Christmas is almost here!

Well, it is almost here. Christmas. My favorite time of the year just gets more and more stressful as the years go by. As the list of people to buy for grows and the time to do it dwindles, I generally lose my mind. But, as luck would have it Auntie Nad came over and played for 4 hours today. I got my wrapping done. I only procrastinated on a few - waiting for more clever ideas to somehow jump into my head...but, some will definitely be disappointed again this year. Sorry in advance!

First things first...let's back up - way up! to the 8th of Nov when we took Heidi Fry out for her Bachelorette Party. Please enjoy the following: Heidi taking her first of many "I'm not taking shots" shots...She was purchasing them later in the night! She drank from a special "Ho Fo Sho" goblet all night and she was the Sho, that's Fo Sho! She and the gals sang a very special rendition of Amarillo by Morning...can you tell who was most excited to sing this?

She married Kyle, FINALLY, on Nov 14th. It was a beautiful ceremony. We were ALL in it, so it was a bit crazy, but fun. The girls were all dressed up with sassy hair and all. They had a blast at the dance and were very disappointed at the end of the night when they were too tired to know they were insane and had to go home. Here's one example of the meltdown.

Let's back up a little farther - Halloween. Macy was a ladybug princess and Jorey was the purple dragon. Macy was so jazzed about her costume, it made up for how un-jazzed Jorey was about hers. When I told her to smile for her first pic, she started flapping her arms like wings...dork! But, it was cute and hilarious.

Now, let's fast forward to current day. The day where I'm finally caught up with a couple of things and can update (since Halloween) on the blog. Recently, we've seen Jorey turn into a talking little lady. Some of her most entertaining things are:

Ce Ce - Macy

Cock-A-Loo - Cock a doodle doo

Bleep - Grape

Icky - Nuk

Blee - Blankie

I'm sure there are more, but why rack my brain on them!

Here's a fun video of her wearing her squeaky shoes that Orange Papa and Gramma got her. The first pair she wore made her cry. These just made her curious and prompted some stomping. And, here's a video of her trying her best to keep a piece of gum away from Natalie after raiding her purse. Quite the little sassafrass!

Macy is in love with Pink's song, "So What". She dances around the kitchen singing, "So What, I'm a Rock Star, Rock Star....Rock Star...So What". She's missing a few key words in the middle, but that's OK. I appreciate her passion for Pink's rockin' music.

As you saw on our Christmas card, we made a gingerbread house, here. Macy was and IS so proud of it, she can barely contain herself. A few weekends ago, my sisters and I made some X-mas cookies. It's the beginning of a wonderful tradition. And, it produced some extremely entertaining times. Macy used the rule of mom's younger days...Go big or go home. If you're not going to put 350 silver balls on each cookie, why bother?! You don't want anyone just eating those and not chipping a tooth...oh, no... pile it high! So, we caught this shot of some of her best.

I would like you to note the arms surrounding her work. "Hey world, these are mine and I want to make sure that you're aware of all of my splendor as I frame my masterpiece." She did also do that in the gingerbread house photo from the X-mas card. I. love. that.

About a week after cookie decorating, Ken had eaten all of the "plain and boring" cookies, so he ventured into Macy's collection. He commented on how beautiful it was and as she was discussing how she made it and why it was so awesome, all the while looking very pleased with herself, Ken ate the cookie and she was instantly devastated. She couldn't believe anyone could eat anything so beautiful...and those are for Santa. Luckily, Santa got his brace face off so he can eat those cookies this year. Dr. Rohrer would not be happy if I lopped off a bracket on an over-red-hotted cookie.

We did enjoy the 12-bars of X-mas on Friday night. I do have plenty of great shots from the eve. I'll have to try to get those up soon!

Ella Hope Hauschildt

I know I haven't entered anything for a long time and I hope to update on Halloween and the exciting wedding we celebrated last weekend, but sadly the first news I have to share is that Ella has passed on.

