wait...what?!

okay say what you want but "pregnancy brain" 100% EXISTS! Unbelievable things I have done lately have made me question my sanity. Leaving my phone at my mother in laws house, then after Jake so graciously drove to get it, I forgot it at home the next day. oye. Jake's love must be pretty great for him to keep up with me...and my things.

BTW I'm getting huge and it's only just begun. Totally worth it though! :) I've started feeling Roo but Jake can't just quite yet. Hopefully within the next few weeks he will be able to. It's like a little fish swimming around in your guts. Amazing.

Thank you

Jake...I love you. We say it 800 times a day. We do not get off the phone without saying it. Even when we are fighting. We somehow manage to grunt out an "i love you". But do I tell you how much I appreciate you? How you are my angel? How you are my absolute best friend? Well I do and you are. Life with you isn't perfect...nowhere near but anything and everything we go through is worth it. I couldn't and wouldn't want to do anything in life without you. Do you know how much you touch other peoples lives? Well you do. Every person you come in contact with, you leave a permanent mark on thier lives in such a short time. It doesn't take much...one glance at your gorgeous smile...a hint of your contagious laugh...the slightest touch of your loving and careful hands. Know this. Know how you touch and impact lives. How is it I got so lucky to have you all to myself? How is it that I am blessed enough to be carrying your child? To be able to create the best parts of you and me into one single miracle? You are simply the most affectionate, caring, and passionate man I've ever know. Truly an inspiration especially to me...your wife. This is just a thank you for being you and making me who I am.
I love you
not only for what you are
but for what I am when I'm with you
I love you
not only for what you have made of yourself
but for what you are making of me
I love you
for passing over all my faults and weak traits
that you can't help but see
I love you
for finding my inner workings and drawing out my beauty
that no one else looked quite hard enough to find

Home Sweet Home

WE ARE OFFICIAL HOMEOWNERS! :) A couple of weeks ago, Jake and I signed the contract on our first home together! We basically went through hell trying to find a house...between losing houses to contracts or just plain being too picky...we finally found THE perfect home for the PERFECT price. Everything works out exactly how it's supposed to and I could not believe that more. It's the perfect location for both of us with just the right amount of space. It's three bedroom with a playroom/flex room in between the spare bedrooms. It even has a study! Upgraded features like granite, kitchen cabinets, lighting, carpet, covered patio, and sprinkler system. We got a great deal because they included ALL the appliances (even front load w/d), wood blinds throughout the house, and all the closing costs! We saved for having to pay about $12K in closing costs and down payment but because they are paying for most of that, we are saving so much money! We are using some of that money to put in wood floors in the living room and paint the entire house. WE close October 25th and will hoepfully move in that following weekend! :) Cannot wait to be out of this apartment to tell you the truth...it's driving me nuts! I need some space for my stuff! Maybe I just have too much stuff?!?!?! :) Pictures of the house are on facebook...check them out!

The Manchaca's plus one :)

Flying HM Ranch

God is doing amazing things in Jake's life right now. Obviously with me and the baby :) not to brag or anything but also in terms of some things he has ALWAYS wanted to do. His job is going great but he's got some other things he's been working really hard on the past couple of months. Ryan, my sisters boyfriend, and him have been writing a business contract to start a land and cattle ranch out in Winters, Texas. They have found potential investors which will get things up and running. He is passionate about EVERY SINGLE thing he does but this is his dream and I love watching God unfold it in front of our eyes. Everything just seems to fall into place at the perfect time :) I will keep ya'll updated in this matter...just pray for his guidance and wisdom as he takes this huge risk for our family and to see his dream come true.

