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.

Our First Bloody ER Visit

Although we have been to the ER once before for McKenzie for a dislocated elbow, this weekend was the first for us dealing with blood. On Saturday, we were at the Byers' house for a small family gathering having a great time. McKenzie went tubing (this year is the first year for her) and she got to spend a lot of time in the lake swimming. During her time in the lake, she decided to float on her back by the "chinese horseshoe" game. I'm not sure if that is what it is called, but you have a bottle on top of a pole in the water and throw a frisbee (McKenzie calls this a "crispee") at the pole to knock the bottle off into the water. As she was floating there, minding her own business, having a great time, the bottle fell and ended up hitting her above her left eyebrow.

Luckily for me I was inside at the time and did not see the bloody part. ( I don't tend to do well in those situations - that's Bobby's territory) Once I was informed my child was hurt, the blood had been slowed and she had been cleaned up. It wasn't all that bad once the bleeding was under control but the nurses in the family felt we should take her to the ER to get a stitch or glue. McKenzie did great. She didn't cry and she cooperated with the nurses and doctors very well. It was Bobby and I that had the hard time at the ER. Try explaining to the ER staff that your three year old may need stitches because she was hit the face with a beer bottle! After two hours of sitting in the ER, she got the laceration glued together and we hurried back to the party for the big 3-D Hannah Montana concert that was on the Disney channel. Missing that concert might have been worse for her than the injury!

Other than that, we have been finishing up T-Ball. Bobby has had a great time this year coaching. McKenzie really enjoys playing but with the heat lately, the kids get distracted and tired quickly. The games have been averaging to about 30 minutes tops in the past few games. The kids love to get together, play a couple innings and then they are all pumped to find out what the snack is that day. It's fun to watch them all run after the ball and tackle each other for it. When they run bases, it's funny to see where they go. Some will hit the ball and then run after it. Some will run to first and stay there while others just keep on running. And some, we just aren't sure were they are going. LOL It is definitely an entertaining 30 min for the parents and family members who come out to watch. Thank you to everyone who has come out to support McKenzie. She just loves it when people come to watch her.

More Summer Fun

We have had quite the eventful summer and it doesn't seem to slow down. We were lucky enough to take a week off to spend with family at Lake Okoboji. We went with Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike and all the kids. The kids had a blast. They got up each morning to do crafts, go swimming, boating, catch a children's play or even go to the local water park (thanks Nick and Amy). McKenzie tried really hard to keep up with the older kids but she found a nap is still needed each afternoon to make it. I think her dad appreciated those nap times as well! Bobby and Mike were able to sneak off to go golfing while the older girls were able to sneak away for much needed relaxation and pedicures.

Once we were back from Lake Okoboji, we got to spend time together on the 4th of July. Our neighborhood had a block party that we had fun at. We also wen to Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bob's to watch the fireworks show. I thought for sure this year I'd end up inside watching the fireworks from a window with McKenzie but she just loves them. The noise does not bother her one bit. She was all upset when they were over asking when the next 4th of July would be. She can't get enough of them.

Another event that we got to this summer was the annual Zimmerman reunion. It is in Maryville each year. We drove up for the two day event and saw some family that we only see once a year. We also were able to spend some time at the water park and hotel pool while we were there. The highlight for us was the annual talent show. McKenzie dressed up as Hannah Montana and got on stage to perform "The Best of Both Worlds." She was all set to dance her little booty off but once she got up there and found a microphone in her face, she had a quick change of plans. She stood up there and sang the whole song to us, all the while being very careful not to move so one of her many bracelets didn't fall off her arms. It was pretty cute.

The rest of our summer has been spent the usual way, running from one thing to another. McKenzie is almost done with her summer dance class and T-Ball. She is very excited for princess camp which is coming up in a week or two. Bobby's been very busy at work with some large projects. He's also coaching T-Ball and playing on two softball teams himself. I'm just trying to keep up with them both. I'm now 32 weeks pregnant and very tired. Between work, school and keeping up with Bobby and McKenzie, I'm always ready for bed. The pregnancy seems to be going very well though and we can't wait to meet this little one in early September.

We hope that you are all having a great summer as well and hope to be able to see each of you soon!

Summer Fun

Time Goes By

We would like to say, Happy Father's day to all of you fathers that we care about. We had a great Father's day yesterday. We had a picnic with my sisters and my dad out at Schram Park. We had all kinds of games and food. The kids had a great time running around with squirt guns and water balloons.

As usual, we are constantly running. Between Bobby, McKenzie and I, we have things planned pretty much every day of the week. McKenzie is taking a summer dance class, gymnastics and playing T-Ball. Bobby is playing on two softball leagues right now. I'm trying to stay caught up with school between working and running McKenzie to her activities. I just seems that there are never enough hours in the day.

McKenzie had her very first dance recital. It was one of the cutest things ever. We were pretty nervous that she wouldn't do it. The recital started at 8pm and she's normally in bed by 8:30 so this was pushing it for her good mood. She did great though. Haley and Amanda were there to help out with the kids and they kept them pumped up as they waited their turn to dance. We could tell McKenzie was very proud of herself as were her many fans there!

Happy 50th birthday to Bob (Bobby's dad). Unfortunately, due to a sick child I had to miss the party but I heard it was a lot of fun.

Baby #2 is still doing great. I especially can't wait to meet her. She is a rambunctious little thing so we could be in trouble. McKenzie is getting anxious wondering if the baby will ever actually get here. I think once we get the baby's room put together, she'll understand a little more.

I've added a slide show of photos from many of these events above. Feel free to give them a look, although I did notice some of the tops of photos being cut off. I'll have to look into that.