Happy 1st Birthday!!!

Wow! Connor is a year old!!! Where in the world does the time go??? We had a small party with family to celebrate...surprisingly enough, Connor wasn't too thrilled about the cake! Here are some pics from the little party we had while Auntie Anna and Brad were in town.

Speaking of Anna--she's now a real employee at her advertising firm--not "just" an intern anymore--we're so thrilled for her! Tommy has to go to Chicago on business next week, so hopefully he'll get to see her a little bit. Mom and I are going to visit in a couple of weeks with the little guy, and we can't wait to see Anna in action!

Grandma and Grandpa Hauck have moved into their Newark condo--it's so wonderful to have them so close by. I think they are adjusting pretty well, although Newark doesn't quite have the scenery that gorgeous Naples does...but they definitely have their fill of great grandchildren. :)

We're sorry we've been so bad about keeping this site up to date, but things have been busy as usual around these parts. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of fall!!!!

Love,

Liz, Tommy, and Connor

Connor's first trip to the Cottage!

We had a wonderful vacation up at the cottage in Michigan a couple of weeks ago. The weather was glorious, and we had such a wonderful time with Mom and Dad (or Grammy and Grandpa :). It was so relaxing and rejuvenating--it was really hard to come home. We're so blessed to have such a familiar and wonderful place to go to each year--so many memories. I'm so glad that Connor will be able to establish his own!

Lumberman's Monument!

Lumberman's Monument is such a beautiful place to visit. There is a huge dune that meets the gorgeous, clear waters of the Ausable River. Tommy, Connor and I walked down the dune, but getting back up--I didn't think we'd ever make it. Poor Tommy had to carry Connor all the way up....now that's an awesome workout! ;)

The Beach!

We spent a couple days at the beach--it was absolutely beautiful--"Michigan days" to a tee! We walked the beach in the evening, too. There is a little coffee shop down the street from the water, and we love to stop there in the mornings and get a latte before hitting the beach!

Smores....

One night, we built a bon fire down by the lake (one of our favorite things to do). Connor got his first taste of s'mores....I think he was in love!

New Red Wagon

Grandma and Grandpa Hauck sent Connor a beautifully restored red "Radio Flyer" wagon...he looooves it! ;) (Thanks to the Hauck clan who generously brought this back from Naples--it was worth it)! Below are a couple of pictures of Connor in his wagon so G&G can see him in action--thanks sooo much!!!! Also, a few random pics from outside today--it was gorgeous! (Tommy wasn't happy I was taking his picture--that's what the "fake" frown is all about :). Love to all!!!

Whoops--pics that wouldn't fit!

Whoops--here are the pics of Emily and Sierra, and Wendy and Tommy--they wouldn't fit in the last blog for some reason! Sorry!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

We have had such a wonderful weekend! It's been busy, but great! First of all, I had my 10 year reunion on Saturday night--it was sooo good to see so many old friends! I can't believe it's been 10 years!!! Time sure does fly!

Wendy (Tommy's sister) and Emily (Connor's cousin ;) came into town for the fourth, and for Wendy's 15 year reunion. It's been so wonderful to get to spend time with them, too. That's one great advantage to living in your home town--when friends and family are in town we get to see a lot more of them! (The pictures posted are of Tommy, Wendy, and Connor, and then Sierra (our neice) and Emily on the ferris wheel.

We watched the fireworks on Sunday night--Connor was woken from deep sleep to some serious "booms", but wasn't bothered one bit--he actually was pretty entertained by them! (There are pictures posted of him sitting with Grandpa and Grammy watching the sky light up).

Our good friends John and Deidre brought their 6 1/2 month old baby girl Carys over to see Connor this weekend, too, which was so much fun. Connor is definitely smittin' with Carys--she's beautiful!

We went to the fair last night and had some yummy funnel cake, and watched Connor go on the Merry Go Round with his Grammy. He thought that was pretty cool, though I think Mom had a pretty good workout trying to keep a tight hold on him as the horse went up and down! ;)

Finally, we had the Smith and Erhard clan over for a BBQ today--lot's and lot's of fun! The weather was yucky this morning--we didn't even go to the parade--but it cleared up and turned into a pretty nice day! Yea!

