Countdown to Christmas

Well I just read our last post to see what all we've been up to inbetween, and wow, am I good at predicting myself or what?! I knew just how crazy the fall was going to be, and therefore knew it would probably be Christmas before the blog saw anymore action. As most of you know by now, our fall was quite possibly the best and busiest time in our marriage that we can remember.

Most importantly is the good news of our baby, set to grace us with their presence in June! As most of you also know, this was no small effort on our part and ultimately showed us how much God is in control. We have always looked forward to the time we were ready to start a family (even when we were dating), but knew we needed to wait for our right time. In June of last year our hearts were ready to take that next step, so we began the process. Little did we know how much trouble we would encounter on the road to baby...After a year and a half of doctor's appointments, medicine, tests, exams, specialist referrals, and injections, we got our positive. We had become so weary of at home pregnancy tests that we went to the doctor for a blood test to make them call us with the good or bad news. It was so surreal to hear that this time we were successful - in fact I think we still have a hard time believing it. Hearing the heartbeat only weeks later for the first time was such an amazing experience, and we still love going to the doctor to hear it. At that same visit we saw our little blueberry for the first time, and now can't wait until our next picture at the end of January that will let us know if we'll be welcoming a girl or a boy! Currently we are in week 15 and closing in on 4 months - crazy! As always, prayers are appreciated as our only hope is for a healthy baby to come into our family.

The Stork visits Sunday School

Our blueberry at 7 weeks!

It is also probably not news to anyone that I (Katie) graduated with my second bachelor's degree, this time in nursing. What a relief! The last two years have been full of stress, but also full of fun, friendship, and learning. I am set to start in February at a children's hospital in Dallas, so let's hope for a smooth transition to Katie, RN.

Nursing Pinning Reception

This has also been no picnic for Chris, as his work has been more intense than ever. Usually long hours and working from home are not part of government work, but we've learned otherwise this fall. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but he has done great work that we are proud of.



Halloween at the hospital



Sunday School Card Party

 

Sunday School guys go fish



Cooking for the Sunday School Christmas Party



Sunday School Christmas Party

Now we look forward to Christmas and our El Paso trip to see family. Hopefully our next post will be in less than 3 months! Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, and God Bless!

Changing of the seasons...

...well at least the little taste of it we get down here in Texas. The mornings are cooler and October is right around the corner. We have been going non-stop (as always it seems), which means that if the trend continues, the next time we update our blog it will be Christmas! By then, Katie will be done with school which seems crazy...What a great Christmas present! So again, due to the lengthy gap in posts and our wish to not bore you to tears with the details of our life the past three months, here's a photo recap:

The Blaze left us for good - a surprisingly emotional experience.

Of course a trip to Cabelas wouldn't be complete without crazy hats!



Handy-woman Katie working on one of her favorite summer projects, her mom's house.




Dixie on the patrol for squirrels, motorcycles, and other dogs that dare walk on her block.




Back at the Arboretum (one of our favorite places in Dallas) and the pumpkins are out!




We have LOVED going to the FC Dallas soccer games this season!

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long."
-Psalm 25:5

3 Month Recap

There's no way we can possibly recount all of the things we have been up to since our last post - obviously we've been so busy we couldn't even update the blog! Here's a quick photo recap...

We're surely leaving some amazing memories off this post (like FC Dallas soccer games and our trip to Canton with family), but we truly have had a great few months. Things we're looking forward to: Katie's last semester of nursing school this fall (YAY!!!), Chris' cousin Ryan's wedding next May (Congrats Ryan and Adrienne!), buying a WWII rifle (well, we're not both looking forward to that one), and some more time with each other and family this summer.

"And so, my children, listen to me, for all who follow my ways are joyful." -Proverbs 8:32...This doesn't mean we will always be happy, but with faith we have eternal joy!

 

The past couple months have included
lots of travel to Louisiana for Chris



It has been hot here in Dallas, but
the days are beautiful

  



Easter at Nanny's in Waco

Enjoying our Arboretum membership -these flowers were HUGE



A little Easter fishing

Chris having fun at training for work

Although not Chris' favorite sport, we
watched a Rangers baseball
game with Katie's nursing school friends

Our baby birds this spring

Chris turned 27 in May, so Katie made a
chocolate covered Oreo cake

 


Taste of Addison was fun again this year - we

saw Third Eye Blind in concert

 

Is it really almost April?!

Where is this year going??? Time has just flown by, as we are keeping quite busy still. Katie has just started classes back from Spring Break, but at least that means this tough semester is halfway over. Good news is that she is beginning to feel more like a nurse every day! Chris continues to play soccer and tie flies in his free time. It is so nice to have good hobbies!

A couple weekends ago, we went to our first FC Dallas soccer game of the season. Katie gave Chris season tickets for Christmas, so we will get to enjoy many more games over the next few months. Over Spring Break, we were able to make a quick trip to Houston for the Livestock Show & Rodeo, and to visit family. This year the concert was KISS, which (along with his pulled pork parfait and fried Snickers) Chris was very excited about. They put on a great show! We also took some time to continue updating our bedroom decor, as it has definitely been a bit by bit process. It is amazing how just a couple pieces can really make it feel more like our own.

