playoff game

Yes...it's another football post from the Cartwrights...

The Vikings game this past Sunday was one of THE most thrilling & exciting experiences!!!! Nate & I lucked out going to the 2 best Vikings games in Minneapolis this season!!! Our seats were great, and we were loving it the entire time!! The dome was out of control - it was SO loud in there & completely exhilarating!!!!!! We got to the game nice & early so we could watch a little pregame & so we wouldn't miss a moment of the action. It was so intense & thrilling seeing all the players run onto the field...the crowd went crazy! The fans were lively & LOUD the entire game!!! Everyone was into it! Even little baby-girl Cartwright was enjoying the game. She spent most of the game kicking & moving around (cheering?!!). I'm sure she didn't love feeling her mom jumping around & screaming for 3 hours - but hey, we're a football family! She needs to learn someday...what better time than a huge playoff victory against Dallas?!!! I got enough 'prego' comments at the game too..."Yeah!! a future Vikings fan!!!...Vikings fan for life...." or, my personal fave for the day: "Name your baby Ragnar!!"...oh dear, crazy Vikings fans, have you taken a good look at Ragnar recently? I will NOT be naming our darling little 'chickadee' (as Nate called her this morning) after this man!

Also...we sat 10 rows below Jerry Jones - so funny to watch how miserable he was - he was NOT a happy Cowboys owner/GM on Sunday!! Anyway, it was super entertaining & I had a really really really great time. The Vikings looked Super Bowl-bound to me!

Anyway, we're getting really excited for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints! Let's hope for a Viking's victory...I guess New Orleans and the Vikings have played 25 times...and the Vikings have come out on top (they're 18-7)...let's hope for one more 'W' for the Vikes!!!!!

it's the most wonderful time of they year!!

Christmas went by too quickly this year! It was wonderful to have everyone together though!! We had a nice weekend together as a family. I love Christmas so much because it's full of cheer & love. I love the charming little things that make Christmas so wonderful.

It was our first married Christmas together. I am so in love with Nate. I'm lucky to be married to such a great man. I can't wait for this next year - I'm so excited to be a mom (especially after spending the weekend with our adorable nephew, Finn). I hope the next 11 weeks pass by quickly. I'm excited for our little girl to arrive!

Merry Christmas to all our friends & family.

adorable mr. finn

It was so great to see friends & family last week! I was lucky to be able to fly out to UT for a couple days & visit! I loved seeing everyone!!!! It was a really quick visit - but it was wonderful to see everyone again...and I loooooved meeting Finn (finally!!). He is adorable!!!! Honestly THE cutest little newborn. I instantly fell in love with him!! I can't wait till Christmas when we get to see the little guy again - and spend more time together - with the whole family!!!! So great!

15 days till Christmas (Eve)!!! And....13 1/2 weeks until we meet our little baby girl!!!!

new stroller

Our little girl will be riding in style!

We decided to return the stroller we originally bought...because Nate found this stroller at the baby store & we love it!!!! I'm so excited to get it!!! Who knew baby-shopping could be so much fun?!!! So so so excited for our stroller & car seat!!!! Merry Christmas to us...and to her :)

arkansas

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Cartwrights. Arkansas was great! I loved spending time with Nate's parents. We had a great time together! I fell in love with Fayetteville! It's an adorable town!!! So charming & cute!!

We loved relaxing with Jim & Alice - and wish we could have stayed longer. It was such a nice time for us. I also wish we would have taken some more pictures - I'm not sure why I forgot to take out the camera - but sadly, we only took pictures right before we left...Thanks, Jim & Alice for the great holiday together!!

"baby cartwright"

here's the short video clip from the fourth of july...in the bathroom, up at the cottage...sneaking in a pregnancy text...and...we're pregnant!!!!!!!!! I love it. it was such an exciting moment.

...and a photo from the last ultrasound (awhile ago)...for those of you who haven't seen the little girl's picture yet :)

26 weeks down....14 to go....I can't wait to be a mom!!!!! she's going to be so loved.

happy thanksgiving!

We're off to Arkansas for Thanksgiving this year - to visit Nate's parents!

I'm excited to spend the weekend relaxing with them. It's going to be a long road trip - but well worth it!! It'll be my first time visiting the state of Arkansas - and I'm excited to experience it! :) Full report to come when we return...

And then...in one week, I'll be off to the mountains...to spend a couple days with my family & friends...and meet my new nephew (yay! yay! yay!). I can't wait! It's going to be a great couple of weeks for me.

