Call a Timeout! We Need a New Defense!

That's right folks, the time has come for us to shift to a man-to-man defense on the homefront. And for our non sport-loving friends and family, we are excited to announce that Team Bowes is expanding. Our official due date is December 6, 2010. Last week we went to the doctor to make sure that everything was looking good and that we are on track for another healthy baby. At this point the baby is ten weeks old so we have thirty weeks to go.





It is amazing how it doesn't feel real until you get the opportunity to see a little blob on a fuzzy screen and hear a heartbeat. The little one has been dubbed, Peanut, and Callie is slowly starting to understand that Baby Peanut will eventually join our family. However, she tells us that she also has a Baby Peanut in her belly. It frightens John and makes Sarah giggle. All in all we are doing well and are super excited about having another child in our family. Fortunately we have managed to forget most of the sleep deprived elements of Callie's infancy, so we are still able to look forward with anticipation to December. Let the games begin!

The RV Comes to Town

At the beginning of April, Ron and Teri Lucas began a magical adventure. They left Rancho Murietta in northern California with a spring in their step and a gleam in their eye. Their mission - to arrive in Utica, NY for a wedding on May 22. In that six week span they planned on taking their RV to some of the wonderful places across this great nation and experiencing all that the United States has to offer....things like tornadoes, floods, April snowstorms in the Rockies, etc.

We were lucky to have a chance to see them shortly after they avoided floating down the Ohio River because of flash floods in Paducah, Kentucky. What is remarkable is that after all they had experienced the spring and the gleam were still there.

This is very evident in the picture below. We try to make sure that Callie has a good understanding of who her immediate family is, and Teri has made it even easier by making an I-spy quilt with pictures of all those family members. And we were happy to see that our efforts paid off, as it took only two minutes or less for Callie to warm up to both Ron and Teri. She even spent a full day with them just hanging out and being spoiled while the parents were at work.



What's also great about Ron and Teri is their willingness to check out anything and everything. The picture above is taken at the Thoroughbred Horse Park in downtown Lexington, a park we have driven by countless times in the past four years but never visited. It's very cool.


That Saturday we all got the opportunity to stop by Mayfest, the downtown crafts fair that kicks off a summer of art festivals and other celebrations around here. Here we see Teri trying to pass on some of her handiness by showing Callie how to make her own bracelet. These are the types of skills that the whole Kentucky Bowes clan would benefit from. Callie also enjoyed a moon bounce and some kettle corn. It was a fun day that ended with a campfire beside the RV at the Kentucky Horse Park.


To make things easier for all involved, Great Uncle Ron and Great Aunt Teri have been given the names of GU (pronounced gee-you) and GA (pronounced gee-ya). It was cute listening to Callie call them by their new names. And while we still hold out hope that they might stop by Lexington on their way back to California, rumor has it they are taking a more northern route. So anyone reading this blog who lives along the I-90 corridor might want to look out for some crazy weather in late May and early June.

The Multiple Joys of Spring

I know it is hard to imagine, but a lot has happened in the past month or so. But we have to start with something that had its origins in Callie's second birthday. Now Callie has received quite a few packages in the mail in her two and a half years on this earth, but no package has journeyed so far as the one pictured below. Sarah's cousin Haley had to send this particular package three different times from California due to address mix-ups, misunderstandings with the UPS folks, and other assorted issues.

Despite all of the troubles, we are happy to report that the four horses and their beautiful barn made it to Lexington in time for the Derby and are one of Callie's favorite toys.



Thanks again to Haley, Ryan, and Skyler for such a thoughtful gift. You can never have enough horses in this neck of the woods. Speaking of woods, our next little episode involves a dead tree and a friendly neighbor.

In the three years we have lived in our house there has been a tree in the backyard that has bothered the two of us immensely. It was dead when we moved in and somehow managed to look deader every year. John, aka Captain Caution, was wary about dealing with it because it nestled against the power line leading to the house. But one sunny day our neighbor Marcus informed us that was hogwash, brought over his axe, and went to town.



Fortunately for all involved, Marcus is handy with an axe and has good aim. In a matter of minutes the tree was down, hacked up into smaller pieces, and stuck into our yard bin. It is amazing how the elimination of one dead tree can brighten a whole backyard. And with that task accomplished perhaps we will get around to fixing the screen door that is still torn from the efforts of the previous owner's dog.


Next we have a picture of Team Bowes on the morning of the Heart Walk, a 5k walk to raise awareness and money for the American Heart Association. It may not be the best picture of us, but it proves to our generous supporters that we did in fact show up and walk.



Our heartfelt (get it) thanks go to all of you who responded generously to Sarah's email and donated money in support of Team Bowes. You will be happy to know that we raised $575 for the cause. We hope to do more events like this in the future, especially as Callie gets older and has a better understanding of what we are doing.


This spring Callie has discovered what some might call, the joy of dance. Many times she insists that her parents sit on the floor and "Watch me dance!" Her particular influences and styles are somewhat undefined. Sarah thinks it's the Bowes genes. But take a look and you decide.



And for those of you wondering, she is dancing to the Grateful Dead. But she has been known to get her boogie on to just about anything. Like her parents, she has an eclectic taste in music.


Unfortunately, we have to end this post on what is truly a sad note. As of this past Tuesday, the Halloran family are no longer residents of Lexington. They have set off on a new adventure in the state of Utah. Fiona got an opportunity she couldn't pass up and while we already miss them tremendously we know that they are excited and happy about what lies ahead. Of course, Callie has asked about Iain every day since they have left, and it is going to be a difficult adjustment not having her best friend around. But Utah isn't that far away and who knows when we'll feel the need to go skiing in Park City.

We are on a roll, so more posts to follow soon!