We're Expecting!!!!

Although we have known for a while, surely none of you are more surprised than we were, trust me.  We were shocked when it was confirmed.  But it is true - we are expecting a little one!  Close your mouths, we are not THAT old, for crying out loud!  We cannot wait to hear the patter of little feet once again on the hardwood floors and we will not mind the middle of the night waking ups at all.  Everyone in our family is excited.  We talk about it all the time, you can imagine.  This is such a good thing for our family. We look forward to how everything will once again be different - our daily routines, our travel plans, our cart's contents at the grocery store, everything!

We just loved our first little girl so very much, right from the first instant, it seemed like a good time to have another.  We didn't think much about the decision once our minds were made up, and we have never looked back.  We talked about names forever and finally came up with one we all agreed on (for the most part, that is; read: no one responded with "I cannot stand that name," which was good enough for us).  The little girl will be named Nicky.

That's right - Zoe will have a little sister soon.  November 5th - mark your calendars!!  We cannot wait. Steven is out right now buying new leashes and toys and blankets.  Nicky is Zoe's younger sister (they have the same parents in Ohio; Steven was randomly looking at Zoe's family's website, saw that a new litter had just been born, and was immediately on the phone with Jo, the kind, generous woman from whom we got Zoe).  Zoe was born in February 2011 and Nicky was born in September.  So add another name to the list of fabulous relatives born in the fall (i.e. Steven and Laura). 

WELL ... did you heart stop for a moment?  Were you surprised?  Did you see the photo too soon and realize what was going?  Isn't she beautiful?  We are counting down the days until we get to see Zoe with her little sister and watch them interact. Zoe will be such a sweet, protective, loving older sister (like Elizabeth is to Michael).

Even more fantastic is the fact that Robin is adopting one of Nicky's brothers, so they will get to grown up together (sort of). We're having a puppy party at Robin's house (with Jo) the day we get to keep the puppies ... one week from today!! Stay tuned for additional photos.

Zoe with Elizabeth and Michael

Okay, so this clip is a couple of months old at this point, but I ran across it on my computer and just love it.  Puppies are so happy and they make others happy.  So make your day happier and watch this sweet little puppy running around.  Then you'll understand why Elizabeth and Michael keep asking for another one and why we sometimes consider their request.  (It's windy outside - I'm not being a creepy heavy breather.)

Random

Elizabeth let me know that it's been two months since I posted something and that is lame.  Apparently if you have a blog, you need to blog.  So here I am, without any major news, just random tidbits of family information.  Michael has had an excellent season of soccer.  Last Saturday he played offense and scored 2 of the team's goals as well as 1 assist to his best friend Stephen during their 6-2 win.  Sunday he switched to defense, and his team won 2-1.  I am thrilled to be able to finally watch him play.  Notice his cool-looking shoes, the result of an away game shopping trip after Michael realized he forgot to pack his cleats ... and shin guards.

Elizabeth is her usual social self and middle school is fabulous (she might not exactly use that term, but I'm sure her description would be close) - she joined the drama team, does a lot with the youth group at church, and last night had her school chorus recital.  $50 for anyone who can spot her in the photo.  She was the family representative and Carola's date for the Catholic Church's 50 year celebration mass last month; the next day, Mom came to Winchester to watch Michael play soccer and then we all ate together.  Only Zoe was missing. 

Steven was excited to finally convince me to get a rain barrel for our yard.  Aesthetically it may leave a lot to be desired, but Steven's joy in going green could not be denied.
I've been presenting material to various groups; this is the part of my job I love. In the past 2 weeks, I presented information to freshmen, to a women's dorm residents, and to students at UK.  Monday I give a presentation to the Women Leaders group on campus (and should be working on it now, but the guilt of no blog postings won over). And oh yeah, I got to see both Robin AND Kathy this week (insert joy and excitement here).

This photo is from Robin's house last year, but it'll stay on the blog until Robin sends me the photo she took this year (no pressure, Robin).

Zoe is as precious as ever.  She could not be more loved by our family.  I'll post a short video of her and Steven playing tug of war.  While I realize it might not be interesting for you to watch, I can't do a post without including her.  Such is the life of a parent, eh?  Okay, no time for the 5-hour loading of a video right now; maybe tomorrow.......check back - you know you want to!!  And now it's here (loaded it at work because apparently my computer at home is not as good as the one at work - who would have EVER thought THAT??).

Wish you were here - if you'd been with us earlier this month, you could have attended the Festival of the Horse Parade - lots of interesting sights and slightly frightening smells.