July 2019

The girls got up and did their chores this morning. Homie has been having a couple accidents in the house lately so we are back on the training hard core game. He did awesome today ringing the bell and the girls were super diligent about letting him out. The girls hung out together all day and seemed to have a lot of fun together. They are still doing the Beach Body 21 Day Fix program, Alexa did Lilli's hair, they played cards and listened to music. They were laughing a ton, which makes me so happy. I couldn't get my BOD to sync to the TV, so I went for a run instead. Then it started raining and we never got a walk in with the dogs. Adam made zucchini pizza for dinner and we snuggled in and watched the Bachelorette. While I was watching I was scanning FB Marketplace and found a cute little white bench. Adam agreed and we went and picked it up. It fits perfectly in our entryway and it's exactly what I've been looking for for that spot. Yay! The girls had another sleepover together in the basement. No bags for Adam this week!

Alexa had her friend Lauren come over for the afternoon so she wanted me to wake her up before I left so she could work out and get her chores done before she came. As much as the girls might complain (they don't very often) I think they like the routine of having something to do with their chores. It helps them keep busy during the day and gives them a little bit of a routine. Lilli rode her bike to the bakery with Ellie and Isabelle and stopped at the library, Family Fresh and the park on the way home. I was hesitant to let her go, but she handled it very well and kept me in the loop of where she was at at all times. She went to the Sharp's to play for the afternoon. Alexa and Lauren watched their dance recital videos together, ate pizza rolls and jumped on the trampoline. I did a half of a work out when I got home and then brought Lauren home and took Homie to the vet for his 2nd dose of booster shots. His vet also decided to give him his rabies shot even tho he's only 4 lbs and she would have preferred to have waited a couple weeks. We told her we were taking him to our cabin for the weekend and she said she'd feel better if he had some of the shot in him even tho it wouldn't be 100% effective by Friday. Homie did an awesome job and didn't even flinch with his shots. She said he'd get pretty sleepy afterwards and he sure did. He laid in my arms and fell asleep on the way home and stayed sleeping while we stopped and visited with Stacey and Bryson. We followed Lilli home on her bike to make sure she crossed 195th on her own ok and then made a smorgasboard of leftovers for dinner. Adam mowed the lawn, Lilli played Xbox and Alexa and I ran to Burlington to buy some pillows for my new bench. We watched our new show Songland when we got home.

Alexa babysat the Wheeler kids this morning, she even got to watch Diem today! Both girls worked on their chores this morning and had Katelyn come over to hang out in the afternoon. Adam got off work early and picked up some groceries for the weekend on his way home. Adam and I did a workout together, took showers quick and brought the girls to the Budde's and we took off with the Budde's Sharps and Jeff to Minneapolis. The Budde's wanted to take us out to thank us for helping with Carter's grad party. We went to Brit's and sat up on the rooftop patio and got drinks and a few apps. Then went to a few other bars downtown. It was so so fun to be with friends and bar hop a little. We dropped the Sharp's off at home around 9:30 to be with Stacey's family that was in town and then Mike, Jolene, Jeff and us went out to Lakeville to Alibi and Babe's. We had a blast and ened up ordering pizza at midnight. Exactly what we all needed!

Thursday was the 4th - one of our favorite days. It would have been our Chipper's 10th birthday. We know he's celebrating with all his favorite treats up in heaven. It was a little slow getting up for us but when we finally got up and moving we got ready and made our way to the Budde's to get ready for the parade. We dressed up in our red white and blue with our Culver's shirts and took off to Culver's for a quick lunch and then got lined up for the parade. It was soooo fun. We love walking the parade with our Culver's family. It was HOT but so fun! We went to Crooked Pint afterwards for some apps and a drink. We sent the kids to Target for a few things - a tradition the girls LOVE! We went home to shower, rest for a bit and then met everyone out at Whitetail Woods for a fun evening of yard games and a picnic. We had the entire place to ourselves and it was super fun. We played bags and the guys played kickball with the kids. We left for fireworks in Apple Valley. We picked up Homie and Javie on the way. Javie was pretty scared and shook in my arms, but Homie sat and watched the whole thing. We took off for home from there to get a good night sleep.

