It's a NIECE!

At 3:52pm Central Time on Sunday, June 22, 2008, my precious niece ___________ arrived via C-section.

She weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz.

Both she and her Mommy are doing great!

Here's her Mommy asking her which of the names she might like :)

The new family trio

Grandmas LuEllyn and Betty and Papa Gary (Nanny got be in on the C-section. She loved the privilege!)

Aunt Kersie couldn't get enough of her And neither could Nanny and PapaSnuggling with her MamaAunt Laine, Grandpa Jerry, and Grandma LuEllynOnce again our family is praising God for the blessing of such a precious gift. To congratulate the new family you can comment on their blog www.allofthecoolkidsaredoingit.blogspot.com

Fathers' Day Weekend Part 2

Bubba was so excited to host everyone at our house after church. We were picked by default as the only home with water :) After a lovely grilled lunch on the patio we all retired to the cool basement for some action packed GOLF!

Another pregnant sister pic

Chillin' Fam

What - you wanted to nap Uncle Lee & Aunt Klions - we thought you wanted to play with us :)

Fathers' Day Weekend

Began with an impromptu family gathering to pull wet carpet and padding out of my parents' entire basement. Check out Aunt Klions' profile :)

One load of wet yuck

A little fun in the back of Papa's van

Hard workers pause for a breather and a smile for PhotoMom

Bubba had a great time with the kids across the street. Here is his first ever tree climbing experience. A definite midwest right of passage.

Our Poor Downtown

Words aren't adequate to describe the devastation and daunting clean up and rebuilding ahead for Cedar Rapids. At latest count 25,000 are evacuated and from a city of 125,000 that's monumental. The river crested at 31.8 and is receding at a snail's pace.

The next hurdle they are facing is that all of the city wells have been breached except one. Citizens are asked to only use it for drinking right now - no showers, laundry, extra flushing, etc. Rumor has it that the water will be shut off for the entire city very soon.

We are so fortunate that our little bedroom community is fairly unaffected. We are readying for some visitors and glad to be able to share our well water and facilities.

Thanks for your prayers for CR!

Quaker Oats (the largest cereal factory in the world)

DQ on the right, my brother-in-law's office bldg. in the middle, and the Veteran's Coliseum far left

The courthouse

The east downtown WellsFargo Branch

It's Raining, it's flooding, the old man is sand-bagging...

A new water feature at our park. A fantastic water slide into a rushing river (click to listen)

Here comes some more

A views out our basement window (click to hear this one too)

I don't want anyone to think that I'm making fun or not understanding the gravity of the situation. The downtown is flooded for blocks and the damage is staggering. Please keep our community in your prayers as the water won't be cresting until sometime tomorrow and we are now under a tornado watch until 8 pm.

Fortunately I'm a "Glass Half Full" Kind of Girl

...because we have had so much yucky weather in the past 6 months. The latest onslaught has come in the form of rain and lots of it! Consequently any little bit of reprieve results in outside playing time. Here is a sample of activities.

Bubba using his new Super Soaker (a birthday gift from buddy Zane) to water the already soaked plant.

SBG wearing her raincoat and getting ready to load up her baby for a stroll.

Modeling Bubba's new baseball shoes from Nanny

Giggles and Chutes & Ladders while storm-watching this evening

"Glass Half Full Girl" says "Now we have waterfront property."

"Glass Half Empty Husband" says "20 more feet and we'll be in big trouble"

CLICK on the PIC above. If you listen closely you can hear the relaxing sounds of rushing rapids

Bubba was most concerned about his park.

More to come from my Midwest Weather Center :)

A well placed arm

It was definitely a night for rub-a-dub-dub at our house. Lots of mud from helping the neighbors put in their garden and sticky faces and fingers as a result of the ice cream truck. We have this gorgeous tub in our master bath and I NEVER use it. When I say NEVER - I do mean NEVER. As in the last time someone bathed in it (that someone was me) was before I got pregnant with SBG. It's just a pain to clean and I am just so much a shower girl. So I know I should be a good mommy and let my kids bathe in there but it's just so much harder to reach over to scrub them. Boy that excuse sure looks lame as I type it. I'm sure we'll be using it a lot more after tonight because Bubba loved swimming and flopping like a big whale in there. Happy June to you all!