Steve and Jenny Valentine

Steve and I decided to go on one last date night together pre-baby and before family came into town.  We enjoyed an evening at Seaworld together (from tickets my mom had bought us a while back).  We really enjoyed watching the dolphins in the dolphin nursery and the momma and baby sea lions and learning about their interesting pregnancy and birthing processes-you can tell what's on our minds these days!  Here are a few pictures of our evening together: Dolphin at the dolphin nursery Mama sealion cuddling with her baby Steve and Me 38 weeks pregnant Of course the night wouldn't be complete without swollen ankles! Grateful for my husband and this date night together and excited as we anticpate the arrival of our daughter, Jenny

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...

We closed on our new house Tuesday and look forward to transitioning into our home in the upcoming weeks.  It has been a major blessing from the Lord to pursue this direction and we are so thankful for how the Lord orchestrated the whole process (even the parts that got a little frustrating, God worked it all out). Lunch in our new home

While sitting in class the other day with the 'after lunch heavy set eyes' taking over me, My mind was captured by an argument posed by my Old Testament professor. He was discussing the fall and the role of Adam and Eve. Through a series of connections with Hebrew verbs he presented the argument that Adam was to be a soldier-priest. One who would protect the garden while living in communion with God. To close the argument the professor made the claim that Adam's true failure was not that he followed his wife by eating of the tree, but his true failure was allowing the serpent in the garden to get to his wife. It will still take me some time to processes this theologically, but there is a pearl of great truth in the idea of Adam protecting the garden and his wife. Walking outside the other day to go to church I heard a commotion from the downstairs apartments. 3 young ladies and one guy were standing on the sidewalk pointing back at the door of their apartment. I asked th...

It has been a busy month in the Valentine home! Here are some things we're excited about: We're having a baby girl!  I'm 25 weeks crossing into the third trimester!  I had a moment the other day where this really hit me and I thought, 'oh no, I'm not ready to have this baby yet'!  Good thing the Lord has a plan and purpose for a pregnancy and Lord willing we still have 3 more months to prepare for our daughter's arrival.  We're currently attending birthing classes that we really enjoy and are both learning a lot.  The baby moves around all the time now and it brings a smile to my face whenever she moves around-even early in the morning!  (Pictures of me at 24 and 25 weeks below) Steve is almost done with his first year of seminary, I'm so proud of him!  He will take a break during the summer from classes and focus on raising support for his internship. We're moving into a house (if all goes as planned)!  When we found out our rent ...