5 years down, 70 more to go

Five years ago on this day, July 6th, Benjamin and I got married.  FIVE.  Where has time gone??  It has certainly flown by.  I can honestly say that in the five years of our married life we have enjoyed everything from being goofy together...




















to soaking up the moments when we are both so full of emotion from how blessed we are to have one another.

We chose to do feet washing at our wedding: I washed Benjamin's and he washed mine.  I cannot put into words how precious that was for us.  I can say without hesitation that Benjamin has been the leading man of our household with a quiet confidence that draws me to him.  He has loves and cherishes me more each time we take on a new adventure, a new challenge.  It overwhelms my heart.  For me, I cannot fathom what life would be life without him - where or who I would be.  The more time goes on, the more I am abundantly thankful that God orchestrated for the two of us to be tied together.  Each day I have with Benjamin is a true gift.

Here are the highlights of Year 5:

• Moved to Houston, started residency and started work at Hess
• Hosted themed parties
• Took trips to San Antonio (x2), Missouri, PA, and Hawaii
• Hit up some amazing concerts
• Hung out with a Penguin
• Found out we were pregnant with Winston Ace!

Thank you, Sweet Lovie for an amazing five years.

Winston Ace

That is correct!  At week 20, Benjamin and I were told that we were having a little boy!  After our doctor's appointment we celebrated with a dinner out where we started more seriously talking about names.  We had thrown some out there in the past, things like Gnarles Winston and Graeme and my always go to favorite: Hamish.  It has been a running joke in our relationship that if we ever had a boy, his name was going to be Hamish much to Benjamin's chagrin and adamant refusal.  

When I found out I was pregnant, we started praying that we would have the wisdom and guidance to name the baby what God desired as a name is so important - it sticks with you for your entire life! A few days before our appointment we looked up the meaning of Winston and it is "joyful stone." We both immediately loved this because I used to do a conference on joy and at the end I would hand out happy rocks (joyful stones!) as a reminder that Jesus' joy is abundant and that we are called to be joyful in all things. And from the start of our marriage I have called Benjamin my solid rock - he the constant amidst my crazy!  A little bit of both of us! Benjamin also was given this verse: Luke 19:40: "I tell you," he replied, "If they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out." This is Jesus' response to the Pharisees when the people are praising Jesus as Messiah as he rides into town on the donkey. It is our heart's desire that Winston be a joyful stone in the circles that he is placed in.

We had mostly thought Winston would be a middle name, but at dinner we agreed that it would be his first name.  Onto the middle name where Benjamin wanted it to either start with an "a" or an "e" that way his initials could be WEC or WAC.  We headed over to the local Barnes & Noble, grabbed a few baby name books and plopped ourselves down on the chairs.

We threw out names and none of them seemed to stick.  After about 20 minutes or so jokingly, I said "How about Ace?"

Benjamin: "That is AWESOME!!"

Me: "Seriously?  You really like that?"

Benjamin: "Yeah!  Winston Ace Cozad.  He'll be a little WAC!"

Me: "Yup, Winston Ace it is!"

Then Benjamin tried to make it meaningful by saying that the meaning of Ace is first and he will be our first child and the first grandchild on both sides of the family.   Mmmhmmm, while that is true, I think he really likes the fact that our kid's middle name is Ace.  

So, in time, sweet Winston Ace will make his debut into this world!  We are realizing more and more the realness of how he is growing and developing, praising the Lord for a healthy baby so far!!

Bring on the astronauts, dinosaurs and super heroes!

Hang Out with a Penguin

When Benjamin and I first started putting together our Bucket List, we said to include anything that you'd think you would ever enjoy doing.  On mine was "hang out with a penguin."

We knew that we were going to be spending a long weekend in San Antonio for the AP Westfall Conference that UT Ortho hosts every year.  It just so happened that very same weekend was Baylor Day at Sea World!  Discounted Sea World tickets?  Yes, please!  Luke and Kala were also in for joining us for an afternoon adventure.

Benjamin kept telling me that during this weekend at some point, I would get a surprise.  And just him telling me that, I was going crazy trying to figure out what it would be!  I LOVE surprises, but then once you tell me I have a surprise... I want to know immediately what it is!  I was asking family members to coerce Benjamin into telling them so that they would tell me.  Nothing worked.  He was locked down.

So the afternoon for Sea World arrived and it literally had to be one of the hottest days we had up until that time.  After getting into the park, Luke and Kala went their separate way while Benjamin and I booked it to the very back of the park for this...

A PENGUIN ENCOUNTER!!  Benjamin surprised me with an Up-Close Penguin Tour!  I was ecstatic!

