Christmas Time

We had an eventful Christmas this year. We (Jason, Sarah, and Kim) went down to Iowa the weekend before Christmas to celebrate with my grandpa. My aunt and uncle were able to join us, as well. The weather was terrible, but we enjoyed the cozy hospitality Mom and Dad always show. We played some dominoes and ate a lot of great food.

Sarah, Jason, and I traveled back on Sunday in pretty bad weather conditions. I think we hit it at the right time since those that traveled before us weren't so lucky. We must've seen 50 cars/semis off the road between Mom and Dad's and the Mississippi River on I-80. Needless to say, we were very thankful to get home. We spent Christmas Eve with Jason's family. Meghan, Bob, and Sean were up and Ann and Ron hosted a lovely dinner. Their house was decorated so nicely and it was a wonderful night with family. It was fun to see Sarah and Sean together. I'm holding Sean in the video. Try and catch his dimples as you watch. He's showing more and more personality and makes us smile.We went to Christmas Eve service where Sarah made me work very hard to keep her entertained. It was much different this year compared to last Christmas where she slept on Aunt Kim's chest during the entire church service. Mom, Dad, and Kim all traveled to Wisconsin together on Christmas day. We had another enjoyable day with family. Sarah was spoiled rotten by both sets of grandparents and her aunts and uncles. This girl has so many toys. You can see her playing with her new kitchen set in one of the pictures above.

Mom and Dad watched Sarah for a couple of days while Jason and I went to the Fox Hills Resort in Mishicot,WI. Jason won a free stay there for the music teacher of the year award awhile back. We both got 1-hour massages and did a lot of relaxing. It was a nice getaway but we were anxious to get home to see Sarah. She had a lot of fun spending time with my folks. It's nice they had the opportunity to spend that one-on-one time with her. Cleo got into town the day we returned from the resort, so we had a nice dinner at the house and did some more family bonding with our brother-in-law to be. Plans are in full-force for the Jamaica wedding.

Since then, we've been to dinner at the Campbell house, trying to get over colds and working to catch up on some projects around the house. Jason had a New Year's gig, so I watched a movie after Sarah went to sleep. A pretty low-key night. Jason doesn't go back to school until Thursday. It's been wonderful having him around more and to watch him play with Sarah. She'll really miss him when he goes back to school.

As we head into 2008 I'm in awe of how lucky we truly are. I think of those folks that are struggling to get by, sick, serving in military away from family, or unhappy people, in general, and feel grateful for all the blessings we have. We have food on the table, a roof over our heads, running water, etc., etc. On top of those basic needs, we have our faith, love of family and friends, and joy in our life. Now that's not to say our life is perfect every day...I think anyone would be lying if they didn't admit that. Nonetheless, we have so much and nothing to complain about.

I pray that 2008 brings you good health, compassion for others, love and joy! Don't forget to laugh and find humor in yourself. Life is just too short!

Sarah Walking

While she's had a couple steps followed by a fall to the rear here and there, we finally captured her walking across the living room on video last night. Since then, she's been trying to walk more often. Watch out world, here she comes! You can hear in the video that I was just a little excited. Ha! :)

December 13

Sarah is busy playing with some of her birthday toys so I thought I'd write a quick post.

I still can't believe she's one already. I marvel at how she changes each day and is interested in every new object or sight. She has her strong opinions about food and not liking to sit still for her diaper change, but otherwise, she's a pretty agreeable child.

I love that she's patting us on the back when giving hugs and that she rubs her forehead back and forth when giving "eskimo kisses" (I know...probably not politically correct, right?). I also love that she just wants to turn the pages of the books instead of letting us read what's on the page. I love how she pats her hand on the chair to signal Sammy (our dog) to come up and sit by us as we cuddle and read. I love how she waves to everyone she sees and seems to be a "people person". I love how peaceful she looks as she sleeps in her crib. I love her giggle. Basically, I love everything about her...even when the days are long and I haven't had a break. I've also realized how I respect working moms who are balancing so many balls in the air at once. Although, I've also realized how important it is for stay-at-home moms to have something in their life that's just their own. I'm working on that. I'm lucky to have a couple of play groups, a music class, and library group to get us out of the house around other people.

