Tobit Alexander Schaal

OK, so we're a little behind here updating for the last 6 months or so....but, our latest announcement is the birth of our baby boy, Tobit Alexander. Born Tuesday, April 28 at 9:12 AM, 20 inches long, 7 lb 4 oz.



I'd say he's a keeper :-)

Nichlas and I are doing well, just adjusting to having a newborn. Tobit's first month of life has flown by, just trying to get from one feeding to the next. I've had a pretty good recovery, though I'm trying to remember not to do too much, and things like cleaning will get done when they get done!

We'll update more with new photos soon! But for now, Tobit says hello (or grunts in his sleep, as he is quite peaceful right now).

Setting up our home

So, after all the wedding and honeymoon craziness, we've return to Oregon and settled into our little home. It is a lovely two bedroom apartment, a corner unit of a duplex. We have a small yard, an attic space, a car port, and storage space as well. There are lots of stores nearby and we have so many beautiful trees in this neighborhood. We've done a good job getting unpacked and finding places for all the beautiful gifts we received at our wedding. Now, we just have to work on those thank yous....

Here are some photos of our new home to give everyone a peek into Nichlas and Joelle's casa del Schaal.

Here is our living room:

View of the back porch. . .


Entertainment center and hallway. . .


Piano/Music area . . .


A peek into our kitchen...


Here is the kitchen/dining area:

Our Eating Nook and beautiful buffet that we found on the street.


Our lovely kitchen complete with ikea add ons here and there...



Our awesome wine rack and hanging pots and pans.




And now we move down the hall way!

Bathroom numero uno:




Here is our bedroom:









Here is bathroom numero dos:



And the guest room/office/studio/prayer nook/future nursery:









And there it is! The newlyweds home. :-) I don't have pics of the outside yet, but they'll come next...the camera battery is dead and needs charging....

Hiking at Smith Rock

Here are some photos of our hike on Smith Rock a few weeks ago. Absolutely beautiful place!

All smiles before the rain started....

Here is the bridge of the old highway overlooking a very steep drop.

Somehow I can only think of Camden when I see this sign...

Happy Couple :-)


Mommy Joelle needed her breaks, especially when soaking wet from the rain...

First little tiny baby bump

OK, so it's a TEENY bump, but this would be the first "belly" picture.  This was already several weeks ago, so we'll see if it starts popping out more soon :-)

Latest news :-)

So this lil photo should speak for itself....but here is our first addition to our new family!!




Yup yup, our little parasite (as Nichlas calls it) is about 11 weeks old (9 weeks gestation) and already has my nose. We knew about this lil one before our Oregon wedding reception but waited a bit to live up our newlywed time before sharing this blessing with others. So far, mom and baby are well! No sickness or anything like that. Although momma has been more tired than she's ever been before. But trimester 2 is around the corner, so no worries, it's all downhill from here right??

So, thanks be to God that He has already given us this gift and please keep us and our baby in your prayers! :-)