The Denders

Bailey's Birthday Celebration

2011-11-24T20:32:00.001-05:00

I realize this is a month late - I apologize, bear with me! Bailey's Birthday weekend was very memorable. The day before her 1st birthday we baptized her infront of our church congregation. It was neat to stand up there as a whole family and commit to raise our daughter to know and love Jesus to the best of our abilities.

After the baptism we went home and prepared to CELEBRATE! I had a great time decorating for my sweet baby girl with LOTS of pink!!

Bailey loved her cake!

But, I think her favorite part was her baby doll and strollers!!

She wanted to climb in there and snuggle with "Dolly"

Though she looks like she is mad she really is giving that baby doll a big 'ol squeeze!!

I can't believe our sweet baby girl is 1 - it went by so quickly, but I have loved every minute I had had with her!! She completes our little family and adds so much fun to our home! We love you sweet girl!

Bailey's 1st Birthday!!!!

2011-10-24T08:27:00.000-04:00

This sweet baby girl turned 1 today!!! I can hardly believe it!! She has been a huge blessing to our family!! She is a happy, smiley ball of enegery! We couldn't love her anymore!!

PK-4

2011-08-23T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today Reed had his first day of PK-4! He was so excited to get to go to school everyday, and see his sweet friends!!

Brother thinks he is big too!!

Getting ready to go into his class

Put his lunchbox and backpack in his cubby just like a big boy!

And went to play with playdoh with his sweet friend!!
I am so thankful for our church and to be able to trust, that without a doubt, Reed is being loved and cared for there!!

St. George Island!

2011-08-07T08:59:00.001-04:00

Last week while Daddy was out of town the babies and I took a trip to the beach with some sweet friends! Being that we live in Tallahassee, we drove almost 2 hours to go to a real beach with water that wouldn't make us sick! LOL!

We all had SO much fun!! Both of my boys had a friend to play with that is their age, and they played all day long!!!!!

Poor Cader really wanted to be held, but Mommy was holding Bailey :(
Luckily Miss Brooke was nice enough to help me out!!

Cade and his buddy "Coley"

"Surfin"

Cade was so worn out that he crawled in my lap and passed out sitting up, even with his baby sister terrorizing him! I layed him down and he napped for a few - then I woke him up so he could play some more before we left!

Bailey LOVES the water and sand!! She had NO fear!!

New and Improved Room!

2011-07-25T19:35:00.000-04:00

Before...
We finally bunked the boys beds, and I must say, I am LOVING it!! They have SO much more room to play, and their beds are so cozy!!

Taking their beds apart was an adventure...I had no idea there would be so many "treasures" hiding underneath!! We had a whole army of army men under Reed's bed!!

After....
It took the whole family, including Uncle Michael and Pawpaw to put the beds together...but it was SO worth it! Daddy has since built a ladder, but it is not in the picture.

Reed loves being on the top

Even Leo had a little snuggle time in Cade's bed!!

This sweet friend...

2011-07-12T12:37:00.001-04:00

is a loving, beautiful, caring, sacrificial, God fearing, prayer warrior who has blessed me greatly in the 8 years I have known her!! She is a wonderful and patient mother and someone who is a wonderful example to me!! She has blessed and dressed Bailey over the last 8 months (inclulding the adorable dress she is wearing in the picture). She has sacrificially loaned her sweet girls wardrobe to us, and though I am sure it won't last forever, it has been an amazing blessing!! Christy, I pray for you and your sweet family every time Bailey wears one of the cute items, like she is today!! Love you friend!!

Nothing makes my heart happier...

2011-07-10T18:55:00.000-04:00

Than seeing my family smile!!!
Life has been pretty busy with 3 littles ones home all summer! They have had a good time lovin' on each other and I love seeing their relationships grow!! I love getting loved on by my kiddos, but watching them love on each other is WAY better!!!
Because life has been so busy I am going to just let some pictures warm your heart they way they do mine, and I will try to be better about updating on a more daily basis!!

Soo much love!!

Precious child!!

I love how she is looking at him in this one!

Can't forget about Daddy...the boys still LOVE mowing the yard!!

Bailey has developed quite the "cheese" face! As soon as she sees my camera or phone come out this is what she does!!

Kisses for Daddy!!!!

And boy does she love Daddy kisses!!

Slip 'n Slide!

2011-06-04T21:06:00.000-04:00

Bailey watched while her brothers...

Had some fun! :)

more party pics

2011-06-04T20:10:00.001-04:00

The party favors...lightning mcqueen cookies

Singing Happy Birthday

I'm 4!

And the Aftermath...

Reed turned 4!!

2011-06-04T19:46:00.001-04:00

On the morning of his birthday!

Ryan brought out his present....what could that very creative wrapping be?!

A big boy fishing pole!!

So of course we went right outside and tried it out! Reed is getting very good at it, despite it being 6 ft long!

Later in the day he received a very cool balloon delivery from Mimi!! It even had some little surprises in the bag attached to the balloons! Very cool!!!

Later we celebrated Memorial day and Reed's birthday with Ryan's family...

This is how we see Uncle Michael most...behind the camera!

But he does put it down to play with his niece and nephews :)

Daddy got a turn with Bailey too!

Yum! We had some memorial inspired birthday cupcakes :)

Then.... we had his Birthday Party

with Lightning and Mater cupcakes

The birthday boys!!

Cade and Daddy playing skee-ball

Swishhh..

One of the party guests arrived a little sleepy...so cute!

Reed was SO excited!!

Ringbearer

2011-05-25T13:12:00.000-04:00

My sweet little man was a trooper and such a handsome ringbearer!!

Pool Fun!!!!

2011-05-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

2011-05-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend I spent time with some of my favorite people - other than my husband and kids.
One of my best friends got married to an awesome man, who is wisking her away to Italy...needless to say, he is not one of my favorite people. I am so happy for Heather, but will miss her!!! They should return to the states in 2 years (?) so in the mean time I am counting down the days!

To start off the weekend we threw her a little Bridal shower with these yummy cupcakes

and pretty flowers...

Reed was a trooper, and the only boy. ( I have put in my request for Ryan to make me 3 chairs like the one below...it was the cutest little rocking chair!)

We practiced walking down the aisle...did I mention he was the ringbearer...

Bailey just hung out!

We cuddled with Aunt Chel, and the butterbean in her belly...

This is the only pic I got of my family at the wedding....so sad! I didn't even get a picture of Reed in his tux because I was so consumed with making him behave and get down the aisle!

Me with the bride and groom

It is weird that they are pregnant and I am not...but I still love those sweet friends!!

First dance...I was crying!!

It's Real Love!!

2011-05-04T15:48:00.001-04:00

Dairy Farm, Shovels and Spades

2011-05-03T19:32:00.000-04:00

This past week Reed and I went on a field trip to a local goat farm. We learned all about the goats, saw them get milked and even got to pet a few. It was fun to see him taking everything in. His favorite part was getting to pet the goats and see the pigs, but I had put my camera away by that point :(

For Easter I got each of the kids little pots with seeds of different flowers. Each kiddo had a different flower so we can tell them apart: sunflowers, gerber daisies and zinnias. So far they are doing well and were transplanted outside yesterday.

I think it is SO neat to see the seed, in this instance a sunflower seed, sprout.

The boys also recieved their very own shovel and spade in their baskets (which may be bigger than my own), and boy were they excited to go use their tools!

Daddy helped...

While Bailey flirted with the camera! I sure do hope their little flowers bloom!!

Daddy and his little shadow

2011-04-26T14:53:00.000-04:00

This sweet boy LOVES his Daddy!!!! There are times where he will cry for Daddy, and Daddy only - and I love it! I just love how much my kids love their Daddy!

Almost a good picture...

2011-04-25T19:52:00.000-04:00

When you are 4(almost) and 2 it is no fun when your Mom tries to pose you for a picture...she should be happy when she gets this much!

6 Months!!!

2011-04-24T21:32:00.000-04:00

Did I mention that little sweetie is 6 months old today?!!

