IN Reception

This weekend we went home for Jeff & Christy's IN reception. They auctioned off the garter again, however this time all the funds were donated to Riley's Children's Hospital (where Andon was treated). They closed the auction at $1500 and people were continuing to donate after it was over. Last I heard, $2500 was going to Riley's!

The Newlyweds:Me & My Siblings:Andon & His Girlfriend:

Lazy Days of Summer...

...what happened to those? Does anyone really have a lazy summer anymore (with the exception of the pooch in the picture)? I saw an article in USA Today and thought some of the statistics were kind of interesting, at least interesting enough to share. "U.S. workers put in an average of 1,815 hours in 2002. Combined weekly work hours for dual-earning couples with children rose 10 hours per week, from 81 hours in 1977 to 91 hours in 2002, according to a new study by the New York-based Families and Work Institute." Government data on hours worked don't capture time put in off the job, such as during weekends, or after-hours work that many salaried employees do on laptops, cell phones and e-mail. Even vacations are going by the wayside: Employees are handing companies more than $21 billion in unused vacation days each year, according to a study by Expedia.com.

What happened to those summers like the Country Time lemonade commercials? Kind of sad that so much focus is on work vs. family & friends, don't you think?

Cross Town Classic

On Friday we went to watch the Cubbies beat the Sox in the Cross Town Classic. We went with our friends Brooke & Steve - it was Steve's 34th birthday! After the game we went to dinner at Twin Anchors (known for their amazing ribs) and just happened to run into the Cubs Bench Coach - Alan Trammel. Trammel was nice enough to come outside after his dinner to take a picture with the boys. Obviously it was quite the highlight of their day! On Saturday I met up with Alicia, Jackie & Denis for brunch and Cameron went up the the Cheesehead state for an annual golf outing with his college friends.

With Coach Trammel:VU Golf Outing:

New Andon Pics

Andon just had some more professional photos taken a couple weeks ago and the photographer posted them on her blog. Leah Hoskins is an amazing photographer that I went to high school with...she does such a great job with kids especially. If you want to view the pictures please click HERE. They are really cute!

Congratulations Jeff & Christy!

This past weekend we travelled about 10 hours to Rock Valley, IA for Jeff & Christy's wedding. Christy is a Rock Valleyan original so the wedding was held in her hometown church. They will be having another reception in IN at the end of June for all those from our hometown that were not able to make the trip. It was a wedding weekend - BBQ at the VanBeek home on Thursday, rehearsal & dinner on Friday and a full day on Saturday with the wedding at 11am, a luncheon reception at a Christian retreat center and a dinner reception at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. It was a beautiful wedding and we were very excited to be a part of it. We are very blessed to have Christy as a part of our family and we wish them both a lifetime of happiness! See below for pics of the weekend...*Remember to pause the music box at the bottom of the page*

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Father's Day!!

Surrogacy

I just wanted to share that a dear friend of mine has decided to become a surrogate mother to help someone who has endured so much, but is still unable to have children of her own. My friend "K" has 3 beautiful children and has always loved being pregnant. "K" and her husband have watched Cameron and I struggle through this horrible issue of infertility as well as many of their other friends. "K" decided she wanted to give this wonderful blessing to someone! Isn't that amazing? I think that "K" is giving one of the most selfless gifts she could give someone...a child when they can't have their own. I know she's nervous about this journey, but I just wanted to let "K" know that I think it's absolutely the best gift ever and I applaud her for this decision! Please keep "K" and her family in your prayers as they embark on this!

Chi-Town Birthday weekend

We spent the weekend in the city for Cameron's birthday. On Friday evening we went to the Dave Matthews concert with Josh & Alicia. On Saturday, we spent the afternoon with Tim & Teresa. We went on the Architectural Boat Cruise on the Chicago River and then had a great dinner at RoseAngeli's...a very quaint Italian Restaurant. We're heading out this week for Sioux Falls, SD to officially welcome Christy to our family as her & Jeff take a walk down the aisle!

Dave Matthews:Tough Guys:Architectural Boat Cruise:Sears Tower:

Happy Birthday, Cameron!

Happy 31st birthday to Cameron today! I am sure you can all agree that he just keeps getting better looking with age...
seriously check out the hottie that I married in the picture! I am one lucky lady!

Congratulations Jarrett Family!

It's a baby boom! Ella Grace Jarrett arrived on Friday night May 30th at 7:31pm. She weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches long! Congratulations to my cousin Angie and her husband Dave on their first baby!