Bump Update

Thought many of you would be interested in how Baby Doughnut is growing these days...he or she is set to make a debut in about a month!

In the picture, Missy is rockin' out to the unforgettable 80's ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". No soothing Baby Einstein lullabies for this kid; just a little Guns n Roses, Skid Row and Motley Crue.

We can't wait to meet you, Baby Schneller.
xo

Happy 4th of July

Well, the year is already halfway over! Tomorrow the four of us are heading out of town - the girls and I will be visiting our family in South Dakota for the week, and Michael will be embarking on his 4th or 5th...or is it the 6th annual Insane Golf Tour through Montana. He and Uncle Nic will be playing something like 13 rounds of golf at about as many different courses in 7 days. Sophia, Sasha and I, on the other hand, will be playing no golf...however, we get to ride the 1880 Train in Hill City, SD with all of the cousins, Honey, Papa Joe and Mary. We also get to visit Mount Rushmore for the July 3rd celebration. My 10 year class reunion is happening while we're visiting, too. I'm excited to see all of my old classmates! The week should be really fun.

We've been having a great summer so far, and we hope everyone else is, too. Despite the Yankees going 0-3 against the Rox, we had a blast during my parents visit to Denver. Michael and I even snuck away for a night in the mountains at an awesome little resort called Gold Lake! We had a cute little cabin, spent some time in the hillside hot pools by the lake, played bocce ball and horse shoes, and just relaxed without the pitter patter of little feet. The time away was great - we hadn't been away together since before Sophia was born...

Last night Michael was doing his back exercises in the basement, and Sophia decided to join him with her own "equipment" - a baby blanket for yoga mat, and a small purple ball for her exercise ball....she did a great job doing all of the stretches, and I had a good laugh watching them together. The girls really love their daddy.



Sasha is a full-blown walker now. She decided to really start walking on Monday. We got some great video footage the other night of the two girls chasing each other around the kitchen island. They were both letting out the best belly laughs....it really is fun watching them play together. Makes a good argument for having more...but not yet. :-)

Happy 4th of July to you all!! HOOTIE HOO! (that is shout out to my good buddy Marita)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all you dads! I'd especially like to send love to not only Michael, but also Papa Jim, Papa Tony, Papa Joe and Papa Wendy! Big hugs to all of you.

We have been enjoying the beautiful HOT weather in Denver lately. The girls and I have become regulars at the pool, and they both love the water. It is 95 degrees here today, so we'll probably head there for bit this afternoon when the girls wake up from their naps. Michael is at the horse races today with some other dads from the neighborhood. Hopefully he'll come home with some winnings...Mama needs some new shoes.

Yesterday Michael and Sasha went out running errands together, and they came home with an early birthday present for Sophia - a new set of REAL golf clubs! Quite a step up from her old plastic Snoopy set! She is VERY excited about them...and Michael too. I think we'll head to the range tonight, so she can attempt to hit a couple of balls. We'll see how that goes!!! Pictured below is the Father/Daughter golf club arrangement...displayed by Sasha.

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer so far. We're excited for my mom, dad and Edie to be coming to town this week for the Yankees vs. Rockies games!!! GOOOOOOOO YANKEES!

xoxo

And....she's off!

Sasha started walking this week!! Although it isn't her preferred method of travel, she can do it...and she is actually pretty good at it. I think it will probably be another couple of weeks until she chooses to walk on her own, rather than crawling or cruising from one piece of furniture to the next.

This morning the four of us made a fun trip to the zoo. We got there just after opening, so it wasn't crowded, and many of the animals were out and about eating their breakfast. Sophia told us today that the buffalo are her favorite. That's a new and interesting choice...maybe because of her South Dakota and Montana roots???

We are hoping to make it to the pool this afternoon, although it is starting to get breezy and cool...and we all know what a big wuss I am.

Big week of birthdays -- Happy Birthday to Mary, Jerry, Papa Jim and Granny Cathie!

