A Surprise Awaiting My Return From Texas

My trip to Texas was enjoyable! The 16-18 hr. drive there and back could have been eliminated in my opinion, though there was no shortage of excitement with the trusty van breaking down in Amarillo and getting to ride in my parents new SUV on the trip back home. It was great to see where Carissa has been spending her time this summer and to participate in the events of the XIT rodeo and reunion which is held in Dalhart each August. By participate, I do not mean that I participated in the rodeo itself, but we went to the parade, Carissa and Yvonne ran in the 5K marathon, we attended the world’s largest barbeque feed and then watched the rodeo. All in all it was an enjoyable way to spend what I consider the end of my summer since I am starting to get back in the classroom to prepare for my new class of kindergarteners.

The most exciting news of all is that while I was away, Charlie cleaned and painted our nursery. What a sweetheart!!! I was totally surprised and love it! The following pictures show the lovely purple picket fence that the previous owners had painted on the walls and the huge opening in the wall that used to be a built-in loft. We figured the loft won’t be needed for a couple of years and we hope to build storage cubes in to the opening, that project is yet to be completed. The “after” Charlie’s surprise paint job picture shows the yellow, brown, and green painted walls and ceiling.

Stay tuned to see how the storage cube project goes. We will see if it is a project that Charlie and I can handle or if we will bring in my dad for reinforcements. God Bless and always know that our family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers!

12 weeks and counting

Well it has been too long since updating the blog, but we have enjoyed your comments, emails, and prayers.

Pregnancy Q & A

(Thanks uncle Gene for the newspaper clipping with the following)

Q: I'm 2 months pregnant now. When will my baby move?

A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.

A: So what's you question?

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labour?

A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Since our ultrasound, the "fun" nausea and fatigue stage has set in and now has been gradually getting better. It is a good thing I am off for the summer and don't have to worry about not feeling good at work. More about the pregnancy later.


So far this summer we have spent our time enjoying the lake, playing softball, cutting hay, enjoying the 4th with family, and vacationing up in Northern MN. As we packed for the trip up north it was at the 90 degree mark and we were excited to relax on shore and get some sun. Much to our dismay we spent the week mostly indoors with a few adventures outside when it was dry to play tennis, bocce ball, and a round of golf. The highlight of the trip for Charlie was that we did manage to get on the lake and do some fishing on our last night. At first I wasn't sure how much rocking motion I could take from the waves, but Charlie was firm about not going in until we caught something or until dark. We didn't end up catching anything, so needless to say we were out there a good 2 or more hours.


Since vacation we have been catching up on things around home, enjoying a visit from my family that lives in Belgium, and going for our first prenatal appointment. At our appointment we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the second time. It was such a relief and almost made us giddy to hear. I haven't started to gain any weight or start showing yet, but the word is defiantly out. A grandmother of a future student said "Congrats" to my mom and wondered if I would finish out the school year. Oh, the things the start thinking about and planning are endless, but we wouldn't trade this experience for the world.


Well, that's it for now! Check back later in August to see how our 2nd prenatal appointment went, how my adventures in Texas were, and if Charlie's ready for our annual State Fair trip.