August 21, 2001

Things have been busy but I'm finally getting around to updating the site. No new Katie pictures--I need to scan a bunch--but at least this page is updated. This should make a few complainers happy, or at least it better!
OK, so what's happened since I last wrote? Ah, the ultrasound. We went in on June 28 for the big ultrasound, and found out we're having a boy! I was surprised--I don't know why--and thrilled, as was Vic. Katie couldn't care less.
Baby prep
I guess since then I've been trying to do some organizing of baby clothes and gear to get ready for our new little one. Of course, we've decided to make things difficult on ourselves by re-doing the nursery. In fact, our whole upstairs is changing. For those of you who've been in our house (and shame on you if you haven't), the office has moved to Katie's room--that's the cute one with the funny ceiling. Katie has moved into the corner bedroom, formerly called "the boring room." The new baby will be in the front room, which used to be the office. Clearly, we've lost our guest room, but that will be combined with the office and any visitors will sleep on the futon. For as often as we have company, we can deal with surrendering our office for a weekend here and there.
Anyway, my mom came down a few weeks ago to help out with Katie while I tried to get her room re-done. This involved stripping the wallpaper and painting. Fortunately, Mom was smarter than me and figured out a way to keep Katie busy and was able to help me quite a bit! Thanks to her, we got it done without too much grief. I like working with her on house things because she yells at me less than Dad does. Actually, Mom doesn't yell at me at all. Anyway, the walls are now a pale yellow and look great. We found a color that would match the futon bolster pillows so we wouldn't have to replace them. The room is still in some disarray, but the computer's connected and that's the important thing.
Katie's room is lavender with a floral border. It's been like this for quite a while, actually, but was our guest room until recently. Victor and I painted the furniture and found adorable floral knobs, so now what's in there looks like it belongs there, and her room is actually quite cute! The biggest news, I suppose, is that Katie's now sleeping in a bed! The past few weeks have been hellish at night trying to get her to go to sleep, and we finally decided that maybe it was the crib. Sure enough. She's doing great now being in a big-girl bed. The only problem is that if she wants to get up in the middle of the night and play with her toys, she does.
The front room finally got painted yesterday. It's a light shade of green--appropriately, the color is "margarita," which is just what it looks like. This room will be the new baby's room, and I've gotten bedding from Pottery Barn Kids in the "Good Dog" pattern. Click here for pictures. I've also found "Wallies" (wallpaper cutouts) in pawprint and dog-bone shapes. I want to put up photos of our friends' and family's dogs, so if you'd like your critter to be on the wall of infamy, send a good snapshot!
OK, enough on the house.
Other baby news
Jim and April were thrilled to announce their new arrival last week! Emma Julianne Jordan was born Tuesday, August 14. Count on seeing many pictures here soon, but for now this one will have to tide you over. We met baby Emma last weekend on a quick trip to Seattle, and can honestly say that's she's adorable. Definitely on the short list for a prospective mate for our son!
John and Lori Lassen welcomed their third child on Sunday, August 12: Theo Alexander. Haven't met him yet, or seen pictures, but I hope to soon!
Misc. stuff
We spent a fun weekend with Vic's parents and Daryl & Sally a few weekends ago in Sunriver. Got to see the new house Daryl & Sally are having built--it's beautiful, in a gorgeous area and I love the floor plan. They hope to move in sometime this fall. We had a birthday celebration for Vic, Daryl, and Mom, and otherwise just did our usual hanging-out thing. Vic and I got a special treat when we left Katie with Mom and Dad and had several days at home to get things done without her. They brought her back to us on Thursday evening--we missed her like crazy, but it really was a productive week for us.
My very early birthday gift this year is tickets to see the Broadway stage production of "Disney's Beauty & The Beast." We're going this weekend. We've heard it's great, and are really excited to go!
One event I was really looking forward to was a weekend trip to Boise. Unfortunately, it's not going to happen. I put it off for too long and now my doctor doesn't want me to fly. She made a comment about how I'd probably just break another limb and I have to admit she's probably right. Hopefully next spring I can try again.
Book Reviews
Somehow I found time to read a little in the past couple months. I finished two wonderful books by some of my favorite authors. The first was "Back When We Were Grownups," by the always amazing Anne Tyler. Her characters are typically quirky but likeable, and this story was no exception. Although it was hard to keep track of all the family members and their goofy nicknames, it was a really fun read.
Another book I finished was Alice Hoffman's "Blue Diary." Although I haven't liked all of her latest books (hated "Here on Earth" and didn't really like "Practical Magic" much either), she redeemed herself with this one. Interesting story that made me question how I would deal with a similar situation (you'll have to read it to see what I mean).
Currently on my nightstand: two books by Louise Erdrich. These days I'm not able to keep my eyes open long enough to get past a page or two at a time, but I'm working on them.
Movie Reviews
In our few days without Katie we got a lot of work done around the house but went on a couple dates too. Here are quick reviews of the movies we saw:
Jurassic Park III: Scarier than the others, a little more contrived too. Excellent special effects. I love William H. Macy but it was weird to see him in a blockbuster. Overall a good way to get your heart thumping for an hour and a half.
America's Sweethearts: I loved John Cusack in this. It was very much a Billy Crystal movie though--didn't he write, direct, and produce or something? Anyway, it was cute but I hate Catherine Zeta-Jones more than ever now.
Legally Blonde: I know, I know. Vic gave me a pretty hard time about seeing this. I went by myself. I don't know why I thought the previews looked so cute and funny, but I really wanted to see it. It was as cute and funny as the previews; it reminded me of "Clueless" at law school. Surprisingly fun flick.
The end
I don't know what else to say. The few updates I've made have taken forever, and I'm exhausted. Just a few things before I sign off:
Tumbleweeds are rolling across the message board and guest book--sign them!
In case you missed it, here's the photo of the year
We're still looking for name suggestions for the new baby, and are getting desperate enough to say we're only looking for SERIOUS ones! Add your preferences to the message board or e-mail us!