I love Pizza!!

A few days ago Abraham had finished his dinner when our pizza arrived. We sat down in front of the TV and he proceeded to climb up on the couch behind Michael, all the while smacking his lips and saying "Ummm!". He is quite the character. So as we are eating we of course give him a few pieces, since he IS starved (yea right!). He proceeded to crawl into Michael's lap and take the piece of pizza off of the plate and nearly put the whole thing into his mouth! Guess he was just hungry!!

Playing with the cousins

Last Saturday Kari and I took the kids on a Mother's Day gift shopping trip. We had in mind what we wanted to get mom but had to actually purchase it. So we drug the kids through Target and then to Mc Donalds for lunch. By that time they were really over the shopping part so we hit the playground. This playgroud is the one that Abraham really likes because of the sandbox. We played for a bit before the mommies got to hot and called it a day! The kids of course could go on forever!

PS. For those of you who know about my sweet niece Chloe and the accident, the playground is her favorite place to be. She runs like the wind and does pretty good keeping up with Alex! She is a good 2nd mommy to Abraham and he loves his CoCo! She is doing fantastically with her new leg. Thank you all for your prayers!

Happy Mothers Day!

Mom with her bracelet and angel


Me, Mom and Kari


Happy Mother's Day to me... and to all moms. I had a good day with my men and then with my momma. Michael and Abe took me out for lunch and then we walked around Barnes and Noble for a bit. We came home and I actually got a nap! I made dinner for the family - lasagne. We had dinner over at my moms and gave her the gifts then too. She of course loved them. She collects the Willow Tree angels and she is a sucker for unusual jewelry. So we got both!

It was a good day for me to reflect on what being a mommy means - I think I had a little bit of a clue about it from watching my mom and sister. But you just don't really know until you have lived it. I have learned that being mommy means sacrifice (of course!) It means you have dirty clothes but your child is neat and clean. It means that your house is a mess because you are spending time with the kids. It means a lack of sleep. It means lots of hugs, smiles and belly laughs. It means hearing "Momma" 1,000 times a day and loving each time! Being a mom is the highest calling I will ever have. It is also the biggest responsibility I'll ever have as well. I'm so blessed to be Mommy to 2 boys - one an angel with Jesus and one here on earth. Abraham is my world and I'd do anything for him. God has been so good to me with his life in mine. And I'm so grateful for that privilege of being his mommy. Thanks Father!


Kisses for my little man!


Happy Mother's Day!!

Back to School I GO!

Well, I have finally decided to go back to school to get my Master's Degree. I am taking the degree online thru a school called Walden Univ. The concentration I have chosen is Technology in the Classroom. The first week has gone well, and been relatively easy. I don't know what the rest of the class has in store for me but if you think about me, please pray! Pray that the school mind set will come back quickly and that I'll be able to balance work, school and home well.
Thanks a bunch!
Erinn

Mother's Day Pictures

Kari and I have started a tradition with our kids for Mother's Day. Last year we decided to have the kids pictures taken at Picture People and give that to our mom/Mimi for Mother's Day.
So we went to the mall to get the kids pictures taken today. I LOVE Picture People! Not only did the photographer really work well with all 3 kids, but she let Kari and I get in the picture with the kids. Wouldn't you know it? That is the picture that we got for Mom? Of course we are still waiting to see if we can post it on our blogs since it was a 10 x 13!!
Just wanted to share the pictures with everyone - so y'all could see what CUTE kids we have! :)


My little man, Abraham, 18 months old


BIG man, Alex, almost 6 years old


Princess Chloe, almost 4 years old



All 3 of our angels

NICU Reunion - April 2007

Some brave soul dressed up as this bear and allowed the kids to literally beat it to death! Abe thought he was really funny... he kept running up to "it" and hugging his legs or pulling his tail. Abraham thought it was great fun!!



This little boy to the Left of Abraham was in the NICU when we were there. I was able to spend a few times talking to the mom in the NICU. We talked about God's best and His will for our families. It was really neat. I don't think this little guy was as early at Abe was.




Last weekend Abraham and I went to the NICU reunion at the hospital. We were hoping to see the 2 nurses that took care of the boys. Unfortunately, Alice doesn't work there any more and Lauren was actually working. So we missed both of them. It was a bit of a bummer but we played with the other kids and talked to the parents. It was good to not have to feel like I needed to explain why he is so small - we all understand. Hard to remember that preemies come in all sizes and weights. Babies born at 36 weeks are considered preemie but they might be 6 + lbs.
Here are a few pics of Abraham at the reunion.



He found the wheels of the wheelchair great fun!

Our apartment - Before and After - Finally home!

Our Beautiful Mess!!



Abraham tried to paint a few times!


