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The Spanish Embassy

We took a quick trip up to DC earlier this week to apply for our visas at the Spanish Embassy. This was our first time traveling with Charlotte and she had her first round of immunizations on Monday before we left so she had a lot of changes going on...which she handled pretty well (besides the lack of interest in sleeping on Monday night :().

We stayed near the embassy so we bundled Charlotte up in her too cute snowsuit from BabyGap (which I wondered if she'd ever have a chance to wear!) and strapped her in the Baby Bjorn to walk the couple of blocks to the embassy. Not only was it cold, but DC had just gotten a lot of snow a day or two before. Charlotte looked adorable and charmed the Spaniards into letting us live in Spain!

No hablo Espanol

No Spanish language blog posts, but a big update on the home location of Team Kinne (which now has 3 members: Brendan, Charlotte, and myself). Many of our family & friends have already heard this news, but Team Kinne is moving to Madrid, Spain. Brendan's company offered him a position in their office there, and after much prayer we feel the Lord affirming this move! We're excited for the opportunity to live abroad - something we've dreamed about since we met over 6 years ago on a study abroad trip in Europe!

Interestingly enough, our desire to live abroad was purely selfish until this opportunity came up...we really just thought it would be a great experience, we could travel and see lots of stuff. But over the past 2 1/2 years that we have been in Raleigh, God has done BIG work in our lives! We are not the same people. So while we still think it will be a lot of fun living in a another country, we are most excited about the opportunities God has for us there to share His love & grace and our faith with others. If we hadn't experienced that here in Raleigh, we wouldn't be prepared for what He has in store for us in Madrid.

One area I already feel the Lord challenging me in is my Spanish language ability. I took 3 years in high school and then pretty much swore off ever taking Spanish again! And while I'll still probably be able to get by just fine with English in a European capital, I feel that many of the Lord's opportunities for me will require a little more Spanish than I currently can speak. So no saying "No hablo Espanol"!

Charlotte is also really excited about the move! Well, actually she has no idea :) but I couldn't really write a post without including something about my daughter! She is doing great, and while having her in our lives will make the move to Spain a little more involved, it will also make it a lot of fun! Getting her passport was quite an adventure...have you ever considered how to take an infant's passport photo? We sure hadn't. Brendan tells me her passport will last for 5 years but I don't think she'll look much like this picture by then!

Charlotte's Sleeping Sounds

Charlotte can make quite a wide range of noises and expressions...especially in her sleep. Enjoy the footage Brendan caught earlier today!

2nd Bath Experience

Charlotte's second bath experience wasn't quite as memorable (for her Mom & Dad) as the first one, but we wanted to share some photos. She didn't need to poop during bathtime today so maybe that was why she didn't enjoy it as much! She was pretty calm for the first few minutes but then decided she thoroughly didn't like being wet. Even when Daddy dried her off in her towel she objected (as you can she above). My favorite part of her baths is the hair she has afterwards. :)

Poop Happens

Yes, Brendan and I have been fully aware for the past 3 weeks that poop happens..and regularly. But yesterday we experienced a whole new kind of baby poop. :)

So we have been tracking Charlotte's input and output (you know what that means :)) since she came into this world and yesterday her poopy output seemed a little off. She hadn't "outputted" since the day before and I was becoming worried that something was amiss. I also decided to give her her first real bath since her cord stump had finally fallen off. Thankfully Daddy was next door in his office because towards the end of her bath (which she handled very well) she decided to release all the poop that had been building from the day before!!

And yes, it was a day's worth of poop! We grabbed washclothes & diapers and whatever we could get our hands on to keep it contained. And Charlotte sat there calmly just letting it all come out! When we finally thought she was done (we should have known better), we attempted to re-wash her behind...but she needed to release a little more this time right into the bath water. Eww!

We did finally get her and the bathtub cleaned up. It was definitely a memorable first bath experience! Other than the pooping, she seemed to enjoy her bath...I just hope she doesn't decide to poop everytime she has one! :)

A final note is that we have introduced a bottle of formula to Charlotte the past few days, and I have a feeling that is what has caused the poop buildup. Additionally, if you would like more graphic details of this experience please refer your questions to Brendan...he'll be happy to share!

Do you think this hurts?

Our little girl is growing everyday and never ceases to keep us on our toes. She has had hiccups since she was in the womb and below is a little look into what she goes through as she battles with them. Enjoy!

