Tube-less!

For the first time since she was one day old, Sonja is tube-, wire-, and medication-free!!! On Friday, we had our last scheduled procedure at The Children's Hospital - Sonja's G-tube removal! It wasn't much of a "procedure" at all...more of a 10-minute clinic appointment to do something I could've done at home. Nonetheless, we made it a big deal. After all, this is a HUGE milestone.

Maybe more exciting than the procedure itself was the fact that Sonja weighed-in at over 14 lbs! My little chunky-monkey is growing faster than we could have imagined! The baby fat is everywhere!!! Her chubby little thighs are practically the size of my forearms. She has what Brian likes to call "Cafeteria-lady arms". And her cheeks look like they are constantly stuffed with marshmallows!

A couple weeks ago at the farmers' market, I couldn't resist throwing money at the gentleman selling handmade cowGIRL hats. I bought both the girls one - Anya's in pink, of course.

Oh, and my dear little Anya, who is in the throws of 3-year-old-hood. She can have me laughing and then crying in a matter of minutes...literally. The girl is capable of commanding an army while at the same time wrapping her father around her pinky finger. Her negotiation skills are extraordinary. Without a doubt she'll make a fine lawyer one day. Either that or she'll be a finalist on American Idol soon - we had a dance party in the living room the other night. She's got some impressive moves.

The summertime brings joys in and of itself. We have baby birds in the birdhouse that Anya is infatuated with. We make sure to FILL the birdfeeder (even though not totally empty) each night per chance that the baby birdies will go hungry overnight. Anya picks me flowers every day. Moving, even though they're dandelions. Sonja can now sit upright in her stroller so we've enjoyed several walks around town, the farmers' market, the park, etc. And the weather's even been kind enough to allow us some dinners and lunches out on the patio. I haven't found enough time to get out into my garden much this summer. So I've hired someone to come do some cleanup for me, which will make the view even lovelier, I'm sure (at least that's how I've justified it to Brian!).

Picture of the sunset in our backyard.

We're in big-time training mode for the Courage Classic benefitting The Children's Hospital. Our team to this point has raised almost $6,000 towards our $10,000 goal! Yay team! We've really been moved by the outpouring of support by folks. We are blessed to have such close family and friends. Here's a picture of some of us on a training ride at the top of Vail Pass in our new jerseys!

So, that's about it. Loving the kids. Loving the summer. Loving life in general.