Christmas 2010

Jolynn's first Christmas was fun even if she was only 5 months. She loved crinkling the paper and all the toys she got from family have entertained her for hours so far. I didn't think she would be able to work some of them, but she has. She is so smart!

I made a lovely turkey again - 18 lbs! There was lots of left overs. We've been having turkey sandwiches, turkey with penne, you name it. Even Polly has been having left over scrapings in her food.

After dinner we laid a spread of desserts and everyone nibbled while playing Wii Bowling. It was Bumby's first time playing. He smoked us all.

Five Months

Can you believe it! I can't. Another month has flown by. Jolynn is such a happy girl. Jon can really get her going. She is such a Daddy's girl. She likes to snuggle. Sleeping has gotten longer. She still goes to bed around 7pm and doesn't get up until 4 or 5. She is on full formula now because pumping is no longer producing anything of significance. The only reason I am still pumping is to relieve some of the pressure. She still does well at daycare and the kids really like "little Jolynn".

Today is Jolynn's 5 month birthday - she is taking a very big step today. Boarding a plane for her first vacation to Florida. This is not the Florida/Disney trip that we have planned for her 5 year birthday. This is just a get away with both grandparents. Unfortunately, Jon and Bumby are unable to make it because they can't get off work. I really wish they would have been able to make it. I think I am most nervous about keeping her occupied during the flight. That's a long time for a little one to sit in one spot with nothing to do but coo in your face.

Some other happenings with Jolynn: she likes to pull her pacifier out, and is getting close to being able to put it back in her mouth. She is very verbal. She really only cries for two reasons - hunger and tired. If you satisfy the hunger she usually passes out after.

Her 4 month appointment went very well. Her stats were: 10lbs 14 oz, 24 1/2 in, Head Circumference=16 in. She had the same shots as her 2 month appt. She did very well with those again. Cried a little more than last time, but was okay once it was over. She fell into the 50 percentile for height and head, but was in the 5 percentile for weight. The doctor said she will probably measure in the lower percentile for a while because of her prematurity. He said other than that she is right on track developmentally. He expects her to probably be rolling over in the next month. Most of her development will be a month behind full term babies because she was a month early. There are many things that I think she is ahead of if you keep up with Babycenter or Planning Family.

Four Months

This month has gone by so fast. With Jolynn being in daycare now, it's a few days there, a few days with Jon, and then we have our weekend together. We have stayed home the last few weekends because of nasty weather, but otherwise have gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa Moritz. My parent's have been up at their cabin trying to get it ready for winter. This past weekend was their first weekend back - but I think mostly because Georgia (their dog) was hit by a car and needs constant supervision because she won't wear her cone.

Jolynn has been trying so hard at the rolling deal. She is really good at holding her head up and she does the push up when we initially put her on her stomach. She is still her most talkative in the morning. I love it. It is so hard to get ready for work once she is awake. I guess that is why I get up 2 hours before I have to leave. That way I get everything I have to do out of the way before she even wakes up and then I have more time to coo with her.

She just found her feet the other day. It was very funny. She stared at them for a long time and flexed her feet, then wiggled her toes. Then she would stop and do it again. The look on her face was hilarious.

We have found that she is using her burp cloth like a blankie. Also very cute.
Best so far...she found her thumb! She still uses the paci, but the thumb finds it's way if the paci falls out.

I haven't been pumping enough to keep up with her feedings. She is anywhere from 5-7 oz. So we started her on formula about 3 weeks ago. We mix 2 parts BM to 1 part formula. Since starting the formula she has been more productive in the pooping department. Sometimes going 3 times a day - but the smell is so much worse than when she was only on BM. She is also sleeping longer since being on formula. Anywhere from 5-7 hours. Her first sleep session is usually from 6 or 7pm until midnight. Then she used to get up at 4am, but has been sleeping until 5 sometimes.

She is also grasping. I saw her the other day swat at the mobile on her vibrating chair. Both Grandmas have a rattle that has two thin bands for a handle. It is the perfect size for her to grasp on to. She already whacked herself in the head causing a little crying, but she was okay after Mommy kissed it of course. She is also following objects from side to side.

