Pause and remember

Today is Anzac day, it's sort of memorial day for New Zealand and Australia. It's a day understandably close to Logan's heart. Yesterday he took down his POW MIA flag and put up the New Zealand flag because NZ is just about a day ahead of us.


I love how proud New Zealanders are of their boys who serve and defend. When we visited in the summer of '08 I saw a war memorial in almost every town we went through (I slept through a few). This was one of my favorites, it was in Dannevirke.



This wall was in a memorial park in Hamilton. One half was names from WWI and the other was the names from WWII.
I think this last shot speaks to Logan as a father. His heart is to teach our children to always remember and honor those who have fought and died for freedom.

Super fantastic fun family visit!

For most of the past week my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew have been visiting us. They left yesterday afternoon. I have many pictures from their visit but haven't found the time to sit and organize them into a nice post yet. Here's a snippet of their time here, a few pictures I did manage to choose from the virtual piles of snapshots. The day they arrived we had the Hams over also. Bob, Lalita, and Simon are good friends and good company :) Rowan was pretty excited to see them, before they arrived he was talking (and talking and talking) about it. The best quote was, "Rowan see Simon, Bob, and Larry". He of course confused "Bob and Lalita" with the talking, singing, bouncing duo of "Bob the tomato and Larry the cucumber" from one of his favorite DVD series, Veggietales.


They turned out not to be dancing veggies but no one didn't seem to mind. We had a great time anyway.




























Rowan and Simon played really well together. They shared like champs as they played tee ball and other games.

Rowan can't quite get his "gremmy hat" on by himself so it often looks a bit... wonky. Adorable but wonky.

Katie handled all the visitors as she usually does. With grace, poise, and a nap :)


More pictures to come! It may be take a day or two but they'll come :)

He's so big!

Rowan hasn't gotten very many haircuts but when he does he looks like such a big boy! I can't believe how huge he feels, especially after holding Katie for a while ;)

The other day he decided he didn't want to wait for Logan to come home from work so he dumped out five of his toy bins and made a "train". He sat in the big one (presumably the engine), blew me a kiss, and told me he was going to see Dad at work.

Just before I grabbed the camera he announced, "Mom, dis twain's weavin!"

He didn't get too far in the toy bin train but as luck would have it, after some lunch and a nap, Dad came to him. Rowan wasn't the only one to get a haircut, the same day Logan and Rowan dropped Max off at the groomer and Logan got a bit of a trim up also. Here are the handsome devils romping around, as handsome devils will do. At least these ones anyway ;)

It seemed to end peacefully but if I remember correctly after realizing the book Rowan brought over was The Night Before Christmas Logan launched into a tickle attack.


Ah boys... :)

Family of four for a fortnight

It's been two weeks. It hasn't gone fast or slow, it's just been good. Logan got paternity leave so I got to rest a lot the first week and sort of ease into being on my own with the kids. Which was AMAZING! I am soooo blessed!! We even got to go out to our local state park and to the zoo. I'm bummed that he couldn't have a longer little vacation but I guess that's always the way with holidays :)
We went to Katelyn's two week check-up this morning and pretty much got two thumbs up. The doc said she looks healthy and that the stuffiness we were worried might have been a cold is way more likely just newborn stuffiness. At birth little miss was 8lbs 2oz and just about 20in long, today she weighed in at 8lbs 14oz and measured 20.5 inches long.






She sure is a cutie :)











After the appointment we went to the lab to get Katie's heel pricked. She was not too happy but Rowan was right there patting and petting her head saying, "It's okay Katie" over and over. It was really sweet. Beforehand he kept asking the lab tech "Rowan watch Katie get a poke?" he's a good brother :) Once that was done we went outside to walk around a bit because the weather was lovely.
Some of Rowan's favorite things to do at the hospital are to look at the swans, ducks, and geese as well as the fish and the fountains out in the small lake there. But I think his very favorite these days is playing Poohsticks. Logan and he played it a couple times during some of my various prenatal appointments. Today was my first time, it was a good day for it.