Jason has kept busy getting ready for upcoming concerts. He has the Sacred Music Concert this Sunday and his regular band concert on Monday night. He's playing with the Manhattan Transfer vocal jazz group tonight at Potowotomi Casino. He continues to play in the All Star Superband big band on Thursday night's at Long Wong's in Milwaukee. Those performing opportunities keep him involved with his passion for playing his horn. His biggest playing highlight this year was playing with Josh Groban. He played a concert here in Milwaukee and one in Green Bay. He said Josh Groban is the "real deal", a true musician, and nice guy. Jason's also attending the Midwest Clinic in Chicago this year. He had to miss it last year since Sarah was a newborn. I have to say I'm a bit jealous since I love that convention, as well. It's always good to go and refuel with some top-notch performances and get ideas from fellow directors.

I'm putting my name into the Elmbrook District to teach some private lessons after the new year. It won't hurt to have some extra cash and it will keep my "foot in the door", so to speak.

Despite the snowstorm, we had a fun 1st birthday celebration for Sarah. Meghan, Bob, and Sean couldn't make it due to the weather, but they came up this past weekend for an afternoon. It was great to see them. Sean is really starting to show more personality by jabbering and making some fun facial expression. You could tell he was trying to talk to Sarah. It was the first time they really took interest in one another. It will be so much fun to watch them grow up together.

Kim and Cleo came by while we were hanging out with the Gillete side of the family last Saturday. They're busy making plans for their Jamaican wedding on May 31st. We haven't decided for sure whether or not Sarah is coming along. I did pick up a passport application for her today while I was at the post office. :)

I better go start my Christmas cards. That's enough rambling for now.

Sarah with Santa

We went to visit Santa Claus today. She looked at him very inquisitively and just wasn't too sure what to think of him as you can see.

Here's a video from Thanksgiving weekend when Sarah's Great-Grandpa Whitehead gave her the TMX Elmo for her birthday. Aunt Kim can be heard scolding our dog, Sammy, who was having "issues" with Elmo.

Sarah's 1st BirthdayCake

Sarah eating her first birthday cake

Sarah's Halloween Sing-Along

I think I just figured out how to post video on the blog. This video is from the Halloween Sing-Along at the Brookfield library. Now that I've figured out the uploading and posting steps, I'll try to post video more often.

Jason finishes the musical tonight. Woo-hoo. I'd like to say we "get him back" now, but those with band director backgrounds know that isn't the case. He's performing with the Waukesha Area Symphonic Band next week Tuesday and rehearses with them on Monday. He's playing a piece written by our high school band director, Rick Kirby,to memorialize Rick's former student, Brandon Atherton. Brandon was the student teacher killed on the Chippewa Falls H.S. Marching Band bus a couple of years ago. He was a saxophone player so Rick asked Jason to play the saxophone solo.

Parent teacher conferences and gigs follow the rest of the week. I really have respect for single parents who also have to work full-time. Our busy weeks come and go, but single parents don't get a break. We're looking forward to Thanksgiving break to head down to Iowa for some quality family time.

Sarah has had a somewhat fussy week. She's discovered a high-pitch scream/whine that she uses when she's happy, curious, mad, frustrated....almost all of the time. I'm not sure if it's teething, voice exploration, or if she was missing Jason. Whatever it was, she was quite the "little squirt". She's normally a pretty agreeable child, but the determined toddler has definitely emerged.

If you all could say a prayer for Mark and Beth (friends of friends) who found out their 20-week old son had no kidneys or bladder. They induced labor and he had already passed away before the delivery. They got to hold him and spend some time with him. Please pray that they are surrounded in comfort and peace as they grieve their loss. It seems I've already known too many people that have had this specific heartache.

It makes you want to hug your loved ones even tighter.

My sister is engaged!

