Grocki Family News

Great Weekend!

2010-09-19T22:09:00.005-04:00

We had a great weekend....busy, but great! Friday night was the school family hayride that I was in charge of this year. We had 220 people come this year! what a great turnout and about 50 more people than last year! It was a great time of fun and fellowship. next Abby and I were off to drop off my boxes for the mom2mom sale that I had a table at on Saturday.
So I was up early saturday morning to set up my table at the mom2mom sale. I wasnt sure what to expect as I've never sold at one before, but it turned out great! I went there with 4 totes and 7 boxes full of clothes and then some toys on the side and I left with 2 totes of clothes and one of odds and ends!
The rest of Saturday afternoon was time to be lazy!
Today, we went to sunday school and church. Then went home for Audrey's nap and then we were off to the apple orchard. Because of the really rainy spring that we had, their crop was pretty sparse. So we were only able to pick a few good apples. but that was fine with the girls. Then we went on a hayride and the girls played on the swingset they have. Luckily, the orchard had several bins of fresh picked apples that we could pick thru to fill our bag the rest of the way. Now its time to do some apple pie baking and them freeze them to use throughout the year!
here are some pictures from the day!

Hometown fest

2010-08-28T16:48:00.002-04:00

had a great time at the Holt hometown fest today. Its nice that its only about 3/4 of a mile down from our house so we walked to the parade this morning and then went back later with Mike, Brooke, Seth, Paul and Lauren so we could go to the kids area that was all free. they had a great time going on the different bounce houses, playing games and getting balloon animals. then we went over to Mason to get some ice cream at Turtle Toms and listen to the music festival they had going on. Looking forward to tonight because I'm pretty sure we will be able to see the fireworks from our deck....fingers crossed!

Happy Birthday Abby

2010-08-20T13:46:00.003-04:00

I want to wish a big Happy Birthday to our Abby! I cant believe that she is 5 today! She has been such a blessing and Jon and I are so thankful that God has given us such a wonderful "big" girl.

Party Time!!

2010-08-14T22:39:00.007-04:00

First I wanted to thank everyone for coming to Abby's birthday party today. It was a fun time and we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! The kids had a great time checking out all the animals that they brought into Abby's party room. then we had fun walking around the zoo. Here are some pictures from the day...

Abby the Fish!

2010-08-10T21:08:00.001-04:00

I'm so proud of Abby. She jumped off the diving board for the first time in swim class today. she was so excited and I think maybe a little dissapointed that she only got to do it once. I cant believe how far she has come since last year when she wouldnt even get in a pool that she couldnt touch. My baby is growing up!! (sniff, sniff)

Pictures

2010-08-09T15:56:00.016-04:00

Here are some pictures from the last few months...

Abby's Dance Recital

Audrey's 1st ice cream cone

Detroit Zoo

John Ball Zoo

Great Grandpa Ruggles Birthday

Great Grandma Volkening's Birthday

Michigan Adventure

Random Pictures

Too Long

2010-08-09T15:18:00.001-04:00

Jon asked the other day if I ever use the blog anymore. Since I have discovered facebook, I have neglected my blog. So I'm going to try my best to start posting more info and, of course, pictures on a regular basis. I'm working to organize the last few months of pictures on our computer and then I will start getting some up on here.
Hopefully this will, once again, become a place for everyone to stay caught up on whats going on with us!
lots of love!!

Easter and more

2010-04-06T19:38:00.008-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. Saturday, Abby went on an Easter egg hunt at church. then we went over to the Bates house for a full thanksgiving turkey dinner. It was delicious!!! Sunday morning we went to church and then headed to Ashley and Wills for Easter dinner. Dinner was great and the kids had a wonderful time playing and hunting for more Easter eggs! here are some pictures...

Today was an interesting weather day. We got in the car to go to the play place at the mall and it was sprinkling out. By the time I got a 1/2 mile down the road, we were being pelted by rain and pea size hail. It was so loud in the car, that Morgan and Abby had their hands over their ears. Needless to say we turned around and went back home to wait out the storm. Anyway, here are some pictures of the hail at our house as well as other fun pictures below...

Audrey having fun in the dish towel drawer...

other fun pics...

Disney Pics continued

2010-04-01T10:27:00.010-04:00

Here are some more of the pictures from our Disney Trip

Family Time

2010-04-01T10:04:00.006-04:00

We had a great weekend, spending a lot of time with Family. Friday, Mimi and Papa came over and surprised Abby. We all took her to school and then at 3:15, we surprised her again at school as Mimi was the mystery reader for the day. Abby was so excited! Then that evening we had the school carnival. Abby had a great time and got all kinds of "special" prizes. (the kind of stuff you secretly throw away after they go to bed) I worked at the prize table for the second half of the carnival and it was crazy! But lots of fun.
Saturday, we met Nana and Big Bear at Julie and Robs house so that they could take Alasen and Abby for a sleep over. Which left just Audrey for Jon and I to look after. What a difference when you only have one child to take care of! We went to lunch with Ashley and Will and then went to the mall so that Jon could get some new dress clothes and a new book. Then Sunday, I was up bright and early to ring handbells at the early service for Palm Sunday. Helped teach Sunday school, and then we were on our way to Jake's 8th Birthday party. I have included some pictures below!
This week has flown buy and there is still so much to look forward to as we celebrate the gift God gave us in his son, Jesus. Sometimes its hard for me to wrap my head around what a significant gift that really is. Its amazing to know that God cared about us all so much that he would allow his only son to die on the cross.

If I don't post anything before Sunday...may you all have a wonderful Easter!

Where has the time gone!

2010-03-23T12:59:00.008-04:00

I know, I haven't been very good at updating this blog. I'm going to try to do better from here on out. in the last month, we have celebrated Audrey's first birthday and gone to Disney. Since not much else is going on around here, I'm just going to post some pictures of our recent adventures!

Thats all for now...I'll post the rest later today or tomorrow!

Fun in the Snow

2010-01-09T19:59:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we went sledding at a local park. We went on the small hill as Abby wasn't ready for the big one. She didn't want to go down at first but after a while, she was going down all by herself. Audrey seemed to have a good time strapped into her baby sled, although in the pictures she doesn't look as happy. Since it was pretty cold and getting dark, I took Audrey into the concession building to get warmed up and we watched Jon and Abby sled down the hill from the window. It was nice to get out as a family and have some fun in the snow!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T11:23:00.006-05:00

2009 was an exciting year for us! The birth of Audrey early on in the year was such a blessing! Its hard to believe that she will be 1 in a couple of months! Being home with the girls full time has been hard work but so much fun. I'm so thankful that I'm able to spend this time with them before they are both in school. Speaking of school, Abby started pre-school in 2009. I'm so glad that she loves school. She has really started to blossom into a big girl. (attitude and all! really most of the time she is my sweet girl) Jon's business started to pick up again after the economy hit bottom and is now busy, busy! But never too busy to spend time with the girls and I. I have to say that I'm very happy with our little family and cant wait to watch the girls as they grow and learn more and more. here are some pictures of events since christmas.

