A Wonderful 30th Birthday!

For some reason I forgot to tell how my 30th birthday started off, a precursor to the rest of my great day! A good friend of mine sent me a lovely gift on Friday, a Willow Tree sculpture entitled "Happiness". It sits in my windowsill over the kitchen sink so I can look at it ALL day long! Thank you again! I love it! On Saturday I woke up earlier than I wanted to, but that's to be expected with a baby in the house. But my husband did convince me to go back to bed for an hour plus! Finally some much needed sleep. Then he (and Tennyson) woke me up with breakfast in bed, including my husband's amazing, made-from-scratch hashbrowns! He also bought me the new, live Josh Groban cd/dvd! I was oh so excited about that! Then in the afternoon we headed to the park for my birthday cookout.......

I have officially left behind the 20s and ventured in to a new decade! That's right, yesterday I turned 30! My family had such a beautiful birthday party for me at the park, and the weather could not have been better! It was the most wonderful birthday I've ever had and I wouldn't change any of it (except to have those family members and close friends that weren't there to share in my special day). Any party with fried chicken and southern sweet tea has got to be good! And my mother spent all morning making my favorite cake, German Chocolate! Too amazing for words!

I received lots of sweet and funny cards, a cookbook and a beautiful necklace from my parents, a spa gift certificate, that I am sure won't stay with me long, and a little plaque with my favorite scripture verse. But, I have to say, the most exciting gift I received was a new lens for my camera from my whole family! I can not wait to learn how to use it, which will be even easier since they also purchased a manual and a UV filter lens to go with it! Thank you! THANK YOU!

So far 30 feels just like 29. I just felt so loved and blessed yesterday having some of the most important people in my life around me on my birthday, especially my incredible husband and our sweet boy. I always wanted to have a baby by 30, so I just feel so fulfilled and overwhelmed with joy to have Tennyson in my life.

Thank you everyone who helped to make my birthday so memorable! I love you!!!

Click on the slideshow to see more photos of the day, including lots of Tennyson, of course!

Lots of Firsts in Our House

Well, last Sunday was my very first Mother's Day! Of course we celebrated it last year while I was pregnant, but it had so much more meaning this year. In many ways motherhood is exactly how I imagined it would be, but in other ways it hasn't gone according to plan. No one can prepare you for what motherhood is really like (and maybe that's not such a bad thing at times). Once you look past the sleepless nights, crying, constant diaper changes, and feedings there is such love, joy, and amazement! It's so awesome to think this little person you brought into the world is a part of you and your husband. (Of course to look at Tennyson you would think it was all Tom and no me!) All that to say, that I LOVE being a mother, even on the toughest days.

The other "firsts" I was referring to involve little Tennyson. In the past two weeks he has learned to say "dada" and pull himself up on....well, everything and just in the last day "transfer" from the furniture to Mommy or Daddy. After about a day or two of pulling himself up to his knees he quickly learned that standing up was better. He's not technically crawling yet (though he is close) but he can army crawl like nobody's business! I have been told that most new mothers can't wait for their children to hit new milestones. Not me! He's already pulling everything off of the shelves, eating ant traps (okay, it happened once), yanking cords out of the wall, and trying to climb the stairs and he's only 9 months old! Yikes! I think we've got a busy one on our hands. Oh, but he's so much fun!!!

























































































































Photos In order Shown:

A - Tennyson posing for his Daddy
B - Looking at my mom up in her sewing loft
C - Ah, the remote. One of his favorite "toys".
D - Just his usual happy self
E - Really noticing himself in the mirror for the first time
F - His first official crawl
G - Making funny faces
H - Getting some love from Daddy
I - Highchair = food = a happy boy

Beckett is Home!!!

Thanks again for all your prayers! Beckett went home yesterday after a couple days of eating well and breathing in his own. Check out these photos of my beautiful little nephew!

The proud father with his new son

He's just so sweet!

Photo Shoot Pictures

I have been meaning to post these for some time, but am just now finally getting around to looking through all 187 photos that my friend Lisa took back on April 5th. She does amazing work, and I aspire to take pictures like her someday! (I have a link to her website, "Destination Photography", on the right if you'd like to check out her blog. She's amazing with her camera, as you can tell!)

Incidentally, I don't think I need to add any commentary. These photos of our family speak for themselves.....


Thank you, Lisa, for blessing our family and creating a way for us to hold on to the memory of Tennyson's babyhood.

Finally some good news (and a name!)

Thank you to those of you that prayed for our nephew! He is doing much better and has been moved out of the NICU to a less-intensive part of the hospital and is now using smaller tubes to help clear his lungs. Also Maureen is home now trying to recuperate and get ready for..............

Beckett McLaren

We LOVE the name and can't wait to meet him!!

Thanks again for your prayers!

Please Pray......

Please be praying for our little nephew. He was born with fluid in his lungs so he's in the NICU and may be there for up to 6 days. My brother and his wife haven't even been able to hold their precious son yet. Please pray for this little one to bounce back quickly so they can take him home, and especially for Maureen, as she is separated from her newborn.

(And in case you are wondering, there is no name yet. They are obviously too preoccupied with the situation at hand.)

New Family Member!!!

I just wanted to let you all know that my sister-in-law, Maureen, had the baby today! She was scheduled for a c-section on the 8th, but during her doctor's appointment this morning they decided to do it today instead. Our newest nephew weighed in at 7lbs. 9oz. but there's still no name yet! I will post that along with some pictures when I get them! CONGRATULATIONS Kyrce, Maureen, and big brother Holden!! We love you and can't wait to meet our newest nephew!