First Shower Gift!

The UPS man brought a pleasant surprise today! (it wasn't the hard drive docking station that Preston was waiting for though) We received our first gift for the online shower! Thanks for the awesome gift Steve and Lauren!

We can't open it yet (and its just killing Aimee) :)

New Dresser / Changing Table

We searched high and low for the perfect baby dresser/changing table, but felt defeated after many stores and websites offered cute looking items at either sky high prices or cheap manufacturing. We finally found a gem at the local antique store (Aimee was in heaven) that was solid oak with lots of character. It was chipping and an ugly yellow so we refinished it.

We went with a crackle finish in hopes of keeping the antique look. The glass knobs are very classy and it will make a nice place to change diapers and store stuff.
album

Why Super Dad Is Also Super Husband

Preston always finds a way to use my extended time from home as a time to do a home improvement project that I want done. This weekend I went away (on a retreat mind you, not even work or family related) and he whipped the house into shape once again. In a matter of 24 hours he managed to finish scraping, cleaning, puttying, and repainting two more of our outdoor windows, scrub the bathtub (which I really dislike doing), vacuum the floors (another chore I don't enjoy), wash the sheets, and start the finishing protective coat of our baby dresser. It was so nice to come home to an extra clean house and a husband who did projects he knew I shouldn't be around for the safety of the baby, while I was away from home. I didn't even ask him to do any of these things. (Well, I didn't ask him to do it while I was away on a retreat. :) ) What a wonderful hubby. I just had to take the chance to brag on him.
We should have pics of the refinished dresser up soon. It looks great!! I am looking forward to filling it with baby stuff.

29 weeks along! Its amazing how the baby develops inside of Aimee. i wish we had taken pictures every week, but this progression shows the difference much better. only 11 weeks (give or take 2 weeks) to go :)

See Progress

Manly Work

I've decided that chopping wood or being a lumber jack is the manliest job someone could have. Any other nominees.  P.S. I used my blackberry for this post as well :)

First Mobile Post

"I love technology," Kip from Napoleon Dynamite.
Preston is trying out the mobile posting feature from his blackberry. The hope is that baby Tippen will enjoy technology as much as Preston!

Super Dad and the wild night missions

Last night was a great adventure. Here's the skinny:

After returning home from meeting Aimee stood in front of the refrigerator and cupboard with a desperate look on here face. After much searching (30 seconds) she realized that there was nothing in our house that would satisfy what the baby was craving (I think it was really her but you know everything can be blamed on the baby these days)! That is when Super Dad (Preston) sprung into action. Super Dad - willing to go anywhere, at anytime to retrieve anything to satisfy the craving or desires of Aimee and the baby. His mission - to find and purchase large chocolate chip cookies and return home safely.
Super Dad raced to the store with his super powers on high alert. Once arriving he realized that this particular store had chocolate chip and chocolate chunk cookies. Dasterdly, the mission was a t a crossroads! Super Dad was up against a wall, the well being of the entire home rested on making the right choice! With a quick call to another Super Dad from Montana (Justin has been through this twice), Preston realized he needed to consult with Aimee so this missions would not fail.
Alas, it was chocolate chunk that would really satisfy the craving, so as quickly as someone can buy cookies and a half gallon of milk (that are convienently located on opposite ends of the store), Super Dad was returning home. That's when he got another call. There was a friend in need! Super Dad was on it, nothing too small or too large for him to handle. Our friends, the Johnson's, were going into labor and needed someone to watch their preschool age son.
Later that Night...
Super Dad has done it again. By midnight Aimee had had her cookies and milk, baby Tippen was happy, Piper Johnson was a healthy 7.9 oz, Mrs. Johnson was doing well, and Super Dad was resting in anticipation of his next mission.

Piper Johnson

~Written by Super Dad (akaPreston)

Babymoon videos

Here are a few videos from our Babymoon.


This was from Preston first standing on the board in the white wash. Later on he dropped into a few waves, but we have no video of it.



This was the most amazing bird we've ever seen. He did some other tricks besides sing Old McDonald, but that was his best.

More of San Diego

Here are some more pics of our "babymoon" to San Diego.

We spent one day at the San Diego Zoo. 9 hours to be exact. Preston had to see every square inch of the zoo. :) We had a great time though. The zoo is amazing with some really interesting animals and shows to watch.




This is an Okapi. It was Aimee's favorite animal. It appears to be half horse, half zebra. Looks like it should be in C.S Lewis' Narnia tales. Check out more here

We got to see some great CA sunsets. The pictures just don't do justice to something so amazing.






There is Aimee out near the edge. The landscape was so varied and different at each beach. The waves and salt air was wonderful!


Preston took a day to learn to surf. He did really great and loved it. We were so amazed at how many surfers there are in San Diego. They swarmed the beaches, from morning until after dark. Preston was wiped out after a full day of surfing. Aimee spent the day reading on the beach, which she loved.
Overall, it was a great trip with lots of relaxation, sun and exploring. We are ready to enter the final stretch of preparing for the Baby Boy Tippen to be here as a part of our family. To see more from San Diego check here

San Diego!

We took our final babymoon this month. We visited the very beautiful San Diego, CA. When I had gone home to PA a couple months ago I opted to get bumped twice, resulting in 2 free plane tickets. We decided to use those tickets to go somewhere we had never been before, and were almost guarteneed it would not rain. (We don't seem to have much luck when it comes to vacationing and good weather.) So San Diego it was!
We couldn't have asked for a better trip. It was sunny and warm every day we were there. Here are some pics to show you highlights of the trip.


Here is me prego on the beach. Even the water was warm!















Here is the very beautiful Torrey Pines State Park.

You could hike right down to the beach.

Tippen Visit

Preston's parents and youngest sister came to visit us mid August. We had the typical visit, putting them to work on house projects, playing lots of games, and eating good together. They helped us scrape, putty and paint our exterior wooden windows. The girls also helped prepare the nursery. We painted the bookshelf (in the picture) and large mirror to match the crib, which is compliments of the Tippen's as well. The nursery is off to a good start!