A Tribute

We recently lost a roommate, and a pet . . . it's ok, she just got married and moved out. Ryan and I had the priveledge of living with a wonderful woman and her amazing dog! We will miss both of them so much, but we are excited for them as they get to start on this new chapter in their lives. Here are some pictures to remember:

Ginger as a puppy:

Here is Ginger 2 years later

she LOVES the snow!


Justin has a pretty cool dog also - here is Connor sleeping on Ryan's head


We love you guys and are so happy for you!!!

Half way there!

There is so much to celebrate this time of year! Ryan and I are celebrating the fact that we are officially half way through our pregnancy. This photo was taken at our friends wedding last weekend on the day I was 20 weeks. So here is my belly! My 20 week belly! The photo is a little awkward because I was trying to show it off, but you can get the idea. We are both blown away by the miracle that this pregnancy is - that a life is being formed. It is truly an undeniable testament of God's presence and awesome powers. What an amazing experience!


















Another thing to celebrate this time of year of course is the birth of Jesus Christ. I love Christmas time, not because I am good at decorating or making crafts or baking, but because of the love that seems to abound and enjoying other people. Intentional time spent with family and friends. I cannot think of many things I enjoy more than being in the company of those I love. And the holidays seem to bring people together. Speaking of family . . . I love my brother! And boy does he know how to celebrate the Christmas season. Maybe you have seen him driving around Seattle in this: His Christmas Pickup!
That is right, it is a real Noble Fir with colored lights and all in the bed of my brothers truck. He is getting so many honks, thumbs up, and people even taking pictures of him (while driving down I-5, Scary!). Tim, I love that you have done this and put a smile on so many people's faces! It is the kind of cheer Seattle needs. Anyone know how to get this on the news?????

Happy Holidays!!!!

Home Improvement

Ryan has been hard at work lately getting the house fixed up - this will continue until the baby comes. Here is one of his projects that he recently finished. This picture is of our fireplace and mantle as it was when we moved in (and stayed that way for 4 years). It was brick painted gray - pretty boring.

Here is the final project after some slate tile, new trim, paint, and a lot of hard work. Didn't he do a good job?!?!?!
We will keep you all posted on the rest of the projects. Next up: The Nursery!!!

The Name Game

Ryan recently heard on the radio that it costs approximately $800,000 to have and raise a child to the age of 18 (including college). Based on that information Ryan and I have decided to auction off the naming rights of the little guy to the highest bidder. Here are a few pictures of him at our big 18 week ultrasound to help you get started (Isn't he cute!).

He is about 5 - 5 1/2 inches long at this point!

He already is taking after his father with his bowlegged stance! Ready for the wranglers I guess.

Cowboy Up

Ryan recently spent a stint in Montana on his parents ranch to help them out as they came home from the horse racing season. He painted, did repairs, caught a bear, broke some horses, and grew a few inches. Here are some pictures of his trip (yes, those are Wranglers).

The baby cinnamon colored bear



We also spent Thanksgiving on the Ranch which was wonderfully relaxing. We definately ate a lot of good food, and Katie's belly has been a little bigger ever since. I haven't had the nerve to post a belly picture yet despite the requests from family and friends, maybe soon if I have a weak and irrational moment. Hope you are all enjoying the snow!

The Reveal

Alright, the moment we have been waiting for. Our good friends threw us a small party where we as well as all the guests were suprised by the gender of the baby by opening up a present. So, here is the picture story of the night . . .

The Party:






The gift:


And

IT'S A BOY!!!

It's A . . . .

Stay tuned for exciting news. Last chance for gender predictions.

The Thinker

I know we mentioned before that our baby was going to be really smart based upon the size of head in comparison to the rest of the body, but check this out: We had another ultrasound done recently and our baby was deep in thought in the "thinker" pose (not to mention the well developed brain in photo 2). Talk about intelligent! Ok, so maybe he/she was just sucking their thumb, but even figuring that one out at such a young age takes some skill. Enjoy the photos!

We Have a Heartbeat!

This is the baby's heart rate at 14.5 weeks! yeah! 160 bpm. We are officially taking bets at this point on the gender.
I couldn't figure out an easy way to post audio (any tips would be great) so you should just be able to copy this URL and paste it in a new page and it should open right up. Hopefully!

http://learn.shorelineschools.org/shorewood/kkyler/documents/voice_messag.wav

Baby's First "Shoes"

My beautiful friend Mandy gave the baby his/her first pair of shoes toady (they are sitting on the baby blanket my mom gave us)! Man, so far having a baby has been great! Thank you Mandy and Mom!

The baby party that is!

That's rigtht! We're having a baby!
We hope to use this blog to keep family and friends informed on the latest news and pictures. So to start things off here is the little guy (no gender implied) at 9.5 weeks. Mostly head at this point - that means he/she is really smart (no surprise there)!

That's it for now!

-Ryan and Katie