4 Years Down a Lifetime to Go.

Drew and I will be celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary this week!  I can not believe how fast it has flown by, and I could not have asked for a more wonderful husband.  I really believe that when you put your full trust in God to find the right person for you he works wonders.  I am so thankful I did not settle for anything less, because I can not imagine a better life partner for me.

Drew and I met at Rosey Baby's (a restaurant at Mississippi State that we both worked for) in August of 2005.  Drew was kind of quirky, entertaining, and very sweet.  He is definitely adorable, would whistle all of the time, make zooming noises through the restaurant and when he would stop he would make a loud braking noise.  Drew would jump over fully set tables for money, but was a very hard worker.  He was the first one to offer help to anyone else that got behind, and would continually offer to carry the trays for the smaller waiters that had trouble carrying the huge trays.  Drew would take care of all of the girls as if he was like an older protective brother.

I could tell that he was interested in me after I started work because he asked if I was dating anyone (I am glad I wasn't).  He would also sometimes stumble on his words (he had no problem talking to anyone else).  After Hurricane Katrina , I was going through a really rough time.  My family had just lost our home in Ocean Springs, MS not to mention the whole area I grew up in was devasted.  My family was being displaced, and I felt a sense of loss of control.  I became depressed and had a hard time keeping up with school and work.  Drew would give me an extra hug when I needed it and would leave flowers on my car to cheer me up.  I really had never met anyone as sweet that seemed to think the world of me.  I asked Drew for his phone number and his response was "I have been meaning to ask you for yours."

We went on a few dates and hung out a lot to get to know each other.  Drew would stay up late and help me with my projects, and would close at work for me if I needed him to.  I remember some nights I would thank God for sending him to me (he felt almost like my Guardian Angel).  BTW- I am in tears writing this right now.  Drew asked me to officially be his girlfriend on September 28th, 2005.  We still had not kissed yet, and he asked me when he was going to get his first kiss from his girlfriend.

Drew proposed to me January 30th 2007 at Old Venice (this is where we had our first date.), and we got married in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida on June 28th 2008.  

From that time to now it feels like everything has flown by.  We have been through so much together from being laid off of my first job to Drew's Cancerous Tumor.  Each time we made it through stronger in our love for each other and faith in God, and loving each other more and more every day.  I am so happy I am the mother of Drew's son (who we are expecting to arrive very soon!), and that he is who I chose as the father of my children.  I feel so blessed that Tristan has the daddy he does.  I know Drew will take a very active role in his life, and will raise Tristan to be as great of a man as he is.  Please enjoy the pictures below of the past couple years we have spent together!

I love you so much Drew! Happy Anniversary with many many more to come!  

Shortly after we met in 2005

My first Red Sox Game and trip to Boston in 2006

We moved to Florida in 2007 after our Engagement!

We were married on June 28th 2008!

Disney World in 2009!

Halloween 2010 I was a fish he was a penguin.

 Trip back to Cape Cod and Boston in 2011!

Content in 2012!  Baby Tristan is on his way :)

Tristan update:  I had a Doctor's appointment yesterday (I am going once a week now!).  Everything looks good.  He could basically come at anytime now although the due date has not changed.  While Dr. Esses checked Tristan's heartbeat, he had the hiccups at the same time.  I could actually hear them this time; which was amazing that I got a little glimpse of what he sounds like!  The nursery is done except for the molding, but I think my next blog I will go ahead and put the pictures up ;).  Have a great week!~ Tina Vital

Maternity Pictures

This past weekend my sister Erin and my Dad came into town to celebrate Father's Day.  Sunday we went to church, ate at Another Broken Egg, and went to the pool for a little bit.  We worked on a few projects including the crown molding going in the nursery.  We discovered Drew needed a special finishing gun to finish the project, and had to place an order for it so we will finish the room as soon as it arrives.  I have been asking Tristan to please hold off on his arrival just a little while longer ;).  I did get a few of my own projects done though, and feel that overall we are almost ready.


Yesterday Kati came out to our house to finish taking our maternity pictures. We were extremely happy with how the ones on the beach turned out, and decided we wanted to have some taken in our neighborhood where Tristan will be growing up. Please enjoy a few of my favorite pictures.

Tristan Update: We went to the doctor yesterday, and found out that Tristan has dropped into position.  We are still looking at the due date as July 12th, but there is a possiblilty he could come early.  Our doctor estimates that he is almost 7lbs so we may be having a pretty large baby when he decides to make his debut!  Its getting so close!!  

