Really? Only one day?

Tomorrow is June 26th and I thought for sure I'd have had this baby by now. How do I feel? Perfectly fine. A few aches and pains here and there, but no real strong contractions, no swelling, no nothing. I wish that weren't the case and I could argue for an early induction tomorrow at my doctor's appointment. Any suggestions?

My new favorite McKenzie saying . . .

"Let's talk about something girly."

She usually says this while we're waiting for Justin to get out of the tub and get dressed. Then she'll look around her room and find a topic of conversation -- nail polish or lip gloss, Peppa Pig books, her cell phone, etc. Tonight we talked about the boy she's going to marry (Ashton, age 3) and the 14 children they're going to have (her number, not mine - yea!). I asked her why Ashton and she replied, so he can be a part of our family. Good enough for me!

Take me out to the ball game!

Last night we took the kids to their first minor league game and they loved it! Justin was all smiles. McKenzie kept asking things like "what happens after _____?" and "what do they do if _____?"

They both were fascinated by the squirelly mascot and all the Chick-fil-A advertising and a little too enthused (according to Alex) about the inflatable bouncers.

They also loved all the free paraphernalia . . .

But mostly, they enjoyed the game.

We prepped them to stay as long as possible . . .

On the way there

And figured we'd stay only as long as they were interested. Justin never asked when we were going home and McKenzie fell in love with the pink clouds.

We might have found a new Saturday night pastime!

I said I would never do it . . .

own a mini-van, that is. But, with my belly about to pop any day and the lack of space in our current vehicles, we had to make a change. Friday we traded in Alex's little Hyundai and my pride for a 2006 Honda Odyssey. Alex assures me that when I go somewhere without the kids (never!) that I can still drive the Nissan. He also assures me that two years from now I'll wonder what I ever did without "my" van. Justin and McKenzie already love it. I stand for a moment of silence in honor of the car that I love.

ODE TO A NISSAN

Ten years ago in downtown Chicago

we bought a car no other could follow.

With stick-shift in hand we ne'r hit the road

without feeling young, free as the swallow.

And now with two kids and one on the way,

priorities change and so do our songs.

It's off to the dealer to make our bids.

With windows down, it's "blast it" they say

mouthing Hannah Montana and wearing thongs.

On my face, a smile, and my heart belongs

in a blue mini-van with two wonderful kids.

Strawberry picking

Grandma and I took the kids to Washington Farms to pick strawberries. McKenzie's first question: "where are the animals?" (After convincing her this was a farm just for strawberries, we decided we need to take a trip to the zoo this summer.)

We went at 9:00 in the morning but it was still HOT! We finished Kenzie's bucket then took a little break and finished Justin's. We were all red-faced and sweaty but happy with our surplus!

McKenzie helped me in the kitchen and we put up at least a few months worth of freezer jam. (We've already eaten half a container in the last two days!) She especially liked squishing the berries and stirring in the sugar/pectin. Yummy!