First Photo Shoot

Our good friend, Tara, has taken all of our family pictures for the past few years.  She is very talented and such a great friend to put up with us :).  Just before Kevin turned 2 weeks she came to our house for his first photo shoot.  I am so glad that she was able to capture him so perfectly at this age.  I love the way the photos turned out!! 

Here are some of my favorites.  Check out the rest of Tara's work at tarahphotography.blogspot.com.

 

 

Naughty or Nice

So.... my little Casemeister can be the sweetest thing at times.  The other day I woke up to a huge hug followed by "I love you mommy. You're my best friend."  Moments like this are not uncommon for him.  He spontaneously says things like this all of the time and can be such a good little helper.  He loves to spend time with me and loves to cuddle.  One of my favorite things is when he asks to sit on my lap and read stories.  I also love bedtime each night when we lay on his bed together to read books, sing songs, and tell stories.  These are such tender moments for me as a mom. 

On the other hand my sweet little angel also has a bit of a naughty streak.  He is going through a phase right now in which he doesn't always like to listen or obey.  I sometimes wonder why he acts like such a 2 year old..... then I remember that he is one.  Sometimes I can't help but laugh at the naughty little things that he does.  Though I know this is not the most appropriate response I just can't help myself.  The most recent of these moments I did not want to miss writing down (I always seem to forget after a few days).  Cason was in the toy room giving a very compelling speech with his microphone.  He stood up on his toy box and yelled various phrases at me in the other room.  I was on the phone with Jeff at the time and was telling him how cute it was and how our son could be the next president with a speech like this.  Just as the words came out of my mouth Cason ended by shouting "I do what I want AND . I . DON'T . LISTEN!"  And that about sums it up :). 

Brothers :)

Before Kevin came into our family my biggest concern was how Cason would handle the change.  Now that Kevin is here I have to say that he has done so much better than I ever could have expected and I am so proud of him.  In the hospital he didn't show much interest, but wasn't upset either.  Once we brought Kevin home he was interested, but still didn't really want to be involved.  A little over a week later he finally asked to hold him!!  He has not shown any signs of resentment yet and has not been upset or mean to Kevin at all.  Instead he has turned into mommy's big helper.  He gets diapers for Kevin and hands me the binky when needed.  Any time that Kevin cries he tells me right away and acts concerned.  He wants to know where Kevin is at all times and loves to talk about him as part of our family.  He is an excellent big brother! 

I have noticed that Cason has been a bit more clingy with me and has been a bit of a "copy cat" with some of the things that Kevin does.  Kevin was jaundice and had to be on a bilibed for just over a week after we brough him home.  In the bilibed he could only wear a diaper.  So, for a week or so Cason also insisted that he only wear a diaper... all day AND night.  In the beginning he also asked for his diaper to be changed every time I would change Kevin's diaper.  He likes to be held more now and asks to be held or to sit by me while I am feeding Kevin.  He also likes to sit in the carseat or baby swing.  We have a mini boppy pillow to use for tummy time while Kevin is still really tiny.  When I first started using it with him Cason adopted the big boppy pillow to be his own and did tummy time beside Kevin.  After a few days I pulled out the mini boppy for Kevin and Cason said "I don't want to do tummy time today."  Adorable! 

While I love the baby phase and do not want to wish any of that time away I am also very excited for when Kevin gets a bit older and the two can play together. I have a feeling they are going to be best buds!! I love my boys :).

Best Buds!

 Poor jaundice baby....

And the concerned older brother :) 

 

"Please cheese me."  Cason was a bit jealous of all the pictures I was taking of Kevin and asked if I would take a picture of him.  Normally he hates getting his picture taken, so this was a big moment.  And the picture turned out great!

 My toddler thinks he's a baby ;).

 

 Tummy time!

 Seriously?!  I love this sweet face :).

