We've been lazy

Yup. Pretty much.  We've stayed inside in the evenings as much as we can the past two weeks. Occasionally venturing out for walks and to check our ever exploding garden. I have never seen tomato plants so large in my life.

The other day while running around at work transporting clients, I noticed the tire pressure drop.    When I got out to check, I noticed this:

Yup, a screw in my tire.

I made it to a gas station and filled the tire with air and then watched the pressure when I drove.  It was a slow leak so I was able to go a couple of days.  My dad suggested a tire place to go to, so finally one morning, I took it in. 

Long story short: After realizing that the owners of the tire place looked extremely familiar,  noticing a Bible amongst the manly-tire-place magazines, and stalking facebook, I realized that one of the owners happened to be my bosses dad and my cousin's uncle.  I started giggling and rapidly texting my dad "why didn't you tell me...?" 

My boss thought it was funny. :)

My coworkers threw me and two other pregnant coworkers an awesome baby shower. 

The conference room all decorated. 

The cake was amazing!

my presents :)

Getting baby gifts is so much more fun than wedding gifts. 

The church had it's annual Sunday School picnic a few Sunday's back.  My contribution was puppy chow.

The best ever.  I ate too much.

Like I said our garden is continually exploding. We found this monster one evening: 

Thats a cucumber.

It is a jungle

One Friday, an old coworker of mine came back in to town and went out for lunch with us. 

She gave me a really cute baby gift:

:)

After being so lazy and unproductive, I was getting quite stir crazy.  So, on Saturday, I made Nathan work on a project with me. We started making the bench for our kitchen table. 

I sanded all of the boards

Nathan worked on figuring out the lengths of the legs.

Seriously, the amount of time and math and guessing it took to get the legs to be the right length and angles was ridiculous. 

That afternoon, I headed to the farm and helped my mom and Jenny do corn. The girlies were there, so I spent an hour entertaining them with the kiddie pool. 

lots and lots of corn.

A big bowl of corn.

Nathan and I have been gorging ourselves on sweetcorn. I don't get tired of it, the season is over too quick. 

Other than that, we've started taking an online birthing class. It's exciting. :)  I'm such a planner and I want to know as much as I can, so I've been reading articles, watching births, and researching about every aspect of birth.  As things typically go, it probably won't go as planned, but the more I know, the less nervous I am.  And if that get's me up to the birth with out freaking out, I think it's worth it. 

Work has been absolutely crazy lately. I've been working over time and still can't seem to catch up.  All of my clients seem to be having one crisis or another at the moment.  Even though I'm completely stressed and exhausted, I go away still completely loving it!  God knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to change my plans and stick me in this career.  It's making the decision for post-baby even more difficult. (prayers appreciated)

In Christ

~Michelle

The 3rd, the 4th, and the weeks following

With Jenny and Kendra both having baby's, I spent one evening making food.  Jenny had suggested breakfast foods so I decided to make a bunch. 



Ingredients for breakfast burritos

making crepes and sausage

The final results.  Breakfasts for days :)

And of course we had to make some for ourselves.

peach crepes on a Sunday morning :)

Nathan and I decided that it's kind of silly that we never have extended family over. So, we decided it was about time, and hosted the Martin family on the 3rd.  Our plan was to use our back patio and have a picnic outside.  The Martins are a large family.



Fresh flowers in preparation for the tables.

Well as the 3rd approached, the weather looked more and more ominous.   When we woke up Sunday morning to rain, I kept myself calm buy planning just how much furniture would have to move to fit 35 people into our house.

Some of the guests joined us for church and then got to watch us find the most efficient way to pack everyone in.

the dining room

Living room

We even set up a table in the office.



Nathan grilled the burgers and hotdogs

We had plenty of food.

It started getting tight once people began arriving.

We did it though. We managed to feed and seat 35 people in our house. And, they all seemed to have a good time :)



It wasn't raining, but it was still chilly, so most of the kids went outside after supper.

Nathan's Dad and I busied ourselves making icecream :)  Our freezer (borrowed from my parents) didn't ever get hard, but the Braker's freezer and our kitchen aid did.



In progress

perfection

We really had a good time and I think everyone else did too.  They stayed late, ate plenty, and talked a ton. :)  I really enjoy hosting.  I think it fits me well. I'm slightly ADHD and can't sit still, so having an excuse to barely sit down and yet be around people, is perfect.  And, once they leave, you are already home, no long drive necessary.

Monday morning,  we went to Bob and Jenny's to meet baby Cadence.



