trick or treat

ada and joe had a great night passing out candy. after passing out candy for a while we took her around the neighborhood to collect some for herself. the first house she came to she reach in the candy bucket, pulled out a sucker, put it in the bag of another kid, and said "trick-or-treat"! needless to say, she had more fun passing out candy...well, maybe she had more fun eating it!!

bath time

like ada, owen loves bath time. he especially loved it after his surgery because it was about the only time his arm splints weren't on. he would start to put his hands up to his mouth and i would tell him to stop. he would slowly lower his hands with a sweet look on his face. it took him a good 2 weeks after we took his splints off before he realized he could put his hands in his mouth again!

hanging with mr. stanley nibbles

day with family

we had a fabulous day with aunt janet (ada calls her aunt janna), uncle tom, great aunt jane and uncle tommy, and grandmother. we roasted marshmallows and hot dogs at deb and joe's. joe has almost finished the civil war era log cabin he reconstructed on their property. ada had a great time in the loft with joe...of course she needed a bath when the day was done!

O's Big Day

monday, october 22nd finally arrived and the day could not have gone any better. owen was amazing! he hardly complained about being hungry before surgery. he took a couple naps and hung out with family. dr. sadove and the nurse took him around noon and said they would be finished in a couple hours. we all headed to the cafeteria, had a nice, relaxing lunch (well, as relaxing as it could have been), and then back to the waiting room where we were able to see him at 2pm. HE'S SO HANDSOME!!! we were blown away by his face. he looks so much like ada. we went to the children's hospital with him and everyone took off. my mom and i stayed with him overnight. again, he was such a trooper. we could not sing enough praises about the entire staff of st. vincent's! now we're home. we're tired, but feeling a bit more at ease.

sunrise on o's big day

lance, owen and i had a wonderful stay with lance's grandparents on Geist Reservoir. owen and i got up before 7 so he could have one last feeding. just as he was finishing up the sun came up over the water. the two of us walked to the end of the dock and sat by the calm water. we watched as bass jumped out of the water. it was so peaceful. i can't remember the last time i had a moment of stillness like that. it was an absolutely precious gift from the Lord.

lovin' the gown

we really thought the gown was the perfect color with his skin!

ready to go

great friends and support

there were so many who came by to see our little o's through his big day. deb and joe brought ada. kieth, becki, becca, and cathy came and were a HUGE help. beasley lightened the mood in the waiting room and marisa and kelly came by with a bag of "get well" goodies complete with thoughtful gifts, toys and essentials for us to make it through the night! thank you to everyone for praying and thinking of us. we love you!!!

owen's first picture after surgery

Owen resting after surgery

here's owen resting in the hospital bed after surgery. he slept pretty well considering the circumstances!

update on O

owen had his follow up appointment with his gi doctor and she could not believe the progress he has made. she was absolutely amazed with him. he has gone from the 20th percentile to the 50th in weight and the 75th in height. it was so encouraging. he had some bloodwork done, but everything looks great. now we're just looking to his lip surgery on october 22nd. please keep him in your prayers!

birthday girl

ada turned three years old august 20th. she says she's "free"!!!
she had a great party with dear friends. she got some wonderful gifts including games, puzzles, books, my little ponies (she calls little my ponies), a princess light, and a dress up kit provided by the always creative heather conniff.
we made beaded bracelets and decorated sugar cookies. i think certain adults (not naming any names...mary ann, lance, sam, heather) enjoyed decorating cookies more than the kids. sam's masterpiece cookies consisted of an albino wolf with blood around its mouth because it had attacked the neck of a giraffe...don't ask.
anyway, it was a great day!!!

diego puzzle

ada LOVES puzzles!!!

thank you

ada in her dress up clothes.
she had a wonderful day!!!

grease lighting

lance and i dressed up as "naghty" sandy and danny for the wetzel family auto cruise party for lance's work.
we had a lot of fun dressing up, but i did get a few looks. yes, i was wearing spandex and no i don't wear them everyday people!!!

toilet time

i did not stage this picture. she has learned from the best--her mother! i don't think i need to comment anymore.

out of bed sleepy heads!

in the morning i'll hear ada's voice just chatting away. when i go to get her up she's in owen's bed talking to him. it's so sweet. he just looks at her and smiles. she's a great big sister

happy boy

we say he has a special mouth for smiling!!!

my little rascals

these two are characters!!

getting caught up

it's been an eventful summer to say the least. owen was born in may, we have taken him back and forth from indy to riley and st. vincent, ada had to have stitches, lance got a new boss and new job and then went back to his old job with a new boss (that doesn't make a lot of sense but it works), i pumped my brains out with a double electric breast pump, and ada turns three. okay, that does it for now. school has started and maybe life will have a bit more structure. we are looking forward to owen's surgery, time with our beautiful three-year-old, and meeting new high schoolers in young life.