Steve and Jenny Valentine

We went to the doctor today for our 35 week appointment.  Karis was very active during the appointment and everything still seems to be healthy.  We have been very thankful and blessed by a great pregnancy so far!  We were able to get a little look at our daughter (as you see above) and can't believe how cute she is already!  The doctor said I'm already dilated to 1 cm and could possibly have the baby early depending on progression over the next couple weeks.  This seems a bit surreal, but we are very excited to meet her for whenever the Lord has it planned.  We did find out she is not head down, so our prayer is that she will flip to be head down and ready for a safe delivery.  It is not our desire for a c-section, but our goal is healthy baby, healthy mom, however that looks over the next few weeks.  I start going to appointments every week now, so I will have another appointment in a week and we'll see where things are at that time.  ...

I will not lie, my heart was beating a little faster than normal as the tires of our large nine passenger van came ever so close to the edge of the shear cliff. The long narrow road and the blind corners of the switchbacks made for an uneasy muscle tensing trip up towards the summit of the mountain. As we got higher, soft patches of snow began to line the side of the road and an occasional mountain goat would watch us as though we were the wildlife.  As I watched out the window, it appeared as though we were getting so close to the clouds that I might be able to reach out and touch one.  As that thought made its way through my senses I forgot about how high we were and how close we were to death at every turn.  N oticing my childlike gaze up at the clouds, the driver leaned over and jokingly said, “I wonder if God hears our voice louder from here?”  Even though the driver, whom I would call a good friend after that trip, was joking it provoked my mind to thought for...

Steve and I spent some time reflecting last week about our past year here in Orlando.  It seems amazing to me that we have already been here over a year now!  Steve flew back from Denver on July 3 and the following day, July 4, marked the one year anniversary of our arrival into Florida, where we were welcomed by family and friends with sparklers in the rain :) A lot has happened in this past year and we couldn't be more thankful for how the Lord has worked in our lives.  Highlights definately include: Our 4th niece, Charlotte Grace Valentine, was born two weeks after we arrived (today is her first birthday).  Steve and I remember waiting anxiously at the hospital with her grandpa and uncle Chris all day and enjoyed meeting her upon arrival into the world! The Lord providing a job for Steven that would be part time and perfect hours and pay for his first year in Seminary. The Lord providing a job for me working in an organziation that aims to magnify the Lord...