Nathan and Bob worked on a board game. With the help of Cecily.

Playing the game:)

I got to hold Cadence. One of the top 3 cutest nieces ever.

Nathan and Cadence.

awww :)

That evening, the 4th, we went to the riverfront with Nathan's Aunt and sister.  I decided that this was probably my last year for a while without scared little children.  So, since I've never been to the riverfront before, we decided to brave the crowds and go.

The atmosphere has much to be desired. It's extremely crowded and loud. The people around you don't seem to care if you don't like profanity or smoking.  The bathrooms are a long walk and a long wait.  Not a fan. 

But, then the fireworks.

They were so worth it. They lasted a long time and were constantly going.   We were right up on the river right in front of the barge where they shoot them from.



weeping willows are my favorite

so many colors :)

Baby B didn't seem to enjoy them though.  Once they started, baby didn't stop moving.

Eureka's fireworks are great, but these are definitely the best I've seen.

Kendra had her baby! :) Adelaide Rose.  She is super cute.  I didn't get a chance to meet her until the 8th.



She's so sweet :)

For some time now, with nieces and nephews, and now our own child on the way and the possibility of foster kids,  we have needed toys. Desperately. So, when I was perusing Craigslist,  I came across a cute little kitchen set, and we had to buy it.



:)  It's it adorable?

It came with food and dishes

I have been desperate for sunshine and a pool.  I can't believe that It's already mid July and I've only been swimming twice.  So, after many attempts at other options,  I resigned myself to a kiddie pool at the farm. And, since I don't want to look completely ridiculous,  mom and I pretty much forced my nieces to join us.  Lori and Cliff came later as well.



:)

After working inside 40 hours a week, even this was a luxury...:) well sort of.

All the heat and the rain has finally made our garden officially explode. The flowers are blooming and we have way more squash than we know what to do with.



Flowers!!!!

One night's pickings

Nathan and I have been pretty lazy in the evenings. Except for plenty of long walks and me forcing him to do prenatal yoga with me :) I even helped mulch one evening.

 Despite the relatively high level of activity and exercise, I have gained weight and lots of it.  In fact, I got a fun lecture from my doctor, which left me slightly self conscious but even more annoyed.  I'm not supposed to eat fried foods, or too much sugar, I need to take regular walks... etc.  Psh.  I feel like I've been stuffing myself with fruits and veggies and been doing very little sitting on the couch.   Yes, I've gained a lot.  Yes, it is mostly not in my stomach area.  I don't know what to tell you. I feel healthy, I'm not eating any more than usual,  I have plenty of energy, and I'm actually more active than I was prior to getting pregnant.  So, if I've gained extra weight, obviously my body and metabolism think I need it. So there.  

So, if I hear "you are eating for two" one more time...

I've passed the 24 week mark, creeping up to 6 months, and everything seems to be going well still.

In Christ

~Michelle

Morris

The last weekend in June, Nathan and I went up to visit my cousin, Trent, in Morris Minnesota.

Trent is up in Morris for the summer interning at a huge cattle ranch/farm.  I've never been to Morris so we thought we'd try to make it a cousins trip. Well it turned out no other cousins could go. Coincidently, some of Nathan's family were heading up to Minnesota to visit his cousin the same weekend we wanted to go, so we ended up taking a van load.

We left Friday after work, around 4:00 and arrived at Nathan's cousin's house around 2:00 in the morning.   We crashed there, had breakfast with Brent and Melinda (Nathan's cousin) and then met up with Trent and Fred and Di.

Trent took us on the tour of  Riverview Dairy.  It was actually very cool.  I like cows better than pigs. Maybe because I grew up dealing with the latter. :)



cows

They all wanted to say hello

the Wyss's

We all had to wear those cool vests.

the milking parlor

The milking parlor was probably my favorite. The cows walked on, road around in a circle, and got off.  It was hilarious. They seemed to enjoy it and stood there so patiently. 

baby cow :) 

(yes, yes. calf, I know)

Row upon row

Look at all the calf huts

In the afternoon, we relaxed, took naps, and went to the Metzger's lake for a swim.



beautiful view

We spent Saturday and Saturday night at Dick and Gail's. They are my Dad's cousin's and where Trent is staying.



They have a beautiful back yard.

We drove around Saturday evening.  Minnesota has some gorgeous county side.



Saturday evening, Blair and Julie (more relation :) ) stopped by and we got to catch up with them as well.