Bowling

Funny Picture of Jon
New Year's Eve

Dinner with Anne and Mike and the girls in their princess dresses

Happy Birthday Ashley

2009-12-27T22:02:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to wish Ashley (Jon's sister) a very happy birthday. Hope you get bored at work and check the blog to see this message!

been a while

2009-12-27T21:28:00.012-05:00

well, its been a while since I have posted anything.
Audrey turned 10 months today. She is pulling herself up on tables and couches and is crawling fast! Abby is doing well to. she is enjoying her christmas break from school but keeps asking when she gets to go back! Ahh...to be young and enjoying school! Soon enough she will be asking to stay home! We had a great christmas and are looking forward to the new year! Here are some pics!

Christmas

some older pictures...

Crawling update

2009-11-11T10:12:00.002-05:00

We have figured out that Audrey likes to army crawl on the carpet but as soon as she gets to a hard surface...she gets up on all fours and moves around. She isn't very fast on the tile floor yet but before we know it she will be cruising! She also followed Abby all the way to the bathroom last night to take a bath. I was so excited that I was able to get it on video! (usually the battery is dead on the camera!) If I can figure out how to upload the video to my blog, I'll put a clip on here so you can check out our little mover!

Audrey the Army Crawler

2009-11-10T18:02:00.041-05:00

Audrey is now getting to where she wants to go at a pretty good speed. She isnt crawling on all fours but instead has chosen the more interesting army crawl. She moves her arms in the proper motion and then shakes her butt back and forth to help propel her forward. She has found the kitchen floor and is very interested by the new texture. She also has started to get into the toys that Abby brings out in the living room to play with. And so the fighting begins!! "Moooommmm...Audrey is chewing on my toy!!." or "Moooommm....Audrey is trying to knock over my tower!" Its so much fun!! :)
Abby is doing very well in school. She had her first singing experience in church when her class and the kindergarten class sang at the late service last sunday. She did great and we were very proud parents! We tried to take a picture, which I will post below, but it didnt turn out very well.
We had a great halloween. Abby's friends came over for lunch and some fun and then Abby and Jon went out that night while Audrey and I passed out candy. But somehow, all the candy mysteriously disappeared by the following Monday ;). We had candy in the house since our halloween camping trip at the beginning of Oct, so I was very excited to send the remaining candy (with the exception of a few pieces for abby) with Jon to work!
the day before halloween, the girls and I had spent the night at Mimi and Papa's house and then went to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. There was hardly anyone there and we had a great time!
This past saturday, Abby and Jon had a date night. Jon took her to see holt high schools peter pan play. Abby loved it and was very excited that they had candy during the intermission! She said her favorite part of the play was the indians.
Then on sunday, we took advantage of the nice weather and put up our christmas lights. Dont worry, they arent plugged in. That wont happen until after thanksgiving. I also got the last of my plants into the ground, trimmed my butterfly bush and covered the burning bushes so the bunnies wouldnt eat them this winter. Now the front of our house looks really bare!
Now for the pictures...
Trunk-or-Treat events at Mimi and Papa's church...

Abby the Horse in her school costume parade...

Abby with Martha from the PBS cartoon, "Martha Speaks"
Happy Girls...

Abby ready to sing in church...

Ann Arbor Hands On Museum...

Halloween...

Jon and Abby's Date Night...

Too tired to eat...

bad blogger

2009-10-16T22:42:00.015-04:00

I've been a bad blogger. I should post more so that my loyal fans can keep up with our very important lives...but I just haven't had the time! ;)
Anyway, I have been driving Abby back and forth to school 3 days a week. She loves it so much that this past Monday, she just went off to play without saying goodbye to me. I guess that is a good thing because she feels so comfortable there now. We had our first parent teacher conference on Thursday. Everything went well and Abby is progressing nicely. We were concerned at the beginning of the year because it seemed that she wasn't playing with anyone else. We would ask her who she played with and she would say no one. Now she is talking more and more about her new friends by name. She is also learning to write her letters and it was fun to see her progression of that.
Last weekend, we were so happy to see the "canoe crew" from South Lyon. the canoe crew was a group of families from our church in South Lyon that would get together to canoe and camp each summer. what wonderful memories I have from those times!One of the families invited us all to their campsite for the day to enjoy the great company and do a little trick or treating. It had been too long since we had seen everyone and I hope that we can get together again before years go by again. It was so great to see all of our old friends and their new spouses and children. here are some pictures from that day...
the next generation...
Abby whacking the pinata
Ken, Cindy and Cherie
Claire...I used to babysit her. My how times have changed!

On Sunday, we decided to go apple picking. So we packed up after Audrey's nap and headed to The Country Mill in Potterville. we went on a hay ride to get to the apples and then got to picking. Abby had a great time taste testing the apples and then throwing them on the ground. We picked a lot so if you come over in the next couple of weeks, chances are we will have some kind of apple treat to eat! Plus, I need to make my annual apple pies to freeze for the rest of the year.
Us on the hayride
Abby apple picking
sweet Abby
Audrey and an Audrey size apple!
Cute Audrey

In Audrey news...she has started to eat puffs and had her first experience with cheerios the other night. She is quite the eater. She pretty much will eat whatever we give her. that healthy appetite sure does show with her cute rolls! She hasn't started crawling yet, which is ok with me. Right now, she stays wherever I put her. (unless she lays down and rolls somewhere). She will start crawling in her own time. And until then, I have my work cut out for me in the baby proofing department. Abby never got into anything that was off limits but I don't think Audrey will be the same. She is already turning into a busy body so I'm sure she will give me a run for my money when she starts moving! here are a couple of pictures of the cutie!
Happy girl!
Audrey's first hair bow...so cute!!!

