How about giraffes instead of reindeer, Santa?

We are packing to leave on a big Christmas trip. It will take us two days to get there and will take a long stretch-our-legs break where they are known for their chocolate, tulips and abundant use of cannabis.
The giraffes will be in Kenya, where we will spend a warm and humid Christmas. My mom has been volunteering with Wycliffe Bible Translators working in their offices this past year. She will be there through the spring. We decided this is a once in a lifetime chance to go since the baby is coming in May. My sister is going with us, also.
Our long stretch-our-legs break will be in Amsterdam. We have a day layover there assuming all the weather in Chicago and Detroit cooperates.
So my next post probably won't be until we get back after Jan 1st.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Baby Update

Yesterday we had our first ultrasound! I'm proud to announce we are having a healthy active baby. Mike was pretty much blown away with seeing the little person inside me! It's amazing all the detail that can be seen such as all four chambers of the heart beating, the kidneys and diaphragm. It was good to know that the baby had all the right spots, lines and black holes in all right places! I have been able to feel baby move but it's not strong enough for Mike to feel it yet. I told him he could strap on a coke can that flips and flops if he wanted to be in my shoes. You know since a coke can weighs sooo much.
I'm starting to show just a tad, not enough to validate any picture postings yet. But I will, promise, when I get bigger.

Snow, Snow, Snooowwww!!!!

As of Dec. 1 it's already a White Christmas! Apparently last week was too cold to snow, who'd have thought? I think we got around 6 inches on Sat. Mike was a sweety and braved the cold to go to the grocery store to get some Rotel cheese dip. It really sounded good and he hasn't had to put up with any crazy cravings from me, yet... How could you not want to watch a movie and have chips and Rotel and root beer on a snowy Sat evening?? Thanks Lauren for reminding me how good it is!!

Hmm, I think I'm gonna have a craving for white chocolate covered Oreo's pretty soon...

10? Really??

I didn't realize it until we got there but I was homesick for TX. I haven't lived there since 2000 but it's where I was born and raised and where family is. FACT: Mike was born and partially raised in TX, but he claims Minnesota. Now this is where you non-Texans can roll your eyes but we were talking about how Dallas/Ft. Worth feels so open and big compare to the Twin Cities. Big as in more elbow room and space. I do love all the evergreen trees up here but they close in things.
So to tie in my title for this post, the temperature this morning is directly related to what time it is!! At 9am it was 9 degrees, at 10am it is now 10 degrees, BUT it feels like -3!!! What am I supposed to do with that?!?! We are Not in Texas any more!!
Mike has been biking into work every day so I'm curious how it was for him this morning at 6am!!
I have been good about walking every morning but I told my sister today on the phone that I may wait till noon or later to see if it hits the high of 25....
Having had experience in North Woods freezing winters, I like to think I can handle cold weather better the most Texans, but I'm not going to take it without some whine and chili!!

Texas Brisket, there is nothing better.

Normally for Thanksgiving everyone gets excited about the turkey and stuffing and all that good stuff. This year we were excited about the brisket!!!
My dad's cousin Dickie (Uncle Dickie) makes the best brisket ever! He is no relation to the Dickie's BBQ joints in TX that we saw this past week. He's the real deal, smokes his brisket with real mesquite wood for over 12 hours. He does it every year for all the dear hunters and for other groups in Mason, TX.
We had his brisket at our wedding and ever since any brisket we have elsewhere always gets compared to his. Nothing stacked up in Idaho and Maryland. Mr. Powdrell's in Albuquerque did a good job and for living in Minnesota, Famous Dave's actually has pretty good brisket.
Visiting my family in TX this past we week, we got to have brisket at least three times. Mike said he was actually brisketed out! Now that's a Happy Thanksgiving!!

36

For once I actually took my own advice. I looked under the hood again to check on the walnut hoarding squirrel situation. It is turning into a situation but hopefully I have put an end to it. This time I counted the walnuts that were hurriedly put in one place instead of spread out under the hood. Yes, 36 walnuts under the hood that went immediately into the trash instead of on the ground. At least I'M learning from this experience, we'll see if the squirrel(s) do!!!

Pesky Squirrels!!!

So the other day I was refilling the washer fluid in our explorer (yes, we still have the explorer and will until it dies). Lifting up the hood I noticed it looked like something had been making a home under the hood. This is where you ask "Do you drive your car and when was the last time you looked under the hood?" Well, yes and I don't know!!!
After looking closer I discovered walnuts stashed in multiple places everywhere!!! Not only had the walnut hoarding squirrels stashed nuts everywhere but they also thought it would be a good idea to dig and tear into the insulation? from under the hood to cover their nuts. Heaven forbid other squirrels find the stash under OUR hood!?!?!?
I'm sure I picked and flicked out at least 20 or 30 walnuts!! I can imagine the squirrel(s) getting excited about finding more on the ground to bury. Maybe I should check under the hood again to make sure they didn't add to the stash!!!
Someone suggested rat poisoning but I told them I didn't want abunch of deceased squirrels around the parking lot. And I'm sure that's illegal to some extent.
Well all the walnuts are off the trees anyway and we don't plan on living in this apartment next year so that'll just have to do!

1 + 1 = 3

Let me explain our math...Number 3 in the Loosbrock family will be arriving in early May '08. Still not catching on? Well...I'll let you think about it.
I thought this would be an exciting first post for out blog. We hope this blog will help everyone far away stayed connected to our growing family. It seems I always see my friends after the baby is born and never during the pregnancy.
Mike and I are very exciting but the reality is still slowing sinking in. I had very little morning sickness and such during the 1st trimester, which we are very thankful for. A few weeks ago we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat which was really amazing. Mike is a very excited father-to-be.
Besides that exciting news we are settling into life here. We are looking forward to being in the same place for more than a year! We have already had several friends come for a visit along with my sister and Mike's mom and brother. Mike's dad is currently overseas again with the reserves and we are looking forward for him to being back for good in the spring in time for the New Arrival.
That is it for now, we hope you enjoy all that is to come!!