Dec 11, 2011

Christmas Festivities

Receiving "The First Gift of Christmas... a silver bell" from Santa!

Waving to Santa... he was so excited!

Getting ready for The Polar Express
Checking out the inside of a model train
Our family, getting ready to board The Polar Express to head to the North Pole!
Connor with his wonderful grandmas!
Posing with the train conductor
Giving Santa a hug
Freezing cold at the Sacramento Santa Parade. We had a great time, but it was VERY COLD!

Dec 8, 2011

Updates...

Well, the last few weeks have been eventful... not really eventful actually... more like missing all the fun events due to illness. Connor and I had been dealing with the seasonal cold symptoms for a few weeks. Then, right before Thanksgiving, Michael came home from work with awful pain, so we ended up in the emergency room that night (Thank you Auntie Mandy for rescuing Connor from the craziness of the ER). After some heavy pain meds and an MRI, he was diagnosed with the dreaded kidney stones. He's passed stones before, but this time we were told it would be unlikely that he could pass the stone due to it's size. Michael's surgery to remove the stone was scheduled for a week and a half later, so he pretty much had to deal with the pain and discomfort, and the side effects of the pain meds until then. Meanwhile, Connor contracted pinkeye at preschool! So we spent Thanksgiving with just the three of us since Connor was contagious and Michael was in pain. We missed our families dearly, but made the most of the holiday- playing games, watching movies, and making Hot Ham Sams. Connor and I later made a trip down to Modesto, and my parents and sister Mallory recreated the Thanksgiving feast for us, so we got to enjoy a delicious meal there. Of course then my generous sweet boy passed on his pink eyes to me. When I took Michael in for his surgery, the nurses had to contact Infectious Disease Control to see if I could come into pre and post-op with him. Not my finest moment in life! Michael's surgery was a success, but ended up being more invasive and painful then we had hoped. He's now on his way to recovery, but dealing with some shoulder pain that's really aggravating him. It's almost unbelievable all that's been happening... a definite reminder to be thankful for good health. In the midst of all that's gone on, I'm thankful that the things we've dealt with are not life threatening and that we're all hopefully close to being in good health once again. We're also very thankful for our friends and family who have been so supportive bringing meals, sending chocolate covered strawberries, coming to visit, and watching Connor so I could focus on helping Michael. We are certainly blessed with love and support. Another thing to be very thankful about... is that while all of this has been going on, sweet Madeline has continued to grow and not add any additional drama to the situation. I'm 35 weeks now and she continues to jab and kick and remind us of her presence. We're so very excited to meet her, but are counting on her coming closer to her due date so we can all get healthy and be ready and energized for her arrival. Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks...

Connor making Hot Ham Sams on Thanksgiving Day
Painting on Thanksgiving Day
Hanging out at Poppy and Mimi's Home
 Baby Shower for Baby Madeline thrown by the staff at my elementary school

Nov 14, 2011

Annual Friend's Thanksgiving

This past Sunday, we had our annual "Friend's Thanksgiving." The Christy family hosted this year and like usual, the food was delicious and the company was even better. It's a wonderful tradition that I look forward to each year. Michael and I feel so blessed by our friendships with these couples and it's truly a blessing to have friends who are starting their familes and are at the same stage of life that we are. Each year, a new baby joins our Thanksgiving photo. This year, Kirsten and Jeff's beautiful daughter Mallory joined the group. Next year, our Baby Madeline will be in the photo too!

Nov 11, 2011

2 Months... Oh My!

We're officially two months away from Baby Madeline's due date of January 11th. Holy Moly! The pregnancy has gone by fast, but I also feel like we've been waiting forever to meet her. I'm enjoying feeling her movements and day dreaming about my sweet girl... what she'll look like, her personality, how Connor is going to be such a loving big brother, etc. Connor seems excited to meet her too. He often comes up, unprompted, to my belly and kisses it and talks to her. He's such a sweet boy with a kind heart... I just know he is going to adore Madeline and she's going to have him wrapped around her finger (just like Daddy).  I'm getting bigger each day and dealing with some back pain, but for the most part I'm completely blessed. After seeing what Mandy had to go through with her pregnancy with CJ, I'm trying to focus on what a blessing the aches and pains are, because it means Maddie's still growing inside. And with that, we'll patiently await her arrival sometime in January! Keep kicking and growing sweet daughter of ours.

Nov 9, 2011

Baby Shower for Madeline

On November 6th, I was blessed with a beautiful "sprinkle" hosted by my wonderful friend Danielle with the help of my sisters and Heidi and Kirsten. I really am blessed by such great girlfriends and sisters. Not a detail was missed... delicious food, amazing desserts, custom-made decorations, and fun games. Madeline was given so many wondereful gifts... she's going to be the best dressed baby in town! We are so very excited to meet you Baby Madeline. You are loved by many already.


Nov 2, 2011

Halloween Night

Here's Super Man Connor getting ready to head out trick or treating.
 Poppy and Mimi playing around with Connor.
 Getting candy from the haunted house down our street.
 Snuggling with Baby Cayden. Happy 1st Halloween CJ!
Showing his candy gatherings to Uncle Chad and Aunt Mandy.
Halloween at the Sutherland's Annual Halloween Party.