Halloween Camping and Disney on Ice

2009-10-04T22:52:00.008-04:00

We have had a busy but very fun weekend. We were in Fenton at Seven Lakes State Park Halloween Camping. It was a very nice campground...small and quiet. We went with the Perrys and Wrights. Got there Friday and set up camp right before it got dark out. The rest of the evening was spent checking out the campground (we hadn't been there before) and sitting by the campfire. The next morning, I made breakfast and then Abby and I went to Disney on Ice at the palace with Alasen, Julie and Nana. The girls had a great time. I think their favorite part were the princesses and Abby loved seeing Buddy (Its actually Woody from Toy Story but Abby re-named him). It was lots of fun and I will post a couple of pics of the girls watching the show at the bottom. On the way back to the campground, I called Jon to see how the canoe race went that him, Mike and Paul entered. Apparently at some point during the race, the boat tipped and Jon fell in the water. So I had to make a detour to Target to get him some shoes as he only had the one pair that was soaking wet. We get back to the campground and Jon is in bed with a couple of sleeping bags on him and his hat on! Don't worry, he didn't get sick. I think he was taking advantage of the quiet time with Audrey at my parents and Abby and I away from the campsite. (I would have too! taking a nap...whats that?) Anyway, we got back just in time for the costume parade and trick-or-treating. Even though the campground was small, Abby ended up with a full bucket of candy. Just what we need! After trick or treating, we feasted on fried food. Becky and Paul brought a deep fryer so we did pot stickers, egg rolls, corn dogs, chicken nuggets, cheese sticks, onion rings and deep fried snickers bars. Do you hear our arteries clogging yet! Then, we had the best cake I've ever tasted. Stephanie made a pineapple upside down cake in a dutch oven. It was delicious! We also found out that all the decorating that Paul, Becky, Steph and Mike did finally paid off and they won first place for the decoration contest. I didn't include Jon and I because we don't have any Halloween decorations for that sort of thing. They did a great job making a haunted tunnel...complete with an electric chair that vibrates and lights up when you flip the switch.
Today, we packed up and drove to my parents to pick up Audrey and drop off the camper and Van. This was Audrey's first time sleeping away from us. All in all, she did pretty good. Friday night she didn't sleep as much as usual and cried more than usual so that wasn't good. but Saturday night she did great and smiled at everyone at my parents church this morning. We were so excited to see her today! We got to the church just in time to eat lunch and then go thru the corn maze that they do every year behind the church. Abby was our guide and we made it thru the maze without cheating. We also went for a hay ride. Abby had fun throwing straw on Papa. After that, we switched all of our stuff over to our van and headed for home for much needed showers/baths and some down time. Looking forward to cleaning out the garage this week so we can get both the cars in before winter comes! (not that we didnt love having the camper to use throughout the summer. Arent my parents great!?!)
Well, that's enough babbling. Here are some pictures!

Halloween Camping
Disney on Ice

Where has the month gone?

2009-09-29T21:14:00.024-04:00

Ok...so my spell check isnt working so please pardon my spelling errors!
I havent been keeping up with the blog very much lately because we have been pretty busy. I was going back thru the pictures I have taken in the last month and realized I havent even posted the pics from labor day weekend! September has flown by!! Labor day weekend we spent at Michigan Adventure and with both sides of the family. Abby is now going to school regularly and just had her turn for show and tell yesterday. She took the birds nest that was under our deck. She had a great time showing her friends. it was also our turn to provide snack. I talked her into choosing Jello cups instead of yogurt. Apparently that wasnt good because she didnt eat hers. she said she didnt like it. Oops! I thought she would love it!
3 weekends ago we were at the CMU/MSU Game. It was awesome to be there since it was such a great game. We had a great time with our friends Steve and Jen. 2 weekends ago we went to the zoo with our friends Jason and Crystal and their daughters Addison and Alexis. We had a great time checking out the animals and the girls spent a lot of time playing on the playset while we had a picnic lunch. this past weekend was very low key as we were all tired and Jon was under the weather with a cold. So that is the short version of our month. Audrey is doing great and we are hoping she will start crawling in the next month or two. She loves sitting on the floor playing with her toys and will roll across the room to get to something. Its pretty funny to watch. She still has the 2 bottom teeth but by the way she is chewing on stuff and drooling, I cant imagine it will be very long before she gets one of her top ones in.
Here are some pictures of the last few weeks...

Michigan Adventure

Labor Day
School Hayride
Binder Park Zoo
Cute Audrey
CMU/MSU Game (pic courtesy of Jen and Steve!)

Fire Up Chips!!

2009-09-12T20:56:00.002-04:00

Can I just tell you, that was the BEST CMU game that we have ever been to! And the fact that it was at MSU made the victory that much better. We were in the nosebleed section next to some other CMU people and I think everyone was about to have a heart attack when we were ready to kick the final field goal. Then, to do a kick off like that and hit the msu player in the back to get the ball was AWESOME!!!!! My throat hurts from yelling. Our friends, Steve and Jen, took pictures so I will post them as soon as they send them to me!
Go Chips!!!!!

Shots and School

2009-09-03T21:36:00.016-04:00

We have had a very busy week thus far. On Monday, I messed up my back and watched Abby's friend Morgan for the afternoon. Tuesday I was feeling better so we went to get Abby's 4 year old shots in the morning. She was a brave girl but those things hurt so she cried a little bit. The rest of the day she was feeling a little out of it. We also went to give Mimi and Papa back their van that we borrowed to go camping last weekend. Wednesday was Abby's first day of pre-k. When we dropped her off, she looked a little nervous and I was worried that she would cry, but the teacher said that she did fine. There was a little boy crying when we got there and I think that didn't help. But she pulled thru and was very excited to tell us all about her day when we picked her up. She said her favorite part was going to the park (playground). I'm just happy she wants to go back! I did get a little misty eyed when we left. This is a new chapter in her life. She isn't my baby that stays home with me each day. Luckily, we have a new little baby at home! Speaking of Audrey, she just had her 6 month appt today and did great. She gained 3 lbs and is now 17lbs, 10 oz. She only grew 1.5", but that's OK...we think her chub is cute!! She is growing properly and is right on track for all of the developmental stuff. she got 4 shots today and an oral immunization. She cried, of course, but we were able to calm her down quickly. She's been a bit fussy this evening, but I would be too if they did that to me! So that was our crazy week up to this point. Oh, and we went camping last weekend which was lots of fun after it stopped raining! Pictures are below...
Abby's Party pics...

Camping Pics

"I dont want to touch the worm!"

The girls modeling the shirts that they painted!

Abby's first day of school...

She wouldn't let us take any pictures of her at school so that is all we have of her first day. (looks like we are already starting to embarrass her!!)

Pearly White

2009-08-26T11:22:00.002-04:00

Audrey's first tooth broke through this past Monday. She was gnawing on my finger and I felt something sharp so I checked her gums out and there it was...the top of her bottom right tooth showing through. No wonder she has been ravenously chewing on anything that gets close to her mouth for the past few weeks! I would post a picture but you cant really see the tooth yet. that's all for now!

