A Weekend Getaway to Florida

What a great idea, huh? We loved it. It was so great to visit family, even if our visit was short and sweet, and we (or rather Daniel) had to drive two nights until 3am.

We got in very early Saturday morning. After getting some shut eye we tried out the pool with our little niece Savannah, and Daniel decided to give Zoe a shot at swimming.

 Savannah loves the water. Zoe, not so much. She was pretty funny swimming as fast as she could around the pool looking for a way to get out. We got some video I'll try to put up soon.

Saturday evening some family friends came over for pizza. Savannah got to try pizza by the slice for the first time! She loved it, but it was easier on Mom to cut it up. :)

After church on Sunday, we had a quiet afternoon around the house. We took Zoe for a walk before the long car ride home and spotted a neat red-throated lizard.

Yeah... it's hot.

Zoe

Yes, she still exists. Quite honestly, it's much harder to take pictures of an active, wild "teenage" puppy than it was to capture the "baby" puppy. She is all spunk and spice. Just this evening I had to notch out fifteen extra minutes to chase her down because she decided to take off across the street while I was trying to put her leash on - twice. (She hadn't done that before tonight, and I'm afraid now that she's discovered how fun it is that it'll be a regular occurrence. Boot camp consequently will be starting full swing asap.) She's pretty well behaved otherwise, and in the house is extra sweet and obedient. Mostly, it's just the wild outdoors that set her crazy.

She's still great at chewing... mostly everything. Preferably shoes, if we're careless and leave them lying around.

I haven't weighed her since she was 10 pounds, but I'd guess she's around 25+ now. She's a picky eater, and all her bones still show, no matter how much peanut butter I give her. The vet loved her, and said she was a good, sweet dog, and looked healthy as healthy could be, and said her weight would catch up eventually. Daniel likes to tease that she has anorexia, and is worried about her figure. :-P (But he really loves her - the most between the two of us.)

She still likes to lie down in that crazy fashion, with her back legs stretched behind her. But she also contorts her body in many other various ways.

There is nothing like coming home after a long day at work, and being greeted by a wagging tail and happy wiggles of excitement. She makes us both feel like a million bucks (when she behaves, that is.) Her ears have stayed down, but they're perky. Her big black eyes are still open and expressive.

6 Weeks

Such a little number, but with hormones raging, gag reflexes in full swing, and a beautiful blue positive sign six weeks is still pregnant!

My sister and I are pregnant together!
This may be the only time we are together during these pregnancies,
 so we thought it appropriate to take "bump" shots. :-P

Pregnancy Update:

How far along? 6 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: nothing yet

Maternity clothes? Nope. So excited to wear them though!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep: Lots and lots of dreaming. Several frightening dreams that have made me scream out loud (and wake Daniel). :-/ Others are just weird... like dreaming where the mis-placed pair of scissors that I've been looking for all week are. Once morning came I couldn't remember where to look. 

Best moment this week: Feeling real morning sickness to confirm I'm still pregnant. :) O, and I got to hold our pastor's lil guy (9 months) through church this morning. He slept on my shoulder the whole time, and I was overflowing with joy thinking of holding my own sweet baby soon!

Movement: Baby is the size of a sweet pea - I can't feel those lil hands wiggling yet!

Cravings: Nothing constant. Went through a couple days of Franks Hot Sauce, and then pickles. Now I'm lovin' frozen blueberries.

Gender Predictions: We both would love a baby boy, and the Chinese Gender Prediction Calendar says that it is a boy. But who knows? No mother's intuition yet. :)

Labor Signs: No :)

Belly Button in or out? If my belly button every goes out I will cry tears of joy. My little brothers used to run around and try to stick their pinky fingers in it, shouting "I lost my finger!" I guess my grandmother's attempts to prevent an outie worked, cuz that thing is way in there. :-P Sorry, TMI.

What I miss: The kids and I went to Carowinds two Fridays ago. I was aching to ride the roller coasters!

What I am looking forward to: Finding and meeting our midwife, and deciding where our baby will be born.

Weekly Wisdom: Are first time mothers even qualified for this? I've found in the last week or so as I've started to feel queasy and "drunk" that eating does really help, but not eating a lot - almost better to just snack. Sleeping, too. O, I love my sleep.

