Wednesday, December 2, 2009

WHAT is new?

So, what's new in our life? To begin with, the girls were all baptised in accordance with the Roman Catholic tradition on November 14th. Ed and I were so happy. We are even happier that the party afterwards is over. I have really never thrown a party, so I didn't know what to expect. There were quite a few people, and it did get a little busy and confusing, but all in all I think I did a great job.
Here is a picture of the girls in their pretty white dresses:).
And if you look very closely in the next picture, you might be able to see the glimmer of Brynn's new tooth! That's right, my last baby got a tooth... and before you ask, yes she does use it on me when I nurse her, and no... it's not fun...

Just as Brynn's new tooth broke through, my other baby LOST a tooth! Abrya has now joined the 'BIG PEOPLE TEETH' club... or so they say:)
That is pretty much our life in a nutshell, stay tuned for Christmas, I know I'm ready;). Are you?


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Abrya is SIX:)

There she is, Abrya Gweneth Rittersdorf, just a day old in her proud Daddy's arms...

And because it is her birthday I will keep with tradition and write all about my one and only botched homebirth... she was my transport baby:).



Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, and much to my dismay, the 2003 holiday was the only year I had to miss the traditional turkey around the table to wait for my very late baby. Ed and I were certain she was going to make her appearance any time. We decided to go out for dinner on Thanksgiving, which let me tell you, is not an easy feat. We ended up at Perkin's and probably ate some of the worst food possible, but while we were there I started feeling a little crampy... crampy enough for me to have to stop and think about the cramps. I had a feeling that that night might be the night. Thanksgiving was the 27th that year. Anyway, by the time we had gotten our oldest daughter to sleep *ERIN:)* it was late. I layed down and tried to sleep but was woken up repeatedly by contractions. I knew that this had to be "IT." However, the contractions were kinda weak, so I knew I had some time. I didn't bother to tell Ed that I was in labor until 6 in the morning, and he literally JUMPED for JOY at the news (we were waiting for a LONG time for labor to start:)). Well, we called Laura, our midwife. She came out, but much to our dismay, labor was taking forever... and it kept starting for a few hours and stopping and starting again.... you get the picture... and it was INFURIATING! It wasn't until around 8:30 PM on the 28th that labor REALLY picked up for me.... and let me tell you, it was the worst labor I have had to date. The back pain was unbearable. I knew something had to be wrong because with my first labor things went so smoothly that I had no desire to really scream out in pain, but with this labor it was all I could do to breath between contractions. I was bawling and screaming out; I was certain something was wrong. My midwife kept telling me that the baby had her head in a transverse position and that we had to wait for her to turn her head. Hours went by, and by 11:30 PM I was at the end of my rope. Laura broke it down for me and let me know that I could wait a few more hours and see if she would turn her head and then go to the hospital, or I could go to the hospital right now... either way, I was way too far into my labor for the epidural so I would have to endure the back labor no matter where I went. We opted for the hospital as I was exhausted. Laura stayed with our oldest daughter who had fallen asleep and Eddie took me to the hospital which was only five minutes down the road. I remember everything in just pictures from then on out. I remember walking into the emergency room of the hospital, and the lobby was dead. The nurses were watching television. When they looked up and asked what was wrong, I stated as calmly as possible that I was in labor... "YOU'RE KIDDING!" The nurse exclaimed... To which I said back "DO I LOOK LIKE I'M KIDDING?" They got me in a wheel chair and before I knew it I was in a hospital bed in the emergency room. The doctor on call came in with an ultrasound, and put the wand on my belly. He noted that the baby had a transverse head also and said to me "I am sorry Tara, I know you wanted a natural birth, but this baby needs to be taken by c-section right now!" That's when things really got scary, because not only was I in so much pain, I was about to have a c-section, which was the last thing I ever wanted to have to endure. Ed was very upset also, but we both understood. The nurses and doctors got up and started bustling around to get me up to the OR... but something happened. Abrya must have decided at that moment to turn her head because I got a sudden and STRONG urge to push, so I did. I remember the Doctor and the nurses all screaming at me "DON'T PUSH! DON'T PUSH!" to which I screamed back "I CAN'T HELP IT, SHE'S COMING!" and no sooner had I said that, and her little head popped out. I wish I could describe the look on the staffs faces at that moment, I think every jaw dropped. The doctor basically had time to grab a blue sheet to catch her before she was born. I looked at Ed just in time to see him burst into tears-which is saying alot because I have only seen him cry a handful of times in my whole life, and this was the only birth that he shed tears at... at 12:45 AM on November 29th... she was 8 lbs and 4 oz, 20 inches long. I just remember how small and beautiful she was. Her little hands were so precious to me. I am so happy to have her... my most painful labor brought me my beautiful little girl. She is so full of life and has such a fun personality. Happy Birthday Bry~! I love you:)

