Our little man. This pic was taken tonight. He is nudie because he messes up all of his clothes multiple times every day!
Dax loves to be swaddled tightly like a burrito- I love it!
I love this- Reilly snuggled up to Dax and the two of them were chilling together on the couch...
Reilly receiving his AR award from our principal
Well, as you can see, I'm finding it difficult to keep up the blog... Anyway, the end of the school year arrived so quickly! Reilly and Shea were both in the top twenty readers in their whole school this year. They both received awards from the principal, Mr. Evans, for this achievement. The kids earn points when they take on-line quizzes after reading a book. Depending on the length and difficulty of the reading, the points vary. These two pics at the end are from the "AR party" (accelerated reader).
Reilly also participated in the spelling bee and after winning in his classroom, he went on to take second place in all of the third grade! We are so proud of him! He reads like a maniac- in the car, in bed, on the couch (as you can see above!), anywhere and anytime. He loves books, which means he is a great speller.
All is well here! Dax is growing well, the kids are glad to be out of school, and we are filling our summer with park days and fun with friends (until it heats up around here!). It's been in the mid 70's all of June so far- we have been enjoying that!
We decided to go to Disneyland yesterday (last minute plan) as it was the last day SoCal season pass holders could go for the summer. When we arrived at around 1:00, Disney was already full to capacity, and there were a mess of people backed up for parking...so we left! We spent the day in the car as we hit major traffic on the way home because of a bad accident. Certainly NOT one of the perks of living in LA. Well, I hope to be posting a little more regularly, but we'll see about that...

Reillyism

Sometimes I wonder what exactly is going on inside the mind of a nine year old boy. Tonight at the dinner table I got a glimpse. Reilly was telling us what he envisions his life being like in the future. "When I grow up, I'm going to have two dogs, a talking bird, and a Ferrari." I wouldn't be surprised if he really means that. A nice car, the bird riding shotgun, and the dogs in the back seat...ahhhhh, the perfect life.

Dax Has Arrived!

Our faithful friends, the Becks

The evening Dax arrived

Sweet sissy Shea loving on the little man

Sweet little face

Andrew and Michelle, Justin and Jenny, visiting us the night of Dax's arrival

The Munch Bunch meets Dax- they were SO cute and SO excited to meet Dax!

A little out of order...this was just after Dax was born and the nurses put him on me for the first time to meet mommy

Shortly after arriving at the hospital

More to come! I'll post a few details of his arrival soon. For now, here are the stats:

Dax Haddon Ryle

Born Thursday, May 28 at 6:32 p.m.

7 pounds, 15 ounces

19 inches long (shorty!!)

Tell us who you think he looks like!!

On our Way

We're leaving for the hospital! We'll keep you all posted!

Thoughts on Pregnancy

Well, I'm sitting here at the computer waiting for my parents to arrive from San Jose, and pondering the thought that this may be the last night of my life being pregnant... and wanted to capture a few thoughts before the little man comes.
Wow, am I thankful to the Lord for all six little blessings He has so kindly given to us! I look around and see many people who struggle to get pregnant, and know that I am so undeserving of these precious gifts! My heart is so full, and my love for the Lord grows as I enjoy each little munchkin, knowing that I deserve nothing, actually worse than nothing, yet He has chosen to bless us over and over again- and abundantly- beyond what I could have ever imagined.
I love looking at my belly. I will miss it terribly, though I won't miss all of the little pains and difficulties that come along with a huge belly. I love walking through the store, with as many kids as I have with me, having people ask about the gender of the baby, how many others we have, and all the rest. I remember the first time someone noticed I was pregnant with Reilly, and I was SO excited. I was in a little coffee shop ordering a mocha, and the woman asked, "Would you like that decaf??" I quickly asked, "Why do you ask?" Because of my excitement, I removed any reluctance from her to admit that I looked pregnant. "Really??? You could tell that I'm pregnant??" I will miss these days.
I love the feeling of little hands and feet moving around inside of me, and am daily in awe of the amazing knitting together that is happening right inside of me. Little hands, little feet, little organs, tiny fingers and toes, joints, eyes, ears that can hear already (he jumps when my joints crack!)- the glory of God is so clearly revealed in this amazing journey of growth and development! Evolutionists must be ashamed to say that this happens over and over again, all by "chance"... What faith that takes!
Some people have the courage to ask, but I'm sure others wonder... is it as exciting the sixth time as it is the first? I can hardly put words to that answer. The wonder of a baby growing inside of me, the excitement of meeting this little one along with each of the others...literally just sent me to the tissue box. I have been so eagerly awaiting the birth of this little one just as much as each of the others. All of the similar thoughts and emotions that are stirred during pregnancy are stirred with each and every one. I wonder what he will look like? What will his temperament be like? Will everything be okay? What color will his hair be (I guess we've never really wondered that one)? Will he and Reilly be the best of friends, even with the age difference? How will the baby (Macy) handle being slightly displaced by the new baby? On and on the questions go... bottom line- we are SO excited to meet this baby, and have just as eagerly anticipated this one as all of the others. No less excitement, no less wonder. It's awesome and amazing, time after time after time after time.....
We are thrilled and excited, and are so thankful to the Lord for not only blessing us with one more child, but giving us the answer to our fervent prayers (Kurt's, I should say!), for giving us a boy! Incidentally, after we picked his name, we learned that "Dax" has quite significant meaning. "Dax" means "Leader". We will now pray that little Dax grows up to be a leader to influence and lead many to Christ!
Please pray for his safe arrival! We will keep you all posted and pictures will come as soon as we can get them up!

Let's Go Mets!!

Kurt and Reilly enjoyed a Mets game the other night (well sort-of enjoyed...the Mets lost :( ) They ate Dodger Dogs, Nachos, and hung out with some of our favorite people, Andrew Gutierrez (a true blue Mets fan himself) and Mr. Hohn. Kurt and Reilly bumped into John Voight while mustarding their hot dogs and enjoyed a brief conversation. Mr. Voight was very engaging and friendly! A great night was had by all!

Fifth

Just a quick update... I received a call from my favorite nurse this morning, and the results for the blood test came back...negative!! I have already been exposed to fifth and am not carrying it now. Good news! Good God! Another appointment tomorrow with my doctor (regular check up), and we'll keep you posted. Thanks so much for your prayers!