No Catchy Title

I would like to first start off with this. Sorry, Ana for your friends loss of her daughter. I can't imagine what she and her family are going through, losing a little one. I mean, she is Ryleigh's age and, well, it just isn't fair. I cried when I saw your post this evening and got your email, what a neat idea that you did for your friend and coworker with the photo shoot. I will continue to pray for her family. Thank you also, for pointing out how very lucky we are. Sometimes, I go through my day feeling sorry for myself or feeling like life isn't fair and here I am with a healthy family and so many blessings, so thank you for keeping me in check. And, I also hope little Lila is feeling better, too! Thanks for making it to Ry's party, she just loves you guys and her 2nd "Uncle Ryan"!

On a happier note, the girls are doing well. Ryleigh's bedtime is getting somewhat better. In fact, it goes much better when Jason isn't around. Sorry, honey, but she has you wrapped pretty tight around her little finger/heart! She is getting to be such a big girl, 3 years old and all! Landree is doing well, too! Her 4 little teeth are so cute when she gives you her huge big grin. This past week has gone so fast. I've picked up reading books again, since our TV is out of commission, and I am liking not having the TV really. It's just hard to put the books down when it's time for bed. I did help Jason out in the basement one evening. We have pretty much everything done except carpeting. Once, we get it cleaned out, I will take after photos and get them posted. You would all be amazed at how awesome it looks and what a great job Jason has done.

Jason and I had the experience of going to the Fair in Garden City this evening!!!!! No, were not in Kansas, toto. But we can now say we've been to two different fairs in two different Garden City's! Garden City is a town not to far from here (about 20 minutes) and the Blue Earth County Fair is held there. We took the girls, which was fun for Ryleigh. She was very entertained by all the animals, and especially loved the PIGS! She liked the horses too, but thought the cows were too big. And boy, did she ever think the chickens and ducks stunk! We were going to go to the rodeo, but thought she would be more entertained at the carnival. I, of course, forgot the camera this evening. She went on several rides, and loved the "boats" and "swings" (I even liked those up until I was in middle school!!) She didn't so much like the "kid" Ferris wheel, but she did go down the huge slide with a potato sack. Jason went with her and had to talk to her to get her to finally do it as they were at the very top. He finally grabbed her and for about 1/2 of the way down, she look terrified, but then was smiling and once at the bottom, asked Jason if she could do it again. The 2nd attempt, well we don't have to call it an attempt, because she went down the whole thing (with Jason) with the biggest grin on her face. She faced a fear and in the end didn't know what she was so afraid of. Most of the time, she is fearless anyways. And let me just say (don't mean to offend anyone here), but the carnival guys were SOOOOO scary. I was thankful Jason was there with me. Landree on the other hand is afraid of balloons. We didn't know this until I blew up like 20 for Ryleigh's party. She freaks out, cries, and tenses up when she sees a balloon. At first it was funny to show her a balloon, but then it ended up being more like torture. However, tonight at the fair, Ryleigh got a balloon on a string, and Landree faced her fear as well and was by the end of the evening, playing with the balloon and enjoying it. We got home just in time, and then the thunderstorms rolled in. They didn't stay long, but a little is better than none. We have a fun weekend planned. Jason and a buddy are going to get the trail camera tomorrow off of their hunting land to see if there is anything good on it. Then, after lunch I am heading to work as we are having an antique car show for the resident's and I am going to help out. Then, when that is finished we are heading to Danny and Terri's to drop off the girls and then Jason and I and our friends, Josh and Amy are going to go to the Twins game. They got some tickets from work (Jason and Josh work together)! Maybe a play date on Sunday for Ryleigh and her friend and that's about it. Well, I am beat, so that's about all I have for now. Oh, Landree is trying so hard to go from sitting to crawling position and even stood up at the couch to watch Ryleigh. Hopefully, I will get pictures up soon.

And on that note, remember to be thankful for all that you have, be sure to tell everyone you love, that you love them and hold them close. Have a good night and weekend!

Fun Weekend!