Sunday, we went to Morris church. It was a big Sunday and a lot of relatives and friends were there.  We had a good time :)

We left after church on Sunday, met up with Nathan's siblings, and changed at Brent and Melinda's.  We were on the road at around 3:00. The GPS took us a winding way back, avoiding Minneapolis.  But, we ended up not getting home until about 1:30 am.  Monday was a rough morning, but it was worth it. :)

I'm glad we took the time to go up there. It was fun to see Trent and see what he's doing and I'm not sure when in the next couple of years we are going to have the courage to drive that far. ;)

In Christ

~Michelle





Summer projects and Fathers Day

We kept quite busy for the rest of June working in the yard and garden and doing other little projects around the house. 

I've been teaching Sunday school for two years now. I have a couple favorite books I like to read from.  Marion's Big Book of Bible Stories and 101 Favorite Stories from the Bible.  I really like 101 because it has awesome pictures and the stories do a good job of keeping the depth and meaning but telling it in a way kids can understand. Marion's  typically has longer stories and covers more, still on the level that they can understand. But, the other Sunday, I came across this story:  

um... 

Yah. Part of me wants to laugh.  It was written in the late 40s, I think. Part of me get's annoyed.  This edition was updated in the 2000s.  I think they could have rewritten this story.  The Bible never mentions this man's skin color. Why was it ever necessary to clarify that he was black? That many times!?  (applicable side rant: Why is it ever necessary to clarify someones skin tone? Why does it matter? When telling a story, why do you need to know skin tone? It doesn't tell you anything about the person. It doesn't tell you about their personality, their opinions, beliefs, attitudes, ideas, or state of their soul. Skin tone does not tell you anything. Ever.)

*cough* anyway.  It just kept going:

Can you imagine being a child with darker skin? Can you imagine reading this story in your Bible story book?  

I admit. I did laugh. It was written in a very different time.   But, it shocked me all the same. I'm glad we've come as far as we have against racism, but with the future of my family including foster children, and by default most likely adoption, the amount of racism still in the church really bothers me. 

I spent a few evenings finishing up a project for Fred.   Fred asked me to wood burn some baseball bats he had made for a few kids. 

tada!

One evening,  late one evening, Nathan and I replaced our kitchen curtain rods.

It required some patching up. 

I think it was about  9:00 at night. Nathan is such a sport :)

The finished project.

I went in for my 20 (ish) week appointment mid June.  And we found out we are having a skeleton. :) hehe.

It's a cute little skeleton. :)

Everything seems to be coming along well still.  I'm feeling great and baby B is doing good.  I went to two specialist appointments last week. Nathan has a heart condition and the doctor's wanted to make sure that baby B didn't inherit a heart problem or birth defect.  The heart is looking great and there are no other visible birth defects. :)

 After two 45 minute sonograms in one day, my stomach hurt.  I am convinced that people are too cautious during pregnancy. The way those sonographers were pressing on my stomach, trying to move the baby into a better position, and jabbing at me, I think some of the pregnancy carefulness is too over done.  I mean my grandmother was probably baking pies and working in the fields and gardening the day before she gave birth. Women for centuries have done way more than sit on the couch for nine months.  Also, the fear over listeria (aka pregnant women can't eat cold meat) is silly. The most recent outbreak was in granola bars. And, it's often found in fresh fruit. 

hehe there is my second opinionated rant for one post. 

We spent Father's Day with Nathan's family.  I decided I would make my dad a pie as a father's day gift. As we all know "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  :) So, I found a recipe and made my first coconut cream pie. 

coconut goodness cooking on the stove

The finished product

I had an extra pie shell and it turned out that Nathan's dad's favorite pie is also coconut cream, so I made him one as well :)

I had enough filling leftover for a mini pie for Nathan and I. It was really good. :)

Nathan's siblings are raising bunnies.  

This little guy got to be in the house.

Our next outdoor project is building a fire ring.  There was an old one in the back yard,  but it was falling apart. So, we filling in the hole and bought a ring from Menards. 

I plan to put the leftover brick from out landscaping around the sides. 

We are starting to get squash and peas out of the garden.  The raspberries are almost ready.  :) I just wish that the sweet corn (at the farm) was ready. 

The last weekend in June, Nathan and I went up to Minnesota to visit Trent.  I'll save the details and pictures for later since this is getting long. :)

I became an aunt again! :)  Cadence Mae is the latest addition.  I have yet to meet her but from pictures, she is a dolly. 

That about brings us up to the end of June. 

In Christ
~Michelle