Howdy!

It's been a while since I posted anything so I thought I'd post a quick hello picture with a small update.

Hi!

There isn't much news. I had another doctor appointment last week and everything is going just fine! Rick was in Los Angeles for a week and just returned at 2am Wednesday morning. That was a LONG time to be away. We had gone to a Round Rock Express baseball game the weekend prior to his departure. We enjoyed hot dogs and other ball park food but the team was playing stinky!

Temporary Wallpaper...

So I am so excited about this news I had to post it. Perhaps it's been around for a while but I just found out there is temporary wallpaper. Sherwin Williams sells "EasyChange". I love the texture of wallpaper but I hate how awful it is to change. I have been hesitant to do anything to change the walls from their basic taupe color for the nursery but temporary wallpaper might just be the answer! They have designs that are textured which are great for any living area. I loved these. The stripes are great under a chair railing for the nursery!

Amtrak America

Rick and I decided when we planned our vacation that we wanted to take the train home. It's an experience we have both wanted to try. While we worried that a 36 hour trip would not be fun, we did it anyway. And it was great! It was relaxing and worth it.

We had a little roomette with two chairs facing each other that convert into a bed with a pull-down bunk for a second bed. All the meals are included in the price of the ticket. You share a bathroom and shower with about 8 other roomettes. You can purchase a room with a private bath but we were both satisfied with the space in a roomette and though the setup was better.

We rode from Grand Rapids to Chicago (a four hour ride). We had a 3 hour layover in Chicago so we locked up our suitcases at Union Station and headed outside to explore a little of the city. We were in the financial district so much of the area was dead and much to our dismay, many of the restaurants were closed, but we finally found a little Italian place. The remainder of the trip was on one train headed all the way to Austin.

We played a couple of games of scrabble, listened to music, watched movies and slept. It was great. The food on board was actually pretty good too! We both think the train is a great option if you have young children. If you can't afford flights, it's definitely cheaper and they have room to runaround - unlike when you drive.

White Sandy Beaches

After Wednesday's rain, Thursday was a little cool, but Friday was HOT! So we headed across Lake Hamlin to the white sandy beaches that run along Lake Michigan. It was so relaxing to be there. Plus I got some great photos. It was a nice way to end the week. We all headed to our homes that evening after packing up.

Rick looking very Top Gun

Cousin Bill with Callie Ann

Dad Poling - trying to have fun in the sun

Dad with Kelsey walking up the sand dunes.

Cathy and Bill with Callie Ann

Callie Ann

Another Callie

Cousin Bill - I love this picture!

Yvonne - look at that background!

Cathy - looking like a 40's pinup

More Callie - I couldn't help it - She was being too cute!

And Kelsey in up to her neck (standing up) in sand!

For lots more cute and frame-worthy pictures go here: www.polingpublishings.shutterfly.com
Or for Cathy's Pictures try this link to Snapfish

Bocce Ball Tournament

We held the 2nd Annual Bocce Ball Tournament. Names were drawn to form teams of 2. Rick and I had never played before so it was really fun to learn. The games were sometimes very intense and so fun to watch. The Mighty Maestros did pretty well actually - it was a grueling battle, but thanks to Kyle's long pea shots, they overcame and eventually won the tournament.

The fans:

And the regulation standard measuring to see which ball is closer!

Rick's Team: Ella Funk

Kristina's Team: The Mighty Maestros

Me - attempting to match Kyle's long pea shot. (It didn't work. Haha!)

Boating

We went out on Sunday with Bill on his boat for a quick tour of the lake. We were pretty excited, can't you tell? Later on, Dad let us take his boat out whenever we wanted. Some days it was really too chilly to go out but for the most part we took advantage.

Attendance...

We were so excited to go as we hadn't been able to visit Rick's family that lives in Michigan since our wedding.

Bill and Cathy Umbarger and family (Amy, Kurt, Kyle and granddaughter Callie Ann)

Tom and Dina Umbarger and family (Justin and Scott)

Well, here's the whole crew including everyone else: Jason and Cameron with 6-month old Ella, Dad and Yvonne Poling with Ashley, Brook and Kelsey.

A REAL Vacation!

Rick and I boarded a flight for Grand Rapids, MI early Saturday morning to meet up with his Dad and cousins for a week on Hamlin Lake near Ludington, MI. We landed and by the time we got our rental car we got on the highway at the exact same time the crew was passing! We couldn't have planned it better. The place was called Hobby Crest and it was just lovely. Here are some pics of our cabin and the view from the front (as well as my ever swelling belly :-).

Sonagram Video Finally!

So we left for a week long vacation and this video didn't get uploaded as soon as I expected due to technical and user difficulties. But finally - here it is! I edited the original video from the ultrasound so you wouldn't have to waft through 10 minutes of garbage since it's so hard to tell what everything is when Baby Boy kept moving so much. But here are some highlights! Enjoy!

Drumroll please....

Our baby was being especially uncooperative during the ultrasound. The poor technician was chasing his hands and feet everywhere trying to get accurate pictures. He just wouldn't stop moving. We just hope he gets all this energy out NOW! The technician asked me if I'd had a double espresso or something for lunch! No, just a really REALLY active baby! I think she felt so bad that we weren't getting good pictures that she switched it to 3-D so we could at least have one good look. Well, at least the baby cooperated when it came to knowing if it was a boy or a girl.

So without further ado, here's our little baby BOY! Well, at least his cute little foot.

We are so thrilled! Mommy knew it was a boy all along. Daddy needed convincing. I just know we'll have a sweet little tenderhearted boy - just like his Daddy! He's a bony little thing right now but that will soon change!

Now I can't believe I have 19 weeks to go! Like I said, we didn't get a lot of good pictures, so here's video of our little one cuddling into mommy, being bashful, yawning and trying to get his thumb in his mouth (we think). [VIDEO IN PROGRESS]