My Golden Birthday

Today I turn 30. I still am not sure exactly how I feel about that. I feel sad at times and then I don't feel any different at times ( like most birthdays). I think the sad part is because I love big parties and I plan alot of parties and I didn't get anything together this year. I guess I am most bummed because we could have gone up north to the lake for a nice long relaxing weekend, but Dan is on call and can't go more than 30 miles from home. And I couldn't just pick up and leave for the entire weekend.

However my great pal Mindy rescued me. Mindy and Mike are going to join Dan and I for dinner and a movie. So at least I feel like I am going to have a little party if you will. Plus Mindy made a birthday pie. Made from the rhubarb in our yard:) I can't wait to try it...she said she would bring forks and plates in case we just can't wait until we get home to sample the Rhubarb cheese cake.

We have a babysitter all lined up for tonight, so it should be a good time! I am really looking forward to getting out for a night on the town:) Plus Dan and I are going golfing tomorrow and already have a babysitter lined up for that as well. SoI need to turn my frown upside down and have a great day and weekend. I think we are going to go to the fireworks here in town and the parade, so that should be fun!!! It will be a nice relaxing weekend at home!

Turning 30

Today I Remember my childhood:)

1. My Holly Hobbie birthday cake and my pink big wheel for my birthday present.
2. My surprise birthday at McDonalds. I remember seeing my cousin Ashley there and thinking that it was cool that we ran in to her on my birthday. I was totally surprised that the rest of my cousins and friends and family were there too.
3. Camping every summer with my mom, dad and 2 brothers
4. The tire swing and the Lilac bushes in our yard
5. Playing with my cousins in our pool and playing at my cousins in their pool.
6. Snowmobile rides with my brothers
7. Learning to ride my bike at my Grandma and Grandpa D.'s house
8. Family Reunions (they were always so much fun).
9. Fishing at my Grandma L.'s with my cousins
10. Swimming and tubing at my Grandma and Grandpa D.'s
11. The awsome rec room we had at our old house. It was huge. the only bummer about having a really big rec room is that you have to clean it every once in a while.
12. Learning to golf with Grandma and Grandpa D. (They actually built a Par 3 in their front yard, Grandpa sawed off a few golf clubs to teach me how to golf when I was about 6. I will remember him when I go golfing for my birthday tomorrow. What a great gift he gave me...the love of golf)
13. Going golfing with my mom over the years
14. T-ball (I got the first home run one year. I played for a team called Ace Hardware. I still remember it like it was yesterday. I ran to first base, then I started for 2nd base and they threw it to 1st base, etc. until I arrived home for a home run.
15. Playing on the back porch with my cats.
16. Playing on the back porch with my tape recorder. I loved singing songs and telling stories into that tape recorder.
17. My puppy "Angel" I remember playing with her in the farmers field next door. I built a little hideaway for us to hang out in.
18. My cat Pumpkin...she's the one I remember the most.
19. Getting my mouth washed out with soap:( It had to be done. Then again, maybe it was only threatened. The threat must have worked because I still remember it;)
20. Always having remodeling projects going in our house.
21. Riding back and forth to my brothers basketball games with my mom.
22. My brothers track meets, football games, basketball games, baseball games...
23. Going fishing and hunting with my dad.
24. Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa D.'s house...the thousands (literally) of presents
25. Christmas at Grandma L.'s house...the awsome food
26. Grandma L.'s Rhubarb Crisp (then discovering how to make it many years later, realizing that it was so easy to make...yet soooooooo good:)
27. Aunt Chris's Scotcharoos's (Rice Krispie treat with a layer of chocolate on the top...my favorite).
28. Learning how to make Grandma L.'s crab dip
29. My two cousins and I getting our ears pierced by my mom using an ice cube and a potato.
30. Going garage saling with my mom and Grandma D.

Wedding #2

Anne and Dennis

The Wedding

The wedding itself was back in May. A very small and quaint yet very beautiful ceremony. I played the role that I love to play so well...the wedding coordinator. Which meant that I was the go to person on the day of the wedding...the person that was not nervous or worried that a hair was out of place or a dress might not stay up or the candles might not get lit. Nope I was the person that when someone couldn't find something or needed something, I was right there to be at the bridal parties beck and call and I loved it.

Actually I am the wedding coordinator for our church. So that when there is a couple that doesn't typically go to our church or they choose to bring in a different pastor I am the one that is there to answer all their questions and to help run the rehersal. If I had the motivation and the capitol to do so I would start my own wedding consulting business, but for now I am content to just do a couple of weddings a year within our church.

The Cosmo Girls

The Beautiful Bride

The Reception

What a wonderful time the reception was. This took place just last weekend and we had such a good time. The food was incredible, the music was great and you couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. We were able to take Josiah with us to this reception and he had a great time as well. He just watched all the people, I think he was mezmorized by all the bright colors and all the kids running around:) He even took a good nap and went to bed when it was time. There was a slight fiasco when I realized that the batteries were dying in the monitors. But Patty saved the day and brought us batteries. It actually turns out that the only reason the monitor was beeping was because it was out of range not out of batteries, but better to be safe than sorry.

All decked out in our Hawaiin Garb!!

