No Excuses

No excuses.

It's been far too long since I've blogged.

This fall, as we were trying to start a family, I didn't feel like I could share my life with the world without spilling that secret.

Then came the first trimester of pregnancy when we were keeping our little one a secret.

Then came my computer crashing (permanently...bummer!) and the long effects of sitting on and breaking my own camera. Uff da.

Wait a minute...didn't I say that I wasn't going to give any excuses?

Now for an update. Early in February, Dave and I tried out our cross country skis for a beautiful afternoon in the mountains near Loma Linda. I only feel down 5 times. :)

I have still been blessed by being in a bible study with wives of medical students. They are such a passionate group of woman from so many different backgrounds and personalities, but who share a common bond through the life experiences of our husbands and our shared desire to know more of God.

One of the cool things we've been able to do is commit to making goodie bags for our homeless brothers and sisters who often seek help at the ends of off ramps from the interstate. Our bags contain soap, shampoo, toothpaste and brush, deodorant, purell, razor, shelter resource list, a hand written note of encouragement, granola bars, hard candy, water bottle, etc. We've been handing them out for two years now and I am so grateful for this small ministry.

Some of the goods...

Spring time comes so early here...really the month of February is when things get going. We have enjoyed spending a lot of time in the yard getting things ready for planting. Dave has proved that he has inherited at least some of his Dad's green thumb. He has flat after flat of seedlings taking over his office space and has brightened up our yard with cute pansies and canna lillies (bulbs from the Panthers).

View from our front yard

Showin' off the new baby bump

This Spring, I have a student teacher working with me. It has been a great experience to pass on the knowledge I've gained in my career and to usher a new colleague into this great profession. The only downside is that I actually have to turn over control of my precious kiddos to another person. I love teaching so sitting in the back of the classroom while someone else gets to do my job is a)boring and b) boring. :)

When I do get to work with the kids, we have such a great time. God has really blessed me with phenomenal students this year and I am ending this season of my career on a definitely high note.

My kids singing for an elementary school chapel

Because my computer is dead, I was unable to scan the ultrasound picture of our little Panther. Long story short, I had two dropped ultra sound appointments because of forgetful doctors and nurses (read: cruelty to a first time mom). Enter super husband. Dave has been on his OB/GYN rotation and conveniently has befriended the OB residents. He found one that was willing to help us out and reveal the gender of our baby for free.

So....

...It's a BOY!!!!

We are thrilled and can't wait to meet our son. Until then, we are enjoying watching my belly grow and get to feel him kick. He is active to say the least and we are hoping this means he'll love outdoor adventure as much as we do.

Stay tuned for more pictures.