Precious Moment

This is what we've been up to...

1-21 (almost 1 month) Not much. Sitting around.

1-29 Being "babysat".

2-27 (about 2 months) Working out...does this count as a plank?

Rolling around...

3-6 Growing like a weed. Someone bought us this outfit in the 3-6 month range. We bought it in newborn and it was TOO big in the early days!

3-11 Sitting around some more.

3-15 Sleeping in the swing. (Or praying for dear life?)

3-17 Being a saint on St.Patty's Day

Meanwhile, Dad's been working on the house - getting it ready to sell. Mom's been feeding baby, changing diapers, washing clothes, etc. Pretty boring, but very busy life. :)

A Blessed Boy

We blessed Matthew on February 6th. He was a very handsome boy! (So was his Dad!) It was a very special day. Our local family may be few in numbers, but it was great to all get together. The only locals that were missing were his Uncle Jody's family (in Arizona for a baptism & baby blessing) and his Uncle Jay's family. They were greatly missed. Here's the handsome guy! Check out that tux! :)

He was mighty hungry by the time we made it to his Aunt Pam & Uncle Bruce's house for lunch. When he's hungry, his hands know it.

I'm not a big fan of being in pictures, but I thought this one turned out okay - particularly since it was totally candid and I didn't know she took it.

Holding Daddy's hand. :)

Chillin! Lol! The shades are still too big, though.

Grandma Mocabee, Aunt Toni (who flew in from CA, again), Daddy, Matthew, Momma, Grandpa Mocabee, and Aunt Shelli (the photographer - thanks to her friend Veann for taking this one).

Aunt Pam, (missing uncle Bruce - SuperBowl Sunday, ya know! he was part of the blessing, though), Grandma Sparks, Daddy, Matthew, Momma, Grandpa Sparks, and Aunt Kim.

Also part of his blessing circle was Rob's cousin Tom, but his family was unable to attend the luncheon. Rob's other cousin Isabelle and her husband Andy were also there for the blessing, but not able to make it to lunch.

And away we go...

...well, in a few months. Rob and I just returned from a trip to Arizona where he interviewed for and was accepted to Midwestern Universtiy. Grad school here we come! It's in Glendale, Arizona (the Phoenix area), so it means we'll be whipping out a few finishing touches on the house and selling it.
He'll be working towards a Masters in Cardiovascular Science and will become a Certified Clinical Perfusionist - they play a role in surgeries that when the heart has to be stopped. We'll be in Arizona for 9 months, followed by a year of clinicals around the U.S. (either 3 locations for 4 months each, or 4 locations for 3 months each).
I couldn't be prouder of my wonderful husband! He's worked so hard to get to this point. I can't believe that by Summer 2013 he'll be done!
The next few years will be quite an adventure, but Matthew and I are excited to be on the journey with Dad. :)

More pics...

Look at my sweet little man! These were taken by my sister at 2 weeks. He's already growing so much (he's now almost 5 weeks old!). Enjoy!

Mission Accomplished!

They said we'd never do it, but we did! We did! Matthew Franklin Sparks was born on December 28th at 11:04 PM. We barely made it, but WE DID! Little Matt shares his birthday with his Daddy and Grandpa! It was a long day, and a little rough in the end (stinker was born posterior, meaning he was facing the ceiling instead of the floor - doesn't sound like a big deal, but it makes for a really pleasant delivery). He weighed in at 7 lbs 5 oz and was 19 1/2 in long.

Welcome to the family, Matthew!

Matthew & Buddy chillin w/ Momma.

Sorry for the funny angle. but here's Matt in his billibed.

Up close and personal!

Sleepy boy.

Promise more pics to come...

Nursery Photos

Here's a glimpse at the room we've created for our little guy. If you didn't know, Rob's kind of a car guy - you'd never guess by our decor. We bought our quilt from etsy.com. It was handmade by a lady in New York. I bought the same material that's the backside and my friend Emily made a matching crib skirt for us. :)

Right now our dressers are living in the nursery and we're sharing with the baby.

Hope you enjoyed seeing Matthew's room. :)

Pictures from Fam Dinner & Fam Baby Shower

Here are a few highlights from my big family weekend... Rob working on his homemade stuffing.

Kids (and Grandma) attacking the veggie platter. I've always been impressed with what great eaters some of my nieces and nephews are...but the pickles were still the first thing to need a refill.

Check out that spread! Yummers!

My awesome parents. Who else drives hours and hours for their daughter's baby shower? Glad we were able to have more family time to make it worth the drive (they stayed the night at my brother's house so they'd be here and not have to drive freaking early).

Here I am with 2 of my sisters - Shelli's in the middle and Toni's on the right - my California sister (if I thought it was wild my parents would drive down for the shower, Toni flew in!!!).

The next day was my family shower, hosted by my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. These ladies know how to throw a party! Best yet - no games. :D Everything was coordinated and the food was amazing!

Check out my sister-in-law's jello masterpiece! She's AmAzInG!

Here are all the Sparks women - Pam, Kim, JoAnn and me. (That's almost the entire Sparks family! We only had a couple who couldn't come - one of which had just had knee surgery, so I guess that's a pretty good excuse.)

All my side of the family who came - Aunt Janet, cousin Lindsey, Mom (Leah), me, sister Shelli, sis-in-law Danielle, sis-in-law Tracy, sister Toni and little niece Danielle Lila in front.

A final shot of my sisters, mom and me. :)