Zach and Nathana

After a quick stop by the hotel to drop off some of our things and meet Zach's parents, we headed off to the game.  We found a parking garage about 5 blocks away, but it was pretty cheap, so we gladly walked down to Busch stadium.  Once inside we located our seats (which were mercifully in the shade! Can I get an Amen?)  I was so excited we wouldn't have to sit in the sun.  There was virtually no wind, which made things pretty hot!  We got some delicious Philly Cheesesteaks and sat back to wait for the game to start.  It was a slow game until the 7th inning, but the Cards won against the Phillies!  4-1!  I told Zach we were their good luck charms! ; )  I'm not going to lie, though, I was very happy to get back into his parents' air conditioned car!! It took what seemed like forever and a day to get out of downtown because they had construction going on, but we finally arrived back to the hotel around 7:00.  We took a desperately needed s...

Last weekend, (June 21-22) we went for a quick weekend trip to good ol' St. Louis.  Zach's family had gotten tickets to a Cardinals' game for his Grandpa for father's day, and his parents graciously bought us tickets, too.  We headed out early Saturday morning so we could go to Grant's Farm before the game.  It's perfect that we did, because it ended up only being 3 miles from our hotel. It was so fun, and it was special because it was both of our first time there! The house President Grant built! An elk just chilling in the pond... not a bad idea considering the heat! One of the two eagles they had.  Both had permanent injuries that make it impossible to fly, so they are in an open area with a fence.  So sad to see such majestic birds hurt, but neat to see them up close and not in a cage! Best attempt at a very quick selfie.  We were walking thorough the stables and looking at all the old Budweiser stagecoaches and horses.  I w...

As of today, it's been 3 weeks 4 days since Nellie's surgery, and believe me, all 3 of us have been counting!  We have still had to carry her up and down the stairs for pottying, while on the leash.  She's been on strict cage-rest, but we've let her lay with us on the floor and couch some too.  On a couple occasions in the past week, she's jumped on the couch, and then we put her in the kennel.  I feel terrible when she does it, but thankfully it hasn't happened much.  The first week she was still pretty calm, but these last two weeks she is like a pent-up energizer bunny.  We have to work hard to get her to walk, not jump up, and to stay quiet.  As I type, though, she is sacked out next to me on the couch.  We can't wait for her re-check appointment when she will be released to normal activity.  I'm betting Zach will be the most excited, as he doesn't like having to take her out on the leash!  Haha!  Now, for the little lady of t...

Wednesday morning, June 4th, Dr Hodshon called just as I got to work to tell me that they were taking Nellie back for her CT scan.  (Around 8:00 a.m.) Just 30 short minutes later, Dr. H called and said that her thoughts were confirmed and Nellie had an extremely herniated disc in her C-2 C-3 neck region.  They were shaving her as we spoke and she was prepping for surgery.  She said not to freak out if it was a while before I heard from her, and I think I told her thank you and to take good care of my girl.   Thanks to the kids, they helped to keep my mind off of everything, but I know I checked my phone every 10 minutes.  I kept thinking, as long as she doesn't call immediately, it's a good thing.  Finally at around 11:30, she called to say that the surgery had gone wonderfully and that Nellie was awake.  My heart was about the explode with excitement and gratitude.  She estimated that Nellie would need to stay another couple nights, and I ...

Nellie went back to the Dr. June 3, and when we got there, Dr. Hodshon told us she wanted to wait one more day before doing surgery, since she would would have a little more time the next day and could start earlier.  For 1/2 a second I thought they were asking us to take her home again, but the Dr. quickly told us that they would keep her overnight for free, which helped me feel some better, but of course, I didn't want her to have to be away from us any longer than she had to.  The Dr. also eased my mind by saying they would call me with every step they did in the morning and keep me updated.  So I said my goodbye to Nellie and tried my very best to be brave for her.  I only cried a little as I stroked her little ears and gave her kisses.  Leaving her there knowing she was in pain and probably scared (remember, she's a chicken) just tore my heart apart.  They reassured me she would be getting and I.V. started as soon as she got back in the ICU area and th...

Our sweet niece, Aubrie, was sick the entire week of her birthday with strep, so we didn't get to celebrate until mid-May!  We went to Mr. Gatti's and had pizza and played games.  She racked up over 1,500 tickets with the help of her uncle Zach and cousins!  She was super excited for the doll we got her!  It was so cute! Isaiah's first selfie! ; ) Driving like a big boy! Isaiah said, "Hold you, Zach!"  Sweetest thing ever! Very proud aunt and uncle with the birthday girl! Happy birthday to our very favorite niece!  We love you more than you could ever know!!