The McKinney Family

Does it get any better than these?

2010-03-08T10:20:00.012-05:00

#2

2010-01-19T08:05:00.004-05:00

Come September Abbie will have a sibling!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T10:05:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving 2009 has come and gone. It was a very eventful few days. We celebrated Abbie's first birthday on Sunday. Believe it or not, we braved the black Friday crowds and did a lot of shopping. Did a lot of eating/cooking, enjoyed fine wines and good company. Abbie also got her ears pierced. Enjoy the pictures! Happy Holidays.

The Year in Review/10 best moments in one year of life

2009-11-19T14:27:00.019-05:00

...so it was more than 10...

Wow

2009-11-15T10:14:00.008-05:00

So it's been since March 5th that I posted anything at all. Since most of the family ventured on to Facebook I guess that became the primary mode of sharing pictures and what not. It's about time I take the time to give a better update on what's been happening in the McKinney family.

Abbie turns 1 this week. UNBELIEVABLE! She's walking now and saying little baby/toddler sentences.

We took her as well as Lindsay's side of the family on a cruise in September. For some it was their first cruise ever, and for others it was their first Disney cruise. A great time was definitely had by everyone!

Lindsay's career remains the same, however I have moved from the Magic Kingdom, back to the Yacht & Beach, back the Hollywood Studios, back to the Yacht & Beach and eventually landing at Epcot. I have been there since late June and am really enjoying the role I'm in.

We also completed, what is considered by some, the hardest step in Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover "baby steps". Back in July we became debt free, and the feeling is everything we hoped it would be and more.

The pineapple on the patio is growing like a weed! We should start seeing a fruit (hopefully) sometime in February or March. I tried my hand at some Impatien flowers from the Epcot Flower and Garden festival which are apparently very finnicky to grow. They were doing amazingly well until I over fertilized them. So alas, I have since moved on to growing fresh garlic on the patio.

Christmas decorations are already up and family gets into town next weekend. We have a big week ahead of work and Kentucky Wildcat Basketball. Hope everyone is doing well. Feel free to keep up via Facebook or Twitter. Take care!

-Chris

Parenthood

2009-03-05T21:27:00.011-05:00

And the joys of parenthood never cease to amaze...

Lindsay and I were able to take Abbie on her second trip to the Magic Kingdom yesterday. We went with the sole purpose of seeing the new Celebrate a Dream Come True parade. A good time was had by all. Abbie stayed awake for the whole thing and appeared to simply take it all in. I can only imagine what a parade looks like to a 15 week old.

It was a great day filled with meeting many of the folks Daddy works with, and seeing new sites. Enjoy the pictures, see you again soon!

The Many Faces of Abbie

2009-02-25T08:23:00.010-05:00

Our little 14 week old girl...what a ham.

Abbie's Big Day

2009-02-05T20:40:00.006-05:00

Hey there, Abbie had a HUGE day today! We tried all sorts of new things and ended the day with a huge laugh (out loud...for the first time). Enjoy the pictures of today and especially the video!

So Pretty

2009-02-02T14:39:00.011-05:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my daughter? She makes me melt! Her and Mommy are visiting Mimi and Papa in Mississippi. So Daddy is home alone with nothing but the following pictures. Here's a few images that keep me smiling all day long. Enjoy.

11 lbs 6 oz, 23.5 in

2009-01-20T09:02:00.009-05:00

Greetings once again to all our readers! Abbie had her two month check-up yesterday and it was quite an eventful day. As noted by the title, Abbie now weighs 11 lbs, 6 oz and is a whopping 23.5 inches long. Meaning she's grown 3 inches in a little less than 9 weeks. She also had her first round of vaccinations (shots) yesterday. I don't think I will ever forget the look on her face the moment she got stuck with a needle. That moment was tough on both mommy and daddy.

She also had the common reactions to the vaccines. She spent most of yesterday needing a little TLC: groggy with a small fever. We did however get reap some benefit as she slept for 9 hours straight!

Lindsay is doing well. Only two and a half more weeks before she returns to work. We've gone to great lengths to minimize Abbie's time spent in daycare. That however does not, and will not make it any easier the first day we drop her off.