Update on Roo

Roo is doing great! I have a wimpy attempt at a baby bump...but it is there! As of tomorrow (the day I've been waiting for for the past 10 weeks is FINALLY upon us) I will begin my second trimester which hopefully *fingers crossed* means that the nausea and headaches will subside. This is the trimester where you apparently feel the best you have ever felt in your life and you get to actually enjoy being pregnant. Not that I haven't enjoyed it because HELLO I have a little miracle...the best part of Jake and I...growing in me as we speak...BUT I could've gone without the nausea. That was definately the worst part. With all of that said, it is without a doubt totally worth every visit to the toilet! God has blesses us with this beautiful little creature that we get more anxious as days go by about meeting! We have our next appointment next week and then the appointment after that, we will hopefully find out the sex of the baby :) I'M DYING TO KNOW! Even though not knowing hasn't really stopped me from buying things (duh...have you met me?!) but it would make it a whole lot easier. Obviously I don't care one way or the other what it is and neither is Jake; we just want Roo to be healthy. At the last appointment, we got to hear the little heartbeat. SOOOO PERFECT! After hearing that, you can't exactly help but LOVE life. HOW AMAZING IS GOD?!?! So tomorrow, Roo will graduate from the size of a peach to the size of a lemon. Kicking and moving which is really what makes mommy queasy. Roo can also hear now so we are starting to be careful about what we say. Jake talks to him/her every night and every morning...adorable. BIGGEST downside?!?!...I can no longer sleep on my tummy. Sad day. Jake went and got me the mommy pillow which is like a contoured body pillow for pregnant women to sleep comfortably on their side and even a little on thier stomach. It takes the pressure off the stomach. IT'S AMAZING...AND it's zebra print! :) just a small plus. Jake has been absolutely wonderful. I recently started experiencing back pains and he gets up in the middle of the night if I'm hurting and gives me a back rub...cleans the apartment when I'm just too exhausted to. I'm pretty lucky :) We think we've finally settled on names but we aren't revealing those just yet. Roo says hi and he/she can't wait to meet everyone!

Momma M & Baby Roo

Apologies

Man how crazy lhas life been?! Between our jobs, the baby, adjusting to married life (which isn't really any different...just better :)), and of course just everyday life things, I have found it really hard to blog and keep up. But I promise that will start changing because things seem to be slowing down just enough. By no means am I complaining because God has blessed us with several incredible things these past couple of months that I wouldn't have it any other way. It will come in several posts so prepare yourselves :)

Dr. Appointment

Everything went great at our doctors appointment. First thing they did was do an ultrasound. I thought they were going to do it vaginally because I am still only 7 weeks but they ended up doing it over my belly with the gel which took me by surprise. Not that I'm complaining or anything but I was totally prepared for the more invasive procedure. She pushed around on my belly and showed me the size of the uterus which is about the size of a grapefruit right now and then my bladder. She then showed me my yolk sac which is what is responsible for releasing all those hormones that cause the breast tenderness and nausea...not to mention the oh-so-famous pregnancy mood swings. Which haven't been so bad...although Jake might have a different side of the story. :) FINALLY she got to the placenta where the baby was. It was soo tiny but you could definately see the heartbeat. It was amazing! We couldn't hear it but could definately see it. Jake couldn't stop squeezing my hand! It was adorable! Roo is currently measuring right at 7 weeks and 3 days and the due date the doctor gave me was March 31st! That was the best part of the whole appointment. Afterwards, we did a consultation for family history as well as the not so fun exam. And of course the whole pee in a cup and bloodwork business which apparently will be happening every time I have an appointment. Our next appointment is September 9th when I'm 11 weeks...which means I will be one week from the end of my first trimester! YAY! NO MORE NAUSEA! :) Although she did give me some miracle drugs that don't hurt the baby that help with the nausea. So far so good! I have a long list of things I will not eat. I added wings to them last night. :( It was a sad day! Another reason why it was a sad day...at the beginning of the day my clothes fits perfect...by the end, it gets a little snug and uncomfortable. They say its normal and eventually they won't even button in the morning which apparently will be the next couple of weeks because I'm smaller in size so I will most likely show quicker. Which I'm okay with simply because right now I just feel like I look fat, not pregnant! Belly band here I come! :)

Here is the first picture of our sweet baby!

Guessing Game

What to eat and what not to eat...THAT is the question. It's an absolutely complete guessing game as to what is going to make me sick and what Roo is actually going to like. Apparently he's a little picky like his mommy! :) So far, PB&J, tomato basil soup, shrimp, and garlic bread makes me sick...barftastic. Roo LOVES fruit...which I'm not gonna complain about but I cannot eat fruit every meal. I need a little variety here! If I'm making something I haven't eaten while I was pregnant yet I'm not really sure if it's gonna make me sick either until I gag as it enters my mouth (shrimp) or until about an hour after I eat when I get sick to my stomach. I'm at 6 weeks and 3 days right now and my stomach is already getting harder and a tiny little pouch is sticking out. Our first appointment is this Thursday and I cannot wait to get our first picture of Roo! :) VERY exciting time for us! We ask for prayers that everything goes and looks well at the appointment. Also, we are still looking at houses with one particular one we absolutely love...we are just "patiently" waiting for our pre-approval paperwork to be finished so we can finally make an offer. Praying for the Lord's guidance and light as we make this very large and expensive decision for our growing little family! We will keep you updated.

