A New Way

A few weeks ago we were very surprised to learn that I was pregnant with baby Way #3. As some of you know, I have given away almost all of our baby stuff because we were done. We aren't concerned though because we know that God will provide everything that we need. One thing that we've started praying for is a vehicle that can accomodate 3 car seats. We really don't want to enter into another era of car payments (both of our economy cars are paid off) so we really do need a little miracle from God.

Yesterday I had my first doctor's appointment and sonogram. The tiny bean above is our new little guy or girl. My due date is between July 6-11 so I am about 8 weeks along. They heard the heartbeat and everything seems to be going well.

Ashes, Ashes...

There have been some really serious fires around here over the past 2 days. The fires were about 6-10 miles away but in a much more rural area. Even so, many people in these areas have lost their homes and all of their belongings. It's really sad. People were walking around wearing face masks today since the air quality is so poor. We woke up this morning to a very smoky smell and ash all over our cars, patio furniture, garbage cans, etc. (see pictures above). It looked like it was snowing-I guess that's the "snow" we get in southern California! Thankfully, the fires seem under control or gone by now.

California Sunsets

It's really sad to see it get dark outside by around 5pm every night now. But, lately we have had some of the most amazing sunsets. These pictures were taken right from our front yard (and, no, nothing is on fire). It's such a strange place here. We start out our mornings totally freezing (the houses here don't have very good insulation), by midday it is so hot we have to change into shorts, and by the evening, it is soooooo cold again. I guess it's one of the effects of living close to the ocean but it's still weird.

Brad's Dedication

Today we dedicated our sweet boy Brad at church. He was looking so handsome in his dress up clothes! Of course he crashed into the table this morning, leaving a big red stripe on his face. The dedication was pretty low key as we went up on stage and one of the pastors asked us if we were wanting to raise Brad in relationship with Christ and then he said a prayer over our family. Brad was good up on stage, he didn't cry or fuss. I think he would have liked to get to the drums though.

We received a certificate of dedication and also a children's Bible from the church. We had our friends the Denhams and the Jensens there with us and then they came over to our place afterward for lunch.

Voting Observations

On Tuesday, I exercised my right to vote. Ken and I studied up on all of the California propositions and we watched portions of both of the conventions (as well as some of the debates)and I felt more informed than I have ever been as I went to the polls. Now I have voted in Chicago, Cincinnati, and California.
I went around 11 am and walked right in, no wait whatsoever. In California, they don't require you to present any identification. So, I simply told them my name and they gave me my ballot. I wondered what would stop people from looking at the list of names (which is clearly visible as I checked in) and coming back to vote under another name that wasn't crossed off yet...
My polling place was at a local church but I had some friends who voted in people's garages. That seems a bit wacky to me. Also, I voted with an ink stamp rather than the punch card ballots of Ohio and Illinois. Oddly enough, California doesn't have a universal voting method. Some of my friends voted electronically, some by mail and some voted by this dial thing that they turned.
All in all, it was a good experience. I hope to work at a polling place at an election in the future. I did that once in Chicago and it was really fun and exciting. I worked from 7am-7pm and learned a lot about the process there.