Jost Family Blog

Weekend in Telluride

2011-12-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

Since we live in Colorado now, we plan on taking full advantage of the great outdoors. We went to Telluride the first weekend in December to see what that part of Colorado had to offer. The drive was absolutley breath taking the entire way! It was a 6 hour drive for us but it was well worth it! Telluride is the most amazing ski town I've been to. It reminded us of Germany. It's a little town nestled in the mountains which at first we loved but it made it was difficult to get back home with all the fresh snow!It snowed the entire weekend so the town was covered in fresh snow. We parked the car on Friday and didn't need it again until we left on Sunday. You can walk pretty much anywhere you want to go and if it's on the other side of the mountain, there's a free gondola to get you there. Our hotel was right outside the gondola so we took it a few times over to Mountain Village for some shoping and site seeing.

We didn't have enough time to ski but we decided to take the kids sledding. It played out so well in my head but the reality of the sledding experience was not as fun as I'd hoped! The snow was thick and we had to hike up the side of the mountain to sled down it. This would've been much easier if Allie could walk! She was cold and miserable and did not last long! Hiking up and down wore Emily out pretty fast but she liked going down! Needless to say, we're going to try sledding again when the girls are a little older! I'm so glad that we went to Telluride because it was an awesome experience and we can't wait to go back sometime and go skiing there!

Thanksgiving Weekend around Colorado Springs

2011-12-01T12:00:00.001-06:00

We took Travis, Robyn, and Bryson around Colorado Springs to do some site seeing. We went to Garden of the Gods and the dinosaur museum in Woodland Park. The kids loved all of it!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T11:59:00.000-06:00

My brother Travis and his family came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a blast getting together!

We played at the park down the street waiting for the turkey to cook

We let the kids drive the pink car down to the park. Bryson kept hanging over the side to try and figure out how it worked.

Emily likes to help in the kitchen!

Emily's pre-school Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-30T11:41:00.012-06:00

Emily has been attending a great preschool here in town. She has done very well in school and absolutely loves it! She hates non-school days so I have to try pretty hard to keep her entertained. She has developed a very extensive vocabulary and learned the abcs, how to count to 10, and she can even recognize a few letters. I think she's off to a great start! They had a little Thanksgiving feast for her class and it was very cute. :) As you can see, Emily is the tallest in her class by far!!

This is one of her teachers- Mrs. Gatson

Weekend with Daddy

2011-11-15T11:39:00.000-06:00

Michael had his first weekend ever with the girls alone at the beginning of November. I flew home to Texas to celebrate my mother's 50th birthday. I have to say I was pretty impressed with his parenting skills. I came home to a clean house and the girls had a great weekend. He took them to the zoo and some other sites around town. It looks like the girls enjoyed themselves even though it was a little cold!

Adventures in Potty Training

2011-11-01T14:57:00.002-05:00

We have been waiting a long time to have a kid graduate from diapers. I tried hard to get Rachel potty trained but I would quit whenever she didn't feel well. She pretty much guided that whole process. When it came time to train Emily,I thought it would be very easy. I forgot to take into account how stubborn Em can be!! She fought me for months. She can hold it like no little kid can! The girl has a 10 gallon bladder and she could spend all day on the potty drinking juice and not have to pee. She would wait for me to put a diaper on her to go somewhere and instantly go potty- very frustrating! After several months, we have finally had success! It has been a long 5 years changing diapers but we finally have one kid potty trained- yeah!! :)

Emily got a present for finally making it through 2 days without an accident!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:26:00.001-05:00

We had a pretty nice Halloween. Emily picked out her costume this year so that was exciting for me. :) She was very picky about what kind of princess she wanted to be! Allison was a flower. It was a hand me down costume from Em. They both looked cute and had fun trick or treating. When Em's bucket was half full she told us she was done because she had enough- so grown up!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

Who knew Colorado had so much farmland?? We live right on the edge of the plains and there are a lot of farms in our area. One family turns their farm into a big pumpkin patch with lots to do. The kids had so much fun! There were a ton of animals, a homemade slide down a hill, hayride, jumping castle, and more. We took Michael's dad with us and he enjoyed himself as well. It was one of the neatest pumpkin patches and I hope to make it back next year!

First Snow of the year

2011-10-30T13:07:00.018-05:00

Having only lived in warm climates we were anxiously awaiting our first snow in the new house. We got a nice snow storm in mid-October and it was as fun as we'd hoped! The roads were cleared pretty fast so we could get out and drive. And the snow melted in 2 days time so we could enjoy it and see it go! The girls had a great time playing in it. I will admit I don't like bundling them up every time we leave the house- it adds 10 minutes to my already running behind schedule. So far, we are fans of waking up to a snow covered yard and I hope that we have lots more days of snow! :)

It was a little too cold out for Allie so she watched Em play from inside the house.

Celebrating Rachel's Birthday

2011-10-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

While we were in Destin, we celebrated Rachel's 5th birthday on Oct. 9th. It will always be a hard day for us. It's always a reminder of everything that we've missed with her and how much of a hole she left behind in our family. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a 5 year old. Sometimes I feel like we treat Em like she's so much older than she is because we've been at this parenting thing for 5 years and our oldest child is 2. I wish more than anything that we could have seen them all together at least once. We'll never be able to replace her or share her with her sisters. We'll always wonder what she would've been like and how different our lives would be if she was still here. We try to make her birthday a fun event for the girls. It helps them know Rachel and it helps us get through the day. We kept the kids very busy and we all had as much fun as we could for her. I hope that Rachel can see us celebrating her and that she gets some entertainment from her sisters and cousins.

I dressed the girls in matching little sister outfits

We spent the morning at a little amusement park called the Track.

The kids had a blast but Michael and Travis had just as much fun!

We walked on the beach in the evening. We had planned to let

some lanterns go but it was too windy. We flew a kite instead. Trav really enjoyed that!

Bryson ran so fast he didn't even leave a complete footprint!

We had to have a cake! We sang "Happy Birthday"

and the kids blew out the candles.

Celebrating Rachel's 5th Birthday in Texas

2011-10-29T23:49:00.000-05:00

Since we couldn't visit Rachel's grave ourselves, our families went for us. Michael's family and mine got together to let some balloons go and decorate her grave. It was very sweet to see the pics from them. Thanks Becky for sending them.