What a fun past few days we've had! Ryleigh had a three day extravaganza.............lucky kid! We went to the MN Zoo on Friday with our friends, Nicole and Grace. Grace is Ryleigh's age and boy did they have fun together. We headed over to pick them up and they wanted to buy Ryleigh a birthday lunch, so we headed over to McDonalds! This is probably the second time in Ryleigh's life where she has eaten there and probably the first time where she actually ate the food. We don't go to McDonalds so it was a fun treat for her, and of course, anytime another kid is around eating food, Ryleigh thinks she'll do the same thing. So, she had chicken mcnuggets and fries and she scarfed it. The Zoo was fun. Nicole is pregnant and has 6 weeks to go, so I kept making sure she was doing ok, we decided maybe to go back in about three weeks and instead of "walking the zoo", we thought it would maybe move things along to "run the zoo"!! The girls had a good time and enjoyed all the animals. On the way home, they kept changing their minds about which animal was their favorite. Ryleigh enjoyed these weird, dirty animals called Takin. I thought they were ugly and dirty, but she was somewhat intrigued by them. My favorites were the giraffes and tiger! I got some pictures that I will post when the other computer is fixed! On Saturday, we had Ryleighs little party. The weather was cool, as it is supposed to be the hottest weekend of the summer (but not this year)! It was about 75 degrees, but that didn't stop the kids from swimming and slip-n-sliding. Ryleigh's little friend, Abby, had to be dragged out as her lips were turning purple and little Grace, shivered for about 10 minutes after she got out. Ryleigh got a lot of neat gifts and had fun blowing out her candles on her cake. She had a cake from daddy waiting on Friday when we got home from the zoo, so she had lots of practice! I got her blowing them out on video. Then on Sunday, we got a phone call from our friends who have been in New Mexico all week. They said they were booking it to get to Mankato to make it to Ryleigh's party, we giggled as they had mistaken it for Sunday instead of Saturday, but we told them to come over anyways. Their kids were all ready to go in their swimsuits and it was actually warmer on Sunday, so we had more company on Sunday. And, with the leftover food and fruit, we all had supper together. So, that was a lot of fun. Ryleigh must have been tired, too, because she fell fast asleep, had her first small accident, then went back to sleep until about 7:15 this morning. Landree was tired too, I had to go wake her up this morning as well. Monday's are ALWAYS "fun", and we were all moving a bit slow this morning. We were behind and even so, I made it to work on time......barely! Funny story, yesterday we were at church and this guy was making announcements and Ryleigh couldn't see him, she looked at Jason and I with this "ah ha" look and said shocked, with a loud deep breath and then, "Is that GOD?" Talk about trying not to laugh in church!! It was hilarious. I am thinking Landree might be working on some more teeth too, she has had some more nasty diapers, was a little cranky yesterday, and is again gnawing on everything in sight.
Oh, and yesterday, I had the worst three hours of my life (not really, just felt like it at the time). In the cleaning frenzy I went into Saturday morning before the party, I lost my wedding ring. Jason and I spent three hours looking for it yesterday. We tore apart the house, the trash can, the vacuum, the bathroom sinks, and nothing. I, of course, looked like crap because I was crying the whole time. Jason had me calmed down and we went from the last time I had it on to where it might be. Well, I always take it off when I bathe Landree because one time I scratched her real good (so I took it off Friday evening). Well, Jason told me that he didn't know where else to look and he was going to give up, which made me start crying all over again. He was telling me not to worry, that we would just get a new one. Well, the last room he got to was Ryleigh's (who promised me she didn't touch it). Jason came downstairs and told me he was done and couldn't find it and when I started crying AGAIN, he held up my wedding ring, then my tears turned from sadness to happiness. I had grabbed it off of the bathroom counter with some of her bow and hair pieces and placed it on her dresser in a dish we keep them in when I was cleaning, and that's where Jason found it. My eyes are still sore from crying. I, first, asked Jason if he took it from me as our 10 year anniversary is coming up and I thought maybe he was going to surprise me, but when he promised me he didn't have it, that's when I got sick to my stomach. For the first hour, I thought I might throw up any minute. Good thing Jason is so calm. Well, hopefully soon I will get to add pictures of Ryleigh and her birthday fun! Hope everyone has a great week, can you believe it is going to be August on Saturday, this summer has gone by way to fast....CRAZY!

