20 Weeks Down...20 To Go!

We've reached the mid-point of my pregnancy! Hard to believe that in 20 short weeks our little girl will be here and we will have a BABY living in our house! We're so excited, but there seems to be so much to accomplish before her arrival. Plus, the holidays are going to take up a big chunk of time during my last trimester. I know that January is going to be here before we know it! Bedding and color selections have been made for the nursery! I'm guessing we'll have to make our FIRST trip to Babies R Us one of these weekends to start deciding on a crib and other furniture for her room. Ahhh...all the fun! It will be an exciting couple of months! One huge thing that is out of the way (at least we're 98% sure) is the name selection! We've named our little girl and are just going to stay hush hush about it until she's born, in case we decide to change our minds! I think Trav and I have been talking about baby names since we were in the early stages of dating, and out of all the options we've toyed with, we went back to our original favorite! Can't wait! The pregnancy has been a breeze thus far, knock on wood. No morning sickness or nausea. I was SUPER tired during the first trimester, and now I feel great. I have some energy back, but am dealing with other issues...like my growing belly and the fact that I can't seem to eat enough! My tummy growls, literally, every 2 hours! And my blood pressure has been very low, like dangerously low, so I need to be sure to keep food in my tummy or I get light-headed. It just seems like a lot of eating. I've gained about 9lbs thus far, which is healthy and on track for "normal" pregnancy weight gain. The baby has started to be more active, or I should say that I'm now aware of her movements. I feel her move at various times throughout the day, usually after I eat and definitely when I lay down to go to bed at night! It's such a reassuring feeling! We'll continue to keep everyone posted on all the new developments!

Wishing everyone a very happy end to their summer!!

It's a GIRL!!!!

Travis and I had our first ultrasound on Thursday, August 20th and we found out that we're expecting a baby girl!!!! We are so excited, but even more happy that Baby Severson was happy and healthy, according to the doctors! I didn't sleep for 2 nights prior to the ultrasound because I was so nervous. But all of my prayers were answered and our little girl was flipping around in there, punching her little hands, yawning, and kicking! Thank God!!

Now I'm turning my focus to planning the nursery...while Trav continues to finish projects around the house. The painting is done and now it's on to the landscaping in the front yard. As soon as that is completed, we're re-roofing the house, and then Trav will tackle the bathroom! This is the most exciting of all the projects!! I'm thrilled at the thought of having a new bathroom in a month or two! Ahhhh! I'll post some pics of our baby girl and my growing tummy (I can feel her moving around in there already) for all of you to check out! We'll be ending our summer with an RV trip to Grand Marais...4-5 days of hiking, relaxing, and shopping in the town! Angry Trout, here I come!!

Baby Bump!

This is the beginning of the baby bump...I'm about 15 weeks in these pics!

New News and Catching Up...

Wow! Since my last post, a TON of things have happened in the Severson household! We've had a very busy spring/summer and are looking forward to a bit more relaxation time in August! Thank God! Where to start...

In early spring, Travis got a wild idea to purchase an RV. We made a trip to Pipestone, MN to pick up our very own Winnebago! It's 35 feet long and sleeps about 8...we've yet to use it for a weekend getaway since our summer became so busy so fast, but we do have some mini fall roadtrips planned.

Weddings, weddings, weddings! Some of our great friends tied the knot this year! Congrats to Sokthea and Jamie Sampson and also to Annie and Drew Feste! The weddings (and bachelor/ette) parties that went with them were a blast and we were so happy to celebrate with you guys!

On May 5th, we found out that we're expecting our 1st child!!! We are tentatively due on January 14th and are busy trying to finish about a million projects at our house before Baby Severson arrives! I had a breeze of a first trimester, and now, at almost 16 weeks, we are starting to get very excited! We have a level II ultrasound scheduled for August 20th and hopefully we'll be able to find out if we're having a boy or a girl...either way, we'll be happy as long as our baby is HEALTHY! Now if only Travis and I could agree on baby names...

