"Twains"

This was a big Christmas. Tyson started his collection of Thomas the Train! Ty talks about trains, tunnels, whistles, and track all day long. Pappy has helped him learn his train verbiage and now Tyson thinks EVERYTHING is a tunnel. His feet going into his pant legs = a tunnel. Pushing his toy vacuum under the table = a tunnel. Driving under an overpass on the freeway = a tunnel. Like I said, everything is a tunnel... So imagine his surprise and joy when he came downstairs to the play room to find a new train table set up with trains that you can push over bridges and through tunnels!!! He thinks he's died and gone to heaven and wants to go downstairs to play trains every chance he gets. Thank you Pappy and Grandmommy! He isn't even two years old and is already fascinated and getting quite good at maneuvering the trains and fixing the track :) Enjoy our first of many Thomas the Train photos!

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He says "two twains!"

He walks all around the table to get to the trains once he can't reach them anymore on one side.

Bridges and tunnels, galore!

All this playing...little legs get tired after a while! He pulled his Elmo chair up to the table so he could take a load off...

Very focused. He doesn't smile much for the camera when trains are involved because he's too busy concentrating :)

Many many hours of fun to come from this little set up...

Totally occupied toddler = a very happy mama :)

"So fresh and so clean, clean..."

Finally at two weeks old, Jersey had her first bath! Of course you never know if they'll scream through the whole thing, or just love it, but I should have guessed that she would just be relaxed and enjoy her "spa-like" experience without a peep. She is the most relaxed, calm baby! Quite different than Tyson :) Here are the pictures to prove she's all sparkly clean!

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All wrapped up in her blanket with Nana while I get her bath ready.

Juuuust chillin.

Time for my head massage....aaaaahh.

All clean and cozy!

Cuddling and warming up with Nana.

Peaceful little thing.

This girl is just a joy to be around and showed how mellow she is once again! Oh, and best new pacifier holder ever. The little puppy dog is attached to the pacifier so it stays propped in her mouth without falling out. And it's so cute!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Hello again! Finally a post including our newest family member... For those of you who didn't hear the details (pretty sure everyone has!), Jersey Joy Schween was born at 4:45 pm on Wednesday, December 8th, weighing 6 lb 5 oz and measuring 19 inches long. She is doing beautifully and we are so blessed to have her here with us and healthy and thriving this Christmas season. So far she's been 100 x's easier than Tyson was as a baby, probably partly because we're not first time parents with this one and aren't so stressed out ;-)

Tyson is a great big brother so far and wants to give her "five" and "kisses" and "hugs" most times she is awake. He's even held her a couple of times, though his attention span is short so you have to pay attention because when he's done, he's done, and he'd probably just toss her on the couch so he can get down and keep playing. We're adjusting to our new family status of FOUR, and enjoying all the time we have at home together. Here are a few glimpses of pictures from this week!

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Little snow angel :)

Just thrilled to be stuffed in a Christmas stocking!

My little elf.

Brother wants a turn to hold her. He loves looking at, and pointing out, her eyes and nose and mouth.

Sweet sibling kisses.

Santa's little helper.

Still so tiny! Taking advantage of all the squishy snuggle time I can get.

Four stockings this year! We are so excited to spend Christmas at home together. Plus, my MOM is here for Christmas!!!!!!!!!! YAY! It is, indeed, a special time of year.

Stay tuned for more holiday fun photos...

Bear Hugs

I know I haven't blogged in what feels like MONTHS, and I'm sorry this post isn't even about baby Jersey! I will blog about her soon :) Tyson got a Christmas package in the mail tonight, and it was just too cute to resist blogging about. Ty's great-grandparents (Grammy and Papa Daddy) sent him the coolest bear hug body pillow! It's at least twice the size of Tyson and his face absolutely lit up when I pulled it out of the box. I should have waited until Christmas, but once he saw something furry in the box there was no way he was going to let me get away with not opening it. He loves stuffed animals and this one is already proving to be quite entertaining for him to try to carry around the house and wrestle with!

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Biggest bear I've ever seen...

This bear gives GREAT big hugs.

And kisses.

And of course, being a boy, another "toy test" is can you walk on it and jump on it. The bear passed with flying colors ;-)

This bear even wrestles with me! Doesn't get much better than this!

Thank you Grammy and Papa Daddy!!! He is in love with the bear and I'm pretty sure he'd want to take him in the crib with him to sleep if I'd let him. It is already a very Merry Christmas for Ty :)

A blessed surprise

Life has been VERY busy for the last week and a half - for a very very very good reason :) I was thrown a surprise baby shower, which also included the biggest shock of my life: my friend Mary Frances flew in from Seattle to surprise me at the shower! She is like my other half and finally made Colorado feel complete by being there. So many people coordinated to pull this thing off and line up schedules, I will never be able to thank everyone enough. I thought I was meeting a few girlfriends at our church to carpool to the Melting Pot for a little "girl's night out" to celebrate someone's birthday. I was definitely fooled because that was never actually the plan. Here are just a few of the key "story telling" pictures...

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Everyone waiting in the half-lit church to surprise me. Kim is very excited that she's on video camera duty...

Robin and Tyson and Robin's mom, Kathleen, hiding at the back of the church to be part of the surprise.
Lisa (most amazing shower planner EVER) telling me that she has a surprise - my first time ever even thinking that the Melting Pot might not be happening.

The party set up at the back of the room! And a very special someone waiting in the very back to hand me the biggest surprise of all.

My sneaky, sneaky friend waiting with baby Owen in the back while I went through the first surprise of being thrown a shower.

Lisa and Anna telling me they have one "timely" present to give me before the shower starts.

Aaaaand my face of pure shock as Mary Frances walked out of the back room. I have never been, and probably will never be again, that happy and surprised in my LIFE. Not the most flattering pictures of me, considering I'm crying my eyes out, but they tell the story well...

Refusing to let go of Mary Frances just in case I blink and she's not really there.

More babies and fabulous friends showering blessings on me!

Cutest handmade onesie and matching headband EVER! Abby, you're amazing.

So in love with girl clothes it's not even funny.

Anna's brilliant idea to pile all of the "loot" into the church's crib to wheel it out to the car.

Aaaaand the sneakiest liars and best surprise shower throwers ever :) Could never put into words how they blessed me that night. Thank you 1,000 times over for all of the planning and emailing and scheduling and preparation that went into pulling off this amazing surprise!!