We got up and packed up the car for our trip up to the cabin. We made a few stops along the way for lunch and at Target. We got there early afternoon to see my family. Ben and Kelly left as soon as we got there but we had a blast seeing everyone else. The kids ended up swimming right away and playing solitaire. We made dinner and my parents came out after work. Then we all took a trip into town to get some ice cream and candy at Granny's Pantry. We came back and the kids swam some more, played bat and ball with Finn and we started playing solitaire. Dilo made popcorn. We stayed up until after 1am trying to beat the game but never did.

The morning was beautiful at the cabin. The sun was shining and it didn't take us long before getting into our suits and making our way into the water. We tanned, took lake baths, swam, paddle boated (Lilli and AJ went all the way to the Bordson's). It was the perfect day. Grandma Katie and Grandpa Carroll even stopped out for a little bit and Grandma dipped her toes in the water. We did more of the same, just relaxed, swam, played cards and ate. It was perfect. The neighbors had a fun fireworks show at around 10. We stayed up a little longer and played more cards and then called it a night.

Sunday was one of the most scary and eventful days of our life. Our little Zachy woke up seizuring and Geoff and Crystal rushed him to the ER in Fergus Falls. Crystal ended up forgetting her purse so Adam and I drove there about 5-10 mins behind them. By the time we got there he was checked in and still completely unresponsive. When Geoff came out to get the purse they had already decided he was going to be ambulanced to Fargo. Fergus doesn't have a peds department or the right doctors Zach needed. Adam and I decided to wait in the waiting room until the ambulance came and they left just incase they needed anything from us. But, while we were waiting it was decided that he was going to be airlifted to Children's in St. Paul. It went from scary to terrifying really fast. They couldn't figure out if Zach was having multiple little seizures in a row or one very long one. It also wasn't certain Geoff could fly with him. Adam and I talked to Geoff and then took off to the cabin to pack things up and head back to the cities so we could meet them down there. My mom and dad took AJ and Joey to Fergus and met Courtney who picked up clothes and things for Geoff and Crystal in Moorhead and brought them to Fergus. Courtney took AJ back home. My mom drove Crystal and Joey down to the cities and my dad took Geoff's truck home to Elbow. Ben and Kelly were already on their way to the cities, so we told them to keep going and get to the hospital as soon as they could. Geoff was able to fly with Zach and it took them about 40 mins to get to St. Paul. Zach slept the whole way. Ben and Kelly were able to meet them there not to long after they arrived. Adam and I brought the girls and puppies home, took a quick shower and then made our way up to the hospital, too. By this time they had Zach awake and coherant. He was hooked up to so many different things, the poor kid. We called all the wires on his head from the EEG, little spiders. And the little light on his toe for oxygen a little alien. It was good to see him awake and acting like himself. We visited for a bit and then took my mom and Joey to our house. Adam and Joey picked up some pizza on the way. The girls were happy to see Joey again. They ate pizza, played games and Xbox. Courtney and Tiny also drove down from Moorhead. They took their car and also brought down Geoff and Crystal's van. We visited with them a little bit and then crashed!

Zachy had an MRI right away at 7 in the morning. They put him under anesthesia so it wouldn't be so traumatic for him. He was pretty bucky coming out of it. Poor baby! Adam got up and went to work and the rest of us had waffles for breakfast, and drove up to the hospital. By then Zach was awake and happy. The MRI showed some activity on the right side of his brain. The doctor diagnosed epilepsy. He was able to be discharged mid-afternoon with anti-seizure meds. They'll obviously have lots of follow ups and whatnot but the doctors at Children's said they had all the information and did all the testing they could, so there was no sense in keeping him there. That was such good news. Geoff and family were very anxious to all be together again at their own house. I'm sure the drive home was long, but they all got to relax and sleep their own beds. After we left the hospital we went and had lunch with Tiny & Courtney and my mom and Burger Mo's in St. Paul. We sat out on the patio. It was gorgeous. Tiny and Courtney left from there and I brought my mom back to our house to get her stuff and her car. She took off for home pretty much right away. Adam got home and mowed the lawn and Alexa and I ran to Walmart to pick up some swimsuits for safety camp Adam needed this week. We had popcorn when we got home and watched SongLand. Adam took the girls for a midnight snack (at 9pm) to get McDonald's french fries. The girls watched a show in Alexa's room while Adam and I watched the Bachelorette.

