She's a Peech

We celebrated my niece Hadley's 1st birthday on Saturday, but today is her actual birthday. She was so happy and let everyone play with her. It was a lot of fun to see her interact with everyone!! She had a lot of friends and family there to see her stuff her face with cake.

Happy birthday Hadley! We can't wait to celebrate many, many more with you!

Love, Aunt Midge

Diving into the smash cake!

Sooooooooooo big!

Willis and Arnold

"Willis" is not even officially here yet and he already has a ready made best friend. You see, about a month after I found out I was pregnant, my friend Tami found out she was pregnant too. We envisioned our kids growing up together like their dads, David and Curt. If you don't know this already, David and Curt are childhood best friends that were born 2 months apart. So naturally, we began to think of our kids growing up as best friends. Knowing that we called our baby "Willis," Curt and Tami began to call their baby "Arnold." Remember that show Different Strokes? Willis and Arnold were the 2 brothers on that show. Don't ask me why or how we came up with those names, but now we're stuck with them. Fast forward to 4 months later and Tami and Curt found out that "Arnold" was really "Arnoldette." So, they're having a girl and "Willis" already has an arranged marriage in the works! We're so excited to raise our kids together. We're also a little nervous because we know all about the trouble that David and Curt got into when they were younger. We're definitely going to have to keep our eyes on those too!

On another note, not only is it awesome that Tami and I will have kids the same age, but it's been such a blessing for me to have another pregnant friend. She's who I go to when I have questions or complaints and she completely understands. Thanks for being such a great friend, Tami! I'd be miserable without you!!

Tami and I with our competing bellies. I made shirts for us that show the month we're due. However, I think those months are going to be wrong for both of us. Tami is for sure having her baby in November, while I'm pretty sure I'll be in October.....at least, thats what I'm hoping for. I'm so ready to be done with this part!!!!

Notice how large-and-in-charge I am while Tami has this cute little basketball belly. Sheesh, "Willis" is a monster!

This girl is a trooper

I wanted to post and tell everyone what a trooper Jenny Linn Coleman is. She's been having a really tough pregnancy, sick the whole time, can't sleep etc.... But she rarely complains about it other than mentioning how tired she is all the time.

Each night she's tossing and turning trying to get comfortable, often I hear her get up in the night to get sick and then she comes back into bed. The worst complaint I've heard to date is "I'm never doing this again". :)
I'm hoping she'll change her mind on that one but for now all the focus is on getting through this one.
Every morning in the shower I can hear her getting sick in there and it's very rare that she even mentions it. She's a tough cookie to say the least. One day she called me upset after she got to work mentioning that she had to pull over four times on her way into work to get sick on the side of the road. Now that's a frustrating commute!

We are so excited to meet our new son and to see what he will look like and get to know him. It will be here soon but for now the focus is on just getting through each day.

I crunched some numbers trying to get a better grasp on how far she had to go. The closest thing I can think of to relate to Jenny on doing something that causes you pain but you know will have a big payoff at the end was when I ran a marathon, (which I know is a dumb comparison and that what she is doing is way tougher to say the least) Jenny is nearing the 21 mile mark. When I got to that point in my race I saw Jenny waiting patiently on the sidelines with water and snacks, I couldn't talk I knew if I told her what I was thinking in my head about how badly I was feeling I might quit. I told her only one thing when I saw her there "It hurts". Maybe that's why she's not complaining, but I doubt it. Jenny you are coming down the home stretch, this is the toughest part but the reward in the end will be worth every second of discomfort.

Jenny you are awesome and I love you for being the Willis vessel! You amaze me with your great attitude and dedication to the TEAM.
I can't wait to meet our son soon!

Family, Vikings and Thieves

Lots of new posts y'all! The following are from our vacay to Minnesota. I got to see where David and his childhood friend, Curt, grew up! For the most part, it was a great trip, but we hit some bumps towards the end! It will definitely be one that none of us will ever forget!!

Click on the top link to start from the beginning.

