Micah's 1 Month Check In

It's hard to believe you have only been in our lives for 1 month! Daddy and I have never been so tired for so many consecutive days, but the love we have for you far outweighs all of the sleepless nights. I never want to forget the little moments spent with you - like when I hold you to my chest and your little body goes limp. At your one month doctor visit, you weighed 8 pounds 9.5 ounces and were 20.5 inches long. God gave us the biggest responsibility of our lives when he blessed us with you and we promise to always point you back to Him.

Cooper is 7 months old and has adjusted well to not being the center of attention anymore. He is very protective over his little brother. When he hears you cry, he goes to the room you are in and will wait for Mom or Dad to come get you. On our evening walks, Cooper walks right next to the stroller instead of his usual running ahead of us to smell the next mailbox. You and Cooper will be best friends before we know it.

Happy 26th Birthday, Babe!

25 will be a year to remember, that's for sure.

25 was our first full year of marriage.

25 was the year we took a roadtrip.

25 was the year you found out you will soon be a dad.

25 was the year we bought our first house.

25 was the year we visited Viet Nam during Tet.

25 was the year we brought Cooper home.

25 was the year we laughed and cried together.

25 was the year you got a promotion at work.

25 was a great year, but I know 26 will prove to be even better.

You are selfless, kind, generous, sarcastic, and confident. There are a lot more adjectives I could use to describe your personality, but the list would be way too long! In a matter of days, you will be a dad and I can't wait to see how our little guy will soften your heart. You're one hot guy and I'm lucky to call you my husband. I can't wait to make memories with you this year that will last us a lifetime.  Today, and always, you deserve ridiculous amounts of Pho.

Happy 26th birthday, babe! I'll love you forever!

Two Positive Tests and One Excited Hubby

I woke up one January morning and thought, "hmmm, I haven't had my monthly visit yet." I went on with my day but made sure to stop by CVS Pharmacy after work to pick up a pregnancy test. I read the instruction pamphlet and waited to take the test until the next morning. After peeing on the infamous stick, I set it on the edge of the bath tub and went about my morning getting ready for work. I returned to the bathroom a few minutes later, picked up the stick, and read....Pregnant! I couldn't believe my eyes and I very slowly said, "what the f***." (Sorry, Grandma!) If you know me at all, you know I hardly ever swear and that it's a big deal when I do, so to say I was in shock would be an extreme understatement. I wanted to be sure the test was correct, so I took the remaining test after work. Yup, this one read Pregnant, too. After taking two tests that both read pregnant and after the initial shock subsided, I knew I had to tell Khanh, but he was in Ohio for work and I didn't want to tell him over the phone.  

Our 5 year dating anniversary was that weekend, so I decided to do something extra special for him. I went to Target and bought a pack of gender neutral onesies and pants and an elephant rattle. I tied them all together with the pregnancy test on top and put them in a gift bag we had on hand. Khanh's reaction will forever be imprinted in my mind. His voice went up an octave or two and he had the cutest little grin on his face. I can't wait to watch him be a daddy to our little man.   Question of the day: What are some creative ways you told your partner you were pregnant?

And Then There Were 4...

World, meet Cooper. The newest addition to our household.  

  He's a 9-week old Miniature Goldendoodle that captured our hearts as soon as we laid eyes on him. Cooper loves to pounce on leaves, follow the hubby and I around, play tug-of-war, and cuddle. Cooper will also be a big brother soon!  

 

Khanh and I couldn't be more excited to be welcoming our first baby into the world in September. We weren't planning on having kids for a couple more years, but God doesn't listen to our plans. He makes plans that are way better than you or I could ever imagine. We already love our little baby so much and can't wait to meet him/her in September.

Our First Home!

There's been a lot going on for the Dang family the past few months, which is why I disappeared. I'm back today to let you know that we bought a house!

 

The hubby and I recently closed on our very first house! The roller coaster of emotions we have been on the past couple months has definitely been a wild ride, but we wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. This will be the first home that either of us truly feel like we have our own space and can do whatever we want to it, which makes this house that much more special. We have started painting, but I haven't bought many decorations yet. If you need me next week, I'll be at TJ Maxx and HomeGoods.

  This is the house we will eventually bring our babies home to. This is the house we will laugh, cry, fight, and love in. This is the house we will entertain our guests in. This is the house we will start traditions with our little family in.   Here's a peak inside the house we get to make our home - beginning this weekend! These pictures are from the listing, so imagine a very empty house right now.

 The front door leads you into the living room, with vaulted ceilings. My favorite part of the entire house.

The living room opens into the dining room and kitchen.

 

It's a cozy 3 bedroom and 2 bathroom house.

 

The basement is finished. This is where you will find the dry bar and laundry room.

