Yea, Baby, Yea!!!

And...I'm spent.

Worth the Weight Part 2

P.S.
The weight will come off soon.....it will....it will....it will.....
Maybe if I say it enough.....

Good Times

My Mom and Stepdad came down for a few days so they could spend some overdue quality time with Mia and John and Gabe could get some serious work done on the ever-present basement remodel.

John and Gabe totally rocked on the basement and got our storage room complete. I must say, the entire right wall is Christmas stuff. I must downsize. Nevertheless, I was very happy to get that done.

Saturday we had planned on having a big BBQ with friends, neighbors..etc, but I just didn't get it together in time so we invited Chris and his gang over for a small, quiet one. I like the small ones better anyway. The weather was just too beautiful not to take advantage of.

Cheyenne is always hoping she will find a sucker to feed her. Zachary was awesome and stood his ground though...much to her dismay.

Mia got to know her grandparents a little better too....

We are busy hosting family and friends through August. We love having the company and are always a bit sad when they leave.

Mia Update:

Our little munchkin had her 4 month well baby check-up on Monday. We can't believe she is 4 months old! She is changing every day. She is now 26 1/4 inches and 14 lbs. She is 90 percentile on height...amazon baby! She is sleeping through the night; 10-12 hours. She has mastered rolling from her back to her stomach. She will roll the opposite direction too, but mostly by accident. She has also started eating rice cereal this week. Well, eating really isn't the right word. It's more like smearing. But that is ok...she is still in training. Stay tuned...there are bound to be funny pics.

Tender Moments...

Warms my heart every time...

Independence Day Celebrations

It is tradition for the Schnelle family to meet at Gabe's brother Randy's ranch for food, fun, and fireworks on the 4th of July. So, Gabe and I loaded up all the kids - yes, the canine kids too - and headed south to spend the weekend in Aurora, MO.

Mia was still recovering from the recent Denver trip, so she wasn't all too happy about being away from home again. She was a trooper through most of the weekend, but Saturday night at Randy's she let us know she had had enough. She and I ended up going back to Gabe's parent's house for a not so quiet evening. I was amazed that Mia actually slept through the neighborhood fireworks. The place sounded like World War III! Finally, a welcome thunderstorm around midnight chased the celebrators indoors making myself and the poor dogs very happy.

Here is a pictorial peek at the weekend:

The Schnelle Grandkids:

Garrett, Hannah, Josh, Lucas, Tanner, Amanda, and Mia

Gabe and Mia with Major- I love this one

Michael having fun in the Go-Cart

Uncle Mike, Aunt Phyllis and Shellie

As always, the weekend went by so fast but it was great to see everyone and celebrate our Independence Day with family.

Thanks Hannah for providing some of the pics for this post. :-)

End of an Era

One would have to be on Mars not to know that Michael Jackson's memorial service was today. I, honestly, didn't intend to watch it. Or at least, the thought hadn't crossed my mind until I was sitting in my lazy boy with a sleeping baby and I happened upon the CNN broadcast.

Two hours later, the baby now awake, I still sat in that lazy boy blubbering as I watched speaker after speaker, performance after performance, crying through each one.

As I am sure many of us have done, I have been reflecting on Michael Jackson since his death. All the media coverage just made me so sad for this iconic man. His critics would say he was a pervert and a child molester. Nobody knows what the truth really is. I personally think that he was fighting inner demons resulting from not having a true childhood. So in his search for peace he built a world around him to make up for that lost childhood. Surrounded himself with children to share what he had created. To give others a chance to experience the joy of childhood. Unfortunately, what in his mind was innocent bonding with children was persecuted in the adult world and seen as perverted. He became guilty in the eyes of public opinion and I believe that was his demise in the end. He died of a broken heart.

Today's memorial service brought back a flood of memories and really made me realize the magnitude of the situation. The impact he has had on the world. The impact he had on my life. He has been around my entire life. Thriller was my first album. I listened to it over and over when I was ten. He was the first concert I ever went to. His music was in the background my whole life. And it was GOOD stuff!

This man had such a big part in my life and I didn't realize how big it was until he was gone. I took for granted his presence and his influence. I kick myself for not appreciating it more. I hope Michael Jackson is remembered for the impact he had on pop culture and the wonderful things he has done throughout his life. I for one will.