In the last 2 weeks...

In the last two weeks I...

• had a beautiful baby girl
• turned 27
• lost nearly 30 pounds (I think the scale might be lying.)
• discussed at length little silly things like house temperature...along with other new parent obsessions
• have muttered prayers of thanksgiving more times than I can count
• have muttered prayers for sleep MANY times
• have cringed while watching our grocery money go towards diapers (thankful for gift cards!!)
• have cried at the drop of a hat time and time again (I'm OK.)
• have adjusted to one schedule, only to see it change the next day. Similarly, I have discovered one way to soothe a crying (temperamental by God's design) baby, only to have it not work three hours later
• could have started a pharmacy in my kitchen
• have wished for more hours of daylight
• have taken multiple naps on a daily basis
• have let my desire for home cleanliness take a back seat
• have struggled to find time for a shower, and have forgotten to eat until supper
  
• have discovered daily pure delight in someone so small

We are truly blessed with the gift of Hope Malowyn; born November 16, 2009; 5:59 PM. Parenting is a journey, a learning experience, a BLESSING, and it's only just begun.

What a day!

What a beautiful fall day!!

It was productive, fun, happy, and splashed all throughout with indigestion. Yep, I'm seeing a lot of that these days.

I'm so thankful to be up and around. Today I got to go to a baby shower, drive by myself--this actually provides for the most occurrences of contractions, and visit with Luke's family at their house while we all sat around a campfire.

The only non-beautiful thing: Iowa lost. Too bad.

Awkward

You ever feel like the master of awkward situations?

I don't mean like you've engineered them to be that way and are now getting a slight giggle out of watching everyone squirm. I mean like, just by your mere participation, you've managed to turn a perfectly good conversation or situation into a disaster that you feel completely embarrassed about.

That was me today. Man, something about being secluded for a month from many social interactions, and then being thrown back into them; add to that an expanding belly that makes one feel absolutely uncomfortable in every sitting/standing position; now that's a recipe for awkward.

I've decided that the reason I felt awkward and embarrassed today stems from insecurity ("I feel huge!" "I don't know what to say anymore about how I'm doing without it sounding like I talk about myself ALL THE TIME!"), and the need to please ("Oh no, that sounded bad. I need to say something else to make that better. Oh no, I just made it worse") When I thought about all this today, I decided that I rarely have awkward moments or feel embarrassed when I'm unconcerned with pleasing people, and when I'm secure.

So, I just wanted to share that. I don't think I'm alone in this. I think there are many people out there who have been where I was today.

I've been doing a study this last week that was talking about spiritual growth. One of the ways you can be sure you're growing spiritually is if you're seeing to the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the ways to do that is to listen more than you talk. This season of my life has brought many opportunities for me to speak about myself, and I was concerned that I've gotten out of the practice of LISTENING. Today it was impressed on my heart so strongly to just listen. So, I tried. The problem: I saw many people today who I've not seen in a long time and out of the kindness and love in their hearts, they wanted to know how I was doing and feeling. I think I may need to wait until another day to excel at listening more than speaking.

**ADD ON**
Sunday at church today was so good. It was great to be back worshiping.

Not one awkward moment either! :)


Here's an awkward family photo for you. huh.

On my feet again

Just letting you know...

My appointment this week was successful in removing stitches. I've gotten the green light to go ahead and get up and start walking around, and to do normal things. So, I am. I'm taking it slow, and have felt a little sore while gaining back muscle, but I'm so glad I have these days before the baby is born to build up my strength. So, the first thing we did after the official end of bed rest was to go to Target to buy some things to make sure we're ready, then we came home and prepared the baby room together. I think we're ready. We've got a bag packed and waiting. Technically I have about three weeks left, but I'm kinda thinking it could be anytime. I'm not in a hurry though.

That's the latest. This weekend I'm excited to go to a movie with Luke, and we'll go to church on Sunday. We'll have to do something fun on Saturday since the weather is going to be so nice.

Facebook

Seriously, what is wrong with Facebook? Is anybody else having trouble even getting logged in? I'm completely locked out. Oh well. It only bothers me if I'm the only one.

