Hola

Thanks for getting things going again, Liz. I don't have too much to update but just thought I'd say hello.

We're braving all this weird weather going on right now--rain, hail, tornadoes. People just don't know what to do when stuff falls from the sky here. So Violet and I have been exploring all the many indoor activities our area has to offer. There's a really cool hands-on Noah's Ark exhibit for kids that she absolutely loves, and we've been going to the aquarium a lot, although I think she will forever prefer SeaWorld to just fish in a glass box now. But who can blame her?

I'm just hitting week 32 of my pregnancy and all is well. Life is starting to get a little uncomfortable, like when I drop something on the floor I really have to decide just how important it is to pick it back up. Adding a toddler to the mix certainly makes things more interesting this time around. She was up about every hour last night with yet another cold/cough and ended up sleeping with us, which means I woke up with little girl feet in my face all night. But she does keep me moving, that's for sure. Things were a little hairy there for a while, and I'm sure that now we're in the two's, we will hit some more interesting phases. But right now is actually a lot of fun. She's able to communicate pretty well, she can "help" me around the house, and she enjoys playing on her own or can even sit and do an art project by herself for periods of time. Plus, all the funny things she says are pretty entertaining. Like when I thought I locked my keys in the house the other day and uttered a somewhat choice word under my breath over and over until I found them. Later that same day, I heard her playing in her room, singing a little song that included that same choice word sung over and over to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

Adam's gone through a couple more moves at work and has yet another new boss. But he seems to be liking work a lot more now, which is really a blessing. In general, we're liking life in LA a lot more--having a great network of friends has a lot to do with that. Although, we just found out about half of those friends are going to be moving in the next year. No one can afford to live here on one salary -- well, no one normal anyway.

We're kind of car shopping right now--we've had one car for quite a while now but LA is just not the kind of place that makes it easy to do that. Plus, the car we have is getting old and I'm a little freaked out at getting stranded in Compton with a toddler and a baby. Not that I frequently drive through Compton, but you know.

I've been meaning to take some belly pics to show off but haven't managed to do it yet. Hopefully we'll get around to it before he comes.

All right, Dora's over so it's time for naps. Yay! Love you girls!

Getting the ball rolling

Ok, so this blog has been on the pitiful side lately. I know you all have a lot going on, so let's get blogging so we can all hear about it:)

Things with us are going well. Nathan and I just got back from a cruise to the southern Caribbean, which was fabulous. Katie stayed with Nathan's parents since my family went as well. So it was nice bonding time for them since we don't see them as often as we'd like. I'll admit it was pretty nervewracking for the first couple days for me leaving her and being practically out of the country. But she did great and we had a great time. I figure it was most likely out last "adult" vacation for like decades, since soon they will all be about Disney and camping and other such kid-related activities. It was nice, but I think I'm also ready for the kid vacations now too, since I got that out of my system. Although I must admit, the Caribbean has been calling me back all week since I've been home.

Not too much else going on here. Katie's keeping me busy all the time. She just LOVES her playdates with Seth and Lilah (she doesn't pay too much attention to Isaac just yet;). If I even mention Julie's name in passing, all I hear is "Yiyah, Yiyah!" Translation: "Lilah, Lilah!" I must admit, it's quite nice having a fellow Sapphire close by to hang out with. Especially since we're both trapped home raising kids, I mean enjoying the fulfillment of being stay-home moms:). Ok well, that's about it for us. Hope to hear from you all soon.