Mimi watched from the sidelines!

Callie was so sweet giving Rach a kiss

Trip to Destin

2011-10-29T23:41:00.000-05:00

The girls and I flew to Alabama for a week long trip to see Michael. Flying with the 2 of them is definitely an experience!! There wasn't all that much to do in Montgomery, AL so we decided to spend the weekend in Destin, FL since it was only about 3 hrs away. Luckily, my brother Travis was at the same class Michael was so we got to spend the weekend with them too. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousin Bryson.

Allie's first trip to the beach! She loved to watch the waves from the window.

Only the 9 month old would look at the camera :)

Emily watched Robyn get ready and told me she had to wear this

pretty dress so she could be pretty too!

We got the kids the cutest matching skeleton pjs. Of course,

they wouldn't pose together in them!

Good luck interrupting Toy Story

2nd trip to the amusement park

Grandma & Grandpa came to visit

2011-10-29T23:03:00.000-05:00

Michael was at a class in Alabama for 6 weeks starting at the beginning of September. So to help pass the time, my parents came to visit for a weekend. We had a pretty busy time! We spent Saturday at the Royal Gorge in Canon City. There is a train ride that goes underneath the bridge and through the gorge. The kids loved it! The adults had a great time too. On Sunday, we travelled a couple hours north to Fort Collins to visit my aunt Nancy and her family. We got to see my cousin, McKenzie, play soccer and that was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I don't have pics of that because my camera was dead. :( Hopefully we'll get another chance to see her play. I think mom and dad enjoyed themselves driving around Colorado!

First Day of Preschool

2011-10-29T14:21:00.000-05:00

In September, Emily started Jr. Preschool at Calvary Methodist Church. She goes MWF in the mornings. Em loves school and talks about it all the time. She has adjusted very well to it and is making lots of new friends. She is the tallest kid in her class by far but she doesn't seem to notice or care. I don't worry about labeling her clothes because I'm sure she's the only 2 year old in the class that wears 4T/5T! She told me the other day that I need to hurry and leave because it's not my school and she needs to play when I dropped her off. She's very independent!!

Cruisin' in the pink camaro

2011-10-29T14:13:00.000-05:00

The girls love cruisin around in the pink car! It's hillarious to watch. :) Allie thinks she has to sway quickly back and forth to make it go and pretty much wears herself out. And Emily, likes to drive but not steer so we have to chase them and turn the wheel.

Some of our First Visitors

2011-10-29T14:07:00.001-05:00

On Labor day weekend, my cousin Cassie and her husband Mark came to visit. We took them to Pike's Peak- it was cold up there!! We had a great time despite the weather. I had a broken foot so I had to bum around on crutches. Michael's mom stayed with us for 3 weeks to help take care of the girls so she was with us too. We got caught in the middle of a hail storm up there. It blanketed everything with so much hail that the roads had to be plowed so we could get back down the mountain. Colorado has some crazy weather!

Emily's Swim Lessons

2011-09-17T18:55:00.000-05:00

Emily loves the water so one of the first things we did in Colorado was sign her up for swim class. She did really well at learning how to kick and move her arms. She didn't always want to listen to her instructor so it was a good thing I took the class with her! We're looking forward to next year when she can sign up for the big class without mommy!

Exploring Colorado Springs

2011-09-17T18:37:00.000-05:00

We are now residents of Colorado! We moved to Colorado Springs on July 7th. We had to live in temporary lodging on the base for the first month while we were waiting to close on our new house. We have been taking good advantage of living in such a cool place! There's so much to see and do with the kids. Emily loves going up in the mountains and having fun. The first month felt like a long vacation!

Riding the cog up Pike's Peak

It was cold at the top so we had to bundle the girls up! Allison fit snuggly on my chest and we wrapped up in Michael's coat. It was practical but it makes for some interesting pics.

Cripple Creek

We drove up Gold Camp road for a scenic drive and spent an afternoon in Cripple Creek.

Hanging in TLF

While living in temporary lodging the kids got to spend lots of much needed time with Michael.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

making a donation for wildlife

Enjoying the sky ride

Visiting with Mimi before the move

2011-09-17T16:28:00.001-05:00

Before we moved, we got to visit with Michael's grandmother, Mimi. She's 94 and very full of life! The kids love her. I thought these were some great generations pics!

Emily's first plane ride

2011-09-17T16:22:00.001-05:00

Emily and I flew to Iowa for the wedding. It was Emily's first time to fly. I couldn't have been more happy with how things turned out! She slept on a few of the flights but when she was awake she just played and watched movies. I was very relieved it went well.

Cassie & Mark's Wedding

2011-09-17T16:16:00.000-05:00

My cousin Cassie got married back in June. We had to travel to Iowa for the wedding so Allison had a special weekend with Michael's parents. We were very honored that they asked Emily to be one of the flower girls. The other flower girl was Callie so the two of them had a blast! It was a beautiful wedding and I really enjoyed catching up with my Krug cousins.

The Rehearsal

Tyler just loves these girls. Emily loves to give him a hard time!

These two can convince anyone to give them anything!

Emily got a Vera Bradley bag and she carries it everywhere!

Grandpa Dutch even had a great time!

Wedding Prep

We got the girls hair done. I totally felt like one of those moms on Toddlers & Tiaras and I can't say I want to do that again! It was so hard to keep their hair fixed until the wedding!! The girls loved it and thought they looked like princesses. :)

I was telling Callie to get up so she covered her ears! Ugh!

Cameron tried to keep them under control- good luck!

The Reception

These 2 love a good party. What worries me is that they love to be in the middle of a good party. Not looking forward to the teenage years!

The happy couple!

May

2011-07-26T16:08:00.001-05:00

Robin & Fredo's Wedding

On May 21st, my long-time friend Robin married her boyfriend of two years, Fredo Gonzales. The wedding was gorgeous! I was a bridesmaid and Em was the flower girl. This was her 2nd try at being flower girl and she did much better this time around. She had a blast! She was given lots of candy to keep her happy on the alter. :) She really enjoyed the dance and didn't want to leave at the end of the night.

She walked around the entire ceremony. It was pretty comical. :)

Look who's in the middle!!

She wanted to go by herself. This was real fun in heels!!

