Saturday, August 14, 2010


We decided to get some one year photos taken of Shae and thought that it would be a good time to get some family photos as well. I am so impressed with work of Tasha of Red Bird Hills Photography. We were able to just go to the park and have fun together as a family while she just shot away. That's what I love about these photos; their natural and fun nature as opposed to feeling posed.

They all turned out great, but here are just a handful of my favorites. (Okay, maybe a little more than a handful.)
















Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Happy Birthday to Shae!

Wow! What a difference a year makes! I really can't believe that our little guy is a one year old. It feels like we spent so much time preparing for life with a newborn, and now all of a sudden we've got ourselves a toddler! He sure is a fun toddler with a charming personality though!

Here are just a few of my favorite things about this boy as a one year old:
  • He is extremely friendly, as he smiles, laughs, and waves at complete strangers on a daily basis. Target cashier, old lady in the Kohl's parking lot, screaming kid at Menards...you name it.
  • He gets a huge smile on his face when he sees Mommy and Daddy hug.
  • That smile turns to a giggle when he sees Mommy and Daddy kiss.
  • He makes his loud rooster sounds whenever riding in the car, I think just to make us laugh.
  • He loves his mommy, but he LOVES his daddy.
I could go on and on about the things that make Shae such a cool kid. I watch him everyday in awe that he's mine (and I know that his daddy does too).

We were so grateful to have a house full of amazing family and friends to help us celebrate Shae's first year of life. What a special day it was!

Shae woke up to find some presents from Mommy and Daddy

What's a party without punch and cake?

Shae's lion cake

Hamming it up and loving all of the attention!

We squeezed a few people into the kitchen

Mommy choked back tears and Shae looked around at his house full of guests as we sang Happy Birthday

Mmmmm, cake


Friday, July 23, 2010

Animal House

What an amazing thing to see a young person develop their own interests! No doubt about it, Shae is drawn to his animals. Nothing can compete with his animal toys, books, and video (except the vacuum cleaner...) He's one smart cookie too, as he proudly rattles off his animal sounds throughout the day.

Check out his skills!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

La La La La

Shae likes to sing, "La, la, la, la...Elmo's Song"

If you're not familiar with Elmo's Song, look it up on youtube. You'll never get it out of your head! :)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Move-In Ready...Almost

I've been trying to update the blog for awhile now, but we've been having some internet problems. As always, I have some cute pictures and video of Shae and would love to share them with the world...but for now, you'll have to settle for a house update...because these were the only photos I could upload so far. :)

We are scheduled to close next Friday (July 16th) and we're so excited to move into our new house and make it our home!

Here's a sneak peek:

Front almost complete. Just waiting for the three posts to be finished.

Kitchen, sans island and appliances

And the detail I was most looking forward to seeing: the hardwood floors!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

First Haircut

We weren't expecting to get our baby's hair cut before his first birthday, but his full head of messy hair was just begging for a trim. I had two reservations; one, I didn't want to see his curls go, and two, I was really hoping he wouldn't scream and cry in fear as so many youngsters do with haircuts. (Must be something about a stranger coming at you with a pair of scissors while being strapped down in a chair.)

We brought Shae to Kids' Hair, hoping for a positive first experience, and that is just what we got. We arrived a little early to become familiar with the environment and watched another little boy get his hair cut. Shae was a happy camper the whole time.

I have to first share a little story of Shae in the waiting area while he waited for his turn in the big chair. We were playing with some dinosaurs, having a grand time, when out came the duck-billed dinosaur. Shae squealed, "Quack, quack!"

Some of you may think, "Big deal. He mistook the dinosaur for a duck."

But to me, he was essentially saying, "Look, Mother. The bill on this Hadrosaurid resembles that of a duck, which is how it got it's nickname, duck-billed dinosaur." Genius.

Seriously though, it really is amazing to see him make these connections. He understands so much these days, and the fact that he can even verbalize some of it, at only ten months of age, just blows my mind.

"Quack, quack"

And now for the action shots!

Pre-haircut. I know it doesn't look that long here, but I assure you, it was.

Ooo, it tickles.

Big boy

Almost done

Ta-da!

They still kept it fairly long and "babyish" and they left some curl in the back. Yay! Lookin good, Shae! Also, note the strawberry in his blonde. A little Irish accent to go with his Irish name and heritage. :)

A Week in Pictures (And Video)

What a fun week! Shae's first pool, some siding on our house, and a VERY happy baby!

Water baby

Splashing

Come on in, Daddy. The water's great!
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Kissing fishies


I think my daddy loves me. What do you think?
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Finally, some siding! Woo hoo! We should see some stone soon as well!


Oh, the little hilarious things make my day!