We have a name!

Michael and I have finally picked out a name for our little girl...but we're not telling anybody yet! I know, I know, I can't keep secrets very (or at all), but we decided to tell our families on Christmas and then we will tell everybody else. Ok, so one or two (or three...) of my friends already know, but that's all. Gavan and Mel, I don't know how you did it - it's only been a few days and I'm dying to tell everybody! Michael and I have been calling her by her name to get used to it and make sure we like it. Here is the latest belly picture. I am getting huge!

Lumberjacks

I don't know a lot about trees, but I do know that Bradford Pears are the weakest trees ever. Thanks to Ice Storm 2007 (evidently each storm has to be named, like it was a hurricane), we lost most of two bradford pear trees. So, my good friend Brandon (affectionately known as 'Wee') became lumberjacks for the better part of 5 hours earlier today. I'm not sure how lumberjacks did this all day every day, but they were better men than I am. For many reasons, one of which is that they did not have a chainsaw. They had to actually chop the wood! After just 5 hours, I can barely move. My plan is to not leave the couch until tomorrow morning. Thanks to my boss Matt, I had the luxury of a gas chainsaw. I own an electric chainsaw (came with our house...), but it does not work well at all. Big thanks to Wee. I would have been lucky to finish tomorrow without him. It takes a good friend to come help without asking anything in return. I promised him lunch, which didn't even happen until about 3:00 p.m. Thankfully for both of us, Katie cooked a great meal and we both ate until we were sick. I'm not sure if the OKC workers will be happy when they come to gather the limbs, but I'm very thankful for our great city for offering this service. I talked to Gavan earlier and he said they finally got their power on, but I know there are a lot of people without power still. It is just another reminder of how blessed we are. Our prayers are with those without power and the people trying to restore the electricity.

Christmas Card Outtakes

First of all, I didn't know that's how you spell "outtakes", but according to Merriam-Webster, it is. Anyway, Michael and I took our Christmas card picture this weekend. I thought getting Jack to cooperate would be the biggest issue, but it was a toss up between him and Michael. They both did NOT want to take a picture. It was the first time we used the self timer on our camera and it was...interesting. Jack didn't see the need to look at the camera. He was much more concerned about what Michael and I were doing. He did look at the camera when I threw an imaginary "treat", but that only lasted about 2 or 3 pictures before he figured that one out. We did finally get one that was halfway decent. Here are the runner-ups. If you look closely, you can see Michael's "Sugar Daddy" pants. It was part of the deal - he would take the pictures if he could wear his Sugar Daddy pants.

60 School Days Until Retirement...

Ok, so I'm actually counting down now. One of my classes was so bad today that I actually took the time to count how many school days until the baby comes. I even wrote it all on my calendar. How sad is that? Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and my job, but it was just one of those days. Any teacher out there would definitely understand.

I can't believe there are only 14 weeks until my due date! Sometimes it seems like a long time, but then again, it doesn't seem long at all. Michael and I need to get on the ball. The nursery is not even close to being finished. We also have no idea what our little girl's name is going to be. That may end up being a game time decision. In true Clark fashion, it will all get taken care of right before she gets here. And if she is like her Mom and Dad, she will be here late anyway...

Austin pics

Here are some pictures of our niece, Austin. We got to see her over Thanksgiving break and she is just adorable! Jessi, Junior, and Austin live in Sulphur Bluff, TX and I wish so badly they lived closer. I miss them so much!

Max and Jack

Last night our friends, Jeff and Katie Hayden, came over for dinner and a "puppy play date". They have a cute little dog named Max and he and Jack had a great time. Jack is probably 10 times as big as Max, but Jack doesn't realize it - he's just a big teddy bear. They chased each other around the house for awhile and Katie brought them each their own bone, so they laid around and chewed on those. Jack was completely worn out when Max left and has been looking around the house for Max all day.