Update

My appointment today went really well. Turns out the increasing contractions and general discomfort are very normal, which I knew, but was still concerned about. Dr. Schneider is very encouraged with things this week, saying it is much better this week than it has been the last two weeks. God hears our prayers and is helping us all. We scheduled an appointment to remove stitches next Monday, November 2, at 1:30. We'll be packing a hospital bag just in case we need to rush there right after the procedure! The Dr. said it has only happened one time that after this procedure a mother has gone into labor right then and there. We decided we're not going to take any chances on being unprepared. We're on our way to 36 weeks. Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, family and friends for helping us pray for so long!

Bed rest is going well. I generally enjoy being home. Although, I do miss people and fun things to do. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever be able to jump up from sitting on the floor ever again, or if I'll be able to go an hour without needing a bathroom ever again. That's just silly.

Update

Today's appointment was encouraging. I wasn't sure how it would go since things this weekend were more eventful with contractions than I've been used to. There was a lot of activity this weekend with a baby shower in Correctionville, so I think that's why I was having more contractions--but not enough to send me to the hospital. Even today there have been less contractions. Thanks, God! The doctor said things felt about the same as last week which was a lot better than the week before! Her face and body language led me to believe it was a little thinner than last week, but I know she would have said something if she was concerned. So, we're still hanging out, and praying for another week, and thankful for a good appointment.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, everyone!!

Welcome October! I've never been so glad to see you!

Prayer

You ever feel like your faith in prayer has been rocked?

I've been there.

I've been on both sides of the line when it comes to prayer. I've experienced times of complete dependence on God, physical humility before God, and have been in absolute amazement of what the Lord has done through the prayers of His people. I've experienced a time when "I'm not sure what I think about prayer right now". It seemed to me that I had done everything I should have done: prayed, with faith, with no doubting; left it in the Lord's hands, trusting that it could be done, but no matter what, everything would be OK. Then I got the "wrong" answer and I didn't know what difference my prayer had made. I struggle with change and injustice, so to get the "wrong" answer is so hard to come to terms with.

The truth is prayer always makes a difference.

I joined a women's Bible study at church two weeks ago. I'm taking a break from meeting with them for now, but I'm still participating in the study, and I believe what it has to teach me has been very timely. We're going through a book called A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. She's a little old fashioned and silly, but God has used His scripture to teach me anyway. The first two weeks have talked about developing a heart and passion for prayer. We have discovered 10 different ways the Lord blesses us when we pray. What great things to learn at any time, but especially for me right now when I have more than enough time to be in prayer. So, here is my offering to you today...here are ten great answers to the question: "Why do I even need to pray?" ....good question...

When you pray you will experience the blessings of:

• Greater peace (a peace that passes all understanding)
  
• Greater purity (opens our eyes to our sin; confession)
• Greater confidence in decision making
• Greater ministry (we can win battles when we pray for other people)
• A joyful spirit
• A humble heart
• Improved relationships (hard to hate someone who you're praying for!)
• Greater dependence on God
• Contentment
• Greater faith (our faith increases as we see the Lord's answers to our prayers; "right" or "wrong")

I really do enjoy praying with other people, and yes, I will sometimes pray long enough for you to catch a nap. To be honest, I still have an inward struggle every time I read a verse that says something to the effect of, "just pray and the Lord will heal all your diseases..." I know that doesn't always happen. People die despite fervent prayer. So, it is my ever present quest to sort out those verses in my heart and mind. I know it will involve understanding who the verses are written to, taking into consideration the time period, and many other things.

But, thanks be to God who commands us to pray, who listens to our prayers, who cares about what we're saying even more than our own mothers, who takes the time to answer every prayer, who gave us scripture with examples of how to pray/people who prayed and received/people who prayed for change in circumstance, but no change came (Jesus). Thanks for a God who's not afraid of our questions and doubts, who gives and takes away and we still bless His name because His is Good.

That's what I'm thinking about. I am taking all concerns and requests of my own, and of those I love, before the Lord many times a day. He is so good to listen.


