4th of July

This 4th of July started off great & ended with a BANG - literally! I got up early (5ish) & set up chairs for family & friend on Mill Street, directly in front of my office. Its great sitting near my office b/c if the kids get too hot or need to go to the bathroom, they've got a place to go. After the parade we grabbed a quick bite to eat, again with family & friends, at Brewster's before heading to the CF Bear's game. The Bear's lost but nonetheless, we had a good time! After the game, we went to Jill & Mike's to take full advantage of their new pool. I'm surprised the girls haven't grown gills considering how much time they've spent swimming this summer!

When I said the day ended with a bang, it wasn't from the fireworks. My car was hit-n-run while parked in front of Jill & Mike's house. Mike was in the house when it happened, but didn't realize what happened until the car was pulling away. (he wasn't near a window) What kind of person does that?! I still get mad just thinking about it...ugh!!! Needless to say, from that point on, my 4th of July was ruined.

The pictures above are from the parade earlier that day. Don't you just love Lauryn's tattoo?! She loves me so much! And she thinks I should run for State Representative. Thanks for the vote of confidence Lauryn! The picture of Jamey & Kenzie was taken shortly after Chris Zimmerman DRENCHED Jamey. Chris was riding on the Reflections salon float & thought it would be funny to get Jamey wet. We laughed so hard! Well all of us except Jamey laughed. ;) You'll notice that Jamey has very little hair in that picture, thanks to Jill. (I still owe you for that Jill!) Jamey called me when I was in Florida & said he was on his way to Jill & Mike's so Jill could shave his head. I begged him not to but really what was I going to do about it. He was in MN & I was in Florida. Jamey's always had some sort of a styled haircut. Even though its been a month, I just can't get used to it & can't wait until his hair grows back!

A weekend away

Last weekend Tammy Meyers, Laura Freeberg, Amy Doehling, my sister Jill & I went away for the weekend. We lounged around while enjoying a few cocktails (ok, it was more than a few, but who's counting?!), played a few games, mingled with the locals & all-n-all, had the time of ourlives! I don't think I've laughed that hard or that often EVER!!! We laughed as we packed the van to go & we're rolling with laughter as we unpacked the van when we returned. (Mike & Jamey couldn't believe how hard we were laughing when we got back!) Thanks for a fun filled weekend girls! Can't wait until we can do it again!!!

A day at the zoo

Jamey & I took McKenzie, Lauryn, Alexis (Jeremiah's daughter) and Devon to the MN Zoo a couple weeks ago. Bob (my boss) bought us a family season pass - just because! After spending the day with the kids, I couldn't be more excited about having a season pass. All of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves & can't wait to go back! Thanks Bob!

My BEAUTIFUL Godchild

This is a picture of my niece Lexi just before she performed at Jan's School of Dance end of the year dance recital. Lexi's an extremely good dancer & as you can see, a very beautiful girl.

Poor Hashbrown

This is a picture of Schultz's dog, Hashbrown. He was recently attacked by raccoons. They injured one of his hind legs which became very infected. He spent one night at the vet so they could monitor him. He's now at home taking antibiotics & has to wear a collar, or whatever its called. (looks like a lampshade to me!) I had to take & post this pictures b/c I think he looks so funny!

In case you're wondering, Mike & Jill let Devon name Hashbrown. They also let Devon name their cat, Tatortot. They just got a new turtle. I'm surprised Devon didn't name him French Fry. :)

30 weeks!

The last goal Dr. McKenzie set for my sister Deena was for her to make it to 30 weeks & she did!!! Way to go Deena! She had her weekly check-up today. The progress report is good... as good as can be expected anyway.

Dr. McKenzie has decided to error on the side of caution & not check Deena for dilation. (she didn't last week either) The last time Deena was checked, after a major contracting episode, Deena had not dialted. Lets hope that still holds true today. Deena's continues to take medication (two kinds) to stop her contractions. Some days are better than others. We're hoping for more good days!

They're going to do another ultra sound next week or the following week, to make sure there are no further tears (ubruptions) in the placenta. I'll keep you updated.

The girls & I stopped to visit Deena last Friday night. While we were there, she began contracting. Wow! It was amazing to feel how hard her stomach gets with each contraction. I forgot how that feels! Anyway, the contractions caused Baby to shift around quite a bit. In doing so, McKenzie & I were able to feel the lil' stinker. McKenzie thought it was SOOO neat and so did I. :) I can't wait to meet her (I think its a girl) when she's born. But I certainly can wait 10 more weeks, if Deena can keep her in that long.

Deena & DJ are both VERY greatful to all of you that have stopped to visit, brought over meals and/or snacks, dropped off movies and/or books, etc! Its great to know what wonderful family & friends we're surounded by! Thank you from all of us for all that you've done! Thank you too for the prayers! We can't thank you enough for keeping Deena, DJ, Collin & Baby in your prayers!!!

I'm baaack!

As most of you already know, I recently returned from Florida where I met the newest member of our family, JB. The entire vacation was bittersweet. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting & spending time JB (and of course Bridget & Rusty too!) but missed my family back home dearly!

You'll notice in one of the pictures above, JB's wearing a Vikings Jersey & is wrapped up in a Vikings blanket, compliments of me! I also bought him a Twins outfit & my mom bought him a Twins baseball cap. Rusty just shook his head & laughed at all of the MN gear. Trust me Rusty, that little guy's going to know he has MN roots! We'll make sure of it! :)

We had beautiful, but hot, weather the entire time we were there. The temp was usually in the upper 90s with high humidity. I've never met a kid that enjoys the heat at much as JB does. Whenever he was fussing & I couldn't settle him down, I went outside. The second we were out in the heat, he calmed down IMMEDIATELY! Rusty says he gets that trait from him daddy.

When Bridget told me that they planned to name their son James, I liked the name but knew it wouldn't have been at the top of my list if I was naming my son. However, after hearing the way "James" rolls off his Meemaw's tongue with her southern accent, I've fallen in love with the name! I just loved the way she said "Baby James."

Speeking of Meemaw... McKenzie & Lauryn thought it was SOOO funny that people in the south call their grandma's "Meemaw" and their grandpa's "Pawpaw." When I refer to the girls' grandma, I always have to clarify which grandma I'm talking about. At least JB won't be confused about his grandma because he'll only have one - my mom.

Those of you that know McKenzie well, know she's a picky eater. Well Bridget used that against me most of my vacation. I tried more new foods while I was there, than I have in the past year! Bridget said she'd tell Kenzie if I wouldn't at least try whatever it was that she was asking me to try. Here's just a few things I tried while I was there --- grits, boiled peanuts, friend green tomatoes, tuna steak, and ricotta pancakes. I have to admit, it was all really good!

A friend of mine has said more than once that my sisters & I are baby people, meaning we loooove babies! She's absolutely right! We do love babies, but more than that, we love each other's babies! Everyone of us has a special bond with our nieces & nephews & wouldn't have it any other way! With that said... leaving JB was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do! I miss him so much right now, I can't put it into words. I told my dad when I got back, if I ever win the lottery, the first thing I'm going to do is buy Bridget, Rusty & JB airline tickets "home" & continue buying them as often as possible. So Bridget, wish me luck!