By the time we finished a few rounds Katie was hungry so I found a bench and fed her (hooray for breastfeeding :D another huuuge blessing!). Rowan wandered and played until I was done then we posed for some mama and kids pictures. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to take our picture functionally and they look pretty good too!










I am so so happy to have two beautiful, healthy children!
These pictures make me think of part of I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (as we used to sing back at my old church)

Oh I feel like dancing, it's foolishness I know...
and I have so much to sing about
and I have so much to dance about
and I have so much to shout about
and I have so much sooo much

I thank God constantly for the rich and abundant blessings that He's given me. I thank Him even more that my blessings, my amazing husband and wonderful children, are not just for me. I get to share with my parents, Logan's parents, our kids' godparents, and all the rest of our family and friends!!

Welcome to the world little one

The first week of baby seems to go fast and slow. I'm learning new things and remembering things I'd forgotten from Rowan's early days. One thing is certain, we looooove our little girl and are beyond excited and happy that she's finally out of "hiding" :) We got a really cute bouquet when we were in the hospital from Katie's godmom. Daffodils are among my favorite spring flowers, this one seems to be heralding the arrival of our lil' miss.

Announcing with overwhelming joy and a beaming sense of happiness and pride
Katelyn Hanna Godsiff!

beauty eh?

I won't go into any "TMI" details but for those who are curious here's a bit of a summary of how it all went down:

Well, her due "date" was March 4th but obviously she was not keen on that. We waiting semi-patiently for about a week until my doctor scheduled an induction for Saturday the 13th. Obviously this was not meant to be. About 1:30AM on the 12th I felt the first strong contractions but not being able to time them to 5 minutes apart for an hour (the timing that labor and delivery usually asks you to wait for before calling and coming into the hospital) I decided to just take a warm shower and wait. After running out of hot water I got out and feeling light headed called into L & D to ask advice. They advised that we head in after judging by the sound of my voice that these were probably active labor contractions. That was about 3:15AM

I woke Logan up and told him we had to go. As we got ready the contractions became very strong and after a quick ride to the hospital we entered at the ER (approx arrival time was 3:45). I was wheeled upstairs unsure if I could walk all the way to the triage area for L & D. Just about the time I got onto a bed and started to be evaluated my water broke and I felt very strongly that I had to push. About two minutes and one and a half pushes later she was born. 3:56AM.

I felt shell shocked to say the least. I was prepared for a couple hours in the hospital and instead it was a matter of minutes. After getting settled in our mother baby suite, which amazingly we got to ourselves! I was able to rest and relax and just enjoy my sweet little girl.

After a little while Logan went home and rested himself before coming in with Hayden and Rowan to meet lil miss Katie.

Thank you Hayden for being our first family-of-four photographer!

The first day was uneventful. The boys were my only visitors due to many of my friends either being out of town or having little ones of their own with sniffles and coughs.

Here's another shot of the bouquet from Amy. Pretty cute.

The next morning I woke up to sunshine. It was a good day :)

Heading home! I think this photo really emphasizes the size difference between father and newborn daughter. I told him he looks like an ogre ;)

As you can see Katie is fitting in quite nicely around here :) Rowan is really good big brother. He loves her when she's awake, mostly ignores her when she's asleep, and likes to hug and kiss her.

Indeed she's a wonderful, adorable, sweet, and precious addition to our family. I'm a little nervous for Logan to start back at work and to be on my own with these two but I'm confident that I have the mom tools and skills to at least make it until lunchtime tomorrow ;) after that it's all grace.



Working together already ;) Today is my sister "Aunty" Krystle's 23rd birthday, Rowan wasn't completely happy to come in from playing with sticks outside for the photo but was a good sport (and was actually excited about sending birthday wishes). He even helped me with the signs. His lines were really light and hard to see on the computer. I figure it's the thought that counts :)


We love you Krystle, happy birthday again. And we love you Katie!! Happy first week of life!

a little change

I decided my blog needed a bit of a remodel. My favorite things are the new colors and Rowan's new birthday/age counter thing :)

The other day we were shopping around Target and he kept roaring. I think he was talking about a toy but I'm not sure. Sometimes he just likes to roar... I think it's super cute. It makes me smile :)

Due date

Ah the infamous due date.
Yes, Katelyn is due today, March 4th 2010.

