The Beginning

Here's Brad and December reading in the backyard...I love these kinds of pictures. I think these two are just soo adorable!

Here is my awesome pen pal, Rebekah, and I. She's the greatest!

Tonight Brad and I visited Faith Church one last time -- that's my Dad's church and the church we went to until we became youth leaders at Covenant. I played the piano with Mom on the organ -- we both wanted to do some duets together before Brad and I leave. We LOVE this church and all the people there. It was nice to see them again before we leave to say goodbye, but I found it sad, too...the beginning of the inevitable good-byes. Out of everyone at Faith, I'm the most sad to say goodbye to my pen pal and friend Rebekah. She's such a great girl, a sweet and kind girl, and I'm sad we won't be able to get together anymore! But of course we'll still have our letters to send to each other.

Tomorrow Brad and I are going to go to the cottage of one of Brad's college professors. He was Brad's favorite professor (and one of my favorites, too), and he and Brad get along really well. So we get to see him tomorrow. That will be fun! Our week is pretty busy with get-togethers, since after we get back from visiting Brad's family we only have a few days here. On Tuesday, Brad's work is throwing a lunch party for us, and then on Wednesday we are going out with some of our youth group kids. Add that with December's appointments and finishing up packing, and our next few days are pretty full!

Packing Boxes and Moving Bricks

Here is Brad last night. My parents are redoing the beach part of their lawn, so they had a nice little work crew there last night.

Here is Klynt on the left, then Klynt's friend Mitch, then my Dad, then Brad. They're working on laying the bricks.

While the boys did that, December swam in my parents' kiddie pool, and I cleaned out the car. For the past few days, Mom has come over, and we've gotten ALOT of stuff packed! It's a weird feeling. After we packed up the kitchen, I told Mom that it feels like I've been amputated -- the kitchen is something I rely on and use constantly, so to have it be turned into a skeleton, with completely empty cupboards, is super strange feeling. The rest of the house is becoming slowly like that, too. Oh, boy -- that makes me sad, so I think I'll stop talking about it now...December is getting her 18-month checkup on Tuesday and her 18-month picture taken on Wednesday. She severely dislikes both of these things, so I'm really hoping it'll go okay! We'll have to see.

On a Sunday Afternoon

It was a beautiful day on Sunday! Mom likes to take December out exploring in their yard, playing in the garden, jumping on the trampoline, digging in the sand by the pond, etc. December loves it!

Here I'm throwing December up in the air and catching her. Just like all babies, she thinks it's great fun!

Brad and my brother Klynt started talking about standing an egg on its end and whether it's only possible at the equator or on an equinox...so they started trying, and here, they both did it!

Here Brad has stacked two eggs on top of each other, end to end. You can see little grains of salt on the countertop -- that makes it easier to stack the eggs. Isn't that cool?!

Unfortunately, some (...many) eggs were harmed in the making of this trick. Klynt made himself a feast out of the broken ones!

This week and next week I am working on major packing. Hopefully it will all be finished by next Friday, when we go to see Brad's family. Today Mom is coming over to help pack. I hope we get alot done!

December's Big Red Ball

December loves this red ball she got from our neighbors. Brad came up with a game with it, and she thinks it's the greatest! Here's how it works...

Brad stands at one end of our yard and kicks the ball to the far other end. December chases after it as fast as she can (which isn't that fast) and tries to find it.

Here December has found the ball, and then she waits until Brad reaches it, too.

When Brad gets to the ball, she quickly turns around and starts running toward the opposite end of our yard, where she knows the ball will be waiting for her after it's kicked.

Sometimes the ball gets stuck in the ivy -- then December comes up to it and says, "Uh-oh!" (which is what she's doing in this picture)