Thursday, July 15, 2010

we love our neighbors!


Liam and Christian kissing..."muuuah" (Liam makes that sound..every time)

And beautiful Nora Kate. Not only are the Fredin's are neighbors..but very good friends, and I work with Kellie. It just works out quite nicely that when one of us has a child, we can have the other as our "personal" nurse. So..I was there for Nora's birth on June 25, and she is such a sweet little girl.

Friday, July 9, 2010

oh the fun

The fun with Carissa home continues...

Frog More Stew (I have no idea if that's really how it's spelled, but that's what it sounds like). That's what we had for supper before she went back home to VA. Basically, it's exactly what it looks like. A BUNCH of food (corn on the cob, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, and onionsthat was stewed together and then drained and spread out on the table. 
No plates, just hands and food. It was quite TASTY!

Christian liked having Tia C around...

And so did these three...she really knows how to tell those stories!

Monday, July 5, 2010

A classic SURPRISE!


This is beautiful Carissa...on her 30th birthday. 
She had exciting things planned for celebrating her 30th...prior to buggering up her knee and needing to have surgery. SO..I decided to go out on a limb and chance a random surprise for her. She has pulled a few surprises off for others..and it seemed like a fitting time for her to receive one!

Here was the random surprise:
I contacted Tim, Carissa's boyfriend...whom NONE of us knew and told him that I would really be excited if he could help me in surprising Carissa for her 30th. Well, he didn't get back to me right away because he was gone on a trip. When he did get back to me..he was a super good sport about the idea and surprisingly not totally wierded out by a sister who he didn't even know. So Ben and I (and Christian) picked him up from the airport and went to Hesston on July 2nd..her actual b-day. Alyssa was doing the excellent job in getting Carissa outside..taking pictures of her..so that when Tim and I walked around the corner she could get her reaction! I'm bummed, somehow I didn't get my absolute favorite one of the shocked face that she made..just imagine it though mouth open wide in the "what" face!

Here are a few of the pictures Alyssa got though..and they are just so priceless..I'm glad that both of them seemed quite happy, even though completely surprised for Carissa.







Love you Carissa...
hope you enjoyed the surprise.

We had fun meeting Tim too!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Carissa is THIRTY!

Since Carissa is still in town as she is recovering from ACL surgery almost 2 weeks ago, she is joining us for the big 3-0. We celebrated with the family the other night, since that's when we could all make it. But today, the "girls" and kids went to the Botanical Gardens for something fun. Happy Birthday Tia C!







11 months!

Christian is 11 months old today!


He has 2 teeth, light brown hair that seems to be growing again (not sure about giving him a haircut yet though :) ), and his head seems to be on a swivel...at the slightest sound he will turn to see what it is.

He still does his own version of crawling..but it remains quite effective in speed. He has learned to LOVE walking with help!



His meal times are not to be taken lightly. He likes his food, and he's getting a larger appetite! He has expanded his snacks...and is starting to learn how to grab them and actually get them in his mouth. He likes cheerios, vanilla wafers, his teething biscuits, and some fruit (but we still mash that up). He still doesn't really drink from his own bottle/sippy cup using his hands, even though I KNOW he is capable. 



He is into EVERYTHING! His favorite things to find and become very involved with are shoes, cords, tags on rugs, the kitchen cabinets/drawers, and anything involving the bathroom. He knows what "no" means, and lets you hear that he's not happy about it! So interesting that a room full of toys can be easily bypassed, so he can get to something so much more "fun" like the magazine rack or the door stop that springs :)

 He doesn't say any words yet, just babbles alot. He loves going through the animal sounds, and every now and than it seems like he tries to say "pu-pu" with his lips for puppy.


We sure do love our little guy...and in only one month, he'll be turning ONE!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Just for Daddy!


what a GREAT DADDY you are...




I love watching you be the Daddy you are. Christian has a wonderful role model.

Christian's dedication/Father's day

Last Sunday was Father's Day and we had Christian dedicated at church! It was a good day. Our parents both came and Uncle Sam, Uncle Mitch, and Aunt Carissa were also there!! We had a meal at our house afterwards with all of them :)












My Dad is a pretty special guy...he just really has lots to give... LOVE, work, advice. I look up to him and am very blessed to have him as my Daddy!