Zachary Michael De Yager

Our love, prayer, and support go out to Shaun and Courtney as we mourn with them in their loss of their precious baby, Zachary Michael De Yager.  Courtney delivered him (rockstar style: 30 mins!) yesterday afternoon and they then had a chance to be with Zachary for a couple of hours.  I had a chance to talk with them last night and a little bit today and they have really felt God's presence with them as they are beginning the grieving process.  They were blessed with a beautiful time where they were able to hold their precious baby, cry with each other, pray with each other, and finally say their good-byes.  They said it was a very special time.  Please continue to uphold them in your prayers as this will be a process for them for days, months, and years to come.  There is a memorial service being planned for this upcoming Sunday.  We are heading up to Seattle towards the end of the week to be there with the family.  Please check out their blog: http://www.zacharymichaeldeyager.blogspot.com and continue to pray!!! We love you Shaun and Courtney and we already miss you precious Zachary.  We are happy to know you are up in heaven playing with Jesus!!!!

PLEASE PRAY!!

I write this with a very heavy heart. My family is going through a rough time right now. My sister had a minor surgery on Thursday and is still not doing so great. She has been in the hospital since Thursday and is still in a lot of pain. Her body is weak and she is exhausted. Please pray for healing upon her body. On top of this we are pretty much devastated to learn that my brother Shaun and his wife Courtney have lost their baby. They were supposed to deliver on May 13th and yesterday evening after not feeling any movement from the baby they went into the hospital. They then learned that there was no heart beat and are right now going through the process of delivering their baby and then through the horrible process of saying good-bye to their child. I can't imagine the pain they are going through right now . . . this is a terrible loss and we already miss the sweet baby we never got to meet. The only comfort we have is knowing that God remains faithful and even though his plans aren't always our plans, he definitely has a perfect plan. So I am asking everyone to get on their knees today and pray for them. Pray God will give them peace and pray that they will be able to go through the grieving process properly. Pray that God will give Courtney the strength she needs to deliver this baby boy and that Shaun will continue to be strong and supportive. I know that I am grieving for the nephew I never got the chance to meet and grieving for the pain that Shaun and Courtney are going to have to go through.

Here is a song that we sang in church that has definitely spoken to me today:

I have a maker
He formed my heart,
before even time began
My life was in his hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

I have a father,
he calls me his own
He'll never leave me,
no matter where I go

He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

Praying for you Natasha, Shaun, Courtney, and my little nephew who is in heaven with Jesus!

Cayden's New Haircut and other things . . .

On Mother's day my family took me out for dinner after church!  A great break from cooking my normal Sunday dinner!!  

Here is me with my little boy at the restaurant! 

We took Cayden outside and he didn't want to take a picture, he wanted to play :)!
Here is Cayden eating his first chewable vitamin . . . didn't like it so much!
Cayden playing with the bath toys, outside of the bath
So as you will see in these pictures that this was a very traumatic experience for Cayden!  On Tuesday I took him to Classic Kids Cuts where they even have mini barber style chairs.  Cayden screamed the ENTIRE time.  I tried to calm him down with various things such as his pacifire, holding his hand, a lollipop, and cookie monster.  Nothing helped so I had to let him cry and then of course I had to take pictures of him crying :)!  I am sure the hairstylest thought I was crazy as I was snapping away, but I had to capture this moment. Boy do I have a dramatic little boy on my hands :)!  Below are some of the pictures!!!!

This is where it got dramatic!


Here is an after shot (taken at a park).  He was all calmed down by then and having a blast at the park.  I figured he deserved something fun after such a traumatic experience. He looks so old now and it is taking me some time to get used to this new look!  Where has my baby gone?
So yesterday I went and got Cayden after his nap and found his diaper off and he had pooped and peed in his bed.  NASTY!  Here is just half of the picture :)! Luckily I think I caught it "in time"!
O.k. so I have a child who LOVES to drink his own bath water-YUCKY!!  I don't know how to get him to stop and he thinks it is hilarious when I do tell him to stop.  If I take the cups away he still manages to drink the water.  Anyone have any solutions??!!!

Cayden really likes to "brush" his teeth or just bite and suck on the toothbrush.  If he sees the toothbrush he says, "teeth", meaning he wants to brush his teeth :)!
Finally today we went to a playdate (with GUM) to the water park and Cayden finally went in the water and I wasn't even prepared.  He usually doesn't go in the water but of course he did today when everyone else was in the water!!

He was soaked but thankfully we only live a mile away!!

I am 16 Months Old!!!!

Our little boy is now 16 Months old today!  Where oh where has the time gone.  However, we are enjoying him more and more everyday as he is learning new things.  His vocabulary is expanding and it is easier to communicate with him.  It is so much fun to hear him repeat 

words we are saying.  Cayden now weighs in at 22 pounds and is 31 1/2 inches.  He doesn't really gain weight as fast as height :)!  Here are some pictures from today and the past week!

I am 16 Months old today!!

On Tuesday we went to the Bracket Field Airport with some friends to watch the planes.  Cayden had a ball and it is so fun to have other adults to talk to :)!Libby and Cayden (Cayden is throwing a ball-he is quite dramatic about this!).
Playing with the Trucks!
Cayden likes to hang with the older kids (Elliot) it is so fun to watch!
Imitating Elmo ("Melmo" as Cayden says)
We went swimming a few days since it was quite warm outside and Cayden had a lot of fun!



The only thing he likes to do is try to drink the water . . . how will we break this habit?

We are very blessed with Cayden and continue to pray God gives us the right tools to raise him into a Godly little man :)!! 

Our Week in Pictures!

So this past week was a little more laid back due to the busy previous week but Cayden still manages to stay quite busy even if we stay at home :)!  We did go to the zoo, a few parks, and on a few walks since it was gorgeous weather!  The weekend was a little more busy as we caught up with a few of our friends both Friday and Saturday night.  We even got to see a movie on Saturday thanks to Brett and his friend having to study for finals (they just came and studied at our place so we could go out!!), what a great bonus to the end of our week!!  

Cayden discovered that we have microphones for American Idol on the Wii.  I didn't know he knew what they were for until he started rocking out one day.  This was quite hilarious as I don't know where he learns how to do things sometimes :)!

Dancing (that is why it is a little blurry)

Singing
Rocking Out!
Oh and don't forget to clap when you are done :)!
On Tuesday we went to the zoo with some friends.  We are now officially annual pass holders, so we can go to the zoo whenever we want!

Ready to go!
Here is the free (cheap) stuffed monkey that we got when we signed up for our pass, Cayden does have a softer side and likes to give hugs (at least to stuffed animals!)
Watching the seals with Elliot and Libby!
In front of the Zebras.
Watching the Giraffes!
In front of the Monkeys
I finally let him get out and run around a little bit.  He was quite fascinated by the monkeys and the loud noises they were making!
What a classic zoo picture huh?
Coloring with Daddy . . . lasted about 1 minute!
Outside at the playground.  He thinks everything can be used for a drum!
He found a bubble wand . . .
And then stuck it in his mouth . . . yuck!
I'll pretend to smile so you will stop taking my picture and let me play!
Today we walked to a park, it was a nice day for a walk and a good way to get Cayden out of the house after his nap!
Of course the swings
Climbing the ladder-fearless boy I should say!
Daddy ended up helping him!
God has now blessed us with a new week!  Praying everyone has a great week with whatever God has in store for you!