crabbnation

We had to say good bye to our dear friend Sarah as she returns to Uganda for another six months. It seems like her time here flew by but we were lucky enough to be in her presence several times and enjoy some Africa stories. Michael and I are so impressed that Sarah can not only survive but absolutely love living in Kampala. She is pretty amazing. Our other dear friend, Donna, is joining her for a several week visit and I don’t know if I have been so excited for someone else to get to travel there. I pray the trip exceeds her expectations. It was this time 3 years ago when Michael and I were in Uganda and this time 9 years ago when we were preparing to leave for Kenya. If you have ever traveled to anywhere like east Africa then you know how unforgettable your time is there.

Here are Donna and Sarah.

Here’s my awesome bible study at Loose park several weeks ago. I am extremely fortunate to have these girls as my good friends! Left to right is Donna, me, Hannah, Kerry, Kristen, and Sarah. Sweet Charlie below.

Ethan and I have been enjoying the great weather lately. There’s nothing better than a long walk and picnic with my boy. I introduced him to Cheetos yesterday. Oh my, they will be saved as a special treat.

the cutest little freckles, longest lashes,

and sweetest face I have ever seen!

Have a great Friday!

Mike here. It was mid-May 1998 — ten years ago. I was finishing up my freshman year at K-State. Some of my friends were leaving just after final exams to volunteer for a week at Frontier Ranch in Colorado to help prepare the camp for summer. They wanted me to go, but I wasn’t sold on the idea. The cost was $99 (which would have cleared out the piggy bank) and I was rather looking forward to some time on mom & dad’s couch with name-brand snack foods. Then came the deal-clincher: “You know Julie Brewster is going, don’t you?”

I had first seen her in January of that year. I remember the moment clearly. I was sitting with Stacy (Schmidt) Feather at her dining room table in the house on Leavenworth Street. She and her roommates were having a small gathering. The front door opened, and in walked a vision of beauty that simply stunned me. She had the most beautiful long, brown hair and vivid blue eyes. Many in the room cheered and rushed to greet her. Her smile was devastating. “Who is that?” “That’s Julie. She just transferred from Emporia State.”

I spent the next few months pathetically attempting to glean information about her from her friends. I went to places where I thought she might be and tried to act casually surprised to see her. Now, the prospect of a 10-hour bus ride and a week in Colorado in close proximity was too much to pass up. I immediately wrote a post-dated check.

That week in May at Frontier Ranch was our first opportunity to spend any real time together. We enjoyed a number of long talks under the cold, starry sky. My infatuation grew and endures today. When I returned home, I had my photos from the trip developed right away. When I showed them to a friend, he asked, “Who is that girl in every single picture?” It was true — 24 exposures of Julie here, Julie there, Julie with friends, Julie with mountainscape. Yet, there wasn’t a single photo of the both of us — I was still admiring from afar.

I love you, Poolie. 10 years!

Intense is the only word to describe moot court last Thursday. Oh my gosh, I had no idea how tough the judges would be and the complexity of the arguments. It was unanimous that out of the four students Michael did get drilled the hardest. He had only spoken three words of his opening statement when none other than John Roberts interrupted with his first question. The judges did make jokes with several of the students, including Michael, which completely threw them off. So what does Michael do, oh he makes a joke of his own and later wondered what was I thinking? However he did make them all laugh or at least smile really big. Even though Michael and Lindsey did not win this round, which they completely should have, we were still very proud of Michael and they will have another chance to win at regionals next fall. We had a great conversation with John Roberts after and found him to be very friendly, engaged, and thoughtful. This is definitely an experience we won’t soon forget.

I don’t know if I’m more proud of Michael or nervous for him. Just two days until the final round of KU’s moot court competition. Michael and his partner Lindsey made it to the final round by being the best speakers, arguers, debaters, lawyers if you will. Also in part from their high score on their brief on the topic. The most exciting and nerve racking part of this whole competition is that Chief Justice John Roberts will be visiting the law school and judging the final round. Yes that’s right, Michael will be arguing in front of the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. I have a right to brag. This is a huge deal and makes me so proud yet extremely nervous for him. Michael had talked about wanting to do moot court long before he even applied to law school so it’s just awesome to watch him accomplish this goal. Thanks to a very nice friend for watching Ethan on Thursday so I get to go. Michael’s law school friends say he looks like he is running for office while he is speaking and I can’t wait to watch. Also, is it a coincidence that Michael makes this same hand gesture as John Roberts in the picture below?

Ethan had so much fun visiting Annabelle last weekend and overall we had a great day in Manhattan. Thank you Feather’s for hosting, going to the game, eating at Rocka Belly and your wonderful friendship. We loved hanging out all day and letting our little people be friends. Ethan wants to play again soon at Annabelle’s house.

Playing.

Too much playing.

Little fans!

Soon to be friends. Stacy at 36 weeks, Julie at 23.

Classic example of what usually happens when we try to get a pic of the kids together.

Here’s our precious baby! He or she looked awesome this morning. There were moments when we could see that little face so clearly, very cool. In the first picture the mouth is open and we could see its little tongue moving. This one sure likes to hang out with one arm up by its head. The sex is still a secret even though I have been extremely tempted to know this week especially today when the technician was taunting us a little. Any guesses?

Several times a day Ethan asks to check my belly or give my belly hugs. He is so sweet and gentle in those moments. Checking the belly includes him listening and reporting back whether he hears the baby talking or the heartbeat. He also likes to give me sonograms with this little toy duck. We went swimming this morning and it was difficult for him to understand that the pool is not really the best place for him to ‘check’ and show the entire community center my belly. What’s seems crazy to me is that I wasn’t even showing at this time when I was pregnant with Ethan. Exactly how big am I going to get this summer? Bring it on!

Squeezes!

Happy Birthday to Jeffer! The big 3-0! We had a great time at Jeff’s Dirty Thirty party last weekend. A highlight of the whole weekend was having Jay in town. Thanks for spending so much time with us and dining at some of our favorite KC restaurants. Ethan has not seen Uncle Jay since December, yet he was welcomed by a huge hug with a running start. Those kind of hugs are only for very special people.

Here’s the family.

What are they doing?

Climbing to the tallest spot on the playground while covered in dirt. Such a boy!