Thanks!

To all of our friends and family who have been praying for us, we wanted to thank you and give you an update. Over the weekend I was "sentenced" to 48 hours of bedrest because it didn't look good for the baby last week. Needless to say being placed on bedrest gives you nothing to do but sit there and worry about what's going wrong in your body and then the panic and hopeless feeling that even if something does go wrong there's not a thing in the world anyone can do to prevent it from happening. God answered our prayers and I'm happy to say it looks very good for week 9 of the 40 weeks it takes to get the child here. Anyway, we are cautiously hopeful that all is well, but we are mindful that ultimately God is in control and He has a plan for each of us in our family, including this child that is only 2.5 inches long and weighs 14 grams. We are resting in the peace that comes from knowing God is in control even when we feel like everything is completely out of control. We appreciate all of your prayers. You are all very special to us.

Wilson has been enjoying school the last few days. They have been learning about sports and summer activities at school. Tuesday he got to wear his Cardinals outfit and Wednesday he wore his Rams stuff. Today they are talking about camping and he was so excited that there was a tent in their room this morning. Tomorrow is their weekly "Splash Day" so they will all get to play in water outside. Wilson loves Splash Day. Next week Wilson is going to St. Louis with Honey and Poppy. He loves going to their house for his very own vacation. Chris and I will join him in another week when we go up to bring him home. Originally we planned in March that while Wilson was on his vacation Chris and I would go to Schlitterbahn Water Park and Six Flags and do fun activities that a three year old is still a little too young for. Of course, if you're expecting a baby no amusement park rides and no fun water park rides. That's a sacrifice Chris and I are more than happy to make. :)

Nothing terribly fun has been going on: It's WAY too hot to spend much time outside so we've been having Family Game Night after dinner in the living room - with the air conditioning. That has really been a lot of fun, but we got the electric bill yesterday, and that wasn't much fun. We're reading a lot of books and coloring a lot of pictures too. I'm looking forward to the end of September when it should start cooling down a little bit so we can get back outside. But it's only the end of June, so I'm going to have to learn a little patience. I find consulation that it's not as bad here heat-wise as it is for our dear friend Ginny who is currently in the Middle East with 111 degree days. (Ginny, I pray your air conditioning never goes out.)

Again, we want to make sure you all know how special you are to us and we truly appreciate your prayers and thoughts. Thank you!

Happy Birthday Baby.

I completely forgot to write that it was Chris' birthday on Tuesday. Not that we forgot it was his birthday - we just forgot to write about it. So, here's what he got: a hand-made birthday card courtesy of the budding artists in the house, and later this week Wilson and I are taking him out for a seafood dinner and a movie. Doesn't sound like much, however, I will point out that Wilson got to help choose the gift this year and Wilson said "I want to eat shrimp with Daddy and see Madagascar." And as Chris and I both know, the best presents are those where we get to spend time with our boy. :)

We also went over to Kenneth and Lesley's house for birthday dinner. It was awesome. They have this special South African style of grilling. It's a "braai" which in English translates to "really awesome BBQ at Kenneth and Lesley's". It was delicious. And Lesley made a lemon birthday cake. Lesley is a baker extraordinaire. She's always baking, and we are very happy she does. She also kept me supplied with about 2 gallons of orange juice. So far all this baby really wants is orange juice and mozzarella cheese sticks. All Wilson wanted when I was pregnant with him was cherry limeades and Kraft macaroni and cheese. I can't stand the thought of either of those now!

So Chris is another year older and we are all so in love with him! Happy Birthday sweetheart!

Old Enough to Know - Too Young to Do Anything

Being three is very difficult for Wilson. Almost weekly he comes up with something he wants to do but can't because he's not old enough. It's frustrating for him. Several things he wants to do, but can't, have been brought to our attention. On his third birthday he cried because I told him he wasn't old enough to get a tattoo. Yes, that was what he really wanted - a tattoo. Can you imagine taking a three year old in to get a tattoo? I wondered what he'd get. Probably Spongebob Squarepants... Or maybe a nice "Mom". More likely than anything else is that he wanted a tattoo like Papa Jay's (my grandpa) that says "Wanda". Wilson thought "Wanda" was really neat over Christmas break. So, too young to get a tattoo that says "Wanda". Another thing that Wilson is too young to do is join the Marine Corps. They're not going to take a three year old, and this is hard for Wilson to understand. He'll have to wait until he's eighteen. (He'll like eighteen, he can get that "Wanda" tattoo while he's at boot camp.)

Today being three hit an all time low for Wilson. We had to drive Chris to report for Jury Duty this morning. The plan was that we would drop Chris off downtown at the courthouse and then head off to school. On the way down to the courthouse Chris explained to Wilson that he was going to Jury Duty. Wilson was interested in it, so Chris gave Wilson a run-down of how the judicial system works. By the time we dropped Chris off Jury Duty must have been sounding fascinating to Will. We told Chris goodbye and headed on to school. At a stoplight I heard Wilson sobbing in the backseat. I asked him what was wrong. He said "I want to go to Jury Duty!" I told him he couldn't because he's not old enough. He looked out the window and said "I hate being three!" Poor kid.

Photos from the Archives

Chris converted over some old digital photos to his computer which means we have photos never seen by family and friends before. Since we haven't done anything exciting in a week or so, here's some stuff from last September to show you more of Wilson's favorite things. This particular trip was to the Mayborn Museum at Baylor University. The museum is new and if you haven't gone and you have little kids, it is completely worth the trip to Waco. Take money. Admission is not free. And there's a gift shop that you can't exit the museum without passing.

It took a while to convince him that this was NOT a real bear.

All he needs is a horse named Seabiscuit.

"Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright"

I'm showing Wilson what I do at work. My computer is newer than this type-writer, but I promise you the typewriter in my closet at work is about this old...

Wilson is in to guinea pigs. But with two dogs, two cats, and a fish, Chris says no way are we getting a guinea pig.

He's been watching the Food Network. Can you tell?

Wilson in the firetruck

Father's Day

A little benefit for our readers:

This year for Father's Day Chris' present is going to be a little late. His Father's Day present will actually arrive around February 10th, 2006. We had our first doctor's appointment today - I think the doctor was happy to see us again because I think he was starting to think we wouldn't be repeat customers. Hopefully I will quit being so tired soon. Otherwise, everything is great. Of course, any prayers you can throw our way will be coveted and most appreciated. Wilson will turn 4 on February 18th, so they will be 4 full years apart.

Tired

We're all tired. For the last three weeks we have done nothing but travel. Traveling is fun, but there's something to just sleeping late in your own bed that can't be beat. Right after we returned from St. Louis I had one evening to do the laundry and then pack myself for a conference in San Antonio. Normally I don't go to conferences, and I can't say that I mind that too much. I got to go to a computer application conference. Wow. You wouldn't believe how many middle-age, partially bald men with ponytails listening to The Who on their IPod minis can fit into one room...

Chris has taken up protecting our home from the "immenent squirrel invasion" he sees approaching. We have pear, peach, and plum trees in the backyard. The squirrels cleaned out the peach tree, so Chris (and our neighbor Joe) have armed with pellet guns and electric fence wire. Rodents beware.

Hopefully we will have something exciting to write about soon, but for right now we are all tired and we're off to rest.