Happy Fourth of July everyone! :)

Just Like His Daddy!

Tommy is busy installing a new faucet in the kitchen sink tonight...Connor really wanted to help! :)

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Happy Father's Day!

We love our dad's sooo much--Grandpa's, too! ;) Hope you have a great day, and know how much you mean to all of us!

Here are a few pics from the other day. Connor in action! We have a true "boy" on our hands. Within a matter of hours he had conked his eye with the remote, scratched his leg on the swing, and shut his fingers in a drawer (not very hard, to our relief). We have our hands full!!!!! Notice the bandaids and bruises--I don't know if I have the stomach or heart for this. Poor little guy!

An update--FINALLY!!!!

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted...a lot has been going on! We moved almost three weeks ago now. We love our new house--it's very spacious, we have wonderful neighbors, and both sets of grandparents are less than 10 minutes away, not to mention aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and cousins--which is so awesome!
I started my new job two weeks ago, and love it! It's so fabulous to go to work in a gallery each day--it's a great environment to work in, and only about a 10 minute commute....can't beat that with a stick! ;)
Connor is moving all over the place--crawling, cruising, you name it! He has two little teeth that have finally popped through the surface, and loves to wave "hi" and "bye", and thinks this house is pretty amazing since there is a ceiling fan in almost every room.
Teah and Erin were home this past weekend--it was so wonderful to get to spend time with them. We saw "glowing" Maria, too, which was so nice! It's great to be so central! We can't wait for Aunt Wendy and Em to come visit in July!!!!

Take care, and love to you all!!!!

More pics from today....

A couple of pics from crawling outside today!

Have a great week! ;)

We're Crawling!!!!

We've got a crawler! :) Last evening, Anna and Brad came up to go to dinner with us. Anna said "I wish Connor would crawl." I replied, "just give it one more week--after we move, he can crawl all he wants!" Literally, ten minutes later, he was crawling across the floor after a water bottle! :) Along with the new sense of independence, comes a much stronger personality! Connor found his voice this week and thinks it's hilarious to yell at the top of his lungs. He also does this when he really wants something, and we take it away from him--usually only when he's really, really tired though. He was in rare form last night--so excited about his new accomplishment, and over-stimulated with Anna, Brad, and Lucy and Holly being here (Anna is dog sitting for mom and dad while they're at the cottage)--he was wide awake until after 11:00!

I'm realizing our baby isn't such a baby anymore. Life sure does go by fast! The funniest part about all of this is that this morning, Connor is much more excited about pulling himself up on the furniture--he still wants to be a "walker" more than a "crawler"! He's ready to play with the big boys, now! ;)

Connor and his great "baba Soph

Here are a couple of pictures taken on Mother's Day. It was sooo cute--Connor's Great Grandma Erhard (Baba Soph) was singing to him and he was so intrigued! Brought back many memories....

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

We're so thankful for both of our mothers...what a blessing they are! ;) Hope you both know how special you are! :) We love you dearly, and don't know what we'd do without ya!

We're also thankful for the gift of our grandmothers...we are so blessed to have you in our lives--we love you!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mom's in our lives. Motherhood is such a gift!!! Hope you all have a fabulous day and realize what a blessing you are, as well!

Here are a couple of pictures from tonight...until Connor has a real "sibling", Gracie fits the bill! :)

Follow-up appointment

Connor had his 2nd follow-up appointment with Dr. Crone at Cincinnati Children's today. Dr. Crone was very happy--the opening that they made in Connor's skull is still large enough to give him plenty of room to grow! This means no more surgeries!!! Thank the Lord!!! We don't go back again until next November, which seems like forever from now, but I'm sure will be here before we know it. Connor is now eight months old and weighed in at 19.9 lbs. and measured 27 1/2 inches at his appointment today. Not sure of the percentiles, but he's definitely a well-fed boy! Here are a couple of pictures from playing today. Connor thinks Gracie is the coolest thing ever. He was literally trying to climb her! She just licks him relentlessly when he won't leave her alone, though he thinks that's awesome, so it doesn't help matters much for Gracie!

Good Day!!!

We had a good day today! We found out we got the house we wanted....yea!!! Less than three weeks until we move....let the craziness begin! Here are some pics from today--another gorgeous one here.