Abrya now:)

Monday, November 9, 2009

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Teenage Tara's Teenage Poetry

Yep... that's me... at 17:)
I thought by posting a teenage picture of me it would give people a visual of myself at this time of my life.
Today I was going through out filing cabinet and came across my book of poetry. I was an avid writer at this age (still am, but I generally write essays these days;)). My favorite was poetry. I wrote enough poems to fill a few books. It was like a walk down memory lane reading my poems. It has been so long since I walked down that road! And my goodness I have changed.
Here are a few of my favorites.
*This first one was inspired by my first time getting my heart broken*

Do I Hurt?
By Tara Lynne
Yes I do.
But someday,
As by and by I go,
I will reminice and be happy.
For as I let in I changed for the better...
We'll say so.
As of now, a waste of time it seems.
But as one molded one, one molded the other.
As a child drops a toy,
Shattered pieces of molded shape,
It can be rebuilt.
Maybe a small difference in appearence,
But the general idea makes her happy again,
As I will be happy again
When I can honestly realize we cannot be forgotten
On either part;
As we grow together,
Older, Wiser,
Apart...
Untitled
By Tara Lynne
A butterfly flirting with the wind,
A delicate sunset.
The birth of vernal equinox.
These words, my eyes have met.
To view autumn painting all the leaves,
Then mold it into word;
And once read over I can still taste
The fall, not seen, but heard.
They form eternal pictures
For everyone to see.
Of a world within mine eye
Whence my poem they gracefully read.
Thus pondering this notion,
I have come to find...
'Tis not the earth so beautiful,
But the beholder's mind.
My Love
*Dedicated to Eddie*
By Tara Lynne
A love so pure a love so true
It glitters like the rain
And guilds the heart just like a creek;
Flows within the vein.
It seeps so deep within the soul;
Like a fog rolls o'er land.
That it can be sensed within a touch;
A slight brush of the hand.
A love so pure a love so true
It ignites the day at start.
And love tastes love in lover's kiss
As sweet nectar of the heart.
Idle Day's
By Tara Lynne
What shall come of these idle days
And the time wrapped up within?
What shall come of these glorious moments
In which lingering we have been?
Where will all these minutes go
When today becomes the morrow?
Will they be filled with wonderful life;
Or be passed along with sorrow?
What shall come of these idle days?
Let today live and tomorrow be.
What shall come of these glorious moments?
As we live so shall we see.
My poems... It's been a long time since I retraced by steps down memory lane. I don't even know why I stopped writing them... You'd think I have all of the inspiration in the world now. Who knows? Perhaps my artist died with puberty...

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Homebirth Soap~!

So recently I sent away for some new scents to make soap with. I picked out a scent called "Vanilla Lavender" because I am a big fan of both vanilla and lavender. When I opened my box full of scents, I happened to grab this one first and the moment I opened it I was brought instantly back to the day each of my children were born. Here is a little backstory...
For each birth, I purchased Lavender scented candles to burn during my labors. Each and every one of my daughters was born into a room filled with the scent of Lavender. I bought these candles from the same company every time so every birth had that same wonderful aroma in the air. This Fragrance Oil was the exact match to the scent used in these candles and it brought back so many wonderful memories of homebirth and newborns that I had to soap with it right away. I made a wonderful 'white-with-pink-swirls' batch of soap. I still don't have a name for it, but I whatever name I come up with I want it to pack a little meaning and feeling as this scent has so much meaning and feeling for me. Maybe 'Mother and Child' soap? I don't know for certain yet, but I do know that I now have soap to wash with that will bring me back to the days that I met each and ever one of my daughters.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Brynnie can crawl!

I love my baby girl! She is getting so big so quickly that it is hard for me to keep up with how fast she is changing.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

I've Got Some Catchin' Up To Do~!