4 short years

2009-08-20T22:38:00.014-04:00

Today we celebrated Abby's fourth birthday. Its hard to believe that 4 short years ago we were welcoming her into the world. She is such a blessing and I can't imagine a day without her. We celebrated by opening presents this morning, followed by pancakes. Then we were off to Anne's house for happymeals and cupcakes with some of Abby's friends. Then, Abby's friend, Kassidy, joined us for some fun at Chuck-E-Cheese's. I have to say, we were able to avoid the chuck-e-cheese thing until now. But it was time to give in. Plus, we weren't sure if it was going to rain so we went for an indoor activity. she had a great time eating bad pizza and playing games to win tickets for a cheap toy. That place must make a killing. Judging from how the pizza tasted, that couldn't have cost them more than $3.00 to make. half the games were broken so you know they don't spend much money on that. And the prizes are 1 cent toys from China. But Abby and Kassidy had a ball and that's what really matters. Abby was whipped by the time we got home, I had to wake her up once we were in the driveway. She then decided to watch Enchanted and then off to bed she went. I have to admit, I would have been happy just cuddling her for the rest of the night. She's so sweet and not too long from now, cuddling will not be cool anymore. Nor will I. But that's ok because she will always be my baby.

Present time...

Party at Anne's House...

Chuck-E-Cheese fun...

feeling hot, hot, hot

2009-08-09T23:05:00.010-04:00

well, I guess summer is finally here! 91 degrees today and muggy! I know some people like that kind of weather, but not me! Thank goodness for air conditioning! last weekend my parents gave us their piano. It needs to be tuned, but its nice to have. Abby loves to play on it but is nice enough to ask before clunking on the keys! this past Wednesday thru Friday, the girls and I were in Manistee visiting Mimi and Papa as well as great grandma and great grandpa. we had a great time and I helped put in a sliding glass door in the sun room. Well, I really just helped carry it about 5 feet and then helped hold it into place. My dad and grandpa did all the hard work. If you've been to my parents house up there, you know the sun room was already a bright room, but with the sliding glass door, its somehow brighter! Anyway, we were also able to do some shopping at the bargain barn, played put-put, went out for ice cream and went to the beach. We got home on Friday evening so that I could be at church on Saturday morning for communion set up.
An Audrey update - she now eats green beans. we started her on it on Saturday evening. She tolerated it but wasn't super excited about it. But today, we mixed it with her cereal and now she cant get enough! She sure does love her food, and it shows! She is such a cute little chubby baby! And so happy. But no one can make her smile and laugh like Abby. It must be a sibling bond that forms at birth because Abby has always been the one that could get her to smile or laugh. I just sit back and smile at the blessings that God has given us.
And now for some photos...

oops

2009-07-31T21:56:00.020-04:00

I didn't realize it has been so long since I posted last. We have been pretty busy. Audrey is rolling over and playing in her exersaucer now. She smiles all the time and is eating cereal. she actually swallows most of it now as apposed to spitting it out, putting her hands in her mouth and then rubbing it all over whatever surface is available. She is also talking a lot. But talking for her is not sweet baby coos. its a throaty screech/yell that makes me laugh every time. We have video taped it a few times so we can embarrass her later in life!

Abby is doing well. She completed her summer dance class last week. We were able to see their dance that they had been working on. It was very cute. We also just went back to school shopping. Well, its really 1st time going to school shopping but that's OK. I almost started crying in Kohls when I realized that she no longer fits in the clothes available in the toddler section. instead, we have to go to the big girls section. I couldn't believe it...she's growing up so fast!

We went camping last weekend with Jon's siblings and their families. it was a lot of fun. The kids had a great time playing together and Audrey did really well for her first camping trip. For those of you who are wondering, she did not sleep in a box! Abby did on her first camping trip 3 years ago and she loved it! there was no lid of course :) Anyway, the only problem Audrey had was not eating as well as I would have liked because she was so distracted by what was going on around her. I was able to get her to take full bottles when she was tired so she got enough to sustain her. Although, its not like she is going to starve anytime soon, just look at those legs!

And that's a picture from a few weeks ago...she has grown more rolls since then!

Jon and I are doing well. Just keeping busy with the girls. I think I have some pictures that haven't been posted yet, so here we go...
Abby, Mimi and Papa at the Toledo Zoo...

Audrey says, "I want out of here!"

What a nice looking family...well, except for Rob. I'm not sure what he's doing!

Ashely and Will trying not to make faces while they feed Audrey!

Daaaddy...we're trying to watch a movie!

more pics

2009-07-16T17:11:00.010-04:00

Abby-ism for the day

2009-07-14T23:12:00.002-04:00

Baker man = the sample people at Sam's Club

P.S. Both girls in bed by 8:30 tonight...Party!!! :)

4th of July and more

2009-07-10T20:00:00.007-04:00

This post will mostly be pictures as I am fairly certain that's why most people check my blog. Plus, I don't have a lot of time because the house needs a good cleaning! the girls and I were up in Manistee with my parents the week leading up to the 4th. Jon and Nana and Big Bear, came up that Friday for the festivities. We had a great time even though it rained during the week. This week has been busy. we have been to a couple of zoos and went swimming in Anne's pool today. Below are the good pictures from the events of the past two weeks...
Abby, Papa and Izzy at the Root Doctor's concert...

Abby likes helping Daddy with the puzzle...

Nana, Big Bear and Audrey...

I think Izzy enjoyed the play mat more than Audrey!

Abby watching the Fireworks...

So cute...

I have lots more pics to post but duty calls in the form of a fussy baby!

I'm back!

2009-06-24T22:19:00.013-04:00

Its hard to remember what we have done since the last time I posted anything! Its been pretty busy around here. I'm watching another little girl for the summer named Morgan. She is a year older than Abby but they play well together...for the most part. There are times where I should be wearing a black and white stripe shirt and a whistle! Audrey is doing well. She will be 4 months old on Saturday! I cant believe it! She is smiling a lot and talking too. She is almost rolling over but cant seem to coordinate everything to get all the way over yet. When she does finally get it, she's just going to get mad because then she will be stuck on her stomach. She'll figure it out eventually. She also slept thru the night in her crib for the first time a couple of weeks ago. It was so nice! Lately, she has been getting up in the middle of the night but we get her back to sleep pretty easily without a bottle. It's almost like she wants to make sure that we are still in the house or something! Abby is starting back up with dance class for the summer so she is excited about that. Actually, Abby's big dance recital is one of the larger events that we have had in our lives since my last post. She was so wonderful. She got up on stage at the high school and danced her little heart out in front of a couple hundred people. This is her official recital picture.

we were so proud of her...I cried when she was done. She has come such a long way from crying because she didn't want to go in to the studio for the first class!
Abby also had a wonderful sleep over at Nana and Big Bear's house with her cousin Alasen. They had a princess tea party sleep over and had a great time. We also were able to see Jon's aunt and uncle from Texas as well as his grandparents. Since we didn't want to go all the way home and then drive back to Detroit area the next day to pick up Abby, we stayed at Ashley and Will's house. We were going to have game night with them, but early in the evening a violent ping pong game delayed our plans. Ashely and I weren't downstairs to witness this, but apparently Jon got mad because Will was winning and somehow caused a gash in Will's head. I'm just kidding. What really happened was Will went to get the ball that had rolled over by the circuit breaker box (is that what you call it?) and didn't realize that the cover was open. When he bent down to pick up the ball, he hit his head on the corner of the metal cover and cut his head open.