She has moved on to 0-3 month clothing. Most of the clothes that say 3 month still don't fit her. All those cute onesies with feet still don't fit her. She has two that zip up and they are the only ones that fit her feet.

She absolutely amazes me every morning. I go to get her and I swear she has grown another inch and gained another pound.

We hear about other kids that were born around the same time as Jolynn or later and they have been reaching milestones quicker than her. I know not to judge her progress on others - she is an individual. She has a little friend (lots of friends actually at daycare); her little friend at daycare is Avery. They are about 6 months apart. They lay together on the floor and interact. I hope by this interaction that Jolynn will learn quicker; like having a big sister.

She has her 4 month check up next week, more shots. I weighed her this past Sunday and she was 10lb 7oz! She's more of a pumpkin than a peanut now :)

Happy 1st Birthday Brianna

Jolynn's best friend-to-be, Brianna, had her 1st birthday party today. There were so many kids there. It was fun to see which ones were going to fall into the same age group. There were the 2-3 year olds that were crazy running around. Then the 1 year olds that were just learning to walk. Then the 3mo (Jolynn) - 9mo that were still in the hold me stage. I realized that most of my picture and video taping has been by me. I have one picture of Jolynn and me (and I took that one too) - when we were in the hospital.

So I had Mike take some of me and Jolynn.

Three Months

I don't know what is scarier - being back to work or Jolynn being 3 months. Time is going by so fast. Jolynn has made great progress on her development. She can hold her head up pretty well, her arms don't flail as much, and the smiles and coos just keep coming. She likes to be pulled up by her arms and plop back down on the pillow. She also likes to "stand" or "sit". Neither of which she can actually do on her own yet, but she can see so much and loves that. Thankfully she has finally started to find her hands, and in turn, something to suck on. I don't think she has decided yet if it will be her thumb, a finger, or a couple fingers. Her mood is the best in the morning. I think she is like her momma - she is a morning person. We haven't quite got the sleeping thing down yet as far as timing. She sleeps very well and for long periods, but not the right periods. She still wakes up at 4am; eats, then falls asleep for a hour or so, then we have our awake time. This is where all the cooing and smiles happen. She loves having a conversation around 7am. I hope to have even 15 minutes to spend with her before we have to pack up. Through out the day she takes little cat naps and then between 5 and 6 she goes down for the count. Doesn't wake up until midnight. But then sleeps from midnight to 4am. Somehow we need to move that 6 hour slot up so it is when WE are sleeping too.

We have a new toy from Grandma Margaret. It is a tummy time playmat. She lays on the "scoop" and there is a flower petal mat underneath. She is able to hold her head up and touch the ground with her hands and feet. She scoots around in a circle using her limbs. There are activities on each petal. This has also helped with getting rid of her gas because she is on her tummy forcing the pressure out.

I don't think I posted about her 2 month check up last time. She did very well. 50% in all areas. Doctor was very pleased with her weight gain. She was 7lb 10oz. We have been weighing her on our home scale and last Saturday she was 8lb 1.5oz. She doesn't go back until 4 months now.

It is funny how so many of our friends had babies around the same time. Erin has a boy, Richard Jr, that is about 4 months older than Jo. We joke that we have arranged them to be married. Talking about them dating and going to prom. There is competition though. Jared and Naomi have Brody, also about 4 months older than Jo. Richard Jr already has one up on Brody though, Jo and Richard have already been on a "date", chaperoned by us mommies. Then there is Jodi's daughter, Brianna. She had her 1st birthday party this past weekend. B and Jo are going to be best friends like their mommas.

I am so happy to have such a supportive network of friends and family. Grandparents have stepped up to help with watching Jolynn or Polly, or both. Jon has started to realize that I will need him a bit more now that I am back at work. He pitches in when he can, but still needs a little push now and then. I love watching him with Jolynn - she loves her daddy so much.

