Happy Independence Day!

Whew... I am tired!  We had a great Fourth of July, although we pretty much didn't stop moving all day.  

We started with a Pancake Breakfast at the ward building (sorry, no pictures because I was too busy making sure it was running smoothly).

Then Spencer and I went to a bunch of Fourth of July sales, including the one at Fry's which turns out ended on the THIRD of July (alway

s read the small print on Fry's ads).

Then we went to Tracy's house for a barbeque, with lots of delicious Carne Asada.  Yum

Next, we headed over to the block party a bunch of our neighbors organized.  It was great.  We probably had about sixty-seventy people show up.  A bunch of the men got out their grills and smokers and made brisket, sausage, chicken and burgers.  We blocked off the street and the kids rode their bikes and played basketball.  It seriously felt like a slice of the '50s.  It is so great to live in a neighborhood that has so many families and kids.  

We even brought out the Bocce ball set (or as the French, and Spencer call it, Boules).

Finally, we headed back to Tracy's house and set off fireworks.  We live in an unincorporated part of the city and so pretty much all types of fireworks are legal.  Imagine the types that are normally set off by cities, or professional organizations, and then imagine all your neighbors setting them off all over your housing development.  It sounded like a war zone, but it looked awesome.  My camera has a fireworks mode, and I got some great pictures of the action.

Introducing Princess Peanut!

Yep, that's right. My stubborn genes won out in the end. We are having a girl!

I ams so happy!  It isn't just that we having a girl, I would have been just as happy with a boy, but now I can finally truly believe what is happening to us.  I can picture our little family in my mind.  I see a precious little girl wrapping Spencer around her little finger, I see her being Daddy's little girl, I see me teaching my daughter how to become a strong woman.  I feel like I have waited for this for such a long time.  It is so great that it is finally here.

That's my Dad! I love my Dad!

The other day I met the new missionary in the ward. To help him place me in the ward family tree, I told him that I was the daughter of Brother Inman, the man who had picked him up from the mission home. “”Brother Inman?" He said. "You mean my favorite guy in the whole world!”

That’s my Dad. If you have met him, he is probably one of your favorite guys as well. He is kind, and sweet, and funny, and generous, and hard-working, and one of the coolest guys around. 

I didn’t always know how cool he was. I remember when he used to drive me to school in his old carpet cleaning van. It was old, rusty and kind of smelly, and I hated being driven to school in it. I would ask to be dropped off a a few blocks away, and when he wouldn’t do that, I would scrunch down as small as possible and try to sneak out of the van without anyone seeing me. Until of course, he caught on and began honking his horn, pointing at me and shouting “That’s my girl! I love that girl!” when I got out of the van.

Many years later, I realize that is one of the reasons he is so cool. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he didn’t want me to either. He taught me that what other people think of you doesn’t matter, what you think of yourself does.

He is the most selfless and generous person I know. During my several hospitals stays over the past few years he made it his personal mission to take care of me. He would arrive early in the morning, and stay until Spencer arrived after work. When I got up to use the bathroom, or take a walk in the hall, I would return to find my bed remade. All this he did despite his own personal aches and pains.

He is a great missionary too. One time as I was driving to the East Coast, he drove with me as far as Arkansas and then took a bus home (see what I mean about being selfless). On the bus he met a gang member who had just been released from prison. He then proceeded to teach this man about the atonement, and when the man said that he could never be forgiven for the terrible things he had done, my Dad said “You’re wrong. Don’t you dare say that. Jesus’s atonement is for everyone.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would have the nerve to tell a hardened ex-con he was wrong about anything.

I could go on for hours about my Dad and how wonderful he is, but for now, I will just honk my imaginary horn and shout at the top of my lungs, “That’s my Dad! I love my Dad!”

More about my Wii Fit

This is my Mii on the Wii Fit.  Notice the little belly pooch?  If it wasn't mirrored almost exactly on the real me, I might be offended.

I have been having so much fun on this thing.  I just unlocked the boxing mode and am learning to throw some serious punching combos.

This is my nephew, I'll call him Jak-X.  He came over tonight to play the Wii Fit and racked up about 35 minutes of exercise.  He is probably the biggest reason I am such a huge fan of this game. If he had his way, he would sit on the couch playing video games or watching TV for 18 hours a day (of course, my sister doesn't allow that to happen).  At least on the Wii Fit, he gets to play some games and get some exercise as well.

BTW, this picture is of him doing the Hula Hoop exercise.  Notice the tongue?  I do the exact same thing when I am concentrating.   He is such a fun kid. He calls my baby in utero "Princess Peanut."

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

The house next door just put up a for sale sign!  2,824 Sq Feet, 4 bedrooms, a study, covered porch and upgraded cabinets.  We live in a great neighborhood, with our own elementary school, a ten minute walk to the lake, a swimming pool and kids splash park.  Plus, the best neighbors in all the world!

They are asking $196,000 for it, but with the market the way it is, I bet you could get it for less.

You know you want to.  We are just 20 peaceful minutes from Dallas (well, 30-40 min during rush hour), where there are jobs, and shopping, and dining opportunities galore.  This is the land of milk and honey people!  A place where people say hi to you in the store, and wave at you as they drive down the street. 

Come, Come to Dallas I say, be my neighbor and we will all live happily ever after!

Wii Fit Calls Me Fat!

Just Kidding.  Actually, it measured my BMI and did put me in the overweight category, but being that I am 3 months pregnant, I pretty much expected that.  It has you set goals, of weight loss, maintenance or gain, and I set my goal to gain 15 lbs in the next 6 months (yes, I know I will gain more than that, but I just couldn't et myself to put a higher number).  Too bad there isn't a pregnancy mode!

I spent half an hour on it this morning, which to be honest is more time than I spend exercising most days.  I had so much fun!  My favorite aerobic exercise is the Hula Hoop game.  If My waist wasn't about to double in size, I think this would really help to tone it up.

The running mode is another good workout.  The game puts a pacer Mii in front of you as motivation.  Then you run all over Wii Fit Island.  I was definitely sweating after I did that a few times.

It also has several balance games available, and more which are unlockable as you add minutes to your fit bank.  In one, you have to shift your balance ever so slightly to tilt this table so that marbles will fall through certain holes.  Another one has you skiing through a salom run.

In strength training, you have your own personal trainer (male or female) who guides you through exercises like lunges, push ups, leg extensions, etc.  My trainer even stopped to let me know when I was doing certain exercises incorrectly.

For those of you who are marathon runners, I doubt you would be challenged by this game, but for a couch potato like me, it will add some much needed physical activity to my life.

P.S.  If you are worried about other people seeing your BMI and making fun of you, you can lock your profile with a password so only you can see it.

Baby Peanut 10 weeks

I know, I know... we are already the worst kinds of parents who insist on showing everyone picture after picture of their adorable child. This is the sonogram we had done yesterday, if you look closely, you can see Peanut waving at us later in the video.