Snowy Weekend at the Grand Canyon

My friend Genavee Brown is here to visit for Thanksgiving and was able to come a weekend early, so we took off on Saturday and spent one night at the Grand Canyon.

The snowy weather made traveling (and canyon viewing!) difficult at times, but when the clouds occasionally lifted from the canyon, the sights were truly spectacular!

We began our trip with a snowy walk along the rim trail, catching occasional views of the canyon through the fog:

Canyon?  What Canyon?

Oh, there it is!

Winter Wonderland

Stumpy the Octopus

After checking into the Bright Angel Lodge, we walked down to the Mule Barn to say hello to the mules; we also caught sight of the cutest baby deer ever!  Then we walked along the Rim Trail again out to Maricopa Point to get a few sunset shots.

After a good dinner, a French movie, and a restful night's sleep, we caught the Hiker's Express shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead and made it down a little past Cedar Ridge on the snowy trail!

 

It was fun to see the Grand Canyon in the snow, and we are thankful for a safe trip through the winter weather!

We're Expecting!

We are excited and thankful to be expecting "Baby Newman", due to arrive on June 1, 2014!  Pregnancy has been an amazing but anxious experience so far, and in this (long overdue) blog post, I wanted to share some of my thoughts about the first trimester.

In  late September I took a home pregnancy test and felt the first wild excitement and joy of expecting a child!  That evening, I shared the news with Jonathan, who was equally excited and a also surprised!

The Big Annoucement

The funny thing was, as soon as we embraced the joy of pregnancy, I began to feel the anxiety of pregnancy as well.  Even though the baby growing inside of me was no bigger than a poppy seed, I was already completely in love with him/her--and terrified that I might lose him/her.  I began to fear that any symptom might be a sign of miscarriage.

And then, less than a week after we found out the news, I had an episode of spotting and then began to feel stomach cramps.  As the cramps continued through the next day, we began to panic.  I called our obstetrician's office, and the nurse told me the truth: if this is a miscarriage, there's nothing you can do but wait and see--and, I will add, pray.  We did a lot of praying that week...and I learned my first lesson about having children: there is so much that is out of my control!  And I know that this will only become more true when the baby arrives and we set out on the adventure of parenting...My faith and trust in God will need to grow each day to meet new fears and challenges.

There is a Bible verse that has come to my mind often over the past weeks, and has brought me a lot of comfort:

"For you created my inmost being.  You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made."   Psalm 139:13-14

The process of birth is truly a miracle, and I can neither understand nor control what is happening inside my body right now.  But God already knows and loves Baby, and He has perfect wisdom and control in this little life!

Mrs. Snuggles is excited to be a big sister!

We were so thankful to see Baby's tiny heartbeat on our first ultrasound, and to hear the heartbeat again on the Doppler at 10 weeks.  Now I am at 13 weeks, still having some "evening sickness" and just starting to notice a tiny "baby bump" as my pants get tighter.  We thank you for your support, prayers, and shared excitement as this adventure continues!   :)