We stood with our guide and watched the Penguin feedings and to participate in the question & answer time with one of the guides.  After that was complete, our guide took us to the back of the exhibit and into the kitchen where they store and prepare all of the fishes for the penguins.  She told us all about what they eat, how they feed the penguins, and what they do special for the baby King penguins that they currently had in the habitat.

We were then allowed to step inside of the habitat for a few minutes to hear the different calls of the penguins.  It was a chill 35 degrees inside with snow falling from the ceiling, but none of that mattered because I was an arms length away from a Rock Hopper penguin named Doozo!  It was fascinating to be standing so near to them as they waddled around calling to one another in their distinctive ways.

Then they brought out Kermit.  First, what a precious name!  Who doesn't just instantly love a Kermit?!  Kermit is a Magellanic penguin, a warm weather penguin.  He is one of the penguins who travels to places like Jay Leno and the Oprah show... a famous penguin!

Magellanic penguins are also called jack-ass penguins because their call sounds exactly like that of a donkey.  And I can attest to that!  

Then for the fun part: we all got to give Kermit a little bit of love!

 I cannot hide the excitement from my face!  {Looks a lot like the photos of when I was little...}.  It was such a thrill to be able to be that close to a penguin!  Kermit was amazingly more soft than I had expected.  Soft like Lulu soft but a little more cold to the touch.

 His wings felt more scaly, more hard as I would have expected his entire body to feel.   

Then for Benjamin's turn:

Note Kermit's posture here.  Kermit is getting ready to poop.  Penguins poo almost every three to five minutes.  Benjamin just happened to catch him at one of those increments in time!  Luckily, Benjamin's cat like reflexes allowed him to jump out of the way, clear from harm!

 I just have to take a minute to say, my man is a handsome one!

We weren't allowed to take Kermit home with us, unfortunately he wasn't the souvenir that came with the package!  We did however get two 5x7 photos, totes and a water bottle.  

{This is a picture of a picture - we aren't normally this orange...}

Hanging out with a penguin was a great way to continue the celebration of our 5 years of wedded bliss!  I had such a blast marking "hang out with a penguin" off my list.  Now "walk around with a penguin" has been added!  There is another penguin encounter that Sea World offers where you dress up in a parka and walk around with the penguins, feeding them in their habitat!  They also have encounters with dolphins, sting rays, and belugas.  Those have also been added to the bucket list!   

The Orange Show

When doing my research to visit the Art Car Museum and Beer Can House I learned that there was yet another artsy gem to be explored in Houston: The Orange Show.  It was created by a man named Jeff McKissack.  In Jeff's mind, The Orange Show, when he was complete with it, was going to be the next Disney World.  Unfortunately for him, those aspirations were never seen.  

On a Saturday afternoon Benjamin and I ventured out to see what The Orange Show had to offer and we were highly amused by what we witnessed.  I would like to go on the record saying that I'm fairly sure Jeff had major delusions of grandeur.  However, those delusions made for an entertaining stop to an eclectic place in Houston for us!

 {Yes, Benjamin did decide to wear his orange shorts in honor of visiting The Orange Show!}

 For some reason, Jeff was a little too keen on clowns for my liking...

Well, that in a nut shell of a few pictures is The Orange Show my friends.  I did refrain from taking pictures in what I will refer to as the Strange Room of Random Stuff.  I wouldn't want to spoil everything for you in the case that you'd like to pay the $1 per person, head down off of 45 South and experience the greatness of The Orange Show for yourself!

Bump It: 19 Weeks

So we've made it to week 19!  Wee Cozad and I are both doing well.  We enjoyed accompanying Benjamin to Oahu for his AAO Conference and are gearing up for our next doctor's appointment in a few weeks.  Lulu-puppy has been an absolute sweet love and still enjoys swimming as much as she has in the years previous.  She is also a sweet cuddle muffin.  My love for lemonade continues and I have not yet had any aversions to food.  Benjamin has been absolutely fantastic {as if he would be any other way} and continues to convert the garage into a full wood working shop.  He and I are cherishing every evening and every weekend we have together with each other, with Lulu, with family and with friends - taking mental pictures of the moments as time continues to march on.  

Pregnancy continues to be a miraculous and strange phenomenon to me.  It's amazing how a tiny human is growing inside.  From time to time I forget that there's a little being inside...and then I feel bubbles or a unfamiliar twinge and it's a reminder of "Hey, I'm still growing in here!"  I often find myself in amazement, giving props to God on how fantastic this all is.  It's a truly humbling feeling to know that we were designed and chosen to create life.