MinnesOOOta Family

Mall Mania and Sliders

Skol Vikings

Minnehaha Falls...Not So Funny!

Minnehaha Falls.....Not So Funny!

After the game, David and Curt wanted to show us the waterfalls where they used to play as kids. So we headed down there, took a quick picture by the falls and headed back to the car.

Happy at the Falls

And this is what we found when we returned to our car...

Yes folks, our RENTAL car got broken into. What did they take you ask? Well, they took Curt's wallet and phone, and my brand new Coach(only 2 weeks old) purse that was filled with all of my favorite things including my phone, iPod, gift cards to Babies 'R Us and Target (now Willis doesn't get a mattress! J/K), my brand new Coach wallet (only 2 weeks old) which was filled with all my personal and bank info! UGH! What a nightmare!! We immediately called the police and they told us they wouldn't be able to make it to the crime scene for 2 hrs. So, we cleaned up the glass some and headed to the police station and filed a report. The police officer told us that people get robbed there about 5 times a day and that they have about 25 differnt suspects for that area! WELL HELLO!!! WHY ISN'T THERE A POLICE OFFICER PATROLING THE AREA? I was furious when she said this! So, after my minibreakdown, we headed to the airport to get a new rental car so we could drive 900 miles home the next day!

All in all, Minnehaha Falls were beautiful, but I will never see it that way. And that makes me sad because I know David has so many good memories from that place!


Sidenote: Never leave your purse in your car, even if you think it's hidden. Also, take steps in protecting your identity before someone takes it from you! I'm learning that the hard way!

Skol Vikings

If anyone knows David and Curt, then you know that they are die hard Vikings fans! No matter their season record, they remain loyal fans! Thus, this is the reason that I became a Vikings fan by marriage and the reason we traveled 900 and something miles to Minneapolis. We started tailgating at 8 in the morning and ate some brats while playing football and ladderball. We headed to the game just before noon ready to see the Vikes beat the tar out of the Colts. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. This portion of our trip was bittersweet. Sweet because the boys got to see their beloved team in their beloved hometown. Bitter because the Vikings lost to the Colts. The only person happy about this was Tami. She's from Indiana and a Colts/Manning fan.

Rewind to a month before our trip...Tami and I overheard David and Curt talking about what they were going to wear to the game. They were whispering about different things and we heard the word SPEEDO. That's when we began to get scared. So for the past month we have been trying to figure out what they were going to wear to the game. Then one day, I saw a charge on our bank account for a costume shop. I thought, "What the heck would they get from a costume shop?" And this was my answer...

PAINT! Apparently, they bought a giant vat of purple paint. I kept looking at David and thinking, "He is SO purple! Is this my husband? Yes, he's my husband, but he's so PURPLE and HILARIOUS!" Don't you love the beard and eyebrows???

This is the only full body shot I have of both David and Curt. I'm disappointed that I didn't get one of them together. I think I was overwhelmed by all the purple! Everybody wanted to take their picture with them. They kept saying they felt like rock stars.

This picture was taken right after I saw David for the first time. They didn't unveil their costume until midway through tailgating. They went to a nearby building where they painted themselves and then came strolling through the parking lot. Yes, this is my husband. Isn't he funny?

Tami is due a month after me. We called her baby, Arnold (Willis and Arnold...get it?) until we found out she was having a girl. Now we call her baby, Arnoldette. We have competing bellies. Obviously, I win!

Pete and Tyler joined us for the game. It was Tyler's first time to see the Vikings. Unfortunately, it wasn't a win, but everyone still had fun!

David, Curt, Tami and I enjoying the game.

Mall Mania and Sliders

Our agenda for Saturday included a trip to the Mall of America and White Castles. First off, we traveled to the largest mall ever imagineable. I had always heard about this place, but I had no idea it truly was a gigantic as people said. In the middle of the mall is an amusement park. For real....an amusement park with roller coaster rides! Curt, David, the Krussows and Curt's family all enjoyed rides while Tami and I stood to the side and took pictures. Everyone had a blast and I have to admit that I was a little jealous that Willis and I couldn't go on a couple of the rides. But, it was fun to watch everyone having a good time.

