2007 - 2008 Newsletter

This is from our 2007 - 2008 News Letter which can be found here.

February 2007

• Cara's first appointments, hearing "Bopper's" heartbeat
• Learned our friends Eric and Keesha were 6 weeks behind us in "infanticipating"

March

• Ultrasound - Grandma Darlene, Dad and Leesha were all able to be there due to the snow day
• Jeffry felt "Bopper" move
• Set up Leesha's "big sister" room
• Saw Greg and Mandy

April

• Visited St. Louis - taking in the Dog Museum and registering at Babies R Us with Grandma Holly and Great Grandma Mary
• Figured out how to work our living room shades after they'd been up for 6 months
• Trip to Labor and Delivery to see if Cara was in pre-term labor
• Leesha got her first soccer ball
• Cara got a 6 week teaching assignment in one of the 1st grade rooms at North Heights (Leesha's school)

May

• Mandy's shower
• Garage sales - sold Cara's old car
• Spent Mother's Day with Darlene (Cara's mom) for the first time in a long while
• Dog-sat Sadie for the last time
• Started gardening
• Took a tour of the hospital
• Time with the Willis family over Memorial Day which included setting up the nursery

June

• Cara had a pregnant lady temper tantrum over getting the house ready for the baby
• Leesha gets her first fish at the all-school picnic
  
• We mourned when Sadie had to be put to sleep
• Leesha broke the repaired portion of her tooth off on the last day of school
• Celebrated Darlene's birthday with her for the first time in a long while
• Celebrated our second anniversary
• Took the New Baby class
• Leesha learned to sew
• Father's Day with David (Cara's dad)
• Pre-Baby Shower with friends from our small group
• Saw Anu when she visited from Philadelphia

July

• Visited our friends the Trelevens in Altoona, WI
• Welcomed Greg and Mandy's son, Simon Lee Willis on July 3rd
• Saw spectacular fireworks at the lake just down the street
• Cara spent time with her friend Kristyn and her kids
• Visit from Steve and Holly
• Tried to tempt fate (and speed Bopper's arrival) by seeing Spiderman 3 in a theater
• Cara turned 32 and celebrated with David and Darlene as well as Jeffry who stayed home because we suspected labor
• Finally (8 days late), Jack Elliot Willis arrived at 3am on July 27th weighing in at 8lbs, 15 oz and measuring 22.5 inches

August

• Getting to know Jack and becoming adjusted to being parents of an infant
• Craig, Tracy, Nathaniel and Aaron arrived for a visit from Kenya
• Jeffry takes two trips out of state to bring back new buses
• Another visit from Steve and Holly
• Cara returns to Linens-N-Things, and Jeffry survives time alone with 2 kids
• Eric and Keesha's son, Keane Philip Pfeifer arrived on the 13th
• Jack's hair takes on a "sticketty-uppity" style
• Jack's first smiles and visit to the MN State Fair
• Post-baby shower

September

• Jeffry celebrated his 33rd birthday with his parents for the first time in a while
• Friends and family join us for Labor Day
• Leesha started 4th grade at North Heights
• More firsts from Jack - sleeping through a night, cooing, going to the church nursery, and Grandma Darlene's daycare
• Time with Bombergs before they moved to Florida
• Leesha got her first A+ and went on a field trip
• Cara started subbing again
• Trip to the MN Zoo with Craig and family
• David and Darlene are acknowledged for retiring from their 36 years in Africa

October

• Jack's first laugh, and Halloween (this year's clever costume - Jack in a box)
• New family joined our small group
• Cara realized Jack outgrew some of his new clothes before ever wearing them

November

• Cara's grandmother passed away
• Jack rolled over, figured out his Johnny Jump-up and started solids
• Celebrated Thanksgiving with Jeffry's family early
• Replaced washer and dryer
• Leesha had her friend Ashley over for sleepover
• Dog-sat Hazlenut (the new small group family's dog)
• Leesha had all her biological grandparents attend Grandparent's day at school
• Thanksgiving with friends and family
• Visited the Bell Museum of Natural History
• Cara got to do some Christmas goody making with Darlene
• Leesha learned to do her own laundry

December

• Snow
• Leesha performs with her schoolmates at the Mall of America
• Anniversary of Leesha's accident
• Visit from Anu
• Time with family over Christmas
• Jack had his first playdate with Keane
• Jack got a tooth
• Cara ended her part time job at Linens-N-Things
• Jeffry took care of Jack, and even took him out on an errand
• Jeffry and Cara saw Sweeney Todd
• Spent an evening with our neighbors

January 2008

• Went sledding with some members of our Small Group on New Year's Day
• Jeffry got a new desktop
• Celebrated David's birthday
• Leesha turned 10 with more celebrations than ever before, including a trip to Underwater World
• Got an elliptical
• At 6 months, Jack got his first haircut, then he's on the move!

February

• Simon's dedication
• Cara got her first laptop
• Leesha's best friend changes schools : >(
• Time with our friends the Browns and their kids
• Leesha had her first piano lesson, and got a half day off of school due to the water main breaking
• Modifications to the kitchen so Cara has an "office"
• Jeffry and Cara got to go out for a Valentine's Day date

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