I feel huge...yet I'm only 24 weeks.

I've grown a tremendous amount this past week...

I was barely showing and then one day, i look like I'm about to give birth.

and i'm only 6 months in!

someone even asked me today if i wasn't sure i was having twins...boy, i wish! that'd be awesome!

at 24 weeks I haven't had any cravings...I'm waiting for some weird ones, but they haven't come yet...

However, I am HUNGRY like a teenage boy, so I'm trying to fill up on all good things to fulfill this rumbling tummy. I feel like I could eat and eat and eat and never get full. We've been stocking up on apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cereal, milk, carrots, and things that are filling but good for you.

One weird thing that pregnancy has brought up, is i have developed a love for white fish. More specifically, Tilapia.

When I was 8 years old, I was scarred for life by eating fish and a bone getting stuck in my throat. Plus, the smell and scales always was a turnoff for me. Hated everything about fish.

I knew how good fish was for you, but still couldn't ever get myself to eat it. For the past few months, red meat has lost all appeal to me (which used to be my favorite meat to eat), so I three weeks ago, I tried fish to fill the void of meat in my life.

Tried salmon...can't pronounce it, nor do i like the taste of it...too fishy.

So I tried tilapia, and baked it with a little butter, salt, and pepper...OH. EM. GEE. 

I fell in love and it's been a favorite meal of ours the past few weeks. We usually eat it with cilantro lime rice and a side of veggies or a salad, and it's a fabulous light and healthy meal. 

I think I'll try doing different things like grilling the tilapia, but we can't steer away from this meal just yet. It's become a favorite of both of us.

This week my husband turns the big 3-0. 

I'm still trying to figure out how to make his birthday this friday special, while I'm at work and he's at work, and with a full schedule til around midnight. His birthday gift is being ordered and won't be here in time for his birthday either, but it's well worth the wait, and i'm excited for him to get it.

I have alot of baking to do before hand...he's requested Peach Cobbler for his birthday as well as steaks for dinner. Also, I'm baking a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting all from scratch for the teens to help us celebrate on Friday.

Still trying to brainstorm ways to make his 30th birthday a bang...wish i could be with him all day on his birthday! 

"Mommy's bladder is a great trampoline!"

I have a ninja inside of me.

Makes sense I guess...I should have guessed my child would follow in my active footsteps. I always wanted to be a ninja anyways. (thanks to movies like 3 Ninjas.)

Baby BB is extremely talented in jumping on my bladder, flipping, doing a jump kick every two minutes...yep, Baby is already gifted in martial arts.

That, or we are going to have a hyperactive energetic non-stop child...

Guess that makes sense too...

can't stop looking...

I can't stop looking at baby things...

nursery furniture,

clothes, 

pinterest ideas,

colors, patterns, stuffed animals, etc...

I want some pacifiers like this for my child.

and seriously? I can't get enough of these leg warmers...

They are so cute!!!!!

and we are totally doing the hat thing...

it's really too bad baby will be born in the summer...

we'll wait til fall to wear cute hats;)

oh, everything is just so stinkin' cute!!!

Can't wait to meet our little one!!!

Alaskan King Crabs for special occasions.

We celebrated our 8th Valentine's day together yesterday.

It's one of those days that I get excited about about a week in advance, and Ryan's excited about it about a month in advance.

He always plans our night together, and I always get excited about his plans and his surprises.

Sometimes watching him get excited is the very best part of the days leading up to Valentine's day.

He gave me white roses with purple edges on Sunday, so that by Valentine's day they'd be in full bloom and so we could enjoy them leading up to the day. We have, and they've grown beautifully over the week!

 We can't seem to wait to give gifts on Valentine's day, so the minute after Ryan woke up, he wanted to give me my gift:). Without even getting out of bed, we exchanged our Valentine's day gifts.

Here's mine from Ryan! 

It's BEAUTIFUL and he always does such a great job picking things out and researching for the best quality diamonds and gold.

This here is WHITE and BLUE DIAMOND right hand ring...I've been wanting a right hand ring for a long time, but for some reason I never even suspected to get one for Valentine's day...and he chose a gorgeous one. 

I started squealing when I opened it:)

Work on Valentine's day is always pretty fun.

Kids are hyped up and excited for their classroom parties.

But it's nothing compared to my excitement coming home and my husband is preparing for our Valentine's meal for us.

