We celebrated a special family member’s Birthday just a few days ago.  It was a nice time.  The girls’ Great Aunt Sharon has been staying with their Grandma Linda & Grandpa Ken for a while.  She just turned another decade older, I won’t say the number, because she doesn’t like to hear it, hee-hee!  But, we had a nice little party over there for her.  Ken grilled some hamburgers & hotdogs, Grandma Linda made the sides & we brought the cake & other decorations.  We ate dinner, let her open presents, then had cake & ice cream.  The girls even got to stay over for a couple of nights, per their Grandma’s request.  😉  Great Aunt Sharon really seemed to enjoy it & we all had a nice time, too!

As you may or may not have heard, we have recently been dealing with a dilemma.  We found the “perfect” land on which to have our next home built upon – it’s a lot within a nice neighborhood, in the same suburban city we’re in now, just a few miles closer to the metropolitan one.  It faces in directions where the views would be just gorgeous & the sun would never be shining directly in our eyes.  The problem was that someone had put a “claim” on it, merely days before we did.  When we tried to put a deposit down on it (which was thankfully fully refundable), the person who had claimed it first made the decision to buy & they had “first dibs”.  So, we decided to look elsewhere.  We looked all around our area, going 20 or more miles in all directions, but nothing compared to that specific lot we’d set our sights on, to begin with.  Just when we were feeling like we were ready to give up, we received a call from the homebuilders we’d chosen, to let us know that the lot next door had opened up!  There are actually 3 in a row on that corner of the street that have yet to be built upon.  We were originally told that the other 2 surrounding “our lot” had been taken for quite a while.  However, the sale fell through on one of them, so it is now ours!  It’s so interesting to me how God works, sometimes!  Jeremy believes things had to happen this way, in order for us to fully appreciate the great piece of land that we are getting & now, the people that got “our lot” will actually be our neighbors!  It may sound kinda’ funny, but I think that is with good reason, as well.  They must be “like-minded” to us, at least a little bit, if they had the foresight to call the land developer, merely days before, the same way that Jeremy did, to ask about that lot.  I think we will all get along wonderfully!  The house plan itself is coming together rather well, too.  It’s going to be quite a process, but we’re sure the finished product will be totally worth it!

Father’s Day was a nice holiday this year, for all of us.  Not only did Jeremy get “spoiled” by a homemade pancake breakfast (which Katrina helped to make) that morning, but he also got a DVD series he had requested, as a gift from all of us.  Our day was busy, yet enjoyable.  After breakfast, I took a few pictures of him & the girls together & then, we all went to church.  Afterwards, we took his Dad & Step-Mom out for a nice lunch.  It was good catching up with them.  When we got home, the girls gave Jeremy his gift & the cards we had bought & Kat had made.  He watched a little bit of his DVDs & we rested up a little bit, as well, while Alyssa napped.  That evening, we went out to his Grandpa Bob’s house.  His Mom & Step-Dad had made barbecue food for dinner & we had a nice visit over there, with many of his side of the family, too.  We took pictures of Grandpa Bob with all the kids (our girls & their 3 cousins), which was special, because they are all his great-grandchildren.  It was very sweet & heartwarming to see them grouped around him like that.  When we got home from their, it was the girls’ bedtime.  It was a full day, but we all had a great time & we appreciate all the Dads in our lives!