My First Day "On the Job"

Yes, I know that my job as a mommy started 2 weeks ago when Charlotte was born, but with Brendan starting back to work yesterday, I felt that really marked my first day as a full-time mommy - my new job!

The day started out well since Charlotte slept well the night before...Charlotte even slept in the morning while I was able to eat breakfast and have my quiet time with the Lord. I tried to also sleep while she was but.....

-------continued 2 days later----------

Brendan encouraged me to continue this post on Thursday although I started it on Tuesday. He thinks its a great representation of how my new job is going! My computer time has been just enough to check my email but definitely not enough to finish this post until now. Brendan and I have both learned a lot this week about how things will work best for us with him working from home and me and Charlotte also here. That has actually been a huge blessing as he's been able to watch her for short bits of time so that I can grab a nap (though I'm not great at napping during the day anymore) or something to eat. He's also been a huge encouragement as nursing our little girl has been far more time-consuming than I ever could have imagined. She is doing pretty well in that area, but has taken to "fighting" me during feedings on occasion and it is oh so frustrating when I'm running on a lack of sleep anyways. It's crossed my mind during these "fights"...which consist of her wanting to eat but not being willing to stay on to do so...that I've been given a teenager rather than an infant!!

We also had Charlotte's 2 week check-up on Tuesday and while she is healthy, she isn't gaining weight as well as she should. So, I'm on a more strict feeding schedule which is even more exhausting and we'll go back in Friday to re-check her weight. Its been easy to want to worry about this although I can't do a whole lot about it until we know if she'll gain weight by eating more...thankfully, I've had plenty of time while feeding her to talk to God and seek His peace to not worry about Charlotte's well-being. I've found that those times are a great time for me to spend with God...which I have definitely needed these days!

Feeding calls!

Thanks to Charlotte's Grandparents!

Brendan and I are finally on our own here in Raleigh with little Charlotte. All her grandparents have gone back to Texas, but we are so grateful for the time they spent here in NC helping us in numerous ways as we brought this new little life into the world. My (Anne's) parents and grandparents were able to come out last week to be here when Charlotte was born and helped us through our time at the hospital. Then Brendan's mom came in last Friday and helped us in our first days at home with Charlotte. Although she can't speak, Charlotte says thanks to all those grandparents for helping her parents out as we learned to take care of her. Here are a few pics of Papa B & Popo, Momma K, and great-grandparents, Mommie Mop & Daddy Jack.

The End of an Era

Ah, the new mom finally has time to make a blog post, and sadly I have to admit that my little angel seems to have been a good luck charm for her father's football team last night. Not exactly what I wanted to write about, but I've been told I can't ignore it.

Many of you know that Brendan and I met in college but actually attended different universities in Texas - Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Over the past 7 years that Brendan and I have known each other, Tech has won 5 out of the 7 football games played each fall. As timing would have it, our rivalry game fell on the Saturday after Charlotte's due date...and since Charlotte was so properly on time she got to listen to the game (yes, it was not aired on TV this year).

My family made sure to provide an unbiased approach to this game, gifting Charlotte with both an A&M and Tech pacifier. So she was ready to support both teams, but I was quite sure that we would be celebrating another Tech win. Was I ever wrong! My team's winning era ended with a 52-30 loss (pretty ugly!) to A&M. So Brendan got to take a celebratory picture with Charlotte and the A&M pacifier (seen above) and now considers her a full-fledged Aggie...I'm not ready to concede to that quite yet!

Besides my sadness at the loss, I am doing well with my recovery. We took Charlotte to the pediatrician today, and I was able to get out with her to do some walking around the neighborhood. Brendan's mom is also here for a few days and has been a huge help to us as we adjust to life with a newborn.

We've also added some updated pics to our Flickr page, so check those out when you get the chance.

Baby Steps

Charlotte's operating manual was lost somewhere during the surgery and they have yet to find it. The nurses are not sure it will be found; regardless of that issue they are still indicating that we are going home on Friday morning. We haven't even had to take a test!!! I guess they figured Anne and I understood sex ed from high school and by carrying around the pound of sugar (or egg for some of you) that we qualify to walk out the door tomorrow with another human life. The only reason we are still here seems to be that my transcripts from England have not arrived yet. Please keep us in your prayers as we get home tomorrow with the little one - she has no clue what she is getting herself into!!

