Lindsey's Blessing

On May 2, Lindsey received her baby blessing. It was a wonderful experience, and we are grateful to all who were able to show their love and support for our growing family!

The tassel's worth the hassle!

Although it has been four months since I technically graduated in December with my Bachelor's degree, the official graduation took place on April 30! It's pretty crazy to reflect on the seven years I've spent since I graduated high school. A life-changing mission in Indiana, marrying the love of my life, and two special spirits coming into the world later, here I am. During the ceremony, one of the speakers mentioned the stress he battled as a single guy working 20 hours a week while attending school. I guess that's why I appreciate this degree a little extra, as I've started a family and worked full-time, what a pansy! I guess it's time to start a new chapter, life after school (well, until I start my Masters).

Let me help you with that

We are finally starting to find a routine, now that Lindsey is coming up on two months. While there are times when Aiden may feel that Lindsey is hogging our attention, most of the time he is helping us take care of her and showing her the ropes. It's very rewarding as a parent to see your kids looking out for each other.

Giraffes and Camels and Elephants! Oh my!

June 2007

June 2009

April 2010

Our family loves the zoo! It all started on my first birthday when my parent's took me to the zoo and even videotaped it as evidence. To continue the tradition, Nicole and I went with my brother Richard the summer after we got married. We then took Aiden to the zoo for his first birthday. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time (thus the lack of pictures). On April 10, we decided to test fate and give it another go! The weather was perfect, and even though a lot of the animals were either sleeping or hiding, we had a blast!

Happy Belated Easter!

Even though Easter was April 4th, we still wanted to show proof of our cute kids gettin' all dressed up for the occasion! We were able to go have dinner with the great-grandparents (my Dad's parents), grandparents (my parents), aunt (my sister), and uncle (my brother)! Ok, that was probably too much information, but just appreciate the fact that there are pictures to go along with the amazing writing! More to come soon!

Home Sweet Home

After Lindsey was born on Monday, she and Nicole stayed in the hospital until Thursday afternoon. Dad got to juggle work, hospital visits, and taking care of Aiden...definitely gaining a better appreciation for Mommy!

Immediately after Lindsey was born, Lindsey's blood sugar was lower than normal, but after a couple hours of monitoring, she was fine. We think that Nicole's low blood sugar prior to the C-Section caused the same in Lindsey. The pediatrician noticed Lindsey was showing signs of jaundice, a common condition in premature babies which occurs when the liver can't remove bilirubin from the blood adequately. Consequently, we've been visiting the hospital to test her levels each morning to make sure it is improving. Other than dealing with jaundice and the fun (or lack thereof) of Nicole getting through the healing process, we are doing great!

Now that we are all home, the next adventure is getting into a new routine. Aiden is always wanting to be wherever his sister is, and loves her very much!

And then there were four!

Life has been absolutely crazy lately, but I wanted to put up a quick tribute to the newest member of our family: Lindsey Dawn! She is beautiful. She was born at 1:52 pm on Monday, weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 18 inches long. Her blood sugar was a little low at first, but after a couple hours of close monitoring, everything was ok! We are so excited to have her be here, and there will be much more to come on our growing family!

Ode to Food

I'm not sure if it's exploring the senses, teething, or being underfed, but Aiden sure loves to eat. Lately his passion has been yogurt. However, when it comes to sweets (or ribbon), he rarely discriminates, and is happy to take advantage of the times when his diabetic Mom needs some sugar. On top of that, he is always thinking ahead, leaving enough on his face to save for a later snack.

As shown by the last picture, he is preparing for marriage, as he knows that since he is the only one with dessert, he better be willing to share.

Three Amigos

Let's just say that 2008 was a busy year for the "Rudd" sisters. In June, Patrick and Aiden hit the scene, nine days apart. Not to be outdone, Abigail joined the family in December. Despite their parents, I think the trio are pretty much the cutest kids ever.

Patrick may fool you with his shyness, but is sweet and loving to the core. Abigail can hold her own and has an infectious smile. Aiden is full of life and enjoys being with his cousins.

It has been a treat having them be so close in age, and we look forward to watching them grow up together!

You're My Favorite Deputy!

We felt it was appropriate to introduce our firstborn child before his sister arrives and steals the spotlight. Meet Aiden. Aside from being photogenic (see Mother's Genetics), he is happy, loving, and friendly. Although you can't predict future intelligence on early learning (I was an early bloomer, enough said), Aiden is smart. Often times, Aiden is too smart. He definitely keeps Mom and Dad on their toes. Now if only he slept all the way through the night...

Oh yeah, and he loves Toy Story.

The Countdown...

Lookin' good at 36 weeks! In seven days, we will know the fate of the newest member of our family. On Monday, March 8, an amniocentisis will be performed at the hospital on our unborn child to tell whether or not her lungs are fully-developed. The doctor will then schedule a C-Section on either March 9 or March 16 (Both are Tuesdays, which must be the day of the C-Section. I guess they don't want to forget what kind of delivery to perform).
We are very excited for her arrival!

Here we go again!

Alright, I think we are feeling up to the task this time. All excuses aside, we are ready to roll. Nicole and I are going to give an update of the past few months or so, and then tackle a weekly or monthly update going forward. We can do it!