35 weeks

Most likely, the next photo will not be in utero

Eyes open:

Tongue out:

Ookami Kumiko Conner makes her debut on the internet

VOTE!

For those of you who don't know, my brother and his wife have volunteered for a year with Hope Worldwide in Afghanistan. They are doing this out of the goodness of their hearts and are not receiving a penny for the entire year they spend over there working for this organization. They are working to improve some of the basic public services that we all take for granted. Their main project is the maternity hospital in Kabul where 120 women give birth every day. Maternal mortality is the leading cause of death for women in Afghanistan.
They have been there already for about 8 months, so they have about 4 more to go. They have recently entered a contest with Polar and made it to the second round. Now, all they need are your votes so they can receive a free vacation. They are definitely more than deserving of a relaxing vacation after the time and money they have dedicated to help rebuild areas of Afghanistan that are in particularly poor shape.
So, please visit www.polarusa.com/awcontest and vote for #5. They will ask for your email address for verification purposes and each email address can only vote once.
And spread the word!
Thanks, Brooke

P.S. Here is a photo of who you are voting for and the drastic change he has undergone in the last year. He fits in pretty well over there...until he speaks

Ronald McDonald Conventions

Hi Family,

Brooke's photo of Ronald McDonald being carted off by the authorities reminded me of many funny, Ronald McDonald stories. For those of you who don't know it, I was on the McDonald's account for eleven years. We worked with McDonald's on everything from advertising to new product introductions (yes, we were involved with the McDLT and McLean Deluxe), to promotions to talent negotiations, and a bunch of other odd things.

Anyway, one quick story about Ronald McDonald. Every couple of years, McDonald's would host a Ronald Convention. Around the USA there were probably 100-200 Ronald McDonalds who would help at local Grand Openings, school shows, on-lot programs at McDonald's restaurants, etc. At these conventions, they would bring in all of the Ronald McDonalds to teach them new skits, new make-up techniques, new magic tricks, etc.

I went out to my first Ronald Convention one afternoon. I walked into a large room and as far as the eye could see, there were Ronald McDonalds. From wall to wall to wall to wall, the room was filled with Ronalds. It was the funniest thing you could imagine. They take it very, very seriously, but the sight of all those Ronalds was stunning.

That evening at the banquet, all of the Ronalds were out of their Ronald outfits and were seated at a bunch of tables in the ballroom. It could have been the most amazing dinner I'd ever attended. Picture 200 guys who are skilled magicians, stand up comedians, dancers, singers, musicians and who are all extroverts.....all in one big room. The place was absolutely crazy. Our table had flowers flying, napkins floating in air, silverware bending and food changing colors on a person's plate. On the dance floor, guys were throwing each other up into the air, they were tumbling, sliding and doing back flips. It was the craziest party I've ever been at.

Ronald McDonald does a lot of good things for kids and adults, but that was one very freaky evening.

Jerry