Happy 3rd Birthday Ryleigh!

Well, three years ago, Jason and I were in the hospital and in awe of being first time parents for about 20 minutes to Miss Ryleigh Grace (she was born at 7:37 am)! We couldn't believe that we had just received one of the most precious and beautiful gifts either of us had ever laid eyes on. What an angel and what an exciting time! It amazes me that I can remember that morning so perfectly, but can't remember what I ate for supper 2 days ago! I also can't believe that Ryleigh is three years old. Jason and I were looking at scrapbooks and it's hard to believe she was once so tiny! Today, we (the girls and I) have plans to go to the MN zoo with Ryleigh's friend Grace and her mommy, Nicole! It should be lots of fun and the weather is supposed to be perfect! Then, tomorrow, we are hopefully having a pool and slip n slide party, that is if the weather cooperates. But, the forecast looks kind of ify! I will take photos and when we get our other computer back, I will get them all posted! I have the house cleaned (for the most part), and everything ready to go, and let me tell you I am exhausted. Every day since Sunday, my days have been full. Wake up around 6:15, shower, Ryleigh's up by 6:30-6:45, Landree's up at 7, feed them both, out the door by 7:30, to daycare, then work from 8-4:30, then back home, cook supper (with Jason's help), clean up from supper, play, bath time at 7 pm, Landree eats at 7:30, both of them to bed, start cleaning the house around 8:30 until 10 (2 of the days, went shopping from 8:30 to 10, thank goodness for 24 hour stores!), computer for a few minutes, to bed at 10:30-11! Every day this week, but my house looks good and Ryleigh is ready to party! I feel like all I have been doing for a whole month is running my booty off (what little I had before)! Thank you Jeremy, Andie, Havyn and Emeryn for the birthday plate for Ryleigh and goodies for Jason! They both loved them, and Wednesday evening when Ryleigh opened her gift, she had to eat supper off of it! It's a hit! She even wanted to take a picture with it, so I will post that too, when our computer is fixed! Nana Peggy, we are waiting to open yours until this evening! Again, happy 3rd birthday Ryleigh, you are our angel and we can't imagine our lives without you. We love you with all our hearts! Thank you God, for our Ryleigh Grace. BABY PHOTO: Ryleigh's birthday: 7/24/06!! What a chunker!

7 Months Old!

Miss Landree turned 7 months old today! And on this 7 month birthday, what should appear, but her right upper middle tooth, for a total of 4 teeth! I think what helped these two recent ones come through was the spoon she gnawed on at the wedding dinner we went to on Saturday?? She ate and then while we ate, she just chewed away on that spoon and then the next morning she had a tooth and then another today! Other than her teeth, she is doing good. I forgot to mention the ice cream truck that stopped in our neighborhood on Sunday evening. Ryleigh got a drumstick and Jason and I shared this blueberry icee thing, but not only did we share it with each other, Landree ate about half of it. I have some great pictures, because it totally turned her lips, mouth and tongue blue! She loved it!

I have been cleaning the house slowly but surely every night after the girls go to bed since Sunday. I need to clean it before I have Ryleigh's birthday party on Saturday, but I am doing it for a couple of hours after the girls go to bed, so I get to hang out with them for awile. Although I am usually beat by the time they get into bed, I have been getting a lot cleaned since I started Sunday. Of course, Ryleigh has not been an easy one to go to bed. Tonight Jason went to close her door before going to bed and we found her lying in front of her door in the hallway. I tried asking her this evening what she was afraid of, so I could remove it from her room but she just couldn't pinpoint it for me?!?! It was pretty cute, she must have got tired of asking for mommy and daddy with us not coming up there and just fell asleep by her door. So, back to cleaning, of course I wanted to vacuum before the girls went to bed, so Jason was playing with the girls on the floor. Right before I started he had Landree in "crawling position" and guess what......she took a step forward with her hand and scooted with her legs towards a toy! AGHHHHH...she is going to be crawling in no time. Time to start making sure everything is picked up again. She also tried several times pulling herself up on Sunday at my parents house with this toy table station that they have. She did pretty good until she got almost standing and then started leaning and falling, but she was working it! Now, that we have been putting her in the "crawling position", Landree has been trying to get to that position herself when sitting. It's so fun to see them get stronger and stronger. Speaking of strong......Ryleigh picked Landree up the other day. It was kind of scary because, well, not only is Landree about 10 lbs lighter than Ryleigh, but it looked like it might hurt if she dropped her. We had to run to Landree's rescue, but they were both giggling about it!!

