Graduation & A Birthday!

What a full and busy weekend we had! Friday we had Phoebe's 12 month check up. She did great when it came time to get her shots. She weighed in at 19 lbs. 4 oz. (25th percentile) and measured 30 inches long (75th percentile). We're making the attempt to switch to cow's milk and somehow manage to give up bottles and the pacifier during the day since she's getting bumped up to the next classroom at daycare. It's because she's walking so darn well. Please keep us in your prayers as we make this quick transition (she moves next week!)

Nana, Papa, Aunt Carrie and Cousin Lucas flew in Friday night and met us for a late dinner. We had made plans to celebrate Phoebe's birthday a week late and they all so graciously bought plane tickets to make the day complete. Saturday morning, Doris & I headed to the MOPS Kids' Stuff sale at our church. We got there as the doors opened at 8:00 and there were already over 150 people in line. It was CRAZY but we got a few good deals which made it worth our while!

Later that morning, we'd planned to go up north for brunch to celebrate Mother's Day since we won't be together that day. You can imagine Doris' surprise when we pulled onto the Indiana Wesleyan University campus in Marion, Indiana 90 minutes later. She asked, "What are we doing here?!" and I said, "Well, Doris, we're here for graduation." She goes, "Who is graduating?!" It was THE BEST to see tears of pure joy on her face as she realized that Ryan had gone to school, completed his bachelor's degree in marketing and she hadn't had to pay a penny! We are ALL so proud of him for his commitment and discipline to get his degree. Every Monday night for the past two years, from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. he was in class. I've already blocked the months he was doubled or tripled up to finish up his electives from my mind - we are SO glad his school days are over!

Even Granddaddy Alan came all the way from Virginia to surprise Ryan at his graduation! What fun to have the family together to celebrate! YiaYia, Papou and Uncle Steve even made it there to join in the ceremony. Of course, the trip up north wouldn't be complete without a stop at my old stomping grounds. And unfortunately, I'm referring to Ivanhoe's where they serve over a hundred different shakes and a hundred different sundaes. Holy cow - we were all on a sugar overload by the time we piled back in the car. I think Lucas got something called Chocaholics Anonymous and it was chocolate ice cream with a chocolate hershey's bar crushed over the top and drenched in hot fudge. He got his minus the fudge, but really, why bother?! And I had their strawberry shortcake - something I'd never had my entire college experience - let's just say, had I known it existed, I'd probably be 20 lbs. heavier! Yumm-o! We did make the loop around Taylor's campus afterwards just so we could show the rest of Ryan's family where I went to school. We'll be back up there next month for Auntie Kate's gradution with her Masters!

Sunday we went to church and then scurried around town trying to get all the last minute things we'd need to celebrate Phoebe's birthday. She did fabulous! Not sure she liked all the attention but LOVED all the toys!

I ended up caving and just bought a pan to make a giant cupcake. Anyone ever need to borrow it, don't hesitate to ask!

She wasn't too interested in eating the actual cake or frosting. She was more concerned with picking off all the little flowers we'd sprinkled over the top.



And I'm not sure what was going on here, but thought it too funny to not include!

THANK YOU Nana and Aunt Carrie for ALL your help in getting the house together and the cupcakes presentable. I would have been lost without you and probably up in our bedroom crying while everyone arrived if not for you! I owe you big time! And thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Phoebe's first birthday! It's hard to believe our little baby isn't so much a baby anymore...

Phoebe turns one!

Here she is bright and early on her first birthday. I could go on and on about how fast the time has just flown by this past year, but I'll save that for another post. Our little girl is growing up SO fast! We go in this Friday for her one year check up and I'm anxious to hear her stats - I weighed myself today (which was scary in itself!) and then grabbed her and she was an even 19 lbs. - what a peanut she is. I think all the walking she's doing has to be burning up the calories because gosh, the girl can eat!

We headed to the mall to meet YiaYia for dinner and Papou even got to eat with us on a quick break. They said they couldn't let her actual birthday go by without opening a gift so she got a puppy book that barks - she loves it - we heard it the whole way home...