We received very exciting news Wednesday evening that my sister and her boyfriend, Cleo, were engaged. His surprise, romantic proposal began by picking her up outside her office building in a limo, holding a dozen red roses. He had the limo take them to the art museum where they first met at a convention social event when he was in town from Richmond, VA. He got down on his knee and asked her to be his wife. (Awwwwwww) Champagne was waiting for them in the limo as they called to tell their friends and family. Kim thought he was coming into town on Friday, but he totally caught her off-guard by showing up on Wednesday. It was perfect since she prefers to know what's going on, and she had no idea. We were able to toast the happy couple Friday night when they came over for dinner.

They plan to have a destination wedding to Jamaica and are now starting to make those plans. We're very happy for them and look forward to being a part their lives for years to come. This does mean Kim will be moving to Richmond sometime in the near future. I haven't started dealing with that, yet, since we will all miss her terribly. Knowing that she's happy and starting her life with the man she loves will make that move bearable. Her ring is absolutely beautiful and I know she'll be a gorgeous bride. Congratulations Kim and Cleo! We love you!

Halloween

Halloween was a fun event for us this year. We took Sarah to a local pumpkin patch. She was a bit tired so she didn't get too excited. It was still fun to stand her up next to the big pumpkins and watch her take it all in. I dressed her up as a pumpkin for a library sing-along and to answer the doors for trick-or-treaters. She was a trooper and didn't seem to mind the costume and picture-taking. She's also had fun playing in the bazillion leaves we have in our yard. Jason is busy rehearsing for the musical which culminates with performances this coming weekend. He also got new glasses which gives him a "hipper" look. He got the thumbs up from his students who tend to be his fashion critics. I'll try to get a picture of him and post it on the blog.

Sarah's 11 months old today

Sarah is 11 months old today. I can hardly believe she's almost one already! Since our last post, Sarah and I traveled to Iowa and spent some quality time with Mom and Dad. They eat up every moment they can spend with her and she loves being with them. We missed having Jason along, but it was still a good visit. I'll never forget the laugh-fest between Sarah and my grandpa. He was over for lunch and Sarah started doing her famous giggle (it's pretty unique...it has a chainsaw effect). She would laugh and he'd laugh back at her. He'd start eating his meal, but she still wanted his attention so she's laugh and look right at him until he turned back and laughed again. It went on for quite a long time and it was a "pure joy" experience for all of us.

We left Mom and Dad's early last Sunday morning to drive to Illinois to attend our nephew, Sean's baptism. He's the one in the exersaucer up above. He was an angel at his baptism and was quite mesmerized with the baptism font since it was part of a waterfall-like structure. Meghan had her wedding dress made into a baptism gown so it was very fancy and beautiful. Bob has a big family and Sarah loved being around all of the activity when everyone went back to Bob and Meghan's for food and cake. She literally fell asleep once Jason put the van in drive as we left their house to return home. Good times.

We went to a pumpkin patch today but Sarah wasn't too interested. She liked the pumpkins, but I think she was a bit tired. We were going to go to the zoo after her afternoon nap but she ended up taking a 2 1/2 hour nap. Jason was pretty disappointed but he's slowly but surely getting over it. :) Sarah and I are going to the library tomorrow for a costume party/sing-along/costume parade. We may meet he friends, Maya and Drew Edmond up there, too.

Laundry is calling me so I better quit for tonight. Adios!

October 15

Here are some of Sarah's 10 month pictures (what were supposed to be her 9 month pictures). The first two pictures capture her love of pointing. She climbed up the stairs for the first time today. She didn't seem to notice the accomplishment since her main focus was getting to one of our phones that happened to be on one of the stairs.

There's not too much else to report today. We had a nice weekend since Jason didn't have to rehearse for the musical. He got a lot of yard work done and we had some quality family time together. I'll head to Iowa this week to see my parents and meet Jason at our newphew's baptism in Illinois. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post next time.

Until then, remember to live simply so others may simply live.

End of July through mid-October

Well...once again, I've gone way too long in between posts. No excuses except that Sarah is keeping me on the run and I don't take the time. I was also having trouble uploading pictures and finally figured it out a couple of days ago. I think I'll just give the highlights month by month since my last post.



