Fall Update

From our trip in September, we became intimately acquainted with California-sized burritos. Well, for all those out of state, how 'bout a Texas-sized hot dog!



Do you find the next picture a little baffling? Yikes! The Baffler strikes again!

Everyone at the library dressed up as a super-hero for Halloween this year, and I became "the Baffler" for the day (second-cousin to the Riddler). My costume included a question-deflector, a pointer of the obvious, an anti-inquiry cape, and glasses that allowed me to see a question coming from a mile away.




Yep, I'm getting bigger. I'm 6 months along now, and finally had to go out and buy some real maternity clothes. (Thank you Stacie for coming shopping with me!)

Little Jr. is very active, especially after meals and around 10:00 at night --just before we go to bed. It is such a delightful feeling to have him moving around, and is especially fun to see my belly move with hard kicks.




Just call us Twinkle-toes and Hoofer. Matt & I have taken up dancing! We figured this was our last chance to take advantage of the free dance classes Matt's sister, Sarah, gave us as a wedding gift. We are learning Swing, Two-Step, and Fox-Trot and are loving it. Thank you Sarah!

IT'S A BOY!!

Texas BBQ

Hi Folks,

For you poor folks in California or Arizona that can't have the yummie goodness of Texas barbecue, here's a place you can get great Texas BBQ via mail order.

I'm posting it because I ate at the guy's place in Taylor and it's REALLY good. Careful about the online sauce though, it's sweeter than Texas standards to not freak out the yankees...

Hugs,

Matt

Comptons in California!

Our vacation to California was fantastic! We were there a full week (Aug. 29-Oct. 5) and what a week! We flew into Orange County and visited with Matt's Grandma and Grandpa Cody for a few days. They treated us to some wonderful meals (including "The Big Sal" --the most humongous burrito I've ever seen!) and we had lots of fun playing Mexican Train, a domino game. I got to play in the Pacific Ocean for the first time (we took a picture of that momentous occation), and we had fun exploring the Natural History museum with Grandpa.

On Friday, we headed up Hwy. 101, which follows the California coastline. We were in constant awe at the beauty surrounding us as we meandered among strawberry fields, white beaches, beautiful mountains, and rocky shores. Nearly every minute we were presented with scenes worthy of photos, and it was hard to not stop constantly to take them.--As it is, we got plenty!






One of our favorite stops involved feeding a family of hungery squirrels. A fellow traveller was actually able to pick them up while they were busy nibbling.

We arrived at beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea where Matt's Aunt Sandie and Uncle Earl kindly let us stay in their guest house. (Thank you both!!!) From here, we were able to visit some of the local sites.




Pictures don't do it justice. It is beautiful!

On Saturday, we stopped at a section of state park just south of Carmel and spent the whole day exploring the rocks and cliffs.













Matt even got me to climb down into a narrow crevice where we enjoyed a private, miniature beach. But, yikes! the water's cold!














Monday was spent enjoying a Redwood forest just north of Santa Cruz. Both Matt and I were excited to see these giants we'd only seen pictures of, and we were not disappointed. They're huge!




















After such wonderful adventures, we weren't ready for it to end, but Tuesday found us traveling back down to L.A.

We stopped several more places we had wanted to stop at on the way up, and especially loved Pfiffer Beach. It's a seculded beach with an unusual double-arch rock formation where huge waves crash through into a little bay. We were able to climb up near the openings and it was awesome!













We had such a wonderful time exploring the natural wonders of the coast and visiting family that we left Wednesday afternoon vowing to come back again soon!

We're Expecting

Well, if you're family, you've probably already heard; If your friends, you may not have. But, it's true. We're expecting a new addition to our family! The little jelly bean is growing fast and we're about 16 weeks along now. Jennie's been a bit sick but improving and at last gaining weight. Matt's been having sympathy hiccups and is very excited. We're not sure yet if it's a boy or a girl. Either one would be great. The sonogram is from about 8 weeks, the side shot is at 12 weeks.

Intro.

The time has come . . . Yep, we're starting a blog in the hopes that it will make sharing info. and pictures with friends and family much easier and faster --for all of you and for us. (Thank you Megan and Jeremy for your excellent example!) We'll do our best to post on a somewhat regular basis. Feel free to comment and share your info. too.