Ryan doesn't cook often, but when he does, you can expect to have some mouth watering, tastebud partying, can't wait for seconds, amazing food.

This time, he chose to prepare Steamed Alaskan King Crab legs as a main course, strawberry almond salad, stuffed clams, and garlic bread as sides, and a fruit pizza for dessert.

it was all to DIE for.

and although I kept getting fuller and fuller, it was hard to want to stop eating, because it was just that. darn. good.

I can't seem to take anymore normal looking pictures.

I just feel so massively huge...and i'm only 22 weeks along.

Oh, well, nothing I can do about it. 

Here are our Valentine's day pics:)

and here's our feast.

Ryan did an amazing job.

I haven't had crab in many years...

it's just one of those things you miss out on living in the midwest.

but wow. this Alaskan King Crab made both of us moan and groan like you wouldn't believe;).

 and for dessert, a fruit pizza that Alexio decided he wanted in on.

fortunately, our bar height table and chairs keeps him far away from food that we want to eat ourselves, rather than share with him;).

yum.

There you go.

Ryan knows how to make Valentine's day one of the best days of the year.

He know how to make a me feel special.

And consequently, because of it, this is our last year alone on Valentine's day...next year I'll be sharing this man with another little Valentine;). 

iphone Chicago pics

sometimes, i don't feel like dragging out the rebel, and it's just more convenient to take out my phone and snapp a quick pic.

Here are most of the Chicago trip pics!

When Ashley first found us at Moody in the commons!:)

Ryan and some of the Culby 19 guys...(and the one who cut some of their hair...)

Water Tower Place...My favorite place to shop.

Moody Bible Institute.

On the Red line heading to the Sears/Willis Tower.

It was starting to snow ALOT. 

This is when I like snow. 

Makes me happy when it snows in Chicago and we're out walking.

El ride. 
I even miss public transportation...
it's just more convenient than cars in the city.

on top of the Sears on the 103rd floor.

Big Bowl.

We were always eating.

the youth hostel with a red door that ashley stayed at.

Founders Week session - Tony Evans.

Ghiradelli for the free samples.

Hershey factory with the free chocolate and fudge samples.

Sprinkles...Ryan claims has the best cupcakes that he has ever eaten.

Ashley proudly sporting her Moody hoody.

Officially accepted for fall 2013;)

Love this city. 

Love everything it has to offer.

Hate leaving it.

Potbelly's is my happy place.

you can take a kid to disney world and their ecstatic.

Take me to Potbelly's and you get a similar reaction.

the BEST sandwich in the WORLD.

Bubble Tea Lattes from Panangs...

Can I tell you that I am secretly waiting and hoping for the next "excuse" to go back to Chicago?

I miss it.

chipotle, red mango, and sprinkles, oh my!

 Have you ever heard that the best thing to do in Chicago is eat?

It is so very true.

There were so many places that we wanted to hit up to eat at in the three days that we were there.

Friday was a whirlwind of food for us, and we were waddling by the end of the day.

One of the things I miss most about Chicago is the variety of great places to eat...and everything's different!

First though, here's our new Chicago girl as of Fall 2012! 

Took some pics with Moody in the back ground...

Still can't believe she's old enough to be going to college!

 Each morning we started our day off at Einstein's bagels...

Best bagels in the area, and i love their bottomless coffee. Now, of course, I couldn't drink it, but if i could, I would have been chugging down their delicious flavored coffee.

Ash was determined to get to Chipotle at some point of this trip, so we headed their for lunch. 

This was one of our favorite sunday night dinner places, and for college students there were many awesome deals for us. (such as dressing up as a burrito for halloween could get you a free burrito. We rocked that one every year.)

 The we had to stop in at our older sister, Ilene's, favorite cupcake place.

We so enjoyed it! 

They had a cupcake ATM and a ton of people in line, but we had fun picking up a few cupcakes...and then feasting on them later...

 We had to stop at Red Mango for Ashley and while she ate her frozen yogurt, we chowed down on our cupcakes.

 I'm personally not a cupcake fanatic, but the pumpkin one i got was to die for.

We also tried Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Strawberry, and something else...can't remember.

 We ended our eating spree with some deep dish Chicago pizza and dessert cookie pizza at Lou Malnati's...fabulous choice to end the night!

And there ya have it.

We ate alot and we liked it.

Even without being pregnant, Chicago makes me eat like a highschool boy.

So many options, such good food.