Prayer Request: Shannon, Jake's cousin, is having some health issues and will get more information from her doctor this week as to where to proceed from here. Also, Jake and I's friend, Amy Reed, her father is going through chemotherapy for stage 4 liver cancer...please pray for the Lord's light and healing hands as they face this difficult time.

Ashley & Roo Manchaca

One Year

It has been exactly one year since we said our "see you laters" to one of the greatest men I've ever known. Carroll Lewis Clark...or as he was known to us, Granddaddy. He taught me that you don't always have to say "I love you" especially when he showed you like he did. He had an incredible way of showing how much he cared and loved each and every one of us. Love like crazy...always. I know he is still watching over us, he just has a better seat...next to Jesus and Uncle Mike which doesn't really get much better. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that he had something to do with our little blessing. He couldn't wait to have babies in the family again :) I would like to take this time to thank everyone who offered prayers and thoughts during this past year without him. It made our family stronger and definately helped us get through it together. I know he will give Roo a kiss before we ever get to see him/her. He is always in our hearts and ALWAYS on our minds. I love you and miss you every single day granddad.

ah sweet relief

Found some relief to my nausea...a combination of a hot bath and those stupid bracelets I never thought would ever work. Who would've thought?!?!

Summer is over

So we officially started volleyball today...blah. The summer was extremely too short. I really would've liked to spend a little more time at home. We are honestly still trying to catch up from EVERYTHING that happened in the past two months :) ALL blesses things! God is good ALWAYS. Well back to volleyball. We have some extremely talented girls coming up and I am really excited to work with them. They seem like a really fun group of girls which could pose a problem for me. See...my biggest issue is when the girls are fun and outgoing it's really hard for me to be the authortative figure I should be. But I learned from last year that I can't slack in that department. So bring on the running! :) MWUAHAHAHAHAHA!
Jake and I are continuing to look for a house...we have a couple of really good leads but I'm not giving details until we put an offer on a house :)
We have decided on calling the baby "Roo" for now until we decide if it's going to be a boy or a girl. We are just really tired of calling it...well "it"! Taken from Winnie the Pooh and if you still don't understand it, please ask someone who had a real childhood surrounded by the Hundred Acre Woods. :)
The pregnancy is going great so far. I am definately beginning to feel the rage of hormones. I easily get upset...and I'm talking about the stupidest commercials I will be bawling. Or I will randomly gag from a smell that has been rejected by my nose. Oh and that lovely thing called "morning" sickness?!?! Morning sickness MY ASS! I feel great in the morning besides the normal exhaustion but come 4:00 in the afternoon...I'm toast! Everything is nauseating. It's fabulous! :) It should be hitting me any minute now as we speak. yay.

Blessings,
Momma to be :)

Miracles Happen

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the
heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
James 1:17

