To the Oak Tree in the Deck, Your shady coverage is so nice during the heat of the summer, but come fall/winter and it is a completely different story.You may have dropped a billion leaves all over our yard. Handsome Hubby and I spent the weekend raking all of your leaves into one enormous pile and proceeded to stuff lawn waste bags for the yard waste Monday pick up. To Long Dog, Who would have thought an indoor dog such as yourself would love a massive pile of these?? I'm so thankful for all the ways you make me laugh! 
To Baby Boy, Your now officially the size of a sweet potato (5.5 inches)! It seems like time is flying...your time in "the oven" is nearly half-way over! I've been hard at work coming up with nursery ideas and I think I have it! I plan to design your little room after this mobile and decorate with black and white pictures of your Grandpop and great grandfathers in their uniforms. Now if only we could come up with a name for you... 
To Mrs. South Korea, Thanks for a wonderful morning! I had a blast having breakfast with you and getting our nails done. It's so exciting that you get to see Mr. South Korea this week...and I bet no one is as excited as he is!! Hoping for a smooth trip (and maybe first class!) the whole way there. And lets do breakfast and nails again when you get back! :)
To Handsome Hubby, You had the WHOLE weekend off, and you helped me spend it doing yard/house chores. I am so thankful for all of your help!



And just to show you how much Long Dog loved the leaves...

Enjoying the little leaf pile...Scene 1

The large leaf pile...took up as much ground as my car, about the height of my shoulders.

And he finally learns about his retriever half...

To my Sweetheart, Last weekend we went to our store of choice and bought a Christmas tree! I was so excited to finally bring the oh-so-Christmasy smell into our home. I woke up early on Sunday and put lights on the tree and we decorated it with ornaments after church...you even drank my homemade hot chocolate! Thank you for helping me get the house ready for Christmas!
To the Snowman Ornament, It was Christmas 1991 and Popmiester brought you to me all the way from Germany as my special ornament that year. Like you, I have a special story for all of the ornaments I put on the tree (and Handsome Hubby heard them all!!) I am looking forward to all the ornaments that will join you in the many years to come!
To Dingo Dog, It's a day late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You made it to you very first birthday and I know that your parents (Weathergirl and Hurricane Hunk) are so proud. So glad that you were able to celebrate with a small ice cream party with White Dog and Sadie Girl... Long Dog really wished he could be there. He wishes you many years of toy chewing, long walks, and splashing in puddles. :)
To Handsome Dr. Hubby, One of the patients you have been caring for for quite sometime passed away yesterday and you comforted the family with their loss. We had been praying for his healing, and the loss really affected you. I am thankful that you have such compassion for your patients. I know that the Lord led you to exactly the right profession! May you always strive to be a different kind of doctor, one who truly cares for his patients. Praise that we know that this patient is with the Lord! 

Great Expectations

The beginning of anything, whether spiritual growth, physical growth, maturity, marriage, etc comes with expectations. Hopes for what is to come. The desire to know what life will be like. The changes ahead. The goals. The dreams. The promises. The prospects. As is the case when you are expecting to bring a new life, a little blessing, into the world. Even from the very start of that precious life, we as parents begin to imagine the life that will unfold. What an incredible journey lies ahead! What abounding joy!

What utter emotional destruction when that life is taken away almost as quickly as it was started.

I want to share my journey, that it may be words of wisdom and encouragement to any couple that may go through this experience. I am now almost 17 weeks pregnant with a sweet child due in May 2012. The Lord has been so faithful to us! But before this little one, we had a miscarriage in July as I was just starting my 8th week of pregnancy. It has taken me a while to get to the point where I am able to share my (our) struggle as we grieve the loss of a precious life so temporary, yet already with a lifetime of expectations. Even at just a few weeks after finding out we were expecting, you have developed such an attachment to the life growing inside of you. This loss of our first baby was devastating.

Although almost 1 in 2 pregnancies ends in miscarriage, in the moment as you realize the loss of such an innocent life, you feel so alone, unsure of where or whom to turn to for help. A miscarriage is normally such a private matter, something often kept between spouses, and maybe family and close friends. We have decided to share publicly, that we may be a resource to those who may also be going through such an experience.

Over the last several weeks (and months), the Lord has reminded me that He gives me the strength to get through each day, each circumstance, each valley. The times we feel He has left us alone is when He is carrying us through each moment. He provides individuals in our lives to support us, encourage us, and guide us through the trials of this life. I thank our family and our friends for their outpouring of love and support. A special thanks to my mama who came and took care of me, held my hand at the doctor's office, and made us wonderful meals! I thank my mother-in-law for the information and pamphlets about coping with miscarriage and loss. I thank my sweet husband, who just held me when I needed it most. I thank the Lord, for allowing my heart to be joyful in my circumstances. I know there may still be difficult days ahead but I know that the generous strength the Lord gives me will cover me even in these times.

The Lord has given us such a passion and desire to be parents and we feel so blessed that He has been faithful to fulfill promise! He has blessed us now with a healthy pregnancy and I praise Him for protecting this baby and myself. Can't wait until May to meet this precious one! And I know that someday I will meet Baby Bolduc #1 in heaven when I meet the Lord!

I heard this song by Laura Story a few days after the miscarriage and it reminded me of promises from the Lord and really helped me cope with the loss of this little life. 

To my Blog Readers, I'm back! As many of you may know already, pregnancy has taken its toll on me and I have spent much of the last 8-9 weeks very sick! Mama was convinced there must be more than one baby in there with how sick I have been. But, thankfully, I am beginning to feel on the up and up! I have pushed through it, persevered, and I know that it is for a very wonderful cause! 15 weeks down, 25 (or so) to go!
To Sarah, Pace, Kara, and Josh, You all made learning Settlers of Catan so fun! Thank you for sharing your favorite board game with us! We talked about it so much over Thanksgiving, that we splurged, bought it for ourselves, and taught seemingly every member of both families how to play! :) We are now the proud owners of such a delightful game...you may borrow it whenever you like! To Banker Boy, It kills me that you somehow master every strategy game. You're just that smart.
To my Work Family, I had a blast at Carraba's last night! So thankful for the annual Christmas Ladies Night out and feel incredibly blessed to call you all my work family. Merry Christmas to you all!...even if it is a little early!
To my Incredible Husband, You are a hard working doctor, you are a surgery intern, you are an amazing husband, and you are going to be a daddy! Somehow with all of your roles, you have managed to take over many of mine (teaching Kindergarten Sunday school, making dinner, cleaning house, doing laundry), all the while taking care of me while I have been so sick. You have no idea how much this means to me. You have been such a servant leader and I am so thankful for you!