Very First Family Pics

Look at my baby blue eyes!
(Just like my mommy:-) and my daddy!

A pensive pose.

Today we decided to get professional pictures taken of our growing family. We went to Express Portraits in Madison (they are very affordable) and had a great time. Stryder ended up peeing and spitting up numerous times, but it makes for fun memories! The finished product turned out so great that the company wanted us to sign a consent to use some of the pictures in their advertising! We were trying to find a cute outfit for him to wear but there was literally nothing but newborn onsies (kinda plain.) So I said, we will have him pose naked with nothing but this adorable little baby tie on. It worked out perfectly, the tie is much too big for him, but it covered what it needed to and looked oh-so-handsome!

Just Dandy!

We had to celebrate when Stryder turned one month old! We took Stryder out in his stroller for a walk around the neighborhood and came across this beautiful field of dandelions. I know they are technically weeds, but they are so pretty....and they make a wonderful backdrop for photos. So we put together a little impromptu photo shoot, full of sweet candid pics. My little sister, Jenessa, made a great photographer, as you can see! The photos remind me alot of Wisconsin spring and of course, they will always remind me of Stryder's birth!

Our Exciting News!

We are very happy, pleased, and elated to announce that we are expecting a baby boy in April! We have announced it to all our family, all of whom were quite surprised to hear the news. This is a great blessing in our lives, as we ponder the countless blessings we have been given this Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was creative and inventive this year, too. We had a small dinner at our apartment, not consisting of the traditional Thanksgiving menu. Nonetheless, it made for a wonderful afternoon of fond memories that will last us a lifetime. We had baked chicken, frozen vegetables, stove top stuffing, instant mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry jello (that did not turn out), and pumpkin bars (which also did not turn out-they actually made me gag.) We had fun taking pictures of the food and of my pregnant belly! We watched our usual movie after dinner and spent some good quality time together.

Island Fever

After getting settled in to our island home, we can't help but count down the days until we move to the Bahamas! Keith has been doing great, studying hard, and being a wonderful husband to me. He will help me out with the dishes and even cooking when I'm not feeling well. Which brings up another point.....yes, I have been very sick since moving here. I can only guess that it will get better in time and everyday I live by the motto, "This too shall pass." We are happy and excited to be reunited after the long and arduous 8 months apart. It's a bit like being newlyweds all over again. Yes, I have to remind myself that I once again share a house with a male and that he must eat to be satisfied. Ha ha, I am the same way in fact!
We went on an awesome cruise to the exotic Western Caribbean, where we saw many beautiful sights. We hiked Mayan Ruins in Belize, toured the streets of Honduras, swam with stingrays in the Cayman Islands, encountered an ancient city in Playa Del Carmen, and even shopped around in Cozumel.
Another fun and exciting fact.....WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!!! Yes, it has sold and we are very pleased to not be homeowners at this moment in our lives. We are lucky and very blessed to have the help of Keith's dad, who moved the things I couldn't and even sold a bunch of our furniture for us. We are excited to hear of Kris and Em's baby news, too! How fun it is to see the families of our loved ones grow. We look forward to seeing you all, my family included, at Christmas time!

Update So Far...

"Get a blog and get a life!" Well, at least that's our motto when it comes to blogging....we seem to be rather out of the loop, since we are miles/oceans/5 plane rides away from everyone back home. We figure this is an excellent way to keep in touch and share some exciting updates with our friends and family.
After packing up our entire house, (by the way-thank you to those that helped me!) I took off, making the 24 hour trip down to Dominica. The numerous flights went rather well, and my wonderful husband Keith took time out of his busy schedule to meet me at the airport. It was great to see him and we had fun taking pictures of the island on the ride home.
Keith has been studying alot, since he has about 3 test every week until the end of August. I can't imagine studying so much, and really admire the students here that work so hard to achieve their dream.
Since arriving, I haven't done much of anything but relax (which I have heard begins to get quite boring after a few weeks.) So for now, I'm taking the island life in, setting up our humble home. I cook for Keith every night and know he appreciates having "real meals" instead of his rather inventive "tuna fish, rice, and hot sauce dish." Yuck!
Until nex time......