Easter

2011-04-24T21:15:00.001-04:00

What better way to celebrate Easter than with our family, an egg hunt and a yummy dinner!!

HAHAHA! It is hard to get a picture with all of the kids cooperating!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T20:59:00.001-04:00

What a fun weekend with family and friends!

Loves her PawPaw

Big smiles for Uncle Michael

Boys wrestling with Uncle

Love!

At a friends birthday party

Cool playground tool!

They went fishing at the party too..

Daddy teaching Cade (it was Cade's first time)

Reed is an old pro

My boys!

Turtles, Cars and Sprinklers

2011-04-18T18:39:00.002-04:00

The other day I heard Leo barking... alot, and angrily!!! And when I went to see what he was barking at the boys were very quick to tell me "it's a turtle". That poor little turtle (look hard he is there) was so scared, and Leo was so excited! He must have barked at him for 30 minutes...and when he came in it was all too obvious that he needs aerobic exercises more often (he was worn out!)

When Reed was potty training I found a $5 bag of matchbox cars on Craigslist and we rewarded him with a car for going poop in the potty. It really is ridiculous how many cars we have!
Since we organized our toys this weekend all of our cars have been gathered and put into their carrier, and overflown into a separate box...and then ended up out of the box and ALL over my hallway!!

Finally, we got to use the sprinkler today! It was SO much fun to watch them!

The boy got some air!

I spy with my little eye...

a little brother trying to be like his big brother!!

Organized Bliss

2011-04-17T14:07:00.000-04:00

We don't have a playroom to hide all of our toys, so for the last 4 years the living room has been our playroom, leaving all of the toys out in the open. Now that is not changing, but hopefully because we attempted to organize all of our toys the floor will not ALWAYS be covered in random toys. We cleaned out a closet that was evidentally holding a bunch of junk and replaced it with the toys in their new homes. It is funny how organizing the toys even helped the boys play together. It is like they have all new toys now that they can actually see that they have. Now to follow through with them cleaning up the toy they are playing with before moving on!

Sweet Girl!!

2011-04-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

I had some fun with my camera the other day...here are a few shots of my sweet girl!!

Sweet Brothers

2011-04-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

This is what my sweet boys did after they hadn't seen each other for a whole day!
They sat out on the porch for a LONG time and talked! I love them!

Softball

2011-04-15T08:31:00.006-04:00

Ryan is playing softball again this spring and it has been fun for the boys and me to go to the games and "watch" Daddy. The boys can watch for about 5 minutes and usually find a softball to play with and I spend then they spend the rest of the time trying to keep them from killing themselves with the very large hard ball!! I feel like I am on repeat saying "roll the ball, don't throw the ball, ROLL the ball" along with "take turns" and occasionally, "look Daddy is hitting". This time has been a blessing for me to spend some time with just my boys and Bailey has been getting some quality time with Gramma and PawPaw!

The boys running around with their buddy Kale.

5 Months

2011-04-02T17:01:00.003-04:00

Sweet Bailey Bear is 5 months old!!! She is still the sweetest, smiliest (is that a word?) little thing!! She brings so much joy to our family! Both the boys still melt when they see her, and she can take Reed from bad mood to a puddle of goo trying to make her laugh in no time! She is rolling around like crazy, pushing up off of her tummy and reaching for EVERYTHING to put in her mouth!

More Birthday...

2011-03-29T16:32:00.002-04:00

Calling all Firemen...

2011-03-29T15:55:00.007-04:00

Saturday we celebrated Cade's 2nd Birthday with friends and family! It was a fireman theme and despite a little rain, lots of fun!! I have lots more pictures, but this is a good start!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my baby boy!! We love you!!

Sweet Friends

2011-01-27T18:35:00.005-05:00

We have some very sweet friends whom we only see a few times a year, if we are lucky. This past weekend we were lucky enough to get to see them. Above is Reed with his 'new' car that Jackson let him 'borrow'. You can see the joy in his face. These 2 boys LOVE each other, even though they don't see each other often. When they do get to play it is pure excitement the whole time. Jackson has a little brother Cade's age and I hope they get to develop the relationship Reed and Jackson have. Reed has already been asking about Jackson and saying how he misses his best friend...so sweet!!

Look at those goofy smiles. These guys are also best of friends. Cade doesn't even realize that Gabe is really Reed's friend and gets just as excited as his brother when he come over. He may have a little crush on Hannah because he talks about her ALL the time!! I love those kiddos and am so grateful to have the Garcias in our life!

3 Months

2011-01-26T18:17:00.002-05:00

I know I say this all the time...but seriously, how is she 3 months old! I love her big curious eyes, and SWEET smile! I love that Reed can make her laugh like no one else, and that she is super ticklish - which is fun! ;) I just love my sweet baby girl!!

Little Helper

2011-01-26T08:50:00.006-05:00

My little helpers have been very busy latley!

They helped me bake a cake for Daddy's Birthday

Color a sign for Daddy's Birthday

Fill in a hole in the backyard...and then empty it...

And

vaccum the house...without pants of course!

In the silence

2011-01-06T15:48:00.002-05:00

...I found this! :) Yesterday when I was doing the dishes my kids disappeared to the back of the house for awhile, and i didn't hear anything. This usually means they are getting into some kind of trouble, but today I found this: Reed played his Leapster and sharied his popcorn with his brother, all while Leo got some lovin' too! This made my heart happy!! It was a sweet moment! Having those 2 boys so close together (21 mths) has had some challenges, but as they are getting a little older I can see their relationship really developing! Reed constantly wants Cade to come play with him, and Cade misses Reed when he is at school; Cade doesn't stop asking about him the whole time he is gone! I love those boys, and hope they cherish their brother always!

Those Rainy Sick Days...

2011-01-03T10:09:00.004-05:00

have been spent doing some of this...
and little of this...

Smile at the little things...

2011-01-01T17:45:00.002-05:00

...it will make a hard day better!

Today my almost 2 year old wanted to be like his big brother, and when he came out after his bath he looked like this. Underwear ontop of his pajama's! It reminded me of Quail Man...do you remember him?

2010 in Review

2010-12-29T19:23:00.002-05:00

Today as I was hanging up our new calander I had the chance to look through our 2010 calander and saw what a crazy year it was! To summarize:
January:
Celebrated Ryan's 26th Birthday
Ash took an amazing trip to Orlando with 2 of her best friends - on this trip she declared she wanted to wait a year from then to get pregnant, and try for that girl.
Had a visit from special friends, Max and Kathleen
February:
Found out we were pregnant..again...a whole year earlier than planned (see January)
Celebrated PawPaw's Birthday
March:
Celebrated sweet Cade's 1st Birthday
Had first "baby doc appt"
Went to a friends baby shower in Jacksonville
Went to a friends wedding in Jacksonville
April:
Went to Charleston for a friends wedding and to visit with Max and Kathleen
May:
Met one of my best friends now fiance, in Jacksonville
Found out baby was a GIRL!!
Traveled down to south Florida for Ryan's friends wedding
June:
Celebrated Ash's 26th Birthday
Celebrated Reed's 3rd Bday
Had Birthday party for Reed and Gabe at Gramma and PawPaw's
July:
Reed took swim lessons!!
August:
2 Baby showers
Cade transitioned to "big boy bed"
Family Reunion at Callaway Gardens
Ash's baby shower in Jacksonville
September:
Reed started Pre-school 2 days a week
Reed played soccer - practice once a week, games on Saturday
Ryan played softball
Trip to Jacksonville for Mima's unveiling
Celebrated Gramma's Birthday
Celebrated Uncle Michael's Birthday
Tallahassee baby shower at Melting Pot
October:
More soccer
More softball
BAILEY BORN!!
Halloween
November:
Friends baby shower
To Jacksonville for Ryan's Alumni Rugby game
To Jacksonville for Thanksgiving
December:
Celebrated Mimi's Birthday
Ash and Bailey went to Orlando with Mimi
Reed's first Christmas program with school
Ryan had surgery
Celebrated Christmas

Well that brings us up to date! We had another crazy year, full of blessings and more "adjustments".

