It has begun...

So now that we know we are having a boy, we are having so much fun planning the nursery. We have decided to convert our guest room to Ryder's room, and we have wasted no time in getting started.

the (very bright) before...

working towards a blank slate...

We are plugging away little by little, and are very excited for Ryder to be with us...

just wanted to update you on our progress.

Costumes!

We were Jim and Pam from The Office for our close friend's costume party last night. It was so fun! A friend of mine had worn the dress in high school and had hated it, and had given it to me, and then we just bought a black tie and some tulle and there you have it!

Cutting the tie...

Ripping the veil...

At the party (note: Ryder is REALLY starting to show now...)

All the girls (plus Matt and Kevin...)

I love those events where you are pretty much laughing from start to finish...

this was one of those parties...

It's a boy!

Court date!

Today is our baby girls court date in Ethiopia... it was postponed from October 7th. Please pray that all goes well and that we can get her here soon. We are dying to meet that little girl and to have her with us.

Music to our ears...

We just wanted to share with you what we heard the other day.

Now you see it, now you don't...

Well, the birch tree (that the neighborhood cats killed) is officially gone. We ripped out the rose bushes, and the tree stump, leveled the dirt and painted the wall that needed some love after we pulled out the front bush, (which was also killed by the cats.) We can't wait to start from scratch. It is our blank slate. We still don't know what we want to plant but we are excited at just dreaming about how it could look (and how we can keep the cats away from it...)

Before...

Kit standing in the newly created hole...

The stump...

Our blank slate...

We will keep you posted...

Holy Smokes!

October 17 marks 11 years that Kit and I have been together. We started dating in 1998, right after meeting our first week as freshmen at Biola. It's funny to think how much has happened over the last decade but as always, we are so happy to be in it together.

Kit, I am so thankful that you came to that first open house. Who would have thought what would transpire from that meeting. Almost five years of dating and over 6 years of marriage, our friends and family, our home that we have created together, our many travels and adventures, and a baby on the way, I look forward to many more years together. Thank you for asking me to marry you and to share our lives together. I couldn't love you more.

Here's a little one for posterity...

(What exactly was going on with my hair...?)

and this one was just too good not to pass up...

You are so lucky that I didn't have my digital camera at the time because I have so many "great" pictures of us that would bring the best laughs.

(Laughs at us, not near us or with us...)