Our Mexican Family

Yesterday we spent the afternoon at my parents house in Peck with dear friends. Gonzalo and Angelita Amaro were here visiting from Merida, Mexico. Please forgive me if I've spelled their names wrong. They hosted my sister Jess at their home while she studied there in 2007. They are also the in-laws of a good friend and sorority sister, Andrea Ternes Amaro.

Between our family, the Ternes family, Amaros and several other friends, we had a fantastic (and HOT) afternoon. This was the second time I was able to meet the Amaros. Me, my sisters and several friends went to Merida a few summers ago for Andrea and Eddie's traditional Catholic wedding. I wish I had had my digital camera back then, I would share some pictures with you all. Let me just say that as guests we wore formal dresses to the ceremony, had our hair done and danced at the reception until the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and we heard an authentic Mariachi band and didn't eat the main course of the meal until at least midnight! That trip was also my first visit to the Mayan Ruins and Cancun. It was a very memorable experience for me even though I speak very, VERY limited Spanish.

Unfortunately, Mckenzie wasn't around to be able to show off her Spanish-speaking skills this weekend. But I did get to brag about her a little and share some pictures. Angelita very sweetly told me (in Spanish, via Jess interpreting) that she prays for us to have an easy delivery and healthy baby and lights candles for us at church. I might be a little more emotional than usual, but that definitely made my eyes water a little.

Before they all left, Gonazalo told everyone (with Jess translating) how he now considers all of us a part of their family and we are welcome in the home any time. Oh how I wish I could get to Mexico again soon! Maybe someday we'll get to take him up on that offer again!

Left to right: My parents, Woody & Roxana, Jess, Angelita & Gonzalo Amaro

During all the picture taking, John and I were playing with the timer on Mom's camera and tried to get a decent one of ourselves. This is what we came up with:

The lighting wasn't that great in the bedroom and the angle is a little low, but you get the idea of how HUGE I'm getting.

Time flies?

Many of my [handful of] readers have been asking me to report on how I'm feeling now that I'm 26 weeks - last week of the second trimester. Well, this quote sums it up pretty well. I found it on one of the many pregnancy sites I look at each day.

if it feels like time is speeding by while simultaneously dragging on, you're not crazy, you're just pregnant. One minute you feel totally unprepared for the changes having a baby will bring, the next minute the anticipation of meeting the Mini makes you cry. Such is the roller coaster of pregnancy (and strangely enough, of being a parent, too).

But to answer the question in seriousness, I feel great! Sleeping through the night is becoming increasingly difficult. Who would have thought all this extra belly could be so heavy!? And it feels like she is moving all the time... until John wants a chance to feel her. Then she immediately stops all movement. However, Kenzie will be laying on me while watching tv and say, "Tell my baby sister to stop kicking me!"

The nursery is coming along quite nicely. It's all painted and John finished replacing sockets and outlet covers last night. Now he just has to sand over the hole where the giant speaker canister was and touch up the paint. Then we'll be ready to start setting everything up. I'll post pictures when it's done, I promise.

Holiday Weekend

Friday mom came up to help me paint the nursery. I'd spent Thursday evening removing a world map that was wallpapered to the wall. It came off with ease, but the glue residue did not. I think we could have steamed and scraped forever and still not gotten it all.

John got off work at 3 pm and came home to help as well. And then dad showed up out of the blue. Aunt Jess and Charlie showed up on Friday with Grandma Grape. With all these helpers we were able to finish up the nursery, living room, dining room, kitchen and hallway by Saturday afternoon.

We still have to replace all the outlets and John is patching over where speaker canisters used to be. The outlets that he picked are really neat because they are tamper resistant and we won't have to baby-proof using those plastic plug covers. He is also planning on installing a new ceiling fan in Kenzie's room and the baby's room. Kenzie's current light is so dim you can hardly see anything and the nursery has a huge fluorescent fixture that is too bright for a newborn.

Saturday evening we went to Mike Roger's to watch fireworks. He lives north of Hutch about 8 miles. He buys them somewhere in Missouri and they were spectacular! Kenzie wasn't afraid of the fireworks at all this year. Her biggest complaint was getting to do 'hers' instead of watching the big ones. It's now Tuesday and she's still asking me if she can do more fireworks. She doesn't quite understand that we'll have to wait until next year.