I'm ready for my close-up

We were able to get a 3D sonogram of our daughter recently and here are the results:

We think she has Dad's lips & Mom's chin, but we're undecided about her nose. We hope she gets Mom's nose but it's looking like Dad's genes are taking over. The whole process was quite interesting b/c she didn't want to give us a full facial shot and kept laying on her right side, but just as the sonographer was about to give up she turned for her close up. We're a little biased, but we think she's pretty darn cute! :)

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

We recently had a chance to go to a Star Wars Expo in Plano. Needless to say, I geeked out uncontrollably! Chris & Kristy Hall came w/ us and we all enjoyed the geekdom together. It was a very interesting experience. We saw Storm Troopers, Darth Vader, Jedi, & Storm Trooper Elvis! We also got to see many of the actors that portrayed the Star Wars characters in the movies; Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), & Kenny Baker (R2-D2). The Expo itself was really just a flea market of Star Wars memorabilia. I was hoping for some exhibits on the Star Wars galaxy, but I was happy w/ what we got. It was definitely interesting and I can't wait for it to come to town again! Until then...May the Force be with you!

Being "Force choked" by Lord Vader

Arrested!

Storm Trooper Elvis

Time to get a shotgun!

Steph and I went to the doctor today and found out we're having a GIRL!!! I think we both already knew we were going to have a girl since we found out Steph was pregnant; I had a dream the morning Steph told me she was pregnant that I was holding my daughter so this is just confirmation. All I know is I'm going to have to get a whoopin' stick to keep the boys away! :)

Say a little prayer.

UPDATE 8/26: My mom got out of surgery around noon on Friday. The surgery took about 4 hours to do. They removed her thyroid completely and a couple of lymph nodes. They also moved one of her parathyroid glands from the right side of her neck to the left. Overall, the surgeon said he was very happy w/ the surgery. We didn't get to see her until about 2:00 PM, but she looked pretty good (considering her condition)! Her throat really hurt b/c of the breathing tube they had down her throat during the surgery. She never complained of any pain from the incision, but did say swallowing really hurt. B/c they moved her parathyroid gland, her calcium levels got really low and it caused her some numbness and tingling in her extremities. They gave her some elemental calcium and put her on a calcium IV drip. Saturday & Sunday were great b/c she was back to her old self; she felt no pain, her energy was back, & her throat didn't hurt much any more! However, her calcium was still a little low and they want to keep her until Monday for more observation. Let's hope that her calcium levels stabilize and she can go home ASAP! It's been a really emotional weekend for our family, but now that the worse is over, my mom can begin the process of becoming a cancer survivor! Thanks for your prayers, calls, & love!

As I type this my mom (Twee) is currently in surgery. She's having a thyroidectomy to completely remove her thyroid gland as a result of a papillary carcinoma (cancer) she's acquired. We received the news that she had cancer the day before we found out Steph was pregnant (ironic that w/ all bad news comes something good, huh?). She was admitted into MD Anderson in Houston (voted the best cancer center in the country) and will have the best doctors in the world taking care of her. Luckily, those w/ thyroid cancer have a 95% survival rate w/ surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. Her surgery was scheduled to start at 7:30 AM CDT today, and I am currently in the waiting room of the hospital awaiting an update on her status. The waiting is the worst part, but there is a calm that has come over me since last night after I gave her a blessing that lets me know that everything will be ok. I will update on her status ASAP...please keep her in your prayers in the mean time.

You think you've had a bad day?

Well, Friday the 13th proved to be quite a tough day for our little family. Our little Sadie had been throwing up all week so we had to take her to the vet on Friday. It turned out that she had pancreatitis and needed to be admitted to the emergency animal hospital. She spent the night there while they catheterized her and gave her IV fluids. We called late in the night to check on her and they told us that she had pulled out a couple of her IV's and managed to slip out of one of thse cone-shaped collars (that's our Sadie). She was supposed to stay at the hospital until Sunday evening, but she was released at lunch time on Saturday b/c she had responded to the treatment very well! She's now on a perscription diet and will have to go for a follow-up next week. She's back home now and we don't know how happy she is w/ her parents, but it was for her own good. We love our Sadie dog!

Oh, btw...

WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!! We'll be 10 weeks along on Tuesday (7/17) and our estimated due date is 2/12/08. It all started when we were on our cruise and Steph started feeling like she was seasick, but she never gets seasick! We were a little curious so she took a test the Tuesday after our cruise and it was positive! We went to the OBGYN for our first sonogram on June 27th and found that the embryo was 7 weeks along and about the size of a peanut (w/o the shell). We tried to keep it a secret as long as we could (just to be sure before we broke the news) but we just can't contain it any longer! Please keep us in your prayers for the baby's health! :)

A big hole in the ground

We were recently able to go to the Grand Canyon on our latest vacation, or as our nephew, Dawson, calls it "a big hole in the ground"! It was quite an adventure. We went to what they call the Grand Canyon West and into the Hualapei Indian Reservation where they built the Sky Walk. We weren't allowed to bring cameras onto the Sky Walk, but trust me when I say it's a marvel of engineering! It's a horseshoe-shaped structure that extends over the rim of the canyon about 4500 ft above canyon the floor. The walkway is made up of 5 half-inch thick tempered glass pieces, and it can hold the weight of seven 747's and withstand 100 mph wind gusts. Needless to say, the Grand Canyon is indeed GRAND! It's one of Nature's greatest creations!