CHRISTMAS PRESENT!!

Ok So I know that I said I'd put up pictures of our new Durango, but that's like SOOOO last month. And it's not as much fun as the most recent news... such as, basically the reason why I'm starting a blog?? Hm... Christmas present? YES please! Aaron and I are going to HAVE A BABY!! YAY!! The public can FINALLY know our secret =) He/She is due December 13th! Holiday season at it's best! Here's Baby Dickson!

First ultra sound on May 21, 2010. 10 weeks!
Based on this picture my step-dad Tim was calling him "Nubby" because it looks like he has no arms or legs! :) But this time I can prove him wrong!

*sidenote: just going to refer to "it" as a "him" because i don't want to call "him/her" an "it!"

Here's proof! Sorry about the image quality - but there's his LONG arm!! This is just a few days later, May 25.

Bum Shot! See his LONG legs Grandpa! Maybe a runner? =)
The ultrasounds were very fun to see! Our little guy is VERY active already! He's wiggling and flailing those limbs around... so crazy.


Again, bad image quality. The real proof is so clear! Sorry :) But can you see his PROFILE!!?? My little baby has a cute button nose already! And he isn't even 2 inches long yet! The detail of his little body is incredible.

It has been so surreal up to this point. It still is really. Very humbling and challenging to realize that, come December, I will be raising and teaching a child.
God is so good and knows the desires of our hearts! I am so excited to be a mom. I am blessed to have Aaron as a husband, and a father to my child!!

Grandparents have been very very excited and such a blessing! It is so fun knowing my baby will be incredibly loved and adored by both sides of grandparents (and great-grandparents) and aunts & uncles, etc, etc. =) My parents are especially excited because it is their first grandbaby! Will he/she be spoiled? Yes much! Oh well =)

Anyway... This is the reason I started my blog! FUN times ahead!
(and maybe pictures of my Mommy car later... maybe not).

Psalm 127:3 "Behold, Children are a gift of the Lord."

California Graduation

What a fun weekend it was! Landed in Burbank, CA on Wednesday evening and we were picked up by the lovely Molly Pearce. We had a relaxing night hanging out at the Pearce's and watching LA Galaxy soccer. Thursday we got to sleep in a little. Then headed to Master's to pick up my grad gown and say a few hellos. It was so much fun to see friends and be back on campus. Sweet Naomi allowed us to borrow her car for the rest of the weekend! What a blessing she is. Thanks Nay!!

I got to see my basketball girls which was so fun! Erica, Lauren, Brooke, and Annie - who I found out is moving to Idaho after she gets married this summer! Wahoo! (closer to me!) I also got to graduate with Jenna Reed! She's moving up here! Only a few minutes away! YAAAAYYYYY!!!! Also got to see my coaches, Dan and Johnny.

After a few hours on campus, we headed down to L.A. with Wil Pearce and Janie Roy to a concert. Aaron's old college roommate, David Zimmer was playing with Angel Taylor. It was really very fun actually. They were my favorite. The second band = not so good. The final band was Green River Ordinance, I'd never heard of them, but they were good! My high light was that David Cook was there! SWEET!







Brett Zamroz flew in that same night so we met up with him and Molly at In & Out at 1:00 am in Santa Clarita. It ended up being a late night, but heck - when else do we get to stay up till 3 am with old friends!? Ha ha! We were pooped!

Friday I had to get up early to get to Graduation practice! It was pretty fun, just anticipating the ceremony. After practice we got to visit with Robert, Brigitte and Jewel Short. That was probably one of my favorite events of the weekend! Jewel is adorable. Brigitte seemed to easily fit the role of "Mom" and Robert was a very proud dad. They are so happy! God has blessed us with their friendship. We love you Shorts!

Then we were off to one of my favorite restaurants: Stone Fire! We were so excited to meet up with our friends, Kevin and Lisa Derr, who are going to have their baby any day! Little Ellie is soon to make her appearance! It was so fun to catch up with them and see Lisa's big baby belly!

After that, home to take a nap! Then up and getting ready for Graduation. Graduation was such a great experience. Praise the Lord for allowing me complete my education at the best college ever =) What a place... It will always be near and dear to my heart because of how God used it to transform my life! It was bittersweet, knowing it was the final piece to my years at Master's... and yet feeling the accomplishment of something many people thought I wouldn't do! God is so good! It was one of my most challenging years... but the Lord brought me through! Thank you Jesus! Friends and pictures and parties followed. Seeing the Kane and Maly families were definitely a highlight... Aaron and I will never forget how they ministered to us!