Last week, 3 out of 4 of us had a change in appearance: we got our hair cut!  Although Jeremy typically gets his done throughout the year, Katrina & I usually only have ours done once a year.  This time around was a different experience, because we let Kat pick her own style.  She went with a chin-length, all-around undercut with bangs!  It really looks cute on her!  It’s the shortest she has ever had her hair cut, but she absolutely loves it!  Another plus is that she can brush & style it herself, now – we don’t have to pull it out of her face for her.  It makes her feel like more of a “big kid” to be able to do that, as well.  I personally got mine cut pretty short, for me, too.  The front & sides are chin-length, tapering to the back, which is a bit shorter & layered, for volume.  It wasn’t *exactly* what I wanted, but I’m not too disappointed with the outcome, either.  I love the front & sides, just would rather have the back be all one length & undercut, instead of the choppy layering that it has now.  But, hey, it’s hair & will grow back.  When it does, I’ll get it fixed the way I wanted.  I think Katrina wants to keep hers styled, too, so we’ll probably get hers cut again, when I get mine “repaired”.  The really cool thing she & I were able to do, having so much hair cut off of our heads was to donate our ponytails (the initial length that they cut off from each of us) to Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs & hairpieces for cancer patients that tend to lose their own hair from enduring chemotherapy.  It felt good to do that, as I’d been wanting to for years & finally just decided to go ahead with it.  That night, per his request, I also “buzzed” Jeremy’s hair, in his usual style, which is typical for us to do.  Alyssa is too young & doesn’t really need her first haircut, just yet – we waited on getting Kat’s done until she was 3 years old & will probably do the same with Aly, depending on how long & fast it grows.  It was just interesting, the rest of us getting ours done all in the same day.  We all agree, it’s nice having it short for the upcoming summer – much more comfortable that way!  I told Jeremy it’s time for a new family photo, which we haven’t taken, just yet, but if you’re keeping up with the site, you’ll probably notice the update, when we do!

Well, we officially started looking for a new house, in a way…  We love where we’re at & hate to move, but having been in this home for about 9 years now, it seems as though we’ve filled it up with stuff & our family is just “outgrowing” it, if that makes sense…  Of course, knowing how much room we need & being particular on where everything is, it’s proving difficult to find a new house that fits our needs.  We figured we’d probably end up having our next one custom-built, but thought we’d begin looking at models & open homes, anyway.  So, this weekend, while touring one, we ran into a builder who actually started a conversation with us about what we’re looking for & we shared why we feel like we should probably have our next home built.  He agreed & offered to work with us on drawing up a plan.  Of course, we know the entire process will take a while, which is why we decided it would be okay to go ahead & begin.  Ideally, we won’t move until about this time (late spring/early summer) next year, after Katrina’s done with 1st grade.  We’ve gotten different time estimates from different sources, but a year seems to be about average.  Since speaking with that builder, we’ve also looked at a few open lots & gotten ideas from a couple of different builders in the area, as well.  We don’t want to just “go with” the first thing that comes along – gotta do the research!  So, please pray that things will go smoothly & wish us luck on the journey.  It feels like an exciting, new adventure & chapter in our lives has just begun!

We had a nice time, yesterday, with the rest of the Zongkers, who live here, in our area.  We were invited to swim & have a cookout with most of Jeremy’s side of the family.  It was at his brother’s house, and he & our sister-in-law did most of the cooking.  His Mom & Stepdad brought a wonderful, cheesecake-type dessert, and his Dad & Stepmom, as well as our little family of four provided chips, pop & cookies.  We hung out for a bit, while the hamburgers & hotdogs were grilling, then after dinner, a few of us swam.  It was a little bit chilly for some, but the 4 of us enjoyed the water for a little while, at least.  Katrina is really getting the hang of kicking & moving her arms (learning to swim) – she wore her lifejacket the entire time, even though the pool is only 4 feet deep, all the way around.  She’s getting there & we’re proud of her for not being anxious about getting in, this year!  Alyssa absolutely loved splashing & playing in the water!  We took turns holding her & also guiding her around in a little “baby float seat” thing that we had bought when Kat was a baby.  Our nephews both seem like little fish – they just love, it, too!  Of course, it *is* their pool, so they get a lot more practice…  Oh, and even though she had to work, so she got their a little later than the rest of us, we were able to coax Jeremy’s sister into the water for a bit, as well.  She & Aly had fun making faces at each other!  ?  After we all got out & dried off & changed & everything, I got to hold our newborn niece – well, she’s almost a month old, now…  But, that made me smile, because I hadn’t got to see her since the day she was born, because I had caught a cold just after that & didn’t want to spread my germs around…  😉  Plus, she was more alert & active than I’d ever seen her, so it was fun, just watching her itty-bitty gestures & such.  We all hung out a bit longer, catching up on how things were going.  We left as it was nearing the kids’ bedtime.  It was a great day & a nice visit, as well!