Allison's First Experience with Food

Allison has taken the longest of the girls to eat baby food. She wasn't ready for it until about 6 months. This is her first attempt and it didn't go well. It took another month for her to be ready. Thought these pics were too funny not too share!

This face sums up the experience!

Enjoying the Summer Heat

The kids found some sidewalk chalk and we found a big mess! They had a ton of fun and did some great art work. They didn't like the hose down at the end though!!

April

2011-07-26T15:18:00.000-05:00

Relay for Life

In mid-April we participated in the annual comal county relay for life. It was a really special night for the kids and for me. It was hard to be there and celebrate the survivors since Rachel can't be one of them but cancer research is still just as important to us as it was when she was alive. The luminaria ceremony was a bit of a disappointment due to disorganization but she had lots of luminarias lit for her. Emily, Callie, Allison, & Cade had lots of fun running the track! My friend Brooke came from San Angelo with her boys to walk with us. The kids enjoyed having more walking buddies. Mom, me, and the kids at church did a lot of fund raising for the event and we were able to raise over $2000! Thanks to everyone who donated.

Group pics are pretty hard to get with this gang!

Drew & Callie had fun playing with the hula hoops they were selling in

the booth next to us. We were their best customers!

The fundraisers

Robin was there to walk with us

Love this pic!! :)

snack break after walking the track

Mom got arrested and I had to make a donation to get her out!

Remembrance Ceremony at Santa Rosa

The same weekend that we participated in relay, we attended a remembrance ceremony at the hospital for all of the kids they had lost in the past year and a half. It was a hard one to attend but I was glad that we went. Emily got to color a butterfly that they put on a lit tree to represent all of the children lost. We helped make a quilt to donate to the hospital and there was also a slide show. It had too many kids on it for comfort. :( It was really sad. We got to see Rachel's doctor and I enjoyed that. She didn't know about Allison and was very excited to meet her. I tried to explain to Emily what it was about. She still doesn't really understand she just tells me Rachel's in the sky and Rachel's sick. It's hard to explain it all to a 2 year old.

The butterfly tree

Making the quilt. Penny was there too but her picture didn't turn out.

Easter

2011-05-16T23:43:00.000-05:00

Easter was full of fun and lots of festivities. We started our weekend with Michael's family and then mine. Emily had a blast hunting for eggs- she did it 3 times! She was one egg finding machine. Allison got lots of stuff and enjoyed her first Easter. Of course, Emily had to help Allie open all her new presents and play with them.

Waiting to get hunting!

Afternoon swim in GJ & Papa's pool with aunt Becky

The Easter bunny came!

Emily opened all of her gifts and hunted for eggs with daddy via skype!

The kids posing with their Easter baskets from Grandma & Grandpa

The hunt is on! Emily was very focused and she found the most eggs :)

Lindsay had fun keeping up with Cade

Allison was sleeping so she missed the family pic :( And of course Michael & Travis are missing

Crazy Day at Six Flags

2011-05-16T22:34:00.000-05:00

My friend Amber and I took our kids to six flags on good Friday. It was crazy busy! Her son Ashton and Emily get along really well so we thought it would be fun. We also took Allison with us because I was feeling crazy that day. It took us all day to get the kids situated and ready to enjoy the park and then Emily got sunscreen in her eyes so she was pretty miserable most of the day. We're going to have to take them back before we move because the day was very exhausting and I'm not sure Em had all that much fun!

This is Emily's way of letting me know that she won't hold my hand. It's real fun when she does it in public!

Easter Prep

2011-05-16T22:06:00.000-05:00

We dyed easter eggs with Callie & Bryson. The kids had a blast and it wasn't too messy! Emily liked to stick her whole hand in the dye so her hand was colorful for the rest of the day.

Little Princess

2011-04-21T16:57:00.000-05:00

We got Emily's flower girl dress in the mail today for my cousin's wedding. I wanted her to try it on so that I could take some pics. She was pretty busy playing with her cousin Bryson so she wouldn't stop to pose for me. She even made sure to frown at the camera! She loves wearing dresses and playing in them and I thought these pics were too cute not to share.

Allison's Birthmark

2011-04-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't written anything about Allison's birthmark but I feel like it's something that we should share about. When she was born, it looked like she had bruises on her back and on her side. Turns out they are just large birthmarks. They were not in the shape of a butterfly at birth, but it quickly developed into one. It's pretty heart warming to see it because we like to think of it as a kiss from Rachel. :) It's bizarre that it took that form so it really makes you wonder.

However much we love the mark it still brings much concern. The doctor mentioned when she was born that sometimes these kinds of birthmarks mean other things are wrong. Could be in the liver, heart, or just cardiovasculary. It was very alarming for me to hear that so I have been thorough on getting the birthmark watched by doctors. She has been to a pediatric dermatologist twice now so that she can watch it carefully for changes. Allison had an ultrasound on her organs in February to make sure they were fine. So far everything looks good. The dr. has debated if the marks are port wine or hemangiomas. I was hoping for hemangiomas because they go away on their own and port wine marks grow with her. Right now the dr. thinks that they are port wine and that they won't go away on their own. The marks are harmless but Allison will probably want them removed when she's older. We're going to let her decide what to do about it when she's old enough to decide. I'm just very thankful that she seems to be doing great so far!!

2 year & 2 month check-ups

2011-04-13T16:30:00.000-05:00

Since the girls turned 2 and 2 months in the same month, February, we got to schedule their check-ups together. Emily was very helpful, probably too much, with Allison's exam. She pulled up a stool and had to help the doctor. She kept telling her that was her baby. The appt went good and so far no problems! Emily is 99th percentile in both weight & height. She has been since the day she was born! She weighed 36 lbs & is 37" tall- she's not going to be a petite girl! Allison measures a little smaller 94th percentile in height & 90th in weight. She's big too but she reminds me more of Rachel as a baby than Emily. Developmentally, both girls are right on track where they need to be. The pictures are a little fuzzy because they're from my camera on my phone.

Playdate at the Park with Daddy

2011-04-13T15:32:00.000-05:00

We went to the park a lot while Michael was home. Emily had such a blast with him that she always tells me that she wants to go to the park with Daddy. Apparently, things are more fun when daddy is around! It will be nice to have him back in June so that she can have fun with him more regularly.

Not sure who had more fun on this! Michael had a hard time sharing.