 

Welcome to the World Kevin Jakob Clark

On January 7, 2013 we welcomed our sweet baby boy, Kevin Jakob Clark, into our family. After a fairly quick and easy delivery he entered the world weighing 6 lbs, 14 oz and measuring 19 inches.  Before going into the hospital I was experiencing so many different emotions.  I was incredibly excited to meet my new son, but also nervous and anxious for the upcoming changes that would inevitably happen within our family.  The very secod that he was born and I heard his cry for the first time I was overcome with a sense of peace and all anxieties I had been feeling went away in an insant.  It was an incredible moment and I couldn't hold back my tears.  Kevin is perfect in every way and absolutely completes our family.  Now, just over 3 weeks later, it is hard to imagine our little family without him. 

Christmas 2012

Christmas was a ton of fun this year.  Jeff and I both took a 5 day weekend from work.  It was nice to relax at home and with our families.  We spent Christmas Eve with my family and both sets of grandparents at my parent's house.  We had a delicious dinner and a fun program with the kiddos.  Cason and Cydney sang Jingle Bells and Cason even sang Silent Night all on his own.  It was adorable and I was a proud momma!  We also went throught he Nativity story and each of the kids got to open one gift.  After the festivities we went back to our house to prepare for Santa's arrival and Cason was out like a light within minutes. 

On Christmas morning I asked Cason if we should go see if Santa had come.  He walked cautiously into the living room, peeked over the couch (where he had placed his stocking the night before), and enthusiastically said "I think, I think, I think this is for me!"  Santa brought him a scooter, a fishing game, a Scooby Doo movie, and lots of candy (of course).  He was excited to play with each gift and open all of the presents from his grandparents and cousins throughout the day.

After we opened gifts at our house we went to my parents for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast and then to Jeff's mom's house for lunch.  We spent the rest of the day with both families and ended the night with a competitive game of Ticket to Ride.  The best part of the holidays is the time we are able to spend with our family.  I love them all so much!

 Cason and great grandma Giles

 Cason and great grandpa Slaugh

 All 5 kiddos in their Christmas jammies

 I love this of Cason and his grandma

 Santa came :)

 Rock Star! Thanks for the guitar grandpa and grandma Clark!

37 Weeks

This picture was taken at 37 weeks, though I am now almost 38! We've passed the mark and our healthy baby boy could come anytime now. This past weekend we made a much needed shopping trip to get the necessities and I feel like we are as ready as we're gonna be... well at least we have diapers :). I am having weekly appointments and things are starting to progress. Now I am just waiting out my last week of work and then there won't be anything holding us back. Can't wait to meet the newest addition to our little family!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving weekend was a lot of fun this year.  A lot of my family came into town including aunts, uncles, and cousins and we had a big feast at my grandparents clubhouse.  All of Jeff's family, except for one sister and brother-in-law, were also in town and we had a second Thanksgiving dinner with them.  It was so much fun to get together with so many family members and let Cason play with all of the cousins.  My cousin and his family stayed out our house.  They have a little girl just a year younger than Cason and it was fun to see them interact.  On Saturday we took all of the cousins from Jeff's family to Jumpin' Jacks and had a blast.  Then on Sunday we took Cason to see the new movie Rise of the Guardians.  It was super cute and helped to get us in the Christmas spirit.  It gave us the push we needed to come home and decorate our tree and house.  Cason had fun helping for about two minutes :), but loves "Christmas at our house!"  I love the holiday season!

Throughout November I tried my best to teach Cason what it means to be thankful.  At the beginning of the month I made a thankful tree and most days we glued on a leaf showing something that he is thankful for.  Because he is a two year old my explanations often came down to "What do you like today?" or "What makes you happy today?"  He did fairly well and loved to come home and glue a leaf on each day.  My favorite response from him was during an afternoon in which he refused to take a nap.  His response to "What are you thankful for today?" was "To wake up!"  What a silly kid. 

I have so much to be thankful for this year (and every year).  I'm most thankful for my amazing family.  I love my husband and sons.  I am so thankful for a healthy pregnancy and the ability to have children.  My family brings so much joy to my life and I cannot imagine life without them. 

 Cason and his thankful tree.

Intently helping to decorate the Christmas tree. Such concentration!