To name or not to name...

This past weekend Stephen and I went up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a get-away/lets take time to actually name our son. Family friends of ours have a cabin about a mile away from Honey Rock (the camp that Stephen and I both went to as a child and I also worked at through college).

Our friends cabin sits on Long Lake and is surrounded by woods. This was our view for the weekend.

I always forget how beautiful it is up there. I love the slow pace of life and that its a big deal to "go into town"...like an event. I just love that! We pretty much stayed put the entire weekend. Sitting in front of the fire, reading and talking was what we did. Friday afternoon we headed into Three Lakes (the town) to pick up french bread for dinner. We also stopped at a used book store and looked through the kid's books. We found a ton of books that brought back memories from when we were kids. Like this one...

 

We grabbed this and also walked away with 6 other books. 

Saturday we walked over to Honey Rock and spent 2 hours walking around and talking about our camp experience and revisiting all our favorite places around camp. 

 

 It was crazy to see how much things have changed there but also comforting to see some old familiar things that have not changed a bit. Honey Rock had a big impact on both of our lives. It really helped define and create Stephen's love for the outdoors as well as mine but on a deeper level... for me it was when I really experienced what a true relationship with the Lord was. Walking around I could remember specific conversations, relationships, people that impacted my life and ultimately demonstrated to me what being a Christ follower truly was. I also remembered some painful times in my life that I experience while I was there but also times of great joy. It was so amazing to be there with my husband and reflect on where we were at those times in our life and see where we are now. We chuckled thinking about how we would hopefully be walking around with our kids one day hearing about all their experiences at camp. Notice the paved road!

So that brings us to the other part of our trip...naming our child! I am sad to say that we still do not have a name picked out. Let's just plop that one at the top of our "to do list". We did narrow down some names that we liked but as far as one standing out and having that moment of "that's IT"...Lets just say that didn't really happen. I am hoping it will just come to us at some point. Maybe during birth?

32 weeks and counting...

Today I am 32 weeks pregnant. That means I have 7 weeks, give or take, left until we meet this little boy...can you believe it?!?! Because I can't. I think I have reached the point of panic (which I said I wouldn't) where I am realizing everything that I have left to do. Lets just name a few...put the crib together, finish the nursery, Christmas shop, pack my hospital bag, get the car seat, get some nursing bras, write out the birth plan, PICK A NAME! Not to mention keep reading and preparing myself for being a mom. I think I need to take a 7 week vacation so that I can get this all done.
Now lets revisit a time when I didn't have a care in the world and was just happily going about my day being pregnant...Here are some pregnancy pics from 23 weeks that my amazingly creative talented brother in law Weston took for me!. Look how happy and non-stressed I am : )

 

 Thank you Weston! It was so fun to see pics of my belly.
(Disclaimer: Now I realize that I am being dramatic and that all you other moms before me have been at this point and done just fine. I know I will get done what needs to be done and what isn't done will just have to wait and all will be fine...just don't tell me that everything will be fine...I don't want to hear that right now!)

Friendship

A couple weekends ago my friend Courtney flew into Chicago for a weekend visit from Dallas. Courtney is one of the most amazing people I know...no, I'm serious! She has a heart for changing the world and making all those around her aware of her passions and what Christs calls us to do. She has taken on some big challenges but the Lord has blessed her in all that she does. She is also famous...as the host for the Revolve Tour  .She is amazing at this! I have gotten to see her in action once on tour and it was an awesome experience.Courtney and her hus, Michael, used to live in Geneva and lets just say the 4 of us had more then are fair share of fun together! If I had to sum up two people in one word it would be "REAL". These two are nothing but legit when it comes to who they are and their faith. I love that about them!  Both Michael and Courtney are such a blessing to Stephen and I and a constant reminder of God's faithfulness and love to us.

Courtney is one of those friends that just knows me. She knows the good, the bad, and the crazy. It is hard for me to have her so far away especially when I am terrible at talking on the phone! I always cherish the times I have with her because I feel like it rejuvenates my soul and reminds me what true friendships really are.

  

She is also very excited about this little baby inside of me. It was fun to talk all things pregnancy with her and have her be a part of this big change in my life. I just wish she were here everyday to experience it with me. She also gave us 3 amazing children's books that I am so excited about! I can't wait to read them to our little guy : ) Thank you Courtney and Michael for your amazing friendship!!! You always have a home in Geneva! We love you guys so much!!

30! Here's to another decade.

So, I turned 30! Yes, 30! I am still getting used to saying that and it feels a little weird. I am actually excited about being in my 30's. I am excited for new adventures and new discoveries. As I was reflecting on my 20's I realized a lot of significant things happened in those years that shaped who I am today. College, life long friendships, NOLS, having my heart broken, Honey Rock, meeting Stephen, marriage, adventures, trips, getting pregnant. In no way do I consider this everything, just some of the big things that stood out to me. My mom also posted a pictures of me just a couple hours after I was born

I couldn't help but think that this will be me in 3 months...holding my first born. My mom was the same age as I am now when she had me. So here's to 30! I hope the next 10 years are even better then these last.

