our little pumpkin at 10 months

Earlier this month, we celebrated our little pumpkin turning 10 months old by going to a local pumpkin patch.

H didn't really know what to make of the pumpkins.  And he made a grimace every time he touched the hay.  He was too young for all the fun stuff, but we did go on a wagon ride through the "ghost town."  He wasn't really amused either and had a worried look the whole time.  Hopefully he'll appreciate it more next year when he's a bit older.  Visiting a pumpkin patch has officially been added to our yearly fall to-do list! 

I can't believe it's already Halloween tomorrow.  What are you dressing up as?

H at 7 months

This was quite an exciting month not only for this guy, but for his parents too!  It was (again) a month of many firsts...

 His first Canada Day.

Our first Fourth of July together as a family of four.  Little H tried his baby pool for the first time.  It was epic!

Our little jet-setter went on his first flight a few weeks ago.  I think he likes traveling!  More on our vacation in future posts.

Just a few days before our trip, H decided to sit up on his own.  This has made things a little easier for us and makes playtime a lot more fun and interactive.  And his hair!  It's finally growing in nicely.  He really looks like a little boy now and not so much a baby.  Where did the time go? 

farewell february

Wow, where did the time go?  2013 is flying by way too fast.  Here are some highlights from this month.


Cousins from Houston came to meet Little H for the first time.  It's always a good time having family over for the weekend!

Finally got around to ordering and sending Little H's birth announcements earlier this month.   I took the pictures myself and used MyPublisher.  They had lots of options to choose from and was very easy to use.  You can read more about my love for MyPublisher here. 

Speaking of Little H, he is now two months old (I had intentions of writing a post two weeks ago, but never got around to it.  I will get there, I hope!). He weighed in at 11 lbs 11 oz and 25 inches long during his two-month well visit.  He also got his shots, so we've been taking him out a lot more.  I even took him to church with me on Ash Wednesday!  He has a fascination for ceiling fans (and ceilings in general) and has found his voice.  He loves to coo and smile at Mom and Dad every now and then.  And the ceiling fans.  He loves his ceiling fans!


I spent the majority of Valentine's Day with these two crazy kids.  Paul and I decided to get Chinese to-go and celebrate on the weekend instead.  Turns out, everyone had the same thing in mind.  We exchanged cards and Paul bought me a box of chocolates.  He knows the way to my heart!

Little H got all dressed up to celebrate his beautiful Lola's birthday!

Here's a little sneak peek of the nursery.  Let's hope I get it done before the Little Man's first birthday.  But for now, it's got all the necessities for a functioning nursery.

I can't believe March is here.  But that means it's almost springtime!  I'm ready for warmer weather. Hope you all had a fabulous February!

and she said...

YES!
  

My sister got engaged to her best friend last Thursday!  I was so sad I couldn't be there for the actual proposal, but luckily it was all captured on video.   My sister's fiance (weird) had all of his nieces and nephews along with Little H (that's him doing a Macaulay Culkin/Home Alone expression) help with the sign.  He knew my sister wanted family involvement if ever she was proposed to, and I thought this was a good idea to incorporate family.  They've come a long way to get here and I'm so happy for the both of them!  

Now I have a good reason to start pinning wedding things on Pinterest without feeling weird now that we have two weddings to plan.  I'm overwhelmed yet so excited for our growing family!

the day i became a mommy

On Tuesday, December 11th, 2012 at 5:46pm, our son was born.  He weighed 7lbs. 7oz. and was 18 inches long (although his Dad would argue that he was at least 19 inches).  

Little H (as we'll refer to him for now) is three weeks old and is changing every single day.  He's been keeping us busy day and night, but we just can't get enough of him.  We've received so much love from our family and friends.  It's such a good feeling to know that they are just as excited as we are and love him just as much.

It's hard to believe that we created this beautiful miracle.  Little H has only been with us for a few weeks and we already can't imagine life without him.  We are so honored to be his parents and he is everything we could have ever hoped for. 

J + T engaged

On Saturday, December 8th, my brother proposed to his girlfriend.  I offered to spy capture the moment for them (with the help of Paul).  Unfortunately, when I thought I hit "record" on my camera, I actually turned OFF the recording.  But all is not lost.  I still got some good pictures of the actual proposal.  Here are some pictures that I took of the couple after my brother popped the question.

I can't believe my "baby" brother is engaged!  We are so glad we had the chance to witness this moment.  All the walking, crouching and kneeling on rocks (ouch) was worth it.  Jennifer has been a part of our family for the past six years, and I'm happy that they will soon be making it official.  Let the wedding planning begin!

louvain, belgium (for dad)

One of the main reasons why we chose to visit Belgium was to see Louvain (or Leuven).  Our Dad went to the University of Lueven from around 1969 - 1972, and he spoke often of his times there.  He wanted to take us there someday, and so we thought we'd pay a sort of pilgrimage on his behalf. 

white coat ceremony

Just got back from Kirksville, MO yesterday.  The main highlight of our weekend was of course, Karina's White Coat Ceremony, officially inducting her as a student doctor.

Her biggest fans.

She looks pretty good in her white coat, if I do say so myself!

And here are some pictures of downtown Kirksville.  I must tell you, it is a HAPPENING place!  Most (if not all) shops close at around 5-6pm, and there is no Target.  I.would.DIE!  They do have a Walmart (thank God), and little antique shops.  There are two Universities (Truman State University, and A.T. Still University, which is my sister's school) just a block away from each other, so I guess this is technically considered a college town. 

And man, am I jealous of my sister's view from her apartment window!  That's Kirksville, MO, keepin' it classy for ya!

Who knows when we'll be back in this town.  Probably not until my sister graduations in 2016, especially with a little one in tow by then.  This is the first time EVER that we'll be living in two different cities, and I will surely miss her.  But I know this is temporary, and she will be coming home every other month.  Change is good, and she is going after her dreams. 

a surprise success

I'm the worst at planning parties, so throwing my sister a surprise going away dinner party was definitely a challenge.  With the help of my friend Stephanne and Karina's bf Maury, it turned out to be a success! 

I made reservations at Whiskey Cake for about 20-25 people.  Maury stalled by taking Karina out shopping at Francesca's and got her hair "did" at Drybar.  When she walked in, we were so ready to yell out, "SURPRISE!" only to see her completely walk right passed us to go straight to the restroom.  We said her name, and that was when she finally realized all these people who were there for her. 

Crying = SUCCESS!

Stephanne made this awesome cookies and cream cake with buttercream and marshmallow fondant.  It was delicious, as always!

As giveaways, we collected empty prescription bottles, I made labels with Karina's contact information, and stuffed them with candy.  These were a lot of fun to make!

Stephanne found these rubber duckies from Oriental Trading. My sister has been obsessed with rubber duckies for as long as I can remember.

She got this awesome quilt from Maury's family.  She's been asking me to make her a quilt of all her old t-shirts, so this will buy me some time!  It had pictures of her and Maury and his nieces and nephews, whom she's grown to love.  

 Paul and I got her a Keurig maker.  I was so excited when I saw this yellow one at Kohl's and HAD to get it for her!  Hopefully this will help during her long, sleepless nights at med school.

Although this isn't goodbye just yet, we'll certainly miss you Teen!  We're so proud of you!

PS.  Thanks again Stephanne, Maury, and for everyone who came and made this night possible!