Well, I have been slacking! It has been toooooo long since I have gotten on here and updated everyone on my life, but here it goes... this might take a while, so sit tight:).

To begin with I have been making my own soap for a while, but just recently started making my own laundry detergent. I am so happy that I did! Not only is it so much cheaper, it smells so pretty! If anyone would like my recipe, speak now or forever hold your peace.
NEXT~! our adventure in cloth diapering is going amazinly! I wish I would have stuck with it through my middle two children, the problem is they didn't make 'em back then like they do now. For anyone who is looking into cloth, I have two words for you "BUM GENIUS!" They are by far the best. Hands down, no question! Here is a picture of Brynnie Innie Evelynnie in her lil' pretty panty pants:) Doesn't she look so happy:)

Speaking of Brynnie, this girl cannot get enough solid food, problem being she doesn't like HER food, only mine. She gets really upset when I do not give her bits of my food. It is cute, but it is hard. Oh, it's not so hard to see her eat, it's what it means. She is growing up:(. If money and time were not an option, I would have tons of baby girls:). Maybe I can talk Eddie into a vasectomy reversal... hmmmmm.....
Maybe I'm jumping the gun on that one. Really I am pretty happy to NOT be pregnant, and let me tell you why! I started a diet about two weeks ago to shed the last of my baby weight once and for all and I am SO impressed with the results. Everytime I look in the mirror, I see my softer curves becoming sharper everyday~! I am hoping by Christmas to be back in my size 7's... we shall see, we shall see:). I have not weighed myself yet out of fear, but will be weighing myself on Halloween... I will tell you all how much I have lost then:).
Here is a recent picture of Maelan. She was dressing up for winter:). It has been getting really really REALLY cold here in Michigan these past couple of days. It is only the beginning of October and I have already had to turn the heat on. I hear it is supposed to be a hard winter and that makes me glad I don't have to walk the girls down the the busstop... which leads me to........
HOMESCHOOLING IS AWESOME! I was very nervous in the beginning but I am amazed by my bright girls. We have a daily schedual we follow, and my girls are right on track. Above is a picture of them taken this week. They and their second cousins Hannah and Lillian dressed as Native Americans. They are also homeschooled kids, so we have a learning day once a week (Tuesday's) with them. This week we learned about the Ojibwa Native Americans as not only are the Ojibwa the tribe of our area in Michigan, the girls all have Ojibwa blood:). Anyway, homeschooling is amazing and I am so glad I made this decision. On top of homeschooling, we are also doing Soccer, Piano and Religious Education every week. Needless to say I am so busy running children every which way that I don't even know up from down right now... I can't wait until soccer season is OVER!!!!
Anyway, in other news, Ed and I became Aunt and Uncle! Riley Sue (above) was born on September 27th to Eddie's big brother Bill and his awesome lil' german wife Rike:). I am so excited. I was told by Bill that I have been a huge inspiration for Rike when it comes to parenting (aka home/natural childbirth, exclusive breasfeeding, babywearing, cloth diapers, ect). That made me feel really awesome. It makes me feel that I must be doing something right:).
Another thing that has happened is that Ed and I have decided that next July (the first two weeks actually) we are going to be camping and staying in the Virginia/DC area. I am really excited as I have only ever been out west and not east. It is still a little under a year away, but I am so ready for another vacation already:).

Last but not least, we have gone back to our roots... Catholicsm that is. Ed and I were both baptised Catholic, but just have, over the years, let our faith fall to the backburner. In the past two months we have brought religion to the forefront again, and have incorporated it back into our lives as well as the lives of our girls. This decision stems from the fact that we really want to raise our children in the church. We believe that this is the best way to give our girls a very strong moral base and I couldn't be happier about our decision. I love Father Fred, and I love the parish... I wish we would have come back home sooner... but better late than never I suppose... anyway all four girls will be baptised in November, look for pictures and updates:)

In closing, a video of my baby girl Brynn Evelyn:) G'night!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Core Knowledge N' Fluffy Bunned Babies!

