5.28.2008

And the genders are...

We had our ultrasound today-- the babies are healthy and look great! They're now too big to both be in the same ultrasound pic, although occasionally one would bounce into the other, as if trying to take advantage of the photo opportunity, it was pretty cute!

So, meet our babies!!!
Formerly known as "Baby A", this little guy will now be called Tanzen K Fisher

And, formerly known as Baby B, this little one can now be called Makett J Fisher

For those of you who may still be unsure...they're both boys! More to come on the stories behind their names later...both have sentiment!

This enchanting photo is of Hahnemann University Hospital, where the babies will be born and where Brandon will be doing the next four years of his Radiation Oncology residency.

It's right down the street from City Hall (you can see the statue of William Penn on the top). The room I'll be delivering in is on the 16th floor, and has a great view of the city (yes, I'm sure the view will be first and foremost on my mind as I'm laboring :)

5.22.2008

Climbing in Phila

What do you know, there is climbing in Philly. This is a huge boulder by our house along the Wissahicken river. Here there are about five top roped routes.

5.18.2008

Our First Regatta

This is our favorite street to drive on in Philadelphia. It's called Kelley drive, and is within walking distance from our house, right along the Schuylkill river. It goes through Fairmount park and has beautiful trails for walking and bike riding...there's a 3 mile loop that goes from East Falls to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which, aside from being one of the biggest art museums in the country, is most famous for the steps from the Rocky movies. We've spent several Sunday afternoons sitting at the top of the steps, watching people run up and to do their best Rocky imitation.














I love these cool old bridges!
















We're continually amazed at how green everything is here! Coming from Phoenix, I swear it's like we're in a rain forest...and I can't get over how fast everything grows, and that so many things grow spontaneously! I'm also surprised at how much it rains.
















These are participants in the Regatta. Apparently sculling (rowing) is a big sport...who knew?











Khylo loves going for walks...a pre and post walk shot. Three miles is a long way when your legs are only five inches long!

5.11.2008

Visit to the Seaport Museum

We took the youth from our church to the Seaport Museum on Saturday. The museum is right along the Delaware river...we're in Philly facing Center City, New Jersey's right across the river. I'm a sucker for history and museums, so despite the nausea, it was great!We toured this retired submarine. I was amazed at how claustrophobic it was, and can't fathom how 85-90 men lived on it for months at a time!
Can you imagine trying to hurry through these doorways on the sub? This is Maretta, a friend in our neighborhood whose husband is in med school at Drexel. We're standing in front of one of the missiles on the sub.
After walking looking at the memorial to the 3,500 men whose subs had never returned, then seeing the cramped, barely livable conditions, I couldn't imagine signing up to work on one for $17 a month. They were so dedicated! It definitely heightened my appreciation for the military and men who fought in WWII on these crafts.
This was what heightened Brandon's appreciation...this is one of the bathrooms on the naval ship...you'd get pretty close to the 7 other guys sharing these toilets. They slept in hammocks that were also really crowded. Wow!

Brandon's been working hard!

I wish we had a picture of our backyard before Brandon began spending endless hours in it. It's amazing how fast things grow here! When I came out to look at the house the owner had completely weed-wacked everything down, yet, when we moved out a month later, it was a jungle! Brandon learned the hard way that Poison Ivy and Poison Sumac grew especially well :)
He's been working so hard, and his labors are beginning to pay off! He was able to reuse the bricks that were buried around the yard, and constructed a great pathway and a retaining wall (which will soon include a fountain!) He planted grass, which has grown 1/2" in the week since we've planted it. It's coming together!An aerial shot--not the best quality, since it's from my cell phone, but you get the idea!