Padre Island

With Jody and Darin's anniversary yesterday and ours on Sunday, we decided to take advantage of an offer to come down to 'South Texas' and spend a couple of nights on Padre Island with friends of theirs. It's been an awesome day enjoying the surf and sun along with a great pool. Dave captured this scene this afternoon, complete with the sailboat in the distance! Don't you wish you were here too?

Dave and I were coming back from a great walk on the beach when we saw these two watching the surf.....
Caily was surprised to see us on the beach! Here we were watching the birds flying over the water....I am looking very windblown but we were at the beach afterall!
Lexi had it best....sleeping in the sling out of the sun!
We took Lexi back to our room so Jody could spend some time playing in the sand and water with Darin and Caily. I just had to capture these wide awake eyes....we haven't seen them very much! She really is such a good baby that she spends a lot of time sleeping.
Later on in the day we went back to pool with the kids.....Caily loves the water.
I couldn't resist this little bathing beauty!
Dave held the sleeping Lexi so that Jody could get into the pool with us! Caily sure had a great time!

Cherished Moments

Thank you to all of you that commented on my last post! I must admit that it really encouraged me to realize that you are checking for pictures and reading about those cherished moments that we are having here with our girlies.

Caily always has either a 'baby' or some sort of stuffed animal in her arms. Here she is loving on her 'bear' who is being cuddled and rocked just like Mimi was rocking Lexi. Notice her crocs on the wrong feet...odds would lead one to believe that she would get them on the right feet 50% of the time, but those odds definitely don't hold true with this little miss.
Gotta love this smile! And how about those cute pigtails?!
Miss Lexi looking her usual cute self. I can't get enough of just staring at her, knowing that in 4 short days we will be saying goodbye again.
Here she is wearing a little sunsuit that her Mommy and big sister wore! As one of the neighbor girls said when she heard that, 'that means it is really old!'
The other night after dinner we went down to the river which was refreshing and beautiful(it's cooler down there)
Caily loves the water and especially when she can be having fun with Daddy at the same time!
Here's a picture of Lexi on Tuesday, 3 weeks old. She often has her little arm under her chin like this.
Yesterday morning we met the newest arrival on the ranch...this little colt had been born just hours before. Caily loves horses and asks to see the baby horses any chance she gets. This other colt is 3 weeks old and also very cute.
Horses, sheep, goats(also with new babies), dogs, cats, deer and buffalo...what else can a little girl ask for?!

For My Sister

This week as I have watched Caily and Lexi I have often thought about my own sister....there were just the two of us! This morning Jody dressed the girls in two adorable matching outfits from my sister....their Great Aunt! So in honor of that I am dedicating this post to Ev who is truly a great aunt! Here's Caily saying 'good morning world'!
I wanted to get a picture with the two girls but it wasn't that easy.....so first Dave took a picture of Lexi and I.

Finally Caily agreed if Mimi would hold both her and Lexi...so here we are!
It's incredible how much Lexi is changing from day to day....her cheeks are filling out and we even noticed that her arms aren't as skinny anymore....here she is 'chillaxing' in her swing.
We had some more fun with bubbles today and I enjoyed just clicking away in an attempt to capture some of Caily's expressions.
We enjoy sitting outside on the porch and later this afternoon we captured this picture of Jody with her girls. Aren't they just the cutest?!
Another story but suffice it to say, this was taken at dinnertime tonight when Caily and Darin were goofing around....I just love her expression on this picture.
We are enjoying our days as you can tell and I hope those of you in blogland are enjoying the pictures(I would love to see your comments! I can't remember the last time I posted this many times in a row and I realized again tonight how much I look forward to people's comments and wonder if anyone out there is reading them when there aren't comments....an interesting reflection that could be a post of it's own.)