July 12th here we come!

Today marks one month until my due date, and I feel every bit of it :).  Tristan has gone through two growth spurts this past month, and unfortunately my skin can't keep up (I will leave it at that).  With 4 weeks to go Drew and I are wrapping up the projects, completing last minute purchases, and preparing for what is to come.  Yesterday our good friend Kati took the time to take some of our maternity pictures.  Kati is very creative and talented we felt very privileged that she was able to take our photos.  

I started my day getting pampered in preparation for the photos (this will probably be the last time before the big day).  My day included a pedi/mani and a trip to the hair salon.  The day was pretty relaxing, but I think people are starting to get concerned that I am about to go into labor.  I constantly get asked if I am okay; I feel fine other then being huge.

We headed to Rosemary Beach at about 6pm to take pictures.  I thought that would be a nice setting, but there are a lot of people in town.  It was hard to capture just Drew and I, and some of the ideas we had in front of the toy store and ice cream parlor did not really work out.  Kati did get some great ones of us on the beach, and overall it was fun (when Drew was behaving himself).  We decided that next Monday we would take some more pictures in Hammock Bay maybe in the playground and the children's pool, along with taking some in Tristan's nursery.  Here are a few of my favorites! Thanks Kati!    

We are nearing the end and have a lot to look forward to!  Please keep us three in your prayers!  I am praying for a happy, healthy baby, and a smooth delivery.  I truly can't wait to hold him in my arms or to see my husband hold his son for the first time.  God has blessed us in so many ways, and I am happy God chose Drew and I to go through this life together.  Looking back 10 years would I have imagined my life this way?  I could not have asked for anything better ;).  Thank you Lord for blessing us in all the ways you have!

DIY-Baby's Room Project

We are almost done with the baby's nursery! A few projects we have completed this past week consist of some of Tristan's wall art.

One of the fun things about my job is getting to go to Market and seeing the new up and coming merchandise, design ideas, and product!  One of my favorite vendors is Form and Pheromone check them out here.  We are a retailer for their artwork so if you are interested email me at designseagrovefl@aol.com   Some of my favorite pieces from them are the shell artwork.  They take from nature and create a beautiful but simple wall art.

With the retail price of each artwork being anywhere from $300-$3000.00 this was not something very feasible that we could do nor would I place it in the baby's room.  So Drew and I decided to try our hand at making our own! 

Supplies

Shadow Boxes- I bought 4 12"x12" white shadow boxes from Michael's at $12.00 ea

Paper or Matte Board- I used 12"x12" navy blue scrapbook paper for a contrast in color $0.25 ea.

Assorted Seashells or whatever else you would like to frame- I went to our local shell shop and purchased

1 lg Starfish- $2.99

5 sm. spiney starfish- $0.99 ea

1 lg Sand Dollar- $6.99

9 sm. pieces of coral - $1.49 ea

Hot Glue Gun

and Spray Glue

Instructions
Drew and I glued the navy blue stock paper to the back of the shadow box.
We then played with arranging the shells on the board and hot glued them into place.
Here is a picture of our final project.

I can't wait to hang them on the wall!  I will post a picture as soon as we do!

Total cost of four new pieces of artwork- $77.39!   

Mud Run Beach Fun!

This weekend was very busy but fun for Drew and me.  Drew signed up for the Emerald Coast's first Mud Run for Orphans - Emerald Coast Mud Run.  Drew and our friend Ryan Fox put a team together including Thad Wade, and Drew's co-worker Chelsea Will.  Hubby has been training very hard for the run and this was the real reason he dropped 30lbs.  I'll let Drew describe the fun.

