3 + 1 = 4

Yes, you got it; 3 + 1 = 4. And yes, you're right if you're thinking "They're having one more!"

We are happy to announce that we're expecting another baby at the end of April. A few people have gotten the news first hand, and even fewer got the news in person. So we thought this might be a good venue to just get it out to the masses! After some hurdles and hitches, we're excitedly (and a bit anxiously...) awaiting child number two. Most days we are very excited, and some days we are a bit overwhelmed by the thought of it, but overall we are very happy!

Here's a bit of information for those of you with the standard barrage of questions:

No, we are not going to find out the gender of this baby either - until it is born, that is. Sorry, but no amount of complaining on the part of anyone else will get us to change our minds.

No, we haven't chosen any names yet. And again, sorry, but no amount of complaining on the part of anyone else will get us to tell you what name(s) we have chosen once we DO decide.

No, we haven't openly discussed this with Violet yet. She is aware that we are pregnant, but that is about as far as it goes. We'll have a more involved discussion once Vi begins asking about it.

Yes, I will be teaching at USU through the spring semester. I'm due during the week before finals, so I'm pretty sure that I can waddle my way through the semester without too much hassle, and I've lined up a couple of teaching assistants to help when needed.

Yes, we are looking forward to visitors (and visits away, within reason) over the summer. We've already had offers for family and friends to come help/visit after the baby is born, and we're looking forward to it! We may not, however, make it out to visit many people over the summer. If you want to ensure a visit with the baby, you may want to start considering your travel plans now:-)

We've got a lot of projects on our plate for the winter and spring, and are happy to say that we're already getting a few things crossed off of our list. The basement is about halfway done, the bathroom on the main floor is done, Mike has tackled a bunch of our fencing upgrades (with lots more to do), and we now are looking at painting a new baby room, finishing a guest room and bathroom in the basement, and tackling more fencing upgrades. Oh yes, and one of these days we might even get a modern television. You know, the kind without tubes!

Since it has been so painfully long since we've posted anything, here are a few pictures from the past month or two:

Violet tries out her new monkey hat. Unfortunately, Marcato chewed it up that evening.

But at least she got to try it on! And yes, we do feed our dogs OxyClean. (jk)

Kokanee, Marcato, and Violet playing in one of the first snows of the season. Marcato looks big here, but he has since put on another 15 lbs or so. He is now 100.5 lbs and 8.5 months old.

Violet got a new "big girl" bed not long ago. She loves the bed, but doesn't like it much when I have to turn on the light in the morning to encourage her to get up. This is what I saw the other morning, a few minutes after turning on the light.

Vi has a little (well, not so little - he just turned eight years old) friend named Finn. We went to his birthday party and he sent VI home with a present. He said he had "gotten too big" for this fun race car set-up.

We are currently spending a few days in the Tri-Cities, WA. We're visiting with friends and Mike is also involved in some business meetings at PNNL. This is from our first dinner in town. We went to Casa Mia and were able to get a full-strength beer (I just had a taste or two, mind you) without being in a bar...hallelujah! In UT this one beer could only be purchased in a bar, and would cost around $8. Here in WA, it can be purchased at just about any restaurant for around $4. And Violet could be there with us...oh, the heresy!

Birthday Bash!

We had a nice party last Friday for Violet's 3rd birthday. We're sorry that you couldn't join us, but we sure did have a lot of fun!

The preliminary chaos as the first guests arrived and Vi began opening presents in the middle of the living room.

Present opening soon lead to marshmallow roasting in the back yard.

Thanks to our friend Ann, Violet was ready for some glow-in-the-dark fun!

A very nice birthday card made by Vi's friends Madi and Henry.

Birthday clothes from Aunt Cassie, Uncle Denny, and Cousin Lance. And a rockin', personalized hat from our friend Kristi.

A neat-o magnetic sketch pad (a la Etch-a-Sketch) that Violet has been putting to good use.

In contention with the handmade card shown above, possibly the coolest birthday card ever. Cioci Kate and Uncle Jordan sent a card made of real wood (duh, not actual paper) with a retro raccoon on it. Fantastic!

And last but not least, Mike and I gave ourselves a present for Violet's birthday...a new countertop and sink for the downstairs bathroom! We've been waiting all summer for this, and it just got installed today!

More pictures and videos

Nothing but pics and vids

It seems like only two months ago I wrote a post.

