Father's Day 2013

Happy Father's Day, Hans!

We took some time away and headed to New Braunfels over the weekend. G was very excited to give his daddy some homemade gifts and matching Superman shirts!

 We stayed at Geronimo Creek Retreat - what a beautiful, peaceful place! We were able to fish, kayak, swim, and enjoy some meals on the deck. G loved this "treehouse," and we plan to go back!

 Hans has a coworker who has a house in the area. The boys were able to go over and ride jet skis and fish! I think it's safe to say, he loved it!

My BFF, Amy, lives nearby and was able to meet us for a day at Schlitterbahn and a dinner in Gruene. I waddled around the water park, and I loved watching Griffin's excitement. What a fun day! I am so glad Amy was able to join us!

Listening to some music at Gruene Hall...

 Geronimo Creek Retreat

It was a nice weekend away, and we are very thankful for our fun time as a family of 3. Thanks to Hans for being the best daddy/husband we could ask for....you work hard and still make time (lots of time!) for your family. We love you so much!

End of the School Year!

Summer is here! We discovered a new little gem in Houston - the Sugar Land Skeeters! What  a fun place for kids - we played on their giant playground, merry go round, splash pad, and pool! We sat on the lawn and enjoyed a nice family night out!

We also celebrated the retirement of my partner at Cy Fair HS - Jerry Orsak. G loves Mr. Jerry! Even Biff the Bobcat stopped for a picture with G and his buddy, Caden.

Here is Jerry and myself with one of our students - John. Oh John!! You sure did stress us out along the way, but we are so proud of you and your graduation. We enjoyed celebrating with John and his family!

G's sitter, Kristen, also graduated and is headed to Aggieland (WHOOP!). He loves his Kristen Honey, and we are  so proud of her too!

We practiced our summer activities - dressing up and hanging out with Mi-Maw!  Someone is super excited for summer and all the fun ahead - like his sister coming in 8 weeks!

Daddy taught G some shop skills - glad the new garage is getting some good use!

Swimming lessons have ended, and he did a great job! We have a little swimmer on our hands!

Since I have decided to stay home, G will no longer attend the Early Learning Center where he has gone since he was a baby. He loves his teachers, Ms. Odett and Ms. Diana. I can't thank them enough for loving on this crazy kid! It was very hard to say goodbye, but we will be back to visit!

This picture makes me cry every time. G and his BFF, Caden, have been in class together for so long. I know they will see each other quite a bit, but it is still sad they will not be in class together. G is very protective of Caden. Look at their little hands....

Summer is here! Bring on the fun, the sun, and baby girl!

Gender Reveal

In March, we were able to find out what sweet baby would be! G asked for a sister, but with all the boys in my family, we were sure it was another boy! We asked the doctor to put the gender in this envelope so we could reveal it with our family and friends! I rode home with this in my car - that was the longest ride ever. 

Our best friends, Kristin and Glenn, were the perfect choice for helping us in the reveal. Kristin got the envelope and went to fill a box with balloons. Glenn was our photographer :) Dork. 

Waiting for the reveal....

G did not waste ANY time opening this box. It went so fast!

Next thing you know.....PINK. All of us were in shock. But not big brother. He just stood there and said, "I told you." One of my most favorite pictures ever. 

The screams are from my mom and sister :)

I do love this picture too. G has just came to me and said, "I bet Pop and Papa Charlie are loving these pink balloons in Heaven." Sweet boy. I know my dad is beaming at the thought of his first grand daughter. 

My sweet, sweet mom. She is such a great grandma to 4 grandsons who love her so much. She was pretty emotional about the thought of a girl joining the bunch. Blessings. (note Kiki and G holding hands here <3 p="">

The contents of the envelope.

One of my biggest supporters in this long journey - Laura. Our boys are BFFs and 3 months apart. Now, baby Colby and baby girl will be just 2 months apart :) God things. 

G feeling his sister move. He is so excited.

So in August, we will welcome sweet Emerson Kate Reed. I can't take credit for her sweet name. I knew we wanted "different" so we went through a LONG list of names. Hans was pretty picky, and I needed to name her! I asked one of my BFFs some fun names she had - she is super creative and her boys have awesome names (Cooper and Tucker). The first name she gave me was Emerson, and Hans was hooked. I was so happy he liked it. The search was then on for a middle name, and Kate clicked. Kate was Hans's choice for a first name so we added it as a middle instead :) I can't wait for my sweet Emmy Kate to arrive!

And....Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of my dad's favorite authors. Once I found this quote from him (which will be in her room), I knew the name was perfect for our baby girl:

"Live in the sunshine. Swim the sea. Drink the wild air."

Reminds me of my dad. Perfection.

The Story of Baby #2

This post is a long time coming, but I want to document our journey to baby #2! On December 12, 2012, I received this news....just in time for Christmas :)

Some of my close friends know the long journey that happened to get to this point. In fact, one of my former co-workers gave me this inspiration one day...how perfect is it now?? Since July 2011, we have been trying for baby #2. Griffin happened so quickly, so I just knew this baby would come as "planned." Little did we know, God has His plan first. There were many times we didn't understand His plan, and there were many tears shed month after month. 

After one year of trying, my doctor recommended some tests just to make sure all was okay. On the day of one test for me, I was so anxious. I knew this day would give us answers and lead us in the right direction. Unfortunately, as we were preparing for the test (which was a pain), I found out due to some medicines used that I was allergic to, I could not have the test. Once again, tears. I was so upset that we still didn't have answers. I was then sent to another doctor for further tests, etc...after 2-3 months with him...NOTHING. More tears. We were told age, stress, and other factors could affect having baby #2 and maybe 1 was all we would have. Hans and I talked and decided not to pursue anything further - we had one precious, smart boy, so all was good, and this is our family.

Many of G's friends were having siblings, and his questions started. And we knew this just couldn't be it. I was so happy for my friends, but with each announcement, my heart hurt so badly. I prayed and prayed and cried and cried (and drank wine!). The time at the 2nd doctor just didn't feel right to us, so we decided to take a break and "see what happened." 

And this happened.....

I know stress played a big factor in us not getting pregnant sooner which is why I switched jobs last year. This school year has been awesome - slower, easier, and I have the BEST coworkers I've ever had. I laughed and let God do His thing.

Thanks to all the positive changes, our sweet baby #2 will be here August 2013. And finally, G gets his wish.... a sibling. We waited a while to tell him so we could make sure all was okay. 

And thanks be to God, it is.