Allison's Baptism

2011-04-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

We baptized Allison while Michael was home. She wore Rachel's baptism gown. I really wanted to do something that day to remember Rachel and I thought it was a nice tribute to her that she wore her big sister's gown. As usual, the older kids had a hard time sitting through it but Fr. Tony is great with the kids and he tried to include them as much as possible.

My grandparents were visiting from Iowa.

It was a nice treat to have them here for the event.

Callie & Em have to take dolls with them everywhere they go &

then they take care of them together. They are such little mamas.

My brother Tyler & Michael's sister Becky are Allison's godparents

The kids really like Fr. Tony & he seems to enjoy them too!

Cade loves Allison & wants to kiss and hug her all the time. :)

Michael's Family

Super Godfather!!

My family

So far, the only family photo of the 4 of us

Emily's Birthday Party

2011-04-13T12:36:00.000-05:00

Emily had her birthday party at the children's museum this year. It's one of Emily's favorite places to play so it was a real treat for her to have her party there.

Allison had fun too!

Emily's 2nd Birthday

2011-04-02T17:24:00.000-05:00

Emily turned 2 on February 23rd. We had the family over for dinner on her actual birthday. She was feeling sick that day. It was nothing new to us to have a sick child on her birthday so we still celebrated it. :) She had cupcakes, her favorite, and we made hot dogs. Aunt Becky & Uncle Sony also gave a her an edible fruit arrangement because she loves fruit. She was very excited that everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her- she even sang along!

The 2 years that we've had Emily have been crazy and very eventful! She has been a bright spot in our lives and we are so thankful for her. She is a loving big sister and daughter. She gives lots of hugs and kisses- maybe she knows I need them! She is quite verbal for a 2 year old. She has no problems expressing what's on her mind and 90% of the time we can understand what she says. She is very bright and loves to problem solve. When she knows she's in trouble she cleverly always tries to bring my attention to Allison. She'll tell me "mama, baby night night shh" or "go check on baby" or "baby needs diaper". She's never at a loss for words! I asked her if she was ready for her nap today and she told me she was fine. Yesterday she told me it was time to go to the park so she could slide and ride choo choo. I can't remember what brought me entertainment before I had kids!

Family Update

2011-03-23T23:38:00.000-05:00

February was a full month of activities! Michael came home to visit, Emily and I both had birthdays, Allison got baptized and we found out we're moving to Colorado Springs in June when Michael gets back. I have been spending any free time I have looking at houses online and preparing for a trip to look at houses in early April with my dad. Needless to say, I have to find us a house and make all the plans and arrangements to move before Michael gets back. It has been overwhelming! I'm sorry to be so negligient of the blog for so long- I've missed it! I promise that I have tons of pics to post in the next few days so please check back often.

Daddy Came Home :)

2011-03-23T23:31:00.000-05:00

On February 15th, Michael finally got to come home and meet Allison. He got to spend 2 weeks with us and we really enjoyed having him here. He left on March 3rd and we won't see him again until June. Then we are moving to Colorado Springs!

Snow Day??!!!

2011-02-04T21:21:00.007-06:00

Today we woke up to a really fun surprise- snow!! There hasn't been snow on the ground in south Texas since I was a little kid. I know to my family in the north it doesn't seem exciting at all but this is the first time our kids have gotten to play in the snow. It was all pretty much melted by noon but the kids enojyed it while it lasted!

Warming up by the fire

Allison's First Month

2011-02-04T19:37:00.005-06:00

It's hard to believe that Allison is already 6 weeks old. Where does the time go? I have really been enjoying both the girls together. As evident by the pics, Emily loves to be near her sister. Every time I try to catch some pics of Allison, Emily starts posing too. She is very afraid of being left out! She loves her sister but she's not loving sharing her mama.

I am counting down the days until Michael gets to come home for 2 weeks- I'm exhausted! He will be home on Feb. 15th and I am ready for some help. Things were going well at first but then Allie got RSV, luckily it could be controlled at home, but it's totally screwed up our nights. She still has a little cough that wakes her up at night and keeps her stuck in the house as much as possible. Remembering back to the last time we had a toddler and a newborn, Michael was able to help a lot with Rachel so that I could give Em what she needed. It's more challenging to balance everything by myself this time around even though Em is far easier to care for than Rachel was. There's a reason that newborns have 2 parents! I have been able to get help from our parents and I can't say thanks enough!

Sleepless nights and all, I am very thankful for Allison. She has brought a lot of joy back in the house and it feels a little more normal having 2 again. It still feels like one is missing and I know it always will, but it warms my heart to hear Emily telling everyone that Allie is her sister and her baby. She is so excited to have another kid in the house and we are looking forward to watching their relationship grow with them.

Emily's Haircut

2011-01-22T17:43:00.003-06:00

Emily hasn't had a trim since she was about 9 months old. I don't know why but she was definitely scared the minute she saw the chair. The pictures need no captions about how it went! Penny and I had to take turns holding her still enough so that the lady could cut it.

Rachel's Quilts

2011-01-22T16:52:00.003-06:00

Rachel had a lot of clothing that I couldn't pass on to Emily or Callie so we decided to have quilts made with them. We were able to have a quilt made for each of her aunts and grandmas. We also are getting quilts for our girls but they're not ready yet. These are the quilts that were made for each of them. They all picked which picture they wanted on them. They turned out great thanks so much to Mary Cambiano for making them.

More Christmas Pics

2011-01-22T16:22:00.004-06:00

Christmas day was spent at our house with Michael's family. As you can see in the pics, we had Michael on the TV skyping with us. Emily showed him every single present she opened. He really enjoyed being part of it.

Santa thought Em needed a car to drive around

Talking to Michael on the TV

Presents from Santa

Krug Christmas

2011-01-10T15:42:00.006-06:00

We celebrated Christmas Eve at my parents' house. It gets pretty chaotic with the kids. I'm starting to understand why we always had to spend Christmas in the basement with our cousins growing up- it gets very noisy and messy with all the kids! The kids got way too many presents but had fun playing with each other's toys. Mom even got them all stockings and filled them up. Next year I think we're going to have to draw names because each of the kids got around 10 presents! Michael was able to join us for each of the Christmas get-togethers via skype. We mailed his presents to him so he opened them with us and got to watch Em open hers. She loved showing him everything she got.

