The Lord's plan...

I have always heard the saying that the Lord works in mysterious ways and this weekend was a testament to that. This past Saturday I lost our baby. I had just found out a week earlier that I was pregnant and Alex and I couldn't have been happier but our happiness was short lived.

On Saturday morning I woke up at 0800 with some slight bleeding. I got all worried but decided to not go to the ER if it stopped and it did till about 1030 and that's when the cramping started. So it was off to the ER. When we got there we got all checked in and they did blood work and an examination. They told me to come back on Tuesday when the lab was open and get more blood work done and get another examination. Just as my amazing nurse, Mona, was coming back to take out my IV I started to have excruciating stomach pain to the point I was in tears and couldn't stop crying. They pumped me full of liquid morphine and did another exam. I had a miscarriage right there. After monitoring me to make sure the pain meds worked (and oh did they work!) I was sent home with more pain meds and told to come back on Tuesday for the blood work and exam.

At Tuesday's trip back to the hospital we learned it was in fact a miscarriage.

Through all of the pain, both physical and emotional, Alex has been wonderful. I could not ask for a better husband and best friend. He has been my rock in all this mess and I can't thank him enough for being so perfect. Thank you Boo!

I am sad that I lost my first little angel. And at times all I can think is "I want my baby back" but I know in my heart that the Lord has my baby now for a good reason. I don't know what that reason is and I sure wish I did but I know the Lord would not have taken my baby if it wasn't necessary. And with the Lord's help I know Alex and I will get pregnant again when the time is right.
This is a verse my Grandma Heitkamp showed me a long time ago that really helped us through this tough time and many more and I hope it can help you too, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" Philippians 4:13.

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.

We finally made it!

It took a lot of work and a long time to get here but we made it. We now have our new house in Kailua, HI with all of our animals and we couldn't be happier! But it wasn't easy getting here. My dad and Michelle helped me make it happen. They were kind enough to drive all the animals to San Francisco where we dropped them off at the hotel so we could then go get our car shipped over. That night I met my second cousin on my dad's side for the first time and he and his girlfriend took us out to dinner to a great Chinese restaurant where I had pigeon....and it was great!

But the fun really starts the following morning when we had to get four suitcases and four animals plus their kennels all to the airport. Hercules and Taquito were such good boys in line at the airport to check in. We got all checked in and my dad, Michelle, and I said our goodbyes at security and all that was left to do was wait, and oh did I wait.



The flight got delayed three times (a five hour delay) until they finally canceled it. So it was now time to reschedule. I got a flight that left about one and a half hours later that I could get on so I went to the counter to get my ticked. When I got to the counter they told me I couldn't make the flight in time so I had to reschedule again for the next morning. I was told to go down to baggage claim to get my babies and all my luggage but when I got down there they informed me that all of my luggage (which held all the animals food) was on its way to Honolulu, HI without me. So it was my dad and Michelle to the rescue! They came back to the hotel I got a room at to stay the night and they helped me get my babies their food and to get me back to the airport the next morning. The next day it all went smooth! After we landed I rushed to see my boo and to get my animals so we could all relax. After a week in the lodge and the pets at a sitters we had our new home! 

We ran into this little guy in our hotel room, they are all over around here. He is just so cute!

During the past few weeks of packing, moving, flying, and running around I have to say that I am so thankful for all that I have. I have a wonderful husband who takes great care of me and our pets as well as a nice big roof over our heads and I live in a beautiful place!

(I will post pictures of the inside once we get the rest of our household goods)

Our adventure here in Hawaii has just started but I'm already amazed. And to think....it will only get better from here!

On the Home Stretch!

We are officially four days from when the packers will come and pack up the whole house and six days till we are all in Hawaii together! Plane reservations have been made, all vet visits are finally over, and now all the cleaning starts! It has been quite a wild ride for the past seven months with Alex being gone for six of those seven months and getting four pets through quarantine. But now all of our hard work and time apart will pay off. All the critters got their last shots this past Wednesday and are finally ready to go. It may have been rough getting all the paper work done and getting all the right tests and shots for them but they are worth it. So now I am cleaning day and night getting things packed and ready for the movers. On Monday, the same day the movers come, my father and Michelle will be arriving to send me off and I can't wait to see them! We will all drive up to San Francisco Tuesday and stay the night and then on Wednesday morning the animals and I will be on our way to Hawaii to see Alex!

Its hard to believe that just a year and a half ago we were moving into our first home. It feels like just yesterday my mother and I were driving out here to California to my new house and new life with Alex. Where does the time go? I will miss this house and all the wonderful memories that Alex and I made here but we have many more memories to make in Hawaii. And we can't wait!