We also tried out the indoor play area for the first time since it wasn't very crowded. She had a good time and was very interested in all the other kids running around. It's hard to believe she can actually play like this already!

Saturday morning we got up early to participate in the Race for the Cure with my office. We made sure Phoebe was wearing her pink and we even had her own bib made so she'd be official!

We had to stop on the way back to our car so she could stretch her legs. Of course she had to stop and examine this - it looks like a diamond - we have a very smart girl...

With the weather being so gorgeous, we spent most of the afternoon outdoors. I had NO idea a one year old could possibly get so dirty just by being outside! She got to spend time with Brutus, let's just say he tolerated her. She loves his kisses, I'm the one who's not so sure about them!

She helped Daddy do some yard work.

She even seemed to admire my green thumb (or lack thereof) - I planted over 100 bulbs when I was pregnant with her and am amazed that they've come up two years straight now!

And the oh-so-good news of the weekend...Pita's ultrasound on Tuesday came back with nothing definitive. They said that her stomach muscles were swollen which is typical of dogs with lyme disease, but since she's an indoor dog and we've seen no ticks, they're not sure what she has but they're treating it like it's along those lines. Let's just say we have a new dog! She's still a bit weak, but she's eating and drinking and going up and down stairs. Thank you for your prayers - we hope she continues to heal and will be back to her old self in no time. Here's a picture of her gnawing on Brutus' bone - what a brave girl she is!

Busy Weekend!

I came down with food poisoning Thursday and left the office just before 3:00 to head to bed which meant Ryan picked Phoebe up from daycare. He did such a great job handling things solo! He captured a few pictures of her enjoying some of the things her teachers had put in an Easter basket for her. She's crazy about dogs these days...



Perhaps she wasn't quite as crazy about this lovely headband they included...




And all of a sudden, she's begun to lug things around - anything that has a handle - purses, shopping bags. The girl picks up on more than I ever could have imagined she would this early in the game!

Friday morning we all headed to the dentist so Ryan could get two fillings. He hates the dentist with a passion and only gets procedures done if he can be knocked out - thus requiring our presence. They had one of those wooden train tracks and Phoebe successfully destroyed the entire track before he was done. We even met Auntie Kate and Uncle Steve for dinner that night and then headed to the Good Friday service at church. Not sure an 8:00 service was wise for us to consider since that is her bedtime, but we made it till communion and then gave up and went home. We'll know better next year...

We got Phoebe's one year pictures taken on Saturday. She did fairly well considering how many people were there doing the same thing we were. Here are a few of our favorites:

(See above post since I couldn't get the darn thing to load properly in this post!)

Even though she doesn't quite get the whole holiday quite yet, she had a good time going through her basket and then having an Easter egg hunt at YiaYia and Papou's. I can't wait to share the Easter story with her - to tell her that Jesus loved her SO much, even before she was born, that He was willing to die for her. AND to share the hope that comes from Easter - that He's alive and that we'll get to live forever with Him one day. How great is our God!?

She was quite the trooper this weekend and is now zonked out in bed. It's hard to believe she'll be ONE on Thursday. It just doesn't seem possible. But now isn't the time to get sentimental - I've got pictures to post! Enjoy some of the highlights!

On a side note, please pray for Pita. I know it's silly to ask for prayer for a dog, but she's been sick since before we left for Florida. They hospitalized her last week and had her on an iv. We got to have her over the weekend since her catheter had to come out anyhow and there was nothing we couldn't do that they'd do. She's taken her medicine and had three bites of chicken but hasn't touched anything else all weekend. Just stays in one spot till we move her. First they said it was something with her pancreas but that cleared up and now the next step is an ultrasound. Sound like this is getting expensive!? Well, it is and we're unfortunately going to have to be done after the ultrasound - so pray that Monday it finds the issue and that it's an easy (and cheap) fix. She's not even four years old and Phoebe simply adores her, not to mention, she's our first baby. Thanks everyone!