Ayden's Room !!!!!

Well Min has been working really hard on getting Ayden's room ready as we only have fifteen weeks or so until we get to meet our son! Min has done such a great job and put his personal carpentry touch on his room already with much hard work!!! Before we left for Washington DC Min worked three nights preping and painting Ayden's room. We are both thankful that our house was nicely painted and we did not have to apply paint to the other parts of our home, for painting and all the prep involved is hard work. :) But I am SO thankful that it is done and I absolutely love the way it turned out!! We are in process of putting his crib up and getting it all ready to go. These are pictures of the paint job and we will post more as we fill his room in preparation for his arrival!!

Washington D.C. celebrating one year of marriage!!!!

Hello there...

Well we are back from our time in Washington DC and feel that we are getting energy back with each day. We had a wonderful time there and saw many many things, but the travel and the walking we did while we were there tired us out like no other. :) We were supposed to be in DC on Thursday late afternoon, and after sitting in the Charlotte Airport we were told that our flight was canceled...not a encouraging thing to find out. So we went home and got up Friday morning and headed to the Charlotte airport in hopes that the flight that day would take off... and it did!!!! We arrived in DC around 10am and were to our hotel and settled by 1pm. The first day we walked a total of seven or eight miles. We really didn't know where we were going, but we followed maps as well as we could and finally made it to the White House and "The Mall", that is what they call the area where all the important buildings are. :) We were enjoying our time and not feeling the pain in our legs and feet until we had to make the walk back that evening... we had yet to find the metro. In the first day we saw the White House, The Smithsonian, The Air and Space Museum, The Natural History Museum, The Capital, and we saw the Washington Monument but didn't go into it until another day. Here are a few pictures along the way...

The White House

Min on Constitution Ave. in front of the Washington Monument

The Smithsonian Castle

The Air and Space Museum

Saturday, the second day we headed in the same direction as the day before, walking again. Haha. we got our exercise this trip that is a fact!! We visited the Holocaust Museum and ate some lunch. We then took a short break and went back to our hotel to nap... on our way back we discovered the amazing Metro that takes you everywhere by underground train!! We used this tool the rest of our time in DC to travel not by foot anymore :) That evening we went on a drive to Georgetown and to Arlington Cemetery as well as the Jefferson Memorial and the Iwo Jima Memorial. We were getting a feel for what we wanted to see the next day.

Sunday, we got up early and stood in line for Washington Monument tickets. While in line I was starving, feeling a little faint, and really nothing was open around that area at 8am, not food wise. All we had in our backpack was some red licorice I had bought for Min and I was hesitant at first to eat that as people were all around us... but as time drew on and I was sure that we would not have "breakfast" for awhile longer I broke out the red vines and at them hoping that people in line around us didn't think I was crazy for eating not a nutritious breakfast as I stood there visibly pregnant!! Haha it was a funny morning. :) Sunday was our last full day in DC and we did again a lot of things. We visited the Lincoln Memorial, this was my favorite!! We saw the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial, and the last thing we did that day was take out tour of the Washington Monument at night, when everything was lit up. It was beautiful and really amazing how much history is in such a small area in DC. We were blessed as well to have lunch and dinner with good friends we had not seen in awhile. For lunch we met up with Harry Howard (he was in our wedding) and Katrina!! They brought us to this yummy chili restaurant and we were well fed to say the least. :) And for dinner we met up with Lindsey and Ceddie Rath, friends from High school!! They took us to a great restaurant as well, it was called Matchbox, it was great pizza and good times of hanging out!! We were blessed to be able to spend some of our time with people who are living near the DC area and able to show us around some!!


Overall our trip was great, it was not physically relaxing but we really felt fortunate to be able to see the history that resides within our Country!! We enjoyed time together and had fun and laughed as we always should!! Here are a few more pictures to share with you!!

Below is Robert Kennedy's grave, the only cross in the entire Arlington Cemetery. Korean War memorial and the Abraham Lincoln Memorial.

