Well I can hardly believe it, Dax's 'NICU birthday' was December 11, 2008. I cannot believe that all happened a whole year ago. I remember when they told me they were going to take him to the NICU how upset I was. I turned to Brady and told him to go with the nurses. He didn't want to leave me but he went. I was heartbroken to watch him leave and the nurses taking my baby.

The following eight days were quite possibly the hardest of our lives. Brady had to go back to Salina to be at work, and he took my little Dylan. They came up and visited when they could but oh how I missed them. I stayed at the hospital a couple of days but when I was released I had to sleep at my Grandmother's house. I was so thankful she was there and so willing to let me stay. She took wonderful care of me and we had many special moments. Thank you Grandma, I love you!

It was so terrible to stand over our little Fred and watch him try to simply breathe. He was such a fighter though. He progressed quickly and the nurses commented several times at how quickly he was getting ready to go home.

The day they said we could go home I was so relieved and yet so nervous. The baby was only 5 lbs 5 oz. But we made it home and survived those first few very scary nights.

I am so grateful at this time of year remembering how hard last year was and how much we have to be thankful for. Thank you so much to both of our families for all you did and still do for us. There was so many generous things done I can't even begin to name them all. But I hope you all know how much each little thing meant. Even just a quick text or phone call made my day so much better. I am so grateful for such awesome family and friends. We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas!

Here is a pic of the family along with the moto mutt coco.

Well I can't believe it! Fred Dax is ONE!!! He had his first birthday December third. He had so much fun. He got some fun toys including a four wheeler (what a surprise!) It's just a little ride-on toy but both him and his brother love it.

I cannot believe that he is already one. This year has gone by so fast. The first week after he was born I thought we would never get home and life would never be normal again. But here we are, happy and healthy (twenty-five pounds in fact!)

Our little Fred is such a happy boy. He loves to laugh and loves to play. His favorite toy is my crock pot. So quite obviously, his favorite place to play is the pantry. He loves to pull things off the shelves and bang the pans and lids. Some of his other favorite toys include the coal bucket, the fireplace grate, and the stairs. What a busy boy!

Ok, so I finally sat down to update our blog and the camera is having technical difficulty. We will have to keep trying! This is why I am not an up-to-date blogger. Everytime I try something goes wrong. Oh well.

Right now we are all very busy. I have started my new/old job at Briggs-Yardley Leavitt which I love but it takes up a few more hours of my day.

Dylan is enjoying second grade and doing very well. His Junior Jazz Basketball Camp will be starting soon and he is very excited as this is one of his favorite sports. He is also looking forward to Christmas.

Dax is getting ready to have his big First Birthday! I cannot believe he will be one. He is such a fun boy. He is very busy always exploring and getting in to things. He loves his brother and is constantly yelling for him. He started walking a couple weeks ago and is getting around so well.

Brady is still getting ready to race this coming season. He practices as much as he can in our busy schedule.

Hopefully our next post will be with some fun pictures!!

Ok ok so I need to blog more. I guess I have been tagged a few times and didn't know, oops! So here goes:

3 JOYS
1. My kids
2. My family & friends
3. My work

3 FEARS
1. Drowning
2. Edges of high places
3. Losing Dylan (he is so busy!)

3 GOALS
1. To be a better mom
2. To travel more
3. To get Brady a travel trailer, to race more!

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS
1. Taking pictures
2. Recycling
3. Running

3 FACTS
1. I LOVE to swim!
2. I am learning to recycle
3. I love Chinese food

Just a few more pictures:) The first one is Dylan. Then Alyssa. The next one is the older cousins. We told them to walk away so I could get a cute picture. Alyssa wasn't into it and all the other kids tried to get her to follow. It still turned out pretty cute I think. The last picture is Dax and Grandpa Seals. Dax loves Grandpa he always laughs and smiles when he is around.

We went to Maple Grove this weekend to relax and get some fun pictures. We had a blast! It was so pretty there. The kids went on a few hikes and played in the creek. These are some of my favorites.

This is my baby sister Katelyn, and I just hanging out at moms.

This is the gorgeous sister Tara who is posting this blog for me!!! Oh Katelyn too

Just us again messing around, sorry Amy you were busy running! Catch you next photo shoot!

My cousin's girlfriend took this picture of Dax at 7 Peaks this summer- I just thought it was so precious! She is a very talented photographer - thanks Brea!

This is Dylan and Dax at Gavin's birthday party. Dylan is a very good big brother to Dax- you can tell by the big smooch that he is giving! Dax loves Dylan just as much as he loves him.

Vacation to Kansas

In July we made the very long trip to Kansas to see Brady's Family. We drove straight through on the way out. It took about eighteen hours. We made a quick stop in Silt to see Uncle Waylon and then off we went through the night. The boys were both awesome travelers. We had so much fun but everyone is growing up too fast! The first picture is of Heidi's family with baby Fred. This picture is of Michell's family on their front porch swing.
This picture we took at Grandpa and Grandma Johnson's house on the way home. We all love to visit and Dylan thinks he owns the place! Thanks for such a fun time!