"The Mud Run consisted of a 5k (3.1 miles) run through trails broken up by challenging but fun obstacles. The first was about 1/2 mile in and was a 50ft belly crawl under plastic mesh thru mud. It was a good way to cool off since our heat started at 3:45 on a muggy afternoon. Next was a 5 gallon water haul and course of hurdles. Another 1/2 mile jog brought us to the haystack hills- a couple of 3 tiered round hay bale mounds to crawl over. A short jaunt later brought us to the downhill slip-n-slide, which was a load of muddy fun, followed by a steep uphill mud tunnel crawl. (At this point we were absolutely filthy and loving it.) Next was the rice tote- hauling a 40lb sack of rice for a couple hundred yards. Then there was a tire course and a wall obstacle. A long set of monkey bars over a mud pit proved to be a challenge for the unprepared as several people landed with a splash, but not for yours truly :). As we came to the finishing stretch, a couple of two-story mud mountains stood in our way. My shoe came off on my first step of mountain #1 and I couldn't get it back on but no worries. I was up and over the mountains without slowing and 100 yards later brought us to the final barrier. One last 50' mud crawl through 3' deep muck turned us all the same shade of turd and filled our nether regions with grit. What a blast and all proceeds went to support Christian missions taking care of orphans in Africa, Haiti, and Ukraine. I can't wait until I get to do it again next year, and I am going to make Tina do it with me this time!!!" 

So that sums up The Mud Run.  My sister Erin and I drank Smoothies in the shade, and tried to get some descent pictures of the the team.  I was having a hard time at almost 7 1/2 months pregnant being in the direct sun and heat.  I kept on looking at the shower stations, which were Fire Trucks, with longing.  I have decided I am pretty much done being in the heat unless I am in the ocean or the pool!  Good thing we do not live too far from either.

Saturday evening we all ate at the Red Bar (I love their crab cakes!) to celebrate completing the run.  On Sunday Erin, Thad and I headed to PCB to have breakfast and meet Drew for some beach-time.  The ocean was very calm, and I was able to float on a raft for hours ;).  Overall we had a very fun but busy weekend.  I am so proud of the runners, and it makes me realize how out of shape I feel right now.  Hopefully in the future Drew, Tristan, and I will be able to run together (along with our future offspring).  

Before the Mud Run

The team crawling through the Mud Pit

After the Mud Run

Tristan Update:  We had a Doctor's Appointment this morning and everything is still going very good (Prayers are appreciated).  Tristan had a bit of a growth spurt within the past two weeks (I could definitely tell that my belly button was more stretched then it had been).  According to TheBump he is 4-5lbs this week and about 17-18 inches long! (I feel every bit of this; he kicks and moves from my rib cage to my lower belly.)  I think he enjoyed floating in the ocean yesterday; he was extremely active.  I think he is just practicing his swimming kicks.  BTW- my doctor also did the mud run this past weekend with her son (I am not sure how she finds the time to do all she does!)

Ahoy It's A Boy! Baby Shower

This past weekend Drew and I drove over to Mississippi for our baby shower!  Our sweet friends, Tara Smith, Kati Lockley, Mindi Kern, and my mom hosted our shower.  They did a good job of keeping everything a surprise from the theme to all of the beautiful decorations that Tara had hand made (they look professionally done!)  Drew really wanted to be a part of our baby shower so we decided to have a couples shower since technically we are doing this together (except for the labor part, lol.)

When we walked into the house all of the decorations and the theme coincided with Tristan's nautical bedroom!  My parents got barbeque pulled pork from "The Shed", and we had tons of sides, desserts, and a beautiful cake! Kati made delicious shortbread nautical cookies as favors and you can find the recipe here- Nautical Cookie Favors. 

We played a couple of games that Lauren and Mindi put together. One was "Do You Know Your
Baby Food?" in which you had to guess the flavor. I was terrible at it but Drew and our friend Ryan ended up winning which is no surprise if you know either of them.  For the second game, Drew and I sat back to back each holding one of my shoes and one of his.  Mindi would ask us a question, and we would have to hold up either my shoe or his depending upon who we thought would be more likely to take care of the baby's needs.  For example: "Who would be more likely to get up in the middle of the night when the baby is crying?"  Drew basically thinks he is raising this child on his own; which I can't complain about- I will be okay with him changing the majority of the diapers.  I got to open all of the sweet gifts, and I have to say that Baby Tristan is one lucky little boy for having all of the adult role models in his life.

When I set up our baby registry it was a little overwhelming and I was unsure of what I needed vs. what was nonessential.  I learned a lot at the shower just from my friends and family that have babies.  Kati Lockley found a great blog post for the Mom's-to-be that are going through the same feeling with their registry.  Check it out here. Baby essentials... -Oh Joy!  Overall Drew, Tristan and I are fairly set!  We are currently in the final stages of setting up his nursery with only a few last purchases and projects to complete (pictures will be posted soon).  I asked Drew to go to Baby's R Us on Monday to look at rocker/gliders, and poor hubby was very intimidated with all of the choices of baby stuff!  I have to admit I feel pretty relaxed now, and hopefully the next 8 weeks will go by smoothly and productively!

