Bad Guys

Harry and I have been working very hard on our nursery the past few weeks. This morning, I got up and looked out the window to see a bird fly into our grill. I got worried the bird couldn't get out... she did seconds later. Then she continued to fly in and out of the grill and I quickly realized that she was 2 birds, a mommy bird and daddy bird, and they were building a nest.

There they are, just working on their nursery.

Look what a good job they did! Unfortunately, Harry and I grill out often so we had to destroy all their hard work. We both felt awful. We really are the bad guys. Sorry little birds!

Bird Update: I just heard Joey and Phoebe making their bird noises so I went to look out the window. The birds started to recreate their nest... very persistent little birds.

Backyard Beauty

Sometimes, we are so caught up with the fast pace of today's world that we forget to enjoy the beauty of our own backyard. On this Earth Day, I'm taking a moment to see the beauty in the everyday... my own yard.

Little Girl's Room

Our little girls room is really starting to look like a room. Yesterday and today, Harry and I continued to work on our soon-to-be nursery. After a lot of measuring, sawing, nailing, filling of holes, sanding, and painting, our wainscoting is almost done. We still need to install the top rail and paint the brown stripe at the top, but it looks pretty cute already.

Checking for level... yes, Harry did this with every board!

Nailing in each board.

Our first (sort-of) finished corner!

Our unfinished wall. All the nail holes are filled, I still need to do the final coat of paint on the wainscoting and baseboards.

Part of our crib, ready to be assembled later this week (isn't it beautiful).

Our inspiration for the room... bunny meadow.

The Halfway Mark

Today marks my 20th week of pregnancy... we are halfway there! We had a doctor's appointment today and our little lady was moving all over the place (making it very hard to hear her heartbeat). We finally did learn that her heart was beating at 156 beats per minute and she is measuring right on track.

Here we are... 20 weeks along!

The Makings of a Nursery

This past week, Harry and I began working on the baby's nursery. Harry surprised me by removing all of the old baseboards while I was in Arizona. Then, on Saturday and Sunday we finished cleaning out all of the "office" items and began painting and installed new baseboards.

The room just before painting.

The room after painting (we didn't paint the lower half since it will be covered up with wainscoting).

The new baseboards and a preview of the wainscoting.

"The Parking Deck" with the wainscoting and top rail ready to be installed. Hopefully we will have more pictures to share after this weekend!

Spring Break in Yuma, Part III

For our final full day in Arizona, we headed to Phoenix to enjoy the big city life (and so Karen, Wes, and I could be close to the airport for our 6 AM flight).

Our car arrangement... this took some work. Martha and I were in the front seats, Alex and Luke are in the middle row (Alex is rear facing), and Madison, Karen, and Weston are in the back (Wes is rear facing). Three adults and four kids all in car seats... we were very full!


A few pictures of the desert on our drive to Phoenix. It is a three hour drive from YPG to Phoenix, desert the whole way.


After lunch at Karen's favorite Mexican restaurant from her childhood, Macayo's, we headed to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Even though it was very hot, I loved the gardens because I got to take some wonderful desert scenery photographs.



A rare sighting of a desert whale... oh wait, that's me.



We even go to see a butterfly exhibit. Madison and Luke really seemed to enjoy this.





After the botanical garden, we were all exhausted so Martha dropped Karen, Wes, and I off at the hotel. Weston summed up the trip best with this picture...

Thanks to Edward, Martha, Madison, Luke, and Alex for showing us such a good time!

Spring Break in Yuma, Part II

Day 2 in Yuma was also Luke's third birthday. We began the day running errands in town.

The drive into Yuma from Yuma Proving Ground.

We began our errands by eating breakfast at Goldsboro Bakery. A maple doughnut for me, a chocolate doughnut for Martha, and a cherry pastry for Karen. Also notice Karen's sweet wolves within a wolf coffee mug.

When we returned to post, we got pizza and went bowling for Luke's birthday.

Martha watched the babies while we bowled.

Karen, Luke, and Madison getting ready to bowl.

We ended the evening with Luke's birthday party. Here he is showing off his new Buzz Lightyear PJs, his walking dinosaur, and the pirate towel that Harry and I got him.

Spring Break in Yuma, Part I

This past week Karen, Weston, and I traveled to Yuma, AZ to visit Martha and her family for spring break. It was a quick, fun-filled trip.

Weston waiting for our flight in the USO room at CLT.

Me and George H.W. Bush at Houston Airport

When Karen, Weston, and I arrived most of the Jones Family was asleep. The cousins, Wes and Alex, shared a happy reunion in the morning.


We spent our first full day in AZ playing outside...

crashing children's toys...

and watching Madison practice for T-Ball.

Karen and Wes enjoying the "game".

Luke

Alex

It was a really nice day.

The Legend of the Dogwood Tree

At the time of Crucifixion the dogwood had been the size of the oak and other forest trees. So firm and strong was the tree that it was chosen as the timber for the cross. To be used thus for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the tree, and Jesus nailed upon it, sensed this.

In His gentle pity for all sorrow and suffering Jesus said to the tree:
" Because of your regret and pity for My suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross--two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it will remember."


Our dogwood tree started blooming yesterday, just in time for Easter.

Happy Easter!

Harry, Baby, and I before church

Weston and Karen