summertime baby

I just have to share these recent pictures of my nephew, Ollie. Isn't he a doll?!

Happy little guy!

Elbow dimple.

I wish I could sleep like this.

 Baby Profile:

3 months old

big blue eyes

long fingers

I'm jealous of his eyebrows [I know a good brow line when I see one]

squishy little body

he's addicted to his mom's breasts and gets a nice milk glaze in his eyes when he drinks a lot

he likes taking walks, it means he's strapped close to his mama and they help him relax and fall asleep

he coos and get big eyes when I sing to him

he likes Bob Marley & Jack Johnson

he was a total champ when he got his shots but it made Heather cry to see him cry

he's strong, really strong! [for a 3 month old] 

Kisses for Ollie! xoxo

I adore you, sweet boy!

I hope you're all enjoying summer and making the most of your days!

I'm going to post about my trip to Cabo soon. IT WAS WONDERFUL.

Love to you all. Adventure isn't missing, that's for sure.

xo, Rose

I passed on the bull kelp.

If you've ever wanted to go kayaking in the San Juan islands....DO IT. Call Angie at Crystal Seas...she and her husband Johannes have run the business for years and years, and know what's up. Their tour guides are super cool and fun. And seriously, who wants to miss out on possibly kayaking with the orcas, or snacking on bull kelp!? Ok, so I passed on the bull kelp, and we didn't see any orca whales this time. 

Jeff, our good friend Nikki and I went on Saturday and we were the only ones in our 3-hour tour group, so it was just really relaxed. I didn't take very many pictures, so I borrowed some from Nik's facebook.

by Nikki

by Nikki

bull kelp snack time

Nik's lovely locks

The ferry ride home was really entertaining. :) 

Guess what...

I'm headed to Cabo tomorrow!!!! I'm being treated to this unexpected trip by some of my favorite people in the whole!! wide!! world!!

Rod & Jewel!!! They are like family to me - more than family - they have walked with me through years of healing and hope, and made such an impact on me. I got to live with them for a while, and my life direction has been shaped over the years for the better by their care and love. Their generosity blows my mind. AND you will not find more fun people to go on vacation with.

This is actually the third vacation I've been on with them as a family. We went to Kauai a few years ago. Then Jeff and I met up with them in Cabo last year on our honeymoon. You might think it's crazy that we'd want to be with other people on our honeymoon, but we did. Not a second of awkwardness. :) We both walked away knowing it wouldn't have been as full and fun if we kept our time to ourselves. Not to mention they have a beautiful villa at Club Diamante and we felt like royalty. Anyway, that's where we're going tomorrow! Barry & Bonnie & Sharon are going too, and I don't know how I lucked out to get to spend my vacation with such fun, lovely people. It's going to be a party, that is for sure.

Here are some photos from last year!

Entrance

Back of the house and Jewel lookin hot.

This puppy keeps the heat bearable.

hot tub + view

Putting on the green....which is the front yard.

Clubhouse Lunchtime

Poolside, baby!

Jeff will be in Houston, sadly. I will miss that guy! I'm trying not to think about it. But my excitement for a real vacation with my favorite people definitely helps me overcome that.

Excited! Grateful! Ready to eat lots of chips & salsa & fish tacos!

Love those summer days...

It swung back and forth.

There's an old wives tale that says if you put your wedding ring on a string, and dangle it above your belly, it will tell you the gender of your baby.

Circular means girl. Back and forth means boy.

So Jeff did that the other day. It took me forever to get this shot...the camera kept wanting to focus on my pink toes.

God Wins by Christ Church United!

Last September, Christ Church United recorded its first live album at Butterfield Chapel here at Northwest University. I got to be apart of this project with some seriously solid friends + musicians. And the album is finally complete!!

I heard it for the first time yesterday and you guys, you should get it. (I may have even shed a tear or two when I first heard it. What? I'm pregnant.) I've heard these songs a billion times and they still sound so fresh and powerful to me. I will definitely be worshiping through this album.

God definitely wins.

Adventure isn't missing,

RK

Summer!

This is what they do in Poland to celebrate Summer Solstice. How dreamy is that? 

This is what I was doing a couple years ago on the first day of summer.

It reminds me that struggling isn't always a bad thing. 

And that it can actually lead to something really great.

Adventure isn't missing!
xo,
Rose K.

Daydream

I need to go here.

When I go, I may never come back. 

Almost more than anything, I love a good laugh. Love, love, love.

You can tell from the very beginning of this video that something good is going to happen. 

I mean, with an electrifying crowd like that, it's got to get better.

