Baby Update

We had the ultrasound last Thursday. It was what they call a detailed one so they looked at everything from the head to toe including legs, arms, heart, kidneys, bladder, etc. Everything looks good. I am right on track for a due date of May 1st. It did take a while for the baby to cooperate but it showed that the baby is a girl. Susanna is very excited for a baby sister. Here is a 3D picture of the baby's head. It is a profile view. Some of you may not be able to make out the face. You can see the nose in the middle on the right side and then the mouth below that. Since it was taken at 20 weeks it is a little harder to make out. I am sure I will get more pictures in the future. My doctor said that things looked so good that I can go 4 weeks instead of 2 this time. YEAH!!!YEAH!!!! My next appointment is January 15th. Switch also happens to be Susanna's 5th birthday.

Expecting

I guess now is the time for the big news. Larry and I are expecting our second child in the spring. We had our first ultrasound in September to confirm the pregnancy. Susanna got to see the first ultrasound pictures and she kept asking when the baby was coming out. It was so cute. I have gone back in to my perinatologist each month for an ultrasound. Everything looks good. I found out at my last appointment that I will be having an ultrasound every two weeks to make sure everything is going good since Susanna was born so early. Apparently this is normal protocol for anyone who has had a preterm birth. The due date is May 1st approximately four months, which is the same due date that Susanna had. My week dates are the same as Susanna’s were too. Even the dates and the days are the same. Also back in Sept 2003 I had bronchitis when I was pregnant with Susanna and I had bronchitis this past September. There are many similarities with this one. I am taking it easy and being very careful. I am scheduled for a detailed ultrasound on Dec 18. I am not sure if we will be able to find out the sex or not, I will be 20 weeks then. I will keep you all updated in future posts.

This ultrasound picture is from 10/23/08, at 13 weeks.

Deer Season

Larry got his buck the week of Thanksgiving. It was a 4 X 4. It hung in our garage for a few days before Larry was able to cut it up. So that means the van was demoted to the driveway for a few days. That is ok, I have it back now. Susanna got to take a picture with the deer and hold an antler. She was telling the deer that it was ok little fella. We all laughed since she was only holding the head. Next up is muzzleloader season that opens Dec 13th.

Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving here in Madison since Larry had to work Wednesday night and Thursday night. We had dinner at 5pm on Thursday night with my mom, and Larry’s mom and dad. Larry’s brother, Jake was not able to come since he too had to work. We had a nice day. Friday us girls put up the Christmas tree and other Christmas decorations. We also cleaned out Susanna’s room and rearranged it. We are hoping to get her a new twin bed for her birthday. Friday night Lynette, Susanna, my mom and I went to Sioux Falls for the parade of lights. Then we went to Crooks for their light show, www.crookschristmas.com. We had to wait in line for an hour but it is always worth it. My mom and Lynette had never seen them. Saturday morning us girls went to the two craft fairs in town. I got a bow for the front door and a light up snowman for the living room. That night we all went to Sioux Falls and out to eat for Jake’s birthday and Lynette’s birthday. It was good. Everyone went home after that. Sunday Larry and I put up the rest of our Christmas decorations outside and got our lights working. Then we watched the Bears Vikings game with Jake. GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who's sleeping in my bed???????????

SUSANNA!!!!!!!!!!!

Halloween

Susanna was a fairy princess for Halloween this year. It was so nice out that trick-or-treating was fun. Where we live the downtown merchants give out candy from 4-6pm Halloween night. Also, at the college the dorms give out candy too. We hit downtown and then a couple neighbors. After that we went home to hand out candy to the trick-or-treater that came to our door. I am not sure which Susanna likes more, getting candy or giving it out.

Pumpkin painting!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend

Usually I do not post about my weekend but this I could not resist. Saturday night I am sitting on the couch with Sadie watching TV. Out of the corner of my eye something comes up my steps. It was a bunny rabbit. As soon as it saw me it ran back downstairs. How the heck did a bunny get into my house?!?!?!?! I called my neighbor since Larry was not home and he came over. We went downstairs but we did not find any bunny, he was hiding. Since we do not have a door to the basement, we but a piece of sheet rock over the doorway so that he could not come upstairs.

Sunday afternoon Larry went and got a live animal trap to catch him. Right before he came back with it we saw the bunny again. We put carrots and celery in the cage and set it by the bottom of the stairs. We waited and waited. About 11pm I looked downstairs and there he sits 2 feet from the cage eating a carrot. I am like how did he get a carrot and not trip the trap. I went to see in the cage, almost all the food was gone. This is one smart bunny. Since the only trap we could find was for a raccoon I thought maybe he was not heavy enough for it. But in the morning he was in the cage.

