Week Twenty-Six

Legs crossed like the little lady that she is.

Click here for the rest of today's ultrasound pictures, plus the ones from six weeks ago.

(the reason for this repeat ultrasound has migrated about a mile upstream - no worries)

All Your Lovin'

Happy 32nd Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

circa 1980

Campfires and Candle Light

While Noah was doing this:




We were doing this:



He did not get hit in the head with a horseshoe or a bocce ball. He did not drown in the lake. He did not get bitten by a strange dog. He did not fall into the campfire. I don't think he even got a mosquito bite.

Thank you to all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who took very good care of him.

Kevin and I did miss him, but I think I can say that we did not worry about him every second we were apart. Thank goodness for the digital camera with pictures of him doing "so big" - we looked at them about nine times over the course of the weekend - only twice to show friends.

Word of the Day

Pitter Patter

This is how Kevin and Noah get their exercise on days when it's too hot to go outside.

You Better Run!!
Uploaded by houseofhanson

Week Twenty-Five (and Nine)

Thanks for the fun party, Mrs. St. John!

Rainy Day

Solstice Wishes

Happy 29th Birthday to Ann-Marie

(center, wearing my dress)

Senior Ball, May 1996

Happy Baptism to Tony

(he's much bigger now, with surfer hair)

Age 3 1/2

Happy 4th Anniversary to Brian & Tricia

(still so cute together)

Christmas 2002, I think

Week Twenty-Four

A new hairdo can really make you feel better about life. That is not at all true of new tires.

BF Goodrich

It was over 90 degrees outside last week when my tire blew out. In the left lane. At 75 miles per hour. During rush hour. In my car that hasn't had air for at least the last three summers. With a very tired, very hungry baby in the back seat.

We made it safely to the shoulder, but having heard far too many stories of unfortunate folks who have been pegged while changing their flat, there is no way this mama was even going to peek out to inspect the damage.

Noah and I sat in the car and cried together for a few minutes. He continued to scream for the both of us as I rode the shoulder off the next exit to the nearest spot with A/C. The Borderline Bar & Grill. I'm sure they were as thrilled to see us as we were to be stuck there.

The man of the house arrived to rescue us and we all made it safely home, finally, at the end of the night.

Thinking back, my car was long overdue for new tires. We looked long and hard at the three that remained. Then we looked at Kevin's. How many miles are on his car again? And how many more will it have after all of this long summer's travels? Doesn't that spare that is underneath have a leak?

Does anyone else have a headache?

Happy Father's Day

Listen to the Father's Day edition of A Prairie Home Companion from Ravinia. Imagine yourself relaxing on the lawn with loads of yummy picnic food and cool drinks, listening to the soothing voice of Garrison Keillor.

Watch out for the cicadas. They're everywhere.

Week Twenty-Three (and Twenty-Nine)

Find all four girls in this picture.

Hot Hot

Noah learned a new word today: hot (repeated for emphasis - "hot, hot"). As in, the sand is far too hot for baby feet. The shaded lawn is much nicer.

The playground at the nature center was very, very hot. (Yes, he's slathered in SPF 50)

The O'Gara's pool is nice and cool (thanks to Rick, Debbie, Ryan & Luisa).

The reason we're not winning any parenting awards today:

For the rest of today's photos, click here.

Summer in Colorado

Congrats to Nick Neitzel! He will marry Alicia
Skuza in the summer of 2008, somewhere in Colorado.

Sarah and I have not decided if were going plane or renting a van. It will be our families first long distance trip.

The image to the right, is Nick (foreground) and I hiking in Great Sand Dunes National Park. This was in May of 2002, about a month before Sarah and I got married.

Belated Memorial Day

Memorial day has passed, but it is never too late in my mind.

Here is my dad from 1970 in Grand Teton National Park, WY alongside the Snake River.

We miss you!

Love,
Your Family

For All You Budding Photographers Out There

Thanks to Ann-Marie for the heads up on this. Looks interesting:

www.aminuteinlife.blogspot.com

1:00 pm tomorrow. See you there.

First Haircut

It broke my heart to do it, but the ducktail and ear tufts were just getting to be too much.