Things went from stoic to flippin' rad.

Except I have to say...had I been the mastermind behind this, nobody would've known at the end that it was an online stunt. I would've just walked away and they wouldn't have been able to associate me with some organized prank. In their memory, I would've been the girl with the crazy contagious laugh, that hopefully they would never forget, because I sure wouldn't. 

Happy Friday!

Baby Mania

I'm going to be a total mom here, and post a gazillion pictures of our kid.

He or she is only 13 weeks along but has had two photo-shoots under his/her belt already! What's a mom to do, but post it all?!

I had to go in and see our midwives unexpectedly on Friday, so we got some pictures then. And then once Jeff got home, we went again on Monday and got some more pictures and heard the heartbeat. 

You guys: our kid is flippin' awesome. As I was watching him on the ultrasound screen, I got this sense that he or she (I'm gonna say he to make it easy...if he ends up being a girl, sorry honey!) is the happiest little buddy. He is sooo joyful! He was having a great time, just hanging out, bouncing around, and was just so active and happy. How do I know he's so happy? I have no clue, I just do. I seriously think our kid is going to bring so much more joy into our lives, if that is even possible. We are completely thrilled and so grateful that he's healthy and doing wonderful. 

After seeing pictures and watching him for awhile, it makes this little life much more real. I've been feeling great (other than that dumb virus)...so great that sometimes I would even forget I was pregnant. But after seeing him, he's constantly on my mind, if not in the front, then in the back. He's a little 2.5" long human that I find myself talking to now, praying for and love already. 

So are you guys ready for some baby mania?! Here you go - enjoy!

This is his first picture. See that his ankles are crossed? 

I think that's super cute, but what makes it more cute is that Jeff crosses his ankles when he's laying down to go to sleep too. :) So sweet.

This is him getting measured. He did good - he stayed still for this part.

The rest of the time he was moving around quite a bit. 

I love this one because of his sweet face! Doesn't that look like a smile? 

Right after this picture he took his arm and put it back behind his head - chillin'. 

Here he's sucking his thumb!! (Can you see the individual fingers?) I did the same thing as a baby. 

Fist pump for being the fastest sperm!!!

And it looks like he's wearing the mask of Zorro. You go, little baby.

Hide and seek. I have no clue where he is here.

The rest of the pictures are from Monday, which is why he's changed positions. 

When the pictures came out the midwives were shocked at how clear everything showed up. 

 We just adore the little profile. 

We enter the 2nd trimester this week.

Thanks for reading!

Adventure isn't missing!

Recovery

I made it back from Costa Rica...barely. You should've seen me you guys. Ever seen The Walking Dead? I was like a zombie - but not angry or hungry - more like dead, just dead. But I had to actually move if I wanted to get home on that last travel day. Somehow I made it, one foot after the other, one airport after the other, with a fever and aches and all that. I've never been more glad to crawl into my own bed.

Sorry for the dramatics. It probably wasn't that bad. What happened is on the last day at the resort I contracted this nasty respiratory virus and have had trouble breathing and coughing. (Apparently when you're pregnant, your immune system is shot, and it takes much longer to recover from normal bugs.) I'm on this really expensive medication to make sure that the baby gets enough oxygen. No biggie. I just can't breathe. Again, sorry for the dramatics. I'm just in that kind of mood. Me & the babe will be just fine.

I finally felt more energy yesterday, so Nikki and I walked downtown and got some Mexican food and gelato. It was a beautiful night! And the duckies were out at the lake. :-) It's good to be home.

But I have to say this, Costa Rica is a beautiful place, and the people - the PEOPLE - that's what I really miss. If you're my Facebook friend or follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen all my photos, but I'll post my favorites here. They hopefully give a look into how wonderful this trip was. Despite my strong dramatics about getting sick, my gratefulness at being able to experience this completely exceeds all that. 

Yes, that's a volcano! Somewhere in Central America.

Baby Samuel - there are no words for how precious this boy is.

Ash in action.

fresh mangoes

rainy season

local schoolyard

Puentarenas, CR - where we stayed our last two days

Jeff's $6 haircut. No joke.

gosh I love this man

Adventure isn't missing,
Rose

A couple of things.

Tonight I leave for Costa Rica!! I'm traveling with my friend Ashley, and we're meeting up with my husband who is already there with the MC team. We'll be spending a couple days in San Jose, and the last two days in Puentarenas. It's a quick, six day trip, but I am so glad to go! I'm so glad to be with Jeff while he's traveling this year. (Last year, I got to meet up with everybody in North Carolina.) The church we go to has close ties with Pastor Diaz and his church in San Jose. I've heard about how wonderful they are for years, and am looking forward to finally getting to meet them.