Here's an entry from their caring bridge site.
Our Lord showed us his mercy when he brought our sweet Pooh Bear home tonight at 9:45 pm. She is now singing and dancing with the angels as she so loved to do with us. She will forever be in our heart and on our mind.
A Butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam. And for brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world. But then it flies again and though we wish it could of stayed, we felt so lucky to have seen it. -unknown
Tonight I am thankful that my little princess is no longer in pain and is able to laugh, play, dance and sing like she was meant to.

Say a little prayer for Ella and her family as they try to get through this.

Use the Knockulars to find the boy deer

Well, the hunting season is officially here (sigh...). We've been very busy here at the Fry house, but that's been fun. Macy and Jorey got their flu shots yesterday. Jorey also got a few other immunizations and then had double ear infection. Dad had to take them for the first time to get shots and he didn't think that was the most fun activity. :) I was not sad that I wouldn't have to witness the tears.
The other day, Macy and I were building a big tower when she started talking "knockulars". Fortunately, I was able to capture all of her words of wisdom.
Click Here to see Macy explaining what Dad does out in the woods when stalking the deer!

Have a great week!

Runnin' in the rain...Runnin' in the rain!

First, in logging in to put this entry in, I noticed that I wrote that Macy had a dirty "BUT" from scooting off the slide. I don't know why I caught that immediately but would like to note that I'm fully aware of the correct spelling of "butt". (in case anyone was wondering)

Now onto some business...

Two weekends ago, Amy ran her little heart out at the Twin Cities Marathon. What a trooper. It poured the whole first hour and we even wanted to cancel our trip there, but knew that it was important to support her...especially if she had to run with soggy feet in the pouring rain. When we got there, it was pouring. We almost missed her. Ken asked, "What's she wearing?" and I started telling him what she said she'd wear and then she went flying past us. What a speed demon.

The girls enjoyed it. Jorey didn't want to sit still and Macy just loved using her Dora umbrella. She also thought running through the pouring rain was pretty fun.

Jorey just thought running around non-stop was pretty cool.

Granny Fry was trying to figure out why the photos were blurry...a mystery I hope was solved.

Then, this past weekend, we enjoyed Heidi's wedding shower. She's getting married Nov 14th and we're all in the wedding. It could be very interesting. :) At the shower, she had a lot of help from Piper, Mia, and Macy to open every gift.

A Dirty Bum, A Rat, and The Witch!

A couple weekends ago, we went to a new park. It was a little bit wet that morning and we got there pretty early because we just had to get out of the house. We were playing along and while I was helping Jorey play on one of the toys, Macy went down a straight, big slide. She flew down it so fast, she shot off the end and landed right on her butt. We laughed so hard. Then, she had a wet dirty but and gave me the ole booty shake for a picture.

She digs her Strawberry Shortcake shades. Jorey likes them, too, so it does create a conflict every now and then.
Last weekend, the girls hung at yellow Papa and Gramma's house while we went to a baseball game. We arrived home to Macy sitting out int he front yard with this git-up...that's her father's daughter, there.
Then, on Saturday this past weekend, we attended Pumpkin days out at John and Rhonda Kath's farm. We went with orange gramma. It was pretty cool. The girls got to see all sorts of "heeeeheeeheee" horses, "keey" kitties, "quack" ducks, and even went on a hay ride...pulled by "heeeeheeeheee" horses.
We hung out with Great Papa Eddie and Gramma Kay. There were also many other family members and friends out there.

But then, when we walked over for our photo opp with the witch, Jorey nearly had a heart attack. She was set on the witch, (Carol's) lap. Macy was unscathed by her witchy appearance, but Jorey hadn't even looked at her. When we set her up there, she slowly looked around, checked things out and then...she looked up...and...

she immediately screamed in fear. It's not appropriate to laugh when your children are scared half-to-death, but I did. :)

Then, we went to Orange Papa and Gramma's for some of Papa's freshly grown apples.

