Pictures from the weekend

Besides doing the triathlon this past weekend, I got to spend some fun time cheering on my older sister, Anna, at her softball tournament.  Here are some photos from us being out.  

Keller and my mom; Anna hitting the ball (yes, yes I know...I should be a professional action photographer!); Keller eating his hand; and Auntie Anna & Keller.

As an update to the ball weekend; Anna and her team lost their first game, putting them into the grueling losers bracket...They played back-to-back-to-back games both Saturday and Sunday to make it all the way to the Championship....where they lost to the same team that put them in that bracket in the first place! Ugh..but as Anna said, 'we only lost to one team all weekend'.  Which is Awesome!! Congrats on 2nd!!

RELAY FOR LIFE! July 30-31 Chippewa Falls, WI

Annie has been on my mind a lot lately.  As she has been with so many of us I'm guessing.  It's been just over 2 months since she died and I think it's really starting to set in that she is gone and most of us won't see her again for a very long long time.

My husband and his clinic have been awesome and allowed me to use them to sponsor at team for the Chippewa Falls, WI 2010 Relay for Life walk.  I am excited, nervous, and excited!! to be able to raise money and actually DO something for the fight.  

The best way to explain what the walk is, is to take it straight from the website, so here it is:

Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.

Our event will not be 24 hours! haha.  We are doing a 15 hour walk, 6PM Friday night until 9AM Saturday morning.  We have set our fundraising goal at $1,000.00 and need help reaching it.  We also need team members! Currently we have two.  Him and me.  Yikes, I hope we get some people to sign up!!

Anyways, if you, my dear readers, feel an inclination to help out, here is the website to go to.  http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=23126&pg=entry  From here you can sign up and join our team (team name: Stucky Chiropractic of Lake Hallie) or donate. As you hear so often with fundraisers, every dollar helps and even a $1.00 donation would make a difference to us and everyone involved in this fight.  

I'm really excited for our group too because I have plans to offer 5 minute massages for $1.00 and also my mom is coming out to sell her infamous Randall's Best Black Bean Salsa! YUMMMIE!  The theme for this relay is "Birthday"; along the lines of "hoping to celebrate more birthdays".  I'm thinking of a rockstar theme in honor of my rockstar friend Annie.  Because lets be honest, she was one through and through.  And she liked the beverage ;) haha.  My idea might change as the day gets closer or if other people offer up ideas.  

Anyways, I thought I'd add some photos of Annie in case some people reading this don't even know who she was.   

Keller loves pickles!

As we experiment with foods with Keller we love discovering his likes. I don't really pay any attention to the "dislikes" since it just means we'll have to try it again later.

Here are some fun photos of him with his pickle today and a video to go along with it!

I was NOT last! -- UPDATED WITH PICTURES

Today I competed in my second triathlon but basically my first.  Last year as many of you know, I did one when I was 32 weeks pregnant with Keller.  I had a great excuse not to really compete but just to take my time.  This year, I was gunning to get the opportunity to compete with people and do better.  We also signed up for a course that was much longer than the one I did last year.  Last year was 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike & 2 mile run/walk.  This year was 1/2 mile swim, 20 mile bike, and 4 mile run.  So, almost double.

I have been trying to train as much as possible for this, but apparently not enough.  Once the swim got underway my mental strength wavered and panic set it.  It was a very far swim out to those buoys and I got nervous...bad bad bad thing to happen in the water with hundreds of people swimming around past you.  So before I even got to the first marker buoy, I flagged the helper people over and had to take a break.  As I caught my breath, my awesome husband caught sight of me (I really think he was nervous for me too...since he was checking to see where I was).  He was already ahead of me, even though he started after me.  And he waited.  I finally got to him once I felt ready to go and we continued on...only for me to take ANOTHER break.  I couldn't relax and get into my rhythm.  So by this point, everyone has now passed us :/.  So much for not being last huh?!  But wait! I got my head together and we were off, I just focused on the buoys and was so pissed at myself for needing to break at all since I knew I could swim this far without a problem.  We continued on (doing only the breast stroke though since I was a little nervous I'd get winded again and freak) and finished the swim without any other assistance from the helpers.  AND as we got close, we passed one person...so NOT last on the swim! Yea...a positive!

