Are You Ready To Have A Baby?

The Mess Test:
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer. Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (if Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream (this could wake a child at night).

The Grocery Store Test:
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

The Dressing Test:
Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all arms and legs stay inside.

The Feeding Test:
Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Having Fun

Last Sunday evening, Greg, Emily and I went over to Evelyn, Jonathan's and Noah's to go for a swim. The kids were so funny together and had a lot of fun in the pool. It's funny but I think that they somehow get that they are cousins and have such a blast together.

In the tub after our swim.

Blog Setup

As an FYI, I changed the comments section so that anyone (whether they are a member of blogger or not) can now post a comment if they so desire.

Great Book

I just finished reading a fabulous book last night. It's called "Left To Tell - Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust". It was a great book and is one woman's account of how she survived the murder of over a million Tutsi's by their neighbours and friends who were of a different tribe (Hutu) during the holocaust in the early '90's. The book is pretty graphic but it needed to be in order for the reader to really understand this woman's journey to come to know God better and to learn forgiveness. A great read and I highly recommend it. If you would like to borrow the book, let me know and I would be happy to lend it to you.

The Zoo

Emily and I went to the zoo this morning with my friend Bek and her daughters - Jamie, Emma and Maddie. We had a great morning and walked around the whole zoo in less than two hours. Every animal we saw, Emily called a puppy - I think we have some work to do there!

Checking out the "Down Under" exhibit. A happy girl.

The girls checking out one of the exhibits.

Iowa

This past weekend we made the trip down to Iowa to visit Janelle, Dale and Bennett. We had a really great time visiting and we had wonderful weather to top it all off. We spent most of Friday in Sioux Falls shopping and the kids were fantastic! We were so proud - they were both so good. Saturday we hung around Sioux Center and went to the pool in town and just spent time visiting. Sunday we went to church and then headed home. Our new van handled the road trip very well and we had more than enough room to bring back all of our new goodies that we bought. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Bennett and Emily playing on the slide.

The kids on their way into Sam's club.

Having dinner in Sioux Falls - Janelle and I had great Mexican food for supper!

Hanging out with Auntie Janelle - in Sioux Falls we found the perfect shirt for Emily to wear. It said "if you think I'm cute, you should see my auntie".

Hanging out at the pool - the kids loved being in the water!

Emily's 18 Month Doctor's Appointment

Emily went to the doctor yesterday for her 18 month appointment. She was such a trouper. She sat quietly and smiled at the nurse while she was being weighed and flirted with her doctor (up until he pulled the needles out). She had two booster shots and she was a champion about it. She cried a bit, but was more interested in playing with her Grammy while we got her dressed again a few minutes later.

She weighs 28 and a half pounds now (95th percentile) and her height is off the charts for her age (34 and a half inches). The doctor measured her twice to be sure that he was right. He thinks that she will be taller than me for sure - he's guessing around 5'9" or 5'10" (I'm 5'8"). He said with my height and Greg being 6'3", it would be pretty unlikely for us to have a short girl!

She doesn't need another shot until she is 5 so that will be nice. Dr. Rajani will check her out when he is looking at the new baby but he said that unless we are concerned about her for some reason, he really doesn't need to see her. He said that as parents, we will know if something is not right and that we should trust our instincts as far as her development goes. I like that theory - too often doctors don't put a lot of faith into a parent's ability to know their child and to know when something is wrong.