Crazy Weekend and Baptism

http://www.slide.com/r/AsTuZcfE0j8AUkakug3QrbeK2PqOdfjc?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original


This weekend was a bit of a whirwind...I'm NOT ready to go back to work tomorrow! Saturday we all headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Frego's house for another Michigan game (they lost again!). I think we've all decided to stop caring about the game and put more effort into our food because once again, we had a serious spread of snacks (potato skins, BBQ sausages, taco dip, veggies, cheese/cracker tray, etc.) To top it all off, Grandma bought a Captain Sundae icecream cake for dad's birthday! Happy 58th birthday pops! We all bought him a really nice fish fillet knife which I'm sure he'll put to good use next summer.

Then today, Carter and Owen were baptised at church and we had a nice luncheon afterwards at our church with both families. The boys both looked so cute in their knit outfits. I've included lots of pictures in the slideshow. Luckily both boys (and Sam and Mya) were super good the whole time! After the boys were baptised, Brian played his guitar and sang a solo called "Find Your Wings" by Mark Harris. It was really special and the words perfectly articulate how I feel in my heart about my boys and Owen and Mya too.

Verse 1
It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray for all that you might do
But most of all I want to know that you're walkin' in the truth
And if I never told you, I want you to know
That as I watch you grow...

Chorus
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings

Verse 2
May passion be the wind that leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong and guide you on your way
May there be many moments that make your life so sweet
Oh but more than memories...

Chorus again

Bridge
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off, but I'll cheer as you fly...

Chorus again

After the baptism/luncheon, I had a hour "break" and then Mom, Jen and I headed to Grandma K.'s house for a baby shower for Katy, the wife of my cousin Bryan. We had fun playing a bunch of shower games and then had MORE delicious food to eat. (obviously I'm not losing any of that post-baby weight due to all the parties lately!) Katy got a lot of nice gifts and we had a good time chatting about all our babies. The Kraker family has 3 babies due in the next 6 months! What a fun and crazy time in all our lives! Sometimes it seems so hectic, but I'm trying to remember to enjoy this season in my life and remember the words of the old adage that "they're only little once".

Maybe the last great weekend?

What a fabulous fall afternoon! Even though our Wolverines stink this year, we still had a good time at Grandma and Grandpa Frego's house enjoying family and food. The cousins, Carter and Owen wore their new Michigan outifts and Jen and I took lots of cute pics!

I love this one...kinda looks like Owen is whispering a secret to Carter!

I can just picture them as little old men some day, still hanging out together on a Saturday... watching football and drinkin' Natty Lights!

These are pretty typical pictures of Brian and Jon...sleeping through half time and the 3rd quarter.

After the game, we couldn't resist enjoying one last evening outside...the weather was so fabulous and I doubt it's going to be this warm again for a long time. :( Sam played in the yard collecting worms and got nice and dirty while Brian jimmy rigged a TV out to the deck! Later we roasted marshmallows and then put the kids to bed. Brian is STILL currently out on the deck in all his glory...watching football by a fire while drinking a cold one. :)

Baby Talk

Carter is really starting to interact and make the cuteset cooing noises. This video shows him "talking" with Brian. He just lights up when he hears his daddy's voice and gets so excited, causing Brian to turn into a babbling softy. I love how a baby can have that kind of effect on a man. So sweet.

Carter's 2 month checkup

Well, after pulling an accidental "no show" to his first appointment, I finally got Carter to his 2 month checkup...now that he's already 11 weeks old. Oops! Anyhow, he was his usual happy self and smiled at the nurses and doctor the whole time until they shoved 3 big needles into his thighs for his first round of immunizations. Poor little guy...he balled pretty hard and then promptly fell asleep. He weighed 11 pounds, 10 ounces and was 23 inches long. These stats along with his head circumfrence were all in the 25th percentile. Brian was not happy about the height percentile ("darn those Frego genes!"). I, on the other hand, was REALLY pumped that he has a little peanut head, especially after dealing with Sam's big melon and fighting with him for the first 2 years to get a shirt over his head! All in all, I'm just glad Carter is healthy and happy!