We had her 3 month photos at Flash. It was an evening session. Jolynn was not as cooperative as her first photo shoot. There was a lot of crying. I don't know if it was her gas, the fact that we woke her up, or she didn't like the photographer. I felt a little uncomfortable with this photographer; I really liked our first girl, Maggie. She happened to be the manager - must be why she was so good. Wish we could get her again. Anyway, Jolynn didn't like getting her photo taken so we had to reschedule for a morning session. Jon will have to take her because I'm not taking off work to get her picture taken.

That's been our month in a nut shell.

(Jolynn - now that momma is back to work, please don't grow-up too fast. Love you.)

Como Zoo

It was Jolynn's first visit to a zoo. Yes she is bit young so she basically slept through the whole thing. It was nice to get her out of the house though and have a beautiful day out for a stroll. Erin had asked if we wanted to join her, Shirley Jean, and Baby Richard. It was fun watching Shirley get excited about all the animals and saying what each sound was from each animal. Made me look forward to Jolynn going at an age where she can interact as well.

Video to come later after we edit all the pieces into one.

Updates to Jolynn's Room

Mike and I installed a closet system in Jolynn's room. Now everything is so organized. I can tell what size clothes she has for each stage and there is a place for her diapers, toys, clothes that would go in her dresser but she is not to that size yet, and blankets.










I also added some things to the wall with books and shelves of stuffed animals. In a small box is the hand cast from the State Fair. Next to that, photos from her 1 month Flash session.

I finally hung the painting from Jodi and the 3D metal artwork. There is still a painting of a fairy that is going on the other side.


I also attached this artwork (using Jolynn's name) with 3M hooks to her door. Mike and Margaret bought this from the State Fair. Each letter is made into a character that has meaning:
J: flying bird=prosperity
O: butterfly=love
L: fish=goodluck
Y: sitting bird=happiness
N: sailboats=hope
N: bamboo=honesty, upright

Two Months

Believe it. We are at TWO MONTHS! Our little peanut is growing so much. She has nearly doubled her birth weight. She is eating so much and so fast you would think she was at the milk booth at the State Fair. Whenever I am feeding her I always think about this photo. It was my favorite at the time. Can't hold her like that anymore. I can barely hold her with one hand to burp her like Jon does.
We are just starting to get into the coos. It feels like she stays up more than she sleeps lately. We have been playing with an activity center that my mom found. Adding our own play things to it. So far she hasn't grasped onto anything, but she loves looking at everything-especially the lighted stuff.

We found out the hard way that what I ate affects her greatly. The State Fair was great for me, not so much for Jolynn. A few days later she was on that day of pumped breast milk. Before this she hadn't gone to the bathroom for 7 days. We were very worried so I called a nurse at the clinic. She talked to the doctor and called me back with instructions. We were to give her 1/2 oz of prune juice mixed into her milk or with water. Not to exceed 2oz in 24 hours. After 1/2 an oz there was a shart, then at 1oz she pooped out the sides; By 1 1/2 oz Jon had put her in the swing. She threw up most of her brown liquid and then when we went to change her from the puke that was on her onesie we noticed poop on it too. Later looked at the swing and there was poop on the straps. Needless to say we didn't give her anymore prune juice. Couple days later she had the State Fair milk and we had another blow out.

Since my last post Jon also had his 30th (Golden) birthday. We celebrated by going to Fogo de Chao. Jolynn does great at outings. Sleeps through most of it. She went to Benihana, Fogo, Red Robin, and Origami Sushi. I didn't get Jon anything for his birthday. I felt a little bad, but without working I didn't think we could really afford anything nice. He has Jolynn, what else could he want :) His parents gave him a REALLY nice video camera. We have only done a couple videos. Just like with the camera, you need to have this attached to your wrist at all times to catch those moments. It's sad that most of my memories of the past two months are in my head because I didn't take as many pictures or videos as I would have wanted.

