simple joys

There is nothing like a night at home with this guy laying by my feet:

Adding to that joy by:
watching a movie on my laptop, in bed
eating a night snack of an orange (of course) and some animal crackers
feeling cozy while a major spring storm is brewing outside my window

Especially enjoying the relaxing after a full weekend of showing the house and being blessed with more showering of love for our babe. Sunday was the last of our showers before baby and I can honestly say I have enjoyed each shower in their own ways. Sunday was special because it was thrown by my aunts and included great grandmas & great aunts as well. Here are a few pics from the celebration:

the great grandmas

Auntie Chris & Aunt Karri

the momma and her momma

the moms & their girls

They also included the verse below in the celebration and after how much the picture of sheep meant to me from Israel, it was really meaningful. My Auntie Chris made up a magnet with this verse for everyone to take with them as a reminder to pray for us. The thought of walking this path of parenthood and knowing others are praying for us in this way is a huge encouragement to me.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
-Isaiah 40:11

If that weren't enough joy for one day, we found out when we got to youth group that there was a surprise shower planned for our night. Laura & Kelsey got a delicious cake, planned all of our games for the night around baby relays (like eating baby food, drinking coke from bottles, etc) and they blessed us with 4 packs of diapers!

Loved this picture of us because it really seems to capture us, right where we are in this season. Including the fact that I have been wearing those earrings and that necklace almost every day for the past few weeks in effort to even out my growing belly, purely based on the rule that the bigger you are, the more freedom you have to wear larger accessories!

Poor Ryan, this was the only shower he got to attend & the one gift he got to open was diapers. He seemed pretty excited though, maybe the practical side of him as a guy knows how helpful they will be!


So so happy and appreciative that all of the people we love are walking with us but it just makes these nights at home that much more valuable. This guy is waiting so it must mean it is time for bed.

work shower

It feels like these weeks are just flying by with the busyness of having a house for sale, a baby to prepare for and all of the celebrations in between. Last week my sweet friends at work threw a shower for me and it was such a neat time with women I trust and appreciate.

my female co-workers: Kris, me, Shanon & Lisa

The shower was at our office, the perfect space for entertaining and the guest list was made up of the women in the office and all of the wives of the guys I work with. Over the years, they have felt more like family than work acquaintances and it was really special to think about the fact that this group watched as Ryan and I got engaged, came to our wedding, journeyed with us as a young couple through the sale of the business and now in this stage of becoming parents.

Because Christy is part of that group and was there as a friend, she also took a few pics of the night. I told her I am starting to feel like she is my personal life photographer. haha! Love how she captured the fancy food and ambiance of the evening.





The whole theme was centered around our bedding. Which I actually stumbled upon during a quick trip to Target for something all together different. I wanted something gender neutral (obviously) that felt like "us", not something too cutesy but I really did still love the animals. My favorite part is the detail within the outline of the animals and Shanon surprised me with poster size drawings of each of the animals as decor for the shower. The giraffe was my favorite!

Here is a pic of the bedding pattern itself:


Instead of playing any games, they had each person write a piece of advice and they had to read it to me before I opened their gift. The things that were shared were both thoughtful and heartfelt, many sharing with tears about their own experiences as a mom. I felt so encouraged hearing from a Godly group of women. Here is the whole group:


Yet another night where I felt overwhelmed by people's generosity & excitement for Ryan and I. I love knowing that there are so many people who are almost as excited to meet this little one as we are.

more shower details!

Still smiling thinking about how great it was last Saturday to be in the presence of so many friends that I love. Michelle really was a great hostess with such attention to detail and that totally complimented the scene of laughter, story-telling and fellowship. I love my friends because I didn't even have to introduce them to one another; by the time I thought about it they were already chatting it up and getting to know each other.

Here are some more pics from the shower (including a photo shoot with each friend at the end):

adorable diaper cake!

The other April/May mommas: Amber & Molly


And the photo shoot begins!










