Better Late then never

With me back at work and now a whopping THREE children to take care of, I am just a little behind on posting. So I am just going to pick a place to start and go from there.

A little over a week after Reece was born, my cute sister in law had her little boy, Lucas Dean Nicolay. He is just the cutest thing and looks just like a perfect blend of Kari and James. A lot was happening right around that time. My brother in law Ryan was just a couple of weeks from being deployed to Afghanistan and my other brother in law Billy, was visiting from Las Vegas. It is a rare occasion when all 6 of the siblings are in one place at one time. So even though little Lucas was only a week old and our little Reece was two weeks, we got together and celebrated the new babies, and Billy being in town, and to have a big farewell to Ryan. (which btw, he got news that he didn't have to go after all. which disappointed him but made the rest of the family super happy!!) Here's some pictures from that get together.

All the cousins, (except for D.J)
Kade, Sammie holding Reece, Jayden, Lauren, Rylee holding Lucas and Ella, Carson, Lincoln, and Evan. So many little boys!!



Sammie and Rylee holding Lucas and Reece. (Lucas is in the stripes while our little Reeces Pieces is in the green). Little newborn babies are just the sweetest and they bring out the tenderness in just about everyone who holds them.

We had dinner and entertainment while we were there. Kade sang to us in a twang reminiscent of Johny Cash. He sang us songs of Thomas the Train. It was so cute!


Accepting his applause:


It was just fun to hang out with family. I love Chad's family and all the love that they have and share generously.

Grandma Nancy playing with Evan and Ella.

Don't mess with Jayden when he hasn't had his nap! He'll bust a cap on you! (from his cap gun :) )

No, really. All Chad said was "Hi Jayden." I swear I heard Jayden reply "Are you talkin' ta me?"

"I don't see anyone else here..." We love Jayden!! He sure is a cute kid.


Our cute little Reeces pieces is so cute! I can't get enough of him! He makes the cutest facial expressions. I love this kid! And I love it when he stretches!



It was cute to watch all the little ones play. I remember when Chad and I first got married, there was only Sam, Rylee and DJ. And they were 6,4, and 2. Now there is a house full of children, mostly little boys, whenever we get together. Lots of noise and chaos. I love it!





And even though we love any excuss to get together with our family, we really are so happy that the main reason..Ryan deploying to Afghanistan...no longer exists. We love Ryan and we want him to be safe. Even if he is disappointed, we are all relieved.


It was so fun to see the newest little cousins side by side. Reece was born on May 11th and Lucas was born on May 20th. I love that I got to share this whole pregnancy experience with Kari. She is such a special person with so much capacity to love. She has always shown me that love and kindness. She is such a cute little mommy to her little guys, Lincoln and Lucas.

(just keep in mind when looking at this picture, I just had a baby..I am working on getting all tight and toned again..I will get there!! This was taken just weeks after Reece was born, so...that is my excuse.)
We thought it would be fun to take a picture with Traci and her little girl Ella who is 9 months old. It is crazy just how much bigger Ella is, and yet, they are so close in age.


It'll be fun to see these little ones grow. And we all know that these little babies grow so fast!! Reece already looks like a different little baby then he did just 2 weeks ago. And I know that as I am watching my little kiddos grow, I am going to have a whole village of a family out there watching and cheering us on as well.