Marriage Retreat

1 Peter 1:22 "... love one another deeply, from the heart."

This weekend Brian and I went to a marriage retreat with our Sunday School in San Antonio. It was way better than I expected. We had time to spend with other couples, with each other, and listening to a great speaker. The speaker spoke on the 3 stages of Communication in marriage and the Building Blocks for Real Romance. God definitelty spoke through him to us. If you want to know more, I am willing to share.

The weather was gorgeous and was perfect for:

shopping (and posing),

walking, and

a romantic dinner along the riverwalk!

Phesant Hunting 2008

Brian got to go hunting this year for the first time in like 6 years. He was really excited to go to Kansas and hunt. He also got to spend some time with his dad, my dad, and some other relatives.

I spent the weekend pampering myself with a pedicure and some new maternity clothes and cleaning the house.

Here are a few pictures of the end results of hunting:

Drumroll please...

We have decided on a name for our baby boy.
His name will be (or already is) Jackson Oliver Hartzler.
No, we will not call him Jack!
He has been a very active boy this weekend. I think when daddy comes home from hunting he will be able to feel Jackson moving!

Things I love (right now)...

I love THE WEEKENDS! No schedules, a time to relax, and breakfast in bed. That's right, Brian brought me breakfast this morning. It was wonderful:)

I love SPENDING TIME WITH BRIAN! It is so fun to look at baby things together and plan this next chapter in our lives.

I love EATING OUT! Chick-fil-a is my new favorite:) I think I could eat there everynight. Although any time I don't have to cook is a good night!

I love FEELING THE BABY MOVE! It is a reminder of the miracle of God living inside of me and an incredible feeling.

I love APPLES! I eat atleast 2 a day. I really want a carmel apple from the Little Farmer! Please someone eat one with nuts for me.

I love SHOPPING! Now, I can shop for someone besides me. I also love all the different places to shop in Houston. There are so many fun outdoor villages with good stores which allow you to enjoy the cooler weather outside (70's and 80's).

I love WALKING! This is about the only kind of exercise I can do right now and I move slower each day.

I love WORSHIP MUSIC! There is nothing better than worshiping our God, it can make any day to a GREAT day and change my mood instantly! One of my favorites right now is Michael W. Smith's A New Hallelujah, which was recorded live in Houston and I was there:)

I love MATERNITY CLOTHES! OK maybe not 100%, but I gave in and wore my first pair of maternity pants yesterday. At least Gap has a lot of cute clothes for expecting moms and Brian bought me a new outfit yesterday:)

Half way there!

In 20 weeks, we will get to meet our baby boy! It is crazy that I am half way done. Besides being tired and gaining weight I have not felt any different. Thank God for a sick free and healthy pregnancy. I went to my 20 week appt today and my doctor said everything looks great. I am now able to feel the baby move, which is an incredible feeling but yet a really weird feeling.

My baby bump is continuing to grow and less and less of my "normal" clothes fit me. I am going to Brian's hospital Friday morning to see if we can get better pictures and a clearer shot of the boy part (just to make sure).

20 weeks

Also in 5 weeks, we get to go home to Wisconsin and see our family. We can't wait and are truly blessed and so thankful for our family. We miss and love you all!!

Proverbs 18:10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe."

It's Official

The last 2 years have come to an end. Brian is finished with school and took his National Radiography Board test today and passed!! He is now a registered radiologic technologist and is excellent at taking x-rays!!

Praise God! I am so proud of him and all his hard work. He already has a job at a great hospital and they love him!

P.S. I am also really excited for our 2 person income:)

Carrying On the Hartzler Name

That's right... It's a BOY! Brian was wrong but already has our son playing every sport:) I am still due March 11th and the ultrasound tech said everything looked good. I have my 20 week appt. on Wednesday. I will post some of the ultrasound pictures even though they are not the best quality.



We started resgistering last night, but Brian got called into the hospital. Since we only had one car with us, I had to go with him. I got to see where he works and we made it home just in time because he got called back in on more time. So we spent today registering at Babies R Us and Target and are exhausted. I don't know if we even registered for things we need and probably missed some of the most important things. It was really fun looking at all the boy things. We are even more excited to meet him. I couldn't help myself and even bought a few outfits for our baby in 3 different sizes!

I love the knee patches on the middle one:)