July is slipping by!

Just about this time every summer I start to get worried about how fast the time has gone...until now!  I will not be working in the schools this coming year as a speech pathologist. Instead, I will be changing gears and working with adults in skilled nursing facilities starting in September.  I am looking forward to the change but am also a little nervous about how different my job will be.  But, until September comes, we are going to continue enjoying our summer with days like these:

Jess & Hudson's Visit:

Marie and Hudson had so much fun playing all day long.  Neither of them took naps and boy could the mommies tell when that 4:00 hour came!  They played in the water, watched a movie, wrestled, colored, molded with play-doh, and much more. It was such a fun and busy day! 

Back to Boji:
Andy had the weekend off so we loaded up our much-too-crowded vehicle and headed back to Okoboji for some more boating.  Marie is just loving the boat this summer and it is so much fun to watch her enjoy it.  Grammy & Bennett enjoyed some alone time in Spencer while Papa took us out on the boat.  We went swimming, tubing, skiing, ate ice cream, and played in the sand.  It was such a fun and relaxing day that we all needed. I am sure we will be spending some more time on the boat again soon!

Bennett Update

Our little guy is growing, growing, growing!  He left the hospital at 7 lb. 12 oz. and is up to

 10 lb. 7 oz! He is having NO trouble eating or sleeping and is such a good, relaxed little baby.

 At his 2 week appointment, a heart murmur was detected. Just to be safe, we had a visit with a pediatric cardiologist today. All seems to be normal and it should close on its own and cause no issues for him. That was definitely a relief to hear.

 Marie continues to shower him with tons of kisses and hugs.  They are best buds already.  She is able to calm him down in the car with just the sound of her voice. 

He is especially happy when he is outside. He loves looking out the windows and watching the leaves on the trees.  Bennett also enjoys books being read to him - especially "Brown Bear Brown Bear" which is Marie's favorite book to read to him.

Saturday in the Park

This past weekend was Saturday in the Park in Sioux City.  Grandma Nel decided to come stay with us since Andy had to work all weekend making it much easier for us to get out to enjoy the festival.  Marie had a blast on the rides, petting zoo,  and even getting some artwork on her arm.  Bennett enjoyed the fresh air and breeze in the shade - it was a cool 87 degrees and we welcomed the cool down with open arms.

Andy was able to join us in the evening for awhile, too.  He is busy with an ER rotation this month. He is getting to see many interesting things!

Hot, Hot, Hot

Just about everyone in the country has been going through a crazy heat wave...not very good timing for this new mommy to 2. Marie has been spending a lot of time in the house since Benett can't be outside as much as she can.  Top that off with Andy with at work much of the time and a dog very annoyed with the random fireworks going off the whole month of July and you have some stir crazy Muetings!  Luckily, we have had some visitors and other fun events to take our mind off of things. 

Don and Jean visited us on the 4th. They spent quality time with the kids while Bella and Charlie played and napped together.

That evening we watched fireworks and enjoyed sparklers in the backyard.

We have also been spending a lot of time running through the sprinkler and playing with our water toys in the backyard.

Sioux City had a mardi gras parade on one of the hottest evenings. We packed a bunch of water and headed downtown - Marie loved catching all the beads while Andy stayed in the shade with Bennett and some friends of his from the residency program.

  Even Bennett got into the mardi gras spirit with his beads!

Following the parade we enjoyed some delicious frozen yogurt to help us cool down.

Okoboji Continued...

Marie was lucky enough to get to spend a few days alone with Grammy, Papa, Liz, and Andrew while the rest of our family headed back to Sioux City.

She not only was on stage at the green space in Arnold's Park during the dueling pianos,

but also spent time on rides...

and ate a lot of good food including as much ice cream as she wanted.

She even went tubing behind Papa's boat!  It was so good for her to have this time away with some of her favorite people, but we were very happy to have her back home...our house was too quiet without her even with a newborn at home!

Summer Time = Okoboji Time

We took some time away as a family and headed to Okoboji for fun in the sun. Marie was itching to get on Papa's new boat and so was Andy. 

We anchored the boat and enjoyed some quality swimming time.

 Meanwhile, Bennett strolled around Arnold's Park and the Emporium with Papa & Grammy. 

 It was such a great day of relaxation before Andy started his first rotation of residency on Sunday, July 1st - ER!

Mr. and Mrs. Ascherl

It's official - Liz & Andrew were married on June 16th, 2012. It was such a great party!!! We had the greatest time helping them celebrate and prep for the big weekend.

Marie was a flower girl with Andrew's niece, Emmie. The girls did well considering they were running on fumes, crackers, and juice. They both walked down the aisle (with some assistance from a pregnant flower girl) at the start of the wedding and then by themselves at the end of the wedding.

Andy was a groomsman/my personal attendant for the day, and I was the personal attendant for Liz and the flower girls. Originally, I was supposed to be a bridesmaid but when we found out I was going to be 37 weeks pregnant for the big day, we decided a switch was necessary :) I am so thankful for that switch! I loved being there to support Liz during pictures and the flower girls needed more attention than we thought.



Marie enjoying the ceremony

The ceremony was full of special touches and very meaningful with the homily written by Richard Mueting and read by the Father of the Bride. Andy was also able to serve communion which was special as well. Everything went so well and the rain stayed away for the big day!

Congrats to Liz & Andrew! We are so happy for you both!