Mr. D and Mrs. M

  Isaac’s birth story Labor was insanely fast for me. I guess my experience aligns with what they say that 3rd babies come a lot faster than first babies. I’d been ready to meet Isaac. I took the 2 weeks before my due date off (because both my boys had been more than 2 weeks early, so of course Isaac would be early too), and was pleasantly surprised when May came and then also happy when both May 5th and May 10th (James’s and Neil’s birthdays) passed by too, and I got to still be pregnant. I know most women hate the last bit of their pregnancies because they are so uncomfortable and ready to meet their little ones, but for me I was okay being pregnant because for me it meant one more night’s full rest and more likely Isaac will be just a little more fully developed and maybe fatter and a better sleeper. After Mother’s Day May 15th this year though, the day after my due date, I felt ready to have Isaac in my arms and a little foolish for taking what would be more than 2 weeks of tim...

Somehow David and I are looking to be 3 for 3 on babies with May birthdays! I think it's going to be a lot of fun having a birthday month for my boys. Neil was born May 10 (early, at just shy of 36 weeks), James was born May 5 (also early, but less early and just shy of 38 weeks), and as of today I am 39 weeks with expectant baby boy (due date of May 14)! I'm excited to still be pregnant and think it could be nice to have this baby around 15th so that I can have May 5th, May 10th, and May 15th birthdays. We will see what happens!  This year we celebrated Neil's 5th birthday early and he had the birthday of his dreams at a local bounce house called Kidz Bounce. Something funny that happened was kids from his preschool class kept wishing him happy birthday at his party and he kept telling them that the day wasn't his birthday. I recommend if you celebrate your turning 5-year-old's birthday early that you prep them for friends wishing them a happy birthday and teach th...

Our family had a great Thanksgiving this past week! After Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree and it was really fun handing the ornaments to James to hand to Neil and for Neil to put up the ornaments on the tree on the ladder. I am really enjoying watching James and Neil get older. I'm so proud of James for deciding he's big enough to walk around the neighborhood without the stroller and for the big helper my older son Neil is. Here are a few photos to enjoy:

  This past summer our family attended a reunion for my mom's family. We spent time all over Utah including Bryce Canyon national park and Capital Reef national park. We are looking forward to the next one!

Photos by Kylee Hatch at https://instagram.com/studio.k.photography/

This past weekend Grandpa and Grandma watched my kids so that David and I could drive up to Whidbey Island for the day and attend a friend's wedding reception. I really enjoyed being able to have time with David and being able to celebrate Jordan and Jenny.  Jordan and I both worked at a tech consulting firm called Pariveda Solutions together as our first position out of college (now I work at Microsoft and he works at Google). What I love about Jordan is his willingness to meet new people, his enthusiasm for life, and his desire to challenge the status quo. I remember a few years ago listening to him complain about social media (before "The Social Dilemma" appeared on Netflix), and after listening to his position deciding to delete the Facebook application from my phone (so that I could turn off the push notifications and badges), and to also set a time limit per day for my social media apps (screen time is in the settings on an iPhone). I obviously have more work to do,...

It's officially summertime in the PNW. Our family has been enjoying the outdoor activities the Seattle area has to offer. We took our boys paddle boarding, and we took Neil to his first Mariners game. We go on easy local hikes, we bike around our neighborhood, and we read books at the library park a couple homes up on our street.  Paddle Boarding at Beaver Lake Seattle Mariners Baseball Game Hiking as a family Biking around the community and stopping at nearby parks Reading books at the neighborhood library park Love, -Mr. D and Mrs. M