My Happy Flowers

My sweet husband recently brought me flowers "just because". I hadn't seen anything like these flowers before--they were so fun! I call them my happy flowers and get to look at them every morning when I wake up.














Aren't they beautiful!? I am once again reminded at how truly blessed I am to have Ryan as my husband.

CHBC Friends

Ryan and I have been tremendously blessed by the strong relationships we've built with the people of CHBC in the last five months.

We recently attended a surprise birthday party for one of the other pastoral interns, Josh Manley. We barbecued at the park, and the boys played frisbee, Bocce ball and some form of frisbee football. Ryan has particularly enjoyed bonding with the other interns. They're a fun bunch, and we'll be sad to leave them.

Yesterday was our last Sunday at CHBC, which was sad. During the evening service, the interns were able to tell the congregation how much they've benefitted from the internship and how much they appreciate the support of the members.

CHBC Nationals Game

Last Tuesday night, Ryan and I went to a Nationals game with some of the Capitol Hill Baptist Church staff. It was such a beautiful day for a baseball game, and it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone in a different environment.

23.5 Weeks

Well, this little guy has been growing quickly the last few weeks. He seems to be getting much bigger but is also getting much stronger. It's been fun to feel him kicking around and for Ryan to be able to feel him as well. One night we laid in bed and just watched as my stomach was moving from those strong kicks. It's so incredible that there is a little person growing inside of me! God is just simply amazing! Praise Him for giving us this sweet little baby.

We also started registering, which is both a fun and overwhelming process. I mean, does one little baby need that much stuff!? The stores sure make you feel like they do. We welcome any registry words of wisdom or any suggestions on particularly helpful items.

Ryan's Mom Visits!

She came about 1.5 weeks ago. We had a good time with his mom as well. Ryan was busy much of the time she was here, but we were still able to see the sights. We went on a tour of the Supreme Court, the Capitol, the Library of Congress and the White House. All were beautiful and very informative. We also went to Arlington Cemetery and had lunch in Georgetown. On Saturday night, we went to a DC United soccer game. It was a high-scoring game, which was exciting.

It was a fun visit, and we're very thankful to have family and friends who are willing to travel so far to see us.

My Mom and Steve Visit!

They came to visit us in DC about 3.5 weeks ago. It was a busy weekend, but we had a lot of fun together. We were able to see Old Town Alexandria, where we had lunch on the river. In addition, we saw the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and Arlington Cemetery. At Arlington Cemetery, we were able to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers and the ceremonial changing of the guard and JFK's grave. My mom and Steve saw more sights while Ryan and I were busy.

It was also a weekend of diverse ethnic food. We had Lebanese, Greek and my mom, Ryan and I even tried Indian food for our first time. It was all really good.

I wish we had more time together, but I'm thankful they were able to take time out of their busy schedules to visit.

Wordles: When the Elders Gather & Such

One of the greatest benefits I have received at Capitol Hill Baptist Church is the example I have seen in faithful pastors shepherding the flock. I have seen this most concentrated in elder meetings. Today, I wrote a paper on Mark Dever's chapter about these meetings in The Deliberate Church, which--along with its predecessor Nine Marks of a Healthy Church--is a must-read for ever pastor. I praise God for the equipping I have received here for what I hope will soon be fruitful pastoral ministry.

Below is my Wordle from this paper and other recent papers.

When Elders Gather


Worship: Theological Foundation for and Application of the Regulative Principle


Ecclesiology: Interaction with Herman Bavinck

WE'RE HAVING A...

BOY!!

Ryan and I are going to have a baby boy!! I can't tell you how thrilled we are about this, and we're so looking forward to meeting him.

It's been amazing to me how knowing the gender has made the pregnancy so much more real. I don't know if it's because I haven't had any problems at all with morning sickness or anything like that or what, but it's been neat. I feel like I can think about our child in a more personal way. Our prayers are also much more specific.

Anyway, here are some of the ultrasound pictures:


In the top one, he's looking at us with his head tilted to his left. You're able to see the right side of his face fairly well.

In the middle one, you can see his tough little leg at work. To the bottom right, you'll see his body. Inside of it there is a small, black circle. That's apparently his stomach, which was good to see because it means he's already swallowing properly.

The bottom one is his profile. I think maybe that is one of his arms sticking up on the left, but we forgot to ask. Look at that sweet little nose!

Here are a couple more pictures:


The top one is his little foot.

The bottom one is another picture of his profile. It's very similar to the one above, but his features, especially his lips are more distinct in this one.

So there's our precious little boy! We can't wait to meet him!!

(By the way, the tally of blog votes when I wrote this was 9-5 boy. Way to go, y'all!)