Maligayang Pasko! (Merry Christmas!)

Merry Christmas everyone! I just wanted to do a quick update and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Tim and I are in the Philippines during Christmas and we're enjoying spending the time with my family. It's been a fun vacation so far.. Been playing with my nieces and nephew - which is a ton of fun. They crack me up like usual. We're in Manila right now after staying in my hometown of Ibaan, Batangas for a little bit. Tim has been exploring and meeting new people. I think he's having a good time too =) We've been trying lots of different foods and experiences. It's a Christmas thing to go to church at 4am everyday.. well, in our case, we went once. It's called Simbang Gabi. It's pretty nice to get up early and get the day started.. the days just feel longer and more chill. It's great. I'll keep updating later on.. until then, enjoy this cute video of Tim and my nieces and nephew during lunch.

Desserts!

We are leaving for the Philippines in a few days. We are so excited. =) I'm so ready to go. The cold is brutal and it'll be nice to take a break from it. Though... today felt warm compared to yesterday, crazy to think 24 felt warm. I was in the mood to make treats today. I made some marshmallows and chocolate covered pretzels in the morning. I put them into nice Christmas tins.. we're giving them out to Tim's coworkers/friends and to our neighbor. =) They turned out cute.


I invited some Benchmark friends and a couple of Eaton friends over for a Beignet & Coffee night tonight. I opted for a caffeine-free tea with milk and sugar =) It was my first time making some beignets, and they turned out yummy and light. I used the Cafe Du Monde mix and it was great and easy. I have half of the mix left so I'll definitely make them again. Half of the box mix fed 8 people pretty well. It was great. I think they all enjoyed it. It was a nice little get-together.

BML Day

Last week was pretty busy for me and Tim. Tim had to go to Puerto Rico for a business trip and while he was out, I left for Michigan on Thursday. Last weekend was BML's end of year business meeting and celebration. It was a full day (I coordinated the day's events, heh). The day started with a business meeting to recap, etc. And after that, we all went to a fast go-karting place. I took the role of photographer for obvious reasons. =)  Later on that evening, we all got dolled up for a night of partying on a party bus, dinner, and dancing at a club. Needless to say, I was exhausted. I was ready for sleep. Everything went well and I think everyone had a great time. I really liked the party bus. I'm not a fan of limos, but party buses are great. After a nice weekend with family and friends, Tim and I hitched a ride back to Bloom with some BML friends. We even stopped at Schuler's restaurant. Great place. I've always seen their billboards, but have never stopped. I definitely recommend that place, very delicious.

Group Photo at Kart2Kart

 On the Party Bus...

Post Thanksgiving

What a nice Thanksgiving weekend. We spent the holiday with Tim's family. We had a lot of good food throughout the weekend and we had a lot of fun playing the little kiddies. The main Thanksgiving meal was actually done on Saturday instead of Thursday for us. We had to wait for my in-laws to drive down from Michigan. On Friday, we actually did some shopping. Not crazy early shopping, but just regular business hours shopping. =) It was fun hanging out with my sister-in-laws. Tim and I actually got more shopping done today versus on Friday. I got some new winter boots and Tim got a very stylish new winter coat - so we got our retail therapy in. hah I also got a new cookbook.. Mastering the Art of French Cooking. =) It's a good read so far. I was flipping through it earlier when we got home. Also, the weather was just perfect for the long weekend - nothing ridiculous. Usually Thanksgiving time is gross weather time. So I was really happy with this year's weather. I haaate cold dreary weather. Ug.
It was a nice weekend and I'm glad we got to spend Thanksgiving with Tim's family. We'll be spending Christmas with my side this year. Last year, it was flip-flopped. =) I'll post some pictures of this weekend later. The kiddies were really cute this weekend. Lots of running around and dancing.

Earlier, I took a belly bump picture. I figured it's about time to get another in.. heh. I'm almost 21 weeks in.. it's amazing that we're more than halfway into this pregnancy. Since knowing the gender, Tim and I have been discussing boy names more... it's tough. I had a dream the other night and I called him a specific name.. we'll see if that's what we end up naming him. =) I've been feeling a lot more action now too, which is really exciting. It feels funny =) I've also been looking at baby stuff more online.. trying to figure out what stuff I'd like to get and/or add to a future baby registry. hehe So much stuff, but I think I have a fair idea of what things I like and need..
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Baby Boy! (And Happy Early Thanksgiving!)