My parents weren't able to make it down for graduation. But my momma surprised me with my beautiful lei!! It was big and smelled fantastic! I couldn't wear it during the ceremony but I put it on right after for pictures. Purple is the best! Thanks mom for the special surprise! I love you!

God works in awesome ways... Through college, Aaron and I's best friends were Ryan Zamroz and Stacy Nanninga. They are now married and living in Australia (where Ryan plays professional basketball.) Their families became our families. This weekend we were staying with the Pearce's who became good friends when Aaron made the switch to Music in school. This past year, Ryan's brother Brett began dating Molly Pearce. God is so good! This brought our two best groups of friends together for graduation. Aaron and I got to spend my graduation weekend/party with our best friends and our best families. We were so excited that the Nanninga's came out to see us! It was the best taste of what we knew to be Master's. One piece, however, was missing... Ryan and Stacy. God had different plans for them at that moment... and we were so sad. God knew all along that Ryan and Stacy weren't going to be able to celebrate with Brett and I.... but because of that, He allowed Brett and I to graduate at the same time - to bring our families together - to have a little piece of Ryan and Stacy with us. It was another bittersweet experience. Praise the Lord for His perfect plans.
I miss you Ryan and Stacy! I am eagerly awaiting the day of our next meeting! I love you!

Aw now for some California SUN! Finally off to get a little Beach time! The Pearce family and the Zamroz family headed to Santa Monica to rent bikes for the afternoon. It's so relaxing and you can see a lot in a little amount of time! Aaron got sun burnt =) I however, use sunscreen! (I love you Aaron!) Anyway... it was super fun and my sister, Danielle, got to join us! I haven't seen her for a long time. She's as beautiful and tan as always. I hate her... just kidding. I envy her. Ha ha... just kidding again... sort of.

Saturday concluded with another relaxing evening at the Pearce's after we returned Naomi's car. We packed up for our early flight home and said our goodbye's. Heading back to REALITY! Aaron still has a job... and I still have school. In the words of Pooh, "Oh bother..."


Thanks Again Molly and the rest of the Pearce family for hosting us! We had such a great time. We are truly grateful! I love you Molly!

New CAR for the Dicksons!

Or should I say SUV? Yes, it's official. I have my OWN car! Wow, at 23... it feels PERTY good... ha ha... let me tell ya. =) Alright, well here goes the story. Aaron has been faithfully and very diligently searching through Craig's list every night this last week. He probably emailed at least 30 people. We literally were google-ing any kind of SUV ever made. It was kind of funny (and a little repetitive.) Anywho... we got many responses, and probably 85% of them were scams. Let's see... "my husband died," "i'm moving to my parents who are old now," "I'm a sergeant in Iraq"... etc.... "We can use the EXTREMELY safe E-Bay payment online so we are BOTH protected"... "and the car will be shipped from CANADA (or Texas, or something crazy)." Hm... No thank you! Aaron proceeds to email these people back and say, "you're a loser." Oh husband.

Saturday morning we proceed to sleep in until 10:30 or so, and first thing Aaron does is check his e-mail. And yes, there was a response to a Dodge Durango in Renton, WA. Next thing I know I'm flying out of bed and driving 2 hours South to check out this car. It was quite an excuse for getting out of an outside work day at the in-laws. But man was it random! The man who was selling it picks up abandoned cars all the time. It's his job. Sounds a little sketch? YES. Well it was worth the drive! Turns out the guy is pretty legit. We take the Durango to a sweet little body shop, of which the staff was 95% Asian and pretty hard to understand. But they were awesome. A thorough check up was originally quoted at $70 and we walked away handing them a 20! Praise the Lord!

Aaron had quite the experience getting two different opinions from two different mechanics, and going on two different test drives. It was a LONG day. So enough of the nitty gritty, we got the guy to drop $500 off his price and we walked away with a beautiful FIRE ENGINE red Dodge Durango! Seats 7, or the back seat folds down to give our little Eli LOTS of room to grow! Has AC, a CD player, all wheel drive and has a tow package (for our imaginary boat we are pulling around)! Perfect for MUAH! We are praying the work that does need to be done will be successful and allow us to use the car for quite a few years. It is ten years old but for the price, we had to take it. I'll have pictures up soon! Right now Aaron is having fun and working hard to fix it up and make it all clean and sparkly for me =) What a sweet hubby.

Off to California we go! This Wednesday I leave to return to The Master's College to attend my graduation!! Praise God for strengthening me and providing a way for me to complete my education. We have plans to hang out and catch up with friends (and babies!) so hopefully I'll have many pictures to post when I return!!