Memorial Day Weekend

Well hello again! I don't have a lot to say (for once) but I wanted to post a few pics so that you could all see what we've been up to lately. We had a great Memorial Day weekend!

Friday, I worked until about noon, and Mom came up to spend the day with us. We ended up going to the zoo -- Stella's 1st time! We had a great time, as the weather was perfect, and Mom's a big fan of the zoo. She and "Fia" (Jack's nickname for Sofia -- we all use it now too) went on the carousel -- see pics below. It's SO nice to have my parents so close so that they can watch the girls grow! Mom left around dinner time, and the "the girls" and I went over to Sell and Em's place so that they could play with their new friend Marley. They made us dinner, which was outstanding, and we got to catch up with them -- it'd been awhile!

Saturday we kind of just hung around home. Ang did a ton of cleaning and Sofia and I went to the gym. After I worked out, I took her swimming. She's a big fan of the water now, which is great, because I plan to take her to the sand-bottom pool here in Shakopee often this summer. I was on water skis when I was 5, and I'm preparing her tubing over the 4th of July, as we'll be heading back to Yankton to camp. We can't wait!

Sunday Mom came up to hang with the girls again, and Dad, Marty, James and I hit the Twins game. It was good to have a day out with the guys -- we don't do that often enough! I'm sure Ang was happy to get rid of me for a few hours as well. The girls played with Grandma most of the day. We spent the evening inside and hit the sack early.

Memorial Day we got up and did a little shopping. Sofia loves to play in the kid's area at Eden Prairie Center -- we returned a couple of things and just watched her climb around. She's incredibly agile and loves to climb. Apparently Ang was a big climber when she was young too -- maybe all the stretching will help her grow into some long legs like her mom? We'd planned to grill when we got home from the mall, but decided we were far too hungry so we got a pizza and crashed on the couch! We did end up going for a walk & to the park, where one of the pics below was taken.

Whew -- I guess I did have a lot to say. You're probably thinking, "Boy, he sure didn't have much to say about Stella!" Truth is, she's perfect! She's eating well, sleeping well, travelling well, playing at the park well -- she hardly makes a peep. She just chills all the time. At this point, we're thinking that she may be the "laid back sister"? I can't wait to find out!

Hugs to all -- hope to see some more of you soon! I hope you enjoy the pics. Oh, and if you visit the site, please leave a comment -- I type 8 paragraphs and you can't even say "hello"? Come on...

Jer, Ang, Fia and Stella

Family of Four

After a brief blog-world hiatus, I'm back for a quick post. Obviously, "free time" is no longer -- that's my only excuse. We're all settling in well to this new life with a 'family of four'. Below is an update on everyone!

Stella is incredible. Parents of multiple children will likely all tell you that prior to having their 2nd, they wondered how they'd ever love another child as much as they did their first. Then, BAM, the 2nd arrives and you've all of a sudden got more love in you than you ever imagined. Stella is a great baby thus far. She's sleeping like we're feeding her alcohol before she goes to bed! She's a spitting image of Sofia when she was a baby.

Sofia is a great big sister and a constant reminder that you can't smile too much -- she makes us laugh often! At 3, she's testing us all the time, and I'm told by my parents that she's exactly the way that I was as a toddler. It's clear now why mom broke a wooden paddle over my ass when I was a kid. That said, I wouldn't ask for her to be any different -- she knows what she wants, and God bless her, she'll negotiate her way into, or out of anything. Maybe she'll be a lawyer?

After my last rave about my wife, I won't do it again (although I could), but she's doing great! She's staying home for about 12 weeks and is enjoying it! She's feeling and looking great. I still can't believe that things went so well for her (us) with Stella's birth. The doctor and nurses told her she should have more kids, and that her body is made for having kids. I kicked them out of our birthing suite shortly after!

Me? My life is quite normal again, considering. Angela has allowed me to continue to spend an hour each day at the gym, which I'm thankful for. Sofia likes to go to the gym with me. She goes to 'Kid's Club', the Gold's Gym daycare center. She says that she goes to "work out" too though, and isn't afraid to flex her muscles to show them off. On a "gym" side note, Dad has also caught the workout itch, and is doing great! I'm very proud of him and his decision to change his lifestyle.

We spent mother's day in Waseca at the folk's ranch. It was a nice day. Mom and Dad wanted to plant their garden with the grandkids. We had big plans to get a number of good pics of this, but Sofia spent a lot more time running around their yard than she did in the garden. Keep an eye out here though for footage of "the Constant Gardener" -- I got some video of Dad's unique gardening techniques that I think you'll all enjoy! It'll be your YouTube debut Dad!

Well, there you go...many of you had complained that it'd been awhile. There are a few pictures below -- I'll do my best to get some new pics uploaded this weekend. For those of you that are attending the family graduations this weekend, have a blast, and congrats to the graduates!

Home Sweet Home

Whew -- what an exciting and exhausting last few days. After spending the day with Sofia on her birthday (Wednesday), and coaxing little Stella into the world (Thursday), we're finally back home and allowing a little normalcy back into our lives -- as normal as a huge, life-changing event like this can be anyway. It feels so good to be home, sleeping in our own bed, and just spending time together!

I seem to be spending a lot of my days reminding Angela that she just had a baby -- she's an incredible woman, mother, and wife -- a true "ROCKSTAR" (see pic)! As amazing as she is with kids, I think babies are her specialty! She's in complete control juggling time between giving needed attention to both girls -- all on only a few hours of good sleep a day. It makes me very proud to tell people that she's my wife, and even more proud to say that she's the mother of my daughters. I don't know how I could be more happy. Sure, I think about the years ahead and my head spins -- 1st days of school, boys (hate em), proms (hate boys more), paying for college and a wedding twice -- but I know that the joy they will bring me throughout the years will be well worth all the estrogen I'll have to try to grow accustomed to living with. It's times like these, where it's easy to sit back and count your blessings.

Stella has arrived!

Well, after months of waiting, she's finally here! Stella Marie was born today @ 11:54 AM, weighing 7 lbs and 13 oz. At 21 1/2" long, we're assuming that she'll either be walking the catwalks or playing in the WNBA someday. The delivery went well -- we got to Southdale hospital at about 8 AM, and things progressed nicely. We sat around for a couple hours, and after only about 5-10 minutes of pushing, she was here with us and ready to play with her big sister Sofia! Check back often, as we'll be updating this site with more pictures.

PARTY!!!

Sofia's 3rd b-day party turned out great -- perfect weather, fun, friends, and food! We got a "moonwalk" for the kids, and they had a ball! Sofia got a lot of great gifts and really enjoyed spending the day with her 'buddies'. It was a princess themed party -- including a castle-shaped cake and Disney princess themed balloons, plates and napkins. "Princess Sofia" was very tuckered out by the end of the evening, but had just enough energy to cuddle with Grandpa and Grandma while watching a movie to finish the night off -- a perfect end to a perfect day!