Two Years.

Today is our second anniversary, and we are celebrating it on Coronado Island, the same exact spot we got married two years ago. We have had lots of fun reminiscing about the events that took place leading up to the big event, looking back, it was quite hectic, but an absolute blast.

Dave had rented a fabulous room at the Del the night before the wedding and the wedding night. Maggie spent the night with me there before the wedding. She was about 28 weeks pregnant with Anna. She woke up the morning of the wedding before me and returned with Isaac who was 2 1/2 at the time. I remember him climbing into bed with me and giving me a great big hug. Maggie said "today is Suzie's wedding day, its kind of like a birthday, so wish her a happy wedding day". He looked at me with those big blue eyes and that mop of blonde hair and said "Happy Wedding Day, Suz!". What a sweet memory.

Many of our close friends and family were able to join us on that special day. We had a wonderful ceremony, short cocktail hour on the beach, and a fun reception. The weather was amazing, we attributed that to Dave's sister, Julie, who we know was looking down upon us with smiling eyes. Today is so much like that day, the sun is shining, the temperature is a perfect 73 degrees, and we feel Julie's presence once again. We speak fondly and frequently of how much Julie would have loved Coronado Island, and of course, our little Sullivan.

We have had a great two years, and are looking forward to the many that lie ahead.

September 25, 2010

Mama and Sullivan with anniversary flowers from daddy.

Daddy rocking Sully to sleep. That's our wedding beach :)!

27 Hours Away

I had my first official get away from Sullivan this weekend. My high school girlfriends arranged a weekend get-together in Omaha, NE, and because Dave was on call, I could only go for Saturday day and night, but I had a blast.

I arrived in time to meet the ladies for pedicures, then basically spent the rest of the day eating and enjoying some freedom (although I was still tied down to my breast pump about every 3-4 hours). We had sushi in the Old Market, and then basically bar hopped until close to 1am. I cant remember the last time I was out until 1am! It was a blast, we met some fun people, did some fun things, then returned to the hotel room to pig out on unhealthy food, pump, and sleep. 8am came way too early and we were on the road by 9:30.

Due to Dave's work schedule, Lauren came to watch Sully this morning until I got home, which was fabulous. He was in good hands and napping when I got home. I was so excited to see him when he woke up, he was a bit groggy, but gave me the most awesome 'welcome back, mommy' smile I could ask for. We talked for a little bit, he had lunch, then fell back to sleep with me for about 2 hours. That was just what this mama needed to get through the rest of the day and night with Dave on call. Sully and daddy did great yesterday and last night on their own. It was good for all of us. Its amazing how rejuvenating 27 hours away can be. It was great to go, and great to return.

Thanks, Dave, Lauren, and to all of my high school girlfriends for a wonderful weekend, I cant wait for the next one!

Jamie, me, Nicki, Maggie, Karla, Beth, Sarah and Sonia

Jamie and I at Blue.

Character drawing of the group, funny for so many different reasons.

Meanwhile, back in Sioux Falls... :)

This was last weekend...for some reason I forgot to publish the post...

Going Against the Grain

He did it!

I have been anxious for Sullivan to roll over for the past couple of weeks. I have been putting him on his tummy several times each day and he gets so mad. He looks up and around and does great for about 2 minutes before becoming frustrated, and if you know how Dave and I have been parenting, you know we are not very good about letting him cry :). He is definitely a first baby, it seems his needs are met before he even realizes he has them, this will probably come back to bite us in the end, oh well!

Back to the point, I had been reading about how babies generally roll from tummy to back before doing the opposite, which is what we were working for, however, Sully had a different agenda. We returned to Coronado after a busy day in San Diego, we spent the morning shopping followed by lunch at the Prado in Balboa Park, and then a tour of The Air and Space Museum for Sully and daddy. I immediately put him down on the floor when we got to the condo. I knew he would love to stretch and kick on his own after being carried for most of the day. I started to get some laundry ready when Dave yelled to me to come out and see what he had done. Sure enough, he rolled from his back to his tummy... then got stuck. So, we are half way there, we just need to figure our the rest. Until then, we are so proud of our little roller :).

