Arctic Blast 2008!!

Robert is loving this snow! We had fun yesterday playing outside in the snow with Dolly and Kirby. I'm sure glad I bought those snow pants and boots for Robert last month. I just knew we would need them at some point. The hardest part about the snow is getting Robert to come inside. I think he could stay out there all day! Today, I had to entice him with fish crackers and lunch.

Here's Dad helping with boots...
Makin' a snowball!
Crazy dogs!!
Mom's in the background trying to find a dog poop. We could smell it, but I couldn't see it! And Robert was saying "Pooooo"
Could there be a happier little boy??

Random Pics

Here's a few random pictures for all of my blog fans out there...

We'll start with a cute one of Robert. Check out those eyelashes!!
Halloween was kind of a bust at our house. Robert only wore his Elmo costume for five minutes and he refused to put the hood up. Stephen was having a crying fit when I put him in his whoopie cushion costume. And the light was just horrible. Oh well, maybe next year the boys will cooperate and Mom will get a good picture.

Here is little Stephen after his first bath. Oops. It was actually his second bath. I didn't think to get the camera for the first one. But he sure is cute!

Here's what his cute little blonde hair looks like after a bath. All fluffy!

Here's his first bottle.
Awwwww.... Boys getting some hugs from Crissy!

Big and little brother...

I didn't make it to Month Nine!!!

Well, here he is! Stephen Hunter Till joined our family at 8:47 a.m. on October 14. He was 21 1/4 inches long and a whopping 9 pounds, 7 ounces.

At about 4:30 that morning, I woke up and thought I just had to pee.... but as soon as I got up, my water broke and the birthday party was starting!! Gary's mom rushed over to stay at the house with Robert, while Gary and I finished packing our hospital bag. We arrived at the hospital to find that we were one of many also having a baby near the full moon. All of the birthing rooms at the hospital were full, so we were taken to a triage room first. We anxiously made phone calls and got ready for surgery. Gary still hadn't shaved his beard or gotten a haircut from his hunting trip, so he looked like sasquatch all dressed up in scrubs. The c-section went smoothly, and I was a lot more mentally prepared for it than I was with Robert!! Gary came in to hold my hand and take pictures and after a very short time, I heard Stephen's first cries. Which of course made me cry. It seemed like forever before they got him cleaned up and Gary could bring him over for me to see. What a cutie! And blonde hair!! Weird.

After getting stitched up, they took me back to my room to recover. We had to have an overflow room, since all the birthing center rooms were full! We soon discovered that Stephen is completely different than Robert was! He sleeps! We stayed at the hospital until Friday. Coming home was nice, but I really miss that hospital bed. Our big, giant, soft bed is really hard to get in and out of. But hopefully I will heal quickly and not have to deal with that for too long. Stephen has been eating well and sleeping great at night (and during the day).

So, that's it for now! Here's some pictures to enjoy....

Consider this one my "Official Month Nine Photo"

Fresh from the oven

Meeting big brother Robert

Official Month Eight Pregnancy Photo!

Dang! There's still a beached whale living at my house, and it's still ME! There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however. I have a date for my scheduled c-section of October 22. So at least I don't have to wonder anymore. A little less than three weeks, and he'll be here! And, yes, he finally has a name, but no, I'm not going to say it here!!

My feet are like giant potatoes, but I had a lovely "spa day" for my birthday and got a pedicure. So at least my toenails are cute now.

Hopefully, the next pictures I post here will be BABY pictures, because I'm tired of looking at beached whale photos too!

Official Month Seven Pregnancy Photo!

Oh my! Is that a beached whale or just pregnant Colleen?? I can't tell. I'm way behind posting this, but actually took it at the proper "Month Seven" date. And yes, it's almost "Month Eight" and I am even huger. And I don't care that "huge-er" isn't a word! I am getting quite miserable and can't put regular shoes on anymore. I pretty much gave up on housecleaning and completely gave up on my vegetable garden. I've gotten Robert to help a little by picking up his toys. Now if I could just get Gary to pick up his toys...

State Fair Fun!

We went with Gary's Mom to the State Fair on Sunday. I always love the fair! Robert had fun, but refused to walk with us... we had to strap him in the stroller most of the time! Stubborn little guy. He got to see fish, Smokey Bear, the Beaver from State Parks, and lots of farm animals!! I think his favorite part was the petting zoo. He got to see and pet deer, a donkey, a chicken, and lots of goats! He ate all kinds of greasy, yummy fair food - curly fries, corn dog, and ice cream of course! I wanted to see if he'd ride any rides, but we didn't have enough time and my pregnant feet were hurting and swollen. Maybe next year!

Baby Shower!

Here's a few pics of my baby shower!! I'm overdue for my month 7 pregnancy photo; I'll try to remember to have Gary take my picture tomorrow (definitely not dressed for it today!) The shower was lots of fun and I got lots of great stuff for my new little boy!

