oh my goodness...

oh my goodness: well, it is official...we have sold our house in dassel. We are excited about the news, but apprehensive since we do not have a house to move in to. My parents have graciously opened their home to us. Unless we find a house within the next 3 weeks, we will be living with my parents until then. We are frantically trying to figure out what to do with all our "stuff". It is surprising how much you accumulate in only 5 years! Keep us in your thoughts as we blindly jump ahead into our next adventure...

i can't drive 55...

i can't drive 55: today livia, bobby, and i went to the como zoo. We had a nice day filled with many new adventures. First, we visited the newly remodeled zoo. Livi loved the giraffes, while Bobby and I also enjoyed the gorillas. Those things are huge! Then, we had a picnic in the park. Delicious! Lastly, we all ventured into the "Como Town" carnival. Livi had a great time trying out the rides. As you can see, she had no problems riding by herself (even though Bobby and I were a little apprehensive).

After we arrived back home from the zoo, we spent the day playing in the kiddy pool and sprinkler. It was a memorable day for all of us! :)

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

happy father's day: bobby, livi, and i went to hutchinson this afternoon for the "water carnival parade". This was Livia's first parade, and she definitely enjoyed herself! We woke her up from her nap, reluctantly, so we could make most of the parade. As soon as we arrived, Livi got into the "swing of things". She saw the candy flying and her eyes lit up. Later, we began waving at all the "pretty girls" (visiting royalty), waiting for the "drums" (marching bands), and watching for horses. We all had a wonderful day, despite the sweltering heat!

on the mend...

on the mend: well, 2 doctor visits and 1 trip to the e.r. later, I think livia is finally getting better. The doctors seem to think she had an allergic reaction to the Children's Motrin we had given her, but later we found out she also had a bacterial infection. We are now giving her antibiotics for the infection and steroids for the rash. Mix in some Benadryl and Tylenol, and she is a walking pharmacy! Livi has been such a trooper. When she was getting her blood drawn from her arm in the E.R., she sat so nicely and didn't even cry. I think she did better than I could have done! Hopefully Livi will be on the mend this week. It has been nice to have the week off to spend with her, even if she is sick. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We need some normalcy, soon!


P.S. As you can see in the picture above, Livia is getting back to her "silly self". I found her sitting in Copper's food tray smiling tonight. When I took her picture she said "Cheeseburger!"

splish, splash...

splish, splash: livia and i spent time outside yesterday enjoying the sunshine. The water in the pool was cool, but it did not take long to get used to the temperature. We had a nice time just mommy and Livia playing in the water. I am looking forward to more days like that this summer!

happy birthday, livia!

happy birthday, livia: livia celebrated her birthday with family and friends on monday. We had a nice get-together at my parents' house in Hutchinson. It was enjoyable to see Livia's face light up with excitement as we filled the birthday balloons. She was running around the house yelling, "Birfday party! Birfday party! Yeah!" What a sweetheart.

Today Livi celebrated at daycare with her little friends and daycare family, the Koepkes. She had another wonderful celebration. It was pretty low key at home this evening with Livi's favorite meal, a birthday cupcake, and presents.

As I am writing this I am thinking about where I was just 2 years ago at this time. At 9:04pm I was looking at the clock wondering, "will this baby ever come out?" I started pushing at 8:30pm and Livia wasn't born until 10:31pm. It was a difficult task bringing her into this world, but we are so blessed to have her in our lives! Happy Birthday, Livia!

sink or float- I loved grandpa's boat!

sink or float: daddy, livia, and grandpa went out fishing on sunday afternoon. Grandma and I had a bridal shower for Rachael Schaffer in the afternoon so the boys decided it would be a great day to take Livia out fishing for the first time. The day was perfect for a boat ride- all sun and hardly any wind. Livia said "Grandpa's boat fun", and daddy told me that Livi also enjoyed playing with the meal worms. The only downfall was that the boys and Livia didn't catch any fish. Oh well, there are still 91 days left of summer to try...