December Fun!

2010-12-19T16:11:00.004-05:00

December has been a fun but busy month already! Reed is in pre-school 2 days a week this year and seems to love it! I think the best part for me, aside from a little break, is when he brings home all of the crafts he has been working on! He brought home a whole bag of Christmas goodies and decorations! It may be my favorite gift!! He also was in his first Christmas program this past week! He did a great job! I was surprised to see him actually singing! He did get a little distracted and started looking around at the decorations behind him about half way through, but thats OK!

We also went to the mall this week to see Santa. Every year there has been a change in the way the boys react to Santa. This year Reed was so excited - a HUGE change from last year when he was terrified. Reed ran over to Santa, took his picture and then told him he wanted a firetruck for Christmas (this was news to me!). Cade was a little unsure, and after he took his picture he ran back over to the stroller and sat down next to Bailey. Unfortunatley, Bailey was sleeping, and Santa's arms seemed to be full enough with just the boys, so she is not in the picture. There is always next year!
Our sweet little baby girl is growing like a weed! She is almost 2 months old, and it feels like she has always been here!! She is such a joy! I love seeing her sweet little personality coming out - she smiles ALL the time!!

As Christmas approaches it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas...so as to not forget the real "reason for the season" I will leave you with this:

"But then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' "

I hope to remember to celebrate my Savior instead of my "stuff"

Introducing...

2010-10-31T09:30:00.002-04:00

Bailey Grace Dender

born October 24, 2010

at 4:13 pm

6 lbs 5 oz

19 1/2 in.

We are thrilled to have this sweet little girl in our lives. Her delivery was as perfect as we could have imagined, and she was actually born on time!! Her brothers love her already and I can't wait to see what fun is in store for our family!!

Maternity Pictures

2010-08-15T14:36:00.007-04:00

Thanks to my very talented and sweet friend, we now have some beautiful pictures documenting this pregnancy and our family of 4 (soon to be 5)!

It's a...

2010-05-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

We found out today that the little one growing in my belly is a GIRL!! I am thrilled! I can't wait to see Ryan be a Daddy to a little girl, and Reed is excited to hug and kiss his little sister!! She is growing just like she should be and showed off all 10 of her little toes to us multiple times! We feel very blessed!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Cade

2010-03-08T09:52:00.005-05:00

Cade turned one on Friday, and on that day I realized that a miracle it really was that he is alive! On the day he was born I was told that I had a maternal-fetal bleed, meaning blood from the Cade was going through the placenta and back into me. Cade was born with 1/3 of the blood he was supposed to have. He had to have 2 blood transfusions and lived in the NICU for a week. However, it could have been SO much worse. I was also told that this "condition" is thought to be a big cause of still births. I had felt Cade stop moving and went to the doctor - and that day ended in Cade's birth by emergency C-section.
I am SO thankful to have Cade in our lives!! He is my little miracle!!
We had a great time celebrating his birth with our family:

And we ended the day with a little announcement...
Cade is going to be a Big Brother in October!

Recent Pictures...

2010-02-09T09:34:00.002-05:00

Weekend Projects!

2010-02-09T08:55:00.003-05:00

This weekend Ryan and I were both busy with a few projects. I was asked by a friend to make a baby shower gift for her co-worker...so I put my new memory card and sewing machine to work! It was SO much fun, and pretty easy. I am sorry I can't turn the pictures, but I did figure out how to resize my pictures so I can easily upload! YAY!!

While I was sewing Ryan was outside building us some new storage! I love them!! We are still working on organizing them, but I love that I have an easy place to hide toys ( 4 baskets in the bottom), and we have somewhere to display some pictures that we couldn't put out before due to the risk of a baby throwing it on the ground!

Be back soon with a post of my babies! :)

Life is busy

2010-01-28T09:44:00.002-05:00

Life has been busy around this house, and technology has not been cooperating, thus no pictures :(

Cade's Newest Accomplishments at 10 months:
Waves "hi and bye"
Gives "fives"
Claps when you say "yay!!"
Answers the question "How big are you?" by throwing his hands up over his head, which is followed by Reed saying "Baby Cade is so big!" and then "I'm so big too"
Makes kissy sounds/ gives big wet kisses on the lips
Eats almost all table food
Stands by himself for a few seconds (getting longer everyday)
Walks with a walker like a champ!!
LOVES to play ball
Gets VERY excited everyday when Daddy comes home!!

Reed's Accomplishments:
It amazes me how many words Reed knows/can say or attempt to say! It is so fun to listen to him talk and tell me stories!! Such a big boy!!!
Is still working on potty training....I think #2 scares him...

What fun these little boys are!!

update attempt

2009-11-04T09:28:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to update the blog regularly for awhile, and each time I fail. Sorry for such a long break!

Where to begin?
It is hard to believe that Cade is already 8 months old. He is a sweet little guy. He LOVES his brother, is sitting up and almost crawling, eats almost anything (shocker!!), makes motorboat sounds, claps, is very ticklish, slightly bigger than his brother when Reed was his age, loves his paci, and cries when Mommy walks away!

I think it is even harder to believe that Reed is almost 2 1/2. He is SO much fun! He talks all the time, and will repeat what he is saying over, and over, and over until he knows you know what he is saying. He loves choo-choo's, to ride his bike, color/paint, play any kind of sport, help bathe "his baby". He can repeat his ABC's, knows most of his colors, and can kinda count to 5 (four is hard to say, lol). At night Reed has started praying with us and "thanking God" for EVERYONE he knows..."thank you for Momma and Dada and Gramma and Pawpaw and "gigi" aka Casey, and Leo and Uncle and Mimi, and "B", and Poppy, and both Nana's(but that is hard to say), and "gem" aka Gabe, and last night he prayed for his friend Avery saying "I ran round with Avery". I really should get it on video. It is funny because sometimes he throws in his favorite toy of the day - "thank you for choo-choos" is one we hear alot! LOL

I LOVE being a stay at home Mom! I LOVE watching them grow and learn! I can't wait to see what their future holds - they are such a blessing!!

album 09\01\09 (37 photos), by ashley dender

2009-09-02T10:52:00.001-04:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Changes

2009-08-04T11:50:00.008-04:00

We were busy this weekend making some cosmetic changes to our house.

First we painted our red door ... black. It took 1 coat of primer, and 3 coats of black. Of those 4 coats I think Ryan painted 1/4 of one coast... Yet, somehow the only picture I have of the door while still in its "before" stages happened to be while Ryan painted of the door. Rest assured I painted all of the rest.

In case you couldn't see what was on our door, it is this cute "D" I painted.

Ryan also got his truck out of the garage this weekend ( Reed was very excited to go for a ride in it with "Uncle" and Daddy):

And when the truck left the garage he uncovered this little diamond in the rough...

The table is from Goodwill a number of years ago, and lived in Ryan's apartment in college.

When I saw it on Saturday I quickly and excitedly exclaimed "Can we paint that?! A little sanding and a little spray paint and we have a new practically free end table! I LOVE it - I will try to get a good picture of it with the lamp I intend to find or buy soon!Speaking of cosmetic changes...this couch is getting a big one! I bought this couch at a garage sale when we first got married. Little did I know that our puppy liked tearing the fabric off of the couch. We have since tried slipcovers, but anyone who has ever used a slipcover knows how terrible they are!! They don't fit quite right, the move around, oh, and they shrink when you dry them!

That is why I have decided to recover the couch. I started yesterday and it is going well so far.

Here the couch is in the first stages of just being pinned - but I will be sure to show you a finished picture. I am so excited about what the couch will look like! It is white, but will be easy to wash (and bleach) and the fabric was less the $5 a yard, making it less than $50 for a brand new couch!!

Ill be back soon with pictures of the boys!!

Look-A-Likes ?

