It's a .....

BOY!!!!


Teagan is going to have a lil' brother!!! We are so excited and feel so blessed by God for giving us such an indescribable gift of new life! Based on the initial results of the ultrasound, everything looks healthy! We praise God for this answered prayer and for His protection! What a beautiful day it was today to be able to see our lil' guy for the first time! We again stood in awe of God's workmanship as we watched Lil' Skeeter (our nickname for him now) move all around and as we viewed the chambers of his heart, the hemispheres of his brain, the blood flow to his umbilical cord....just amazing. We had our appointment early this morning and had the technician write the gender down on a piece of paper. She said she was 90% sure she was right! After Teagan's nap this afternoon, the three of us went to Dimnent Chapel(a sentimental place for us...we met there, got engaged there, were married there, found out Teagan's gender there...) at Hope College and opened our special envelope! :)

We have our C-section scheduled for September 4th! We already have his name picked out but we'll wait to share until after he's born. :)

teagan alise

Hi! This is Teagan! My mommy and daddy asked me to give you all a little update on my life right now. I am growing up so fast...I am already 15 months old! Here are some things I wanted to share with you:

* I'm talking more and more! I can say many words on my own and I am getting very good at copying Mommy and Daddy when they teach me new ones. Sometimes I don't say them exactly the right way but Mommy and Daddy always seem to understand my "language" and encourage me to keep trying!

- "Daddy" is my favorite word! I walk around the house all day saying it. Mommy keeps telling me that Daddy is at work and will be home later but I still think he's hiding somewhere in the house and I'm determined to find him!

- I am really into saying "hi" and "bye" to everyone I meet (and to those who just walk by...sometimes they don't hear me). My mommy and daddy like how I say these in a sweet high pitched voice.

(Mommy took a picture of me putting on my "purse" and carrying teddy as I walked towards the door and said "bye!")

- I said "I love you" for the first time the other night (actually, it sounded more like "wuv ew" but Mommy and Daddy knew what I meant and they were really excited!).

* I love to get chased and play peek-a-boo around the house! I scream and laugh a lot when we play these games!

* I have almost 8 teeth. My molars are finally coming in!

* I am very ticklish on my feet, my inner thighs and under my chin! I like to tickle Mommy and Daddy's feet too and make them laugh!

* I laugh a lot when Mommy and Daddy talk in funny voices.

* I recently learned how to drink out of a straw. I think this is pretty cool!

* I like to look at myself in the mirror. I'm starting to realize that it's really ME in there and not just a "baby." I think it's fun to make faces in the mirror and laugh at myself (I get this from Daddy!).

* I am very sweet and like to give hugs and kisses. I even kiss the people or animals in the story books that Mommy and Daddy read to me.

* I require lots of cuddle time with Mommy right when I wake up the morning. My mommy doesn't seem to mind. :)


* I have a lot of energy and spend most of the day running around the house and playing with all my toys. I rarely sit still!

* I love playing with Daddy in my new tent (thanks, Nana and Papa!).


* I like drinking whole milk now (Mommy was kind of worried when I refused it all together after I turned one but I was just throwing her for a loop!).

* I've been labeled a "climber." My mommy and daddy know that this will come in handy one day and probably means I'll be athletic...but right now I just hear a lot of "no no" or "dangerous" and them taking me away from my challenges. Despite their (almost) consistent intervening, I've managed to suceed at climbing onto things such as Mommy and Daddy's bed and the dining room table. Sometimes I even will try to use Bailey as leverage to get where I want. Things like the straps on the grocery cart seat don't stand a chance in holding me down. I can wiggle and climb my way out of almost anything....I'm quite good!


* Speaking of "no no" and "dangerous," I've been learning a little more about what being naughty looks like. If I'm not getting attention when I want it, I will often do something I know is wrong like climbing onto the fireplace hearth or putting woodchips (from the firewood bag)...or a small screw into my mouth (like I did today). I know I'm not suppose to be doing these things because I will make funny noises, dance, or say things like "no!" or "down!" so that Mommy or Daddy will look at me and stop me. Sometimes I get them to stop me from the same thing like 20 times in a row! Hehe.


* My favorite food is pizza!

* I am in the 90th percentile for my height and the 25th percentile for my weight.

* I prefer to be barefoot and am constantly taking my shoes and socks off.

* I am getting good at helping by doing things like "washing" my toys with a washcloth Mommy gives me, getting something that Mommy or Daddy tells me to get (shoes, sippy cup, diaper etc.) and putting things in the garbage (sometimes I pick up things that are SO small Mommy and Daddy can't even see them. I like to hold these (imaginary) things between my pincher fingers and put them in the garbage).

