Welcome to the world little fella!

It's shortly after one in the morning and someone is wide awake - and while I am not referring to myself - this someone is the reason that I am half awake! Judah Charles was born on April 10. Jude, after his great-grandpa, Charles, after his grandpa was seven lbs one oz and 19 in. It has been an interesting ride the last couple weeks, but he already feels like a part of the family. Drew just adores him and calls him his "brother baby tude". Doesn't that smile say it all? I think we already have dozens of pictures of Drew holding his baby.Ty loves to pet him and we are trying to teach him to be gentle!! Amidst our attempts to adjust to family life of five, we have lost the use of our van, which Pete is trying hard to repair. A tire blew out on the car, Pete was the only one in it and is safe, but it was a costly repair. Our computer crashed, and my cell phone took a dip in the toilet and fritzed out. So if it isn't one thing, it's always several others! Pete is also in the process of finishing up his final semester of school. He is really looking forward to being done and I am incredibly proud of him. He has remained at the top of his class the whole way through, while working, raising a family and taking care of me! It has been an interesting ride the last three years, many changes and struggles, but the end is near! Thanks for being patient as we adjust and catch up. Posts may be a bit random and far apart, but if you hang in there with us, I'll keep you updated as best I can! Thanks for all your prayers, support and encouragement. You friends and family are very dear to all of us, and for those of you who haven't yet, I am eager for you to meet Jude!I know this one is sideways - but bear with me. It's the middle of the night, and I'm tired! But, this one shows his adorable little dimples! Well, one of them anyway. Just imagine the other one!

Happy Easter!

So yes, it's been awhile. I got around to putting pictures on the computer. Had to empty the camera in preparations for Weebo's arrival. Life has been moving quickly here as we get ready for baby, Pete gets ready to finish strong in his classes for graduation in May and the boys just keep growing faster and faster. We enjoyed a visit from my parents a few weekends ago and the boys had fun flying spiderman with Nana. She brought the kite for them and while Drew liked to help fly it, Ty liked to chase the long tail! Last week my mom was here for several days helping out with the boys on the days that Pete was gone. It's a huge help for me right now! I know the end near and I am anxious to meet this little one; but even a few more days in there is better for baby! Pete has started a full-blown search for jobs and has applied for jobs in nine or ten different states - it's exciting to think about where we may end up, but still makes me a little nervous at the same time! I'm glad to know that God has a plan, but I would like to have a peek at it! I hate suspense!! Anyway - enjoy the pictures - sorry for the delay - especially you, you know who you are and yet have forbidden me to mention your name - who faithfully DAILY checks this blog for updates and pictures!!!

Here is Nana with the boys. First thing in the morning - have to make sure the sun woke up!!Drew is helping Nana chop veggies for the cole slaw. Drew still loves to help in the kitchen.Drew has been carrying puppy very carefully. Puppy has to be cozy in his 'night-night' and he takes care of puppy so mommy can get ready to take care of baby!Flying the spiderman kite at the park. It only got stuck in the tree twice - but everyone had a good time! That is also a look at the last of our snow. We went from almost two feet to nothing in one short week!Ty was mesmerised at first - just kept pointing at the spidey in the sky.Here is the untangling job that was so frequent - there were lots of "Drewvian misunderstandings" so we also had a lot of tangles!Ty got over the mesmerising kite and decided to chase the tails of the kite.Back at home - getting ready to haul dirt! Typical boy. His favorite place seems to be the sandbox, but I haven't gotten photos of that yet. In time!

We hope you all enjoy your Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! He is Risen!!

Happy Green!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!! This is a short update - nothing big to report. I do have pictures on my camera, they just haven't made it to the computer yet. We have been enjoying some nice spring weather - and after a week of rain our snow is now gone as well. Going from almost two feet of snow to nothing in one week really pushes the spring fever into overdrive!! The boys have been loving being outside - but Ty likes to wander to the neighbors yards/driveways or worse yet, the street - and now that he's so mobile, he's running faster than I can waddle behind him! Thankfully Pete is on Spring Break this week and has been a HUGE help around the house. I am having a hard time moving around now and tasks that once seemed so simple can now quickly send me into contractions or pain where muscles have torn. Things with baby still seem to be going well - next Dr appointment is on Friday. Less than a month to go and we will meet this little one! My parents came for a visit this last weekend and my dad was flipping a quarter to determine the baby's gender. After the first flip, he decided to try two out of three, then three out of five, then four out of seven, etc. He finally stopped after ten flips - all heads - deciding that the quarter MUST know baby's gender since the probability of ten straight heads is not very likely. To know if heads was for a boy or a girl, you must stay tuned until baby is born!! It is uncomfortable to sit at the computer for very long, so when I am more ambitious, I will post some more pictures. For now, thank you for your prayers on our behalf!

Into March we go!!

We are trying to keep up as things just keep going here. The weather is warming, but we still have a lot of snow. We have tried to take advantage of the warmth and get some fresh air - and usually end up with two soaked, mud-covered and cold little boys. I have been spending time getting the baby's room ready, washing clothes and putting them away. It has sparked quite a few interesting conversations with Drew - he's such a funny kid sometimes. One afternoon while playing in the snow Pete put the boys up in the tree in the front yard for pictures. Drew loved it, but Ty wasn't too impressed. I think most of it he just doesn't like being all bundled up. It's too restricting!!Ty is growing so fast. It's hard to believe that he is now older than Drew was when Ty was born!! He seems so little/young! He has a big awakening coming when this next one arrives!

If you ask Drew where the baby is, you will get a long answer - Ty has no clue!!! Drew has already asked if he can help take care of the baby, give baby hugs, rock baby and hold baby. A couple of times after I thanked him for the big hug he corrected me: "No mommy. Hugging Drew's baby!" At least Mommy gets the kisses on the cheeks still!! Lastly, a few pictures of story time. The second picture is blurry, but I love both the boys' expressions in it!! Who thought animal sounds could be so funny!