2009-07-28T15:13:00.004-04:00

Can you tell Who is Who?

In case you aren't sure, the top picture is Cade, and the bottom is Reed. People keep telling me they look nothing alike..but Ry and I disagree. I can tell differences, but I still think they look a lot alike!! What do you think? They are both almost 5 months in the pictures! Poor Cade was being tortured by his brother and the dog when I tried to snap the picture - hence the confused look on his face! LOL

Recently

2009-07-16T17:30:00.008-04:00

My mom came in town for a short visit, and while she was here we took advantage of the pool at her hotel. Both the boys loved the water. Reed was a little "cautious" but did very well and blew lots of bubbles and kicked! Cade was VERY happy in the water. I wish we could do it more often!

Cade update: Cade is still a very happy little guy. He is rolling over occasionally, and talking up a storm. He had his 4 mth check up last week (hard to believe) and everything looked good. He is around the 30th percentile for everything - so he is just an average little guy. He weighs about 15 lbs, was 25 inches and I don't remember his head size.

Birthday Boy

2009-06-08T21:01:00.008-04:00

We have been experiencing some technical difficulties, again. But, I seem to be able to upload pictures again...so here goes- there is a lot of catching up to do!
Since our last post we have been to Jacksonville for Ryan to play in an alumni Rugby game:

Reed had fun running around and watching Dada:

Aside from what was probably a minor concussion, Ryan thankfully came home uninjured :)

I am sure I am missing some other big events, but I will just skip ahead to Reed's 2nd Birthday! It is hard to believe that 2 years ago he came into our lives. He has changed us for the better. He is the sweetest little boy, and I love spending everyday with him! What a blessing!

For his birthday we threw a joint party with his friend Gabe. It was a fun morning in the park...perfect for a 2 year old!

And I can't forget my other little blessing. Cade is growing like a weed. He is around 14lbs, and the sweetest little guy! He LOVES to smile at his Momma, snuggle with his blanket and play with his big brother. Ok, so he can't actually play with Reed yet, but he smiles every time Reed comes around and he watches everything he does. I can't wait for them to grow up and be friends. (I think I can wait for him to grow up...he is such a sweet baby)

I will be back soon with more recent pictures, hopefully!

Visitor

2009-03-30T15:44:00.005-04:00

This weekend Heather, one my best friends and sorority sisters came to stay with us for a night and meet Cade. Even though the weather was yucky, I had a great time, and Reed was thrilled to have someone new to play with! He loves his Aunt Heather!! All that was missing was Aunt Chel.

On another note, I have been learning to sew a little. I made a car seat cover for Reed's car seat, that I finished the night before Cade was born. Unfortunatley it doesn't quite fit and I haven't had a chance to try to manuver it a little. I have made a few burp clothes, and monogrammed a cute cup for Reed (yes, my sewing machine will monogram as well!!). My next goal is to make an outfit for Cade for Easter..and maybe Reed? I can't decide if he is too old for longalls, but it would be cute if they matched! I forgot to take pictures of most of the stuff I made before mailing it as a gift, but I do have a picture of the cup:

Finally, do you think this is a problem?
Big brother laying in baby's bouncer with his paci and blanket...hmm...regressing?? I walked back into the room after changing Cade's diaper to see this!

Cade's friend!

2009-03-25T19:17:00.003-04:00

Our good friends welcomed Eli into the world just 2 weeks after Cade. Ironically he was supposed to be 2 weeks older than Cade (Oh Well). We are so excited for you guys and are looking forward to watching all the boys grow up together! Family vacations are just going to keep getting more interesting! ;)

2 Weeks

2009-03-21T12:03:00.007-04:00

It's hard to believe that Cade is already 2 weeks old! He is doing great; eating, sleeping, and looking around. He loves watching his mobile and looking at lights. Reed is a great big brother. He is always patting and rubbing Cades head, and tries to give Cade his paci when he cries. I am really looking forward to watching them grow up together, and all the adventures that are sure to come!

Sweet kisses from Big Brother

Don't you love baby yawns?

Tomorrow is Cade's 2 week doctors appointment. I am excited to see how much weight he has gained!

Blessings!

2009-03-14T16:28:00.004-04:00

Those are just 2 of the amazing blessings God has given to me!! He is so good, and I am so thankful!!

Welcome Home

2009-03-13T09:01:00.002-04:00

Yes! We finally made it home! Cade is perfectly healthy, and mom is recovering! Reed seems fairly unphased by the new arrival. He quickly climbed in the car to see him when we brought him home and then handed him his paci! He really has been sweet and constantly wants to hold his baby!

This picture perfectly captures how lucky I am. I have 3 amazing men in my life, and I am so blessed!!

Welcome Home Baby Cade! We are so excited to have you in our family!!

Cade Robert Dender

2009-03-09T10:41:00.003-04:00

Introducing:
Cade Robert Dender
Born March 5, 2009 at 5:53 pm
5lbs 5oz.
17 1/2 inches

Cade, much like his big brother, made his entrance into the world about 4 weeks early!! It certainly was an exciting delivery - an emergency C-section. I went to the doctor on Tuesday, and she had told me to be monitoring Cades movement, and Thursday I woke up and noticed he wasn't moving like normal. So, I monitored him through the morning, and did all things you are supposed to: ate, drank, had a little caffenine, layed down, and still nothing. So I called my doctor, and went to triage to have a non-stress test. All the while I was still thinking that all was fine and this was going to be silly. Well, while he was being monitored they noticed his heartrate decreasing, and decreasing significantly when I had a contraction. This landed me in L&D to be monitored through the night. My doctor came in, and saw I was 3 centimeters already, so she broke my water and put a fetal monitor in his head. However, she was not getting a heartrate with that, and thus I was rushed off to have an emergency C-section.

Cade was born 10 minutes from when I was being wheeled into the OR. It turned out that I had a fetal - maternal bleed, which means there was a hemorage in the placenta and blood was going the wrong way, out of Cade and into me. Cade was born with about a third of the blood he needed, but has since had 2 blood transfusions and is doing much better!!

We are so blessed to be surrounded wtih so many prayer warriors. There were alot of people who were praying for us during all the commotion, not even knowing something was going on. God was and is watching over our family.

We hope to take him home by Wednesday, and introduce him to his big brother, whom he looks very much like! I will keep updating at things happen, and add some more pictures soon!

Sweet Dreams

2009-02-26T07:14:00.002-05:00

Who wouldn't have sweet dreams when they are cuddled up with their Bible and Teddy?

Reed has to hold his Bear AND Bible - not just a book, but his Bible. We usually sneak in and take the book before we go to bed so he doesn't roll over and hurt himself on it. But, how sweet is that?

Cole Thomas Dender

2009-02-23T15:04:00.003-05:00

Cole Thomas Dender
6lbs. 6oz and 19.5inches

The newest Dender was welcomed into the world last night - no not our baby - Ryan's cousins welcomed Cole Thomas Dender early this morning! We are excited for Cole and Cade to grow up together, and hopefully meet soon!

Congrats Carleen and Rodney!

Good News

2009-02-17T10:46:00.002-05:00

I just got home from the doctor, and I was told that I could return to my normal activity. She did say that at this point in the pregnancy I should be "taking it easy" anyways, but I am allowed to go for some walks (no long hikes). Basically she told me just to listen to my body, but if you know me at all, you that my body will "tell me" it is just fine to keep right on going! ;)

Luckily the next full moon isn't until March 11th - so I should be OK until then! I get to wait 2 WHOLE weeks before I go back to the doc, so March 3rd (Chelsea's Bday) will be my next appt. I will keep you posted! Have a good one!

V-Day, and more

2009-02-16T15:20:00.003-05:00

This sweet picture is what walked in our front door Saturday! He was working hard to carry those flowers in (notice the "dender tongue" hanging out of his mouth). Thank you Ryan, I love my flowers, they are beautiful! And, I love you!!