Since we have informed all of our family memebers and closest friends, it is now time to go public with the news we have had a very hard time keeping to ourselves. Jake and I are expecting a beautiful miracle in late March/early April! Although it's a little sooner than expected, we could not be more ecstatic! This is all a part of God's plan for us. We feel as though He knows our relationship is strong enough for a child and that we are prepared for this. My first appointment is August 12th so I will know more details then. I'm honestly interested to know how far along I am when she measures me because sometimes I feel like I am further along than we think. I cannot tell if I'm bloating or if I am really already starting to show. Holy moly! This blog will probably turn into the wonders and tribulations of pregnancy :) So far, it hasn't been so bad but then again I'm only about 5 weeks along. According to all the books, all the dreaded things don't hit until 6 or 7 weeks but I'm definately ready for the ride! Who knew such a tiny little thing could make you SSOOOO tired?!?! I am exhausted from going up and down the stairs or doing a load of laundry. Apparently, in early pregnancy, your body does more work sitting down doing nothing than a person that just ran a marathon....HOLY EXHAUSTION! It's nuts! I've also been cramping which I freaked out a little about at first because I started to think something was wrong but the books say it's completely normal. It's simply your insides moving around and preparing to make room for baby. The placenta is growing and thickening as well as the uterus which causes the cramps. It's funny how instinctual you become automatically. I don't like Tini standing on my tummy...even though I know the baby is already well cushioned I just freak out a little. I hope I don't become an over-obsessive mom....I'm pretty sure Jake won't let me! :) Speaking of Jake, he is CRAZY excited! He gets more excited every day and I love it. He will just come sit by me and rub my belly...adorable right?! He's already talking about wanting a boy but he doesn't wanna get too excited about a boy for obvious reasons. Either way, I know he is going to make an amazing daddy :) Our kid will be one of those kids with a pony and everything else they've ever wanted! And I never feel alone. It's really weird but it's like I have a best friend with me all the time! My life is so amazingly blessed...I almost feel like I don't deserve it. Well I will definately be keeping everyone updated on how things are going! Sending blessings your way.

Ashley & Baby Manchaca :)

SOME wedding pictures :)

Best Day of our Lives 6.18.10

Well the rehearsal started off a little off-kilter because Jake's family got stuck at an accident so they were like 30 minutes late which made my stress level rise but once they got there it was perfect. Daddy revealed his amazing cross decorated with an "M" that he handmade. We ate at Swinging Door BBQ with our closest friends and family. Jake and I then split for the night. I spent the night with my girls in a hotel room and I really don't wanna know what Jake did! :)

To be quite honest, the whole day went without a glitch! Not one mentioning at least. My dress, the cakes, the food, the dancing, the pictures, the videos, the guests, EVERYTHING was just perfect and I could not have asked for it to have been any better.

The best part...

The whole day, it hadn't really kicked in that I was getting married in a few short hours UNTIL my hair and makeup were done and my veil was on. That was when the freaking out started...not the freaking out like "I don't know if I wanna do this" but a freaking out like "I can't believe I will be marrying my best friend in a few hours". It was a wonderful feeling. I then focused on having fun with my girls and then I was in the brides room alone with my sister while the girls where outside getting lined up and it finally all hit me...this is actually happening! :)AAAHHHHH! I was never nervous I just couldn't wait to see him at the alter. When those doors finally opened it was like...well unlike anything I could've imagined feeling. Everything after that went sooo fast! But when I look back on pictures I know that I will forever remember that feeling because it was so well captured. Definately a day I will never forget. Especially becoming Mrs. Jake Manchaca :)

Advice to upcoming brides: Enjoy EVERY moment because it comes and goes sooooo fast!

The newest Manchaca :)

WAY behind!

It has been well over a month since I have blogged and I'm sure you all understand. I did get married, go on my honeymoon, and get situated with Jake in our apartment. Life could not be more perfect right now. I am enjoying my summer off from work even though volleyball officially starts back next week with our freshman camp. I stay busy with shopping, movies, and cleaning or decorating the apartment...like I said it's a good life right now! :) Jake is still working for his brother while he continues to wait to hear back from the job he interviewed for before the wedding. He was called back for a second interview two weeks ago and we are waiting to hear their final decision. We've been praying about it and no matter what the outcome we know that God is ALWAYS good. We have also been looking at houses in the Cinco Ranch area which is in Katy. Our lease is up in November and we will want to be in a house at that point so we went ahead and started looking. We have fallen in love with two very different houses :) which is definately a good thing but we like different things about each house so it's hard! We are waiting to hear back about Jake's job before we make an offer or anything like that which luckily gives us a little time to pray and decide which house we feel is the best house to start our family in! :)

Now that you're a little caught up on our lives as of right now...onto the details of the wedding day! :)

5 days !!!!!!