Showing daddy her present

Hanging in their Christmas PJs. Emily loves her "froty"

pjs and wants to wear them every night!

Bryson was confused that it wasn't his dad on the laptop!

Uncle Shane likes to hold the new baby at Christmas- it's become a tradition!

These 2 like to fight over Allie. Emily always tells Callie that it's her baby.

The sheep that didn't make it to the manger

2011-01-10T15:22:00.004-06:00

This year mom thought it would be fun for the kids to be in the Christmas pageant at church. They were all going to be sheep. They did pretty good in practice. Emily thought it was fun crawling down the aisle with a bell on. But on Christmas she didn't think it was so much fun in front of all those people! She didn't make it down the aisle but her cousins did. I'm told she made quite a production with her loud dramatic cry and had to miss most of church.

Nate's always trying to keep the kids in-line.

Poor Nate, doesn't look like it's going well!

Baby Allison

2010-12-31T15:50:00.002-06:00

The past week and a half have been crazy to say the least! As if it wasn't going to be crazy enough without Michael being here, we celebrated Christmas when Allison was 2 days old. Allison has been a wonderful and much needed addition to the family. This Christmas was going to be a hard one, and it was, but having Allison was a great distraction. She is an easy baby! I have to brag about her sleeping 5-7 hrs. at night. That's better than both her sisters and they were easy babies as well. She is content all day long and lets me know when she's hungry!

Emily has taken to her amazingly well. She loves being a big sister. She tells everyone "dats my baby" and she's always asking me to "hold me" which means hold the baby. My only fear is that she's going to be too helpful and try to feed her something or pick her up. It's been bittersweet making the transition from one to two again. Rachel was a very different kind of big sister. It took her months to warm up to Emily or be helpful at all. She didn't warm to Emily until she could play with her. She made me feel horrible for having another child. But Emily loves to be around the baby and is constantly checking on her and helping me by fetching things. I am so thankful that Em loves her so much since Michael isn't here to distract her. Having two again really reminds me of Rachel and it's been an adjustment. Allison also looks very much like Rachel did when she was born. I can't even tell the pics apart when I put them up to each other!

We're very thankful for Allison and we're looking forward to a much better year. We have lots to look forward to with both girls! Happy New Year!

More Allison Pics

2010-12-31T15:18:00.004-06:00

Meeting More Family

2010-12-31T14:57:00.003-06:00

Allison had lots of visitors while we were in the hospital and we were only there 24 hrs! She got to meet everyone in the immediate family on both sides.

Michael's dad (papa)

Michael's grandma (Mimi)

Michael's mom (GJ)

Cousin Callie snuck into the hospital room. She loves holding "baby awison"!

Emily meeting Allison

2010-12-31T14:35:00.005-06:00

Once Allison was cleaned up, MIchael's parents and grandmother brought Emily to meet her new sister. She was uncertain at first but she warmed right up to her. She even wanted to hold her. It went well until Allison started crying. After that Em watched from more of a distance.

When Allison started crying so did Emily!

Em was a little confused when she walked in the room. Callie had to explain to her that there was a new baby!

Meet Allison Jane

2010-12-24T12:20:00.008-06:00

Waiting For Baby

2010-12-24T12:10:00.003-06:00

I was induced on the 22nd. Because it was an induction we had plenty of time to spare and goof off while we were waiting for Allison to come. We skyped with Michael several times and he got to watch Allison's birth live. It was like he was in the room with us. He and Anna kept picking on each other and he could talk to all of us at the same time. It was a great way for him to experience her arrival even though he couldn't be with us. I got to the hospital at 5 am and she was born at 2:28 pm. Not too bad considering I wasn't in labor when I got to the hospital.

Build-A-Bear

2010-12-22T08:21:00.009-06:00

When we were waiting for Emily to be born, we took Rachel to Build-A-Bear to make a bear to give to Em. That is when she made Hello Kitty. Anna and I took the girls on Callie's birthday so they could make one for Allison. Emily made a Christmas bear and Callie made a Frosty.

Enjoying a snack after the Xmas tree lighting

2010-12-22T08:14:00.002-06:00

We got a new frozen yogurt shop in town. The kids love it because you make your own bowl with toppings. They also love the fun little chairs and tables that are there.

Shana and I are both pregnant so Anna thought it was funny

to get a pic of us eating

Christmas Tree Lighting

2010-12-22T07:56:00.002-06:00

We went to the downtown Christmas tree lighting before Thanksgiving. Emily was in awe. We got there just in time to do the countdown and it was prettty exciting to see the kids' reactions. We didn't wait in line to see Santa but they did watch him arrive in the firetruck.

Emily Dancing with Snoopy

2010-12-19T09:14:00.003-06:00

For Halloween, Emily got a snoopy doll that walks & plays music from Becky & Sony. She loves to dance around with it. She calls him "newnew" I don't know how she made that out of snoopy!

Wurstfest Pictures

2010-12-19T08:52:00.005-06:00

I know it's taken a while to post these but they were so cute I still wanted to share them. The kids had a blast at Wurstfest and we had fun watching them enjoy themselves. :)

The kids were so excited to see David dressed as an opa

Emily got to ride the rollercoaster because she was tall enough. She looked a little scared though.

Best part of Halloween- eating the candy at the end!

2010-11-10T11:36:00.004-06:00

Halloween Pics

2010-11-10T10:40:00.009-06:00

This year we took the kids trick or treating in my neighborhood. My friends Amber & Robbie brought over their son Ashton to go with us. The kids had a great time trick or treating and Robbie was even sweet enough to pull them in the wagon! We had a hard time getting group pics of the kids- they were distracted by the candy! But overall I think we got some cute ones. :)

Grandpa handed out candy at my house & we went by to check on him. Seeing Grandpa was the real treat for Cade at this door!!

Ashton was always the quickest to and from the door

These 2 like each other sometimes!

This sums up how well the group pics went!

"I wan canny!"

Posing before they had on their costumes

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-10T10:35:00.004-06:00

We took all of the kids, even Bryson because he was in town, to the Pumpkin Patch. It was an exhausting trip because the kids were nuts! I think Em only sat down once for a pic but other than that she was all over the place. Callie & Em thought it was their job to move all the little pumpkins to a new place and they threw them there. Luckily, they didn't break any! Needless to say, we couldn't leave without making some purchases because our kids took over the pumpkin patch that afternoon!!

