Baby Shower Luncheon for Tara Janae!

We gave the expecting mama a little baby luncheon on July 31st. Tara choose Kneaders as her restaurant of choice! Pictured are the family members that were able to attend. The super amazing diaper cake was lovingly made by Tiffany and Tristen! Kudos to Mikel who came on the actual day she was moving to San Francisco!! Trinity, Grace and Mia enjoyed helping Tara open her presents!! We hope Indy Janae and Tara Janae felt our love!

An Important Reminder!!

On Sunday, Clay and Telisa had a real scare!! Clay nearly choked to death on a piece of hot steak. Thankfully the steak finally moved, but not after bursting several blood vessels in his eyes and around his nose. I found a few reminders on the internet for us to review. The universal message for choking is to grab your throat with both hands. If the victim is quite a bit taller than you. You probably need to stand on a stool or something to get the right angle.

Heimlich maneuver

The Instructions

1. Step 1

   Ask the choking person to stand if he or she is sitting.

2. Step 2
   

   Place yourself slightly behind the standing victim.

3. Step 3

   Reassure the victim that you know the Heimlich maneuver and are going to help.

4. Step 4
   

   Place your arms around the victim's waist.

5. Step 5
   

   Make a fist with one hand and place your thumb toward the victim, just above his or her belly button.

6. Step 6
   

   Grab your fist with your other hand.

7. Step 7
   

   Deliver five upward squeeze-thrusts into the abdomen.

8. Step 8

   Make each squeeze-thrust strong enough to dislodge a foreign body.

9. Step 9

   Understand that your thrusts make the diaphragm move air out of the victim's lungs, creating a kind of artificial cough.

10. Step 10

    Keep a firm grip on the victim, since he or she can lose consciousness and fall to the ground if the Heimlich maneuver is not effective.

11. Step 11

    Repeat the Heimlich maneuver until the foreign body is expelled.

Read more: How to Do the Heimlich Maneuver | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how

Instructions for Children

1. Step 1

   Call 911 or ask someone else to call 911.

2. Step 2

   Squat behind your child as she stands in front of you.

3. Step 3

   Place one hand on top of the pelvis line, in the middle of the abdomen. Put your other hand on top of the first. Pull upward, forcefully, toward the child's nose, in a series of five quick thrusts. If that doesn't work:

4. Step 4

   Place the child face down across your lap. Put one fist below the point where the ribs meet the breastbone.

5. Step 5

   Give a solid whack to the back, between the lower shoulder blades, with your other hand.

6. Step 6

   If the child begins to lose consciousness, lower her slowly to the floor. Be sure an emergency squad has been called.

7. Step 7

   Straddle your child's thighs or sit at her side. Sit at her feet if she is very young.

8. Step 8

   Put the heel of one hand at the belly button and thrust upward toward the nose five times. These motions are called abdominal thrusts.

9. Step 9

   Open the child's mouth and look inside to see if you have dislodged the foreign body. If you see a foreign body, sweep it out with a hooked finger. Tilt your child's head to the side, in case of vomiting.

10. Step 10

    Attempt to open the airway by tilting her head and lifting her chin. Look and listen for signs of breathing.

11. Step 11

    Give your child a breath by pinching her nose with your fingers and putting your lips over her mouth to form a tight seal. Exhale forcefully into her mouth. Watch to see if her chest rises with your breath. If not, your child's airway is still blocked.

12. Step 12

    Continue with abdominal thrusts

Read more: How to Do the Heimlich Maneuver on a Child | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_15398_heimlich-maneuver-child.html#ixzz0v5cPgDvZ

Mediterranean Cruise

Rulon and Nancy Horne invited us on a Mediterranean Cruise about a month ago. For anyone that knows me well, I had sworn off of ever leaving the good old USA ever ever again! But we were tempted by, first of all, traveling with our dear friends, Rulon and Nancy, second, the promise of no schedule, third, a really large ship that won't cause me motion sickness and last, by not least, my doctor said he could give me Valium so I would actually be able to sleep on the 14 hour plane ride! So, as you can see...off we went!
Nancy and Kat on the Spanish steps in Rome.
The Colosseum in Rome.

Rulon, Nancy, Dennis and Kathryn--ready to set sail!
Boarding the Navigator of the Seas

The view from our window! Messina, Italy!

Taormina, Italy!! A little slice of heaven!
The Adriatic Sea

Every street told a different story! I loved it!

Turkey, where we visited the ancient city of Epheses, home of the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world. Our two Hercules!!!
Nancy and Kat hiding from the intense sun!



Athens, Greece--the Parthenon
The Isle of Crete, the ruins of Knossos.
Formal Night #2! Can you tell that I had just awakened from a six hour nap? How cool is that?
Kat eating pizza at the boot of Italy!
Dennis and Italy! Notice how we match! That was an accident!
Nancy thought she was eating a tortilla shell, but after I tasted it, we realized it was cardboard!!

Rome Airport--crazy and tired, about to embark on a 28 hour ride home!? Super fun!

Dennis could write pages more about all the history!!! I took about 300 more pictures, but I think you get the jest. All and all is was a fabulous trip with wonderful friends, wonderful food and memories we will cherish always!!

P.S. Thanks for the haircut Tara, it was great not to have to deal with my mop in the heat!

Grandpa Dawg turns 61!!

What can I say? His favorite birthday cake (spice cake with lemon frosting- made by Telisa) with a few of his loving grandkids!

Surviving JUNE!!

June (which included the tail end of May and the first week in July) was not only a monumental month, but a completely packed month!! Between traveling, company, illnesses, birthdays, photo shoots, golf tournaments, church work and a new computer to try to figure out, I became quite behind on my blogging. So, the next eight posts are a few memories from June. ENJOY!