2 Weeks Left!!

Some time in the next 2-3 weeks we will become parents!! We will keep you in the loop as the time gets closer. Please keep praying!!

Today is Saturday 27, Jeremy is working the shop and Ash is helping Christian Surfers QLD run an event called Paddle for Poverty.  It's a 10 kilometer paddle on a surfboard. Some participants do the whole 10 km themselves and some do it as a team, each member paddling 2.5 km. We are raising money for a Compassion project in Indonesia. Our goal is to raise around $8,000 for a water well and filtration system for a village of just over 100 families. Pictures to follow later in the week.

Also, next weekend we have a big BBQ that Christian Surfers runs at a local surf competition. It's all day Saturday and Sunday. The event has already been postponed once so please pray for good weather and waves to surf. Running the BBQ/concession stand is a great way to serve the local board riders and connect with the community

Love you guys!!

37 Weeks

The count down can officially begin...

37 weeks... meaning 3 (ish) weeks to go! There is something so relieving about knowing your baby is full term. Seeing the doctor is now a weekly event and today I was glad to hear everything is good! The baby is still in the correct position and it's(can't wait to say he or she!)just settled into the pelvis which I'm told is really good. None of that means the baby is coming soon but it's definitely reassuring for a first time mom to hear that everything is as good as it can be at this stage.

We've been so very fortunate to have had such a smooth and healthy pregnancy. It's easy to take it for granted until you hear all the stories of those who haven't had it this easy.

Please continue to pray us and the baby!

Much love & Happy Friday(or I guess Thursday for many of you) :)

Less than a month to go...

It's been too long since we've update our blog but what else is new, right? Here are a few pictures that our awesome friend Seth Snider took to help us document and remember this huge milestone.

With less than a month until my official "due date", I'm getting really excited to finally meet this baby. We'v now had a hospital tour, another scan and an active birth class (that Jeremy did very well in!) and feel more prepared for the labour and birth.

Things here in Australian hospitals are much different than in US hospitals, or at least it seems. We haven't experienced a birth in the States so we can't say first hand but from what we've heard it's quite different. They discourage the use of drugs and medical intervention, if at all possible. It's still totally up to the mom and what she wants. They recommend you being off your back and to stay active while in labour. They don't mean running around but using different techniques to help you cope with the pain. I have no idea how I will do but I feel fortunate to be encouraged and supported in that way. I very well may have an epidural and/or end up needing a c section but I appreciate that I can be empowered to go the "cave woman" route while still being in a hospital. 

I'm sure I'll look back on this post in a couple months and think... "wow, I was ignorant and naive!!" I pray not but God is in control and knows what is best for baby and me.

I'm going to continue to work up until my due date and then if I go late I will enjoy a couple days off to myself. I also have decided that if I go over my due date I will distract myself by decoration for Christmas early (that is if I feel up to it). I love Christmas and without having Thanksgiving here it seems more acceptable to decorate a bit prematurely. And who's going to tell an over-due pregnant woman she can't!

We covet your prayers as we enter into the last few weeks of what we know as normal and enter into a whole new chapter of what will be the new normal. Thanks for reading :) 

Back to Oz!

Soooooo sorry we havent been updating this blog while in the States.  That said, let us catch you up on what's been happening...

First we flew to Nashville, Tennessee. Meeting up with Jeremy's lifelong buddies.

We spent 4 days with them and then flew to Jacksonville. We had a great time with family and friends in Jacksonville!

Finally got to meet my stunningly beautiful niece Ella!

We even got to enjoy time away with family at our wonderful friends beach house! Thanks Woods family!

After Florida we flew up to PA to spend time with more friends and family.

Our little on is next!

Yay for Ashlee's whole family being together!

Oh and Ashlee had two baby showers. So here are some photos of that. 

Thank you all so much for your prayers while we were away.  Now its back to real life.  Love y'all!!

The Move & The Clean

We are out of our old house!! WOO HOO! Finished cleaning yesterday but the big inspection is Thursday. We are really praying everything is up to par. This is the only picture I have available right now....

Jeremy was a trooper and climbed up a ladder to clean the windows. 

We moved into our new house and it's starting to feel like home. I'm hoping to finishing most of the unpacking tonight and tomorrow night. We went from living in a 5 year old house to a 60 year old house so it's been a bit of a "culture" shock. I am so grateful for the new place and love the location. Falling asleep to the sound of the ocean isn't too bad either :) 

There are a few issues with the house that we have requested maintenance for. The owners don't seem to want to put much into then house (understandably so, it's old and will probably get knocked down one day). Pray that they would give us favour!

Hope you're having a great week! Less than 3 weeks until we are heading to the USA! 

The Beach Shack

We got the keys to our "new" house. And wow it was in even worse condition than what I remembered. We didn't notice a lot of the little things with all the previous owners stuff everywhere. My biggest concern was the pink bathroom. That's now at the bottom of my list. Jeremy has graciously agreed to do some painting in the the rooms that were in bad condition. One room half done and I can already tell it's going to be just fine!

Windows not opening and broken screens are really my only concern. We are hoping and praying the owners will be kind and fix these. With no air conditioning in the summer and a new baby on the way, these two things are high on my priority list. Wow I'm really sounding high maintenance now!

We had a good laugh as we were leaving the house today..... the owners had the front porched fixed and repainted. We thought it looked nice but noticed that it must not have been the correct paint as it showed EVERY foot print. We put the bad paint job behind us and just thought oh well! Until it was raining today.... apparently it was definitely NOT outdoor paint.... every move we made brought up the paint. and showed the white paint underneath. We laughed knowing that this is just the start of what we are going to find. Now we are just hoping they'll come back and fix it!

Pictures to come shortly!! Right now there isn't much to show... they weren't kidding when they called it a "beach shack".

We got the House!!

Well it is official, we have been accepted for a house in Mudjimba. It is about a minute walk from the Surf shop and is a great little beach shack.  We will post up photos when we start the move.  We have around 3 weeks before we move.  Thank you so much for the prayers!  God has definitely hooked us up with this place.

We love you all!!