Well, there are officially 6 weeks left! Things are going really well, the baby is really active (especially when I'm trying to go to sleep:)) In honor of this 6 week mark and in honor of my husband who says that this side profile of our little "Ziggy" is much more clear than the ones I previously posted, here is another 4-D Ultrasound picture. Hope you're all having a great week!

Here are the latest and greatest pictures of the nursery:)

Below are some pictures from our time in Colorado. As you can see we stayed pretty busy. There are pictures from my baby shower, Steph and Dustin's wedding, a golf outing with Aaron's family, hiking with my family and my bible study girls. It was so nice to be near the mountains again! How I miss them!

We had so much fun, but man we were exhausted afterwards. I was never more ready for my week off!

Sept.Colorado Trip Pictures

Can we all say...Fall is in full swing! I love this time of year, with the leaves changing, the crisp days and the apple cider. I just can’t get over that Sept. has come and gone and we are already into Oct.! And that means we are that much closer to greeting our little one. Speaking of which, we were able to experience an AMAZING blessing this past week. Our neighbor works for one of the hospitals in our area and they are testing out their 4D Ultrasound machine and needed “test candidates”. So, Aaron and I took off a little early from work on Wednesday and drove over to try it out. It was amazing! To actually see a picture of what our baby looks like was unfathomable to me, but it made things just a little more real. Below are some pictures from the ultrasound. We were able to explain that we didn’t want to know the gender of our little one, so there are only headshots. They may be a little difficult at first to see, kind of like those pictures that came out several years ago where if you cross your eyes long enough, you begin to see something. The baby had its arms in front of its face almost the whole time, so we never did get a clear shot of its whole face, but enough to make out some of the major features. We also just returned from a trip to Colorado to see everyone there. We had a wonderfully exhausting time and I will post pictures of our adventures soon.

Things are finally starting to come together in the nursery. The crib is up and waiting, the monkey rug is on the floor and now all we need is the baby to complete itJ As many of you know, Aaron’s favorite hockey team is the Colorado Avalanche…our basement is a proud display of their colors and so naturally, he wanted the baby to have some way to also support the team. Just last night, we pulled the car seat out of the box to try out Aaron’s latest purchase. He bought the baby an Avalanche car seat cover!!! I should also note that we have been practicing holding a baby using a teddy bear and last night the teddy bear was also the model for the car seat. As I watched Aaron’s tenderness towards the teddy bear as he placed it in the car seat and buckled it in, I got tears in my eyes. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with such a wonderful man!!

Daddy-to-be...

In the last couple of weeks, I have been reminded of how that wonderful husband of mine is already a hands-on amazing dad even though he can't see his child yet. We put the crib together this weekend and this morning, I walked out of our bedroom to find him just standing in the nursery gazing at that crib. He has also wanted to be hands-on in all areas of this pregnancy and like so many soon-to-be fathers, he is very curious about the mysteries of what it feels like to be kicked by the baby. I have had a hard time trying to explain it to him in a way he can understand but several nights ago, he found his own way to relate… We were making pizza and I was preparing the dough in the breadmaker. As the dough was spinning around inside the breadmaker, he picked up the machine and held it to his stomach and asked… “is this what it feels like when “Ziggy” kicks?” J I had never thought of putting it that way, but I suppose in a way, it would feel a little like that. I just love the fact that he’s trying to relate.

Whew! These last couple weeks have been so crazy that all I could do last night after my first day back to work this week was crash on the couch! After coming back from Colorado for Tutu's funeral, we went to the White Sox game in Chicago with a couple from church (those are the pictures from the previous posting) and then Wednesday night Aaron's 2 brothers and best friend arrived. We had tons of fun with the boys here and of course, there were lots of sports orientated activites involved, but I had fun non-the-less. After 36 holes of golf on their own on Thursday, I rode along for 36 holes of golf on Friday, we went to a Cubs game on Saturday (and yes, I finally got my beloved CHIPOTLE!!!!). Sunday after church, we decided to go back out to the golf course for 18 more holes in honor of Micah's 31st birthday that day. Monday morning rolled around and when the word GOLF came out of several mouths, Emily finally put her foot down:) I had had enough. So instead, with all 4 boys in tow, we went and got pedicures! And I think they enjoyed it! It was finally time to show these boys what they'd been missing out on. We came back and spent some time outdoors playing croquet and corn hole. And now, at least for a few weeks, life is returning to normal. Its hard to imagine that only 2 weeks from now, I'll be back in Colorado. And in baby news...we are at 7 months! Can you believe it? "Ziggy" has been moving so much. And I think he/she is already feeling claustrophobic because there is a lot of stretching/pushing going on. For the first time this week, I think it finally really hit and sunk in. I can finally invision this child in our lives. Its an awesome and scary thought all at the same time. We also were able to go and get the carseat/stroller. We're still waiting on the crib and glider rocker to come in so we can finish assembling the nursery. On that final note, below are some pictures from this past weekend with the boys...