So the bike gets underway and Broghan again just stayed with me.  He didn't have to since he is a much much faster biker, but he pushed me for the first 10 miles.  Then as we passed a turn and had to go into more of a tandem  and he noticed my bike seat was low.  So we stopped, he adjusted my seat and we agreed at that point that he should go on ahead and kick some butt!  Him and I together had passed one person and were close to passing another.  From what he said, after leaving me, he passed another 8!! Way to go husband!

As for me...well, I WAS about to pass a guy...I could see him...and then, as I was peddling my little heart out on a decline..my tire swerved and I went a-flyin'. Picture will be soon to follow, but I have a nice road rash on my left elbow & knee (the knee isn't bad at all), and my right palm.  And my right middle-finger is pretty swollen...I think I just jammed it though.  But wow was I pissed AGAIN at myself.  Who falls off their bike going straight! Plus my chain my bike fell off...so there I was on the side of the road, no one around, bleeding and trying to figure out a chain.  I hadn't put a chain on a bike in probably 10+ years!  But I got it on, and I finished the bike part of the race.

Onto the run!  Now this I was ready for.  I love running...or well, enjoy it more than the other two.  I knew I could succeed at this leg and I think I did really well considering I was banged up.  I passed three people on my run! So I think that's a total of five :).  Making me definitely NOT last!

I also finished under 3 hours for sure.  As I crossed the finish line the time was 2:59:25 or something close...but my time will be less than that since I didn't start until almost 20 minutes into that time.  I can't get the official times yet online, but when they get posted I'll be sure to update this post!  And as I said, pictures to follow!

UPDATE: Overall time: 2:38:42
Breakdown:  Swim -- 27:27; 1st Transition -- 3:08; Bike -- 1:24:15; 2nd Transition -- 1:36; Run --41:37


Pictures include: Broghan, his cousin Scott, Scott's wife Julie; All of us x2; action shot of Broghan & I coming out of the water (notice we're by ourselves!); Auntie Anna & Keller watching all the action; Broghan in motion!

Chippewa Valley Doula Services -- Updates

So it's been a while since I've done an update on my progress in becoming a Birth Doula.  So here is what I've accomplished.

I've managed to read, and read, and read A LOT of books.  I've finished close to 10 books about birth, pregnancy, the history of birth, breastfeeding, labor, support and the like.  All thanks to the local library! I'm currently working on a La Leche League, Bradley technique, and Lamaze technique books.  I figured it'd be good to know the "basic" stuff that everyone seems to talk about, so I checked out the originals.

I've also now become a member of the DONA International, Inc. group.  They are the group I will be getting my certification from and being a member is obviously part of that.  I also now have my "packet" that needs to get completed.  Getting that was helpful simply because it is an organized, one-stop place, to know where I stand in terms of completing my requirements.

During May I was able to finally attend all of the Mom's groups in Eau Claire that are held monthly.

Mother's Tea is hosted by a local female chiropractor from Broghan's group, Stucky Chiropractic, offering a break during the month for moms to get together to chat about holistic options. It's a nice gathering that doesn't have a specific agenda other than to meet other moms with similar attitudes.

Then there was the La Leche League meeting. So awesome to be surrounded by other moms who breastfeed!  Sometimes, not being around other moms, I feel alone in this endeavor to exclusively breastfeed until table foods, skipping spoon feeding, and not weening until Keller decides he's ready.  It's always nice to be reminded that just because social pressure is there, doesn't mean I'm crazy for not succumbing to it.

Finally, there was the Holistic Mom's Network meeting.  Talk about feeling at home.  I found a group of women who just made so much sense! (to me anyways).  Again, I had tingles at how comfortable I felt being surrounded by like-minded moms.  This meeting was especially awesome and I learned a lot of cool new things because I was introduced to essential oils.  Everyone has kind of heard of them "lavender oil", "clove oil", "peppermint oil" but I never realized how many things they can be used for.  Lately, I've been using a mix of clove and olive oils to sooth Keller's gums due to his teething.  Awesome!

Beyond learning and going to meetings, I have made substantial progress on my website.  I don't think I've posted the link on here yet but here it is:

www.cvds.weebly.com

Feel free to check it out.  It's not perfect or complete (the new client paperwork is not there and there are some "language" things I want to revise) but it's close.

Along those lines I've ordered business cards that match the website (I've got to match of course ;) ).  I'm especially excited to have these so that I can begin spreading my wings and venter into local businesses to introduce myself and hopefully find clientèle.  :)

All in all, it's very exciting to be doing this! 

