Bring on 2012!

Our past year was filled with so many exciting accomplishments and the start of new endeavors. We cannot complain, we've been blessed beyond belief!!We already have so many exciting adventures to look forward to in 2012...weddings, family and friend visits, and the arrival of our precious Baby Lewis!!  

Gesabelle's 4th Birthday on Christmas!! 

 Speaking of Baby Lewis, I have been feeling MUCH better and finally enjoying cooking again (especially desserts). My appetite is still pretty sporadic, changing day to day, so grocery shopping is now a weekly task. I'm not craving anything outrageous however  kiwi's, lemons, and fresh cooked spinach are tasting mighty delicious these days :)  I've been able to feel little Baby Lewis now and every time it brings a smile to both our faces! I especially cannot wait for the day Nelson and I can feel these little movements on the outside together!

18 weeks! 

 We had an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and we were absolutely amazed by all the changes that have already occurred in our little mini.  My 20 week ultrasound is quickly approaching and we are praying our little one will reveal itself just a little bit more :) Neither of us have a preference per say, just hoping that our baby is happy and healthy! It is our prayer that the new year brings you all much love and peace! 

Love, 

The Lewis's 

December...the month of giving!

 December is such a special month as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and say goodbye to yet another year! So we thought now would be the most appropriate time to share a special gift of ours. We have been wanting to share this miraculous gift for sometime, but wanted our family to be the first to know. So now that they've all been informed, Gesabelle wants to show you a picture....

Yes, Nelson and I are expecting our first child, Baby Lewis (for now) on June 4, 2012!!!!!!!

We could not be more excited about this amazing blessing from God and this new chapter in our lives!!!

We have been blessed with a four and half year relationship and six months of marital bliss, and felt that the time was right. It has always been a dream of ours to parent a child or two and God has answered yet another one of our prayers! But there is no denying that these past two months have been ROUGH, and that's an understatement. My first trimester was less than spectacular and I was starting to wonder if I would be able to make it through this pregnancy. I experienced   every   single   symptom one can in the first trimester!! And to make matters worse, I found out after my first appointment that I am anemic. So needless to say, I felt like a worthless walking zombie! But thankfully, Nelson came to the rescue (of course) in more ways than one and helped me get through a day at a time! God willing, I  made it through and I'm coasting in my 14th week of pregnancy!! I would like to especially thank those of you (you know who you are :) for keeping my spirits high and always offering encouraging words! I will be forever grateful for all that you did or say to help me get through!!! We ask that you keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue on this journey, and we promise to keep you updated along the way!!

Love, 

The Lewis's 

October & November updates

Can you believe there is only 25 more days left in 2011?! I know what your thinking, where has the year gone?? That's the million dollar question...Nelson and I are trying to figure out where just last two months have gone!!! A LOT has transpired and I will do my best to give you a thorough update!! This post is a recap of October and November and I'll do a separate one for the beginning of December!

First we started off the month of October back in Columbia and Bluffton, South Carolina and we were fortunate enough to visit with some friends and our family . Plane tickets were significantly cheaper in Charlotte and my parents were kind enough to provide transportation to and from the airport! We spent our first Saturday in Columbia tailgating and hoping to see a Carolina Gamecock win...unfortunately the later of the two did not occur. But nonetheless we had a blast with great friends on a beautiful Carolina Saturday!

Gamecock tailgate :)

Patrick, Nelson, and James

The Hales + Nelson

My best friend Lauren

The following day, we visited with one of the sweetest individuals I know, Grandma Smith! I love and miss her so much and can always count on a good laugh while in her presence. 

Grandma Smith :)

We spent the following couple of days shuffling from Bluffton and Estill visiting with our local friends and family. 

Nelson and Randy (Father-in-Law) playing corn-hole in the backyard

 The Shaw family :) (Kelly, Leslie with Baby Caroline, and Ella Rae) 

Our nieces Lekari(L) and Jalena(R) ( she was not happy with me, ha!) 

We got our nephew Byron out of school early so he could hang out with us :)

(Above: Aunt Deloris and Granddaddy Fennell) 

After going through these, I've realized there were many more friends we visited with that we didn't get any pictures of! I sincerely apologize but know that we love and miss you all dearly, and it will be an area we will work on in 2012!!! In the previous years when our nephew Byron played soccer or any sport for that matter, we were always able to attend most of his games. And I must admit that Nelson and I always found it as a great source of entertainment! Fortunately, he happened to have a soccer game the last Saturday we were in town and we scooted over to Hampton in time to see him in action. He has improved so much from the previous year and we were very proud of his hard work and effort!                                                                                            
                                

We wrapped up our visit with a feast provided by only the best, Grandma Smith! My Uncle George, soon to be Aunt Melissia and cousin Bayleigh from Atlanta joined us as well! They are so fun and we always enjoy their company!

Before we left for the airport

 All in all it was a great visit 'home' and we look forward to seeing everyone again this Spring!



On to November....Nelson's parents were kind enough to spend some quality time and the Thanksgiving holiday with us here in Austin! They made the 19 hour trek out West via automobile so that Gesabelle's best friend Redmond could keep her company! ( The sacrifices we make for our pets...insane!) We had been priming her the previous weeks before his grand arrival and needless to say she was ecstatic to see him! It was the first time since we've been here that she didn't sleep in the bed all day, finally they were reunited.

Randy and JoEllen spoiled us rotten during their visit by preparing or providing basically all of our meals. And boy did we feast!!! Now I know exactly what Nelson means when he says everything tastes better when someone else cooks it! This was my first Thanksgiving that I was responsible for preparing the meal, although JoEllen deserves most the credit since she did most of the work anyways :) But we had lots to be thankful for especially the leftovers we ate on for days!

While they were here we tried our best to show them a little bit of Austin here and there. But we left a lot more to the imagination hoping they'll come back and see us sooner, ha! We did manage one day to venture out to what's considered 'Hill Country' (30 minutes west) and visited the Flat Creek Estate Winery in Marble Falls, TX. The grapes that managed to survive this summer's extreme heat wave had already been harvested but we did enjoy a tasting session. Of course Randy bought us two bottles as souvenirs and I cannot wait to enjoy them...although it will be awhile!  

JoEllen wanted to see a Texas Longhorn up close and personal so Nelson took us to the perfect spot! Of course we went on the coldest and windiest day they were here, but nonetheless she can now at least say she saw a real longhorn!!!

We were so thankful for their visit and always enjoy their company! We look forward to their next visit when it will be a little warmer and we'll be able to get outside and venture a little bit more!

Love,
 The Lewis's