The house that built me...well maybe helped me grow up :)

So as I sit here and type this I am filled with a lot of different emotions about what the next 9 months will hold. Here are all the different thoughts running through my head at the moment...

• Am I really old enough now to be getting married and starting a life of my own....getting married and starting my own life is something I have always wanted but ALWAYS felt like it was so far away....now it's less than 9 months....
• I am sad about moving out of our house on hill hedge....I had a lot of good memories there and I honestly don't know if I am ready to get rid of all of them yet...I know I will always have the memories but oh if I would've known that was our last year in that house...our last Christmas tree, last birthday's celebrated, last new years, etc.
• This will be the first year in 25 years that I have not and will not have a Christmas tree in my house....I made the executive not too since we have soo much stuff in the little apartment and we still have boxes everywhere....this year I will be living through Louise's Christmas tree....nevertheless i will still be sad not to be able to watch TV through the glow of our real Christmas tree...
• have I mentioned being a grown up isn't all it's cracked up to be? I mean don't get me wrong, I like making my own decisions and for the most part I am pretty smart with them but I miss the simple times of living with mom and dad and having them take care of everything. I have a deeper appreciation for them and everything they sacrificed for me and both my sisters. Hands down I have the best parents around. Couldn't be any more thankful :)
• With all of this wedding stuff and moving I have really been reminded of what great friends I have....I am really trying NOT to be bridezilla but I have some oh so friendly reminders that sometimes I am and it brings me back to my mindset that I do not want to be like that. I want to enjoy this time and really have fun with the wedding and living in a one bedroom apartment with Laurie for the next 6-8 months :) Best days of my life! But seriously I really have the best friends around! :)
• My Ellie is growing up way too fast! She is getting so big and doing new things everyday! I can't imagine not seeing her everyday and when I can't it makes me so sad because I know I am missing something! I feel that same way with Morgan....I feel like it was just yesterday when we were trying to get her to crawl and we thought she never would....and now it's hard to even remember what she looked like then....she is such a little diva girl now and carries her purse around and is just the cutest thing! She is talking so good now and really picking up on things!

Well I know this blog has no rhyme or reason to it but it's just things that are going through my head right now and honestly I just needed to say it out loud....or well type it out loud! :)

Engagement Pictures

Here are Nate and I engagement photos that were taken over this past weekend!! She did such a fantastic job! I couldn't be any happier with how they turned out and I REALLY can't wait to get the CD of them! :) So here is some of the ones I liked....and you will see there are quite a bit because for once in my life I liked a lot of the pictures she took! :) Enjoy!

I love this one....he did this all on his own! :)

This is probably my favorite one....I love it!
And I was glad I had this with me so we could take some pictures with it!!


Yes....I did climb this tree in heels!! :)

I absolutely LOVE Nate's face in this one!! It is priceless! I really can't wait to marry this man!

I think this one is artsy and I like that!

This will probably be a newspaper picture :)

I love silhouette pictures!

This could be a newspaper picture too! :)

I was getting really cold in this one!

I love the dip pictures! :)

This one I think is cool with the trees blurred in the background!

She had these hearts for us to fill out about each other.....I really like the concept and the pictures turned out pretty cute too!

I love the ones of me and him in the blue and the green!! Love them!

And this of course is one of my absolute favorites because it reminds me of that special day....10.10.10 :) I love him!

A holiday card and STD all in one :) (That is a Save The Date, if you didn't know ;))

So as I am approaching the holidays this year.... I have been thinking a lot about Christmas cards and Save The Date cards....at first I was not going to do either...too expensive and I just didn't want to invest the time in them. Then I ran across my friends' blog that talked about Shutterfly giving away 50 free**** holiday cards and so I signed up for it!! I was so excited from then on out....and Nate and I had our engagement pictures shot this past weekend so I figured why not go ahead and make our holiday cards our "Save The Dates" :) So below are the cards that I have chosen to use....now I am not set on each one yet especially pending the picture or pictures I want to use. :) But I would appreciate your thoughts!