Just a couple of more hours until Thanksgiving.. but I would like to say a little bit of thanks now. I am very thankful for my husband and for the little baby growing inside of me. They are the world to me. I've never felt such a warm sense of comfort before, from a little being that I haven't even met yet. I am thankful for my family (growing in many ways) and for my friends. They are all so beautiful and amazing in their own way. I am thankful to the Lord for all of the blessings He has given me. I'm thankful for my good health (and my baby's good health), safety, and happiness. I feel like I have all of the factors of a wonderful life. I feel so blessed.


Tim and I had our anatomy ultrasound yesterday afternoon and we found out we're having a baby boy! =) It wasn't a huge surprise to me since I've been thinking he was a boy for about a month now. Just strong feelings. (And the spicy food cravings, hehe) We're very happy to know though. In Tim's side, every one has had boys for their first child.. crazy crazy. I'm excited to see what this baby's personality will be like, how he looks, who he will look like, etc etc. I'm just so intrigued.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

What a fun weekend..

Tim and I drove to Chicago this weekend and hung out with friends and family there. It was our friend Daisy's birthday weekend celebration. She celebrated with 2 prego friends...so it was definitely a more "relaxing" celebration versus the past years. But it was still a lot of fun. We hung out at the hotel on Friday night. Saturday, Tim and I got to walk around downtown for a bit. The weather was definitely on our side for this weekend - it was great. We all had an awesome dinner for Daisy's birthday at Fogo de Chao on Saturday night. This was mine and Tim's second time going to a Brazilian steakhouse, and I think Fogo's food was a step better than the first restaurant we went to. And on Sunday, Tim and I hung out with his family in the morning to help his brother pack up for their move to their new house! Jalal and Mary were also there from Minnesota... and they gave us our first baby clothes! hehe We got 2 cute little onesies from them. Very sweet. Later on in the afternoon, I joined Daisy and Ria again, and we headed over to the Ritz for high tea. It was really nice to just hang out with those two. Very relaxing and very nice to just chitchat and catch up. Tea was great and the mini sandwiches and scones were delicious. We reminisced of past birthday celebrations/trips. Many things have happened throughout the years for the Girls. It's great to grow with them and having each other in our lives. I'm very thankful...

Our Christmas Tree

Since we're going to the Philippines for Christmas this year, Tim and I decided not to get a real tree to decorate. It would just be a huge mess waiting for us when we get back. (Noo thank you) So, we decorated and added on to my little tree from Utah. =) This was my very first Christmas tree of my own.. and each year, I have added on to it. This year, I got lights, a star topper, and some silver ornaments to put on it. I found some cream/off white fabric while cleaning out our closets and I turned it into a tree cover. hehe Turned out nicely. I used the "clouding" technique, haha.

I'll probably add some more Christmas decorations throughout our loft in the next few weeks.. It's so crazy to think that Thanksgiving is already next week! So many things to look forward to in such a short amount of time!

Excitement!

Busy busy the past few days. It's been great hanging out with my brother. Didn't feel too well, so I called in to my part time job, but other than it's still been busy. Tim and I were planning on hosting the working session dinner for BML on Tuesday.. and since more people were coming this time, we wanted to make it nice. In a way, it was like my Pre-Thanksgiving meal... Since I won't be making a Thanksgiving meal this week, I decided this one will be it for me. Tim has been wanting pork tenderloin for awhile and I've been doing chicken since it was just "easier." (Not necessarily) Anyway, I wanted to do a Roasted Pork Loin. I made one using Giada's recipe. I've done it once before - and this time, I tweaked it up a little bit. Especially the cooking time since I got a larger piece than what the recipe called for. I also used less balsamic vinegar for the vinaigrette 'cause last time it was just a bit overpowering.

Anyway, the meal was a hit. Everyone loved it and ate a bunch. We got a lot of nice compliments, which was sweet. A not-so-much-pork-eater even liked it! =) I really liked it too. I'm always a bit iffy with pork.. either, it's too pink for me or too dry. Really hard to have it just right and I think last night, I got it just right. I was very happy with it. It was tasty and juicy. The sauce was a great add to it. I loved it, actually. Key lesson learned, I let it rest for awhile. And letting it rest, helped us get everything else ready, so it was a win-win.

