HAPPY 4 YEARS BABE!

I love you Tom...thanks for an incredible 4 years. Thanks for loving me for me. Thanks for being you. Thanks for being a leader. Thanks for all the fun and laughter. And most of all thanks for being an incredible father. I love you! Here's to many more years.
Sorry these pics aren't the best quality or size, but I don't have many downloaded to this computer.

8 months!

Happy 8 months Sweet Stella!

You're dad and I are in awe that your are our little one.
You continue to amaze us (and yourself) everyday.
There are several times a week where we just look at you and ask ourselves what we did before you blessed our lives.
The last 8 months have truly been a joy and blessing and we're humbled to be your parents.
Stella, you continue to make us laugh and love more than we thought possible.
Thank you for letting us love you and making it oh so easy!

What you've been up to this last month:
*Your two bottom teeth are in full force and you love to touch your upper lip with them
*You sleep 11-12 hours EVERY night..and have been for quite sometime.
*You are a little attached to your mommy right now.
*You saw American Idol, Kris Allen, in concert.
*You love your friends at daycare and play well with them..same at church.
*You eat everything and anything..there hasn't been a food you've passed up yet.
*You still prefer the real deal over the bottle.
*You're upper teeth seem to be bothering you, so maybe they'll be here by next month.
*You have allergies (no fun), but you're like your daddy.
*We went to the Dr. today about your allergies and you weigh 16 pounds 9 ounces.
*You love to open and shut your hands.
*You love to pose for a camera and LOVE watching videos of yourself.
*You still take 2 GOOD naps each day...one hour or longer each.
*You're in size 2 diapers...but inching closer to making the jump to size 3.
*You ride in the grocery cart like a big girl.
*You like to watching other kids.
*You cannot get enough of your books...both chewing on them and reading the pages.
*Bath time is still a favorite.
*You are attached to your doggie blanket in your crib and bunny blanket in your car seat.
*You have decided the pacifier isn't so bad, but only to chew on.
*You still have a VERY high pitched squeal that you use to get anyone's attention.
*Last but not least...YOU'RE CRAWLING.
Stella started crawling on her 8 month birthday...May 25th.

Here's to many more memories and months/years to come.

**There are still more Oregon posts to come...it's been busy around here.

My Papa the Chaplain

Boy oh boy...if you are 2 years old and Papa Jeff say's "you want to go to see a fire truck," that is a BIG day. I love the picture below...Papa is one of Hunter's favorite people!
For the last couple years my dad has served as one of the chaplains for the Canby fire department. It can be a tough job at times, but my dad loves every minute. I hadn't seen the station yet, so he really wanted to show (or show off) Hunter and Stella to his fire buds, so we made it a trip. It was so fun! Stella is very proud of her Papa and loved seeing all the bright colors.
Checking out the old and new fire trucks. Stella just smiled the whole time and Hunter loved it, but at times he was a bit overwhelmed.

Checking out the "inside"
Then the nice guys at the station took Hunter and Stella for RIDE in the big fire truck. They even turned on the lights. It was quite the adventure for Hunter AND Papa. Stella just tagged along.

But if the ride wasn't nice ENOUGH...Hunter got to fire the hose! You can tell how serious he took this job.
I'm not sure what he's concentrating on, but I think he might have been trying to spray my mom, aka Grandma. Ha, just kidding.
We had a blast dad, thanks for sharing the great experience with us. I'm sure this is just the first time Stella will swing by the fire station with you! We love you!

Catching Up...1st Oregon Post!