I want the pink one to rub my hair

Last night, Ken and I laughed so hard. First, we laughed because the New Kids On The Block are trying to come back. It's not funny that they're trying to come back and not funny that they're singing the songs they are because they do have some legitimate talent. However, it IS funny that they are implementing the silliest dance moves ever known to teeny-bopper boy-bands that I've ever seen. In spite of that, Joe Mcentire (sp?) made quite an impression on Macy. While watching, she said "I like the pink one."
"I want the pink one to touch my hair."
Ken continued to quiz her on what she was talking about. Then, he rubbed her hair and asked, "Do you want him to rub your hair like this?"
"Ya. I want the pink one to rub it like that." It was FUNNY and I have no idea where the hair rubbing came from, but it was good times.

Ken informed her that there will be no "hair rubbing" for at least 15 years. :)

Yum Yum Yum

So, last night, Jorey and I were reading one of her little Dora books. The book has just one picture per page with one word. The first page was cake. We opened the book, said "cake" and then she said, "yum, yum, yum" in a low little voice. It was funny.

Beefcakes

I found these shirts at Target in the little boys section and had to buy them. They make me laugh every time I look at them. I tried them on the girls just to be certain they would be keepers and when I said, "go over there and stand by the wall so I can take a picture", they went over there and both yelled "Cheese" at the same time. They're starting to play together and do many more things in unison...they're also starting to fight with each other...but, the playing is going great.

We're walking in the Waseca parade with Kory today. My cousin Kory Kath is running for state rep in Owatonna. As a person who generally dislikes politicians for the reasons that are obvious, this year, I'm finding myself very fond of many of them. I dislike the dirty, slandering races - ones where the opponents put out all sorts of bad against their opponents in hopes to get the votes. Maybe it's knowing that Kory is running for all the RIGHT reasons that has skewed my view...or, maybe it's that we really have some good people running right now and that I'll just have to choose the one that seems to BE the best politician for our country. I like to see someone that says, "I just want to help and I'm not in it for limelight it will likely bring me."

While reading the comments on every article published in Owatonna, I read comments from "Sonny". Sonny needs to get a life. I can pretty much guarantee that whoever this man is, he is the greatest sinner of all of us. He likely lives a life so out-of-line with Christianity that it's ridiculous, yet he's doing his best to try and promote a republican candidate because of all his hypocritical views. I certainly hope the voters of Owatonna can see what a great person Kory is and that, while I'm sure Tom's a great person too, how much energy does he really have for making a difference? How much does he really know about the struggles that young workers are facing every day? Is he in touch with business owners (not the rich and mighty), but the small or struggling? In my opinion, if you choose the best man, you choose your best candidate. You may not agree with every view, but you can know that a team player with a proven track record is going to go the extra mile to make some changes happen and do what's best for the majority. That is what we all need and that's what Kory will bring. He has already brought that to many, many organizations that he's been a part of. Go Kork!

Extreme sadness

I got a call today. This morning. Heidi called to talk to Macy and then let me know that Ella's tumor is back. It's back and it's bigger than it began. I can't really imagine the feelings that the family is having. This is terrible news for them and likely means a really awful next few months. When I consider this situation, my heart hurts. I can't really breathe, and I think of how I would handle something like this happening to me. Then, I eventually come to the realization that something like this can't happen to me because I simply wouldn't make it. Here is the post from Ella's site on Friday. Get your kleenex.
This is not an entry I ever wanted to write, but as I sit here with tears streaming down my face and my heart broken I am absolutely devasted to tell you that the tumor that invaded our little Ella HOPEs head 9 months ago is back and not only is it back it is bigger then it was at diagnosis. We have no idea where to turn now or what to do. All I know is I lost my first little girl 9 1/2 years ago and now I am facing loosing my pooh bear, the little girl who brought so much HOPE to my life on January 12, 2001. The little girl who never would hurt a fly, who loves to be goofy and make people laugh, the little girl that I love more than I love myself.
I can't even begin to understand this. Please pray, pray for Ella, pray for me to be able to keep it together so she is not scared or worried about me. Pray for Caden who has no way of understanding the magnitude of what he may face. Pray for peace and for strength for John and I as we make some difficult decisions. We have made it this far because of all the love and support that we have received from all of you. I truly believe that she is a miracle!