On a more serious note, it seems that little by little the parenting plan is starting to be revealed. Cliff Notes so far:

1. Baby cries - try to do something to make her stop
2. Baby cries again - try to do something else to make her stop
3. Baby cries again - try to ignore her (note - she does not like this)
4. Baby cries again - pretend that you know how to breastfeed
5. Baby stops crying - thank you Lord!
6. Baby cries again - call the nurse and tell her you need more ice water (then when she comes you know that she will try to do something)
7. Nurse changes diaper - ask her how she knew that was the source of tears
8. Nurse laughs and walks out - (yep you guessed it) BABY STARTS TO CRY
9. Repeat steps 1 through 6 (inserting prayer between each one knowing the nurse is one of God's angels)

Besides the above, everything is going great!! This whole thing is really easy and I am sure that Obama and team will try to eliminate the tax exemption soon to pay for what "He Can". We love our little girl to death and hope that we will soon figure out what it is that she needs from us and when she needs it. "What to Expect when..." is a nice idea for a book but completely unrealistic. I will sell you our copies if you are interested, do not even think of buying them new!!

When Anne wakes up to read this post she may change the password for our blog so that I never have access again, thus I have included the below text from my lawyer to avoid potential lawsuits.

** Posting Notice: this was another unedited post by Charlotte's father. Soon to be parents should ignore any context related to raising your future child. Current Parents should call the hospital and tell them to keep us for another few weeks. **

Life as she knows it...48 hrs and counting

Things are going well and we greatly appreciate the staff at the hospital. They have been wonderful and so helpful with instructing us on the parenting ways. If I (Brendan) was left to my own doing, Charlotte would be asking to go back into womb...as it is now she is walking, talking and taking piano lessons. GREAT HOSPITAL!

Well some of the above is an exaggeration, but not too far from what I have been dreaming about for her young life. Maybe a little too much for the first 48 hrs, but it has been amazing to look into her eyes and know that the world awaits her. And to imagine my dreams are even still far from the perfect plans that God has already determined for her life. Watch this space for the next 18+ years and you will be able to see it all.

Speaking of seeing...here is a video that I have put together to cover the first 3hrs of her young life. I am trying to increase my use of the video editing program that my friend Adam has given to me, so please excuse the cheesy transitions and title slides that are slightly off. However, with the sound I purposely tried to fade in and out...who knows!?!




Now Anne would kill me if I shared with you the eating, pooping, peeing and other chart that we have been asked to keep by the hospital staff...but since she is a sleep I will share it anyways...

1. Sleep
2. Poop
3. Eat
4. Sleep
5. Pee
6. Eat
7. Sleep

HA HA and to think you even thought I would share the real thing!! We are keeping detailed accounts on those areas but it can get a little disgusting and redundant. Most people with kids can confirm that the above is a job description and a half. I personally like the sleeping part so far, because Anne is able to also get the needed sleep that she is struggling with and I can make crazy blog updates without edits on her end.

I am going to leave you for now, but will be back later tonight to update you again. That will be 60 hrs and counting.

Right on time!

Tomorrow is little Charlotte's due date and, wouldn't you know it, she's going to arrive right on time!

Brendan and I went in for my 40 week appointment today and found out that Charlotte was NOT head down as originally thought but BUTT down instead. :) So we have a c-section scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9am. Charlotte will actually arrive on her due date of October 20th. Make sure you check the blog often in the coming days as Brendan will keep it updated with pictures, videos, and commentary of our new life with Charlotte Grace!

Waiting

There are only 9 days left until Charlotte's due date, and I can simply describe my life with one word - waiting. Nothing new is going on with our little one, she is still peacefully content in her accomodations, so I wait. While I am waiting, I thought I'd share how Brendan and I came about the name for our daughter, Charlotte Grace.

Charlotte - Charlotte was my mother's name. She passed away 4 years ago, and I have always felt a strong desire to honor her by naming our first daughter after her. Which leads to little Charlotte's middle name...

Grace - While Brendan and I think Grace is a beautiful name, the story behind it is far more beautiful. I was blessed to have parents and family who raised me to love God and believe in who He says He is in the Bible. When I was 11, I recognized my need for a Savior and that I needed to accept the free gift of grace that God, through His son Jesus, offered to me. But it wasn't until many years later that I fully experienced God's grace in my life.

