A family bursting @ the seams!

Our families are SO blessed! Ryan's Sister, Jennifer is pregnant with a baby girl! She is due in January and we are so very excited - Dylan can not wait to meet his cousin!! My cousins were my best friends as a little girl, and I can't wait to see their relationship grow.

On Tuesday my cousin, Meggan, called and I just KNEW what she was going to say...I was beaming before she even got the news out. She is having a baby!!! She is having her first Ultrasound next month and baby Warfel is due in April. My eyes were full of joyful tears our whole conversation!

I love watching our families grow right before our eyes - there is nothing more exciting to me. I love you both and I am bursting with advice if you need anything at all!

New Job!

My new Boss @ his desk  : )

It's official, I have been hired for my new position as a Stay-at-Home-Mom!!
My 12 week Maternity Leave ended on August 8th. On July 25th I gave them two weeks notice to fill my spot at work.

My email was as follows:

This note is bittersweet for me to write to you. I have attached for you my letter of resignation.
I have enjoyed the past two years I have spent at Arvest so very much! I have seen so many employees come and go and I have formed a special relationship with each of them. You are all so wonderful and unique. While all families have their ups and downs and experience hard times, together we created some great memories! I have never had so much fun and laughter at a work place, nor felt comfortable enough to be my complete self and I want to say thank you. Thank you for your kindness and trust, for all the personal goals and challenges and wonderful opportunities offered, the daily spirit lifting laughter, and thank you for the support.


Ryan and I have started a new chapter of our lives together with our son, Dylan. I have been given the blessing of doing what I knew I always wanted to do - be a stay at home Mom! I look forward to my new role and I appreciate your understanding.
I can't wait to introduce you to the mini love of my life! I look forward to seeing you all soon!

I loved my job - I had such a fun, crazy, memorable two and a half years with Arvest Bank! I will miss my girls (and boys) so very much. I think the hardest part was leaving on May 15th knowing I wouldn't come back but not being able to say goodbye.
A few girls knew that day and they secretly shed tears with me in the break room. I'll never forget Neda's goodbye...she asked me to step into the hall with her and wanted one favor. She begged that I not say goodbye when I leave because she couldn't take it. We threw our arms around each other and cried!
While we all endured so many changes and lots of drama, I loved my family there so very much!

In two years I only took a handful of pictures :( There are tons of people I adore that I never snapped a single picture of...sorry loves! Here are a few!

43rd, My home away from home

My girls! Joenna & Mary

Teresa, Emily, Nicole, Amber, Jojo, Ashley, me

Bryan & I

Miss Thai

Teresa as a fairy!

My dear friend

Me & Em on Halloween

Neda, me, Bryan, Ashley, Joenna, Trina

Sweethearts decorated while we were on our Honeymoon!

My Mummy birthday

Flowers, a crown, desk bling & a frap = so loved!

Thank you Mary!!

A party for Dylan!

I welcome this change in our lives and I look forward to spending each and every day by Dylan's side. Ryan and I were both raised by family at home and it has been a passionate subject of ours for years. We decided long before we got married that once we had children, we would do whatever it took to make sure I was home to raise our babies...and I count my blessings now as I look at my son and realize we have made it a reality. I wish every Momma had the same opportunity.
I welcome this change and I can't wait for my days full of reading, slobbery kisses, dancing, changing diapers, learning, singing, nursing, bonding, singing, giggling and so much more

Dylan's Big Debut!

While I was pregnant, I discussed baby showers with my friends and family trying to figure out what we were going to do - ecspecially since we weren't finding out baby's gender. A very good friend of mine, Neda, is from Iran and told me that it was customary with the women in her culture to have the shower after the baby is born! They have a big party celebrating the new arrival and everyone gets to meet, hold, & coo over the little one! Cara and Connie threw me the most amazing shower while I was pregnant and it was SO much fun. My cousins decided to throw Dylan his "Coming Out" afterparty!!
We had a come and go party and guests were invited to pop in and meet him. Most of our families had already met him, but I LOVE getting family together so it was a fun excuse to gather everyone.

Dylan did wonderful! He fell asleep on my chest at the very beginning of the party and I was hesitant to wake him, but Ryan peeled him off me and the little guy was in a great mood. He loves listening to everyone talking - the louder the atmosphere the better! Meggan, Scott & Mandy put on the most perfect party. Meggan hand-made each and every invitation to be one of a kind, & her & Scott's home looked so cute. Mandy helped decorate, got the beautiful cake & helped make the party perfect! They pampered him with gifts and love. We hoped guests wouldn't feel like they needed to bring gifts since it wasn't a traditional shower, but little man was showered with the sweetest, coolest, gifts from everyone!! We have had a BALL playing with all our new toys and dressing up in his adorable new outfits. Thank you all so much for your generosity!

