Why my heart has grown...........

On Thursday, January 22nd I became an Auntie again...and again, again, and again. I am so incredibly in love with these perfect beautiful little babies, George my sweet nephew who is having a bit of a rocky start has already found a way to turn my heart to mush each time I see his beautiful face, Lainey well she just knows what buttons to push to melt me to the floor each time I see her, & Emery she is so beautiful...she almost looks like a doll she is so perfect. I remember the day my nephew Jacob was born I was so excited I was doing cartwheels...I was much younger then, but this time I felt just as excited times 3 and when I got home from the hospital I even did a few cartwheels... Being an Aunt is much like being a Mother only you don't have to discipline these children & you get to spoil them rotten and not wonder if you are enabling them.... It is so incredible and I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of these children's lives. "Welcome to this world George, Lainey, & Emery...I love you so much already and we have only just begun!!!"

Blake's Journey from 1 to 2!!

Not So Terrible Twos........

So our baby boy is 2, it's really hard to wrap my head around the fact that he technically is no longer a "baby,"but he will always be my baby, I don't care, even when he is going gray...my baby he will be.

Blake has entered the dreaded "Terrible Twos" with such grace, he really hasn't been terrible at all, in fact now that he is able to tell us exactly what he wants life is a little easier. Blake is a very assertive child & for as long as I can remember has been. Trust me there are days when I think he is a little too much of a "know it all" but for the most part we are incredible grateful for the fact that this boy knows what he wants and he WILL get it. Meltdowns are certainly something that we have not completely surpassed...in fact last night we had one because Blake didn't want to leave Umma's house...no surprise he never wants to leave his Ummas & Papas, can't say I blame him...they are pretty cool people, they did after all raise some pretty amazing children of their own...ha ha

In honor of Blake's 2nd birthday we threw him a party at our house...it was Jungle Theme because Blake loves giraffes, elephants, monkeys, & all those other fun animals. The party went well. Blake had a little dance party of his own...he loves the song from the movie Madagascar, "Move It" so we jammed out to that for a while, had cake, blew out candles...(Blake loved this part), and opened gifts. Overall the party was a great success!!

So as we venture into the "Terrible Twos" we are confident that this is going to be an amazing year, as always Blake keeps us laughing everyday...he is really got his imagination going these days so the things that he says & does are so hilarious sometimes. For example he would like to have cake for breakfast, he wants to fly a plane today, he is convinced that his fish likes animal crackers (his bowl is pretty cloudy), thinks he has these incredible muscles..he is pretty strong, we had a electrician come over the other day to fix our lighting & he thought he was "Handy Manny" & would like to ride our dog like a horse...just to name a few!

We are headed to Disney World in a week so stay tuned for how that goes...maybe the pilot will let Blake fly the plane after all...stranger things have happened...

HO HO HO Merry Christmas...

Christmas was great this year, Blake loved singing Christmas songs, decorating the tree, and mostly the PRESENTS!!! He couldn't believe that Santa actually came to his house & brought him all of these wonderful things.
The weekend before Christmas Umma Patti & Papa Ron came down to help us pull our last minute things together...we went to see Santa, picked out a tree, & even had time for Blake's very first Red Wings game! Visiting Santa Claus this year was a little bit scary, but when Santa busted out the candy canes he found himself a new "Best Friend" in Blake, after that he was more than willing to sit on his lap. It was adorable...

Decorating the tree was extra special this year beacuse of Blake's sincere dedication to this task, he carefully placed each ornament on the tree in his designated areas, and believe it or not I was the only one to break and ornament...ooops. I have never seen a tree look more beautiful, Blake's hard work surely paid off!

On Christmas morning Blake was a little sleepy because he didn't go to bed until midnight on Christmas Eve...time really got away from us while visiting and enjoying the wonderful company & good food at Aunt Faith & Uncle Dave's house. Blake was a real trooper and stayed bright eyed the entire time...well almost; he took a few little "breaks" you could say with Ed & Sally (the bulldogs). So once Blake finally rolled out of bed Christmas morning he was delighted to see that Santa had visited his house and brought him some of his new favorite things...including a harmonica which Blake has really mastered, we are amazed at how well this little person can play this instrument! Little Blake opened each package one by one slowing tearing away the paper so intrigued by the whole concept I couldn't help but stop and think how amazing it was to be a child at Christmas...having children really takes you back to those moments and they were some of the most magnificent times, they really were!! I am not sure what is more exciting??!!?? Reliving the memories and seeing the joy on your own child's face or actually being a child at Christmas...at the risk of sounding a little like Tom Cruise...I have to say there really are no other words to describe it but "magical"...it is a time of year that takes you back, while creating these new wonderful memories to cherish forever. I simply LOVE it!! Adam & I agreed that we felt a little like kids this year with all of the anticipation...
Overall it was a wonderful holiday, we were incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to visit so many family members & friends this season.

Life Goes On...

Its kind of scary how one minute everything could seem so perfect and the very next minute that could all change… I guess I never thought it would happen to “me” I had heard of these things before and my heart broke every time but when it hits home it truly shakes you to the core.

On Thursday night our second pregnancy came to an end…. we were told that our baby’s heart had stopped beating and there was no fetal activity….those words are still ringing in my ears. It was extremely hard because just one week ago we saw the baby moving around & the heart beating, our doctor said at that time things looked great., we were so relieved and thought we were “in the clear.”

These things happen from time to time and mostly because there is something wrong with the developing fetus…the doctors reassured us that it was nothing that I did to make this happen but its hard not to question my every move…"was it the cold I caught last month??….was it from sleeping on my back???….was it from climbing through the playscapes with Blake??”….I know deep down it wasn’t me, but at a time like this it’s hard not to question yourself, & mostly your faith...and the problem with this is that at times like these its when you most need your faith and faith in yourself….

We are all hurting and we are sure that it will take time to heal but we know that this has happened for a reason….when I look into the eyes of our beautiful son I can understand how God would want to have an angel just like him as his own & I understand that this baby is now with God watching over us & out of harms way. This has happened for reasons we will never truly understand, I know that it was meant to be and I am at peace knowing this and knowing that I have a beautiful, loving, healthy family right here in front of me & my boys are more than I could ever ask for.

So, while I am sad to have to share this news I am happy because I know that I will get through this because of my faith and the amazing people in my life that have supported me & my family in ways that we will forever be grateful for. I know that God will never give me anything that I can’t handle and though I might not understand exactly why I know that it just must be part of a bigger plan…at times like these you must stop to reflect on how lucky you really are. My eyes have been opened to see even further what a miracle life truly is, I have always loved my son so much and I didn’t think it was possible to love him any more but the past few days my love for this child has grown in some many ways…it almost feels like my heart could explode. Every time I hold his tiny hand, hear his tiny voice, or look into to his angelic little face I am reminded of how incredibly blessed I am, how fragile life is, and how I will never ever take for granted what I have.

Gobble Gobble

Well, Thanksgiving has come & gone already, it's hard to believe. The weekend before Thanksgiving my parents came into town & we celebrated an early Thanksgiving on Sunday at my Aunt's house, we had a great time & managed to eat way more than we should have...isn't that the point though??!!??!! Good company & too much food....

Last Saturday we took Blake to see The Radio City Rockettes, he had a great time, he was dancing and singing the whole time and sat like such a perfect little gentleman through the entire show.

Yesterday, Thanksgiving Day we celebrated at Umma Cindy & Papa Mike's house, the dinner was fantastic. Again we managed to eat all day long, stuffing ourselves to the max! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving visiting with all of the family & some that we haven't seen in months...it was really nice to catch up with everyone!

Blake enjoyed the holidays, he likes to tell us what a turkey says..."gobble, gobble, gobble," & it comes out so cute, we laugh every time. He is quite the little performer these days as well, he is confident that he is the funniest little guy around, he laughs at himself all day long. He loves to dance & sing, his favorite song right now is "Jingle Bells", well either that or "Hot Crust Buns." Blake is also quite the little piano player, we enjoy watching his performances at Umma Cindy's house....we are sure there is a place at Juilliard awaiting our little superstar!

Not a day passes that we are not completely amazed at all that our little boy has accomplished...we are so proud of Blake and can't seem to get enough of his silly grins & goofy stories. I really understand more than ever before why people say to cherish these moments because they will pass so quickly, our little Blake is approaching 2 and I feel like he was JUST BORN, Adam & I both agree that these have been the BEST 2 years of our lives and we are positive that we have the smartest, cutest, sweetest, best, best, best son in the world!!!

Being that it was Thanksgiving we we took a moment to thank God for all that we have to be thankful for; our health, our family & friends, our home, & so much more. We hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and as we gear up for Christmas, we wish you all a stress free December as you all prepare for the next big holiday!!

Fall has arrived

So September practically flew by. My sister's shower & bachlorette party went off without a hitch, & we all managed to have a fabulous time.

The wedding was next and it couldn't have gone better, Teresa was the most beautiful bride and the day was perfect. The sun was shining and the weather was surprisingly warm...for an October day in northern Michigan.

We haven't been so lucky now that we are home, it has been very chilly and the nights are COLD, I guess it's to be expected. I do love this time of year because it is so beautiful to see all the leaves change colors and the fall is just somehow relaxing to me.

Blake is doing great, we have started another class, "Milk & Cookies" it's filled with fun little dances & songs, along with story time. He is so quick to pick up on things, we have to be very careful what we say around him because chances are he is going to repeat it. He has become quite the little gentleman as well, always saying please & thank you...it simply makes me melt every time:). Blake was also the ring bearer in my sister's wedding, he did a good job, he was a bit shy so he walked down the aisle with me but at least he made it down the aisle, he was a handsome little guy in his tux!

Now we are getting ready for Halloween, Blake can't wait. He has been practicing saying trick-or-treat for most of October so I am confident he will be ready to roll. He is dressing up as a monkey this year, it's adorable!

I guess that's all for now.