brady's blessing day

We blessed Brady at Mandi's parents home in Lake of the Ozarks on Sunday, July 6th. Chris did a wonderful job and Jonah and Mia cooperated perfectly--only because they were sleeping =) Brady is growing pretty rapidly and we decided that we couldn't have waited much longer to bless him because he was about to grow out of his blessing outfit. Jonah wore it when he was blessed at 2 1/2 weeks, so it was fun to see another boy dressed in it. They definitley look similar, but there's a difference. Brady is so smily and brings lots of happiness to our home. Both kids just adore him and he giggles and smiles when he sees them. Mandi loves the baby stage, and even though she's not getting lots of sleep, she is enjoying her newborn.

life with 3 kids

Brady is now 6 weeks old, and I'm feeling back to myself--well, as much as you can as a nursing mom who wakes up several times a night. The real test comes in not taking care of Brady, but taking care of all 3 of my adorable, but needy kids at same time. I loved having help for as long as I did (a full 4 weeks!), but the time had to come for me to mother these kids on my own. Chris's school schedule is ideal this summer, and he gets home in the late afternoon with very little work to do once he's home. That definitely helps. So, after 2 weeks on our own, how are we doing? We're actually o-k-a-y! There are crazy moments everyday when all 3 kids are crying, but I'm actually able to get my house cleaned, go for walks, read a book, and spend some quality time with each of my kids. There are some activities that I'm terrified to even try on my own, but maybe I'll get more brave as time goes on. Chris and I joke that my main objective each day is simple: Feed the kids, and Keep them safe.....mainly from each other! Brady is starting to smile now, which is adorable. Jonah and Mia just love him. Everytime Mia spots him she says in her sweet girly voice as she waves her cute little chubby hand, "Hi Di-Di". Jonah is very good about being gentle with Brady and loves reminding me that he is the "Big Brother" and Mommy's "Big Boy Helper". We feel so blessed to have these sweet children in our home.

surviving the storm

We were awakened at 2 am on Friday, May 2nd, to the sound of a freight train passing through our house. The house was shaking and the noise outside was deafening. Chris and I both shot out of bed without even having to say a word--we new there was a tornado, and we just hoped we could get to the basement in time. I had our newborn baby in my arms and I ran to Jonah's room to grab him out of bed. I didn't even have time to get a good hold on him, so he was hanging upside down as I stumbled down the stairs as fast as I could move. Chris was behind me with Mia, and both kids were not happy to be awakened as you can imagine. My best friend, Deb, was in town and we're not sure we can convince her to come back after that night. The storm passed as quickly as it came and the entire neighborhood was using flashlights to survey the damage. The power was out, of course, so as soon as the sun rose, we were able to view the horrific scene. After the trees were cleared from the rodes, we were able to explore the neighborhood. We felt very fortnate that our property was only minorly damaged compared to some of the neighbors. The tornado was classified as an F3, but it was only on the ground for a short while. It struck the hardest about 5 or 6 blocks from our house. Thankfully there were no casualities from this twister. We feel most blessed to have been protected.

.

welcoming brady

Brady Joseph Rapp

6 lbs 12 oz


19 inches

Mandi was induced on Monday, April 21st and Brady Joseph Rapp was born at 5:01 pm weighing in at a scrawny 6 lbs 12 oz and 19 inches long. He seems to have a very different look than our other kids, so we're anxious to see who he may resemble as time goes on. Mandi's labor was very comfortable and recovery is going well. Now that we're home from the hospital, it is most difficult caring for the other children as they have missed their mother. Mandi's mom, Janette, has been in town helping with the kids, which has been such a blessing. Mia sure seems to like Janette, which is a major milestone for this "mama's girl". As Janette leaves, Mandi's good friend, Deb, will come help for a week, followed by Chris's parents. We are so thankful for all the help that everyone is offering. Brady is doing really well and we're so excited to have such a little guy in our home again. It's a miracle to watch a child come to your family and we feel most blessed. Jonah is loving his role as an older brother and protector of Brady. He held him and kissed him endlessly in the hospital and even started crying when he had to put him down. Mia is very confused by the whole situation and I'm sure she still doesn't understand who this little guy is who suddenly showed up in our home. She mimics Jonah and gives him kisses as well, but we have to watch her closely since she doesn't quite understand how fragile he is. Thanks for all your love and prayers. We're so thrilled that he arrived safely and Mandi is excited to be done with yet another pregnancy.

happy easter

We had a wonderful Easter at home with an indoor easter egg hunt. It's a little chilly here in Kansas City, and since Easter was especially early in the season, it not quite spring-like weather yet. Jonah and Mia were very entertained by the candy filled eggs--it's hard to not enjoy any holiday that involves candy. Mia loved walking around and finding her eggs, and Jonah was more than happy to find them all for her. We hope you had a wonderful Easter too!

crawling, and now walking

Mia started crawling in January, and was attempting to walk by mid-February. Life changes fast, I guess! I thought it might take her a while to move around, since she is rather chunky, but she surprised us and was walking at 10 months. It's so cute to see her round little body waddle around the house and Jonah is very excited that they can now chase eachother. We have to remind him that she still is a baby, even though she's moving around more. She's starting to say a few words, "da-da" for daddy, and "hi". She seems to think that the word for telephone is "hi" because that's what she says every time she sees one. It's so cute!

i'm a big boy now!