Where to begin, where to begin! So much has been going on!
Well, to begin with, we have decided to pull our two older daughters from public schools to homeschool. This is something we have tossed around since the two big girls were just lil' girls. Finally I conquered my fears and just went for it. We are going with a secular curriculum based on the Core Knowledge Of America books (which means that they will be following very closely with their public schooled peers). I am getting NO support from my family which is really hard, but I believe whole heartedly in this decision and know that this will be the best for my children... wish me luck!
SECONDLY, MAELAN IS A POTTY TRAINED GIRL! She even goes to bed with underware on and USUALLY keeps them dry all night (We have taken to getting her back up before we go to bed to make her go potty, which helps) It is so nice to have the majority of my children out of diapers, which leads me to...
MISSES FLUFFY BUNS! We decided to switch Brynn to cloth diapers!
Doesn't she look so CUTE?
This decision stems from the fact that we just want to be DONE with disposables! We did cloth for Erin, and decided to do disposable for Abrya and Maelan.... now we are going back to our 'roots' you could say:). I am so happy that we decided to do it this way... besides, cloth diapers are SO MUCH CUTER:)
And that has been us in a nutshell... stay tuned!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Mia's Ukulele




I should have done this earlier, but I didn't think of it until now. My friends Stacey is probably one of the craftiest people I know, and she makes the cutest little things! She uses really outstanding designs and the fabric is always so cute! I have a sling from her that I use on a daily basis, and my little girls all have Rainbow Tutus:) I plan on purchasing a few more things from her (After my yearly house inasurance payment at the end of this month). She makes awesome totes, and little baby bibs that you can't find anywhere else. Check her shop out! It is worth the click:) I promise:)


Thursday, August 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Maemae!

Maelan three hours after birth with Daddy
So, today my MaeMae turned 2, so as I had said I would do, I am going to reminisce about the day Maelan was born.
Maelan was due July 30th... which passed... as did the 31st. We went into August, which was alright with me because I had already had a July baby (Erin) and was kinda hoping she would be born in August. Well, August came... 1st, 2nd, 3rd getting antsy... 4th getting angry... 5th in hysterics. I woke up on the morning of the 5th bawling my eyes out because I was STILL swollen and STILL pregnant... I was on an online community where it seemed everyone but me had given birth-my baby just didn't want to leave~!
I called my mother while I was crying just for some support, and she said the same thing she always did "Well, are you feeling any signs?" which just made me cry harder, because no, I was not feeling any signs and was certain I was on the road to being the first pregnant lady forever. I got off of the phone with her and Laura, my midwife, showed up to check and see how I was progressing. I asked her if she would strip my membranes, and she did. Before she left I was feeling a little crampy and she said "well, maybe I'll be back tonight"
"Yeah right..." I replied.
An hour after she left those cramps became pains, and the pains came at regular intervals. We went to the store to pick up a yoga ball to see if it could help get things rolling. The pains were not very intense and were few and far between which made me feel like I wasn't really in labor. Finally Ed convinced me that he was going to call his work and call his parents so that things would be ready for when the baby came, even though I was still in labor denial. He also called my midwife. The girls left around 9, and my midwife showed around 11. She said she wanted to check me as at this point, my contractions were coming regularly and strong... but I STILL was convinced it wasn't labor... that is until I found out I was already 7~!
This is when the contractions became really intense, though bearable. Ed filled the birth pool for me, and I was so excited to get into it. I flopped myself into the water, but it was freezing cold... Ed had forgotten that our water heater automatically turned off after midnight to conserve energy:( So he had to empty it and refill it. By the time it was filled again, I was not moving. I got the urge to push soon after that and began pushing. She came out very quickly. I remember sitting up as she was born and seeing a big 5:20 on my alarm clock, so I actually called the birth minute with Maelan!:) She had a little bit of a hard time taking her first breath, but she came around after lots stimulation. She was beautiful and I fell in love right away. She nursed within the first few minutes of her birth, and we all fell asleep in our bed after a breakfast of eggs and toast. She was 9lbs 12 oz and 21 inches long. She was born during a gentile thunderstorm on August 6th at 5:20 am.

Maelan Now!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Soapin'

So, for about a year or more I have been making soap for my family from the Cold Process style of soapmaking... I recently decided to share the wealth (with a little push from my friend Stacey:))

I OPENED AN ETSY!!!


http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7449865


I am excited, because I love making soap, so this is a good excuse to make MORE of it. It is like opening a christmas present cutting into a soap block for the first time... you just never know what you are going to get, and are usually pleasantly suprised:)


I recently found a recipe for homemade laundry detergent also, and I believe I am going to give that a shot too... Oh my gosh... I just realized I AM, in fact, a HIPPY...Where's my bra? I'm not ready to give THAT up yet....