Well, finally our computer is going to start getting fixed tomorrow. I am not sure how long it will be out of service as it will be with the guy who is fixing it. So, for now, no new pictures. I do still have some that I will share from the past couple of months on a disc, but other than that, you will have to wait to see Landree and her blue mouth and lips!!

Another tooth!

Landree got another tooth this morning! I just felt her teeth yesterday morning and nothing! First I have to start with a little story. Do you remember when I told you how Landree liked sucking her fingers while nursing? Well, that stopped after her first two teeth came in. Now, she has to play with my hair, which is actually relaxing until she yanks a fistful out! I have tried soft little blankies, but she has this thing for my hair. So, anyways, this morning I was feeding her and a lot of times when I am nursing her, she will stop eating and then just lay her head across my arm waiting for me to caress her little neck and chin bone area. If I don't rub it, she gets mad, but when I do she just lays there so relaxed and smiling. Well, today she did this and when I rubbed her little neck, I noticed what looked like blood on her upper gum. So, I at first thought her two little razor blades on the bottom had cut her, but when I felt in there, there was a new tooth that broke through. It is her left upper central incisor!! And now, the crankiness and only wanting mama in the past two days all makes sense!! LOL!! I forgot to mention Landree is also loving those gerber flavored puffs, she is finally eating them without gagging! And, hopefully I can get this new pose she has been doing.........she does this head tilt/cock type thing that is just hilarious, and she seems to do it if she is sort of shy with someone. Hopefully, I get it in pictures before she no longer does it anymore!

The girls and I had a lot of fun at the reception, dinner and dance for Jon Baker and his wife Emily. It was fun to see some people in MN from Garden City, KS. Jasons best friend growing up (Ryan E's) sister was there with her two little ones. She, of course, thought Ryleigh looked just like Jason. Also, got to see some other people we went to school with. They all missed Jason, but it was fun to see them. We sat at a table with Doug and Cindy Gray, who went to the same church as the Quints did and I guess they were youth group leaders for Jason and Jeremy?? They were bummed to have missed Jason too, but were excited to get to see his children! Ryleigh loved the dinner and dance! She again, was a dancin' maniac!! Landree slept through the dance until the Black Eyed Peas song BOOM, BOOM, BOOM came on, then the DJ set of the fire alarms for the whole hotel and Green Mill Restaurant by putting out too much smoke on the dancing floor. But after that was all settled, she decided she wasn't tired again until we got to the car to go home! It was actually pretty funny when the DJ set off the fire alarms. I thought it was also cute when Jon's mom said to my mom, "I never thought our grand kids would be dancing together!" Jason had a pretty good time at the bachelor party too, except he swears he is no longer going to ever drink! I think he's got a fat head today! That's what happens when you "grow up" and become a daddy, those days are gone! The following is a slide show of some shots and the Menominee Zoo in Oshkosh we took the girls to. For some reason on our laptop, no matter how I do it, I can't get the pictures turned how I have them saved on the computer, so sorry some of the pictures are sideways?!?!

National Ice Cream Day!

From the title, you all now know that today is National Ice Cream Day! So, today at work, I got free ice cream, chocolate in a waffle cone......YUMMY! If I didn't work where I do, I probably wouldn't know about all these fun days. I usually try to do something fun with Ryleigh about the day, however not this week. It has been a crappy week for me anyway, only because I have been really sick. I have a sinus infection and possible bronchitis. YUCK! I haven't been able to sleep all week unless sitting upright in the recliner, downstairs! Fun, nothing like sleeping on something other than your own bed! Anyways, I went home early from work on Monday with a temp of 101 and then slept all day until the girls and Jason got home, then on Tuesday, I stayed home and again slept the whole day. Then, to top off my week, I hit my toe on a chair this morning and I think I broke it. It looks like a little purple grape! NO fun! Enough about me though, let me fill you in on the girls.



