There are times where I can see so clearly how Cory comes through in the kids. Take the following dialogue between Accalia and Cole as they were performing a finger puppet show for me that involved small animals in the forest.

Accalia: Hi, we're a couple of married animals!
Cole: Yeah, we live in the ground so don't dig down there. That's our duty!
Accalia: You said duty. Heh.

```````````

These last few days have been filled with doing things around home. Everyone is trying to survive this cold, although I'm pretty much finished with it thanks to being the first to have it. Ella hasn't really seemed sick - no stuffy, runny nose, etc. However, she's sleeping a lot more. Ella's taken a super long nap in the afternoon every day this week, which is highly unusual for her. Last night, after a monster nap, she decided she was ready for bed pretty early for her. Every time she heard someone say the word "bed", she'd run for the stairs. Then she'd get distracted by something and stay awake. At one point, she brought me the sweatshirt and pants I usually wear to bed and said, "Mama! Bed, bed!" Poor thing.

Today we all agreed it would be a good idea to stay home from storytime with all of the sniffling and coughing and Ella's extreme crankiness. Accalia and Cole asked me to make up our own storytime at home, so I did that and they've been busy much of the afternoon with all of that fun.

Yesterday was my grandmother's 82nd birthday. She's still going strong and told me this weekend how blessed she feels to be this age and still have my grandfather with her to share it. Today my dad and a couple of his brothers (I think) are in Sioux Falls for the funeral of one of his cousins. We were talking this weekend about how, as you get older, funerals start to take on the quality of family reunions many times.

I'm 19 weeks along now and everything appears to be going well. I have an appointment next week. I do wish I felt more movement, though. Every once in a while I'll feel a little bump or shift. I really can't remember how much movement I've usually felt at this stage, but for some reason I was expecting more. Maybe that's because I'm apparently looking so big that I must be carrying twins (according to someone at church). I should go upstairs and change the bedsheets in the guest room (aka Cory's bed when all of the kids want to sleep with me). Then I have to get an early supper in the oven since Cory is heading off to deliver pizzas by 5 p.m.

Oh, please keep Cory's coworker's father in your thoughts/prayers if you're so inclined. There was a bad bus/car crash near Madison (SD) this morning that killed the driver of the car and for sure injured most of the 56 passengers on the tour bus. The coworker's father was apparently one of the passengers with minor injuries, but I'm waiting to hear from when Cory gets home.