A Day in the Life of . . .

Let us introduce ourselves - Steph and Kelly are first cousins of Billy on the Graf side (his dad Stubby and my dad Ed are brothers - quite handsome ones at that). Kelly and I arrived in Phoenix late yesterday morning. Meeting us at Security Checkpoint B was none other than the handsome Billy - it was so good to see his beautiful face and smile in person (gotta love those dimples - I can't wait to see which quad (if not all) get those charming facial features). We went to Walmart to get some important staples (beer and a few other things, courtesy of Ed & Nancy) we continued on to Chipotle (courtesy of Ed & Nancy) for lunch.

We made it back to the apartment complex and proceeded to smother Billy and Moni with hugs and kisses, as directed by all of the family back in the ICT. It got kind of weird after awhile :) We ate lunch and talked and talked. After doing the dishes (which consisted of throwing the trash away), we moved our discussion to the balcony where Kelly and I were priviledged enough to feel the babIES! move. Bless Moni's heart - she is such a trooper to have four little ones rockin' and rollin' inside her body. She looks fabulous, as you can see from the pictures) but is absolutely amazing in person.

After doing the first of two contraction monitoring sessions, we put on our swimsuits, Moni settled down into her wheelchair and we trooped down to the pool. It is so beautiful here - palm trees, lots of flowering shrubs, and even little lizards that run around (Phoenix's version of a squirrel, I guess). The weather is fabulous - in the 90s, which might sound warm to some, but coming from Kansas, the AZ 90 is more like our mid-70s, because there is no humidity. We didn't realize how much we missed Moni's laugh until we got here. Being down at the pool was a close second to being at Mike and Vicki's. After sunning ourselves like little turtles, drinking red beers like Graf fishies, and lots of hyenic laughs, we headed back to the apartment once the shade of the buildings covered the pool.

It took us awhile to decide what to have for dinner, and after we finally decided what we wanted, found out that they didn't deliver, so we settled (which really wasn't settling) on Domino's Pizza (courtesy of Ed & Nancy). Then we watched the Dog Whisperer (and yes, for those of you who know me well, I fell asleep during it) and called it a night. Hopefuly Kelly learned some useful tips to try on her spastic dog Louis.

For some, it might seem like an uneventful night, but for Kelly and me, it was absolutely PERFECT! The pool, reading trashy tabloid magazines, red beer, good food (we've been eating a lot so as not to make Moni feel like she's eating too much - we are such great cousins) and most of all Billy and Moni made for a fabulous day.

When they say that they check the Blog constantly for new posts, they aren't joking. In fact, it is quite addictive. Just as those of us check for updates from them, so too do they check for posts/comments from each of you. We'd get back from the pool and one of the first things we'd ask is "did anyone post anything?" And then, oh man, not yet. First verbal utterances of the day echoed the same sentiment. Technology is such a wonderful way to stay connected over a long distance - to answer the questions that everyone is asking and only have to answer them once.

OK, enough serious talk, and now for Kelly and Steph's Top Sixteen Things We Have Learned In Phoenix - in no particular order:

1) Moni has gained about 70 pounds. The doctor wants her to put on 80 - 100. She eats approximately every two hours and drinks about 150 ounces of water a day, which translates to lots of trips to the bathroom. When she's feeling crazy, she'll drink a caffeine free soda.
2) My camera isn't compatible with Moni's - which is why we didn't post pictures from yesterday (you Blog watchers are insatiable!)
3) Billy eats Chipotle about 3 - 5 times a week while in Wichita. He likes the Steak Fajita Bol with a tortilla on the side.
4) When asked if Moni wanted a non-fat decaf vanilla latte, Moni said "no." The babies need whole milk decaf vanilla latte.
5) Billy is still learning the quickest route back from the airport.
6) Billy ROCKS as a Guitar Hero. Steph still has a long way to go.
7) While most of us consider pregnancy to consist of one child in utero, for Billy and Moni, the concept of one baby is strange. They say "babies" like it is totally natural.
8) Billy has had a difficult time adjusting to his teams playing at 10:00 a.m. PST.
9) Moni had 2 contractions during her morning session - which is great! She is a pro at switching out her terb pump and also pretty good at ripping it out accidentally.
10) Moni wore a bikini top for the first time at the pool, because the tankini top was getting too restrictive.
11) They wash their dishes by hand and use the dishwasher as a drying rack.
12) They have all seven (7) of their cards displayed on a ledge. Come on people, snail mail is much more exciting to receive than blog comments.
13) Moni's Aunt Charlotte sent a beautiful picture of the Virgin Mary and Baby Infant Jesus, with a lovely card (she is a very good writer BTW).
14) Quotes from Talledegha Nights flow freely and always bring a laugh "Billy thanks God for his smokin' hot wife, who on a scale of 100, easily scores a 94"
15) Bill has greatly refrained from causing his wife stress "I have by God" - having only one tiff (if that) while we have been there.
16) Billy laid his head on Moni's belly last night, and as soon as he put his head down, got kicked in the ear by Forrest, earning him an A+ for the day by his Momma.

That's all for now. We'll take pictures with B&M's camera today and post them later. I'm sure we'll all go out at midnight to celebrate Billy's birthday (Moni's been craving tequila). Kidding.

Graf out!