WOW! What a week! The room looks amazing and every time I walk by, I can't help but think of what it will be like once this little one enters the picture. Its becoming more real that life as we have known it is soon about to change:) After putting my mom on the plane back to CO, we found out that Aaron's "Tutu" (grandmother in Hawaiian) had passed away. What a wonderful woman she was and we will miss her dearly. It was a little sad knowing that we were just weeks away from seeing her again, but we feel blessed for the time we did have with her. We finally came to the conclusion on Wednesday that we wanted to go back to CO and while the reason for going back wasn't good, it was nice to see both families again. It was also nice to see several from Aaron's family that we hadn't seen in a while. Now its Thursday before Labor day and testosterone has taken over my house!!! YIKES! Aaron's 2 brothers and best friend flew in last night to spend the long weekend with us... Below are several photos from the last couple of weeks... At the Chicago White Sox game with our friends PJ & Lai Papa Our little bit of fun this weekend

The weekend was so much fun and we got so much accomplished. Not only did we complete the nursery, we spent some time up in New Buffalo-walking around the shops and enjoying the view-and of course, shopping:). Life is beginning to pick up-Aaron's brothers and best friend fly in next week and as to be expected, there will be lots of golf-looks like I'm outnumbered! Anyways...here are some photos, Enjoy! Mom decided her main reason for coming was to teach Aaron some creativity in his painting skills:) We became Spongers:) 3 Tired happy workers. Now we just need the baby to complete the room:)

Well, we are already halfway through August and we are finally able to start work on the nursery. Below are a couple of pictures of Aaron, Emy and the ever growing belly:) Its been fun to really feel the baby kicking and moving around. I really think we have an acrobat on our hands:) Yesterday, I finally sat down after working around the house and a little foot felt like it was stretching out and took a couple seconds to be drawn back in. That was definitely a strange feeling! My mom is flying in today to help us paint, so this will be a fun filled weekend of painting, girly movies and cooking lessons. There are 2 things that Aaron says no one can make but his mother-in-law...Chicken Noodle Soup and Verenika (a German family dish). So, Emily is going to endevor to learn how to make these, although I'm sure it will be quite a while before I actually make them on my own for anyone but me:) The Nursery was a guest room before the "Ziggy" entered the picture. We have now combined the office and guestroom. Gone are the colorful walls. Its amazing how a color can change the feel of the room. Just the white primer makes the room feel so much smaller! The last of Aaron's painting before he gives up the control to the ladies:)

Hello! I just can't seem to get over how fast the time is flying by! We are almost into our 6th month and summer is winding down. Up until now, life has been pretty normal. We are trying to get all of our outstanding projects done on the house. We have been busy staining the deck, re-roofing the shed, painting various areas of the house and trying to keep up on all the normal maintenance as well. "Ziggy" has really started to move, which has been very fun to experience. Although, Ziggy really doesn't like to be crowded. Anytime my arms, hands or the desk is crowding in on his space, he pushes back.:) I have become more and more aware of what a wonder it is that God creates us in the womb. That verse from Psalm 139 about God "knitting me in my mothers womb" has taken on a deeper meaning for me. My mom is flying in a couple of weeks to help me decorate/paint the nursery so we have been trying to get everything ready for that too. It will be so nice to have it all put together. We have also been collecting various items that will fit well into the tropical beach theme. We even bought a small surfboard/bugie board to go on the wall. I can't wait to put it all together! Hopefully we will be taking more pictures soon of my ever growing belly and Aaron's ever growing smile:) Love to all!

Hello! What a Fourth of July we had! Aaron's parents came to join us for the week and we had so much fun. During their trip here, we took our bambino (or as our friend J is referring to him/her-Ziggy) on his/her first canoe ride. And luckily, unlike the previous couple of boat trips he/she has gone on, this trip was much better:) We, along with Aaron's parents also had a chance to go see the baby in motion. Below is one of "Ziggy's" first pictures. As you can see in the picture following "Ziggy", Poppy is demonstrating-like grandchild, like grandpa:) Ziggy is healthy and quite active. The Ultrasound tech had a hard time keeping an eye on him/her as all Ziggy wanted to do was move! Aaron and I also felt the first baby kick. It wasn't very strong, but it was still very fun to experience. We can hardly believe that we are already halfway through the pregnancy! How the time flies by! But we are so ready to greet this little one that we can't wait for it to come! Editors Note: Ziggy is only available for use until the baby arrives.:)