More fun stuff

Friday night was our ward's "Trunk or Treat" and Primary Halloween party. We both looked forward to it all week. That really says something about our social lives, when the highlight of the week is a children's party! Collin was Batman (well, actually more like Bruce Wayne with a Batman cape, since he had come straight from work) and Rachel got more compliments on her costume than any more elaborate ones she has ever had. She even had people come over to her and say, "Oh, my sister told me I had to see the 'Magic Eight Ball!'" Too bad we can't be this creative and cheap on a costume with those results every Halloween!

Today was the "Parent Talk Sale" down at a church in Needham. We had heard our friends talk about it ever since we got here. From them we got the idea that this was THE event of the year for those with kids or expecting one, and not to miss it. We thought we might check it out after fulfilling our assignment to clean the church. We got there right in time to line up for the bag sale and soon the line was stretching a block or so down the side walk behind us. The volunteers came down the line and sold bags for $10 each. Anything that we could stuff in the bag was ours for that $10 fee. Rachel was sure that one bag ought to be sufficient. After all, we really don't need anything more for the baby. . . .

The anticipation mounted as the time ticked closer to 11:30. Then the doors were opened and we became part of a mad rush for the door and the best baby equipment items. Inside there were stacks of books, toys, clothes, strollers, high chairs, baby bath tubs--everything! And all in pretty great shape, too. We ended up going home with a jogging stroller (an Eddie Bauer--with shocks!!! Collin was super excited about that) for $12.50 and two bags crammed and a little overflowing with other soft baby books, clothes, toys, and other random stuff that "might come in handy," and a tennis racket. Don't ask about the tennis racket. I have no idea.

It was all rather exciting and doing all that digging through stuff to grab it before someone else does left us both hungry. Since we were already so far south, we decided to find a Haitian restaurant in Mattapan/Dorchester that we had been told about. So we made our way closer to the city (without a GPS, using only maps!! And a Haitian's vague directions!!) and found Bon Appetit. There Collin got enough rice and beans and deep fat fried pork to satisfy him for a little while. Rachel recommends the marinade (fried dough with spices).

The Head of the Charles River Regatta

On Saturday we headed down to Cambridge to enjoy the invigorating Fall weather by the Charles River. The Head of the Charles River Regatta is one of the world's oldest and biggest rowing competitions. All along the banks people stretch out and watch the races and a fair-of-sorts is set up as well. We got tons of free stuff from all the booths--free food samples, free gum, free jars of Indian curry sauce, free coupons, free digestive aids/vitamins, etc. It was great fun! It was rather ironic, though, that all the free things were healthy/organic/low sugar/low sodium/whole foods kind of stuff, and the food that we would normally have wanted to eat--fried balls of dough, caramel apples, french fries, pizza, etc.--you had to pay for!

Also this weekend Collin finished putting together the baby's crib. He only broke one drill bit in the process! We are so excited to meet the little person who is coming into our family. We have been enjoying our time spent with kids in the Primary and baby-sitting for a family where both the parents have callings in the Youth Program. The last time we baby-sat the little girl (almost four years old) was very sad to let her mom leave and said, crying, "I don't want them to baby-sit me. Why can't daddy baby-sit me?" We had another girl announce to us after the Primary Program on Sunday that, "I like you guys. You can come to our Halloween Party and stay till the very end."

Pregancy Woes

On Wednesday Rachel went to the dentist for a cleaning. The dental hygienist was almost done when Rachel got very woozy all of a sudden and almost passed out. Suddenly there was a flurry of frantic activity going on around her as two dentists, the hygienist, and a secretary tried to make sure everything was okay. Rachel felt much better after sitting up and having a window opened and drinking some orange juice, but a little embarrassed about all the attention. She learned her lesson about lying on her back too long--all the books she's read warn her against it and now she knows why! One of the main arteries carrying blood is in the back and when the weight of the uterus is directly on that vein it gets compressed and stops the blood flow to the brain. Or something like that. But anyway, the dentists wouldn't let her finish getting her teeth cleaned and tried to call a taxi to take her home (three blocks away!). So Rachel will have to wait until after the baby is born to have the final five teeth cleaned.

The second pregnancy update is that Rachel gained almost ten pounds in two weeks. This is okay, since for the first seven months she didn't gain a lot and it is within normal range. However, it has got Rachel thinking that perhaps she should go easy on the ice cream-after dinner-habit.

Collin is doing well and finding more and more projects to keep him busy at work. He finds little fix-it jobs to do around the house, as well. And he is always happy to eat the experiments that Rachel makes for dinner. He is setting out on a mission to read some of the children's/young adult books that he didn't when he was younger. He just finished A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Angle (and quoted from it in his talk on Sunday, following the example of many of the General Authorities in quoting from great literature!). He is now reading The Giver by Lois Lowry.

We hope to get to the Charles River Regatta tomorrow. It is a big tradition here, where the university rowing teams have races on the river and there is a fair along the banks to stroll through. If we go we'll have some fun pictures to post tomorrow, so stay tuned!

What we've been up to

Erica, this picture is for you. Rachel felt a little silly posing for a "pregnancy picture" but Erica insisted that everyone needed to see how big she's grown. So here it is, (sigh):


This past weekend, in between Conference sessions, Collin and Rachel took a country drive to go "leaf peeping" (as it is called by locals). The colors are not yet in full glory, but the reds are glorious and the yellows are just starting to come out.


We drove to Ipswich, MA, where Richard Kimball and many of his descendants lived and are buried. Richard Kimball, his brother Henry, and their families were the first Kimballs to come to America (well, actually the British colonies, I guess). They sailed on the Elizabeth and landed in Boston in 1635. They first settled in Watertown, which is the town just south of Belmont, where we live now. But within about two years Richard had a land claim purchased in Ipswich and moved his family there. He had quite a few children and this is reflected in the old cemetery in Ipswich--there are a lot of Kimballs! We couldn't find the original gravestone for Richard (it has been about 400 years, after all), but the combined descendants of Richard have erected a small marker to his memory.