New Pictures of the Baby

2010-10-20T11:26:00.004-05:00

The new baby has had several ultrasounds. I have been seeing a Perinatalogist along with an OB during this pregnancy. The Perinatalogist specializes in high risk pregnancies. I am not considered high risk but the baby gets some extra attention because of our family history. Not just Rachel but because of my nephew Cade as well. The doctors have been very helpful and thorough in checking for any problems that could be developing with the baby. I have always opted out of the quad screen and any other blood tests that could tell us if the baby had something wrong with it- I wouldn't abort her no matter what! I don't like to be paranoid but I do feel like we have to watch our kids closely for any tumors that might develop. Better to find problems early! The doctors never believed that Rachel's cancer was genetic but they also didn't know a whole lot about it so I'm not willing to take chances. Some forms of brain cancer are genetic. I will have another ultrasound in 6 weeks but so far the baby looks great. She is going to be big just like her sisters and we expect to meet her in about 9 weeks.

The bubble above her face is her hand

Rachel's Birthday

2010-10-17T14:56:00.007-05:00

Last Saturday, Oct. 9th, was a day I had not been looking forward to. It was Rachel's 4th birthday. :( I knew that I couldn't just pretend like it was another day so I planned a jam-packed day for the kids and our family. I really feel like we honored her and were able to share memories with the kids. It's a tradition that Michael and I plan on doing every year with our kids. We always want to celebrate her birthday in some way because it's important for her siblings to know about and celebrate her life. We started the day out at the cemetery. We had balloons with Tinkerbell, Hello Kitty, & the #4 to let go. The kids really enjoyed watching them float to heaven so that Rachel could have them. They even sang Happy Birthday when we let them go- it was Callie's idea! Then, we went to the park and rode the train. We were surprised to see that Rachel's tree had been decorated by a family friend with balloons- the kids loved it! We had cupcakes after naptime and then we went to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe- Rachel's favorite restaurant. (I don't know what happened to those pics!)

Park Pictures

Cade was so excited to ride the train with his best buddy, Grandpa!

Visiting Rachel

Becky & Sony made a styrofoam cake for Rachel with butterflies on it

Making Cookies with Daddy (& Cade & Callie too!)

2010-10-17T14:03:00.008-05:00

At Christmastime, we always make sugar cookies and decorate them. I decided it would be fun to do it this year while Michael was visiting since he won't be able to do it in December. I don't know if I will either since that's when the baby's due! The kids did really well with it this year. They are finally figuring out what to do with the sprinkles. We only had one bottle end up on the floor this year- that's a huge improvement! Emily was more interested in eating them but she did help Michael out some.

Comal County Parade

2010-10-17T13:34:00.006-05:00

The kids had a blast this year at the parade. They definitely had a good time running around waiting for it to start! We didn't make it through the whole thing but we did make it through about half. Not bad considering the parade is over 2.5 hrs now!! Michael's sister got some really cute pics of the kids- thanks Becky!

These 2 really love each other :)

someone passed out toothbrushes and Emily couldn't wait to use hers

Comal County Fair

2010-10-17T13:19:00.004-05:00

While Michael was here, we were able to go to the fair. He loves taking the kids to the fair so it was a nice treat for him that it happened while he was here. The kids had a blast riding the rides!

Daddy's Home for a visit!

2010-09-26T14:45:00.002-05:00

Michael was given leave for a week to attend a conference in Austin. He arrived on Sept. 19th and has been able to stay with Emily and me. The first 4 days he was here we only got to see him in the evenings because of the conference. Now he's on a 4 day pass and gets to hang out at home until Tuesday when he has to go back. :( We've enjoyed having him home and it will be hard to see him go. Emily didn't take too long to warm up to him. She was a little apprehensive at the airport but now it's like he never left. She has changed so much since he was here in June so it's been an adjustment for Michael to get use to. She is very independent and strong willed so she's been having to teach daddy how she does things around here! It's been entertaining to watch.

Trip to Cabela's with Grandpa

2010-09-26T13:40:00.003-05:00

My dad had a delivery to make near Cabela's so he invited Emily and me to go with him. She had a blast checking out all of the animals.

Skyping with Michael

2010-09-13T21:47:00.005-05:00

I haven't written much about Michael since he's been gone mainly because he's an avid facebooker! He gets on facebook daily and occasionally posts pictures of what he's up to. He keeps very busy working 6 days a week for at least 12 hours a day. His only day off is Sunday. He doesn't mind working so much because it helps pass the time. We are able to talk to him daily and most of the time it's on skype. It really helps a lot because it brings him into the room and Emily can interact with him. She loves to skype because she can babble with daddy and play peek a boo. She won't talk to him on the phone but she doesn't hold back on skype. He is living on a base called El Dafur just outside of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He is a little over an hour from Dubai so he's gotten to do some fun touristy things! I posted a map of the middle east because I know most people don't know where the UAE is. He is near the Persian Gulf. My brother is currently in Qatar. Both of them will be coming home in a week. Michael will just get to stay here for a week. He gets to go to an engineering conference in Austin and stay with us. After the conference, he gets a 4 day pass to spend some time with us. We are so excited to be getting some Michael time!!! I know that he can't wait to be here either. We didn't know that we would get to see him twice this year so this extra week is a really exciting and much needed surprise! He will be back in February for about 2.5 weeks. I'm sure that I'll have lots of pics to post next week. Emily is so excited to go to the fair with her daddy!

Self portrait while we were skyping

This is Michael in his room.

Becky & Sony's wedding

2010-09-13T21:10:00.004-05:00

Getting wild at the reception!

Emily loved the cake and the candy on the tables
Callie and Em love to feed each other

"Craig, show me your moves!"

Pre-Ceremony Pictures

Having a snack with Grandpa and Craig

Emily with Becky

Mimi giving Becky advice

Becky & Sony's Wedding Rehearsal

2010-09-13T20:46:00.005-05:00

On August 21st, Michael's sister Becky got married. Rachel was originally going to be the flower girl so Emily had to take her place. She loved walking down the aisle at the rehearsal but wouldn't do it the day of the wedding. :( She got to be the flower girl with her buddy Craig. The two of them had a blast playing around in the church.

