We're going to have a....

GIRL! Hah! I made you open the screen, all you Google Reader Blog followers.Yes, last Friday I had my 20-week appointment, and we found out in the sonogram that we are definitely having a girl. This was no surprise to either of us - I *knew* this baby was a girl, and I already know her name. Jane Afton Falke. I have strongly felt like being named for my maternal grandmother and Doug's paternal grandmother would be a blessing for this little girl. It was a very exciting appointment to say the least. Here are a couple of the sonogram pictures...
Okay, I know that sonogram pictures are pretty freaky and a lot of people would rather just think about the baby that will come out rather than how it looks right now. I'm one of those people too. But the lady doing the sonogram SWEARS the baby was "smiling", and I'll believe it.

And of course, Doug was very happy to see a nice, healthy spine. :)

Baby bump

Pregnancy update: I am now 18 weeks and feeling great! (Well, today I am sick, but that is enabling me to be at home posting on the blog!) Plus, I am even showing! Here is a picture of the baby "bump" from over the weekend.We will find out what we are having on February 6 - and I am definitely finding out! For now, I am spending time scouting websites, reading my pregnancy book, and slowly but surely working on a baby quilt with fabric that I got in Idaho over the break. And eating! Yay for not being nauseous all the time!

The infamous BBQ building

Who is that scary man with the blowtorch? That's Todd Parker, our wonderful friend of three blocks away. We are at their house at least three times a week I would say. He and Doug got the, how can I put this lightly, interesting idea of *building* their own BBQs out of scrap metal. Even though they have grills and smokers, now they will each have a half-ton monster of a wood smoking grill. Much time has been spent welding in Todd's backyard, and here are a few pictures of the progress. However much Jen (Todd's wife) and I rib and question them about this, I'm sure you will all be jealous one day of their fabulous bar-b-q creations.

Just to embarrass you!

This is my lovely mother. We were trying to get a picture that she would approve for her facebook profile. Of course, my mother has no idea how lovely she is, and thus she spurned all attempts. But, I have to showcase her nonetheless. Mom, I am so grateful for all your loving encouragement recently! It really brightens my day to talk to you, and I wish I could see you more often!

Family pictures (in the freezing cold)

The Falkes took on the task of family pictures over Christmas break. Smiles gleaming, cameras flashing, Doug poking everyone around him (the pest of an oldest child that he is)...it was definitely an adventure. But, we got some good ones.

(Becca! Why did you close your eyes?!)

Christmas in Idaho

We spent Christmas in Boise with Doug's mom's parents. The whole fam-dam-ily was there and it was a lot of fun! Well, except for the traveling. Austin to Dallas, Dallas to Houston, Houston to SLC (flying), SLC to Provo, Provo to Pocatello, Pocatello to Boise...and then basically backwards coming home. I was ready to be in my own house and out of all that yucky SNOW! However, it was beautiful to look out the window Christmas morning and the softly-falling snow and admire the beauty of the God's world. Until I had to go outside.

Here is wonderful Hannah with Cindy, Doug's grandpa's 12-year-old pomeranian that bit me. I stopped trying to pet her after that.

I love my in-laws. Dorothy and Matt Falke are amazing people who have raised (and are still raising) an amazing family. I appreciate all their love and support through our time together!

Here I am with Becca, Russ, and Amy. It was fun to see Russell now that he is home from his mission to Australia! He's as crazy as ever. ;) And Becca, wonderful Becca, is now engaged to Rob Somers! Congratulations!!!!!

And Doug will continue to perfect the sweet potatoe-pecan pie. I have yet to try any of the three that he has made, I believe. Maybe next time.

Sonogram

Okay, so this might not look very exciting, but it is the picture we got after my first sonogram was taken at week 7. The baby is the thing between the two stars at the bottom. It was soooooooo exciting to hear the heartbeat then, and to hear it at my last appointment as well. And it was just reassuring to see that I was really pregnant. As if all the morning sickness wasn't enough proof or something. :)

Of course things are really different in there now, but I won't have another sonogram until the beginning of February. Probably the most common question I've been asked is, "Are you going to find out the gender?" YES, definitely. I couldn't stand not knowing when I could; I don't know how other people do it. For now, I can rest assured that everything is as normal as we can tell.

Yep, that's positive!

