Jump Rope For Life

Emily is participating in a fundraiser for the American Heart Association at her school. They will be jumping rope in gym class to raise money for the organization.

This comes at an interesting time, since dad is going to the doctor on Wednesday to get his heart checked out. Last week, he found out he has severe and persistence asthma, so they want to make sure his heart is not enlarged.

So Emily is on the lookout for sponsors. And if Tuesday night was any indication, she is off to a good start. More than a dozen people have contributed between $5 and $25 each. Her goal is $200. If you want to help her out, simply post a reply and we'll message you to provide the details on how to get your donation to us.

In the meantime, we'll keep Emily inside at night, rather than let her practice jumping rope on the driveway in the dark.

Weekend Recap

Weekends were made for Michelob.

That's not exactly the case at the YD household. In fact, there is more scurrying around on Saturdays and Sundays than just about all the other days combined.

This weekend, it was three basketball games (two were dad's), a baptism and Sunday morning church (of course). And when you consider that three girls, as well as mom, were recovering from pink eye (no, it wasn't contagious at that stage), overall we fared pretty well.

In fact, we even arrived on time (mark that one down!) to Emily's basketball game Sunday night. The only problem was, the games were running late. So we ended up sitting there for more than an hour waiting for her game to begin.

Dad's basketball team went 1-1, losing 17-13 to Holy Cross and winning 34-2 on Sunday against St. Peter & Paul. He promised his girls on Sunday that if they won by 30 points or scored 40 points, he would give them "shooting shirts" like the older teams wear before games. Little did he imagine that they would get so fired up to steamroll their opposition.

Veronica: The Status Report

Veronica isn't so sure about the "death grip" Julia has her in.

Unless you're away from Veronica for a few days, it's hard to notice that she's growing fast and learning a lot from her big sisters.

Not only is she now scooting forward in her walker (she used to only scoot backwards), but she is also grasping and holding the toys that sit on its tray. She is also grinning widely whenever a person she knows enters the room. And she's not afraid to try and talk now and then (when she can get a word in amongst her sisters' constant chatter.

Grandma Bep loves to come over and hold her youngest granddaughter. Someday, in the not too distant future, Veronica will be enjoying Grandma Bep's tea parties, just like her older sisters.

At her four-month check-up this week, we learned Veronica is in the 95th percentile for her height. She might also be ready for some baby food!

After The Fire (No, not the band)

Why is it that the vehicle of choice of firefighters is a pickup?

It looked like a Nebraska football Saturday in Lincoln on our block with the way cars were lined up and down the curb today. No, it wasn't a party. Rather, fellow firefighters of our neighbor whose house caught fire earlier in the week came over to help clean up.

Working with incredible efficiency, they gutted the entire house of its contents, as well as knocked down all the walls, leaving behind only the exposed wood framework. Elapsed time: 90 minutes. Dumpsters used: three. Impressed YDs: seven.

Trip to Maggie Moos

Mom had a surprise for us tonight, offering up a trip to Maggie Moos for dessert. There was some discussion, though, because some of the girls wanted to go to the school skating party.

But in the end, we went to get ice cream. Unfortunately, Olivia is battling a cough. Right after downing a big scoop of blue bubble gum ice cream, she started coughing - and then threw it up all over the floor as Mom rushed her off to the restroom. It was not a pretty sight - and dad didn't capture it on camera because he was too busy trying to help clean it up before the other store patrons saw it.

Rash of Illnesses

The rosy red cheeks you see on Olivia were the first sign that she had a rash tonight. It quickly spread to her arms, chest and back. Mom called HealthTouchOne, which suggested a dose of Benedryl.

We never did find out what caused the rash. But the next day, Olivia, Lauren and Veronica all had pink eye. Not a good thing when Dad was going to be gone all day and most of the night at a client event.

Neighbor's House Catches Fire

No fewer than eight firetrucks showed up when our neighbor's house caught fire this morning. Mom was in the bathroom, looking out the window, and thought it seemed pretty foggy. Then she noticed the "fog" was moving and that there was commotion down the street by the McDonnell's house.


John McDonnell, a firefighter himself, was riding on the first truck to arrive. Just minutes before, his wife had dropped off something to him at the fire station that's just three blocks up the street. When she went home, she heard the home's smoke alarms going off and saw smoke.


The fire was the lead story on all the noon newscasts. The angle of "firefighter battles fire at his own home" was an attractive one, of course. It was also quite a sad sight to see John in his firefighting gear, shaking his head at the cruel irony. His fellow firefighters patted him on the back as they exited the home. Having been inside, they knew the extent of the damage.