UPDATE

Thank you for your prayers, all who are praying! There is ministry in prayer, and it lifts my burden and spirits to know there are so many who are praying for our strength and well being!
Things here are steady. I'm still having contractions every time I stand up and walk, even some when I'm just laying still. However, there have been no signs of further dilation. Praise God! It's hard to tell if the hormone booster shot helped, but I guess that's a little like prayer, huh? What if I weren't getting it (what if I weren't praying)? I'm thankful for that shot and I want to get it four more times. The baby's heart beat is very strong, and so are her kicks. Praise God! I feel the best when I'm laying down (lying down? where's my mom when I need her?). I'm sleeping pretty well at night. I have some angels (family and friends) who are starting to bring food and help out with cleaning. It literally brings me to tears to think of all the goodness the Lord is showering us with through the prayers and help of His people. Luke is doing well. He may feel a little overwhelmed, but he's rising to the challenge. He's been preparing some special breakfasts for me since cereal and milk is no longer an option. (Makes my blood sugars too high.) He's been working hard at WIT despite a lot of congestion and coughing--no fever. I have not caught that bug. I've also not caught his cold sore. That is a blessing. He still has nightly commitments on Wednesdays, maybe Mondays, and will need to work at our old school one night soon. He's working hard. I prepare my lunch, being careful to be gentle with myself. Sometimes I prepare supper too, but most of the time Luke does. The cats keep me company, but annoy me sometimes with their meowing to go outside. I've told them I'm not getting up just to let them out. Every night we say thank you for another day, and every morning we say thank you for another night. And, one very important thing: we remember all those out there who are suffering more than us, who also need prayers, who are committing their lives to serving. My observant retired neighbor is now aware of my bed rest, and I'm sure he'll do things like take the trash/recycling to the curb, and he brings me the newspaper every day.

Again, thank you for your prayers and for loving us. We love you all, too!

Quick update and prayer request!

Please pray with us as you think of it.

I've started to feel some contractions, and can just tell that things don't feel as normal as they were just a few days ago. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and the doctor said my cervix has started to dilate a little bit already, so please pray with us that the progression would stop and that we would make it to at least 36 weeks. That's my goal. Right now I'm at 31 weeks, 3 days. Please pray that I would experience God's incredible peace and wisdom, and for the health and wellness of the baby! We're just taking it day by day, and we're trusting that it's all in the Lord's timing.

Thanks for helping us pray! I'll keep this updated if anything should happen.

New discoveries:

• I got back the lab results from some blood work that was done in order for us to get some new life insurance. I was appalled to see that my cholesterol was elevated, and even considered high risk for heart disease. I looked at Luke's results and his were normal. No way! This can't be! For almost a week I've been wondering if I'm a heart attack waiting to happen. Then I thought to look up if cholesterol is higher when you're pregnant. It turns out it is. *sigh of relief* Now Luke can't call me cholesterol girl anymore.
• If you're going to be a new mom, talk about your discomforts and concerns with other expectant new moms. It was therapeutic this weekend when Luke and I took a child birth class and there was time for just the ladies to chat. The men went off to "Daddy Boot Camp", and that was quite awkward Luke tells me. When you're in this like-minded company all your thoughts are validated, no matter how naive you may sound.
  
• Walks are good, but hills are not. Also, keep them short.
• Bending over is not easy.
• This baby is so loved already. Thank you Jesus for your favor and grace. There are so many people who want to love on this little one. We trust that we'll get to share her with all who love her!
• I might have gestational diabetes. I did a three hour diabetes test, but have not received any news on the results yet. I think if it were positive, I would have heard something by now. So, I'm not too concerned.
  
• Six more weeks until the stitch is removed! Who knows how long it will be after that until baby girl makes her way into this world.
  
• I sometimes get more done when Luke is home with me.
  
• Picross. I'm addicted to it.
• Beatles Rock Band. Amazing.
• My husband is Grrrrrreat! I already knew that.

Here are some pictures of my walking path at Bacon Creek. I took some pictures of the hills that were killer.

There's also a picture at the bottom of me at 30 weeks. Getting closer!

Getting Ready!

Just wanted to post a few pictures of what we've been up to in the last couple of weeks concerning baby Demarest.