Life in Florida continues to be most enjoyable. It has been colder than normal, but we can't complain considering what the rest of the country is going through. Enjoy the latest pictures and enjoy the rest of your week!

Photos!!!

2009-01-08T21:32:00.008-05:00

Enjoy...

Breakthroughs and Other News

2009-01-03T15:12:00.007-05:00

Greetings all! Abbie is now 6 and a half weeks old! And what a baby she is turning out to be. We have had a few breakthroughs in the past few weeks. She has started smiling in direct response to what we are saying to her. For those parents out there: you know just how rewarding this can be. The 4:00am-feeding stress can melt away in an instant when she does that.

She has picked up the "coo"ing and has even laughed out loud a few times. Her newborn wailing has changed into more of a baby "cry." And she has become incredibly picky. She knows exactly what she wants and will wear Mommy and Daddy down until she gets it. Part of the gig I guess.

We as parents have decided to learn a bit of baby sign-language to better facilitate communication when the time is right. We'll keep you updated on our successes.

My job got extended and I get to hang out at the Magic Kingdom for a while longer. This time though I get to work during the day (as opposed to the after hours events).

Zoey is doing well. She has started checking on the baby when she starts crying. She simply walks into the baby's room and sits while staring up at the crib. It's quite amazing to watch.

Lindsay is doing well also. She has been keeping busy on maternity leave by scrap-booking. Most recently Lindsay has been trying to get Abbie on a schedule which is by far her most difficult hobby at the moment. A 6 week old who knows exactly what she wants isn't as receptive as one might think to a new schedule.

The trip to Mississippi was a success and the entire family loved having the new baby around. Christmas and New Years both were great memories. Hope the same can be said for your most recent Holidays. Enjoy the pictures, we'll chat again soon.

Christmas 2008

A month ago...

2008-12-16T10:17:00.007-05:00

Hello there! Can you believe it's almost been a month?!?! To be technical: 4 weeks tomorrow and a "full month" on December 19. Abbie has put herself into a nice routine, and seems to know the difference between day and night time sleep.

She continues to grow on a daily basis. She has outgrown her newborn diapers and will soon outgrow a large majority of her newborn clothes. She now has very distinct cries which makes their meaning very obvious. She has started taking from a bottle a few times a day which has allowed Daddy to help out with feeding. Her extremities become more active every day and she has even begun to "coo." Smiles are still few and far between, but they happen nonetheless. It's the little things which keep us motivated.

Lindsay is doing remarkably well. She still has 2 months off from work. 3 months sounds like a long time when you're working every day. Lindsay is starting to wish 3 months was a little longer though. Christmas parties at the Magic Kingdom wrap up this week which means my current temporary assignment will be wrapping up as well. Although I will continue to be employed in some form or fashion it remains to be seen where it will be. More news on this as it develops.

We did get extremely lucky this year and score both Thanksgiving week and Christmas week off from work. So next week we will be packing up the Element and heading to Mississippi to visit with family.

I hope everyone's Holidays are going well and not proving too stressful. Enjoy the pictures. Merry Christmas!

For the Folks at Home...

2008-12-11T12:34:00.005-05:00

Greetings everyone. This update is simply a random collection of pictures and video to keep everyone updated on Abbie's progress. The major news this week came from the Doctor who told us she has grown an inch and a half in 3 weeks. This puts her in the 90th percentile for height as based on her age. Nothing much more to say other than she comes by it honestly. Enjoy the pictures, take care.

3 Weeks

2 Weeks and Some Change

2008-12-04T13:50:00.007-05:00

Greetings all! Life is good at the McKinney household, albeit with some extremely long nights, life is good. Abbie is getting bigger by the day, and as they say, there's something new each and every day. Smiles are a bit more frequent now, she is holding her head up for about 20 seconds at a time, and she laughed in her sleep yesterday (there was a surprise in the diaper left shortly thereafter).

She is spending quite a bit more time awake and is starting to squirm more and more. Her lungs are definitely bigger now than the day she was born. And, as expected, as she is gaining weight her relative "baby plumpness" is not the culprit. She is definitely gaining length/height. We have a doctors visit next week to track some of the growth.

She absolutely HATES bath time. Hence how we know that the lungs are getting bigger. And she loves being in the middle of everything. We are not quite a fan of being by ourselves just yet.

