The big day is right around the corner. We can hardly believe it has already been 38 weeks. Only a week more to go. I couldn't be more ready! September 5th can't come fast enough for me. I'm just ready to be comfortable again. I really can't complain because it hasn't been all that bad, but of course I still do. It's been a tough road getting here (not to mention long) but it's all worth it and we are very excited.

McKenzie can't wait to be a big sister. I'm not going to lie, I am nervous for the day. I know she is used to having all of our attention and I'm sure the excitement will wear off for her quickly. Once we are settled in though, she'll do just fine. She loves to help us clean or cook or do whatever it is we are doing so I'm sure she will love to help with the baby as well. She often times will run up and hug my belly and give the baby kisses. I'm know the love will continue to grow for her and the baby as they grow up.

Lately we have been working on getting the house in order to bring in another family member. We've moved our office to the basement which actually turned out to be more functional for us anyway. The old office is now the baby's room. We finally have gotten all the furniture and bedding and now I'm just waiting on Bobby to hang things on the wall. Call it nesting if you want but I've been on a cleaning spree. We've had the carpets professionally cleaned and the kitchen and bathrooms have all gotten a deep clean (although one more time before the big day won't hurt!!).

The Byers and Zimmerman women have done a wonderful thing for us. They got together and made us some frozen dishes to help us once we get home from the hospital. I'm talking a lot of food here! We won't have to worry about cooking for a while once we get home from the hospital and we are excited! I never cook (unless it comes out of a box) so home cooking for us is a treat! The only downside is I think we may gain more weight after the baby than we did in the past 9 months!! We really appreciate it though and it will be nice and easy cooking after my second c-section.

So, I've been asked numerous times now how I know that the baby will be here September 5. The reason is, almost 4 years ago, our first stubborn baby refused to turn and I had to have a c-section since she was breech. Come to find out, the cord was wrapped around her neck and if I would have gone into labor with her, it could have possibly killed her or put major stress on her. Luckily we scheduled an early c-section and all was good in the world. Since the first was a c-section, it is best that I have another. There are many risks trying to have a natural delivery after a c-section that just make it not worth it. My doctor and I have talked this over and she believes the safest thing for me and the baby would be a repeat c-section. Yes, I know this is major surgery and yes, I know that the recovery time is longer, but weighing the options, I'd rather have the surgery and not risk the baby or my own life than worry about a longer recovery period. Yesterday I had an ultrasound and it looks like I have yet another stubborn child. She refused to have her picture taken and can't seem to move in there to turn so the c-section is definite. I have Bobby to help me the first week home and my mom has offered to help out the second week. We've had many offers from several people to just let them know what we need and they will be there to help and we appreciate it! Don't be surprised if the phone rings!!

Bobby started coaching soccer. McKenzie is on his team of course. Out of six kids the first game, four of them were crying. McKenzie is really good at kicking the ball into the goal. She's usually always straight in. She does however have a problem with picking up the ball. During the first game, she went to pick up the ball and Bobby said, "No hands!" Well, she thought she was getting yelled at and became the fourth on the team to start crying. Bobby ended up calling the game short and the kids all had their snacks and drinks. I think a half hour was all he could handle of four crying kids that day. It was their first day to meet their coach though and play with kids they had never met so what can you expect?

Also, we have had a lot of birthdays to celebrate this month. Happy birthday to my sister Nicki, my friend Lacey, my Dad and Carter. We have had a lot of celebrations. It's been a good month.

Congrats Jenny!!

We hope everyone is having a great summer. Ours has been busy but we have packed in a lot of fun. We are finally beginning to slow down a bit and relax as we get ready for the new baby to come. We have about 4 more weeks to go and I can't tell you how ready I am. Summer is brutal on the pregnant body! It's mostly indoor activities for me lately.

I want to congratulate my older sister Jenny. She passed her boards and is now a Nurse Practitioner! We are all so proud of her. It's been a very long journey for her to get to where she is now but she did it! The only bad part is that she has accepted a job in Mankato Minnesota and will be moving soon with her family. We are going to miss her very much but I'm sure we will be able to see each other often.

Yesterday was a great time for us. Bobby's aunt Barb and cousin Jenny were in town from CO for an "End of Summer BBQ." It was really great to see them again as usual and have the family together. McKenzie especially had fun running around with the kids. She thinks Will and Ben are just hilarious. She also got to play with Emmy and Finley which gave her a little practice around the smaller kids, getting her ready for the baby.

McKenzie has finished up some of her summer activities. She recently had her last T-Ball game and has also finished "Princess Camp." Princess camp is basically a week long dance camp but everything is princess related. McKenzie absolutely loved it. She would barely say goodbye to me when I would drop her of at camp. She was ready to go as soon as we stepped foot in the door. Here's a short little 3 min video of her last day performance. She's in the back row in black with pink tights. It's pretty cute!


Next on the list of to-do's for McKenzie is soccer. Bobby once again will be McKenzie's coach. Although he tries to act like it's such a pain, I know he secretly loves it. He loves getting out there with the kids and teaching them the fun in the sport. He was given many compliments by the T-Ball parents about how patient he is with the kids and how well he did teaching them. We had some really neat kids on McKenzie's T-Ball team and can't wait to meet the kids on her soccer team. McKenzie has gotten all the gear already (of course, it is all pink) and she's excited to get started. Bobby's just hoping that he can still make it to some Husker football games this year since soccer will be on Saturdays now.