We're Having a Baby!!!

So, I thought keeping up with this blog was going to be a challenge (which, clearly it is!), it may not quite compare to keeping up with a baby, or toddler, or OMG, a teenager!!!  But, we're gonna put our best foot forward because...

I'm!!!!!

Yes, those are 2 of the 5 tests David made me take!  He couldn't believe it.  We worked really hard at concealing our excitement (even from our family and close friends) until we were absolutely sure.  It made for a really long 9 weeks!!  At about 13 weeks, we got our very first picture of our precious new addition.

We were both in awe of how clear the picture was.  I think we were both expecting to stare at a screen with a blob on it and pull a Rachel (from Friends) moment trying to convince ourselves that we could clearly see a baby when really we had no clue.  But, as you can see, that's not what happened at all.  There He/She (I think she, David thinks otherwise!) was clear as day.  This was the moment it became real for us.  There wasn't a blob of stuff forming in my body, there was a tiny little baby, perfectly knitted together!

For those wondering, we will definitely be finding out the gender when the time is right.  I cannot plan without knowing.  And I can only stand to have so many yellow and green clothes on my child!  We've received so many wonderful gifts so far, baby robes, books for the baby, books for us, picture frames etc...  Thanks to our great friend, Rebecca, we have brand new reading material as of today:

I was very excited to receive such a sweet gift in the mail!

Well, I guess now the jouney has officially begun!  Here's to learning new things each and every day!

^"For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
 Your works are wonderful,  I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are Your thoughts,God! How vast is the sum of them!"
                          -Psalm 139:13-17

Land That I Love!

I can remember that day like it was yesterday; I woke up for my 8:00am class (there's a shocker in and of itself!!) and was walking out of the Remschel Hall elevator.  I saw a group of people crowded around a very small t.v.  Not an unusual site, but somewhat strange for a Tuesday morning.  As I stood there in disbelief and watched all of the tragedy unfold, I had no idea the impact those events would have on our nation.  I was only 19 years old, and my feeble mind had a hard time sorting all that I was seeing.  My selfishness took over, and I remember thinking, "Fort Hood is so close, what if we are next?!?"  I called my mom and my close friends and informed them that I would probably die that die.  Needless to say, I didn't go to class that day afterall!  I remember a crowd of people gathering in the quad to pray for our nation.  I joined them because frankly, I didn't know what else to do.  UMHB held a special chapel service that day; I remember everyone was so quiet and somber.  We couldn't believe what was happening.

Never would I have imagined that a mere 4 years later, I would fall in love with the city, it's culure, and it's citizens.  My first trip to New York was during Christmas time in 2005.  If I had one word to describe the entire trip it would be:  Magical!!  I know, most people don't see NYC as magical, Disney World, yes, but not that dirty, smelly, city.  It was the best!  One of the most memorable moments of that trip was visiting St. Pauls chapel, otherwise known as the place of worship for George Washington, or now more popular, "The Little Chapel That Stood."  St. Paul's has a fascinating story.  The chapel is right next door to ground zero, and it was one of the only buildings anywhere close that had not one single window damaged.  They ministered to all of the recue crews after the tragedy.  If you've never visited or read about it, you definitely should! St. Paul's Chapel

I'd later travel to the big city 5 different times over the course of 6 years.  What's not to love about the city that never sleeps?!?  The spirit of those who live in NYC is so contagious.  The city is bustling with so many young people with big dreams hoping to make it big.  After all, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.  My best friend Janell is doing just that; living her dream in the Big Apple.  The city is strong, the people are brave, they have risen out of the ashes and proven to be one of the strongest cities in America.

I was fortunate enough to make one last trip (for a good while) this past weekend.  Once again, we visitied One World Trade Center and did what we could to peek behind the fence to see the memorial that was unveiled today.  Watching all of the specials on t.v. is especially hard for me for several reasons:  I just got home from New York, I'm a little more "emotional" that I used to be, and I just love that city!!  I find myself becoming more and more patriotic as I get older.  The Star Spangled Banner moves me much more than it used to.  On the days leading up to this weekend, I kept reminding David, "don't forget to put out our flag!"  Even this morning as I was "not feeling well" x4, I lifted my head and reminded him, "remember our flag?"  He's so great, he had already put it out!

Here's a few pics from most of my trips:

My first trip to NYC!

                                   11 Ladies from FBCH!  So Fun!!

My surprise trip to NYC before the wedding!  I have the best friends and cousin!

One World Trade Center

Our first trip to Coney Island

"...that our flag was still there!"

And we're off!!

After about a year of trying to design a blog template, deciding whether or not I really wanted to try this whole blogging thing out, and attempting to keep up with blogs (and failing miserably), I decided to actually launch our official family blog.  I figured it must be a good thing since so many people do it.  But then I also realize how many people go weeks, months, or even a year without posting anything!  I guess life is pretty busy.  Since I don't see my family and most of my closest friends everyday, I will try to keep up with the blogging world.  However, I must admit now that I am NOT a stay at home wife, nor will I be a stay at home mom so no promises on how often this thing will be updated.  And quite frankly our life isn't THAT interesting...so our faithful fans list might be pretty short anyway!
   One would think I should have started this at the beginning of the summer so I would have more time.  But then again, that's just like me to not get the timing right!
   Well here it is, my feeble attempt to blog regularly so...here goes nothing...