Happy Thanksgiving to all - I'm so grateful for the beautiful life Nate & I have been blessed with. I have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the joy we experience daily, and for the beautiful people who surround us and make us so much happier! It's been an incredible year for Nate & I - a year ago we weren't (quite yet) engaged...and now, a year later, I have an adorable husband and a baby girl on the way!! I am so grateful for the incredible amount of happiness I've experienced this past year - and for each of you who have added to that joy.

bucky love...and love for my grandparents....

we had a wonderful weekend together! it was one of my favorite weekends of this fall. we had so much fun with dad and uncle mike - and had a blast at the football game!

on saturday morning, we met up with my uncles at the avenue bar in madison - it's a really cool place - lots of character! nate was immediately harassed when one of the old men (drinking at 9 am belly up at the bar) found out he was an OHIO STATE fan! (yes - nate snuck his Ohio State t-shirt into the Badger weekend...he layered it under his clothes though...so it wasn't too bad...but still, he had to sneak it in to a Badger football weekend!). anyway, this old guy started shouting to EVERYONE, "LOOK at this! we have an OHIO STATE FAN in here!!!!!!!!....AHHHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!" he continued to repeat himself over & over to anyone who would listen (he told all the bartenders, and EVERYONE around). it was pretty funny!!!!!!! anyway, while at the avenue bar, we got to see a photo of my grandpa up on the wall - I never knew it was there. it's a pretty sweet photo. we took a picture of it on our iphones - not the greatest photo (of a photo) but you can see its a pretty sweet picture of grandpa miller! i was a proud granddaughter!

the game was so much fun - we had a great time cheering on the badgers with my dad. i was in heaven!!!! i absolutely love badger football games!!! it was so much fun watching them beat michigan - and listening to the crowd cheer - and hearing the band play - and watching 'jump around' (nate was a little freaked out because the stadium actually MOVES when everyone jumps...).

we also saw the CUTEST CUTEST CUTEST proposal at the game - the marching band tuba players marched around the entire stadium with each tuba player's instrument displaying a letter - (together, they all spelled out 'marry me?' in big red & white letters displayed on their tubas) - then they finally made it to the student section, stopped in front of the rest of the band (the girl being proposed to was in the band....) & then the guy proposed! it was adorable!!!!!!!!!! the student section started chanting 'she said yes! she said yes!' - it was super super creative & cute. so fun to watch!

it was a fantastic day for football! oh! and we bought our little baby cartwright her first Bucky gift - I'll have to post a picture of it, because it's AWESOME!!!! we got her this really round-tubby-looking Bucky stuffed animal - it's so so so funny & cute! she's going to love being a Badger-girl like her mom - always cheering against those goofy buckeyes!!!!!!!

nate and I spent the night with my grandparents on saturday night - it was so enjoyable to spend time with them. sadly I haven't been able to make it over to their house since my grandma started her chemo (she's almost done now!!!) - so I was really, really looking forward to spending time with them. I'm really lucky to have amazing grandparents - I really admire them. They are such neat people!! I really really admire my grandma - she's the mother of 6 children (within 6 years of each other!) and she's an amazing wife to my grandpa. She always has such a delightful attitude - and a positive outlook on life. I have always had such an admiration of their marriage & their commitment to their family. they truly are incredible people- so humble and generous and happy together- all qualities that I hope to strengthen in my own life. we had such a great time catching up with them - just the 4 of us!! it was a really special time for me to spend with my husband who I adore & 2 people who I absolutely admire. grandpa shared some really great stories from when he played football for the badgers - and grandma was her sweet, fun self, making us dinner - and pie - and showing us all her sewing projects (she knits a TON of mittens & booties for the whole family every year...and makes doll clothes to donate to children...and makes even more mittens to donate to children!!!!).

if you can't tell - it was one of my absolute favorite weekends I've had in a very, very long time! great memories!!

if you want to be a badger...just come along with me...

I'm so so so so so so excited for this weekend! We're headed to Wisconsin tonight with my dad & uncle Mike...going to the WISCONSIN vs MICHIGAN football game tomorrow!!!!!!!!! YAY! YAY! YAY! I can't wait!

Badger football games are one of my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite things!!! There are few things that come before my love for Wisconsin football....in fact, I really can't think of many.

I'm excited to see the Badgers STOMP on the Wolverines (and their arrogant QB, Tate Forcier!!...I'm not a fan!). Should be a good game for Wisconsin.

And, I'm excited for this: WISCONSIN JUMP AROUND

It's Nate's first BUCKY game - so we will make sure to show him a good time!

I'm also very excited to spend time with my grandparents tomorrow night - all this Bucky love started with them. It'll be great to stay with them for the night! I've been looking forward to this weekend all of fall - and it's finally here! I'm a happy happy girl!

oh...and this is for my husband...in case he tries to duck out on the jumpin-around...OHIO STATE PLAYERS JUMP

happy football weekend!!!!!!!!!

it's a girl! it's a girl!

