Sunday Blessing

This Sunday I am thankful to all of my friends and family members who have kids who have helped educate me throughout this whole pregnancy. I call my sister Holly every morning at around 9 am and every day I have at least half a dozen questions ready to fire at her. She is great because she is my sister so she gets down to the nitty gritty and tells me things that the doctor forgets to share with you. She has been wonderful getting me prepared for the blessed day. My mom continues to give me advice and even though it has been a while since she had kids, it is still very helpful. I am starting to have a little fear about the pain aspect of delivery and post op but she and my mother in law remind me that they pushed out a batch of babies without epiderals. Did I mention that Scott weighed 10 lbs and was 24 inches long. Linda you were a champ and mom you were too for carrying twins. Not sure if this body is capable of holding more than one Chandler baby. My friend's Breanna, Chanel and Casi have been great because they just had babies within the past few months so they remember all the details. It is neat to get different people's perspectives on pain, delivery, nursing etc... They have all been great fielding my questions and continue to fill me full of great advice. My sister in law Christe has been great because she was such a trooper. She went six weeks early with Carson and even though I wasn't there to witness it, handled the situation amazingly. She has been so supportive throughout my pregnancy and is always asking about how Lyla and I are doing. To my sisters who haven't had babies, Brooke and Apey, you guys have been awesome too! Brooke is my little pharmacist who helps me with all my questions about the medical side of pregnancy and she is has also been super supportive. I can always count on her for an answer. April is just good for a laugh. The words "gross" and "yuk" are used quite frequently when I have talked to her about the details of my pregnancy. She is my twin and I know she will always be there for me. I just wanted to thank all of you mommies and Aunties. I hope that I can be as supportive in your lives as you have been to me in mine. I love you all so very much and Lyla is so blessed to have so much love and support in her life.

Twins?

Over the past few weeks I have been asked numerous times if I am having twins. This does not make me very happy. The few people who have asked me didn't really speak English so I try and explain to them that my husband is very very big. I will never ask a pregnant woman if she is carrying multiples because trust me it sucks! I always get asked if I am due any day now. To this I respond with a smile and say no I have five weeks left. Who asks these questions? On a lighter note my back is killing me, my feet and hands go numb from time to time, my hips ache all night long, Lyla kicks and moves all day long and I get up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom. Third trimester is amazing!

Doctor's Appt.

Last week I started going to the doctor weekly. This week I had my strep b test and they examined my cervix...that was fun! As of now I'm not dilated or effaced so that is good news. My mom keeps joking that I need to hold her in until at least the 27th of May so she doesn't miss the delivery. I'm not quite sure how I could possibly get any bigger but I know I will make room. I am just so ready to have my old body back. I think the thing I miss most is being able to run up my stairs. I have a new appreciation for the elderly and I can sympathize with obese people.

Sunday Blessing (A little late)

This week I am thankful for Skype. For the two people who don't know what Skype is, it's a computer program that allows people to talk to family and friends via webcam. I probably am on Skype daily talking to family in Texas and Iowa. Just last night we were able to talk to my brother-in-law and his wife Christe for the first time via Skype. We hadn't seen them since February so it was great seeing them and seeing how big their kids have gotten. I also love calling my parents because it makes me feel closer to them when I can see them. Once Ape got Skype it was awesome...we call each other for no reason just to see what each other is doing. The best is when she calls me on the weekends and has me help her decide on what to wear when she goes out with friends. Skype has also made living out here a lot easier. I love talking to the Bezy's and seeing how goofy and adorable Max and Marlee are. Not to mention it is great for Holidays when we are out here in California while our families are all together back home. On Easter we were able to visit with my 88 year old Grandpa and Scott's parents and sister Deborah. Needless to say I am a big fan of Skype and probably save a lot of money on my cell phone bill each month. So thank you to whichever genius decided to create Skype.

Burkhalters Come To Town!

This past week Scott and I had the pleasure of entertaining my sister Brooke and her husband James. We had such an awesome time showing them around our stopping grounds. Brooke and I have very similar personalities so we always have a good time when we get together. It was so neat finally having alone time with Brooke. The last time we were able to have so much one on one time was when we were planning our weddings a few years ago. As hard as it is being so far away from family, I feel so blessed because when my family comes out to visit, I get them all to myself. The four of us had a blast all week laying out, eating yummy food, and trying to bear through the heat wave that went through San Diego. Thank you guys so much for making the time to come out and visit us. We loved every second of your company and we miss you so much already. Can't wait to see you two again. We love you!

Brooke and James posing in front of an excavator for our nephew Max

Boys at the Beach

Bulman Cousins

Attempting to hide my big pregnant belly

Anytime family comes into town, a pedicure is a necessity

The flowers Scott and James bought us at the Farmers Market

La Jolla, CA

Cave woman

La Jolla shore

Thanks again guys for the awesome visit. I can't wait for you all to come back out here. Sitting in the hot tub just isn't the same without you.

Burkhalters Coming to Town!

So excited because my sister Brooke and brother-in-law James are going to be here Friday. They haven't been out to San Diego yet so I am super excited to show them around. Friday can't get here soon enough. Can't wait to see you guys!!! Pictures and posts to follow once they get out here.

