Baby #2.....

We are having a little girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it!! No, I can't either! David has always told me we were having all boys in order to make a soccer team complete. I was totally brainwashed into believing him so I am in total shock. The lady that did the ultrasound said she was a 100% sure it was a girl because she had a good view. I know they usually say most likely or a ninety percent chance, so when she said that, I had no more doubts! I have just always imagined us with boys! I am thankful that all of the ultrasound measurements were good and that as far as they can tell our little girl is healthy. Of course David is worried that this news will start a shopping frenzie and has already reminded me we are in a recession. Well, I guess I better get started thinking up idea's for a new nursery theme!

Tyler vs. The Atlantic Ocean

As the day begins, the young explorer sets out to surveys the scene, and gain his bearings in this unfamiliar land.

In this rare footage obtained exclusively for RFR, we see the young explorer's first encounter with the raging waters known as "The Atlantic Ocean".


Gaining courage, the young explorer stands his ground as the mighty sea hurls a ferocious wave towards land...


Unmoved, the young explorer watches cautiously as the wave dissipates around him.


With the sun retreating, and the ocean conquered, the fearless explorer takes one last walk on the beach.

What we have been up to......

Making cute little babies!
Running a 5K!
Picking pumpkins with friends and family.


Tyler also attended his first Mizzou Tailgate party!
And lets not forget when Tyler Morphed into Batman for Halloween!


I know we have not updated the blog forever and so finally I have a little energy to do so! I have been so so sick with this pregnancy. I am not surprised though because I was sick until 7 months with Tyler! I think it may be another boy, this pregnancy is exactly the same as the last and I am carrying it high again! We find out in December what we are having. That is if we decide to find out at all. I am up for a surprise but David wants to know. He said he could find out and not tell me, well I don't think that would last for very long!

Tyler has been doing great! I just love to watch him play and use his imagination. He is all over the place though and is running, which makes it hard for me to keep up with him! Unfortunately his surgery was unsuccessful so we are planning on seeing a different specialist in STL to get another opinion. Luckily it is not causing him any pain, so I am not in a big hurry to deal with it.

David has been busy as usual! He is still working on his PhD and is taking a Quantitative Analysis class this semester. Luckily he is one of those smart people who does not have to study much so we don't have to worry about him being gone to study among all the other things he has going on! He is going to Florida for a conference so he will be gone and I will get to be a single mom for a bit! He usually goes at least 2 or 3 times a year. I used to go with him, but now it is just easier for him to go without us!

Hope everyone is doing well. I feel like I am forgetting to post something. So hopefully I will update the blog before next month and stay current!

My Poor Little Baby...

Tyler manages a weak smile for the camera after his hard day.

All I can say is boy am I glad today is over with! Tyler was born with hydroceles (fluid filled sacs around his testicles). They do not cause permanent damage to any organs, but can cause pain and so the sac needed to be removed. We have been anticipating the surgery since he was 3 months old and I am so thankful that he was able to have a successful surgery and that he remains free from any serious complications. I feel so blessed that my son was watched over and don't know what I would do without my baby boy! Now that the surgery is over with and my emotions are under control, I can recount this traumatic day, which will be therapeutic for me!

Tyler's surgery was scheduled for this Friday, although we were anticipating it being rescheduled do to the fact his Surgeon was out of town and we were not sure if our concerns would be addressed before the scheduled surgery. Surprisingly the Doctor called my cell phone on Wednesday night and reassured us of any concerns or questions we may have had and so we decided to go ahead with the surgery on Friday and just get it over with! It was nice to think it was not going to happen most of the week so that we could not get worked up over it and think about it to much. So, finally on Thursday afternoon around 3pm they called and told us that we needed to be at the hospital at 7am. This was much better than the 5-6am time slot that we were initially warned about.

Tyler is not a sound sleeper, so when we got up to get ready, so did he. Poor daddy did not have time to take a shower! When we got to the hospital, everything was on time, which was nice since Tyler could not eat or drink anything. He could sense something was going on and started to get pretty cranky. That's when they decided to give him the drugs. They warned me that my son would be drunk and to not let him try and walk as he could not walk the straight line! I must say he went from crazy to calm in minutes and it was nice! Where do I get some of that stuff!

When they were getting ready to take him away, it was hard to let him go. I was thankful he was "feeling good" so I did not have to leave a crying baby. We decided at that time we would get a bite to eat and walk around for a while. We were back 40 min later and thought we did not have much more time to wait until we got a call that said it took an extra half hour to get an iv started and so they were behind. So the waiting started to get old and our tension level grew a little, but then we got the call that we could go to the conference room and speak with the doctor. I was a little concerned because most doctors were just coming out to the waiting room to talk to families. Luckily there was nothing wrong and she said everything went as planned.

It took Tyler around 45 min to wake up and then we got to go see our little man. I am surprised he wanted to talk to us after what we put him through, but he welcomed us with open arms which felt like heaven. He started to get agitated with his iv and decided to rip it out despite the great lengths we went to to try and save it. When the blood came I not only was worried about my son, but about David as well. He does not like blood, movies with blood, or stories that include blood. He did really well and was a super dad through out the whole thing.

Well, finally they let us go home. It was so weird to see Tyler so docile and not moving around jabbering. At one point he was dazed and I had to check to see that he was still breathing! He slept most of the day after we arrived home and then around 5 pm we woke him up to eat and drink something. I felt so sorry for him, he wanted to get up and play but the sedation had not worn off yet and he would fall over and not be able to get back up or he would be in pain and unable to move. If you know Tyler, you know he is always on the go!