Below we represent California at the WWII Memorial, and I found my maiden name on a headstone in the Arlington Cemetery, and Min's favorite the iwo Jima Memorial!!

Below is the Washington Monument at night, SO PRETTY!! And the view from 550 feet in the top of the Washington Monument you can see the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool.

24 weeks tomorrow and counting!!

Hello there,

Well I feel like time has flown but still as each days comes and goes being pregnant some days seems to drag on. Not that being pregnant is bad but Min and I both are SO excited to meet the son that the Lord has given us! I was telling Min the other day I just can't wait to kiss his little cheeks and watch his personality develop as he grows! We are more than excited to meet this little boy that has lately been kicking up a storm. :) A few nights ago I was woken up at four in the morning, starving, which was a first for me. I ate a granola bar and drank some milk in hopes that is would sooth Ayden as he moved around rapidly in my belly. He was hungry and he was letting me know by not letting me sleep. :) As I have read more and more I guess it is very common to wake up hungry at night as the baby grows. And in the 23rd week Ayden has grown four ounces in one week so he is making me more and more hungry as the days go on. :) I know this is another way that God prepares the mom to be woken up in the night, because when Ayden gets here I have to be ready to not sleep solid nights for at least the first few months. God and the way that He has designed pregnancy just amazes me time and time again!!

Min and I am planning on heading to Washington D.C. this weekend, we will leave Thursday after work and return home on our Anniversary the 18th! We are very excited for this trip, as neither of us has ever been before and it is just going to be a blessing to get away for a weekend together!! Be looking for pictures in a few weeks. :) As we both reflect on the last year, there is a part of us that feels as though time has flown by, but we also feel that we have enjoyed the days and months together! We have been blessed to watch the Lord continue to provide for us time and time again and we are thankful for His presence throughout our marriage and our entire lives!!

Min has began to work on Ayden's room; we decided to put a chair rail up and paint the room a different color than was originally there. We are still in the process of painting and Min has done a great job putting the chair rail up! God has blessed me with a very handy man and I am thankful that he desires to work hard and takes good care of me!! There will be pictures soon too of Ayden's room!!

Here are a few updated pictures of my belly as it grows, some of the pictures are taken just before bed, so excuse me for looking tired!! I feel like my belly is stretching for sure and I am going to begin putting cream on daily to hopefully avoid stretch marks, we will see how that works. :) We are feeling more and more settled in our home as we hang more pictures on the walls and have guest over more and more. We are so thankful for the home that the Lord has given us and we want you to know that we can't wait to have more of our family and friends visit from time to time! :)

You can see how from the first picture, taken at night, my belly is bigger than the last picture, a week later, taken in the mid afternoon. :)

22 weeks and five days

23 weeks 5 days

23 weeks 5 days

23 weeks 5 days

First House Guests!!

Hello there family and friends!!

We pray that this finds each of you doing well! We have not been on to write anything in a few weeks; we have been busy with friends that came to visit from Minnesota and just other daily things like getting Ayden's room ready!!! And we are going to Washington D.C. for our Anniversary which we are very excited about!!!!

Our good friends Clint, Amanda and their daughter Addie McAlpine came to visit us on a spontaneous weekend trip. They drove 21 long hours here and 20 long hours back! They are not rookie road-trippers. :) We were blessed to have them here and have them meet some of the friends that God has given to us here! The last time that we saw Clint, Amanda and Addie was at our wedding in 08-07 so it was really good to catch up with them and just be able to spend time with one another! Their little girl Addie is adorable she will be fifteen months soon and she kept us smiling and laughing. I am sure that she is going to start talking really soon; she was just a joy to have around. Here are a few pictures of their time her and of Addie in her cuteness!!

We are excited to spend time with the McAlpine's again when we head to Minnesota for the Desiring God conference at the end of September!! We are thankful for their lives and friendship!!