Nate and I are thrilled to be having a little baby girl! We found out a couple weeks ago, and we couldn’t be more delighted!

Here are a couple photos from when we found out – we didn’t get many – but I’m happy we have a couple. It was such a great day! Such a great memory & so exciting to know we’re having a baby girl!

I’ve never been more nervous in my life – I was so anxious to know!! Nate was so calm and composed– I was a bit of a wreck. I asked him in the waiting room if he was nervous at all, and he replied confidently, ‘No. I know we’re having a girl!’ – sure enough, he was right!

I will forever remember how completely excited I was when we found out! It was such an amazing moment!! We can’t wait for the little girl to arrive in March.

Funny story: I thought it’d be cute to buy some pink & blue balloons the night before – (and an “it’s a boy” sign and an “it’s a girl” sign) – so we could get some cute pictures celebrating after the appointment.

So…we were leaving the party store – Nate had the pink balloons in his hand and I had the blue bunch in my hand – he put his in the backseat of the car (no problem!), and somehow I let go of mine!!!!!!! There they went….floating away into the dark sky!!!

Me: ‘Oh NO!!! Nate!!!! I let go of the balloons’
Nate (laughing): ‘Maybe it’s a sign…’

So funny! We went back in & got new blue balloons…but didn’t need them after all! I like the photo of our blue balloons floating away into the sky after we knew we were expecting a girl. So funny! Guess we didn’t need those silly things after all.

baby miller....almost here!

my little brother, ryan, and his beautiful wife, heather, are expecting their first baby any day now! it's the first grandchild in our miller family & I'm so so so so excited for the baby to arrive!

I know ryan & heather are going to be incredible parents - they both have such a passion for live, and a sense of adventure, and sincere enthusiasm. their little boy is blessed to have such amazing parents.

I love looking at pictures of ryan & I as kids...we were best buds...and it makes me heart happy! I'm so grateful for my family. I truly feel blessed to have grown up in a family with parents who gave us kids so much, who sacrificed so much for us to enjoy the things in life that truly brought us happiness, and who gave their all to being parents - and still continue to. As I approach motherhood, I feel such gratitude for my own parents who have given me so, so much.

I'm also so grateful to have 3 siblings who I absolutely adore. I cannot imagine a life without these amazing relationships. Each of my siblings brings such incredible joy to my life - they cheer me up, encourage me, strengthen me, show excitement for the things that bring me happiness, and fill my life with happiness. I'm so proud of each of them - for their successes, and for their pursuits....

ryan and heather - nate & I love you dearly. enjoy these moments! you will be a wonderful family. I can't wait to meet the little guy! love you. L

Ribbons & Bows...or Airplanes & Toads??

we want to know your guesses...will our life be full of ribbons & bows or airplanes & toads with this new little baby? we will be excited either way...but would love your predictions. so far, all of my friends have predicted a girl...what do you think? we are so excited to find out!!

I can't wait anymore!!!!!!

It's official. We're caving in!!! We are going to find out if we're having a little baby girl or boy! I can't wait anymore...I just need to know!!!

Nate & I both think it'll be so fun to finally know! It was exciting to think of waiting till the baby is born, but I think it'll make the next 4 1/2 months much more exciting to know if we're having a girl/boy.

We have an appointment with our doc tomorrow & are hoping to schedule the ultrasound sometime in the next week/two!!!!

I'm so so so excited right now. I can hardly wait to know!!!!!!! Ahhh! I'm so excited!

baby bump!

on monday I'll be halfway there!! 20 weeks! I'm hoping to celebrate with my hubby....and...

the baby bump is officially here!! I promised a few friends I'd post a picture of 'the bump' - I took this picture 4 or 5 days ago, and I'm pretty sure the bump is even bigger now!! some days I think it's cute...others, I don't. but mostly, I'm grateful the pregnancy has gone well so far. can't wait to be a mom!

never to soon to write up a christmas wish list

Dear Santa (or Dear Nate...or Dear Mom & Dad),

I would like this puppy for Christmas this year. I think I have included this puppy on my Christmas wish-list in years past, but maybe my 'wish' got lost with all the other 'Dear Santa' letters.

It's never to soon to start wishing again.

Love,
Leanna


Also - if SANTA can't/won't fulfill my wish this year - I'll happily, cheerfully, gratefully take it as my prize for winning our "Nate & Leanna Bucky v the Buckyes" football bet this weekend. Yes! That's it. If I win, I get a PUPPY! And, I'll name her Bucky.

xoxo.
LC