Fake Thanksgiving 2007

We're back from Fake Thanksgiving 2007! A blast was had by all, and as you can see from this picture, the boys are learning to play in the water together! Seth got a lot of hugs from Isaac, and Isaac was pretty thrilled to see him whenever he got up from his naps. Seth had a great time talking to everyone and kicking his legs and taking long walks over the family farm with Nana and Papa. He's currently crashing from all the over exertion. He's been a remarkably smiley, happy baby this morning. I think maybe all the excitement made him long for a quiet time with just Mommy. I am happy that he's happy with just me. Maybe I'll get a little more appreciation around here...

As you can tell, Terri is very great with child. Little Ethel Marie will be coming out of the oven in about 4 weeks. =) (Yes, Terri, until you tell me what her real name is, I will be putting the most hideous names I can think of up on the world wide web. ) I remember this stage of pregnancy distinctly. It's the time when rolling over at night makes you feel like a beached whale struggling desperately to get back in the water. Little Dorcas gave me some great kicks. She was much more forthcoming than Isaac was at that age. =)

Me and the baby bro. Isn't he adorable? I still love giving him noogies, and I still get the occasional comment that he looks like Brad Pitt. Anybody else see it? =) And don't our noses look ridiculously huge in this picture? Gotta love the family nose issue. Hey, at least Vance's looks bigger than mine for once. My poor brother was sick the whole time, and so was Terri. They both had some form of cold/sore throat. I felt so bad for them. One of the hardest things about being far apart is that the time you do get is so compressed that there's more pressure to be feeling great and at your best. To top it off, I was mildly dizzy the whole time. Looks like I have an inner ear infection, per the PA diagnosis I got this afternoon, but it has been no fun to be trying to focus hard on the spot in front of me while walking straight. Grrr. So we had three adult sickies this weekend. I'm praying that David, Seth, and I don't get their plague.

The whole clan, V, T, I, and Gertrude (in utero). =) Everybody left early on Sunday morning to go to their respective homes. Ok, highlights of the weekend, since you're all dying to know. Hmm, Terri and I got to go to McDonald's all by ourselves for two whole hours! David the Wonder Husband watched Zack and Seth, with a little help from Mom. We got to sit and sip beverages and talk and talk and talk about all the minute details of SAHM life. It would've been an intensely boring conversation to those of you without kids, but to us, it's a chat session about the career that we've both chosen, and we're excited and intimidated by it all at the same time. Hmm, another highlight was seeing Zack so intensely excited by all three tractors in his farm life. He played with Vance's toy tractor, got to ride on Vance's John Deere pedal tractor, and got a bunch of rides on the real green Oliver tractor. Dad even took him on a nighttime ride because he kept begging. Terri was a little worried about going back to MN where there are no tractors, except a pedal one the somebody left around that has no seat. I'm imagining a meltdown where Zack sees that one.

I called Mom and Dad this morning, and I realized afresh how much I'm going to miss these days when they're gone. They kept saying how quiet it was when we left. They kept thinking they heard babies waking up long after we'd left. Dad got on the phone for a minute and said, "We miss you. Come back." He never says stuff like that. When you love your children intensely, it must be so sad when they grow up and move out, even if you know they're happy and are doing what they are supposed to be doing. I have much more sympathy for their plight now than I did before I have Seth. I hope he comes to visit me often when he's all grown up. Love you, Mom and Dad. So y'all, hug your parents, and take the kids to see them more often. After all, that's what you want your munchkins to do for you one day.