Here is where all of the following cards can be found:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thank-you-cards/wedding-thank-you-cards?viewAll=true&sortType=1&DCL=true

I was thinking this would be a GREAT idea for thank you cards after the wedding....or maybe even before using engagement pictures maybe!!! :)

This one I love too....I love the simplicity and just plain jane of it but classy....right up my alley! :)

Now here are all the Christmas/New Years/ Happy Holiday Cards that I love....they can be found here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

I love this one....I like it because you can write a little bit about yourself on it...and in my case about our wedding date! :)

I think this one is adorable too!!

I think this is one I would get after I have kids....I think it's the perfect opportunity to share with all your family and friends about what all is going on with your kiddos! :)

Here are the actual cards that have places where you can write on the inside....these may be more practical for my use of the Save the Date card :)

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/folded-greeting-cards

I love this one!! I just think it is adorable....I think I love the picture already on it though.... :)

I love LOVE LOVE this one....I think I will have a hard time deciding which pictures to use so maybe this will help if I can use more than one!!

I also love this one....looks like the people in the picture had the same idea :)

I also think this is just adorable! I love the colors and I love all the picture spaces! I will definitely be looking into this one!

Here are all the just regular photo cards that most people send out:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/flat-photo-cards

I love this one! I think if I have one specific picture that just pops out at me I may have to go with this one! It is just perfect and I love it!

I love the simplicity of this one! One picture says it all!

This one I really like too! I think it would be a great 1st Christmas after being married card....just simply and classic!

And this one I love because you can write a little more on it and it could work for my purpose! :)

Well I hope you all can help me chose and I hope you all will use http://www.shutterfly.com for all of your holiday needs! I have made photo books with them also and really those are GREAT presents to give that truly are priceless! I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts on the cards I picked out!!

My photographer :)

After much deliberation and crunching of the numbers I have picked my photographer.... :)

Meet Jay Houston and her hubby George! :) They are the people behind the lens for my wedding, engagements, bridals and anything else I can imagine!! I am so excited about working with Click Photography! Go here: http://www.theclickphotogblog.com/ to see all her work and read up about her!! I am so excited to be working with her and I just know that its going to be great! :)

Dress shopping starts today!!! :)

Well today is a big day.....this afternoon me, Laurie, Louise, and Michelle will all venture to David's to start trying on some dresses. :) I am pretty excited about it and I hope it helps me to decide on a color....I will have Laurie and Michelle trying on bridesmaids dresses and hopefully that will help me to settle on a color!!! Wish me luck!!! :)

(And Saturday we will be going back with Momma and Mrs. Jacki! :) Maybe to buy the dress!! )

The1st Step.....The Date

We have finally decided on a date.....we have been back and forth several times and talked to several of the people that will be in the wedding and we decided that the date will be.....

(No the wedding colors are NOT pink and black!)
After a lot of talking and weighing out the pro's and con's we decided August 27th, 2011 would be great! We will also share this special date with some of the closest people in our lives.....

Justin & Michelle

Married August 27th, 2005

It will be their 6th Wedding Anniversary!

(And yes I asked before we decided on this date to make sure she didn't mind sharing! :))

We are SO exciting about this time in our lives and we are excited about the wedding.....ok I think Nate is just ready for the wedding to be here and be done so we can start the honeymoon but either way it's going to be an exciting next 10 months!! :)

Pumpkin Patch and The Proposal

Here we are just starting another trip with the group! :)

We're at the Dreamfield Farms Pumpkin Patch.

The sisters and Ellie taking a picture in the corn box....we may be grown but we will still sit in a corn box....and still be finding corn from it! :)
And the sisters again :) Morgan has grown out of the stage of cooperating in these pictures! :)

