25 weeks.

We're at 25 weeks now! I'm so excited to be in my 6th month. I can't hide this baby anymore! I've been asked a lot lately how I'm doing and realized that this has been an pretty easy journey so far. Everything has been going very well. This month has brought a lot of changes. Stronger kicking and punching which I can't get enough of! Phil even gets in on that action. He got to play with her last night when she'd kick back to his tapping.

This little girl really moved up over the last couple of weeks and with that has come some breathing difficulty and alas the dreaded heartburn. I'm in it to win it though! I'm looking forward to that last trimester only a couple weeks away. Our bed is full of pillows and the carpet is already wearing from my constant trips to the bathroom, but I'm ready for the pending final stretch...I think. Let the waddling begin!

Fishing.

Spring beckoned us to the great outdoors. We drove out to the lake for some fishing yesterday.

We didn't catch anything, but saw lots of ducks.

And these birds. I'm not sure what they were, but at one point they viciously set upon some poor creature in the water. I was just glad it wasn't me. Too many birds out today for my taste.

They were pretty when they flew off though.

Baking.

I just needed a sweet moist cinnamon roll! Being pregnant brings on a whole new list of necessities! Of course around here if you want something you're gonna have to make it yourself. So that's what I did, or kind of did.

I Got my flour mixed up.

Got my cinnamon brown sugar filling ready.

Then made these things. They were a bit more "moist" than I'd expected. Makala came over during the roll and cut phase of this process. She got a good laugh watching me try to stop the oozing dough slug from going all over the counter while I cut it into what were supposed to be nice round swirls of goodness.

Here's how they looked after baking. I have to say, after the disaster I thought I'd made, I was pretty proud of them. They weren't quite cinnamon "rolls" as much as cinnamon "triangles", but they tasted like the real deal and fixed my newest craving. Don't ask about the icing...

Warmth?

Sunny and Windy

71°F
Feels Like
71°F

Who'd have thought this would ever be? It's hot enough to almost break a sweat outside. Now if we could just do something about these 45mph winds....

Sewing.

Well, I'm back in the sewing saddle. This weekend we were invited to a baby shower and I needed a gift. Since we're lacking in baby boutiques in Bancroft I knew I'd have to get creative. I had just the right materials (bought in a former life) for what became a wonderful creation I was very proud of. I did have a hard time parting with this little dress, but was happy to have such a sweet baby girl to give it to. Our friends Pastor Kevin Cook and his wife Kristi had their baby Leah Marie a month ago. They don't live very far from us, so I'm hoping Leah and Lily will be good pals someday.

Tah-dah!

Pastors' Conference.

Last weekend we attended the Nebraska District Pastors' Conference in Norfolk. It was 2 days of intense listening while trying to stay awake. I only lasted 1 day but it was worth it. I missed out on the "seminary experience" most Pastors' wives have so I figured this would be as close as I could get. Highlights included the delicious food, staying at the Holiday Inn and seeing Randall and Christi Smith our friends from Hampton NE.

I took really bad pictures of our fun, forgive me.

Here's Phil with Pastor Scheppman who is in our circuit of churches up this way.

Phil stuffing his face. Again, the food was pretty good. Randall is in the background taking his time with his meal.

The evening's entertainment, the local Lutheran High School choir sang for us while we ate.

Travel.

We finally were able to take a little vacation time. A couple weeks ago we decided to go down to Topeka KS to visit our friends Clint and Brianne and their daughter Mary for a few days. On the way we stopped in Omaha for supper and some Moose Drool Brown Ale. Yum!

Here are my fish tacos!

I was very excited about my fish tacos and the goat behind my head.

After supper we were off. Because of the Moose Drool, I took the wheel. This is what I look like driving a pickup through Kansas.

Here are the Starks. Monday they took us around the big city of Topeka. We stopped by the park so Mary and Phil could get a little play time.

Clint pushed Mary in the swing.

Phil showed her how the big kids do it.

Phil dug a hole.

And showed these kids how to ride the airplane.

I guess it looks like this.

He also rode on a big whale.

Then that mean old whale swallowed him and Mary up!

I rode the turtle. Not as exciting as the whale.

Mary wanted to go down the slide.

Phil did too.

Phil was a very busy boy, but I finally got a second for a couple pictures together.

Mary had a very good time at the park.

And so did Phil.

That night we had supper at "The Brewpub" in Lawrence where the University of Kansas is. Lawrence is a little bit of Austin in Kansas, where skinny fit jeans and expensively disheveled hair are a must. I felt right at home.

They have a Ben and Jerry's there! Two pregnant ladies (and Clint) didn't pass that up.

On our last day, the girls went back to Lawrence for a wonderful massage (a gift from Brianne!) and a Frappuccino at Starbucks!

I also got some pumpkin bread! I missed my pumpkin bread.

When we got back to the house, we found the boys on the porch with lunch ready for us! Phil cooked his ribs and Clint ate something out a can. It's been a rough year for Clint.

It was good to get away for a while, relax, eat some great food and catch up with the Starks, but it was time to get back to Bancroft.