Jake's Graduation

Stryder and I flew back to good old Oregon, Wisconsin for my little brother's high school graduation. Jacob was valedictorian of his graduating class and we are so proud of the young man he has become. He was also voted Most Involved, which is no exaggeration! I have never seen a kid so ambitious and outgoing, not to mention friendly and carefree. Stryder also got to meet his Aunt Mikkal and Uncle Ben for the first time. They loved him...but not enough to change a poopy diaper. That's forgiveable, I guess. He also got his two month shots, which were heartbreaking to witness. But he weighed in at an impressive 12 lbs 9 oz and measured 23.5 inches long! He is right on target to be a strong healthy boy, just like his daddy. Stryder loves his Gramma and Grampa Butterfield.

Our little Jakey-boy, all growed up! :-)

Jake's speech, which went great!

Aunt Mikkal and Uncle Ben meeting their nephew, Stryder.

The lovebirds, Jenessa and Travis....wedding soon to come!

The new generation of neighborhood babies.

The neighborhood crew at Jake's grad party.

Right before his 3 shots....he doesn't even know what's coming :-(

See, I told you....heartbreaking!

Turning 27

Yes, I turned 27 today. I totally feel like I'm getting older. Wait, I am getting older....but 27 seems older, you know!? It wasn't depressing or anything, even though Keith gives me grief about my age. (He has no room to talk, he's 31.) I had a wonderful birthday this year; my first birthday as a mother. I wanted to have a cake this year, so I was planning on just baking my own, but Keith managed to deter me from that task. It was nice that he didn't have school today, so we went for a morning swim. Later, we went to Red Lobster for dinner, yum yum, where they even sang to me while presenting a great little ice cream treat complete with a candle. When we got home, Keith surprised me (why do I ever doubt him?) with my favorite cake in the whole wide world...carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Oh, it was amazing. He even took time to light the 27 candles and of course, he serenaded me with a great rendition of, what else...Happy Birthday. The next night, we went out to Hard Rock Cafe with some friends from school, where I was embarassed again by the waiter that proceeded to announce my birthday to the entire restaurant, who then proceeded to shout "Happy Birthday" back to me...good times!
Spending my birthday with my two favorite guys!Yes, that is 27 candles! Wow!At the Hard Rock with friends.

Stryder's First Swim

So much fun! Our little swimmer got his feet wet for the first time today. We took him to the pool in our complex....which is so fantastic, might I add....and he absolutely loved it! We knew he would enjoy swimming, since he loves his baths, but I really think he enjoyed it even more than expected. We geared him up with a sun hat, swim trunks, and a rash gaurd (all of which were matching of course). Keith and I were both swimmer's in high school so being a water baby is definately in Stryder's genes. I can't wait to get him in swimming lessons. I heard they can start as early as six months...only a few more months to go!

Having fun with mom and dad....

Splashing and kicking in the water!

Very First Family Pics

Look at my baby blue eyes!
(Just like my mommy:-) and my daddy!

A pensive pose.

Today we decided to get professional pictures taken of our growing family. We went to Express Portraits in Madison (they are very affordable) and had a great time. Stryder ended up peeing and spitting up numerous times, but it makes for fun memories! The finished product turned out so great that the company wanted us to sign a consent to use some of the pictures in their advertising! We were trying to find a cute outfit for him to wear but there was literally nothing but newborn onsies (kinda plain.) So I said, we will have him pose naked with nothing but this adorable little baby tie on. It worked out perfectly, the tie is much too big for him, but it covered what it needed to and looked oh-so-handsome!

Just Dandy!

We had to celebrate when Stryder turned one month old! We took Stryder out in his stroller for a walk around the neighborhood and came across this beautiful field of dandelions. I know they are technically weeds, but they are so pretty....and they make a wonderful backdrop for photos. So we put together a little impromptu photo shoot, full of sweet candid pics. My little sister, Jenessa, made a great photographer, as you can see! The photos remind me alot of Wisconsin spring and of course, they will always remind me of Stryder's birth!

Our Exciting News!

We are very happy, pleased, and elated to announce that we are expecting a baby boy in April! We have announced it to all our family, all of whom were quite surprised to hear the news. This is a great blessing in our lives, as we ponder the countless blessings we have been given this Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was creative and inventive this year, too. We had a small dinner at our apartment, not consisting of the traditional Thanksgiving menu. Nonetheless, it made for a wonderful afternoon of fond memories that will last us a lifetime. We had baked chicken, frozen vegetables, stove top stuffing, instant mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry jello (that did not turn out), and pumpkin bars (which also did not turn out-they actually made me gag.) We had fun taking pictures of the food and of my pregnant belly! We watched our usual movie after dinner and spent some good quality time together.

Island Fever

After getting settled in to our island home, we can't help but count down the days until we move to the Bahamas! Keith has been doing great, studying hard, and being a wonderful husband to me. He will help me out with the dishes and even cooking when I'm not feeling well. Which brings up another point.....yes, I have been very sick since moving here. I can only guess that it will get better in time and everyday I live by the motto, "This too shall pass." We are happy and excited to be reunited after the long and arduous 8 months apart. It's a bit like being newlyweds all over again. Yes, I have to remind myself that I once again share a house with a male and that he must eat to be satisfied. Ha ha, I am the same way in fact!
We went on an awesome cruise to the exotic Western Caribbean, where we saw many beautiful sights. We hiked Mayan Ruins in Belize, toured the streets of Honduras, swam with stingrays in the Cayman Islands, encountered an ancient city in Playa Del Carmen, and even shopped around in Cozumel.
Another fun and exciting fact.....WE SOLD OUR HOUSE!!!!!! Yes, it has sold and we are very pleased to not be homeowners at this moment in our lives. We are lucky and very blessed to have the help of Keith's dad, who moved the things I couldn't and even sold a bunch of our furniture for us. We are excited to hear of Kris and Em's baby news, too! How fun it is to see the families of our loved ones grow. We look forward to seeing you all, my family included, at Christmas time!