It's raining, pouring
But no snoring around here
This refreshing May
For starters, introducing Abigail Eastcott Kolarik!!!
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| the gender identification pic seemed a little too personal... so here's another headshot! |
Okay, so maybe the introduction is a bit premature, but finding out this month the gender of our baby has made it seem so much more real for us. Well, that and the fact that both Charlie and I can now feel (and see) her squirming around. Well, that, and the fact that Bruce pointed at my stomach the other day and asked, "ball?" There's no questioning it now, there's a real person inside of there, and her name is Abigail Eastcott. We're choosing to name her Abigail after who some say was King David's wisest wife. Her story may not be too familiar, so you should Google it sometime if you're curious. Her middle name, Eastcott (pronounced "S-kit") was Charlie's grandmother's given name. It's actually a last name from the family, which is why it's a little unusual, but we wanted to honor such an important matriarch of the family. I'm feeling really good these days, and I had my monthly check up today and everything is still right on track!
Bruce is doing great as well. He's become addicted to "driving" the car lately, so we spend a lot of time sitting in various cars in the driveway while he punches all the buttons and steers his way to who knows where. When he's not in the driver's seat, he's usually in the backyard. There's been a crazy amount of rain this month, but for the most part we can get outside and play everyday now, which is great! Bruce checks on the chickens, loves running through the sprinkler, pushes his lawn mower around, rides his little trike (a new hand-me-down toy from the neighbors girls... and no, he couldn't care less that it's pink.) and is always on the lookout for something interesting to investigate or inspect. He also continues to hone his musical prowess daily. He's quite the one-man-band - with a guitar across his lap, a tambourine on one knee, and a kazoo in his mouth - but he always loves company that will play along with him, as long as you're playing the instrument he has assigned to you. The really fun thing is that Bruce has finally started singing! It's not much, and it sounds something akin to the song "I Shot the Sheriff" - but it's a start! His "imaginative play" is growing also, as he's shifting from concrete to more abstract thought. A Duplo block can now double as a chair, bathtub, or even a car while he's playing, and he loves watching you draw something for him - seeing it come to life from nothing. He can be a lot of fun!
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| A lefty? |
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| or a righty? The jury's still out.. |
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| Bruce's "drill" |
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| our road table |
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| It's not much now... but it's growing! |
For Charlie's birthday we got a babysitter and went to the fancy theatre for dinner and a movie. We wanted to do something fun to celebrate, but unfortunately there weren't too many interesting movies out at that time. (We're not really into Iron Man...) So we ended up seeing Pain & Gain, which wasn't the greatest movie ever, but was fun for us because we had actually seen the documentary the movie was based on the week before. A bucket of popcorn and a gallon of soda later, we meandered home happy hearted.
The next weekend for Mother's Day we drove up to Charlie's parents' house to celebrate with Yvonne. We went out for dinner and had a nice, relaxing weekend. Bruce played farmhand and managed to catch a turtle while he was at it!
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| He was being gentle, but there's no way that turtle was coming out of his shell! |
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| Showing Fluffy Black his new turtle |
The following week, our international students finished up their semester and it was time for them to head back home to Korea. Even though they're only part of our family for such a short time, it's always sad to say good-bye! Bruce has been really bummed about them leaving, and still asks me when his "Nunas" are coming over next to play. There are a couple PhD students that will be here for awhile longer though, so instead of adopting new students in the Fall, we'll just keep hanging out with them while we're adjusting to our new family of four.
And then May 19th arrived. Sunday night there was a storm rolling through our part of the state, and for about fifteen minutes I semi-nervously watched the weather reports to see what might come of it. By the time Mike Morgan announced a tornado warning for Norman, I could tell that the storm was enough north of us that it wasn't going to be a problem for us. The town of Shawnee, about 40 miles east of us, was hit pretty hard though.
And then May 20th arrived. Monday afternoon I was on my way to the post office with Bruce, listening to the radio weather channel broadcast about another impending storm. In hindsight, I feel guilty because at the time the only thing I was thinking was that its track was north of us again, not even a hint of worry this time - it's no big deal. For us anyway. I got home in time to watch the rest of the storm unfold on the television. It was big, and black, and awful, and devastating. The craziest part of it all, was the way it ended. It was like a beautiful ribbon dance that lasted probably only seconds, but felt like minutes. It was mesmerizing and delicate, as if to try to take your attention away from what just happened. And what did just happen? I still don't know what all the official reports have decided, but a lot of homes were completely torn apart, businesses were destroyed, two elementary schools were demolished, and at least 24 people, almost half of them children, lost their lives. Even though I don't have any immediate connection to the tragedy, the city of Moore is still part of our community, and this just hit home. Too close. It's unsettling to think about what a difference 20 miles makes.
So on May 21st? We had a storm shelter installed in our backyard. Thankfully, we had put in for the permit and got on "the list" for the shelter a while back. I can't imagine how long that list is now. It's nice to have that extra measure of security, especially with (almost) two Littles in tow.
Last weekend we met Charlie's parents in OKC for the Chuck Wagon Festival. Because of all the rain and muddy pastures, they ended up not bringing any of the chuck wagons (what?) but it was still a fun event. Bruce made a rope lasso, got some tips on roping cattle and trick roping, and we all enjoyed some great live western music.
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| getting a pre-festival donut, of course |
Then on Sunday, we joined with our house church to help with relief efforts. Charlie helped the team "in the trenches" and cleared the debris from three different homes. He had a chainsaw, which turned out to be rare, and was like gold. I stayed backed with a few other mamas and our kiddos made cards for the trauma center and then we went shopping for "wish list" supplies. It was great to show the kids how to be a part of the recovery and rebuilding process, and that little efforts add up.
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| Charlie in (what's left of) the neighborhood he was working in |
Another fun thing for us this month is that we finally got our new wedding rings this week! We started the process of having these rings crafted for us right around Thanksgiving, so this has been a long time coming! The rings have an abstract version of our initials carved into them, (my initials on Charlie's ring, and vice versa) and then my original engagement diamond was reset to match. We were so excited to finally have them finished!
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| Owen working on the carving |
Charlie left early yesterday morning for another stint in China. Every time they go, they pick up another new project it seems, so I'm a little scared at what they'll get themselves into this time! It's great to have the work, and interesting projects - but I like having Charlie home! He'll be gone for 11 days this time, which seems like forever, but we'll survive! It's a good thing my "teacher friends" are done with school for the summer - hopefully I'll have some adult company while Charlie's gone!
We're looking forward to lots of summer fun in the months to come!
