Congratulations to the Raab Family

Congratulations Erich and Angie on the new arrival of your little boy Owen Christian Raab.

He was born on November 20, 2008 at 7:24 PM. He weighed in at 8 lbs and 9 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and Baby are doing great and Dad couldn't be a prouder papa.

We are so excited for the newest little one in our family. We look forward to watching him grow and are sure that our boys and Owen will be the best of buddies. Thanks for including us in your special journey.

A visit from Aunt Sharon and Grandma Green

On the 20th of November Aunt Sharon and Grandma Green made the trek to Joplin, MO to visit us. We had a wonderful time with them. On Friday we sent Trevor off to work and headed to the Precious Moments Chapel. It was wonderful to see the amazing artwork and figurines. Caden enjoyed riding on Grandma Green's lap while Aunt Sharon pushed them in Grandma's wheelchair. We got home in time to pick Trevor up and go out to dinner. Instead of taking two cars we put Trevor in between the seats, his feet located on the shoulder of Grandma green and myself. We sure had a good laugh. Saturday we headed to the mall to see if we could find anything exciting, we didn't but the kids did. They had a mini carnival setup inside the mall with a train, cars, helicopters and a carousel. Ryan and Caden had a blast and we enjoyed watching them. Sunday was the best. Aunt Sharon and Grandma decided we'd have Thanksgiving dinner with the family. The best part was making the meal together. Grandma was trying to instruct us from the family room while Trevor, Aunt Sharon and I ran around the kitchen trying to get everything ready. Grandma couldn't resist not being a part of the action and quickly joined in. It was like one of those chef reality shows only better. We laughed and joked with each other the whole time. The meal was amazing too.

It was hard to see them leave on Monday morning. Matthew took a special interest to Aunt Sharon. Maybe that's because they spent so much time in the back of the car together.

Thanks for taking the time to come and see us. We had a blast.

Happy 2nd Birthday Caden!

Caden turned 2 on Monday, November 3, 2008. We had one of his favorite dishes: pizza and crazy bread. We also let him pick out a cake for his birthday this year. He chose a batman cake with batman riding a motorcycle. He also got a slide with a basketball hoop hooked to it.
He has such a tender little heart but is definitely our little spartan. He loves fruit snacks, playing any game that involves a ball and playing with his older brother. His favorite song right now is I belong to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and when he says his prayers it always includes thanking heavenly father for our food and blessing our bodies. He loves any type of adventure. The other day he tried to do a spiderman move off of our back porch. He sure brings us a lot of Joy. Happy Birthday!!

Fun things we did this summer

I know its kind of late to be posting these but I thought you might like them anyway.
When we first arrived in Joplin we received a brochure from a friend full of fun things to do in Joplin. Here are a few of the things we did before Trevor started rotations. We've truly enjoyed our time here.
Grand Falls is about ten minutes from our home. It is such a beautiful place to go. While we were there we got to see a gentleman catch a huge snapping turtle and try to place it in his trunk. The boys loved seeing the turtle, walking on the rocks and watching the water flow over the falls.

When we arrived at our home for the first time we were so shocked to find a huge basket full of essential household items, the fridge full of food and a note on the fridge that said welcome Home!! It definitely made us feel like we'd made the right decision.

The Joplin Museum Complex is full of things pertaining to the history of Joplin, including a mineral museum. Joplin once was a huge mining town.

Wildcat Glades Conservation & Audubon Center-Great place to take kids. Beautiful nature trails, a huge aquarium, reptiles, and other fun things.

The Candy House-YUM!! We had the opportunity of watching them make chocolates, then we got to taste the chocolates and finally we were able to purchase some decision candy. The boys were in Heaven!!!

Watch me Grow

These pictures were taken at the first of October but I thought I'd still share them anyway.

I can't believe how big he is getting.

I love his smile.

The Digital Camera is Dead

Hey Everyone,
I'm sorry to break the news but our digital camera died earlier this week so we've had to resort back to the disposal kind. I will post pictures of Ryan's birthday, Halloween and Caden's Birthday as soon as I get the film developed. Wow, I wonder what the pictures will look like.
I am also trying to figure out how to download video from our camcorder so you can see some of the fun things the kids have been up to.
Today we carved pumpkins. It was so fun and funny. When I asked Ryan and Caden to take out the stuff inside the pumpkin Ryan quickly reached in and then started to turn green and I got it all on tape. Caden quickly followed suit. I guess we don't have any future medical workers in the family just yet. You'll laugh when you see it.

Ryan's Five

On Monday, October 27, 2008 Ryan turned 5. I'm still in awe that I have such a handsome 5 year old boy. It seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting his arrival.

Today I decided to go back in my journal and read about some of the moments we've had with Ryan. We found out we were expecting the week of March 6, 2003. My Mom, the cute woman she is, went out right after she found out and bought him three outfits. We found out that Ryan was a boy on May 27, 2003 and on June 8, 2003 decided that his name should be Ryan Laron Bright. We had also toyed with the idea that it should be Caden. Trevor felt the baby kick for the first time on the 22 of June. I remember the first time we heard Ryan's heart beat. I was so excited to go to the doctor for this appointment. In my mind I had decided that this wouldn't be so much fun for Trevor, since he worked in the medical field and had heard the beating of a heart before. When the doctor placed the machine to my stomach and the quiet rhythmic sound of the heart become noticeable Trevor's face lit up with excitement and joy. That's my baby. We can really hear his heart beat. I was so grateful that he to could feel the thrill of the moment. What a miracle it is that we are able to be instruments in producing life and helping the plan of salvation move forward. We blessed Ryan on the 7th of December surrounded by our family. He went to his first pumpkin patch on October 9, 2004. He gave me my first flower, dandy lion, on the 17th of February 2005. He blew bubbles for the first time in April 2005. He blew his first kiss in Sept. 2004. A few weeks ago he read his first book entitled Cat. He loves to help with his little brothers, ride his bike, going to primary, having family home evening, singing songs, having preschool, playing with his friends, building anything and learning. His favorite bed time song is Away in a Manager. He loves webcam and talking to his grandparents and other relatives on the phone. I am grateful for his strong spirit. He has taught me so much about being a better person and putting everything we have in what we do.