Two Girlies to Love

We are enjoying having two girlies to love these days! Caily is sure to remind us that she too needs loving and of course we are more than happy to oblige. Yesterday morning we managed to get Jody to take this picture of the four of us....Bupa, Mimi and their two girls..
I just love this picture of Caily admiring the horse stickers on her arm because it also shows off her anklet! When we walked into the house in the morning Caily was excitedly telling us that both she and Mommy were wearing anklets!
One of the things Caily and I starting doing together in April was taking out the trash. Dave wondered why I only took one bag at a time so we invited him along to document our trek to the trash cans!
Both of us have to hang onto the bag...
This is very serious business afterall.
Next up it was time for our walk....Caily and Bupa were waiting outside so she tried on his hat for size.
In case you think that Dave never gets a turn holding Lexi, here is a picture to prove otherwise.
Lexi looking very bright-eyed after a bath.
I couldn't resist including this picture of me and my ladybug....doesn't the background look like a fake sears backdrop? But no, it's real....here on the ranch!
And one last shot of 'Little Bit' as she gets called...smiling!

Can't take my eyes off of you....

Thankfully although Jody and Darin's internet is still down, up here at the Big House as they call the owner's home, there is internet tonight and it seems to be working so I get to finally share some of the pictures that I had hoped to post last night.

Caily was so excited that this time Bupa had come along with me! Here they are checking out the rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel ...

Any chance she gets she asks him to read to her...
Lexi had jaundice so she 'suntans' every day...thankfully it is improving!
Caily wanted me to go 'night, night' on her pillow....
Caily was convinced that Lexi needed some of her animals.
The weather is wonderful so we are trying to take a walk every day. Caily and Lexi both enjoy the double stroller...
I kept thinking of the words to that old song, 'can't take my eyes off of you' as I held Lexi yesterday and today ...newborns are such a blessing to just hold and cuddle.
There's just nothing like it....
...such a special little girl.
I bought some treats for big sister too.....Caily loved her 'bubbles' as you can see.
Moments caught in time...
Caily is such a wonderful big sister and loves her little sister....so gentle.
Daddy and his girls....
We're having a wonderful time and I try not to think about how quickly the time will go and we will have to say goodbye...for tonight I am thankful for each memory made.

Our Newest Princess

Well we made it to Texas and finally got to meet our newest princess! Isn't she just perfect? And yes, her hair really is that dark.
I had great plans to post lots of pictures to tell you all about our arrival here and our time with the Miles family. But alas, the internet is not cooperating! So here are just a couple from our first look at Lexi yesterday...

She was sound asleep in her carseat when they picked us up at the airport so we just jumped into the van and we were off....I just couldn't get enough of her(good thing I was sitting in the back seat of the van and could peek over into her carseat.
When she finally opened her eyes I just had to take another picture!

It's so good to be here and I was so thrilled when we got out of the van and Caily just ran into my arms and gave me the biggest hug!! I guess all these trips to Texas this spring have been good for getting to know one another! I will try to post more pictures in the morning but for now I am up way past my bedtime.

A Relaxing Weekend

We had the most wonderful, relaxing weekend this past weekend as we drove up to visit Heather and Matt. It was so fun to just be together again....to go for dinner, for breakfast, to go shopping, to help Heather put up her new decal on her Dining Room wall....

Friday morning Dave and Matt went looking for bears and found a herd of Elk along the way.
The trees are a few weeks behind what they are down here.....the leaves are just starting to come out.
Friday afternoon we enjoyed a walk along the river(Dave was the photographer this trip)
While Matt threw sticks and stones into the river for Tika, Heather and I found a sunny spot on some logs to sit down.
Mommy Isaak is blossoming!
Dave took this picture of 'Unkie and Tiks' for Aidan.....on a 'snort' like machine....
Heather needed some pictures for a website for work, so we had some fun doing a mini photo shoot...
She wasn't too impressed as you can tell....
But even Tiks wanted to get into the fun!
It was a wonderful weekend....thanks for the memories Heather and Matt!

The Blessing of Family

With my unexpected trip to Texas, I never had the chance to post pictures of a very special family time on Good Friday. My parents were out and Jamie and Megs came over so we could all go for a walk down to the park.....Dave brought his camera along and captured some memorable moments...
I was behind Dave making faces of the boys and it worked....they were both looking forward and even Jaxon was smiling.