During college, I decided that I really didn't need God in the everydayness of my life. Even though I never said it outloud, I believed I was in control of my life and that I could deal with the consequences of my actions....and my actions weren't glorifying the God I had placed my faith in when I was 11. In truth I was running from God, but God never stopped pursuing me. During my junior year, I found out that my mom had been struggling with an addiction to prescription medications for 10 years and more recently with alcoholism. This blew my world apart. And because I wasn't trusting God, I started trying to control things myself....I was going to fix my mom and I was going to keep my family together (my parent's had decided to get a divorce).

For about 3 years my mom's addiction continued. I knew my mom had placed her faith in Christ and I had seen the evidence of it in her life, but the worse her addiction got the more frustrated I became at her for not "fixing" herself. In hindsight I can see that she wasn't trusting God to be bigger than her temptations and sins, but at the time I was just angry that she was hurting me and many others who she loved. At a point, I finally gave up and decided that I couldn't possibly love my mother any more. I had tried to fix things, I had asked God to fix things (my way, of course), but I didn't see that God was doing something much bigger than I could imagine.

In the summer of 2005, my mom's body finally lost the battle with her addictions, and she died. This was not the fix I had prayed for. And even though I knew my mother had accepted Christ, I spent 3 days after her death believing that there was no way she could be in heaven. I believed her sins were too great and that God couldn't have possibly forgiven her for all the pain she had caused. I finally cried out to the Lord for answers. Crying in bed and asking God to explain why things had ended up the way they had, God spoke clearly to me and got my attention! I can't remember the exact words but I heard something like this, "Anne, you are just as much a sinner as your mom was. Her sins were no greater because they seemed big to you or hurt you. You both need my grace, and I will never take it away from you." Wow! I got it! I was just as much a sinner as my mother, but God wasn't going to take away his grace from me...or her. I can't really explain the peace and understanding that flooded my soul at that point. (Really, you'll only be able to understand that peace when you've experienced God's grace for yourself and placed your faith in Christ as your Savior.) It was in that moment when I heard the Lord speak that I turned my life back over to Him. I stopped running from Him and started running toward Him.

God used something ugly and painful - my mom's death - for me to experience something beautiful and life-changing - His grace. Brendan and I want our daughter's name to carry that meaning with it.

Full Term!!

Charlotte is full term today! She and I both are continuing to do well. We visited the doctor yesterday, and I think we are on track for possibly the most boring and uneventful pregnancy ever! I'm actually extremely grateful for this - my most notable pregnant moment was feeling a little queasy and tired for about 6 weeks during my first trimester. Since then things have gone relatively smooth...I haven't even had any strange or strong food cravings. Brendan did figure out one day a few weeks ago that I possibly have a general craving for all breakfast foods. I'm quite happy eating cereal for lunch and pancakes or waffles are my favorite dinner. This has made Brendan very happy as he could live off cereal alone!

Today, we got a tour of the hospital, Rex Women's Center, where we'll be having little Charlotte. While we were waiting in the lobby for the tour to start, we got to witness a family receiving the news from a new father that his son had just been born! I know this brought tears to my eyes, and I believe that Brendan's eyes were a bit watery too. :) It was so sweet to witness this since we'll be experiencing the same thing VERY soon.

Also while at the hospital we had our car seat inspected. My dad laughed at that when I told him! I think Brendan and I were expecting this to be a little more like an annual car inspection - someone reviews how we've installed the car seat, shows us any changes, and then gives us some kind of documentation that our car seat is approved. Ummm, our experience was more like this: I get out of the car to find out where we need to go to have the "inspection" done. An older man talking on a cell phone asks me if he can help me. I say "Yes, we're looking to get our car seat inspected." Not putting down his phone, the man comes over to our car and fiddles around with the car seat, occasionally sharing some bits of advice with Brendan. One-handed (he is still talking on the phone), he adjusts our car seat base and re-levels the car seat. He stops his phone conversation for a moment to point out to Brendan and I what he did and tells us that we're all set. Then he continues his phone conversation! :) That was it. While we're happy to have the car seat installed properly, we're not exactly sure why there is such a big deal made out of getting it inspected if you don't even get any proof that you did it. Oh well, one more thing off our checklist.

29 days and counting

Take a look at our Booger Kinne countdown - as I did today - and you'll notice that Charlotte (our little Booger) has a mere 29 days left in the womb...we hope! Maybe more, maybe less, but 29 days until her due date.

