Trying to Catch Up!

I am going to try and catch up from the last 2 weeks, hopefully I can remember that far back!
I have been busy knocking out orders...and it seems that as soon as I ship one out, I get another order the next day! I am trusting that God will not give me more than I can handle!
Its been really hot here, but we have been trying to enjoy the summer outdoors when we can. Here are a few pictures of us sitting outside:

Even though it is in the 80's, Emma still has to wear her hat!

Emma was trying to 'scare' her daddy!

So Shane turned around and scared her back!

She just loves it!

Lots of hugs afterwords!

Last Saturday we had our annual picnic with our Bible study group that meets once a month throughout the year. We met at Shady Creek and enjoyed grilled hot dogs, hamburgers and other yummy food. Games included bean bag toss, and a game of frisbee volleyball in which Shane and I were victorious!

Emma enjoyed getting dirty in the muddy sand!

Her little butt was covered...needless to say she rode home in just her diaper!

Just part of the Bible study group

Before we went to the picnic, I went down to a local sewing shop to 'test sew' a used sewing machine I had seen earlier in the week. I went prepared with cash in hand and Shane's blessing to buy if I thought it was what I wanted. I am looking for something that does embroidery and can still perform at the level of sewing that my machine does. Well, the sewing machine I tried out wasn't even close to what I have (even though its worth twice as much). So they had just got a different trade in, and it was a step up in machine, and even that couldn't perform what I need it to in terms of having enough needle power to sew around the top of my diaper bags. And both machines did not do a good job at feeding minky fabric. I am sure these machines are great at embroidery, but lack the ability to meet my sewing needs. I am not sure how far 'up' in model and price I will have to go to find what I need. By switching brands from what I have (a Pfaff), I am losing the IDT dual feed technology and the needle power that Pfaff has to offer. The reason why I am looking into a different brand, is because no one sells Pfaff around here and I would like a local dealer to take my sewing machine to, plus I need to be able to take classes to learn how to use my machine, etc. I am beginning to feel like I am in 'consumer research overload' between trying to find a minivan, sewing machine and am now needing a new laptop!
Moving on, after we arrived home from our picnic, Emma had a package waiting for her in the mail from her cousin Zoe. It was just some fun little stuff that Zoe had that she wanted to send Emma. Emma really enjoyed opening it.

Emma got new necklaces and crayons!

She spent the rest of the day filling the box up with her new stuff, carrying it around and dumping everything out again!
Last Sunday, we enjoyed the day by attending church and small group, and then took Emma to the aquatic center (aka, the pool) in the afternoon. We had fun, Emma loves the water!

This past week, we all came down with summer colds! Emma got it first, then me and Shane. We felt pretty crummy the first part of the week, Shane even stayed home from work for 2 days...which says alot in how terrible he felt!. We had kinda strange symptoms...I had a horrible runny nose and went thru several boxes of kleenexes, where Shane's nose wasn't so runny, but he was stuffed up. He was always tired and really dizzy all the time. I had like insomnia...I was exhausted, but found it very hard to sleep. We both had bad sore throats. I was hot all the time, while Shane had the chills the entire time (talk about role reversal!) Even though we were sick, I did enjoy having my husband home with me.

So this weekend we headed to Humboldt to welcome my brother-in-law, Tanner to Iowa. He got a job there at the radio station and moved in this weekend. Shane's parents, sister, Lindsey and her husband, Jared all came to help, as well as, Tanner's fiance, Krista. (I don't know if I have officially congratulated Tanner and Krista on their engagement, if not, here it is...Congratulations Tanner and Krista...we look forward to welcoming you to our family, Krista).
Anyway, on our way to Humboldt we stopped and looked at a few minivans. They all were Honda Odysseys in the Nimbus Gray color (which I haven't been able to look at in person), with a tan interior color. We didn't buy one, but did make some major headway in narrowing down what exactly I want...I LOVE the Nimbus Gray! I don't like the tan interior color though and would much prefer a gray interior. So the hunt continues, unfortunately most of the Nimbus Gray vans have the tan interior, but I continue to trust God with all of it! I definitely came away from this weekend feeling renewed and re-energized, and I thank God for that!
After we made it to Humboldt, we checked out Tanner's new place and enjoyed dinner with everyone. We then went to our hotel and went swimming. This morning, everyone else needed to get on the road, so after saying good bye to everyone, we stayed awhile to hang out with Tanner. We all took Emma to a park (a pretty cool one at that!) and then ate lunch at pizza hut. We finally headed for home at 1:45pm. We made it home without stopping and Emma and I napped most of the way! It took us 3 1/2 hours.

Emma came in wearing a new 'shoe' she called it! She has such an imagination!

And last, but certainly not least, my 22 week belly picture:

22 weeks and growing!
I have been feeling ok. Not horrible, and haven't really been throwing up. I am tired all the time though and wonder if that feeling will ever go away! ha! We have our monthly OB appointment on Wednesday, so I will update you then on my current stats!

We have a busy week ahead. Shane is super busy at work, so I pray his week won't feel too long. I need to meal plan and grocery shop. I have diaper bag orders to work on, but first have one to make for my sister-in-law, Janice! She is due at the end of the month! Emma and I also hope to get in some pool and play time, of course!

Until next time, love and prayers!