Month: May 2016

Our Second Year

mrskfitLeave a comment

 

 

 

View More: http://bricibene.pass.us/ribeiros

Photo credit: Bri Cibene Photography  . View more photos of our day here.

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 2 years!! There sure have been a lot of changes happening, and as I reflect on how far we’ve come, I can’t help but smile. I’m sure every wife says this, but I truly have the best husband in the world. He’s constantly surprising me every day. If you ask him what his motivation is to work hard, he’ll say me; and now…our soon-to-be family. Over the past year, he has set a goal for himself to read 50 self-improvement books…and he finished with 2 months left! I am so proud of him and his dedication to continue bettering himself.

I never have to ask him to wash the dishes (his momma raised him right!), and he won’t complain if I ask him to scrub the tub or put gas in my car. If I don’t feel like cooking dinner, he shrugs it off and says, “Ok, let’s go out.” I feel undeserving most days because he is so good to me. I often ask myself, “What did I do to deserve such a love?”

Shortly after we were married, I had a quote from Kendrick’s vows to me framed. Growing up, I had written about my future husband and fantasized how we would meet and what he would look like. I wrote a list of qualities that I hoped he would have and prayed that he was out there…somewhere. It’s funny because Kendrick doesn’t even compare… He is more than what I could have ever imagined. He possesses qualities that I didn’t even know I wanted. God certainly knew what He was doing when he brought us together… I wish I could have been there, sitting next to Him when He saw all of it unfold. He must have been grinning from ear to ear.

“Everything you are is everything that I couldn’t even allow myself to dream of, because I never thought I deserved it.” -Kendrick, 5-23-14

This past year has been full of amazing blessings. And our most recent blessing…our little one that will be joining our family in December. I thought it would be fun to look back at the highlights/ adventures we had during our second year.

  1. My sister moving to California! I am so grateful to have her here, even more so now that we are pregnant. She is the only family we have on the west coast, so she has a very important role to play once this baby comes 😉

IMG_5737

2. Our belated honeymoon in Hawaii! In September, we finally got to take our honeymoon. Kendrick had been before, but it was my first time! We stayed on Oahu, and rented an AirBnb guest house in Kailua for 4 nights, then spent one night in Waikiki Beach. The best part of renting an AirBnb was all the sporting gear and equipment we got to use for free! They had a two-person kayak that we used to adventure out to the Mokulua Islands. My favorite part of our trip was our amazing sunrise hike in Lanikai. We had to get up super early so that we could watch the sunrise over the Mokulua Islands. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.

IMG_7164

Arriving in Hawaii

IMG_7431

Hanging on Moku Nui Island in the middle of the Pacific. This is where we kayaked from Kailua Beach

IMG_7459

Beautiful Kailua Beach

IMG_7316

Pillbox Hike in Lanikai (pardon my poor Panorama skills)

IMG_7312

Pre-sunrise

IMG_7332

Here comes the sun!

IMG_7344

3. Kendrick running the NYC Marathon! I could spend a whole post writing about this weekend, but I will try to make it short. We have a close friend and client who was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease. For those who don’t know what it is, it has been described as a combination of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s mixed into one. She came to Kendrick shortly after he started training her, and asked if he would be willing to run the NYC Marathon with her. She wanted to complete this lifetime goal before her symptoms progressed.  And guess what?? She DID! You can read more about Christy and her inspirational story here. 

IMG_6143

Kendrick and Christy at the Finish Line!

4. Starting my blog! 

5. Finding out we are pregnant! 

ultrasound with writing

angie holding tummy.jpg

 

 

Happy Anniversary babe! To another chapter in our book…I love you.

❤

Our new addition: Baby K-Fit!

mrskfit4 Comments

 

The Ribeiros are expecting!

I am so happy to announce that Kendrick and I are expecting!! Baby K-Fit will be arriving in early December! It’s been a whirlwind past couple weeks, and I am so relieved to finally share the news.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I wrote in my journal and detailed everything from that day. I want to share with you my first journal entry, but before I do…here’s a little backstory…

Kendrick and I were on the same page with children; we knew we both wanted them, we just weren’t sure when exactly that would be. I love kids and actually worked as a Nanny before we got married.  I could have been ready for kids as soon as we got married, but I’m glad we decided to wait a couple years. I didn’t want to rush into motherhood, but also knew that starting a family was something very important to me (and Kendrick). Our first year of marriage flew by, and it wasn’t until last September that we got to finally take our belated honeymoon.

I have a friend who had a baby in September, and my sister-in-law had her first child in January, so unfortunately (or fortunately) I started getting baby fever. By the time we went home for Christmas, I had already stopped taking birth control and the plans for Baby K-Fit were in full swing. We weren’t sure how long it would take to get pregnant, so we just assumed that it could take up to a year, and if it happened earlier, then we would be just as happy!