Sullivan, post roll

Tummy Time

Sullivan has been practicing his tummy time lately, we are anticipating a roll over so we can put him on his tummy to sleep, since that seems to be his magical sleeping position. He has been a total ham lately, as soon as I put him down (on his back) and start talking to him, he pulls his legs up and starts chatting. Although he is not laughing yet, he is so close. His little eyes twinkle with delight.

He is not a huge fan of tummy time, but does tolerate it for short periods of time. He actually rolled from his back to his tummy tonight when I was lying on the bed with him, although Im not sure if my weight on the bed helped him over, so its not official yet. I took this photo when he was practicing, just before he got super mad at me, and I love everything about it. My only dilemma is that I have too many favorite photos, Harolds Photo is making a killing on this first time mom :). Oh well!

Love is all you need.

Movers and Shakers

We have had lots of movement this past week. We moved Grandma Helen to All Saints, and Kyle and Amy moved back to Sioux Falls from Valentine, NE.

We had been toying with the idea of moving Helen closer to us for some time, she had been at The Inn at Westport in their memory unit and we were happy with the care, but thought we would all benefit if she were closer. We knew if she were closer we would see her more often, and so far our theory has been correct. We moved her to Touchmark All Saints on Friday. Dave has been over to see her daily this week, and most times Sullivan has gone along, which completely makes Helen's day. Sully loves her so much, she has the perfect voice and words to get him to smile, which is great for all of us.  Unfortunately the move has confused her a bit, we are anxious for her to settle in and feel more at home.

Amy and Kyle also moved back, Kyle is working for The Prairie Club and spent the summer there, but will now be able to do the same work from here. Amy will be working as a substitute teacher at Sioux Falls Christian and hopes to find something full time next year. We had a 'welcome home' bbq here on Sunday with the whole family, which was really nice. It will be great to spend more time with them.

On a less exciting note, Sarah went back to college up in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. We all miss her, and are thankful this is her last year, so she can get back for good :). We are hoping she has a great year, and it flies by.

Sullivan and Grandma Helen in her new apartment.

Welcome home, Amy and Kyle!

Happy (very belated) 17th, Matt (with Cassandra)! 

"Its great that you are so happy."

As I do day to day chores around here, I catch myself thinking of things and remembering certain instances, and today one in particular crossed my mind. I wanted to get it in writing, so it wouldn't fade away like so many memories do.

I was on our return flight from Seattle and was lucky enough to be bumped to first class (ok, so Dave was actually the one bumped because of frequent flier miles, but being the guy he is, he gave the seat to Sully and I). It was wonderful, we had plenty of space, and Sully enjoyed that he was able to stretch out in the window seat.

I was sitting next to a man named Randy, he works for FedEx and was traveling on business. He is a former NFL player and was a very talkative man, and very friendly. He was asking all about Sullivan and our lives. I was deep in conversation when Dave came up to see if I needed any relief from Sully. They quickly exchanged a few words before Dave got kicked back to coach, and we resumed talking. Shortly after Dave left, he looked at Sully and I and made a simple comment that has stuck with me ever since, he said, "Its great that you are so happy." It was only a few words, but it was spot on. I am so lucky to be blessed with a great family, a stellar husband, and a good baby.

Jesus Loves Sullivan

Sullivan was Baptized today!

We had a nice service at Westminster Presbyterian Church with Pastor Val presiding. Sullivan had lots of family present to support him on his special day. He wore the same baptism gown that his aunt Maggie and his cousin Isaac wore on their baptism days. Sully was a super good boy, he got a bit emotional when the water first hit his forehead, but seemed to shake it off and do just fine. He is lucky to have Maggie and Jeff as his sponsors.

We had brunch at Spezia with friends and family following the service. He did very well there, too. He had a quick lunch when we arrived and then pretty much snoozed through the rest of it.

All in all it was a great day.

Happy Baptism Day! 

Chatting with Pastor Val.

Sullivan with his sponsors and parents.

Sullivan is loved by so many, such a lucky boy :).

Grandma Mary doting on Sully.

Sullivan and his cake.