Speaking of Ashley...she is a gem, and will be such a fun travel partner! I've known her since she was 13, and now she's 21. My very first memory of her she was wearing black chucks. I believe she still has a pair. She's got quite the eye for photography...probably because she's got a unique eye for life. Well, she had an idea of a fun new project we just started working on...

It involves video and pictures at all of our favorite places. 

She's going to be documenting...my pregnancy!!! 

You read right! We're gonna have a baby in December. Can you believe it? I can hardly believe it. I guess that's normal though, when two people fall in love...babies happen. 

Jeff and I are thrilled. We have names picked out. We can only guess at how dramatically life is going to change, and we are believing for health and miracles all along the way. We have no idea how everything's going to work out - - where we'll live, how we'll live off of one income, how stir-crazy I have the potential to get being in that tiny apartment all the time - - but we know that God has made our lives a living testimony of His goodness, so, it's all up to Him. And it's going to be beautiful and faith-building and glorious.

Meanwhile, I'm exhausted and queezy, but feeling really good, other than that!

Speaking of babies, my sister Heather just celebrated her first Mother's Day with little Ollie! She's doing it so gracefully and joyfully. Ollie is growing so much, and is healthy and strong. His eyes are able to really focus on faces now. He's got a strong grip with those long fingers of his. He's going to be the best cousin in the world, I can just tell.

One other fun thing, I just turned 33! My birthday morning I went to meet my good friend Connie for coffee downstairs at her apartment (yes, she lives in the same building - I highly recommend living near your besties). I walk in (late and nauseous). She had arranged for some of my favorite people to come over and have breakfast with me. It was so fun and SUCH a surprise! What Con did blew my mind, and was so special. I love all those ladies in my life. Then my pastors (they're like family) had THE HUGEST flower arrangement I've ever seen delivered to my office. It took two guys to carry it up the stairs, grabbing each end!!! I wish I'd taken a picture. It was stuffed with lilies, roses, hydrangeas...oh my. So lovely. Jeff and I were going to hit up a BBQ that night, but I ended up being sick all day and had to cancel. I slept most of the evening, then woke up and we walked downtown for some pho. He is the sweetest. He totally blessed me with my dream pedicure, spending money for summer clothes (I got this, this, this and this), some beautiful peonies, and a tambourine. Yes, I've been wanting a tamba really bad. :)

For some reason, holidays (particularly birthdays) aren't my favorite. I like normal, unexpected days. I'm sure it probably has to do with that feeling of being afraid of disappointment - WHEN I HAVE NO REASON TO BE DISAPPOINTED!! Anyway, that's a conversation for another day. But this day turned out to be so sweet and I felt so loved.

that's my new birthday tank!

I am blessed. :) Here's one corner of our apartment with all my fresh peonies Jeff got me. The amazing thing is that by the time those flowers were about done, they'd faded all the way to white and light yellow. I think that's incredible how peonies morph like that.

I've got a few other fun things coming up in June....a trip to Cabo with my dear 2nd family, the Somers. And a kayaking trip on San Juan Island with my friend Nikki. This baby in me is getting all the adventure before even being born. :-) And he's only the size of a kumquat!

So there's my little catch-up blog. Sorry for it's length! Thanks for reading. I'll be giving more updates now that I got the big news out of the way. Have a great week and I'll be back after Costa Rica.

Adventure isn't missing. :)

xoxo

p.s. This weekend I was wondering what Mother Theresa looked like when she was a young lady. 

Look at those eyes. What a woman.

This cracked me up.

It's official!!!!..............

..............I STINK AT BLOGGING!!!

But trust me, life is awesome, and I will fill you in soon.

And with that, I leave you these totally rad pictures of my husband dressed as...I have no clue.

It started out innocent enough.

Then it slowly began to morph.

Then he decided to dress up in clothes from our church lost n' found.

We went to a party and he pushed me in a wheelchair while I wore his curly beard on my head.

Do I look disturbed? I am.

If you're wondering...there IS a way to work the dance floor with your best moves while spinning around in a wheelchair. Super sexy, we were. But careful now, this kind of thing leads to babies being made.

The Nicest Place on the Internet

This seriously made me happy! Am I weird?! It's sort of an odd concept, but I totally found myself with a big old grin as I watched. Ha! What do you think? (I confess, I kind of want to make one and give the world a big fat hug.)