My website

I finally figured out the whole double hosting thing on my website so I've been able to overhaul and update it. It's still very much a work in progress, but if you'd like to take a look at it, click on over to http://www.tracyrasmussen.com/.

It's strictly a work website though. For cute pictures, like these of Hannah and Liz doing their homework outside, you'll need to keep coming back here!

Oh, baby!!

Isn't this just the cutest baby?? She's the daughter of our good friends Kim and Mike (the girls were flower girls in their wedding) and we got to meet her this weekend. Did I mention that she's just the cutest baby?

Here, Vivie practices wrapping her daddy around her little finger with just a glance:

And here's everyone smiling for the camera:

The visit to see the new baby (and, oh yeah, Kim and Mike) was the start of a great weekend where the weather wasn't exactly warm, but it was bearable outside. Hannah even decided that it was sunny enough to wear her shades while she was reading.
Lizzie had fun outside, too, although she wasn't reading, so she didn't need sunglasses. And besides, Hannah wasn't sharing them.

Rob inaugurated the grilling season this past weekend, too, although with cold cold cold (did I mention that this is the longest winter ever in the history of my life?) weather we had all week so far, who knows when we'll grill again.

And finally, although it might be 40 degrees and raining outside as I write this, spring IS blooming indoors at our home:

Please Pray for Stellan

I don't read a lot of blogs with regularity, but I do often check in at My Charming Kids to see how things are going for MckMama's large family with many small children. Jennifer's (MckMama's) son Stellan was supposed to die before he was born because of a heart defect and yet he miraculously was healed and was born full-term and healthy.

Now, four months later, he is having heart trouble again, and I'm asking you to pray for him and his family. If you click on his sweet picture above you'll be taken to the blog and can read updates, but really you don't need to know the details to pray for this baby.

Thanks ... Oh, and I'll be posting a much happier blog a little later today -- took many pictures of our busy weekend.

Round up

Two very important things happened this past weekend. First, my husband turned 45 years old. This is momentous for many reasons not the least of which is that he's only 5 years younger than me for the next six months or so.

Here's the gang celebrating. I had lots of time to take this picture as the Rasmussen gang spent a so much time trying to figure out what to order for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant that Rob was in danger of turning 46 by the time choices were made:

This picture is especially good of my brother in law, the famous Uncle Dude. Let's get a closer look at him:

Seriously, don't you think he should use this picture on his Match.com profile? Of course he'd have to HAVE one first. Same goes for Aunt Linda. I'd post a bigger picture of her, too, except that she hates any and all pictures of her.

Okay, enough of the match-making. Here's the other extraordinary thing that happened this past weekend:

I turned this:

Into this...I took a sewing class when I was in the eighth grade and was so scarred by the experience that I've rarely sewn anything more than a straight line. In that class we had to make a pajama bag that had a zipper in it. By the time I was done ripping out seams and putting the zipper in about 14 times, my pajama bag was about the size of a dessert plate and fit NO pajamas in it.

This apron did not have zippers, but it did have seams that had to curve and I had to sew pockets into it, and hems and rick-rack and buttons. AND I had to use TWO different patterns to make the sashes and pockets. Here's Hannah modeling the rear view.And Lizzie with the front view:

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

45 Great Things About Our Daddy to Celebrate His Birthday!

By Hannah and Lizzie

1) He likes to play cards

2) He's funny

3) He's silly
4) And he's nice
5) And funny

6) He knows how to swim

7) And he's nice,

8) nice,

9) nice,

10) nice.

11) When the lights went out he lit the lantern in the house so we wouldn't be scared

12) He plays library when Lizzie won't

13) He painted our swingset

14) He lets us sit in his office when he staples his paperwork

15) He takes us to the park but not when it's cold outside

16) He plays in the pool in the summer

17) He will sit in the hammock and listen to the radio with Hannah

18) He looks at the stars and lightning bugs with us

19) He flushes stinkbugs down the toilet when Lizzie is scared

20) We go on cruises with him.

21) He buys us donuts when mommy doesn't have money

22) We go to Tanna's and eat there with him.

23) We eat the chocolate croissants with him

24) And sometimes we get hot chocolate too, but mostly he says no

25) A long time ago we looked at the fountains and the bear in the park.

26) He taught us to ride a bike

27) We picked corn together once

28) He lets us help him dig in the snow with shovels

29) He sings to us at night

30) He plays Cats with us

31) He is silly.

32) He is really really really nice

33) He took us to the 4-H Fair and let us ride the horsies

34) He loves us.

35) LOVES

36) LOVES

37) LOVES us

38) He picks us up from dance class and buys us Happy Meals

39) Sometimes he'll stop the car so we can moo at the cows

40) He helps us with our homework

41) He is handsome

42) We go to the Poconos and have fun at Piggys

43) On Sunday mornings he makes bacon and eggs and toast

44) We went in a boat and Lizzie fell overboard and Daddy (and Uncle Dude) saved her

45) He is our very special daddy, and that's all.