The apparent cause is a picture above a wood-burning stove. The picture apparently fell onto the stove, which was off - but still hot, and caught fire.

Four Month Milestones

Veronica is now able to grasp things with her fingers.

Her facial expressions often have the other girls laughing.

In addition to being able to grasp things, Veronica is also quite a talker at four months old. She likes to coo and, when hungry, does a grunting sound similiar to what Emily did when she was young. She also continues to be sensitive to being left alone for even a short time.

Honored For Excellence

Posing with their awards are (from left): Julia, Lauren, Emily and Olivia.

The girls and mom played a mean trick on dad last night at the supper table. Mom said she went to the all-school assembly to watch the girls get some awards only to sit through the entire ceremony without them picking up any honors.

She said she was awfully disappointed with the girls' performance and that it was an embarassment to attend and not have her daughters earn a single certificate. Obviously it was a white light (judging from the proof in the picture), but dad didn't have a clue. He gave the girls a stern lecture about the importance of doing well in school every semester.

As it turns out, just before dessert, the girls came out proudly toting their certificates. Yep, they pulled a fast one on dad.

Painting Time

Mom pulled out the paints, brushes and smocks tonight for a special project.

We're trying to get organized in 2006 and the wooden bins mom purchased will hopefully go a long ways toward making that happen. Each girl has their own bin, which will hold their schoolwork.

Olivia shows off her painted bin, which featured a colorful (and intriguing) design.

Separated at Birth?

Any guesses as to who the little girl is on the left?

Look Who's Sitting Up

At the age of three months and 28 days, Veronica has reached her first milestone: she can sit up. It is hardly something she can do on her own, though. Mom has to steady her and keep a close eye on her, but we'll consider it done.

She also seems to be taking after her sisters when it comes to a love for reading. It is not unusual to see her trying to page through a book. We'll let you know when she starts reading...

The Weekend In Pictures

Another busy weekend for the YD girls is in the books. Because time is short — and a picture tells a thousand words — we'll recap in brief.

Not pictured, though, is Emily's basketball game (a loss), dad's team's basketball game (a win) and a movie night on Sunday because the girls don't have school today.


Story time Friday night drew quite a crowd in Lauren and Olivia's room.


Mom had some company this time when she climbed onto the roof to take down the Christmas lights. Braving it with her are Emily (far left) and Lauren.


Dad's sister, Ann, gave birth to her third daughter on Saturday. Sophia weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces, and was 21.75 inches long. As Dad's cousin Tim said, only one more girl between the two families and we'll have an all-female baseball team.


Mom looks pretty comfortable with Sophia. It's hard to believe Veronica was about that size not too long ago.


Julia took advantage of the record temperatures (52 degrees) Sunday and rode her bike around the yard.


Uncle Neil shot a few hoops with the girls after helping Dad coach his third and fourth grade basketball team to a 13-2 victory over Our Lady of Lourdes. Dad wants to add that the two points the other team scored was actually an inadvertent basket by one of his girls. So it was actually "a shutout."

Just Use Your Imagination

It sounds simple enough. Pretend you are someone else - or doing something different. Or living somewhere far away. It's all about using your imagination.

But until one of dad's co-workers (thanks, Todd A.) brought up the issue this afternoon, it seems few children today take the time to use their imagination to have some fun. Who needs toys, or a Playstation 2, or Nickelodeon when you can have a great time just pretending?

That brings us to the subject of this picture. We aren't exactly sure what is going on in it, nor did we fully understand the program that Emily, Lauren (pictured as a sheep herder) and Julia presented to us before supper. But the bottom line is that they had fun - and they hardly made a mess. Perhaps one of the play participants can share some insight into the script and we'll post a follow-up later this week.

Trophy Time

Rimington Trophy winner Greg Eslinger cracks up the media while Dad (second from right in the tuxedo) listens in.

Saturday was a busy one for mom and dad. For starters, dad had to get a haircut, pick up some items for the Rimington Trophy awards dinner and get on the road with Chuck from Extreme Limousine to pick up all the VIPs in Lincoln and shuttle them back and forth. That left mom at home to get Emily and the girls ready for a basketball game.

Fortunately, Emily's team won its game and the girls were pretty well-behaved for the most part. In Lincoln, things grew increasingly crazy for dad as planes arrived early and late and some VIPs showed up on different flights than had planned. Toss in a few other wrinkles and it was pretty stressful (especially the deadline to get all the Christmas/New Year's cards in the mail).

