We think it's a...

I'm about 16 weeks along in the pregnancy and we had an ultrasound today. Everything looked great! And, the tech looked for quite a while and didn't want to call it for sure yet on gender, but she was fairly certain we're having another girl! Bring on the pink! The tech said she'd know better at our next ultrasound, and just recently she had a patient come in at 16 weeks, thought the baby was a girl, but at 21 weeks that baby was definitely a boy. So, it's still a little early, but we're thinking about baby girl names these days. I can tell Grace had a GREAT time with Granna and Papa while we were gone, and Kevin and I had a super trip to St. Louis. We're looking forward to some beneficial new partnerships. Today we moved into the guest house we'll be staying in while in Lubbock. Thank you Mom and Dad for letting us stay with you for so long!!! Friday we head out for more travels. We're looking forward to seeing Kevin's parents and attending more conferences. Thankfully, Grace handles transition pretty well but we'll see how she's doing by the time she's slept in the 4th or 5th different place! Until next time...

short and sweet

Today was an exciting day for my 9 year old nephew, Max, as well as the whole family. A few weeks ago, Max received cochlear implants, and today was activation day! He was able to hear sounds and his family's voices for the first time today! What an amazing blessing! Tonight we got to see a fun video of Max responding to his name, and his face lit up every time he was being called. That was a blast to see. Max, we love you and will be praying for you as you learn to use your implants and to process all these new sounds you are hearing. Tomorrow Kevin and I head out for our first in a series of speaking engagements. We'll be in St. Louis until Tuesday. The thing is, Grace is staying in Lubbock with Granna and Papa Jim. The only other time I've been away from Grace was for one brief overnight trip, so I'm a little sad about leaving her for so long. I KNOW she will be fine, we'll just see if I am! I'm thankful she will be in good hands, though. Happy 10th birthday today to my niece, Alayna, and happy 11th birthday on Saturday to our niece Ariel!

fun with bubbles, blocks, and over-the-top bows

Kristen's shower

It was a fun day yesterday as we got to celebrate baby Evyn's impending arrival. She'll be here next month! Kristen is just simply a fun person to throw a shower for...she's so gracious! She was a little nervous that no one would come (silly girl), and of course I knew that wouldn't happen since everyone who knows her loves her dearly. Over 50 women were here at my parent's house, yes 50!! It was an absolutely pink-power shower as Kristen got so many frilly, girly gifts for the baby. Can you believe she's at 33 weeks? Kristen looks FAB-U-LOUS. It's really fun to be pregnant together. Here are the hostesses as we admired all the fun loot. Can you tell this girl is loved?

so I got a new toy

Kevin and I have been saving for quite some time now to buy a digital SLR camera. We found the best deal online, and yesterday my new Canon came in the mail! One of my goals while we are in the States is to learn more about photography. I would like to take a class at a community college but am not sure if we will be in town enough to attend. Maybe I'll buy a "photography for dummies" book! Anyway, my first challenge is to learn all the bells and whistles on my camera. I'm so ignorant! We decided that if I can master how to use this camera, then I can upgrade lenses and such in the future. Anyone want to give photography lessons? :) Two of my favorite little people were playing together yesterday when my camera came, so of course I had to snap some shots. Aren't they adorable?

enjoying the ordinary

In a few weeks, we will start a busy travel season. But for now, we are truly enjoying a season of a slower change of pace. Even little outings like going to the park and running errands at the store seem pretty fun right now. We can't believe how dry and relatively cool the weather feels here in Lubbock compared to our tropical home in Asia. And of course, we have loved getting reacquainted with friends and family. Grace loves to water the flowers with Papa Jim. (Nana, with all your pretty flowers in Lindale, this might entertain Grace for hours when we come to visit!) My mom found a great tricycle at a consignment shop, and the other day we went out (still in our pajamas) and let Grace ride outside. She got it going by herself for the first time! Here she is looking proud of herself. And, of course, we have to hide pretty jewelry in the trunk! Getting ready for Sunday morning. Big grin.

Kevin used to grill quite a bit, and I loved it when he made lemon-pepper chicken. Kevin's parents brought us our grill all the way from Lindale so we can use it when we move into our temporary home in mid-September. Well, last night Kevin broke out the grill and made us some wonderful chicken. He didn't lose any of his skills while in Asia! Swinging in the backyard with Granna and Papa Jim. Today we had a little playgroup meeting at the park. Here's Grace and her sweet friend Carter. Aren't they a cute couple? Carter is the son of my BFF Kristen, and he and Grace are betrothed. Granna and Grace had fun going down this slide a few times. Granna's a good sport!