By the end of the night he started to do a little bit better and I am hoping after a good night sleep he will be back to his active self. I must say I did enjoy him letting us baby him and hold him for most of the day, but I will also feel better when he feels better too! Of course we always are to learn something from our trials, and so I do know that my son has been watched over and that I love him so, so much!

Tyler and Company!

Tyler and his best friend of all, his daddy!

Now that Tyler is getting older it is fun to watch him actually interact and be aware of other kids. Before he would just kind of look at other kids but not want much else to do with them, well unless they had a toy or food that he wanted! Because Tyler is stuck at home with his mommy most of the time, I have tried to make a conscience effort to go to playgroups to help him to be social and not always "cling" to his mommy. I am aware that some kids just have a tendency to be more reserved than others but I have been trying to at least expose him to the fun and bonds that friends bring. So far Tyler has not been a shy child at all. If he see's other "little people" at the store he starts smiling and yelling to get their attention. This then brings one of two reactions, either the child is startled or the child smiles back. Luckily Tyler does not seem to be put off by rejection and so any reaction or just the sight of another child makes him happy.

Tyler and I have been so blessed to have made such good friends that I wanted to highlight them in my blog. He really enjoys all of his close buddies and I am glad that he has been able to get together with them often. It has been fun to get to know all of the babies since they were born and to watch them all grow up together! Although it may be sounding like these relationships are mostly for Tyler, we all know that these play groups are vital to my sanity! It has been so nice to have friends that are going through the same stages of life and that have the same concerns that I have. We have all been able to help each other through the ups and downs and I don't know what I would do with out them!!! I just wish 2 of them did not have to move away!!!

Tyler and one of his girlfriends. She is always so sweet and loves to give hugs and kisses. As you can tell he enjoys this!

Tyler enjoying the "surfing" lesson. Tyler is always hugging his friend and we always laugh when they run off to another room together to play! They are good pals!

It is so awesome to have Tyler's cousin right here in town. It is so nice when Tyler goes over to his house to play and get's to know him better. I have appreciated all of the times his aunt and uncle have watched Tyler for me! It is so much fun to see the similarities Tyler and his adorable cousin have in common!

Tyler and his crew! The poor little boy in back is still scared after the incident of Tyler bitting him on the bottom! They were born only a week apart. You can't notice here, but he has such pretty blue eyes!

We were all in the dinning room enjoying dinner when I went into the play room to check on the kids, and as you can see, I have proof they were all playing well together!

He is so layed back! Even when Tyler bit him in the arm and left marks he still loved him! We can learn so much from his calm demeanor! He is so so sweet!

Keeping up with Tyler

Tyler is now 15 months old! Every day he seems to amaze me more and more with his actions and personality changes! The older he is getting the more independent he has gotten, which means he is getting into a lot more trouble!!! I have a hard time keeping up with him and the crazy situations he gets himself in!

It is very entertaining to just watch him play, he laughs and dances all the time. It is crazy some of the things that amaze him or that he finds funny, ie brushing your teeth! He has become very animated and loves to rough house with daddy and push us down if were sitting on the floor. He also is into imitating sounds, he can even make a sound like he is rolling his r's. It is so funny to ask him if he wants a burrrrito and then here him make funny noises with his tongue! He is not a shy child and loves to play with other kids as well as give hugs out! I am so thankful for my little boy. He brings real, true, happiness to my life!

Tyler and Daddy at Pinnacles Nature Park

Tyler being mischievous.

Tyler loves to play in "his" cabinet.

Tyler in a basket.

Summer Fun

We really have not kept the blog up to date this summer because we have kept ourselves very busy with projects and family fun! The one big summer house project (amidst many other smaller house projects) included a new look for our front yard. As you can see from the before picture, our bushes were overgrown and there was no real curb appeal. Our neighbors gave us the inspiration to tackle the project because they were performing an overhaul as well. We were very grateful for their expertise and help as we have never done any thing like this before. This was a project that took more than one weekend to tackle, but David did an excellent job. HGTV worthy I would say!

Sarah's B-Day Weekend

Fun time in St. Louis this weekend as we went up to celebrate Sarah's birthday. The festivities started at Chevy's, which featured good food, and good company. Happy Birthday Sarah!


Then it was off to Rebecca's for Ice Cream Cake, while Tyler decided to take on Uncle Stuart in a wrestling match. Advantage: Stuart.... for now. :)


The weekend was completed with a trip to the St. Louis Temple... it's hard to believe that 5 years ago we were standing here as young newlyweds! Today we had beautiful 80 degree weather which was much nicer then the 100 degree weather we had back on our wedding day. :) Also, David is especially proud he still fits into the suit he was married in!


Afterwards, we went to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Brio. We both love the Bistecca Insalata... and the sun dried tomato olive oil they serve with their bread basket. Yummy.

Alas, with our tummies full, it was time to make the trek back home.... but not before one last fabulous photo opportunity!

Tyler's First Photo Shoot

Now that Tyler is one year old and walking around like crazy we thought it would be fun to get his pictures taken outside where you could capture him being animated with his surroundings. Our friend Meredith is a professional photographer and did an excellent job! So here is one of the photo's she took, she also took the photo of us at the top of the blog! Thanks again Meredith!

Tyler's 1st Birthday Party

Tyler had a great time at his first Birthday party in May! Many of his closest friends and family came to share this glorious occasion!

Tyler enjoyed eating his cake, and opening his presents. Here Tyler shows Mom a piece of the wrapping paper he successfully tore off, while Mom tries to read him the book contained inside.

Tyler was so excited to see many of his friends and family who took the time out of their schedules to come celebrate this special day with him!