Around bed time the other night Reed decided he wanted to put on Daddy's shorts, instead of his pajama pants. It was so cute! He was watching some cartoons and barely noticed he was holding up the enormous shorts! He still wants to be just like Daddy!

Cade's room is finally coming along. We moved the crib out of Reed's room, and into Cades, hung the letters and finally dragged all of the other baby gear out of the garage. Now I need some curtains!! However, I feel confident that if Cade were to come tomorrow we are prepared now! Now, if only I could get the house clean enough! Nesting has definitely kicked in, and I know Ryan is enjoying it!! Every room has been cleaned, organized, and I think we have taken 5 trips to Goodwill already!! But, I still feel like it's not clean enough!

I go to the doctor tomorrow - I am 34+ weeks pregnant, and at my appointment last week Cade was very low and engaged. I was told to "take it easy" but that is hard to do when chasing a toddler all day! Hopefully tomorrow everything will look good, and I can return to taking walks and such. It has been so beautiful outside and it seems like all I have wanted to do is what I am not allowed to do! Oh Well! Reed came when I was just over 35 weeks pregnant, so I guess I can understand the reason for some concern. I would like to make it a little farther this time. I have a shower in Jacksonville next weekend, so anytime after that shower would be great!! I am so looking forward to seeing everyone!

Speaking of showers, this weekend Kailee and I are throwing a shower for her sister, Jamie. I am Jamie's Matron of Honor, and so excited for the wedding this summer - Reed is the ring bearer! :) I am looking forward to the shower this weekend as well, and feel so thankful to have Kailee to plan it with!

Well, I am off to "take it easy" but will post how the doctor's appointment goes tomorrow!

North Carolina

2009-02-07T08:13:00.004-05:00

This week we went to North Carolina with Max, Kathleen and Jackson. We stayed in a tiny cabin that had a kitchen, living area and one bedroom that all 6 ( 2 mommies, 2 daddies, and 2 toddlers) of us stayed in. As the week progressed it slowly got colder and colder. The last night we were there it snowed, but not enough to stick and play with. However, that evening the temperature outside dropped to about 9 degrees, and was definitely in the negatives with the wind chill. Needless to say, we were FREEZING in the tiny cabin that was barely insulated!! We did have a great time with Max and Kathleen, but I think everyone was ready to return to a larger house with real heating!!

Mommy and Reed in the snow - note: I have on Ryan's jacket, pregnancy can not be blamed for how large I look in the picture ;)

After leaving the cabin we drove to Greenville, SC to visit with some of Ryan's family for the night. We had a great time seeing everyone, and Reed loved playing with his cousins!! Unfortunatly, I do not have any pictures of our short time in SC.

On another note, Reed started sleeping in his big boy bed the night we came home - because he wanted too - and has slept WONDERFULLY since!!! We go in, read a book say our prayers, and kiss him goodnight, and that's about all. Nap time has even been smooth so far. I just hope it continues!!

Well...here is one more picture for your enjoyment, and mine!

Brushing his teeth

Big Boy Bed

2009-01-30T08:38:00.004-05:00

Reed finally got his big boy bed. He isn't sleeping in it yet, but we are getting him warmed up to it! He loved it right away!

Cuddling with Daddy

Tomorrow Ryan, Reed and I will be traveling to North Carolina for a little vacation with Max, Kathleen and their sweet boy Jackson. We are very excited about the fun weekend, and hopefully a little snow! Stay tuned, I'm sure I will have great pictures!!

Visiting Virginia

2009-01-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I had the amazing privilege of traveling with one of my closest friends to visit our other close friend in Virginia. This trip was a long time coming, and so appreciated. I am so thankful that my amazing husband would allow me to leave for almost 5 days to go on vacation. These girls are friends you only find once in a lifetime, and make me so happy! I am so thankful for them as well.
In case you weren't aware, VA., particularly Alexandria, VA is very close to Washington DC, which means we were there just before the inauguration. We went into the city Friday night for a tour because we knew the city would be shut down the next day! It was amazing to see the number of port-o-potties and tents that were already set up in preparation. Nevertheless, we managed to have plenty of fun without going into the city. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was going pottery painting. It was such a great idea because now I have something very special to remember the weekend by. I made a mug, and I am hoping to keep doing this in our vacation weekends to come. One day I will have a whole set that I have painted with these girls!In other news, Cade is doing well, growing as he should be. We still aren't positive the position he is in, so you can pray that he is in fact head down. Reed is getting his big boy bed this weekend, and I am very nervous about this. It will either be a good transition or not - so any suggestions are welcomed. Nevertheless, this means we are one step closer to getting Cade's room ready. Well, that is all for now! Goodnight!

A Quick Update

2009-01-05T18:33:00.003-05:00

There it is! We finally named our 2nd baby boy. He will be Cade Robert Dender. Robert was Ryan's grandfathers name - and we wanted to pass on a little family to this baby, and Cade was just a name we liked. I am so excited to have him named. Now we are working on cleaning out what was once a very full office and turn it into Cade's room. The letters above are ones I painted, and will hang in his room! :)
In other news we have had a busy month. After Christmas and New Years we were graced with the presence of some of our dear friends. Max and Kathleen were mentors to both Ryan and I when we were in college. It has been neat to transition from that role to friends, and to be able to raise our family's together. ( They have a little boy 2 months older than Reed, and are pregnant with there second and due just days before me). Because they now live in Charleston, our time together is even more precious! We were thrilled to have them stay with us, and can't wait until the end of the month when we will vacation in NC together! We love you guys!

Reed and Jackson hanging out together

Just a fun picture of Reed.
He is at such a fun age, talking more and more everyday! I love watching his little personality come out! He is so sweet, I can't imagine what his little brother will be like! Just a few more weeks and we will find out! :)

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T14:50:00.003-05:00

I hope you all are having a WONDERFUL Christmas! We have had a lot of fun so far today...

Our festivities began last night when Ryan started blowing up Reed's ball pit:while I was playing with our new laptop from my mom (this picture was taken with the webcam, and the frame added from the same program. It was fun to play with!)

This morning Reed came out to see his ball pit all blown up with all his balls in it! He was in heaven. After we had our little family Christmas the family came over! It was so much fun opening presents and watching Reed's reaction to everything! I never realized how much fun having kids would make everything. It is so neat to see everything through your child's eyes! Though our day is not over yet, I thought I would put some pictures of the day so far:'

Ill be sure to add some more pictures soon! The laptop make it so easy!!
Merry Christmas!!

A little Remodeling

2008-12-23T13:38:00.007-05:00

With Christmas approaching, Ryan and I realized we would soon have 8 people at our house, and only had 4 chairs to sit in...so being thrifty and crafty and having a handyman for a husband we headed to Goodwill where we purchased 2 chairs for $12 total! Yeah for 50% off furniture on Saturday! When then proceeded to Joann's and got fabric to recover all of the chairs, new and old. I am so excited about the new chairs. They look so clean ( stains happen with a baby and white seats), and I love that it was a project Ryan and I could do together...take a look at our work! :)

Goodwill Chairs (And Reed) Before:

And After:

The Goodwill chairs were brown and we (Ryan) spray painted them black.

Our Chairs Before:

And After

And our table (minus the Goodwill chairs):

The table and chairs above were left in the house when we moved in. In fact my Father-in-law built the table! One day we may upgrade, as this one is starting to sag a little in the middle, but for now it is perfect!! I am so thankful to have a husband who embraces projects like this ( there was a lot of stapling fabric with me in the laundry room - to not wake the baby) that make me happy, and does everything to be as perfect as possible! Love you Ryan!!

Friends!!

2008-12-21T08:14:00.003-05:00

Here are a few fun pics of Reed and Gabe at Dorothy B Oven Park. I feel so fortunate to have such great friends to raise Reed with!

Checking out the moving reindeer

"holding hands"

I look forward to many more years and memories together! Love you guys!

Some Christmastime fun!

2008-12-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

We took Reed to Santa for the first time this year. I thought he would like him, or at least didn't expect him to be terrified of him. We finally got this picture with him, unfortunately I was not prepared to be in the picture, but thats OK. Maybe next year...

