EJC

Sometimes it is hard to post every single picture I take of Ethan, so I decided that slide shows are the best way to share more pictures, quicker. This particular slide show is just some pictures of him over the last couple of months. He's just growing and I can't believe he's already nearly 7 months old! Enjoy!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Constant Work in Progress

We have been working on the outside of our house, and it is really shaping up. We have pulled up some shrubs, planted flowers, bought a bench for the front porch, got a new roof, replaced the garage door, and are in the process of painting the trim and front door. The trim on the house was green and white (yuck!), and I've been wanting to paint it since we moved in but last year we were busy with the pregnancy and the loss of Daddy. We are painting the trim chocolate brown and khaki. The shrubs in the front of the house were ugly and just caught trash, so now pretty flowers are in their place. The roof was damaged by a hail storm last year, so we replaced it with a dark brown roof, and it looks awesome. The garage door was the original one from when the house was built, and it was literally crumbling at the bottom, so we replaced it with a khaki/beigh one that matches the underneath part of the trim. There was a really ugly, really big, plastic garden hose reel on the front of the house that we replaced with a wrought iron one. And, finally, the front door will be painted RED, but we haven't gotten to that yet. Pictures...

Front of house - Thanksgiving 2008, before any work was started:

Front of house after we pulled up shrubs, planted flowers, put the bench on the front porch, and replaced the garden hose holder:

House with brown and khaki trim (ignore the green garage door!):

Front of house with new, dark brown roof (again, ignore the green garage door):

And, finally, pictures of the front with the new garage door!:

Hopefully, we can finish up this weekend; I'm ready for my red front door! When we get that done, I think we'll be through with it for this year. We've done a lot of work, and the house looks so much better and we are so proud of it!

Asher is here, safe and sound!

James Asher Shields (they will call him Asher) arrived Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at 2:51 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. He is beautiful and absolutely perfect!! He has LOTS of blonde hair and blue eyes. Mom, Dad and baby are all doing really well. Everybody is healthy and happy, and big brother Reese can't wait for them to bring his new little brother home! We are so blessed...

God is good

Tomorrow, my family will be blessed yet again with a new life and member. I can't believe my little brother is going to be a dad tomorrow. Amazing. I can't wait to see this role fulfilled in Bub's life. He is going to be an awesome father. We are very excited and anxious for their little bundle to get here, but it's hard to believe it's already time! It seems like just yesterday they called to share their news. My mom, Ethan and I will be headed to Lubbock in the morning to await the arrival of Baby Shields. Please keep Stormy, Bub, Reese, baby, and all the doctors and nurses involved in the delivery tomorrow in your prayers. We pray for healthy baby and healthy mommy!!! I'll post pics as soon as I'm able. Yay!!!!!!!!!!

Growing Boy!

Ethan had his 6-month check-up today. He weighed in at 17 pounds 10 ounces (50th percentile) and was 27 inches long (75th percentile). He is a happy, HEALTHY, growing boy!!

Big Boy Bath!

Ethan loves bath time! Even more so now that he has graduated to the big people tub! I was able to snap a couple of pictures the other day when I was giving him a bath. So cute!!!

6 Months...Already!?!?

My little man is 6 months old today! W.O.W. is all I can say. I can't believe how much he has blessed my life in the last 1/2 year - these little humans are quite amazing!!! I look forward to many, many, many more months with him! Happy 6 months, my little ray of sunshine! I love you to the moon and back!

I survived...

Wow, I can't believe it has been a year since my Daddy passed away. May 30th was the day, actually. It was a very rough week because his birthday was on the 24th, and he would have been 60. I so wish he would have been here to celebrate with us. As hard as you try to make everything stop, time and life keep passing. As I reflect on the 28 wonderful years I shared with my dad, so many wonderful memories come to my mind. I cherish those memories and visit them often. I had the most wonderful father a child could ask for. He was kind, patient, supportive, loving, caring. He was at every event my brother and I were involved in growing up, and I could see the pride and love he had for us. He had his faults, as does everybody, but being a father was his passion and what he did best. I can only hope he was proud of the people my brother and I have become, and I hope he realized while he was alive that without him and my mom, Bub and I wouldn't be near the people we are today, and that we were proud of him as our Dad.

I don't think it was much easier this year, as all the emotions from last year came flooding back, but I thank God everyday I have an amazing blessing and bright spot in my life, my Ethan. He has truly been a God-send in every sense and I can't imagine my life without that precious little boy. I miss my dad terribly, and I'm sad he's not here to share Ethan's life with me, but I know he's smiling on us and loving that baby from his seat in Heaven. With the arrival of my brother's son very, very near, my family is being tremendously blessed again with this new life. I'm so thankful my other nephew, Reese, was able to know my dad and he can share stories with Ethan and Bub's baby about their grandad. The last week in May will continue to be a somber week for me for many many years to come. I don't think it will ever get easier, but my life is being continuously blessed here on Earth. I'll always have a Daddy sized hole in my life, but I'm so very thankful for the wonderful years we had together and the memories we made. Those memories will be with me always. I love you and miss you, Daddy.