Ryleigh is doing okay. I guess I am told that she missed the "terrible twos" and is most likely going through "terrible threes". She has become somewhat ornery or maybe just plain naughty. She has these crazy little attitude issues going on in addition to her sweet little self. In the past two weeks she has also developed these weird phobias. All of a sudden, she is afraid of the dark, thunder, her room, monsters, etc. We have put a nightlight in her room and are now leaving her door open at night which seems to help somewhat, but for some reason, these things are keeping her from getting to sleep, so bedtime has been trying at times. I can't believe she is turning 3 in one week. It's crazy! We are having a little shin dig for her next Saturday, a little pool/sprinkler/slip n slide party. I will take lots of pictures and post them after her party.



Landree is doing wonderful. Jason continues to work on her on all fours which she is getting stronger at. She was grunting and on all fours the other evening when I said her name. She looked up at me and when she did this her arms went forward and it looked like she was sliding into home plate! She has been eating her baby food really good. We had kind of taken a hiatus from the baby food while we were on vacation, so when I gave her some at supper the Monday when we got back she scarfed it up and hardly had a mess on her face or bib. Her favorites are bananas, carrots and squash, I think squash is her all time favorite so far. She's also tried pears, peaches, and peas. She is eating a bowl of rice cereal and a container of either a veggie or fruit at supper, with her milk in a sippie cup. I found sippie cups that start for babies at 4 months old, however we've only been trying this with Landree for a good two weeks. Last week when she finally learned how to suck out of it her eyes got real big and most of it was spit out, but this week she is doing really well and hasn't been spitting it out at all! She has been a lot of fun lately, and is getting her own personality and is she ever a "mama's girl"! I am sure once she is done nursing, she will jump in the same boat as Ryleigh and be another "daddy's girl", but it has been nice anyways! I have been trying to get her to smile while taking photos, but once I get the camera out, she is so focused on it and trying to figure it out, that I can't get her to smile after that. If I do get a smile, it is because I make Ryleigh stand next to me and talk to her. That Ryleigh can get her to smile anytime. Landree has also been getting a good routine going and is about ready to get ready for bed around 6:30 pm, so much different than Ryleigh who was never ready until about after 8:30! And she is starting to mumble and gab with us. Daycare told me when she gets tired she will mumble mmmmmmmmmmaamaa. So I have been working on that one and have been able to get her to say mmmmmama! I got some on video and will try and get it posted. Whenever she starts saying mmmmmmmmmmm, I always try and get her to say it. On our trip to WI, I got her to say it and Jason didn't believe me, so her turned down the radio and I got her to say it again. He didn't say much, but I was beaming inside (even though she is only mimicing us right now)!!

Well, the girls and I are heading to my parents tomorrow. This guy that we went to H.S. with in good ole Garden City, KS, met a girl from Fairmont MN and they got married on a beach somewhere and the reception and dance are tomorrow in Fairmont. His parents and my parents were really good friends so, since it is so close, the girls and I are going with my parents to the reception, dinner and dance. It should be fun. Jason is going to a bachelor party in Sioux Falls, SD for some friends of ours who are getting married in September. Hopefully, I am feeling better by tomorrow, I am already feeling 75% better. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

No Excuses.............

...........but seriously, we've been super busy. I have tons of great photos of the girls before and after our traveling trips! This weekend (even though I felt like crap) was pretty fun. Ryleigh rode her first pony and horse, went to a petting zoo, swam and rode her very first carnival ride. Pictures will be posted soon. I have other fun items to talk about as well. We will see what tomorrow brings! oh, and Ana, I am hoping to give you a buzz this week, sorry it is taking me forever to call you...hope you and Ryan and miss Lila are doing well and hopefully we get to see you soon! Everyone have a great week! Actually I will share a few pictures. The one of Landree in her green dress is on her 6 month birthday (I needed to post this one because all to soon, she will be 7 months old), the sepia is 6.5 months, polka-dot dress is her first time on all fours. (It didn't last very long). I think she is so much more relaxed than Ryleigh was at this age. Ryleigh wanted to get going with all movement, Landree could care less whether she crawls, just as long as she can sit up and see what the heck is going on! Jason started working on that last week while hanging out at the hotel.....she needs to work on her upper body strength! Then, soon, I will get the other photos up, these are just all that I had downloaded as of right now!