The dog has been great throughout. Probably because as we leave Abbie's super soft blankets laying around the house, Zoey gets to take little naps in them. Mommy is recovering very nicely, and in true Lindsay fashion she is just itching to get out of the house. Daddy is back to working late nights, but it all works out very well. There's a feeding taking place about the time I get home.

Thank you goes to everyone who has complimented Abbie on what a cute baby she is. I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving and your preparations for Christmas are going smoothly. Feel free to drop us a line, enjoy the pictures. Take care.

New Pictures

2008-11-30T16:05:00.003-05:00

Good food, good fun and good family. All of these describe our most recent Thanksgiving. Everyone traveled to Florida to see the new baby and catch up on recent happenings. Instead of create a new album, I simply added photos to the existing one. The link is re posted below, and the new photos can be found at the bottom of the photo album page. I hope these pictures bring as big a smile to your face as they do ours. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Baby Pictures

4 Days Old

2008-11-23T11:24:00.003-05:00

Thank you so much to everyone for the well wishes! Mommy, Daddy and Baby are doing great. Abbie is getting into a great routine and we have even had a stretch of 4 hours of sleep...in a row! More family gets into town today for a great Thanksgiving week. I have added some pictures to a new album full of pictures of us since we brought our little peanut home. Enjoy!

Baby Pictures

Ladies and Gentleman, Abigail Hannah...

2008-11-20T13:55:00.005-05:00

She's here! Abigail was born the morning of November 19 at 6:10am. She weighed 6 lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. Mommy, Daddy and baby are now all safely at home a recovering nicely. Follow the link below to enjoy all our pictures so far. We can't tell you how excited we are to be new parents. Thank you to everyone for all of your support and well-wishes!

Abigail Hannah

When are you due? Today...

2008-11-16T10:27:00.003-05:00

No news yet. It would appear as if we will have to wait until Tuesday morning to meet Abbie. If nothing happens today or tomorrow then the inducing will happen, as planned, tomorrow evening. Family starts getting into town today, but we will be sure to update with pictures as soon as we possibly can. For now, enjoy (what is quite possibly) the last pregnant picture.

9 Days

2008-11-08T13:37:00.004-05:00

Only 9 more days until our scheduled inducing date! It literally could be any day now! Lindsay starts her last week of work before maternity leave on Monday.

As fast as Halloween came it has now passed, and Christmas has descended upon the Walt Disney World Resort. We have our first Mickey's Very-Merry Christmas party starting this upcoming week. And, after a long week of overnight rehearsals everyone is very ready for it to begin.

Enjoy the picture. Plenty more to come I'm sure!

Just for Fun

2008-11-02T09:45:00.002-05:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Just as I thought!

2008-10-27T13:05:00.009-04:00

We had our last big ultrasound last week and my hunch was correct. As they were taking measurements of Abbie inside the womb, the magic machine that knows all about babies looked at those measurements and told the doctors that it looked like Abbie was full-term, a month early! After a little investigating on the nurses part they found out the measurement of her femur was throwing the predicted date off. Meaning, that Abbie already has super long legs. Lindsay seemed surprised by that. I, however, was only surprised that we didn't hear it until this late in the game. As predicted: tall.

We've had our first cold snap in Florida, and by cold I mean upper 50's low 60's at night. Rumor has it that this week will even get down into the 40's. As some of you scoff at our temperatures, this is big news to Floridians.

Halloween is wrapping up at Disney World and in just a few short days it will be Christmas all over! This weather came at exactly the right time, it has definitely put me in the holiday spirit! Once again, things are great with us, looking forward to the holidays and very much looking forward to meeting our daughter! Could be any day now. Take care everyone!

GO VOTE!!!

Where to Begin...