And this morning, I also found out some great news. My sister-in-law is pregnant! She's going to the doctor tomorrow to confirm. So yeah, another 2011 baby!! =) I'm very excited and happy for Kuya Warly and Ate Carla. =)

Cleaning Cleaning

So, Tim and I cleaned a lot this weekend. He did great by cleaning allll of our lights and ceiling fans in our loft. Trust me, that's a lot of work. And I tackled the closets, ours and the guest room, and the whole guest room too. Essentially, I wanted to clear up our closet and organize it so when Baby comes, his/her stuff will have a nice spot to come home to. And for the guest room closet, well, that's been a storage closet of soo many random things since we moved here. I decided to clean it and make it usable. The guest room is still a semi-storage spot (which is great) but it also has room for any guests to hang up some clothes and have the hotel effect. (We want our guests to always feel comfortable here, hehe) =) We have a bunch of stuff to donate too. It's great to clean up like that. But we were pretty exhausted from the weekend of cleaning..

We also did a bit of shopping on Sunday. Man, the mall was pretty packed when we went. People are getting their holiday shopping in early. I've been getting more and more maternity tops lately. And Tim and I are on a hunt for some nice winter boots for me. I need 'em. And I've also been mainly getting tank tops to wear under clothes, etc. I felt like my tummy just popped out this weekend. And during our cleaning spree, I really felt.. tired and pregnant. Hah. I guess it's about that time when pregnancy really starts to hit.. =) I've been calling our baby "Baby" a lot lately.. it's what Tim and I call each other too.. I guess I'm not that creative with nicknames. =) hehe

My oldest brother is here 'til Thursday.. I haven't seen him since he left for the Philippines in July. Nice having him around at home. Too bad he didn't bring his daughter with him - Tim and I miss Samara a lot! =)

Interesting Weather

The weather here has been so interesting lately. We thought it was Fall... and then it became Summer again. I'm definitely not complaining! =) I've been loving the weather. Great during the day and cool at night. Tim and I have been busy busy with work and such. Time just flies by. Last weekend, we stayed in town and had our neighbors over for dinner. We served them a lasagna meal complete with Tim's garlic bread and salad. We had a great time with them and I think they really enjoyed dinner =)

Yesterday, I had my monthly OB appointment. Everything looks good, the numbers all look good. So, I'm definitely thankful. It's always neat for me to hear the heartbeat. =) I can't wait to find out the gender. My sister sent me a package with some maternity stuff and a book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." It's a good book, definitely a classic known by many prego or used to be prego women. It was nice of her to send that over.

Hmmm. what else is new.. I've been taking prenatal yoga the past couple of weeks. I'm liking it so far. It feels good to stretch out, relax, and focus. And during the Art Walk here downtown, Tim and I put our names in for a raffle at the place I do yoga at... and I ended up winning! (I'm super excited 'cause I never win raffles!) I won a free hour massage.. I'm very excited about this since I've been tense and achy lately in the shoulders/neck and lower back area. Great timing!

Though we've been busy, we've been having a great time lately hanging out. It's been fun to watch Tim's football games and make meals together and just have fun together. I'm lovin' it. We're getting so excited for our Philippines vacation. I guess with a baby on the way, we're really trying to take a lot of things in. =)

Here's a meal we had recently... we had grilled salmon with a citrus salsa verde. It was yummy. The salsa verde was a great touch to the salmon. I made some Filipino Palamig too...it's a nice refreshing sweet drink. It's usually made with boba/tapioca (sago in my Tagalog), but I made this one with shredded pieces of cantaloupe. I loved it. Makes me think of the Philippines =)

November Already!

Happy November everyone!
This year is going by so fast! And our weekends are filling up really quickly. In a month and a half, Tim and I are heading out to the Philippines. We're so excited for that trip! And everything else happening before it. Tim and I can still remember everything perfectly from last November.. a year went by fast! Almost every weekend in November is already booked for us. Sheesh! October came and went. Tim has been playing flag football during the weekends. I actually watched one of the games a couple of weekends ago and that was a fun game to watch. And yesterday, Tim went trick or treating with his little brother and his 2 sisters, and one other Big Sister and her fiance. A good size group. I made them some snacks before they headed out. I made a pot of hot chocolate from scratch, a platter of cheese & crackers, fruits and a homemade fruit dip, and a bowl of cheezit snackmix. Nothing chocolatey. I figured they'll have plenty of that after trick or treating.. They seem to enjoy it which felt good for me. I ended up staying in - I wasn't really in the mood to walk around in the cold. heh

Here is my Quarterback in action: =)

Baby Bump

This picture was taken a few days ago. Now I'm at 16 weeks.. =) October is going by pretty quickly! It's interesting to watch this baby bump get bigger in the past few days. I feel like I really "see" the differences from day to day. It's crazy.