Stella on her first trip to the park and ride on the swing with Papa.
Yes, she is flirting with the camera...she was having a blast with her Papa and being a big girl next to her cousin, Hunter.
How cute are they?
They can't get any cuter! But the pics leading up to this one are priceless!
Enjoying the Oregon SUN! Yes, it does come out.
I know I'm so late in making these posts, but my computer is slow and I've had issues uploading pics, etc..and lets face it...I have a 7 month old to play with.
I can't tell you how much fun Stella and I had in Oregon (and yes, we missed Tom), but it was so great to see family and I loved that all my grandma's GREAT grandkids were all together for a little family reunion. Stella is the youngest for now, my brother is expecting again.
It was very low key and very go go go at the same time. My parents spoiled Stella and Hunter and there were several firsts while we were in Oregon.
I'll have posts on each of them...but here's a hint...lots of animals and then a trip that included a fire truck.
Thanks Mom and Dad! It was a blast and we miss you dearly!

Daddy's 1st Pitch

Part of Tom's 30th birthday present was throwing out the first pitch at a Naturals game (local minor league baseball team). To say he was excited is an under statement!

He did great...a little high, but a dream come true. We love you babe!


Stella read her book for most of the pre-game fun, but was definately cheering on her daddy when he took the mound.

Happy Mother's Day!

Wow! Am I really the mom of this sweet face? Well, Ihave to say my first Mother's Day was very special. I woke up to this sweet smile in my room with her daddy ready to play for the day. There was a very cool picture of Stella on the kitchen table when I got out of bed. Basically it's a big picture of her made up of tiny pics of her from birth until now...SO COOL!
Then my cute hubby made me pancakes and then off to church.
After a great church service we had a little family lunch at a local spot called Noodles. There were a lot of families there celebrating the big day. But the day didn't end there...we drove to a local pottery store where Tom and Stella surprised me with my next gift. It was a frame that said Happy Mother's Day with a butterfuly painted on it. The wings of the butterfly...STELLA'S LITTLE FEET! I love it! But I think I love the idea of Tom and Stella going on a "date" to do this together and I had no idea. I love how much they love to be together and how she lights up when she sees her daddy. I'm so blessed with an amazing hubby and beautiful/happy baby girl.
And of course to top off the day, I got to take a 2 hour nap. Honestly, the best nap since I became a mommy.

But...Mother's Day would'n't be complete if I didn't talk about my mom.

Mom,
I can't only hope and pray that someday Stella will love and respect me as much as I do you. You always have put everyone before yourself...from Beau and I to dad to your friends you look out for everyone around you. You'll drop anything for your family and I'm forever indebted to you. I will always cherish the time we had together the first week after Stella's birth. I couldn't have done it without you. You are always my sounding board and are quiet to listen and slow to speak, but when you do speak it is always words of wisdom and incredible advice! Thank you for being you and the example I depend on now and years to come. I know I'm lucky and so is Stella! You are an amazing mom and an outstanding Grandma.
I love you,
Syd

And of course, Mother's day isn't complete without mentioning my mother in law and Stella's Grammie.

Shirlee,
Thank you for everything over the years since I've known Tom and especially this year with Stella. You go above and beyond to help me with the house because you know how important it is for me to get to spend as much time with Stella as possible. And I CANNOT thank you ENOUGH!!!! That means more to me then you'll ever know. Thank you for raising such an incredible son that I consider the best daddy in the world. You have opened up your home to me since day one and I consider myself so lucky.
Happy Mother's Day and thank you for loving on Stella so much!
Sydney

Arkansas' Idol is Kick-Awesome

For all you Idol fans out there...Kris Allen is an Arkansas boy and since he's in the top 3 we got to go see him in Little Rock. This is Stella and her friend Deacon waiting for Kris' arrival. Deacon is obviously having a blast and Stella is not quite sure what to think.

Since I now work for a NBC/FOX affliate I made the trip for work and of course took Stella with me. Our friends made these shirt for her and Deacon to wear to the concert. They promote Kris' now famous saying "kick awesome."

This is Deacon modeling the back of the shirt. It was a great time. And we're hoping the Idol from small town Arkansas makes it big time!

Here is Kris in the Rivermarket in downtown Little Rock. As he was arriving to the concert our reporter was there waiting for him and it was obvious he was in shock. Our reporter said he couldn't believe all the people were out supporting him and so humble. We wish him the best of luck!