Happy 5 year!

Stephen and I just got back from spending almost 2 weeks in Door County (more pictures of our vaca to come!). While we were there we celebrated 5 years of marriage. I love that we return to the spot that we got married every year for our anniversary. It brings back such great memories. 

This year of celebrating seemed even more special as we know it is our last year of just the two of us. The day started with some coffee and breakfast in bed...brought to me by my sweet love...along with a card and some daisies (my favorite flower). We spend the day on the beach and then went out for a drive around Door County. We came back, showered and got ready for dinner. Stephen took me to the Inn at Kristopher's...one of my favorite restaurants up there. He had written out a list of highlights from the last 5 years and as we sat there having dinner and listening to the live music we talked about everything that we had done. He also surprised me with a trip back up to Door County to stay at the bed and breakfast we went to on our wedding night. I surprised him with tickets to go and see one of our favorite bands Mumford and Sons!
I am so thankful for my husband! I can't imagine these last 5 years without him and I am so looking forward to this next adventure in our life and the new joys that it will bring. He has been such an encouragement to me and I have seen so much growth in him over these last 5 years. He is my best friend and the love of my life. I love you Stephen!

Aren't Moms Wonderful!

Last weekend Stephen and I painted the baby's room so it would be ready for when my mom came up on Wednesday to paint a mural. We were super excited about the paint color (a bright aqua) and knew it would look great for a boy or a girl. Stephen and I wanted to do some sort of nature (no big surprise there!) mural and decided on birch trees...a favorite in the Ericksen household. When we told my mom she loved the idea and of course exceeded our expectations!

Didn't she do a wonderful job! My mom has definitely found her niche! Not only do I love that my mom painted this but that I get to tell my little boy that his G-ma painted this for him.

I can't tell you how wonderful it is that my mom is a part of the pregnancy experience with me. Even though we are 5 hours away (and I wish we were closer) I cherished the time we had together over this last week. It was so fun to have her at the ultrasound, shop with me after it for baby boy cloths and use her creative talents to create something beautiful. She was the most creative mom when we were growing up and I know she will be the same way with her grandchildren.

Moms have a way of just making things right! As I am thinking about how to be a parent I am so thankful for the example that my mom was and still is to me. I feel like I can go to her for advice and know that I will as I walk through this stage of my life. I know she will teach me and show me things about being a mom that I have no clue how to do. I know that she will be patient with me and when I am a teary mess on the floor and feel as though I am failing she will let me know that it's OK and that I am doing a great job. I think this new stage of life brings a new and even deeper relationship with your parents. The people that raised you now get to watch and be a part of you raising someone...I feel even more blessed now that I have such wonderful parents on both sides!

Thank you mom for teaching me to be creative and for always encouraging me in that way. You are the best mom and I am so excited for you to have a grandson : )

Oh BOY Oh BOY

Yesterday we went for my 21 week ultrasound and found out that we are having a BOY! I am still a little wowed by the entire experience and honestly wondering..."A Boy! Can I do this?". Coming from a family of all girls it is a little overwhelming to think about having a boy. It's no longer about dolls, dress-up, and bows. Its about trains, getting dirty, and bugs...at least that is how I am differentiating it now : )

 Don't get me wrong. I am SO EXCITED!!! Its just a new thing that I have to wrap my mind around. It was so fun to watch Stephens expression when we found out it was a boy. It makes me excited because I know how excited he is. I feel like we are both still processing this news and I can't wait to just talk to him about it more.
It is so crazy how much it changes everything knowing what the sex is. I can stop calling the baby "it" and actually start calling it "he". You start thinking about what this little boy will look like. Will he have blue eyes? Will he love to play outside? Will he have my nose or Stephens? I hope he will like to camp?...well if not we will drag him : ) I just LOVE knowing! I love that we can focus on boy names, boy things, and boy cloths (which I am not going to lie...my mom and I immediately purchased some yesterday). I love that this boy will carry on the "Ericksen"name! I think most of all I will love seeing my dad interact with a little boy. Since he only had girls, and that is how we have all seen him interact with us, it makes my heart happy to see what this little boy will bring out in him. And then there is Stephen! Wow...he is going to be an amazing father. I wish I could have captured his face yesterday. I am sure I will write more about this as I process but I wanted to get the news out there. Here we go...Oh boy oh boy let the adventures begin!

The process begins

So last night Stephen and I painted the nursery! No, we don't know what we are having yet but we picked a neutral color that we feel can go either way. The color we picked is a bright aqua blue. It is so cheerful and makes me really happy!
Here is a little sneak peak...

