What's new with the Herrings?

Well, to be honest, not a lot. Tom is still working the 12-hour days that he has been since Clare was born, except as of yesterday he started working the back shift -- 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Not a lot of fun for anyone involved, but we are so thankful for the financial boost that it's giving us. God's Providence is everywhere. Ordinarily when Tom works the back shift, I become quite a night owl too and end up sleeping late in to the morning when Tom gets home from work. Well, I've finally gotten Clare on some semblance of a schedule with a bed time of about 8:30 or 9...and I really don't want to mess that up! She's sleeping about 4 hours at a time now, which is nice for me. Her naps during the day are shorter, but I don't mind because it helps her sleep better at night.

She had her 2-month checkup last week, and she's a healthy girl! She's up to 12 pounds and 23.5 inches long. Growing like a weed; she can still wear the onesies/shirts and pants that are 0-3 month size, but her legs are WAY too long for the sleepers! We figured it out one night that she was particularly fussy. I think Tom had just changed her diaper when he realized that her poor little feet were crammed in to the ends of her sleeper! Once we put her in something with a little more room she was much happier.

On Thursday Clare and I went over to see my sister Kristy play one of her last volleyball matches against Seattle University. It's crazy to think that her career is ending...she's been playing volleyball competitively since she was 10. We thought that her last match ever was going to be on Saturday against Montana State University in Billings, but they WON and made it to the playoffs! This is the first time Northwest Nazarene has ever made a playoff appearance; I'm so glad that Kristy's senior year is closing with a bang. She's playing well as their starting libero and one of the team captains. Good luck in California this weekend, Kristy! Oh, I don't know if you will be able to see it in the picture, but when we went to Kristy's game in Seattle, I made Clare a little onesie that says, "I love my Aunt Kristy;" it was a fun surprise for Kristy to see her wearing it. :)

Tom managed to get one of his coworkers to cover his shifts this weekend so he could go on his annual Spiritual Exercises down in Beaverton. So, I of course took advantage and went down to Olympia to stay with my mom and see family down there. It was a great weekend, and it was so nice to relax. I tend to have a hard time relaxing at home because I always see something I should be doing. :) Tom said his retreat was awesome as usual; it always seems to roll around when you need a spiritual shot in the arm. I guess Our Lord knows exactly what we need and when we need it. A few of our friends went down also - Cory, Andrew, Neil, and Nathan. Tom said they got a lot out of it too. If you ever have a chance to go on a 3 or 8-day Spiritual Exercises retreat, you should jump at the opportunity! They were originally written so that religious could make a 30-day retreat, but lay people normally can't take a month out of their lives to do it; it's usually condensed down to either a week or a weekend.

I think that's about it for now. I told you that our life wasn't that interesting! But enjoy the pictures in any case. God bless you all!