I love surprise visits!

Yesterday afternoon I got a lovely surprise text message from my 'first' younger sister, Ashley.  She wanted to come visit!! What a fun mid-week surprise!  Although in theory I'm not far from my family (only 2 hrs...which go by rather quickly on the road), money and schedules keep me from seeing my sisters all that often.  We do pretty good though, about once every 2 to 3 weeks.  Recently though, we haven't been able to catch up with Ashley due to her super busy schedule at Valley Fair (they basically own her life in the summer months).  I was so excited to have her come stay!

Ashley got here late last night (around 10:45) and her and I stayed up until sometime around mid-night chatting away.  It was a nice, lazy morning, getting to snooze and relax until around 10.  Then up and ready to head out the door, we headed to Broghan's office to give him lunch and I got my weekly adjustment (felt SOO nice).  Broghan was a sweetie and offered an adjustment to Ash.  Ashley was a little concerned about his table (it's one that goes up and down...kind of like a ride, so she should have liked it...working at VF and all) but she said she felt much more loose afterwards so yea! :)

Next it was off to pick up Chris (the 12 yr old I nanny) and then to lunch.  We ended the early part of the afternoon over at the Nohelty house watching Top Chef and Ashley got to snuggle Keller during his short-lived 45 minute nap.  I think she loved it!

We decided Chris didn't need us there (his dad was actually home the whole time haha) so we came back to our house and Keller got to spend more time playing and getting attention from his auntie...while I got to finish weeding my garden and take Marvin for a walk.  It was nice having her here to give Keller that kind of attention.  Sometimes I feel bad since Broghan and I get distracted with everyday house duties and work and dinner and everything else in life that while yes, we pay attention to Keller and make sure he is occupied and entertained, I'm sure it is nothing in comparison to the attention he gets from his aunts, uncles and grandparents when they get to see him.

All of that attention paid off too at bedtime tonight.  Ashley hung around to watch bath-time and bed-time routine and as we laid Keller in his crib, gave him his kiss and hug, closed the door and one squawk later...let me repeat that ONE SQUAWK, no hysterical cries, no whimpers, just the squawk...and he was out! and he is still out two hours later :).

So THANK YOU ASHLEY!  Surprise mid-week visits are the best!!

So this is what it feels like..

to SLEEP!

I really think I have forgotten what it feels like to NOT be sleep deprived. But today, I got a little taste, and let me tell you, it is wonderful!

To explain:  Friday was a loong loong day.  I was exhausted. Probably due to the weather (see previous post about how I feel about this weather)...and a full week with the kids I nanny.  They are great kids, it just gets exhausting.  Add to that Keller and his crankiness, dirty diapers every 2 hours, and nursing every 3 and you might begin to understand where I was around the 5 o'clock hour.  Broghan got home and took Keller and I immediately went to our room and hid crawled under the covers and slept.  That was helpful.  Broghan was amazing and gave Keller his bath, got him to sleep, cleaned the kitchen and living room AND made dinner (thank you!).

Once I finally emerged from my cocoon, Broghan and I got to talking about Keller's sleep patterns and how things needed to change.  He finally got me to see how me waking up with Keller every 3 hrs at night was very counterproductive for both of us and that Keller probably didn't really need to eat, he just wanted what he knew he could get...attention from me.  So our first move was to have Broghan get up with him instead of me since we aren't really the "cry-it-out" types.

This is how that went: BAD. Keller cried relentlessly for almost 45 minutes while Broghan was holding, rocking, walking, and snuggling him.  Finally, Broghan got tired and just laid him in his crib.  Within 10 minutes, Keller was asleep. My thought: he must have tired himself out, but I'll take it.  He woke up again at 2, this time I nursed him.  Then back to sleep until 6ish.  Broghan was again, A M A Z I N G, and took Keller for a few hours so I could sleep some more.

Saturday we adjusted and tried again.  This time, we weren't going to go at all and see what happens.  Around 8, we did bed-time routine, laid him in his crib.  Within 10 min. he was out.  Around mid-night the predictable crying began, but I held strong.  Broghan didn't even budge (must've been that male-selective hearing thing).  It was just around 30 minutes (I think....I can't see the clocks at night without my glasses so I was just basing it on how long it felt like) and he was back to sleep.  Huh.  Neat-o.  I, of course, sneaked in to make sure he hadn't been injured or something crazy and, of course, he was fine.  So I went back to sleep.  2AM, he woke- I fed- he went right back to sleep. Awesome.  He didn't wake up again until 8:30! Wowzers..