Later in the week we went to Dorothy B. Oven with some good friends. I got some good pictures of Reed and his buddy Gabe, which I will post later.

As usual, Reed has been helping Daddy work outside. The picture below was taken last weekend when Ryan put the lights on our house (and it was really really cold). The bottom picture was taken yesterday, when Ryan finished raking the leaves, and it was HOT! Crazy Florida needs to realize Christmas time is supposed to be cold.

For now, we are enjoying some time together, and getting ready for Christmas!! I am looking forward to the time with the family.

Thanksgiving and Wedding Weekend

2008-12-11T18:02:00.007-05:00

For Thanksgiving we traveled to Jacksonville and spent the weekend with my family. We had a great time playing with my uncles twins, who I unfortunately have no pictures of. Reed had fun feeding the ducks in my moms backyard ( until he got nipped). Nevertheless, it was a fun weekend...

Eating breakfast like a big boy, with CRAZY bedhead!

The weekend after Thanksgiving Ryan and I traveled down to Bradenton for Ryan's cousins wedding. It was a beautiful weekend with family! Reed did amazing the whole weekend. He immediately fell in love with his cousin, and enjoyed meeting all the rest of the family! Here are just a few fun pictures from the weekend...

Name Game

2008-12-11T14:44:00.003-05:00

We are having the hardest time coming up with a name for this baby. Reed went along with the R.E.D. tradition, and I think it would be fun for this baby to do so as well - but an "R" name is hard! I also, of course want this name to sound good with Reed...
Here are a few names we are considering...let me know what you think..PLEASE!!

Ryder Emmett Dender (Ryder Dender)
Riley Edward Dender (Riley Dender)
Daniel James Dender (Daniel Dender)
Davis ? Dender (Davis Dender)
Or maybe
Emmett Dender

Late update:
How about Reece Dender? :)

I would LOVE you opinions please!!

What NOT to do when pregnant....

2008-11-25T09:24:00.005-05:00

...take your sweet 18mth baby boy for his first REAL haircut!! Though this was an unintentional mistake..it turned out OK.

I have loved my sweet Reed's hair and was dreading having to cut it..but was persuaded by my husband. SO, off we went to Super Cuts. I told the woman I liked his hair and just wanted it trimmed so it would be out of his eyes...and what does she do? Well look for yourself...

Note: This is how I felt at this moment as well!!

In case you couldn't see in the picture the lady used BUZZERS to cut his hair...not just a trim!!!
Needless to say I got in the car, immediately called Ryan, and started crying saying "NEVER EVER AGAIN!"

The haircut isn't so bad. He looks SO much older...but still cute. I actually had to do a little adjusting this morning because she left the bangs really long - once I started to freak out. I guess it is time for my little boy to start growing up...I just didn't want it to be so soon.

Here is the finished product:
Now you can see his face! However, don't be surprised if the long hair is back in a few months. :)

Daddy's Little Helper

2008-11-10T13:14:00.006-05:00

Reeds favorite place to be is outside!! Since he was itty bitty he has been happiest outside, but more than being outside, he loves hanging out with Daddy outside. This weekend he spent some time outside helping Daddy change the oil in my car! He was so cute!! I can tell he wants to be just like his Daddy - which bring much joy to my heart!!

Helping Daddy fix the car

"Here Daddy, you need your hat"

Riding on the car jack

Not only does Reed want to be like Daddy outside, he loves to do what Daddy does inside too:

Playing X-box together

Later on Saturday Uncle Michael came over for dinner. This proved to be an eventful evening...not only because of the 2 dogs we had running around but..well..

a picture is worth 1,000 words, so here are 3,000 that speak for themselves...

Just in case you were wondering, we were not the ones to take the diaper off...Reed did that all by himself! HA! Then he continued to escape outside to see the doggies...It was an eventful, but memorable, night!

It's A..................

2008-11-07T11:49:00.004-05:00

BOY!!!!!!!

We are so excited that Reed is going to have a little brother to play with!! As soon as I can figure out how to scan the pictures I will!! We were able to see some great profile shots, and even some cute shots of his hands ( all 5 fingers on both) and feet! He measured a little bit bigger than we thought, so the new due date is around March 30th. Who knows when he will actually grace us with his presence. Now we get to start the name game....any suggestions....please!!

There it is....

2008-10-29T12:21:00.002-04:00

At 18 weeks we finally got a picture of my belly.

Here he/she is:

We go back to the doctor Friday, and will make the appointment for the ultrasound then. I am hoping we will be able to go next week...but who know! I will be sure to update you when we find out, and can stop calling it an "it"

Fall Fun!

2008-10-27T08:11:00.007-04:00

This weekend was a GREAT one!

Friday night we went to our church's Fall Festival, where Reed dressed up in his cow costume (yes the costume I made, with a little help). He had so much fun running around, getting candy and being crazy! And of course, he was the cutest cow there! :) He would even "Mooo" when asked what a cow said! I was a proud Momma all night!

I had to put a picture of his backside, because the tail was the best part!

We didn't get too many great pictures of him in his costume because he was so excited, and then my battery died - but not to fear, he will wear it again before Halloween comes and goes, and I promise to get some good pics then!!

Saturday was a great day too! My mom came in town for a little bit, and then that evening Ryan, Reed and I went to the pumpkin patch to take some pictures! It was so much fun to see Reed react to all the "balls". Cheeeese! He crawled right over to that spot, which wasn't easy, sat down and smiled! What a ham!

I believe this was taken just before Reed tried to throw the pumpkin :)

Oh! I almost forgot...I made Reed another shirt Saturday, with the help of my creative husband
I think he liked his new shirt! :)

Thats all for now! Hope you all had as wonderful of a weekend as I did!

Boo!

2008-10-22T12:34:00.005-04:00

I wish I was crafty! Rather, I wish I could sew...But because I can't I (yet) I have learned to improvise. Today I made this shirt! I think it is SO cute! All I did was print the image onto special paper, and iron it onto the shirt! Ya!!I am hoping Reed will be able to wear it next year too -- It is a little bit big!
In addition to this fun, and quick, little project I have been working on Reed's Halloween costume. He is going to be a cow! As soon as it is finished I will put up some pictures!

Oh, and I should have some "belly" pics soon too...we have been waiting for the belly to appear..I think it is finally photographable - at 17 weeks! :)

Wishin' we were fishin'

2008-10-20T19:24:00.003-04:00

This weekend we were fortunate enough to have a babysitter Saturday, so that Ryan and I could go fishing on the St. Marks River. Though it started out chilly, it turned into a perfect day! I caught a few little brim with the worms Ryan captured (yes, I even put the worms on the hook myself), and Ryan caught a few bass and a few brim. Sadly the bass I caught got away before he got into the boat :( Oh well! I had a great time spending the day with my husband, and can't wait till Reed is big enough to join us!

Itty Bitty Brim

Little bit bigger Brim

Good sized Bass :)

SURPRISE....

2008-10-13T12:13:00.005-04:00

We are pregnant!! We are expecting our 2nd little one early April, making me just over 15 weeks pregnant now! We are very excited that Reed and his sibling will be so close in age, and we hope that they will be good friends growing up! As for me, I am feeling much better recently. I have a rough first trimester, but it is amazing what happens when you cross over into the second trimester! I am still extra tired, so you can pray for me and for some more energy!!

Reed is doing great! Running around, saying new things ( still not eating "real food" - I am very open to suggestions). I have so much fun taking him to the park, or just to play outside. I think if we would let him, he would play outside ALL day! Here are a few fun recent pictures of Reed:

This "Big Brother" shirt is how we made the announcement we were pregnant!

"hello?"

Peek - a-boo...I see you Daddy!!

