3.20.2007

If only I'd known!

If only I'd known about this contest when I was in high school! I totally would have won. I had this pair of shoes that I bought at Payless that I LOVED. They were fake Converse low tops, white and green and blue plaid. They were made of flannel. I wore them everywhere, and I'm not sure I ever wore them with socks. For a while they were acceptable for school and being in public, but then they started getting holes in them that frayed around the edges and those little plastic things came off the laces and they started unravelling. So then they became my tide pool shoes. I wore them to Little Corona all the time and waded around and got them full of salt water and who knows what kind of animals. And let me tell you, they STUNK. My mom made me keep them in the backyard like a bad pet.

I would have won that contest with them hands down. I finally had to throw them away when the material separated from the soles completely. I've missed them ever since, and I've never stopped looking for a replacement pair. Let me know if you ever see some....

3.17.2007

3.09.2007

I love telling people they're my brothers

This week I've been basking in reflected glory. I definitely have the two best brothers in the world, and I'm always proud of them just because of the ways they lead their daily lives, but this week they've both gone above and beyond.

Steve was just voted teacher of the year at his school. This is a pretty big accomplishment, and while I'm so happy for him, I'm not surprised even a little bit. He teaches sixth grade, and every time I've visited his classroom I've been so impressed with all that he's got going on. I think if I had him as my teacher in sixth grade I would have actually paid attention and maybe not been so bored all the time. I mean, how many of you had teachers that would have shown a Strongbad cartoon in class as part of a lesson?!? That's just so cool. There's always all this creative artwork all over the walls that his kids have done, he's got a corner that's set up like a living room where the kids can hang out and read, and every once in a while he hosts a themed dinner and movie night to reward his class for extra good behavior. And that's a big deal: the kids all dress up, and there are "waiters" and everything. So he definitely deserves to be teacher of the year. He now has a shot at being teacher of the year for his district. I think he should win!

Also this week, Dave got the chance to play in the pro/am part of the Toshiba Classic at the Newport Beach Country Club. He played two rounds, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday, with a different pro for each one. I got to go see him play on Wednesday. It's the first time I've ever seen him golf, and it was amazing! He's so good. His pro that day was Tom Wargo (who I'd never heard of) and he was really good. Dave said he's a funny crusty old man. Dave started out the round that day with two birdies, and then went on to play his best round ever, coming out at the end with a score of 72, which was just one over par. I loved watching and seeing how much skill the game takes, and it was really nice to walk to whole course, following the fivesome around. I know that Dave would love to play in this again next year, and I can't wait, because I want to go again. Maybe next time I can be a caddy!

3.08.2007

So much more than just laziness

I know I haven't mentioned it here yet, but.....
I'm pregnant!
And that's my excuse for not blogging much lately. I've been feeling really tired and pretty sick. This baby hasn't been treating me nearly as well as Judah did, and having to care for a toddler all day is only making it harder. But earlier this week I finished the first trimester, so I'm hoping that things will start looking up soon! Plus, my own personal pharmacist, Ashlee, is coming in from Phoenix this weekend and bringing me a survival kit, so that should help too.

For whatever reason, I haven't felt very safe in this pregnancy, so I've kind of waited a while on telling people. But I had my second doctor's visit today and things seem to be going exactly as they should. One thing that's worried me is that I only gained a pound in the first twelve weeks. With Judah I gained seven or eight. The nurse today told me it's normal for babies to be different (which I knew) and that this is good. I just expected to gain more, since I gave up on watching my diet almost the second I got pregnant and have been inhaling pasta and bread like mad. This baby likes Italian food. This baby also likes Peeps, so it's a good thing it's Easter time.

We also got to hear the heartbeat for the first time today! That's probably the most exciting part of the pregnancy for me, because it's the first time you can actually tell there's something there that can't be mistaken for a vicious form of the flu. I don't look any different yet, I can't feel the baby, so hearing the heartbeat kind of makes me realize, okay, there's really a baby growing in there and it's alive and well. My doctor didn't make any guesses as to whether it's a boy or a girl, because he doesn't believe that you can tell by the heart rate. What scares me more than a little is that he also wouldn't confirm that it's just one baby. There is absolutely no biological, pre-existing reason that I should have twins, but Ashlee's got me scared to death and I'm so afraid that in a few weeks I'm going to be watching an ultrasound screen and saying, "Please tell me that's anything but a second baby."

Needless to say, we're very excited about the prospect of having another baby. Nathan wants another boy, I'd like a girl. So it's a good thing we don't get to choose! We have a girl name all picked out, but we have no idea what we'd name a boy. Any suggestions, peanut gallery?