35 and 37 weeks, a little different than how things were at 28 & 30 weeks (compare here)

A very special morning with memories that I will carry with me far beyond this baby being born. It feels like such a special festive time and as much as I LOVE being on the other side of a party, as in envisioning, crafting, planning, I am totally enjoying this season and am feeling so incredibly blessed.

birds & nests: feeling known

I'm sitting in the quiet of a Wednesday night in our house, after what was probably my second bath as an adult followed by a big bowl of strawberry shortcake and feeling very content. Blessed in fact as I think about the celebration that my sister-in-law Rochelle and some very sweet friends organized last Sunday as my first baby shower.

Rochelle & I

From the moment I walked in the room, I noticed the details down to every last napkin wrapped, every place setting laid and every nest perfectly arranged. And the cake that Dana and Kelsey made, wow! It was perfect and whimsical and fun and I felt like it was all so me. Which made the shower so sweet and as I mentioned before, made me feel so known and loved. Here is just a taste of what the afternoon looked like:





Wasn't the cake amazing?!

I felt so cared for and blessed by seeing women from all areas of my life at Evergreen as this shower was full of friends from small groups, bible studies, youth group, co-staff and simply women that I have grown close with over the past 6 years since we started going to church at EGM.

my table:

Evergreen staff & loved ones:

small group friends & accountability partners:

Of course my Mom was there, right by my side serving in her full future grandma capacity!

Evon made a special trip in just for the afternoon which meant a lot to me, especially since she really didn't know anyone at the shower.

My mother-in-law, Sheryl, Rochelle & I (the hostesses with the mostess):

We played some really fun games where people had to guess things about me, another where they had to play the Price is Right with baby supplies (and I got to keep them all!) and Rochelle also had each table decorate onesies. I wish I had pictures of those but I have to say, they were very creative. My favorite and the "winner" was one that has a giraffe & an elephant on it and then on the butt it reads "JUNGLE LOVE". so cute!

When it came time to open gifts, there was even more attention to detail as Torie had created a little "time to feather Bekah's nest" theme. So many of my friends are creative and talented that I received some very special and meaningful gifts that I can't wait to put to use like adorable burp clothes, hand crocheted blankets, and a custom diaper bag that I got to choose the colors for and will receive in a few weeks (I easily chose green and brown for that). I have to admit, it was a little bit different being on the receiving side versus the giving side and I continue to be very overwhelmed and thankful for people's generosity, support and utter JOY for us as parents. I wish Ryan could have been there in some ways to experience that blessing but it was just as fun to bring things home and share them and I doubt he would like being in a room with that many women for 2 1/2 hours.



I had to include this picture with the monkey outfit because Ryan REALLY likes monkeys on boy's clothing/bedding/anything really. We have both continued to feel like this is going to be a boy (although we will be SO happy either way) but for some reason I have just had that feeling since about the third month. Maybe it because we have a boy name we L-O-V-E and aren't sure on a girl's name yet? Can't wait to find out who is in there!

This was the last picture taken in the day and it includes some of my very favorite friends: Jamie, Kate, Me, Jana, Kelsey


All in all, so blessed and thankful for Rochelle who knows me SO well and made me feel so special!

Lent, lucky green and in between

I started the day in my closet looking for something that felt springy yet still fit and came up with the option above. It certainly looks a lot different than it did in that picture (reminiscent from our youth group square dance in September, the week before I found out I was pregnant). Only when I got to the eye doctor today did I realize that it was St. Patty's Day and my ever growing belly was covered in green. Lucky me.

For the sake of festivity I was happy but even more for the sake of rotating a few more pieces into the winter wardrobe as this gorgeous weather makes its way into our days. Which leads me to my next thought; that any other year on a day like today I would have been out pounding the trails and although I got some new running shoes last week, they will not see much more than walks and waddles for a good 3-4 months. Which is truly ok with me but it did feel good to know that the runner's itch that is on a longer-than-usual winter hibernation just may reappear.