Its hard to tell what the exact color is but this will give you an idea.
On Sunday, as I was standing in Lowe's, with 15 (not even kidding) color swatches, asking Stephen every 5 minutes..."what do you think about this one?" "Are your sure?" "Really? You like this one?" I realized this is only the beginning of the decision making process. Now I know there will be much greater decisions with this child then what color to paint the room but it just got me thinking about how life is full of decisions (good and bad) that ultimately help shape our lives. This little human inside of me will one day have to make their own decisions and some of them will be good and some of them, I am sure, Stephen and I will wonder "what were they thinking!?!"
As we were painting last night, we were both a little awe struck at the fact that we were painting a baby nursery. We will be celebrating our 5 year anniversary this September and just looking back we are so grateful for where the Lord has brought us and what He has taught us over the years. I feel like we have learned a lot about each other and I am so excited to start this next adventure with him. He is going to be an amazing father and I can't wait to see that side of him!
This morning as I was getting ready he came upstairs with my morning cup of coffee and said "come on." Keresa: Where are we going? Stephen: Lets go have coffee in the babies room and look at the color.
Stephen: "I love it! This is getting me really excited about this baby."

I almost started crying right then and there! Needless to say I am feeling really blessed today!!

Proud Pop

So my mom sent me this picture today and I had to post it. Yesterday one of the weather men from Fox News in St. Louis gave my dad his first grandfather gift. Needless to say my dad was super excited!!

Its a little golf club set! Golf is definitely one of my dad's most favorite things to do. I think he is pretty excited about the thought of having another golf partner. Dad you will be a wonderful teacher...just like you were to me in more areas of my life then just golf : ) I love you daddy!!

Belly Pic

Ok, So I guess it is time for me to post a belly picture. I just had my 18 week appointment last Friday and the doctor said that everything looks great! The baby is growing and the heart beat is strong...Praise the Lord! Sorry that this is not the best picture. I will have Stephen take one next time. Just wanted to get one up for all of you that have been asking : )

Urge, Purge and Redesign

So I am starting to feel the strong urge to get everything in order before the baby comes. This manifests itself in ways like cleaning out closets, purging my life of unnecessary things (Stephen has a rule that I am not allowed to touch his stuff...that was probably a good call on his part!) and getting projects that I have wanted to do DONE. This past weekend while Stephen and I were both out of town we had a college kid that we know come and paint our kitchen and den. These two rooms flow right into each other and I have been wanting to paint them for awhile. It was so nice to come home and have it done. As I started piecing the rooms back together I decided that I wanted to "rearrange" the den. There is something refreshing about reworking a room and I was inspired by some friends of mine that had just done this same thing to their living room...shout out to the Clausens! When we first moved in and set up this room I liked it but always wanted to try and have the kitchen and the den flow together better. 
As I was moving things around I realized that I didn't have all the pieces that would make the vision in my head a reality. I would need another end table and 2 lamp shades to go on top of these lamp bases that my mom gave me. So I headed out. First stop HomeGoods. Most of the end tables there were out of my price range since I was going for very cheap but I did find lampshades like this for $12.99 a pop. I snagged 2.

Next stop Goodwill. I found a end table for $2.99 but it needed some serious love...

Sick right? Since I didn't have a lot of time I decided to try my hand at spray paining the table.I gave it a good wash, let it dry and then spray painted the body of the table coco brown. The top part of the table drops down about 3 inches and has a piece of glass that goes over it kinda like a shadow box.  I decided to paint that inside part white to add some contrast and make a nice crisp backdrop for some of the fun things I was going to put into it. The project took less then 2 hours and this is how it turned out...

And here is the entire room.

So that is my project. One down and a couple more to go!

New Addition

 This past weekend my brother in-law Josh got married!! We now get to officially welcome Meghan into the family. Let me just say that I am so excited to have her as a sister. She is awesome and I have loved getting to know her over these past years. I am sad that they will be so far away (San Diego) but we are already planning a visit. Congratulation Josh and Meghan...we love you guys!!

 We also got to spend a lot of time with Michael and Jane (my other brother in-law and sister). They stayed at our house for the wedding and let me just saw I am a huge fan of these two! Since they have been living in Santa Barbara for the last couple of years we don't get to see them that often but in September they will be moving to the good old mid-west and living in downtown Chicago. I am counting down the days.

 

It's time...

So I have finally decided to join the blogging world. I guess the time has come when I will have more to update everyone on since our first little child is on the way (people seem to start blogs when they have kids...bandwagon here I come!). I am hoping that this will be a way for everyone to see how our life is changing, watch as our little one grows and keep family and friends updated. I am NOT a writer and any of you that know me well know that spelling is not one of my strong points : )  
So without further ado here is an 11 week pic of the babe.  

 

What a cutie! I can't believe that I am growing this little person inside of me. So this is it! The grand beginning of the Ericksen family blog. Hope you enjoy keeping up with our lives!