Here are the colors that I am using in the nursery:

A pale pink, a pale green, and brown. The walls are blue, so I think this will go along pretty well.

Here is what we have done on the crib so far. It's barely going to fit!






Here are the windows that I need valences or curtains for. How dark should the nursery be during the day so the baby can sleep? I would prefer valences, but if the room should be darker, then I will need to get a full curtain I think. I'm thinking about making my own, but I'm not sure yet.



Here are some pictures of us at the zoo this last weekend. We had a great time in Omaha celebrating 5 years!

P.S. My old neighbor told me it was good that I was going to help my grandparents-in-law at the nursing home with a slide show presentation from our trip to Europe because apparently I need to "get out and get some exercise". uhhhh... thanks for that. Give me some time and I won't be so concerned about over exerting myself. Oh, Ken. haha.

Happy fifth, Luke!

Luke and I will be celebrating five years tomorrow. I'm so pumped about it! It feels so special and exciting! Maybe b/c so many things are changing. Our time together will look so different when we celebrate six years, so to me, that makes this celebration all the more special. I'll write more later on what the weekend will hold, but I want to post a few pictures of his surprise for me today.

A while back a bunch of us discussed what the five year gift is according to Hallmark, or whoever made up the list of gifts for anniversaries. We all made guesses, and eventually found out that the five year gift is wood. I told Luke later that night that he didn't have to get me something with wood. It was the last thing I said before I went to sleep. He patted my head as if to say, "That's sweet. Go to sleep."
Today he called telling me he had to work late in the city (which was true) and that I should meet him for dinner at 7. So I did. Neither one of us were real hungry so we ate for under $5 at McDonalds. Then we took care of some errands Luke needed to run. I was informed from the beginning that the last thing we would do was to remain a surprise. I didn't push it to find out more. I never do b/c I love surprises. He directed me to HOM furniture where I was to pick out my own jewelry armoire. I've been wanting one for so long, it's made of wood (appropriate for year five), and it's the perfect gift---so thoughtful! He was such a smart shopper about it too! Regularly priced at about $200, it was on sale for $77. Way to go Luke!
Here's a picture or two.

Happy anniversary, Luke! I love you more and more! (He doesn't read this blog. Oh well.)

All that hard work...

OK, well it wasn't that hard, but I was emotionally invested! You wouldn't believe how often I've had dreams lately about my tomato plants dying, being sabotaged, generally being no more. It's plagued my dreams! By the way, the dreams of a pregnant woman are CRAZY!!! I've never had more vivid dreams than when I've been pregnant. I've dreamed new song lyrics, poems, prayers, and lots of oddities! I thought it was particularly absurd when I dreamed that my neighbor came and uprooted all the tomatoes and planted them in a different spot. I cried and cried in my dream. I also dreamed that my cat Pumpkin was watering my tomatoes WAY too much with a little red bucket she carried in her mouth. She filled it up in the sea that was in our backyard. She didn't like the tomatoes.



Well, today I knew something had to be done about my tomato plants. They've been getting worse and worse. Last night I looked up "brown spots on tomato vines" and I then knew that my plants had been infected with "late blight". From what I can tell it's due to the crazy amounts of rain we've received. I also think it spread so quickly b/c last Saturday I cut away some of the infected branches, not really knowing what was wrong with them, and the more I cut, the more I spread the disease. I've learned to disinfect the shears between each cut. Experience is the best teacher! I also think it has something to do with the lilac bush that is close by. I noticed today that my lilac bush's leaves are curling, and it looks like they have a white powder on the leaves. Uh oh! Not good! Apparently this is considered awful for a lilac bush, so I'll be trying to combat this fungal disease too this weekend. I hope the lilac bush doesn't die. I love that bush, and I want it to thrive and bloom next spring. We'll see what happens. My theory is that the lilac bush didn't like all the water this season (they don't need that much water at all!), there wasn't proper drainage for it, it didn't like sharing the soil with other plants. So maybe the bush got the fungus first, and then spread it to the tomato plants? Or maybe the tomatoes got it first and passed it to the lilacs? It's hard to tell, but next year I will either not be planting, or I will plant in a totally different spot. I hope I don't have to uproot the lilac bush by the end of this season.

