A morning at the park.

     Labor day weekend was the first time in a very long time that our WHOLE family (Riggs, Tobias, me and Gray) was able to make the trip home! Thinking back, it really was the perfect amount of time. We split our 4ish days between my family, my two grandma's and Gray's family! They were jam packed with lots of love, attention, and activities and little frustration so I would call that a pretty successful trip!
     We started home on Wednesday evening and drove to Lexington where Matt and Dana and their sweet boys live. We spent the night enjoying their hospitality and company. The dinner Dana prepared was out of this world (a far cry from my usuals), grilled chicken and asparagus, with the warmest bread and the tastiest wine! I love spending time with them, they remind me of the beginning. We still joke about that time when Matt told Grayson, who had just vented about how frustrating I was, that we would get married some day. They have journeyed with Gray and I from our inception and have mentored us through to marriage and beyond. They are the dearest of people and talking about life with them feels so comfortable. We pick up right where we leave off every time, and as I have gotten older I realize just how rare that is!
     If any of you have traveled with children you know just how taxing it can be, so the next morning we woke in the wee hours and traveled the 2.5 hours home as the sun rose and the baby slept. We went to Gray's house first and after some conversing, Melody and I decided to take a walk down to the park with Tobias. We enjoyed the slide and teeter totter, but mostly the swings. Watching him swing is always amusing, what with his wispy hair getting tousled every which way and his infectious giggles, I always end up laughing. His zeal for life and learning is truly a gift.

A Little Maternity Shoot.

     Photo credit goes to Melody Cato, she so kindly took these shots while she was here last week! I'm so happy with how they turned out, they will be fun to look back on no matter how big I look. ;) P.S. I'm not the most confident person in front of the camera, I'm sure many of you can relate!
     I'm currently 32 weeks which means I have roughly 8-10 weeks to go, thats considerably less considering the 40 you start out with. Am I nervous? Sure, but I try not to think about it. The nursery is coming along just fine and my classes are preparing me as best as possible. Knowledge is power, that's the mantra I keep repeating to myself. The more I know the more relaxed I feel about bringing this little boy into the world. Here's to hoping all that knowledge doesn't get thrown out the window when the day of reckoning arrives! Second mantra I keep repeating, women give birth everyday, and they live to tell about it. Concrete evidence right there that I can do it!
     I have a couple more projects to finish before Baby Cato makes his grand entrance, and I'm starting to get that nesting itch thats telling me to knock them out sooner rather than later. So hopefully this next week I will have all of my crib sheets sewn and all of the baby clothes washed, sorted, and labeled, and a good grasp on meal planning for the after baby months. I need to make returns from the shower and purchase cloth diapers (yes, I'm one of the crazy ones). I'm also trying to schedule relatives as best as can be done without knowing when this little one will arrive. I'm hoping to spread out the help as long as possible! A couple other things to take care of; find a pediatrician (I need to ask some Greenville mommas who they recommend) and create the birth announcement so that all that needs to be done is a quick picture insert and some easy printing, the stamps are bought and the address list is put together. Hmm writing this list is making me slightly anxious, I hope I'm not forgetting anything . . .
     In other news, Gray and I have decided to do something a little crazy. I've been giving into my sweet tooth a little too much (as in a lot too much). So in an effort to help myself and Baby Cato now, and my future postpartum self, I will attempt to fast from sugar for the rest of my pregnancy. Crazy idea? Most definitely. Attainable? I'm going to try my darn hardest. I am allowing honey for tea and for my morning oatmeal, I'm really just looking to eliminate all those ice cream runs and candy binges! Wish me luck!
     Anything else to tell? I think I've covered most everything. . . so without further ado, the happy expectant couple! hehe :)

Road Trip!

     I hope that when I'm old there is a Melody in my life. To me, it is so amazingly sweet of Melody to pick Granny Cato up in Virginia and take her on a crazy cross country road trip to visit old and new friends, family and significant places in her life. The first stop on their road trip took them to our house in Greenville. Granny and Pop Cato both attended Bob Jones University which is right up the street from our apartment. So on Sunday they went to church with us and while Gray and I were finishing up some responsibilities they fixed us an amazing casserole for lunch. Then we all jumped in the car and headed up the street. Granny purchased a disposable camera to document her trip and so we stopped at both the dorms she stayed in as well as the dining hall and welcome center snapping photos and listening as she recanted so many funny and sweet stories of her time at Bob Jones. We all got a little choked up as she remembered all the good times she had with Pop and the first time they met. Even though I will never get a chance to meet Pop on this side of eternity, I feel like I know him a little bit now after all the stories! Later, after a quick nap, we headed downtown for some ice cream and a look around Falls Park. 

     *Don't mind the creeper in the background.

     Another reason for their visit was to drop off some china. Granny Cato did a little spring cleaning and found several items she didn't need and so she offered them to the grandkids! I just happened to get the china (a perk of having different tastes than my sisters-in-law). I cannot wait to use it, anybody want to come over?

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     Well, Monday came and they continued on their journey. They stopped at Nashville next then headed to Kentucky followed by several places in Indiana before finishing in Iowa. So we wished them well as they headed out on their exciting journey and for me, life went back to normal. I went to work and came home to these crazy kids and loved every second of it! 

Peace & Calm

     The next couple of posts will be jumbled and out of order, exactly like my apartment most days . . . A couple of weeks ago Gray was up in Virginia doing an intensive week at Liberty for his grad program. There was no reason for me to go, so I stayed home with Riggs and Gray's mom. She graciously agreed to stay with me so that I wouldn't have to be alone and we had a grand old time! Most of the week consisted of me at work while she looked after the dogs and the other half consisted of Premier Jewelry Training (learning the ropes and getting my stuff together). But one night I was able to clear some space so that Melody and I could go to Caesars Head State Park. I've been wanting to go for forever, and I finally convinced someone to make the drive.
     Caesar's Head State Park is about an hour north west of Greenville and it boasts some amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the surrounding area. Here are a few photo's from the outlook.

It was a little foggy the day we went, which means I have a great excuse to take Gray and go back!

     As we headed down from the top of the mountain we found an unlikely surprise. At first glance we thought a couple people had stopped off at another cool trail, but once we walked across the bridge and through the line of trees we found a huge rock that was spray painted all over and an amazing view! The night couldn't have ended better! . . . and then we got ice cream.

Thanks for taking an adventure with me Melody!