Weekend in Kansas

Katelynn & Leo love the "slinky lady."

G'pa & Gavin were worn out from watching the babies.

Kate is unlike her brother; she loved the frosting!

Maybe since he's 2 he now likes to have some frosting...:)

June 6th was my niece Katelynn's 1st birthday. We (my mom and I) thought it would be best to head to Kansas on Thursday night instead of Friday morning. Sure, it had been storming here, and my sister had warned us of the bad weather they expected. But did that derail our plans? No... Did the fact that I am terrified of storms slow us down? No... We were convinced it was better for Leo to leave on Thursday evening. (Ok, so maybe we were convinced that we needed to see Gavin and Katelynn a little sooner.) Anyway, we leave, we drive, we eat, we drive some more. G'pa's job is to keep Leo awake until 8 PM. It got a little hairy around 7 o'clock. Leo was ready to crash, but a few tricks from the toy bag and we were good. We stop at a rest stop, where we change places in the car. My new job, get Leo to go to sleep. Should be easy, eyes...getting...heavy...can't...go...much...further...

CRASH!!! BOOM!!!
(Lightening and thunder, for those of you who don't speak storm.)

Eyes wide open, mouth open, screams coming. (From Leo, not me...at least not yet...)

As we continue down the road, g'ma's phone rings.

"There is a tornado warning in Amazonia. Where are you?"

"Amazonia..."

Well, what do you do; you keep going. We came across 4 semi-trailers tipped on their sides. Yep, we had missed the tornadoes, they had knocked over the semis. Leo was still wide awake and crying. Justin kept us on the road and safe. It was pretty stressful in the back of the van. :-s

Fast forward to Saturday. Katelynn's party was that afternoon. Both sides of their family were there. Needless to say, crazy with 4 kids under 2. I notice that Leo is drooling uncontrollably. We chalked it up to teething. Then his temperature spiked to 102.6. Gave him some Motrin and put him to bed. We did not get a lot of sleep that night. Or the next. Or the next. (Noticing a pattern here?) Leo kept his fever and the drooling up all night Saturday, Sunday on the way home, Sunday night, and Monday until we finally went to the doctor.

On the way to SF, I told Justin that I thought it could be hand-foot-mouth. I hate it when I am right. He had sores all over his hands, feet and down his throat. No wonder he didn't want to eat. Poor baby! Next I had to make the dreaded phone call...

"Hi, Jill. Um, we just took, um, Leo in, and, um, he, um, has hand, um, foot, and mouth. Your, um, kids probably do to..." Can you hear the shame in my typing? I felt like a foot (without the hand and mouth...).

So for her birthday Miss Katelynn Louise received from her Aunt, Uncle and Cousin: a princess toy, a purse, a watering can, some clothes, and hand-foot-mouth. What gift givers we are!

The pictures are pre-sickness.

Calling All Packer Fans...

Leo has a little message for all the Packer fans out there. (Thanks for helping me learn this Katelynn & Gavin! ~ Love Leo)

Leo's A Wheel Watcher

I'm a wheel watcher, g'pa and g'ma are wheel watchers, Melia's a wheel watcher, and now so is Leo! Maybe he will want to go on mother/son week! I'll start working with him early!

I'm...Just...So...Sleepy...

I...don't...think...I..can...make...it...through...this...lunch...I'm... so...sleepy...

Yes, Mr. I-Don't-Fall-Asleep-Without-the-Heartbeat fell asleep in his high chair during lunch this week. We've been working on one nap a day, and as you can see, he was missing his morning nap! What a sweetie!

First Trip to the Zoo

On Saturday, May 31, Leo, Justin, most of Justin's family, and I went to the Sioux Falls Zoo. The weather was beautiful. Leo was so well behaved, and the zoo, well, the zoo was smelly! I'd forgotten how smelly a zoo can be. Leo didn't really care to visit the animals, he was content being outside. I made Justin take a picture with us in front of the flamingos because they are my favorite animal. He was a good sport! Maybe next summer the zoo will be more fun for Leo. I want to meet my sister and her family at the Omaha Zoo. I hear they have a butterfly house!!