Camp

2008-08-25T18:06:00.003-04:00

About a month ago I went to camp. Yes, that's right I am 24 and still going to camp! I actually was there as a leader with the students in my students ministry. The first camp I went to was with high school students and it was at Covenant College. This campus is on Look-out Mountain, Georgia and absolutely beautiful. It was an amazing week of worship and being with God, and of course the students! It was hard to be away from Ryan and Reed, but it is always neat to see God show up - and he did! One of my favorite activities I was privleged to do with the students was caving. This was not exactly what I expected. I guess I thought we would be walking through the caves looking at the cool formation - like what I have heard of Marianna Caverns. Oh no! Were we in for a surprise! When we arrived we were taken into a room given helmets with lights, gloves and KNEE PADS! This should have been a warning as to what I was about to do. We were in the caves for about 2 hours, crawling and climbing over deep caverns and in little spaces. There were a few moments I was sure I could do it, but the students were such an encouragement! I have a few fun pictures of camp, and of the caving experience!!

The view from Covenant - you can almost see the city below in the distance of the picture

This is not me...but it is a good example of the size holes we were climbing in!!!

The whole group. This space was considered very large!!

Overall, camp was amazing and I feel blessed to have been able to go!

About Time!

2008-08-05T09:48:00.003-04:00

Whew! It has been way too long since I last blogged. I keep thinking I need to update the blog, but there have been so many things that have happened it seems to overwhelming...and I never get to it! :) So here is a start...

Shortly after Father's Day my grandparents and my mom came for a visit. It was nice to catch up and great for Reed to spend some more time with them!

4 generations!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T09:20:00.004-04:00

Happy Fathers Day: To one of the Best Daddy's I know!

Yesterday was Father's Day and to celebrate we went to a car show with Ryan's Dad. Ryan always enjoys showing off his Red Truck, and I am always proud of him showing off his hard work. We had a good time at the show, even if it was exceptionally hot! Nevertheless, I got some great pictures of the family - with my new camera (thanks Mom). Hope you enjoy!

Reed's new "trick" is giving kisses! And he loves kissing his Daddy!

I feel so privileged to be married to such an amazing man, who loves God with all his heart and loves others well! I am so thankful that he is the father of my son, and Reed is so fortunate to have him as a Dad!

I love you, Ryan! Thanks for being the man you are!

More Pictures

2008-06-03T07:52:00.003-04:00

Here are just a few more fun pictures from Reed's birthday:

Playing in the box the playset came in...

How old is Reed?? He is 1!!

Birthday Celebration!

2008-06-02T08:20:00.006-04:00

Reed turned 1 on Friday, but Saturday was the celebration. Ryan and I took Reed to the beach, with his family! It was a beautiful day and Reed really enjoyed it! We then, came home and cooked out, and opened presents. We sang to Reed and I even made him a cupcake, but he wasn't interested in it at all! Oh well...next year!!

Here are a few pictures of our fun festivities!

Reed in his big boy carseat

walking on the beach

cheesin'

And then the party....

not interested....

on his new toy from Mimi

he was excited

Daddy reading a book to Reed

Reed also got a great play set for outside, but my battery had died, yet again, by the time that was put together! But he has had lots of fun on it!! Thanks Grandma and PawPaw!

Wedding fun!

2008-06-02T07:34:00.005-04:00

A week ago we went to see one of my best friends get married to an amazing man! We stayed in her dad's house, with all of the other bridesmaids, and some other close friends. We had a great time!

At the rehearsal brunch

At the reception

Chel's sister made those cakes. And I helped decorate them! It was quite a process!!

These girls and friends you only find once in your life!! They are amazing!

I know that I have been blessed with amazing people in my life - and these are just a few of them!

Happy Birthday Reed!!

2008-05-30T08:04:00.003-04:00

I saw a friend of mine put up pictures on her daughters 1st birthday and I couldn't wait 'till Reed turned 1 so I could see how much he has changed in the last year! It is AMAZING!! This year has been a year I will never forget - and I feel so blessed to have this precious boy in my life!! May 30, 2007

May 30, 2008

We are celebrating Reed's birthday tomorrow, with a trip to the beach and some fun after. I will post more pictures of that later, and some from this past weekend.
In the meantime - HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY REED! WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Summer Time!

2008-05-21T14:06:00.007-04:00

It is almost officially summer, which means it is almost Reed's Birthday! It is amazing all that has happened in the last year! Whew!

A few weeks ago was mother's day, so I have uploaded just a few fun pics of the weekend!

The Saturday before Mother's Day Ryan and I were lucky enough to snag a few hours alone, and go to a lake near our house and fish a little. Even though we didn't catch anything we had fun - and got to see a bunch of gators!!

Lake Munson

My handsome husband! :)

Playing Peek-a-boo

In PawPaw's Cobra!

Reed is not even 1 yet, and he is ready to go for a ride in the Cobra - of course this excites Daddy and PawPaw!

Well, this weekend is an exciting one for us. One of my best friends - and the maid of honor in my wedding- Chelsea is getting married to an amazing man, and I am honored to be a part of the occasion. We are leaving Friday for Clearwater - and the wedding is Sunday.

After the wedding Ryan, Reed and I are heading a little further south to Bradenton to spend some time with Grandma Dender. We are so excited that Ryan's parents will also be down there!

Thats the latest news in this Dender household. Reed is doing well. If anyone has tips on getting kids to eat real food that would be great! He is almost one and all he will eat is pureed food - and really pureed food at that! Tips are welcomed!!

God Bless!

FIRST TIME...

2008-04-25T19:34:00.003-04:00

.... AT THE POOL!!

Today Ryan, Reed and I went to the pool for the first time! It was a beautiful day, and the water was pretty warm. Reed was pretty excited, but a little unsure. He quickly learned how to splash in the water, and enjoyed that quite a bit. He went all the way under the water, and didn't cry or anything! I think he is a natural!! Taking him to the pool is something I have been looking forward for awhile, and I am so excited that he is able to "enjoy" going now. The pool we went to has an activity center - that will open at the beginning of May and it will be fun to watch him play in that! Sorry I don't have more pictures, the battery died, but we will be back soon, and I will make sure that thing is charged! Have a great weekend!!

Reed playing at the park

2008-04-24T16:41:00.001-04:00

Fun at the Park!

2008-04-24T16:07:00.004-04:00

After a week of both Reed and I feeling crummy, I decided to take advantage of feeling better, and the beautiful day today! I had too many great pics not to share them with you! SO enjoy!

I will make a slide show to give you a good visual of Reed crawling back up that red slide!! It was so fun to go to the park with him, and I can't wait to do it more this summer!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-04-04T13:46:00.001-04:00

Jacksonville Visit

2008-04-01T21:18:00.003-04:00

This past weekend Ryan, Reed and I traveled to Jacksonville. We spent part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday there. Saturday was spent preparing for one of my best friends bridal shower ( the purpose of the trip). We had a great time reminiscing, catching up and just hanging out. I don't have any pictures of the shower - but it was a memorable event!

Our good friends Max and Kathleen, and their son Jackson also came to Jacksonville for the shower. We had a great time hanging out with them and watching the boys play together. Jackson is about 2 months older than Reed and has a good 5-6 lbs on him. At this age, most of you know, 5-6 lbs is ALOT!! Nevertheless, the 2 had a good time playing together:

Reed had to stand up for himself! ;)

Pretty cute. You can tell that they will be friends. ;)

While in Jacksonville we also heard some very exciting news. My college roommate, and one of my best friends, is PREGNANT!! She got married in October - and is expecting the little one in Novemeber! We can't wait to meet the little Incinelli! Congrats Christy and Jared!!

Happy Easter - A little late

2008-03-23T20:29:00.004-04:00

We had a great day celebrating our risen Savior! Here are just a few pics of our day!

Fun Pictures

2008-02-20T16:28:00.003-05:00

Here are a few more fun pictures Joan took a few weeks ago:

Although he looks terrified, really he is quite happy! This is the face that goes along with a very recognizable scream/song!

This is just a sweet toothy smile to counter the scary pic above!

Enjoy!!