OMG!!!! I cannot believe the wedding is 5 days away. I just thought planning a wedding was stressful but it's the week leading up to the wedding that is going to be really stressful...I can already tell! Definately exciting though! On top of all the wedding stuff going on this week I have a job interview on Tuesday.
The past few weeks have been pretty fast pase and fun with a lot of the wedding stuff going on. The videographer met with us last week and it was so much fun working with him and I can't wait to see the final video. Ummmm, so I'm not gunna lie I am pretty pumped about going to Hawaii a week from today. How crazy is it to be going on a huge vacation like this without parents of anyone else? Its going to be an amazing Honeymoon! We are going horse back riding, zip line riding through the forest, and snorkeling. We are also going to go see Pearl Harbor which was amazing the last time I went to Hawaii!!! I think we are also going up on a volcano and then to a Pineapple farm!!!! OMG I cant wait to spend 10 days in a beautiful place with my beautiful new wife!!!!
P.S.
Did I mention I am getting married in 5 days and will be able to finally call Ashley MY WIFE!!!!
Getting our marriage license last week was so cool. Things started to hit me how crazy fast everything is coming up now. Well, in five days we will get to see everyone at Briscoe ! I finally get to see Ashley's dress and get to wear my new gator boots at the wedding :) Love you guys and cant wait for the wedding!!!!!

Proposal

This was the most incredible day of my life...that is until June 18th :) It could not have been more perfect. The videos are backwards so watch the last one first.

Summer is HERE!

Man am I super excited to be done with school! The last day with kids was Thursday and then we had to go in briefly on Friday to submit grades and check out for the year...and of course say bye to some of my favorite people...most of which I will see on June 18th anyways. Overall, my first year of teaching was way better than I expected. I completely fell in love with the staff (some of which are now some of my very best friends) and the kids were definately an experience. Of course there were some stinkers but for the most part, they were great. I wouldn't have made it through had I not coached. :) It is definately my favorite part of my job.

I ended in a bang. We finally got our TAKS scores back and not only did 10th grade ELA go up 1% but I had a very low failure rate. :) That's definately hard work paid off! Another thing I am particularly proud of is the intervention Megg and I conducted with specific students who did not pass TAKS because of their essay scores. Those of you not familiar with TAKS, if you do not get a 2 or higher on your essay, you automatically fail TAKS regardless of whether you got every multiple choice right or not. So we met with these students once a week for four weeks to go over in detail how to write a TAKS essay step by step. There were 55 students in our intervention. We got the results back the last week of school and out of all of those kids, 54 passed! 98% passed! WAHOOOOOO! :) if that doesn't make a teacher appreciate thier job then I don't know what does. I called Jake and he was so ecstatic for me! Talk about support. When great things happen, he is the first person I call and tell because if it's important to me, I know without a doubt that it is equally important to him. How lucky am I?! He made sure I knew he was proud of me without actually having to tell me :) LOVE HIM!


These next two months without school will definately be amazing but I think I will definately be ready for volleyball to start come the end of July. :) This time I will be Coach Manchaca! EEKKKK!

ALM :)

Guest Count

We finally got all the RSVP's so we could give the caterer a final headcount...final. geez I remember last March when we booked Briscoe and they were talking about when we would need to give them the final numbers and final plans and final this, final that....it all just seemed so far away. And now it's here and we could not be more anxious! :) So our count is at 196. Perfect. Our incredible friends and family that have watched our relationship grow into what it is today over the past 4 years will be there on our amazing day. I cannot imagine it being any other way.

We are down to the little details now. Printing and tying the programs, getting pictures to the videographer for the slideshow, finalize the music, put together all the bridesmaid gifts, printing and sending out the invitations for the rehearsal dinner and the bridal brunch.

10 days as of tomorrow :) then 12 days till we are in Hawaii for 10 days enjoying being a married couple!

Ashley

CLC

Colt Carlton was born today!! And he is the most precious thing! He was born at 12:30pm (I made it JUST in time) weighing 6 pounds 12 ounces and measuring at 19 inches long! He has really long feet and really long fingers! He is the first boy on my moms side of the family in 51 years so he will definately be spoiled and DEFINATELY know how to treat a lady with all us girls around. They named him Colt L. Carlton. The middle name is not determined yet but it will start with a "L" to ensure he has the same initials as grandaddy who passes away this past August. I know that he was kissed by Grandaddy and Uncle Mike today before he was born! :) And man...let me tell you...the baby fever has definately spiked today! :) Here are some pictures! Congrats to the new parents, Spenser and Ozzie!