State Fair 2010-Part 2

We went to the fair again on Thursday. This time we went with Daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Moritz. We arrived a little before every one else so we went to Hamline Dining Hall again and fed Jolynn. We also met up with Knute, Olaf and Stephanie, Sara and Tony, and a couple of their friends. This visit to the fair was all food and purchases. I had corn again and Mouse Trap cheese curds. I swear they are better than anyone else. Also had a Chicago dog, foot long corndog, foot long hot dog, flash frozen ice cream, and my new favorite-fried pickles. Seriously, better than cheese curds.

We ventured into the Merchandise mart and Grandstand. Margaret found this booth that had fairy stuff. Tutus, tiaras, wings, capes, and these crocheted hats with big flowers on them. She came back with a white one. Jolynn was so cute. We went back to the stand and she brought so much attention to the booth. "look how cute she is!" Of course I had to get a purple one and a matching tutu-these will be used at her 3 or 6 month photos.

Jon wanted to go to the Wild booth. They weren't in their normal spot in the Grandstand this year. Finally found them in the Fan Zone-go figure. We picked out 3 outfits there-maybe we will get to a game or two this season.

Inside the Merchandise Mart was a booth that made casts of your hands. We thought what a great idea to get Jolynn's hand done and then again each year. It was soo tiny! I was thinking this morning that I could teach her sign language for all the years (after five you have to do different things with one hand to make a six, seven, etc. without using two hands). Then each year we go back for the cast she can make that sign and we will have how old she was at that State Fair.

Inside the Education bldg they had free calendars with your picture. Jolynn had her photo taken with us and then with the grandparents.

On the way back to our car the sky got really dark and opened up. Luckily we were next to a display of trailers. We ducked inside with 5 other people and waited it out. There was hail and downpours. Good thing we found shelter. When it was over we continued on our way and saw this beautiful double rainbow. Other than that brief downpour it was a gorgeous day.

State Fair 2010

My day started off at 4am with a feeding. Then pumping and a shower. I had a bowl of cereal to tide me over until getting to the fair. I got everything packed up and ready to go, time to get Jolynn in her car seat. Woke her up at 7:30 and she was ready to eat - so I had to feed her and then we were off to Grandma and Grandpa Benson's at 8:00am. Once we got there they were ready to go. We got to the fair around 9:00am. We went to a restaurant called Hamline dining hall (or something like that). Sally met us there when we were just about done. We mapped out all the places we wanted to go and times of things we wanted to see.

First was the Robot Demonstrations in the Educational building. I wasn't impressed. I guess I was expecting more like robot wars. So we passed on that and took a walk around. We found a booth that was taking pictures and putting them on a calendar for FREE. Score! Jolynn brings a lot of attention where ever she goes. How can you resist such an adorable little girl :) The Educational building also had free bags. Jolynn was ready to eat after this excursion. So we went back to the Hamline dining hall and asked for some hot water - they were very nice and didn't mind giving me this and letting me sit in there to feed her out of the sun.

Then we went to see the chickens. My mom is now into raising chickens, so she really wanted to go see them. Jolynn and I waited outside. This was the only photo I took the entire time we were there. Don't worry - you didn't miss anything. This is what she did the entire time we were at the fair.
After the chickens I was on a mission to get my cheese curds. I stopped and got corn on the way. Then we got to the cheese curds. I got those and should have shared. I ended up getting a belly ache and was in the bathroom later.

It was pretty warm. Every now and again there would be a breeze. I was drinking pop (not caffeinated). Pop is not a good source to keep you hydrated. I started to feel faint and decided I better head back to the car and home. Once we got to the car my mom had some water in her cooler. I drank that and combined with the AC in the car, was feeling much better. Note for next time is to bring water, sunscreen, and a hat.

Jon's 30

We celebrated Jon turning 30 at Fogo de Chao. Both grandparents were there, Jason, Olaf and his friend Stephanie. Of course Jolynn had to get passed around.

One Month

I can't believe our little girl is a month old already. People weren't kidding when they said time would fly by. I would love to say that Jolynn has reached some great milestones, but she hasn't-there isn't much to accomplish in the first month. There were the little ones like making it back to her birth weight, and reaching a weight where she could go out in her car seat legally. She also lost her cord and has an innie belly button.