Well, today was the first day of Katrina’s summer break from school & we filled it with plenty of activities!  Jeremy took us out to lunch at our local mall, which was nice.  We hadn’t been in a while & I guess you could also say that’s a little “perk” of him working from home: the fact that we have the flexibility to go out, just about whenever…  Kat had a little card from there to get a free gift, since her Birthday was not too long ago, anyway, so we picked that up, while there.  It was a little backpack & some coupons for different mall shops – not too bad!  Later on, we also went out to dinner.  It’s been such beautiful weather in our neck of the woods that it almost begs you to go out & enjoy it, rather than staying in the house.  We’re looking forward to all the great summer fun that’s ahead, too!  🙂

Wow!  Our “neck of the woods” has really been hit by some crazy weather, lately.  It’s so strange, although anyone from here is pretty much used to & has grown up experiencing Spring & Summer storms & knows about “tornado season”, it always seems to hit so unexpectedly…  I guess it may be because most of the time, you hear about the stuff in far away, more rural areas, on the local news, since they cover a wide area of our whole state.  But, on Wednesday, they blew sirens, here, in our neighborhood!  Katrina was at her kids’ class, up at our church at the time, so we unfortunately had to split up – Jeremy went to stay with (and get) her, then to bring her home from there, while Alyssa, myself & the dog & cat took shelter in our bathroom.  As the newscaster on T.V. told those in my town to “take shelter now”, I frantically emptied the bathtub of all toys, grabbed our thickest blanket out of the linen closet and our battery-powered radio.  Then, I proceeded to take the baby & the pets into the bathroom with me.  Aly sat on my lap in the tub, happily playing with a toy I’d let her bring, thankfully.  As the storm raged around, I listened to the radio, the meteorologist explaining that high winds & possible tornadic activity were in areas all around us.  The rain was pouring down in sheets in our area, but luckily, that’s all we actually got – a “torrential downpour”.  Poor Jeremy & Katrina wound up driving home in that, but they made it just fine.  Once they got here, I knew that things were ok, even though the newscaster’s never actually said “all clear” for our town, they did report that the bulk of the heavy storms had moved on, to other areas…  I pray for the families whose homes were devastated by the tornadoes & the heavy winds & rainfall.  I also thank God that all of us were safe, even though we had to be separated for what seemed to be the roughest weather our little city has experienced this season.

We had a nice visit at the girls’ Grandma Linda’s house this Saturday.  This was several hours before I started feeling sick, so even I enjoyed myself.  Grandma Linda just had a Birthday on Friday, plus we know that Mother’s Day is coming up, this weekend, so we kind of combined them & celebrated over there, right in-between the dates.  It worked out nicely.  The girls were very well-behaved.  Katrina had the idea to bring her Grandma a cake, so we did.  Their Grandpa Ken held Alyssa a lot of the time, which kept her completely content.  Their Great Aunt Sharon was even there, visiting from Arkansas, so we got to spend some time with her, too.  It was a great Saturday afternoon!

We got to welcome a new member into our family, yesterday!  Jeremy’s Brother Jason & our Sister-in-Law Stephanie just had a baby girl!  Sierra Elizabeth Zongker was welcomed into this world by her big brothers, Jamie & Austin, as well.  We went to see them at the hospital about an hour after she was born.  She is so cute & tiny & has tufts of brownish-blonde hair.  We can’t help but to be reminded of when both Katrina & Alyssa were newborn.  Kat was excited to see her new cousin, but remained cautious & gentle around her, like we had explained you should be around small babies.  Alyssa was curious, but kind of unsure just what to think.  Anytime Sierra would cry, Aly would fuss a little, too – she didn’t like that the baby was “sad”.  But, when they got her all bundled up & she was sound asleep, we all got a good chance to see our beautiful, new niece & cousin!  We’re all happy she’s here!  🙂