Mini-Muffin Update

So, growing-up my dad would always call me his "muffin," with the flavor varying on the color of my clothes that particular day...so Mark and I have decided to temporarily name our little one "Mini-muffin"--hence the name of this post. ;-) This past Thursday (3/5) I had my latest 4-week check-up on the baby and all seems to be right on track. Mark and I were finally able to hear our baby's heartbeat on the dopplar and it was AMAZING! We also scheduled the date of the "Big Ultrasound" for next month on Monday, April 6th. I can't believe we will know what we are having in less than a month! Other than that, nothing much else new going on around here. Once I begin showing a little more I will be sure to post a preggo shot...but there's really not much to see thus far...can't wait til there is! 'Til next time...

Baby Pic!

Here are the first official "pictures" of our baby...the white blob inside the black circle is the baby. This ultrasound was taken at my 10-week appointment back on February 3rd, so my next one (around 18-20 weeks)will be much clearer. Enjoy! :-)

Our Family is Growing...

Mark and I wanted to announce to everyone (who didn't know already) that we are expecting our first little one around September 6th. We feel truly blessed and amazed by this little life that God has already entrusted to our care. I am about 12 weeks along in my pregnancy, with little difficulties to report..except for a few minor bouts with nausea and a constant state of exhaustion. I had the first ultrasound at my 10-week appointment, and although not very detailed, it was awesome to finally see that there is something growing inside of me. I was even able to see our baby's little heart beating away on the ultrasound monitor. My next appointment will be the standard 4-week check-up on March 5th. It will be at this appointment that Mark and I will finally be able to hear our baby's heartbeat! I will try to upload the ultrasound pictures to our blog soon..so stay tuned for updates!

Long Overdue...

Summer is long gone and the holidays are right around the corner...so I figured it might be a good time to update the blog. We have been very busy since the last update, with too many things to remember, but I will hit-upon some of the main events. I am obviously back in full swing at school and Mark continues to work at both of his jobs. Our fall has consisted of many events...some more fun than others. First of all, my family took our annual Apple Picking trip to Graves Mountain Lodge in the mountains of VA back in early October. This year's weather and apple harvest were awesome! Many an apple pie was made when we returned home. Later in the month, my (Kristin's) other grandfather passed-away somewhat expectedly, about 2 months after his wife (my grandmother--dad's side) passed away. God was truly gracious in his timing and the way everything happened. They will both be dearly missed. On a happier note, Mark and I are very much excited about the upcoming holiday season. We will be joining my family for Thanksgiving in southeastern Virginia followed by a Birthday Weekend Get-Away to the Asheville the first weekend of December. I've been dying to see the Biltmore all decorated for Christmas since we moved here 3 years ago and I will finally get my chance. Mark has arranged for us to stay in a cute B&B and even go on a candlelight tour of the mansion! If you can't tell...I'm totally psyched! I will most definitely take lots of pics and try to post some on here soon after we return. Promise to post again soon!

Here are just a few pics from Apple Picking 2k8:

















I had to add some pics of the food from this year's state fair...here's Mark eating a piece of fried pecan pie and me with my frozen chocolate-dipped banana w/ sprinkles...both were so yummy!

3 Years of Wedded Bliss! ;-)

This past Wednesday, July 9th, Mark and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary! It's amazing how quickly the years fly by! Since we have such a full schedule of beachweeks and other trips, we decided to go low-key this year. Mark surprised me with some beautiful flowers (pictured below) and I surprised him to dinner at Kanki, a local Japanese Steak House he has been wanting to try. On our way home from dinner we saw some awesome rainbows which we were lucky enough to capture on our camera. Once home, we enjoyed a dessert (my other surprise to Mark) of banana pudding. All in all, it was a wonderfully relaxing evening and a great time to reflect on memories of the past 3 years. God has been so good to us! We can't wait to see what our 4th year of marriage will bring! :-)







We had to strike a pose in front of the awesome fish tank!











Another shot of the fish tank...wish I could have one of these in our house!










Mark did an awesome job capturing the rainbow(s) on the way home!













If you look closely, there are actually 2 rainbows in this picture!












My beautiful flowers from Mark...so fun!

Quick Catch-Up!

Summer is in full swing and Mark and I are loving every minute of it! We spent the 4th of July week in Emerald Isle, NC with some fun friends from church. Some of the highlights of the trip included: a trip to the NC Aquarium, Sanitary Fish Market, exploring Ft. Macon, a round of golf (this was Mark), fireworks on the beach, some ocean kyaking, and of course plenty of beach time! It was a great time to meet new friends and just relax. Here are a few pics from our week!









































No comment on this one! ;-)

Summer is Here!

So much has happened since my last post, so I will just pick up with the most recent events/news. Mark and I have been pretty busy with work and church stuff recently. Lucky for me, school ended this week and I'm officially on summer vacation. The summer brings much excitement for us this year. Just a few things on the agenda are:

June 29-July 6th Emerald Isle Beachweek with church friends
July 9th: Our 3rd Wedding Anniversary! :-)
July 13-19th--Annual At Lee Family Vacation @ VA Beach
July 24th-27th--Off to NYC for a wedding of one of Mark's College Buddies

Phew! So that's the schedule so far...if we are MIA during those days...now you will know why! I promise to be much more faithful in posting recent blog updates and pics, but for now, here are a few pictures from some recent birthdays/events. Enjoy!




Caleb and Bekah (our twin nephew and niece) on their 3rd b-day...props to my older brother, Rick, on the awesome Barbie and Race Car Cakes he made!











Mark and Ben with Margaret at her JMU graduation in early May...so much fun!













So our friends Scott and Julie have a mini-dachshund named Ozzie, whom I think is hilarious! Well, last week their AC was broken for a few days and Ozzie joined Candy at our house while all of the "parents" were at work. Here are a couple pics for you to see the drastic difference in size between the 2 dogs...I'm seriously considering adopting a mini-dachshund for our next "dog child". ;-)




















We celebrated Isaac's 5th birthday at this sweet gym-type place called Romp and Roll...as you can see, much fun was had by all...especially Isaac!











Erin and I chilling while Isaac opened his gifts...love the little sis!