* I like singing songs with Mommy during the day!

* I like to ride Sandy, the pony, at Meijer. :)

* I am very good at going down easily for my one nap during the day and have been sleeping much better during the night (I thought I'd finally give Mommy and Daddy some thorough "good nights sleep" before my brother or sister arrives in about 4 months!). :)

* I love cuddling with my stuffed animals lately...especially my lil' teddy bear that I sleep with. I have also started to do more imaginary play and will set up my animals in certain spots and bring them things.

* I love to run around the house all bare naked!

* I am learning to drink out of a big girl cup (regular cup)! Mommy and Daddy let me practice with water during meal times and in the bathtub although Mommy caught me practicing with the water out of Bailey's water bowl today. :)

* I LOVE to collect and transfer things in cups, buckets, bowls...anything! I am very creative about what I put in these containers and I like to show them to Mommy and Daddy!

(collecting things in the backyard! My favorite things to collect outside are pinecones!)


* I love to be outside and feel the wind on my face and listen to the birdies chirp! I could run forever when I am outside but Mommy and Daddy don't let me go past a certain tree in the front yard.

* I get excited really easily and love to say "ohhh!". It's my way of reminding Mommy and Daddy to remember the joy in the little things of life!












* I love to be silly!














































* I looked beautiful in my Easter dress!





* I am very excited to be a big sister in September and will find out TOMORROW if I'm going to have a baby brother or a baby sister!!! Stay tuned as my Mommy will post an update on the blog tomorrow night! :)

Vacation Finale

As of midnight last night, we are home sweet home. Bags are already unpacked (can you believe it?!) :) and real life is back in full swing. Amazing how a week of vacation goes by so fast! We miss Colorado already and will cherish the great memories we made as a family! Here are some highlights of the remainder of our vacation:

On Tuesday morning we hiked up to Treasure Falls which begins at the base of Wolf Creek Pass in Pagosa Springs. What a beautiful view! It turned out to be a little colder than we thought so we were glad the hike wasn't too long as Teagan was pretty chilled by the end of it.

























On Tuesday afternoon/evening we headed an hour west to Durango. We had a great time perusing their beautiful, historic downtown and then headed to Cross Bar X Youth Ranch where I worked as a camp counselor during the summer of '01. The camp sits on a large hill and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys. It is small, hosting about 25 - 30 kids a week during the summer. Largely due to donations, many of these kids come from inner cities and have never had the experience of camp/ranch life. What I love most is that Cross Bar X finds the worth of each child, showers them with God's love, teaches them amazing life lessons, and and in everything they do, from backpacking to swimming in the lake to hand feeding the lambs, points them towards starting or deepening their relationship with Christ!

While there, we were so blessed to have Nick and Tracy Brothers, the founders and executive directors of the camp, and their girls (all grown up!) host us for a delicious dinner! It was so wonderful to reconnect with them and for them to meet Tim and Teagan! It was also very special for me to show Tim Cross Bar X as my experience there 8 years ago has impacted me deeply and holds a special place in my heart! Tim loved it there and we can't wait to go back and visit again some time!


Enjoying my coffee from my favorite coffee shop in downtown Durango...The Steaming Bean.


Standing on the ridge overlooking the camp's lil' lake.


In front of the staff lodge.


Playing in the big field.


The Brothers Family (minus Amy)!



Some Final Photos:


Our condo


Loungin'

Headed home....

Highlights (so far...)

We've had some great times over the last couple of days here in Colorado! Here are some highlights...most of which are all FIRSTS for our lil' Teagie Bear!


First time BLOWING BUBBLES all by herself!



First time wearing PIGTAILS!





First time SWIMMING!




Ooohh....look what I found in the flower pot, Mommy!

We enjoyed taking a scenic drive through Blanco Basin yesterday morning and soaked in God's beautiful creation!



We visited the Pagosa Springs Wildlife Park earlier today. It's kind of a small place and we were actually the only visitors there which was kind of neat to take our time and walk around. Teagan LOVED seeing many of the animals that we read about in her books and wouldn't stop squealing and saying "oof oof" (dog) and "ooh ooh ahh ahh" (monkey)....even though neither of these animals were at the park. :)



We saw goats, sheep, a miniature donkey, a bobcat, mountain lions, an emu, an elk, coyotes, a porcipine, and wolves. We hoped to see the black bear but he was too busy napping (despite our many attempts at affectionately calling "cubby bear" like one of the staff told us to do to get him to come to us). :)










She loved collecting the rocks on the ground almost as much as seeing the animals. :)