It's a Boy!

At our ultrasound today Luke and I were thrilled to find out we are having a boy. We learned that he is a pretty active baby that enjoys kicking, punching, and stretching out, which explains some of the movement I felt earlier this week. We also enjoyed watching him work hard to get his hand up to his mouth to suck his thumb. We are certainly already in love with this little guy and found it such a joy to watch him on the screen. Hopefully the time with move quickly as we wait for him to arrive. Until then, here are the pics from the ultrasound.

Update

Yesterday marked 17 weeks of pregnancy. At this stage of the pregnancy, I have lots to be excited about.

1. I am on my 6th day of no morning sickness!
2. I had another Dr. appointment today where we celebrated that I have stopped losing weight and have gained just over a pound. Given how sick I was for a couple months, I am thrilled to have turned the corner.
3. Luke and I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time. At our 12 week appointment the baby wasn't cooperating, and we couldn't hear it. As a result they sent us to have an ultrasound. Although we loved getting to see our little baby wiggle around on the screen, we have also been anxiously waiting to hear the heartbeat.

And finally, for all of those who are interested in my expanding waistline, here is the latest belly shot.

Baby Bump

I am half way through my 14th week, and my official baby bump has started to form. Here is the first pic of my growing belly. Now, if I could only shake the morning sickness, life would be good.

Sorry about the poor lighting and shadows.

After five years of marriage,

Luke and I are having our first baby in May! Don't worry more will come soon - pictures, updates, and so forth. But for now, just wanted to pass on the news.

The Past Year!

I can't believe it has been a year since my last post! Here is a quick run down of where we have been.

School: I finished my fifth year of teaching at SCS. I can't believe how quickly it went. Luke is one quarter away from finishing his Masters at USC! Come December he will have a lot more free time on his hands : ). Sorry no pictures to post for this one, but in December and I will have a picture of Luke with his diploma!

Weddings: We have celebrated the marriage of several friends over the past year, but none were more special and beautiful than my sister's wedding. If you have ever met Jennie, you know she is stunning and elegant, and that is exactly how I would describe her wedding. Her new husband Chris is the perfect addition to our family, and we couldn't be more thrilled to watch the two of them grow in this new marriage.

A picture with my cousins on my mom's side

The ceremony

Jennie and Chris

Anniversaries: On the 31st of July Luke and I celebrated 5 years of marriage! I am so blessed to have him as my best friend and husband. We had always talked about a trip to Europe for our 5th anniversary, but with him in school, we needed to stay a little closer to home. We first started planning a trip to Victoria, which then became San Francisco, and finally turned into Hawaii. Neither of us had ever been, and once we had the idea in our heads we couldn't let it go.
We started our vacation in Oahu right across from Waikiki beach. It was upbeat, fun, and exciting. We spent the next day at Pearl Harbor. We toured the Arizona Memorial, Bowfin Submarine, and Battleship Missouri. Although you have to pay to tour the Bowfin and Missouri, it is well worth the money. Luke and I spent most of the day (7:30 - 3:30) touring these sites, and it was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.

After out short stint in Oahu, Luke and I caught an early flight to Maui for 5 days. It was a stark contrast from the bustling area of Waikiki, but we soon fell in the love with the slower pace and friendly atmosphere of Kihei. While in Maui we enjoyed snorkeling, swimming in a waterfall, eating fruit with locals at the Boat that Don't Float (you will have to ask me about it later), attending a Laua, and trying our hand at surfing. We also spent plenty of time sunbathing on the beach and playing in the ocean.

Waikiki Beach

Luke and I on the Missouri

On the Bowfin

Sunset in Oahu

Luke in Waikiki

Luke at I at Ho'okipa Lookout

Swimming at Twin Falls

Cliff jumping

On the snorkeling boat

This picture is a little out of order. It is of Luke and I at sunset in Waikiki.

Big Beach

Learning to surf

At the Laua

Until next time!

The End of Summer

I am a little sad today, as summer officially ends tomorrow with the start of school. Luke and I are still recovering today after our busy end to the summer. We realized the other day, that we have been out of town almost every weekend this summer. With that thought, we vowed to stay home more next summer. We will see if we can hold to our word. It seems that as the summer took up speed the blogging came to a quick end. Therefore, here is one final summer blog with all that has happened over the past two months.

After coming home from Minnesota, my mom, sister, and aunt came to visit for a week. We took on the project of repainting the upstairs guest bedroom and bathroom. Earlier in the summer Luke's family came had helped us repaint the living room and hallway. Now we have painted every room in the house at least once and some twice : ).

Right after my aunt, mom, and sister left, I started a class at PLU called English Vertical Teams (aka Pre-AP for English). The week long course inspired me to incorporate many of the things I learned into my lessons this year. It was also nice to be the student again.

We finished the summer with visits from some good friends. At the end of July Paige and Dave came into town for almost two weeks. In the midst of their busy schedule they were able to take some time to go on a mini trip with us. During our long weekend the four of us went wine tasting in the lower Yakima Valley and spent the night at my aunt's cabin up on White Pass. Before they went back over to Bremerton, we finished off our weekend with some wonderful Indian food in the U district and a nice walk around Greenlake. Before they flew home I was able to catch up with for a Mariner game against the Twins.

After Paige and Dave left, Luke and I quickly drove to Spokane to visit with family. The day after our return, my friend Brittany came to stay for a few days. We had a great time drinking coffee, going out to lunch, and walking around in Seattle. After Brit left, we had just enough time left in summer to rush over to Tri Cities to attend Luke's cousin, John's wedding.

Just as summer was coming to a close we had one more exciting day. Yesterday my entire family came over to share in my sister's engagement. Her fiance Chris had orchestrated a surprise engagement party at Greenlake that we all had the chance to take part in. We were so excited to welcome Chris to the family and of course to hear the engagement story first hand.

As the school year begins it seems our busy schedules only continue. Luke just recently moved into a new position at Boeing, and just last week he started back up with his Master's classes. Hopefully we will be able to carve a little time into our fall schedules for some fun. But before we think about the fall, I have just a few pictures to share from the end of summer.

Brit and I at Pike Place Market

Family picture at John's wedding

John and Kendle
Luke and John
The surprise party The newly engaged couple
Family picture

Minnesota

After Luke and I spent five days in Chicago, we jumped on a plane and flew to Minnesota to spend another five days with friends from college. It was a wonderful trip full of great conversation, plenty of trips to Starbucks, good food, and relaxation. It was so hard to leave such close friends behind. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Just beyond Paige is the view from our rooftop dinner in Minneapolis

One of our many coffee shop visits
Everyone seems to love Dave : )
Paige and I

Paige and DavePaige, Brittney, and I Our whole group during our walk around one of the many lakes in Minneapolis
Cooking dinner after some flag football

The Oxford Crew