Sarah's Surgery Went Well

Sarah was an absolute trooper with her surgery on Tuesday!! I, however, was a nervous mess!

We got to the office very early in the morning. I was literally the fourth car or so there. I was in the waiting room by 6:30am and was called back shortly after. I sat with Sarah as they asked me questions about her health, about my health, etc. She got a bracelet, a dot above her right eye (to make sure they worked on the correct one), and a warm hospital blanket. She played peek-a-boo with some of the ladies there and they were all commenting on how cute she was. :)

When they were ready for her they came and took her from me. She was able to have her pink blanket and her bear with her on the gurney. I honestly could not look at her once they took her from me. I didn't want to see her face. I went directly to the bathroom...partly from not wanting to hear her cry and mostly because of wanting to vomit. HAHA! Though the procedure itself is minor, anesthesia is not. I prayed for everyone.

I went back to the waiting room, my mom called, then I called Matt. Literally no more than ten minutes had gone by and the nurse was coming out to get me. I sat in a little curtained off area and she was wheeled out to me on the gurney. She was coming out of her slumber and shaking around quite a bit on the bed. They unstrapped her and I was able to hold her as she woke up. She was pretty fussy, which is normal, and was not liking the groggy feeling. But she drank water right away and even had an attitude towards the nurse! She looked up and saw her and shook her hand and said 'no' to her! So she was coming out of that nicely. haha

I got my discharge paperwork, sat for a few minutes, then went back to the waiting room to get our things. She had a few graham crackers, more water, and we were off for home! I was home before the sun was even peeking over the horizon!! Quick and painless...

By 10am she was back to normal and running around with Christian. They both took great naps since I had them up at 5:45am and that night Sarah told ME 'nigh nigh'. By 7pm she was tuckered out and held up her blanket to tell me she wanted to go to sleep. Not to disagree, I scooped her up, let her have some milk, rocker her, gave her two kiss - one from Matt, one from me - and tucked her in.

Sarah's first surgery was a success - hopefully! The Doc said he would be very surprised if it didn't work. Little Sarah Bear now seems to have grown up by a few months in that one day.


In other news, I'm headed to Sioux Falls tomorrow!!!!! While Matt is in St. Louis I will be taking advantage of the chance to get down to see family and friends. Christian is excited and while reading his ABC book I told him he could show Grandma & Grandpa how well he was doing. He was not concerned about them...he said he wanted to show Annie. :)

See you all - TOMORROW!

Long weekend!

I didn't blog about this but earlier this last week Christian was sick. I went to get him out of his room and when I opened the door I was met with a horrid stench. Thankfully, it was contained on all the blankets he has in there...including his beloved yellow ones. So I spent that morning washing sheets, blankets, pillows, and a child. He was clingy the rest of the day, didn't eat anything, drank a little water, and sat in my lap whenever I managed to take a seat myself!

The next day he seemed perfectly fine, as if the day before never happened...

This month we knew that Matt would be going to St. Louis for a short TDY. He needed to take some classes before he becomes certified at work. The sad thing is, most of what he will be learning will not be used here, especially once the planes leave. Matt's job will basically be the equivalent of watching paint dry. Long, boring, mind numbing.

Anywho, he wasn't supposed to leave for St. Louis until yesterday. But with the impending gloomy weather he got about 20 hours notice that he would be leaving Friday morning. Boo. We were supposed to have that weekend together, spending time with the kids before he left for two weeks. So much for that.

All four of us pile in the car Friday morning, go get a new Senior Airmen that was joining Matt to St. Louis, and headed to the airport.
Here is Sarah Bear on the way to the airport:

Little did I know that Murphy was a stowaway!!!

I will spare you with the details but let's just say that A LOT of puke came out of my little girl. All over herself in the carseat. Notice that in the above picture she is wearing a hoodie and her jacket. Guess where most of the puke had to sit? And not like I can take her out. We are moving, and I'm not going to take her out only to have to put her back in to get home! So she had to sit in it. Then she puked on the way home, after her bath, and before her nap all over the crib. All in a matter of a few hours from Matt leaving town.