He was able to stop the bleeding and use butterfly bandages to close up the wound. He did have to shave his head though...poor guy! Hope your head is feeling better Will! After the excitement, we were able to play a game and chat for a while. The next day was church and back to Nana and Big Bear's house for family dinner with the other side of Jon's family. Then back home for a short week as Abby, Audrey and I took Morgan and her mom Adrienne up to Manistee for a couple of relaxing days! The drive up wasn't very relaxing though since Audrey decided to cry for about a 1/2 hour. But we made it and had a great time. We went to the beach, watched movies, relaxed and went to the Bargain Barn! For those of you not familiar with the bargain barn, its a treasure trove of items that were overstocks at other stores and now are priced really cheap! I noticed a lot of stuff from linens and things, which went out of business in December. Found lots of goodies for the girls and myself. Came home on Saturday so we could enjoy fathers day as a family. We didn't do anything really exciting except I made Jon mac and cheese. The real stuff with whole milk and butter! And I mowed the lawn so he wouldn't have to. Actually, I enjoy doing the yard work so I probably would have done it anyway! :) Thats my update...not sure when I will post next. Here are some new pictures of recent events...
Uncle Dave, Aunt Pat, Grandma and Grandpa Volkening and us...

Abby feeding Great Grandma a cookie!

Audrey definitely gets enough food...look at those cute chubby legs!

Beautiful evening at Lake Michigan...

Abby and her sand castles

Abby and Me

Morgan and Adrienne

It's been a while...

2009-06-02T15:18:00.012-04:00

since I have had a chance to post anything. We've been pretty busy and Audrey doesn't take long naps anymore. Most days, I can either play with Abby, clean the house, or post something while Audrey is taking a cat nap. Anyhow, we had a very nice memorial day weekend. Had a BBQ at our house for our TLC group from church. cleaned the garage, went to Alasen's birthday party and had my parents over for some work and relaxation. Jon and my dad did the work, finishing the railing on the steps leading to the deck. My mom and I hung out and took the girls to the memorial day parade. This past Saturday, I took Abby to get her dance pictures. We picked up her friend Kassidy and then went to the dance studio early because I had to put makeup on them. I know...Makeup!!!! I know that 3 and 4 year olds are not babies anymore, but I still consider Abby my baby and to put makeup on her was almost too much. Although, she did look really cute in her costume! (pic below) After the pictures, we went to lunch with my parents and then we went to the zoo. I have taken Abby and Audrey a few times during the week but this was the first time Jon was able to go. It was bird day and so they had all kinds of bird related things to do. Abby's favorite was to hold a baby chick. It was really cute but I couldn't get a picture because Jon was feeding Audrey and I had to help Abby hold the chick because it was too big for her little hands. Sunday we went to church and then I cleaned out both cars and Jon mowed the lawn. Today, Anne is watching Abby and Audrey so I have the whole day to myself at home. I have spent all of it with the exception of a 1/2 hour break for lunch and writing this post, cleaning. Our house really needed it!
Audrey update: until about a week ago, Audrey was perfectly happy watching everyone around her without making a peep, but slowly she is learning that she has a voice too. Yesterday, she figured out that if she made enough non crying noises, someone would talk to her and pay attention to what she had to say. Its so cute! She talks to us, her mobile, and anything else that looks interesting to her. She is such a sweet little baby! She is also now officially 3 months old...how time flies!
Abby update: She has become more comfortable on her barbie bike and loves to ride it around the neighborhood. She is excited to dance at her recital on Saturday and I'm just praying that she doesn't get too afraid to go on stage. She seems to be growing up before my eyes and its exciting and sad at the same time.
And now for the pics...
Abby and Kassidy in their spider dance costumes

Alasen's Birthday pics...

Zoo pics...

Abby and Audrey...

going to the "beach"

2009-05-20T11:27:00.003-04:00

Monday morning, Abby gathered her things to go to the beach. When I told her that it was too cold to go to the beach, she informed me that she was going to the "pretend beach"...

Frankenmuth

2009-05-18T19:08:00.012-04:00

This past weekend we were in Frankenmuth. Jon had a Rotary conference so the girls and I tagged along. We stayed at Zehnder's Splash Village which was really fun. Friday we got to the hotel and then had to be at dinner, which of course was at Zehnders. Family style chicken dinner...yum! Then we left a bit early so that Abby could go to the water park. She had a great time exploring and even went down the kiddie slide a few times. I sat with Audrey while Jon went with her. He said each time she went down she had a look of terror on her face. But then she would run up the steps to do it again!

Saturday Jon had meetings to go to in the morning so the girls and I walked over to Bronner's. Abby picked out Audrey's 1'st Christmas ornament and an ice cream cone ornament for herself. After lunch, we all went back to the water park for a few hours. Audrey had her first dip in the pool. At first she fussed but after a while she was ok.

Once Audrey had enough of the water, she took a nice long nap...

Saturday evening we did some shopping and then had dinner at the Bavarian Inn Lodge. Once again there was chicken but they also had other offerings, including a really good baked salmon. Then for entertainment they had the group Three Men and a Tenor. I had never seen them before and they were really good. Abby enjoyed dancing to the singing. Then, back to the pool Jon and Abby went before we had to check out in the morning.
Audrey reached a milestone on Saturday...she slept thru the night!!!!! 10pm til 8am!!! It was wonderful to get a full nights sleep without having to change a diaper or feed her! Of course, last night, she got up to eat, but at least we have one under our belt. Hopefully, there will be more of those wonderful nights soon!
Sunday morning, Nana and Big Bear joined us at the hotel and then we all went to St. Lorenz Lutheran church for service. I didn't realize the history of that church. 15 people started that church in the 1800's. After the service a gentleman from the church gave us a tour of their museum and a replica of the first log cabin church that the founders used. Its an amazing place and the people there were very nice and inviting. (I'll include some pictures below).
Then we went back to Zehnder's for Jon and Nana's birthday dinners. We had chicken dinner again but did the buffet so there were also other things to choose from. Abby was excited to see the Chicken and had her picture taken with him...

