Thanksgiving in North Carolina

This year we got to spend Thanksgiving in North Carolina with Joy's family! Despite the long drive, we had a blast! We rented a cabin for 3 nights in Valle Crucis, NC, which is close to Boone. The cabin was just a few minutes away from our aunt and uncle's mountain house, so we got to spend Thanksgiving Day with them as well. We also enjoyed celebrating Nana's 71st birthday on Thanksgiving Day! The weather was very cold during our stay and we even got to see some snow! If you look closely at the jacuzzi picture, you can see the snow flurries coming down on Nate, Matt, Robin, Holly & Dad! Below, check out more pictures from our trip! (Also notice the huge scary bear above the fireplace!)

Nate and I are so grateful that we got to spend Thanksgiving in North Carolina this year! It was a wonderful time to reflect on all the blessings God has given us. We are really looking forward to seeing the rest of our family that we missed at Thanksgiving for Christmas!

Baby Schuck's First Picture!

This has been a very exciting week for us! Yesterday we got our first Ultrasound! What an amazing experience! As soon as the baby's picture came up on the screen we saw the rapid heart beat. Baby Schuck was asleep at first, but woke up quickly. It was so exciting to see our little baby moving around and kicking for the very first time! The doctor seemed very pleased with everything and he measured the baby at 41 mm, which is a little over 1 and a 1/2 inches. He said that we should be able to find out the sex of our baby in around 8 weeks (which I'm hoping will be right before Christmas)!

A little over a week ago, I also got to feel the baby move for the first time! It was so exciting! It felt like a fluttering sensation or tiny bubbles underneath my stomach! I can't wait until I can start feeling the baby move around even more in the months to come. I'm even more excited for Nate to feel it! This whole experience really does remind you how awesome our God is! I'm in my 11th week now and feeling pretty good! Thank you again for all your prayers! Please keep praying for our baby!

Fun Times this Fall!

Looking back at this Fall season so far, it has been a bit crazy for us, yet so much fun at the same time! Traveling and being away from home 7 weekends in a row was stressful and exhausting at times, but we truly do treasure all the memories we have made with our family and friends!

The craziness began with Nate's 10-year reunion in Orlando at the end of September! He was glad he went to catch up with some old buddies, and I was happy I got to meet some of his old classmates and put faces with names! That same weekend I also got to attend two of Holly's wedding showers! It was a fun weekend!

The following weekend we went back down to Orlando for a MonaVie conference with our friends from Tallahassee, the Grulich's and the Garcia's. Nate, David, and EJ went to the conference all day on Saturday and me, Kailee, and Shannon went shopping with their little ones at the outlets! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but it was a fun trip! The car ride down was especially memorable when David and Kailee's little girl, Avery, had an upset stomach! Her diaper leaked all over her carseat!!! Poor thing! It wasn't fun for Kailee to clean up, especially since we were pulled over on the side of the interstate, but it made for some good memories and some good experience for Nate and I with our future kids!

Next was my sister's wedding! It was absolutely gorgeous and a very special time for the whole family as she married her childhood sweetheart! Nate and I both got to be a part of the wedding party - me as the Matron of Honor and Nate as one of Robin's groomsmen. We had a blast, even though Nate failed at his job as the "Designated Sparkler Lighter"! :) We are so happy to welcome Robin into our family! Nate and I are looking forward to lots of fun times with them in the future as our family continues to grow!

This same weekend Ansley and I also got to give a wedding shower for our best friend Lisa! It was a very special shower and I am so glad I got to be a part of it! Lisa has been one of my best friends for about 8 years now!

The following weekend we came back to Orlando for James Hunt's wedding (one of Nate's highschool pals). It was a very nice wedding and we had a good time catching up with Nate's former Track & Cross Country coach and buddies!

The next weekend Lisa and Eric got married!!! I felt so honored to be a part of the wedding. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding! Nate and I had a blast! Congrats again to Mr. & Mrs. Petersen!!!

One of our most favorite things that we got to do this fall was go to North Carolina for 4 nights with some of our best friends, John & Erin Moss (and their dog Roxy)! We were so blessed by amazing weather! We couldn't have asked for a better long weekend. The weather was cool, the colors in the trees were amazing, and the time spent with our good friends was priceless! It was even more special than usual because Erin and I are both pregnant - it was both of our baby's first vacations! We can't wait to take Baby Moss and Baby Schuck back to the cabin one day! John and Nate have been going there now for over 5 years. They love to hike the mountains, cut down trees, make fires, and just be boys while they are there. They used to talk about how they'd love to take their wives up there with them one day and that came true! Now the dream is to spend many vacations at the cabin with their wives and kids!

