Facts and figures

• It's been too long since I last wrote;
• I'm 26 weeks pregnant as of today. I think that means my third trimester is about to start. Let's hope the final three months will be as smooth sailing as the first 6!
• We just got back from a week vacation at a cottage on Mink Lake (near Eganville). Miss the water and the quietness already. Mosquitoes, not so much.
• Krista, Ian Meara and Molly came up for a day to check out the lake and feed some of the ducks. We all had a blast!
• We're at the beginning of a heat wave. Or so they say. Weather predictions have been unreliable this summer. However, it is really hot outside right now!
• We had our house painted and it looks great! Fresh paint does miracles. It did take a bit of effort trying to get our house back to normal and cleaned up afterwards, but it was worth it.
• We ordered our first baby furniture and picked up a stroller (thanks Mom and Dad!). It's starting to become more real now.
• My sister got engaged a few weeks ago, and is secretly planning her wedding now :)
• Murphy and Zora have a weird relationship going on. Zora thinks she's a cat at times.
• Fertile has decided to start sleeping and hiding in the closet. Maybe someday she'll come out?
• Zora still doesn't like water, and her swimming lessons resulted in Nolan getting some decent scratches. She still loves us though.
• I have been eating more meat in the last few months than I have in the last 10 years.
• Last night, it was a toss between a hyperactive baby and itchy mosquito bites that kept me up for hours.
• I've been bugging Nolan for a couple of weeks now that I actually expect a gift for my birthday next week. 
• Since our fence is dog and cat proof, the cats have been enjoying lots of yard time as well.
• Our friend Stefanie who moved to Australia came and spend some time here. It was great to catch up.
• One of the white pine trees I planted a couple of years ago died.  I now got a butternut tree from a friend to see if that will survive.
• We also took out a willow bush besides the house (too close), but planted cuttings of it along our fence. And so far, most of them are surviving!
• Some days I feel like I might as well move to the Ottawa Valley, given the amount of time I spend at the PRF, especially this August coming.
• I need more vacation time and am not ready to go back to work on Monday.
• Our backyard looks great with lots of flowers and colours. A wetter summer does have its advantages.
• Next time I'll try to post some pictures.
• Speaking of pictures, Nolan got a remote controlled helicopter that can take arial pictures. Kinda cool!
• Nolan is also doing some additional obedience training with Zora. They both need it.
• We both wish we were still at the cottage and are now contemplating buying something for ourselves.