See ya'll soon!

Happy Birthday, Sasha Kay!

Yesterday, May 25th, was Sasha's first birthday. Nothing says Happy Birthday better than 4 shots in the legs. That's right....we scheduled Sasha's 12 month well-baby exam for yesterday. Even after being through this with Sophia, I still HATE it when they have to get shots. She took them like a champ, and we were able to go out for dinner afterwards to celebrate her being 1. Tonight we're going to let her dive into the birthday cake that Sophia baked for her. Kids birthdays are so much fun!

Not much else new to report. Daddy took Sophia to see Shrek the Third today. I think he might have been more excited about it than she was. I'm sure they are having fun...and I'm also sure Sophia is getting all of the treats an almost 3 yr. old could dream of.

We are laying low this weekend. My 10K is Monday morning, and that is only major event we have planned. We hope you all enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend, too. We wish we could have joined Madelaine & Co. in the Great Strides Walk this weekend in South Dakota. Hopefully someone will send me some pictures (hint, hint...Mary?? Edie?? Laurie??)

Love to you all.

Back in town

Hi everyone!!!
We are back home after a week in South Dakota!! What a fun trip...we were able to spend so much time with grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and cousins! I know the girls had a blast. Sophia keeps asking if we're going to go back to South Dakota tomorrow. I don't think she realizes that doing that would require her to sit in her carseat for another 6 hrs.

Sasha had a great check-up with the neurosurgeon's clinic before we left. The Nurse Practioner is very happy with her progress and with the way her incision is healing. She told us that we need to wait a full year from the time of surgery until we will know what her head and face shape will be. Currently, her right eye is still a bit smaller than her left eye, and we asked the NP if that is permanent. She told us that since her right eye has had that shape for almost her full first year since birth, it won't just automatically take a "normal" shape immediately after surgery. Her head needs time to grow into the new space the surgery created. Some good advice she gave us is to take a picture of Sasha once a month and compare how her face is changing. Since we see her everyday, the changes will not be obvious to us. Comparing pictures taken one month apart will show us more significant changes.

While were in SD, Sasha learned a few things.... She learned how to say "papa" - "BA-BA"; how to sign dog and what a dog says (thanks to Dudley); she learned what a monkey says; and she also took a couple of steps. We're not sure if she'll actually walk soon....but she is doing all of the things a 1 year old should be doing!

Sophia is doing great, too. She hasn't stopped pushing her new baby (Baby Madelaine) and stroller around since we got home! She has also named Sasha's new baby "Baby Oven" and Missy's real baby "Shirt-Pants". For those who don't know, she named the baby at Grandma Cathie's house "Couchies". I used to think she might be a Mensa, but now I'm having second thoughts.....

OH, and special thanks to Grandma Sweetie, Papa Wendy, Grandma Honey, Papa Joe and Aunt Mary for making the special trip down to Denver after Edie's graduation!! It was fun having you here.

TGIF

This week has flown by!! The girls are both doing fantastic. Sasha has been a champ - she is sleeping great, babbling, chasing Sophia around like never before, and she is completely off all pain meds. Her head still has a bit of swelling; mostly around her right eye where they did most of the reconstuctive work. We have a check-up today with the the neurosurgery clinic to make sure her incision is doing well (it looks good to us) and to ask any post-op questions we have.

Sophia had her program at school this week. The kids sang all of the songs they have learned throughout the year. Sophia didn't really sing...she just kind of sat and stared at all of the parents watching. That is actually what most of the kids from her class did, so maybe it is an age thing?? Everytime she saw Michael in the crowd she would brighten up and point at him...I'm so glad he was able to come and watch.

CONGRATULATIONS to Edie on graduating from college!!! We're heading to Fort Collins tonight, and graduation is bright and early tomorrow morning. Nice work, Edie....

The picture above is of Sophia and her good buddy Aidan...playing doctor. I couldn't miss the photo op.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!