Monday, July 20, 2009

Erin is SEVEN:)!

Erin Today!
Erin and Eddie right after she was born.


My oldest baby girl is seven today. Wow, how time flies.
I found out I was pregnant with Erin in November of 2001. I was a high school senior at the time, and Ed, my now husband, was my boyfriend. At first we were scared because we were so young; Eddie being 19, and me being 18. We finally began to grasp the idea that we were going to be young parents, and at that time resolved ourselves to be the best young parents we could possibly be. Ed and I knew that we would like to learn more about homebirth, and were introduced to Laura. We instantly knew she would be perfect. Nine months went by pretty uneventfully, other than me falling down the stairs and peeing my pants at around 5 months along, and me swelling bigger than I did in any other pregnancy. My feel wouldn't even fit into flip-flops by the end of my pregnancy. I swore that I would never have another summer baby again.
The day before my due date was the 19th, and I took that day to do some things I had been putting off, such as get an oil change and such. That night, when Eddie got home from work, we ate dinner and went to lay down in bed. I remember when it hit midnight and my due date had arrived... July 20th... I said to Ed "Well, it's my due date, and there is no sign of a baby!"... which wasn't entirely true as I was having a dull backache. At around 1 am, I had my first contraction... it was painful, but I was not sure what it was. About five minutes later I had another... and then another... I thought I had to go to the bathroom so I headed downstairs to try. That is when I realized I was in labor, as I was bleeding quite heavily. Ed walked in at the moment I realized I was bleeding. I looked at him and said "I think I'm in labor!" He ran and called my midwife who told me that since this was my first baby, I would probably be in labor for a while, and to take a shower and try to get some sleep. I knew the contractions were too close together for my labor to last too much longer, so I told Ed to tell her to come now. He did, and then he decided he would try to get some sleep... while he did that I decided to try to take a bath. The bath felt great, but the contractions were coming harder and harder. It was painful, but bearable. I remember thinking "Hey, this isn't so bad... I don't need pain medications for this..." Every contraction I tried to meet with breathing and low moaning/singing, which really helped me to ride the contractions. Laura arrived, and realized that I was already almost 7 cm, and was glad that we had talked her into coming. She told Ed to go ahead and fill the birthing pool, which he did. When I finally got to get into the pool, it was AMAZING~!!!~ The pain lifted so much. Before I knew it, I was fully dialated (except for an anterior lip). Laura told me to go ahead and push, and she would try to hold the lip back so that the head could pass... this was my first baby so I wasn't really sure how to... and I had no urge, but I did it anyway, and let me tell YOU, that hurt so badly, but at least it helped the head to pass through. Then, I pushed her shoulders through, and she was placed on my chest. I cannot explain how I felt at that moment. For nine months I 'knew' I was growing a baby, but it was never real until that moment... She was mine... I have never had that feeling since, only with my first... She was beautiful... Hardly any hair, born with stork-bite birthmarks between her eyes and on the back of her neck. She had an odd placenta with a velamentous insertion of the cord which happens in only 1% of babies. It is when the cord is attached on the side rather than through the center.

Erin Melody Rittersdorf was born 8lbs, 20 inches, on July 20th 2002 at 7:22 a.m., just as the sun broke over the horizon.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

We Just Got Back From Da' YOOPEE!!!











We had so much fun. First we stayed in St. Ignace for the fourth of July and got to watch the Fireworks over Lake Huron... it was great, though cold... The Upper Penn seemed to be about 10 degrees colder than the Lower Penn at all times. We moved on to Tahquamenon Falls where Maelan became a dirt monster withing ten minutes, and we practically got carried away by Mosquitos... but we did get to see the Upper and Lower falls on the Tahquamenon River, plus we got to see a Snapping Turtle laying her eggs, which was very neat. We then decided to skip the Pictured Rocks and go into the Porcupine Mountains... It was beautiful there. We decided to then stay there most of our trip. The shore of Lake Superior was absolutely GORGEOUS. The woods out there are untouched and amazing. I was hoping to see a bear, but saw very little wildlife... except of course the three baby skunks who decided to basically roast marshmallows with us one night... that was a little frigtning, but they didn't spray at all... they were completely unafraid of us... one was sitting right under my chair.... I will tell you that was an uncomforitable place to be:). We moved on from the 'Porkies' as they are called up there and returned to St Ignace where we had Pasties (Google Pasties, they are delicious:)) and bought famous Mackinac Island Fudge for us and the rest of our family. We then moved on and stayed in Petosky Michigan for our last night. We found at least 14 Petosky stones on the Lake Michigan Beach up there:) (BTW, if you don't know what a Petosky Stone is... look it up:) They are VERY interesting). We then returned home, just in time for our 4H fair... so we are still rather busy. Above are a few of my favorite pics from our trip.

