I have put off doing a lot of pregnancy posts as well as having my photo taken, mostly because this has been such a rough (read emotional, physically, and spiritually draining) pregnancy for me.  But I feel like it is time to say this:  at the end of each day, whether it was a hard day or a “slightly better” day, I know in the bottom of my heart that this pregnancy is nothing but a blessing and gift.

Thank you God for this boy.  We pleaded, longed, waited, trusted….and now he is almost here.

Now I am in the home stretch of my third trimester.  This trimester  has by far been the best one….and I am daily praising God for the relief and joy that has come with this last month! I thought it would be fun to list all the things that I like about being pregnant (cause let’s be honest, it is easier to complain about pregnancy than it is to be thankful…it is HARD stuff).  So on that note, here are….

The things that fill my heart:

People who hold doors for you…bless their hearts.

Not having to “suck it in” for 9 months.

When I take a bath, I love that I have a little island to rest the book on and I don’t have to worry it will get wet!

The wondering what baby will look like, who he will be, and the blissful (and most certainly naive) dreaming of the future.

Listening to Dayla talk about and to baby brother.  It is not everyday, but to me the infrequency makes it feel that much more precious and true.

Having no one balk at the strange food I want to eat…seems everyone let’s you off the hook when you are pregnant.

Knowing I have a husband who is willing to go to the store late at night to fulfill my craving.

When Dayla thoughtfully picks out things when we are at the store for her baby brother…and she even buys them with her own saved up “ice cream truck” money.  If you knew how much that girl likes ice cream, you would know: that is love.

Stopping to think about how there is a person, a life, a little baby fresh from God’s arms growing inside me right now.

[**All these photos were taken yesterday because I have been *encouraged* pretty much non-stop (read: bullied by those who love me). I will say too, it is not easy to take pictures of the girl who hates being in front of the camera, especially when she is pregnant, emotional, and a *bit* bossy. And couple that with a preschooler who also hates having her picture taken and will not be told how to pose. So thank you to my loving husband for these! He is a man with patience beyond understanding.**]

Baby Boy,
We can’t wait to meet you! You may not have a name yet, but you have 3 people who are excited beyond belief to see your face and already love you beyond words without even having seen that face yet. Please be nice to your mama with your entrance into this world….
See you soon! With all our love…

There is so much to tell.  So much not to tell.  So much blessing.  So much trial.  But for today, I will keep it simple and just share with you some pictures.

If you keep up on this blog,  you know I had the joy of having Nancy in my life his summer.  I was so excited when we ventured out to Iron Mountain to snap a few pictures of her, the same place where I took pregnancy pictures when I was carrying Dayla, so of course I had to ask her to grab a couple of me there carrying this little baby boy in my tummy.

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant with a baby boy.  Just writing that makes tears well up in my eyes; what an incredible blessing and miracle to help create a life.  I am THRILLED to be bringing a baby into this world, THRILLED that our 2 years of trial and hoping to be pregnant is over, THRILLED at the idea of having a boy, and THRILLED to be able to give Dayla a brother…..

…and thrilled with these pictures! Thanks so much Nancy!!

I never thought I would be “big” enough to have an intern, and honestly I am completely humbled by the fact that someone would want to learn from me (most days I still feel like a baby in the business myself!) But at the beginning of the summer Nancy came to me, asking to be an intern at Sundin Photography, and before I could say “Reallly? Are you SURE?”, she was saying “YES YES YES”…..

…and so our summer fling began.

Nancy is the most friendly, bright, ambitious, and joy-filled 18 year old I have ever met.  She came to learn from me, but at the end of the day it was I who felt so blessed to be around and learning from her.  So before the time comes that I will sadly have to let Nancy go find her own way in this big world, I thought it would be fun to introduce you to her.

Meet Nancy.

Hey Nancy……

Tell the readers 3 random things about yourself.

• I love salsa dancing!
• I wear footie pajamas. I’m 18
• I love cooking!

What would your ideal day be like?

My ideal day would be…waking up really early in the morning, go to the beach and have breakfast there. Then, I would take my family and friends to Belmont Park, an amusement park in Mission Bay. Lastly, at night I would host a salsa dancing party and dance the night away .

What do you love about photography?

I love photography because I do not have a good memory at all and I can use my camera to capture those moments forever in a single flash. I especially love when you can look back at the crazy birthday bashes, the turning point high school years, the unforgettable college adventures, and many more, and see how your life has changed and how you are changing as a person. To me, photography depicts so much more than what words can attempt to describe, and evoke emotions and feelings that inspire a hug, a kiss, a high-five, a thank you and the list goes on…

What type of photography do you want to specialize in and why?

