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."

Sarah Elizabeth 3 months old

Well...I tried posting a long message a month ago and it didn't go through. Now that we have a new computer, I'll try to keep this more up to date. Sarah is amazing! She's growing so fast. Right now, she's asleep in her crib. We're counting our blessings that she sleeps through the night. We'll see what daylight savings does to her internal clock. Sarah is holding her head up, cooing a lot, smiling and giggling, and using her hands more and more. She seems to favor her left hand. We're looking forward to her baptism next Sunday. Both sets of grandparents, two sets of great aunts and uncles, her Aunt Kim, Aunt Meghan and Uncle Bob and Jason's cousin and family will be there. We'll post more pictures after the momentous event.

We are in awe of her and so thankful that we are her parents. We can't imagine our lives without her. I'll sit and rock her at night and almost pinch myself to make sure it's really happening. I never knew how much my heart could love until having Sarah. Of course, I love Jason, my family and my friends. Being a parent adds a whole new dimension to your soul. Thank you again for all of those that prayed for Sarah! We are truly blessed.