Happy 1st Birthday Sammi!

Today's is Sammi's 1st Birthday! Her parents, RJ & Kelly, threw an awesome party tonight! The party took place on the new deck RJ just completed. It is beautiful! He also did an awesome job on the BBQ. Here he is giving EJ a treat bag which was a big hit.



Another big hit was EJ thinking that Sammi got HIS Elmo. Here he is "rescuing" Elmo off the gift table!! He really thought it was his and he wasn't about to let Elmo stay at Sammi's house! He conducted a covert op to get Elmo and run away with him!



Once we got the Elmo situation straightened out, Sammi got her birthday cake. She even let EJ help her blow out her candle.



Sammi did a fabulous job on her cake and went straight to the bath when she finished!


Sammi didn't spend much time wearing her hat but the family dog, Rebound, didn't seem to mind it at all!



It's hard to believe that Sammi is one already! She is a precious little girl with wonderful friends and family !!

As Seen on TV

I did it! I grew something!!

This spring I learned about the Topsy Turvy for growing tomatoes. It was advertised incessantly on TV so after listening to the "ease" of growing my own tomatoes, I went to Ace Hardware and found a Topsy Turvy for my very own.

Initially, I was a concerned that I would kill my tomatoes because I'm not the best gardener but with some miracle soil and tomato fertilizer I set out to grow tomatoes. My goal came to fruition today when I plucked my first two tomatoes off the vine! I counted 25 more on the vine so the fun is just beginning.



My parents grow tomatoes every summer so I am really proud to carry that tradition on with my family. I owe a big thanks to my neighbor, Andi, who waters the TT while I'm out of town, my mom who figured out a better way to secure it to the deck and the guy at Home Depot who showed me the Miracle Grow Tomato Fertilizer.

Bon Appetite!

Time Out

I recognize that my blog is very partial to the "greatness" of EJ. While it's true that he is a great kid, today, he challenged that a bit. After getting up from his nap, he found it very hard acclimate back into our world. He refused to eat his lunch and when I finally let him down from his chair, he refused to wash his hands, which we always do. I gave him a warning and he still did not comply so I had to put him in time out.

Supernanny says they should stay in time out one minute for every year of life. So, he was in time out sitting on the couch for just under two minutes. I did exactly what supernanny tells the parents to do after the allotted time has passed. I got on his level (on my knee at the couch) and told him that he disobeyed mommy by not eating lunch and washing his hands. I asked him to tell me he was sorry so we could wash up and get to the pool to which he blinked his eyes shut and turned his head away from me with defiance. I tried to suppress my shock while informing him that he would stay in time out. He didn't seem to care. This went on three times! Even though I was beside myself, I tried to keep it together. The fourth time I approached him, I said that if he couldn't say he was sorry with words, he could hug me as an apology. After all, I was ready to get to the pool for heaven sake! I leaned in toward him and he reached for a hug, thus ending eight minutes in time out.

As I reflected on the situation, I recognized my own willful personality in my son. Discipline is a huge part of parenting and I was clearly tested today. I hope I "passed" and that Supernanny doesn't have to make an actual visit to my house in the future!

Carri and Cars

Carri came to Lincoln for a girls weekend and she gave EJ his birthday present...a huge yellow corvette that is self-propelled! He absolutely loves it!

While he loved the car, I loved the time I had with Carri to get manis and pedis, eat out and just talk. Usually, we have our three kids running every-which-way so it was a special treat for the dad's to have kid duty so we could have some time together. Carri and I went to high school and college together and now we both live in Nebraska, albeit three hours apart. At least it's close enough for hunting trips for the guys and girly-girl weekends for us!

Operation NMP Update

All I can say is,

"I WANT MY PACI!!!"


I feel like I have needed the paci more this week than EJ! I was used to giving it to him when he was fussy so I didn't have to listen to him whine. Now that it is gone, I've had to listen to him fuss making me tempted to stuff the darn thing back in! I've held strong though, and he hasn't used a paci in five days. Now he goes to sleep without crying for it and it's as if he never used one at all. All things considered, it's been a small price to pay for a big victory. The only advice I can give those who still have this task ahead is no matter how bad the crying or whining, don't give in. Oh, and get some earplugs!!!

Colorado State Reunion

EJ and I traveled to Ft. Collins yesterday for a reunion with my girlfriends from Colorado State. Ali, Jenny, Keri and I met our freshman year and were pretty much inseparable that year. We had four great years in college together and in the last 18 years we've celebrated marriages and the birth of seven kids! We had a wonderful time reconnecting at our picnic!



Here are all the girls from L to R: Katie, Chloe, Molly and Emma (with EJ peaking in the background). EJ loved all the girls and they were so sweet to play with him.



Here are the boys from L to R: EJ, Daniel and Nicholas. EJ and Nicholas are the same age and were both 10 lb babies when they were born.



