What have we been up to the past few weeks?

Enjoying a hot day at the zoo.
Catching up on sleep.
Dancing at an outdoor concert.
Giggling.
And SMILING!

Another new addition to our family...

And this time it's a boy!



Congratulations to Kaethe's sister Kara on her engagement to our favorite football coach Josh. We made a quick impromptu trip to Berrien Springs to celebrate with them. Good thing the girls have flower girl headpieces ready to go!

God's Own Child: Carrigan Grace Ward

Our littlest girl was baptized at Our Savior Lutheran Church, on July 26. We were so glad to be able to welcome her into our church family here at such a young age. Our friends Rob and Tina Stevens are her godparents and their children Matthew and Sarah also stood with Mali and Brinnly by the font as Pastor Fleming performed the baptism. We were also blessed to have only a short drive for our families to be able to join us for the special day.




God's own child, I gladly say it:
I am baptized into Christ!
He, because I could not pay it,
Gave my full redemption price.
Do I need earth's treasure many?
I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free
Lasting to eternity!
(quoted from Lutheran Service Book)

July 2008-July 2009

One year ago this week we moved from Pittsburgh back home to Michigan. What a year--complete with ups and downs. Just look how our family has changed!
We are so blessed to be starting this next year on such a positive note.

Carrigan Grace in pictures

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Surrounded by pink...

We joyfully welcomed Carrigan Grace Ward into the world today at 1:58 am. She weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz and is 19 inches long. Her labor and delivery were about as perfect as we could have hoped and she is a delightfully content little girl. Both grandmas were there to meet her shortly after her birth and her big sisters gave their approval later this morning. We are all doing well, although Jonathan is already concerned about paying for all the future weddings.

Pictures and more updates to follow. Thank you all for your kind thoughts, support, and prayers.

We're at the Hospital waiting for the Baby!

After a brief stay at St. Mary's Hospital, we're now at Butterworth Hospital and the baby will be here soon! Both grandma's are here and Aunt Kara is with the girls. Stay tuned!

Passing the time

Four days to go

We are less than a week away from D-day (that would be due date, not that any of our kids have ever followed one of those) so here is the latest. Everyone is healthy, getting excited, and overall prepared for Baby #3's arrival. At our ultrasound last week, the baby was measuring a little small, but a non-stress test this week confirmed that the heart rate is strong and every other indication is good. I am in the earliest stages of labor (which could go on for weeks) which means that when the baby does arrive, it will most likely happen quickly. Or so my midwife promises. We have plans in place for the girls whenever that will happen and we keep bringing out the baby name book in between times as we are not totally settled on a name for a girl or a boy. Our next appointment is Monday, July 20th and we hope to have some more updates by that time. Until then, here are a few pictures of the girls and their friends Maddy and Marshall today. Brinnly seems to have recovered from her initial jealousy of being replaced as the baby in the group when he was born.

Fourth, Fireworks, & Friends

Ward Cam Updated

Even more pictures under the heading on the right!

Showering Bride-to-be Amber

Jonathan's sister, Amber, only has a few more weeks until her wedding day, so Deni and I decided that a shower was a must-have. We feasted on yummy desserts (strawberry cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, and chocolate chip cookies) and scrap- booked a newlywed recipe book instead of playing shower games. Fun was had all around. And now we can't wait for the big day!

Third Birthday Bash

A few quick shots from Vacation Bible School, Silver Beach, and her family pool party.

Speaking of kids and bedrooms...

Look how my handy husband painted the kids' room! We finished hanging everything yesterday. And yes, that is the exact same yellow that was in our old house. Living room AND kids' room there. We just can't get enough of that Yukon Gold by Pittsburgh Paints.

Two Big Girls

Our camera is suffering from toddler-overload so these are a few weeks late. (And many thanks to Aunt Kara and Grandma Deni for providing use from their cameras until our new charger arrives). But...in order to get ready for the new baby, we moved Mali into a big girl bed a while ago. Complete with an orange comforter, of course. She did great with it but the her little roommate did not. Every night we would have to tuck Brinnly into Mali's bed to sing to her and then she would cry when we moved her into her crib. So we decided to make the move for her too nad now she is in her very own toddler bed. It is borrowed from friends that only have boys, so it is blue, but a pink butterfly quilt on it made it perfect for her. And now "Baby Sprinkes" has the choice of two cribs.

37 Weeks...and now we're in July