The Veldmans: 4th of July

We hope that you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We made our way up north on Friday for a fabulous weekend of friends, family, food, and nice weather. Nate was able to get off work a little early on Friday so we were able to beat a little of the traffic. We made it just in time to meet Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Wes, and Sarah for dinner. Unfortunately, Ava had a massive blow-out on the way up there. We ate at a place in the middle of no where, where they don't have changing stations in the bathrooms. We ended up going out and changing Ava's diaper and entire wardrobe in the back of Grandma's Tahoe. Oh the joys of parenthood!

Saturday we went out for a long boat ride which Ava slept through. Aunt Lisa gave us this great little contraption that Ava hung out in the entire time we were on the pontoon. It was great because it blocked the wind, kept her in the shade, and allowed her to sleep without being held (which would have made both of us even hotter). Ava had a weekend of firsts, and she took her first dip in the lake on Sat. Daddy took her in. I think the water was still a bit chilly for her, but she was a trooper. She got her legs and bottom wet and then she was done. We'll try again next time we're up if the weather is nice enough. Saturday night we had Ed & Toby over for dinner. Daddy smoked ribs for dinner and they were Delicious!!! We'll be looking forward to those again!

Sunday morning we just hung out. We then went to Ava's first parade which was in Pequot Lakes. It was nice to get out and do something different. She wasn't really in to picking up the candy, but give her a couple of years. She mainly just hung out and looked cute. Grandma & Grandpa were nice enough to watch Ava while Uncle Wes, Sarah, Daddy, and I went mini golfing. It was nice to get away for a little while and be Steph & Nate rather than Mommy & Daddy. So thank you Grandma & Grandpa for the little break! That evening we went over to Dick & Renee's for a BBQ. It was great to see everybody. Ava was once again the star of the show...she loves all the attention that she gets!

We headed home a little after noon today. The traffic was slow, but that was to be expected. Ava was great the whole time, except for when she got hungry about 20 miles from home. She sucked on my finger for awhile and was back to sleep in no time. She's now fast asleep in her crib, and I'm heading to bed here shortly. I'm exhausted!!!

Oh, one more thing...I'm back to work tomorrow. This is very exciting news since we were scheduled to start our strike tomorrow. We vote to ratify a new contract tomorrow. I'm assuming that it will pass which is a relief. We didn't get the main thing that we were fighting for, which is a huge disappointment. On the other hand, we raised public awareness and will hopefully get something passed with the legislature. We will also have new committees looking at our staffing. I'm hoping that this will bring about some change and better patient care! Alright, I've got to get to sleep so I can get up early and go to work!