The Cake Smashing!

Today was Ian's first birthday party. He had a great time! His (and our) favorite part was the cake smashing event. We thought he might do a really good job at this... and we were right. He was a happy boy! Reagan had a great time too-- she was so excited for her brother's birthday party!

Nice work Bubby!








You're really going to let me do this???








The cake in the hair is compliments of Aunt Lish... she was standing in front of him saying "Ian, where is your head??" Thanks, Wisha!



How did I do?




Okay... now can I have a bath?

Taking turns with cousin Tatum on the new fire truck toy!

Happy 1st Birthday Ian!!

One year ago today.... I was in labor... sort of.

I was having contractions... sort of.

Okay, so I had a weekly doctor's appointment (you know the kind... the going-every-week-during-the-last-month-of-your-pregnancy-until-the-baby-decides-to-come appointment) on the morning of June 8, 2006 at 9:30. When our doctor "checked" me (fun), I was already dilated to 5 cm. Okay, so apparently I was in labor.... again, sort of. The doc called over to the hospital to see if there was room for me to just head over and have a baby... seriously, can he make it sound any easier? Anyhow... there was room at the hospital so they let me come and check in. Sean and I had gone to our appointment that morning with our hospital bags packed and in the car... hoping something like this would happen.

So I checked in and started to get settled. A nurse came in and I asked her if it was too early to tell her I would be wanting an epidural... ;)

Yes, I want the epidural. Make it snappy.

Not so long story short, Ian was born a quick 3 1/2 hours later at 1:59 pm weighing 7 lbs 15 ounces and 20.75 inches.

We picked his name for a number of reasons... "Ian" comes from the same Irish root as "Sean" (daddy) and therefore have the same meaning-- "God is Gracious"

Sean got to choose Ian's middle name. "Charles" was my maternal Grandpa's name-- he was a fun-loving man with a wonderful sense of humor. We miss him very much. It was an emotional moment in the delivery room when Sean told me he had chosen "Charles". My Mom and Grandma were there which made it so special. On an extra special note-- he was born on my Grandparents wedding anniversary... it was the perfect choice.

This picture is the moment Sean told me what his middle name was.

He is an amazing little boy... and he won me over immediately. He has this way about him... he can melt a heart instantly! And his dimples... oh my. He is so happy... crazy happy. He smiles almost all the time- and that means a lot coming from the one who is with him all the time. In fact, my dad once asked me-- "If you could guarantee that the next baby would be this happy, would you have another one?" He can light up a room and make strangers laugh with his hysterical facial expressions and sweet smiles.


Ian-- You are such a gift. An amazing, perfect, gift. We thank God daily for you and are so proud to be your parents. Just like your sister, I hope you read this one day and know that we love you unconditionally. Our prayer for you is to come to know Christ as your Savior-- your only Lord. Thank you for the joy you daily bring us... for the unending smiles and laughter. Thank you for showing us more of what God's love for us looks like.
We love you Bubby... more than you'll ever know.
Mommy & Daddy

Family Visit in Pictures...

We spent the last week with out-of-town family visiting! Uncle Paul, Aunt Dena, Whitney, Dane and Keely (my Mom's brother and family) came out from Ankeny, Iowa. We had such a blast!

We played outside, talked a lot, golfed, went to the Ballard Locks, went shopping, ate at The Rock (wood fired pizza... YUM!), had a family "baseball" game and laughed (and laughed and laughed).

The week went too quickly and we miss them already. In fact, Reagan walked around the house this morning saying "Dane, Dane, Dane" in a really cute sing-songy voice.

One of my favorite moments of the visit was on Saturday when I couldn't find Ian anywhere (I knew he was with my sister, but didn't know where). I finally found him upstairs with my sister, cousin Keely, cousin Whitney and Aunt Dena. He was hamming it up for them and they were having such a blast. I've decided there isn't much better than watching other people take joy in your children. It was a precious moment that will be forever etched in my memory.
Here are some pictures from our week together.