Adam had to get up early for safety camp at his parks. He left about 6am. The girls were still sleeping when I left. I kept the chores very light today so they could rest. They have been through a lot and so helpful and go with the flow the past few days. They had the Sharp girls over to watch their show together - Riverdale. I stopped at Target on my home to pick up a few things and then went home to make dinner and clean up a little. I picked up the Beissel girls and took them to Dollar Tree for some treats and then met the Sharp's at the movie theater to see Aladdin. It was sooo good. Definitely one I'd watch again. Adam was able to be home and relax a bit while we were gone. He's had such a busy week so far and will continue with safety camps at his parks.

Adam had another early morning to work. I've been really surprised that Homie has not made a single peep while Adam is up getting ready and leaving. He just patiently waits for me to go get him. The girls did all their chores in the morning, had the Beissel girls over for lunch and then all went to the Sharp's to play for the afternoon. We took the puppies for a walk when we got home and got caught in a little rain storm. Luckily we were close to the park and were able to stand under the gazebo for shelter. We also found a stray dog with a phone number on his collar. We called and his owner came and picked him up. His name was Milo and he escaped from his back yard. The girls and I had dinner, I did my work out, I had them pick some weeds in the front yard and then I took them, the Sharps and Beissel's to open gym for an hour. Adam got home shortly before we did and we all snuggled in our bed to watch AGT.

Adam was up and out the door again this morning before any of us were awake. He's so anxious for this week to be over. Lilli woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep so she ended up in our bed. That hasn't happened in awhile. Once for a storm, but not because she couldn't sleep. Our baby still needs us :) She woke up with the puppies this morning and took care of them in our room. She said Alexa always gets up with them so she wanted to let Alexa sleep and take over the early morning puppy duties. The girls did their chores and then went to the Sharp's again in the afternoon. We all went to the Sharp's in the evening to talk about our trip. Jolene and Mike joined us a little bit later.

Javie has had this strange cough for the past few weeks and it's not getting any better, so I called the vet and set up an appointment for her. Adam took the day off since he's worked so much over time this week and took her in. They are hoping that it's just a virus and there is some inflammation around her trachea, so they gave us some medication and a steroid to see if that helps. If not, she may have a collapsed trachea which may require surgery for a stint. Praying it's all ok and this medicine helps her. Adam and the girls went and picked up a few things for when Sarah comes this weekend. It's finally time for "Camp Fun". Sara was running late to get Sarah here so we ended up meeting them at Jack's game in Apple Valley around 5. Just in time to take her to the waterpark. It was an absolute blast. She conquered her fears of the water slides. She swam in the deep end a little bit. We floated around the lazy river a few times and had the best time. It was fun to see her little personality right away. We left to go grab some pizza. We ate at home, gave Sarah her camp water bottle and then watched a movie. She slept with Lilli and I in my room on an air mattress on the floor. She was a little nervous to be away from Sara and in a different house, but she soon fell asleep and was totally fine all night.

We all slept in Saturday morning. Adam made a wonderful brunch. The weather was super hot so we told the girls to put their suits on and go out on the trampoline. We gave them freezies and turned the sprinkler on. Sarah had a blast. We encountered a little bit of drama as Alexa's placement for her dance team arrived in the mail, but Lilli's did not. Typical Dana fashion there was an issue with the mail and not everyone's was delivered together. This caused some tears, a huge distraction and an overall sad tone in the family. Poor Sarah thought we were nuts, I'm sure. It's hard to explain to her how long the girls had waited to hear their teams and then to have the unnecessary drama ensue wasn't fun or fair. BUT, we overcame it, had a quick lunch and then Adam took Sarah and Lilli to the MOA to go to SeaLife and Nick Universe while Alexa and I babysat the Wheeler kids. Sarah and Lilli had the best time looking at the sea creatures and riding all the fun rides. We met them at Culver's for a treat afterwards.