End of July

We visited Iowa a second time and started out the trip with a reunion of the "Centerville Music Gang, (plus Bette and David :)), in Iowa City. The Pringle Family hosted a lovely lunch at their house and we did our fair share of eating. We all drove to the Coralville Reservoir to go boating on the Pringle boat, play volleyball, and do some more eating. The picture of Sarah in a life jacket was on Pringles' boat. She was so uncomfortable in the life jacket. We were all relieved when she fell asleep. :) It was great to see everyone and we're always thankful that we're able to get together and catch up on one another's lives. The visit is never short on laughs. We stayed with Mom and Dad and had some more quality time with them in Williamsburg. We traveled up to Manchester, IA to visit with my cousin, Scott and his family since they were up from Houston visiting my aunt and uncle. Again, more great food. We also did some swimming in the neighbor's beautiful indoor pool. It was wonderful to see them and share some family time. The next day my whole family traveled down to Creston, IA for the Eischen reunion (my Grandma Whitehead's side). It was the last time we stayed in Grandpa and Grandpa's house and we shared a lot of "Grandma memories" so it was definitely a sentimental weekend.

August
When August arrived, Jason's wheels start turning fast as he prepared for marching band camp and the upcoming school year. We had a combined birthday party for he and his dad so Meghan, Bob, and Sean came up for the day. My mother-in-law made one of her special homemade cakes and we enjoyed the visit. I surprised Jason with a surprise 35th birthday party shortly after his birthday. The cake was adorable (pictured above) since I had a picture of Jason and Sarah scanned into the frosting. It was a fun night shared with really good friends, food, and laughs. We laughed especially hard when we pulled out the videotape of Jason's hypnosis at Project Graduation in 1990. It was hilarious!

We had another family birthday celebration down in Illinois for Jason's cousin's son, Gabe who turned one. It was fun to see Gabe, Sarah, and Sean all in one place. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay too long since we had a previously scheduled get-together with our church small group. It was a busy day of driving, but definitely well worth it!

Our friends, Kim and Paul Budde, welcomed their new baby boy, Daniel Paul, into the world in August, as well. It's boy #4 and he's just as adorable as the other 3! I admire Kim and Paul so much that they're able to keep all the balls in the air with Kim's demanding administrative position and Paul's teaching schedule (and fishing :) plus raising 4 wonderful boys. I tried cutting and pasting a picture from Paul's new website, but it didn't work. Congratulations to the Budde family!

Jason's marching band camp went very well. It's always interesting to see what personality the band takes on once the graduating seniors leave. He's lucky to have kids "step up to the plate" and dive right in. We went down to Iowa....again...:)...over Labor Day weekend. We were able to get together with my cousin, Val and her family who live in the D.C. area. Their daughter, Aida,like the opera (pictured above with Sarah, Kim, and Val), was born a couple weeks after Sarah so it was wonderful to get them together for the first time and see them interact. Of course, it was wonderful to see Val, Garry, Cassidy, and Aunt Jan and Uncle Wayne, too. It was a great visit and we're always so appreciative of the time we can spend with them.

September
School got off to a good start for Jason after returning from Iowa. Being home full-time with Sarah has been a gift. I'm not regretting the decision at all. I think staying home last year for medical and child rearing leave made it easier this year. We're very fortunate to have the means to make it work.

More babies entered the world in September. Our good friends, Andrea and Rich Warp, welcomed their son, Bennett Matthew, into the world. There's a picture of Bennett, Sarah, and I up above. Andrea and I (and are families) are participating in the Young Families group at church every 3rd Sunday and the Mom's bible study on Thursdays. We're looking forward to watching the two grow up together. She and Rich have photographed Sarah for her newborn, 6 month, and 10 month (it was supposed to 9 month pictures, but I spaced out) pictures and are wonderful photographers.