Here are some pictures of what I found when I entered my little garden plot this morning. The blight spreads soooo quickly!

a day in pictures

A tour through my front and back yard....me before the wedding....and a few shots of Luke's cousin's wedding.





Next thing to add to the list:
Figure out how to take better pictures with the camera, or just get a new one that has a longer video option. Our current camera is 5 years old, and only takes 30 seconds of video. Is it possible that this camera is 'going bad'? I've found that the pictures have been blurry lately and not near as good as they used to be. I've considered that it might be me just doing a bad job at taking them, but I don't think I've changed how I take pictures.

Help me out! Anybody know of a good camera that usually provides great pictures no matter who the taker is?

Today was a crazy gorgeous day! Every time I stepped outside, and then like every five minutes during my outside time, I would utter some sort of thank you to God for such a beautiful day. 70's and breezy. It made me wonder if my mom would agree with me on how I dubbed this day a perfect weather day. I think not. She would want it to be at least 80.

I went to the school I used to work at and put up some bulletin board displays for their 50th celebration this weekend. Then I walked outside and saw how gorgeous it was a decided I would have my own little picnic by the river. I took my sandwich and banana and worshiped outside by the river for lunch. I praised God for how He gifted me with a wonderful day. I also prayed for the baby moving around and growing inside.

Here are the pictures from the last three ultrasounds.

8 weeks: (see the tiny white bean on the bottom?)

15 weeks:

and 20 weeks: (baby is curled up in the fetal position)

Enjoy the beautiful evening!

I did not want to go get the mail today! I've had so much trouble with insurance companies and hospitals billing me for things that should have been covered. Every trip to the PO Box was like a walk to school when it's raining and a huge car drives by and splashes water all over your new clothes. With all these confusions, it's required me to stay inside on the phone connected to the wall, so I won't use up my cell phone minutes, for 15-30 minutes at a time to clear things up. With a feeling of false relief I will go about my day. Next week I will be sadly reminded of the mix-up when I'm looking another bill in the face. Seriously! Why is it my job to get the hospital and insurance company to communicate with each other?

Anyway, today I was afraid to look in the mail. I was curious when I saw a little key to a bigger PO Box nestled in our box. I opened the bigger box and found this!:
Oh my goodness! How exciting! AND how cute! I love the pink envelope! "This has totally made my day!" "Thank you, thank you! I don't even know what it is. Even if it's (insert worst thing possible here) I'm still so thankful for it!" I restrained myself from opening it because I wanted to take a picture. After the picture I ripped it open and was delighted. I was beaming when I tried on my brand new church-ready maternity shirt! I had Luke take a picture a couple of hours later, after a day spent at home, so excuse the unkempt look.

So, I'm thrilled to have a lovely brown top to wear to church. This will grow with me too!

Well, here's an update!

We had an appointment on Monday afternoon. The appt. included an ultrasound. We told the lady we would really love to know the gender. We all looked intently and she showed us her reasons for being 85% sure that this little one is a...
GIRL!!!

I was told to not go out and buy pink paint, but to wait for our August 10th ultrasound when we'll get to do a video and see the baby in 3D. We'll be able to tell for sure by then. The doctor said she was noticing that the placenta is still lower than she would like, but there's still a lot of time for it to relocate higher.

Thank you, Jesus. We're so thankful for Your righteous hand that holds this baby and us in your ever-capable hands. There is no place we will go where you have not already been. There is no place we will be or feeling we will feel that you have not already known. We praise you for the length of this pregnancy so far (almost 21 weeks!), and for how long it will continue to go, and for how you are forming this baby to love you with (her) whole heart. We ask that (she) will be great for you, that (she) will honor you with (her) life from birth, and that the light and life in (her) eyes will be a testament to your unfailing love and goodness and grace. Amen.

My faves!

I thought you would all appreciate it if I shared with you what is on "My Faves" play list right now. I've taken a little break from it recently to pay tribute to MJ, but here are some of my faves. Check them out if you're interested.


