Summer update!

Hello everyone!!!

I am loving this summer. I couldn't ask for anything better!!! As you have already seen, I was greeted in Sacramento by the birth of my wonderful nephew Chet!!!! Let me back up a bit...

Coming back to America was so wonderful. Jeremy picked me up from the airport with a beautiful purple bouquet of flowers and we just hugged forever! I couldn't believe he and I were finally together!!! I said my goodbyes to friends and introduced him and we were off! Being back in LA was surreal and it was so nice. I had a little honeymoon stage of being in awe of ketchup and driving on the right side of the road.


Jeremy and I went back to APU and I got to see my wonderful friends Elli and Catherine. Although I was SO TIRED it was so refreshing to see them. I wish we could have just had a week together to talk and laugh and be together. It was sad for me to not have Kalie there as well, so I am looking forward to seeing her the next time I can!! I miss her a TON!

That night Jeremy and I got together with his family for dinner at Legends, a favorite of mine in Azusa. Once again, to me I felt like I was pulling an all nighter so I was tired, but it was so great to be able to order familiar food and be with his family! I have no idea how we spent the next day, but that Saturday we packed up Jeremy's apartment, scrubbed down the bathroom and room, and got him moved out! His parents came out to help move him out which was such a help!! I don't think we would have gotten out of there at 2 if they weren't there!!! We grabbed lunch with them and headed to his house to unload. They were gracious enough to also keep some of my things in their shed for the summer!

Mr. Aaron taking a well deserved break!!


We spent the next few days until Tuesday with the Aaron family. We celebrated Mothers' Day with the family on Sunday and Mrs. Aaron hosted a big family dinner which was GREAT! I appreciate a home cooked meal so much more now!!!! :) And her cooking is soooo good! We also went to their church which also was so nice. Although I had the opportunity to go to church sometimes in South Africa, it was so nice to go to a familiar American church! We also had a lot of time just to hang out and talk. I enjoy their family so much so it was great just to relax and hang out!

On Tuesday afternoon Jeremy and I flew to Sacramento. My family greeted us in the airport with signs and smiles!!! It was hilarious because I was coming down with my camera in hand and they all had theirs too!! It was so great to be with them again... of course I missed them all so much!! And it was equally as great that Jeremy could be here too!! We were NOT ready to be apart from each other yet!!


The time Jeremy spent with me and my family in Sacramento was often spent just hanging out. We had some family dinners, meals with my parents out and about, doing a few things for me to get settled back home, movies, and hanging out! We were so grateful to be able to stop by Jeremy's great aunt and uncle's house in Grass Valley, just minutes from our friends the Turners! Bob and Marie have a beautiful home in Lake of the Pines and we were able to see their great car collection and sit and visit with them. Here are some pics of that day:






Jeremy had never been to the drive in movies, and since Sacramento is the "City of Trees" and not much else, we decided to take a trip there! We watched Angels & Demons (which we liked) and 17 again (which was surprisingly funny!!!).



But this quiet vacation wasn't going to stay quiet for long!!! On Friday the 15th we had a "Paige is back in America!" pizza & pool family night. Brooke looked so cute in her swim suit and big belly, and we all wondered when she would finally have this baby! Well, my feet were in the pool for about 10 minutes when Brooke told me to watch Evie because she was taking Josh away. Yes, labor had started! As she was already so progressed in labor we decided to book it to the hospital, as contractions were now only 3 minutes apart.

Evie saying "hi!" to Jeremy :)

And yes, four hours later she was holding her son!! :)


Here's a moment of our chaos!


And here is Jeremy and my pursuits in getting to the hospital! Haha.. you can tell I'm a little emotional. Glassy eyes. So excited and SO rushed!


I don't know if anyone can tell this story as good as my dad, but Josh and Brooke take off and my parents in another car behind them. It is 5 o'clock traffic and the freeway is stopped. After about 5 minutes of stop and go, and Brooke in a LOT of pain, Josh takes off down the median. My parents take off after him and stuff is flying from Josh's car at my dad's. (Apparently there's a lot of trash in those medians!) Well, Josh lost my dad but they both ended up at the hospital. Jeremy and I followed behind with food and forgotten belongings from the others. Everyone ended up making it to the hospital in time for the big event!!!

We were logging the events of the day and here is as follows:
9:24: I wrote in that the doctor was getting her gown on and everything was getting in place.
9:29: after TWO pushes and literally five minutes, Chet was in Brooke's arms!!!





The nurses called this a "textbook delivery" and told me to not be as hopeful! Ha!!! Brooke did GREAT and had that baby with no problems in 5 minutes! We were all laughing at how easy it all was! We were all back home by 10:30pm (minus Brooke, Josh and the baby of course) and Jeremy noted that it was like going out for a movie, but instead there's a baby! :)

Of course I was BEYOND happy to have been able to be there for the birth!!! I thought I had missed it all when I was in South Africa, so to be there and be able to witness everything from the epidural to the cutting of the cord, I loved it!!! Such a special moment :) And I sure have been enjoying him!! And so has Evie :) She's had a few rough patches but is adapting to be a big sister so well! Chet was quite fond of Jeremy... I mean if a baby had biases I'd say he liked him a lot :)




Here is a little clip of Evie. She's just in her diaper since she was "Spaghetti Evie" (Aka "I'm going to get spaghetti everywhere Evie!") If you listen, she has a high pitched "YEAH!" which Barbie mimics at the end. So cute!!


So that's all my big news! The only other thing I have to mention is my health.
Sunday night while watching Star Trek with Dad, Josh and Jeremy I broke out in hives all over my body. After the movie we went to Mercy San Juan's ER and I got admitted. During the time there they got worse then better so by the time I saw the doctor (about an hour later) they had faded a lot. So thankful for Jeremy for being such a calming presence! He really was great. I got some Benadryll and a steroid and I was fine, until Tuesday morning at 5am when I woke up with them again! Luckily I had a Dr's appointment about all my sicknesses at 8:45am. Crazy enough, even with Benadryll in my system I broke out AGAIN at the Doctor's office while I was talking to her! I got a Cortysil (sp?) shot and have been better since. Today I got a lot of blood work done and stool and urine samples taken. My Dr really wants to figure this whole thing out and thinks I probably have a parasite. Luckily she isn't worried, just wants to get me fixed! So I will update when I find out what else is goin' on! But I feel pretty good so no big complaints!!!

Oh, and I'm still job searching so I'll update on that later too :)

For pictures of Chet please visit my sister's blog (theodgersfamily.blogspot.com) since she will be updating them regularly!! I can't keep up with this growing boy!!

With my LOVE from Sacramento, California, United States of America!
Paige