My girlfriend, Serena (she was one of my bridesmaids and dear friend that I met in Centerville for those of you who need a frame of reference) and her husband, Kenny, welcomed their daughter, Michaela Kathleen into the world in September, as well. She was actually born on her due date. How often do you hear that? Mom and baby are doing well . There's a picture of Michaela above with the plaid shirt next to her. I can't wait to meet Michaela when Sarah and I visit my folks next week.

I ran in my first 5K race for the Komen Race for the Cure on Sept. 23rd. I decided to set a goal for myself to run the 5K since I was having trouble motivating myself to work out and get back in shape. I stuck to a running schedule that brother-in-law, Bob, sent to me. I must be honest and say that I didn't enjoy the training process, but appreciated how much stronger I felt when I completed my runs. My good friend, Leah Wanner, ran with me. She normally would've sped right past me, but decided to take it easy since she was nursing a knee injury. I finished the run in just over 30 minutes. It was pretty powerful to be running with breast cancer survivors and their family and friends. It was also a fun morning for Leah and I to hang out...just the girls. She especially appreciates it since she's the mother of 1 1/2 year twins and a 4 year old boy. So now...ask me if I've run since the 5k. Nope. I've returned to my lazy self and must re-motivate. Maybe I just realized that I'm not the running type. I think I appreciate group classes more since someone is standing at the front telling me what to do and won't let me stop until the class is over.

After the 5K, Jason, Sarah, and I hopped in the van and drove down to visit Jason's sister and family. We had a nice afternoon hanging out, eating pizza, and playing with the babies. There's a picture of Bob with Sean and Sarah up above. It will be fun when the kids are older since we already have plans for camping and fun trips with the Lane and Gillette families.

My folks visited the last weekend of September. After they arrived, we went it to wake up Sarah. She reached out for my mom and dad to hold her instantly melting their hearts. I think they worry they Sarah isn't attached to them since they live hours away. Quite the contrary. She lights up in their presence and was so excited to show off for them. We had a relaxing weekend going up to the Farmer's Market and taking a stroll to the park in the wagon my dad gave us. I wish I had a picture of her first wagon ride. She loved it and was singing all the way to the park. We were also able to spend some time with my sister, Kim and her boyfriend, Cleo who happened to be in town that weekend. It was a lovely weekend all the way around and great to see Sarah interact with my parents, her Aunt Kim, and Cleo.

October
This last weekend was a busy one. We had the Homecoming chili feed and game at Brookfield Central on Friday night. On Saturday morning, we hopped in the car after Sarah ate and we took a road trip to the Twin Cities for a former student's wedding. Matt Tremel married his beautiful bride, Emily Mack at the Grand Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. It was a beautiful event and we felt blessed that we were asked to be a part of it. It also gave us the opportunity to visit college friends in the area. We stayed with the Julson family in Farmington and they watched Sarah while we were at the wedding. I think she kept them busy until she finally went to sleep. We also squeezed in a visit with Tim Hoffmann who continues to amaze us with his travel, work, and gig schedule. Doug and Sue Berg-Williams came over to Dan and Stacy's on Sunday afternoon. Great food and conversation are never lacking when we all get together. It seems like yesterday that we were at UW-Eau Claire and we love that we can just start where we left off when we get together. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was surprisingly relaxing. I think it was just nice to get away.

Sarah Update
This post is entirely too long but I guess that's what I get for waiting this long. Here's a quick synopsis of Sarah's milestones.

• 4 teeth, two upper, two lower
• crawling fast and pulling herself to standing and moving along furniture
• Says "mama" and "da-da"
• Uses the sign for "more" when eating
• Points at everything...it's soooooo cute. She literally starts pointingthe moment she wakes up. She's very curious.
• Waves hello and good-bye
• Laughs
• Responds to music by wiggling when she hears it
• Loves to shake rattles, homemade shakers, tambourines
• Gives hugs to stuffed animals and humans
• Loves books...as evidenced in the above picture
• Loves to turn the pages of books and pull up flaps in the books
• Eating well
• Almost weaned (Mom is having a harder time than she)
• Brings us joy each and every day

We're very lucky to have Jason's folks nearby to babysit off and on and to spend time with Sarah. They've taught her to wiggle her finger on her lips and make sounds, so they're quite proud. :) The fact that they're close by and home sometimes during the day, allows me to get out on my own for a few hours. Both Ron and Ann and Kim have become our main babysitters. Kathi and Bekah Campbell also helped me out a couple of weeks ago so I could go to my twice rescheduled hair appointment. I think we've adopted the Campbell Family as our relatives since we consider them family, too. It's just nice to know we can leave her in such caring hands.

