It's a...

Well, Aaron and I went to the doctor yesterday and we found out that we are having... a girl!! We are ecstatic and I can't even explain the emotions we felt when we found out. We are just so happy and I think it makes it a little more real to us now that the baby is a "she" and not an "it." Another exciting thing is that I am almost 20 weeks which means that we're already halfway through! :)

It is wonderful to be back in California, I missed home and I really missed Aaron! I do have one more set of photos to share from my trip to Canada. One of the days I was there, my parents and I spent a day out in the country. We went to the Leighton Art Center, got some coffee in Black Diamond, and walked around Sheep Falls.

Zack's first birthday

Zack turns one today and what first birthday is complete without the classic messy cake pictures? Well this lucky kid had two parties which meant two opportunities to dig in and get dirty :)

I can't stress how amazing these last two weeks have been. I've had such a good visit with my family and loved spending time with my nephew. Heather and Matt's wedding was a blast and I saw a lot of dear friends that I haven't seen in years. As wonderful as it's been, I can't wait to go home and see Aaron. It's been almost three weeks since I saw him last which is way too long! He just returned home from Columbia yesterday and I'm excited to hear all about his trip. This time tomorrow I'll be back in sunny So Cal, horray!

He sure does clean up nicely, Jill shot this cute pic of him.

Matt & Heather - Engagement

I met up with Heather and Matt yesterday afternoon at Inglewood for some engagement pictures. I had such an awesome time hanging out with them and I am super excited for their wedding tomorrow! Enjoy the photos...

Thank you to Cindy Robert who tagged along with me for this e-session.

She took the yummy photo below.

Canada Day

Well it looks like this year I am actually in Canada for Canada Day, something that hasn't happened in three years! I celebrated by going to the Calgary Zoo with my sister and brother-in-law, my adorable nephew and my best friend. It was pretty crowded but we still had a nice time walking around and looking at the animals. Here are a few shots I snapped from the afternoon, enjoy!

Banff

On Friday night Jill and I drove out to Banff to go camping. We set up camp at Tunnel Mountain and then went into town for some supper. Jill made a fire when we returned and we had a great time talking and roasting marshmallows into the night. The next day we walked around Banff and then went to Two Jack Lake. I had such a good time with my sister and I really enjoyed camping. I definitely want to do some trips with Aaron and our friends this summer.

Dakota loves camping!

Is that a wee baby bump I see?

Dakota had a great time swimming and fetching sticks in the lake

My little nephew

The other night, my sister came over for dinner with Zack. It was so cool to meet the little guy especially since the last time I saw him he was just a newborn. He is very fun and it was neat to see how his personality has come out. What a cutie!

I was able to talk to Aaron this morning. He just returned from Isla Fuerte and is now in Medellin. He said that Columbia is so beautiful and that the team is doing great. I was so happy to talk to him and to hear that everything is going well.

Tomorrow me and Jill are planning on going camping in Banff. Should be fun!

Jill & Zack

Zack & Grandma

I'm back!

Yesterday morning I was up at 3:30 am and two of my good friends drove me to LAX. My mom picked me up at the airport in Calgary and we swung by Cindy's house on our way to lunch. I had a great afternoon with my mom and my best friend and then we headed back to the house. In the evening I drove out to Bragg Creek to meet my sister for dinner. It was such a good day but I knocked out at 9:30 because I was so tired!

This morning I went for a walk with my mom in their "backyard" :) The country is so beautiful in the summer, everything is so green. I brought my camera along for the walk and snapped some shots along the way.

Jill and Zack are on their way over right now and I can't wait. The last time I saw Zack he was just 6 weeks old and now he is just around the corner from his first birthday! It will be fun to see what he's like now...

Cal Poly

On Sunday afternoon we headed over to Cal Poly Pomona to see two of our good friends graduate. Johnny and Cynthia have worked so hard for the last four years and we were super excited to see them accomplish their goal. Before the ceremony we had some time to walk around part of the campus and it was beautiful! I definitely want to go back sometime and see more of it.

16 weeks

This morning Aaron took me to my ultrasound appointment and it was very fun! We got to see the baby move around a lot and everything is looking great. We got some good pictures and even got a cute shot of the little foot.

Aaron is getting ready to leave for Columbia on Thursday and I will be in Calgary on Monday, can't wait!

Girl's weekend at Palm Springs

This past week Aaron and his dad have been in Canmore, Canada for a pastor's conference. Since me and my mother-in-law were husbandless, we got a group of girls together to spend the night at Palm Springs on Friday. Vangie and I headed over early and the room wasn't ready yet so we decided to check out a day spa that she had heard about. We asked one of the valet guys where the spa was and after pointing us in the right direction he offered us some coupons. Well the coupons happened to be free vouchers to the spa! It was so relaxing... we got big fluffy robes and there were people bringing us fresh fruit and drinks as we lounged by the pool. Best day ever! After the spa we met up with the girls for dinner and then kicked back at our room and watched movies.

This morning we hung out and then Vangie and I went to the airport to pick up our husbands. I was so happy to see Aaron! He is leaving to Columbia in 11 days so I have to enjoy our time together while I can. I'll be in Canada with my family while he is away so that will be nice.

Here are some sights from Palm springs. I took a walk this morning while the girls were still sleeping and this is what I found...