Happy New Year

2007 was a wonderful year for our family.
It began with the addition of our sweet boy Jude and concluded with the addition of our fiesty pup Titus.
As with all growing families our life is constantly changing...and each new season brings as much joy as the last.
Kyle is enjoying his second year teaching Science and I am still enjoying staying home with our children. It is more fulfilling than I ever imagined to be possible.

Kylee and Jude are amazing little people that have grown so much in the past year! Kylee is 2 and a half now. It is simply awesome to witness the growth that takes place in these formative years. She has a wonderful blend of spunk and sweetness. She is quite capable of a great many things...and quite independent. I often hear her say, "I can do it myself." She is very inquisitive and her favorite question is, "Why?" I find it difficult to answer many of her why questions...

Jude will be 1 on the 22nd. I can hardly believe it. He is such a handsome boy. He is very nearly walking...taking a couple steps at a time. He just needs some more confidence I think...and a little more balance would help! He has three teeth with three more coming down right now. He looks like a little snaggle tooth. I love his little grin!

Titus is the newest addition...and quite a handful. He is a smart pup and he is doing really well. Kylee and Jude just love him. It was a wonderful Christmas surprise! He is almost 3 months so we have a bit more training to do but he is a wonderful addition to our home!

Blessings for 2008!

The Fletcher Family

I love you Lord and I lift my voice

I was reminded once again that trusting God to provide in everything is THE ONLY way to live. One minute all was well and the next my baby was being put into an ambulance and headed up to Mary Bridge Children's hospital. Something of shock settled over my body as the Nurse Practioner told me that Jude needed to be admitted to the hospital and that she was arranging a transport. A transport? An ambulance was going to take him so that they could make sure he could breathe. They were afraid he had pneumonia. I had to make some calls...Kyle. I needed Kyle. What was his number again? Strange how the number I have dialed a few times a day for the last 5 years eluded my memory. I stared at the numbers and somehow something from the far recesses of my mind took over. I dialed his number. My hands were shaking and the words wouldn't come...what do I say? Kyle was on his way. Kylee...I had to make arrangements for Kylee but this was about the time they were trying to get an I.V. started on Jude. This dear sweet nurse who had this AWFUL task stopped and held my hands and began to pray...for Jude for me for a vein...It was then that I realized that God is in control...and something of relief washed over me. This precious little boy is His and as much as I love him God loves him more. That gave me comfort. The prayers of many...maybe yours....were answered. Jude was responding to his breathing treatments very well. The chest x-ray showed he did not have pneumonia. The diagnosis: a respitory virus. He spent the night in the hospital with wires and tubes tangled all around him, getting breathing treatments and steady doses of Ibuprofen and Tylenol for his fever and by morning all was looking good. They said we just need to get him to drink and then we could go home. That was a little tricky...but a popsicle was our ticket home.

Then we were home and I felt a little overwhelmed...what if he started having a hard time breathing and I didn't realize it? When he spiked a fever and he didn't respond well to his inhaler...I panicked yet again. What was that I had said about God being in control?

We gave him more Ibuprofen and waited the 2 hours before we could give him more Albuterol and things started looking better. I slept on the floor in his room...and though it was another long night by morning he was looking better. I finally made it to my own bed last night...assured that his breathing was not as labored and he would be fine.

Jude is doing really well today...other than running a fever he hasn't been wheezing and we have been able to go without the inhaler. Praise God for his provision in every way. We are so thankful for all of you who were praying for us. Your prayers were felt and they were answered.

Meet Titus...the newest addition to the Fletcher Family. This sweet little pup is 3.5 weeks old and one of the bigger of the males in his litter. We will be bringing him home just in time for a big Christmas surprise for Kylee and Jude. Kylee fell in love with him...and the rest of the litter and Jude wanted to kiss him so we are sure he will be a big hit. Titus means defender, however if he stays true to his breed he would probably lead the thieves to the TV instead of sending them on their way.

This is a picture of Hershey and Fido the mother and father of Titus. They are both sweet dogs. We were especially impressed with Fido.

Let the puppy training commence!