2008-10-14T13:11:00.011-04:00

Hang on tight, this will be a long one. Lots of stuff to update on. First off, my apologies for it being so long between posts. Allow me to explain:

First off, in true PC fashion our old Windows based computer completely gave up. This time it was a fatal piece of hardware (the hard drive) which we decided not to replace. We've practically rebuilt the thing replacing all the failing hardware. The actual mechanism that is the hard drive decided to stop working. We lost most everything, thankfully I backed up everything crucial about 4 months ago. So, long story short, we are now officially a part of the Apple family and proud owners of our very first iMac. We decided a long time ago to swap once we were done with the older computer. It's just that time came a lot sooner than anticipated. While I wasn't really prepared to buy a new computer at the time I have to say I was secretly EXTREMELY excited to go buy it. I must say, I'm sold on the Apple brand. It's difficult to describe other than Mac's just work. That's all, they simply work, no mess no fuss, just a really easy to use system.

Moral of the story to all my fellow computer users: Back up your stuff! I considered myself to be somewhat computer savvy, keeping my machine clean and tidy. No viruses, no clutter and running smoothly. But all that matters not if your hardware stops working. Backup your important stuff!

Our very first car, our Honda Element, is completely paid for. Ironic though that the day I made the very last payment the car's battery went dead. Poetry in motion if you ask me. As always, in the grand scheme of things a battery is mild compared to what could happen with cars.

Baby plans are still plugging away. The baby room is completely set up now. Crib and all, so everything is set for Abbie to get here. Which, by the way, if Abbie can wait that long, the Dr. has set a date of Nov. 17 to induce Lindsay. That's only 34 short days away! I have been able to get the time off of work and will be able to spend almost two straight weeks with Lindsay and the baby. And while it will be stressful and tiring, I'm very much looking forward to getting to know my daughter.

Work is good, home life is good and gas is inching close to $3.00/gallon (how brainwashed are we to be praising $3.00/gallon?!?!). While the global economy isn't quite in the best place, overall life is good at the McKinney household. Once again, apologies for not updating sooner, now that I finally have all of our old pictures on the new computer, I will try to keep the updates, at least in the form of pictures, coming more frequently. Take care everyone.

Halloween and other headlines

2008-09-07T19:21:00.008-04:00

Here we are, September 7 and the autumn/Halloween season has begun at Disney. The Magic Kingdom had its first "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" last Friday. My job this fall puts me very close to all the parties. Opening night of the season went incredibly well and hopefully is a sign of what's to come in the latter part of '08.

Lindsay is coming along nicely, her belly button has almost completely disappeared. Soon, it will pop up just like the little thingy on the thanksgiving day turkey, signaling that Abbie is done baking and ready to be introduced to the world! Only 10.5 weeks to go.

We moved last weekend, OY! I'm glad it's over, we only moved down the street. Not really far enough to warrant the need for a U-Haul. However, you could have convinced me that we needed one very easily while wheeling our 500 lb armoire through the parking lot at 11:30 pm. But it's all over and everything is set and we love the extra space. So there.

Lindsay had her baby shower yesterday which was a rousing success. Lindsay commented numerous times on how nice it was to have all those old friends all in one place. A friend of ours, Becky, went all out in planning the event. Many thanks go to her and her husband, Evan, for not only helping us move, but in also planning such an amazing shower.

Zoey is good. She's staying busy exploring all the new nooks and crannies of our place. The first week was a little stressful for her as she couldn't quite figure out why we weren't in our regular house, but it seems as if this is now home for the little doggy.

The storms have not affected us nearly as much as the news stations would have you believe. There has been a lot of rain, but fortunately our part of town hasn't been too badly hit. I hope everything is going well in your part of the world. Take care everyone.

She's a Dancing Machine

2008-08-10T09:40:00.005-04:00

Greetings everyone! It's been quite some time since our last post. Lindsay and I have been spending the majority of our weekends packing whatever we can to make the move easier at the end of the month.

All is well in baby world. Abbie gets bigger and bigger every day, and according to Lindsay gets stronger every day as well. We have started playing music to the tummy and have learned Abbie's favorite composers already. She is a huge fan of Chopin and piano music in general. Beethoven, even the gentle Beethoven is not her cup of tea. She is also a fan of Norah Jones, but not Michael Buble. But regardless of what we play to the stomach, she immediately begins moving, and, according to Lindsay, starts grabbing at the headphones (meaning the thumps from inside happen right where the headphones are sitting on her stomach).

I took Zoey to the tennis courts yesterday and we played like a doggy should for about 10 minutes. On the way home though she started limping. Apparently she slid the wrong way on the concrete and hurt her paw. So we're nursing ourselves back to health today, nothing serious, but she's treating it lightly.

