I've been tagged!

My friend April tagged me yesterday to list seven random things about myself. These are not in any particular order, you know, like the Top Seven Random Things About Kara.....I'm just not that creative this late in pregnancy.

1. I have lived in six different states in the US, and one foreign country in my nearly 39 years:
(And these are in order) Louisiana, New Jersey, Texas, Arkansas, Maryland, and Tennessee
And in 1994 I lived for a semester and taught in Quezaltenango, Guatemala. As a side note, my favorite places to live have been Austin, Searcy, and Knoxville.

2. I love to spell. I always have. I can't add my way out of a box, but I can spell just about anything you ask me to.

3. I am a history nerd. Particularly Russian history.

4. God allowed me to visit 12 countries before Kevin and I married, and one after:
England, Russia, Guatemala, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, (well, only technically; we crossed over the "border" on the river while on safari, but the guide told us we'd now been to Namibia) Botswana, South Africa, and then Mexico on our honeymoon. By the way, the trip to Mexico was the only one I did as a "tourist".

5. I've never seen the Grand Canyon. Go figure.

6. My favorite TV shows all involve solving crimes: All three of the CSIs and my newest one is NCIS. And thanks to our DVR, I don't miss them while spending my evenings with my family! :)I can be a TV junkie on my own time. What a plus. :)

7. After all my travels, if I could go anywhere in the world on vacation, I'd choose to go to Disney World in Florida without regard to cost, and not pregnant so I could ride the rides. And with a nanny, or my mom so Kevin and I could enjoy doing some things together as a couple. Actually, I'd like to do all the fun stuff in Orlando. But I'd love, love, love to see Laura meet the Princesses. (No one said these seven things had to be realistic!)

Message from Lindy Grace

Hello, Friends and Family! I know that Mommy tried to put these photos of me on the blog earlier in the week, but she is suffering from something I hear her call "pregnancy insanity", and she forgot to edit her social security number out (whatever that means) when she posted them. Thank you, Miss April, for pointing that out to her. I just wanted to take a minute from my somersaults to say hello to everyone who is eagerly awaiting my arrival and let you know what I've been up to these last 33 weeks. So far, my favorite activities are turning flips under Mommy's ribs and tickling them with my toes. They say that my head is down now, so Mommy can feel my backside resting right under her right ribcage. The thing is, she won't leave me alone! She is constantly poking around to try to feel me and figure out where I am living. I wish she'd just let me be for a little while! I am really looking forward to meeting my big sister Laura. I hear her talking to me and talking to everyone and everything that moves and she sounds very exciting. I hope I'll be able to keep up with her as I grow. Daddy loves to kiss me already, and apparently I look like him because they keep saying how much I already look like Laura. Poor Mommy....all she'll be able to do is claim that she carried us because we'll look so much like Daddy. At least he's really handsome. My favorite foods seem to be pickles, pudding, and macaroni and cheese because those are the things I keep asking Mommy for. Especially the pickles. Vlasic Dill Ovals to be exact. I think they give me the hiccups, though, so we'll have to watch that after I'm born. I can't wait to meet all of you in person in just a few weeks. They say that I'm supposed to be a birthday present for Mommy, since I am due the day before she turns 39 (whatever that means), but I hope I get my own birthday. May seems like a nice month.....I talk to Jesus a lot in here. I know He loves me and you, too. I'm going to get back to my somersaults now. See you soon! Love, Melinda Grace

Family Portraits and Trip to Memphis and Children's Museum

We had our family portraits and Laura's four year portraits done yesterday (April 12) and we were so pleased with them! I can't believe how much our little toddler has grown and matured in just the last year!

Laura is studying the instruments as co-pilot.

Old friends are the best!

Kevin had business in Memphis this week, so Laura and I took a much needed break from Nashville and went to visit dear friends in Memphis while he was working. We had a wonderful time! It is such a blessing to have friends with whom it doesn't matter how long it has been since we saw each other, we just pick up like we never even left off. Charlotte and Doyle Bradsher are that way. Charlotte was one of my Matrons of Honor in our wedding and I cherish her friendship. She and I took Laura to the Children's Museum of Memphis on Thursday. We had a great time there! They have a stage and dress-up area for the children to change clothes and imagine all they want to. That was far and away Laura's favorite place in the museum. She also loved the FedEx 727 body and cockpit. I'm so thankful not to be a pilot! I've never sat in a real pilot's seat before, so I had no idea how many dials and buttons and bells and whistles there are in there! We three girls had a fun day doing that on Thursday and then Friday we did a little bit of shopping and I packed to go home with Kevin. That is my 32 weeks pregnant belly in front of the beautiful azaleas in Charlotte and Doyle's yard.