And little did I know that hayride up to the pumpkin patch would change my life forever! So here is where I tell our story! :) I didn't think anything of it.....I was going along taking my pictures of Ellie and of Morgan and I asked Nate to just go ahead and pick us out a pumpkin that we were going to get left if we didn't. So he walks about 15 feet from and bends down....he says "Hey Babe I think I found ours" so I walked over there and started to bend down when he pivoted around and was on ONE KNEE!!! :) He had a pumpkin (which will be in pictures further down) that said "Marry Me Leigh" and my absolutely STUNNING ring on the stem. I couldn't have been more surprised. Now here is the truth.....I knew he had the ring but only did I find that out that day. I walked in his room to put his jacket up from in the car so it didn't wrinkle and there sitting on his side table was the ring boxes, so in my defense I wasn't snooping! But I certainly didn't think he was going to do it at the pumpkin patch, I won't lie it crossed my mind but I didn't think he would do it in front of everyone. But I was so wrong. Everyone in my group knew about it. Laurie, Louise, Dustin, Ellie, Michelle, Morgan, and Justin were all in on it. He had been showing the ring to everyone. He was so excited and happy. I cannot be happier than I am now....He really is the best thing and I love him to death....obviously or I wouldn't be marrying him! :) I have to admit I know I said I didn't want it to be in front of people but I couldn't have been happier to share it with my closest circle! My family is the best and I am super excited Nate will be a part of it....it's been a long road but so worth every minute. Blessed is all I can say.

I think it was at this point I was asking, " Are you serious???"

And his reply, " Yes I am serious.....Are you going to say YES???"

Well OF COURSE!!!! :)

The most beautiful ring I have ever had on my hand. By far.

Ohhhh I love you so much!!! :)

"Hey guys.....ya'll knew about this?!??!"

I really couldn't be any happier.....I hate that cheesie grin but I love it when I can't help but to smile that big. :)

THE PUMPKIN! :)

Us walking back after having a few moments to ourselves. :)

On the hayride back.....we were celebrities it felt like! Everyone was congratulating us and asking if it was for real! LOL

Overall it was just the best day. I love this man oh so much and I can NOT wait to start my life with him. He is wonderful and I know deciding to marry him, aside from becoming a Christian, will be the best decision I have ever made. He makes me laugh like none other and can cheer me up in no time! He can soothe me when no one else can and he is truly my best friend and teammate. :) I can honestly say he is the one my parents have prayed for.

My Sweet Little Ellie Is FINALLY HERE!!! :)

Here are some pictures from our past 4 days!! She is the most beautiful little girl in the whole world!! I love her so so much and I cannot imagine loving anything more than her!!! So here are all the pictures! Sorry for not a lot of words but let's be honest, you would rather see the pictures anyways!!! And they aren't in order!! Sorry!

Here is little Miss Ellie this morning when I got to the hospital! She has had a hard day of feeding :)

Mommy and Ellie :)

I LOVE MY MOMMY OH SO MUCH!!

Doesn't she look rockin?!?!?

She is really liking her paci :)

Seth and Miss Ellie :)

Morgan meeting Ellie and holding her :)

Michelle and Ellie :)

She is my little Princess!!! :) Can you guess who bought that hat for her??

Look at those whopper feet!!!! She gets those from her Aunt La!

Is she not the most precious thing we have ever seen?!?!?

Her Aunt Leigh Leigh loves her so so much!!! :)

Lindsey is getting ready! This will be her in the hospital before too long!

The proud grandparents!!! :)

Aunt La and Ellie :)

Right after she was born!! 8lbs. 11 oz. 20 1/2 inches long!

RIGHT after she was born!!

The boys came to see Louise!! :) They have Ellie's "It's a Girl" gum cigars in their mouths!

Sweet daddy and Ellie :) Already wrapped around his fingers!

Right when she came out.....I was glad my camera was in there with them!!

Right before she started pushing!

Me and Michelle waiting!

Ellie's dress she is going to come home in! :) Isn't it precious?!?!

This is at lunch right before Louise went to the Dr to be admitted into the hospital. Doesn't she look great?!?!

Dirt and Louise before the appointment :)

Dirt and Louise's hand's making a heart on Ellie :)

Morgan kissing Louise before leaving for the night!

The sisters before this precious little Ellie maked her appearance!

Well I hope you all enjoyed the pics! I am going to upload all of them on Facebook but these are a few of my favorites!!! :) Thanks for all the prayers!!