DC Vacation

A week ago Friday the three of us headed to Scott & Jen Burch's home in DC for a fun-filled, busy mini vacation. The agenda for the 5 days we were there consisted of their baby Cameron's baptism, Zach's (our God Son) birthday party, Jen's birthday and the Warrior Dash. For those who aren't familiar with the Dash, its a 3.11 mile mud-race with a dozen or so obstacles along the way. The Baptism and Birthday's were all so wonderful to be a part of given how we typically aren't able to attend due to how far away we live from them. On top of that, I'm afraid Jen has created a monster in me in regards to these types of races. I'm now hooked and am going to be doing the Wisconsin Warrior Dash in about 3.5 months...and just a few days ago, I signed up for the Tough Mudder, which is a 10+ mile mud race with twice as many obstacles all of which are far more difficult to complete. I'm beyond hooked and plan on doing these every year for the foreseeable future.

Anyway, the trip was very busy from beginning to end, but we sure got quite a bit accomplished in such a short time. As for little miss Kate, she did wonderful with the travel, especially since it was her first time on a plane. Thanks again to Scott & Jen for opening your house up to all of us. We truly appreciate your hospitality.

1st Birthday Party Bash!

On May 8th, Kate had her first birthday party! The day was filled with family, friends, fun and more. We had a wonderful lunch set up for all to enjoy, tasty drinks and home-made "K" cupcakes for dessert.

Upon finishing our meals, we started the bubble making machine which Kate still isn't 100% sure about. After that, Kate opened up more gifts then we could have imagined. While "thank you" notes are all in the mail, we couldn't be more appreciative of how generous each and everyone of you was. Having people give as much as you all did shows just how lucky Kate and shelly & I are to have you in our lives. So, thank you again. Now, enjoy pictures of the day in the order they happened.

A Quick Picture Before the Guests Arrive
The Lunch
Kate & Mom Opening Gifts w/ Friend Anna Helping Out
Kate's First Birthday Cake
Kate Gets Ready To Eat
Aaaannnnd We're Off!
Weather Warms Up & Kate Gets Her First Sugar Crash

Happy Birthday Kate!

We want to extend a big Happy Birthday to Kate who, on Wednesday celebrated her first Birthday! It's so hard to believe it was already a year ago that she came into this world. On her Birthday we had the Weiland bunch over for dinner, gift opening and "Happy Birthday" singing. We're all very thankful for Shelly given that singing talent waived "bye-bye" to the Weiland's a long time ago.

After dinner, we preceded to open gifts. Shelly and I got Kate a personalized chair for her to lounge in given how much she loves to be comfortable. She's always sitting and laying against us, burying her head in pillows and blankets and just in general trying to find the most comfy positions. At first, she was a little unsure about what to do with her new chair, but now she's climbing on it and burying her head on the seat portion......essentially everything but sitting in it. :)

Kate also received a beautiful, homemade scrap book of her first year from Mimi and JoPa, as well as a hand-knitted birthday cake hat from Mimi.


Uncle Greg bought her an awesome Packers outfit that will be a perfect fit at the start of next season. It's got the "G" logo on it and underneath it says "Rookie".As for Ryan, we're a little nervous about getting his gift given the "smart" look on his face when talking about it. He'll be giving it to Kate tomorrow during her Birthday Party! We have family and friends coming from near and far to celebrate Kate's big day! We can't wait to see you all and we'll post another blog entry after it ends.

Finally, happy early Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! We all, so appreciate everything you do for us. Also, happy belated birthday to Unlce Ryan and upcoming to Auntie Dre, Uncle Greg, JoPa (my Dad), & Kari!

Here's some other pictures from Kate' s big day:

Kate Sporting Her "1" Onesie
Looking Good JoPa
Kate Sitting in Her New Chair

A Year Ago Today....

It's unreal to think about what I was doing a year ago today. As I look at the clock, I can easily recall walking the halls in the maternity ward at the hospital. While my contractions became more frequent, I was still certain that John and I were going to be heading home. Little did I know, an hour later I would be told that I was 8 centimeters dilated. In all honesty, I only remember two contractions - both of which came while I was laying down. For those of you that have had kidney stones, I can assure you that I felt that that pain was worse. So congrats to my dad, brother Greg, brother Jeff, Joe and Ryan on passing your little bundles of joy! On second thought, perhaps "joy" isn't the most appropriate word there.

Speaking of bundle of joy - I'm still in awe that John and I are parents to such a wonderful and beautiful girl. Prior to having her (and even being pregnant), people would always tell us that there was nothing like parenthood. They would continue by saying that they felt so much love for their child(ren) that it was simply unexplainable. To tell you the truth, I was worried that I wasn't going to share those strong feelings for my own child. However, holding her tonight and throughout this past year I can say that I get it. There is absolutely nothing like it.

Now join me in wishing Kate a happy birthday tomorrow! Three, two......