I'll start to keep this a bit more up-to-date as the pregnancy continues. We hope all of our friends and family are having a safe and happy summer!!!

Severson Bridal Shower

I had the pleasure of meeting all of Trav's aunts yesterday for the first time! Yes, I know...we've been together for 6 years and I've never met most of his extended family. They are scattered about and family get togethers are few! Trav's aunts, Sue and Barb, threw the shower for me at Sue's house. It was so much fun!! We had a yummy brunch...egg strata, fruit, and a variety of breakfast breads, plus MIMOSAS (yum)! I walked away with LOTS of nice gifts and had the chance to finally connect with the ladies in the family. I'm including some of the pics from the party...

Happy Birthday, Sasha!

Our very own Little Miss Sasha turned 1 on February 5th! We researched various dog breeds and decided we wanted a British Lab...smaller than the American Lab and a bit more muscular, with a stocky build. We found a breeder in Atwater, named Diamond J Brit Labs. They had a litter due last February and we were looking to take our new pup home in early Spring, so it worked out perfectly!

Sasha has been the best purchase (though I don't really consider her a purchase) we've ever made. She has brought so much happiness into our lives and both Trav and I often wonder what we would do without her. She is amazing! If you haven't had the chance to meet her, maybe you will soon! She loves hugs and kisses...and her favorite thing to do is to swim in the lake up at the cabin.

Happy belated birthday, Miss Sasha Thumper!

Our Story...

It all began in May of 2003, on Wood Lake...a small lake in the city of Fifty Lakes, MN (near Crosslake for those of you that may not be familiar with Northern Minnesota). I was spending a week with girlfriends at the Jarvi family cabin...we had just graduated college from St. Ben's and most of us didn't have jobs, nor did we know what we were going to do with our lives once we made our way back to our hometowns! It just so happened that Trav's parents have a lakehome next door to where we were staying! It was "like" at first sight...and I spent the rest of the week referring to Travis as my boyfriend!

The next few years involved job changes for me, moving from my hometown of Faribault to Minneapolis, moving in with Travis, and going through the normal ups and downs of starting your adult life and trying to make it on your own. We bought our first house in May of 2005 in SW Minneapolis and we're still there! It is a work in progress, but with Travis being a carpenter, he's always full of big ideas and new projects. I'm sure once we get it the way we want it he'll be ready to move so he can have something else to work on! Carpenters are crazy!! But I won't complain about having a handyman in the house!

And then comes the next step...marriage! Travis planned an amazing weekend for us at Ludlow's Resort on Lake Vermilion in Cook, MN. The best part about the trip was that it was a surprise and I actually had to follow a set of clues, kind of like a treasure hunt, to make my way to the resort. So yes, I spent almost 5 h0urs in a car by myself, following a set of clues that Travis had left for me at random places...one clue was in our deep freezer, the next clue was at Lund's grocery store, the next at Hardee's in Hinckley, and the final clue was in an envelope taped inside my trunk. He really put a lot of thought into planning the weekend. He proposed that night and of course I said YES!

Wedding planning was so not my thing...and so Travis and I decided to have a private ceremony in Mexico. We were ready to tie the knot, so we booked our trip to Silversands Resort in Riviera Maya! On December 12, 2008 we exchanged our vows on the beach...just the two of us! It was absolutely beautiful and perfect. We spent 12 days enjoying the sun, beach, ocean, margaritas, and plenty of relaxation! It had been about 2 years since our last vacation and so we were in desperate need of a break from real life.

We arrived back to MN to temperatures in the single digits (brrr!) and just days before Christmas. Our holiday season brought us up north for a few days, and then back to Faribault to visit my family. And this brings us to now...starting a blog to keep all of our family and friends up to speed on any new developments in our lives! We'll share plenty of pictures of the wedding/honeymoon and of all the other fun journeys we may go on!

Travis and I are blessed to have such a wonderful group of people in our lives and hope you all know how wonderful you are...

Take care and check back soon!