One Month Old!

Sweet baby Ryan is one month old today! Where has the time gone??? (It sure didn't go by this quickly when he was inside of me!:)) I love the fact that I can barely even remember what our family was like without him. How lucky are we?!

So, we decided to celebrate this monumental day with a "Happy One-Month-Old Birthday" party. Nathan picked out a carrot cake (?) at the store for him (I think he liked the carrots made of frosting on top...which was pretty much the only part of the cake he ended up eating.) We even had a candle they all took turns blowing out.

Here is our cute little man in his "Sunday Outfit." I love the onesie with the tie sewn onto it. We had to go find some newborn size cords to match!

The other day I read this quote...

"I truly believe that as low as you go, you bounce back up that much higher."

...and I really think it's true. The physical and emotional lows I experience while carrying these sweeties are amazingly low. It's kind of scary. But the high I feel when I hold them in my arms for the first time, and thousands of times after, is the most amazing and wonderful feeling. I am so happy and so grateful to be enjoying this special, unexpected season of my life. I'm soaking it in and loving every minute.

Four Weeks

Our little Ryan is four weeks old today. I'm a little sad to have him "growing up," but it is so fun to watch his sweet personality emerge. He is such a good baby, and loves to be snuggled (good thing, because we all love to snuggle him!) He's starting to get on somewhat of a schedule, but none of our kids have been very good sleepers, so I'm not expecting much sleep for the next several months! And, we are venturing into new territory...Ryan may be the first one of our babies to actually take a binkie. Which is WONDERFUL right now, but then again I've never had to wean one of my kids from a binkie, so I don't know if I should push it. (Any thoughts?) He also seems to enjoy our morning and afternoon walks to school, which is good because we have nine months of them ahead of us! :)

These are a few more of the pictures Christie took. They are so sweet, I just can't stop looking at them! She captured this special time for our family perfectly. Do you think this little guy is loved? I think he's going to be spoiled like no other...

First Day

Our first day of school went off without a hitch. The girls love their teachers, and are excited about their classes. Whew! This was our first "first day" without any tears of anxiety. When we got to school the girls both went off to find their class lines, and that was it! It was too easy...I guess they are getting older and much more independent. We are lucky to be at such a great school with amazing teachers and good friends. The combination made for a smooth transition to 3rd(!) and 5th(!) grade.

Daddy even stayed home long enough to see the girls off for their first day. Here they all are, walking to school (we've got quite the entourage now...)

Anna and Aimee on the blacktop.


My sweet 5th(!) grader...


My cute little 3rd(!) grader.



It really feels good to get back to school this year. Usually I dread the new year...the end of summer, my kids another grade older, etc. But this year I'm loving it. I think it's probably due to the fact that I'm feeling back to my old self (I can actually eat without feeling sick...I'm so happy!!!) I love the structure our family is settling back into, and I love that the girls are at school with their wonderful teachers. Ahhh, back to productivity. It's been a while since things have felt "normal" around here, and it is a good feeling. I'm so excited for everything we have coming up in the next few months. Stay tuned...we'll keep you posted on the fun. :)