Lots of things on my mind as of late that are making the days move quickly and the largest being that we are going to officially be listing our house for sale this weekend. Feeling a lot of peace about the decision and letting it all play out as it will but it has meant a TON of little projects, organization, paint touch-ups, etc. Ryan has willingly stepped into a major role of handyman, painter, sorter, all things that he doesn't naturally love but I think we both sense that after this little one comes, those things will NOT be on the priority list for a while. We are going to be listing it for sale by owner for about a month. If there is no movement in that time, we will take it off for a while while we get used to being parents and then likely list it with a realtor.

But, if you know anything about me, you know I LOVE this house; its' story and its' character. I believe it would be a great home for a little family with its charm and the life we have given it. I say this because I believe it has been and continues to be a gift until God moves us somewhere else. I think it will be a bit of bittersweet when that time comes; fully knowing and trusting it to be the right thing but also always cherishing these days in our first home.

The other thing that has been moving around in my brain in the past week has been the beginning of Lent and the movement towards Easter. I originally had decided not to give anything up for Lent but then realized that the thing that is really lacking in my life right now is free mental space. I haven't realized how to to get there yet but one of the things creating extra noise in my life is technology. So as silly as it sounds, until Easter I am going to read less blogs and reduce my amount of facebook time/use. I am hoping that in exchange, more of the noise I am taking in pertains to what really matters in my life and that it even includes some silence or rest.

And finally, because today was full of funny moments from the St. Patty's Day realization on, this van was in the Target parking lot this afternoon:

It totally made me think of Dumb & Dumber and I couldn't help but share. Happy Friday to you from this little happenstance leprechaun.

May Days

As we inch closer to the official beginning of Spring and all of the new growth that comes with it, I can't help but reflect on the Mays that have gone by and what they have meant to me.

In May of 2001 Ryan and I began falling in love. As we finished our final year of high school, I began to admit to myself that we were more than just locker buddies and softball/baseball bus ride friends. On May 29 of that year, he held my hand as we graduated from high school and I can honestly say that in that moment, I had no idea what May ten years from then would hold.

For the first four years after we got married, we took a trip each May to Michigan's wine country, going both to southwest MI and Northern MI between those four years. Sometimes with friends, most years just the two of us but those trips always marked the beginning of summertime and a great chance to just get away for a few days.

In May of 2008 and 2009 there were periods of grief and sorrow deeper than we had known as we experienced the losses of our precious little niece and nephew, Grace and Kaden, and watched my sister-in-law and her sweet little family grieve in a way that gave so much credit to God's story.

In May of 2010 we journeyed across the globe to walk the paths and hills that Jesus walked with his disciples. We were blown away by the depth of the story and what the Bible meant to us after that experience. I am particularly thankful for the May of last year because it marks something really sacred in our marriage and in each of our faith journeys.

Later that month, on May 26, 2010, our pastor and friend Larry was hit by a van on a road where he rode his bike daily. Another example of God's provision as the kindle and the macbook in his backpack literally saved his life. Very fitting for someone who loves technology like Ryan does. The end of May had a different tone as we wondered and prayed with the rest of our church community what this meant for Larry and for Evergreen. Amazingly, less than a year later, he was able to return to his place leading our church. This has been a very impactful part of our journey at Evergreen and in our friendship with their family as we have watched them struggle well.

And now as we anticipate this May, I can't help but reflect on God's perfect timing in our lives, to entrust us with a new life to care for and to love. Deuteronomy 6 keeps coming to my mind when I think about the gift that this child is:

4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

I love this entire passage but that portion especially speaks to me when I think about the opportunity we have to love this baby well by showing them our faith day in and day out. When we talked about starting a family there was so much of me that wanted to plan and yet knew that this was completely out of my hands. And here we are, two months away from another May day that will be set apart in time. I find myself so thankful for all of these May days, for the way they have built my faith, given me memories and prepared me for such a time as this.