Ready and Waiting!

My Valentine

This guy deserves a party... 9 1/2 months (yes, 39 1/2 weeks) of quieting my emotional-roller-coasters, giving countless neck massages, foot massages, and back rubs, going to the grocery store for chocolate milk at weird hours, and being squished to one side of the bed by the 6 pillows that surround me. He deserves every bite of the creme brulee he's eating, and much, much more.

Lucky Girl

The past couple of weeks we have been lucky to spend some quality time with our friends and family. They have been so generous to us and have given us gifts and parties to celebrate baby Mary, who is due for arrival in just 19 days... 

(this photo is of the double baby shower our high school friends threw for Jessy and I... baby George and baby Mary are due just a week apart!)

The count- down is on, and we are trying to get everything ready. The nursery is pretty much finished, and now we have to get some essentials... like a stroller and a car seat. 

Throughout my pregnancy I have been so nervous about labor and delivery (let's be honest, I have been scared of this my whole life, what girl isn't?). The closer and closer it gets though, the more excited I get. I hope that my excitement to hold my baby girl will outweigh my crazy fears... and the fact that I waddle around trying not to complain about my feet, my back, my... everything... that is starting to feel, what's a good word? 

Uncomfortable. 

Special Times

Christmas was different this year... different in a great way. We didn't have one final to worry about, and being graduated from college never felt so good. Jon and I made homemade gifts for each other this year, and it was so great to concentrate on our little family (well, family-to-be), and then our big families. We felt the magic of Christmas more than we ever have. It was happy, it was wonderful. What made it so great was that we felt the the true Spirit of the season, the one in whose name we celebrate! 

One of my favorite parts of the season was wrapping gifts and decorating our first big Christmas tree. We even put up lights on our house, and with the great number of snowstorms this season, it felt like Christmas even more. We baked for the neighbors and family, and made some yummy holiday treats.

Christmas Eve was spent finishing our gifts for each other and baking for our holiday feasts. The Henriksen Christmas Eve traditions were special this year as we laughed and cried remembering the year we made it through as a family. Among other things, we missed Grandpa Hanks this Christmas, but we were glad to have Bradley back home instead of over the phone! 

Here I am... with my big belly. We are expecting our little Mary in just 4 1/2 weeks. This was taken when I was almost 34 weeks... she's just growing and growing (well, at least that's what's happening to me! Notice my strategic pose, the belly looks even bigger when I'm standing up straight. I'm getting to the "you look like you're going to pop" stage now.)

SANTA CAME!

And Grandma Debbie even made our little Mary her own quilt, it is beautiful and made with love! It completes the nursery... which I will be posting photos of soon...

Who is coming to town?

I just had a funny conversation with my nephew. Here's a couple of the highlights...

1) Lisa says, "Noah, I am dying to see your new snow globe!"

Noah quickly replies, "Mom, I don't want Lisa to die."

2) Juli says, "I need to go to the grocery store and buy some candy canes and hot chocolate to give to my visiting teachers."

Noah cuts in, "No, I don't want to give candy canes and hot chocolate to those people."

Juli responds, "Why not?"

Noah, "Because I want to eat them all gone."

3) Juli singing, "You better watch out, you better not shout, cause...."

Noah, "...CAUSE BABY JESUS IS COMIN TO TOWN!"

4) Noah, "I want to get on my wittle bed and snuggle, Mom!"

I felt the same way this morning when I woke up to a snowstorm. Bring on the candy canes and especially the hot chocolate Noah! I love Christmastime and I was happy to talk to a little one today, they just seem to really understand what it's all about!

Small Town

6 months ago I moved to a small town. Some of the wonderful surprises of this town include:

*Going for a run and passing 2 large milk cows on the corner

*Listening to my half-farmer/half-not-farmer neighbor's chickens, turkeys, and cats whine at 3 AM each night

*Pulling up to a shop on Main Street with a huge banner reading OPEN only to find the place abandoned with the hours posted: Wed, Fri, and Sat, 11am-6pm 

*Pulling up to the next shop and finding a tattered piece of paper with the words, "If the door is locked, ring the doorbell" scrawled next to the handle

*A peculiar 1920's looking gas station with old cars parked out front near the pump, but no indication if the station actually supplies gasoline. We still haven't figured it out.

*Across the street, an old 50's diner called "SPARKY'S" that IS legitimately vintage, not new, trying to be vintage.

There are countless other treasures that I find on a daily basis living in this beautiful little town including the dollar movie theater with a stage and the quaint little neighborhood bakery.

You ask if my little town has Christmas Spirit along with all of these wonderful quirks? Why of course!

This was what made my day today... I took these photos with my phone as I discreetly followed Santa's helper through the craft store. I love this place.

New Paintings

I just completed some new paintings. To view them in person, go to Muse Music Cafe (151 N University Ave, Provo) tonight through Dec 21st. To view them online, go to my art blog: lisamariecrosby.com.

The show includes these new paintings and more.