Team Coleman loves to watch Sponge Bob so we couldn't resist taking a picture in front of his house! And yes, that is inside the mall!

I believe the Mall of America now sits where the Twins used to play baseball. This represents home plate. David thinks this is cool because he loves the Twins. I could be completely wrong about this being where the Twins played. So if you want to know the story behind it, you're going to have to ask David about it. :)

After that, we strolled around the mall in search of Vikings gear. Since we were in town to watch the Vikings vs. Colts game, we were all in need of team apparel....except for Tami. She's an Indiana fan and that didn't make David and Curt very happy. We only hit the sports stores because Tami and I didn't feel like waddling all around the mall. We both had swollen feet from the long drive up to Minnesota so walking didn't seem so fun at the time. So, I left the mall with only a Vikings t-shirt in my hands. I know...I can't believe it either! I went to the mecca of all malls and bought a t-shirt...for a football team! Crazy.

Next stop...White Castle! If you're a "yankee" or I guess the proper term would be "Midwesterner," then you know White Castle very well. Because my parents are "yankees," I grew up having these tasty treats every time I went to Chicago. These treats, sometimes called "Sliders," are square little burgers that you can just pop in your mouth. Because of their size, you can eat a TON of them. And that is EXACTLY what we did! This later became the highlight of our trip!

You can't eat just 1! And no, I didn't eat all of that myself....don't let my figure fool you! David, Curt and I shared 20. I only had 4, the boys ate the rest. DELICIOUS!!

MinnesOOOta Family

This past weekend, David and I traveled with the Max Family (Curt, Tami and Adrina) to david's birthplace of Minneapolis, Minnesota. To say it was an interesting trip is a HUGE understatement. But, more on that later.

We had the privilege of staying with David's sister, Joanna, while Curt, Tami and Adrina stayed with Curt's folks. Anyway, Joanna is married to Pete who always keeps us laughing and they have 5 adorable kids. When we arrived Friday, we got to visit with Joanna while she made a delicious dinner. We had delicious pork sandwiches with homemade french fries! YUM! French fries are my favorite food in the world so she really knew how to make me feel at home. After dinner, we sat around a fire while Pete, Tyler and David made homemade donuts. This was a first for me and I was fascinated by how easy it was! I made a mental note to buy a deep fryer so that I, too, could make donuts in my own backyard. Anyway, it's an easy process and here is how you do it:

1. Get a couple of cans of buttermilk biscuits.

2. Take a film canister and press down in the middle of the bisuit. The round circles become the donut holes.

3. Make sure the oil in the deep fryer is hot.

4. Drop donuts and donut holes in hoil.

5. Cook until light brown/gold.

6. Take out of oil and toss in a mixture of sugar and cinnaomon.

7. Eat until your hearts content. Lord knows I did!! :)

I highly recommend doing this on a cold night while sitting by the fire. It was so much fun and a great way to hang out with the family. Thanks for the recipes Krussow family!

The Krussow clan, Pete, Joannaa, Megan Leah, Ryan and Rachel

David and his big sis

The Human Head Weighs 8 Pounds

David and I have had several conversations about what "Willis" will look like. Of course, I hope he has David's green eyes and his eye sight. If you have known me for a while, you know that I am legally blind in my left eye and am severly far sighted. Hence why I hope he has David's vision as well. All David cares about is that he is big. Considering my current size, I'm quite certain that "Willis" will be a giant just like his Dad! Anyway, many people have put in their 2 cents about what he will look like, (mainly my family)and this is what they have come up with...


If he ends up looking like this kid, great! Who wouldn't want this funny little boy to be theirs? But, I know that God has something else in mind. Our son will be someone we can't even begin to wonder about. Our son we'll have characteristics, both good and bad, that come from David and I, and some that might make us wonder where the heck he came from! However, there are a few characteristics that I'm pretty sure "Willis" will have.