Both Lindsay and I have a very busy week ahead with work and packing for a move. I hope everything is running smoothly in your corner of town. Feel free to drop us a line any time. Take care

The Mischievous Abbie

2008-07-19T11:52:00.007-04:00

Greetings friends! As time wears on Abbie (and Lindsay) get bigger and closer to the due date. We're over halfway there and Lindsay is definitely starting to feel the effects. Lindsay had a great couple of doctor visits and the result is that it is now 100% a girl, she's healthy and looks great and all is right on track. In other news, Lindsay has been feeling Abbie kick constantly for a few weeks now, but I finally got the chance to feel it too. It's all starting to get very exciting.

In housing news, we finally decided to stay in the rental market and have to decided to upgrade in the apartment complex we are currently in. The location is too convenient and it's too good on gas to consider moving farther away. We have also pushed up the moving date to late August which will give us about 3 months to settle in before Abbie is scheduled to arrive. Lindsay will be a much bigger help at that point rather than later.

Lindsay's mom visited last weekend which gave us house guests for two weekends in a row. Zoey loved it, she gets so excited she almost doesn't know what to do with herself. We saw "Wall-E" last week which is a great movie. If you haven't already, go see it, it will warm your heart. Once again, enjoy all the pictures, and I hope all is well in your part of town. Take care.

This is the picture that inspired the blog title. It looks as if she just got into some mischief and she has the "who me" look on her face.

Classic baby picture

Pictorial Update

2008-07-06T10:47:00.016-04:00

Melissa convinced us (with little effort) to stay up way past our bedtime last night to enjoy more time in the (surprisingly not crowded at all) Magic Kingdom. We took oodles of pictures, which are posted below. Enjoy!

The token shot of my companions

The Sister and I

Good Times aboard Aladdin's Magic Flying Carpets

Waiting for the night-time parade: SpectroMagic

More & more pregnant each and every day

We never get to ride the carousel!

My horse stopped approximately 30 feet in the air...I'm on my "high horse," GET IT?

We each gave the sword in the stone the old college try

Melissa didn't try very hard

I, on the other hand, put my back into it

Overall, it was a great evening. It brought back great memories of closing up the Magic Kingdom when we were kids. Little ice-cream treats here and there, and a dinner at Pecos Bills, we forget how lucky we are sometimes. All it takes is a three day weekend and a little time to reconnect with why we all love to come to Florida. Enjoy the pictures, have a great rest of the weekend.

She likes a Triscuit

2008-07-04T19:11:00.008-04:00

Happy Independence Day everyone! Lindsay continues to grow and grow. AND! Our growing baby has finally started to exercise her muscles. Lindsay felt Abbie kick for the first time a couple of days ago. In fact, Lindsay just ate a Triscuit and felt her kick, hence the blog title. I have yet to feel her kick, but I trust Lindsay that she's actually moving around now. Lindsay goes 5 months on Monday. Making us halfway there...I knew it would go by fast, but seriously?

Melissa (my sister) is back from Europe and visiting us in beautiful Orlando, FL. And since we live so close to one of the biggest Independence Day fireworks shows ever, it would be silly not to attend such an event. Zoey has thoroughly enjoyed having a friend at home all day this week.

Life seems fairly mellow at the moment. Which, people keep telling me I should enjoy it while I can. Work and home are in great balance and Lindsay and I both are just thrilled with the way things are going. I hope everything is well in your corner of the world. Have a safe Independence Day.

P.S. - For those of you who need proof that Chewbacca actually won "Dance off with the Star Wars Stars", please refer to the documented footage below. Have a great week :o)

Lazy Sundays

2008-06-22T13:22:00.029-04:00

It's been a pretty eventful week, followed by a classic lazy Sunday. We are the epitome of sitting around and doing nothing today. But here are the updates (with gobs of pictures):

Lindsay is feeling great, continuing to be in the "glowing" pregnant phase. She admires her ever growing belly every hour, on the hour. It's fun to watch. She also thinks she has felt little Abigail move for the first time this past week.