We started off bottle feeding and were able to do both breastfeeding and bottle. She even recently started breastfeeding without the nipple shield. That is once in a blue moon however. I imagine soon she will be making sounds and faces that will actually mean something, instead of the normal smile because she has gas. She sleeps great, normally 3-4+ hours at a time. Jon has been great with helping with the feedings. It was a little rough at first because of him going back to work, but I think he is starting to get acclimated to a few hours of sleep at a time. I had the whole pregnancy to get used to that with getting up to go to the bathroom. Now instead of bathroom breaks I'm getting up to feed Jolynn.
One of the questions I often get is, "how is parenthood treating me?"
Some days it feels like I am babysitting someone's kid. There are also days where I am absolutely fed up with her squirming and fussing. That's when Jon takes over, or she has a visit with a grandparent. When I get her back I look at her and appreciate her so much more. I wonder to myself, how could I ever leave or be mad at this little angel. Then of course it happens again. Takes a few days for this pressure to build up, but it is nice to have a release and calm yourself.

We had our first photo session with Gracia Joy Nelson. She came to our house and took some great photos. I can't wait to do Jolynn's birth announcements now. Below is ONE of my favorites. There were 282 photos that I loaded, 36 were loaded to Facebook. I thought picking out the clothes was the hard part - now I have to choose from so many great photos for her announcements...this is going to be tough.

First Bath

She was a little squirmy. I had hoped Jon would have taken video, but he only took 3 photos. It was a quick process because she kept falling to the side.










She smelled so good after - then she spit up. Lesson for this: feed then bathe.

Outings

I am learning each time we go out. First time out we went to National Night Out - luckily only 1 block away. Didn't think we would be staying too long because it was hot out, so I didn't bring ANY milk. Ended up staying longer and it was time for a feeding, so I walked home and heated up a bottle. Only to get back and find her fast asleep.

Today we picked up Margaret from the airport at 9:30am. We fed Jolynn at 8:00 thinking she would be good until we got to Oakdale. I packed her diaper bag with the normal stuff (diapers, wipes, extra clothes). I even packed the Gripe Water and Mylicon. Thinking that we would not be there for more than a couple hours I only packed 2 partial bottles of milk. I brought my Udder Cover to breastfeed too. Unfortunately, I forgot the nipple shield. She was not having me the old fashioned way, so Grandma Moritz fed her a bottle. Since she didn't breastfeed from me since 6am I was feeling a bit "full". I texted Naomi because they live very close and was able to use her pump. Then Jon decided he wanted to go to Mongolian and we asked Jason if he wanted to come with us. Then we had to wait for Jason to get to Oakdale. Jolynn was fed one more time - using up all the milk I had brought. After eating at Mongolian Jason had to pick up stuff from his place in Hudson. No problem, I wanted to see his place anyway. It did not end up being a short stop. Jon got on Jason's computer and started playing a test realm in World of Warcraft. Margaret texted and said she thought Jolynn was hungry again. I told Jon we had to get going.

By the time we got back to Oakdale and left for home it was 4pm - rush hour. All highways were backed up. Jon decided to take Hwy 10 home instead of 694. Jolynn got so hungry I took 20ml that was left in a container and fed that to her. She was still upset. I didn't know what else to do so I tried to hand pump myself. Yes, HAND. It kind of worked. I was able to "pump" another 20ml. We finally got home and she was still hungry so we gave her another 1/2 oz. I think I know how a cow really feels now.

Live and Learn

Need I say more? The shirt says it all.

Jolynn is 3 weeks old today. I can't believe she has been home for two weeks already. Time really is flying by. The first few days of 4 hour feedings I knew days were going to go by quickly. Every time I hold her in my arms as she falls asleep I wish I had my camera strapped to my wrist. She makes the funniest faces as she sleeps. She has been staying awake more after feedings, but mostly in and out of slumber because her pacifier falls out. We started breastfeeding again and Jon bottle feeds when he is home. I've stock-piled a bin of milk in the freezer downstairs (over 100 oz) and almost have another bin filled upstairs.

