Evidence

See what black frosting from a Mickey Mouse cake will do to you?!  Kiddo or grandparent- this caused a lot of black mouth/purple teeth giggling at his party! 



Slideshow of Birthday Pictures

I'll sort through and find my favorites to post soon!  Enjoy!

Birthday Party

We had a great, great day today!  Family, friends, good food, nice weather... fun and the perfect way to celebrate Sam's second birthday!

More to come soon!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday Samuel!!!

We love you so!

Favorite gift... a toy broom!  : )

Of course he has to try it in his mouth!

So awesome we even got the huge squinty smile!

Couldn't be happier

Asleep just moments later with both hands still on the silly broom!

A preview...  : )

Two Whole Years

Two years ago today I went to work at school in my second grade classroom as usual.  It was the third week of school I think.  I had moved my doctors appointment up a day because we knew Dr. Casavant would likely say let's get things moving and we were ready.  I hoped that by moving my appointment up to the 9th, it would mean Sam would most likely not be born on September 11th- a day and memory I prefered not be associated with his birthday if we could help it.  Bryan joined me at the appointment where we had one last ultrasound.  Dr. Casavant didn't love my blood pressure or the ginormous amount of swelling in my legs and feet.  He told us to go home, shower, pack a bag, eat something and get to the hospital by 7:30ish for preeclampsia bloodwork.  If my numbers were normal, they'd send us home and if high, they'd keep us and break my water.  I remember as soon as we got there they wisked Bryan away for the check in process and a nurse hurried me into a gown.  I keep explaining that I didn't know if we were staying for sure because we needed to get the results back first.  She continued to assure me that I was 38 weeks, 5 days.... I was staying and going to have this baby.  : )  Dr. Casavant showed up a few hours later and said one of my indicators was really high and I would have been officially preeclamptic in a few days so it was go time!  He broke my water around 10:30, began pumping me full of magnesium sulfate (ick!) and we were officially in labor! 

It's fun to think back to that whole process.  More to come soon...  Tomorrow is a big day around here! 

Fun! Fun!

We're headed to Ames today for the first ISU game... family and friends... great food... cornhole... lawn chairs... marching band... football under the lights... we're all pretty excited!  Wish us well doing it with a busy two year old!

Then we're headed to Denver early tomorrow am!!!!!  Kiddos (Ellie for the first time in her home!)... siblings... friends... good food... mountains... we're all VERY excited!  Sam will just be a sponge with those crazy big kids and Bryan and I can't wait to watch!  He wasn't a walker last time we were there so now he'll be able to keep up!  We'll have three good full days with them and get back on the road for Iowa Tuesday.  Again, wish us well driving with a busy two year old!  

Once back home, we'll have a couple days to catch up and then the big SECOND BIRTHDAY is next Friday!!!!  Sheesh!  Iowa/Iowa State game on Saturday and birthday party on Sunday!  Wow!

We are so so excited for the next week and a half!!!  Have a great long weekend!!!!  JR

Flashback Friday

November 2007 - just one I like in front of our new tree in FL

December 2007 - scan of one of our very favs - Sam was just barely on board that Christmas!!!!

Ab caught an Ellie smile on camera today!

What a beautiful girl! 

Happy Monday Friends!!!!

Flashback Friday

Today I'm flashing back to a day just shy of two years ago... Sam's birthday.  Our good friends are in labor with their second babe as we speak in Des Moines.  I have been a puddle all day as I'm thinking and praying for them.  Anything labor and delivery, centimeters and pitocin, first cries and eyeing that new miracle gets me so so so excited and emotional!  I love it!  I could talk, listen, ask questions and get status updates on that stuff all day as the women I know and love go through it!  Although we're a good three months from experiencing that day again ourselves, I have been loving dreaming of that day today as Sam and I go about our normal Friday.  We're wishing Jill and Spencer and their new little miracle a speedy and safe day filled with much joy!  PS- they waited to find out boy/girl this time so it's a different kind of super exciting to finally meet him/her! 

Here's a picture of me in "active labor"!!  I was pretty out of it with the medicine they had me on for being pre-preeclamptic so this is what I looked like through the majority of my labor!  I don't remember much other than the couple of hours leading up to my epidural and then once I started pushing.  Although kind of nice, I hope the second time around does not involve that med! 

Almost two whole stinkin years ago Sam I Am and oh so fun to remember!!!!!!  : )

What an amazing blessing.