Whoooosh

That is the sound of Summer 2008 whizzing past me. How did it get to be JULY already?? Sheesh.

It's been a fun summer, though. Last year I didn't get outside except to walk from home to car to work to car to home to car to hospital. Rinse. Repeat. Eight hundred times. I tanned with Adele under the bilirubin lights. ;) This summer is a VAST improvement, let me tell you. And in looking for the appropriate "this time last year" photo, I see that LAST July 1 we were celebrating coming off all oxygen! Oh, God bless the small victories. I still can't believe how small she looks there (compared to my giant man-hand), and I remember thinking at the time how BIG she was. Memories...

Last weekend I met a couple Mom-friends and their kids at the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in OP, KS. It is SUCH a cool place, and the best part is it's FREE. You can pay for extras, such as pony rides, hay-rack rides, milk to feed the baby goats (awww), but the main "park" is free admission. Sweet! It's sort of a glorified petting zoo meets nature park meets living history center (sans dorky reenactors).

Plenty of places to roam and it never got too crowded or jumbled with people (and it seemed like there were plenty of people there). Nice playgrounds spread out over the grounds, and plenty of things to keep school-age kids entertained. All our kids were too young for much hands-on activity, aside from petting the gigantic dairy cow, but it's still a fun way to spend a few hours. And I know as Adele gets older she'll really enjoy the exhibits. If you're a gardener/plant fan, the grounds are beautifully kept and there are different gardening areas to enjoy (kitchen garden with herbs and vegetables, all kinds of flowers and plants, a butterfly garden and wooded nature trail and bird-watching area). Another thing I noticed, and appreciated, because apparently I am an old lady now, was the wealth of seating areas. Benches and low rock walls were abundant, and there were nice wooden bench swings and things to rest on. It was a totally enjoyable day! AND I was happy to get out and spend some time with some other moms and kids. Good times! (P.S. Check out the photo captions at the end of the blog.)

After a few hours there, there was only one thing left to do: GO SHOE SHOPPING! Right? Right. I'm attending my dear friend Michelle's wedding in August, and I NEEDED new shoes. (New dress requires new shoes, people!) DSW was having a sale, and since there was a store just up the road... Joanne joined me and gave me great advice, and I managed to find the perfect pair! All-in-all a successful Saturday, I must say.

This weekend promises to be fantasic as well, and thankfully it's a short work-week too! Anyway, my dear friend Lindi and her family (which includes 3-year-old Carina and soon-to-be-1-year-old Izzy) will be in town!!!! The last time they were in the state was back in December. We were going to get the babies together, but illness conspired against us and we were forced to cancel. Lindi and I were pregnant at the same time, so we've been looking forward to getting "our girls" together for the past year. Looks like we'll FINALLY get to do so!

We're going to meet in Kansas City, at her cousin's house, which will allow me to finally meet them (the cousin and his wife and their kids). Brian and Jen and I started emailing shortly after Adele was born. You see, their oldest, Lucas, was a preemie too (he's 4 now!), and they lent their prayers and support when we were going through those tough times. I'm really looking forward to meeting them, and meeting their full-term, take home baby, Caleb! No one appreciates a full term baby more than a preemie parent, that's for sure!

I hope your summers are being enjoyed to the fullest!

Photos: 1. Maggie, Adele and Sam (don't mind the Moms behind the curtain!) 2. Joanne (ex-coworker) and Maggie 3. The kitchen/practical gardens. It was hard to resist eating some of those fresh goodies!! 4. Adele and Sam (Adele looks pretty bored here!) 5. An iconic piece of prairie landscape: The Windmill. This one was framed by a beautiful summer sky!