My parents visited during the latter part of this week. We all had a great time and snapped lots of pictures during their visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios. In a huge surprise, they accompanied Lindsay to Babies 'R Us yesterday in which they were kind enough to buy us our baby stroller/travel system. I came home from work yesterday to find the ginormous box sitting in the living room. So we spent the morning playing with it, and Lindsay showing me all the features that sold her on it. Zoey had an amazing doggy morning playing with all the packaging. Needless to say words cannot express how appreciative I was when I came home and found it.

My time with Star Wars Weekends came to close yesterday in dramatic fashion. If you can believe it, the final decision of "Dance Off with the Star Wars Stars" came down to a recount between couple #1 (Chewbacca and his Jawa) and group #3 (Darth Vader and his legion of Storm Troopers, the usual winner). And with one last chant by the audience, it was final. Chewbacca pulled out his first victory of the season! What a moment, thrilling to say the least. And as if that wasn't enough, a local news station interviewed the winner in a TV spot to air later. And...scene.

Tomorrow I start the new gig as a "leader in training." It sounds like it will be a whirlwind of new experiences, new friends and new lessons learned. I am very much looking forward to it all, updates are sure to follow.

Today (June 22) is our wedding anniversary celebrating 5 years of wedded bliss. We will be celebrating this evening with a feild trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and dining at their signature restaurant, Jiko: the cooking place. Which continues to be our favorite on-Disney-property restaurant. Once again, I hope everyone had a great week! Enjoy all the pictures from this week. Thanks for reading.

Ridiculous Commercials

2008-06-16T20:15:00.010-04:00

Random thought: I'm no business genius but common sense would tell me that if I'm going to spend my hard earned company money on a national television advertising campaign I would make sure my commercial is effective...meaning not annoying. How do so many excruciating commercials make it through the entire production process without someone looking up and saying "Wait a minute, doesn't this commercial suck?" But I digress...

This past week has been filled with much stress, and much relief. But first, the baby. Lindsay is in her 17th week of pregnancy. Most of our evenings are now filled with her telling me every detail of her changing physique. And, in the most exciting news, I believe we have both settled on a name! Please say hello to Abigail Hannah McKinney. Enjoy the picture (if you look closely you will notice that mommy got a haircut this week).

The job front has taken many turns this past week. It appeared as if every last opportunity was drying up right before my eyes, and I was destined to make my way back to my home base. Then, at the very last minute...a phone call. This was a great phone call, for on the other end a kind voice offered me the opportunity to be a part of a brand new training and networking course for future company leaders. I am super excited to have this opportunity and am very much looking forward to meeting new faces in entertainment!

On the flip side, this means that I must hang my hat on Disney Star Wars Weekends for the season (and possibly for good). It's an unfortunate circumstance, but I absolutely cannot pass up the opportunity to be a part of this program. Star Wars Weekends has been, quite possibly, the most fun I have ever had at work. It has certainly changed my life for the better and forced me to realize a hidden talent that know one (not even myself) knew existed. And, in some strange way I will forever feel connected to the entire saga. It has been such a pleasure entertaining strangers and friends alike, the torch passes this weekend.

It's been quite a busy week as you can see. My family is visiting during the latter part of the upcoming week. So, a visit to the parks to check out everything new will certainly be on the agenda - pictures to follow. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods, take care everyone.

95 Degrees in the Shade

2008-06-09T13:29:00.006-04:00

Hello again! It's been a busy week for both of us so here's the latest. Lindsay has hit the 16 week mark meaning the baby can almost hear us talk to it. The next photos will inevitably contain one of Lindsay with headphones on her stomach. Creating a play list for my unborn child has proven to be quite the daunting task. It needs to be a healthy blend from a variety of wholesome genres. Who better to put way too much thought into that other than two people with music degrees.

The job hunt has come up empty, completely empty. Not to worry, I continue to have a job with Disney, however my opportunities for advancement will have a little more time to simmer.

Star Wars Weekends 2008 have officially kicked off at Disney's Hollywood Studios! If you haven't scoped it out, then what are you waiting for? If you won't get the chance this year, check out the video below. Regardless of how you see it, I promise it will be a good time. Hope you had a great week everyone, take care.

70% Chance...

