.  Jason decided that Sammy should go for a little ride and put him in the car.  At first, Sammy seemed to be pretty excited about the new experience, but as they left the street, Sammy started to cry.  He didn't like the joy ride so much after they left the neighborhood.

True to form, we have included a week 27 photo of "the bump" below.

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