23 Weeks

Another couple of weeks closer to meeting our twins!  People are no longer wondering if I might be pregnant now, as you can see it is VERY obvious :)

 

I had another scan on Monday and everything still looks great.  Baby B cooperated for a cute profile photo.

 

Baby A was not as cooperative, but here are both of the tops of their heads.  I assume that they are plotting what trouble they will get into!

Engineering Design Challenge

For the last several months Matthew has been working with local high school students and Armstrong University to build a go-cart.  They were given an electric motor and a set of guidelines but had to come up with most of the design themselves.  The design challenge ended this weekend with a competition between the nine high schools.

 

Matthew, two of the students, and the high school teacher with their poster and go cart.

 

A few last minute adjustments to the cart before the competition starts.

 

Practicing for the first task, an obstacle course.

 

At the start of the obstacle course.

 

During the course.  Their cart did very well on the maneuvering part of the course but was unable to go across the bridge (seen in the background of this photo).

 

The next challenge was a tug-of-war.  Unfortunately, they were paired with the winning team right at the beginning so their cart lost the first bout.

 

The last challenge was a head-to-head race that included a stop.  I think they ended up about 4th overall in this. 

 

 

Although Matthew's team didn't win the challenges overall, they did win the award for most innovative! Their cart was the only design that used their feet for steering.

 

Before leaving Matthew had a chance to take it for a spin.

21 weeks

Today is the start of 21 weeks!  Last week I had a stomach bug for several days but I'm feeling much better now, probably the best I've felt in months.  And my bump is very obvious!

 

Last weekend Matthew and I drove up to Emily and Miran's in Charlotte.  We met Jane and Richard there as well for an exchange of furniture and baby goods. We stuffed the truck full of boxes and all kinds of goodies!

 

We are so thankful for all of the wonderful supplies, clothes, and gear from family!  As soon as I unpack everything it will be like an instant nursery :)

Due to my illness last week, the anatomy scan got moved to yesterday.  Matthew and I spent almost two hours at the specialists' while they scanned and measured both babies.  Although the babies were a little small (10th percentile) all of their measurements were normal.  In two weeks I'll go back for another check on fluid/growth and then in four weeks they will repeat most of the measurements from yesterday.

 

Profile of baby A.  This one was not real cooperative for measurements and the tech actually told us this was one of the hardest scans she's done in 15 years!  Both babies were side by side, head down.

 

Profile of baby B.  The tech recorded the gender of both babies but we decided not to find out yet.

Bees!

I've been interested in beekeeping for a few years now and this year I decided to start my own hives.  I attended two seminars, read one book, and joined a local beekeeping club over the last couple of months.  Here is my first hive, some assembly required!

 

Putting together the frames.  These are what the bees use to build their comb and store honey, pollen, and brood (baby bees).

 

The boxes that hold the frames had to be painted after assembly.

 

The big day!  Robert, a local beekeeper, sold me two starter hives and installed them into my larger hives.

 

These ladies seem to be enjoying their new home.  The jar is filled with sugar water as a food source while the bees are settling in.

 

Both hives are set up in the garden.  The one on the left we purchased and Matthew made the one on the right.  We won't get any honey this year but hopefully next year both hives will be strong enough to start producing.

Equine Affaire

Last weekend I flew up to Columbus, OH with my riding buddy, Judy, to attend two days of horse seminars.  My mom and friend Monica drove up from Tennessee and my best friend Julie, her mom Ruth, and her daughter Kloey came from Michigan to meet us there.  We had a very busy weekend learning, watching, and catching up!

 

Hanging out at our Airbnb apartment.

 

Kloey and I watching the Fantasia presentation.  I love this little girl!  (and her mamma, of course!)

18 weeks

Yesterday was the start of 18 weeks!  The bump is pretty obvious now :)

 

In fact, I'm really only wearing maternity clothes now.  Thanks Megan for sending the box stuffed full of cute clothes!

 

Horses and Flowers

Peanut came home from Horsin' Around for a little break between sessions so I decided to let him hang out with Mow and Rabi to graze. He seems to really enjoy their company and definitely doesn't know that he's half their size! 

 

Peanut still goes back to his pen at night so that he doesn't get too much grass, although he likes to eat out of the big boy hay feeders too.

 

Springtime for horses also means it's time for the annual vet appointment.  I took Rabi and Mow to a friend's house (to split the barn call fee) and both horses got their annual vaccines as well as a dental float/exam.  If you haven't seen a horse having it's teeth filed, here are a few photos.  They are both sedated and the vet uses a power tool to file down any sharp points they have grown over the last year.  They had their feet trimmed the day before so it was quite an eventful week in horse care!

 

 

The "drunken" line up as we call it; waiting for the boys to wake up enough to trailer them home.

 

 

One other project I've been slowly working on was re-mulching the flower beds.  I got a load of wood chips and it took me three days to freshen up all of the beds with it.  Being pregnant sure has slowed me down!

 

I haven't mulched in a few years so this should last a while and I was glad to get it done while I can still be relatively active.