2 months old

Seriously...where does time go? My baby is already over 2 months old! Life with 2 kids is a lot more hectic, but we sure do love this little guy. Carter is a very good baby (keeping my fingers crossed) and usually quite happy. He smiles easily and likes to coo a lot and is even starting to giggle a little. He doesn't cry too often, and even when he does, it's not a very loud cry and sometimes we don't hear him until he gets really worked up. He's starting to sleep for longer periods of time, so mama is enjoying the extra sleep. He typically falls asleep around 8 or 9 and then I feed him again between 10-11 before I go to bed and he sleeps until around 3:30-4:30 (5:15 this morning!!but I'm not holding my breath). Unfortunately, he thinks it's time to wake up at 6:30 every morning, and as anyone who knows me can attest to...I don't do mornings! So, I do my best to cuddle with him in bed and try to help him fall back to sleep. Usually he falls asleep about the same time that Sam is waking up! Luckily our bedroom is next to the livingroom so my very independent 4 year old lets mommy get some extra sleep while he watches good ole' PBS and eats goldfish crackers. :) Currently, Carter's eyes are blue! Brown eyes dominate my family, so I'm so curious to see if his will stay blue or not. Brian and my Grandpa Frego are rooting hard for those baby blues to stay. Alot of people are commenting that he's looking more and more like Brian too. I still see a lot of similarities between the boy's baby pictures, but if those eyes stay blue, then I think he'll probably look like his very handsome daddy. :)

He's not a real cubby baby, but you just gotta love those sweet baby rolls. I estimate that he now weighs over 11 pounds.

I adore watching him sleep...so precious.

Sam is such a good big brother. I can't wait to see these two interact as Carter gets older, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have my hands full with two boys!

A healthy happy heart!

Today Samuel had a check up appointment with his cardiologist, Dr. Lee (one of the most fabulous, genuine men I know). After a 30 minute ultrasound, Dr. Lee commented that "Samuel is truly amazing!" He had me in tears as he explained that it has been a "pleasure" for him to watch Samuel grow up and basically defy all the odds that were stacked against him at birth. We thank God for leading us to Dr. Lee and Dr. Bove (the surgeon at U of M) that have been instrumental in repairing Sam's heart and allowing him to be the carefree and VERY ACTIVE little boy that he is today. We honestly never expected him to be so full of life and I have to constantly remind myself that his energy is a huge blessing. In addition, Sam's blood/oxygen saturation levels were holding strong at 97% (as I've mentioned before, after his last surgery, the doctor's said is would be good if he could hit 90%). Again, God has been so good to us! To celebrate the great report, Sam and I stopped by the Meijer gas station for a big ole' donut. Am I a good mom or what?! :)

1st Day of Preschool

My handsome little man had his first day of preschool today. Where does time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was my baby and now he's all grown up with a big boy backpack ready to go to school! It was a very bittersweet day. I knows he's ready for it all, but am I?

Samuel was very excited about his first day of preschool, but mostly because his daddy got to attend as the parent helper. I have to admit, I was a bit jealous that he got to go rather than me, but I'm so glad that Sam has such a great daddy to look up to. He thinks the world of Brian and mimicks his every move (scary!).

Here's Sam getting ready to walk in the doors of his preschool classroom. He's so darn cute with that big boy backpack!

Here's Sam with his teacher "Miss Deb". His name was chosen to help with an activity requiring him to dress a felt doll in the appropriate clothes for today's weather. Apparently he was quite shy and not at all excited about all eyes being on him in front of the entire class (hum, wonder who he gets that from?)! Eventually, with the help of Super Dad, he warmed up and did a great job!

Feeling more in his element, Sam had a great time meeting new friends at "playtime".

Overall, it was a good first day and Sam says he wants to go back again on Friday.

I guess it's the beginning of the end and I'm going to have to learn to just let go...

Easier said than done.