No Agua

We don't have water at our house today.  Surprised: no.  Unprepared: yes.  We were given notice last week that due to the construction happening on a nearby street, our water would be shut off from 9 am - 4 pm today.  I had good intentions...getting ready before then and out of the house. But here I sit, having to use the restroom (as most pregnant women at my stage do) wondering how I will wash the dirty clothes in my basement, the dirty dishes in my sink, the dirty hands and feet leftover from playing outside last night and so on.  

I think a few baby wipes and some good smelling lotion should take care of most of that...minus the having to use the restroom bit, but I think Target can help there.

Off we go, somewhere, to get things done, away from our waterless home.

Wedding IKEA Bridal Shower...I need a nap!

Yup, that title sums up our weekend.  Friday we drove two hours east for my cousin Juleen's wedding.  This is the best picture I got of the newlyweds.  They were hard to catch. 

Me and my handsome hubby!  I love him.

Annelise cut a rug on the dance floor.  She was having a blast!

After the wedding, our family decided to drive all that way would be pointless without a trip to IKEA.  So, we spent the night at the Hyatt Place (very nice and affordable) and gave IKEA a run for its money the next day.  Our big purchase was a new dining room table and chairs - only $99.  Sorry, no photo.  I'm too lazy right now.

And to top the weekend off, today was my sister Leah's bridal shower.  She is getting married July 11th.  What fun we had!

Leah with her beautiful - and very yummy cake.  Can anyone say white chocolate mousse filling?  Yeah, I know you're salivating.

We three sisters.  Leah on the left, Me (7 months pregnant in the middle - thanks mom for cutting off the belly) and Sarah on the right.  Some say we could be triplets.  I think sisters is fine.

Keeping Cool

I'm reading 90 degrees outside today and 77 inside.  With no air conditioning to keep us cool - minus a small window unit in our bedroom - I'd reckon that's pretty good!  This typically bright and cheery girl always wants sunlight coming in.  But much of this week has been spent in the dark.  And for good reason.  Opening the shades just allows too much heat to creep its way into our small home.  Being 25 weeks pregnant, I can't seem to wear light enough clothing.  There's a fine line between modesty and comfort when you're this big.  And I tend to lean towards the modesty side of thing.  I did splurge a week or so ago and purchased a new maternity bathing suit. It was well worth it.  I've already worn it 6 times and plan to tally up a lot more in the coming weeks.

By the way, for those of you Luter family members that are attending Juleen's wedding this weekend, we will be there!  We're making a weekend out of it, staying at a local hotel and visiting IKEA the next day.  Excitement.

And next weekend, for the Fourth of July, we will be enjoying some time with the Bartlett family in Lake City.  This 'family cottage' of sorts - which happens to be my Uncle's home - will be our home for four beautiful days.  Well, we'll be sharing it with 25 other people, but who's counting?

Stay cool today.  I'm hoping to get the sprinkler out later and kill two birds with one stone: water our ugly grass and my daughter.

The Aftermath

This is 32nd Street in Holland post-flooding.  One of the busiest streets in town!  Many Hollanders are still pumping water out of their basements, renting dumpsters to trash personal effects that were ruined and getting their cars repaired.  I heard yesterday that my sister's van is 20th in line for water damage.  Yikes!  Please say a prayer for those that have been affected by the flooding we experienced last weekend.  We are so grateful to be in a dry house.

Father's Day Fun

I'm still getting used to the fact that we actually have a camera - a good one - that works!  I was totally brain dead yesterday and forgot to take pictures of the Father's Day celebrations. Although, I managed to capture a few at the beginning and end of the day.

Matt started the morning with a surprise breakfast (from Annelise of course) waiting for him in his regular devotion spot.  

Annelise gave him this picture, matted in a beautiful leather frame.  Kudos to my sister for taking such a stellar shot - and thanks to Picnik.com for the editing!  Memories like this will be cherished forever.

 

We spent the afternoon at my parents' house, enjoying the company of family and their pool. It was nearly 90 degrees yesterday, with enough humidity to choke a horse, so we spent a good 4 hours at the pool, most of it in the water.  I could hardly get Annelise out when it was time to go!