Oct 31, 2011

Halloween Festivities

We've been enjoying the Halloween festivities. Connor dressed up as Superman for the Sutherland Halloween party this weekend and dressed as Spider Man for Disney on Ice. Mandy and Mimi came with us to Disney on Ice, and as usual, Connor loved it! Happy Halloween! We'll post more pics of Trick or Treating later on.

Oct 26, 2011

Connor's 1st Amtrak Ride

Grandma Jill and Pops Dave took Connor on an adventure a couple weeks ago. They took him on his first Amtrak ride from Sacramento to Vallejo to visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom for the day! Connor had a blast and Michael and I got some much needed work done on the baby's nursery. Connor came home with the map of the park and is still referring to it and talking about all the "awesome" animals he got to see. Connor is certainly blessed with such wonderful grandparents who help us to expose him to so many rich experiences.

Oct 25, 2011

An Interview with Connor Michael

I wanted to start a tradition of interviewing Connor (and future baby girl) on their birthdays so that we can document their answers from year to year. I'm obviously starting a little late, but I interviewed Connor recently and these were his responses as a 3 year old. I'm going to look forward to seeing how his responses change year after year.
  • How old are you? I four. (big smile on his face) (how old are you really?) Four. No I free (three).
  • How do you like being 3? Well, I like being three because Daddy makes me happy.
  • What are some things you like to do? Sometimes I like to play baseball. And a lot of things. (Like what?) I like to play with my Buster Posey (build a bear) and my Clifford and I like to go to bed with my Buster Posey.
  • What sports do you like? Sports? Oh yeah. I like to play baseball.
  • What things do you like to do around the house? I can show you. (goes to toy box). I like to play with my big Buzz Lightyear and I like to play with my computer, well sometimes I do. I don't like to play with watching TV but sometimes I do. There are a lot of things I like to do. I like to snuggle you.
  • What are some of your favorite foods? Quesadillas. Mmm!  (what else?) I think tacos. I like pumpkin pies too.
  • What do you like to wear? For halloween? (just any day.. what do you like to wear?) Superman jammies. Sometimes I like to wear my crocs.
  • What’s your favorite color? Blue
  • Where are some of your favorite places to go? Taqueria. (Where else?) Nowhere. Well, I like to ride my scooter. I like to go to John's Incedible Pizza.
  • What things make you happy? When you give me kisses. And when you give me hugs.
  • What makes you sad? When you get mad at me. But I really apologize.
  • What do you do when you are sad? I go in time out.
  • What do you do when you are mad? I go in time out. I take deep breaths.
  • Who are your best friends? Francesca, Tanner, Luke, and Max. Oh and Ella and Sophia. Oh, one more... My Buster Posey.
  • What are your favorite movies or TV shows? Watching Toy Story.
  • What are your favorite books? The baby one (a book about becoming a big brother).
  • What are your favorite songs? Jingle Bells In The Snow (his title for Jingle Bells and Dashing Through the Snow). (anything else?) No. (begins singing Jesus Loves Me)
  • What do you like to do before bedtime? Read books. (what else?) Sing songs, do prayers, a get a drink of water.
  • What do you like to do on the weekends? I like to play with my drums and go to Costco.
And here are some pictures from Halloween over the last few years to show Connor's growth... isn't it amazing?





Oct 24, 2011

Apple Hill with the Asaro Family

We had a lovely visit from Nate and Amanda and their beautiful daughter, Lena. We went to Apple Hill Saturday and then they spent the night before heading back to San Diego. Lena is just gorgeous and Connor really enjoyed getting to hold her and love on her. Good practice for baby girl coming!


We got to enjoy time with Cayden this weekend! Mallory came into town for a weekend visit and enjoyed snuggling and helping care for CJ to give Mandy and Chad a chance to catch up on sleep. My mom and dad came up too and we spent Sunday celebrating Mandy's birthday. Happy Birthday Sis!

Connor's 1st Fieldtrip

We just attended Connor's first fieldtrip with his preschool, Storybook Cottage. We went to Dave's Pumpkin Patch and had such a nice time getting to know his friends and the other parents. Connor got to pick out a pumpkin to take home, and he enjoyed the hayride, petting the animals, and having a picnic with friends. It was really neat to see him interact with all these new "friends."




Oct 14, 2011

Baby Girl's Room is Underway


Last weekend, my parents were up here visiting with Cayden and took Connor for awhile so Michael and I could get started on the nursery. Michael worked hard painting, and got it all done in a few hours. It looks really nice... very pink... very girly! We put the bedding in the crib soon after and I absolutely love the bedding for her. Grandma Jill and Pops bought the bedding and it's so feminine and classy. We're excited to work on the nursery more this weekend!


Sweet Baby Cayden is Home!

We are thanking the Lord to have my sweet nephew home! Mandy and Chad made this adorable "NICU Grad" outfit for him and we had a little parade while leaving the NICU. He's being doing well at home, enjoying quiet time with his mommy and daddy. He still needs prayer for his apnea, continued lung development, and just the general progression of his health. We are so blessed by him! Connor is absolutely in love and can't wait to play with his cousin!