Okay....I'm going to put this post to rest. Feel free to reply to the post and let me know how you're doing. I know I've said it before, but I'll truly try to keep this updated more frequently.

Love,

Nicci

July 17th

Cousin Sean Robert Lane

Well, I haven't posted anything since April. That's the reason for the many pictures. Since April, we've welcomed our nephew, Sean Robert Lane into the world. He's already two months old and growing fast. I believe we will see them again in August. We'll all be celebrating the first birthday of cousin Steve's son, Gabe. It will be fun to watch the cousins together in the same room.

Sarah experienced her first outdoor kiddie pool. She loves to play and splash in the water. We're also enrolled in a swim class at the YMCA which helps her get acclimated to the water. She kicks and splashes the entire time. She's also been to the zoo and reacted to seeing the big fish in the aquarium as well as the big gorillas. We've been keeping busy this summer with trips to Iowa, as well. We went down for a wedding of a former student and family friend, Jenny Pringle. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding along the lake outside Solon, IA. Mom and Dad babysat Sarah and had a blast. We stayed the week to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of Mom and Dad's town of Williamsburg, IA as well as the 4th of July. They had so much going on in that town and we kept busy going from event to event. Sarah had a good time watching parades, concerts, and seeing many new faces. It was fun to bond more with her grandparents as well as my aunt and uncle and my parents best friends, Jerry and Vicki. Sarah, Kim, and I turned around this last weekend to go down to Iowa to help pack up my grandpa's house. He decided to move into the nursing home near my folks so we helped Mom and Dad with the big job of packing up many years of accumulation. It's been a hard 6 months for Grandpa filled with lots of changes since Grandma passed away. He's been a real trooper and we're thankful that he's safe, eating better, and close to Mom and Dad. I'm glad Mom doesn't have to make the trips over to take care of him, too. With him there in Williamsburg, we'll get to spend more time with him on our visits.

As of today, Sarah is buzzing her lips a lot, eating a variety of foods, rolling and scooting everywhere, getting close to crawling, saying "M" sounds and "da-da" syllables. She loves to make noise with all of her toys and press the piano keys when Jason has her at the piano. She has to touch everything and then put it in her mouth. She keeps working on more teeth after her two bottom teeth have come up. Jason is her best friend. She doesn't like for anyone to leave her alone, but she especially fusses when he leaves the room. He's so silly with her and he makes her giggle. She'll miss him this week since he has rehearsal all day tomorrow for Festa Italiana. The festival starts Thursday and ends Sunday. He'll be starting at noon and ends at 11:30 p.m. every day. I worry about his lung after his lung collapse. (Oh yeah..his lung collapsed in June and he spent some time in the hospital after they stuck a tube in his chest and inflated it with a suction device).

Back to Sarah...she's our entertainment and our delight. We marvel at how much she changes every day. My goal is to do more play dates with other kids since she needs to have that social interaction as well as other models of different development milestones (crawling, walking, etc.). Jason and I also need to make more time for each other and "get away" for an evening here and there. We're lucky to have his folks and my sister nearby who are always ready and willing to babysit. Mom is coming up next week to spend some time with us. Dad is heading to Canada on a fishing trip so we asked her to come up and spend some quality time with us. It's fun to watch Sarah with all of her grandparents. They all light up in her presence and show so much love. She's a lucky girl.

I've decided to stay home full-time next year since I was officially laid off in Waukesha. We're going to buckle down and watch our budget more closely. We'll see what the world has in store for me career-wise in the next few years. Jason is checking into various masters programs and is thinking of starting one in the near future. He's still very passionate about teaching and continues to have rewarding experiences.

