preggo update

I'm now in my last week of the 1st trimester! I actually haven't gotten "sick" yet, however, I haven't felt the best (nausea...overall yuck feeling) the entire time and I'm really hoping that it will pass soon! It gets the worse when I'm not eating...but then nothing sounds good so it's hard to eat anything...and the cycle continues. I really can't complain though because I know so many people who've had it a lot worse! I'm trying to stay positive and remember that the sick feeling is just a reminder of the blessing growing inside of me!

We have our next doctor's appointment on Friday! We can't wait! We're hoping that at the doctor's appointment after the one this Friday we'll be able to have an ultrasound and find out if it's a boy or girl!! I'm so eager to know and can't imagine having to wait until the day I give birth (it's funny how times have changed with that)! My excuse is that knowing beforehand will make me more mentally prepared...and will allow me to go shopping for specific things!! :)


A little bump!


My sweet hubby surprised me by buying me a body pillow so now I can sleep more comfortably. I love my body pillow!! :)

new blog

My sister, Jessica, started a blog through her business, Valeo Personal Training. She keeps it updated with questions (asked by her clients) and answers and other tidbits of information that is very interesting! I've already learned a lot and I'm sure you would too! Check it out: www.valeotraining.blogspot.com.

OUR BIG NEWS!

For those of you that haven't heard yet....

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY!!!

God has blessed us with a little one growing inside of me for the past 11 weeks! Baby Keeler (aka "Little Romper" or "Grasshopper") will be making his/her arrival around January 11, 2008!!

We are SO excited for what God has in store for our family and are loving learning and dreaming about the child God has chosen for us! We had our first "official" doctor's appointment last week and were able to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was actually the earliest our doctor has ever heard a heartbeat!! It was so amazing and made everything just a little more real! We are in awe of the way God creates life... "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~ psalm 139:13-14

I've been feeling pretty good - more nauseous in the afternoon/evening - but nothing to complain about! I'm hoping it will all pass within the next couple of weeks!

We look forward to keeping in touch with how everything is going and praise God for this blessing of new life!



Grandma Dock and Oma's initial reactions after opening their Mother's Day gift with a "grandma's brag book" photo album and the picture of Bailey above! :) Grandma Keeler had a very similar reaction the night before. :)


the keelers!

petoskey

Tim and I enjoyed our 6th annual trip up north to Petoskey last weekend! Tim plays in a soccer tournament up there with a Hope alum and some Petoskey residents. We've made this weekend our little vacation get-away for the summer. We stay in a bed and breakfast and have our little traditions of places we eat at and places that we like to visit. This year we discovered a fish hatchery/conservation center/nature trail that we hadn't been to before and enjoyed the scenic walk (Brooke especially liked feeding the baby fish...). :) Tim's team was awesome and made it to the Finals but ended up losing by one. We had such a great time again this summer! Here are a few pics:





the cutest soccer player ever!






Tim and I find humor in the little things of life. Take for example this ball of sports tape that Tim set on the bumper of the car (left corner) by accident at the beginning of the weekend...and it never fell off! It stayed on until we got home and finally threw it away in our garage! :) Hehe.

sweet baby myles

My sister, Tara, and her husband, Mark, made the big move to Cincinnati this past weekend as Mark has started his residency. Because they couldn't move into their house right away and Mark had already begun working, Tara and Myles spent last week here in Michigan. While they were here, were were able to spend a lot of quality time with them and we loved every minute although we missed you Mark! Myles is the sweetest baby we'ver ever met! It's impossible to be in a bad mood around him because his smile is never ending and he just lights up the room! Here are some pics of the precious baby boy!


Aunt Brooke loving on Myles.
Sun bathing in his new (big!) hat.
Baby Kenny Chesney.
Myles and his Mama
Myles and Oma
Flying high!
I'm ready for my first boat ride, Opa!
Hanging out with Opa.
Snoozin' with Auntie Andee
Mama and Myles reading "Miles the Crocodile."

Race Of Their Lives!

On June 9th, my sister, Jess, participated in a special kind of triatholon. Here's a little excerpt about her experience as well as a video link with a slide show. It's a must see! Tim and I had the privilege of watching and cheering her and Kamrie on! It was so fun and the way that Jess has been using her gifts to bless others is so inspiring!

"On Saturday morning, June 9th, I got be part of one of the coolest things ever! I participated in the “Race of Their Lives” at the Lake Macatawa Triathlon. About 7 of us were paired up with a special-needs child from the Ottawa Area Center to compete in a swim (.5 mile), bike (22.8 miles) and run (4.8 miles). We got together three weeks ago to meet our kids and practice at Dunton Park before the big race day. I knew immediately when I saw little Kamrie that she was going to be my lil’ buddy!

We arrived early morning race day to very chilly air temps and very warm, post-e.coli infested waters (ewww…). The day turned out to be gorgeous, though, and the “race” was an absolute blast. Kamrie got to ride in an inflatable kayak behind me on the swim, in a trailor behind my bike and then I pushed her in a jogging stroller on the run. Seeing her dance and giggle with uncontrollable excitement the whole morning was so much fun. Whenever we’d go downhill on the bike, she’d lean waaaaay forward, close her eyes, her little face peeking under her helmet and let the wind whip through her hair. I knew that for that moment, she got to experience the freedom and exhilaration of soaring…It was a sight and an experience that has truly moved me and one I’ll never forget….I’d love to share it with you! - turn up your speakers and enjoy this little photo video! :) ~Jess

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

smulligans!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. Life has been busy but full of good things!

*Tim will be finishing up his long term sub position at Hudsonville High School next week. Although it's been a blessing, we are looking forward to it being done so we can fall back into a more normal schedule and spend more quality time together. He's been working 13-14 hour days plus every weekend for the past couple of months as he does his lawn care business after school until it gets dark. I am so proud of him and his hard work!
*My sister, Andrea, stayed with us for a week as she was in a transitional stage between having to move out of her old home and into one in GR that she will be renting with some of her girl friends. We had a great time and Bailey misses the company during the day. :)
* My brother-in-law, Mark, graduated from Med School at USC! My sister, Tara will graduate from Fuller Seminary next weekend! We're SO proud of them! They'll be moving to Cincinnati on June 11th as Mark will begin his residency there. Keep them in your prayers!

*Corrie's getting married!! Corrie is a good friend from Hope who is set to marry an awesome guy named Phil on 7/7/07! It was so fun to get together with the old gang (Gilmore/Zwemer girls) and celebrate with Corrie by throwing her a personal shower. Here are a couple of pics from the shower...there are a few pictures from some games that we played that I chose not to post and will just send to the girls privately. Let's just say that the Gilmore/Zwemer girls aren't as naive as they use to be. ;)



*We planted a garden! We're eager to see how our carrots, peppers, green beans, tomatoes, corn, pumpkin and watermelon turn out! We also did some more landscaping and took advantage of a great sale at West Olive Nursery (it also helped that Tim owns a lawn care business b/c we got an even bigger discount!). Bailey and I did a good job of supervising the whole tree planting experience. :)




*My parent's home on Spring Lake is completed and is SO beautiful! It's in the Parade of Homes which is going on now until June 9th. Check it out!!