Happy Second Birthday Reese!

A miracle. As are all children. But we are especially lucky to have this one still with us. She overcame more obstacles than most will face in a lifetime. And here she is. Positive, kind, gentle and sweet. Happy 2nd Birthday Reese!

A visit from the Arizona and Ohio Munsons!

We had such a great visit with the Munson's! A week filled with day trips and cookouts, family and friends. I shed a few tears as the last of the Munson's departed. Take a look at the pictures and you will see why...

He Walks!

M.I.S.S.I.S.S.I.P.P.I.

Our first adult weekend away from Jesse! We had SO much fun, thanks to all for such a great trip. Special thanks to Gail and Chris. Gail, I am so inspired by your organization and leadership! And Chris, thanks for your navigation and very gentle driving while I was out on the ski's! Check out some of the pics from our weekend adventure...

Best Vacation EVER

We got off to a rocky start. Jesse came down with a fever two days before we were supposed to leave for Arizona. We weren't sure if we should make the trek, but the AZ Munson's assured us we needed to get on the plan ASAP. So that we did. Bob and I both thought we had adequately prepared for having a 13 month old on a plane for 4 hours (plus the hour ride to the airport). We had toys, snacks and even a Grandma as a secret weapon. As we walked off the plane I looked at Bob and asked 'Better or worse than you had expected?' We both agreed... WORSE. Leaving Lodi at 4AM and flying before Jesse's normal nap time left us with a sick, overtired baby that did not want to sit down. Or eat. Or play with any of the new toys we had packed up to keep him entertained. We had 3 adults against one baby. The baby won.

Thankfully Chris was there to great us at the airport to whisk us away to paradise. Mundara. Heaven. Gorgeous weather, great family, and plenty of cocktails. Soon the plane ride was a distant memory. From the start we felt right at home. Even Reese welcomed us despite Jesse sneezing/buggering all of her stuff, steeling toys, and taking attention from her favorite two people, mom & dad. She shared her toys, pack and play, food, bath toys, and even sippy cups with Jesse.





We took a trip to see the wild animals...





And went for bike rides, wagon rides, car rides and train rides...








We visited friends from Wisco...



Chris sang Jesse a lullaby...



We went on a carousel ride...



Leaving the carousel resulted in a bit of a meltdown...







Needless to say, we all felt like having a meltdown when it came time to leave the Arizona Munson's. Thankfully the airplane ride home was a breeze, Jesse was an angel. And thanks to a wonderful Grandma in a backseat, Jesse was giggling the entire drive from Milwaukee to Lodi. Chris, Vic & Reese, we miss you all so much! Thank you for the best vacation EVER. We will never forget it.

Spoiled Buster

So many wonderful birthday gifts, and so many fun birthday events. Thanks all for a great 1st birthday week! And special thanks to Uncle Zac for sharing his birthday again this year ;-) Jesse has gotten 3 new teeth in the last month and started 'cruising' as they call it when kidos walk holding onto stuff. I am sure he'll be running soon.

First Birthday

I am definitely going to start crying as I type this. After we put Buster to bed on Sunday, I sat down and suddenly felt this overwhelming sense of finality. One year. Who would have thought we'd make it this far? I know as we were packaging up our new baby boy one year ago, I didn't have any sense of how or what I would feel a year later. And as I look back over the course of the year, there is more joy and happiness than I can remember in the prior 33 years combined. So why do I feel this sense of sadness? It must be because my baby isn't a baby anymore. He's a boy. A person. Somehow I feel like I am losing him already. I hope that these wonderful memories of him never fade. That he will continue to make me look at life in a new way. Open my eyes to the simple things. And help me keep a sense of humor about the not so simple things (horse noises for example). An exerpt from my favorite children's book says it nicely:

"For never before in story or rhyme, not even once upon a time,
has the world ever known a you my friend, and it never will, not ever again."