It's been a while...

So I know it's been a while since I've posted... I'm sorry.  Not only have we been busy, but I've struggled with what to post after my last one.  I daily think of Jess and Joel - what they must be feeling, what emotions they're dealing with, what each day must be like... and I know I have no idea.  Today I read Laura's latest post and I think she worded it better than I ever could.  Every time I feel my baby move or I play with my nephew, I almost feel a tinge of guilt because I think of how Jess and Joel should be with Cora.  As Laura said, it is good to grieve and carry on - life still goes on, and each day should get easier.  Jess and Joel, please know that though it may look like people around you are moving on, even forgetting, that precious Cora will never be forgotten.  Her impact will continue for years to come, I'm sure.

So... in the meantime, here's an update of our life and what we've been up to:

I absolutely adore my nephew Malachi - we have so much fun together!  My favorite thing is to make him smile & "talk" to me. :) Here's his precious smile:

This next pic is just for laughs... we were trying to get a pic of Malachi with his cousin - Baby "Spanky" and he made this face!  I think he's trying to figure out if it's a boy or girl...

Joe and I spent last weekend in South Dakota with some dear friends of ours.  They graciously opened their homes and their church for us to speak at their youth/college retreat.  David & Mandy Fergen have a gorgeous 5-month old and Danny & Kansas adopted a 16-month old boy - AND are expecting their first baby May 17th - the same day as us!!!!  Here's a belly pic of Kansas and me:

If you know my mom, you know she is an avid scrapbooker - I mean AVID! :) She is such a blessing... thanks to her, my sis and I have scrapbooks of our weddings and pregnancies!  If Joe and I relied on how well I keep up on my scrapbooking, we wouldn't be married yet - I'm still working on my college scrapbook!  Anywho, my mom makes a point to take belly pics of me each month, so here's one of my 6-month pics:

Thank you, Mom. :) Oh - as many of you know, our poor truck died... but God has provided and we recently purchased a 2005 Honda Pilot - here's my "mommy-mobile"!

Another random/funny pic... pretty self-explanatory, but my belly now definitely enters the room before anything else does! :)

And here is my view... just thought you'd like to see what I see every day - ha ha. :)

Joe is still enjoying teaching at Sterling, and I'm still working part-time at the jail.  We're working fervently on the house to prepare the nursery, which is fun!  Joe and I just got registered at Babies R Us - a surprisingly painless experience! :) It's exciting to think of what will come... we can't wait to meet our little one!

I thought I would try a video... so we'll see if this works.  I love seeing Malachi in the morning - he loves morning time!  Here's a little clip of Malachi and me saying good morning to each other (please excuse my cheesy-ness)!

I will try to do a better job of posting pics... and keeping everyone updated. :)