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Sunday, June 21, 2009

Family Time


We had an impromptu Marschke Family get-together for Father's Day at our place. The original plan was to meet up after church and then head out to eat together. This morning as Todd and I were noodling over potential restaurants, we got to thinking about what chaos it would be to get reservations somewhere, or else having to wait forever for a table for 10 (including 4 children....). Todd had a moment of brilliance and suggested we just take charge and picked up some BBQ. I made some baked beans, brownies, and deviled eggs (a favorite of the fathers present) and Todd picked up some additional sides from Chef Pete's BBQ and voila! A feast for 10. :)

Mimi and Papa Fish with Davis

These three just adore the newest family member!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to our big Toddie Bear! We love you...

Kate, Lauren, and Davis

Meeting the Grandparents- Part I


Mimi and Papa Fish check out the newest model!
Unfortunately Davis just couldn't wait until his Mimi and Papa Fish were back from their incredible cruise (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Russia, and Estonia!), arriving just days before their return. Mimi called hourly while we labored and then daily after his arrival to check in. I think it was killing her that she wasn't going to see this grandchild being born! She made Papa Fish drive straight to our house from the airport, despite the many hours of travel that day already. We were happy to see them back in the States and even happier to show off the newest Marschke boy!

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They just couldn't stay away from these two precious ones, and returned the following week for more snuggle time. Mimi helped Lauren with some painting while Mommy worked on the the letters for Davis' nursery.
That sweet, pensive face...
Our girl takes all activities very seriously!
Note we may have a "south paw" on our hands...she definitely favors that left hand!
Mommy makes a rare appearance on Kat's Cradle.
Lauren loves her paint smock from Aunt Beth and Uncle David that came with her table top easel. I think we might have a budding artiste on our hands!

Welcome William Davis Marschke!


We are proud to announce the birth of our son, William Davis Marschke!
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Davis, as he is called, was born at 8:59am ET on Wednesday, June 3, 2009. For you "numbers people" his birth date is 06-03-09 (or 6 + 3 = 9)....for whatever that's worth! He weighed in just one ounce more than his older sister at 8lbs 2 oz.. and measured 21 inches long. He was nine days early.




Labor and Delivery was a tad more chaotic this go-around, as Lauren was calmly induced. I went into labor around 1:30 am, and he arrived a short 7 1/2 hours later. After some hiccups (contractions 3 mins apart by 4am, almost missing the epidural window, said epidural wearing OFF--- YES, people!!, and a second and third epidural numbing me from chest down) he decided to make his presence known, despite the lack of the dr. A random midwife was called in to deliver Davis as the dr was still 5 mins away and, well, it was time, since he was crowning and his blood pressure was quickly dropping. Only a few pushes later and he essentially fell out into the world, just as the dr walked in the room.


He's been a delightful baby thus far-- super easy (knock on wood!!). He is a great eater and sleeper. Doesn't seem to have his days/nights mixed up. Is now awake for 2 or three stretches during the day of an hour or so at a time, and merely checks out the world around him (and the antics of his older sister!!) with his big blue eyes! Lauren adores her baby brother, even though he has "chicken legs" and can't seem to do much quite yet. She is tickled by every sound, movement, or hiccup the baby makes. She did, however, take things out on her Mommy and Daddy for a day or two. Her adjustment was definitely complicated by a nasty cold/cough/pink eye combo, the latter of which she shared with her brother. That was a fun first week, to say the least! But, she's doing so much better now, and is for the most part, back to the sweet little girl that we've known. I guess you could say her antics are now typical for a 2 1/2 year old, vs a 2 1/2 year old who is also coping with a new sibling!! :)



Enjoy our son as much as we do. And, it's ok to stare at his sweet face. That's pretty much what Todd and I do all day long, so he's used to it.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Hanging with Haylie

Lauren has had so much fun playing with her best friend Haylie in recent weeks. Here's a recap of their shenanigans:


After an afternoon of playing, the girls double-tub it. They had too much fun playing with the bath crayons from Stephanie!



Pre-bath, Lauren and Haylie hang out in Lauren's "castle" from Aunt Beth and Uncle David. She loves to read books in there. Her own little book nook!

Lauren Shows Haylie the Fishing Ropes

Lauren's very first bass! Daddy tried his best to get her to hold it by the lips, but she wasn't so sure about that...



Fishing again with Daddy, Jamie, Stephanie, Haylie, and Bill and his step-grandkids.



Stephanie helps Haylie hold up one of her first catches.


Saturday Sillies

Jamie brought Haylie by a couple weekends ago. We decided to take the girls out for an icecream treat to beat the heat. Lauren got most of the way through her chocolate icecream cone before Daddy took a taste and realized it tasted AWFUL. The DQ guy said, "Oh. I must have a bad valve. I can give you another cone in vanilla"....seriously?! She ate most of her second cone too, sharing with Haylie (Daddy test-tasted first, of course!). She did mention later that her first cone was "horbibble" but that she got a new one that was much better. :)


Yeah. not so sure this tastes right, Mommy.


Jamie and Haylie enjoy her baby cone-- fortunately vanilla so no bad ice cream for Haylie!


The girls coloring. They actually share pretty well together.

Best of Friends

Haylie carries around photos of Lauren. She'll even kiss the photos when asked, and considers this play time. If only we lived a tad closer so they wouldn't have to "pretend play" with each other, right?? We miss our time with the Crunkletons and are so happy we've had a chance to hang out more lately.