During this whole thing Susanna has named the bunny "Thumper". So cute. When we took him outside he was a little scared. Susanna is telling him, "It's ok, Thumper. It's ok." That night we all went out to the country and let him go.

Now that was my exciting weekend!!!!! Yours??????????????

School Pictures

Look at the difference. The picture on the left is from this year, October 2008. The picture on the right is from last year, October 2007. She looks so grown up now. She still had that baby look to her last year. Hard to believe she will be 5 years old in January.

Messy Cook, Good Cook????

What do you get when a four year old and grandma make, I can't seem to remember what they were suppose to me making, a MESS!! Susanna loves to eat the dough too, just like her mother. Her and Grandma Carolyn had fun. I wish I could remember what they made, at least if it was good or not. LOL!!!

After making whatever it was and having a bath, Susanna decides to sit on the couch and have some grapes. Notice that she is sitting in the cover for the mixer. SILLY GIRL!!!!

First Day of School

I know that Susanna's first day of 3 days a week preschool was over a month ago but I think some of you would like the pictures anyway. This year Susanna is riding the bus with her friend Kylie from daycare to school and back again. They love riding the bus together. On her first day I met her at school so I could get a picture of her getting off the bus. After she got off the bus and saw me she kept asking, "Why are you here?" It was cute. Enjoy the pictures. Her next first day of school will be kindergarten, can you believe she is almost 5 years old!! Does not seem like 5 years has passed.

Short Update

HELLO! It is that time of year again, Fall. I love all the leaves changing and the cooler weather, all though this mornings 35 degrees was a little cold for me. I guess I better get used to it since that is only the beginning. I know that I have not written for awhile, as a good friend pointed out once or twice. Thanks Tracy for the reminders. HA!HA! We have been busy with this and that. I had yesterday off so Larry and I cut down most of the flower beds and such. We dug up one part of the garden, the carrots. Now I have three BIG bowls full of carrots to wash, peel, cut up, blanch, and then vacuum seal. Larry and I started on that project tonight.


My friend Karen bought me some apples to make applesauce and can. I will attempt that this weekend. I will also be working on cleaning my house for my Lia Sophia party I will be hosting in a couple of weeks. I need to keep this short and sweet. I guess blogger is going down for maintenance in a few minutes. Here is a recent pic of Susanna.

Update

Well I know that is has been awhile since I last updated but time flies. I have been battling bronchitis for the last 2-3 weeks. I think I am finally getting better. Larry got it about a week and a half ago. I think Susanna is in the clear although she has a little cough and she says her ears hurt. I am not sure if that means she has an ear infection or not. I will update you on our comings and goings this weekend.


Friday night Larry went hunting with Lucas and his son Aspen. They had a lot of fun. Then Saturday morning he went hunting with Nick. They each got some geese on these occasions but Sunday morning he went hunting with Lucas again and they almost got their limit. They came home with 8, 4 a piece.

Saturday I had a Tastefully Simple party at my friend Karen's house. We got to try a few of the new fall products. Thanks Karen for having a show. Sunday afternoon we all stayed home. Larry made goose jerky and I cleaned up, did laundry, made supper, and other odds and ends. I tried a new chicken recipe from Tastefully Simple for supper. It was GOOD!! I also tried a new deviled egg recipe and made Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Cookies. They were all wonderful. I will put these recipes at the end of this post. I will update later in the week on the happenings with the Voss family this past month. I have had a long day and need to get some sleep.

Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Cookies

Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix™

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) very soft butter

Directions: Combine ingredients; roll into generous 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 8-10 servings.

Variations before baking: 1) Press thumbprint into each cookie; top with half a maraschino cherry or a dollop of Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread. 2) Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips to dough.

Sweet & Sassy Deviled

6 peeled, hard-boiled eggs

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Cherry Honey Mustard Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Halve eggs; place yolks in small bowl. Mash yolks; add remaining ingredients. Fill egg white halves with yolk mixture. Cover and refrigerate until served. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken Garlic Bake

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 slices Swiss cheese

10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2-3 tsp. Garlic Garlic™

2 tsp. minced chives

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup seasoned dried breadcrumbs

Directions: Place chicken in greased 8 x 8 baking pan; top each breast with one slice of cheese. Combine soup, sour cream, and Garlic Garlic; spread over chicken and cheese. Combine butter and breadcrumbs;sprinkle over chicken. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 4 servings.

