Taylor's Birth

Finally life has slowed down a little so that I can try to catch up on some things.  On February 26th we were blessed with our sweet angel Taylor Lyn.  She arrived safe and sound 13 days early and her parents couldn't be happier. Taylor had a very different arrival from her older brother Zac.  After a much needed night out with Mark and lots of complaining on my end about wanting to this baby here now my water broke.  It was nothing like I had thought it would be.  Mine was just a small slow trickle.  I wanted this baby here so badly that I thought for sure it was too good to be true.  I found my book "What to Expect When Your Expecting" and frantically searched thru it for more details on water breaking.  Mark ask me what was wrong and I was flipping thru the book and me trying my best to be casual about it told him I was just looking thru the book and nothing was wrong.  Of course he didn't believe me.  As I got to the page I was looking for he calmly ask me if I thought my water had broken.  He lovingly gave me the option of calling the Dr. and my mom now at 10 when everyone would still be awake or I could call them at 11 when he was taking me to the hospital.  I called my mom who came over to stay with Zac and we headed to the hospital.  We arrived at the hopital around 11:30pm and they took us back to a room to test if my water had actually broken.  The nurse that took us back told us that 3 women had already been sent home tonight thinking that their water had broken.  This information didn't help assure me that my water had really broken.  By this time I was having a few contractions that were getting my attention.  Luckily I passed all 3 water tests with flying colors.  It was my water that had broken and they admitted us to the hospital.  By about 2 AM the contractions were so strong I called for the epidural.  I was so swollen from excess water that it took the nurses 5 tries to get my IV in.  After the epidural was in the nurse checked me and I was only at a 3, still a ways to go.  I was nervous how long my labor might be was I was in active labor for over 16 hours with Zac.  To everyones surprise when the nurse came back to check me at 6:30 I was at a 9.5!  She left to call the Dr. and when she got back to me at 7 the baby was crowning.  The Dr. arrived about 7:25 I pushed 3 times and Taylor was here at 7:41.  She weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 21 inches long.  I was so relieved that I was able to have a successful VBAC with this baby.  It was so much different than last time when I was wheeled into an emergency c-section with Zac.

When did my baby turn into a little boy? It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. Now Zac is 2 and a 1/2 and growing up so fast. He is really independent these days and thinks he can do anything big people can. I love watching the world thru his eyes. He is still a really picky eater, I think he may be the only 2 year old that still likes the baby oatmeal for breakfast. He is talking up a storm lately. Loves anything that moves airplanes, cars, & trains. We are so lucky to have this little guy in our life. We love you Zac.

LATELY...

Zac has been growing up so fast lately. I can't believe in less than 3 weeks he will be turning 2. Where has the time gone? We have been feeling extremely cooped up lately with the weather. Zac is getting really helpful around the house lately. He loves to help me sweep, dust and vacuum. On Fridays I watch his cousin Ashton for a few hours. The boys always have tons of fun together. Here they are playing with Zac's Mak truck he got for Christmas. For being 2 and 3 they actually share really well.

Zac has now learned to talk on the phone. He freaks out if your on the phone and don't let him get his words in before you hang up.

We have had to be creative on the cold days. Here is a picture of the fort the boys and I built. They loved reading in it.

And last but not least we moved from 1 o'clock church which was horrible for Zac's naptime to 11 this year. Zac is doing great in nursery but is typically exhausted by time we get home. This week he fell asleep in his highchair while eating lunch.

We can't wait for the warmer weather to get here so we can play outside more.

FREEDOM OF THE SEAS

Mark and I spent the past 7 days sailing the Carribean on this beauty. This was our 1st cruise and it was amazing. We had so much fun with our friends playing hard and just relaxing. We went to a show almost every night before and after dinner.

This particular ship had a flowrider (surf simulator), mini golf, and a rock wall to climb.

Mark spent everymorning perfecting his surfing skills, while I slept in of course.

We spent plenty of time soaking up the sun at the pools. I even judged the sexy legs competition. The free icecream just a few feet away didn't hurt either.

This was the main promenade on the ship where most of the shops and food were located.

Even though our vacation was fun we still couldn't wait to come home to Zac! Wish we really could have packed him up in our luggage and taken him with us.

More pics to come. A huge thanks to our families for taking such great care of our little man while we were away.

Baby Its Cold Outside

Mark and I were bored the other day so we decided to bundle up Zac and take him out to play in the snow. Zac figured out quickly that he needed to keep his gloves on.

He loves being outside and really loved playing in the snow.

Zac wouldn't let go of it. He carried it everywhere.

Daddy built Zac his first snowman.

And of course Zac had to sit on top of it. Bronco was very concerned.

It wouldn't be an outside adventure at our house if Mater wasn't involved.

Hopefully it will warm up a little bit so we can go back outside and play in the snow again soon.

Kangaroo Zoo

With it being so cold outside lately we have had to come up with new things to do to wear Zac out. Zac and I both love Kangaroo Zoo! It wears him out and he always takes a great nap afterwards. Zac loved the baseball blowup toy. He spent most of his time there putting the ball on the cone and then hitting it off.

Figured out how to climb up the slide to get into the bounce house.

Zac and his buddy Ryker.

Halloween

We had such a fun Halloween with Zac this year. We were invited to a great party with our friends. Zac had so much fun playing in one of the girls costumes - she was a rubix cube. Our little monster

Zac and Daddy

Our little family "How to Train Your Dragon" vikings and the dragon we caught.

Thanks to our great friends for throwing such a great party and inviting us to be a part of it.