This And That

Here are some pictures that I wanted to include on my blog before the end of the year is long gone.

Back in July, my nieces Lexie and Corinne came to spend the night with Aunt Han.

I set up a craft table for them, which was a hit.

They painted these cardboard letters, glued tissue paper polka dots all over, and then coated them with Modge Podge to add a nice finishing look. They turned out cute.

We also made these bracelets out of popsicle sticks. I boiled the popsicle sticks to allow them to bend and then drilled holes in the ends for the string to run through. The girls used washi tape to decorate them.

I bought some iron-on chalk paper for these pink tote bags. The paper allows you to use chalk to draw details onto the design of your choosing, after it is ironed on.

I did not get a picture of the finished products, after they added decorations, but you get the idea.

We also made lip balm out of Kool-aid, Vaseline, and coconut oil.

After crafting, we enjoyed a few hours at the community pool, and my sweet husband made an ice cream run to DQ for us.

At the end of September, Tim and Crystal's family came out to visit us for a weekend. We invited a few other families over that had kids around the same age as theirs. The girls made out to bring their dolls, which was a common interest for all of them.

Here Ashlie is serenading us with her impressive piano skills.

In October, we found ourselves flying out to Connecticut for a wedding of Nate's cousin. Nate was honored to be a groomsman.

We flew out of Detroit airport and got to CT on Friday night.

This is what happens when you settle for the cheapest rental car on the lot. It was not what we expected, but it was fun for a few days (except for the non-automatic lights, which killed our battery when we left them on all night).

Mitch (also a groomsman + cousin) and Nate agreeing to my photo-taking antics.

Richard and Audrey with their wedding party.

Wedding day!!

Needless to say, I was not feeling all the best during the entire weekend, but I pasted a smile on my face and endured.

Here we are on a Sunday morning walk.

We did not leave until the next Monday evening so we had time to visit the coast. So peaceful and serene!

The picture below is the photo that I took for my mom's Christmas card (minus the wording). I cannot believe that our baby will make #18, as far as grandchildren.

These two nieces were born after the above picture was taken, but they are too cute not to be included. The last three babies in the family, all born in 2016 have been girls. Now the question is, will I break the trend and have a boy? Oh, I wish I knew!

My siblings are brave enough to let me snap a few pictures of their kids every once in a while.

This girl was by far the easiest, I could photograph her all day.

This handsome little man has such a fun personality. His natural smile is so contagious, but it is a bit harder for him to smile on demand.

This sweet girl is hard not to love.

And then there is little B, oh how she tugs at your heart strings.

I have said this before, if our child comes out looking even mildly as cute as our nieces and nephews, we will be blessed. Nonetheless, we will love him/her no matter what.

I feel better now that I have gotten these photos out in the open. Hope you all are having a wonderful December! Excited to celebrate the Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ.

Pregnancy Q & A

I have been informed that there may be many questions coming my way, now that the news is out. I know I enjoy getting the scoop from new expectant mothers-to-be, not realizing that I may have just asked them the same question for the fiftieth time.

I do not think it will bother me to answer the same questions more than once, but if this post will help, then here we go!!

Q: When are you due?
A:  Around May 18th, but I have a feeling it may be a bit later than that. At my 10 week appointment, the first view on the ultrasound looked like a 9 week baby. The more she measured she commented, "This looks closer to a 10 week baby." I think the baby was somewhere in between 9 and 10 weeks at that appointment.

Q: How far along does that make you?
A: Thanks to my pregnancy app that reminds me on a daily basis, I am 12 weeks and 5 days today. Thursday will be 13 weeks!!! The baby is the size of a large plum, but neither Nate nor I eat plums so that does not mean a whole lot to us. We get the idea though.

Q: How have you been feeling?
A: I have given several different answers to this question already. I did have a two-week span where I would eat breakfast and was not able to keep it down. I eventually quit eating before 10:00 a.m., but then my stomach did not appreciate that. I have not thrown up for a week or so, and I am back to eating breakfast. Evenings are my least favorite, but if I keep munching then I am usually fine. All in all, I would say I have had it pretty good.