Even tho the weather was extremely hot and humid we decided to hit up the Como Zoo Sunday morning. We packed a picnic lunch and were on our way. Adam stayed back to mow the lawn and do some yard work. We made a stop at HyVee before going to the zoo and served Sarah a breakfast of champions, a donut the size of her face and a pop. We pincic'd when we got to the zoo and then wondered in to see the animals. It was clear within a few minutes of being there that it was just too hot. We stuck around awhile longer and saw several animals but then decided to head home and cool off at the splash park. We stopped at CVS and printed all the pictures from the weekend so Sarah could bring them home and have her memories of Camp Fun. We played at the Splash park awhile and then it was time to say goodbye. I dropped Sarah off at the Budde's where Sara was picking up her brother Amin. It was sad to say goodbye. We truly had such a wonderful time with her. Alexa went to her friend Amanda's for a sleepover and Lilli slept over at Katelyn's. Adam and I met our group at Carbone's for a trip meeting and ended up at the Budde's for a bit afterwards.

Alexa started her first day of driver's ed. Her and Amanda are taking the class together, which is super nice. She said the first day went well and scored a 30/33 on the first test. Lilli woke up at the Budde's, helped Katelyn with her chores, then went to Ellie's to have lunch and do her chores and then to our house for a snack and to do Lilli's chores. Teamwork! Alexa went to the Ohlhue's after driver's ed and hung out with her Elevate dance group. They had Chipotle lunch, walked to SA for a slushie and just had a super fun time being together. A huge storm rolled in during the evening. Adam's bags were cancelled. We got lots of rain and thunder and lightning but the sun came out after and left us with the most beautiful double rainbow. The rain was a welcome break, it made me feel ok with just staying inside, eating popcorn and watching the Bachelorette.

Alexa had driver's ed again this morning. Her friend Amanda's mom drove them both there and back again. She said it went well and actually enjoyed it better today. Lilli was home and did her work out and chores while Alexa was gone. Adam had a dentist appointment and his teeth look great. The girls went to Subway for lunch with the Beissel's, Sharps and Buddes. And hung out at the Sharp's for awhile in the afternoon. Adam was home early and grilled an amazing dinner of veggies and hot dogs and burgers. I did my work out. We ran to Walmart & Joann's so Alexa could get some more stuff for her friendship bracelets and then to Culver's for a treat. We walked the dogs when we got home which turned into a run because the mosquitos were so bad and then Alexa's worked on her bracelets while we watched AGT in our room. A much needed family night.

Adam and I celebrated 15 years of being married today!! What a milestone year for us!! Adam surprised me with the most perfect card in my car in the morning, really describing our relationship to a tee! We went out to dinner at Alibi in Lakeville together and sat on the patio. Then we walked down the street to B 52's and sat at the bar and played pull tabs and had another drink and an app. We mosied around downtown Lakeville a little bit and then went to have a drink with Mike. His kids had a sleepover at our house.

Adam took Alexa to driver's ed this morning and I drove her home at 11:45. She's completed her first week. One more and a couple days to go! Lilli and the Budde's walked the dogs and took Jack home. The girls stayed and hung out most of the afternoon. Adam drove to Albert Lea to play in a bean bag tournament with his brother and say hi to his mom on her birthday. The girls are going to their friends cabin this weekend so I wanted to have a little girls night before they left. We had dinner at Chipotle and then went to the MOA and Burnsville mall to do some shopping. Poor Lilli has a huuuge blister on her big toe. It got worse as the night went on. We drained it when we got home and put some medicine on it. It hurts her so bad, it makes me sad.

