Don't Go

She smiles

She giggles

She rolls

She eats avocado

This girl....

...is already trying to crawl away from me.

Oh, Ivy, please don't go. I could eat you up, I love you so.

Family Photos

Last weekend, the four of us took a trip to Minnesota so our dear friend Noemi could take our family photos. Seriously, if you live in the twin cities area and you need photos taken, she is your girl. She's incredible. The whole time we were out, it felt like mayhem with Sylas moving this way and that, but Noemi was so calm and clearly having a great time, that it made me relax and not worry too much about our busy bug.

Just look at some of the shots she got...











Thank you, Noemi! We love you!

Door County

Right now, I'm working on a post in regards to how I'm doing with the 2nd anniversaries of the babies death. My grieving has such a different feel than a year ago, and I think....I hope....some healing has taken place.

In the meantime, I thought I would finally tell you about our fabulous trip to Door County for our 4th anniversary. Ryan and I had planned to go alone, but every time I thought about leaving Ivy, I would start to panic. She did great and the whole time we were there, we were wishing we had brought Sylas as well.

As I try to think of some amazing things we did, nothing really comes to mind. It was all the little parts of the trip that made the whole so incredible.

It was the coffee...

the company...

and the pure relaxation...

Thank you again to Dawn and her family for such an incredible gift.

P.S. (Can I do a P.S. on a blog?) For those of you who asked, the carrier that Ivy is in is an ergo baby carrier. Though a little spendy, it is worth the investment if you are serious about babywearing. It is the only carrier I own that does not hurt my back or shoulders. Yesterday, I did a little gardening with Ivy in the ergo using the back carry position and she was asleep in 5 minutes. Like I said, worth every penny.

June 23

Two years.

I miss you, Cadence Alana.

June 15

Two years.

I miss you, Lincoln Sean.

June 14

Two years.

I miss you, Tryg Brenton.

June 13

Two years.

I miss you, Bennet Ryan.

June 10

I'm happy. I'm sad. I'm too tired to explain.

This is how I feel.

Cake Adventures

Last night, we had a little birthday party for Sylas. I suppose "little" is a relative term, since there were about 25 of us, but compared to last years party, it was small indeed.

We decided to go with a dinosaur theme since Sylas is really into the book "How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?" Instead of paying someone to make a dino cake for Sy, I made one myself. This was a first for me, and I'm pretty proud of how Mr. Dino turned out.

Just look at his cute little face.

Yes, Ryan and Sy Guy do match the party decor.
No, they did not plan it. They are just cool like that.

Party animal Ivy, before the party even began.

I was afraid we wouldn't have enough cake for all 25 of us, so I made an extra 9x13 cake in case we ran out of Mr Dino. Clearly Sy was not impressed with the boring-ness of Mr. Rectangle.

The Remains

Chowing down on Mr. Dino

Happy Birthday Sy Guy

Happy 2nd Birthday sweet silly Sylas, our miracle boy!

Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

I Spy

While there were many clever comments for this photo....

I had to go with "I spy with my own little Ives...." by Rose. For it's true, since we are always together....

...whatever I spy, my own little Ives, spies as well.

Rose, if you would please get in touch with me, I would love to send you a lovely selection of handmade burp cloths and baby washcloths.

By the way, the photo of Ivy and me was taken right outside of the condo we stayed in while we were in Door County. Don't we looked so relaxed? I'm still planning to post about our trip, but honestly haven't had any time to do it justice. Ivy is working on two teeth and has been up anywhere from 3-5 times a night for the past week. Ugh! Hopefully those teeth work their pointy little selves through soon.

Decisions Decisions

Ryan and I are facing some really tough decisions regarding medical treatments for Sylas and we need prayer! Last week, I took Sy to see a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor and walked away in a bit of a shock, as he was proposing more aggressive treatments than I had been expecting. Since then, Sylas has seen two different physical therapists, and both of them respectfully disagree with this doctor's treatment plan.

Before becoming a mother, I thought my hardest decision would be whether or not to feed my baby homemade or store bought baby food. While we parents make very important decisions every day, I never expected the consequences of the decisions Ryan and I have made and continue to make to have such weighty outcomes. We need so much wisdom from the Lord!

I'm going to call the physical med doctor today to revisit his reasons for the treatment plan he's prescribed and Ryan and I are also hoping to find another doc with whom we can get a second opinion. Hopefully things will start to look clearer soon.

Name That Photo!

Tonight, I really wanted to post about our amazing weekend away, but it's now 11:23 p.m., and it's so not happening. Not that I mind. I just had a lovely chat with my new friend, Courtney. A few months ago, sweet Courtney and her husband Allen gave birth to sextuplets much too early and are now grieving the loss of their six beautiful babies. If you feel led, please head over to their blog and leave a word of encouragement. You all are so good at that!

Ok. Off to bed, but of course not without a little photo from our weekend. Don't you think it's time for a Name That Photo Contest? I do, and I have just the photo.

Give this photo of our sweet little Ives a clever caption or some witty words...

... and if I pick your entry, I'll send you a collection of handmade baby washcloths and DOUBLE SIDED burp cloths. If any of you have had a spitty baby, you know that double sided is the key to your shoulder's happiness.

And no, I did not make these fabulous items myself. I only wish I was that crafty. They were made by a friend at church. When we had our babies, I think she gave us about 30 burp cloths, and with spitty Ivy, we go through all of them weekly. Check out my friend's blog to see some other cool things she and her kids AND her husband have been creating.

Alright, here we go. Give it your best shot.

I'll keep the comments section open until sometime Friday evening.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SUNDAY.