*Well blogger isn't letting me upload any more pictures at the moment. Hopefully I will be able to upload a few more because we got some really adorable pictures.

Wedding #1

Brandi and Kevin Get Married

The E. Lansing Yaya's: One more down, one to go!!

Rehersal Dinner

Night before the wedding
Toasting the bride

The Beautiful Bride The Reception

There were fake "Lion's" tatoos on all the tables and I made it my mission to make sure that they all had a home:) I didn't actually put this tatoo on my forehead in case any of you were wondering, but Dan put one around his neck:) To much fun!

This wedding has allowed me to achieve many milestones with Josiah. How you ask? For her first bacherlorette party, I discovered I could leave Josiah overnight and we would both survive:) And for her 2nd bacherlorette I left him with dad overnight without batting an eye. Yah, I missed him, but I did not have the anxiety I had the first time. And then with the wedding, I not only left him overnight with Grandma and Grandpa W., I left him for two nights in a row with them. At first I was nervous...but he is so good most of the time and sleeps so well through the night that I realized that I had nothing to worry about.
Everything worked out really well; Dan and I had a really great time at the wedding and Josiah had a good time with Grandma and Grandpa. However, when I got to the house on Sunday, he instantly became fussy and wanted to nurse (at least that is how I remember it). Oh yah, now it is coming back to me...I snuck up to his room where he was sleeping and I woke him up. Bad mom, I know. But I really needed a hug. I had just gotten into an minor car accident and I really needed to snuggle with him. Well I paid for that. You should never wake a sleeping baby. He was fussy for quite some time after that and all he wanted to do was nurse. Which was ok because it gave me time to settle down and hang out with my boy!

6 Month Photoshoot Pictures Finally

Yah, I have been trying to post these pictures for almost a week now and tonight was the first night I didn't get an error message:) So enjoy...they are absolutely precious!!

Memorial Day Weekend

We met our good friends Jeremiah and Kelly up in the UP for the long weekend. Neither one of us had met each others son. They are the ones that had Brayden in January. So they are only 6 weeks apart!! It will be so much fun as they get older and can start playing together. They were to cute together though. We put them on the floor and they pretty much just pushed at each others heads. They did do a fair amount of talking to each other though and I couldn't get Josiah to get his hands out of his mouth (because he was teething) to get a good picture of the two of them and they were both so wiggly. But we did get a few cute ones.

Jeremiah and Dan were best friends from high school...so it is really fun that they get to have children (boys no less) at the same time in their lives. We are going to have so much fun camping and what not as they boys grow up. But the funny thing is how much the boys look like their dads. Too cute!!

At some point in the weekend, another one of their friends from high school came over with their little boy who was born only 11 days after Josiah. So it was fun to see that they were doing the same things and were progressing at the same rate. They were both about the same size too. But what was even more fun was putting all three boys on the floor and watching them interact. They all took turns talking and paying attention to the boy talking...it was so commical! And they all had something to say!!

Josiah cut his second tooth while we up in the UP. We really havne't noticed much change in personality or any thing with the cutting fo the first teeth. We just pray that many more of his teeth will go as smoothly.

Grandma Julie even got to babysit for us, while the parents went out on the town. It was the first time that we had gone out without Josiah together since January...so it was really great to get out. And Grandma did great! Josiah heard me come in and woke up and wanted to be held, but other than that, she said they had a great evening. And so did we!!! We went out to dinner and a movie (X-Men...very good flick) and then dessert:)

All in all a great weekend!

6 Month Pictures

I just can't believe that my boy is 6 months old already! The time just goes so fast. Everyone tells you that it does, but until it happens to you, it is hard to believe. His 6 month check up went very well!! Everything checked out and he did very well for the shots!!

Weight: 18lbs12oz (Right around 50% in weight)

Height: 27 1/2 inches (Around 75% in height)

There have been so many 1st's in the last few weeks it is hard to remember off the top of my head what they have been...but I will try and fill you in.

He started getting up on all fours over Memorial Day weekend and as of last night, he is starting to army crawl. It is so crazy to see him getting to where he wants to go. A little bit scary and not really sure we are ready for this phase yet. This little guy is going to be in to everything. We bought him a walker and put it in the kitchen since there are no stairs leading off of the kitchen. Within no time at all he has figured out how to open cupboard doors and pull drawers open. How he knows to grab for the door knobs or drawer pulls, I have no idea, but thank goodnesst he walked prevents him from actually opening anything because we don't have all the baby proofing stuff done yet. If there is something he can get ahold of he will try and get it. And he doesn't want the toy that you put in front of him , he wants the bottle of shampoo that is just out of his reach. He is really developing a little personality and it is a very curious, very jumpy one:) He loves to jump...which makes it very difficult to hold him, as many of you know.

He is eating lots of foods now. He loves chicken and rice dinners...but the weird thing is that his poop smells like the dinners the next day. Very strange indeed:) He loves sweet potatoes, prunes (which seems strange, but he loves them), carrots, squash, almost all fruit....well actually he has pretty much liked everything we have given him except peas...but we are working on them!

I would love to post the pictures that my friend Christy did, but they are too large of files, so I am posting a picture that I took...still cute, but not nearly as good:)