Catching up

2008-02-18T11:03:00.006-05:00

OK, so it seems that our technical problems are over! Keep you fingers crossed! I have put a bunch of pictures up to try to bring you up to date on what has been going on in this Dender house.

Reed love his Leo!! Oh, and he loved chewing on his "nose sucker"! Lol! Most of you know that you will do whatever it takes to make your baby happy! And if that means letting him chew on a seriously cleaned "nose sucker" so be it!!

This is from our visit to South Carolina. In the middle of January Ryan, Reed and I traveled up to Charleston to visit some good friends of ours. The trip happened to fall on the same weekend that Reed's 2 bottom teeth decided to finally grace us with their presence. ( Now he has 4 teeth, 2 top and 2 bottom) As exciting as that was, it made for some long nights. Nevertheless we have a great time, and Reed and Jackson seemed to have fun as well!

In the beginning of February Ryan and Reed were both baptized. This was such a special day for our family. Ryan was able to publicly say that he had given over Lordship of his life to his savior Jesus Christ, and as a family we were able to proclaim before God and our congregation that we recognize that Reed is a gift from God, and that we will raise recognizing this daily! Although I have not received any of the pictures from the baptism ( because I was on stage with them - therefore not the one taking the pictures), the picture above is from the same day as the baptism. It reminded me of Risky Business, so I thought I would share it anyways!

This one is just a cute picture of Father and Son around the house!

And one more of our precious happy baby!

I hope this finds you all doing well! I will try to post a VIDEO (Oh BoY) soon of Reed crawling around, and pulling up and such! Glad to be back in the blogging world, and hope to post more often!

It's Amazing!!

2008-02-13T08:49:00.002-05:00

It Works!!!! After almost 2 months of technical troubles I finally am able to upload this picture. I don't know what is different about this one...but who cares! I am still not able to upload some others, so maybe it has something to do with our camera?! Above is our little man "hammin'" it up for our close friend Joan! ( I guess the blog likes her camera?) Anyways, he has such a great personality, and LOVES people. He constantly flirts with all the ladies we come across, and is always getting the attention back from them that he wants!

Reed is now eating baby food, at least twice a day. His favorites are applesauce and sweet potatoes..and definitley HATES bananas!!

He has 4 teeth now, two bottom and two top! Hopefully he will go back to sleeping through the night because it seems that those pesky little teeth have been waking him up quite often for the last 2 1/2 months!!

He is also crawling around, and getting into plenty of trouble. He loves Leo (our dog) and loves to play in his bowls! YUCK!

Reed also recently moved up to a big boy bathtub, and seems to enjoy bathtime!!

Well, I wish I could put some more pics up...this is getting frustrating!! I will try again later!!

In the mean time, you can be praying for our family, and our lack of sleep! ;)

SO Sorry!!

2008-01-14T11:31:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has been SO long since I have last blogged! I have all of these amazing pictures to share with you- from Reed's first food, to first Christmas...to first snow! BUT I have not been able to upload them! I don't know what the problem is...so if anyone has suggestions I am open!!

Nevertheless, We had a great Christmas! Reed received an overwhelming amount of gifts that far out numbered everyone elses gifts! But that just shows how loved he is! He is such a happy little guy! He laughs at everything and it is so precious. I really wish I could show you all a few pictures of him smiling. It melts my heart!

Shortly after Christmas Ryan, Reed and I traveled to North Carolina on our youth group ski trip! Ryan and Reed drove up the day before I did in Ryan's truck, and I came the next morning on the bus with all the kids! Ryan had a little bit of a rough night all alone with Reed, but learned a valuable lesson-- Reed likes WARM milk!! ;)
The rest of the trip was smooth however. It was very very cold- and snowed quite a bit. I think the news said that with the windchill it was somewhere between -5 and -15! Whew! Surprisingly enough Reed seemed to enjoy the cold and started laughing when we walked outside...who would have thought?

This upcoming weekend we are traveling again, to South Carolina to see our friends Max and Kathleen..and of course Jackson. Hopefully I can figure out what is wrong and be able to upload some pics soon.

I will post more later! Much love!
Ash and Ry

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland...

2007-12-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

Wait...we live in Florida, and it was 80 degrees here today!!!--so it definately doesn't feel like Christmas. However, this past weekend we went to Tom Brown Park and took some Christmas pictures, with one of Ryans prized possesions. No not me...his red 1952 Chevy. It made for some great Christmas pictures...here are a few!

Grandma Dender:

This section is for you...here are a few pics of Reed in his Golf Ball outfit..notice the rear view picture!!

PICTURES ARE HERE!!

2007-11-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

The Halloween Pictures have arrived.
Go to the website: www.amomentcaptured.com
Then go to projects, and click on Best Beginnings Halloween: Reed Dender
The password is: Ashley

Enjoy!! The other baby with Reed is Gabe, our good friends son!! They are too cute!! You can order the pics online also, if you so desire..BUT do it quick, they will be taken off Nov 21st!!

Keeping Busy

2007-11-03T16:17:00.000-04:00

Well, we certainly have been keeping busy. The picture above was taken while we were in Orlando for my good friend and college roommates wedding! We had a great time and were able to catch up with lots of good friends!! Those friends are hard to replace!!

Reed is more and more fun everyday!! He is giggling all the time- and LOVES playing in his little exersaucer! He is growing up so fast- it is hard to believe he is about 16 lbs- and started out at a measly 5!!! Speaking of growing up quickly- Ry and I went to a starting solids class Thursday- so I am sure in a month or so we will have some great pics of Reeds first reactions to food!!

On that note- for those of who would like to know when I update the blog- without having to check everyday- there should be a little box to your right, where you can put your email address, and it will send you an email when it gets updated!! :)

Well, Halloween was Wednesday, and though I don't have any pics for you of Reed, you should know that he was the cutest little "chick" ever! I took him for his first photo shoot, and he was a natural! The photographer should be putting the pictures online for you to order if you would like soon!! He really was adorable! Our good friends also dressed their son (who is Reed's age - younger by just 2 weeks) in the same costume, and then the 2 of them took some picutres together!! They were the talk of the store!! Too Cute!! I will let you know as soon as the pictures are online!!

I hope some of these pictures will satisfy you for a little while!!

Daddy thinks he will play Rugby...we will see!

He was excited about his photo shoot!!

It's been awhile....

2007-10-08T08:22:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I "blogged" last! Things have been going very well around this Dender house. Reed is such a pleasure - especially now that he is sleeping through the night. An Average night for him includes him going to bed around 9/10 and waking up around 7!! :) Also, for those of you who haven't seen him in awhile, he is about 26 in and 15lbs! He is still long and skinny!

Last night we looked through Ryan's baby book, and when Ryan was 4 months old he was 18 lbs and 25 3/4''. So Reed may not be as heavy as Ryan, but he is keeping up quite well length wise. Hopefully he will be tall like his Daddy!!

Saturday we took our first day trip to the beach. Well, it wasn't much of beach compared to what I am used to, but it was a beautiful day nonetheless. Reed enjoyed himself, soaked in sunscreen, he was the only one NOT to get sunburned. I had him sitting on my lap watching Daddy fish, and he started to nod off- It was so cute. He must have liked the beach breeze!

Well here are a few recent pictures. Enjoy!

Who can resist those faces??

2007-08-22T12:40:00.000-04:00

I hope you all are doing well! We are great, things are getting a bit busier, but thats part of the fun part. I started back working, and so far things have been great! Reed comes with me and is so cooperative. He eats and sleeps and plays on his blanket- occasionally crys- but it is so great to be able to keep him with me (for now). He is almost 3 months old, and weighs a nice 12 lbs 10 oz!! I am very proud of him! In the last 2 weeks Reed has really started to notice things. He definatley knows my voice and Ryans, and he is intentionally looking at things. We got him a mobile over the weekend and he loves it! He smiles and watches the fish go by! So fun!!

A few weeks ago Nana came to visit our big boy, and we had such a great time that I thought I would share a few of my favorite pics from the weekend with everyone!!