Chances are, our son will have sketchy vision and will most likely have to wear big ol' glasses like his mom did. Let's just hope he won't have to wear the patch. I know I'll think he's the cutest boy ever, just like my mom thought I was the cutest thing ever and my dad thought I was "his prettiest daughter with glasses." I just don't ever want anyone to be mean to my son just because he has to wear glasses. But, I guess we'll deal with that if and when the kid ends up being blind as a bat. If this is the case, I am sorry in advance "Willis".....unfortunately, you got your bad eyes from me!

Chances are, "Willis" will be a chub as a baby just like his mom and dad. He's already off to a great start. My doctor confirmed yesterday that his projected birth weight is around 9 pounds. YOWZA!!! However, I'm hoping that if he starts out like a chunk, he'll grow up to be tall and strong just like his Dad did.



Chances are, "Willis" will be a clutz. I'm currently looking at his Dad right now that is laid up on the couch due to a clumsy accident in Belize. And, I of course, have never been known to be graceful....my nickname growing up was T.W......Train Wreck. Enough said.

Chances are though, "Willis" will have a great sense of humor, be silly and goofy and will be loved by his blind, chubby and clumsy parents!

We can't wait to meet him!!

September 5, 1976

32 years ago, David was born (almost a 10 pounder) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was the first of 3 boys for his mom and dad. I'm sure they felt just as blessed as I do to today to have him in my life. Today probably won't be a big day of celebration for him since he is laying on the couch, but I hope he knows that I celebrate the life he has lead and am so grateful to be here to see him reach this milestone. So, in honor of David's 32 years, here are 32 things that I love about David. I love you and Happy Birthday babe!

1. He is the most loyal person I have ever met.
2. He is a great Dad. He'd do anything for his kids!
3. I love his green eyes and hope that Willis will have them.
4. He chose me to spend the rest of his life with.
5. David is an eternal optimist.
6. He loves all things that have to do with sports. I know, it's a shocker that I say this, but I just love how enthusiastic he gets about the teams he loves.
7. Christ is 1st in his life.
8. I love that he plays guitar.
9. I love that he does the Dave Matthews leg shake when he plays guitar.
10. God, family and friends come first in his life.
11. When we go to the movies, David laughs (loud) the entire time. At first I thought this was embarrasing, but now it cracks me up.
12. He makes me try new things. For example, skydiving and sushi!
13. He loves all kinds of music and is always introducing me to new bands.
14. David is very honest with me....even when I don't want to hear it.
15. He works hard to provide for our family.
16. He calls my Mom and Dad just to say Hi.
17. I love how tall and strong he is. I always wanted to be married to a baller! :)
18. He accepts me for who I am....even when I'm complaining or annoying.
19. He introduced me to a great group of friends and family.
20. David has done his best to make Colorado feel like home for me.
21. I love when he makes up funny songs or raps to make people smile.
22. He's been a trooper through all of this knee stuff and he still maintains a positive outlook on it.
23. I love how he interacts with kids. They love him!
24. He makes me feel loved everyday and he always makes sure that I know he loves me.
25. His smile always makes me smile.
26. David always takes care of me.
27. He listens to me complain and then sets me straight.
28. He allows me to dream and wants to see them come true.
29. He gives to everyone without asking for anything in return.
30. David can talk to anyone in any situation. It truly is a God-given gift.
31. He always strives to be better.
32. He is a gift from God and has enriched my life more than he will ever know.