It was a wonderful day full of fun & love!

Dylan's beautiful cake!!

Ryan, Meggan, Scott, Mandy Dylan & I

Smiles for Great Grandma

Bright & alert with Auntie M

Holding hands with Devan

Scott holding little man like a pro!

Gazing at Ginger & Oma

Great Aunt Brenda, Great Aunt Diane,
Great Uncle Jim & Miss Ellie

Beautiful Ellie

Coolin off with Great Uncle Roger

Lookin' around with April & BB

Chris, April, BB, Mommy, Daddy & Dylan

Snoozing with Great Aunt Brenda

Cuddled up with Mandy

Daddy & Mandy calming Mr. Fussypants down!

Auntie M, Auntie Meggan, Oma, Mommy & Dylan

Zzzzzzz

From the moment he was born, Dylan has loved being swaddled. We would wrap him up in his lil papoose and he would be instantly comforted.

One evening he was sleeping in his bassinet at the end of our bed like usual. He was swaddled tight just as every night before. Well this particular evening I was up what felt like ALL night long listening to him rustle around and whine. I would get out of bed and look at him and he would have wriggled both arms out.

I would quietly and softly put his little arms back under the blanket and crawl back into bed only to be woken shortly after. Again I would look and he would be laying there completely unswaddled flailing his arms and legs around. We keep the ceiling fan on high and would dress him only in a diaper because he was bundled so warmly (also the Doctor said air flowing helps prevent SIDS). So the poor kiddo would be laying there nakie and freezing so I would bundle him tight and he would immediately fall back asleep...only to wake me up thirty minutes later to do it all over again. We repeated this process all night long until morning when I pulled him in bed with us and we cuddled and slept for a few more blessed hours. I researched later that day what the heck all that flailing was about. On every forum I could find about swaddling it would explain that your baby would "tell" you when they were done being bound so tight. This was it - he was ready to stretch out and grow at night :) We dressed him warmly and swaddle free from there on out and on Monday August 9th he slept in his crib for the very first time!

All warm and cozy - ready for bed time

Sleep tight precious boy

Cuuuute little stars on his tootsies :) Thanks April,Chris&BB

The first few weeks that he was sleeping in our room, Ryan and I would switch off feedings. He would wake up every two or three hours to be fed and either I would nurse him or Ryan would feed him a bottle. We got into a rhythm, but we were feeling the effects of sleep deprivation for sure! Then all the sudden one night he slept for almost six hours straight. That night I slept like a rock...Ryan on the other hand woke up alarmed and had to go peek and make sure everything was okay! Since then Dylan has developed his own schedule.

We play and giggle in the tub at 9:30 

and then we bundle him in some cute jammies

and I feed him until he gets sleepy. We put him in his crib around 10:30 and we don't hear a peep from him until 4:00a.m.! It is so uncanny how his little internal alarm clock goes off at the exact same time every night! He gets fed and cuddled until he is sleepy again (usually until 4:30) and then he goes back to sleep. Around 7:00 when Ryan's alarm goes off for work he cries and Daddy brings him to me in bed and I feed him and we snooze on and off through the morning until he is ready to get up. It has been a fun transition and while I will cherish our night time cuddle times, we are all getting much more sleep these days :)

So Sweet!

There was a knock at the door the other day and I opened to find a sweet bouquet of flowers...from Dylan!
What a sweetheart!! Thank you sweetpea :)

Dylan and Lilli {1 & 6}

Sarah and Ryan came to Tulsa for a visit from California! Her little sister Andrea has a beautiful 6 month old baby named Lilli. Sarah stole her from daycare and the four of us got to spend the whole day together!!! Dylan had SO much fun on his very first play date! Thanks for such great memories Sarah - I can't wait to do it again in December :)

 Sarah & Lilli came to play!

Lilli was loving drooling all over Dylan :P

Beautiful baby blues

Gazing at each other

Lilli rolli polli

"gimme that camera!"

Sitting in Lilli's exersaucer like a big boy!

"Hiiiiii Mommy!!!!!"

Wobbly but smiling :)

Gasp! There's a girl in Dylan's bed!!

Wanted to be like Lilli and sleep on his tummy

Bumbo time

Talkin' to each other :)

"No kisses please, Auntie!"

"Fine I'll kiss Chloe instead!!"

"Say WHAT?"

Auntie Sarah taught him he could hold his rattle!

Down to her skivvies...everything else was covered in drool!

LOVING the shoes I gave her <3 Typical girlie girl

Milk drunk thanks to Sarah

Out for the count!

She wanted to squeeze his face...he wasn't having it!

Dressed to the nine for dinner in her shoes and matching bib

Loving tummy sleep ...exhausted after his friends left

the end!