The worst part of her puking? The look on her face when she got it all over her bear. No lie, she cried even harder when she saw it. She shoved it towards me and wanted me to fix it. I was able to clean it off best I could, change her clothes and the crib sheets, and managed to get her rocked to sleep. I let her sleep with the stinky bear since her blanket was done for and being washed. She slept a few hours, I was able to get some much needed peace since the boy also took a nap, and Matt called me to say his flight from here was delayed, they missed the connecting and would be staying four extra hours in Minneapolis.

Darn you, Murphy!!!!!

Both Matt and I were glad to get Friday over with. But not before both kids made their way to the bathroom to play in the, thankfully flushed!, toilet. Christian also had a toothbrush of his. Who knows how many times that went into the water and to his mouth. Blech! Alone time finally came at 8pm.

He spent his Saturday bored in the hotel. I spent it with the kids hoping for no more puking from either of them. Sunday was another boring day for Matt but the kids were feeling fine so I went to town with friends J and A, and their daughter B. We were some of the first few in the doors at Walmart as we had waited in the parking lot for about ten minutes before opening. As I went to get a cart I saw something that I had wanted to try but never had the children, or I should say right aged children, to do so! It was this:

They had so much fun in it. Sarah giggled and thought it was fun to sit next to Christian. He thought it was cool to be able to ride with a big seat belt on and be able to shove his face into Sarah's chest and make her laugh. Anyway, my purpose for going was so that I could buy the kids some more bibs and sippy cups. Then we headed to the toy section and I found some FUN play food sets, some number magnets from the $1 section, and some foam letters for in the bath. It was a fun trip and I'm glad I was able to get the kids out! Here are some pics of the neat-o food:




And here they are having fun tossing it all around. :)

And here is what today has brought:

Not a clue if the tree was slanted like this before but the wind that is going outside is crazy. The interstate is closed from here to Canada the entire state is in a 'no travel advised' warning. So much for Bible study and the play date that J and I had planned today for the kids!! Now, here I am stuck in the house.

~

Sarah's surgery is set for tomorrow morning BRIGHT AND EARLY! I have to be there by 6:30am. I will let the family know how it goes after she is done. Pray for the anesthesiologist! That is my biggest worry about the whole thing.

I'm off to watch a movie so I can drown out this wind!!! Hope you all are having a great Monday.

Murphy Has Arrived

Any Military Wife that reads this will know who Murphy is. Murphy is horribly rude. Murphy shows no respect. Murphy comes at the worst possible time.

I will have a proper update later. I have pictures to add and some recipes to type up. This morning drained me a bit and I'm going to rest. I leave you with Murphy:

"Anything that can go wrong will go wrong"

Sarah's updates

So, I've been slacking and haven't posted much. I've been trying to keep busy and not spend a lot of time on the internet. Somewhat of a New Year's Resolution, if you will! Plus, we have had some minor stresses of every day life... So it goes.

Anyways.

Sarah has had many appointments in the last few weeks. A few days after Christmas she had her well baby visit that I talked briefly about here. She had her xrays done and we were scheduled to meet with an ophthalmologist about her clogged tear duct. The 13th is when we saw the eye doctor. Every nurse/assistant we walked past made a comment about how cute Sarah was. Makes Mommy proud. Not to have a good looking baby, but to actually have said baby.

"On with the update, Crystal!!!"

The eye doctor examined her eyes and turned on an animated puppy on the wall. She thought this guy was nuts! She had this expression of 'Are you serious!?' on her face. It was exactly like this picture:

I asked question, he explained the procedure, I said that I wanted to go through with it, and he put in a referral to Tricare for the surgery. The greatest risk is actually the anesthesia rather than the surgery. And that makes me nervous. Such a little Princess having to be knocked out to get her eye poked! But January 26th is the day of her surgery. Matt will be gone, a friend is watching Christian, and I'll take Sarah into town. I'm going to be a basket-case the entire 30 minutes it will probably take for them to get it done. It's literally in-and-out. Then she'll get eye drops for a week after.