Easter Blessing

I thought with today being Easter it would only be fitting that my Sunday Blessing this week be Jesus. I believe the Resurrection of Christ goes down as the most important day in history. Never before and never again will a man be crucified only to raise himself from the dead as it was professed so many times leading up to Christ's life. What a glorious gift God gave us 1,976 years ago. In John 14:6 Jesus says "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." What this scripture tells us, and what Jesus preached throughout his 33 years on earth, is the only way we as sinners can reach salvation is through Jesus. Good deeds and a kind heart won't secure our place in heaven. We must recognize that we are all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. Jesus died for our sins, and the only way in which we can be with Jesus in heaven is to admit to our sins, acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for us and ask for God's forgiveness. I am so thankful for the gift of salvation and feel so incredibly blessed to have a husband and church that encourages me to want to be more like Jesus. This Easter Sunday I wanted to share this blessing with all of you and I pray that it might help open your heart to God's love. Happy Easter!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLJNpYbpNJo

Sunday Blessing

My friend Chanel turned me onto this idea of blogging about a blessing each week and so what better day to blog about your blessings than on Sunday. I will try and update my blog with a Sunday blessing every week, but we will see how long that lasts once Lyla arrives.

The first blessing I would like to blog about is our church, Community Bible Church. Scott and I have been so blessed in finding an amazing church since basically week one of being out here. I grew up in a pretty traditional Presbyterian church so CBC was quite a shock to me in the beginning. I remember after the first time I visited CBC I was sad when church was over. Growing up I couldn't get out of church fast enough but our Pastor, Barry Minkow, has an amazing gift. This is Barry's testimony in a nutshell...
At the age of 16, Barry Minkow started a carpet cleaning company in the family garage. By age 20, he had a 240 million-dollar company and was referred to as the "whiz-kid" of Wall Street. After milking highly educated investors out of millions of dollars, Barry's scam came to a sudden halt when he was arrested in 1987 at the age of 23 and sentenced to 25 years in the federal prison. Against all odds, and with a 26 million dollar court awarded restitution nailed over his head, Barry decided it was time to make a change. During his time in prison, Barry felt the calling of God in his life. With a call to the ministry and an unquenchable fire burning in his heart, he headed his life full speed ahead in that direction. After serving 8 years of his sentence with an unblemished record and with the recommendation of the sentencing judge, Barry was released into society. In the judge's own words, "Barry can do more for his victims out of prison than he can in prison."

There are so many Christians who judge people based on tattoos, piercings, clothing, etc. CBC does an amazing job of making anyone from any background feel welcome. We have ex cons, ex drug addicts, ex porn addicts worshiping together in an environment that is accepting of their past. It is easy for us as Christians to judge and point our fingers at these people but we are all sinners and are all in need of Jesus. When we first got to CBC I sent Barry an email about Scott playing for the Chargers and that if he ever wanted Scott to speak to the kids at the church we would love to help out. Barry took us up on the offer and Scott spoke with the junior high, high school and I shared my testimony with the junior high girls. It wasn't long before we started getting involved in the church. We fell in love with the kids from Ampt (the junior high church) and continue to spend our Sundays with these kids. I have met so many awesome people at CBC in small groups, bible studies, and at Ampt. I couldn't imagine living out here so far from my family without this church family. They have welcomed Scott and I with open arms and have really made us feel like we were part of this church community. CBC has been such a blessing to both of us and this week I wanted to share with all of you just how much we appreciate our church.

All done!

So this summer my sister April introduced me to a little book series by Stephenie Meyer...yes the Twilight series. Well it took me about a month to read the first three in the series and a ridiculous seven months to finish the last book. I think the reason it took me so long was partly due to me getting pregnant and reading "mommy" books and also due to the fact that I knew once I read the last book it was all going to be over. Well I finished it finally! It took me re-watching the movie Twilight to get back into the final book. I must say that I am sad it is over. Kind of embarrassing because kids in middle school and high school are going nuts over these books but they were addicting. Who wouldn't want to read about vampire love? Well I just wanted to give a shout out to my sissy April who exposed me to the books. I can officially say that the books were an awesome waste of time. Love you sis!

Friends

Thought I would show off Lyla's best friend Abbi and her boyfriend Cannon.

Abbi Makena Brown, our good friends Dan and Casi's little girl.

Cannon Wade Clary, my friend Breanna and Scott's teammate Jeromey's little boy.

Two Year Anniversary

Scott went above and beyond for our "last" anniversary before kiddies. The day was pretty relaxing starting off with me laying out while Scott worked out. When he got home we played it pretty low key with reading, video games, and a few games of sequence. As day turned into evening we got our fancy clothes on and headed downtown San Diego. We had reservations at Flemmings and ordered almost everything on the menu. We ordered Cajun shrimp and sweet Chile calamari as an appetizer. I ordered a petite fillet and potatoes. Scott ordered a New York strip with some garlic mashed potatoes. For dessert Scott we split a chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream with homemade whip cream and raspberries. The cake was by far the best part of the meal because when you cut into it, chocolate sauce erupted out of it. Once dinner was over we headed over to the Omni where we stayed for the night. Once we got to our room Scott had champagne and the best chocolate covered strawberries I have ever had in my entire life. Scott was too full from dinner so oops I had to eat all three because I didn't want them to go to waste. We ended the night by renting a movie and just digesting for the next few hours. When we woke up we were still full from the night before. Eventually our appetites came back and Scott had amazing french toast and fresh orange juice all lined up with room service. Once we finished our breakfast we headed home and said goodbye to our little mini vacation. I was sad that our anniversary was over but feel so blessed to have such a thoughtful husband who planned such an amazing evening. Thank you hunny for going above and beyond yet again. I love you!

Coronado Island, the view from our room.