So now last night, Sunday.  And this is by far the most amazing thing to date (ok, probably not, but I'm still on this sleeping high).  We laid him down around 8:30PM, he fussed for a few minutes, then fell asleep. I heard him around mid-night for, oh, 10 minutes, then nothing.  I went to check on him and (haha) he was curled in the corner of the crib, so I moved him back to the middle and went back to bed.  2AM....nothing.  Huh. Weird. Back to sleep I guess.  Then, not until 6AM did my little man make a peep! Holy cow!

This boy made it from 8:30 until 6 without nursing.  I honestly didn't even think it was possible. But he nursed, and FELL BACK ASLEEP! What?! He didn't get up for the day until 8:30.

So yes, last night to this morning was unbelievable and I'm so dearly hoping for a repeat tonight.  I feel giddy just thinking about sleeping for more than 3 hours straight and not having to get out of bed for a whole night.  I haven't done that is almost a year!   I miss sleep and am happy to have it back in my life.  Please, please don't go away! :)

BTW: I guess we are "cry-it-out" types...never thought I'd join that crowd, but I gotta say, it's working...and it doesn't even feel mean.  But as I was saying to people earlier today, a month ago, I don't think we could have done this...so the timing is right, Keller is ready and very willing to put himself to sleep. Such a big boy!!

Lazy weekend

I know I should be reveling in the fact that we have nothing on the agenda for this weekend, but I can't help but say that I am in B O R E D.  I don't want to spend my day doing laundry or cleaning or housework of any kind.  I don't want to mow the yard or weed the garden.  It's been cloudy and on the verge of rain all weekend and I really think it puts me in a funk.  Not to say we haven't done anything this weekend. Yesterday we....darn, can't remember, but I know we went to the Renaissance Festival up in Chippewa Falls.  It was...OK.  The setting was neat, but it was slow, probably due to the weather.  And I don't know how else to say it but the people there were Weird, yes, with a capital W. We talked to some and learned that a lot of the people are obviously actors, but what about the ones visiting...just walking around...dressed in the garb? And really, it's not all Renaissance...I saw pirates, genies, gypsies, and wizarding people.  I'm not sure if all of that happened at the same time..but maybe.

Anyways, today we all got up and moving around 8:30AM.  My goal was to get to church...by 10:45.  That didn't happen.  Broghan got an invitation to play raquetball and Keller was down napping so church got scratched and plans got switched, which was OK since I got to go walk around the Open Air Art Festival that is in a near-by park.  It's similar to Art on the Lake in Excelsior, MN. I was slightly disappointed since it seemed about half the size as last years...or at least half exciting. Probably the weather again!

So here we are now, 4:15PM and just hanging around the house.  Broghan grilled up delicious buffalo burgers and I made some veggie casserole sides AND I'm sipping a small glass of some yummy chardonnay while Broghan and Keller nap on the couch.  I suppose I need to just enjoy and relax...I'm just wishing it was sunny...like they forcasted!!


P.S. When did waking up at 8:30AM start to feel like sleeping in?  Seriously..I got up and in the shower at 8:30 and felt like I was already behind on the day :/

and the men will SLEEP!

Keller was refusing to fall asleep in his own room so as we enjoyed lunch we laid him on the kitchen floor...after lunch, Broghan and Marvin decided to join in on the floor-sleeping fun! I don't really mind, since it give me time to blog...but I'm looking forward to them waking up since that means we get to head to the Renaissance Fair that is in town!! :) 

Bring on the greens

Broghan and I try and try and try to eat well.  More than just basic health, it's a lot to do with trying to heal our bodies of some things that are not top-notch.  For me, it's my sinuses, allergies, and asthma.  They are chronically a problem and I struggle daily with breathing through my nose.  

