Well, dear family and friends and the random passer by...
Summer has definitely come to the greater Kansas City area. We've had some peculiar weather the past few months. Late snows. Floods. Really hot days followed by really cold days. But now I think things have evened out.
After living in NC most of my life, I have come to appreciate the slow Missouri spring. NC can be cold one day and 80 degrees the next, so it's nice to have long weeks of 60-70's to sort of prepare you for the coming months of humidity and mugginess and mosquitos and HOT. (Especially if you are going to be rather large and pregnant during this season!)

It's been a busy couple of months.
Joanna's time here with us is drawing to a close. Mostly I'm in denial about it and just pretending it isn't happening. She's been a gift from God her whole visit. A great friend, companion, and uncomplaining bondservant! I think she's had a pretty good time, too, doesn't really want to leave. I'm hoping we can get her back for a few weeks before her classes start...I'll just be so large then, it would be awesome to not be on my feet all day. Anyways. I don't know what I'll do without her. She'll be much missed. (For a while we weren't sure we'd even take her to the airport :)

Dad visited a few weeks ago. We had a great time and he did a BEAUTIFUL job of getting the crown molding up in the living area, den, and baby's room. Exquisite work, of course. He got to do EGS and FCF and had some prayer room time to boot. We also went down to the plaza and had a good time checking out the amazing architecture...if he sends me some pix I'll post 'em up. Oh yes, and he got to eat some CHING CHING CHINESE :)

Erin Gubitz visited Jo just over this last weekend. We enjoyed her company very much and I think she had a good time :) It was great that Jo had a friend here for her birthday...which was like an ongoing celebration - in good Cutrara style :) I'm so old. My baby sister is 18. (Not to mention John and I are coming up on our third year anniversary and are having a BABY! That'll make you feel like a grown up :)

The Dells moved from one street over and up to just across the street :) The back of their house is on one of the big field/play areas in our neighborhood, so we basically now just walk down the street and cut through the grass and there we are. How hilarious is that! It was a month earlier then they'd planned on moving, (due to some Izzy miscommunication!) but Hannah was amazing and packed the house in no time and everybody pitched in and got them moved. (Well, except me. I watched Mikey and made food :)

Johns job is going well. He's enjoyed it, though there are definitely days he comes home tired. Right now they're remodeling a kitchen; when they're finished we'll post up some pix. I think he pretty much learns a new skill every day, whether it be putting up sheet-rock or some fine aspect of wiring. God and His plans are so sneaky.

John and I graduated from our birthing class last night :) We had a good time and learned a lot. (Yes, despite my voracious reading of birthing books over the past months, I too learned a lot :) You can always learn more! We've hired the doula who taught the class and are really excited about that. She rocks and will be such amazing labor support. And John will too; he's completely taken to heart my desire for him to be present, engaged, and involved...I think we're about as prepared as you can be to have this baby. I know he'll remember the comfort measures we learned, and if he forgets, that's why we have the doula!
Actually, on the way home last night, we both started talking about doing a home birth. I'd planned on having the rest of our kids at home, after seeing how this labor went, but I don't see how being in a hospital is going to make my body labor any better for this first one. (Hospitals, statistically speaking, cause terrible labors.) We'll pray about it and see if our midwives can legally attend the birth in Missouri.

Speaking of the baby, two days ago I saw the midwives and I measured about a month behind in terms of size. From what they could feel, the baby also felt small. Which is a little odd, because I've been right on target or above average in terms of weight. (Then again, I wanted to say "I was a small baby and, well, have you seen my husband?!") They sent me home with instructions to amp up the protein and come back in two weeks. If I haven't gained enough weight to make them happy, they want to do a sonogram. The past month has been hard...I've been exhausted constantly and no matter how much I eat (which is TONS) I still feel tired. It seemed like maybe my body has been having trouble absorbing nutrients. Well, mom and Arielle have been praying and I went to the pre-natal prayer at IHOP yesterday morning...I'd rather God fix this now! So far, A GOOD REPORT! Yesterday I felt great and only ate about five solid meals...as opposed to seven or eight. The difference was that I felt like the food actually LASTED in my body and gave me strength. (Yay!) Also, I only got up about five times last night (instead of 7 or 8) and I actually slept a stretch of 3 1/2 hours this morning!!!!!! That is so amazing for me! (I usually sleep no more then 2 hours at a time due to having to pee or my hips aching or being uncomfortable.) So anyways. Keep praying and praise God!

We're finishing up the little things here and there around the house and I think we'll be getting the garage doors replaced soon. It wasn't a project we wanted to do, but the doors are so busted and dysfunctional we don't have much of a choice. (I almost got my head chopped off by them the other day.) I think we'll have the house finished by the time our johnbaby arrives, but we'll see! My garden is doing ok...growing things here is a whole different world then NC.

My Forerunner Music Academy audition is next Thursday...prayer appreciated :) After meeting with a voice teacher I feel pretty good about it, but it's still been a while since I've sung in front of people. So we'll see how that goes and what happens after!

Things are moving here. Not at the rate we'd like, but they're moving. God has us where He intended for us to be and what He does with us while we're here is up to Him. We are grateful, despite how ancy or hemmed in we might sometime feel :)

love to all,
Kristianna, John, and johnbaby

As if the post isn't long enough...PICTURES!!!!

Mikey in his cuteness.


Joanna in her birthday outfit. (The cape is a gift from Izzy...powerpuff girls, I think. A beachtowel he never used or something :) She wore it all day...and to the movie theater to see "Shrek3"



Here is a small piece of the ongoing, ALMOST finished amazing Joart wall in the baby's room.



And here we have a common sight in the morning between the hours of 8-12...