Just a quick baby update here as Denise had a checkup today with her OB/GYN.
Elizabeth Rose is progressing nicely as her size, heart beat and everything else is within the very good range.
We did have a little bit of a "monkey wrench" thrown into things though, not that it is all bad. Elizabeth may be joining us earlier as Denise measured out such that she may be in her 37th week instead of her 34th week like we had thought. Next week, Denise will have an ultrasound so that decsions that need to be made can be made.
This Saturday is the baby shower here in Garfield, so we will see many of you there. To those of you that can not be there, we hope you are having a great summer.
Have a great upcoming weekend!
Denise and Troy
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Pothier Reunion Weekend
The weekend of July 18-20, 2008, saw Denise and I making the long trek 30 miles south to Lake Minnewaska and Peters' Sunset Beach Resort. The occasion was for the Pothier Family Reunion, which is Denise's father Curtis' mom's maiden name. Over 70 people were in attendence for the weekend.Grandma Beulah was one of 10 kids and their families can be seen in the group photo above. We met members of the extended family that I had not met before and Denise had not seen in many years. I learned that there were about 17 different ways to pronounce "Pothier", with the real way having a somewhat French accent on it "po-tier". Four of the ten Pothier Children were in attendence, and to tell the truth, I can not remember how many were living and how many have passed onto the better life.
Friday started with a family meet and greet at 9:30 AM in front of the main lodge, although we did hear rumors of a meet and greet taking place Thursday night and lasting into the early hours of Friday morning. A golf tournament then followed the meet and greet for those interested. Peters Sunset Beach Resort has a very nice 18 hole layout that overlooks Lake Minnewaska at times. It is a very challenging course, but very fair also. There were 17 of us that were divided up into 4 teams playing a scramble format. My group was 3 under par at the turn before sitting down for a brat and a beer before tackling the back nine. That nine got the best of us and we finished at even par on the day, but no one knows which team ended up winning. It doesn't matter though as it was a fin day out on the links.
Friday evening, the family went into Glenwood to the Lakeside Ballroom for a private dinner. Most, if not all, of the family that was there made the trek into Glenwood and introductions were given and stories were told. After that, it was back to the Resort for a lakeside bonfire (Denise and I had to stop at Dairy Queen first for some ice cream though)!
Saturday morning started with rain at 6:30 am and continuing until around 10:30. It cut into the golf time for some, but some also made it out. Denise and I took a nice walk around the resort and checked out some of the other buildings. Then it was back to "Reunion Central". Curtis brought his boat down and his brother Harley brought a pontoon. Boat rides were given around Minnewaska as the day improved weather wise. Some water skiing was tried, but the tube stayed on the dock. We did hang out with Denise's brother in law Eric and her niece Emily and found out the Barbie Fishing Poles are the best thing in the world for catching fish as a few sunnies were landed as well as a good size small mouth bass.
Saturday evening centered around a grilled hamburger meal. Three charcoal grills, thirty cans of baked beans, several different kinds of chips, bars and beverages made for a very enjoyable evening. After the grill out, it was time for family pictures. Denise figures it had been close to six years since her whole family had been together, so of course the family had changed. I have attached a picture of that great family at the bottom of the post. After the pictures and clean up, it was bonfire time again on the beach!
Sunday was getaway day for some, including us, with some of the Pothiers not leaving until Monday. Those that did stick around had a very enjoyable time conversing and catching up on what had been going on in their lives.
Some links if you are interested:
The Pothier Reunion website has a slide show with between 200 and 300 pictures in it. The second one is to the Resort we stayed at, and we would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a getaway or for a place to hold a reunion. Book early as Curtis starting this a little over a year before the actual event.
Front Row (left to right): Robin Danielson Long, Charlie Long, Grandpa Curtis, Sophie Long, Emily Jacobson, Gramma Rosemary, Gracie Long.
Back Row (left to right): Darren Long, Eric Jacobson, Anna Jacobson, Lisa Danielson Jacobson, Denise Danielson Mills, Troy Mills.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Weekend With the Petersons
This past weekend, Denise and I made one of our few trips of the summer. We both took Friday off from work and headed on down to the Twin Cities. The trip had two goals, one was to see the Star Wars Exhibit at the Science Museum in St. Paul, and the second was to spend time with my sister and her family in White Bear Township.
The Star Wars Exhibit was nice, but I realized I was not as much of a Star Wars geek as many of the other people there. Even with it being a Friday, the crowd was fairly large. But one of my pet peeves was very prevelant there. I just hate it when Denise and I were at an exhibit reading the cards with the display, and someone feels the need to just butt in front of you to read and/or take pictures. Just wait your turn!!!
After Star Wars, we made the trip north on 35E out to the Petersons. My sister Stacy and her husband Dave, along with twins Abby and Maddy, always make for a fun weekend. Friday night was nice as we just vegged out and talked about the upcoming arrival of Libby. But Denise and I were "party poopers" as we went to bed at 9:30. Something about that 5:30 AM alarm all week that just wore me out.
