Sprinkler Fun

Grandma and Grandpa brought the girls a new squiggle sprinkler. A couple of days last week it was very hot and they made good use of it!

Grattitude ~ I am grateful for the simple pleasures in life, like a sprinkler on a hot day, and how much joy they can bring.

Rae Takes the Bus

Rae started 4K yesterday. She has been so excited all summer to ride the bus and go to a school that is just for 4 year olds! Jen and I were a little anxious - hoping that she had a good first day experience. Rae REALLY likes riding the bus; it zooms very fast she says. Her teachers are very nice and there are so many fun things to do at school. She spent the rest of the day telling us about all her fun adventures.

First Day of 4K

Second Day of 4K

Grattitude ~ I am grateful that Rae is strong, beautiful, and confident.

Van Owen Lutsey

Born August 26, 2010, at 3:59 AM.

8 lbs 1 oz

20.25 inches

Contractions started last night at 9:30 PM...just after we got into bed for the night. We got up and ready for the hospital. Rae and Jo were sleeping downstairs with Auntie Zoe - all three looked so peaceful that we just let them sleep and left a note upstairs. By 10:15 we were on our way to the hospital; by midnight Jen was set up in an exam room, and by 1:15 AM we were settled in our inpatient room.

Jen was AMAZING with this labor and birth, as she was with the last two. The first hour or so, we walked laps around the unit, with Jen talking and laughing with the nurses (to their amazement) in the hallways between contractions. Within a couple more hours we were holding baby Van - healthy, alert, and calm. He took to nursing right away, and has been very content and peaceful.

Jen is a true warrior. She followed through with her wish to have another natural, medication-free birth experience. It was awe-inspiring to be there and witness. The doctor and nurses were all equally excited to watch Van twist his way out, actively helping in his own birth!

Today is completely filled with gratitude. To add a strong, healthy boy to our family. To our doctor and nurses, who wonderfully supported and followed all of our wishes and requests. To all our family and friends who have done so much to support us throughout this pregnancy. Thank You!

Quick Updates

Internet troubles lately...so, it's been a while since I've posted on here. Our connection is working tonight though!

I took Jo to Larissa's (Zak & Carrie's daughter) one-year birthday party today. It was nice to see our Green Bay group of friends and their kids. Jo was a little shy for a while, but warmed up by the time cake came out. Rae got sick last night, so Jen stayed home with her.

Shopko was having a huge sale that ended today, and Jen saw a kitchen table set that she really liked...and it was way over half off! So, Mother's Day came early to our house, and I spent a couple hours putting together a new table and chairs. Very nice looking and can seat twice as many as our last table!

Rae turns 4 tomorrow! With her being sick, we postponed her party, but we'll still have fun with just us, and do a bigger family get together later next week.

My computer screen is flashing light and dark at me now...pretty sure it's on its last leg... I'll see if I can get it to do pictures soon. ~Namaste~

Grattitude - I am grateful for the renewing & refreshing energy of Spring. Each breath is full of life!

School!

The girls started school today! Seymour school district has a preschool program for parents with their kids for 2 hours a day, Tuesdays and Thursdays in Seymour, and Wednesdays and Fridays in Black Creek. A mom at the library's story-time was impressed with how well behaved Rae & Jo were and recommended the preschool program. So I took the girls this morning and they had so much fun. It looks like it'll be a good way for them to get more socialization before they official school starts. And its cheap!...only $35 for both girls to go up to 4 times per week through the end of May!! The teacher is great and so are the other parents and kids. They keep it fun and get to work on all their preschool skills.

We also signed Rae up today for 4K. We're excited that Seymour has this local through 4 of the daycare locations in town...funded by the public schools. So, next fall Rae will get to ride the bus into town and go to school all on her own. I think Jen and I are more freaked out by it than her...she's just excited!

Side note: Our computer or Internet service (not sure which) is giving us a hard time lately, so pictures are on a little delay until we get that straightened out. Hopefully we'll get some up soon.

Gratitude - I am grateful for all the wonderful programing available to our kids. Seymour is proving to be a great community!

We're Going to Have Another Baby!

Jen saw the doctor last week, and we can now officially say that she is pregnant! Due date is set for August 19th.

Back Again!

It's bee a long time since our last post. Life has been full of lots of new things for us...lots of blessings and lots of stress. With being busy though, we tend to loose touch with many of you and this blog is a great and efficient way for us to do that, so we'll once again be posting on a more regular basis.

Rae & Joeli are doing wonderful! They have such great individual personalities already and make us smile and laugh every day. We received information for Seymour's 4K program and have a meeting in a couple of weeks to sign Rae up for school next year...we can't believe that she'll be riding a bus and going off on her own already!! Jen has a couple of great career advancement opportunities coming up, so we're looking forward to seeing which one turns out to be the best for our lifestyle. I've been focusing most of my time lately on learning about marketing and preparing to launch my business on a serious level. I'm definitely a beginner with this marketing stuff, but it feels great to be challenged and it's all starting to make more sense. Our border collie, Molly, is a great addition to the family and keeps us active as she needs a couple hours of activity/exercise daily.

I'll get some pictures up soon!

Namaste ~
Dan