Jonah successfully potty-trained last month, and we all have enjoyed having less diapers to change in our household. It took him 2 days to get the hang of going on the potty, and then he just had a few accidents after that throughout the following 2 weeks. He now insists on going "all by my belf!", so he's feeling his independence! His reward was a big boy bike. Chris picked it out, and I was shocked to see that it is fully suspended and wondered what my 2 year-old might be doing on his bike to need front and rear suspensions. Jonah is sure enjoying it and we love seeing him grow-up. Yeah for Jonah!!

a fun project

I forgot to post pictures of Jonah's Christmas present this year. It began as a $20 garage sale table with peeling paint and mis-matched train tracks. Chris jokes that this was Jonah's present, but Mom's pride and joy. I did spend a lot of hours on it, but it was fun having something artistic to do, plus I love taking things that look ugly and making them look better. Once we decided how to arrange the tracks on the table, I began by staining all the tracks so that they would be the same color--it took a few trys and a few mistakes to get it right. Then I painted the landscape on the table top and tacked all the pieces down with screws. I varnished everything to protect it from a crazy 2 year-old and so far it's held up. Chris was in charge of reinforcing the wobbly table. He and my dad did a great job of making it look so much better and sturdy. My dad tested the table out by jumping on it, so I think it's going to hold up =) They sanded it and then painted it black and that was the final touch! Hopefully it will last through many kids! Grandma and Grandpa Rapp supplied some of the tracks and the buildings along with the infamous "Thomas" Engine which is battery operated. Jonah sure loves this and will play with it for years to come.

preparing for #3

I'm so happy with how the baby's crib turned out. My biggest fear was that we wouldn't have any room for him, but I bought a "mini" crib, which is about 2/3 the size of a real crib. It was a perfect fit. I made the crib bedding from a matching comforter on Jonah's bed. If you know me, the fact that the crib matches the room decor is a BIG deal. I have a huge list of things to get done before the baby comes which are not directly related to the baby, but atleast I have the baby's crib set up and the baby boy clothes are in the drawers, ready for the big arrival. We are anxious to see this little guy, but I'm glad we have a few more months to prepare ourselves and our kids =)

P.S. Jonah is potty-training and doing great, so when the baby comes I'll only have 2 kids in diapers. I'm thrilled to be done changing his diapers atleast! Yeah!

happy holidays

2007 has been a busy and exciting year for us! The most significant event was welcoming our daughter, Mia, into the world in April. She has been such a joy to have in our home. Mandi enjoys having another girl in the house and Mia is definitely a girl. We can already sense her tender and emotional nature. She has such a joyful personality and our favorite part about Mia is that she always wakes up smiling. She brings a lot of peace to our home with her happy disposition. Jonah has really surprised us and is a wonderful older brother to her. It didn't take long for him to accept her and now he always wants to include Mia in his activities, especially taking their nightly baths together.

Shortly after Mia was born, Mandi found out she was pregnant again! The babies will be just under 12 months apart, and no, this was not planned. Mandi is due in April, and we are excited to be able to welcome another child into our family. Jonah is thrilled that it's going to be a boy! Mandi is now feeling better and is enjoying these last few months of just having 2 kids to chase after. Life will get busy without a doubt! Mandi is still serving as Primary President, so free time is hard to come by. It's been a good learning experience for her and has helped to prepare her for our own little nursery of children at home.

Chris finished his 2nd year of dental school and took his National Boards. He passed! Yeah Chris! He immediately started his 3rd year, which consists of working on patients in the clinic. He sure enjoys the clinical aspect of dental school a lot more. He's still busy, but we do get to enjoy Daddy a lot more this year.

Jonah is now 2 1/2 and talking better and better all the time. Our favorite phrases include, "That make you happy Momma?", and "I can not believe it!". We are working on potty training and as soon as we decide to really tackle it, we're pretty confident that Jonah will be ready too. It will be nice to get one of the kids out of diapers before the new baby arrives.

We spent Thanksgiving in Montana this year a had a great time with Chris's parents. Jonah got his Christmas present early from them, which was a motorized train set. He loves nothing more. As parents, we are really excited for Christmas morning since Jonah is now understanding the concept of Christmas and Santa. We'll be spending Christmas at Mandi's Parents home in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, with most of her siblings and their kids. The cousins always enjoy being together under one roof, and us adults will waste lots of time with the Nintendo Wii.

We hope you have the happiest of holidays. It's been such a blessing to have children and get the opportunity to teach them about the importance of this special occasion. We are so grateful for the knowledge of a Savior and the chance to dedicate time to celebrating the blessed event of His coming into the world. Merry Christmas!