There it is people, the positive pregnancy test! Pretty crazy, huh? So after two years of trying to get pregnant, we finally gave up and decided to adopt. Lo and behold...I got pregnant! Yes, I've been told about that "relaxing and letting go" thing a million times, but I guess it really works! Now I am 13 weeks a long and due June 26!

Fuzzy animals

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast in NF, and they had a silky chicken in the backyard that was quite tame and used to attention.

I hadn't seen a fuzzy caterpiller for years! Finally, a bug that isn't scary (yes people, even butterflies have their scary moments)!

Foliage

We went at a wonderful time of year - the foliage was gorgeous! I hope for a new autumn tradition - ditch the Texas heat for some pretty trees!

Maid of the Mist

Why are we wearing these funny blue ponchos, you might ask. Well, the best thing we did in NF was to take a tour on the Maid of the Mist, a boat that takes you out along the base of the American Falls and then into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls (well, as far as you can get). No really, you get absolutely soaked (and it was cold...Canada in October)!

And, here is where we had to put the camera away because 1. it was getting wet, and 2. I was afraid I would drop it over the edge of the boat. No wonder Niagara Falls is one of the great natural wonders!

Okay people, enough already!

Okay, so I've heard enough times and from enough people that I need to blog more! It hasn't been a great couple months, you'll see why soon. But first, here are some pictures from our trip to Cananda back in the middle of October. Doug has a conference in Toronto, and I took advantage of this to go with him. We had a really fun time, especially at Niagara Falls! Above is Doug with both the Horseshoe and American Falls behind him.

When I saw the American Falls, I thought that was it. They are truly beautiful, but they can't even compare to the Canadian (Horseshoe) Falls.

We weren't at a good spot to take pictures of the Horseshoe Falls, so you can't tell how big they are or even that they wrap around from this picture. But all that white stuff coming up from the middle? That's the mist from the churning at the bottom. It's incredible!

The worst attempt at plagarism EVER

A couple days ago I assigned a poem to my students. They could follow a certain example format if they wished, they had to have similes and metaphors, etc. It's due tomorrow. The main thing is they are writing an extended metaphor comparing themselves to something else ("I am a mountain", "I am a shark", etc.).

I had a kid writing about a tiger. Great, except he tried to turn in "Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright" by William Blake today as his poem. My initial unsaid reaction was, "Do you think I'm STUPID?" We had to deal with it as a team, and he'll have three days of silent lunch with me over it and a lot of credit marked off his final project. Poor little 11-year-old kid was so upset when we talked to him as a team about it, but it got the point across.

Hopefully nothing like this will happen again. Well, of course it *will*, but hopefully nothing this obvious and terrible.

It's pretty hilarious now, and I hope you got a laugh out of it!

More office pictures

Here are some more pictures from the office:
1. The traction table thingy
2. An example of a half-walled treatment room
3. The mural

And some dogs

Okay, so this, as well as any other silly thing done to the dogs, was Doug's idea. No other comment necessary.
And the babies.

"Before"

Ug. So I started MediFast two weeks ago to lose weight. Here is my official "before" picture - 190.4 lbs. on July 27, 2008. I'm already down about 11 lbs., and my goal is 50 by Thanksgiving. Wish me luck!
And Maggie is jumping because she's crazy.

New template

Isn't my new template the coolest? I LOVE it! I don't feel like we have the most boring blog ever anymore.

It's Heeeerrrrre!

Here we go people! Doug opened Live Oak Chiropractic last Tuesday. We appreciate all your prayers and patient referrals. :) Here are some pictures of how things turned out:

1. Our large iron-wrought branches, the hallway, and the treatment area (with a little of the mural)

2. The 8'x6.5' mural that *I* picked out (gorgeous, huh?) on the main wall (**I had to take this picture out because Doug was stressed that it was crooked, and now blogger doesn't want to let me upload any more pictures. I'll try again tomorrow.**)

3. The watermark vinyl tree on the outside (ignore the messiness inside) - the design from the business cards for those who have seen it (Thanks again to Aaron Canaday for designing the stuff.)

4. The painted mural in the kid's area, done by a local artist. It's a reprsentation of the TX Hill Country (beautiful place that it is) with bluebonnets, animals, hills, and the very cool barbed-wire fence

5. The waiting room as it looks now (we still need to get some end tables put in) - chairs and the rug

6. The sign lit up at night

It's a work in process, so there will be more in the future. But, it's clean, organized, with equipment and such, and ready to roll!