Today we had our 36 week dr appt - we're going every week now. Everything is still going well and on schedule. For those of you who have made predictions that Charlotte will come early (you know who you are!), sorry to disappoint you but there are no indications that she will come earlier than expected. She's measuring at 36 weeks and has also decided to get her head down and butt up!

I have also wrapped up my time working at Southbridge, so today was my first full day at home. I'm glad to have a few weeks (hopefully!) of rest before Charlotte arrives.

We'll continue to keep everyone posted as we get closer to our little one's arrival!

Charlotte Grace Kinne

It has been a while since we have made a post here on our blog...though it has been primarily because of our non-stop preparation for the arrival of Charlotte Grace. She is a blessed child already, I can tell you that much. We have spent the last two weeks preparing her room and it looks great! Crown molding is up, painted and looking sharp. Her bookcase, dresser and crib (pictures below) are setup. Her closet is starting to get organized - baby clothing is VERY small. It has been really fun getting everything put together, especially with it all coming together so nicely.

Last weekend was also Charlotte's baby shower, that was put together so wonderfully by some of Anne's friends here in Raleigh. A few of Anne's family members came from Texas and Virginia to surprise her and spoil Charlotte with some wonderful gifts. We THANK all of our family and friends that have blessed us with "little treasures" for our child. She has more things in the house than I (Brendan) do!

The big item to put together this weekend was the crib. I was able to complete it this afternoon in about an hour, with a little help from Anne. Proof is in the pictures below. (Sorry about the quality, but our camera is broken and we are using a back up!)


BEFORE AND AFTER

I thought I loved you then...

So far, our blog hasn't consisted of many, if any, gushy writings. But when Brendan and I set out to start keeping this blog, we did so with the intention of sharing what God is doing in our lives.

Well, this past week Brendan has been on a business trip to Hong Kong. And despite our Skype-ing abilities, we haven't been able to talk much. The 12 hour time difference has been very awkward...my morning is his evening and vice versa. That sounds simple enough except when you factor in that Brendan is out to dinner in his evenings and I've been out of the house for most of mine, so there haven't been many times when we've been able to connect.

In addition to not getting the opportunity to talk much, I think the closer we get to my due date (we're in the 3rd trimester now!) the more I am cherishing the alone time I get with my husband...its becoming more real. So, I miss him more this week than I have on any of his recent travels.

That's not the end of my gushing though...actually, it brings me to the point. In the past few days Brendan and I have been apart, God has given me a new perspective on how much our love has changed in the 6 years since we met. I can't say I gained this perspective in my alone times with God. In truth, it started while listening to a country song! I don't listen to much country anymore but happened to in the past few days. Some of you may already know where I'm headed based on the title of this post..."I Thought I Loved You Then" by Brad Paisley. Yep, I can be a sucker for sappy country songs.

What I began to be so amazed by was how much God has changed and molded Brendan and I's love for each other! I really have to laugh at what we thought was "love" when we first said those words to each other 6 years ago. I was running from my relationship with the Lord...trying to control my life my own way. Brendan believed in God, but hadn't placed his faith in Him. We were both very far from the Lord when we met, but God was pursuing us!!

What I thought was love for Brendan 6 years ago, and even 3 years ago when we married, is nothing compared to the love I know now that the rock and cornerstone of our marriage is Jesus Christ. It is so much more than some feeling of happiness that I can't explain, or wanting to always be around him (because there are days when I don't!), or just thinking that he's my best friend who I want to spend the rest of my life with. No, the love I know for him now is a desire to love him unconditionally because that's the way God loves me. It's not easy, but its a whole lot less selfish than the love I used to have for Brendan. Our love, I've learned, isn't really about us at all...its about God and about others coming to know Him because of this unselfish love they witness in mine and Brendan's marriage.

I thought I loved him then....but I really had no idea what true love was. I can't wait to see how our love continues to grow, especially with the addition of a new family member to share that love with!

Babymoon

Last month, Brendan and I took a long weekend break to the Virginia mountains - what many have coined a 'babymoon'. We didn't do a whole lot, but it was nice to relax and spend time just the two of us. We did do some antique shopping and found a great dresser for Booger. We also watched a whole season of 24 in 2 days! There are some pictures below of our short drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The views were amazing, and Brendan found out that I have a fear of heights...not sure how he never picked up on that in the 6 years that we've known each other. But he finally realized it this time when I freaked out sitting on a overlook ledge.