Ryan & Kelli's Wedding!

Ryan and Kelli did it...........they tied the knot on July 4th, 2009!! It was a very fun wedding, in fact one of the funnest weddings I have ever been to! Jason, I, Brittany and the girls headed out to Oshkosh, WI on Tuesday (6/30) after work. Brittany came along with us, as she was my shadow and 3rd and 4th hands. She came to help me with the girls and be my "babysitter"! Thank you Brittany for all of your help. We all stayed in a suite with my parents, in the hotel where the reception was held, which was nice. The hotel had an awesome little swimming pool for toddlers, a nice big one and a hot tub, so we did a lot of that stuff. Wednesday, Kelli's parents had a BBQ for family and the wedding party. It was really good and one of the bridesmaids mom made this wonderful southern dessert dish. I can't remember what it's called but I am hoping to get the recipe from her soon. (They are from KY)! Thursday, Jason had a bachelor party for Ryan with all the groomsmen, dads, and my uncle that was there. I think they had a good time, they grilled out and had deer meat and brats and then later went bar hopping. Ryleigh and Landree didn't sleep to well at Ponca or in Wisconsin. I think it was because of the different surroundings, all the time spent in cars, all the naps that were missed, etc. Landeree did good in WI once we figured out that she was to cold at night. And, Ryleigh, well she kept having dreams at both places. This past Wednesday was the first night that both girls slept through the night since before we left for Ponca!! (I think they are finally getting back into their routines!) Thursday us girls tried going to a cheese factory, but thinking we had gone to far, turned around and instead went to a cheese store. We found out if we would have went 5 more miles we would have made it. Oh well, the cheese we got was wonderful. I'm a big fan of cheese curds! We also went grocery shopping because my mom and dad had a hospitality room for family in our suite on Saturday between the wedding and dinner. Friday family started rolling in from Nebraska. It was pretty cool because my mom's 4 siblings and my dad's 6 siblings all made it out to the wedding, along with my grandpa Dinslage and my Grandma Zabka and many of my cousins, some of which I haven't seen in a long while (my dad's side). It was pretty neat that they all made the trip for them! I got to meet my cousin Matt's little Carter and boy is he a cute little chunk. He was born March 1st and already weighs more than Landree!!! HAHA! Friday morning, Jason and I brought the girls to the zoo in Oshkosh and then Friday evening, we had the rehearsal and the dinner. Ryleigh did so good walking down the isle at rehearsal but on Saturday, she ran to Jason as he was walking down the isle and hung on his leg all the way down. It had some folks giggling. It was just easier to let her do that, than to have her screaming in the back of church for Jason. Either way, what do you expect from a 2 year old?! Saturday morning was the first and only morning on my entire vacation that I didn't sleep later and that was because we had appointments at the beauty shop to get our hair done! Ryleigh did so good and sat so still, it was like she was in a trance. I didn't think she'd fuss to much because she likes it when I play with and brush her hair and she was going to be a princess in her tiara that Ryan and Kelli got her! It was fun as all of the girls in the wedding party and the two mom's got their hair done. The beauty shop had orange juice, champagne, and muffins/donuts for us. YUMMY! Brittany stayed at the hotel with Landree while we got our hair done, and then when we were finished before the wedding, I went and fed Landree quick. And then, Brittany came to the church to help with Ryleigh and Landree stayed with my aunt Lisa, and cousins Haley and Brea. So all the girls got dressed at the church and took pictures until the guys came.The wedding was short and sweet and after that the wedding party took off in the stretch hummer!! That was so fun! We drove around for probably two hours and then headed to the reception hall. The dinner was great and in order for the bride and groom to kiss, you either had to tell a story about them or sing a song that had the word America or USA in them. The bridesmaids and groomsmen had a little contest going on with singing. Jason told the story of the time him and Ryan drove back to Kansas to get my car when we first moved to MN and how they stopped half way at my aunt Tami and uncle Darrens house for the night. Well, my brother wasn't for sure, in the dark what house it was so, they ended up walking into the house they thought is was and didn't know they were in the right house until by brother saw a picture of himself on their fridge. Then they only saw one bed, so they slept together on the air mattress and when they woke up in the morning, my uncle was looking at them and said, "there WERE two beds!!" Jason also was the best man and gave a wonderful speech, it had several women in the audience crying (glad it was him and not me, I dislike public speaking)! Ryan and Kelli lit off some fireworks in the parking lot around 10, I missed them, but Ryleigh got to see them and she was excited. They also had sparklers for the kids, but they didn't do them, so guess who got to bring 20 boxes of sparklers home???? Yep, us! I think we will do those with Ryleigh this weekend. And guess who is a dancing maniac??????? Yep, Ryleigh! She danced circles around my dad and finally at around 11 pm, asked me twice if she could go to bed. I think I only saw her sit twice during the dance. Jason told her, she was just like her mama with dancing!!!!! LOL!! Ryan and Kelli had seven attendants in the wedding, the bridesmaids wore red dresses, the maid of honor wore blue, Kelli's dress was red and white (so were the flower girls), Ryan wore his Navy Uniform. It was all very neat for the 4th of July! Sunday we stayed and watched them open gifts and then started our drive home around 12:30 and got back to Mankato at 5 pm. Boy, that was a fast two weeks!! Jason and I made a lot of new friends with Ryan and Kelli's friends. Everyone in the wedding party was so neat and everyone had fun, we all felt so welcomed by each other and it was only the first and second time of meeting some of them. It was a BLAST! Attached is a slide show of photos!