Too Sweet

I just couldn't resist sharing this precious photo of the two most important people in my life resting peacefully together. Usually Laura wants me to read to her and scratch her back before she goes to sleep at night, but Sunday night she asked for Kevin. What a blessing it is to have the opportunity to get an image like this one. So often I think to myself, "It's no wonder God calls us His children...." when I see myself acting like a four year old in response to life. But He also wants us to trust in Him and rest in His loving care like children. We are blessed beyond measure and I am so grateful. On another note, Lord willing, we are going on Saturday to do Laura's four year portraits and some family shots, so hopefully I'll have some of all of us to post when we're through with that. And also, for our friends in Knoxville, we are planning to be there the weekend of the 25th and can't wait to see everyone there! I love reading blogs from everyone there.....it is like a living link to people we love and miss so dearly. Have a happy Thursday and may you find yourselves resting in our Father's love and grace.

Finally an update!

Hello from Nashville! I'm so grateful to feel well enough to post at least a few pictures....I have been very sick with pneumonia and it just layed me out. Today has really been the first day I've felt even close to "normal" in the last four weeks. I thought I'd just post a few pictures from Laura's birthday celebrations (we had three as that was when family groups were in town) and some from Easter. It is hard to believe our first baby is now four. And our other one has taken up residence right under my ribcage. After March came and went with a blur of doctors' visits and trips to the pharmacy, I'm thankful it is at last April. I love seeing the beginnings of Spring. I'll be really happy when the temperatures match the season! :)

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Weekend in Knoxville

We had a wonderful time in Knoxville this past weekend! You can see Laura in her big girl dress, all ready for the "weddin", as she puts it. It was such a blessing to see old friends we love and miss so much. The picture of Laura on the couch was taken Sunday afternoon, after she'd thrown up all night Saturday night. Poor thing.....You might be able to see the difference in how she felt. Without getting into a big long description of our medical woes, I'll say that along with the stomach bug, Laura had a pretty nasty cough. By the time we got home to Nashville Monday, I was coughing, and yesterday found out I have pneumonia. Laura, thank goodness, is fine now. She is staying with Kevin's parents for the next couple of days so I can rest. Pneumonia is never good, but pneumonia while 27 weeks pregnant is actually pretty dangerous. So, please pray for me if you think of it. The problem is that my fever has been so high it puts Lindy at potential risk. And pneumonia can potentially cause early labor and delivery. I'm choosing not to put up a picture of myself as I look like a train wreck today. Kevin, thankfully, seems to have an immune system of iron, and he is just fine. He came home Monday with a dozen red roses and a beautiful diamond sapphire band to go with my wedding set. I was going to get a picture of it, but just don't have the energy. But I wanted to brag on him for his care and his romance and his tender love. I don't know what I'd do without him. I had told him something like that would be a really great anniversary gift at some point, and he delivered.....three and a half months early! God has blessed us beyond measure and I am humbled and grateful. I can tell it is time to get back to the couch. I'll send another update soon. Until then, happy Thursday!

A World of White!

Here is our little Snow Angel. She has been dying to make one of these and she really had a good time doing it, as you can see!


Laura decided to help out by clearing the car of snow for me. This is her first time to really be around any snow at all. By the time we got inside she was soaked through and very cold. But she was ready for some more.

Well, we woke up this morning to much more snow than expected! I heard that the groundhog saw his shadow, so this must be what our six weeks' more winter looks like! They said it would quit snowing by morning, but as you can see, at 9:30 central time, it was coming down pretty hard. This may not seem like much to you winter veterans, but for a girl from Houston, this is a blizzard!

Laura is looking out the window in eager anticipation of getting out and IN the snow! No, she isn't wearing a shirt, and yes, it is snowing outside. I figure she'll ask for warm clothes when she gets cold enough. Her favorite outfit right now is a purple bathing suit/skirt that she considers her ballerina outfit. I actually had planned for these photos to be posted first, but I'm still learning how to do this. At any rate, you can see how the day looked. This snow is the perfect kind for skiing. As I've given my word to two different doctors to never ski again, after ruining my knee, I can only dream of those happy days going down mountains on narrow slices of metal at speeds beyond what is probably reasonable....At any rate, it has been a beautiful, cold morning. I'm sorry that Kevin isn't here to see it and play with us!