Tim and I had a nice weekend. We went to his coworker's son's wedding this weekend. And we also got a lot of little chores done. We washed and cleaned out our cars last night. Honestly, I love to wash and clean my car. I used to do it often when I was young. I used to clean my family's cars. heh And when I lived on my own in Utah, that's how I relaxed on weekends sometimes. hehe

Ok, I know I am getting older when I'm excited about a vacuum. We bought the Shark VacThenSteam and the Portable Steam Pocket yesterday. It's one of those vacuums you see on the infomercials but also sold in stores. I really wanted one, haha. (I told you I'm getting old!) I was really excited to use it. We have hardwood floors and our vacuum is horrible on it. It just sucks up stuff and spits them back out towards my legs (it hurts, honestly!)..even with the "hardwood floor" option. So, yeah.. I needed something for our floors. I tried out the new toys last night and this morning and I'm impressed with them so far. I have one other Shark vacuum at home and it works well, so I wasn't too worried/concerned about this infomercial product's quality/power... I used the vacthensteam on a small section of our floor that I spilled orange juice on =P. It worked pretty nicely. And this morning, I cleaned up the bathroom with the portable steam pocket. I liked it. It's pretty cool to steam clean, looks cleaner and it kills more bacteria/germs on the surfaces with the steam.


So yeah, there's my product review. haha Ok, time to be productive this week again! =)

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

It's been a long week for us. Tim has been going to work early this week for a work event..and I've had my weekly night conference calls. We have been wanting to go to sleep around 8pm.. hehe Last night, after dinner, Tim and I made chocolate covered pretzels so he can bring them to work. I have some set up for my coworkers too. I'll bring them in later today even though I don't work today. They turned out cute.

It's pretty crazy that in 10 days it'll be Halloween (my Tatay's birthday!). I remember going trick-or-treating with my niece, Samara, last year. That was so cute and fun. And this year, Tim and I haven't even gotten any pumpkins. It was cuter when Samara was excited about the pumpkins. heh October just flew by for us.. Thanksgiving will be here in no time. And in less than 2 months, Tim and I will be in the Philippines (!!!) =) I'm really excited for that trip!

Happy Birthday Mena!

Oh what a full Saturday.. literally, full. Tim and I headed to Chicago yesterday for our nephew's 2nd birthday party. Before that, we stopped at Little Quiapo restaurant for lunch. I've been wanting to have some Filipino food for awhile now and this hit the spot! =) It's a Filipino Buffet restaurant and it's delicious. Plenty of food to choose from and I even ordered a Sago Gulaman drink... think, a sweet tea-ish bubble drink. I love it. We were so full from that lunch... and a few hours after that we had another buffet of food at the birthday party. Middle Eastern food this time. My baby in my belly got a taste of everything yesterday! haha I

We had a nice time with everyone. The kids were dressed up in their pajamas for the theme of the party. Tim's other niece and nephew came over too and they're just super sweet. Earlier, before the party, we got Mena to say "Go Blue!" while watching the football game.. hmm.. too bad it didn't help the outcome. Good family weekend.

 

Baby Khoury's Heartbeat

A Precious Memories Baby Documentary Scrapbook Binder

Yesterday, Tim and I went to another OB appointment. We heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time! During the first ultrasound, we only got to watch the heartbeat (super fast! hehe), but this time we actually got to hear it. That was a really neat experience, very touching. It gave me a great natural high for the rest of the day and even this morning =) Hearing it made it feel real.. that a baby is in me right now. hah I wonder how I'll be when I actually feel him/her kick. I'm so excited, haha. We will hopefully find out the gender during our next ultrasound in November.

And yesterday, I also got a package in the mail from Mrs. Hardy, my friend Kathy's mom. She is soo sweet. When I moved to Utah, she used to send me a card for every holiday. It was just so nice that she remembers me during each holiday. Very sweet. And when I opened this package, I was so touched. It's definitely something I would love, hehe. It's a memory binder that has pages to keep track of the baby's progress and experiences. I'm excited to fill it out for the baby. Thank you so much, Mrs. Hardy!!

Michigan Weekend =)

We drove to Ann Arbor on Friday. On our way, we stopped by to visit Tim's godmother in Indiana. It was nice to see her and chitchat. She's a cutie. After that, we went back to our drive. In Ann Arbor, we stayed at our friend John's basement. I'm so glad we brought our air mattress! =) It would have been pretty uncomfy if we slept on the cement floor =P

It was fun to hang out in Ann Arbor again. Tim and I visited the classic restaurants we loved during college... China Gate, Angelo's, and Big Ten Burrito made the cut this weekend. Great places to eat. We hung out with a group of friends and just walked around downtown on Friday and Saturday nights. 