Helping Daddy push the couch


Before and After

We have talked for a while about painting the God awful white hospital walls in our apartment. We have lived here for going on 6 years and I'm sick of it! So we decided that before I started my Masters this week we should paint. What a long and horrible experience that was! We painted all Friday night, all day Saturday (thanks to Aunt K for watching Abe for part of the day!), most of Sunday and we just finished tonight, a week later. It's hard to describe the colors but they are blue toned. Like a grey-blue in the hallway and the darker color is more like a purply-blue brown. Like I said - hard to describe!

As much as we hated it, it looks really good. We installed track lights and a new dining room light to update the look and added other things to the bedroom as well. It looks like "home" and I'm happy!!

I just thought that I'd post a few pics of our masterpiece.




Living Room all done



Bedroom all done

Praise and Prayer Request

I posted a while ago about a sweet baby boy who was born at 26 weeks to a friend of mine, Mandy. I recently got an updated email that said he is doing really well. He is 10 weeks old and has doubled his birth weight! He has been on and off of the respirator but they are working to get him on the CPAP like our boys were on. This is a HUGE answer to prayer for this family. Thanks for praying.

And another prayer request for a little one - a friend from work, Karolyn, has a friend who gave birth to a boy 4 months ago who had Down's Syndrome. He was not early like our boys were but he had the same heart condition that Moses had. The doctors recently informed the parents that he needed the heart surgery and that there was a chance the baby would not survive because his lungs were weak. Yesterday he went in for open heart surgery. He came thru the surgery which is a big deal. And they were taking him off of the heart lung by-pass as well. I don't know this little ones name or his parents names, but if the Father brings them to mind please do lift them before the Throne. I do not know if they know the Father or not.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

Lawn Mowin' Boy

Abraham is 110% boy! My mom took this picture at her place last week. He loved his cousin Alex's tractor and didn't want to get off of it.
The smile is priceless!

First scraped knee of the year!

Well, warm weather hit us this weekend and with it comes shorts weather. So we pulled out Abraham's shorts and got him outside. He isn't quite used to his legs showing and he kept looking at his knees like he had never seen them before. And of course with shorts comes scraped knees - he got his first scraped knee this weekend. He was ready and willing to have me put the cream on it to make his boo boo feel better. I thought it was cute so on the blog it goes!

March of Dimes Walk America - CELEBRATING LIFE!

Aunt Kari and Abraham


Michael, Abraham and Kari

Today was the March of Dimes Walk America for our area. This is such an important cause that affects us personally. Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The funds we raise in WalkAmerica support research that saves babies' lives.

As many of you know, our boys were born on November 1, 2005 at 28 weeks premature. Abraham was 2 lbs 10 oz and Moses was 2 lbs 6 oz. This walk is a way for us to honor Moses' life and to celebrate the great health that Abraham has enjoyed.

The Father gave us yet another beautiful day to participate in the walk. Michael, Abraham, me and my sister Kari all took the time to do the walk. It sure seemed a bit longer than Kari and I remembered! I think it was probably a good 3-4 miles. We got our exercise in for the day!

I couldn't help but flash back to nearly 1 1/2 years ago when the boys were born and remember all the ups and downs of NICU life. And as I remembered the NICU, I was just overcome with thankfulness to the Father for the 2 sweet boys He gave us. I'm so thankful to the nurses for the wonderful care they gave the boys and us. Were it not for them, that 51 days we spent at GBMC would have been 100 times worse. I truly believe our boys were there for a reason and that they touched the lives of the nurses and doctors in their time there. And THAT is the testimony of their lives - Both Moses and Abraham.

We will have the opportunity to thank those nurses next week as we have a reunion with the NICU "family" at GBMC. Each year they hold these reunions and its fun to see the nurses that took care of the boys and to show off how big Abraham is. I'm sure I'll have pictures to show of that too!




Momma, Daddy and Abraham


Kari, Abraham and Me

My Daddy is the MAN!

When Daddy got home from fishing, he wanted in on the action as well. So we went to a different playground that had a sandbox. Michael had brought Abraham to this playground before and apparently he LOVED the sandbox! Yet again he was drawn to the sand and dirt! That's my little boy!! I think he decided that not only was sand fun to play in, it was also fun to eat. GREAT! We got lots of comments on his shirt - it's SO true you know!! As hard as it was to get him out of the sandbox, we managed to get him on a few slides, which he loved too.

It was a great end to a perfect day with our sweet boy. What a privilege it is to be this boy's parents. We are so thankful to the Father for him and the way that his life has changed our lives and our perspective on living.

There is no greater calling and privilege than to be a parent. We feel honored to be Abraham's parents.