During the appointment with her eye I was told Sarah needed a physical. Heart and lungs need to be in working condition before anesthesia. At that appointment she was a few ounces heavier than a few weeks prior. That'a girl! She needed her blood pressure taken and she was less than pleased with that. Okay, very less than pleased. It was hold your breath cries with that. But she got a clean bill of health and is cleared for surgery. All will go as planned unless she gets a cold.

Before I left the Ped's office I got her xray results. The interpretations of the srays were 'in the upper range of normal and no further images needed unless clinically indicated'. Hooray!! That means that we don't have to worry anymore. She is walking well as far as we can tell. She has a bit of a hobble but we won't put any emphasis on it unless it starts to impede her walking. And I think the hobble is a-DOR-able!!!

So - in the medical department, that's that!

As far as home, Sarah is all over the place. She is climbing on the couches and it makes me so nervous. She could just fall right off the arm if she isn't careful. She of course thinks it's hilarious when I come running! She LOVES when Matt comes in the door. I think she is a little smitten with him. She even squeals a happy 'Daddyyyyyyyy!' when I open her door in the morning!

She loves her blanket and she cuddles with a teddy bear every night. She likes to play with Christian and they chase each other all over the basement. What he does, she wants to do as well. She still loves food, though she is getting a bit picky with sandwiches. She would rather pick them apart and throw the layers than eat it. Her brother is teaching her how to spit, too. That's sure girly of her isn't it?! :)

There you have it folks. A little update with the little lady of the house. I'll give the Grandmas a call after Sarah's surgery. You won't have to wait for a blog update. :-) haha

I've been a busy little bee!!

I am determined to make our bedroom NOT look like a college mess. Minus the tiny twin bed...we have the grungy, no-time-to-clean look down! So I have ordered new curtains, I'm going to make a console table, repaint a dresser and hang something on the walls. I think in the five years we have been married there was the occasional photo, not framed, on the wall.

So here is my first attempt at making our bedroom look like a grownup room. It's a headboard!

The supplies. Foam, batting, fabric, staple gun (my very own!!!), staples, not pictured is the board and the glue gun.

I won't bore you with the process pictures on here but you can see them over on my facebook album here.
Here is the close up! Pretty, eh?

Ta-da!!!Can't wait to put it up!

Year In Review: November

November started with a trip, minus children, to check out the base. Matt had already left a week or so prior. We drove by our house, checked out the gym, checked out some places in town, and I fell in love.

We also met with a couple that lives on base and went to lunch with them. :)

We tried to get some decent pictures of the kids. This is the best one that I got on my camera!

Sarah played with her food.

And she finally got enough hair that I could stick a clip in it!

And here is a bad quality cell phone picture of me helping make lefse for Thanksgiving!


By the end of the month Sarah was finally starting to walk while holding our fingers. Before she would just fall down when she didn't have a couch, or something similar, to hold onto.

The kids and I left Sioux Falls the last Saturday in November and made our way to our new home!

Ravioli Bolognese

1 pkg frozen Rosetto ravioli or tortellini (any filling)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 medium onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/4 c chicken broth (or red wine)
1 can (4oz) mushrooms, drained
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano or thyme

Prepare pasta as directed

Meanwhile, for sauce, place oil in pan and heat. Add beef, brown and drain, then stir in garlic and onion. Cool until soft. Mix in remaining and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta. Serves 4-6

Ragu Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
1 jar Ragu Chunky Garden Style Sauce
1 cup shredded moz cheese (about 4 oz)
Your choice of pasta

Heat oven to 400*. Dip chicken in egg, then into bread crumbs. In 9x13 dish, arrange chicken and bake for 15 minutes. Then pour Ragu over chicken, top with cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes. Serve with your choice of hot pasta.

Serves 4.

Taco Soup

1/2 - 3/4 lb beef
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg dry ranch dressing

Brown and drain beef. Put all ingredients in pan, heat to serving temp. May also heat a taco shell, cut into strips and serve in soup. Leftovers keep well.

