preggo update!

We finally got our camera/computer connection figured out and can now update the blog with some pictures of Brooke's expanding waistline (or "big-o-belly" as Tim likes to call it). Enjoy!


Finding out it's a girl!


20 weeks!


25 weeks (this week)!

It's amazing how quickly I "popped!" I woke up one morning about 2 weeks ago and all of a sudden none of my pants fit me anymore! Time for the gauchos and elastic panels! :) Other than some minor aches and soreness (and I guess some "minor" changes in my mood when I wait too long to eat) :) I've been feeling a lot better now that I'm in the 2nd trimester and feel like I'm able to cherish it more because of that.
"Baby girl Keeler" is active and likes to show off her soccer kicking skills. It's still a little surreal but watching my belly move and seeing it pop whenever she kicks has been an awesome reminder of the miracle of life growing inside of me! We love dreaming about her, talking to her (she can hear now!) and preparing for her to join us!

more updates!

OUR GARDEN!
We planted our 1st garden last Spring with carrots, cherry tomatoes, peppers, corn, beans, watermelon and pumpkin. Tim did a great job of tending to it even though I misplaced the "map" I created after planting the seeds and we had to guess what each plant was when they started to sprout. Unfortunately, some of the vegtables didn't make it. :( Here are some pics of the ones that did! :)

Picking our 1st corn


Tomato plant


A piece of corn for Tim, Brooke and baby girl Keeler! :)


A baby carrot. Isn't it cute?! :)




THANKSGIVING DINNER?
We woke up one recent morning to find a flock of about 30 wild turkeys lounging in our backyard! We let Bailey out on the deck and he actually barked at them which is good to see he has some outdoor instinct since he's usually oblivious to squirrels and other wild animals that scurry past him.



PORTAGE NORTHERN HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI GAME:
Tim enjoyed re-living the good 'ole days on the soccer field of his alma mater, Portage Northern, last month. He's still one of the best soccer players I know!

Tim with his friends Jon and Scott

CRANE'S U-PICK:
We enjoyed a beautiful, Fall afternoon of apple and raspberry picking at Cranes in Fennville today!

Where Is It?!

Tim, Bailey and I enjoyed a long breath of fresh air today as we ventured out to Hemlock Crossings Park in West Olive for an afternoon of letterboxing.
According to the website, letterboxing.org, letterboxing is "an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation and exploring interesting, scenic and sometimes remote places." Basically, you can go the website, type in your zip code and look at various sites around your area that people have hidden a "letterbox" - a small or large box (can be a film canister, a Tupperware container...) with a stamp and a log book in it. When you click on the letterbox location that you want to find, a list or story of clues appears which lead you to your letterbox. Some are pretty easy and some are really hard! Once you find it, you can stamp your log book with the stamp in the letterbox and then stamp the log book in the letterbox with your stamp (and team name)! Tim and I didn't have an actual stamp or our own log book but we still signed the log book in the letterbox. It's really fun and a great activity to do to get exercise, be out in God's beautiful creation and put your mind to work! We spent a few hours at the park today and did two letterboxes...one we found easily and one we got to the last clue but after a valiant search, couldn't find the letterbox!! :( Despite the frustration that this can bring, we know that our efforts still make us winners...right Tim? :)

For those of you who have a GPS system, check out geocaching!! It's another fun, free activity similar to letterboxing!

Disconnected

We've been planning on posting some more info and pictures of various happenings around here...including Brooke's growing belly, however, our camera doesn't seem to be connecting like it should to our computer. Hopefully we'll get it fixed soon.

Until then, be blessed!

Introducing....

our baby GIRL!!!!!


We had our ultrasound yesterday and found out that God has blessed us with a daughter! ...well...90% sure anyway! :)

The ultrasound was one of the most amazing things we've ever seen! Our little girl was so active...we almost had to leave without finding out the gender because she wouldn't sit still long enough and open her legs! :) Everything looked healthy and she is already so precious and beautiful to us!

We had the ultrasound technician write the gender down on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. Tim and I then went to Hope College's Chapel (where we met, got engaged and got married)and opened up our special envelope! To be honest, we were quite shocked as we both thought the baby was going to be a boy! We are still processing the news in our minds and we are becoming more and more excited for the daughter God has created for us! We are so blessed!

PS. You all get to find out her name in January. :)

anniversary

Tim and I celebrated 4 years of married bliss on Wednesday! I love my hubby so much!

summer fun

I can't believe that it's already near the end of July and summer will soon be over! Here are some recaps from the last couple of months:

* Siblings are moving! Tim and his dad spent this weekend riding halfway across the country and back helping his brother, Matt and his fiance, Kelly, move from Washington DC to Chicago. We're so excited that they will be closer! My sister, Andrea, moved to Grand Rapids and my sister, Tara and her husband, Mark (and baby Myles!) moved from California to Cincinnati, Ohio! We're planning on visiting them next weekend!!

* "Romper/Grasshopper" Update: We were able to hear the heartbeat again at our doctor's appointment just over a week ago and we have our ultrasound scheduled for Augsut 23 where we'll find out how well "Romper/Grasshopper" is growing and if it will be a he or a she!!

* Jess and I enjoyed a great 26th birthday week complete with a nice dinner early in the week courtesy of my parents. To end the week, my sweet hubby made me feel special with a dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Snug Harbor, a beautiful card/note, some shopping time and a bag of my favorite indulgence...Dove dark chocolates!! :)




* We enjoyed meeting up with a group of friends for our annual camping weekend at Hoffmaster State Park in June. We had such a great time. We also enjoyed making memories with these same friends on Memorial Day up at my parent's cabin where 3 of us revealed that we were pregnant!


Yup...that's Tim smoking a pipe.

The Palacios family making the morning fire.

Cutie pie Ian Palacios

Jess, Marl, Katie and Brooke

* Our CABLE group threw a baby shower for our friends, Nate and Jenni, who are having a baby girl in August...after having 4 boys! We're so excited for them!

Nate obviously loving the baby food being fed to him by Jenni during one of the games we played. :)

The guys.

* A friend from Hope, Corrie, got married to an awesome guy named Phil on 7/7/07! We had a great time celebrating with them!





* Another friend from Hope, Colleen, and her hubby, Johnny, had a precious baby boy, Trey, on June 18th! We're so happy for you guys!!