D-day approaches . . .

As my due date approaches, things are getting more interesting at our house. Within the last two months, I've given two different baby showers for friends. When I explained to Michael why I was giving them baby showers, he decided we needed to have a baby shower for our baby. So, here was our baby shower, complete with left over St. Patrick's Day paper goods. (Michael picked them out.)

We even wrapped up some baby clothes I had gotten on sale and let the kids unwrap them. That was the big highlight, of course.

That was several weeks ago. Today, we had another sonogram done to see about how big #3 is. From the measurements, she's weighing in 8 lbs. 10 oz., plus or minus 1 lb. --with 3 more weeks to go. This is definitely another Michael-sized baby. We're considering inducing early. . . The picture is kind of fuzzy, but you can see her eyes, nose and big round cheeks.

Several months ago, we did an "experiment" and rooted a potato. We planted it in a pot and have been faithfully watering it. When the leaves started turning brown, we decided it was finally time to dig it up and see if we were going to have any fruits from our labors. And we did! We dug up 3 mini-potatoes. The kids were so proud! We cooked them up for dinner that night, and they were delicious!

Michael and Sadie continue to enjoy building "nests" together.

Fun Times

Michael loves to watercolor, but I hate the mess. My latest bright idea? Watercolor the tub! They have fun, the mess is contained, and it washes right off.

Another great idea? Flingings! As a reward for cleaning up, Matt gives the kids three "flingings" on the couch each night. The kids love it, it's great motivation to clean quickly, and it helps get out any extra energy before bedtime.

This week as part of our library's summer reading program, they brought in a bunch of live snakes for the kids to see and hold. Soooo fun! Michael even gave one of the king snakes a hug and kiss.

Sibling Sociality

The last few weeks, Michael and Sadie have really -finally!- started having fun together. (As opposed to tolerating each other as they've played near one another, at best, and fighting over toys, at worst.) It started when we moved Sadie's crib from our closet into Michael's room (in order to make room for the new baby in our closet.) I was really worried how they would both handle it, but it has been surprisingly positive. They love being able pile stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets into one of the two cribs and then crawl in and play together. --And it's always Michael who starts things off by calling, "Do you want to come in here, Sadie?"

They have also discovered the fun of taking the couch cushions off to tumble on,

watering plants together (This is what they do when I say "look up" at the camera.),

and playing jack-in-the-box. --They climb into two large buckets we have to hold toys (after emptying all the contents onto the floor, of course), cover themselves up with a blanket, and then pop up together.

We still deal with the occasional squabble, but it's sooo nice to see them starting to be friends!

In other news. . .

We spent the last two weekends out of town. The first weekend, we went to Austin and stayed with my folks so we could attend our friend Yi Jeng's graduation from UT with her Ph.D. During the several years preceding our official courtship, Yi Jeng was always gently prodding us to get together. So in a way, you could say she was our match-maker.

Her father flew all the way from Taiwan to see her graduate and it was lovely to finally get to meet him. They flew back to Taiwan together, and we have promised to come visit her there someday. Congratulations, Yi Jeng! We will miss you!

The next weekend, we went to visit Matt's family. Poor Matt and his dad spent all of Memorial Day painting their fence.

But we also enjoyed going swimming at the pool, attending a garden show, climbing trees,

and blowing bubbles.

A friend from our ward gave Michael a little suit to wear to church. Doesn't he look snazzy!?

One of Matt's favorite books to read to the kids is "Little Baa." It's amazing how, no matter how many times they've heard it, they still pay rapt attention.