Q: Were we surprised to find out we were expecting? 
A: I wouldn't say so. We have been married for over 2 years and were excited to start a family, but obviously it is something we took to God in prayer. We asked for His ultimate will and timing to be carried out. Although He had to bring us through some undesired circumstances, He did grant us the desire of our hearts. We have a ways to go before we will hold "baby bird" in our arms, and we know not all pregnancies have happy endings. I definitely have to guard against the fears that creep into my soul. Thankfully God has the ultimate control over this little soul, and we would have it no other way. 

Q: Do we plan to find out the gender of the baby?
A: Yes, yes, yes! There was really no discussion, between Nate and I, on this topic. We were both in agreement, from the start, that we would like to find out the gender. I like to plan ahead and know what is coming. I will be lost in every other aspect of having a baby, and this is one area in which I can have a little control. I give credit to those who can patiently wait for 9 months without knowing. Also, we won't keep the gender to ourselves, we will share the findings.

Q: Do I plan to continue working?
A: I know some girls struggle with this decision, but I really have not. I plan to be finished working around March or April. Nate and I both grew up with stay-at-home moms, and we feel that it is a very high calling. I remember those days, as a little girl, rocking my baby dolls back and forth. Lord-willing that dream will become my new reality. I realize that I am blessed to even have this opportunity, and I pray that I will never take it for granted. 

I shared the news with my co-workers yesterday, and after all the excitement and hugs died down, they realized that I would not be returning. The word "bittersweet" came up, and although I will miss the social part of work, I think this new stage of life will be mostly "sweet." 

Q: What am I most excited for right now?
A: At the moment, I am most excited for my 14 week appointment, in which we can hopefully see the heart beat again. We did not get to hear it last time, but I am hoping we are able to at this upcoming appointment. Some days it just does not seem real that I am pregnant, but little reminders (like ultrasounds) sure have a way of encouraging me. 

I am also excited to start working on the baby room. I can finally pin things on Pinterest without people getting suspicious. I did not even think of creating a secret Pinterest board. O well!

These are the main questions that come to mind at the moment. Thank you for all the warm wishes and sweet messages we have received. We can tell that baby Z. is going to be very loved and cherished by many.

Until next time.

A Reasonable Excuse

Did you think I would ever return? I admit that my three month absence from blogging was not intentional. It was possibly just a lack of motivation on my part. There were a few times I sat down to write a post but did not stay seated long enough to finish my thoughts.

There may be a reasonable excuse for all of this.

I am going to use the same excuse to explain that my house has definitely not been in tip top shape lately. I just cannot keep up with it.

I have also been a bit more forgetful than usual. Getting my dates wrong or throwing away very important documents is not normally like me.

The couch and I have been best friends the last few weeks. Plenty of bonding time has been going on between the two of us.

My poor husband has been enduring an increased amount of frozen pizzas for supper. Usually I only pop them in after a long day of work when we are rushing to get to Wednesday night church, but it has been the last four Wednesday nights in a row now. Not impressive Hannah. While I typically enjoy being in my kitchen, I have not wanted anything to do with it lately. Cooking makes me nauseous.

I think my co-workers may be getting suspicious of my continuous snacking. I get to work at 8:00, and by 9:00 I am munching on whatever I can get my hands on. When 11:00 rolls around I start asking, "Is anybody else hungry for lunch yet?" 

I have also bid farewell to those nights where I could sleep all the way through and not get up to visit the bathroom. Last night I hit a new record of three trips to the facilities. Please tell me it does not get worse. You mothers are probably rolling your eyes.

Carrot sticks are the best. I eat carrots like children eat candy. A handful of carrots can give my stomach the relief it needs to help me fall back asleep or last until lunch time. McDonald's french fries basically do the same thing, but unfortunately I cannot justify a continuous supply of those. 

I could proceed, but I am guessing most of you know where I am going with this, so I will cut the suspense. 

We are excited to announce that we are expecting! Baby Zollinger is due to arrive in May.

We are thankful for this journey that God has in store for us. Although we are more clueless than anything, we are prayerful that the Lord will provide all of our needs as He sees fit. We know He will.

