Family Vacation

Yesterday was our first full day back in the grand ole state of Nebraska, home to much better drivers than anywhere on the East coast :) Nick and I had a great vacation out in Washington DC this past week, which I will use this post to fill you in on (pictures will come at a later date).

The first day we arrived out there, after getting our rental car we took a short jaunt up to Fort McHenry in Hanover, MD, which is the fort where the Star Spangled Banner was flown. After that we made the trek to our hotel, which should have only taken an hour, but because of traffic, took about two.

We then proceeded to spend three full days in DC, during which time we saw almost all of the monuments/memorials, visited numerous museums, toured the Capitol, visited Ford's Theatre, and several other things that I can't even remember :) In between each day spent in DC we planned two day trips: one to Gettysburg and one to George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Nick and I both said that Mount Vernon was probably the favorite thing we did as we got to tour the 8,000 acre farm/plantation, and we also took a cruise on the Potomac River where we saw Mount Vernon from the water as well as Fort Washington.

We were lucky enough to have great weather for the majority of the time we were on vacation. The only day that was a little dismal was the day we went to Gettysburg. It was pretty chilly and cloudy that day, but we still made the best of it and had a nice time :) The day we arrived out East it was around 85 degrees, as was the following day! I think our very last full day there was the best weather-wise because it was in the upper 60's, sunny, and the museums weren't full at all so we could see what we wanted, when we wanted :)

I can tell that Nick is excited to plan for another vacation because he was saying that as soon as we got home, we needed to begin planning for our next vacation, which will include another family member :) Although I had a great time on this vacation, it was a little bittersweet knowing that it really is the last one for just the two of us. This is not to say that I'm not totally excited about having a baby and beginning the family, but I just feel kinda sad knowing that mine and Nick's time alone is coming to an end so quickly. Anyhow, I know that having a family will be great and so that's what I keep reminding myself about on the days I get a little blue :)

As I said, I will post some pictures of our trip probably next week some day that I don't have to work, as I am going to have some lunch and then get ready to head to a (hopefully good) day of work!

And the Verdict Is In....

Nick and I found out on April 2nd (consequently, Good Friday!) that we are going to have a baby GIRL!!!!!!!!!!! Nick had been guessing "girl" since we found out we were pregnant, and I was guessing "boy" for the sake of argument :) However, as we began to get closer to finding out, I just had a feeling that it was a girl. Although you can't count on the old wives' tales to have any truth to them, nearly all that I had been reading indicated that I was going to have a girl, and low and behold, it's true!!!! I think both Nick and I are super excited, and although I'm sure he would've felt more confident if we had a boy first, I think he's really looking forward to having a daughter as he's never been around little girls before (which should prove interesting for him!). Of course I would have been ecstatic either way, I was really excited to find out it's a girl because I think that will help MY confidence a bit because, being a girl, I know a bit more about them.

Nick and I were talking and he wants to take her fishing, hunting, to play ball, etc. when she gets older :) I have made sure to reassure him that kids are interested in the things they are brought up doing and so that just because we're having a girl doesn't mean she's going to be prissy and not like the outdoors, because with both of us being outdoorsmen, how could she not be! :)

We have tossed around name ideas, and since I'm sure no one ever reads this blog I feel comfortable sharing the ones were debating between. Right now it's between Audrey and Emma. I think we're both leaning towards Emma because it has a distinguished and classic ring to it. For the middle name we are going with Rae because Nick's middle name is Ray (his mom's is Rae), and because I don't think Dawn really sounds good with Audrey or Emma. We still haven't really begun on getting the nursery together yet because we need to take my full bed back to mom and dad's, along with our big corner desk. After that we're going to paint the room a soft yellow and put a border a little above half-way up the wall. For the theme we have decided on a baby animal theme :) I thought it was cute, and plus, it can work with either boys or girls.

Dad and Grandpa Kenny have been working on, and recently finished, making some animal cut-outs to hang on the nursery walls, and they look awesome! Dad cut them out and Grandpa painted them, so of course they turned out amazing :) Nick was talking the other day about being concerned because as he put it "Your dad and grandpa are doing something special for the baby. I'm the Dad and so I want to do something special for her too!" So he's decided we're going to the Build-A-Bear Workshop this weekend and he's going to make a special teddy bear for our baby as her first stuffed animal :) I thought it was a super cute idea and think it will be fun!

I still have more to blog about (DC trip), but am kinda tired, so think I will call this good for tonight and will type again soon!