A little background: My asthma is currently "controlled" with Advair, however, I recently had a bout with a true-to-form walking pneumonia.  I only came to realize I even had a lung infection because it got to the point where my diaphragm was irritated enough that my left shoulder began hurting (what I now know is called 'referred pain'...which I HATE).  Broghan was nervous about my "left side only" pain and we ended up in the ER (really...how many times can I go to the ER in my life?!).  After blood, urine, a physical exam, a chest X-ray and an EKG they learned it was not my heart but my lung.  Stupid lung.  The only reason my pneumonia was able to go undetected for so long to the point where I ended up in an ER was because of my Advair.  Advair prevents symptoms of lung irritation (that's what asthma is...over-reaction of the lungs to stuff)...even if that irritation is due to an infection.  Ugh, it is so counter productive. I can breathe...but only if I risk infections.  Either way...I'm in an ER!  And this is the BEST they've come up with in the medical world...:/.  

Back to the point: We have been researching alternative means of controlling my airways that do not include the potential side effects of Advair (such as an increased possibility of asthma related dealth....like a more severe attack or pneumonia).  Part of what we have found is some supplementation and the other part (ok, this is the BIG part actually) is diet.  Cut, cut, cut.  That's what I need to do.  I need to cut out gluten, dairy, excess fats, processed stuff, artificial ingredients and the like.  Pretty much everything that most of us eat daily.  Now, anyone who knows us, knows we've been working on this type of diet for a few years...everything in life is a work in progress I guess.

So, today for lunch we went a little alternative and made some 'fish tacos' and Kale 'chips'.  Here's what I'm talking about:

The fish tacos are wrapped in a big leaf lettuce.  They have tomato, cucumber, sprouts, pickles & onions; the fish; mayonnaise (real stuff...not miracle whip), and a mango-wasabi sauce (only on Broghan's...I don't eat that stuff). They were quite tasty!

 The Kale chips are pieces of kale, tossed in Olive oil, lemon and sea salt.  Baked at 350 for 10 min....still not sure if I actually like them though...

SO as we continue down this path...as I wrote in the title...BRING ON THE GREENS! 

Life is all about the "P"'s

About a week ago now Keller started acting "sick".  He was tired and wanted to be held and it was pretty obvious he was coming down with a fever.  I've recently stopped taking his temperature simply for the fact that it doesn't ever do me any good other than creating worry.  We don't give medications for fevers unless a behavioral cue signals the fever is getting out of control so just that he was tired and clingy wasn't a super big deal.  It just meant more nursing, more snuggles, and more lovin'.  All of which I'm happy to offer up.

Well, moving into Sunday night last week is when I think he really peaked with his fever.  He had Poop filled diapers every time we changed him, and pretty much as soon as he got a clean one on, he'd do it again!  I am fairly certain in those 12 hours over the nighttime we went through about 8 diapers. That night he also Puked twice.  Poor little guy :/.  (and poor me I suppose since they were both down the front of me too!) His stomach and body were certainly battling something.  The best we can come up with is that he has cut three teeth in less than two weeks and that is why he's been having the fevers.  I can be pretty certain he doesn't have a viral infection since I'm not feeling sick and we are so connected, the one and only other time he's been sick, I was sick too.

Moving onto Monday, I was at the Nohelty house (where I nanny) and as I was nursing him...lo and behold, he managed to Pee up and out of the top of his diaper onto my lap! And even though I just blogged about how he can pull his diapers off, I assure you, it was nice and snug.  As I stood up, my crotch was soaked! Ugh, now it looked like I pee'd myself! Of course, Chris (the 12 yr old) got to make jokes about it for the rest of the day.

The rest of this week has progressively gotten better.  Each day the poop gets a little more like normal, the puking has now subsided, and I have only gotten pee'd on one more time (this morning actually :/).

So, point being, life is all about the P's! (at least for the time being)

This is common...right??

I'm thinking this is more common than just in our household...or at least I'm hoping so. Keller is in clothe diapers, which, yes, is probably a big part of the problem since the Velcro tabs are pretty easy to grab at. But my child LOVES to pull his little tab and let his diaper fall off. After letting Keller play on the floor in the living room for a few minutes with Broghan, I came in to find him in this...um... compromising situation. His facial expression shows just how 'distressed' he is about the whole thing!

Oh the things that entertain!

Keller can move! It's awesome and scary at the same time. I know a lot of you who read this are in the same boat. While he doesn't crawl like you might think a crawl should happen, he does manage to move his little body around and get to places he wants to go. He's also extremely eager to get to walking...standing at every opportunity possible. But back to this story. We had let Keller play on the kitchen floor and this is what he was able to find to entertain himself.

