2nd trimester

Today marks the first day of my 2nd trimester and I couldn't be more thrilled that the yuckiness of the first trimester will soon be behind me. In honor of this occasion, Brandon brought home a beautiful orchid to mark this next stage and to say that he loves me and he loves our baby. Sweet husband!

My new favorite thing...

The Belly Band!

As the weeks fly by, I have noticed a lot of changes, one of them being that I simply cannot button any of my work pants anymore. A few times I tried the rubber band trick and just leaving them unbuttoned and wearing a long shirt but working in a professional office, that doesn't always look so great. So, off to Target I went to get the coveted Belly Band. It hides the fact that I clearly don't have my pants buttoned and it keeps them in place! A huge help for a more comfortable work day!
(14 weeks tomorrow!)

Techspace Company Christmas party

Usually we go to Brandon's company Christmas party every year but this year I'm working for a big company so it was my turn to introduce Brandon to all my coworkers and friends at work. I was proud to have him around my arm and he was happy to hear all the "congratulations on the new little one" from everybody. It was a rainy, yet lovely, evening at the Balboa Bay Club and Resort in Newport Beach. Boat parade, dinner, open bar (not for me), and a lot of great conversation. Never hurts to buy a new Express dress for the occasion either ;)

Its Official!

Baby Lykins due July 7th!
Feels so official now that I have shared the news on Facebook and here! I held off for a long time because I was hit with the morning sickness bug pretty badly, but I'm finally starting to feel better now, just in time for the Holidays!

Its November!

Annnnd I just realized that I have posted anything in about a month. My bad! Well, a lot has happened, Brandon's new job, moved back to Orange County and a lot of other things in between. Hopefully once we are fully settled in our new place I will be up to date!

Until then...
Happy Holidays!

Truly Touched by Trinity

Just had to share some more adorable picture of the beautiful Trinity and my beautiful friend Lindsay who looks pretty amazing after just having a baby!

Trinity

My good friend Lindsay just had beautiful baby Trinity yesterday and she posted this precious picture of her wearing one of my headbands :) Brought tears to my eyes and a big smile on my face.

A special gift

Our 2 year wedding anniversary is coming up and we got a great opportunity to take some "Day After" wedding pictures for our anniversary. The pictures were done by Kenny Grill (www.kennygrill.com) and they turned out amazing!
A big thank you to him and his wife, my old friend Brianna for taking the time to do these for us. "Day After" pictures are a spin on the "Trash the Dress" pictures that many people do. I didn't trash my dress but it did get a little dirty :) These pictures were very special and meant a lot to us and we couldn't be more thrilled about how they turned out!

Happy Birthday Brandon!

Brandon officially reached 31 years of age on August 11th. Shows you how far behind I am on my blogging! Whoops! We stayed low-key this year and just spent time with family. He, of course, got a load of Yankee gifts which he was very happy about!
Love you babe!

With homegrown tomatoes

This picture doesn't look like much, yet, but it turned into a fantastic meal that was really easy to make. Next time you see boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale grab them for a simple, easy dinner.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Fresh basil pesto
Tomatoes
Shredded Mozzarella cheese

To make:
Preheat oven to 400
Line cookie sheet with foil
In a bowl, toss chicken in the basil pesto until covered
Bake for 20-25 min.
Remove from oven, top with tomatoes slices and sprinkle with cheese
Return to oven, cook another 2-5 min.

(I paired this meal with some healthy whole wheat pasta drizzled with olive oil, basil and fresh garlic)

I think Brandon's exact words were, "Babe, where did you learn how to cook like this?!" Simple, easy recipe that impressed my husband, cooking mission accomplished!

That's right!

Its almost time! September 1st we put our 30 day notice in to an apartment that we have loved so much. However, it is time to move on and make the move to Orange County. I have been waiting for this day since April, the day when my commute will finally end! Can't wait to find our new home!

First haircut!

My 6 month old little boy got his first haircut! When we first got him I couldn't imagine shaving off all his cute puppy hair but then the summer came and the poor guy was getting so hot with all that hair. He sure does look cute!

One happy customer!

Last crochet post for awhile, I promise! A special little girl received one of my headbands as a gift from her Aunt Lisa, who I know from work. Lisa sent me this picure of her niece, Rea, and she just looked so cute I had to post!

Another baby gift

A bright sunny yellow for a little girl. I loved the big pink flower for the headband. It was the first time I attempted to make a bonnet that ties in the front and the back and thankfully it turned out cute! I was not thrilled about my ribbon choice in the end but now I know for next time not to use that brand. A lot of learning as I go.

Crochet Creations

When I was in high school my very talented mom taught me how to crochet. I never forgot it and today I made my very first sale on a baby blanket. I always used to make scarves for myself and gifts for my friends, but I am now able to read patterns and design my very own! I have done a lot of crocheting in the past couple of months and made two baby gift sets and one blanket that I sold. Hopefully I can drum up some more business and add to my crochet creations collection, but for now I am working on two more baby gift sets.

Praise the Lord!

A couple of Sundays ago, my sisters and I headed down to Del Mar to the Spirit West Coast Christian concert festival. It was a great day full of amazing musicians all worshiping our Lord. Best part of the day was watching my sisters try and enjoy fried avocado for the first time.

"Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name." Psalm 30:4

Forever a Lucy fan!

Celebrating and more...

So much blogging to do with so little time. Lately, most of my time has been consumed by my crochet creations (posts to follow). Also, a lot of celebrations as well these past few weekends, starting with my golden birthday; 25 on the 25th. Officially half way through my 20's and I hear its all down hill from here to your 30's. My beautiful, talented, and most wonderful sister ever got some of my friends together for a fun night out of cosmo's and *Sex and the City 2*.

Such a fun and girly night!

Thanks Katrina!

Made possible by...

Our great day yesterday was made possible by my lovely mother, sweet sister Audra, and best brother Jared, who watched our little baby Jeter for us.

Thank You!

(Scroll down for some fun pictures)