Benefit for Don Sohl

Last night, we were in Norfolk to go to a benefit for Don Sohl. We knew that SmokeRing would be there to perform, and despite the fact that there would be no Hupp representation IN the band, we had to go! We knew we'd be seeing our good friends, Brad & Michelle, and we hoped to see Dave & Joey as well. The bonus was running into several of MY family members! Here's a great picture of me with my cousin, Terry, just before he decided to call my Dad and tell him we were together. (Sounds kind of like something Jim would do!)

Me with my cousin, Terry.

Brad, Dave, Joey and Jim.

Dave, Jim, and Brad.

One of the biggest attractions of the night was Max Carl (formerly Max Gronenthal). He's originally from Nebraska, but he went on to superstardom! (He LOOKS like a superstar, doesn't he?) He played for a while with .38 Special (among other bands) and even wrote and sang their only #1 hit, "Second Chance". He's currently with Grand Funk Railroad, but clearly, he's not above coming back for special occasions in Nebraska.

Max Carl with Brad.

Brad won a bid on a guitar, and he was having several musicians of the night sign it. Here he is, getting Max Carl's autograph.

First Communion

Lindsay made her 1st Communion last weekend. It was such a lovely day and such a fabulous event! Jim and I are so proud--it's cool to see the change that has come over her, now that she understands Mass a little better.

Nothing like a little cake to help celebrate such a wonderful occasion!

Babymoon

My submission for the Cutest Baby in America Contest.

I've never heard that actual term used before--'babymoon'. But if there is such a thing, Donovan and I are definitely on ours right now. I swear, the kid and I just can't seem to get enough of each other. He totally lights up every time he sees me; and I can be in the absolute worst mood, but when he smiles just for me, everything fades away. Our latest thing is to chat and coo at each other in the middle of feeding. D will eat on off one breast, then he'll kind of take a break before going to the other side. On that break, he looks up at me and just starts flirting! He truly gives me these flirtatious looks--I can't describe it any other way. He and I just sit there and talk to each other for ten or fifteen minutes, giggling and squealing at each other. Of course, I usually take the opportunity to scoop him up even closer to me and start smothering his cheeks and neck with kisses, making big loud smoochy sounds. He just eats that stuff up! He has this one kind of coo that, I swear, sounds like he's saying "I love you!" So, of course, I'm all over it, saying "I love you! I love you!" a million times. I remember my older brother telling me once that I was going to kiss Josie too much, when she was a baby. But she doesn't seem to have suffered from all that loving. I think Donovan will be fine, as well! I hope our Babymoon lasts a long time--I am really digging it!!!
A couple more of the 3-month pictures--I like playing around with them on Picasa!

Fun Mail, etc.

I got this fun package in the mail today. My cousin, Bridget, sent it to me "just because". There's a notepad with 'T' (for Tracy) on it, plus some Cabana Girl lip gloss and foot scrub, plus a few Baker's Chocolates--my favorite! The lip gloss sort of leaked a bit on the notepad, which is cool, 'cuz now I'll think of the beach and my fantasy get-away spot every time I use it! Thanks, Bridget! You always post pictures of the fun mail you got, so I had to post a pic of my stuff from you--you're too cool!

I've been messing around with MySpace lately. It's kind of addictive. I'd love to have you check mine out, anyone who's interested. Just be warned, some of my "friends" out there, on their own pages, have what I would consider to be questionable content. The language, subject matter, and even pictures found on some of their pages are definitely not for children's eyes. I don't put any of that stuff on my own page, but I can't control what others are putting on theirs.... and just because they put that stuff out there doesn't mean they're not my friends, y'know? (As a side note: I recently read on a message board somewhere that a mother posted a picture of herself as she was breastfeeding her child--and MySpace removed it! Every time you post a picture, they have this little note that says they don't allow nudity, but that's such a joke! People are constantly posting nude pictures, just with certain areas blocked strategically. Well, I'm sure this woman, if she was breastfeeding, had the most "offensive" part blocked--by her child's mouth. I am totally outraged by this--what's so offensive about a woman sustaining her child's life by utilizing part of her body in the manner meant by God in the first place? Aaargghh!) Anyway, feel free to check out my space. You can just go to MySpace.com and put trayceetee in the search line.

We were in Norfolk for Easter (that Saturday was my father-in-law's surprise party--read below). The girls absolutely love playing dress-up at Grandma's house. She's got, seriously, THE BEST dress-up clothes ever! And any time spent with the cousins is quality time. Kalista Rae was in from California, and she really enjoys being "one of the girls" with her Nebraska pals. Notice how Lindsay is the only one without any kind of head-gear... but her socks more than make up for it!!!

Surprise Party

We threw a surprise party last weekend for Jim's Dad. It was his 70th birthday. Boy, was he surprised! I don't think he knew what to say. It was quite touching, watching his reaction--really, all night, he continued to be in a sort of state of shock. I've had a party thrown in my honor before, and it's very humbling to have a large group of people show up just for you. I know he must have been thrilled--any of you who were there that read my blog, thank you SO MUCH for coming!!! The party, itself, was a great success--lots of fun, lots of wonderful comments about Mike, etc. He really has created a legacy, as Anne (his oldest child) said. I'm honored and grateful to be a part of that legacy and to be able to share in a part of his life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIKE!!!

Mike's older brother, Tom, telling secrets.

Mike's oldest son, John, flew in for the occasion from California with his wife and daughter.

Three Month Portraits

I went a little nuts this time when I took Donovan in for his three month portraits. I was just going to go with the $10 package, which is really a great deal. However, after all the poses were done and a few neat examples were shown, I ended up spending WAY more! But I got the CD for the pictures, so I'm able to show a few of them on my blog or e-mail them to people, etc. I know we won't do that every time, but man, these were such cute pictures! I had to get them all!!! Once again, Portrait Innovations is the way to go!