Here's Chloe and EJ. For those of you who have been praying for a Chloe and her battle with Leukemia all these years you will be happy to hear she is healthy and thriving. She loved playing with EJ and will be the best babysitter in a few years.



After the picnic, Ali and I took the kids to campus. It was great to step back on campus and reminisce with Ali about the "good old days." Just at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills, the campus is even more beautiful than I remember.



The kids with a CSU Ram near the bookstore.



All in all, a very fun day with very special friends in a very special place that will always be dear to my heart!

40 Years Together!

Happy 40th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad! To celebrate we went to Benihana for dinner where EJ learned the fine skill of chopsticks.

Step One: Wear chef's hat and taste the flavor of chopsticks



Step Two: Take lollipop out of mouth and stab the meat with chopstick.



Step Three: Insert stabbed meat into mouth.

Meeting the Triplets

I spent the day with Danni and her kids. I didn't know what to expect when I arrived. Maybe a frazzled mom with laundry piles everywhere, dishes piled high and a case of Calgon calling her name. That was the farthest thing from Danni's house. It was calm, organized and full of love. The babies are so sweet and seem to be doing really well. I was able to help with two feedings, diaper changes, and a trip to the pool. It was a fun-packed day. Here I am with all three (from L to R) Beau, Mylee and Brodie.



Here's a close up of them. Beau is sucking his thumb, Mylee is smiling (almost) and Brodie was fast asleep. Even though I have two years experience as a mom I was really afraid I was going to break them. They are so tiny. In fact, EJ weighed more than the three of them combined at birth!


My favorite time this afternoon was watching Mylee and Brodie lay on the couch next to each other practically holding hands. They have a definite connection.




My mom brought EJ over after his nap so he could go swimming with Ty. The babies all slept in the car seats under an umbrella while the boys had a blast in the pool.

Operation NMP

Operation No More Paci has commenced!

Eric and I have decided that it's time for EJ to give up his pacifer for good. This is the only week we have this summer to make it happen so we got mentally prepared for the "combat" and got to work.

Yesterday, we had EJ throw all his pacifiers in the trash. At first, he thought it was fun but when he realized what was really going on, he got very concerned. Then came the crying. He cried for 15 minutes at nap time so I went in and rocked him to sleep. Then last night he cried too but it was much shorter and he worked it out.

Nap time today was another story. He fought it hard. I had to set the timer on the microwave to help me not run to his rescue. He was still crying when the timer went off so I went and rocked him to sleep. Even still, he was SO MAD at me when he woke up. It took cheese slices and grapes for snack for him to finally come around!

Tonight we went for a bike ride, fed the ducks, played in the baby pool sufficiently wearing the little guy out. Eric was on bedtime duty tonight and he didn't fight it all. I really hope this means he is adjusting to life without the paci.

Operation NMP continues! Wish us luck!!!!!

Nebraska Friends

Yesterday we got to see our special friends, Rachel, Sammi and Kelly! Rachel came through Lincoln on her way to Kansas City. She brought EJ a shirt from Italy which he proudly wore. Rachel was amazed at how much EJ has grown and how many words he knows in the short time since school's been out.



Later on, Kelly and Sammi stopped by. The kids had fun playing with the rocks in the yard. Sammi will turn 1 this month and she is almost walking. She is such a cutie pie and has a great personality. Kelly and I couldn't believe how much the kids resemble each other!



On another note, we found out that all the triplets are home. Mylee is still on oxygen and is weighing in at 4.5 lbs. The boys are both near 7 lbs and doing great. The funny thing is that Ty, who is 2, calls all the babies "Beau," regardless of which one it is. How cute!

Meeting Baby Kate

EJ and I are visiting my family while Eric is recruiting. We spent the day with Chalayne, Ally and Kate.

EJ is not sure he wants to be holding little Kate. He'd much rather be playing balloons with Ally! Click on the arrow to watch the craziness.



The proud dad, Dirk, holding Kate when he got home from work.

two home, one to go!

Baby Brodie came home from the hospital on Wednesday. Baby Mylee remains in the hospital as she is lagging behind the boys in amount of milk she can hold at a time and she is still on oxygen. I thought that was interesting since girl preemies usually do better than boy preemies.

Danni and Tom are sleep deprived but coping well. Danni's mom says she is starting to feel normal again and is looking great. She even has found time to get some shopping done. Tom had his last chemo treatment nearly two weeks ago and is regaining his strength. He will have a cat scan in three weeks.

Thanks for the prayers for this precious family. I will be heading out in a few weeks so I will try to get some updated pictures of the little ones. Hopefully, Mylee will be home by then.

One home, two to go!

Danni's son, Beau, came home from the hospital! He was the smallest of the triplets but he is really thriving. Brodie will come home in the next few days and then Mylee when she's ready. They are all doing really well.