2008-06-05T10:27:00.011-04:00

Greetings all, just a quick update this time. More details will come later today. Long story short, we saw the doctor this morning and in a very big surprise she asked us if we wanted to try and find out the gender. To which we said "are you kidding?", she said "no, we can try today if you want." So we did, posted are the results which give our little creation a 70% chance of being a...GIRL! Enjoy the pictures, more to come later today.

Trimester #2

2008-05-26T18:52:00.015-04:00

Hey gang! It's been a great week, here's all the news you need to know:

Lindsay is finally over the morning/all-day sickness! She hasn't felt nauseous for almost a week now. This is much welcomed news. She has now felt some pulling begin in the tummy area. Every time she stands up she feels a tightness of sorts around the mid-section. We have a routine doctor visit this week to hear the heartbeat again.

Lindsay's parents came to town this Memorial Day weekend. We all had a great time, and had the wonderful opportunity to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. To which I must say: this movie was the most fun I have have at the movies in a very VERY long time. One critic said it best: "This movie is not perfect, but it is definitely an Indiana Jones movie." I totally agree, this movie is such a great addition to the series. To say you didn't enjoy this movie, is to say you didn't enjoy the first three. I highly recommend going to see this film on the large screen.

We spent our day off today making our first major venture to check-out baby furniture. All I have to say is "thank goodness for IKEA." We will certainly be making the majority of our large furniture purchases there.

We continue to await news on job opportunities for me. I cross my fingers that we have some sort of answer (regardless of what it is) by the end of this week. At least that way I can stop wondering, and constantly playing out different interview scenarios that could have been.

In entertainment news, we are now only a few weeks away from Star Wars Weekends 2008! For those of you who know me, Star Wars Weekends holds a special place in my heart, and I am very much looking forward to this years event.

On another note, the weather this weekend has quite possibly been the best weather I've ever experienced in Florida. I don't mean to brag to all our friends in the "cooler, less appealing" climates, but check out the picture...jealous!

Please enjoy this weeks pictures. We've had numerous requests from our adoring fans to "put up pictures more regularly!" So I will do my best to have something up every week. Hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend. Take care.

Hurry Up & Wait

2008-05-18T18:14:00.010-04:00

Greetings everyone! I wish I had more exciting news to report on, but alas. Nonetheless, here are tonight's headlines. It feels as if we are kind of waiting around for something to happen in many aspects of life. Baby, work, house & finances are just kind of plugging away as we are waiting for later this year.

Lindsay had another visit to the doctor last week and all is well with the kid. They heard the heartbeat again and it is still strong. Apparently my offspring was a little more mobile this time around as every time they would locate the heartbeat it would move out of the way. We found out the magic day, July 8, when we get to find out whether our little creation is a boy or girl!

The trip to Snellville was a success, we made it there and back on only 3.5 tanks of gas. That has recently become our unit of measurement, every financial decision is tagged with "It's either this purchase, or 'X' amount of gas in the car." And to be quite honest, we really don't have it that bad. We live only 7 miles from work, I can only imagine what others are going through. Zoey handled the whole trip surprisingly well. The older she gets the more proud of that dog we become. She's a good girl who I think is looking forward to having someone else in the house as well.

We took a field trip today, using our day off to see the new parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly the Disney/MGM Studios) entitled: Block Party Bash. It was a good time, Disney entertainment never ceases to amaze me.

This next week will be a quite pleasant one. Lindsay and I already have plans to scope out Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And, I should finally find out some information on my current job status. So there you are, completely caught up on the lives of Chris & Lindsay in Orlando. Hope all is well in your corner of the world. As you can see, things continue to be great in Florida. Take care everyone.

The Little Baby Bump

2008-04-29T19:25:00.012-04:00

Hello all, lots of changes in the past couple of weeks so here goes. First off, the little bean made itself apparent today. Lindsay sat down on the couch and it was obvious, she has started to show. We all knew it would come sooner than later, because let's face it, Lindsay is thin as a rail. This baby only has one way to go, and that's out. Nonetheless, it was a surprise daddy moment for me as I finally got to see the effects.

