Belly Bump

Several people have asked if I have a belly yet. Let it be known that I give the people what they want. Although it really just looks like I've "let myself go" and this picture isn't very flattering, I know it's only going to get...worse.

We're having a BOY!!!!

We had our scan today and the technician was able to tell right away that we are having a boy!! I was about 80% sure that it would be a boy because I have been feeling so well. I've heard that people are generally more nauseous with girls. Of course we are very excited and it was really cool to get a good look at Junior. The technician was really great and spent about 30-40 minutes with us and showed us the heart, the feet, the hands, the spine...everything. The doctor reviewed everything and said it all looked good. Here are a few of the pictures we were given. Two profile shots and one foot.

An Open Letter to ESPN Regarding Michael Vick

I think there are a lot of sportscasters out there who are missing out on an opportunity. Over and over I've heard people say that Michael Vick shouldn't be allowed to have an opportunity to play in the NFL or that he's not remorseful enough for having been involved in dog fighting. Well, here's what I think. I think he made a huge error in judgement to have gotten involved in dog fighting and to have taken things to the extremes that he did. He got caught. He was prosecuted. He served time in jail. He probably suffered more than an average Joe would have had they been punished for the same crime. Vick essentially fell from a very high, very public, very lucrative pinnacle.

So now that he's out of jail and the Eagles have signed him, I really think that this would be an excellent opportunity for America to show how we are able to forgive and allow people to have second chances. Sportscasters are denying us the opportunity to freely forgive by posing these kinds of questions. I could maybe see people get skeptical if an accountant were convicted for embezzling funds from a company and was now seeking a position with the FDIC. I really don't have a problem with Michael Vick having been convicted for dog fighting and now seeking employment with the NFL. To me, they're completely unrelated, so I wish him well. I think baseball players who have been caught doing steroids are more likely to recommit such crimes than Michael Vick.

I also have opinions about PETA. I have very little respect for this organization. There has been a lot of talk and speculation pertaining to potential PETA protests at upcoming Eagles games. I can tell you right now that if there are protests, I will have even LESS respect for PETA. I don't like their outrageous tactics and I think they do more harm than good sometimes.

That being said, I don't agree with the idea of Michael Vick becoming a spokesperson for stopping dog fighting. It just seems...contrived and a little wrong. I'm glad that he wants to stand for reform, but it just makes me uncomfortable to think of him helping animals. It seems like he was told that this is the best way to restore his reputation. To me, it's tantamount to a pedophile getting released from prison and volunteering at a local elementary school. A little too weird.

Reunions

Last month we went to Utah and Idaho for family reunions on both sides of our families. The first family reunion we went to was for Andy's side of the family and we ended up in Montpelier ID. Andy's aunt and uncle and several cousins live there. They were quite influential in building and running the Oregon/California Trail Center there. I was really impressed. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can honestly say I was blown away.

The center has a tour where you can learn about how the pioneers lived and the challenges they faced. The tour ends up in a room with covered wagons circled around where we ate dinner. It was really well done. The food was great and the whole experience was really interesting. It was a lot of fun to get to know more of Andy's cousins.

One of the highlights of the evening was singing karaoke with everyone. Of course Andy did not disappoint. He not only sang the Macarena (with a large group of "fly girls") but he also danced to Billy Jean. Michael Jackson would have been so proud.

Later that week, we went to a family reunion on my side of the family in Elba, Idaho--near Oakley, Idaho. It's pretty impressive how many small Idaho towns we were able to visit for our reunions. We camped at the Twin Sisters campsite in Rock City. The irony is that there were 4 sets of twins there. One of my cousins brought his rock climbing gear and we were able to go rock climbing. I even went, much to the chagrin, of my dad who didn't want his grandchild dangling from a rope 100 feet up in the air. (This isn't the best angle, but at least it's from far away.)

My cousin had prepared a slide show of pictures of our relatives and places they lived. Not only was it interesting, but I was impressed that he was able to operate a computer, projector etc in the middle of nowhere using his car battery for power. Pretty slick. My great, great grandfather, Evan Davies Jones, died in Elba and as part of the reunion, we placed a headstone on his unmarked grave. We also drove in to Oakley, ID where a few more relatives lived and were buried.

This is my brother and his son who have carried on a family tradition of having the initials of A. G. S. as they are standing next to the headstone of my great grandfather, Adam Gibson Smith.

I wanted to include one other picture of my nieces and nephew. It was a little difficult to get them all to smile at the camera at the same time, but it was a lot easier to get them to make funny faces at the camera!!

T-shirts

So last month we had a family reunion and I had a wonderful time making t-shirts for my side of the family. If nothing else, I had a lot of fun making them and they were great conversation starters at the family reunion. Here's how they turned out...

I kill you. I thought it was particularly entertaining when she was wearing her "I kill you." shirt while walking around the campsite in the dark with a sword and a big ole grin on her face.

This sea food is making me sea sick!

Oh! For Pete's Sake! (picture: Peter Brady)

That really gripes me!

Toothfairy Swindler

I neeeeeed you!

This sea food is making me sea sick!

I'm glad I didn’t grow up in a small town like this one. (picture: “Welcome to Laie, HI Population 4,500)

Don't punch your brother, you'll give him cancer!

When I say "jump," you ask "how high" on the way down!

Jam and Jelly and a PUNCH in the Belly!

I'm gunna bougainvillea your face!

I'm in the beans and I'm heading west.

This is a little trick I learned in the Army.

We're going to the Greatest Show On Earth. Star Wars?!

Dude! What the heck?

I'm a mighty fine girl. And cute, too!

A Kitty!

Are you sure it's broken? Yes, I'm sure!

I didn't get pictures of Crystal's shirt, "I've been a trooper today; I was expecting a nap!" and Ben's (he was AWOL) "Spatially Challenged Engineer".

Happy (early) Birthday!

Andy's birthday is coming up and since we will be traveling and won't be together for his actual birthday, I took him out to dinner at Ruth's Chris tonight. We had a great time. Of course the food was excellent.

I feel so lucky to be married to a such a wonderful guy. Andy is always ready and willing to make me laugh. On more than one occasion, he has taken the opportunity to dance in the car's headlights in a semi-empty parking lot just to entertain me. People have made comments to me that they can't imagine anyone not liking Andy or that I have married "someone very special". I have to agree. Andy is one of the most gregarious people I know. He has really made a big difference in our ward as the Elders Quorum President and I'm proud of the person he is and the person he is becoming. It will certainly be a lot of fun to raise "Junior" together with him.

Fire!

Andy and I went to Utah and Idaho in July for some family reunions. While on our way to the airport, we stopped off at a Salt Lake City fire station to see my brother, Stephen.

He showed us around the firehouse and I felt like we had been given the royal elementary school tour. He even gave us a great demonstration on how to get dressed up like a fireman--ready to fight fires. Of course Andy was his muse and Andy was all too willing to put on the official garb. He will do ANYTHING to entertain me! I must admit, however, that I was quite relieved that the fire alarm didn't go off while Andy was dressed up and he didn't have to pull a Kramer and go fight a fire at the last minute.

Am I going to inherit a cow??

I'm on my way home from a conference for work that was held in St. Petersburg Florida. (I'm actually in the Charlotte airport right now waiting for my flight home.) During one of the breaks, the hotel provided us with a variety of cookies and milk. I was quite taken aback by the name of the company that produced the milk...

Velda Farms. I had no idea that my grandma was involved in a farm all the way in Florida!