Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Starting at a young age...


A few weeks ago I (Cristen) got to take my youngest brother, Nick, to a UVA game with Johnny's family. (Johnny was out of town.) Nick really enjoyed the evening, even though after only 3 minutes in the first quarter he was asking if it was over. He got all decked out as a new UVA fan (thanks to Aunt KK) with a new orange shirt to match the rest of us and a hat. He even topped the afternoon off with a hotdog. I managed to convince him that that was all he needed, even though he wanted that, plus some popcorn, Dippin' Dots, soda, and a soft pretzel. I guess it all looked appealing.

At the end of the game, when asked if he wanted to play football down on that field some day when he was older, he nodded his head yes. So, we're starting his dreams at a young age. No, we aren't pressuring him or trying to get him to do something he isn't in to. The fact is, since he could practically walk/run, he has been practicing his tackles, running full-force at anyone in the way on the floor, pushing them until they fall over backwards. He simply won't quit until you are down.

In addition to some fun at the game, we were also able to get in a serious conversation, in which he said, "In December, I'll be 5, and then I'll be an uncle, but I'll still be a kid, right?" See, all his uncles are at least 4o, so I wonder if he has this fear that when the baby is born, he will suddenly surpass childhood and age 3+ decades. Yes, we have a "unique" family layout, but it's fun, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Hello and Welcome!

Hi friends and family! So, after much consideration, we decided to give this blogspot thing a try. We figured it'd be a good way to keep many people updated on our lives. We hope that you enjoy reading about what's going on with us, sharing in our thoughts and contemplations, and of course getting updates on the baby soon! Please let us know if you are interested in reading this, and I promise we'll do our best to keep somewhat current (especially with baby news!). Of course, this is never to be a substitute for other forms of contact, such as e-mails, letters, phone calls, and visits! So let's hold each other accountable to keep those up as well.

We also thought you'd all enjoy a more recent picture of us. This was taken this summer when we got to go to Orlando to visit our special friends Krisha and Brian. We spent part of one day walking around Universal's City Walk (the part you get into for free with various shops and eating places). As soon as we get to a scanner, we'll post some more recent pictures of our baby girl too. But for now, here she is as well. Enjoy, and we hope to hear from you soon!