What's Kickin?

I can't seem to blog on a regular basis, so I guess clumps will have to do until I get into a routine. I thought this one deserved it's own heading.

I'm about 23 weeks along in my pregnancy, and I know that we're not supposed to be able to feel Stroopie until the end of next week, but something has happened this week. I think I've finally "popped." This afternoon I was lying on my back noticing that my stomach sticks up higher than my rib cage, and Stroopie was kicking/somersaulting around so much, I was sure I was feeling it on both sides of my stomach skin. So I had Dave put his hand on, which of course immediately caused Stroopie to stop. But after a minute or so, he gave such an enthusiastic leap that we both felt it!

Yet one more sign that there's a person living in my stomach. Maybe it's really true. Creepy...

Family Conference

Last week Dave and I attended Family Conference, a yearly get-together for any state-side workers, members on home service, appointees, etc. It was in Holland, MI, which was a convenient 20 minute drive for us, so we saved a bundle on life insurance by commuting each day.

We went to one adult morning session, which consisted of updates from different areas around the world and a very theological speaker. After that experience we decided to play our "MK camp" card and hang out with the teens, who drank lots of coffee shop beverages and shared life stories.

Highlights were: a "fashion show" that poked good-natured fun at modern styles from around the world; the chance to see the new baby of some friends we'd made at our training in January; and a Parents vs. Kids soccer game that gave Dave an excuse for walking like an old man for several days. (Dave played on the Parents side. :)

"All-Nighter" for Old Fogies

Last night Dave and I had a flashback to college days. We had a mailing project we'd been intending to do for about the last day and a half, but I think we were both waiting for the other person to get the ball rolling. Well, last night at about 10:00, we realized we needed to get that ball in motion so we could get our letters out with this morning's mail.

Around 11:30, when we were both getting tired, edgy, and hungry, we realized we hadn't really felt that way for that reason (procrastination!) since we finished our schooling. Happily, it only took another 1/2 hour for us to finish up and hit the hay. And, even better, we're not doing it for a letter grade. But I think we both realized we need to be just a tad more pro-active about our partner-development "assignments."

I wonder how that'll work when Stroopie is around? We'll have to teach him to make fantastic late-night nachos.

Smores Galore

I'm disappointed now that we didn't think to take pics of our creations, but we made some blog-worthy smores last weekend. We didn't come up with the ideas, but we highly recommend them. Pofta buna!

Banana Smores
Cut an unpeeled banana in half the long way, and grill face down for 3 minutes. Flip and brush with melted butter and cinnamon, then grill for 3 more minutes. Cut into slices and use in place of marshmallows in a smore. They're even better if you can force yourself to wait until the chocolate is good and melty. I never thought mallows could be replaced, but wowie zowie.

Stroopie Smores
Heat a stroopwafel in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Put chocolate and a roasted marshmallow on top and fold up like a taco. This solves the overly crunchy graham cracker problem, where the insides squirt out before you can get a good bite.

Birthday Blessing!

On Erika's birthday, we got quite a financial blessing! We (along with countless radio stations around the country) are the grateful receivers of a match grant. Here's how it came about:

We had an appointment with an "anonymous" foundation, but we'd been told ahead of time that they weren't looking for new missionaries to support, so we were just looking forward to asking lots of questions of this "expert" we were meeting with. Due to construction, we missed the appt entirely, but called in time to reschedule for the later in the afternoon. We decided to try to find the place anyway, and after several minutes of driving around, we realized we would've missed the appt even if there had been no construction. (So, we were very thankful we had a legitimate excuse to reschedule. Praise God for road construction!) We went to a fantastic sandwich shop (it was Marie Catrib's for those who live around Grand Rapids) for lunch, walked along Reed's Lake, and headed over to our appt. But, instead of asking lots of questions, we ended up answering the questions he posed to us, and after double the length of our scheduled time, he said the foundation would give us a match-grant up to $10,000 for people who signed on as regular supporters! Amazingly, we had written that very number on a list we were making for ourselves earlier in the day. God really confirmed that He was at that meeting. (So, if you're thinking about supporting us regularly, this is a great time to sign on! :)

Gender Issues

This week marks the half-way point for our pregnancy, which means it's ultrasound time! This morning they gooped up my belly, pushed around on my full bladder, and revealed quite clearly that there's another boy to carry on the Sterken line! (We have proof, but we didn't feel totally comfortable displaying everything about our son on the internet. :)

We'd been thinking it seemed like God had given us more experiences with boys, but we often said "she" when we talked about him, so we wondered if our intuitions were taking over. Apparently not. This continues the boy-girl pattern for Dave's parents and gives Erika's one of each grandchild, so we're all excited.

We thought about having the doctor write down what it was and put it in an envelope so we could open it tomorrow for Erika's birthday, but we wanted to make sure we didn't miss a thing! As far as the actual medical reasons for having an ultrasound, everything looks normal and healthy. Thank You, Lord!