[25 weeks]

Do You Skype?

Anne does!!

With her computer back up and running and me being overseas for the next two weeks...we set her up with a skype account so that we can easily stay in touch! Her username is anne.kinne so add her to your contact list! It is personally great for me to see her every night before I go to bed while in London.

Here is her skype MUG SHOT! :)

UK - Hot or Cold? (not talking about the weather)

Hello from the UK!

I (Brendan) just arrived this morning in the UK after a 4hr airline delay...but I am safe! I am here for the next 2 wks on business and get to spend this next weekend touring some fun sites in London that I have not seen before. Any suggestions? Wimbledon is starting up, so I may venture out there...although 6 years ago I had center court tickets to the quarterfinals and missed the chance to go - spent the day/night talking with some girl on my study abroad trip. We know the rest of that story....

Please pray for Anne and Booger over this time that I am out (arriving back in Raleigh on July 3rd). We are so thankful for our wonderful friends in Raleigh and I know that they will be looking after her as well. We finally got her computer back up and running, so she has access to email more regularly and should even get the time to put through more regular updates.

As for the title of this post...would you know how to wash your hands in the below sink? Great British ingenuity! (I personally try to move quickly between the two faucets.)

House Work Continues....1 year & counting

Well our house has not collapsed yet...so I guess that my home improvement projects are going alright. I am sure that in the future some home inspector will indicate the numerous codes that I broke with all of the updates, but until then (or the house falling) I will continue to move ahead with all planned projects.

So where are we today....currently in the garage. Here is a rundown of completed and yet to be completed tasks for the garage:

Completed = (1) popcorn removal, (2) removed old shelving/organization units, (3) primed ceiling and walls, (4) painted ceiling (off white) and half of the walls (blue), (5) installed florescent lighting and (6) installed 75% of over garage door shelving unit

Incomplete (in no particular order) = (1) paint remaining walls (blue), (2) install remaining shelving over garage doors, (3) apply epoxy floor covering, (4) re-org current storage bins, (5) build and install custom work bench, (6) build and install more shelving at back of garage, (7) install new closet door and (8) park car in garage (final goal)

Here are some pictures to support the work that is being done!


Day One...the clear out




Popcorn Eradication (yes...even in the garage)

Custom Built "Above Door" Shelving
(special thanks to Vern (design consultant), Jarrad (project manager and Riley (installer "free labor")

Growing

Here are a few pictures to update everyone on my growth. Sorry these were not put up sooner, but my computer died! Yep, the hard drive just crashed. Thankfully, all our pictures were on our camera and Brendan's external hard drive, but we normally upload pics from our camera to my computer so that didn't happen for about a month.

We also received good news that I will be having another ultrasound around the beginning of August! The doctors want to do this because I am on a thyroid-supressing medication, so this ultrasound will check the baby's growth and make sure its normal. AND will also be a good excuse for us to see if Booger wants to reveal his/her gender!

[14 weeks]

[16 weeks]

[20 weeks]

It's a....

ARM! Well, our little Booger has proved to be a stubborn child already. Brendan and I went in for our 18 week ultrasound today to hopefully find out whether Booger is a boy or girl. We did find out that Booger is healthy and growing normally but is also a bit modest! So, we are still in suspense as to whether Booger is a boy or a girl. The tech's educated guess was that it is a girl...but I think that's just because she couldn't see ANYTHING! We just had to laugh because we'd much rather know that our child is healthy than to find out the gender...we're grateful to God for a healthy baby and are learning some patience in not knowing Booger's gender.

We did get some great pics of Booger's face and arms. We also got to see her little heart beating and mouth opening and closing. It was really amazing to see so many different images of our child. Those on my side of the family may be familiar with the "Palmer pose". You can see Booger doing that pose in this next picture (hand curled up underneath the chin).

The Kinne's Spring 2009 ~ Raleigh, NC

We could not waste the opportunity yesterday to enjoy being outside in our community. The weather was perfect - sun shining, cool spring temperature and the smells of new plant life popping up everywhere. Raleigh is on the backside of the "pollen days" (more to come on this craziness) and will be getting into the warmer months soon. Nothing compared to TX, but still gets a little hot and humid. Natives think it is terrible...we just tell them to go to Houston any month besides December.