 Drew and I at our shower! When I became pregnant Drew decided to lose 30lbs; I may help him look thinner by standing next to him, lol.

Banner and diaper cake Tara made!

Baby shower cake!

Bassinet my family gave us.  Emma is already making herself at home...

Our Little Vital Zoo (Continued)

We still have four animals left to go, but they are smaller so they will all fit into this blog post :).

Emerson Fitzgerald or Emma Fitz is our 6 year old grey and white cat.  She is a pretty much the coolest cat you will ever meet.  She is an indoor cat, but will go to the back door and knock on it and yell at us to let her outside (she gets to go out as far as the porch).  We've seen coyotes in our neighborhood so letting the cats out is not an option.  She loves jeans and if you have a pair on she will be in your lap.  She likes to be held, tossed in the air, spun on the floor, thrown onto the bed or sofa, and she always comes running back for more.  If we play hide and seek from the dogs she always finds us first and will start to meow as if to let the dogs know where we are.  Emma is very graceful and you almost never hear her coming.  She comes when she is called and sometimes will even respond with a polite meow.  She is very intrigued with our caged critters and will sit on their cages and stare at them.  I know Emma will constantly try to sleep in Tristan's crib or will jump into his "pack and play" with him.  I will have to keep on eye on Tristan to make sure he does not pull on her or make her upset.

Jasmine or Jazzy is our other 6 year old cat.  She is considered a Dilute Muted Calico.  Jazzy is our slightly (well maybe more than slightly) overweight cat.  Her favorite thing is food.  We have had her on several diets, but she somehow seems to be able to break into the extra cat food or even dog food if she is desperate.  She has been known to eat the top layer of a cake that was cooling, and will steal food off of your plate if you are not looking.  Drew and I are ready for those early morning feedings, because Jasmine starts yelling at 4-5 am for breakfast.  Personality wise she is very sweet.  She has never scratched or bit anyone, and she is very tolerant.  I know Tristan will be fine around Jazzy (as long as she doesn't try to sit on him).

 Emma and Jazzy

Skeet and Scoot are our two Centralian Pythons.  They really don't do a whole lot except eat, sleep, and crawl around their cage.  They are about 7 years old and are about 5ft long.  Skeet and Scoot are non-venomous and eat frozen/thawed mice and rats.  Drew feeds them, cleans out their cage, and plays with them.  I think they are neat to watch, but I do not find myself taking them out to play with them.  I believe Skeet is a girl and Scoot is a boy, but we have not had any little snake babies yet so I could be incorrect.  Drew loves reptiles and will hopefully use his passion to teach Tristan the difference between venomous and nonvenomous (touch and no-touch). I for-see my son bringing home tons of different critters just like his daddy.  Patience is a virtue...

Skeet and Scoot

Our last little guy is the newest member of the family.  George` (pronounced Hor-hay) the Hedgehog.  Drew adopted George` in March.  I was not thrilled about this at first, and actually tried to get my friend Tara Smith to take him, but I have to admit he is pretty cute.  Drew tells me he adopted him for Tristan.  George` is very low maintenance and pretty much only comes out at night.  He eats hedgehog kibbles, mealworms, and crickets, and then gets on his treadmill.  He lays back down in his house and then comes back out to eat again and runs on the treadmill.  All of the other pets would gather around his cage when he would come out.  He snarfles a lot and will sometimes roll himself up into a little ball.  He makes Drew happy so how can I deny my husband? ;).

George (Hor-hay)

Well, that concludes our little Vital Zoo (so far.)  I think the most wonderful thing about having all of the pets is how educated and respectful Tristan will be with animals.  They are God's Creatures too, you know.

Tristan Update:  I am 31 weeks today; it is getting close. We had a check up on Monday and he is measuring on time!  Tristan had the hiccups on Sunday, and that was the neatest thing I have felt.  I get jabbed and poked a lot, but this was a constant rhythm.  When I realized he had the hiccups I could pin point were his head was!  I did have to hold back tears (I know emotional).   It dawned on me I will be safe to go into labor at 36 weeks which is only 5 weeks away...  I think Tristan will hold off a little while longer though we still have a lot to do ;)