"Have you Ever" Brandi Carlile
"Love" Matt White Band
"Calabria 2007" Enur
"Realize" Colbie Caillat
"New Soul" Yael Naim
"Mercy" Duffy
"Bruises" Chairlift
"You Don't Know Me" Ben Folds with Regina Spektor (one little bad word...oops!)
"Little Romance" Regina Spektor
"The Way I Am" Ingrid Michaelson
"Lucky" Jason Mraz
"I'm Yours" Jason Mraz
"Keep Breathing" Ingrid Michaelson
"Bubbly" Colbie Caillat
"The Call" Regina Spektor
"Winter Song" Sara Bareilles
"Trouble" Ray LaMontagne
"Great DJ" The Ting Tings (as heard on the "Year One" preview on TV)
"I Got A Feeling" The Black Eyed Peas
"Thank You" MoZella
"Dreams Collide" Colbie Caillat
"The Last Thing On Your Mind" The Lights
"Single Ladies" Beyonce
"Distant Dreamer" Duffy

Yes, some are predictable, and yes, they are often heard on commercials.

Enjoy! I love to share good music.

Really?

I can't believe the 4th of July is this weekend. Summer is moving right along, and before you know it we'll be seeing school supplies and thinking about going back to school again. Oh wait, not me. Not this time! I think I will realize the strangeness of this all when teacher in-service week starts and I'm not expected to show up. And then again on the first day of school for the kids when I don't have to get that little nervous feeling brought on by starting a new year. I think I would have had an interesting year--only five kids! Really? Really. At least there would have been boys in this class. I'll miss it. I already do.

OK, I have to pay tribute to the King of Pop. Deaths of this sort tend to shock me and it takes me awhile to lose interest. I wonder if I'll always remember where I was when I found out? I just might because it seems pretty random. Keith Shew dropped the "two people died today" bomb on us at the 'end' of a fun day at the lakes. What?!?! Michael Jackson?!? This is tragic. I think I feel this way because of everything he accomplished. He was truly talented. He's also one of the only artists I remember dancing and singing to since I was very little. I remember seeing his videos on TV and thinking, "This is weird." when watching Thriller. I remember wondering at his dance moves and loving to sing along. So, yeah, he got weird and looked weird, but here is how I would like to remember him. Oh, and yes, I have been listening to MJ songs for the last three days.



Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand. Creatures crawl in search of blood to terrorize your neighborhood. And whosoever can be found without the soul for 'getting down'...


What else?

Bed rest was a success. Here is a picture of what I saw everyday for about eight full hours:


So sweet. I think they were really happy about having someone to lay down and cuddle with for most of the day! I went on a cleaning frenzy after bed rest. The cats are shedding like crazy now, and were then too, so you can imagine how sick I was of cat hair. I think I vacuumed up another full size cat.

The first weekend of mobility after bed rest Luke and I went to the Kingsley 125 anniversary parade. We sat on the street across from the nursing home residents. I thought this little old man was so cute because he would stand up every once in a while when the bands or interesting floats would come by and would take a picture. I wonder what he plans to do with those pictures? Can you see him in this picture?



Lastly, here are some pregnancy pictures. Yippee! All appointments have gone well. I have an ultrasound scheduled for July 13 at 1:30. Hopefully Luke will be able to make it, and we can get a good look at whether this little one is a boy or girl. It seems I am constantly praying for the baby, and now I can feel little kicks, so it reminds me to thank Jesus and pray for the baby to grow and grow and be healthy, and tell God that my body is in His hands and I trust Him.
This is 15 weeks at the beginning of June:

This is 19 weeks at the beginning of July:


I had to be a little creative this morning with the camera and mirror.

We will spend the 4th in Marshalltown with my family and friends. Hopefully we will get to see my youth pastor and his family. I hope we also get to see an amazing fireworks display! I also love how the Marshalltown boy scouts put out little flags next to everybody's mail boxes on the morning of the 4th. It's so festive. I'll get a picture of it for you. This is awful, but one year my sisters and I stole the flags from like all our neighbors' yards. One of them got mad. I don't blame him. Sometimes I cringe remembering the naughty things we used to do. Ever wish you could erase certain things from your past? Sometimes I do, but then my present would be incomplete I suppose. Well, I'm off to pack, fold laundry, watch Matt Lauer's report from Neverland, and have lunch.