Saturday, we decided to pile everyone into our minivan and make the trip down to Canterbury Park in Shakopee to watch the horses. The van worked out nice with us being able to get all six of us in there and I got some practice at installing child seats! For a place that has gambling and beer, it was very family friendly. They had a huge playground constructed on the grounds, and a lot of kids were present. Abby and Maddy did very well for being a little over two years old. The playground did not interest them a whole lot, but the plywood platform set up for watching the races did. They really enjoyed watching the horses go by and even got to pet a couple of them. But the half hour between races did make it a little trying at times. But we all made it through and only had to miss the final two races.
The Starting Gate
The Horses go racing by!
The Finish
Maddy (left) and Abby enjoying the viewing platform more than the playground!
Maddy found someone to play with!
Stacy and Abby watching the horses go back to the stables!
Denise and Maddy watching the horses!
Maddy petting one of the horses with Troy's help.
On Sunday, it was back home to Garfield as we had some yard work to get caught up on. This next weekend Denise and I will venture to Glenwood for a family reunion on Denise's father's side. It should be a fun weekend on Lake Minnewaska!!!
Have a great end of the week and a great weekend everyone!
Troy and Denise
Heeeeeerrrrrrrreeeee's Libby!
So, Denise and I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends updated on our lives with the upcoming arrival of our daughter, Elizabeth Rose. So, here are some of the first pictures of Elizabeth that we had "taken" back in April (it doesn't seem like it has been three months already)!
The first picture is of Elizabeth's profile, looking at her left hand side. Her head is to the right with the nose and mouth pointing up in the picture.
The second picture is of her little hand!
And there are her little feet!
And now the picture that determined whether Elizabeth was going to be Elizabeth or the boy name we had picked out. The ultrasound tech was new, but was pretty sure. We showed the picture to our OB/GYN and she confirmed the ultrasound tech's diaganosis. So Elizabeth it is.
Now, we have had a few people ask how we came up with the name. Well, it came to me in a dream one night, before Denise even knew she was pregnant. It was about 2:30 in the morning and I woke Denise up from her slumber. I told her "I JUST HAD A DREAM" and her reply was "So, go back to sleep!" I told her I had a dream we had a girl and we named her Elizabeth Rose. She said okay, and we went back to sleep.
Where does the name come from, I am not too sure. If I was a HUGE KISS fan, I suppose it could come from the song "Beth". I like the song, but not enough to let it influence the naming of our children. Rose is easy though. Denise's mom is named Rosemary and my Grandma Mills is named Rosa. At least that is where I believe it comes from.
So that is my story and I am sticking to it!!!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hello all!
We got the idea to do a blog when my sister Stacy started one to keep everyone updated on the twins, Abby and Maddy. It seemed like a great way to share pictures and events with family and friends. So, Denise and I decided to give it a try.
Our last couple of months have been busy getting the house ready for the arrival of Elizabeth Rose (Libby). So, for practice sake, I decided to take some pictures of the improved house and try my hand at this "blogging thingy"!
Our newly painted living room
The first picture is of our living room repainted. The color is called Bleached Wheat and really goes well with the Oriental Red that the kitchen is painted in. The last thing to do in this room is to get a leather couch and loveseat (which we are watching the furniture sales for) to make it a more formal sitting area.
Our revamped master bedroom
The next room we attacked was the master bedroom. We went from a very light tan on the walls to Carmalized. We also purchased a king size bedroom set and installed a ceiling fan for the warm summer nights. It has helped Denise be a little more comfortable while pregnant, but nothing will replace the air conditioner.
Looking NW in the front yard
Looking NE in the front yard
Looking SW in the backyard
The three above pictures are of the outside of the house. The white siding is still the same, but we got rid of the burgandy shutters and front door. We replaced the front and back door with two that have windows in them and really brightened up the inside of the house. We painted the shutters a navy blue and then decided to add a little more color by painting our doors the same color. Denise's flowers on the deck took a while to take off, but within the last week, the planters are struggling to contain them. A revamped guest bedroom
The guest bedroom in the basement hasn't really changed a whole lot. We did put a queen size bedroom set in there, so that is an upgrade over the full size that was in there. So if anyone wants to visit, we have a bigger place for you!
New TV room and TV
Looking into the new TV room
Now for the major project!!! We decided to build a nice TV room in the basement. Thanks to Denise's dad Curtis, we were able to make this addition in three weeks. I took three days off from work during construction to help with the framing and drywall, but Curtis did the rest of the work and did an outstanding job. The color on the walls is olive and the sectional couch is a camel color, and very comfy. Denise and I have spent as much time as possible in it since it is so cozy and comfy (and cooler on the warm nights).
A BIG THANK YOU AGAIN CURTIS!!!
And yes, that is a treadmill in the back that does get used!!! We do have a weight machine that has not made it out of storage yet, but will in the near future. It is so much easier working out when you can watch TV!
Denise's scrapbooking/sewing room and Troy's computer room
We needed to make the new TV room so that we could turn the old one into a craft and computer room. Denise really wanted to have an area where she could have her sewing, scrapbooking and embroidery things out in the open and accessable. We got this idea from our friends Brian and Lisa in Bemidji since they put a dedicated craft room in their new house. We also decided to put both of our computers in this room.
Our nursery and crib
A closeup of the border
So, there you have it, the first major post on the blog. Denise and I are going to try and keep things current and up to date. So visit often and don't be afraid to sign our guestbook!
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