Weekend

This last weekend Susanna and I went to my moms on Friday night and then the three of us went to Aberdeen on Saturday. We met up with a good friend of mine, Angie, and went to Storybook Land. Susanna had a great time. She ran and ran like crazy, me following after her of course. It was a beautiful day too. She got to slide and swing and we even got to walk the yellow brick road. Susanna and I rode the merry-go-round three times. She LOVED that!! Here are some pics from Storybook Land:

My friend Angie and Susanna at the entrance.

Susanna and I

Susanna on the train.

Sliding out of Captain Hook's Ship.

Driving an old fire engine.

Using a back hoe.

Feeding the goats.

Follow the yellow brick road.

On the merry-go-round.

After Storybook Land we ate lunch and then headed for the hotel. This hotel had a small water play land in it. Susanna loved it. There was a section for toddlers that was only 8 inches deep, a section for older kids that was 4 ft deep and then a big water slide. Susanna went down the little slide in the 8 inch water a lot. Then she wanted to go down the big slide. We did and it was FAST. Faster than I thought it would be. She was not very happy with me when she went under water at the end of the slide but she wanted to go again. Same thing happened, too fast and under we went.



After Susanna was tired of swimming we went to Pizza Hut for supper. If you have a chance to go to a Wing Street (??) Pizza Hut, do it. It was really good. We had bone out chicken garlic Parmesan and honey bbq. We did not try any spicy ones. Since Susanna had a long day she was having a hard time staying awake at the table. Here is some video of that. LOL.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Boat Pics

I promised a number of posts ago for pictures of the boat. Here they are. Larry recently got a new fish finder and sonar (I think) for the boat. He is eagerly waiting to try it out on the lakes. He is also getting ready for early goose opener which is Labor Day weekend. It seems a little early for hunting to start but oh well.

Miracle Treat Day, August 7th, 2008

August 7th, 2008 was Dairy Queen's Miracle Treat Day for Children's Miracle Network(CMN). This is where Dairy Queen's (DQ) from all over the country and Canada donate the proceeds from the sale of blizzards to CMN. This was the third year that our DQ participated. I am not sure if this is the third year of the Treat Day or just our third year. Anyway, two years ago, our own DQ sold more blizzards that day than any other DQ in the US and Canada. This from a town of 6,500 people. Last year our own DQ sold 7,011 blizzards that day and again sold more than any other DQ in the US and Canada. Last year the CEO of DQ came to the store for the day. Obviously our DQ wanted to be the best again this year. There goal was to sell 8,000 blizzards. Well last Monday the total was revealed at 12,347. That is quite amazing!! And remember this from a town of population of 6,500.

As most of you know my daughter Susanna was a CMN baby four years ago. Susanna was born at 24 weeks gestation (16 weeks early). She weighted in at 1 lb 8 oz and was 12 in long. (I will share our story in a future blog.) Our family has been personally touched and helped by CMN. Susanna and I participate in as many CMN events that we can. We went down to the DQ that afternoon to greet people and talk about our story. One of the co-founders of CMN, Joe Lake was their from Utah and one of our US Congress Rep was also in attendance. That evening the DQ had some inflatable games for kids and a small concert that was put on my a CMN dad. It was a wonderful day with many many people from our small community coming out to support this wonderful cause. Since our DQ made its goal and then some, I guess the national CMN will be hosting a concert of some sort for our town. We do not know the specifics yet. Here are some pics and a video of Susanna having fun at the festivities that evening.

Garden Update

One of my very posts was about our garden. Well it is growing. It is weird though that the tomatoes plants on the east side of the garden are small and the ones that are in the middle of the garden are BIG. Most everything gets the same amount of sunlight. Who knows. I have picked about 15 tomatoes but this is really low compared to what I had two years ago. I have only picked a couple of peppers. However, we have gotten some onions and broccoli. I don't have to go to the store for onions now. I am not sure if I will make spaghetti sauce or salsa or both with the tomatoes. If I don't start getting more of them I am not sure it is worth it.


Then a couple of nights ago I pick this really different looking tomato. Larry calls it a happy tomato. How does it do that?!?!?!?!? Take a look for yourselves.
My flower bed around our deck is doing really well. Some things that I thought would not come back this year did and they got REALLY big. I am going to have to dig up my hostas and give some away and move some, they are just getting SO BIG.