You say goodbye, and I say hello....

....to the Big Suck 09-10.

Yes, folks, it's that time again. Time for another "man-cation" to Iraq for Al. It sucks. That is pretty much it.

Come home soon, Al. We miss you!

Sam Goes to the Beach!

We took Sam to the beach last Friday.....every Hawaiian Baby needs to have their toes dipped in the water!!

He wasn't exactly sure at first...

But ended up liking the warm water....

But all that water and sun and breeze makes a baby sooooo tired!

Blogging on the new Mac is seriously starting to irritate me. It screws up the layout when it publishes. Lia, HELP!!

Happy Due Date!

So is Sam now zero, adjusted?

He's definitely chunked out! He weighs 7 lbs, 14 oz - a gain of 2 lbs, 8 oz over his birth weight, and 3 lbs, 3 oz over his lowest weight.

All we know is that he's stinkin' cute, and we can't imagine life without him!

Sam is here!

Samuel Paul

June 1, 2009 3:19 pm

5 lbs, 6 oz

18 inches

Sam arrived 6 weeks early due to a placental abruption and HELLP syndrome. It was a pretty scary time for all of us, and we're thankful that both Sam and I are doing well. He spent 13 days in the NICU (and I spent 11 days inpatient AFTER his birth due to a blood infection, but that's a post for another day).

He is a wonderful, laid back baby, and we are over the moon to have him!

Why yes, we do make pretty babies!

Pics from Sam's 3D ultrasound...


This is a TOTAL Maddie face!!

Sacraments: Two down, one to go

It's been a busy sacramental year in our house, and we're not done yet. Meredith was confirmed, and Ian had his First Communion. Here are some pictures of both events.

Meredith before Mass. She looked absolutely beautiful!



Family pic after Mass...


With the Bishop. Ian wanted to wear his mitre, and Al asked him how he transported his staff. (For those who are curious, it screws together)


Meredith and her sponsor, our neighbor, Kathy.


Ian before First Communion....


And the four kids.

I didn't get as many pictures taken at First Communion. There were SO many people there and it was just too crowded. On that note, photography and videography were specifically not allowed during Mass. It was talked about MANY times in meetings and notes home. The people sitting next to us decided that they were quite above the rules and started videotaping. The sense of entitlement here simply amazes me.

Anyway, next Sacrament will be Baby Sam's baptism. It's pretty impressive that we'll hit each Sacrament of Initiation in the span of about 3 months.

Dear Sam

Please move your ass out of my ribcage. Your brother and sisters never felt the need to do this, so really, why must you insist on hanging out in the top third of my uterus instead of the bottom two-thirds?

Me breathing is not optional, son. Please move downwards.

Love,
Mama