Monday, June 29, 2009

I'M BACK!

Sorry I have been MIA lately, we have been so busy getting ready for our camping trip up north and our 4-H fair. To begin with, I will tell you all about our awesome tent camping trip we are taking to the Upper Peninsula Michigan. For those of you who aren't from Michigan, I will start with the basics. Michigan is split into two Peninsulas, the Lower and the Upper. The Lower Penn is where I live. It is generally more Urban than the much more Rural Upper Penn. We are going camping from the 4th until the 10th. We are staying right outside of Mackinac Island on the 4th to watch the fireworks over the Mackinac Bridge. We are then going to Castle Rock and Tehquamenon Falls... Then we are going over to Pictured Rocks on Lake Superior for two nights... then we are staying in Fayette and the Copper Ghost Town, then down to Petosky and home... JUST IN TIME to start our 4H fair... needless to say I am exhausted getting things ready for both... just look at the bags under my eyes in the following pic....
The girls have been working nonstop for their showmanship at fair. They work with their bunnies every day to make sure they know all of the steps to showmanship. They are only Cloverbuds this year in 4H, but it still is good practice for when they are real 4H-ers and compete competitively against everyone else at the fair... Below are pictures of the girls and their showmanship bunnies this year... Erin with Marco, and Abrya with Tater Puff. We also decided to donate a little bunny for the 4H youth auction this year. This gives 4H kids an opportunity to get a really nice show bunny for very little money. It is our feel good project for the year... below is our auction donation bunny, a little Chinchilla Netherland Buck:)

This past week we also got a rare visit from Eddie's older brother Bill. Bill is in the Army stationed in Germany. He has done a few tours in Afghanistan, and is an outstanding man. His wife, Rike was born and raised in Germany, and is probably one of the sweetest women I have ever met:). They are expecting their first baby in September... its a girl:) Here is the picture of them meeting Brynnie:)
This past week we also expanded our animal family by one. This is our new kitty Solstice... Isn't she pretty? The girls love her, as seen in the picture of Maelan below... that is TRUE LOVE on her face!
And last but not least, this week, one town over, a BIG MISTAKE was made. There was a huge concert being put on at the Ionia County Fairgrounds. The concert is located right next to the Grand River in Ionia Michigan (one town over from me). We had gotten some seriously torrential rain over the weekend, and the river had began to flood. Well, Ionia county, without informing ANYONE at the concert released the flood gates, and look what happened....
Those are CARS you see in the river... When they released the flood gates without letting anyone know, they didn't take into account that the Concert staff was using the flood plane as a PARKING LOT:)
There are over 1000 cars in the river!! We have a few cousins that were at the concert, and we are being told that because of a disclaimer on the tickets reading 'We are not responsible for any damage to your vehicle during the concert' they have released themselves from any legal responsibility....
I smell a class action lawsuit o'er here:)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day Eddie

Eddie, Abrya and Erin
At the museum in front of the world (Erin, Bry, Daddy w/ Mae)
BLAH!!
Brya has the best seat in the house
Daddy N Baby Erin
Erin and Eddie nosies
Ed and 3 of the 4 girls
Erin N Daddy
After Abrya's emergency birth at the hospital (We were transferred from home)
Maelan's first halloween
GRRRRRRRRRRR~!
First born Brynnie
Daddy and Brynn relaxin'
Daddy and Brya relaxin'
Brya eating Daddy's ear
Mad Erin, Happy Daddy
Sleepy girls
Daddy, Brynn and Maelan
Daddy and Baby Mae

Eddie I love you, and I am thankful every single day that you are the father of my four beautiful children:)