PONCA

As most of you know, we go camping every year in Ponca Nebraska with my mom's family. We stay in cabins for four days, three nights from Thursday to Sunday and it's usually the last weekend in June! This is a Christmas present from my grandma and grandpa to their children and grandchildren. This year there was a wide span of ages at Ponca from my Grandpa at the oldest (late 80's) to my cousin's baby who was just born on June 12th! Everyone made it this year except for my brother and Kelli and that is because they had some important stuff they had to get done in Wisconsin in order to be able to legally get married! It was a very fun time, as always and I hope we continue the tradition for years to come. My cousin's daughter, Payton and Ryleigh are around the same age and get along great (exactly a year apart), so she came a day early than her mom and dad with her grandma, so they could play. So, my aunt Carole brought Payton on Thursday and while Landree took a nap, we took Payton and Ryleigh to the swimming pool. They were little fishes and swam for two hours. Jason and my dad golfed every day with the other guys. Friday, the weather was okay and rained a little off and on, so no swimming, but of course we still made fun out of other things. By Saturday, the weather warmed up quite a bit and Jason and I took Ryleigh and Landree swimming, and were later joined by Dawn, Joel, Payton, Brooklyn and Brittany. We have another fish on our hands. Landree loved being in the water and I got some good shots of her splashing around, sitting in her floatie and just hanging out in the water. Jason took Ryleigh into the big pool for a while and she had fun in there. I didn't do much the whole weekend except do some serious relaxing, and eating of course. There is always tons of food, we are a dip and salad family and I hear there is going to be a new cookbook at christmas time for all the new recipes, so I can't wait! The kids found some dirt piles and so I got some pictures of Ryleigh and all of them playing in the dirt. We had a VERY dirty girl on our hands, but she was happy and busy, so it worked out. Of course, Jason is a magnet for kids, so we have a bunch with him "wrestling" with all of them too. Even though it's Thursday through Sunday, the time always seems to go way to fast and every year it seems to go faster and faster. It is only about a three hour trip from my parents house, so we usually take our time getting back home, however this year, we headed back early as we needed to get to our laundry before heading to WI. My parents and us take one vehicle, so we had everything packed good and on a hitch. Each year is different, but this year was nice for everything from the weather to the relaxing. Brittany did take Ryleigh down to see the horses. Last year she was afraid to sit on them but this year she was not afraid of them! One little mishap occured, Landree toppled onto her head, but she was fine after we got her calmed down. No bruising, just a little red mark. The last thing I knew was that she was asleep next to me in bed and then I heard her wailing. I thought she had fallen off the bed, but when I jumped up she wasn't there. She was with my mom, whose leg broke most of the fall. Of course, being out camping, I didn't get to watch much about MJ or FF, but that was ok (he was a sicko)! In fact being gone the last two weeks, I pretty much missed all the media about it. And, the same day he passed, there were some pretty interesting jokes going around the campfire (they were being texted into some of my family)! That's about all I have for the Ponca stories so I hope you enjoy the pictures! The wedding blog is next!