Mother's Day Out

2010-08-30T15:19:00.002-05:00

Last week Emily started Mother's Day out. She goes twice a week for a few hours. She calls it "cool" when I tell her she's going to school. I was nervous about leaving her in a new place with people she didn't know. She hasn't been away from me unless she's with family. She loves other kids and she gets so excited to have a place to go and play. She doesn't even act like she misses me and she doesn't want to leave the toys when I come and pick her up. It's been really good for her because she's a social butterfly! It's a little hard for me to leave her but I do enjoy having time for myself.

She wasn't happy about taking pictures so early!

Em with her lunch box and blankie

"Let's go mom!"

Emily @ 18 months

2010-08-30T14:53:00.002-05:00

Emily just had her 18 month well baby check-up. So far, she's doing really well and she's very healthy! She is a big girl for her age. She is 35.5 in. tall which puts her in the 99th percentile for height and she weighs 32 lbs. which puts her in the 99th percentile for weight. She is definitely her daddy's daughter!! She is a happy and easy going (when you're not telling her no) toddler. She has recently started sleeping in a big girl bed and it wasn't a hard transition at all. She has also shown an interest in the potty so I guess I'm going to start potty training her! I'm not ready but she sure seems to be! We have been really blessed with how easy Emily makes things for us. She throws the occasional temper tantrums when she wants something but we really can't say she's difficult at all.

Schlitterbahn Trip with Anna & Callie

2010-08-24T16:23:00.006-05:00

Emily finally got to check out Schlitterbahn! We went with Anna and Callie. We couldn't take Cade because he had stitches from surgery still. :( The girls had a great time. Emily didn't like the tube ride we went on. She gave me a pouty face the entire ride but never cried. When I asked her if she liked it, she told me "NO!". They liked the slides and the wave pool the best. It was a fun day but lots of work carrying Emily through the park!!

Callie's towel must have gotten heavy!

Double Trouble

Wildlife Ranch

2010-08-18T13:12:00.004-05:00

Robyn and I wanted to do something fun with Bryson and Emily so we took them to the wildlife Ranch. It's like an African safari that you drive through to see animals. I call it the air-conditioned zoo! It was about 100 degrees that day so I was thankful to look at the animals from the car. The kids had a blast and Emily fed the animals and the road lots of food! You have to drive 5 mph along the path so they didn't have to stay in their car seats and I think they thought that was the best part.

Emily was pretty aggressive with her steering so I had to make sure I was on the brake!

Bryson had such a tight grip on the steering wheel that his whole body would fall over when I turned the wheel!

Enjoying the sun

2010-08-18T13:02:00.005-05:00

Emily loves to play outside. It's not as fun for me this time of year because it's way too hot to enjoy being pregnant outside!! Em got to go on her first boat ride with Anna's kids. My dad's friend Paul took us all out on his boat and the kids had a blast! They didn't even mind keeping their life jackets on!

Grandpa loves his grandkids :)

double trouble

The kids love to play in the wagon at mom and dad's house. My brother's son Bryson has been in town so they thought they needed to take Bryson with them. As you can tell from the pics, they all had a great time!

And the baby is....

2010-08-02T16:38:00.003-05:00

I had an ultrasound today to check on the baby and find out what we're having. I found out we're having another girl!! :) I was very excited and Michael was too. Everyone seemed to think he was rooting for a boy but he really didn't care and couldn't be happier getting another daughter. I was really hoping for another girl so that Emily has a sister she can grow up with. It's been 6 months since we lost Rachel and some days are still very hard so we really needed this news to have something to look forward to. I think that Emily will be a great big sister. She loves to be around kids, even strangers! She seems really lonely when it's just her and I like to think that's because she knows she's not suppose to be an only child. She likes to feed her dolls and push them in the doll stroller. She and her cousin Callie both like to be little mamas so this baby will be well taken care of! I just hope she doesn't mind sharing her mommy since it's just going to be me for the first 6 months of the baby's life.

I'm not sure what this view is but hopefully she looks less like a monkey in person!

Profile view

Play date

2010-07-24T14:24:00.005-05:00

Bryson got to come over and play on Monday. He had a seizure last Friday so Robyn has been very protective over where he goes. The seizure was caused by a really high fever but it scared all of us!! Robyn figured Anna and I had enough experience with sick kiddos that we could handle anything that happened so she let us babysit! He had fun with Emily and we really enjoyed playing with him.

This is how Emily gives kisses!

He really was having a good time. He was just mad because he didn't have his pacifier in this pic!

4th of July

2010-07-24T13:44:00.004-05:00

We celebrated the 4th at Travis & Robyn's house in Derby, KS. Emily was quite the little fire cracker! She loved the fireworks more than I thought possible. Travis bought a pack of sparklers and she burnt all but 1 of them! She couldn't get enough of the sparklers and the fireworks. There are no restrictions on fireworks in their town so there are fireworks everywhere! It was amazing but a little scary when the fireworks didn't go where they were suppose to! Emily cheered them on and kept asking for more. I couldn't help but wonder how fun it would've been to see both of my girls enjoying the 4th. Rachel loved fireworks but she never got to see them as close up as Emily did that night. I imagine they would've fought over the sparklers but I don't think Rach would've gotten as close to them as Emily did! Emily is not afraid of anything which is very scary for mommy!!

Travis' little assistant. She got mad when she didn't get to help light them!

"Yeah!"

She was very cautious with the sparklers. She held them close to the ground and watched them burn.

Bryson didn't like the fireworks as much but they had fun together earlier in the day. Robyn bought them both these cute shirts! Thanks Robyn.

Trip to Kansas

2010-07-24T13:06:00.006-05:00

Emily and Bryson are the closest in age compared to the other cousins. They're only 7 months apart. It was really exciting to see how much they liked each other. They were inseparable the whole trip. They even tried to get into trouble together every time we turned away! Emily calls him "Biton" and it's soo cute. :)

Little mama had to feed Bryson every chance she got! She'll be a good big sister.

Their favorite room was the computer room because of all the cords to get tangled up with. What are cousins for if not for getting into trouble with?

At the grocery store we got this cart with a car in front of it. The kids had a blast! Bryson took his driving responsibility very seriously!

Uncle Travis you forgot us!

Robyn and I went for pedicures and this is what we came home to. Travis was watching Grey's Anatomy (real appropriate for the kids!) and giving the kids a snack at the same time.

