This house pic was actually taken last year, but you know, it's pretty much has looked about the same this year, too :)

For those of you who like to be updated with how round I am, this is as of yesterday, exactly four weeks from due date. Too bad you can't see my nails real well...just got a mani/pedi on Saturday (Christmas present from the best hubby in town.) A must for every pregnant woman, in my humble opinion.

Our backyard one morning after a (yet another) fresh blanket of snow. Goes perfectly with a hot cup of coffee :)

Micah and Daddy building their first non-traditional snowman together.

More snow is headed our way tonight and tomorrow. Local meteorologists are saying it could be a 100'' snowfall winter this year, which is several inches above average for West MI. The days, however, are getting lighter and I am still enjoying watching the snow fall.

Due date, as noted above, is only four weeks away, but we'll just see about that :) I'm physically, mentally and emotionally feeling more and more like things are getting into place. Please keep praying for a healthy, safe delivery and that it would be in God's perfect timing (and that His timing would be a couple weeks early!)

We're rushing to get things in order around the house. Finishing painting, organizing the nursery, cleaning, and, oh yeah...buying a new used minivan. Greg's car has some major work that needs to be done. It's not quite dead yet, but is on hospice, as I like to put it. So, we decided that it's time to sell the trusty Camry and bite the bullet for a newer, larger, all-American minivan. I think after this baby comes and we become minivan drivers, we'll officially be 0.5 children and one dog short of being the average American middle-class family :)

Grace and Peace to you and your families. May March be warm and Springy in your hearts and your homes :)

shawna

Christmas and beyond...

He loves getting his haircut at the neighbor's house...he gets a sucker, a race car cape, and doesn't even have to ride in his car seat to get there...what a deal! :)

Micah's first midget snowman...we've got WAY more snow to work with now.

As of January 20...almost a month ago :)

Loving on "Nani", his canine cousin

Practicing for the Van Cliburn

Our little angel

Micah with Papa and Mimi out at their ranch in the TX hill country

G & S at John and Suzie's wedding reception

The Duvall Brothers at John's wedding

Greg, Randy, Steve and kiddos

The Duvall family in San Antonio at Meemaw's house

I told you some pics were coming :) Most are going to be uploaded to Snapfish, but I'll post a couple here, as well, just to tickle your fancy. (And since I know that most of you only check this blog so you can see pictures of Micah. It's OK...really...I'm dealing with it.)

Anyway, here are a few posts from Christmas and beyond to give you an idea of the past couple months. For those of you who want some prego pics, the most recent is from my B-day on Jan. 19th, so I'm much more pronounced and uncomfortable now. On that note, my Bible Study has been going through Beth Moore's "Believing God" study (knocks your socks off) and today's lesson was on Joshua 10 where in the midst of battle Joshua prays that God would extend the daylight hours so they could continue fighting. God heard the prayer of his desperate servant and the sun stood still for another twenty-four hours. Incredible. Anyway, my application is that if the LORD Most High can slow down the earth for twenty-four hours, He can most assuredly speed it up so that I reach my due date a bit earlier than a traditional 6 more weeks. Are you with me on this? :) So I'm praying not for the sun to stand still, but that we would see it blitz through the sky to bring us to the blessed date of March 23 a bit quicker. I know, I know, I could just pray the baby come a bit earlier, too...but where's the fun in that when the LORD could show Himself mighty by speeding up the earth's rotation? Hey, I dare you to pray with me :)

(OK - For those of you who don't know me well, don't worry. I won't actually be praying for the above mentioned roller coaster ride on earth. So, don't go out and buy yourself some heavy boots or something to keep yourself from slinging off the planet when God speeds up time. I have no doubt He could do it, though :)

One more Micahism to add to the list in the post below:

I got him some "Cars" magnets from the dollar bin at Target and when Greg got home, Micah says, "Daddy, Mommy got cars stickers, two bucks." What?! :) So now when we ask how much something is, he says, "two bucks."

Long time comin'

Seriously, I'm starting to feel like a blogger flunkie. I'm so sorry for the lapse of time between postings. I could give a list of reasons, but the main one being we got a new camera in December and I still haven't loaded the entire software onto the computer. Lame excuse, I know, but "soon and very soon, we are gonna post some pics!" :)

As far as a Duvall update...
We're getting blasted yet again with another winter storm, but I am loving watching the snow. I figure if it's going to be cold (and it has been) then there might as well be snow (and there has been.) Being late in my third trimester, however, doesn't lend itself well to shoveling (too bad), making snowmen, sledding, skiing, ice skating, or any of the other fun winter activities to enjoy up here. I just try to keep the little guy busy with various activities indoors. I think every other mom in Grand Rapids has the same idea, so the mall play area is more like a war zone than a playful childhood retreat. We keep busy in other ways, though. Our typical week is Mondays at the grocery store, Tuesdays is Bible Study, Wednesdays we go to the library for story hour with Miss Barb (a highlight of the week for Micah), Thursdays we either run errands, get together with other moms and kids, or spend a day at home and Fridays we go to the community rec center gym where small kiddos can bring their outside toys and run as much as they want until the remember they are hungry for lunch...and all that for just a dollar :)

For those of you who like me, feel like I have been pregnant forever and are wondering when this little bundle will arrive, the due date is March 23. I am asking that you join with me in prayer to ask our loving Father if He might find it in his good, pleasing and perfect will to allow that date to be pushed a bit closer :) I'd love a mid-March arrival. Plus, my mom is coming up during her Spring Break from the 18th to the 28th, so having the baby already here would be a great blessing.

Greg is actually in Florida right now on business. I think it's just a little too convenient that he schedules his Florida trips for mid-winter, huh? :) Just kidding. He's actually got a really full week down there and we're glad he can get some of his travelling out of the way before the baby arrives.

And as for the little man himself, well, let's just say he's not slowing down even though his Mommy is. He wakes up like a jack-in-the-box, popping up with words coming out of his mouth a mile a minute. That continues until bedtime. He is one verbal 2 year old, but I love that he is able to communicate. Listening to him put words and thoughts together is precious. Some of his favorite phrases/words are:
"Wiw bit o' show, Mommy" - (Mommy, can I watch a little bit of a TV show or movie?"
"I no like coke, pickles, coffee, etc..." (no he hasn't even tried coffee) or "I no like it, I no like it!" (That's when I wipe his face off after a meal.)
"Jesus make snow. God make snow"
"Daddy come home, I wrestle."
"I wuv you, too, Mommy (or Daddy)"
"I kiss baby" (Then he pulls up my shirt and kisses my bare tummy.)
"First, play time, Mommy"
"Dog" is God, "toke" is coat

Anyway, I could go on with more Micahisms, but I'll save some for next time when we actually have some recent photos to show you.

Love and miss you all -

For His Glory -
Shawna