Ty has officially reproduced!

Well, we couldn't be happier to introduce everyone to our new little niece 'Isabel'. She's as beautiful as her name! She arrived Thursday, April 12th at 12:55 pm. Tara was induced Thursday morning, but baby Isabelle did some gymnastics within a few hours of labor and flipped herself upside down:) so the doctors took quick action with a cesarean.

She weighs in at 7lbs 14oz and is 19" long. Tara and baby are doing great and Tyler is quickly becoming very comfortable with handling a babe! Welcome to our big world Isabel, we love you already!!

Our little Kylie and Isabel are only 31/2 weeks apart. It is going to be a blast to watch them grow up together.

I personally think she looks alot like Tara, look at those big gorgeous eyes!

We took the opportunity to take a couple of pictures of Kylie while she was still so tiny......this won't last for very long; it puts her actual little size in perspective when daddy is holding her like this.




Miss Kylie...cute as a button :) She's such a good baby. I think we're spoiled with good babies, knock on wood! She's been sleeping 5-7 hours straight at night, what a difference that makes to my feeling human.

Poppa's 80th Birthday Party

We headed to my Poppa's 80th birthday celebration last weekend and had a great time celebrating with him and spending some time with family that we don't get to visit nearly enough:)

Poppa and Granny have been going through alot in the last 6 months since Granny had been diagnosed with breast cancer; so it was especially nice to introduce them to their 11th great grandchild (Kylie) and just to see them smile and laugh that special evening, enjoying their family.

Poppa was quite surprised (he thought he was going to a midget hockey banquet) he even had a bit of 'nap head' from the afternoon! Bless his heart......

Here Granny and Poppa enjoy their six kids altogether......they don't get a chance to do this very often. Auntie Beryl made the special trip out from Chile for this big celebration.

The 'boy' cousins enjoyed each other's company very much; they had a blast on the dance floor:)

My mom and dad on the left sneaking in some snuggles with their new grand-daughter.....

On the right, we got a '4 generations of women' with Granny, mom, myself and Kylie.

A Simple Look

A couple of weeks before I had Kylie, I was expressing to Brad how important it was to me to get a 'thank-you' through a card, flowers, or a gift for giving birth to his child. It's a very big deal to have a baby and I know that he is appreciative, but I wanted him to show me how appreciative he really was. I know you ladies understand this crazy mentality, and now that I'm writing it down it just seems like a selfish way of thinking doesn't it? That's why I'm posting this thought.

Brad is such a great husband and dad. He is extremely supportive in the things that I do as a mom, wife and woman and I think that alot of times I just don't give him enough credit out loud.

After Kylie was born, the nurse took us to our room in the maternity ward and Brad pulled out the extremely uncomfortable cot to lay down on for a few hours to stay with me for a bit. I was still very awake from the adrenaline rush you get after having a baby and I would notice Brad peeking his tired eyes open once and awhile when he heard Kylie stir or if he would hear me get out of bed. One of these times, I was nursing our brand new little girl and I happened to look up and see Brad gazing my direction and I noticed a special look on his face. It was absolutely priceless and meant so much more to me than any silly card, flowers or gift would ever mean. It was the look that said "Thank you, thank you, thank you for being my children's mother; I love you with all of my heart" (excuse me, I need to go and get a tissue:) He didn't need to say a word, he said it all in his eyes.

I will never forget that gift he gave me on March 19th, 2007; it was the best gift a girl could ever ask for. Thank you Brad for loving me the way that you do; I love you with all of my heart and couldn't ask for a better husband and father for our children.

Baby Kylie is here!!!.....and we live to tell about it

It felt like she was never going to come and join us......BUT Brad's shoulder came in extremely handy(to the left) as he timed a contraction; we didn't have to do this for very long when our little girl decided to bless us with her presence! Monday afternoon Brad took me to the hospital at 5pm and Kylie was born at 7:39 pm weighing in at 7lbs 10oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Fast, fast, fast. She is such a blessing. 24 hours later Brad and I are just looking at her in awe and wonder that God is so amazing to create this beautiful little baby and that He chose us to be her parents. So far so good, she is eating well, sleeping well and we hope that this pattern continues on for awhile. Below are a few pics of our new addition.... enjoy! Keep checking once and awhile.....I'm sure I'll be updating with new pictures very often:)

Proud daddy........ she already has him wrapped around her finger:) Kylie is about 10 minutes old here.

Brad thought that this picture was funny.....notice the middle finger. Hopefully this isn't a sign of things to come:)

Fresh out of her 1st bath at home. We got to come home Tuesday morning around 11am. (she was born the night before at 7:39pm....we don't like staying at hospitals)

Right: We thought that daddy was proud. Look at these guys! They are loving this whole baby sister thing like crazy! They're doing an awsome job in their BIG BROTHER role.

Savouring the moments.....

As we prepare for #3 to come along any day now, I find myself taking a few special moments with each of the boys and cherishing them. I must admit I'm a bit nervous about not having enough time to spend with Brett and Braden while trying to look after a newborn baby at the same time. I know that my heart will just grow bigger and I will have enough love for all, but we can't add hours to the day! So these last few days are precious and I tried to capture a bit of Braden's 'cuteness' after a bath.

2007 AWANA Grand Prix

For months now, the boys......all three of them; have been scheming and planning out their designs for their Grand Prix cars this year. Since both Brett and Braden loved the movie 'CARS', they each chose one of the characters for their design. Braden was 'Snotrod' and Brett was 'The King'. Brad spent countless hours shaping the cars, and the boys each had fun sanding, painting and putting on the finishing touches:)

Finally March 3rd arrived and it was the big race day! We headed to the church with much anticipation of perhaps winning something after all this work. The boys were very, very excited and couldn't wait to race their cars. Not sure who was more excited however.....Brad or his sons? Anyway, the night before Brad spent some time making sure that the wheels all turned evenly and smoothly; and apprently that worked out for the best! Both Brett and Braden walked out with 1st place trophies! It was a good couple hours of fun and excitement for all.