Kami’s pregnant! Due on January 5th – two days after my own birthday. Kami’s starting to show, but Selah still doesn’t quite understand how much her life is going to change six months from now. Before you ask, we don’t (and won’t) know the sex of the baby. I was up for finding out this time and Kami looked at me and said “Who are you?!” I took that to mean that it’s going to be a surprise again.

UPDATE: I made some edits that make the video a lot easier to watch.

One flood I’ve been unable to avoid is just one of the perks of being a parent. Selah is a pure delight, but I’ve never been sick so often, and I can’t help but attribute it at least in small part to her inability to willfully wash her hands on a normal basis Small cost to pay I guess

It is December – which means that I should expect rain and head colds. Doesn’t mean that I can’t dream of sunshine and open nasal passages…[foreshadowing of a future post]…

Wednesday was a good day for us. I’d elaborate, but what would be the fun in that? Instead, click on the photo above to find out why.

I used to play basketball every day. Every day possible in high school, every day possible in college, and every day possible for the two years after college. At those ages, when responsibility is more of a sermon than a way of life, it’s easy to find a pick-up game at any time of day on just about any street corner, and lunches are sacrificed for an hour on the hardwoods. Eventually I grew old enough that basketball started to cost money – not only for access to the courts it was played on, but in the wages lost when a game when a little beyond the lunch hour.

I’ve been looking for a hobby, and maybe more so – a way to stay active AND have fun. It’s been years since I played an organized game of basketball, so when the church bulletin announced a men’s church league I couldn’t sign up fast enough. In preparation I went to the sporting goods store and bought a good pair of Nike high-top basketball shoes to protect my injury-prone ankles, basketball shorts (running shorts are a little inappropriate in a basketball game), and a green Dri-fit t-shirt (I was placed on the “Green” team – the only color of work-out shirt I didn’t own, because who wants to look like an elf at the gym).

When Tuesday arrived I could hardly contain my excitement. Tuesday is my day to watch Selah, so cooped up in the house and looking at my new basketball ensemble, I got a little stir-crazy. So I loaded Selah up in the car and went to the gym to lift weights.

I sprained my ankle in the parking lot of the gym. Not just a little twist that caught me off balance, but a full-on sprain – complete with popping and snapping sounds and a sudden onset of throw-up inducing pain. I didn’t step on anything, and I wasn’t running or even pretending to make a lay-up. I was walking. On a paved, level surface.

As I sat in my open trunk, gathering my breath and composure, my throbbing ankle reminded me of why I quit playing basketball in the first place. I’ve sprained my ankles so many times that I own enough Ace Bandages to dress up the neighborhood for Halloween. I’ve lost weeks of productivity due mostly to basketball and my inability to stay upright, and now – at 30 years old and struggling to stay in shape – I am faced with the brutal realization that I will probably never play basketball again.

My new basketball shoes, unworn, sit ready for their return to the sporting goods store. They are my albatross. I can’t return them fast enough.

Today felt a little bit like an unveiling for our house. We’ve been doing a lot of work, and today we were finally done and showing it off to guests. First, the exterior of the house was painted. We went with a dark green/grey with dark trim, which is quite a juxtaposition from it’s original color. Around the same time of the house painting, our water main broke between the meter and the house, so we had to replace the line (that cost almost twice as much as the house painting!).

We then decided to take on the kitchen. Sadly, we don’t have any “before” photos, but it’s a dramatic improvement. We replaced the flooring, painted all of the cabinets and drawers, replaced the hardware, demo’d the tile countertops and tile backsplashes, extended the countertops, installed new Formica countertops with oak trim and oak backsplash, replaced the kitchen sink and faucet, and installed a microwave / hood over the range. This took almost a month due to delayed deliveries, but as of today, it’s complete.

Well almost. Our oven stopped working today. The joys of home-ownership! Click on the photos above for a larger version.