On Saturday, Tim and I headed down to watch the Michigan Marching Band practice before the game. We found a lot of old friends at a couple of tail gates. That was a great time. Ann Arbor was packed! There were so many people in town for the big game. We did a lot of walking around.. and Tim eventually found us a couple of tickets to the game. I also got to meet up with my friend and old roommate, Sarah and her fiance Marc. It was nice to chill with them for a little bit. I haven't seen them since our wedding!

Unfortunately, Michigan lost but either way, we had a great time in Ann Arbor. On Sunday morning, we headed out to Tim's parents place and visited them for a little bit. It was definitely a short visit since we headed back home to Illinois on Sunday as well. So much driving, but it was still a nice time.

Scones, Smoothies, and Michigan Football!

We woke up pretty late this morning. I guess we were both pretty tired. This week has been busy for both of us, so it was nice to just sleep in. This morning, I wanted to try to make scones from scratch, which I've never done before. I followed a recipe from a cookbook I got from my father-in-law. I added dried cranberries and chocolate chips in it. They turned out yummy. I made them pretty huge, heh but they were tasty so it's ok. 

Last night, Tim and I just hung out at Kohl's and random places. We didn't do anything special but it was nice to just chill. We ended up doing a late night run to Meijer and got some fruits to make a fruit smoothie. He made some last night for me and they were delicious. I'm usually not a fruit smoothie fan because they tend to be too tart for me but Tim made it really good. We had some for breakfast this morning too. We also brought a couple of scones next door to our friends Pam and Herb. And now, we're just relaxing and watching Michigan Football. What a nice morning. GO BLUE!

Pot Roast & Sign Language

Tonight, I used my Le Creuset french oven again to make Pot Roast. I just get pretty excited to use a new kitchen gadget. hehe I followed Tyler Florence's recipe (from Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network). Good stuff. The recipe was pretty easy and definitely easy to change up based on preference. I have a few changes in mind but all in all, very tasty. Definitely eating this tomorrow though.. there's a lot left over when only 2 are eating.

After dinner, Tim and I headed out to our sign language class. We like to take random classes for fun. Before, we took ballroom dancing and now, we decided sign language would be interesting. Tonight was our 2nd class and it was a lot of fun. We learned a ton more than the first class. We learned our numbers (which may sound easy at first, but it's not) and colors, and a bunch of other random words because of a color activity. I'm glad we're learning this, it's such a neat skill. And I think it'll be rewarding to be able to use it in social situations.

Apple Orchard & a Homemade Bread!

 We had a really nice weekend. We got to just relax and take a million naps! It was great. I felt like everything I sat down on the couch, I eventually lay down and fall asleep. heh Friday night, we seriously went to bed before 10pm! And this weekend, I feel like I watched a million hours of football too! Goodness gracious.

Today, Tim and I went to church in the morning. We went to an Orthodox church nearby for the first time. That was nice, the people were all very friendly. After that, we just hung out at home some more. Last night, I decided to try out the No Knead Bread recipe from my sister-in-law's food blog. I was pretty excited to try it and a little worried. I mean, this recipe is all over the internet... coined to be so easy that "a 4 year old can do it." So, if I messed it up, I'd feel pretty bad. heh I followed Katie's directions, but I left it out at room temperature a lot longer after taking out of the fridge over night.

While leaving the dough at room temperature to rest, Tim and I headed out to an apple orchard. We drove to Champaign, Illinois to go to the Curtis Orchard & Pumpkin Patch. It's a very cute place, and pretty popular. It was pretty packed when we got there. Tim and I ended up not buying any apples but just walked around & took pictures. hehe We did try their donuts and cider. Their donuts were delicious! I got 2.. hehe

Once we got back home, I checked on the dough and it rose a bit, so I was pretty happy I didn't fail. heh I finally got to use my new Le Creuset french oven and the bread turned out beautiful. I was really excited to see it, feel it, and hear it. I've never made home-made bread before so this was pretty exciting! It was so neat to hear it crunch as it was getting sliced.

Dinner consisted of the bread and some soup. Nothing fancy about the soup... just canned ones but they were tasty. Tim enjoyed some wine while I sipped on ginger ale. =)

Breakfast at Home

T

Tim and I are finally at home during the weekend. It's been a few weeks since we got to do this! We have been so busy lately and hardly any downtime to make some nice meals. I plan to change this next week hopefully. After getting my Le Creuset French Oven for my birthday, I've been so excited to use it. Hopefully soon!

