Holding the Status Quo

December playing with a picture frame




Daddy and December cuddling.


December watching "Curious George"

The past couple of weeks have been fairly ordinary...not much that is new has happened. Brad's school is coming along, with a midterm thrown in last week. He is currently working on one of his papers. All of Brad's 3 papers are due only a few days after the baby is due, so he's trying to work ahead on them. Very smart idea! As for December, she's been doing her daily, normal things: playing, going to the park, hanging out with her toddler friends, potty training (which is going WAY, WAY better!! I have hope that December will be fully potty trained by the time the baby is born.). My "nesting" has been kicking in, and I've been getting things ready for the baby. I'm nearly finished. Actually, if the baby DID decide to come right now, we'd be fine -- my hospital bag is all packed and ready to go! My friend Naomi (that you saw pregnant in the pumpkin pictures) had her baby almost two weeks ago, a beautiful baby boy named Isaac. What a precious little one! December and I LOVE going over to visit him.

So as you can see, most everything here is ordinary. In fact, things have been so normal here that I haven't even taken any pictures! I took the second and third pictures above just right now, so that you'd have at least something to look at! hehee. Today, Brad is off to work in the school's library, I'm going to be sewing some pillowcases, and then December and I are going to my friend's baby shower (she is due just a few weeks after me, on Christmas Day.) So that's our update! I apologize that it's not more fascinating for you...our really interesting news will be coming in about five weeks' time! YAY!

Matt & Tarena's Wedding -- the Professional Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from Matt & Tarena's wedding in August...I was just looking through the pictures that Tarena put up, and I was excited to discover that the photographer had taken more pictures of December than I ever dreamed she had! She did a great job...here they are!

This Week

Earlier this week, December woke up from her nap before she was really ready to, so she climbed up on the bed with me and fell back to sleep.

I think parents must never get sick of looking at their sleeping child...I know that's true of Brad and I!

Every Tuesday is Park Day for the seminary wives and children. We all go to the park for a couple of hours in the morning and let the kids play together. Here my friend Sara is showing a bug to Noah, Calvin, and December.

December on the much-sought-after motorcycle

This week had some more sweltering days, so on Wednesday we decided to go to the ocean to cool off. I am so glad we did, because it was wonderful!

Brad and December running away from a wave.

December drying off in the sun.

Usually I forget to bring December's bucket and shovel, but we remembered this time, and I'm kicking myself for not remembering to bring it every time! She spent so much time just shoveling sand into the bucket and dumping it out again. I couldn't believe how occupied she was with it...and for such a long time!

I've been getting things ready for the baby's arrival, just in case he/she decides to come early. So I've been washing blankets and baby outfits and cutting tags off new baby toys, etc. Right now I'm working on cleaning out the infant car seat, washing the cloth parts and scrubbing down the rest. It's fun working on all this stuff, and December is a great helper as always, laying in the infant carrier and trying it out for the new baby...making sure it works. Brad preached a sermon this week to his Preaching Narratives class. It was recorded on a dvd, so I got to watch it in the evening -- he did a great job! I was very impressed with what he did.

Ocean Video

Here's a video I took on Wednesday, when we were at the beach.

Lots of Pumpkins!

On Wednesday, some of us seminary wives took our toddlers to Bates Nut Farm, which currently has a pumpkin patch and fun things to do. December's head is in the pumpkin on the far left.

The toddlers weren't very skilled at the put-your-head-through-the-hole thing, as you can tell.

They had fun haybales to play on, although they were quite scratchy, and December's legs looked pretty beat-up that night!

Cute fall displays -- we don't get to see too many of these here, since it still feels like July! When we arrived at the farm, it was over 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius). Our faces pretty quickly looked like ripe tomatoes from the heat!

We took along a picnic lunch and found some shade to hide out in while we ate. There's my friend Naomi in the pink shirt -- she's due with her baby in less than two weeks! I'm excited about that.

Geese and chickens that the kids enjoyed watching and feeding.

December and Noah trying to cool down before entering the haybale maze

The haybale maze. We didn't get through the whole thing because the breeze died down while we were in it, and there was no shade to hide under...we roasted a bit and then decided to cut it short.

The pumpkin patch!

December climbing on the pumpkins

She loved it, as you can tell!

She also found it amusing to cover the pumpkins with hay and then immediately brush it all off...

Me with December, the not-so-willing picture taker.

Standing on a pumpkin

Here's a picture of me, taken yesterday. As you can see, I'm getting bigger and bigger all the time! The baby's due in about 8 weeks now!

Family Time

On Monday, Brad, December, and I had some family time together and went to the Wild Animal Park. Here's December all dressed up for it...

These cute birds had a baby

Baby giraffe

This is the little water park December LOVES to play in! She begs to go in it every time we go to the Wild Animal Park (which is nearly every week) and has a major meltdown if we don't! So she's in her element in this picture!

This week was really hot here, like in the upper 90's and low 100's (between 35 -40 degrees Celsius) all week, so the water felt really nice on such a hot day!

December loves her "wings dress," as she calls it. She would wear it every single day, if I let her. Getting her to wear ANY other outfit is a struggle, and if I do manage to get a different outfit on her, she just begs to wear this dress multiple times during the day.

We took the tour past all of their African exhibits. Here we are on the train.

We are very excited, because December just got a new cousin last night! Brad and I have a new niece named Cayleigh (Jeff and Erin's baby girl), and although I haven't seen any pictures of her yet, I'm sure she's a cutie! We're very happy for Jeff, Erin, and little Caden.