Happy New Year

Nothing like a baby to ring in the new year! Here are some more photos of our darling boy...

Rolling Over

Okay, a Mom has to boast a bit about her exceptional son. Every Mom thinks her child is the brightest, most handsome, strongest, etc... than anyone ever born. We are no different. :) We wanted to share that our strongest son ever born has been rolling over (from his stomach to his back) since December 20th. Now, he was only 2 weeks and 2 days old at the time and has been continuing to do this daily since then. I have a video of it on our video clips (link to the right) and a few photos. I know, kids all catch up with each other in terms of development, but we are proud parents nonetheless.

Merry Christmas

Baby Brandt wishes you a Merry Christmas!

Brandt's first boat ride at two weeks old!

Bath time - Brandt LOVES the water... he splashes and giggles. Whew - glad he'll be a water baby!

Dad and Brandt hangin' out.

Jake is our 'Nanny' and has taken quite a liking to Brandt.

This Christmas is the Merriest of them all... I know, cheezy, but true. Having a newborn around the time of year that Christ was born sheds a new perspective on the story of his birth. Mary, riding a donkey at 9 months pregnant seems like an uncomfortable way to travel. Today we're not even allowed to fly after about 25 weeks and I think she was tossed around a whole lot more. Then she delivered our Saviour in a stable (no pain medication, doctors on call or nurses waiting on you hand and foot) which does not seem like the same experience I just had. It does however show that our Lord was not living the 'high' life as we would expect a King to do, but rather he lived a very humble life. He experienced the life of humans living in a sinful world, yet he did not sin. Did he cry as a baby? (Perhaps). Did he ever talk back to Mary as a 2 year old? Probably not! What did Mary think as she held her son in her arms knowing He came to save us from our sins? Why had the Lord chosen her probably went through her mind along with many other questions. Now, holding our baby boy really shows the reality of what Mary went through and how small Christ was physically and how precious He must have been in person. We hope that you reflect on the birth of our Saviour this Christmas season and examine your own hearts and need to be saved from your own sin. Merry Christmas to you all and we hope to see you soon!

Sleep???

Sleep? Well, Brandt is getting some good sleep time in... Mom & Dad, not so much! Sleep is a very valuable commodity for me, but now as a parent, it is not nearly as important as it was even 2 weeks ago. I never thought I would say that - I guess becoming a mother really changes your whole perspective. Even now, I'm typng with one hand as baby Brandt is out cold in my arms! Wouldn't trade that for an hour of sleep...

Baby Boy!

Our little man is doing great! He put on a whole pound in 3 days and the dr says he is as perfect as they get. Holding his head up is nearly perfected and he really loves to eat eat eat! We couldn't be having a more wonderful time with him.

Here is Rick leaving our first pediatrician appt... learning to carry all the 'stuff'.




Nap time for baby boy:



Tummy time sometimes slips into sleep time ;)

Introducing...

Brandt Richard

Born: December 4, 2007

8lbs 11oz and 20" long

Mom and baby are doing great. We will post more pictures as soon as we can!

He is Beautiful!!!!

In Memory of "Lucy"

"Lucy" Brandt - 1995-2007 We will miss our friend of 13 years!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for this year.... Salvation, Covenant Family, baby on the way, Freedom, Friends and so much more. We hope you all were able to enjoy time with friends/family as we were on this day!

Very ready for Baby to make an appearance.

Far Right: Brandt girls baking pies

Below: might as well enjoy it while I can!

Cari- setting the Thanksgiving table

A visit from College Roomie, Mary!

Rick's Shower

Rick got his first taste of a baby shower last week. His office threw him a surprise shower before Thanksgiving. Thank you everyone for your generosity!!! Baby H will be here in a few days and all of your gifts will be used right away!

Family matters

We love our family - all of them! Here are a few photos of our fun Saturday afternoon. Kaitlyn, we're glad you weren't swept to sea in the rip tide.. the waves were fierce, but all shoes were somehow recovered!

Baby things...

Jen and Angie hosted a wonderful shower luncheon for Baby H and myself this weekend. Even family from Miami were able to come and join the fun. Monica also presented a surfer quilt for Baby H when he arrives... I LOVE IT!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!

diapers, diapers and more diapers

I guess we have a lot to learn about infants, but the one thing that was determined this weekend is that Baby H will need a lot of diapers. Thankfully, JCS threw us a diaper shower and loaded us up with all kinds of needed goodies... diapers included. THANK YOU JCS!!!!

Pumpkin Patch

The Florida style Pumpkin Pickin' begins... could it be any hotter outside? I wonder who Rick will turn Mr. Pumpkin in to?

Looks like "Fang-Face" is the winner :)

3-2-1...

LIFTOFF! There really is nothing like being there in person. Thank you Tasha (aka: NASA guru) for the tickets. Our last trip out of town for a long long time I'm sure... we had a 'blast' (no pun intended). Baby H certainly loved the noise and ground shaking - perhaps we have a future astronaut in the family. You never know...

Here is a clip of the shuttle launch... We were about 3 miles from the launch site (the closest you can get). Keep in mind that the last thing we wanted to do was to look through a camera lense at the launch, so needless to say, it's a little shaky and I miss the shuttle after the initial take off. If you keep watching you'll hear the rumbling and see the camera shake as the ground was moving - just use your imagination a bit - :)

(having issues downloading the video.... stay tuned)

Homecoming

Kendal - the perfect 'tacky' tourist ;)

"An Evening in the Tropics"

Seniors/Sophomores WIN!!!

Go Seniors!

The cheering committee!!

What a week! Spirit Days, Formal Dance, Football crowing of the King and Queen... so much going on! I think powder-puff was the biggest hit of all... next to the formal. The kids literally cleared the tables and there wasn't one person left not dancing after dinner. 'An Evening in the Tropics' it certainly was.

Of course, the staff dressing up as American Tourists in the Bahamas was the most memorable.