Our parents...

Pregnancy update: We thought I had two whole days of morning sickness, but unless morning sickness is now contagious we're thinking I actually had some sort of delightful little GI virus. Todd promptly got it and now we are close to being back to normal. Our first ultrasound is April 6th!

Tonight we drove to Freeze Out Lake and were completely mesmerized by the annual Snow Goose migration which takes place the last two weeks of March. Thousands and thousands of geese from California and elsewhere stopping to eat barley and fatten up before continuing on to Canada, and eventually the Arctic. My breath was taken away two different times when they all flew off at once against a perfect (just before sunset) sky with sounds of wings and ?honking?. We were there this time last year with our friend Joe from IN, who is both passionate and knowledgeable about birds. We went to eat in Choteau and talked about this new life and how ours will change.

We've had a lot of great talks over the years we've been together about what sort of parents we'd like to be...what sorts of things we've noticed in other people...parenting we admire.

We've had unbelievable examples of good parenting, but know our style will be uniquely us. Some things I love....

I love that my earliest memories are full of raising, growing, making things. That my dad turned our land into a sort of petting zoo: Chickens and their baby chicks, ducks, catfish, sheep, a horse, dogs, cats, and an occasional cow who would make a brief appearance before ending up in our freezer. I love that I know the precise smell of pups just born in the early morning, of straw and old barn-wood, of a newborn lamb which we fed with a bottle in our very own basement! My senses are heightened when I think of my childhood. We were wild...exploring the land and the barns, and the silo, getting so dirty, dressing kittens in baby doll clothes, and never ever coming inside. I love that I remember carrying wood for our wood burning stove and I love that my Mom made our clothes and then taught us to do the same. I love that I modeled clothing I made in 4H, even if it was the dorkiest outfit I have ever seen in my life. I love that my Mom took piano lessons with us (even if none of us ever really caught on) and that I cannot recall a single time she's looked at me without mentioning how "naturally beautiful" I am. I am in love with growing our own food like my parents did and still remember exactly where I would sit on the porch swing when I would snap green beans and shuck corn. I loved the smells of it all and the way it felt in my hands. I love that we would pile all of our blankets into the bath-tub or on the balcony or on the stairs or in the closet because we just felt like sleeping in places other than our beds...just for kicks. I hate that my Dad put me in a pageant, but I love that he was still proud of me when all I got was "Miss Congeniality." I probably complained about getting up in the wee hours of the morning to feed the baby chicks and dogs before school and I'm sure I complained when I had to snap beans, but I think so much of my Mom and Dad for ignoring my complaints and seeing the bigger picture. And yes, I'm aware of how very 'Little House on the Prairie' our lives really sound. I was teased about that very thing in elementary school, but even then I think deep down I knew it was a cool way to live :)

I love that there are barely any pictures of Todd or his siblings without the family dog. I love that he played outside in the creek and park behind their house for whole days at a time. I adore the fact that he created these fabulous little people out of light bulbs and an assortment of objects around the house using a hot glue gun. More than this, I love that his parents encouraged him so much creatively and that to this day their home is decorated with kid art! I think it's both brave and amazing that as they got older his Mom designated one night a week that one of the kids would cook for the family. I love that his Mom needs the tiniest reason to throw a party for someone...she celebrates everything!! I love that as soon as Todd started showing interest in guitar they went to get him one. I love that Todd and his Mom used to go to lunch together every week when he was in college. I have his Dad to thank for the fact that Todd makes errands fun for me. He often reminisces on trips with his Dad to Big Lots and to yard sales on Saturday mornings and says his Dad would make it such a blast. I love that his Dad tells his sister how pretty she is and that he hugs her all the time and came to her classroom as a special guest artist. I love that he has continued to pursue art and is such an inspiration to Todd, creatively. I love love love that his parents have raised them so close to their extended family and to know and respect and spend time with their Grandparents. I love that they spend one week out of every year with each other in Michigan.

I love that both of our families hug a lot.

All that said, I think we have a strong foundation and am elated at the thought of introducing this other little life to such neat people. Here's to our parents!