Nate turned 29 on October 29th! We celebrated his special day with a very nice dinner at the Melting Pot! Having his 10-year reunion, turning 29, and finding out he's going to be a dad all within the same month is making him feel a bit old, but I keep telling him that the fun is just beginning! The best is yet to come!!!

The last weekend of our 7 weekends away from home ended with Greg and Donna's wedding! Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of the bride and groom, but at the end of this blog, you will see a few pictures that I took with Nate's sisters and his dad. We had a very nice time, but we are so happy to be back at home now for a few weeks before Thanksgiving!

Here are more pictures of memories that we've made with family and friends in the past few months:

2 Months Down (7 to go)!!!

I have to say that overall these first two months have gone by pretty good! I've definitely been feeling pregnant, but it hasn't been too bad so far! Just an upset stomach throughout the day, more tired than usual, and a slightly rounded belly! I know it could be a lot worse, so I am very, very grateful! Nate and I have been enjoying the beautiful cool weather and the changing leaves in Tallahassee....well, that is, at least the little that we've been here! We are getting really excited for all that is to come! We can't wait to find out if it is a boy or girl! Any guesses?

I hate posting pictures of myself, especially when I don't feel the best, but we thought it would be fun to watch my transformation from the beginning to the end of my pregnancy!!! :)

7 weeks

6 weeks

5 weeks

The Announcements!

The timing of finding out we were pregnant 3 days before we were supposed to be in Orlando for Holly's wedding festivities was perfect! Since a lot of our family and friends live there, it was a great opportunity to tell them in person! We had already told our good friends the Moss' and the Grulich's over the phone, but we really wanted to tell our family face to face!

After we arrived on Thursday, Joy met up with her best friends, Ansley and Lisa, for some dessert and drinks. She tried to throw them off a bit by pretending she was going to order a drink, but she just couldn't keep it from them anymore! She broke the news...there were screams of joy and the whole restaurant turned to look at us! (If you know Ans and Lisa that probably doesn't surprise you!) :) Later that night, we went over to hang out with Nate's mom, Linda, and his sisters, Susie and Bekah! We hung out for a bit and then Joy said, "Oh! I forgot I have something for you guys!" She reached in her purse and pulled out 3 onesies! One said "I love my Grandma!", the other said "I love my Aunt Susie!", and the last one said "I love my Aunt Bekah!" They were ecstatic! There were screams and hugs again and even a few tears of joy!

Friday was Holly and Robin's Rehearsal Dinner which meant that Joy's whole family was going to be together that night. It was hard to keep it from her sister and mom all day long, but we really wanted to wait to tell everyone at the same time. We wanted to be very careful not to take anything away from Holly and Robin's wedding, so we decided to wait until the end of the night to break the news. We had a very nice dinner and even dashed a few questions from family and friends on when we were going to have a baby! "Soon", we said! :) When everyone was getting ready to leave, Nate took a quick opportunity to tap on his glass to say he wanted to congratulate Holly and Robin on one more thing. He began by welcoming Robin into our family and saying how happy we were for them, and then he looked to me. I finished by saying, "We also wanted to congratulate you on one more thing...you are going to be an aunt and uncle!!!" I then pulled out a onesie for them that said "I love my Aunt Holly & Uncle Robin" and held it up! Everyone was surprised and very happy! It was a special moment to say the least! At the wedding on Saturday we were able to tell more family and friends! Everything worked out perfectly and it was a great weekend for all of us! Congratulations again to Holly and Robin on your new marriage (and on being an aunt and uncle)!!!

There was only one more very important person to tell....Nate's dad - who has been wanting a grandchild for quite some time! He lives in Ormond Beach now so unfortunately we had to wait one more week to see him. We weren't able to squeeze in driving out there to visit him until our next trip to Orlando for another wedding the following weekend. After meeting up at his house and visiting for a little while, we said that we had a little gift for him. He opened it up and inside was another onesie. This one said "I love my Grandpa!". His eyes filled up with tears and he was so thrilled! The smile on his face couldn't have been bigger!

This is such a special thing for our families because this will be the first grandchild on both sides! Joy's grandparents will also be Great-grandparents for the first time! This is a very exciting time for us right now, but it is also a bit crazy! From the end of September to early November, we will have been gone 7 weekends in a row with 4 weddings, Nate's 10 year reunion, etc.! Needless to say we are doing a lot of traveling! Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers! We love you all very much!

Holly and Robin Friday (Joy's sister & brother-in-law)

Linda, Susie, & Bekah Schuck (Nate's mom and sisters)

Randy Lail (Joy's dad)

Nate and Greg Schuck (Nate's dad)