Happy 4th, friends!

Dharma made my weekend great!

Any LOST fans out there?

This weekend I rewatched all of season five with some friends from Sioux Falls. Holli and Miles have been so kind to invite us into their home twice now to have a glorious LOST weekend! They feed us, give us a bed, let us use their shower and towels and toilets and soap. It is a break from reality and a chance to discuss theories. I'm already looking forward to next year when we can watch the final season together.

One thing I love about LOST weekends is the Dharma-issued food. Check out pictures that Holli took and added to her Flickr account. They are so great. http://www.flickr.com/photos/holli_joi/sets/72157619023612612/

Thanks Miles and Holli!

First Day of Summer

Today was my first day of summer. I woke up around 8:30 to say goodbye to Andy, Liz, and Judah. I loved my time with Judah! What a sweetie. It was so fun to have Andy and Liz around again. I tried to take a picture of all the things I've been doing today, but I have no picture of them leaving.

Next I took a shower. (No Picture) I thought about skipping the shower today but then I had a very funny memory that I always think of when I'm trying to decide whether or not to take a shower on a day like today; a day when I know I'll be home all day, seeing no one. I remembered when my brother Matt told me at the tender age of 10 that even though it's summer, my day would be better and I would feel a whole lot better if I would take a shower at the beginning of my day. What a gentle way to tell me that my pituitary gland was starting to work on overdrive and he was sick of smelling me and looking at my oily hair at breakfast. Not a great mental picture, sorry. He neglected to tell me anything about whether or not I should do my hair "the long way" everyday, so I decided not to. (No Picture)

Next I went to the post office to mail out a few things. (No Picture) Luke has been selling some PS3 games online, so it was my job to send them off today.

Next I had lunch and watched "It's a Big Big World". Today they taught me why clouds look grey somedays, and why we shouldn't be afraid of storms.

Then I went downstairs to fold laundry and watch the episode of "The Bachelorette" that I missed last night. Luke informed me that the bachelorette this year "just doesn't do it for him". hmmmm.

Then I couldn't help myself and I took a nap. (No Picture) I blame it on the pregnancy. The cats took a nap too, so at least I wasn't alone. It was only an hour nap. I've been known to do worse.

Then I made dinner for Luke (warmed up leftover pizza), baked cookies (chocolate chip), and welcomed Luke home from his first day of work at his brand new job! (No Picture of dinner or Luke coming in the door. Luke changed into his "everyday clothes" before I could get the camera out. I've trained him well! Or maybe I should say my mom trained me well! "Change into your 'everyday clothes' as soon as you get home!") What are "everyday clothes"? Usually cotton, stretchy pants and a t-shirt. Since these clothes are only being worn for 3-4 hours out of the day to do school work or TV-watching, they can be worn 2-3 times. Gross? Come on! I decided to take a picture of Luke's first choice for free time during the summer instead of getting him in his work garb. This is him in his boy corner. He wasn't real excited about the picture.

Then I took out the recycling. The recycling man comes every other week, and we always forget, so this means I actually remember to take out the recycling once a month. I'm so excited to have an empty container again because I have a lot of cardboard I want to get out of my way around the house.

Then I sat down to check my email and Facebook for like the fourth time today. (This will NOT be happening everyday. I'm not going to waste my summer days with TV and computer! I'm already planning a daily routine so I don't get lazy. I have not planned a routine for my days since college when I had free time in between classes. I'm excited about doing this. I just wish I had a Stacy Billings/Kelli/Allison around so I could schedule them in. I'll do my best to make do.)

During this time, while watching "TV's 50 Funniest Phrases" I decided to document my first day of summer.

I thought a lot about moving today. Why? Probably b/c Moville has nothing to offer...not even a grocery store, or decent bike path, or ice cream place, or sisters. :(

What was voted TV's number one funniest phrase? "Yada, yada, yada" from Seinfeld. Lovely.