 

More details to follow, and I will not make you wait another three months. I think I am getting over the hill as far as sickness goes, so maybe the blog will move up a little higher on my list of priorities.

 

Blessings to you all!!

Carolina Love

Nate and I enjoyed an escape from our usual scenery and normal routine at the beginning of August. Like usual, my family travels to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for vacation, and we were anxious to go.

We left Friday afternoon and drove several hours to Charleston, West Virginia, where we stopped for the night.

I was very intrigued by the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash dispensers in the shower of our hotel room that night.

On Saturday morning, we drove a couple more hours to Mount Airy, North Carolina, the home town of Andy Griffith. I am a long-time fan of the Andy Griffith show and have somehow managed to get my husband attached as well.

We stopped at the Andy Griffith Museum and looked around for a while.

I'm not sure I like Thelma Lou getting quite so close to my husband.

Here is the desk and some other paraphernalia that was used in the show.

Pictured below is Barney's salt and pepper suit that he wore quite frequently in the show.

This sidecar is from one of my favorite episodes called "Barney's Sidecar."

We had to get a picture beside the Andy Griffith statue. It may be our only opportunity.

We walked around downtown for a bit. They had it set up with different shops representing Mayberry. Here we are standing in from of Barney's Cafe. They also had Floyd's Barber Shop, Opie's Candy Store, Walker's Drug Store, ect.

We drove past Andy's childhood home.

We even spotted a familiar looking cop car. I think they must give rides around town or something.

Soon, we were back on the road heading closer to our final destination.

Not only was it great to get there, but it was fun to see so many of our loved ones.

We shared a condo with my brother and his family. They happily put up with us.

There were trips to the beach....

and we cannot forget about our frequent ice cream stops. I did not stray from my favorite flavor either time, mint oreo all the way for me.

Nate and I like to go to Five Guys each year, since there is one close by. I get a kick out of the poster, in the background, that says "The food is really good." What a great claim to fame!

While I failed miserably at taking pictures during the week, I did incorporate some clips that my dad and I took. This video gives a pretty good idea of what our vacation entailed.

Already looking forward to next year! Thankful for God's traveling mercies and for bringing us home safely. I would not say that Ohio missed us a whole lot, but it is always good to be home.

7 Photos And Reasons I Love My Husband

I was challenged by my Facebook and real-life friend, Bethany, to post 7 days of pictures of my husband and comment on why I love him. While this challenge is meant to be done on Facebook, 7 consecutive days in a row, I decided to make a blog post out of it. I am afraid I might forget a day here or there, so why not do it all at once. 

1. I love my husband because he takes an interest in the ones that I love. He more than takes an interest, it is evident that he truly loves my family as his own.

2. I love my husband because he puts his relationship with God above all else.

3. I love my husband because he finds joy in the little things of life.

4. I love my husband because he tries really hard to do his best on our house projects. While he thinks it looks good enough, he will go the extra mile and spend a little more time on it for his particular wife.

5. I love my husband because he is so patient. He sits quietly while I get the self-timer on my camera ready. Never has he complained about taking pictures. He actually encourages picture-taking or initiates it himself. I sure was not use to that coming from the guys in my family.

6. I love my husband because he enjoys being together and doing fun things. He seems to enjoy my company just as much as I enjoy his. He is always up for a game of some type. While he excels, above my level, in the physical activities we take on, and accepts that I am not athletically gifted, I at least stand a chance in the card or board games we play. Feel free to ask who won the last Ticket To Ride game.

7. I love my husband because he chose me. He is the most respectable, caring guy I know. He loves me with an unending love and accepts me as I am. I will always be thankful that he followed God's leading and made me his wife.

Never did I think that I could narrow it down to only seven pictures, but here you have it....I am going to stop. Trust me, it is only by self control.

Sorry if this was a bit sappy for some of you, but I only write the truth. Thank you to Bethany for giving me a short and sweet blogging idea.

P.S. Needless to say, I am glad that Nate stole my heart. He is my greatest earthly treasure.