First Snow!

It finally snowed here! It's all melted now, but it was fun while it lasted.

First you get some snow,

then you taste it,

then you build a snowman.

Full snow gear.

Just a pretty picture.

Abby, Uncut

This is long. But if you're really into Abby, like I am, it's worth the watch! What a crazy, silly girl we have.

More Grandma + Park = FUN

Different Grandma, different park, same amount of fun.

Canning Applesauce

When my mom visited a few weeks ago she generously devoted an entire day to helping Alex and I can applesauce and make apple butter. We put up 26 jars. That's about 1/8 of the amount that our family used to do!

Here's my picture tutorial of how to can applesauce.

First you core the apples. (Yes, Alex is wearing a latex glove)

Then you cook them.

Then you mash them up.

Then you stir it all together. Preferably while naked.

Then you taste it.

Then you put it in jars and cook it.

Then you make apple crisp with the leftovers!

P.S. If you want to borrow a naked Abby for your next batch of applesauce, I'm sure she'd gladly agree to help!

Chicago

Earlier in October we went to Chicago to visit Beth and Dan. Our visit fortuitously overlapped with a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Mettler. (ok, so it was planned that way on purpose, but whatever). I snapped a few photos of Grandma and Abby in the park together. Those two sure have fun!

I'm Just Gonna Do It

Back when I was pregnant with Abby I wanted people to know that I was pregnant but found that it didn't often come up organically in conversation.

"Hey, did you see that paper in Science?"
"No, was it about pregnancy? 'Cuz I'm pregnant!"

"Hey, what did you do this weekend?"
"We went to the park. By the way, I'm pregnant!"

"I got lunch at BTB yesterday."
"Did you see any pregnant people? It turns out I'm pregnant!"

I kept thinking, well, people will figure it out on their own eventually. But I didn't really start to show until 4 months. And other people didn't think I started to show until 7 months. So that didn't work so well.

You may wonder why I wanted people to know. Well, first, so they would know why I was running so damn slow. Second, so they would know why I was getting a little "thick." And third, because I couldn't drink my favorite beer, eat unpasteurized cheese, drink unpasteurized apple cider (and yes, that did come up), or eat sushi and I wanted people to feel sorry for me. Oh, and I guess so we could marvel at the miracle of life together, blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, in an effort to avoid awkward conversations with any of my friends and family who don't already know, I am resorting to announcing that I am pregnant with Mettlinger Baby #2 on my blog and thus on Facebook. I know, it's impersonal. But trust me, it's better than me trying to awkwardly insert it into an otherwise normal conversation. And to those of you who have already suffered said awkward conversations, I apologize!

I've added a neat floating baby widget to the side of the blog. In case you have trouble converting from days to weeks to due dates etc., I'm 14 weeks along, due mid-April.

I'll end with the cutest story you've ever heard. We told Abby that I had a baby in my belly (fortunately she is familiar with this concept, having seen Tory go through pregnancy with Benji). She leaned over and said "Can I touch it?" I told her she could touch my belly, but not the baby because it was inside me. Then she said "Can I see it?" I explained that she couldn't see it either because it was inside me. At that point, she pointed at my belly button and said "Can I see it through the hole?" She's the best.

Cabin Trip 2011: Final Installment

This, your last post about the Cabin Trip, is devoted to random pictures taken while exploring the area right around the cabin.

"Whatchoo lookin' at?"


Surveying their domain.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry up!"





Flying!

(Mike's hair doesn't flow as prettily as Heather's...)

Sigh. I wish we could go back now.

Cabin Trip 2011: Part 4

I know. You're wondering how many parts are there going to be? Well, this one. And one more. And then we'll see.

This part is the one wherein we visit a local beach and build a magnificent sand castle complete with woven rooftops and bridges.

Testing the water.

Playing.

Building.





Photographing.

Finished product.