Yes, those are my left over grocery bags :)

Who knew paper tasted so good...he'll put this in mouth..but not the food we give him! haha..oh the conundrums in life!

If I can get it to post, I have a video with him and those shiny pizza foils... :)

Rolls and Rolls and Rolls...

Just a picture that don't really need any explanation...Keller has rolls..and LOTS OF THEM! :) Enjoy!

Memorial Weekend Part IV

Yes...part IV...meaning Monday. Sunday night, after getting off the lakes, back to the in-laws...showered, packed, fed, and diaper changed...we were ready to head back home to Eau Claire. If felt nice to sleep in our bed, and although Broghan wasn't home yet, I wasn't alone..haha NO! not that, Keller slept with me :)...but we didn't sleep long...well, I didn't sleep long. We didn't get home until sometime around 1AM, I fell asleep around 2AM and we were both up and once again in the car by 8AM. On our way to my parents to hang out for the day. While home, I was pleasantly surprised by getting to see my long-time friend Tessa! It was also a day full of lounging and napping too so don't be surprised to see those pictures too :).

Memorial Weekend Part III

Just so we don't skip anything, we had a fabulous time going to see Sex and the City 2 on Saturday night. Me, Janet, Jill and Kim. First time I left Keller with a babysitter for four hours :) It went great! and we had a great time! It certainly boosted my confidence and comfort level with leaving him with someone who isn't related. AND I got to enjoy a portion of a way-too-large frozen mango margarita!

Moving onto Sunday...and MORE pictures. Jill, Kim and Kim's two little ones headed our way Sunday and we got to borrow a boat to cruise the chain of lakes. Sun, warmth, great people and being on the lakes was AWESOME! I finally got some color to my pale skin and Keller got to see what it felt like to swim. Here are the pictures from that adventure. BTW: The little girl is Katie (4 yrs old) and the little boy is Taylor (6 yrs old).

Memorial Weekend Part II

Alright, so here we are...PICTURES! Friday, we were able to spend some time in the sun and show off Keller's rockin' new suit! (his first suit besides his birthday one to be accurate) So enjoy...there isn't much to comment on as these are just fun to look at!

Memorial Weekend Part I

So as per tradition, Broghan and about 14 other men packed up their vehicles, trailered up their boats and headed North to Canada for a 5-day fishing trip. In the past, this was a fun weekend to go out and reconnect with old friends. Thinking back, I can't believe how different this Memorial was! Now married and with Keller I was somewhat dreading a five day spread of not getting to even call Broghan and being on my own to take care of the house, the dog AND the kid!

Broghan's mom, being left alone as well (only with the house and two dogs...no kids), and then two other "widowed" wives invited me over to Eastern Wisconsin for most of the weekend. Broghan and his brother Cullan and his friend John headed out of town late Wednesday night and I decided not to wait until Friday to go. So Thursday was spent cleaning like a crazy woman, then picked up the boys I nanny from school, then hit the road. We got in late so it was straight to bed for us.

Early (8AM) Friday, we decided to take all three dogs for a nice walk over the neighbor's house so we could stop in and say hi and see when they were heading out for the weekend. Well...as it turns out, Marvin (our dog) and Doc (their lab) decided to take a VERY LONG walk all by themselves. Within minutes of us walking into the neighbors, those two were gone...and I mean GONE. We immediately began searching, taking turns driving around to other neighbors houses..yelling..screaming...whistling. Ugh, they just were not responding. We waited for over 10 hours, called the radio stations, the humane society and the animal shelter...no luck.

Finally, we kind of gave it up to God and said, if they come back, they come back because obviously our efforts weren't doing much. We traveled to Appleton to catch the end of dinner with our other "widows" Jill and Kim and to watch Sex and the City 1. As we drove back we just kept saying, "please be home" "PLEASE BE HOME!" and guess what...when we drove up their long driveway...THEY WERE HOME!! OMG! I'd never been so relieved (ok I probably have but this was darn close). Our dogs came back and they certainly seemed glad to be back with us. They didn't even cry to be let out the next morning!

So while the first day of the vacation didn't start so hot, things were looking up! :)

Just don't feel like it

Sorry folks, I know its been a few weeks and I really do have stuff to blog about...I just haven't had the "bloggin' bug". One day..haha, I do have new pics of the Kel-man to post so that will have to get done soon. Thanks for being patient!