Another camera dump post...

Last summer we made a commitment that this summer we would go to Bear Lake more often.  Violet likes this plan.

I finally bought a fishing license so that I can stand in the water and wave a stick.  I caught a carp.  They aren't the most photogenic fish you'll ever see, but it was my first fish of the year.  

Violet was watching me fix my bike and decided that her ride needed a tune up.  I couldn't be more proud!

Random front yard photo.

The mantids are out.  Seeing these critters always cheers me up, for some reason.

More Bear Lake, but a different trip this time.  This was Marcato's first trip to the water.  He loves the water.  See the vid below of him (on the left) splashing around with another doggie friend.  For a size comparison, Logan (the dog on the right) is 12 years old and weighs about 110 lbs.  Marcato is 15 weeks old, and the last time he was weighed was a few weeks ago and he was 52 lbs and had been gaining 5 lbs./week.

Get Well Soon, Aunt Fisis!

Or more grammatically correctly - "Get well soon, Aunt Phyllis!"

Our friend, Phyllis (or "Fisis") had foot surgery yesterday, and we're all sending our best "get well soon" vibes her way. So Phyllis, if you are reading this, know that we are thinking about you!

Other than thinking good thoughts about Phyllis, we've been busy lately. A few nights ago we went to see G. Love and Special Sauce with openers Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. It was a smokin' hot concert to say the least!

At Red Butte Gardens in SLC for the show.

Last night we had an impromptu visit from Grandpa Dennis. A friend of his was looking at a motorcycle (that he ended up purchasing) in Logan, and Grandpa Dennis drove him down to see it. We were very happy to have one of our favorite visitors drop by for a bit!

Violet had to show Grandpa Dennis around her new climbing castle.

Tonight we stopped by the Cache County Fair. Violet took her first carousel ride, which she ended up really enjoying. She was a bit worried at first, but we rode in a "sleigh" and once we got moving she thought it was pretty cool. Afterward she was asking to do it again, but we cheaped out and spent our remaining money on good tasting, bad for us food.

Vi got to inspect (and pet) all kinds of animals that we don't have at home, such as this pig and some sheep, goats, and bunnies.

And this afternoon's activities centered around the elephant pool. The heat was no match for a pink inflatable elephant full of really cold water straight from the well!

And tomorrow, we head over to our friends' (Maegan and Ryan) house for breakfast and then we're all headed up to Bear Lake for some fun in the sun and sand and clear blue water. Hopefully we'll have some pictures from that trip to post soon!

Using the spare moments at Starbucks

to post up some pictures.

Pictures and a Bit of Commentary

Lots of news in our lives lately. Looming the largest in my own mind is that not only did I fracture my LH pinky finger, but I then lost my clarinet gig with the Utah Festival Opera. Damn it all to hell.

Next up in the news department is that I got a new puppy. If you ask Violet, she'll tell you SHE got a new puppy. We're opting for a more amicable descriptor while Vi's around, so essentially WE got a new puppy. He's 11 weeks old and is a Saint Bernard/Black Labrador Retriever cross. I'm pretty sure his name is Marcato. If anyone would like to come over and help house train him, you don't need to call ahead. Just show up.

And the final noteworthy news is that we now have a pony staying at our mini-ranch. No, we did not GET a pony, we are actually getting into the boarding business. A friend who has been helping me work the horses decided that she wanted to get a pony to train. In trade for her help with chores (fence building, bucking and stacking hay, etc.) and working horses, we're boarding the pony. Win-win!

Mike and Violet went out for an ice cream cone the other day. I'm pretty sure Vi was on board with the idea...

Here's the pony's owner, Becky, and I coming in from a very hot ride. Vi was happy to see us and we were happy to see Mike double-fisting two extra large glasses of ice water.

We spent a morning at Bear Lake recently with our friends Maegan and Ryan and their dog, Chili and their friends Madeline, Tim, and their baby. A good time was had by all.

Vi sees a boat out on the lake.

Mike, practicing his fishing skills. If you are puzzled by the underwater trees, you should know that the lake is nine feet higher this year than it has been for the past 5-10 years.

Sand castle.

Marcato.

Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Bruce met us in Twin Falls, ID to drop off the puppy. We spent a half hour or so at a park to let both the puppy and Violet burn off some traveling energy.

Enjoy!