Birthday Blessings

Last night we celebrated my dad's 56 birthday. I had called him to come in and "eat birthday cake" with us, but we really had planned a pizza party and cinnamon rolls, complete with a surprise visit from my sister, Tarquin, and Baby Jayden.

 We are loud. And rambunctious. And some of us make inappropriate body noises while trying to take pictures. Some of us whine about pictures. Some of us don't know how to work cameras.  But together...we are US.

Everything is better with a birthday candle!!

My parents and their GRAND-blessings

Sometimes it takes us a few tries to get a decent picture:


 

 

But eventually we get something decent!

My siblings and our children, with my dad. This picture makes me laugh every stinking time I look at it. We did get a good picture, but I love this one. 

And here is the whole lot, minus my mom, who was taking the picture.

=)

Little Baby Jayden

Our hearts are overflowing with joy this week! Tuesday my sister brought a 7lb 7oz, 20 1/2 inch long, ADORABLE little guy into the world.

 Michelle brought Jayden Michael into this world at 9:00pm, with my mom and Tarquin by her side, and the aunties and other family waiting patiently in the hallway, SHUSHING ANYONE who was making too much noise and causing us not to be able to hear what was going on behind that door! All I had been was excited. I hadn't really thought about watching her be in the pain. That part was hard for me and I'm pretty sure she needs a superwoman cape!  I think she's amazing.





She had a really long and very slow labor. Her Dr said she sure wouldn't have won any races, but she got the job done anyway.



The hospital and her dr were amazing. She wasn't strapped to a monitor. She was free to move around and eat as she needed. Her Dr came in at times between his patients, just to feel her belly and to see how we were all doing.  I asked him how many babies he had delivered and he told me that after 3,000 he had lost track.  He was the perfect cross of the dr that delivered Tristen, and an old beloved dr we had here in town for years and years and we immediately felt at ease and trusted him. And I KNOW NOW why my sister chose to deliver there.

 

He's beautiful and perfect and tiny and smells like Heaven. I always forget what an absolute miracle  new babies are. And the fact that a human body can grow and then bring a new life into the world is just..well, a miracle! The entire thing is a miracle.