Left to Right: Dane, Paul, Whitney, Dena and Keely

Grandma with Tatum and Reagan




GG and Uncle Paul


Reagan and Grandpa


Dane and Lish


The Men golfing-- (nice hats)


Ian kissing Whitney


Ian kissing Keely


Sean, Whitney and me


Keely, Lish and Keven



Dane and me




Keely and Reagan


Whitney and Tatum


Ian waiting for his turn to bat!


The hot chicks-- Whitney and Lish



Asher batting


Reagan batting with Daddy


The cheering section!

I wish I had a video camera....

..... in Reagan's room.

Then I could see how on earth she ended up asleep like this:

She finally did it!

My sister finally gave in. She finally decided to start their own family blog! Yippee!

Check it out here.

Comfy?

This is how I found Reagan asleep the other night. She apparently decided that the floor was going to be more comfortable than her bed. At least she remembered to take a pillow onto the floor with her!

Some new favorite pictures

Lish and Ian Ian -- 11 months
Tatum-- 17 months
Looking at a caterpillar...
Thinking hard....

The future Seattle Mariners Pitcher.

Seriously.

Amazing.

My parents have outdone themselves again! They made this beautiful airplane for Asher's 3rd birthday and have done something special for Reagan's 3rd birthday too.

Check out Reagan's new handmade Doll House! My Dad and Mom made it for her... Grandpa built it and Grandma laid shingles (1,100 shingles one by one...) and painted-- it is beautiful and Reagan is so excited about it!

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!!!!

3 years ago today....

.... I was in labor.

This is how it all went down...

Sean and I decided to go to a movie (thanks Becky & Jason!) while we waited for labor to really kick in. So we walked around the mall waiting for our movie time. While we were walking my contractions really started to get going-- about 5 minutes apart, but not really painful. I knew I was already dilated to 4 cm (thanks to my previous dr visit) and therefore we went to the hospital after the contractions stuck around for an hour. It was about 5:00 pm on May 13th. (Funny story-- on our way out of the mall we got stopped by people trying to take a survey. I looked at the gal and said-- "we're on our way to the hospital, sorry". The gal looked at me like "nice try lady". It was really funny!).

We got to the hospital a few minutes later and checked in at the front desk- I was still having contractions every 3-5 minutes, but they really didn't hurt too bad. They got me into a labor and delivery room and my doctor (who happened to be at the hospital right then) came in to check on me. After being "checked", I was almost 5 cm dilated and my doctor looked at me and said "Is this a good night for you? Because it's a good night for me" I said "YES! I'm ready to have this baby!!" So he asked the nurse for an amnio hook and he broke my water and left the room. AHHH!!! I looked at Sean and he said "what did he just do?" I said "he broke my water-- I guess we get to stay!" I wish you all could have seen the look on Sean's face. Priceless! We got on the phone and called our family and friends.

It was quite a party in the labor and delivery room while I was progressing-- lots of friends and family came to visit. I started pushing around 11:00 pm. Reagan was born at 11:58 pm on 5/13/04 to a chorus of people yelling "IT'S A GIRL!!!!!" (We didn't know what we were having).
She was 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long.




It is an evening I will never, ever forget. And these past 3 years have been the most amazing times of our lives. Reagan is a spectacular little girl-- and we are madly in love with her. She is loving and sassy and hysterical. She makes us laugh every single day. She is a great big sister now too. Ian thinks the world of her... he lights up just when we say her name!
Oh... and she gives the best hugs too...





Reagan--- I hope one day that you will read this. It is an honor to be your Mom and Dad. We thank God every day for you and we are so thankful that He chose us to be your parents. We pray that one day you will come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior and that you will live your life longing to serve Him. Because of you and Ian, we understand the love of God so much more. Thank you for that.

We love you more than we could ever explain. There are no words to describe it.


Happy Birthday Reagan!



Love,
Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday Alicia!

Today is my dear sister's birthday...

She is my best friend, the best auntie my kids could ever ask for, a fantastic mommy to her 2 beautiful kids and a remarkable human being.

I couldn't ask for a better sister/friend/mentor and I thank God daily for her.

I love you Lish!

Happy Birthday!

(PS- I told you I'd get this picture on the blog!)