Then, from the site, I did remember little Mariah from an earlier post. What a mistake it was to go to that site and read more about this tragedy...but, for obvious reasons, this just made me want to hug my little goyles! ...and that's never a bad thing.
...We just take our kids for granted that they will be here forever and you’ll have all the time in the world to play, color and just take them all in. I believed she would get better and that I’d have that time. I believed that until we saw the MRI in June and all the symptoms that followed weekly. I knew in my heart that we needed to spend the summer loving her and making her comfortable. Even though we went to Chicago, we chose to do a less harsh chemo so that she could still enjoy life. I hope she did. I hope that she didn’t pass thinking I was doing something horrible to her and robbing her of time with her sister and daddy. She told us by her actions that she didn’t like going to Chicago. I just thought it was Mariah being Mariah and that she would eventually love to take the trips with mommy. I really did think she hated it and I feel awful we made her go through that. That is one of the things I feel guilty about. The other is that I always treated her still like a 4 yr old. I never spoiled her. If she was sassy I would punish by sending her to her room or taking away a toy. I don’t know if that was right or not. I thought by not treating her any different she wouldn’t feel any different. She still acted like a 4 yr old…but looking back it was because she felt awful from all the drugs we were giving her. But how do you balance that with another child looking on thinking that we like her little sister better than her. Mariah always told me I yelled too much. I wish I could have that time back and do it over. I wish I wouldn’t have yelled so much. I wish I would have spent more time coloring or playing on the floor with her with her Barbie dolls or Polly Pockets. I focused so much on searching for a cure that I didn’t realize all she needed was me to play with her. I hope she knows how much I miss those times we did play together or snuggle in bed…I just wish I would have had more time to do it more often...
A later post mentioned that she already got a sign from her lost little girl. She said that she got up and made her tea --and while stirring in the sugar, the bubbles made a heart. But, not a perfect heart because Mariah's hearts were always a little "off".
Sorry to share such sad news, but I wanted everyone to know about Ella - last time I mentioned her, it was to share some great news. And, if that information has the same effect on everyone else reading this, we'll all be giving some extra hugs and coloring some extra pictures in the weeks ahead.

Ketchup

Let's catch up, here. I've really been slacking a lot again. We've been keeping busy here in the house of insanity. For Macy's birthday, she received a Disney Magic Cool-Bake Oven. Well, a few weeks ago, we tried it out. The obvious benefit to this gadget is that there's no risk of getting burned. The downside is that you mix about 2 tbsp of dough, try to scrounge every scrap to the tiniest cups. Not the easiest task for a 3-year old or her clutsy mom. Then, you put ice in the tray below, put the cakes in, and wait for 12 minutes. Macy told me they were done approximately 365 times and kept telling me the timer beeped even though we had to have the talk about lying approximately 7 times - clearly, it didn't click, but it was pretty funny. She was just so excited that I'm sure the 12 minutes seemed like an eternity. When they were finally done, we frosted them and put sprinkles on (this part was most fun) and then she took a bite. I wish I would have taped the reaction because it was one to cherish. She wouldn't say they weren't good, but you could tell by her face that she didn't like it. She crumpled up her face and when I asked her if it was good, she slowly said, "y-e-e-e-s-s". Then, she set the cupcakes down and proceeded to eat just the frosting and the sprinkles off of them. When asked if we should save the cupcakes until the next morning, she thought not. I'm going to rate this toy a "10" in the fun department just deduct a few points for being edible. :)

Jorey continues to push the limits and just be "the boss" around here. She has affectionately been named "the bruiser" by orange gramma and yellow papa states, "That Jorey is something else." With an older sister that listened to rules and was scared to break them, we find ourselves in a state of confusion over our the bruiser. Here are a series of videos detailing what happens every night when she's done with dinner. The more you tell her no, the more she does it. In the last video, she's a dead ringer for Chucky. It's more than a little creapy.

• stage 1
• stage 2
• stage 3

Macy really was curious about a bra and how it works and what the deal is. Luckily, it's still too big on her. I figure I've got about 5 years before that's not the case so I best savor it. Jorey has grown very attached to her blanket that her great auntie buggie made for her. She needs to take her "B" with her wherever we go and it helps her fall asleep as soon as we hand it to her.