Uncle Dean & Auntie Laura's Wedding

Where are we going? To go save Uncle Dean! Where are we going? To go save Uncle Dean! This was Kylee's phrase for our trip to Houston to see Uncle Dean and Auntie Wauwa get married. We had been talking with Kylee for weeks about getting on a big airplane and going to Houston. So she was REALLY excited for this trip. So excited in fact, that when we woke her up at 3:30 a.m. and put her in the car to head to the airport she couldn't fall back to sleep. She was awake until 10:30 p.m. that night...except for a short 45 minute nap on the airplane. That is a LONG time to be awake for a 2 and a half year old! She did great though. Maybe she felt like Dora the Explorer going on her own adventure...and instead of saving Boots like Dora...she was going to save Uncle Dean..."Where are we going?" Our little heroine needed someone to save so Uncle Dean being so high on her radar became the obvious choice! That said...and since we all love Auntie Wauwa...Kylee was not implying that Uncle Dean needed saving from Laura...

The wedding was beautiful and it was so much fun! We were so blessed to be able to share in the special day.

Trick Or Treat

Belle, Dracula, the Purple Dinosaur, 2 Monkeys and a little Lion...Oh My!
What fun!

First Words

DaDa...nevermind the fact that I carried him for 9 months, labored and gave birth to him. I feed him (every two hours for the first couple of weeks no less), have changed 99% of his diapers and I have provided him comfort any time of the day or night for the last 8 and a half months...and yet his first word is Dada...go figure!

Hangin' Around

Kylee has been doing gymnastics for a few months and she has discovered the joy of hanging from bars...or a cabinet door, stair rail, refrigerator door you name it and she has probably tired to hang from it. Coach Peter, her gymnastics coach, had the children on the low bar and Kylee informed him that she wanted to go on the high bar. He was happy to oblige.

The First Haircut

Daddy gave Jude his first haircut! It was getting a little long over his ears so he just got a little fade...now he looks like daddy more than ever.

The Lord your God is with you...

Sometimes I wonder...How did I get so lucky? Do you have those moments when you take a step back and you realize, maybe for the first time, or maybe for the millionth time, that you are blessed beyond words?

Two is such a fun age. Kyle pointed out that with every new stage I have declared that the particular stage we were in was my favorite...Kylee is two and I have to say this is my favorite! I love listening to her articulate all that is going on in her mind. I marvel at her ability to express herself now and the incredible range of emotions that she is capable of. The other day Kylee and Jude were in the bath tub and Jude was on his tummy and Kylee noticed his male anatomy and asked me, "What's that tail Mommy?" Oh my sweet girl. She keeps me laughing! As a matter of fact that one will keep me laughing for a long time to come! What joy to be a mother of a two year old!

Grins and Giggles

Jude is off and running...or well more accurately he is off and crawling! He is growing so quickly. It is amazing watching his little personality develop. He is my little snuggler who really likes to be entertained. As you can see from this awesome picture taken by our good friend Geoff he has beautiful blue eyes that are so full of life. He and Kylee are playing together more and more. They wrestle, they giggle...they wrestle. I love watching them together. What a blessing it is to have them so close in age. It is even better than I imagined!

Sleeping Beauty

I had to post this picture! We had returned from Cannon Beach and my darling daughter insisted that she did not need a nap. Hmmmm well this picture is proof that Mama knows best. We were actually talking to her just minutes before this picture was taken. One minute she was her normal chatty little self and the next she was face down on her plate with peanut butter and jam up her nose!

The Finished Product

I don't mind telling you all that Kyle is AMAZING!
A shed, a patio, and some steps off our back porch...I would say it has been a productive summer. Now I have a little less than a year to dream up his projects for next summer. I am sure he can hardly wait! It has been an awesome summer.

Bob The Builder

One of Kyle's summer projects is building shed...and here it is! His first project was our patio and the cement slab he is building the shed on. He completed those projects in June and then moved on to building the shed a week ago. Unfortunately he picked the one week we have had solid rain to begin. Thankfully it seems as though tomorrow will bring a good stretch of weather. His only other real project this summer is the steps off of the side of our porch out back and he hopes to have them both done by the end of the month!