Fast forward to April 5, the day we found out the news! I want to share with you the excerpt that I wrote in my journal.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Today I found out I’m pregnant! It feels so surreal. The reality hasn’t sunk in yet…but if this baby is healthy and able to grow …I’m going to be a mom! So here’s how it happened…

Kendrick and I have been preparing for this. So it was not a complete surprise. I took an ovulation test last month so I knew that we had “done it” when we were supposed to. I didn’t think we would get lucky and it would happen on the first try! Kendrick said I had been irritable with him over the weekend. I didn’t think too much of it as I have not experienced any other symptoms except a slight increase in appetite. I was supposed to get my period on Sunday; and when it didn’t come I just thought, “Oh I’ll get it…there’s no way I’m pregnant yet.” I’ve been cognizant of the fact that getting pregnant is a miracle and not every woman is blessed with that opportunity. I recently read about a blogger I follow who had a miscarriage…and I am still worried that will happen to me. So today, when I realized I am 3 days late, I decided to buy a pregnancy test. I told Kendrick and he was getting excited about the impending possibility. I went to CVS, bought a test, and drove quickly home. Kendrick wasn’t home yet, so I took the test alone. Right after I did it, I placed it on the counter and waited. This particular test had a countdown…so I saw that it was reading the test. Then, it appeared.

pregnancy test

Could it be?? Is this how simple it was?? A life changing moment in a matter of seconds. I tried to act calm… I knew Kendrick was on his way home and wondered how I should tell him.

I decided to wait and let him see the test for himself. I heard his car pull up and got anxious…then heard him turn the key- his eyes met mine.

“Did you do it?” he asked.

I smiled. “You didn’t wait for me?” he teased.

“I have something I want to show you…” I said.

We walked together to the bathroom where the test was sitting on the counter. He looked down at it.

“Oh my gosh…” he said. “I know…” I replied and we embraced. I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

“I think I’m going to cry.” he said.

“Me too.”

“I’m going to be a dad.”

I nodded. “I want to take another test to be sure..but the test popped up pretty quickly. I think I’m pregnant.” I said still stunned.

me and K with test

Kendrick couldn’t have been more excited. I am so blessed to have a husband who can share in this joy with me- and it’s something that we both want.

Shortly after all this happened he went for a run. When he returned he was already starting to worry about our child’s future.  I told him that’s where we just have to do our best and pray that God takes care of the rest. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Thank you to our family and friends for your support and prayers for us.

We are thrilled to be starting our family and lucky to have you along for the ride!

xo

Mrs. K-Fit and Baby K-Fit

❤

Why My Mom Is My Hero

mrskfit2 Comments

 

View More: http://bricibene.pass.us/ribeiros

In honor of Mother’s Day…I want to write about the best mother of all time – my mom.

The last time I got to see my mom was in January during the holidays. She lives in Pennsylvania with my dad, and so we usually only see each other twice, or if we’re lucky, three times a year. These visits are often short, less than a week, and they always go by too fast.

Growing up my mom was my teacher, literally! My sister and I were home-schooled until I was in 3rd grade and she was in 2nd grade.  We usually got our school work done by lunch, and then we were able to have “recess” in the backyard! My mom also ran a daycare out of our home. I never realized it at the time, I just thought all the neighborhood kids came over to have play-dates with us.

There were times though when I didn’t like being home-schooled. Particularly as I got older and realized that all the other kids got to walk to school…yes, I complained about not being able to walk to school. And so, my precious mother would zip up my backpack, lace up my shoes, and take my sister and I for a walk to the school. Of course, when we got there we would turn around; but I always wondered what the kids inside were doing.

When I was 8 years old, I finally got to go to school for the first time! My parents moved us to Pennsylvania the summer before I started 3rd grade.  I still remember my first day of school. I was wearing a lime green jumper and a pair of Sketchers. I don’t look very happy in the photos, probably because I was so nervous and had no idea what to expect. I remember sitting in the cafeteria and thinking, “Oh, so this is where the kids eat lunch.” It was all so new to me.

Anyway, back to my mom, whom this is all about. My mom and I had a great relationship through the rest of my grade school years. We never fought…even when I was a teenager. I’m sure there were times when I got mad at her, but I can honestly never remember having a screaming match or anything with her. It’s just not like me. She and I are very alike in our personalities; I think that’s what makes us get along so well.

My mom has always been a woman of faith, and has trusted in the Lord through every phase of life. She always stands up for what she believes in, which makes me admire her that much more. She loves to run, and can easily beat me in any long-distance race.

Here she is running the St. Luke’s Half Marathon in Allentown, PA. 

She embodies health and well-being for me in such a positive way and continues to defy age and use the gifts God has given her in extraordinary ways…like running half-marathons!

She turns 50 this August, and will be visiting us in California during that time. She signed up to run the Water to Wine 10K in Napa, and being the faithful servant that she is, God has pressed on her heart to raise money for the non-profit: Christmas Box International. They serve children who are victims of abuse and neglect; and their assistance ranges from providing resources such as food, clothing, and other supplies; to safe houses for those who have been neglected and abused; as well as mentoring relationships for those moving from the children’s to the youth programs. Her goal is to raise $2,500 by race day in August. If you would like to donate, please visit my mom’s fundraiser page here.

 

My mom will be receiving a surprise this Mother’s Day…

Guess what Mom???!

I’m coming HOME!!! 

I’ve been planning this trip for a couple months now, and it has been SO hard to keep it from her! I couldn’t stand the thought of not seeing her until August, so I booked a long weekend home.

I am planning to share the news via FaceTime during her lunch break today; I can’t wait!!

 

Here’s a poem I uncovered back when I was home in January and going through my Memory Box. I can’t remember when I wrote it, I think it was in middle school but apparently I didn’t know how to spell “role-model”, haha.

mom poem

me and mom 1

I want to wish all of you moms a very happy Mother’s Day…we wouldn’t be here without you!

xo

❤