Happy Birthday Shea!!

Happy Birthday to Shea, Jason's sista!! Hope you have a fabulous day and get everything your little heart desires! I also hope we get to see you soon, I miss you! So, here's to you:

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Sheaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,
Happy Birthday to you!!!!

Craziness!

The past two weeks have been crazy, as you have probably noticed by my lack of blogging! I tried to post an entry before I left for WI, however, I was again having technical difficulties. I am so tired of computers! Then I was going to try blogging an entry while in WI, but the only computer we had was my cousin, Brittany's, which was also having issues (something was recalled and they still haven't fixed it)! I left off Tuesday the 23rd of June, so I will begin there. Wednesday (24th) I spent the evening packing up Landree and I (I had Ryleigh finished). Thursday morning we drove to my parents house, picked them up and headed to Ponca, Nebraska for our annual camping trip with my mom's entire family. I will post a separate blog about Ponca! We then got back on Sunday afternoon and I did all the laundry in the house the whole day and started packing up our clothes again. I finished packing on Monday and had everything in order and ready to go! It was amazing that I didn't forget one thing on either trip! I have to say thank goodness the tanning place I went to was open til 10pm during the week. That is the only way I was able to tan in the past month. That way, I didn't miss out on anything with the girls and I could go after they retired for the evenings. On Tuesday (6/30), Jason got off a little before me and started packing the cars. My cousin, Brittany, went with us as she was my shadow and my 3rd and 4th hands on the trip. THANK YOU BRITTANY, you were such an awesome help, I don't know what I would have done without your assistance (as well as my Aunt Lisa at the wedding and while I went with the wedding party)! So, when I got home from work on Tuesday, the car was ready, Jason was picking up the girls at daycare and Brittany was making sandwiches for our "supper" in the car! We dressed the girls in their "jammies" and hit the road at 5 pm, everything in tow for our 6 hour road trip to WI for my brother's wedding! The girls were fabulous on the way there! We arrived in Oshkosh at around 11pm and awaiting us in our hotel suite, was my parents, my brother and Kelli. My parents got there about an hour before us. My mom was a rock star and got the hotel rooms for a steal, and it helped that we all (my parents, Jason, the girls and I and Brittany) all stayed in a suite and split it!! Worked out to be a swell deal! We just got home this afternoon around 5 pm and I just made sure Brittany made it home back to Wayne, NE safely and she did, so all is good in the hood! Ryleigh did really good on the way back home, and Landree did for the most part, I think they were both tired of traveling and Landree was a little fussy because she was tired and she has been teething some more! The last 15 minutes had them both wailing, Jason trying to calm them, me trying to keep my eyes open as they wanted to go to sleep and Brittany also trying to keep my awake by answering my torturing questions about her boyfriend. Sorry Brittany but it worked. She also "made" me (haha) eat snacks while driving to keep me focused on something other than how sleepy I was. The wedding (which was the 4th of July) was a BLAST, I will post an entry on it as well. I have tons of pictures from the past three weeks to share. All in all, the last two weeks were so much fun. I am just glad we don't have anything planned until Ryleigh turns 3, speaking of, I have to get working on that..........agghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Where does the time go????? Jason and I both head back to work tomorrow........no rest for the weary! Speaking of rest.................I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!! Nothing like your own bed, sheets, room, house.....even though the cabins and hotel were nice. I am sure the girls are thinking the same thing right now, they were both in bed early tonight!