Since I am a “newbie” to photography I have been trying out various styles but, I can honestly declare my love for candid, portrait photography with either a vintage/washed out or black and white feel. I love socializing with different people every day and learning something new about them, thus I would be happiest with taking photos of people. Also, as I am a very curious individual so I enjoy taking shots of people when they least expect it or when they are just themselves because I believe everyone has a special spark about them that needs to be revealed.

If you don’t become a photographer, what other profession would you like to pursue?

I do plan on becoming a photographer but also mixing that in with my double major in International Relations and Spanish. I honestly believe that in order for the world to change you must change yourself, as how Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. It is through photography that I hope to express the issues going on in the world and help make a change.

See what I mean? Don’t you just love her already? And isn’t she stunning? I don’t remember high school seniors being so beautiful!
Nancy, you are the sweetest and the best. I will be so sad to say goodbye but I am so thrilled for the journey that lies ahead for you! Good luck, God speed….and visit us again whenever you can! We will miss you so!

Yesterday I was thinking a lot how easy it is to compare ourselves to others….and how dangerous it can be to do it.  It is easy to want what someone else has, easy to want more, or different, or bigger or better or less, or whatever it is you don’t have that you think you deserve.  I personally believe it is hard to be truly, humbly, thankful for what we are given.

I am not great at thankfulness, but I can honestly say there is one thing in my life that I have always been thankful for: my Daniel.  Thankful for the moment he walked in the door that first night and the way he caught my eye.  Thankful that he asked me out. Thankful for the decision I made before we started dating to “be myself”. Thankful that we fell in love.  Thankful that I snagged the most thoughtful, kind, loving, strong, and funniest man I have ever met. Thankful for 8 years of beautiful marriage to a man that I DAILY feel lucky and blessed and honored to be married to.

Here is to 8x8x8 more years….

(This is us circa 2003, the year we got married!)

If I had to give one of my budget finds the title of “crowning glory”, this one would be it.

I had been looking for quite some time for file cabinets to use in my office (yes, now I have an OFFICE…oh, how I love our new house!) and had pretty much settled on the idea of the ugly metal ones and finding a creative way to hide them (for budget reasons of course). I hadn’t taken the plunge to purchase them yet in hopes that maybe I could find them used or cheap or even free from a friend.

Now rewind your calendar back to Christmas Eve. It was an amazing Christmas Eve, our first one in our new house and our first one at home with just us….perfect in every way. Our morning festivities were over and Daniel and I looked at each other trying to decide what to do with the rest of our day off. “We could go look at those thrifts stores down the street that you have been wanting to see” YES. Yes yes yes! So we were off. Never having stepped foot in these thrift stores, we had no idea what total luck we had; each of the stores had a sign that said “Today only, 50%off”.   Although I am skeptical of such signs as I find most places like this run “sales” every other week, we later found out that they truly only hold this sale once a year to clear out all the inventory before the January rush (apparently New Year’s brings a lot of stock to the thrift stores!)

So skepticism high and hopes low we wandered inside.  Then I saw this:

I opened the drawers up to find each drawer was actually a double filing cabinet THAT.ALL.WORKED. and the drawers I found were heavy, not cheap or wobbly as I would have expected. My heart started to race, my palms grew sweaty, and the choir of angels from heaven seemed to have started singing in my ears. The price tag on the top read in bright red ink: $50. A total bargain.

Considering that I had been drooling for quite some time over this and this…the $50 price tag was more than perfect…I would have gladly paid the non-sale price of $100. Daniel on the other hand took some convincing. We didn’t have the right car with us, we had a toddler with us, and to top it off, this thing weighed about 1,00 pounds (it is made of press-board which I later learned is the heaviest wood choice out there). The color is ugly, the top banged up (and other wonderfully logical reasons we shouldn’t bring it home with us)….but I can paint it I said with my best puppy-dog-eyes. I begged, I pleaded, I promised to come back on my own and figure out a way that he wouldn’t have to lift it.

40 minutes later I was pulling into my driveway…with only $25 gone from my pocket (To my surprise the red $50 price tag WAS the current price and I still got an extra 50% off!)….and a smile as big as Alaska across my face. I ran up to Daniel and gave him the biggest hug I ever have. I was in heaven: My first big furniture renovation project at a steal of a price!!

Two coats of primer, 3 coats of orange paint, and a month later I had this:

And now it sits in my office holding all my Sundin Photography files, adorned by my first amazing budget find, and making me smile every day looking like this:

I have since been back to those thrift stores about every other week hoping for another gem, but have only come away with empty hands and immense glee as I realize what total luck–kiss-met–God’s blessing, my credenza find was that Christmas Eve day. My crowning glory.