Weight Watcher Apple Salad

2 large apples (can use 3)
1 can crushed pineapple - do not drain juice
1 box instant fat free butterscotch pudding mix
1 c mini marshmallows (I add a few per serving so that they don't get mushy when they are waiting to get eaten)
1/2 c pecan pieces
1 8oz tub fat free cool whip

Peel*, core and dice apples. Mix all ingredients. Chill.

1 cup = 1 point

*I have actually never peeled the apples any of the times I have made this. I'm a bit lazy. haha

Egg Casserole

2 lbs ground pork Jimmy Dean sausage
4 slices of cubed white bread
12 eggs
2 c milk
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
2 c grated cheddar cheese

Brown sausage and drain. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Grease 9x13 pan and put the cubed bread on bottom. Sprinkle with sausage and 3/4 of the cheese. Top with egg mixture and remaining cheese. Bake 45 minutes at 350* or until set.

Feeds 10-12.

Rotelle with Tomato, Garlic & Shrimp

8 oz (1/2 pkg) Martha Gooch Garden Rotelle*
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 c red wine (opt)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (opt)
1 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 c parsley, chopped

Cook pasta as directed, drain. Meanwhile, in large skillet, over medium heat, saute garlic until tender. Add tomatoes, wine and red pepper flakes if desired. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp and parsley, cook 5 more minutes until shrimp is opaque and pink. Serve over pasta.

Serves about 4.

* This is a Walmart pasta brand. I usually just get whatever multi-colored spiral shell is cheapest. :)

Year In Review: September

Ollie finally started coming around to Christian. But he has to be sitting down on the couch for him to really get close.

Sarah found a love for messy foods.

Christian acquired a new laugh that had us all in stitches.

Here is the video so you can hear it! Click HERE.

Sarah started to look like a little girl!

Christian got a new toy that Grandpa Kent found at a garage sale. He is going to LOVE this come summer time!
Sarah got her top teeth.
And her first pedicure.
Then at the end of the month both kids helped me make a Welcome Home sign for Daddy. He was leaving Hawaii for good and making his way to South Dakota in the following days.!!!

Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole

2 cans (40oz EACH) sweet potatoes, drained
8 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 c cold butter

In large bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Add egg, sugar, flour vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Transfer to greased 9x13 dish.

In small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour and pecans. But in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture.

Bake uncovered at 325* for 60-70 minutes or until thermometer reads 160*. refrigerate leftovers.

~This is YUM. Feeds about 10-12 people.

Broccoli Casserole

2 pkgs frozen broccoli florets (16oz EACH)
1 can (10 3/4oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups (6oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (6oz) french fried onions, divided

Cook broccoli according to package. Drain well. In large saucepan, combine soup, sour cream, 1 c cheese and 1 1/4 c onions. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Stir in broccoli.

Pour into greased 2qt dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325* for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and onions on top. Bake 10-15 minutes longer until cheese is melted.

~This recipe calls for two bags. DO NOT SKIMP! When I made this I just had a ton of fresh broccoli. After it was cooked it was just NOT enough for all the other ingredients. More broccoli the better!!!

Caramel Rolls!!!!!

These are fabulous and I could eat a whole pan...if it didn't leave me grabbing my stomach in pain afterward. haha

2 frozen bread loaves
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 large vanilla pudding (NOT instant!)
1 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Thaw bread but do not rise.

Break loaves into pieces and put into a greased 9x13 pan. Melt above ingredients - beat until smooth. Pour over bread.

Raise two hours then bake at 375* for 30 minutes. When you remove from oven let it stand in the pan for a few minutes and then invert on a platter.

~Try not to use foil as the caramel will stick to the foil easily.
~You can also make this up about 10pm the night before and make in the morning. Just mix like normal, cover with cloth then plastic. Bake in the morning.

ENJOY!

Kiddo Update

Suppose with all the food posts I should add some kids in there too. Since they are so cute I could just eat them up!