We much enjoyed our day with family, relaxing in God's beautiful creation.  Which leaves me on a Monday morning at 9 am ready for the weekend to start all over again!

Storms

Our little town made the national weather news this weekend.  By the looks of today, you wouldn't know that last night was the worst storm we've experienced in years.  Lightning, thunder, rain, flooded streets, streets closed, power outages.  Several of our friends have flooded basements - some with up to 4 feet!  We were fortunate, even with 7.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, to have a minor sprinkle in the basement.  Praise God!  

My sister Leah got stranded last night in waist high water in her new minivan.  We will find out today if the vehicle is salvageable.  She just got it as a gift on Wednesday!  Pray that the engine just needs to dry out.

Now, to help the others clean up!

Our Goings On

Summer has rolled in like a...lion, though we are looking forward to the days when it treats us more like a lamb.  With the end of school comes graduation, open houses, teacher clean-up days and more.  It almost seems like there is this big rush to get everything done.  Then, July sweeps in and takes us off to the land of vacations, watermelon and all things summer.  Here is a photo collage of our recent goings on. 

We are enjoying the appearance of daddy more frequently, without a computer glued to his lap. He has retired his red pen for the summer and we are expecting many Fridays spent enjoying garage sales, bike rides and more!

Annelise' two favorite spots while mommy is working from home.  (Above) Under the desk, digging through the trash can.  There must be lots of treasures in there.  (Below) Sitting next to the bookshelf, enjoying a snack, on top of the picnic basket.  She tells me lots of stories from this spot.

We've also been spending quite a bit of time outside.  Daddy loves to work in the yard, tending to all sorts of flowers and ground cover.  And Annelise loves to be mischievous while he does it.



I guess I should also note the purchase of our anniversary gift - a wonderful new digital camera. Thanks to great research and a bargain shoppers' attitude, we got the exact camera we wanted, only $100 cheaper.  It was a beautiful thing.

Who knew we had a rose bush in our front landscape?  For two years we've wondered what this ugly bush was (speaks much of our UNgreen thumbs).  Matt pruned it (read: hacked it down) and behold...a beautiful rose bush.  

And last but not least, I couldn't resist posting this picture of my big girl digging into a roast beef sandwich at Arby's.  She only ate about three bites, but from the looks of this picture, she must have been starving!

Happy beginning to summer to all of you!

Crazy Bounce

Its a rainy, yucky day.  What better day could we have chosen to have a play date at Crazy Bounce! Our friends Morgan and Acacia (with mommy Lisa) joined us for a couple hours of fun. Want to see more pictures?  Click here!

I just have to say, this video cracks me up.  Annelise totally gets pummeled by another little crazy bouncer and she doesn't flinch.  That's my girl!

To All Mothers with Daughters

Its a big deal when you reach the ponytail milestone.  I mean, graduating from pigtails with all sorts of barrettes to hold things together, to this:

What a sweet reminder that my baby is growing into a little girl.  Sigh.

A Busy Life

A short synopsis of our life the past week:

• Matt is in his final week of school, administering exams and of course, grading them.
• I had a golf event this week for the Mission.  Its our largest fundraiser of the year and proved to be a success once again.  
• Annelise is growing so fast, I can't keep up.  She asked to go to the potty last night.  Huh?
• We spent our weekend enjoying the beautiful weather (took a long bike ride) and celebrating the season of open houses.  Yeah for free, good food!
• I am feeling (and seeing) the baby move a lot these days.
• We have decided to name our new baby girl Elliora.  It is Hebrew and means "the Lord is my Light."  
• She will most likely be called Elli.
• We are still debating the middle name, though we have finally narrowed it down to three.
• Summer has quickly come and plans for vacations, weekend trips and lazy days are being made.
• And last, but certainly not least in my book, we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary this weekend by staying at a local inn, enjoying a dinner at The Piper and hopefully sleeping in.  Thanks to Papa and Granny Bartlett for watching Annelise for us!