One of the highlights of last weekend would have to be our visit to the Dallas Arboretum. We recently purchased a year membership so we can go more often because it is so incredibly beautiful. Right now the tulips are in bloom, as well as the cherry blossom trees and other colorful spring flowers. Too bad we can't post all of the amazing pictures on here!

Recently we have had many friends become pregnant or have babies, which is so exciting! We guess it's just that time in our lives where we are surrounded by people in that demographic, but it is crazy to see that transition from wedding invites to baby shower or baby b-day invites. This past weekend we brought dinner to some of our friends that recently welcomed a baby. She was so adorable, and Chris got to practice holding a baby for the first time.

Last, but not least, Katie had two more moles taken off for testing and the results were good and bad at the same time. Both came back clear of cancer (very good), but they were severely precancerous (bad). They were able to get clear margins, so those spots are gone for good, but this means that we cannot give up the good fight. We continue to be on guard against these threats and proactive in diagnosing and eliminating them, but prayers are always appreciated. As summer rolls around, be careful to protect your skin when you enjoy the beautiful weather!

Wrapping Up Winter

So this weekly blog has evolved into a monthly one, but guess it's better one than none at all! We definitely have had an interesting couple months since returning from vacation and getting back into our day to day routine. In mid-January, Chris completed his second half-marathon after some very dedicated training and set a personal record: 1 hour and 48 minutes. It was amazing (the jury is still out on if the new haircut shaved some time off...haha)! Since then, he has been taking things a bit slower, but did get back into playing outdoor soccer which he loves.

Katie has hit the ground running with school and work, which leaves very little time to play - at least the first round of exams are over and she's one step closer to being a nurse. This semester she is taking pediatrics, mental health, and critical care so it should make future career plans clearer by May. Also in February, Katie celebrated another birthday: #26! As the actual day fell in the middle of classes, we will celebrate both that and Valentines over spring break in Fort Worth.

As far as Valentines goes, we both laughed as we mutually surprised each other early in the morning with Little Debbie treats. Our moms must have taught us well :) Another fun thing we did for the holiday was our Sunday School classes' annual Newlywed Game. We didn't win, but we did well only missing two questions - one of those being who would your husband consider the better catch? Just think about how that question turned out...it was a great time!

We almost forgot - the SNOW and the ICE and the crazy winter weather we watched from our window for a week! One new thing we did was make snow ice cream which was not only something to do, but very yummy. It was all so beautiful, but we were glad to safely venture out of our home at the end of it.

The tulips are beginning to bloom in our neck of the woods welcoming spring. Hope you are enjoying the change of seasons that God shows us every year.

The Holiday Season

Where did the past 2 months go?!?! We're so, so, so sorry that it has been this long since we've updated the blog, but we are just now getting caught up from the holiday season. There are so many stories to tell and memories to recap, but seeing as that would take ages to review, we'll just make it short and sweet...


November: Sunday school fish fry was a great time with Chris passing on his Louisiana recipes and getting his hands "dirty"...Thanksgiving went well, as always. We love getting to spend precious time with family...

December: Chris ran on a relay team for the White Rock Marathon here in Dallas. It was a good time, but COLD...Sunday school Christmas party (& cooking party) were more than welcomed study breaks at the end of a long semester...Katie's grandmother came down with horrible back pain that ended up being from 6 or so broken vertebrae. After a month, she had a procedure that gave her some relief. We enjoyed spending time with her, as she stayed in Dallas during the month of December (as did Katie's brother for a week too)...A heartbreaking round of finals left Katie glad that she had a month of no school ahead (89.4 final grade in both classes)...Katie was able to spend a few days with her best friend in College Station, then head to Houston to see Burn the Floor with Chris' mom. What a fun weekend!...Then finally Christmas - It was such a great time we were able to spend with family. We were blessed with more gifts than I'm sure we deserved, but we are enjoying all of them into the New Year.



January: A group of friends rang in the new year with us at a Times Square style celebration in Dallas...Dixie started the year being a guest at her first puppy birthday party...A few days into the new year we left for Disney World!!! It was such a great trip and escape from reality. Our group of 10 from Chris' side of the family spent 6 jam packed days of fun and have lots of pictures to prove it...Now it's back to the routine: work, school, etc. We will definitely miss the breaks we've had, but it will be nice to get back into a semi-normal schedule again. Every so often, send up a little prayer for Katie, as she is facing her toughest semester this spring (made even harder after last semester's disappointments). We are blessed to have family and friends around us that support us in the rough times and celebrate with us in the good.





As a parting note, a couple of books we've been reading lately have made such an impact in our lives - Same Kind of Different As Me & Heaven Is For Real. If you have time to read, you should check out these books. They both turn our eyes to what is most important in life and really put things in perspective. Here are reviews of both of them. Happy 2011!!!


"Prepare to be inspired and changed as you read this tapestry of two men's lives stitched together by the power of God's love. Ron Hall and Denver Moore invite you to walk with them on their journey of growth, pain, and joy. One man's story of worldly success, the other of complete poverty, brought together through the vision and perseverance of a Godly woman. Their story is a message for us all to reach out beyond ourselves and make a positive difference in the lives of others."

"A beautifully written glimpse into heaven that will encourage those who doubt and thrill those who believe."