Christian is a stinker! He steals toys from Sarah even if she was playing with them first. He pushes her over even though he thinks it's fun and playful. He hits, throws, tackles, and would probably bite if he knew he could do it! haha But, boy, does he LOVE his sister. It's cute. He will wrestle with her and let her crawl all over him and then say 'Saaaaraaaaaahhhhhhhh!' It's pretty cute. Then he will give her hugs. Last week he even wanted to hold her!


She was not thrilled. haha

He is also saying 'ya!' for yes! :) It's finally not a 'no' for everything. My boy is growing up! He is quite lovey and wants to sit on me a lot. Has the best squeezes for hugs. Loves to come upstairs and wake us up in the morning. Do note that Mommy does NOT like this! But he's a stinker! Still picky with food, throws his water off the table, and doesn't like to listen when I tell him not to do something. But he has the cutest eyes, sweetest smile, and best high fives. :) Can you tell he's a punk but I like him????

Sarah Bear had her well baby visit last week. She's almost 25 lbs and her height, head circumference, and weight are all waaaay up there on the growth curve. She's a big'un. She got 5 shots in her legs and she hated it, of course. Then we got her an xray of her hips and hopefully the results will be back soon. Next Wednesday she goes in for an office visit about her eye. So we'll see what they say and if anything needs to be done about the duct.

Walking isn't much of a challenge for her anymore. She still gets off balance once in a while, especially if the brother comes behind her and shoves her over, and she circles all over the place. And she can go fast!! She grabbed my phone the other day and when she saw me coming she took off! So cute. :)

We had a great Christmas with Matt's parents and sister. The kid's got some nice gifts, as did Matt and myself. Now we have to figure out when we are going to get together with my parents!! Hopefully not too long from now.

~

It's cold here today! Negative by the dozens and winds about 70 mph the last I heard. EEEPPP!!! I won't be going outside unless I have to. Plus, we are all slightly sick. I've had a scratchy throat and today my nose started to get stuff. Kids have had slight fevers. Matt woke up this evening with a soar throat. He works all night, too, so he is hoping to get home a few hours early.

Anyway! All is good here. Looking forward to Friday. We FINALLY bought a new dining room table! I'll post pictures when we have it all set up. :)

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I know what you are saying. 'Ew, gross. When has tuna noodle casserole ever been GOOD?!'

Well, this one is. This is the first recipe that we have both loved. :) And it's from Matt's Grandma M. Thanks, it was a hit!

6 oz. medium egg noodles (about 3.5 c)
1 7oz can tuna (I did two small 5oz cans since we like tuna)
1/2 c mayo
1 c sliced celery
1/3 c chopped onion
1/4 c diced green chilis
1/4 c chopped pimento
1 tsp salt
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 c milk
1 c shredded cheese
1/2 c slivered toasted almonds (opt)

Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender, drain.
Combine noddles, drained tuna, mayo, veggies, and salt.
Blend soup and milk, heat through. Add cheese.
Add to noodle mixture and turn into 1 1/2 qt casserole.
Top with almonds. (I just did crushed saltines)
Bake at 425* for 20-25 minutes.
Makes about 6-8 servings.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Meatballs

1 pound beef or turkey
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/4 c milk
2 tblsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 Worcestershire sauce
1 egg

Mix all ingredients. Shape into 1 1/2 in balls. Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Or cook at 400* until brown, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside.

1/2 c packed b. sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 can (13 1/4oz) pineapple chunks
1/3 c vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 small green pepper, coarsely chopped

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in skillet. Stir in pineapple with its juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally, reduce heat. Add meatballs. Cover, simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in green pepper. Cover, simmer until slightly tender, 5 minutes.

I serve this with cooked rice.

This recipe is great! If you have more than 3 adults I would double the recipe for sure!

Meat Loaf

2 eggs
2 lbs ground beef (I use turkey, it's a bit moister I think)
2 c bread crumbs (I usually just take a few bread slices and zap them in the blender a bit)
Med-Lg onion, chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 c milk
2 tbsp Worcestershire

Combine. Bake 1 hour at 350*.

