New Paint & Progress...

It'll be four months since the storm this week but we're making progress...

It went from this,

to this...


to this in just a couple days!


This will be the office (just as it was before)

This will be the Colts nursery for Miles when he arrives (we're working diligently to ensure he can come home to his room)

Master bedroom (which now has it's own full bath off of it)

New shower in Master bath.

...and a late Merry Christmas from Duermo.

Doesn't he look like he's having fun.

We will have trim and new doors by the end of this week, flooring and the kitchen come shortly after that and if all goes as planned we should be close to finishing within two weeks. (Nicole says I'm too optimistic (unrealistic) but I say Miles is coming soon!) We continue to be thankful, grateful, and in awe of the support and encouragement we are receiving from our family and friends.

Miles has more clothes than us! (jk, but almost)

We already bought Miles his first pair of shoes, which match his Dad's (that still boggles my mind even as I type it)

Between what his Grandma's have already gotten him he should already have a full wardrobe for years to come.

We're excited to see them on him, which won't be too much longer!

Nicole and Miles!

Nicole is 31 weeks pregnant and Miles is nearly full length and now only has to just about double his weight. You can clearly feel him move and even see body parts move across her belly. He seems to really like fruit snacks, frozen confections, and his dad playing the bongos.

(you can click on each picture to view the full-size version)

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I made Nicole do a photo shoot.

Miles is a getting to be a big boy and Nicole says he must like his picture taken as much as she does because he was kicking her really hard the whole time.

My dad provided a prop for us to use.

...and then Nicole found her own props.

Snow, Electricity, and Coldplay...

Tuesday it was 75 degrees outside (which is not out of the ordinary) and then Wednesday night it SNOWED! This was the first time in 4 years. It only snowed for about an hour and it didn't stick overnight but it was a fun surprise.

Us and our friends Tim and Sarah on the beach... in the snow

We're imitating the dolphins

Palm tree in the snow

Our house... it's been awhile since we've updated but we got electricity about 3 weeks ago now, and the contractor has the plumbing, electricity, and furnace done so far. We should have walls next week and are planning on working on it ourselves over Christmas break.

We also got to go to a Coldplay concert in Houston.

They dropped thousands of butterfly shaped flyers during a couple songs... it was amazing.

Chris Martin is a great preformer.

This is a special set they do from the rear of the auditorium.

We hope to have more pictures of the house and pregnant Nicole soon and will try and post more frequently again. We've been really busy lately but it's encouraging to start seeing progress. Thank you for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers.

Hurricane Ike Relief Information

Turn up the volume (loud)



Click here to download full-size, redistributable version

There is a crisis response ministry team here through our church (they are some amazing people, with an even more amazing God) who need volunteers to assist Galveston and the surrounding area in the rebuilding process. They are planning on staying for a minimum of a year at this point, so there is plenty of opportunity to serve (it stays above 50 degrees here all "winter" and hurricane season is just about over too (-; so come visit). Many of you have already contacted us and if you are interested in volunteering their contact information is below.

Katie Hooks
Volunteer Coordinator
704-305-3427
hurricanerelief@efca.org

You know things have changed when your neighbors are jealous because you live in a 1986 pop-up camper in your driveway

This is the camper we stayed in for two weeks until the demo at the house. We are now living with Tim and Sarah at their apartment which is working out very well.

Entry Way after the contractor removed all the tile.

(Previous) Fireplace in the living room

Looking into the kitchen

and here's the final outcome.

We're going to be drying out the house for a couple days and hope to start rebuilding soon.

the latest

its my(nicole:) first post since february & its kind of a boring one. sorry! darwin has the camera with him right now so i don't have any fun pictures to share. just wanted to update everyone real quick. we've been staying on the island now for a couple of weeks. we lived in a tent in the backyard for a little while. our parents were not excited about that:) we ended up moving out of there because of the STINKY pool. we then stayed a couple nights with our friends, travis & julie. these two have been SO gracious & helpful through all of this. they loaned us their pop-up camper & we have been staying there for about a week & a half. so now we are living in our driveway:) the camper works out very well & we are so grateful for it. we're now waiting on our contractor to get started with the demo. at this time building permits are not being given to contractors in our neighborhood because FEMA has yellow flagged it or tagged it or something. which as far as i understand it means that they are evaluating whether or not our homes should be knocked down & elevated. we still don't have electricity but are hoping to soon. we have AC in the camper through a gasoline powered generator. we are able to use the toilet in the house & the cold cold shower:) the red cross & the salvation army are still in galveston handing out hot meals & cold water. the island is still a mess, and will be for a while. but there are plenty of opportunities to help & serve. many of you have asked how you can get involved & this weekend we will get the contact info & all the details for you through our church. we hope to be able to post that Sunday evening or early next week. thanks to all of you who are still praying for us & our community & for all the calls & emails of encouragement. we love you!