I really don't think we'll meet her today. It's already afternoon and I haven't had any symptoms or signs of impending labor. It doesn't bother me really. Sure I would like to have her in my arms instead of in my belly but at the same time I know she's safe, warm, and being very well cared for in there.

Rowan came 5 days "late", that is he was born 5 days after his due date. Of course he wasn't actually late for anything, he was right on time. The "due" date is simply the midpoint between 38 and 42 weeks, which is when the baby is deemed "full term" and is expected to arrive. With that in mind I feel pretty prepared for another week of pregnant knowing it could actually be anywhere from one day to two weeks before she graces us with her presence. I think after about a fortnight the doctors will try to help things along so at least I have that to look forward to. I know she'll be born in March :)

I can't wait to flood this blog with pictures of a little sweetheart being loved on by family and friends. I'm especially excited to have the first shots of Katie and her daddy and also of Rowan holding her. Which he's been talking about for a couple weeks now ;) I'm sure to everyone else the days between now and her arrival will seem like no time at all. For me the last one or two have gone by kinda slow. I really hope I can come up with ways for the next few to go by a little quicker.

Good times!

It's been really nice to be home again. Here are some of the things Rowan's been up to since we've been back.

Playing with his buddy Carson

< Dancing to music on the laptop
(mostly Imagination Movers, I think that's what was on here)

Playing in his train house and tunnel!

and probably my favorite...

Playing with Dad!

Rowan's favorite songs on the Guitar Hero, as he calls them, are "wot woll myyyy pardy day" and "bess fot". Which are actually Rock and Roll All Nite and Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Often when he wants to play the game with you he'll just ask for one or both of those songs :)

Rowan really likes to take pictures and have pictures taken of him... and Logan is just goofy ;)I love having both my boys together again. Especially at bathtime! Rowan loves bathtime with dad (except for hair washing of course) and Dad is way better at sitting at the side of the tub than Mama these days ;)

See? Kneeling and bending over to scrub little toes and play with squirty toys is definitely hindered by little miss Katelyn :) But we don't mind that much. She's due to arrive in about two weeks. I'm super excited, I can't wait to see her and hold her!
Though I can't deny that I've felt that familiar "so close yet so far" feeling that just about every mother feels at the end of pregnancy. I know she'll be here soon and that as soon as our new carseat arrives in the mail we'll be all ready! Can't leave the hospital without one you know.

Update and photos

Well it's been another long time hasn't it? Holidays, deployment, and Rowan's baby sister (growing everyday) have all played a part in my lack of updates but rest assured we're doing fine. We just had a wonderful couple weeks down in Sisters, OR with Logan's parents and are now back in Portland again for a few days before we head home! My 36 week check up is Feb 1st and though I would love to spend even longer on holiday I know that it's best that we get back home for that and back into a routine before this little girl comes. We've got about 5 weeks before her due date and I think Rowan really needs that time to settle back into normal life so we can start into sibling-hood on our best foot :)

Here's are a bunch of photos from our adventures in central Oregon and some belated Christmas photos also!

Christmas in Portland! :D

Central Oregon trip! :D
(mixed up on purpose, there were so many photos
I just grabbed a sample and didn't really bother with chronology)

We love going to Sisters!
Can't wait until our next visit :)

Speaking of which, I propose we should come up with some way to link our house with both Rowan's grandparents' houses! Maybe tunnels? Maybe we get a giant lasso and Paul Bunyun to rope Lacey/Ft Lewis and pull them closer to Oregon? In any case I feel we should be closer so visits can be more frequent! ;)

Or perhaps having to travel to see our loved ones makes our visits all the more special :) Thank you everyone; Grampa and Gramma, aunties, uncles, and Goddy and Gremmy for being so wonderful and making this time not just bearable but fun and enjoyable! We love our family!!! :D Hopefully this next short while before Katelyn is born will go smoothly and everyone will be continue to be healthy and strong!

If I don't keep up well before then definitely be on the look out for more photos in early March ;D