This morning, I made Tim these little apple dumplings for breakfast with a nice orange syrup/sauce. It was yummy. And it made the loft smell really nice, very Fall-like. Time is seriously going by so quickly, in no time, Halloween will be here! Tim and I walked around the Farmer's Market after we ate breakfast and there were a lot of little pumpkins for sale. It made us think of our niece Samara last year.. she loved the pumpkins on our coffee table. =) She would count them and move from one side of the table to another. So cute. We miss hanging out with her. We can't wait to see her in the Philippines. =)

I've been feeling fine lately, no morning sickness or anything. Just really tired at times. Tim and I went to the doctor on Tuesday. Everything is going well. The one thing that is definitely different is that I've been having weird and vivid dreams every night. Sometimes happy or funny, sometimes sad. I woke up in the middle of the night crying.. In my dream, I guess I was fighting with my brother Herman about a Swiffer. heh Odd huh? =) hehe

Tim and I are just so excited to relax this weekend. Watching the Michigan game and then we're heading to a BBQ at his boss's house later, so that'll be nice. Other than that, no plans and total relaxation. =)

27, Le Creuset, and a Baby!

I had one of the nicest birthday weekends ever. =) I turned 27 and this weekend was when Tim and I told our family and friends that we're having a baby! =)

Here's our first ultrasound .. it was so neat to see his/her little heartbeat soo fast! 
The cute little round part on the left is the head..

Tim and I drove to Michigan on Friday afternoon and drove straight to dinner to meet up my family. We had Indian food and it was delicious. My cousin and friend, Kat & Carla, were at dinner too. That night, Tim and I wanted to tell them and my brother Herman the good news. Throughout the whole weekend, we had fun times telling family and friends in different ways. Very entertaining for us. hehe I made cards for Carla and Kat.. it was mostly an inside thing between me and Carla. She freaked out when she saw it. hehe And Kat was like "I KNEW IT!!" =) Tim just handed my brother Herman a picture of our first ultrasound of our cupcake. hehe He was like "huh.. whhhat??" Very cute. Carla made me some cupcakes and Kat got me a birthday cake! How awesome!!

On Saturday, my actual birthday, my family and I drove to Frankenmuth, MI. We walked around a bit and my ma got some Christmas ornaments for the Christmas tree in the Philippines. 
Later on, Tim's parents met us up there. My parents already knew the news from last weekend when Tim and I were in California. We all got group pictures taken with the Christmas stuff, the Nativity scene... and then Tim asked his dad to take a picture of us. So, we stand in front of the Nativity scene and Tim goes "Make sure you get the 3 of us." A little confused, Tim's dad paused.. so Tim repeats.. another time he pauses with a look.. Tim says it again and his dad takes a picture with a smile. He walks to us with a questioning look and Tim tells him I'm pregnant. All the while, Tim's mom was off to the side.. confused with the "3 of us" comment... was instructing his dad to take it from the side to get Baby Jesus in the picture. haha She later got it when Tim's dad was hugging us. =) My family just looked on, smiling the whole time. hehehe

It was a funny way of telling 'em. Very cute. Tim loved thinking of clever ways to announce it. I'll probably write in my real journal - all the ways we told people. heh
We had a lot of fun at Frankenmuth. Ate an early lunch there, walked around a bit .. After that, Tim's parents headed out and we went to Birch Run to go outlet shopping. hehe My parents got me a Le Creuset French Oven for my birthday. I love it and I'm really excited to use it.

Later on in the day, Tim and I hung out at his uncle's house. A lot of his family were there.. and they surprised me with an ice cream cake! I was definitely surprised! It was very sweet of them. Tim also announced it to everyone there that we're expecting too. A million hugs happened after that.
On Sunday, my parents, Tim and I went to church early in the morning. Then we did a bunch of errands after that. We also got to walk around a little bit at Meadowbrook at the Oakland University property. Such a pretty place. Very relaxing to walk around there..   Then Tim and I headed out to go back home. Tim stopped by Ann Arbor so I can get bubble tea. hehe My birthday bubble tea. And we ended up hanging out in Ann Arbor for a couple of hours. It was a really nice evening. Tim got me some Michigan gear and we walked around and listened to a guy play the cello on campus. It was beautiful. Perfect night to end the weekend with. I loved it so much. The drive back home was a bit rough since we got back so so late. Thanks to Tim for driving the whole way! (I had no choice, I can't drive his car...) But all in all, I loved this birthday.