The house hunt continues with an asterisk (*). We have recently been reading a great book by Dave Ramsey called The Total Money Makeover. It contains good common sense when it comes to handling money. It features a simple 7 step plan to get out of debt and build wealth (for retirement and college) which we have incorporated into our every day lives. (If you haven't heard of it, check it out. And, if you have heard of it but were reluctant to read it, try it out. It's a very easy read with great advice that most of us need to hear.) So the asterisk basically means that while we are still actively looking for a house we are also not going to step into a bad deal, and are willing to simply expand into a two bedroom apartment for another year in order to save money. So there's that.

There are incredibly exciting opportunities on the horizon for me and my career. I have been making great strides as of late to advance with The Walt Disney Co. and it looks like those efforts are finally going to pay off. No guarantees yet, but a huge part of the process is behind me.

My sister, Melissa, graduates from the University of Georgia (UGA) in the next couple of weeks. Which provides us a great opportunity to road trip up to Snellville. It will be my first time back home in a long time. A great chance to see all the old haunts and catch up with old friends. Plus, most of our immediate family will be there, so good times all around.

I know it's a long blog this time, but don't you feel better and more educated for reading all the way to end! I hope all is well, feel free to drop us a line. Take care everyone.

9 Weeks, aka. 7 Weeks

2008-04-07T17:55:00.012-04:00

Well gang, what we thought would be 9 weeks tomorrow actually turns out to be only 7. We had our first sonogram today which revealed the little bean in all of its splendor. And, according to the great big magic machine that knows everything about babies in the history of the world, it predicts 7 weeks. My prediction is that it is in fact 9 and its just saving all its energy up so in can start growing as big as its dad as soon as its born. But that's my amateur opinion, no match for the machine.

Nonetheless, it has a heartbeat which the doctor said was strong and easy to find (which we got to see/hear and was approximately 156 bpm). I would say that's fairly strong as my heartbeat only gets that high after sprinting for an hour (again supporting the theory that this kid is preparing for massive growth and will be well over 7 feet tall).

All in all the visit was surprisingly short and all felt fairly routine (to the doctor at least). There's nothing quite routine about hearing your first born child for the very first time. I'm still in a small state of disbelief that I actually saw it today, I guess it's becoming more and more real by the visit.

House hunting still plugs away at the normal pace. Analysts on Bloomberg radio assure the country that housing prices will "continue in a downward trend" until the election or after. So we're waiting until after the summer, but we have certainly found a number of areas that we like.

Enjoy the pictures, I tried to shoot a video of the heartbeat but this doctor moves fast. I barely had time to look at my little creation, let alone video record it. I guess that's par for the course for the next 20 years. Take care everyone...

P.S. - We can all stop wondering...it's not twins.

Mommy gets Glasses

2008-03-31T15:49:00.013-04:00

We're moving closer towards the 8 week mark (tomorrow), and things are going according to plan. We get to go hear the heartbeat next week which will make things all the more real. Work has been incredibly draining on both of us as the spring season marks a very busy travel time for the rest of the country. For some reason everyone always wants to visit places that are incredibly sunny, warm and not snowy. I can't for the life of me figure out why (as I say with the patio door open, sun shining and the most comfortable breeze you have ever felt blowing through).

In other news, Lindsay got glasses this past week. She went to the eye doctor for the first time in years, and they told her she was slightly far sighted.

Hope all is well with you and yours. See you next time...

6 Weeks

2008-03-18T20:20:00.005-04:00

Nothing too exciting so far. Lindsay is fairly tired (all the time). And oddly enough, coffee (decaff before you yell at us) seems to be a culprit for nausea. For those of you unfamiliar with our coffee addiction, allow me to emphasize just how out of the ordinary it is for her to skip the coffee in the morning. To add to the joys of planning for a baby, searching for a house is currently occupying the rest of my time. The good news is, "it's a buyers market," or so they say. This process is as confusing sometimes as preparing for the kid. Anywho, enjoy the picture, more to come.

We're Having a Baby!

2008-03-18T17:26:00.007-04:00

Greetings everyone! Since there's absolutely no way to keep in touch with everyone all the time, this seems to be the next best thing. If you haven't heard yet, Lindsay and I are expecting our first child this November. Needless to say, we are both nervous, but incredibly excited. In an effort to try and keep everyone updated on our recent family changes, I will try and add posts at every opporunity. I hope all is well with you and yours, please feel free to drop us a line anytime.