I do hope to update this more often. I'm sure I forgot some big things, but it's going to have to do for now. Feel free to let us know if you've visited the blog.

Take care!

Hope you all had a great Easter. We had a wonderful spring break since Jason had the week off. It started with Meghan and Bob's baby shower in Illinois. Meghan looked great and the shower went well. They received a lot of great stuff for their baby boy...he'll be set once he decides to enter the world. After the shower, we helped unload gifts at Meghan and Bob's, hung out for a bit, and then headed for Iowa for a few days. We were glad to see my Grandpa Whitehead so he could spend some time with Sarah before heading home after the wonderful Easter dinner Mom prepared for all of us.

As always, we had a relaxing visit with my folks. They babysat the Monday after Easter while we went out to our first movie in the theatre since Sarah was born. We went to see, "Wild Hogs" with John Travolta, etc. It was a fun, non-thinking type of film. It was just nice to spend time together. I'm sure Mom and Dad enjoyed having Sarah all to themselves, too. :)

We waited an extra day to come back home since we were having snow back in Brookfield. Once we got back, we continued to have a relaxing break. Jason and Sarah really had the chance to bond and spend lots of time together. Sarah's face lights up when Jason enters the room. You can tell she has him wrapped around her finger already. She got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa Gillette on Saturday night when Jason and I used a dinner gift certificate at the restaurant, "The Grove", near our house. Our meal was excellent and I know Ron and Ann enjoyed their time with Sarah. Kim came out Sunday for pizza and to hang for awhile. It's fun to watch her around Sarah.

Now we're in the home stretch until the end of the school year. Jason is keeping busy with conferences, concerts, lessons, and gigs. He started a band lock-in years ago that has now become tradition. He was hoping the kids would forget about it this year but they held him to it. It's a good social bonding opportunity for the band kids and they always have fun. I just have to remind Jason he's not 18 and should watch how much time he spends on the basketball court.

I've started working in the yard cleaning up sticks, etc. It's good exercise. I'd rather exercise that way instead of "formal exercise". It's a bit cool and rainy here today so we didn't make it outside. Sarah likes to sit in the stroller and watch me work in the yard. She's really trying to talk more and has rolled over a couple more times. She keeps me laughing throughout the day.

After watching the news of the Virginia Tech tragedy, I just have to be grateful for every day. You never know what the next day will bring. The details of the shooter are now coming out saying he was a loner, mentally ill, etc. Our society is becoming more and more about "me..me..me" and so many people are feeling disconnected and aren't aware. It makes you hold the ones you love and care about closer to your heart and try to make efforts to reach out to those who need help. Are we here on earth to acquire more and more "things" or are we here to help each other. I know Jason and I have talked more about volunteering. We need to act on that and just do it.

April 3rd

Sarah and I had a wonderful visit to Iowa last weekend. Good friends from Centerville, Iowa City and Charles City came to my Mom and Dad's house in Williamsburg to meet Sarah. It was great catching up with all of them and to introduce Sarah. Sarah was a trooper as she was passed around all afternoon. I finally met my girlfriend Renee's twin girls, Madaline and Margaret. Too cute! She definitely has her hands full. I don't know how she balances working full-time and raising those two active bundles of joy. She's doing a great job! My girlfriend, Serena, is starting to show now that she's in her 2nd trimester. We're very excited for both Serena and Kenny as they prepare for parenthood.

It was fun being down at Mom and Dad's house. Their home is so inviting and it's easy to relax when we're there. It's so heartwarming to watch them interact with Sarah and see the unconditional love pour out of them. They'll have to work hard with future grandchildren to keep up the pace of picture-taking that they've set with Sarah. Her face is all over their house. :)

Big news for Jason! He took both jazz bands up to the Eau Claire Jazzfest and his Jazz I won and Jazz II came in second in their category. It was exhilarating for the kids as they got to perform for the night concert. They've all worked so hard and it's great to see that work recognized. The students were well-behaved and a good time was had by all. We were all glad to see each other on Monday and are looking forward to spring break to reconnect and catch up on lost family time.