Milestones: 6 weeks. I've been waiting for 6 weeks to get here since I peed on that stick! ;)

Other: Daniel surprised me by bringing home a baby name book from the library. It was so sweet! We had fun looking through it a couple nights this past week. 

Baby is also the size of a sweet pea this week, and rapidly growing! Eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin are all starting to bud, and the heart has begun pumping blood through the little body! Even though the hands and feet are still webbed, they can wiggle! Incredible to contemplate all that is going on inside of me!

Petri Dish Experiments

What you need:

4 Petri Dishes

Gelatin

Q-tips

dirty objects

The kids and I had a fun time recently doing some petri dish experiments. We filled four petri dishes with gelatin mix and let it get firm. About two hours later we took Q-tips and swiped objects we thought would have bacteria growing on them.

Michael picked his own mouth and dirt. Maura picked the dog's mouth and the toaster. We saw growth in about four days, but after two weeks the thing were so nasty we didn't even want to look at them!

We learned that mold grows in feathery clusters, but bacteria grows more in dots.Isabelle's mouth was all bacteria, but much less than Michael's. Both the dirt and the toaster had red mold and some bacteria spots.

Neat little scientist projects! Next: hear how we made flatulence with a zip lock bag, soggy bread and yeast! :-P

Kodak Moments

Flights to Detroit: $350; puppy kennel: $100; Breakfast in the airport: $10; finding out there are THREE heartbeats in this picture instead of TWO? 

Priceless.

We're blessed to be able to announce the expected arrival of our little one March 11, 2012

If you let an onion sit...

... it will sprout again!

Haha!

2011 Books

Perhaps every six months I'll post my most recently finished books? Last Year I read 11 titles (so pathetic, huh?) and this year my goal is 15 (also pathetic, but progress, right?). From January to June I've managed to read six books, and have three more in the works. (and as I'm publishing this, I realize it's not July...)

My Life in France, Julia Child ~ Julia makes me laugh. This story was interesting to read, though I felt no attachment to her character, it was at least entertaining. 

Hoping for Something Better, Nancy Guthrie ~ Fabulous. This was the book we decided on for a women's Bible Study at my church, and before we even got to chapter 1 we were all excited for the study. Nancy writes to women well, and the theological depth of Hebrews was encouraging and life-changing.

The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis ~ I love this story. I think I've always secretly wanted to have a look-alike-royal twin.

Confessions of a Reformission Rev, Mark Driscoll ~ A Pastor who can preach and write! Daniel suggested this book to me when I asked what I should read to prepare for ministry in a city. In typical Driscoll fashion Mark tells the story of Mars Hill, and all the wacky things that happened along the way. Oddly enough, it made me furiously excited for ministry! Just beware, if there's any drop of homeschooler left in your blood, you may blush a time or two (or three).

The Story of My Life, Helen Keller ~ Glad to have read this. I found the obstacles Helen overcame with the help of her sweet teacher Anne to be incredible and inspiring. So neat to see someone so "limited" accomplish so much.

Don't Make Me Count to Three, Ginger Plowman ~ Wow! The greatest book on child-training! I will read this constantly when I have little ones. Many thanks to the woman who sent this to me!

Independence Day

My government teacher drilled into my mind that we are not just celebrating the fourth day of July, but the day the United States declared their independence from England. Every July Fourth that goes by we continue to celebrate that freedom, and all the other freedoms we have earned and achieved as a nation. Freedom isn't free, and I'm thankful to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness within my grasp. So Happy Independence Day y'all!

We headed North, which we seem to do a lot these days, for a weekend of fun with the family! Friday we relaxed, caught up on the latest Willeke happenings, and enjoyed roasted marshmallows until our eyes couldn't hold themselves open anymore. Dad and Mom rented a boat Saturday, which was a huge hit all around! We went up to East Lansing on Sunday to watch Noah race his go kart and celebrated Peter's birthday that evening. Monday we did more relaxing, played some Scrabble, walked around the neighborhood, and went to the Annual 4th of July Party in my parents' neighborhood.

waves + little girls = tears

we had such a blast tubing together! We laughed so hard our stomachs ached.

Swimming at Dollar Bay

soakin' up the sun

P.S. The KITTENS are ADORABLE.