More camping!

Last weekend, we went to Trillium Lake. We had lots of fun even though it was a little drizzly and cold on Saturday. Camping is getting harder and harder as my belly gets bigger, so we're probably about done with it for this summer. Here's some fun pics!

Robert and Dad with rubber ducks on their heads.....

Oh no!!! A wiener dog is attacking my son!!!

Kirby fell asleep on Robert's chair. I love that his tongue was sticking out while he was sleeping!

Camping at the beach!

We went camping with friends for a weekend at the beach, and with all the kiddos around, Robert had a ball! We hiked from the campground to the beach (about a mile) and Kirby and I were freaking exhausted. (Everyone else did just fine, and Robert was in a backpack on Dad's back, so he cheated.) Kirby was so tired that when we got there he went to sleep in my backpack, where he stayed until we got back to camp. I missed out on all the cocktails, but I'll just have to make up for that next year! Another fun camping trip!

We went to the Metolius this last weekend, but unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera battery before we left. It was a real bummer, because we saw some gorgeous scenery!

Official Month Six Pregnancy Photo!

Three more months to go, and I already am tired of being pregnant again. And just tired. Ugh. We've been on the go constantly camping almost every weekend, and I love the camping part, but I hate all the laundry and cleaning and packing and unpacking. Where's my damn housekeeper??

Kirby!

After YEARS of waiting, I finally have a wiener dog!! His name is Kirby and I brought him home last Friday. He is doing very well in his new home and is adjusting to life with Dolly, Robert, and Daisy! Here's when he met Daisy for the first time...

She's gotten better, but still hisses at him if he trots over to her wanting to play. She swatted him good on the nose with her claws, and I think he is learning to keep his distance!

Robert in the Pool!

I love how serious he is about putting his flip-flop on.

He liked filling up his bucket and dumping it out on his feet (and Mom's feet).
And of course, who can resist such a cutie? Even if he was all wet and my pants were dry. He has such a fun time swimming in his pool, but doesn't yet know the difference between swimming suit and regular clothes... if you go outside to play on the swing or something else dry, he still heads straight for the pool and plops down in it. No matter what he's wearing! Oh, and Dolly thinks the pool is a giant water bowl. She loves it.

Official Month Five Pregnancy Photo!

We got to take the "Month Five" pictures on the beach! We went to Bullards Beach State Park to celebrate our fourth anniversary. We had lots of fun and finally some beautiful weather. Robert had lots of fun with buckets and shovels on the beach and Dolly went swimming in the ocean. It was a mile long hike to the beach, but I waddled at my own pace and made it just fine.

Havin' fun with my friend Frances!

I swear Crissy and I did not talk about their outfits before seeing each other that day! Pure coincidence and we must have been on the same wavelength that day. But, Crissy and I are often on the same wavelength, so it doesn't surprise me!

Doesn't Robert look cute in Frances' pink hat?? He's so comfortable in his manhood, he can wear anything!

This picture cracks me up. Poor Frances has a HUGE weight on her lap and Robert the gentleman doesn't care!

The results are in!!

There was only one person who voted in my poll, and they were right!! It's a boy!! Sorry I don't have the ultrasound pictures in electronic format, so I can't post the proof pictures. But there's NO doubt it's a boy. :)

Robert can drink from a "big boy" cup!

And here's the milk mustache to prove it!! He's getting pretty good at this if you just give him a tiny bit of liquid and watch him like a hawk. Unfortunately, Gary taught him how to wipe off his face on his shirt. Great. Thanks for the bad habits, Dad. So if you see Robert with a big stain on his front, you'll know why!

Official Month Four Pregnancy Photo!

I know, I'm WAY late posting this picture! But this was me at about four months plus a week or so. I'm feeling good and have lots of energy back for chasing after Robert! We go to the doctor tomorrow for the 20-week ultrasound and if the baby cooperates, we'll know whether it's a boy or girl! Be sure to vote what you think it is in the upper right-hand corner of this blog!

Memorial Day Camping

We had so much fun on our first camping trip of the season! Robert had lots of fun playing in the mud with trucks and his friend Eli. He also enjoyed climbing on everyone's four-wheelers and wearing various helmets. He was completely happy and content sitting on a four-wheeler wearing a helmet and holding a football. I think he might just be a BOY!!

Dolly also had lots of fun swimming in the creek, eating other people's garbage, playing with the other dogs, and generally running wild. She sure did stink on the way home. Yuck.

Picnic in the park

It's taken forever for me to post these on here, but these are from when we went to Riverfront park with our friends! We had lots of fun playing and Robert definitely did not want to stop playing on the slide. And Crissy only dropped Robert on his head once. :)