Round 3

Today, David had his third knee surgery, and hopefully, his last! In Round 3 of David vs. his knee, I predict David to be the winner. We went in about 7am and they quickly ushered David back for surgery prep. I joined him shortly after where I got to check out his nice shaven leg with a big "YES" on it. We joked about this a little, but I'm sure back in David's mind he was thinking, "These people better not operate on the wrong leg!" I know that's what I'd be thinking. Soon David's surgeon and nurse joined us where someone said, "Back again?" David responded by saying, "Yes, I just come get these procedures done because the drugs are so good." And silence. Not one snicker, not one smile. Then the surgeon said something like, "You'd be surprised, people will do anything just for the prescription drugs." AWKWARD! Apparently, surgeons don't like to joke around about that kind of thing and they definitely don't get David's sense of humor. After that they whisked David away and I went to sit in the waiting room. The procedure only took about an hour and then the surgeon came out to talk to me. Basically, David had a large amount of scar tissue in his knee and his knee cap was pretty rough. So they smoothed that out and checked out the implant that he had gotten about this time last year. Thankfully, his implant is doing well and he should be well on his way to a full recovery. After the doctor shared the news with me I went back to the recovery room where I found David crackin' jokes with all the nurses. That's when I felt that everything would be ok. When I saw David after his 2nd surgery, I knew we were in for a battle. This time around, things were different. He was smiling, eating and talkin' up a storm. So, we left the surgery center after being there for only about 3 hours. Isn't that amazing? It's like a drive-through for surgery! I took him home where he took his place on the all-to- familiar couch, gave him his pills and let him be to rest. He's doing well now...hobbling around on his crutches and feeling pretty weird on his medication. He could still use some good prayers as he still has a long road to a full recovery. He's a trooper and I'm proud of him for sticking it out!

Dreading the surgery

Along with the "YES," the surgeon had to initial his knee before the he began the procedure. Notice David's nasty scar from the last surgery and his shaven leg.

Deep thoughts with Cole Owen Tharp

When Jenny and I went down to San Antonio recently I got the chance to take my nephew Cole out to the driving range one afternoon. Cole is 3 and 1/2 and a pretty good little golfer, I though he was left handed as he was hitting the balls with my irons that way (right handed clubs) but turns out he just didn't know how to do it.

Anyway he was hitting away and when I pulled out my golf glove he asked if I had an extra one for him. I did and he put it on and it was about 4" too big for all his fingers but he was happy to have one so he could be a "real golfer".
After hitting balls for about 20 minutes he let me know that he had a bathroom emergency that he needed to take care of right away. The range we were at was fairly isolated and there wasn't anyone else there so I told him to go over to the bushes and take care of it. He proceeded to walk about 10 feet away from me and asked if this was OK. I said go for it, he started fumbling around and said he needed to take the glove off. He did and he threw it on the ground near him. He finally got down to business and when I looked back at him he was whizzing on my golf glove. I yelled "Cole you are whizzing on my glove" which startled him and he shook around and proceeded to whiz all over himself. I yelled again "oh man you whizzed all over yourself". He had it all over his shirt and on his shorts, but calmly replied "that's ok unlce giant (his name for me) IT WILL DRY OUT". At the time I thought his statement was hilarious but as I've thought it through (and over thought it no doubt) I've thought how these funny words from the adorable 3 and 1/2 year old are a great analogy on life.

Life is messy: You are going to get some on you through the course of your life no matter how careful you try to be.

It's not always your fault: People will startle you which may cause you to whizz on yourself and you just have to go on and not let it phase you.

In the scriptures it says (and I quote loosely) Do not worry about tomorrow, each day has enough worry's of it's own.
Cole was thinking perfectly clearly when I yelled at him that he had just whizzed on himself. "Don't worry it will dry out" it's not the end of the world when you make a mistake, what's done is done and there is no reason to make a big deal of it. Pick up and move on. Let the mistakes of your past be a lesson for you for next time but don't dwell on it.
It will dry out and although we may have a leftover stain we can use that lesson for future reference and experiences in life.
I've thought about this a lot over the last couple of weeks and although I don't feel like I'm expressing it as clearly as it is in my head, the point is there.
Move on, don't worry, it happened for a reason. Live your life focused on what you can do next not dwelling on your past mistakes.

DON'T WORRY IT WILL DRY OUT!

:)