Baby Nolan's Shower

CONGRATULATIONS ERIN AND TRAVIS!

On Friday, Helaina and I made another road trip. We traveled to Fishers, IN to help celebrate Nolan Cobb's baby shower. Travis and Erin (the parents to be) were kind enough to host the shower at their home and also have Helaina and I spend the weekend with them. It was great for Helaina to see some new faces and spend some quality time with her Aunties (the moms to be were thankful to get some on the job training and I was thankful for the extra hands).

"King of the Jungle" was the theme for the shower. The decor included greenery of all types. We tried to incorporate the theme into the menu as well. Along with the cake, we served Monkey Cupcakes (which came out perfectly with the group effort), and the beverage for the evening was Jungle Juice.
Auntie Erin, Auntie Megan, me, and Auntie Katie

Katie's due date is in 4 weeks. We are still awaiting the arrival of baby Archer.
Miss Helaina and Dierks Cobb...they were so good together!

*And a little thank you to Lauran (Erin's sister) for helping with the shower...she kinda got roped into working all day Saturday :)

Remembering Brad Sheely

Usually our blog is a means of communicating all the joy and happy times in our lives, however, life hands us many struggles too. This post is especially for my brother, Nathan, who recently lost one of his close childhood friends in a motorcycle accident. I pray that God gives Brad's family and friends strength to endure this difficult time, and they can find peace in each of their memories of Brad.

Bradley Keith Sheely, age 25 of Valparaiso passed away Sunday, July 19, 2009 as a result of a motorcycle-deer accident. He was born on January 27, 1984 in Valparaiso to Gordon and Kathy (Spiess) Sheely. Bradley graduated from Morgan Township High School in 2003 and served two tours in Iraq in the U.S. Marines. He was a member of Salem United Church of Christ in Wanatah, a 10 year 4-H Morgan Twp. Sodbusters, and a member of the Wanatah American Legion Post 403. Bradley is survived by his parents, Gordon and Kathy Sheely of Valparaiso; grandfather, John "Jack" Spiess of Valparaiso; sister, Sarah (Chad) Franzman of Hebron; nephew, Brock Franzman; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandmother, Margaret Spiess; and grandparents, Raymond W. and Mary Sheely. Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 10:00 AM at Salem United Church of Christ 302 S. Main St. Wanatah with Pastor Jay Birky officiating. Burial will follow at Salem Cemetery, Wanatah. Visitation will be held Tuesday from 3:00-8:00 PM at Moeller Funeral Home, 104 Roosevelt Rd, Valparaiso. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to the family for the Wounded Warrior Foundation

Smelly Feet

Helaina says: "Hi fellow blog followers. I'm 4.5 months old. When I was lying on my back yesterday I found these really cool things to play with. There are 2 of them. Wherever I go, they are always there. I grab them, pull them towards my mouth, and roll around on the ground while gripping them tightly with my hands. Whenever I'm bored, I just look down, and there they are....

Mom and I were playing the other day, I just happened to look down, and there they were. So I leaned in, and went for them as fast as I could so that no one else had the chance to pick them up and play with them. Ooopps....I forgot...I can't quite sit up by myself yet, so I'll just lay here until mom or dad can help me up, and I can start looking for those new toys of mine. Mom and dad told me to call them feet. I don't care what they're called though...just as long as they don't forget to bring them wherever I go." Love, Helaina

Double Time

Wheeewww! These last few weeks have been nothing short of busy. Randy and I try to make a conscious effort each day to enjoy every minute, however it's a daily battle. Let's rewind to last week...Helaina ate rice cereal for the first time! Before her last bottle at bedtime, we fed her just a tablespoon of cereal mixed with some formula and boy did she do a good job. Other moms had warned me that it may not go very well the first time, but not our little Helaina. She ate that cereal like she'd been doing it for months.

On Friday morning, I took a flight to Indianapolis to help throw a baby shower for Katie and Ryan Archer and their little guy who will arrive this August. I am so thankful to have a wonderful husband that doesn't mind being Mr. Mom and in-laws that are willing to help each and every day in any way possible. I wish I could have taken Helaina with me, but we'll be traveling as family in just 2 weeks back to Indianapolis. And, even though I missed Randy and Helaina, it was great to see the girls again.

On Sunday, we celebrated the upcoming birth of Baby Boy Archer. Our friend Anna put her cake making/decorating skills to good use and whipped up a beautiful cake for the shower. Not only did it look good, but it was yummy too.
All the ladies...Anna, Erin, Katie, Angie (Katie's sister), Megan, and myself

The pretty mommas...Helaina can't wait to meet her "boy" "friends" Daddy is going to have his hands full :)

4th of July

Grandma Cathy came to stay for the 4th of July weekend. On Sunday, we went to the swim club for a fun day at the pool. Helaina continues to love the water. Hope everyone had a great 4th of July.

4 months old

July 2nd, my 27th birthday and Helaina turns 4 months old

We get older everyday, yesterday is lost forever as our youth wanes. This thought used to bring a bit of sadness to each birthday after the age of 21. However, since Helaina's been born, my outlook is much more accepting of the aging process. It is pure joy to know that her days have just begun. Our time with her has just begun. So another year older I am, I say bring it on...I have all that I could ever want!
Helaina's 4 month well visit was today. She's a happy and healthy baby. At 26 inches, she's in the 90th percentile for height and at almost 18 pounds, well, she's in the 100th percentile. She got her second round of immunizations and took em' like a trooper. There was a 20 second cry, followed by a great big hug from mom and dad, and then she was all smiles as we were leaving the office. Very thankful tonight that God is continuing to bless our family with good health.