A little bun in the oven...

Monday morning Alex and I decided to have me take a pregnancy test because I was showing signs and I was late. Now in the past my body has just been messing with me and I have always gotten a negative test result. But on Monday the 23rd of May, 2011 we got a positive! Alex and I have been trying for a little Kinney for over a year and a half and our wish came true with two little pink lines.

I took two test just to make sure :)

Today I went to the doctor to get blood test results to show that I am pregnant and of course they came back positive! I learned today that I am 5 weeks pregnant and I am due January 25th, 2012! So here is the first of many baby belly pictures.

Now baby isn't showing its all bloat. Hercules and Taquito just had to be in the pictures too!

Alex and I are both so thankful for this blessing. We were always told that when we were ready God would bless us with a child and he has! Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing!

"With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

All settled in...

We have finally gotten all settled in! Our shipment of household goods arrived Wednesday last week and we have been cleaning and setting things up all week. The hard labor paid off! We are quite proud of our new home.

This is our kitchen and dining area. Directly behind where I am standing is the laundry room

Here is our living room, the half bath that I still have yet to decorate, and a picture up the stairs that lead to the second floor.



This is the upstairs hall that leads to the guest bedroom, office, guest bathroom, and the mater bedroom and bathroom.

The guest bathroom.

This is the office which is home to Picasso and Pascal the chameleons.

This is the guest bedroom which will soon become a nursery. Hercules just loves to pose for the camera!

Last but not least is our master bedroom and bath. Our furniture almost didn't fit!

We move a lot being a military family so we will live in a lot of houses. But I know with Alex by my side, I will always be home!

Losing a Letter...

Yesterday, Monday the 2nd of April, Alex lost a letter. Now I know that can sound bad out of context so let me explain. Alex was know as LCpl Kinney (Lance Corporal Kinney) but now he will be known as Cpl Kinney (Corporal Kinney). That's right....Alex got promoted! And I could not be prouder. For the past few years Alex has been working his butt off to get all of his requirements completed to be able to pick up rank and all of his hard work has paid off.

Now I have never had the honor to see a promotion ceremony but yesterday I did....well I did a little more than just see it...

Alex and Shane came to pick me up and take me to their work to wait for the ceremony to start. I was going to take pictures so I could post them so you all could see. When we got there Alex got word that it would start late so we hung out in the gear locker for a bit. About 30 minutes later we were told the ceremony was about to start and we had to get ready. Alex walked me over to a group of about 30 ish Marines and started introducing me. It was then I learned I would be apart of the ceremony. I was told I would be pinning Alex (putting on his new rank). I was so nervous...I didn't want to mess this up for Alex.

So this is how it went down:

All the Marines got into formation and I was pulled aside by a friend of ours, Traylor, who would be escorting me up to pin Alex.

Alex is on the far left. 

Then Gunny (I think that is who called the men getting promoted up) ordered the men to march up to the front.

Once they got to the front Gunny started reading off their promotion warrants starting with the Marine who picked up Sgt (Sargent). Next it was Alex's turn, Gunny read off his promotion warrant. Traylor then put his arm out for me to take and he escorted me up to Alex. Alex handed me his new chevrons and I pined them on for him.

Traylor then gave me his arm again and escorted me back to the side. Alex was then presented with his promotion warrant and they marched back and were released.

I am so honored that my amazing Marine would let me pin him. I am so proud of him and all that he as accomplished to get here. He has worked hard and it shows.  I am proud of the Marine, man, and husband Alex has become and I could not be prouder of him. I love you Cpl Kinney!

A weekend with the boys!

During Alex's three month stay in the barracks he became good friends with some of his fellow Marines. Two of those marines are Nick and Shane. Friday evening we had the boys over for some home cooked chicken fingers, mac'n'cheese (a great recipe from Alex's mom), and some veggies. After doing a ton of dishes we all settled down to play some interesting games of Taboo and Nertz. We learned how to play Nertz, which is a card game based off of solitaire, this past Christmas from Alex's sister Dina and her husband Jeff. We played in teams of two for Taboo with Alex and I always on a different team to make it more fair for the boys because we know each other too well. But they insisted on it and Alex and I cleaned house!

Saturday evening Shane invited us to go out with him and his friend Austin for dinner, a movie, and some sight seeing. We drove along Hwy 72 which is right along the coast line.

 It was a little windy so I had to hold my hair down so Alex wouldn't get a face full!

Some one had set up camp and started to fish, I just hope he doesn't get washed away because those waves were getting pretty big!

After some pictures we headed down to a little Greek restaurant called Olive Tree Cafe. The food was amazing! Alex and I both had the Souvlaki with New Zealand lamb and we had some fantastic hummus and warm pita.We will definitely be going back there! Then it was off to the mall down the street to watch Fast Five. It was a pretty good movie, it had lots of action, some hot cars, and Vin Diesel! It was a great evening out with friends and we are looking forward to making more memories.