Almost Crawling!

It is hard to believe Jude is already 6 months old and very nearly crawling! He is rather mobile as he scoots or rolls to wherever he is trying to go. He can't seem to get the coordination for moving his little knees and his hands in order so he ends up on his belly after each attempt. It won't be long. I think his main motivation is catching up with his sister! They are having a lot of fun playing together these days. He loves to wrestle with her (and she with him)! There is loads of laughter in the Fletcher household!

I'm Two!

Kylee turned two! She got such a kick out of the whole birthday party idea that she thinks we should do it more than once a year...once a week or so would be good.

New Tricks

Jude has found his toes and he loves to suck on them! Of course he has pretty long toes which makes it a little easier. So if it isn't his fingers it is usually his toes. He always seems to be chewing or sucking on something!

Kylee's First Haircut

June 14, 2007 Kylee got her first haircut. What better place to take your little girl for a haircut than Pink Salon? Cori did a wonderful job and Kylee had a lot of fun! When we look at this picture we are amazed at how quickly our daughter is growing up.

Terrific Twos

Kylee is getting her two year molars...the bottom two. The look says it all! "No!" just happens to be her favorite word right now. It is a shame really, I mean she can say so many cool words right now. Hippopotamus for instance. I like it when she says that. Or Mississippi...now that is a fun word! Instead I get, "NO!" Thankfully this stage won't last forever. We have found ourselves doing the things we always said we wouldn't...like bribing her or my very favorite, distracting her in order to avoid a fit or to get her to do whatever it is we would like her to do. Wow...it is exhausting really. In the midst of it all we have those melt your heart moments that remind us that our precious little girl is still in there! She is, and will always be, no matter what, one of the greatest joys of our life.

4 months old already?

Jude is getting so big. He weighs 14 pounds and 2 ounces and he is 25 inches tall. He is healthy and happy! It has been awesome to watch Kylee and Jude together. Kylee adores Jude and is one of his biggest cheerleaders! You will often hear her say, "Yay! Jude roll over, Jude roll over!!" She loves to make him laugh and gets so excited when he "talks" to her.
What a blessing it is to be a mother...such joy that I never new to be possible!

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Jude 1:2

But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them!
For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these."

May 20th, 2007
We formally dedicated Jude Robert Fletcher to God and lifted him back to the Father.

As his parents we decalre our faith in Jesus Christ and testify to our desire that Jude would know and love Christ early in life, follow the impulses of His Spirit daily, maintain an active and growing relationship with the Father throughout his life and spend eternity in His presence.

There will come a day when he will make a choice about faith for himself, but until then as parents in love with Christ we will model and teach Jude to love our Savior, to be hungry for His Word, and to make His house of worship a place of refuge and comfort. We will strive to teach him positive and healthy habits, guide his education, observe his relationships, always help him to listen for God's counsel and stay on the right path.

'We dedicate him now in the name of the Father, and of the Son & of the Holy Spirit. Amen.'

Yum! Yum!

Let the fun begin!! Jude enjoyed his first taste of cereal. We made the biggest mess but it was so fun! It is hard to believe our little boy is big enough to sit up in the highchair and eat cereal! Where does the time go?

Tulips, Tulips & more Tulips!

When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses? They were Tulips in this case but the concept is the same. As we roamed the Tulip Fields at DeGoedes today we were reminded of how important it is to spend time enjoying the beauty God created all around us. The magnificent colors, the fresh air and our beautiful little girl taking it all in...it was a vivid reminder of God's goodness!

They keep growing...just a different pace

Believe it or not this is the same outfit!
The picture of Kylee was taken in
September of 2006 when she was
15 months old. The picture of Jude
below was taken at 3 months old!
Jude is a big boy but it must be said that
Kylee has always been a little one.
Jude just might pass her up quicker than we thought!

Jude Robert

The newest addition to the Fletcher family...
Jude was born on January 22, 2007 at 6:25 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds and 11 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. A beautiful, healthy little boy!
Jude has continued to grow...at 4 weeks old he was already 11 pounds!