Just Killin' Time

The farther along I get, the less active I want to be. I still teach my fitness classes four days a week, so I figure I'm not depriving my body of physical activity. But gosh, going to the park or on a walk just seems like too much right now. Soooo, some days a bath is not for cleaning up...but just to kill some time!! Granted, they were a bit stinky from playing outside...but, they always have so much fun in the bath. Too bad Eric wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a focused picture. Oh well...

Momma and her girl on a random sleepy Saturday morning!!

She's a SUPER!!

So, we've decided that Rachel must have Super powers...the power of fast-healing!!! On Thursday I took Rachel to the Orthopedic doctor to get her hard cast, or so we thought! Once we got there, the doctor didn't feel like the x-rays from the UC center were very clear. So, he ordered new x-rays. About ten minutes later, he came back and showed me a clean x-ray with no fracture! I couldn't believe it. The fracture we saw on Tuesday was not a HUGE fracture, by any means, but I did see it and it (or something) was definitely there. Even the UC doctor admitted that it wasn't very clear when looking at the actual x-ray, but when we looked at it on the computer, there was obviously a fracture of sorts there! But, on Thursday, whatever it was...was gone! She still had some tenderness when rotating her hand, so they put her in a cute little Snoopy split to help stabilize the rotation motion for the next two weeks. We'll go back then and re-evaluate. But, I can already tell you - she is ready for it to be off and appears to no longer be in pain!! Isn't God amazing!?!

Thanks to the McMullan clan for the sweet Bumble Bee bouquet!! Rachel LOVED it!! Here she is next to her bouquet, modeling her new Snoopy splint!

Broken Pieces...

Well, we always thought Eric would be the first one to the Urgent Care center with stitches or a break! Actually, when I called Brooks to tell him that we were headed to the UC, he just assumed it was for Eric!! Too funny. But, no! It was Rachel. She was playing "ship" on a slide with a friend from the YMCA and he was helping to pull her into the "ship." In the process, he pulled/twisted a little too hard! She didn't cry and none of the workers even knew she was hurt until they noticed that she wouldn't use her arm to do anything and kept holding it flush to her body. She only flinched when I would try to rotate her hand. So, off we went to the UC while my wonderful co-workers at the Y helped take care of Eric!!

She was such a trooper and again, never really cried until the x-rays and they had to rotate her hand for a better picture...even then, she didn't cry-cry, just kinda yelled out in pain - which was no fun for her pregnant mommy who couldn't be in the x-ray room with her!! They made me wait outside, so she was not only super tough, but super brave!!! So, x-rays showed a small fracture inside her radius and another possible fracture in her ulna (which the orthopedic doctor will confirm later this week when we go to get her hard cast). Rachel has already decided on a PINK cast!! Here she is with her cute little teddy bear sling...our brave girl!!

We told her she had to get fixed before school starts so she can write her name on her papers! Such a shame it was her right arm!!! :) Should make for a fun last few weeks of summer, huh?!!

Here's little man...check out his "cheese" smile! His first response was..."oh sissy, ouchy!"

Who are these intruders?

So, I'm not sure who they are or how they ended up in my mirror!!?? Does anyone recognize them???

I mean, the gray hare appears cute here...but, when I look in the mirror, I disagree!

And, this crow!!! Check out it's FEET!! What's up with that??

Ah...the joys of getting older! My brain still thinks I'm that newly married 26 year-old who was size 4 skinny, tan, physically-mentally-spiritually strong, and still in that "new" packaging God gave us. But, as I look in the mirror...little things are happening and that packaging is getting a little wear and tear!! This is when inner beauty really starts to make sense and I have to realize that these intruders are NOT going away. SO, time to start welcoming them in and instead enjoy the beautiful, flawless packaging of my sweet daughter and encourage her to have the kind of inner beauty needed so that when these intruders come knocking on her door, she'll be ready and waiting and won't be caught off guard!!

Here's to the intruders and to growing strong kids who always look past the packaging!!

Vacation!!

So, Brooks and I finally took another vacation, just the two of us! A big thanks to my parents for watching the kids so we could go!!! This was a much needed and LONG over-due vacation! Speaking of "due," I am due in just nine weeks and I found that I wore out rather quickly walking the 115 degree strip of Las Vegas! Not recommending those kind of temps when you are in this part of a pregnancy!! NONETHELESS, we spent plenty of wonderfully peaceful hours by the pool at our Hilton resort located behind the Flamingo, which was nice because it wasn't 1/2 as crowded or as loud as the casino hotels and we didn't have to walk through a smokey casino to get to the pool! Definitely the way to go!

To start our trip, we flew SWA and I have always heard that they have some fun airline attendants. I've never seen one until this trip. This guy is so popular he is actually posted on YouTube and has been featured on CNN and other news shows as well as the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was a great way to start the trip...I don't know how to attach a YouTube video, but here is the link...it's so fun:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivjybzdXVmI

This is us on the Flamingo grounds which was fun to be at since Brooks' brother got married to our sister-in-law here seven years ago. A lot has changed, and I felt lost on the grounds...but still, good memories!!

The Eiffel Tower...actually, the view from our pool was even cooler because you could see the almost full moon right behind the tower...

So, as I was taking this picture a gentleman in a sports coat with an "ask-me" pin started to ask if we would rather he take the picture for us. So, that is me saying..."ah, sure!"

This is the one he took, and then he asked for a tip because he's unemployed! Go figure! So, does anyone know how to use the night-time setting without getting the crazy blurred lights??

This is Brooks throughout the whole trip!! He LOVES to have fun pictures on his cell phone and every time I turned around, he was taking another picture!! Check out the concentration going on here!!!

Already our last day!! We were sad that our five days went so quickly, but were so grateful to have that time together! AND, to sleep in past seven and NOT have to change a diaper or feed a hungry little mouth...what a treat!!!

So, that's our trip in a nutshell! We enjoyed the shows. We saw a Comedy/Magic show, a Variety Act, the Price is Right and then went and saw a movie too! Those were all fun experiences. We shopped and walked. Oh, and I think we played about $10 on the penny slots and won back $7 of it!!! Yahoo...call us next time you want to vacation with the high-rollers!!!

I'm glad we went because now we have "done" Vegas. But, I have to say, I'm not sure we will be heading back to Vegas anytime soon! We both actually found ourselves sad for so many of the people...I would often find myself praying for the guys and girls passing out the pictures of girls offering for them to come to you direct. Then I found myself praying for those girls and wondering so often what could make them want to go into a life of prostitution? My heart ached for the parents of these girls and we were often talking about the prayers we have for our own children to make good choices and find solid friends! There were just so many lost souls there and it is easy to walk past and ignore, which we did most of the time. But, when I would let the wall down and see behind the eyes of all these people, it was overwhelmingly sad to see the emptiness they had!

Okay, so deep, I know! Did we have fun...YES!!!!! Am I glad we went? YES!!! Do I love spending time with my husband, no matter where we are...YES, YES, YES!! I love my husband and this was such a great time to be just "us" again for a while!! So, whether you get to go on a five-day vacation or just a two hour date with your spouse, soak it in and be grateful they are in your lives!! Ah...can't wait till the next time...