So that was our exciting weekend. It was actually a lot of fun and I would like to take Abby back to the water park again someday.
Here are some other pics...
Audrey in her ducky cover-up before going to the pool...look at that smile!

Abby playing in the water...

St. Lorenz Lutheran alter and stained glass windows...

Fun!

2009-05-08T16:53:00.006-04:00

Abby, Audrey and I have been away for the last few days. Which means Jon had a couple of quite nights at home. He was nice enough to do the dishes and pick up some stuff around the house! Anyway, there was a mother/daughter dinner at my parent's church last night so we went to their house for a couple of days. Got there Wednesday and hung out with my dad (Papa). Then Thursday morning, we got up and went to the Toledo Zoo. Its a really nice zoo...not too big, not too small. Papa and Abby rode the African Safari train and got to see all kinds of cool Animals. (unfortunately, the pic is a little blurry)

Then we walked around the zoo, ate lunch, and ran thru the rest of the zoo due to the rain. But before the rain came, I got a couple good shots of our fun...

Abby is a butterfly! How cute!!!

And Audrey slept...

Then we went to the Mother/daughter dinner which was very nice. It was great to see my Aunt Kathy and my Grandparents as they were able to attend. I was so happy that we were able to get a 4 generation picture...

Then we had a sleep over in my parents living room which Abby really enjoyed. She liked it so much that we might do it at home every once in a while as a treat. Today, we went to the park and to Ikea. That place is crazy. They make you go thru the whole thing to get to the check out. But we found a couple of short cuts and skipped a large part of the store. I was looking for a toy chest for Abby's little toys so that Audrey wont be able to get to them as easily once she starts crawling. But I was really disappointed with their selection. there were only two and they were both expensive but cheaply made. Oh well!
Tomorrow is Jon's birthday and then Mothers day is on Sunday so we have a weekend of celebrations ahead of us. I'm sure there will be much to write about next week!

Is the weekend over already?

2009-05-03T22:10:00.007-04:00

Even though I'm home full time, I somehow still look forward to the weekend and am a bit sad when it's over. Probably because that is the time that we have together as a family. This weekend was spent with our small church group on Friday evening, at 2 birthday parties on Saturday and then the ballet on Sunday. Saturday, we went to Seth's first birthday party. unfortunately, we weren't able to stay very long but Abby had a great time while we were there. Then we were off to Nana's birthday dinner. (Jon's mom) We went to Maggiano's restaurant in Troy. It was very good and we had a very nice time. Happy birthday Nana!! Sunday, I took Abby to the Children's Ballet Theater of Lansing's performance of Sleeping Beauty. Since she is in dance class, I thought it would be fun to go. Little did I know that it was a 3 hour long show. That's right...3 hours. There was no way that Abby was going to sit that long. Plus, I'm sure she thought that there would be people talking and it would be more like the movie. About a 1/2 hour into it, Abby turned to me and whispered "Mama, will the princesses be done dancing soon?". So needless to say, we went out into the lobby for lots of breaks but she actually made to about the 2 hour and 40 min mark. I have to be honest, by that time, I was ready to go home too. It was a very nice ballet and the kids dancing in it did very well, but that's a long time for anyone to sit with toddlers!
Here are some recent pics...

This picture cracks me up. I never noticed it before and it was taken last fall...

2 Months

2009-04-28T14:11:00.003-04:00

Audrey is now 2 months old. in some ways its hard to believe that its already been 8 weeks, but here we are. She has started to sleep a little better and is revealing her personality to us little by little. I took her for her 2 mo appt this morning where she received 3 shots. The first time is always the worst because they have no idea its coming and the cry is of pure pain. once I picked her up though, she was fine. She has been a bit fussy today but that is to be expected and should be back to normal by tomorrow. The good news that I received from the visit, besides Audrey being a very healthy baby, was that she should out grow her evening fussy time by about 12 weeks. So we are really looking forward to that. On a cute note, Audrey has started imitating us when we stick out our tongues at her. She cant quite control it very well yet, but she tries!
We are so blessed to have two beautiful girls and I am so excited to see them grow up together. I thank the Lord every day for these two precious gifts that he has given us.

It's Summer!!

2009-04-26T21:48:00.011-04:00

Or at least it feels like summer! Either way, I'll take it. Friday was so nice, we went to the zoo. I picked up one of Abby's friends from her school and off we went. I bought a family season pass because it's not only good for Potter Park zoo (in Lansing) but it also gets us into Binder Park and the Detroit Zoo at half off. And we get into the Toledo Zoo for free. Since my parents are pretty close to Toledo, I figured that we would go there a couple times this summer. In fact, we are planning on going at the beginning of may. Anyhow, it was so warm on Friday afternoon and since this was the first really nice day of the year, I forgot to put sunscreen on the girls. I was so used to the cold dreary weather, that I didn't even think about it. And, of course, none of the trees at the zoo had leaves yet, so it was really sunny! But we still had a good time checking out all of the animals. Here are a couple pictures...

Saturday, we went to our niece's Make a Wish Party. For those of you who don't know, Alasen was born with a heart condition that I wont even attempt to spell. She is doing very well now and was granted a wish by the Make a Wish people. She wished for a swing set and so on Wednesday, 2 guys spent 6 hours putting this awesome swing set together. Then on Saturday, there was a big party for the unveiling of it! It was so wonderful to see Alasen so excited. All the kids had a great time playing on it until the rain started. But the party just moved inside and everyone had a wonderful time.
Alasen - we are so happy that you are doing so well. We love you very much and hope that all of your wishes come true!

Today was spent getting stuff done around the house. We also bought some plants to create a container garden for the summer. Abby and I planted the tomato plants this evening and tomorrow we will do the strawberries and green peppers along with planting the seeds for the herbs. We haven't grown any herbs for a few years so I'm looking forward to that. And we have never done vegetables or fruit so I'm hoping that it works. If all goes well, we are hoping to make a lot of salsa this summer. But we don't have a good recipe, so if any of you do...please forward it to me! I'll pay you back in salsa! :)

All Smiles...kind of

2009-04-23T10:01:00.004-04:00

I've been trying to catch Audrey smiling with the camera, but so far, I've only been able to capture a smirk. It seems that when I hold the camera up in front of her, she would rather scowl that smile. At any rate, here are the few attempts that I have made...

And here's one of Jon and the girls...

