How to Build a Fence

Alex and I are building a fence along the back section of our yard. After several days of construction, we've formulated a set of instructions for future fence-builders:

1. Wait for your neighbor to build a fence. Let him work out the kinks and buy all the special fence-building tools.

2. Wait until said neighbor has finished building a significant portion of the fence to be sure you like his work and then buy him a case of cheap beer in exchange for borrowing his tools and know-how.

3. Dig a hole.

4. Put a fence post in the hole and pour in the cement.

5. Let the cement dry over-night. Calculate the distance between this first post and the next based on the size of your pre-constructed fence panels. Dig another hole and cement another post.

6. Let the cement dry over-night. Re-calculate the distance between the second and third posts after you realize you have to actually be able to attach the pre-constructed fence panel to the posts. Dig another hole and cement another post.

7. Let the cement dry over-night. Hang a fence panel. Re-calculate the distance between the third and fourth posts after you realize that 4x4 boards are actually only 3.5 inches thick. Dig another hole and cement another post.

8. Cement in the last post.

So, hope that helps anyone who's thinking of building a fence!

Mmmmm...Tomatoes

Our garden tomatoes are finally reaching their peak this week. We planted 6 varieties: brandywine, german green, zebra, tomato cellos, grape tomatoes, big boys, and clementines. Our favorites are the tomato cellos and the brandywine. The other night we made a tomato medley Mozzarella salad--it was delicious!

Olympic Announcers

Alex and I have really been enjoying watching the Olympics every evening. But one thing has been bothering us. The announcers. For whatever reason, the announcers think that silence is deadly. So rather than allow any to creep into the broadcast, they end up saying the dumbest things. Here are some examples (I've used the name John to protect the identities of the real broadcasters--but also I don't remember their names):

Volleyball:

The thing you have to remember, John, is that you can't win unless you get 21 points.

Synchronized diving:

Well, John, you don't get points for being out of synch.

Swimming:

To win this race, Phelps had to swim faster than all the other competitors.

It also annoys us that the announcers can't ever predict who is going to win the event (whichever it may be) BUT after it is over they insist on replaying the race and pointing out why you can immediately tell why the winner won. I mean, if it was obvious, why don't they say anything about it during the race? Why don't they ever say "Wow, based on the way Phelps entered the water and the way he popped his knees at exactly the right moment and the amount of time he spent sideways in the water and the number of bubbles he blew out of his nose at second 53.2 its obvious he's going to win"?

Pregnant or not?

I promise I'll post things other than pregnancy things. But I made a shocking realization tonight that I think is worth sharing. Mostly I don't look pregnant, just a little "thicker." But tonight I let my stomach muscles relax and the transformation was unbelievable! Mind you, I'm not pushing out in that second picture, just relaxing. Imagine the workout my stomach is getting on a day to day basis holding that mass in!

Baby Pics

I went in for my first ultrasound today. I was pretty sure they were going to tell me that there wasn't a baby in there after all, but I was wrong. There's definitely a baby in there. And its wriggly and cute. We got to watch it's heart beat, all four chambers no less. It beats at a rate of 146 per minute! I found out that I'm only 14 weeks and 6 days along rather than the 17-18 weeks that my doctor estimated last month. That puts the new due date at February 4. Since it's so early, the sex was not yet determinable. I'm going back in 4 weeks though, and by then it should be obvious. Here are our first baby pictures!

Notice the legs are crossed in this one.

Five toes!

And five fingers!

The Wasssssp

In a fit of jealousy, Alex bought himself a new road bike. In all fairness, it was almost as good a deal as mine. We haven't yet been able to go out biking together but that's mostly because I'm afraid of eating his dust. I could barely keep up with him when I had a fancy road bike and he had a single speed mountain bike. It's a Cannondale R3000 and I think it looks like a wasp. Here are the specs. He's going to use it to do a triathlon in Grand Rapids this September. He needs to start working on his swimming...