Adam and I got up right away this morning and checked on Lilli's toe. It looked even worse than the night before. We convinced her to let us pop it in another spot to help drain the fluid. Luckily, she let us. She was so so brave. I held her hands and Adam played doctor. We got a lot of the fluid out and then soaked it in warm soapy water again. Adam and Alexa went and got her new bandaids. They stopped at my office to say hi and then ran to Walmart to get Lilli some water shoes so she can go on the tube at her friends cabin this weekend. The doctor said no swimming or submerging her foot in the lake. They said to treat her foot like it's in a cast. My poor baby. I know it's only a water blister, but still I hate seeing her in so much pain. She was excited to go to the cabin, tho. Adam took the girls to Culver's for lunch and helped them finish packing before he brought them to the Ohlhues at 1. I'm so grateful he was home and able to care for her before she left. The Ohlhue's girls and ours went up to the cabin and had an awesome afternoon and evening up there before Suzi and Greg arrived. I had a long over due hair appointment with Kawa after work. Afterwards, we met up with Craig and Michelle and went to Lakeville and ate at B 52's. We bounced around downtown a bit avoiding the 117 degree heat index. We stopped at Alibi and Babe's. It was so fun to catch up with them and hang out - it's been

forever!

Adam and I woke up to storms Saturday morning. We sat out on the porch watching it until the wind picked up and we started getting wet. We putzed around a little bit in the morning then got ready, grabbed a lunch at Subway and then took off to WI to meet up with the girls at the Ohlhue's cabin. The sun came out as soon as we arrived. Greg and Suzi gave us the tour of their gorgeous cabin and then we immediately took off on their pontoon. It was gorgeous out on the lake. We stopped at a Lake bar, Pioneer and got some apps and a drink. The girls played jenga outside. We took off again and stopped at a sand barge and played beach volleyball and then let the girls swing on the rope swing into the water. It was a blast. We went back and had dinner. Suzi made a lasagna, salad and bread. We played some bags and the girls watched movies. Adam and I weren't panning to stay the night, but they convinced us, so we did.

Adam and I got up at 7:15 and quietly took off for home before anyone else woke up. We needed to get back to our puppies. We took them on a long long walk when we got home and then got ready and took off for lunch at our fav Mexican place. We sat on the patio. We went home to nap for a bit and then met up at the Sharp's for some trip planning. Adam mowed the lawn and I cleaned up the house and did some laundry. The girls didn't get home until about 8 oclock. They showered and unpacked. We chatted with them a bit and then went to bed. They were a bit on the exhausted side from their fun weekend on the lake.

Alexa started her 2nd week of driver's ed. She took a mid-class test and passed, so she was happy about that. Ellie and Kenzie came over for the afternoon and hung out at our house. Michelle took them to Michael's and Target to look for beads for their bracelets, but no luck! I ran and got groceries after work and then cooked dinner and worked out. Adam had bags super late due to some games they had to make up from bad weather last week. The girls took baths and I watched the Bachelorette Men Tell All.

Alexa had drivers ed again in the morning. Lilli had Ellie over to play. After work I took the girls to the movie Lion King. It was super good. We ate dinner when we got home, took the dogs for a walk and then watched SongLand.

Adam had the day off today due to a few early work mornings and evenings this week. Alexa had drivers ed. Adam took the girls to Culver's for a treat after lunch and then to the mall to get the little plastic security tag off Lilli's shorts. Lilli got some lotion at Bath and Body Works and Alexa got some beads at Joann's. We were pretty lazy when I got home. I didn't have the best day, so a few minutes on the couch was necessary apparently. Finally, we all got up and biked to Celt's for an app and then home to watch AGT.

Adam had a really early morning to get to work. Alexa had driver's ed - the last day of her 2nd week. She's so close to being done. Lilli had Ellie over to play again and then the girls met up with the Budde's, Beissel's and Emily at Akin to play kickball. They made their way back home when I got home from work. I did a work out and Adam and I made dinner. We had a nice dinner together as a family and then Adam and I took the dogs for a long walk. There were lots of kids at the park for a t-ball game so Homie and Javie got lots of attention. Adam and I went to the Sharp's when we got home and all the kids came to our house. We met with our Punta Cana crew and hashed things out. We will have a big celebration Sunday with fish tacos and fun with the kids.