"Abbyism" for the day: Hi-ya Bear = Kung Fu Panda

Pictures

2009-04-20T16:14:00.010-04:00

Here are pictures from the last week of events...

Jill's Wedding...

Audrey's Baptism...

Sick and Tired

2009-04-19T20:43:00.003-04:00

So the last few days have been filled with illness and traveling. I started to get sick this past Monday with a cold. Then on Wednesday night, Abby started in the with stomach flu. She started throwing up around 10pm and didn't stop until 9 am the next morning. But this wasn't just any 24 hour bug...today was the first day that she didn't throw up. She is still not eating normally or feeling that great. Its like a super germ invaded her body. And as Jon put it..."now the rest of us just have to wait and hope that we don't get it." We will see! So Abby being sick really made for an interesting Friday and Saturday for me as my good friend Jill got married on Saturday and I was her matron of honor. But since Abby was sick, I drove up on Friday to Mt. Pleasant for the rehearsal, drove back that night and then drove back up the next morning by 9 for our hair appts. Didn't get home until 10:30pm on Saturday. Luckily, Jon had some help from my parents who were able to come earlier than planned on Saturday to help out. Then, this morning we had the wonderful event of Audrey's Baptism. I was very nice and she even slept thru the whole thing. I will post pictures of all of the events when I get time this week. Hopefully, we will have a quiet week which will allow all of us to get some much needed rest!

Pictures and News

2009-04-13T19:32:00.011-04:00

We have been pretty busy the last week so here is a run down of the latest events in our house...
- Monday night: Audrey slept really well. Went to bed around 11, slept in her crib until 3 or 4, went back to sleep in her crib after a bottle until around 7. I must emphasize the crib portion of the above info because she really wasn't sleeping well up to that point unless she was in the swing or we were holding her. So that was exciting and she has been doing that ever since! (except last night...she slept in the swing for a few hours) But going from almost every night to only once per week is pretty good.
- Wednesday: Jon took Abby to the beginning of his Rotary meeting because their guest speakers were the crew of a medivac helicopter. Jon and Abby got to the parking lot just in time to see the helicopter land and Abby got to sit in it for a picture. She was very excited!!

- Thursday and Friday, Abby's friend Morgan was over for the day because she was on spring break from school. So the two of them had a great time playing and on Friday evening, they dyed Easter eggs.

-Saturday: Abby and I went to see Monsters Vs. Aliens. It was a cute movie and I would recommend it for kids. There were even some good one liners in there for the adults to laugh at as well. It was nice to spend some good mommy daughter time with her.
-Sunday - Easter: Abby woke up and immediately found the Easter eggs the Easter Bunny had left for her. She came running into our room to let us know that the Easter bunny had come. She had a great time searching for her basket and the eggs.

Then we all got ready for church and were only 5 minutes late! (that's pretty good for us!) I didn't get a chance to get a picture with Abby and Audrey in their Easter dresses together because Audrey decided to spit up on hers. but here is a picture of Abby. (I'll have to take one of Audrey dressed up at a later date and post it because she looked so cute in it!)

After church, we went to Nana and Big Bear's house for dinner. The kids went on an Easter egg hunt and some of the adults enjoyed playing with one of Jacob's new Easter toys...

It looks like we have another busy week and weekend coming up so I'll post more news and pictures next week. Until then...

To Great Grandmother's House We Went

2009-04-05T15:08:00.006-04:00

This past Thursday, we went to my grandparents house so they could meet Audrey. They had been in Florida and so this was the first chance we had to get together since Audrey was born. My parents and I took the girls to their house on Thursday and stayed until Friday. It was great to see them and relax at their house. I think they both really enjoyed having Abby and Audrey around. Abby entertained us with her toys and movie (we watched Pinocchio...Abby calls it nocchio). Audrey was a good baby and Great Grandma and Great Grandpa both were able to hold her. (I have included pictures below) My mom also went thru the steps of checking email with my grandma and I showed her how to check this blog so they can see pictures and read up on what is going on with us. Abby also found the organ that my grandparents have in their guest room. She held several concerts for us! I'm so glad we were able to go and it was good to see them!
In other news, Audrey is getting bigger but still is not close to sleeping thru the night. She will sleep in her crib the first part of the night but after her 2 am feeding, she would rather sleep while we hold her. If we try to put her in the crib, she wakes up screaming. So she has been sleeping in the swing until morning. Needless to say, the batteries finally ran out this morning and so we need to go out and get replacements or tonight will not be fun!
Abby is doing well. She was excited to wear one of her "fancy" dresses to church today and cant wait for Easter next week so she can wear a different dress and search for Easter eggs. I will post pictures of Abby in her dress sometime next week.
Yesterday I went up to Mt. Pleasant for a final fitting on my bridesmaid dress. My friend Jill is getting married in two weeks and so I had to make sure that my dress fit properly. Luckily, it did...as well as all of the other girls. Then we went back to her parents house to wrap Hershey kisses in tulle for favors at the reception. When I left, we had done 150 or so but 300 had to be done. good luck finishing those Jill!! Hopefully Matt will help you!
I think that's it for now...have a great week!

Great Grandma and Audrey

Great Grandpa and Audrey

Papa and Audrey

One Month

2009-03-27T15:28:00.006-04:00

Audrey is officially one month today. She has started to fill out and has little chubby cheeks now. We are starting to get into a routine, but she is still trying to figure out day vs. night. Its not horrible, but she is only sleeping 4 hours between feedings right now. Abby is doing very well with her now and we are trying to do things that Abby would like to do on the weekends so that its not all about Audrey.

In other news...Our bathroom in the basement is finally functional! As many of you know, we started the basement project over a year ago and just yesterday, had the plumber come back to finish the connection on the toilet as well as install a utility sink in the storage area and a backup for the sump pump. Jon was very concerned that we would be gone during a large rain storm and the pump would either fail or the power would go out. Effectively ruining all of the hard work and $$ put into finishing the basement. hopefully we are now safe from that happening. So now, if anyone comes to visit overnight, they have a place to sleep and their very own bathroom!

I know most people like to check the blog for new pictures so here are a few...

Abby all dressed up!

Abby and Audrey

This has nothing to do with the news above...Its Jon and Abby at the fountain in front of Navy Pier. We were in Chicago in July of last year. Just thought it was a cute picture!

Sleeping Beauties and Other News

2009-03-22T21:49:00.011-04:00

We have had a busy past week and weekend...
Since Abby doesn't take naps anymore, I was pleasantly surprised one day last week, when both girls fell asleep at the same time.

The peace and quiet was wonderful and I was able to get a lot done around the house in that short hour.

