our Babymoon

This past Tuesday evening we returned from our 6-day Babymoon in Oahu (for those unfamiliar with the term babymoon - think honeymoon - just before the baby). We both knew we wanted to do one last trip, just the two of us, before this little baby comes into the world. What better place than Hawaii?! Neither of us had ever been so we looked into our best options and settled on Oahu.
During our time on this beautiful island we spent time on Waikiki, Alan had a private surf lesson (thanks George!), we ate some incredible food, we toured the Polynesian Cultural Center, soaked in the sun on Kailua Beach, visited Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial, hiked Diamond Head, explored the North Shore and snorkeled in Haunauma Bay. Just to name a few things. We also stayed at this unbelievable hotel called the Hotel Renew. If you're looking to go to the Waikiki area anytime soon we'd highly recommend it.
It really was a very restful yet fun time for the two of us as we celebrated what God has in store for our family in the next year.

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on the road to...Hawaii!!

We're off to Hawaii for our Babymoon tomorrow morning and couldn't be more excited! Alan just finished a trimester of classes and so it's time to celebrate! We'll take plenty of pictures and will be sure to post about our time away.

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Some Belly Pics...

I always thought I would be really good at remembering to take belly pictures during pregnancy - but I've even surprised myself. Weeks have flown by and as you can see - 5 weeks passed before I got around to taking my second round of them :) Here's the baby (and mom) at 14 weeks and then at 19 weeks. And for those of you who like a little more practical/visual illustration for how big our little peanut is - see below.

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Steph's Pick - a Diaper Bag

Alright - I have a confession - the very first baby item that I purchased was a diaper bag! Upon finding out that we would be adding to our family of 2 this coming summer I immediatly started thinking "Where am I going to find a cute/stylish diaper bag!?" I feel like I'm already off to a bad start with this mom thing! I know this may be the last thing on some of your lists in preparing for the birth of your first child but for the purse-lover in me I couldn't help but think that most of the diaper bags I have seen were just not cute. Just as I wouldn't want to go through the next few year's with any ugly purse - I wasn't about to do it with an ugly diaper bag :)
So I started my search early and was recommended by a friend to check out Skip Hop's options. Which is exactly what I did. And sure enough - I found a fairly gender neutral, cute and somewhat affordable bag that I actually liked. I bought it right away. I went with the Skip Hop's Studio Diaper Tote but they have plenty of other options.
For you moms out there looking for either a new diaper bag or your very first diaper bag, I'd totally suggest a Skip Hop Bag. I also found a great article on Parents.com with some other fun idea's. Check it out for yourselves!

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on the road in...IOWA

(Disclaimer: I realize this photo I am using to portray Iowa is so over-the-top typical but I couldn't find anything that illustrated my home state any better)
This past weekend we were finally able to travel to Iowa to see our little niece, Adelyn. Both of us have been so anxious to see her and couldn't wait to spend some good quality snuggling hours with this little 4-week old! This is exactly what we did. We were there Thursday - Sunday and during that time we played (as much as a newborn can play), fed, changed diapers, ate and slept with this little punkin and her incredible mom and dad. We tried to be as helpful as possible while there and always kept in the back of our minds that we'd be traveling back to our newborn-free home in a couple of days where we'd be able to get plenty of rest (at least for a few more months). Below you'll find some photos I took of the baby and the new family.

We love you three!

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on the road in...Edmonton

Wow! I'm already officially behind. The weekend following my time in Vancouver, Alan and I were both able to travel with Family Matters to Edmonton, Alberta. This trip, together with my time in Vancouver, amounted to a total of 8 days out of 14 in Canada!!! I think they should consider granting me citizenship (especially with their 1 year maternity policy!!!).
Regardless, we were in Edmonton for a large Canadian Christian Conference called Breakforth Canada. It was a great event - a huge success for our ministry - and I'm confident thousands of people were influenced by the incredible musicians and speakers that were there.
Next up... our time in the Midwest. Stay tuned :)

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Steph's Pick & a NEW Series!

There are very few cities that I've been to that can top the beauty of this British Columbia gem - Vancouver. Although both times I've visited have been for work purposes, I have still been awed at the splendor of God's creation when looking around this city. Hugging a spectacular bay by the Pacific Ocean and ringed by stunning, snowcapped peaks, Vancouver easily ranks as one of the world's most beautiful cities. It's no wonder it was even ranked as one of the three most livable cities by the 2008 Mercer Human Resource Consulting report. There is no question why. Alan and I are right now dreaming of when we might be able to actually go to Vancouver together - maybe the 2010 Winter Olympics? Would anyone care to join us? :) Do consider Vancouver for your next get-away trip. You won't be disappointed.

On a side note: Although I will try and continue posting my "Steph's Pick" each week, I thought it might also be fun to start a NEW Series - which I'm entitling "On the Road in..." After looking at our schedules for the next 6 months we realized that we have plans to travel around 10 times (between work and pleasure). This series will help you keep up with us as we travel the country (and continent in some cases).

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