Every once in a while I look around at what I have and I can't believe I arrived to where I am today. I was thinking for just a minute today while I was sitting in church how I would love to have a 2 year old that lays quietly on my shoulder and cuddles with me during church like the little girl 3 rows in front of us. But then I look down at the beautiful little 2 year old I have...even as she screams and dumps a bag full of Kix on the ground...and I feel I am one lucky guy.

It surprises me how often I feel like I don't have the answers to the simplest of parenting problems, I may be doing a horrible job, but I love our little family and I wouldn't want it any other way than we have it right now.

Today one of those things happened that I just wish everyone could see. Ellie decided to crawl under the bench and explore at church, she had never done it before so I wanted to see where this one went. When she crawled out of view I fully expected to see her pop up on the next row, but that didn't happen. What proceeded next was a slow moving "wave" like you'd see at a football game, only we were in church and most of the congregation was half asleep. I knew exactly where Ellie was because you could see the same reaction, row by row, of people moving and looking at the surprise crawling between their legs at 100 mph. Someone finally grabbed her 6 rows in front of us, by this time I was laughing so hard I was red in the face. It only made matters worse when everyone decided to pass her back on top of the pews row after row. It was a spectacle made into an even bigger spectacle with our trophy being handed to us after it was all through, with nothing but a huge goofy grin on her face.

So here we are, not knowing what we are doing, with another one on the way. I can't help but think that God has a sense of humor, and that he will happily send us another one just like Ellie...for now all I can say is...I hope so.

We find out on Tuesday the sex of the "thing" that is making Joni eat a jar full of pickles in one sitting. I don't understand how people can wait the whole 9 months before finding out, it really doesn't make sense to me but everyone is different. It's kind of like saying you will wait to open your Christmas presents in July...to each his own.

Bust a Move.

So last week I taught some 8th & 9th graders a few "hip hop zumba" classes. Their PE teacher is always looking for new & fun ways to keep the girls active. She came to the regular Zumba class at the gym to ask the instructor to come teach, but there was a substitute that night... so she asked ME?! Straight away I confessed I'm NO professional at Latin moves, but I was comfortable doing something "hip-hop"-ish. She thought her girls would love that...

So here we are busting some moves :)








The girls were such fun to teach! They were super positive, smiley, and energetic. I forgot how fun it is to be 14. We were dancing on the opposite half of the gym as the boys (there was a curtain divider). At one point I looked out at the girls and about half suddenly stopped dancing, and most were giggling uncontrollably. I turned around to see a group of boys had gathered at the edge of the curtain and were yelling "wooooot" "yeah" and doing their best impression of the moves. All fun and games until the boys' teacher yelled "get back over here, NOW!!". With a look of fear they disappeared in 5 seconds or less.
These are the little things that I forgot about being a teenager.

We had a blast, and if I'm not too swollen too soon I would love to go back!

I tried to enclose a link, but I'm thinking it didn't work? ... But the girls wanted to see their dancing so I posted 2 videos on youtube - feel free to check them out by searching "hip hop zumba CVMS" on the site.

In other news, we finally got Ellie sleeping in a toddler bed! It was easier than I expected once we found out she likes sleeping with all her stuffed friends.
I had a recurrence of "sickness" this week, but I'll live (I think) :)

16 weeks and counting! The wait is on. Happy Monday!