It wasn't all that bad later on, though. Veronica accompanied us to the awards ceremony at Lincoln's Rococo Theatre (see picture above) and we even got to greet University of Minnesota football coach Glen Mason's private jet (picture below). Overall, it was a great event - until we got home and saw the bill for babysitting. UGH!


This is obviously not Glen Mason's plane, but it is a fun picture of Veronica in her outfit she wore for the Rimington Trophy banquet.

Here's the private jet:


and here's the VIPs getting into the Chrysler 300 limousine:

Life Isn't Fair

We have a saying in our house: "Life isn't fair." The girls hear it just mere milliseconds after they come complaining to us that "So-and-so has one and I don't" or "I didn't get what So-and-so did for a treat." Yep, that's the way it works. At the Olympics, not all the medals they hand out are gold ones.

The latest person to feel the pain of the cruelty of life was Olivia last night. Aunt Dee-Dee decided to take Julia to the hockey game, while Lauren was getting to go to Grandma and Grandpa YD's house. That left Olivia home with Emily, who was having a sleepover guest, and Veronica. Of course, Veronica wasn't having anyone over. So Olivia was in tears before Julia or Lauren even left the house. Olivia: Life isn't fair.

Big Weekend Ahead

The picture on the left needs some explanation. First, the bronze trophy you see beneath Lauren is the Rimington Trophy. It is an annual award that goes to the nation's best collegiate center. Julia, fittingly, is striking her best defensive lineman pose and yes, both girls are in their pajamas.

For the past two weeks, the Rimington Trophy has resided at our home. That's because dad took it on a "trophy tour" of the local television stations to promote the banquet and auction which benefits the Nebraska Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This year's event is Saturday night at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln. Today, the trophy made its way back to the CFF office in preparation to be awarded to Minnesota senior Greg Eslinger.

The dinner in Lincoln is just one of a number of events that will keep us busy this weekend. For starters, dad has basketball practice tonight and he regularly takes the four oldest girls with him so they can all enjoy a little "gym time."

Tomorrow, Emily has a basketball game at St. Bridget's, while dad will be greeting the Rimington Trophy dignataries who are flying into Lincoln. He'll be teaming with the folks at Extreme Limousine, who provide the limousine transportation. Sunday, dad's basketball team has a game.

Catching Up With Veronica

Hey Veronica! What have you done for us lately?

With 2005 in the books, we're starting a few new routines in the YD house, so even Veronica was assigned some responsibilities. One of them is for her to quit crying when we leave her alone in a room. So what does she think of her role in a house that's always on the go?

We asked mom to interpret for us and here's what the three-and-a-half-month-old had to say:

Have you noticed that my "big girl hair" is starting to come in?

I really like the walker that you guys got me a few weeks ago. My sisters do a good job of keeping its tray stocked with little playthings. I may not be able to pick them up yet, but they sure look interesting.

When I try to talk like everyone else, the only thing that comes out of my mouth is a cooing sound. What's the deal with that? And how come my sisters start imitating me when it happens? Don't they know they sound like babies?

I keep an eye on everything and everybody. Like dad says, you really have to watch your back around a pack of girls. Oh, I guess that includes me.

It's not that I like watching you guys eat real food. It's the chewing part that fascinates me. Did you see Julia eating that hard piece of bread without losing a tooth the other night?

How come you guys get up so darn early in the morning? I usually sleep seven hours — uninterrupted — but then dad and the girls start getting up for school. Can someone make sure I get a diaper change about that time so I can go back to bed?

So you like my "killer grip," huh? I wanted to come up with some way to live up to Olivia calling me "Vergonicka." Now that I've got a weapon to go with it, perhaps I can land a starring role in the next James Bond flick.

By the way, can someone teach me how to get that walker to go forward instead of in reverse?

The Countdown to Midnight

It's a long time from 5:30 p.m. to midnight, as the girls can attest.

At 5:30, we dropped them off at Tante Frans' house while we went to a wedding reception. We didn't make it to the midnight champagne toast, but that was just fine, since the girls were ready to spend the rest of the night with us.

As you can see from the picture on the left, Veronica enjoyed her first wedding reception in the company of Kathy B., one of dad's co-workers.


New Year's Eve annually serves as a family "game night" where we re-introduce the girls to classic (Scrabble) and not-so-classic ("Scene It") board games.

So how many of the girls stayed awake to see America's oldest teenager (Dick Clark) ring in the new year? Emily, Olivia and Veronica (who took a catnap around 10 or so).