Today, we're off to Septemberfest at Dakota County Technical College. It's a free festival. I planned to take the girls yesterday, but with all the rain, we just didn't make it. Maybe the sun will grace us with it's presence today.

Macy's been having fun watching her new favorite movie The Waterhorse. I highly recommend this one. It was funny and sad and all the good stuff. Macy didn't get the ending so she kept asking me questions and I was crying and trying to answer them. The poor thing was so confused when I was crying during this wonderous film!

Thong, Tha Thong, Thong, Thong

"Mom, your underwear are up your butt."
"Yep - I know."
"Let's just pick them out."
"No, Macy, this is one of those times when we don't touch someone else in their privates. That's one of the places we don't touch."
"But, why do you have your underwear up there?"
"I just wear different ones."
"Why?"
"It's just better with most of my pants because my butt's bigger."
...while smirking...
"Mom, that looks funny..."
"I know..."
giggle, giggle, giggle...
"I don't think you should have them up your butt."
"These are valid concerns and I appreciate them, but I just have to wear these. What are you going to do at daycare today?"

That was the conversation had last Friday morning when she woke up at 5am and would not go to sleep with Ken. I swear, that kid can run on 6 hours of sleep and have no issues with it...stinker. I wish I were that way.

I do have plans to update the site and get all sorts of new stuff posted tomorrow, but since I went out and played glow golf last night, I need rest.

The Fog

"Mom, look at all that smoke over there and all over the place."
"Yep, that's fog."
"A frog?"
"No, fog. When it's cold out at night, the field gets kindof cold and moist and then when the sun comes out, it heats it up and then it creates fog."
"No it doesn't do that. It doesn't make a fog like that. It just is for bunnies and frogs and bunnies and chickens and puppies and bunnies and horseys and bunnies to go and get in and then they're happy."

"Oh..."

Once Bitten, not shy...and 'Geena to the wind

Boy, oh, boy...I still haven't caught up from the last couple weeks - we missed Kath Family Fun Weekend - (or week, this year). But, we'll get to that later...because there were so many other pressing issues. Leaps and Bounds has a Jaws-like predator on the loose. This photo is a few days after the actual episode, in which the child, we'll call him "demon seed" walked up to my baby and tried to take a bite out of her arm. Fortunately, she's a little beefcake and had enough flesh to handle the attack. On the daily report, it stated that the child walked up to her for no reason at all and bit her arm. Then, she received an Ice Pack and a lot of TLC.



Then, in sharp contrast, I went to pick the girls up on Friday and was told that Macy and 2 other little girls took their shorts and panties off on the playground. Now, I understand that it was 84 degrees and that sometimes certain anatomy can get a bit spicy...but this is absolutely not allowed...

Then, when the teacher asked Macy why she would do that, she received the following reply - "We were just going to take off our panties and then go play basketball."

Today, I was informed that they tried it again and were caught a bit sooner. So, she had to be threatened with the loss of gum and have the "privates" talk again.

Also new in the house, Jorey has found Reggie's treats. He's very thankful. She tried to eat a liver treat the other day. Then, she gave him about 10 large biscuits the other day before I caught her.



Jorey's vocabulary is growing. She now says: Mama, Daddy, Reggie, Up, Pop, Bite, Please, and we learned the other day when posing for this picture, "CHEESE!"

Right now, Macy and Daddy are in the midst of a great game of "make it, take it" in the living room and Macy is keeping Daddy in check with the rules. "If I make it, then It's still my turn!"

On Saturday, she also shared with me that she did not break the window blind in our car...and that Heepos did it! After a long discussion about lying and that she'll get in less trouble for not lying than she ever will by lying, she did fess up and share that Heepos was not the one that did it.

Then, on Sunday, her art easel(sp?) had to be taken away because she colored with the markers on her bed (blamed Jorey and I believed her - then, she got caught red handed the 2nd time), the wall, the dresser, the shelf, the small couch, and the doll clothes from my old cabbage patch kid...sheesh...So, the easel is now in the basement and I'm glad that I had purchased the Magic Erasers! They work wonders...took every last bit of marker off every surface. Sweet.