Wee Cozad is now the size of a mango {side note: I love mangos and just received the neatest mango peeler!} and working on honing the five senses.  My sweet mother bought me a Baby Einstein Lullaby CD in the hopes that I will start listening to more soothing sounds than the music that Wee Cozad and I jam to when driving to and from work in the evenings! 

We made a doctor change to someone that was a little closer to us than Kingwood and are happy with our decision.  Kimberly Bobo  is a part of the Women's Specialists of Houston who partner and deliver with the new Texas Children's Pavilion for Women.  Benjamin and I did our tour at The Pavilion and were very happy with the facilities and their emphasis on the importance of keeping baby with mom and dad.  We continue to pray for wisdom as we prepare to make our birth plan.

I have quite enjoyed this time of preparation, I will call it - the time before knowing if Wee Cozad is a girl or a boy.  I appreciate that there isn't too much to go do or buy.  I appreciate that Benjamin and I can enjoy knowing that we are going to be parents soon and talk about what we need to do the next few months and even the months and years after.  Sure I have been looking online at things like strollers, high chairs, beds, etc... but until we find out boy or girl, I don't want to commit to a color!  Plus I know that once we do find out, it will be like opening a floodgate of fun!!

It is a little overwhelming to think that it's half over, however we celebrate each week that Wee Cozad grows!

Oh, and my nifty shirt - I first saw the idea here and just loved it!  I did a few modifications.  Using iron on transfer material, we picked a font and then cut out the numbers with my Silhouette machine {which I absolutely LOVE!}.  Then we ironed on the numbers and outlined them with neon orange puff paint to make them pop!

Lemonade Lovin'

Being pregnant is a whole new experience that really, no one can prepare you for.  You hear stories, lots of stories, about how people did things, or how they felt but it affects everyone so different.  That's kind of amazing to me.  I have been very blessed to not have had extreme morning sickness.  What I have experienced is the nausea when I first wake up.  However, thanks to a text from Salem, I discovered the lemonade is my magic get-better potion.  I have consumed gallons upon gallons of Chick-fil-a lemonade and this:

Simply Lemonade with Raspberry.  I cannot get enough of this stuff AND it's just so delicious!  Have you ever had it?  They also have a Mango version too... also very yummy!  I actually have a very large cup of it beside me as I type this post...

How We Told The World...

Benjamin wanted to wait to tell our families after our first doctor's appointment, however the weekend before we were going to be spending time with both sides on different days.  He caved and let me whip up a few things to tell them.

Click here to read:

Pregnancy Reveal: The Johnson Families
Pregnancy Reveal: The Cozad & Beazely Families
Pregnancy Reveal: The Office folks

The night after our doctor's appointments, our dearest friends received texts that said, "Baby Cozad: October 2012.  Is the world ready?" with the picture that was posted here and then again a few weeks later on Facebook.   We called the Grandparents and the Aunts to share the good news with them.

We are making both of our parents grandparents for the first time and my Mom's parents plus Mee Maw great grandparents for the first time.

Our families and friends have showered us with overwhelming exclamations of excitement and joy over the announcement of the new addition to our little family.  We are so blessed by that and know that Wee Cozad will be well loved!

Two delicious things to cook

It had been a while since I had actually cooked a meal.  We had either been going out to eat, munching around the house if we both had big lunches or I'd make a meal in a box.  I just love meals in a box but I don't technically count them as official cooking.  Official cooking is where you have to get out more than one pot or pan.  Where you have spices and measuring utensils, and chopped up this or that.  Official cooking comes out of a glossy cookbook, off of a family recipe card or from Pinterest!

It was one of my Friday's off, which I cannot tell you how much I love, and I decided it was time to try something new.  Salem always has yummy things pinned to her boards, so I went and had a look to see if anything stuck out to me.  We had two winners:

Zucchini Chips from The Naked Kitchen

and

Crusted Honey Mustard Chicken from Weight Watchers

I wasn't quite sure how Benjamin would like the Zucchini chips, but he LOVED them!  Like seriously loved them so much so that he got the serving dish and ate straight out of it.  I think those are going to be a staple in our house!  And the chicken was flavored perfectly with a great mix of tender and crisp!  

What have you made lately that you found unexpected and delightful?

Jewelry Making!

My Mom and Salem are really good about buying deals on Groupon and trying out new things.  As much as I love trying new things, I get a Groupon and then I tend to forget about it until the last minute!

One of the new things Mom and I tried at the beginning of the year was glass jewelry making!  There is a place in Old Town Spring called The Glass Cat where you can take a beginners class to learn how about diachronic glass, how to cut glass and how to piece it together.  Then after that you can go in for studio time to create as many pieces as you like!

Glass pieces to create art with!

 Thank you Mom for a fun night of jewelry making!  Now if only the lady will ever get her kiln fixed...