Friday was spent with my dad and then Friday evening we went to a fish fry at church. Saturday we went bowling with some friends that included two of Abby's friends. Then we went for "super pizza". That's what Jon and I had to call it so the girls would agree to go there instead of McDonald's for chicken nuggets! Then Saturday night, we went to Ann's 50th birthday party. (Ann is Abby's sitter) Sunday was spent at our nephew's birthday party. Where I was told that I need to post more often and include more pictures. So here we go...with the picture request, at least...

Audrey after her first real bath

Aunt Ashley and Uncle Will with Audrey

Happy Birthday Jake!

Abby and Cousin Alasen riding a horse

No More Germs

2009-03-17T14:48:00.005-04:00

Finally...we are all healthy again! Since my last post, Jon got really sick as well. So it went through all three of us. Luckily, Audrey does not show signs of having caught the bug. We are still keeping our fingers crossed that she stays healthy. So Abby was finally able to hold Audrey for the first time since we were in the hospital. I was afraid she would cough or sneeze on her little sister so she has been keeping her distance until yesterday. She was so excited!

It makes me laugh because the thing that Abby likes helping out with the most is throwing out the diapers. We broke down and bought a diaper champ and so Abby loves to move the handle back and forth to make the diaper disappear.
For the most part, Audrey is a really good baby. She still has her days and nights mixed up but its not horrible. And we cant expect her to be just like Abby was, who started sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old. At least she isn't up crying all night. Just wants to be awake and look around instead of going back to sleep after eating at 3am. She'll figure it out and before we know it, she will be crawling and then walking. I keep reminding myself that I need to cherish this time while its here because soon it will be a distant memory.
Abby has really enjoyed the warm weather. She has been playing on her swing set and we have gone for a couple of walks. Its amazing how much she runs if given the chance to be outside for even a half hour. I wish I had that much energy...my house would be spotless every day! :)

Jon and Audrey Taking a Nap

Mimi and The Girls

One Week

2009-03-07T17:45:00.004-05:00

Its been one week since Audrey joined us. We are all adjusting well. Abby was a bit uneasy about her at first but I think that was because Audrey decided to pee on the blanket that Abby shared with her. She was also a bit put off by the crying, but has gotten used to it. Plus Audrey doesnt cry a whole lot. She is a very good baby. She is only getting up twice each night so Jon and I are getting a fair amount of sleep. (enough to function, at least) I'm feeling good and am happy to be wearing jeans again after several months of wearing maternity pants. I have to say, even though I complained about being huge and tired towards the end of the pregnancy, I do miss it. Every once in a while, I think about how I havent felt a kick in a while and then realize that I wont because Audrey is here! Now, I'm not saying that we are going to have a third little one, its just something to get used to after months of feeling a little baby inside.
Unfortunatly, Abby and I both have colds, so we are trying to be very careful around Audrey so that she doesnt get sick. So far, Jon is still healthy but he has started to cough a bit too. Hopfully in the next week or so, we will all be healthy again and Abby will be able to go near her sister again!

More Pictures

2009-03-02T22:03:00.008-05:00

Here are a few more pictures of Audrey and the family...

Audrey Anne

2009-03-01T11:04:00.008-05:00

Lets start from the beginning...On Wednesday I went in for my 39 week appt. My blood pressure was up but not anything high enough to induce right then. So they had me go to the lab for a blood draw to check my protien levels along with some other things. On Thursday morning, I got a call from the nurse asking how I felt about being induced. When the doctor saw the results from my lab test, he thought that we should just go ahead and induce because my levels and blood pressure weren't just going to get worse over the next week. And instead of risking complications from any of that, it would be better to induce right away. So, off we went to the hospital on Thursday afternoon. the process started around 2:30 with a drug to get me to dilate. The first round didn't do much but the second put me right into labor. Now, I should say that with Abby, I was also induced but never felt a contraction because I had an epidural really early on to help bring down my blood pressure. But with this one, I had the pleasure of dealing with contractions for two hours before getting the epidural. I have to say, I don't know how women go thru labor and delivery without drugs! I couldn't do it! So I went from to 2cm to 4 cm with the contractions and then stalled between 4 and 5 cm for hours. It was about 3 am when they decided to break my water. An hour later, I was starting to feel pressure so they checked me and I was at 10 cm. Then, of course, the doctor was in another delivery so I had to wait to push. the dr. came in about 4:10, I started pushing at 4:15 and Audrey made her appearance at 4:25am. I was really shocked when they said "its a girl" because I was convinced that it was going to be a boy! to the point where I almost asked them to check again! But we feel so blessed to have her here and cant imagine life without her! Abby is very excited to have a little sister but has only spent about an hour with her so far. My parents are bring Abby home today so it will be interesting to see how things unfold. I know that she will be a great helper, but probably will not be happy about the crying!
I wanted to thank everyone for all of your well wishes and prayers. We are so happy to be home with a healthy baby!

Its a Girl!!

2009-02-28T19:58:00.002-05:00

Audrey Anne was born yesterday, Friday, the 27th at 4:25 am! She is 7lbs, 3 oz and 19.75" long. We just got home from the hospital late this afternoon and we are all doing well. My labor went smoothly and we are happy that Audrey is healthy! I will post more, including pictures, when I get time in the next couple of days.

Wish us luck!

2009-02-26T11:24:00.001-05:00

The Dr. called me today and said that they were not happy with some of the lab results from my blood work yesterday. Sooo...we are going in this afternoon to be induced. Should have the little one in our arms sometime tomorrow!

Still pregnant

2009-02-18T16:32:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, my blood pressure has been up and down with this pregnancy. Last week it was up and they said if it was as high today, that they would talk about inducing me. Well, we went in today and my bp was back down to normal. So...here I sit, still huge and ready for this baby to come anytime now. We have 2 more weeks until the official due date so keep your figures crossed that we will get to meet the new addition sometime soon!

Here we go...

2009-02-17T09:58:00.003-05:00

Since I'm not always good with keeping in touch with people, I have decided to start a blog. (I'm actually stealing this idea from some friends that already have blogs! Thanks Kelly, Rich and Kate!) I've never done this before so we will see if I actually keep it up. But I figured that it would be a good way for me to keep our family and friends updated on what is going on with us.

As many of you know, we will be welcoming the new little one into our family soon. So I'm sure most of the posts will be about "Babu" (thats what we call the baby...long story) and of course, me bragging about how wonderful Abby is! By the way, the potty training is going really well. She has #1's down without a problem and has finally gone #2 on the potty! Now we just have to get her to continue doing that and I will only have to change diapers for one kid instead of two! (much cheaper that way!)

Anyway, that's it for now. I'll hopefully post more as things come up!