Red, White & Blue Sweeties

Father's Day - A fun tradition

Another year of lupines

Introducung Callen Murray

On April 8th at 1:19 am our sweet son made his debut, three days late but as perfect as can be.  I ended up being induced based on reduced fetal movement at post due day monitoring appointment.  At the time the doctor performed an ultrasound to check on the baby and approximated his weight as only being around 5 1/2 maybe 6 pounds.  I started to panic because as we knew this little guy was probably smaller than his sisters, the doctor and midwife both didn't think he was a "dainty" baby based on feeling him during the last few weeks of the pregnancy.  After giant Clara & Janie I don't know what to do with a little baby!!

We were relieved to see our sweet boy and have the doctor admit right away that his size approximation was definitely off.  Weighting in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 20 inches long with lots of dark hair.  Immediately I noticed his larger hands and feet! 

Naming this little guy was not an easy process for us.  We spend hours upon hours going through name lists on car rides and evenings after the girls went to bed.  Our list of agreed upon names was short and while we were certain we wanted to pay tribute to Kevin's late father with the name, the exact name was not decided on until after we had been in the hospital over 24 hours.  Callen was a name I had really liked the entire pregnancy but Kevin was far from sold on early on.  Janie & Clara would have been "Colin" had they been boys as that was a name I had loved from a childhood.  Since then a dear friend selected that name for her son sending us back to square one.  Callen was almost "Grant" like the county that Daddy grew up in but we didn't like the flow as much with the middle name options. 

Right away Callen was calm and alert.  He made lots of sweet squeak and grunting sounds and loved to snuggle in close, wiggling to get comfortable.  Early on we have learned that this guy has a great set of pipes and wont let himself go unnoticed.  Most likely a great trait for a third child!

We are so thrilled to have our boy with us and our sweet family complete! Clara & Janie quickly fell in love as well.  When we introduced him to them, it had to be one of the most amazing moments.  Janie exuded complete excitement and curiosity where Clara, who was very apprehensive of having a brother, seemed to be hit with complete instant love.  AHHHH!  We are so blessed!



Easter Sweets

Easter Day has been an exciting milestone for out family this year because April 5th was my due date for our little "Finch."  We kept our plans for celebrating simple and close to home.  Grandma & Grandpa Stevens and Auntie Pat came to spend the day with us.  Grandma Jan brought these sweet seersucker dresses for Clara & Janie and since the weather was great, we decided to snap a few cute photos. 

Daddy prepared a yummy dinner and we spent some time walking around the neighborhood trying to induce my labor.  The sweet day came and went without any sings of our little guy making an appearance.  So we are officially in the post due date waiting game!

Dahlia Park Easter Egg Hunt 2015

 

Another fun hunt for the Dahlia Park kiddos!   The weather cooperated for us again and the kids had a fabulous time with the neighborhood kids. 

 

This year the bunny arrived on in an Aston Martin

 

 Our annual family photo with the bunny!

 

Clara & Janie with their best pals, the Garver Kids, Jake & Emily

Our little Babymoon!

 

From early on in the pregnancy, Kevin tried to plan a babymoon getaway for the two of us to enjoy some child free time before our little guy arrives.  At first he looked into warm beaches, like Mexico or Southern California where we could relax together.  As the time got closer, childcare became an issue and our schedules filled up, we had decided on either going to Vancouver or Portland for a few nights to eat good meals and watched films. 

 

The weather this winter has been so wonderfully warm and so Grandma Carol planned a second winter trip to the beach and our plan started to formulate.  We have been sitting on a generous gift certificate for Bandon Dunes in Southern Oregon since our wedding 9 1/2 years ago and figured if Carol could watch the girls at the beach house, it might be a great opportunity to use it!

 

As the days grew closer, the weather report became better and better leaving us with a few 70 degree days of sun and sand.  The Bandon Dunes resort was really comfortable and beautiful to explore.  Kevin got in a round of golf, but mainly we got extra rest, ate some great meals, and explored the town of Bandon.  It was perfect!

 

Having a few days alone together was wonderful!  Pre-kids we had many beach trips together and so we just sunk back into that routine, devouring yummy seafood, taking walks on the beach and just being silly.  It was cool to get our warm, beach getaway after all!

Gem's Valentine Party

Daddy got to attend Janie's Valentine's Day Party at school!  The class exchanged Valentine's, made yogurt & fruit parfaits, and sang sweet songs about love and friendship.  So fun to get to come watch!

Janie looks inside her mailbox at all her fun loot!

Scout is SEVEN!

Clara Natalie celebrated her 7th birthday in style with a "fancy" Valentine tea party.  I have been slowing down lately due to the pregnancy, and at the same time, Clara is becoming more mature and also has a clearer understanding of what she wants with most things.  This year she seemed to have a vision for this party and I let her roll with it.  She went to the party store and picked out doilies and heart garlands.  She gave Kevin specific directions about how she hoped to have the Crete paper hung and which items from our Valentine's Day décor she wanted to use.  We also let her pick our her own cake at Fred Meyer, which was a first for this mama, but what a fun and logistically easy party this turned out to be.  Clara had seven girlfriends show up and they all had such great manners.  Kevin & I kept commenting on how quiet the kids were! 
 

Food service from Daddy - How adorable!

 

Clara was so happy to have the tea service with all the sweet treats.   

Janie even got to join in the tea party at a separate table with Auntie Michele, Papa Mark & Grandma Jan!

It is hard to believe that we have been parents to our dear Clara Natalie for seven years now.  She has been a delight to parent and we enjoy watching her become her own person day by day.  Some days are bittersweet, but she impresses us with her learning and mostly good judgment.  Watching her sweetly interact with her friends is heartwarming.  We are SO proud!

Papa Mark is 60!

 

On our way down to surprise Papa Mark for his birthday, we were able to stop by the Keddingtons so that Clara & Davis could spend a little time together celebrating his birthday.  These kiddos have been the best of pals since they were 11 months old and the past few months have been a little rough on all of us now that they have moved into their beautiful new home in Maple Valley. 

 

 

Ryan was able to trick my Dad into going with him to the Riverside Golf Course club house where friends and family gathered for a fun but casual celebration.  The turn out was great and Dad was really touched to see everyone. 

 

 

with the Seahawks in the Super Bowl the next day, and Dad being a big football fan, the party unintentionally took on a Seahawks theme! 

 

We are all so proud to have you as our Dad & Grandpa!  You provide us all with unconditional love and support!  Happy Birthday, Daddy!

28 weeks... Growing Baby!

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 Little Finch is growing at a fast pace now and so I am growing quickly too.  This pregnancy, we got 4D glimpses of our little guy along with our sonograms.  We think that this photo of our little guy at 28 weeks looks a lot like big sister Clara, with Mommy's forehead and Daddy's mouth and chin. Amazing to see!  It has us all even more excited to meet this sweet guy!