Staying Busy

Hi all, I realized it has been a little while since last post, so here's a quick update on things with us...

Over the 4th we headed down to D.C. to visit Lee & Alex and finally get a chance to meet our nephew John Berihu. So much fun. Lee & Alex are doing such an amazing job settling in with him. While we were there he had his "baptication" as it has been referred to...He was already baptized in Ethiopia, so rather than re-baptize him, he was dedicated at Lee & Alex's church. John and I get to be God-parents! Some fun pics from the D.C. weekend...Our attempts at a family picture are pretty amusing with the little ones...it should get even more challenging by Christmas when Emily and I both have babies to add to the mix! : )
We have started to try to clean out the guest room and attic in order to make room for a baby nursery. Last weekend we finally had our yard sale which was a culmination of over a month's work sorting out boxes of random stuff that John and I have been carting with us over the years. Our dining room had become overrun with piles and boxes of stuff that is finally gone. It was definitely a lot of hard work, but we made a surprising amount of cash, so it was worth it. We were taken aback by the way people haggle over the smallest things...it's crazy. So many times the thought crossed my mind...Do you really need to haggle over a quarter? When it was over, we just boxed up any leftover stuff and headed straight to the Salvation Army...nothing allowed back in the house.

We also finally sold my car...the old Focus is no more. Well it is, but now it is for a teenage girl. We are grateful that it sold so quickly. Between the car and the yard sale we have a little extra cash on hand to buy some baby furniture.

I had another OB appointment yesterday. All is going well. Our little guy, who we have decided to name Jackson "Jack" William Claypool is growing well. He is moving around all the time now, and John can actually feel it too, which has been fun for him. When we were discussing names and had decided on Jack, John felt him kick for the first time, so he feels like Jack was giving his approval for the name. I had another ultrasound, and my direct quote from the tech that I took home to John was "Wow, his legs are huge - look at those thighs." John is now convinced that he has passed on his "pear-shaped" man thighs to our son. Some new US pics...