We had our doctor visit a couple days after she was brought home and they told us we didn't need to come back until she was 2 months. I found this a little strange since she is a preemie. Babycenter and the hospital told us that she should be fine as long as she doesn't present a fever over 100.4, her outtake is normal, and she keeps gaining weight. So far all those things are good. She has had a few episodes of projectile vomit. Almost all the times we knew why it happened. Live and learn. She tends to have a few episodes of spitting up when she gets the hiccups, so we started giving her .5ml of Gripe Water when she has hiccups. They go away instantly. Now she has been bearing down a lot like she has to poop, but nothing comes out. When she eats (and sometimes at rest) she has a lot of gurgling in her stomach/intestines. When she scrunches up sometimes I hear her fart, so I figure it is gas. I started giving her .3ml of Mylicon - that worked really well. She slept for almost 4 hours and there were no gurgling noises when she ate next. Hopefully it will give her some relief.

Jolynn had her first outing this past Tuesday for National Night Out. It was fun to bring her out in the stroller. She slept the whole time, but we still got out of the house (even if it was only a block down the road). I would love to go on more walks with her, but it has been sooo hot. 90+ every day and will be for the next week. Maybe in September.

Craft Room Done!

Check another to-do off the list. The walls are painted and the floor is laid. Now we just have to move everything in. It will be nice to have all my craft supplies in one area again. (they've been in the garage, upstairs, spare room, and under the steps.) Try finding a paint brush when you need one :)

It's All Good

It was an awesome day. This morning I happened to look outside and saw a city truck parked next to our house. They were checking out the trees (Jon had called them about the downed trees). Apparently, the property behind our fence and on the trail side is school property. The city guy talked to the school about removing the downed trees and the uprooted trees. It would be nice if we could get them to remove all the overgrowth of weeds, dead trees, and buckthorn. The city guy is also going to have the boom truck check out the huge trees that line the walkway and have limbs hanging over our house. These trees are on city property so he said they could trim them. I can't believe how well this turned out.

Jolynn and I had a home nurse stop by today too. My BP was 130/90. The lower number is not great, but is better considering I'm not resting a whole lot. Jolynn's check up was even better. The nurse weighed her in at 4lb 10.5oz! That's only .5 oz from her birth weight. I was so happy. Then the hard part - she had to take a vial of blood to test her bilirubin levels. Jolynn hates this part. Not so much the heel prick, but the squeezing of her foot to get the blood. The nurse said her input and output was good, and her increase in weight was great. They called us later with the results of the test - 10.6 (not sure what numbers all mean) which meant it is still in her system, but the level is not enough to alarm them. She has her first doc appointment on Wednesday.

As far as my weight, I don't know what I have lost officially because my appointment isn't until Friday. I decided to try on some shorts that I hadn't worn for a very long time, even prior to getting pregnant. They fit. I hope it continues.

Changes

While we were in the hospital there was a terrible storm. Lots of rain and straight line winds. Mike and Margaret were at our house painting the craft room. When they arrived the day after the storm they sent us a photo via phone of our one and only tree inside the fence in the backyard. Snapped off at the top and took out 4 other trees. It also landed on a section of the fence.

I had also scheduled to have Troy (contractor) install the sliding glass door in the kitchen. Didn't expect to be going into the hospital the same day he was supposed to be coming. So with the help of Mike and Jon staying home while I was on bed rest, Troy was still able to install the door.

When I was discharged from the hospital we went home to get more supplies for staying at the hospital. This is what we found.

Craft Night

First off - this was the most fun I have had in a long time. Second - I didn't even have to do anything! Everyone brought a project (or two or three) and a dish to eat. I even got Jon to make burgers on the grill. They were thinking, (I think they have done this before) even bringing extra tables. We had 3 set up in the living room and turned the dining room table and pulled out the extensions on each end. I can't wait for our next Craft Night!

Who knew I could fit all this in my living room!