Anne is doing much better now that she has entered into the 2nd Trimester. Booger Kinne is at 14 weeks and still growing. Well I guess there is not much more we should expect out of he/she for 6 more months.

The pictures above are from the front of our house. We love the tree in the front and then the bushes have now bloomed as well. Just in case you were wondering how we keep it maintained so well...we currently borrow child labor from our friends at church. They needed me to watch her for a few hours and I needed the flowers watered - perfect match!!

Actually, Rachel is a near and dear friend of mine. I have learned a lot from this 2+ yr old. I will not call it baby sitting any longer, rather baby learning...as she has exposed many parenting techniques that I am horrible at. Good thing for now is I can turn her back over and have her parents (Jarrad and Anna Giles) straighten her back out. I better get my act together soon or I will be a push over for Booger Kinne.

Happy Easter!

We wish you all a Happy Easter!


It was a glorious day in Raleigh and we were blessed to spend time with friends during this holiday. Over the past few weeks we have also been thankful to get the chance to see family. From a trip to Plains, TX for a surprise 50th Birthday Celebration for Brad (Anne's Dad) and then a visit by Karen (Brendan's Mom), Sean (Brendan's Brother) and Ambyr (Sean's Fiance) to our home in NC for the weekend. March madness basketball was sprinkled in there throughout both of the trips...GO TARHEELS!


The trip to TX was a wild one - fighting a snow storm (Yes snow in TX), to a big surprise party for Brad...which he had no clue about..., to even providing more surprise with our baby news. On that front, Booger is at the 13th week mark. Website indicators tell us that Booger is at 3 inches (head to toe), 1 ounce and comparable to a medium shrimp. (Ha - should we look to rename him from Booger to Shrimp?? May be we need to setup a poll on that!!) Anne is gaining back some energy and starting to lose her mind a bit. More to come on the latter in future postings.


The visit to NC from Brendan's family was great. They helped us jump into action on a few home improvement projects that we have been delaying. Just when you might have thought that the "popcorn elimination" days were behind us...think again! The garage was covered and it looked terrible. In one quick day, Sean helped Brendan (under the guidance of Karen) knock out the ugliness. Pictures below. THANK YOU FAMILY FOR THE HELP!!


Our house in the spring...notice the garage open with stuff in the driveway!



Picture from in the garage...making room for improvement




Another pretty ceiling...without POPCORN...successful elimination

Surprise!!

Brendan and I will be welcoming the newest member of Team Kinne in October 2009! Just so we're all clear...I'm pregnant! I am 11 weeks along, so we are expecting our little one around October 20th (ultrasound pic is from 9 weeks). Brendan has affectionately named our child "Booger", a name I'm sure "Booger" will appreciate when he's (or she's) older.

We got to share the news with my family last weekend when we visited Texas for my dad's surprise 50th birthday party. He got a surprise of quite another kind...he's going to be a grandfather!

Brendan and I are very excited about this new stage in our lives. We are not in the least convinced that we are prepared to be parents and be responsible for the life of another human being. :) But the joy of trusting God is that we aren't losing sleep over trying to figure out how to be parents...we are so grateful that God didn't wait until we were "prepared" to bless us with children. Wow! That could have been a long wait! We know that God will enable us to do what He's called us to do, and right now He's called us to be parents. An awesome responsibility, but one we are anxiously awaiting.

WE ARE BACK!!

Hello to All!

After taking almost a year off...we are back and ready to blog! I think that with our first attempt with this whole blogging thing, we over-estimated the time that it would take. We have reconsidered the detail that we were going into and think that our new approach will accomplish what we need...to stay in touch with you all. A lot has been going on since our last post during the summer of 2008. Our house looks good, we bought a new car, had the Tahoe towed into the shop (we still own it), gone on a Retreat with our youth group, been to a wedding for my sister (Megan), trip to Panama (pictures below), attended Ryan's graduation from Marine Boot Camp and heard the news that my brother, Sean and his girlfriend, Ambyr are engaged to be married.

2009 is already three months in, but we are expecting great things and looking forward to it all. The Lord continues to bless us in NC and we thank him everyday for all that his love provides. Enjoy the few pictures below from Panama!!

Downtown Panama City

Kuna Indian Island Lodges (great experience)

Panama Canal