Unacceptable behavior

It's so silly...that I would say I haven't had time to blog... How can you not find time? My poor, neglected, first-born turned 3 and I missed it on the blog. Happy Birthday to Macy on Monday - she turned 3 years old. The other day, when asked how old she was, she did tell me, "I'm Forty-Nine." So, she's a little confused verbally. However, she can show me that she is 3.

We've had so many fun little activities in the past month. The first fantastic thing we did is get the girls' pictures taken. My friend Kelly took them - she started her own business a while back - Portraits On Broadway @ http://www.portraitsonbroadway.com/ and she did a fantastic job. We even got one great shot of the beloved HIPPOS (Macy's Hippo named Hippos)

During a sick day in the last month, Jorey was home alternating days with Macy. On one of her days home, she found a tampon, treasured it like it was absolutely the most wonderful find, and then sat on her chair watching baby einstein and holding it. I snapped this pic to show how sly she thought she was with it.

One night while I was working, Ken and Macy took the camera and got about 20 shots of their silly faces, but here are just a few. Crazy kids...

I know there have been many other wonderous events, but I can't think of them and need to go to bed. I'm off to Owatonna and Winona tomorrow...fun, fun, fun...

Can't wait for the Steele County Free Fair on Friday!

You're a smart girl

"Here, Mom. Here's my baby. Hippos is a baby"
"Here, can you hold him?"
"Hey, you can read him this big book"
"Macy, I'm trying to work and hold Hippos. Could I maybe work and hold Hippos and you read the story?"
"No."
"What do you mean, No?"
"You do it."
"You're a smart girl..."

Not that I'm denying it, but really!?

The girls and I are home on a sick day today...it's been very trying at times. Every time I try to pick-up the phone and talk to someone, there's a MAJOR catastrophe...one that requires much screaming and both of them being held...then, pinching and needing hugs independently.
Oh, the trials of the working mom.

At lunch, Macy added a special feature to the day by painting her milk cup with blue yogurt. She mushed up her cheese stick and chicken and made pasty paint with the yogurt. Thanks, dear...I needed one more thing to do today...

...i will survive...i will survive...why is that song in my head?

Happy 4th of July!

Excitement for this weekend started on Thursday when we went for a walk, came back, I was walking with Jorey across the back yard when I saw Macy ducked down by the slide. I went over to discover her - butt to the neighbor's house - peeing on the grass. We can't be bothered to go in the house when we have to go?! I think she's confused from the last day at the park where there was no potty and we peed in the grass by a tree - it took just long enough for Jorey to crawl through dog poop...yes - it was sweet. So, she peed on her shorts - we took them in and she walked to the front of the house in her undies - Adam (her new neighborhood crush) came over on his 4-wheeler and Jorey was holding onto it when it started slowly backing down the driveway - she slipped and fell and had a fat lip and blood gushing from her mouth. I had one crying and bloody and one doing a booty dance in her panties...it was pretty silly.

The excitement didn't stop there. Friday, we went down to the Blooming Prairie Parade to walk with Korky - we love to show our support for his quest to take over the world of politics. Of course, we got there with about 15 minutes to spare, but that's just our style. :) We went to Kork and Mitz's house after the parade to do some swimming (please note Norah's mighty 5-pound diaper - seriously...go Huggies!) - Also, please note her boots with diaper ensemble...it was really priceless. If you don't know who Norah is, she's Kork and Mitz's kid - they're expecting another in November. Have mercy!

Ken was getting Dive-bombed on Saturday - we had a swallow nest under the deck and he had to mow the whole yard with his tennis racquet. Little did he know that the neighbors across the street, Tara and Brian, were watching from their porch and laughing at him the entire time! I'm not fabricating when I tell you that he was shouting at the birds as they continued to swarm..."This is my house!" I was so proud.

We had a BBQ on Saturday and that was fun - many friends and family members were able to make it over and we were able to chat with a bunch of neighbors that we didn't know. So, it was a good time. I got to bed about 5 hours before Ken so I was feeling much better today. Now, though, exhaustion has set in and I must surrender.

