New Niece!

Welcome to the world sweet baby Grace! Isn't that face so precious?! Jamie and Ryan welcomed their first baby into the world this week. They have had several little miracles this week and Grace is working hard to get stronger so her they can bring her home soon! We love her already and can't wait to officially meet her and her cousin Layla at Christmas!

HOW COULD I FORGET!?

I was looking through pictures on the camera and I can't believe I forgot to mention we have a new niece! Dan and Lindsey welcomed beautiful Layla Hope into the world a few weeks ago. It happened that Ben was able to see her while he was in Utah. She looks so beautiful and I can't wait to see her in person at Christmas.

I haven't chronicled the baby bump but we did take one today so here I am, shy of 18 weeks. Thanks to my very thoughtful friend Val who gave me a gift card to buy something new, this dress is courtesy of her!

Pink or Blue?

Let us know what you think and cast your vote in the poll. A little over three weeks until we find out what we're having! I can't wait to get started getting gender specific things and not have to call the baby "it" anymore!

let me count the ways....

I have the best husband. You ladies might think you do, but I'm sorry, I've got him. He went to Utah for the weekend (no, that's not why he's great). On Friday, his flight to leave got delayed a few hours, so while I was at work he cleaned the whole house. Bathrooms, floors and all! He sure knows how to speak my "love language". Now, to top that...when we lived in Utah we would have a date night almost every Friday at Cafe Rio. Since we've moved, I miss it terribly. Nothing seems to compare! One of the only foods that has sounded really good to me while pregnant has been a Cafe Rio salad and obviously it isn't in Ohio or anywhere close. A few weeks ago when my stomach was really not happy but I knew I needed to eat something, Ben asked what I wanted. I emotionally stated "The ONLY thing I can even think of eating right now is a Cafe Rio salad". I think I settled for a tortilla and salsa. I know, you can make a substitute, and sometimes we do, but it's just not the same. So today Ben came back from Utah and totally surprised me with a cooler full of all the separately packaged items needed to make the salad! He went to Rio last night and asked them for the salad and had them put everything in separate containers explaining he had a pregnant wife back in Ohio who had been dying for it. Those of you who fly know the "liquid" carry on stipulations while flying. His bag was flagged, but the guy realized it was the infamous dressing and let him through. Thankfully!

So, we just completely licked the plate clean on this delicious salad. Thanks babe, you're amazing!

(p.s. don't mind the pj's or makeup-less face!)

finally fall

I love fall and have been disappointed because it's been SO cold and we haven't had great fall weather at all. On Friday Ben and I went to pick out pumpkins but it was so cold we just quickly picked out a few and ran them back to the car. Thankfully today actually felt like fall and I was able to open the windows. I love it. Saturday I spent the day with my sister making yummy fall treats and there's just something about the smell of fall and fall food that you just can't beat.

Because of different things, we've been able to have several ultrasounds of the baby already. We had one last week and it made me emotional seeing the babe squirm around with moving arms and legs, and see the tiny little profile. I love that each time we've gone, "it" (which I think is a "he") looks more and more like a little baby. In our first ultrasound we literally just saw a round ball...such a miracle.
I'm feeling much better and am thankful. I was talking to my sister-in-law about my "thick" middle (i.e. love handles like I've never imagined) and how my clothing is so tight already. She reminded me that my body is the babies "fortress" and it made me smile. Who cares that I have a spare tire around my waist, it's all worth it and it doesn't matter. I just need to remind myself of that when I'm trying to find something to wear! I'm looking forward to when it looks like I'm actually pregnant and not that I ate a few dozen doughnuts.

Puzzle

1. Two identical marks that make you scream

2. A fast repetitive sound that makes you cry

3. Monthly visits that bring you reassurance

What am I?

Did you figure it out?! It's a BABY, and we're having one! I'm about 13 weeks along so the babe is expected to join us in April! We have learned so much over the past while about patience and faith in the Lord during this process. It took awhile longer than "average" but we wouldn't have it any other way. We have grown closer as a couple during this experience and feel like we have gained a greater understanding of how miraculous life is. We are so thankful to have such great families who have prayed and fasted for us and for their faith and strength.

So, let the party begin! Well, as soon as the nausea kicks it to the curb!

Paradise...

Hawaii has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth! We had so much fun and could have stayed longer. Unfortunately, reality called us and we had to come back. We had a good balance of relaxation and sight-seeing. It was awesome to just sleep when you were tired, eat when you were hungry and have a week to do what you wanted when you wanted! Perfect vacation if you ask me. Well, here are a few pictures and things we did.

This is the view from Diamond Head. We had no idea this was actually a hike. We thought it was a simple little walk up to an outlook point. Wrong. We went at the hottest part of the day and found out there were a few hundred stairs to walk up to get there. It was worth the view though.

This was my favorite activity. This was our first day in Hawaii, so don't mind the pasty skin.

Little Ben out in the water. I was freaked out by the jelly fish warning so I didn't linger long, but Ben loved the ocean.

We seriously ate so much yummy food. In fact, I won't name names, but one of us gained 5 pounds this week. The food was awesome. This was at the Dole Plantation. They had this Dole "whip" with fresh pineapple. It was so sweet and delicious.

After the Dole Plantation, we went to this little place. Look familiar? Yeah, that's the LOST beach! We love that show but it takes away a little of the mystery of the whole thing knowing they're not "lost" at all...they're on a great beach in Hawaii. Show solved.

Probably the highlight of the week was the Polynesian Cultural Center. The place is amazing. If you ever go to Hawaii, you must go there.

They had a luau at the end of the evening. This was before we ate. This was in the village of Samoa at the PCC. You can't really tell how detailed the tattoos are but he described the 14 day process, 3-4 hours a day to complete this tattoo. It made me cringe even thinking about it! We also watched him climb a huge palm tree with his bare hands and feet...crazy.

Ben LOVES jets so when he found out the Thunderbirds were in town for a show while we were there he was in heaven.

These little gems deserve an entire blog post of their own but a picture will have to do. They are called Malasadas and are little light fluffy doughnuts. They make each one fresh when you order so it's this hot, delightful (fried) dough covered in cinnamon or sugar.

Before we flew out we went to Pearl Harbor. This was the USS Arizona. We happened to be on this tour with a group of what we thought were new cadets. There is a wall inside this building filled with the names of all the men and women who died on the USS Arizona that December 7. As these young uniformed men and women (boys and girls really...they looked SO young) on our tour walked into the room that housed the wall of names they quietly and uniformly stood attention and honored those fallen soldiers. It was a special experience to be able to witness.

This was our last beach day....sad, I know.

Hawaii, Mahalo. You treated us well. We are sad to leave you behind. We hope to visit you again someday.