getting ready for baby...

over the past 2-3 weeks we have been busy getting ready all the "stuff" that nugget will need when she gets here (or maybe more appropriately all the "stuff" that we think we will need when nugget gets here). super stollers, blinds and curtains, diapers, blankets, cribs and more. left to be assembled are the car seat, bassinet, pack n play, swing and probably a million more things. oy vey...

but it has been tons of fun. cheryl and i usually spend at least 30 minutes a day sitting in the nursery talking about all sorts of stuff. projects we've completed, projects to finish, things we want to do, things we don't want to do, our own childhood memories, what we're excited for, what we're terrified of, baby names, and so on and so on...

i get a quote of the day in my email and today's fits us very well. "we change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become. - david hawkins" i know that nugget is still a few weeks away from being "here" but cheryl and i have already become parents and i believe that will change the world...

that was awesome!!!

we stopped in vandalia, illinois to see this fire-breathing dragon. totally worth it!!!

summertime in ohio

david and aspen recently came to ohio hang with us on their summer vacation. and it was their five-year anniversary! congratulations. we took the opportunity to show them some of the sights of columbus. click the photo to see an album of our trip to the zoo, the ice cream factory and the ohio statehouse. we also grilled some burgers, ate lots of sandwiches and enjoyed a german feast...

to texas and back again...

so another trip to texas this year...i think that makes four since we moved to ohio back in october. wow. this trip was a bit different though. the newman center's campus minister and i took five osu students to texas a&m to be retreaters on aggie awakening #86. it was amazing. the retreat was a phenomenal experience for everyone and i am so happy that we were able to make everything come together so well to make it possible. below is a story that pretty much sums up the experience.

"Got a story for ya Ags! I took a group of five students to Texas this past weekend for a retreat called Aggie Awakening. This retreat occurs three times per year and this was the 86th installment since 1983. It’s a very powerful experience for college students and we wanted to explore the possibility of bringing it back to the students at OSU. After the first night we gathered all the students together to discuss where they were (mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc). They all were beaming and excited to see what the next two days would hold for them – all except for one. This student pulled me aside after we broke up that night to tell me he was still a bit unsure where this was all going. He was trying to hear God but was confused about why his experience was not quite at the level of the others in the group yet. His problem reminded me of the story of Elijah who was alone in the wilderness trying to get away from God. When God decided that Elijah was ready, he spoke to him. But Elijah didn’t hear God's voice in the storm, the earthquake or the fire. It wasn’t until it got quiet and he heard a still, small voice that he realized what God's was trying to tell him. By the end of our weekend (and our two day drive back to Ohio…), this student had heard God and couldn’t be more thrilled about the manner in which he heard it. This story shows that listening for God can be tedious and frustrating sometimes, but he knows exactly when to talk to us and call us forward."

oh yeah, our drive back to ohio was pretty awesome too. you would think that driving through texas, oklahoma, missouri, illinois, indiana and ohio was be lame, but it was not. :) click here (or the photos) to check out the album and see our stops along the way. thanks and gig 'em!

what a cutie...

we couldn't resist the temptation of being able to see what lil nugget looks like - so we went ahead and had a 3D ultrasound done. it is amazing what technology can do these days! after one unsuccessful trip to the office (the baby did not want her picture taken that day!) we were able to go back and get some great shots of her making all sorts of faces for us. click the photo to see more of our little bundle.

they keep growing...

Here are some new pictures of baby and mama. We had another ultrasound last week & everything is looking great. The computer calculates that she now weighs 3 lbs 2 oz - which puts her in the 60th percentile, so she is growing big & strong. In the ultrasound photo, you can see that she has both of her hands above her face. Her lips are kind of pushed out, so we are thinking that she may have been sucking her thumb! How cute! The other shot is a picture of Cheryl's ever growing tummy. We got back from Texas & her stomach just expanded... she says that she swears that she could feel it getting bigger every minute! :)

Enjoy! Only 11 weeks left!

baby showers in the lone star state...

we had a great trip to texas last week. it was much hotter than we have grown accustomed to in ohio...but it was totally worth it. we got to spend time with grandma lulu and pop, aunt colleen, grandma nana, aunt kim and all of our friends in aggieland. the showers were so nice and everyone did so much work to make them great for cheryl and the baby. we stuffed our suitcases with burp cloths and blankets but still had to pack a box to ship home. everyone was so generous and we're both so grateful.

click here or the (really gross looking) photo below to see some photos from the trip.

trip to st. louis

andrew & i made a trip to st. louis over memorial day weekend for my cousin betsy's wedding. dad played tour guide, driving us all around his old stomping grounds and we made trips to the arch, zoo (in the rain), science center and of course ted drewes (3 times in 3 days).

what a cute mama-to-be...

here's a picture of cheryl at 22 weeks. :)

a little more official now...

so we finally made our move to ohio official. we both went down to the bureau of motor vehicles today and got new drivers licenses, car titles and registration stickers. the tests were a piece of cake after our 23 minute study session last night. it was pretty sad giving up our texas licenses (you're not allowed more than one license so they keep your old ones). and then even sadder taking off the texas plates. but this is our home now so we better start looking like we belong...