Todd Show and Brynn/ Seattle

This is Brynn helping Todd to take a drink . Isn't that precious?

Okay! See those magnificent bouquets of flowers behind Brynn, as well as the ones she's holding??? Those are only $5 at the Pikes Place Market in Seattle. Holy Face!!!!

Brynn and Todd in vague pirate garb. Todd took that wooden sword he's holding and beat everything in sight. At that festival, they had no less than 3 swords a piece GIVEN to them because they were so cute.

Dinosaur Todd

This is Todd up in his natural habitat: The wild
Tyler told him to act like a dinosaur.

So He Did.

Playtime

OK family, here are some of the cutest pics ever. Brynn, Maggie and Ivy found some old dresses of Mellie's (which Grandma Percy made) and with Natalie's help they got all dressed up and played princesses all evening. They danced, twirled, primped, walked like I didn't know they knew how to walk that way, and generally entertained us all. That was a really bad run on sentence, I know, but I'm in a hurry. Anyway, enjoy the view. It must have been May that these were taken.
It's after July 4th and I am still trying to get back on track with my regular life. I have been off for three months with Michelle and fam being here and then traveling and being gone for almost 2 weeks.
Mom

Rabbits!

Okay, so maybe this little guy's eye shouldn't have been as big and buggy as they are. That's a little unnatural. However, Emma's rabbit is absolutely a joy to sew! Mom, hop on it! (teheheh, you know...hop.)
I made it a little lace skirt so Brynn could be even more proud of it. I just asked her what the bunny's name was, and she said, "um....shoodeenster". Alright, Shoodeenster it is!

There's a better picture of how I did the buttons. Once again, I actually wish I would have just done them the way Emma does hers. My buttons make it look like it has problems.

Brynn's New Dress

Today Brynn, Todd, and I went to the quilt shop in Springville to get some fabrics to make her a new skirt. Brynn picked out her fabrics, which were all pink and bright and crazy, and then she told the ladies at the quilt shop all about her friend, Maggie with RED hair. (yes, she yelled the word "RED"). As I was going through the quilt shop, I noticed little numbers taped to the floor, and then noticed that there was one of the workers dressed as a clown, and I though, "What the devil...." Then all of the sudden, the clown lady yelled, "everyone get on a number" so I got on a number...and then even more odd, they called out my number. I went up to the cash register, and I got to participate in a contest to win a prize. The contest was hula-hooping....and I've got to say, I kicked butt. So, basically, I won a coloring book for the kids.
So, here's the kids, in an obviously forced pose.

And there's Brynn's awkward smile and Todd's usual face.

The Silver Donkey

I thought I would explain about why I liked this book I recomment from my side post. I found it for a great discount at one of the discount book sellars that send me stuff in the mail. I think it may have been Daedelus. Anyway, I read it out loud to our family a month or so before Christmas last year. It wasn't a deep plot, or action packed, but it was a thoughtful story about a couple of small children who find a blind runaway soldier during a time of war. The book itself was beautiful wih a dark green cover and a silver ribbon.

I think that not only was it enjoyable to read aloud, but that we were all together, enjoying something together with an age range in the family of age 11 to 50. For us all to sit down together and enjoy something for many hours is a rare thing. Perhaps the experience of being together was as important as the story. I would recommend an activity of this kind for anyone. Even just a couple. I used to read books to Brent all the time without kids. I read him the Hobbit and all of the Lord of the Rings when we were young marrieds. I have read him many other books. Good times!!

Ultrasound (Toby & Jill's baby)

Yesterday, I had the battery of blood tests required by the state of Arkansas for home birth moms. Then we saw the Certified Nurse Midwife who works with Candy for a checkup. She was really nice and especially understanding about my raging case of white-coat high blood pressure. It was just fine by the end of the visit, so no problems there.

She was doing the list of routine checks, listening to the baby's heartbeat and so forth. When she got to measuring fundal height, she started asking me if I was sure about my due date. I'm pretty sure about that. I was supposed to be about one centimeter for each week of pregnancy, or about 25 1/2, but it was more like 29. So that means either wrong due date, huge baby, too much fluid, or twins. So we consulted Candy and she recommended an ultrasound to see what was going on in there.

Now, I've never had an ultrasound before. We've had all our babies with midwives and it's never been necessary, and I've always liked to be surprised at the birth by which gender the baby is. But, come on, if I have to have a diagnostic ultrasound my natural impatience for information takes control. It was a really neat thing to have a peek at this kid three months early. It was also mega-expensive, since we have no health insurance and pay out of pocket (or is it nose?) for our medical care.

First, there are no complications. The baby is just the right size, there's only one in there, and fluid levels are good, too. It just so happens that this baby likes to stretch itself out from top to bottom and throw off the numbers. Figures.

Second, we are having another little BOY! I think Hollis smiled his face off last night when we told him. Now we know what color to paint the nursery, and whether to buy pink or blue clothing. That's a laugh on both fronts, since he will sleep in our room (mostly in our bed), and we have boxes of clothing kept from when Hollis was a baby.