It was so fun to watch four generations making memories together...
Oma and Jaxon...
Aidan was busy climbing but poked his head thru the bars and smiled for the camera.
A special day...captured!
On the way back home Opa took Jaxon......so fun to see him with his great-grandson.

It's official!

Here they are....the Miles' sisters, ready to go home! Doesn't Caily just look so proud of her baby sister. And it's official....her name is Alexis Hope and will be called Lexi for short. For more great pictures check out Jody's blog.

Only 11 more sleeps before I get to hug these sweethearts in person!

She's Here!

Baby girl Miles made her appearance tonight at 7:18 pm Texas time, weighing in at 7 pounds 5 ounces, and measuring 21 ounces. I will let Jody tell you all about her labor once she has recuperated but we are all just tickled pink!


Unfortunately this little darling doesn't have a name yet because everyone was so sure that 'she' was a 'he'.....

But that's just fine...for now we will just call her sweetheart!

She actually looks a bit like her Mommy did as a newborn...just a pound and a half less weight!

Obviously Dad was taking the pictures.....how we wish we were already there!

Important Update on Baby Miles

We had hoped that just maybe Jody would go into labor today and Heather would get a new niece or nephew as a birthday present! But alas, it was not to be. However, there is news on the baby front. As Jody posted on her blog tonight:
So, we made it to 38 weeks! That is very exciting and that is as far as we will go because I am getting induced tomorrow. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and was more dilated than last week and my doctor said that we needed to make some decisions. Of course things are not simple and because I tested positive for strep b, that adds to everything. The best case with that is that I get two doses of antibiotics in me before the baby comes and with how far I am dilated and how far away we live, we decided that the best option is for me to be induced. That will make sure that the baby gets the antibiotics it needs to be healthy and not have to worry about what might happen. We have to be at the hospital at 5am tomorrow morning, when they will start me on the antibiotics and then around 7:30 am will start me on pitocin. Lord willing, we will be able to meet our new little one tomorrow and all will be well.

So would you join with us in praying for a safe and speedy delivery, and a healthy baby and Mommy? Stay tuned for more news tomorrow.

Happy Birthday my beautiful daughter

It's hard to believe that it's been 29 years since you came into the world. You were in a hurry that day, no waiting around for you. You have walked thru incredible heartache in your young life, but you refuse to feel sorry for yourself. Instead you take the proverbial lemons and make sweet lemonade. I am so proud of you, and I count you among my friends. I miss you, but am thankful for phones and instant messaging. You have grown into a beautiful woman. And today you are 20 weeks pregnant with Monkey as you like to call Baby Isaak......you will be an awesome mother and I am looking forward to meeting your little one.

Happy Birthday Heather! I love you and miss you~

Mom

Spring in the Valley

As much as it felt like summer in Texas even though it was still spring, I am back home again now and it is definitely spring in the Fraser Valley. Everywhere you look there are flowers in bloom, rhododendrons, cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips, azaleas, magnolias and the list goes on. Jody made it to 37 weeks on Monday and I flew home Tuesday. It was good to be home again and to see all the flowers that had come into bloom while I was gone. Here are just a few glimpses of the ones in front of our Living Room window where I can see them every single morning when I open the blinds!

I love yellow flowers...roses, daffodils and yes, even yellow tulips!
After seeing how beautiful the tulips were that Jamie and Heather and had planted in their gardens last spring, I was determined that come fall, I too would plant tulips. It's been so much fun to see them opening up this spring....

Dave convinced me to plant some hyacinths and now I am wishing I would have planted even more...
Dave sent me this picture he took last Sunday so I could see what I was missing.

It's good to be home, even if only for a little while. Today when the kids came in for Sunday Dinner Aidan just ran into my arms when he saw me!! It just doesn't get any better than that....and in the meantime tomorrow Jody will be 38 weeks and Heather will be 20 weeks!! We are so blessed......