Playground time with Momma

Abraham tickled pink with himself at the playground.


Walking through the tunnels is SO much fun!


Yesterday the weather was gorgeous for the first time in a long time. Michael had gone fishing and Abraham and I decided not to go to the Diaper Gang at the library and to hit the playground. One of the playgrounds in town has a section for kids that are smaller and younger so that's where we headed. He loved the playground and especially the slides. The smiles on his face as he went down them were priceless! We had a good day together, but as you can tell I really wore him out!! He had a nice looong nap when we got home!






Abraham and Momma


One worn out boy!

Spring has Sprung!

Ok, so sometimes apartment dwelling can get a bit, well boring. Small space, we are often on top of each other, with Abraham's toys underfoot. But I have to honestly say that when Spring comes, I don't mind so much living here. See we have this gorgeous view from our windows that greets me every day. I walk under it daily and breathe in the sweet smell of these beautiful flowers. It really is picture perfect, even if it is the couryard of our dinky little apartment. I hope that you can enjoy the beauty of it as well thru the pictures.

School Pictures

Every year I'm subjected to Class and Yearbook pictures. Usually I seriously dislike the pictures, until this one.

This day I had taken off because Abraham had a double ear infection and only wanted momma. But I hated for my class to have a class picture without their teacher. So Abe and I stopped in for the pictures.

Over the past 7 years I've been teaching I have gotten to know the guy in charge of the picture taking at our school. His name is Garrett Ragan, yup spelled the same way as us. We think that somewhere along the line his ancestors and Michael's are connected. Both families settled in Southern MD when they came over from Ireland. So anyhow...

Garrett offered to take a picture of me and Abraham. Since I'm usually behind the cameraI agreed. This picture is what came of that setting. I think it's cute - granted he doesn't seem happy but would YOU be?

I just thought I'd share this - he is cute sick or not. My little man!

Thankful Thursday

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give you THANKS forever." Psalm 30:11-12

"But giving THANKS is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God." Psalm 50:23

"Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him so that you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with THANKSGIVING for all that HE has done." Colossians 2:7

Giving thanks - it has actually been on my mind this week, not just today for this post!

Just when I think I have it hard and that I'm sinking, I meet someone who is lower than I am. I've been in the company of people this week who had close family members attempt suicide - or struggle with handling a child with Autism - or simply struggle under the weight of being a working mom and trying to raise 2 kids while keeping her head above water at work. Not that I think my life is a piece of cake - cause I have felt pretty low as well. But hearing these people talk, not only gives me an opportunity to share the Father - but it makes me reflect on my life and it makes me grateful for the things that I have that I often take for granted.

** I'm thankful that both my husband and I have good paying jobs and that we really don't struggle with paying bills and living expenses.

** I'm thankful I have a roof over my head and I don't have to worry about how we will pay for it.

** I'm thankful for a job that I love most days.

** I'm thankful for a car to get me to work.

** I'm thankful for a husband that is committed to me and to my son - who loves me unconditionally - who is a fantastic daddy - who is a man of integrity - who is a man of many talents and much wisdom!

** I'm thankful for a family that loves me and my husband and my son unconditionally and who would do anything humanly possible for us.

** I'm thankful for friends who care about me and my wellbeing.

** I'm thankful for the struggles that my family has experienced over the past year and a half. That isn't easy to say but necessary. We are to be thankful in everything -not necessarily thankful FOR the hardship but IN the hardship. So much good has come from those hardships that I'm not sure I'd change a thing.

I have so much to be thankful for it would take me forever to spill it all out! I'll have many more Thankful Thursdays to do that!!

Playdate with Friends!

Bethany jumping on the playground


Lunch date with Bethany


Playgrounds are my friends!

Abe and I traveled to Hanover, PA to visit a good friend of mine, Tabetha, and her daughter Bethany. This trip has been a long time coming. Tab and her family moved out to PA more than a year ago and I kept meaning to go and visit but it just never happened. So I decided that Spring Break was a great time to go. We had a nice time chatting and catching up while the kids played. Bethany is only 4 months older than Abe so they were pretty well matched. We hit McD's for lunch and let them play some more.

It was definately more of a time for "mommies" to reconnect and I had a wonderful time being with Tab, as always! She and I have been friends for forever, it seems! A good 12 years at least, probably more. She is one of the few friends from my teen years that I have kept up with. It's true what they say - the oldest friends are the dearest. I am so grateful to the Father for her and her constant friendship. She has been with me thru the ups and downs of life and has always been an encouragement to me. Thanks Tabby! Love ya!

Happy Easter 2007!!

Mom and Erinn

Abe and Daddy


HAPPY EASTER FROM THE RAGAN'S!!



Abe and Momma


Chloe and ReRe