sprauls.com

On most evenings after dinner, I enjoy the sounds of very loud laughter coming from the study or the basement playroom while Greg and Kate play together as only Daddy and daughter do.  Any of you that have been here will know that Greg turns into quite the goofball after dinner with Kate — which she LOVES!  These pics are a small example of some of their after dinner games.  The horsey rides are one of Kate’s most requested.  And as of tonight, we discovered that she can even ride a horse in a tutu!

Many of you will know my older brother, Brian.  Some of you will know he’s a goof-ball, he still wrestles Scott like they’re 10, and he beats me every time I play him in tennis (I’ll likely never win).  On a more significant note, he is also a dedicated husband, father, and pastor.  Most of you know he’s a very gifted pastor in Louisville at Auburndale Baptist Church.  He has recently written a book on visiting the sick that will be an excellent resource for many pastors, seminarians, etc. and it has just been released.  We are very excited about this!  I’ll take you to our dear friend, Thabiti’s blog, for you to read more about it!  Growing up in a doctor’s home, I have many memories of visiting my Dad’s patients with him and watching how he cared for the sick.  I love that Dad, by his role and example, had a part in shaping Brian’s work too.  We are all so proud of Brian for writing such a theological and practical book!  Check out Thabiti’s post!

And here’s an old pic to prove that Brian is also a very fun uncle.

Now that I’m over 6 months pregnant, Greg and I have started on our to-do list before the baby arrives in Feb.  Take yesterday, for example.  After another fun ultrasound (baby girl is doing well!), we headed out to Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg to try to decide on which “big girl” bed to purchase for Kate and to test drive lots of double strollers.  Since Kate continues to be off the charts for height, we think we’ve decided to get her a nice twin bed and skip the toddler bed stage.  The double stroller decision is not so easy.  We have been so spoiled with our Baby Jogger City Series and its easy one-hand fold, that nothing else seems to be up to par.  Not to mention that double strollers are so very pricey!  A lot of double strollers are ruled out for us if they don’t have an adjustable handle bar that raises for tall people.  Kate is also 36 lbs, so any stroller seat with a 40 lb. weight limit won’t work.  That being said, we’re trying to narrow it down from these.  Feel free to leave us input if you are a fan or not a fan of any of these strollers or if you have other tidbits that will help us decide.  We’re slowly realizing that there’s no perfect double stroller!

1)  Phil & Teds (not an actual jogger, but the pro is it is single file and not a wider side by side.  I’m hoping we could jog lightly with its bigger wheels?).

2)  BOB Duallie (fantastic jogger, smooth ride, SO easy to manuveur, big wheels, but wider as a side by side so not as good for running errands, etc.)

3) Baby Jogger City Mini Double (has no jogging capability, but a very smooth stroller for every day use).

Decisions…decisions.  And yes, I watch craigslist for the “steal of a deal.”

That’s right, folks.  There’s now the exciting talk of new baby girl names around here.  It hasn’t been as easy as “Kate” was for us.  Greg and I like 2 names (which we won’t tell), though we’re not fully decided yet on which one we like best.  We’re open to suggestions if you have favorites!  A couple of criteria for baby girl #2’s name:

1.  She will have to spell her unusual last name for many, many years, so we prefer first names that are not so complicated she’ll have to be spelling that one too!

2.  No rhyming with Spraul.  (Hence, Paul, Saul, Jamal, etc. are out!)

3.  We tend to like classy names over the trendy.

Feel free to submit ideas!  Just know you might get the veto from us. :)  While you’re thinking, here are the last of some random pics from California…