thekurths.com

Video: New Carpet

Yes, we're posting again about the new carpet. Our excitement about the new carpet far exceeds the bounds of reason, but we don't care! Click here for photos from the installation. And here is a cheesy video I made:

[Download Video, 2.7Mb]

Still Growing....

29 weeks and counting! Our second sonogram showed that the baby is growing strong and healthy. Although we were once again tempted, we did not find out the sex of the baby. We waited to find out with our first pregnancy and the surprise in the delivery room was well worth it. The baby continues to kick so much that we have started to call him/her Kicky McKicks-a-lot. We are all excited to meet this little member of our family, especially Kaeta, who loves to give the baby lots of hugs and kisses and insists on snuggling with the baby at every opportunity. It has gotten to the point where she will say hello to the baby first, and Mommy second (if I'm lucky). Probably partly due to the fact that from where she is, she can't even see Mommy over the enormous belly that just walked into the room!

Here's a picture of Kaeta giving the baby kisses:

(By the way, that is the new carpet on the stairs!)

Farewell, Ye Olde Crapet

No, that's not a typo. Monday we had new carpet installed, and so far, we love it. It is soft and luxurious, and is a significant upgrade from the builder's grade crapet we had been living with for far too long. It is indescribable and fairly embarrassing how excited we are about this new carpet. But trust us: Seeing is Believing.

Are We Cool Yet?

As the temperature outside is rising, along with our nerdy, boring-life index (in which we consider getting new carpet next week the most exciting thing that has happened in our lives since Kaeta was born), we are looking for ways to "cool" down. So over the past couple of weeks, we got new cell phones for the first time in three-and-a-half years, and we subscribed to a Netflix plan, all as part of our attempts to seek approval from all of our "cool" friends, along with complete strangers and people we barely know.

As it turns out, though, everyone and their grandparents already have cell phones way cooler than our new phones, complete with camera, mp3 player, and stainless steel bagel slicer. The coolest things about our new cell phones are 1. They were free, and 2. They do have a camera, with which we can take lots of pictures of super-adorable Kaeta and our somewhat-cute dog, Marty. The saddest part about our getting new phones is the fact that we spent the entire weekend they arrived fiddling with them and changing all the default settings, to the neglect of anyone in the room except to call them on the phone or to take their picture. And we are still endlessly fascinated with the button on the side of the phone which magically flips it open (allowing us to use only ONE FINGER INSTEAD OF TWO).

Our cell-phones are the result of a long-overdue negotiation with Cingular to lower our monthly rate. And as a reward to ourselves, for our savvy negotiation skills, we used the savings to sign up for the Netflix plan. Which we have used so far to watch 2-3 episodes per night of the British version of The Office, a show which we have not enjoyed but keep watching in order to get our fix of The Office (the American version) during the long summer hiatus. Because we are hopelessly addicted to that show. Seriously, we dream in Jim and Pam. Oh, and in order to make the whole Netflix experience even cooler, we use phrases like, "Let's Netflix that one," or "Our Netflick came in the mail today!"

Anyone have any other suggestions to add to our "coolness makeover"? We are trying desperately to hold on to our last shreds of coolness until that one day, when our sweet Kaeta will inevitably turn to us and say, "Mom! Dad! You are embarrassing me!" Which is a day we both dread and are really looking forward to at the same time.

I love...

Lately Kaeta says she "loves" everything. Yesterday she was sitting on the couch, looking at a book with different animal on each page, and she was saying "I love... piggies. I love... horse. I love... bah-rah." Bah-rah is bunny rabbits, of course.

So last night we were eating ice cream, and I was giving her a few bites of mine, and she says "I love..." And I just KNEW she was going to say "I love ice cream," but then she goes, "I love Daddy!" That was amazing -- I nearly lost it. Naturally, I gave her all the ice cream she wanted after that.

48 Hour Film Project

Back in July my friend Curt asked me if I'd like to help with something called the 48 Hour Film Project. He and a group from Gateway church in Austin had formed a team, and the goal of the contest is to write, film, and edit a complete short film in 48 hours. Part of the fun is that you get to draw the film's genre out of a hat, and there is a specific character name, line of dialog, and prop that every film must include.

It was a blast to work on! I only wish I could have done more -- all I really did was help load some things into cars and hang out. But for that I got my name in the credits, and already the big Hollywood offers are pouring in. It turns out that in Hollywood it's difficult to find someone who can put things into cars, and it's almost impossible to find someone who can hang out.

We drew the "Drama" genre, and we had to include a character named Miles (or Millie) Turner, a fishing pole, and the line "How did you know I was here?" So it was pretty wide open. Here's a link to the video, starring Curt. (And his wife Elizabeth plays... his wife Fellulah. Sadly, he forgot to mention her name during the filming.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Vx8XatxJI

My friend Curt is depressingly talented... Okay, it doesn't actually depress me, it impresses me. Anyway, he wrote a script for a short film and shot it with some friends back in January, and it's now up on YouTube -- check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mI6QDpubTE

(That's him playing the lead character, Tom, by the way.)

Baby Cam

Blogs only a mother could love:
Other bricks in the wall:

Christian stuff:

Software related:

Amazing Bible Software: