Memorial Day Weekend!

We had a awesome long weekend with lots of food and excellent company.  Friday evening we celebrated Aunt Maggie's new promotion and their return to St. Louis (eventually...long story).  We will be so excited to have Uncle Kyle and Aunt Maggie closer to home.  Pray for their house to sell and for Uncle Kyle to find a new opportunity.  After a whole lot of yard work on Saturday, (Jeff and I are so lucky to have a sweet boy who naps for 3+ hours a time), we went to Grandma and Grandpa's (mom and dad's) for a family BBQ. 

There was a whole lot of family in attendance - so awesome!

My mom was feeling a bit overwhelmed with a crazy kitchen, but she is a trooper and loves to host these types of "events."

We were excited to find out that Aunt Maggie and Uncle Kyle had babysitting responsibilities for Kellen and Emily so they were able to join us.  I think Kellen and Tyler were having a milk chug off in this photo.   

Tyler fell in love with Emily and is shown here being a bit aggressive in giving Emily a kiss. 

PJs on.  Play time.  Kellen and Tyler were fast buddies.

Poor Kellen was so tired he started playing lying down. 

He found some extra energy when he figured out he could dump out the rest of the toys and sit in the toy bucket.  Too cute!

Sunday, we were invited to Aunt Maggie's parents house for another BBQ.  Tyler was excited to hop in the pool with Emily.  He laughed so much while splashing around. 

Jeff was happy to splash them with a bucket of water.  The squeals from the kids just fueled Jeff's fire.  He is truly a big kid. 

One happy boy and a beach beauty. 

Even after Tyler got out of the pool and put dry clothes on, he headed right for the water table and did not stay dry long. 

Today, we joined Grandma and Grandpa and headed to the riverfront for the Memorial Day service.  It was a great reminder of the reason for the long weekend.  It is more than an extra day off work, BBQs and the unofficial start to summer.  We stopped to say a special prayer and offer our gratitude for all those who have served, who are serving and especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so we are able to work, live, worship and play with the freedom we so often take for granted.  

Happy Memorial Day!   

Field trip Friday - Zoo

Tyler and I will be going on a Field trip every Friday.  We welcome anyone else to join us.  This week we were thrilled to have my Aunt Patty joined us. We enjoyed the beautiful weather with everyone else who owns a stroller in St. Louis.  No really, it was crowded but it was a great day!

We loved watching the penguins splash and play.

We think these were pelicans, but Tyler didn't care - they looked like ducks to him.  "Quack, quack."

Aunt Patty and Tyler posed for a photo after admiring the giraffes. 

Monkeys!

It was getting toward the end of our trip, but we had to go see the elephants.  As you can see, Tyler really didn't care.  He was out of the stroller and he thought that meant he should be able to get down and run around.  Sorry, buddy - it was too crowded. 

One tired little boy ready to go home.

Other notes: Tyler's favorites of the day at the zoo included: the kangroo that went "hop, hop, hop;" the hippo that he could see swimming in the water; and, of course, the TIGER who goes "roar."

African Children's Choir

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of welcoming the African Children's Choir to our church.  They arrived around 3pm and I was one of the lucky ones to be able to greet them.  Each one of the kids hugged us and told us their name.  Talk about a "feel good" experience. 

Aren't they adorable? 

And I wish you could have heard them sing!  They are amazing. 

The kids took turns on the drums and they were fast!

This is Jeffrey singing in the photo above. 

He is one of the two boys staying with Mom and Dad this week. 

Not only were the children incredible vocalists, but they memorized a LOT of choreography.  

They were wonderful!

You really should check them out on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Bv6nuDeB-eM. 

 

Everyday miracles...

Early this morning, Tyler and I ventured to Children's Hospital for his very thorough eye exam.  I was prepared [with snacks, books, DVD player, etc.] for a long morning with a 20 month old waiting for test results, seeing multiple doctors and getting Tyler's eyes dilated.  I am happy to report than even though Tyler's exams went into his usual nap-time, he was such a good boy and, more important, he passed all his tests with flying colors and we don't have to go back for an entire year!  This is a big deal as we were going every 3 months to have his vision and the hemangioma size checked.  I am so excited!  Most days, the hemangioma is barely noticeable and they said the hemangioma "should be gone entirely by age 4 or 5, if not before."  So, if I understand correctly, the hemangioma should be gone some time between now and 3 years from now - very accurate (insert sarcasm here). 

I do; however, want to praise the amazing staff at Children's Hospital.  They treat every child (and parent) with such respect and care.  Every time we visit Children's I sit in my car and say a prayer of thanks before we leave the parking garage for my healthy child.  I also say a prayer for the many, many kids we see who are sooooo sick.  Regardless of the reason you are visiting the hospital, the staff is remarkable.  Tyler was given "Miracle bubbles" today when we left the hospital and it was a great reminder to appreciate the everyday miracles...the smiles from our sweet baby boy...the new words he learns daily...and the amazing love he shares with us every single day. 

Thanks, Children's Hospital, for taking great care of kids, especially mine, and for the excellent reminder to appreciate everyday miracles! 

I hope this reminds you to stop and appreciate your everyday miracles!

20 months old!

Happy 20 Month Birthday, Tyler!

He is such a happy kid! 

He was telling us that Thomas says "choo choo."  He cracks us up!

Lots of Tears...

This post is so ironic after the pure excitement in finally letting everyone know our good news in the last post.   Unfortunately, we found out today that we lost "Baby #2".   Very tough day with a whole lot of tears.  In reality, this was baby #4.  We lost two kiddos before Tyler was born, making him that much more of a blessing.  Today, my thankfulness for our beautiful Tyler is that much more magnified.  It also makes the hurt so much more real for what could have been, and hopefully will be again someday.  The doctor has no idea what happened this time.  Our big stepping stone, the first ultrasound, was perfect.  Great heartbeat, lots of movement...all good signs.  Dr. Potts wants us to see a fertility expert to get some additional testing done.  We already had all kinds of tests done after we lost the second baby and everything came back normal so we chalked it up to bad luck.  Since this one was so sudden and past the usual miscarriage stage, we will be tested some more to see if we can find the cause for so much struggle and pain.  We obviously don't have any problem getting pregnant (wink, wink). 

I will have surgery on Friday since I am too far along (13 weeks today) to pass the fetus.  I think Mother's Day this year is going to be a tough one.  We just have to remind ourselves how blessed we are with Tyler and everyone else in our lives.  Dad always told me "life's not fair" and that has never rung more true that it does today.

This is a tough post to write and one of the reasons we waited so long to tell everyone the good news.  It hurts to deal with it on our own, but it is even tougher when everyone else is sad too.  Please don't feel pity for us.  We have an amazing life with a ton of love and so very much to be thankful for.  We don't plan on giving up on our dream for more kids either.   God is good and will get us through this rough patch.

Big News!

Jeff and I are thrilled to announce Baby #2 is on the way!  He or she will make their arrival early November and we feel extremely blessed!  I am happy to be approaching the end of the first trimester.  With the end of the first trimester, I hope it will be the end of lots of sickness too (I will spare you the details). 

So cool that we are able to see so many details so early (profile pic of the face also showing 2 arms and 2 legs!).  I cannot wait to meet this little guy or gal! 

Tyler got to make the announcement over Easter weekend with his t-shirt stating "I am the BIG BROTHER!

As you can see in the picture, Tyler did not cooperate much with the photos but with Aunt Maggie's persistent help everyone got the message.  Aunt Maggie was very troubled when family members did not pay attention to the shirt as she and Kyle were the first to figure it out.  (Our parents already knew.)

Here is Tyler texting with his new phone.  He didn't get the significance of the shirt - other than it had a "choo choo" on it.  He does love to say "baby" over and over again so we will see how excited he will be when the baby actually arrives.  I can remember when my mom and dad brought Kyle home from the hospital (I was almost 3).   I was excited until he peed in my face...then I requested they take him back.  Kyle, needless to say - I am glad we kept you! :)

Only 6 more months to go... Baby Francis #2 will be here before we know it! 

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter weekend!   It was full of lots of great family time, plenty of eggs and of course the perfect reason for the celebration - Christ the Lord is Risen [Today]!  (I love that hymn!)

Krista and Patty help Tyler dye eggs...sort of.   Patty's face says it perfectly because Tyler wanted to THROW the egg into the dye.  Tyler didn't really get dying eggs but he loved to look at them when they were finished.  Very pretty (I didn't get that photo)!

On Saturday we braved the weather to participate in an Easter egg hunt and carnival celebration.  It wasn't raining when we arrived, but Tyler was dressed with his rain boots and Carhartt jacket - just like dad!  Tyler loved watching the kids at the bubble table... "bubble, bubble, bubble."  He doesn't quite get the concept of blowing them but he loves to watch them float away. 

Next it was on to the ball pit.  

He was pretty funny as he simply sat down and "counted" the balls moving them from his right side into a large pile on his left side. He might have slight OCD like his mother. ;)

The large parachute was pretty exciting too.  Uncle Kyle and Aunt Maggie arrived for the fun of this activity.  See the cute kid with the Mizzou jacket on...Tyler went over and gave him a hug.  Priceless!  I am so glad he knows how to pick great friends!

Of course, 10 minutes before the start of the egg hunt, it started to rain.  Oh, well!  Like Kyle said - "it's just water."  I am sad to say this is the only photo I got of the egg hunt.  My dad got much better ones so I will have to get a hold of his camera to post some of his pics.  It took Tyler a while to get the concept, but with a little coaching from Uncle Kyle, he started picking up two and three eggs at a time.  In this photo he simply decided to sit in the muddy lawn and play with the grass. 

Here are all the eggs he collected.  (The shopping bag was a much more practical egg holder than the basket.)  Way to go Tyler!

Tyler was also spoiled with lots of baskets full of goodies over the weekend.  

His wonderful sitter, Eileen, gave him this cute basket that included a shirt, some books a few pieces of candy.  We have are so thankful to have a wonderful, sweet sitter for Tyler.

He got a great basket from Grandma and Grandpa Zick with books, cookies, a new swimming suit, a new cell phone (Tyler looks just like he is texting with it), a car and a choo-choo. 

Grandma and Grandpa Francis got him a basket too with a Weebles bus, a new outfit, books and goldfish but he had it all out before I could grab my camera to snap a photo!

The Easter bunny made a trip to our house too and brought not only a basket with some Play-Doh but a shopping cart with a new baseball bat and ball, an Elmo movie and of course some new books.   He has since been loading up all his balls in the cart and pushing them around the house.   

I wish I would have gotten a better photo of his face when he rounded the corner on Easter morning.  He was so excited to see a new ball!  It is the simple things in life.

We are truly blessed to have spent the weekend with our families to celebrate! 

Happy Easter! 



We love Spring!

Tyler and I have been enjoying lots of time outside.  From walks around the neighborhood to afternoons at the park to simply swinging in the backyard and riding his bike, he often stands at the back door to the deck or the back garage door saying "mama, side?" (for outside). 

We often walk to Grandmas and on this trip Tyler make a mad dash for the ducks saying "quack, quack" all the way through the yard. 

 Grandma had to hold him back from physically touching/attacking the ducks.  This kid has no fear!

He got away and off he went.

Looking guilty after stealing Mommy's strawberry shake.

Tyler is so lucky to have family members who love to be outside with him too! 

Last Tuesday he got to go a park with GG (Great-Grandma Wood) and Great Aunt Sandy.

I love this one!

Good luck with the piggy-back since Tyler doesn't hold on very well.  :)

Taking a break to play in the leaves.

Another break to have a drink with GG.

His expression is priceless.

The day at the park wore him out!

This past Sunday, we took yet another opportunity to enjoy the beautiful weather and went to the "squishy park."

Climbing up to the big slide all by himself. 

Daddy was shaking the bridge for him and he thought it was so cool!

We will be loading up on the sunscreen for a great Summer! 

I am so excited - sandbox and swimming pool here we come!