Lauren and Naomi working on Lauren's table decor for her wedding reception.


Plenty of food, of course.


Erin updating her baby "books".


Katie making a Hooter Hider - couldn't finish because we don't have an iron.


Some of Lauren and Naomi's finished work.


Jodi made a princess tent for her play room out of sheets and a hula hoop.

A little credit

I have to give Jon some credit for all that he does. Everyone thinks he doesn't do anything around here because it was like pulling teeth to get him to do things when he lived at home. This week, on his two days off, he went to his grandpa's house and mowed the lawn then went to his parent's house and helped organize/clean the garage for the 4th of July party. Granted these are things he should probably help with anyway, but he didn't complain this time. Then yesterday I came home and he cut the front and back yard (again! before it grew so long we had hay), vacuumed, did the laundry, and made dinner.

I've been a little hard on him lately because we have been playing World of Warcraft again. He tends to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing this game. I was worried it would make him sleep all day and not take care of things around here. Guess he proved me wrong.

I love you honey. Thank you for all you have been doing around here and with the family.

Tent City 2010

My first Tent City pregnant. Everyone was soo excited. We used Mike and Margaret's camper. I don't think I could have done it without that. Polly was really good about me stepping over her 4-5 times during the night. She never budged - I'm sure she was just thinking "no need to get up, she's just going the bathroom...again".

We had a few issues with Polly growling and charging kids when they walked by. She always pounces and then backs off . I tried to get a couple kids to give her treats, but she wouldn't take them. It has worked great with Jodi's daughter Gracie. Gracie is not afraid of Polly and Polly is getting to the point where she knows Gracie is here to give her treats. So we have the 2 year old size okay; it's the 3rd-5th grade we need to work on.

No one let me do anything. I understood that I would not be hauling wood or chopping any wood. But I was surprised when they told me I couldn't help with making the community meals (no chopping potatoes). If I was sitting and chopping they were okay with that. Everyone was also very mindful of their second hand smoke. I was a bit "over-protective" in that I didn't want to use Deet. This caused me to miss out on a lot of the campfires because I couldn't stand the mosquitoes. It was nice to just go back to the camper, feel the breeze go through all 3 open windows and listen to the music from afar. I got a lot of needle point done.

This one is my favorite - Bumby and his doggies taking a nap.

See Facebook for pictures from this year and a few years back.

Deck Done?

Or so I thought...

Mike came over on two separate days to finish the deck pieces that the inspectors had issues with. One day was spent fixing the steps so they were all 6 1/4 inches - really, we measured them. The next day, him and Jon installed the hand rail. The inspector came by today...

IT DIDN'T PASS AGAIN!!

I'm not going to say anymore - I'm too upset. I'm ready to tell Brooklyn Park to bite me.

We didn't fix one of the items that was on the previous inspection record - making the stair stringers less than 12" apart. All we had to do was put some blocks between each to make the distance shorter. We fixed the railing, but they still don't approve of it. I don't know why they are being so picky.

It looks like a perfectly good railing to me.

Role Reversal

Yesterday Jon went with his grandpa and picked up two more shelves for in the basement. Our shelves were getting really cluttered so we needed to spread stuff out. I didn't expect to come home and find everything neat and tidy put away. I think someone is nesting...

MN Zoo Babies

Yesterday I went to the MN Zoo with Jodi and the girls, Carrie Atkinson and her family, and Jodi's brother Tony met us with his daughter Elara. We had a lot of fun. Time went by really fast. Before we knew it the were announcing that the zoo was closed. We were all taking photos so check out their blogs more more pics.

Jodi and Gracie looking at the sheep and lambs.

Carrie and Kylie also looking at the sheep and lambs.

Brianna Leigh - such a happy girl!

Gracie wanted to pet the moo cow, I had to give her a boost. I'm not great at the one arm holding a kid and angle photography.

We took a "train" back from the farm. Great Grandma Iris held Brianna.

I did take a few photos of some of the animals too.
The prairie dogs are always so cute.
The tigers make for great photos - plus they were my HS mascot!