It's a girl!!!

Here's the 18 week baby bump picture. And after our ultrasound today, we can say with some confidence (baby wasn't in exactly the right position, but the tech was nearly certain) that it's a girl! Due date was bumped back a few days to April 4th--which is totally okay with me because I really did not think an April Fool's Day birthday would be very nice. It looks like we will probably end up having another ultrasound in a few weeks because the tech wasn't able to get one of the pictures the doctor wants because of how baby Bertolini was sitting. Now we get to start thinking of nursery ideas and what little girls need! We've known so many people that have had boys lately, we had kind of been thinking that way (assuming it was something in the water!). But God had different plans, and we look forward to raising the little girl He has blessed us with! And with all the boys in our church, we're already getting offers for an arranged marriage!

Halloween/Josh's B-day Celebration

So my family came over for Halloween and to celebrate my brother-in-law, Josh's birthday. We had a nice time and took Sophie aka: cute little pink poodle, to our church Trunk 'n Treat. She didn't really understand the whole trick or treat thing and was kinda overwhelmed with all the people, but she looked adorable (as you can see) and managed to get about 4 pieces of candy--which was probably just the right amount for a 2 year old! I'm sure she'll have it all figured out next year and can teach her brother A.J. and her new cousin!

Pumpkin Patch!

Today, I got to go to the Pumpkin Patch with my sister Anna, niece-Sophie, and nephew-A.J. We had a great time navigating the hay maze. Sophie surprised us with her sense of direction! Anna and A.J., unfortunately, got stuck in the hay maze when the stroller was too bulky for one of the corners. However, Anna used her muscles (very well toned from hefting that porky, oops, I mean precious, baby of hers :-) ) and managed to shove the stroller through!
A tractor pulled hay ride took us to the pumpkins where Sophie had lots of fun pointing out the "icky" ones that had gotten smashed. We did, however, find a nice one to take home. Such a fun day! I look forward to taking our baby next fall and getting cousin pictures with the pumpkins!

Our family is growing

Well, something I didn't mention in our summer update is the discovery that we will be having a baby sometime this next Spring (end of March/early April). It's an exciting/terrifying time in our lives! Exciting, because babies are always a wonderful miracle, and it really is cool to think that the little guy or gal is a part of me and my sweet husband. Terrifying because let's face it, being sick all the time, then getting fat, and then having to go through the worst pain known to mankind all before bringing into this world a very real person that we will be responsible for is a pretty overwhelming thing! We are praying that our baby is developing well, and that he or she will accept our Lord at a very early point in life and live for Jesus. We are also praying that we will be good parents and that God will give us the wisdom and strength to do the right thing, even when it's hard! We are so thankful for the support of our wonderful, godly families and friends and know that God has truly blessed us.

Summer's coming to an end, but it's been good!

well, it's that time again when I've been looking at other peoples' posts and am embarrassed that it's been so long since I've written on our page! So, I think I left off in June. We finished the 2008-2009 youth group year with a j-high retreat, which was lots of fun! And we spent the month doing last minute training and preparation for our July mission trip to Tumalo (a small town near Bend.) The mission trip itself went great! We were so impressed with our teens who really stepped it up and put on an awesome VBS, painted the church fellowship hall, did a bunch of yard work around the church and really connected with the kids in the community. We camped on the church grounds and one of the moms and I were the cooks for the week. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we returned, but as always we were so aware of the Lord's work and Him blessing us probably more than we blessed the church in Tumalo.
Our pastor was out of town for the month of July, so Dave had the opportunity to speak for 3 weeks at church and took us through the book of Habakkuk--a cry out to God in the face of unexplainable circumstances and suffering. It was a great series and seemed to really touch a lot of people.
I worked in the church office for the month of July as we transitioned to a new secretary who wasn't able to start til August.
We also had a wonderful visit from Dave's grandparents and Uncle David at the end of July! It was so nice to catch up with them and enjoy some time together!
August has been one of those months where we realize summer's almost over and try to squeeze all the things we didn't get done into it! We've hung out with some friends we haven't seen in a while, which has been wonderful! Dave's been preparing for seminary (which starts next week!) as well as the fall youth group schedule-which is always exciting/overwhelming. We also enjoyed a wonderful week at Eagle Crest with my family!
Okay, I think we're mostly caught up now! Pictures to follow :-) or maybe they come first (I can never figure out where they're going to appear when I post them!

Sorry it's been so long! An update on our lives...

Okay, so anyone who follows our blog realizes by now, I'm really bad at this! I've never been a journaler and apparently online journaling isn't my gift either! Of course our pastor would tell you this "lack of gifting" is the most common excuse for laziness, so maybe that's my problem! Anyway, a lot has happened in the last few months, but I will share just the highlights that I have pictures for--because let's face it, that's the fun thing about blogging!
May was an exciting month because my new nephew was born!!!! He weighed exactly 8 lbs. and in 6 short week has blossomed into a hefty 12 lb handsome boy! Sister Sophie is, for the most part, adjusting well--though Dave and I plan to stick close to help her through the difficulties of being a first born! :-)
Just a few days after Aaron's birth, (oh yeah, I guess I forgot to mention his name! Aaron Joshua Kintigh) we got to go on vacation to Disneyworld with Dave's mom, sister, and brother-in-law! We had a WONDERFUL time and will treasure those memories for a long time. Oh, and if anyone is thinking about going, we got a great deal on a beautiful condo just a couple minutes from the parks that I'd be happy to tell you about! Below are some picture highlights of our trip!
We are now very much back to work. Dave has VBS this next week at church and is in the process of taking on more associate pastor roles. He is also thinking of seminary in the fall. It will be weird to have him doing school again, but we are also excited about what he will learn. I am adding a couple days a week as church secretary to my schedule during the month of July. (A new secretary has been hired, but they need someone to fill in before she starts). We will also be taking a team of high school students to Tumalo (a small town outside of Bend) to put on a VBS for a church that doesn't have the resources to do so on their own. We are looking forward to a visit from Dave's grandparents at the end of July and also during that time, Dave will be doing some preaching, as our pastor is out of town for 3 weeks. Hopefully, somewhere in there, I will have another blog post to tell you more!

A day in the life of my very busy and wonderful husband

I just got home from church not too long ago, and as I am home alone for a bit, I'm thinking about my wonderful husband still at church. Today, he got up at 6:30 (or maybe it was earlier--I don't know for sure, because I didn't want to roll over to check!). After getting ready for church, he went over his Sunday school lesson a few more times just to make sure he was as prepared as possible. Then he left for church to disciple a few high school boys prior to first service. Anyone who has attended our church knows him as the announcement guy for both services. Right after first service he rushed over to the youth center to practice with the high school worship team for Sunday school prior to going back over to the main building, giving announcements and then coming back to the youth center, leading worship, then teaching Sunday school! THEN he quickly ate a PB&J sandwich and is currently co-leading men's Bible study! I'm exhausted thinking about his day, but most of all I'm so thankful that he is using the gifts God has given him to impact so many people! I personally think Dave is a wonderful speaker, worship leader, mentor, and friend, but what means the most to me is what a great husband he is! He is such a great example of God's love to me! And for those of you who are reading this, I would so appreciate your prayers for Dave's continued love and commitment to the work God has called him to, because as this little glimse shows, it's not easy!