Enjoy the week!

who IS the best friend

Macy has officially reached the sassy little girl stage. She's been telling all of us that she's our best friend and that we're her best friend.
At night, when I put her to bed, we'll say prayers and she'll whisper, "you're my best friend" as she snuggles deeper into the covers and smiles the biggest smile. How foolish of me to believe this fate would last...quickly, our 'best friend' status was removed the first time I told her not to do something. Yet, this best friend thing has really stuck and she squints up her nose as she says it. She was able to spend a night with Orange Gramma last weekend where she informed her that she was her best friend. Then, when she came home, she even told me "Gramma and I are best friends. You're not her best friend. I'm her best friend."
This morning at daycare, we went to put her picture in the "I'm here board". I asked where she wanted to put her pic because Maddie and Gracie both had their pics in there with slots next to them. She went back and forth for a couple minutes before stating that she was going to put it next to Gracie's (while whispering...) because we're best friends.
ha. I shake my head as I think of it. It's an amazing to watch her growing and discussing her most treasured friendships.
I hope to get some pics up, soon. There is much other news. Jorey is finally walking non-stop. She put on about 3 miles in the street tonight just walking to each neighbor and trying to get run over by one of the bikes or motorized cars flying down the road. :) --Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that our Sunday visit to the park resulted in Macy having to go potty, there was not a port-a-pot, we went behind a tree. I set Jorey down, helped Macy, looked up and found Jorey kicking her leg while doing the "bear walk". (note: we were at the dog park/playing park in rosemount so Reg could run) - she had crawled directly through a fairly fresh pile of dog crap - we luckily had a full pack of wipes to get it off her and were able to stay and go to Wal-Mart - hey, even with her dog-doody leg, she probably smelled better than I did (sans shower--why bother?!)

Well, I hope you're all having a great week. ttfn

A Birthday and a Wedding!

Well, it seems like it wasn't that long ago, but it was the 8th when we celebrated little Jorey Bear's 1st birthday. My porky pie is already 1 and we had the whole family over. Orange and Yellow Papa, All the aunties and uncles...even auntie Sara was able to make it. The only one we were missing was Kara...and that was just a little far to drive for the BBQ.

She got great presents from everyone (as always people were far too generous with the gifts), had her own cake, which she would only stick her finger in while looking at it like it was from outer space. We all thought she'd do some damage, though she is dainty about her bulkiness and she did NOT want cake all over her hands.

Macy and Dad found a frog in the back yard before the party started. His name was 'ribbit' and he was released back into the pond after the party.

Jorey continues to boycot the walking. She's really taking it to extremes now that we know and have seen her walk across the entire living room.

Macy seems to be the ticket. She likes to walk to her way more than she likes to walk to the rest of us. But, we know she'll get there when she's ready. I don't mind babying her for a little bit. She'll be up and running before long and won't want me to ever snuggle her again.

We walked in the Medford Parade with cousin Kory on Friday night. He's running for state representative and he had to rock the crowd. I have to say I almost teared up a couple times just with the whole idea of him going for what he wants and the sacrifice his family will make to get there. It seems strange to say this about someone who is older and many times (not always) wiser than me, but I'm so proud of him for just doing it. He looked like a natural out there shaking hands and waving to the crowd...I just hope that we have some wonderful results. I guess statistics show that only 10% of people will win the first time they run for office. So, that makes the odds even less - Democrats aren't often voted for in that area...but if anyone can do it, it's Korky. Here are some photos of the event. One good thing I know is that we don't need to be there right on time next parade (good thing for our family of chronic tardiness.)

Well, we prepare for another busy week, but I get to golf on Friday at the Peacock Open - the Wendy Jans-Huxford memorial golf tournament at work. Natalie, Nina, Molly and I are a team. We're sure to take home a prize.

And, the jazzy info you've all been waiting for...we need to give a kick and a yell for Aunt Heidi and Kyle. That old dog "finally did it" (as it was put to me by Heidi herself). He proposed and she said YES! So, we have another wedding. The date is set - November 14th, 2008. So, hopefully, Macy and Jorey will have a cousin in October of 2009. (give or take a couple weeks)