 

This house will forever be a very special place to us. Stay tuned for updates and DIY projects!

 

*Disclaimer: There are no pictures of the outside of the house for safety reasons. Please do not ask to see the outside of the house. You'll have to come visit us to see this.*

Honeymoon Road Trip (Part 1)

I want to start off by saying that these honeymoon posts will be the longest I'll ever write, but I want to remember everywhere we went and all the fun things we did.

Khanh and I finally escaped the cold Michigan winter to go on our honeymoon. We loaded up my 2015 Jeep Cherokee Limited and headed out on the open road for 15 days. We stayed in 7 cities in 5 states. Though it wasn't the honeymoon we were dreaming of, it was absolutely perfect and I wouldn't trade it for any other trip. OK, maybe Hawaii!

Our first overnight stop was Nashville, Tennessee. But, first, we made a quick pit stop just outside of Bowling Green, Ohio at the National Corvette Museum. This stop was special to me because my grandpa was a member of the museum's founding board and his name is on a brick located near the front entrance. We also got to see the huge sink hole from February 12, 2014 and all the cars that were salvaged.

We arrived at the Residence Inn Nashville Airport in Nashville, Tennessee just before dinner. My grandparents friend, Dr. Bob, who is a vocal surgeon for all the country stars, made reservations for us at the best table at Sperry’s Restaurant, a steakhouse in the cutest little neighborhood. This was the only meal we splurged on during our entire trip because it was also my birthday!

We woke up the next morning and had the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. After filling up on waffles, we headed out to explore Nashville. Our first stop was the Grand Ole’ Opry. Unfortunately, we arrived too early and the only thing open was the gift shop.

Next on our agenda was exploring downtown Nashville. We got gypped paid for parking and started looking for the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. It’s a big, beautiful bridge in the heart of downtown Nashville that connects the city on both sides of the Cumberland River. After exploring the bridge, we wanted to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame, but decided against it after seeing the admission prices. Here’s the thing, Khanh isn't a country music fan and didn't want to spend money to look at something he could care less about. I know, I know, what horror! I’m working on him still. After all that excitement for the morning, we found ourselves back at the hotel for a quick nap before being locked in a room with four strangers for an hour.

The Escape Game – Nashville, was hands-down most fun we had in Nashville. We decided to give the Classified Room a try this time around. Our group was acting as anti-terrorists trying to find clues that would lead us to terrorists (or in this case just unlocking the door to escape in the allotted 60 minutes.) We escaped with seconds to spare!

After such an intense game, our stomachs were begging to be fed and Edley’s Bar-B-Que hit the spot. I always gravitate towards pulled pork at any BBQ place, and this time it definitely did not disappoint.

Back at the hotel, we packed our things up before our heads hit the pillow. Stay tuned for our next stop in Hot Springs, Arkansas!

New Year Goals

I used to make new year resolutions, but - like most people - I found that after a few weeks I even forgot what I was resolving to do that year. If you are one of the few people on the planet that can actually stick to their new year resolutions, good for you! Pat yourself on the back for me. We had a breakthrough moment on our road trip (more on that in another post!) over Christmas break. My husband asked what my goals are for this year. Insert my mind being blown here. Goals? I've never thought about new year resolutions in the form of yearly goals. I'm not sure if the word resolution intimidates me or if the word itself implies that I'm being forced to give something up. Whatever it may be, I'm not a fan. But, goals? I like that word a heck of a lot more! Goals are achievable. Goals are not intimidating. Goals push you to be a better you.   After the initial shock that making new year goals make 10000% more sense than trying to keep new year resolutions, Khanh and I came up with four goals that we each want to accomplish during 2015. Below you can find my personal goals.  

  Goal 1: Publish at least one blog post per week. If you're a blogger, you know how hard this can actually be. This goal includes finding new organizational tools and sticking to a schedule.   Goal 2: Finish designing my blog. Blog design is very time consuming when you don't know any HTML code. I have to watch YouTube videos for almost everything I want to change. I could pay someone to work with me on designing my blog, but I feel like that's the easy way out - unless you have absolutely no free time. There is a sense of accomplishment and pride just knowing that I created my blog from scratch, even if it takes hours days!   Goal 3: Move to a different department at work. I'm lucky enough to work for a company that wants to see their employees succeed. Moving to another department will allow me to gain important skills to further my career, learn more about the company, and ultimately end up doing what I'm passionate about.   Goal 4: Find a local church. This is a goal my husband and I both share. Since Khanh and I moved across the state, we haven't found a church we can call home. Even more important to us, is finding a community within that church of young married couples. Learning about marriage, life, and God is so much easier when you have like-minded people to encourage you along the way.   What are some of your 2015 goals?