"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year..."

What a fun time of the year!! Will and I have been super busy with work, holiday fun, and getting ready for precious Benjamin's arrival. A few months ago Amanda and I decided to get domestic and make stockings from scratch. We stole the idea from the Knochel women and are pretty proud of the final result! Each year a new decal is added representing something big that happened that year. Guess I will have one more stocking to add next year... We decided to take one last mini "babymoon" at the Gaylord before our life is turned upside down. It was so much fun to relax, watch Army lose against Navy :(, eat a yummy dinner, and see the ICE show. One of our first dates was going to the Gaylord so it was extra special to return married and pregnant! Amazing how life can change in just 3 short years!

My pictures from the holidays are a little out of order... This year Will and I spent Christmas Eve with Will's side and Christmas day with my side. Over at my parents house Luke was just precious as ever. He became very fixated on a few things.... His holiday pj's and Elmo houseshoes.

His new snack trap Uncle Grant gave him and his Elmo houseshoes.

Playing on boxes. His mom's new hat and did I mention his Elmo houseshoes. Will and I before church on Christmas Eve. I sure am getting big - 35 weeks pregnant.

Update on Ben's room: Grant finished the mural! Grant is so talented and it looks amazing in the room. I can't wait for Benjamin to see it!

Ben's Room

Benjamin's room is close to being finished! It turned out so precious and I have my mother to thank. She came to Fort Worth for one day and put her touch of gold on Ben's future room. There is still some "polishing" that has to be done but overall it is pretty complete.

My brother Grant is an incredible artist. He is going to create a one of a kind piece on the blank canvas behind the crib.

My mom had these adorable letters made in Mckinney!

I love how we incorporated some of Will's Army hats into the room! Lots of reading will take place in the little corner.

Finally, tons of storage for all of Benjamin's stuff. It is amazing how much stuff you need for something so small!

I have hit the 33 week mark! Crazy how fast (and slow) it is going! Benjamin is around 19 inches long and about 5 pounds. He will be here before we know it!

He is Loved

This past weekend Ben was showered with love! A few of my mom's friends, my childhood best friend and her precious mother hosted a shindig that will go down in the books. This shower was something out of a magazine and the thought behind each detail did not go unnoticed! When I got married the love I felt from others was unreal. Now that love is being given to my child and it is overwhelming. How blessed I am. How blessed Ben is.

The very creative diaper cake Beth made for Ben! There is a wine bottle in the middle of it that I will enjoy in a few months! :)

The hostesses: Trish, Steph, Beth, Catherine and Traci. Incredible women and wonderful examples of mothers, wives and friends!

Aunt Amanda already loving on Ben!

Memaw, Aunt Amanda, Tula and GA (Great Aunt). I think these women have some spoiling in their future!

Ben's Tula and Miss E

Stephanie, Lily and Elizabeth.

The Larkin's were my surprise guests! I just love these precious friends!

On another note, I am officially 28 1/2 weeks pregnant. Ben is growing and so am I! Will insists on Hank being in every pregnancy picture...

Baby Love

Since Benjamin isn't quite here yet, my baby love is Luke. The pictures below make me smile because I love that little dude just so much! Happy Friday!

"Our State Fair..."

This past Sunday, the Gibson 4, plus the husbands, Luke (and Ben), attended the Great State Fair of Texas! I remember going to the fair as a child every fall and have a new appreciation for my parents. There were people EVERYWHERE and I can only imagine how stressful wrangling 4 kids would be! We dined on fried Frito pie, fried oreos, fried chicken bacon and the classic Fletchers corney dog. Very American of us all. The following pictures are a few highlights of the day... Note: I didn't have a picture of Amanda and Brian but of course plenty of Luke. :)

Now for a Benjamin update... we are officially 25 weeks pregnant! He is getting stronger everyday and seems to be pretty active. I think he know his daddy's voice - every time Will talks Ben starts kicking away! So sweet!

Half Way There!

Well, last week I hit the half way mark! It's crazy how fast time is going. I am trying so hard to really enjoy and appreciate these last 4 months before sweet Ben gets here! My 20 week picture is below and you will also notice a furry tail in the corner. Hank has managed to be in every pregnancy pic to date - so typical! Shout out to my sweet sister Amanda! She has been so generous with her Luke loot. This picture only shows a small portion of her contribution to Ben. She and my mom have this child taken care of. He literally could come home tomorrow and we would be ready for him thanks to my sister and mom!

Finally, a picture of precious Luke. This child can do no wrong in the eyes of his Aunt Ali! I just couldn't resist posting it...

Here I Am.

As an official member of the blog world, I figured I would start with a fab first post. See below... Here at the Schmid casa January 28th has been the topic of most of our conversations. Many amazing things have happened on January 28th. For instance, these two creepy dudes share a birthday on January 28th.

The Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1996 on January 28th.

Will and I just can't get enough of January 28th.

We probably can't get enough of January 28th because we are counting down the days until this little man gets here...

Benjamin Gibson Schmid

"You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment laid out before a single day had past."

Psalm 139:16