Happy "Last Year Of The Thirties," Dan!

Dan turned 39 yesterday, May 15th. That seems crazy! Thankfully, my husband doesn't act or look almost 40 to me. I love that he is full of energy and spunk. I love what he said yesterday, even though I will admit I made a "you're strange" face. He says for his 4oth b-day, he wants to have a big dodge ball game with a bunch of friends. How fun is that? I will say, that strange face came after his next comment. He wants to use the old playground type balls that really sting, instead of the softer ones made nowadays. I think I'll be a-ok watching that game.

Last night, it dawned on me that this summer (on my birthday) will mark 15 years of us being together as a couple. FIFTEEN YEARS...wow! And later, in August, we will celebrate 13 years of marriage. Seems like the days are flying by quicker than ever. Thankfully, I can say that I love Dan so much more now than before. Seems like a "duh" thing to say, but in this day and age, I think I will celebrate that statement. And so...in honor of my hubby's birthday, here is a list of some of the things I love about him.

1. He loves me and is patient with me.
2. He is a hard worker. This has always been true of Dan, but was very evident last year when Dan was unemployed, but was willing to perform ANY job he could find to provide for his family.
3. He is crafty and desires to figure out things on his own and does a great job of it. Example...many, but the most recent one would be our floor to ceiling cabinet/shelving unit he built and installed into our family room. I tried to get a picture on here, but couldn't figure out how to because it was not on Picassa. But take my word for it, it is incredible!
4. He loves our kiddos and is a wonderful father to them. He wrestles with them, plays games with them, takes them on bike rides while he runs, buys them little souvenirs from the cities he travels to, and takes time to have lengthy conversations with them. Those were just some of the things that popped into my head. I am just grateful that he is such an involved father. *pictures below...old ones, but ones I haven't put on here before. I need to get the camera out and start taking pictures again.*
5. He is pretty thoughtful and takes time into making something special. Two examples...go back and read about our anniversary in August 2009. More recently, for Valentine's Day (which we don't normally really celebrate), he bought me a gift certificate to a cake decorating class. He took notice that I was looking at the schedule online and he sneakily went and got me the gift certificate. (And I am loving it, by the way). *See picture below to see the cake I made for Dan, using the techniques I've learned so far.*
6. He is funny. That is something that I have always enjoyed about Dan. Even though sometimes he goes a little too far with it. Like the time he sabotaged by Facebook account with a post saying "Pregnant." Thankfully, I was able to clear the air pretty quickly with that one. His most recent big funny that I can think of is when he told people on April Fools Day that if they went to Chipotle, they would get a free burrito if they said, "I'm a fool for Chipotle." Most people saw right through him, but there were some who did it and even a couple who got a free burrito out of it because the managers thought it was hilarious (my brother in law, Matt, being one of them).

I could list more, but I need to go and pick up Claire from preschool. Just wanted to wish Dan a "Happy Birthday." Love you, Dan!

Anna Girl!

Introducing...Anna Jane Rickert!!!

It has been almost two months since she made her appearance and FINALLY Aunt Gwen has gotten a chance to blog about her birth! Anna was born on March 20, 2011. (I don't think I'll ever have trouble remembering her birthday as it falls on my due date with Lydia).

Apparently, Anna decided she just didn't have enough room left in the womb and it was time to come out. We had thrown my sister's church baby shower that Saturday, the 19th. We were wondering if Anna would come early since she was measuring big, but I'm not sure anyone guessed it would be a whole month early. After the shower, we helped to bring all the gifts back to Sarah Beth and Matthew's house. We said our good byes and I remember reminding them to call me, no matter the time, when things started to happen. Fast forward to 10pm...I get a call from Matt. When I saw his number come up on my phone, I started to get excited. But he burst that bubble pretty quickly. He had been doing diaper inventory and wanted my advice on how long babies stay in certain sizes of diapers. Ah, man!

I went to bed that night and I remember thinking, " I need to make sure I have my phone with me at night and have it on ring tone." I set it down on my dresser and went to bed. Fast forward again to 2a.m. Now, I am pretty sure it is Matthew with some big news...no more diaper letdowns. My sister was on the other end of his phone letting me know her water broke and they were on the way to the hospital. The plan was for me to go back to sleep, knowing most likely she would progress slowly like most women, and that she would call me if that seemed different in her case. I hung up with her and very quickly realized there would be no more sleep for me that night. My excitement had taken over! I called my parents wanting to hear their game plan. They were already getting ready to head to the hospital. So, I quickly got myself ready and left as well.

I feel so blessed that Sarah Beth and Matthew let me be a part of this awesome event! Sarah Beth did so great and I was quite the proud, big sister. Matthew was a wonderful coach and support to her, which was neat to see. Anna was born that afternoon, I believe at 2:41, if my memory serves me correctly. She was 8 lbs. 2 oz., but was still monitored and treated as a premie. It was love at first sight for all involved as you can see from the pictures below.

*Anna, Aunt Gwen loves you so much already. I can't wait to get to watch you on Mondays! You have captured our hearts and we are so glad to welcome you into our part of the family. You are blessed have such awesome parents and not too shabby of an aunt, uncle, and cousins.