The weather was pretty rainy the entire time we were there. The first night was the only one that we got to enjoy being outside. Emily loves to play outside and it was a lot cooler than it is here so she could be out longer!

Bryson is all boy and he loved being outside with the bugs!

Emily had to call Callie and tell her she made it to Kansas! She loves to play pretend on the phone.

Em noticed that some of the rocks were out of the bed so she went to work putting them back. Travis even taught her how to pull weeds- she loved it!

"Oh no, I missed a rock!!"

After Travis left, Robyn and I packed up the kiddos and headed back to Texas. The 9 hr. drive was a lot for them! They took turns crying and Emily kept stealing his pacifier. She did like helping to feed him so that was helpful. It would have been a lot easier 20 years ago when we could've just let them roam around in the back of the car and play!

Crazy June!!!

2010-07-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

I've been negligent of the blog lately and all I can say is it's been crazy! We went to Panama City over Memorial weekend, Michael left on June 9th, I went to Rome with my mother for a week, and now I'm in Kansas visiting my brother and sister in law. I have posted a lot of pics tonight and have a lot more to post.

Michael is now in the United Arab Emirates for a year. :( He seems to be adjusting well to his work schedule and new place. We get to talk almost everyday on skype and that makes it a lot easier. He got to play peek a boo with Emily and she likes to blow him kisses and say hi. It's really cute watching her interact with him. We celebrated our 6th anniversary on the 26th. It was hard to be apart for it. We'll have to make up for it next year!

Cousin Time

2010-07-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

Cousin Bryson came to town so the kids got to show him a good time. We went swimming at Michael's parents house and took this pic of the kids. We were lucky that they would sit long enough for it!

Riding on the mower with grandpa has become the kids (& grandpa's) favorite pasttime! It's so entertaining to watch how excited they get to go up and down the driveway.

Crawfish Boil

2010-07-03T21:39:00.004-05:00

On May 31st my parents celebrated 30 years together. We had a little crawfish boil for them with family and a few of their friends.

Matt Huckabee made the fixins for everyone. He did a great job and we can't say thanks enough.

My aunt Jen and her family were able to be with us from Iowa.

Trip to Panama City

2010-07-03T20:40:00.012-05:00

Before Michael left he wanted to take a family vacation. We decided to go to Panama City where we lived before Rachel got sick. We got to see some old friends and enjoy all of our favorite things in Panama. We took my sister, Anna, and her kids so that Emily didn't have to play alone on the beach. It's still too hard for me to take a family vacation with just Emily. It was not easy having all of the kids but it was worth it. They had a blast and we did too!

St. Andrews Park

Just another day at the beach! I love this pic of the kids. :)

Nap Time at the motel

Naptime was a disaster while we were there. This is what the girls would do in Em's bed instead.

Dolphin Cruise

We took a boat out into the bay to look for dolphins. It was an educational experience for the kids but also a fun one!

The girls waited for the dolphins to show up.

Pier Park

We took the kids to Pier Park and did some shopping. They also got to have some fun and ride rides.

Candy shop owner's worst nightmare! These 2 had to get a "feel" of the store.

The kids liked riding the rides. Emily was a little scared but she didn't cry. I think she didn't want to disappoint her cousins.

Mexico Beach

We started the trip at Mexico Beach because it's not as busy and it's gorgeous. The kids absolutely loved it! It was a lot of work for us but we still enjoyed being there.

Cade liked to crawl backward into the water like a turtle. He wore himself out!

Michael loves to play rough with Cade!

Baywatch

Emily loved the sand more than the water.

Loving on Aunt Anna

Emily's going to be a big sister! :)

2010-06-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

Michael and I decided that we didn't want to wait very long to have another child. It has definitely been hard going back to one. Since he's leaving next week for an entire year, we couldn't wait long to try. I am happy to announce that I am 10 weeks pregnant and so far everything looks good. I can't believe that we are having our 3rd child! I really wish that we could have seen all 3 of them together. :( We are really excited about this one and just really hope and pray that we can have a healthy one. The baby is due Dec. 27th so Christmas will be a little busy this year! I think the distraction is going to be much needed during the holiday season. Michael will still be in the UAE, no he can't come home for the birth. :( Anna and mom are going to have to coach me through it all so I know I won't be alone. If anything, I'll have more family present at this one's birth than at the other two! Everyone just please pray that everything continues to go well with the baby.

Rachel's Tree in the Park

2010-06-01T15:28:00.006-05:00

Rachel loved to ride the train and play in Landa Park. In honor of her, my mother's bunco group, "the bunco babes", dedicated a tree in the park to her. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift- we absolutely love it! :) the train goes right by it and it's touching to see it when we ride on the train. Cathy Petrie showed the tree to us and she even decorated the fence around the tree so that everyone would know whom the tree belonged to. It means so much to see the signs posted around the tree with Rachel's smiling face. She really loved the park and I am so grateful that something could be done in her name there.

We Moved!

2010-05-20T21:53:00.003-05:00

I have been missing from the blog for the last few weeks because we've been moving! We moved to New Braunfels to be closer to family. Michael is leaving on June 9th for a year long deployment to the UAE. He'll be living about an hour from Dubai. It will be a hard year for all of us but we have lots of support and help from family. Emily likes her new place because all of her toys are on the same floor now. No more stairs!

Emily tried to help me unpack things that I was packing. The stairs became her dumping ground!

Michael's Birthday

2010-05-20T21:42:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Michael's birthday on the 14th. We went to dinner with his family and then had a cookie cake. It was a low key evening but he had a great time! He's going to celebrate his 30th in the desert so it will probably be pretty uneventful. I know, he's missing from the pics!

Mother's Day

2010-05-20T21:16:00.004-05:00

For Mother's Day we went to Six Flags with our friends Amber, Robbie, & their son Ashton. I wanted to try and enjoy the day so we decided to do something that didn't make us miss Rachel so much that we couldn't. Rachel didn't like six flags when we went so we thought Emily might enjoy it and we needed that. Emily loved the rides and gave me a very good mother's day. I missed Rachel all day and I realized that no matter how many kids I have I will never get to celebrate another mother's day with the child who made me a mother or with all of my children. I miss Rach so much and I really felt her missing that day.