For the first time ever, I opened and closed at Teal all by myself. Never in the 13 years I've been here have Tom and Steve both been gone at the same time. I brought Alexa with me and she made bracelets, we played cards and listened to music. I loved having her with me - my little mini me. Lilli stayed home and her friend Bre over to play for the day and Adam had a training all day. I did a work out, made dinner, Adam mowed and then my parents arrived for the weekend. The girls and Adam went and got ice cream treats at Kwik Trip, we sat and visited for awhile before going to bed.

We woke up and enjoyed sitting out on the deck in the morning. Adam and I brought Javie to get her hair cut and picked up some donuts. We all got ready and then went to Southern Hills to hit a few buckets of balls at the driving range. It felt good to swing a club again. The girls seemed to love it too and got the hang of it quickly. Lilli was determined and did such a good job. We stopped for lunch at Carbones and then took off to the cities for the Aquatennial. We parked and set up our chairs in a really good spot and then wandered around the river a little bit. We hit up the family zone and then were able to go into the locks. There was a craft fair that we briefly checked out but we were getting super hot and thirsty by then. We snuck into a restaurant in the Guthrie and got some water and a drink. We laughed because we only wanted water, but felt bad for just drinking their free water, so we ordered a drink, too. It turned into a pretty expensive drink of water. We walked to our car afterwards and drove to Ray J's for dinner. Adam, Lilli and I shared a large plate of wings. So good. We went back to our spot to watch the fireworks. We sat for a bit and then went and got some icy treats and went to the bathroom. We sat and played cards on our blanket for awhile before the show started. And again it did not disappoint. By far the best fireworks show we've ever seen.

We all slept in Sunday morning. Adam and I were up a little earlier than everyone else with the puppies. I sat out on the deck. It kept getting more and more humid so we knew some rain was coming. Mom and Dad took off for home and Adam ran up to Mpls to work for a bit. The girls and I ran to the dollar store and Target for some supplies for our Punta Cana party and then came home to decorate. I rested a little bit in the afternoon while Adam prepped some stuff for dinner. Our Punta Cana Peeps arrived between 5:30-6 and the guys cooked the fish tacos while us ladies chatted about our trip. Alexa gave us all the bracelets she made for our trip and we even had a fun little chant. It feels so good to be excited about this trip again. The food and company was absolutely perfect! Can't wait for our next planning session.

This is Alexa's final few days of driver's ed. She has not minded it one bit, in fact, I think she actually likes it. Lilli did her chores in the morning and then had Ellie and the Beissel girls over. They all ended up going to the MOA with Stacey for a little bit. Lilli and Alexa both came back with a new shirt. I did a work out when I got home and then brought the girls to the Budde's and rode up to Minneapolis with Jolene, Mike, Stacey and Tammy to watch Adam play bags at Finnegan's. Unfortunately, he was already finished by the time we got there, but my brother was working and gave us a tour of the place. It was pretty cool. He even picked up our drinks, which was nice..and surprising. We walked over to The Bus Stop, another super cool bar and had some apps and drinks there. Jolene and Stacey left back for home and Mike, Tammy, Adam and I stopped at one more place before heading home. It got kinda late for a Monday night, but it was super fun!

Alexa passed her driver's ed class. She earned her blue card. Now she's able to take her permit test right away when she turns 15. I'm so proud of her! Lilli went to the Beissel's early to help set up for Kenzie's birthday party. Alexa packed, ate and showered when she got home and then went over there, too. Adam called me this morning and let me know that they offered him a detailed promotion at work. It's supposed to only be for 6-8 weeks and then he'll go back to his other job. He's excited and the girls and I are so proud of him. I brought the girls' registration/commitment forms to Synergy and their sleepover stuff to the Beissel's and then Adam and I met up with Susan and Jay for Happy Hour at B 52's in Lakeville. We had a blast catching up. We walked the dogs to the Beissel's to say goodnight to the girls when we got home and made some popcorn and watched the Bachelorette.

The girls woke up at the Beissel's and hung out most of the day with their friends. They went to Akin, SA and Lake Julia. We got the recital DVD in the mail so as soon as I got home we went to the basement to watch it. Adam got home and we surprised Alexa by letting her pick dinner to celebrate passing her drivers ed class. Instead of going somewhere she wanted to order in Weng's and watch our shows, AGT and SongLand.