Lasagna

1 lbs ground beef
1 med onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
1 can (16oz) stewed tomatoes
2 can (6oz) tomato paste
1 can (10 3/4oz) tomato puree
1 tbsp dried basil

3 c cottage cheese
1 1/2 c parm cheese
2 lg eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 pkg lasagna noodles
1 lbs moz cheese slices

Cook noodles al dente while mixing other ingredients.

Cook beef, garlic and onions together. Drain grease. Stir in tomatoes, paste, puree, and basil. Simmer 30 minutes.

Combine cottage cheese and next five items.

Place half of the noodles in the bottom of your casserole dish. Spread 1/3 to half the cottage cheese mixture on top of noodles. Top with half of the cheese slices.
Spoon meat mixture over cheese.
Remaining noodles, then cottage cheese mix, and then cheese slices go on top.

Bake 40 minutes at 375*

~The layering can sometimes get complicated. Just remember to put noodles on the bottom!!

Again, this is a fabulous recipe to freeze in large quantities. :)

Chicken Enchiladas

3 medium-large chicken breasts - boil with carrots, celery, garlic, onions (and whatever else you would like to add) for two hours. Cool and shred. *Save the stock for another recipe!

8oz shredded pepperjack cheese
small can diced green chilis
1/2 cup salsa

Mix above ingredients well.

Divide into 8-10 small shells or 6-7 large shells. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top.

Mix one can of cream of chicken soup with 1 pint of whipping cream. Pour over top of shells. Bake 30 minutes at 350* or until lightly browned.

Caesar Chicken Casserole

Another great freeze ahead meal!

2lbs cooked chicken, cubed
1/2 c red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c green onions, chopped
1/3 c light creamy Caesar dressing*
1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c Moz cheese, grated
1-12oz pkg tubed pasta, slightly undercooked
1/4 c croutons

Top with crushed croutons. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

~When freezing this recipe, omit the croutons until the day you thaw and bake.

*Editor's note: Next time I make this I will be adding more Caesar dressing. It was a bit dry for our liking**. Great taste though!!

**Another friend of mine made this. She added a bit more dressing to the recipe before baking and then a little bit to her bowl after she dished it up and said it was perfect.

Cheesy Potatos

I'm sure there are many recipes like this out there. Probably the exact same one for all I know. But it is SOOOOOO good. I made some extra for Matt to take to work one night and the guy that he shared it with was in love and asked me to make more.

This is also a very easy recipe to freeze ahead of time!!!!!

1 pkg frozen hash brown cubes - roughly 32 oz
1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
10 oz grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup melted butter (make sure it is melted!!!)
1 pint (16oz) sour cream.
crushed corn flakes

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Put in large casserole dish and sprinkle crushed corn flakes on top. Bake 45min-1hr at 350*.

~You can also add kielbasa sausage to your mix if you want some meat.

It has been brought to my attention..

...that I need to post more recipes. I concur.

Your wish is my command!

Year In Review: August

August was spent looking at fireflies, helping Grandpa Kerry fix the deck, and splashing in the pool.



Christian's imagination grew:

And so did Sarah's personality!

The trial of the month was another try at potty training.

T'was a no-go.

Year In Review: July

July 1st we arrived back on our Home Turf of South Dakota. Sarah met Grandpa Kerry for the first time:

She also got her first baby doll from Great Grandma Wava - which is their first meeting as well!

For the Fourth of July we spent time at my Aunt and Uncle's house at the lake in MN. We had ALL the great grand kids on my Mom's side. Nine total. One boy. Christian. :)

He also liked the lake a lot better than the ocean. He even walked out so far that he fell over from a little wave!

Sarah's first time in the swing and Christian's first time walking dogs happened this month.


Christian also rode on Ollie. He was MY childhood toy!

July was a great month!

We spent NYE/D opening presents for a belated Keefer Christmas. Pictures to come later! Now it's time to go table shopping for the dining room. Wish us luck!