Meghan's (my sister-in-law) baby shower is Saturday. It will be fun to see her open gifts and celebrate the upcoming arrival of our nephew. Her mother-in-law is providing brunch at a local restaurant and myself and Meghan's good friends, Jan and Katie, are in charge of cake, decorations, and activities, etc. After the brunch, Jason, Sarah, Sammy and I will head back to Iowa to celebrate Easter with my family. Kim will be home and my Grandpa Whitehead will be there so it will be good to spend time with him. We'll celebrate his 87th birthday as well as my mom's @#!'th birthday. :) which is actually today.

Until next week.....have a Happy Easter!

March 25th

We just finished visiting with our good friends, Matt and Leah Wanner. We fixed a Mexican dinner and topped it off with carrot cake (obviously didn't fit the Mexican theme but it tasted great!). They came without their 3 1/2 year old and 10 month old twins so they got to have a little "adult time". We always enjoy our visits with them. Of course, since we're all musicians, we sit around solving the world's problems and share how we think things should be run! :)

Jason had a busy week with concerts and contests. Tuesday night, the Brookfield Central Bands had a "Hurricane Katrina Relief Concert". They premiered a piece by Rick Kirby (our former band director and talented composer) based on the events of Hurricane Katrina and its effects on the Gulf Coast. Sarah and I listened in the lobby and loved every minute. They raised close to $2000. The rest of the week was spent preparing for jazz band contests. Jason judged in Menomonee Falls on Saturday and rushed over to the Bob Kames Jazz Festival in South Milwaukee to conduct the BCHS jazz band. They won the event and took home $1000. Both jazz bands head to Eau Claire, WI next weekend for UW-Eau Claire's Jazzfest. Busy, busy, busy.

Meanwhile, Sarah and I had a pretty uneventful week. We loved getting out and going on walks the past couple of days. She likes looking around at her new surroundings and enjoys feeling the breeze on her face. She's getting close to being able to roll over and likes to stand up on her legs when in your lap. She's also starting to notice the faces of her stuffed animals and she's paying a lot more attention to Sammy (our dog). Aunt Kim came over yesterday and got lots of smiles from Sarah. We watched the movie, "Holiday" with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. If you're a romantic comedy sucker like me, you'll eat it up.

Sarah has her 4 month appointment on Thursday. It will be interesting to see how much she weighs and how much she's grown. She'll also get her shots. Not fun. I hope all goes well so the trip down to Iowa will be "fusiness-free".

I better go spend some time with Jason. :) Take care!

Baptism Day

We had a very special weekend celebrating Sarah's baptism. She was baptized Sunday at St. John's Lutheran Church in Brookfield, WI surrounded by our family and close friends. I still have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure it's real. We are so blessed to have this wonderful baby in our lives. She did really well until the water was splashed on her head. Aunt Kim (Godparent along with Jason's sister, Meghan and husband, Bob) did a great job consoling her for the rest of the ceremony. We feel extremely lucky that so many of our family members and the Edmond family were able to share in the day. We also feel very fortunate to have a such a close church family. The love for Sarah was tangible in the sanctuary.

After the baptism, we had a luncheon at our house. It was fun to connect with everyone. Sarah was passed around a lot and was a trooper since her normal routine was turned upside-down. Her next big event will be a reception my mom is hosting in Iowa so some Iowa friends can meet Sarah for the first time. We're making the trip without Jason since he'll be in Eau Claire, WI with his jazz bands for a festival. Tis the life of a high school band director.

My job was officially cut for next year in the Waukesha School District. I'm not sad for me, but sad for the district. It's on the decline due to the state's funding formula. I'm thankful for the opportunity to stay home with Sarah. Speaking of Sarah....I hear her waking up from an evening catnap.

That's all for now. I'll leave you with a quote from our pastor, Dave Meissner.."Live simply so others may simply live."