Congratulations Jason, Ryann, and Regan!

We're so excited for you and can't wait until June!

Party Recap and My Sick Hubby!

Eric is sick! He didn't think that Samuel should be sleeping in the same room as him, so Sammy & I are having a slumber party in the livingroom. Eric offered to sleep out here, but when you're sick it probably feels best to sleep in a bed. I HATE when Eric is sick. The fact that he never, ever gets sick or says he is (once in the 5 years of our relationship) freaks me out. I know when he says he doesn't feel good he REALLY doesn't feel good. So, in Jesus name complete healing over Eric!

Saturday we had a birthday party for Judah with his 3 best buddies and friends from our cell group. It was fun having 4 two year olds (well, 3 two years olds and one almost two year old): Judah, Regan, Elliana, and Sam. They are all so cute together! Judah got a lot of great toys and loved his cake. I don't blame him. Mint chip & chocolate ice cream cake is my favorite, too!


Hitting the pinata. He didn't want to stop and cried when the other kids had turns. "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!"


Blowing out the candles


Opening the gift from Regan, with Elliana & Sam watching


With Elliana

Happy 2nd Birthday, Judah Paul Fairchild!

Dear Judah, my firstborn son,
I cannot believe that you are two. TWO! It was exactly two years ago today that I woke up to Papa saying, "Cheryl (the midwife) called and wants us to go up to the hospital." We didn't know for sure, but we knew it was a very strong possibility, that we would be meeting you that day. We packed up our bag and headed up to Paradise. When we got there they told us to go for a long walk and eat lunch, then to come back so they could check me.


I couldn't really "walk," per se, but I could definitely waddle. So, we waddled all along a bike trail. I had to stop to pee and Papa kept watch, making sure noone was coming. Then, we went to a little cafe and had lunch. Do you remember going back there after brother was born? After lunch we went back to the hospital where they had us walk and walk and walk some more. The hospital kind of grossed me out. It was weird to see all the sick, dying people when our brand new, healthy baby would be greeting us shortly. The walking still did nothing, so Cheryl decided she would break my water. Grandma Donna and Aunt Miranda had a feeling you would be coming that day, so they were at the hospital. After they broke my water they left because Aunt Reni was really freaking me out. They broke it at 10 o'clock and you were born underwater at 11:14pm on October 20, 2004. It was a cool evening and had sprinkled earlier that day. But, it was perfect inside that hospital room. It was the night my entire world changed.

Baby boy, as much as I hate to admit and am still ashamed of it, I was SOOO freaked out when I first found out I was pregnant. After taking 3 pregnancies tests, I knew you were definitely on the way. I was scared, but I'd always wanted a baby, so I couldn't help being incredibly excited at the same time.

You are my joy, little man! I love everything about you. You are the most outgoing, confident, secure person I have ever met in my life- young or old. You are not embarrassed to approach someone and are always saying, "hi." Some people say you're "bossy," which is completely, 100% wrong. No sweetie, you are a LEADER! You will be successful in anything and everything you do. Like I tell you all the time, you are PERFECT. Completely perfect. There is not one thing I would change about you. I love your little hands and your chunky little thighs, your laugh and giggle, the way you are too interested with your surroundings to pose for a picture. I love the way you give me hugs and smooches, the way you say, "Yaya, mama" (I love you, mama). I love reading to you and playing with you, taking you for walks in the park, showing you off to everyone I know.

And now, you are a big brother! I know you love Sammy so much, and sometimes you show it in your own special way. You don't understand that it's ok to ride Papa, but it's not ok to ride brother (which does result in timeouts). You always have to say goodnight to him and give him kisses. I can't wait for you two to become bestfriends. I'm sure you'll have your share of squabbles, but your wives will be thankful that you already know how to deal with conflict. You are a great big brother and someone worthy of Samuel's adoration and imitation.

I could go on and on forever about how much I love you, but I'll leave it at that. I love you. I love you completely with all of me. My words could never express how much I love you. You won't ever understand my love until you have kids of your own. But know this, Hudi, your Mama's love for you will never change. I will always be here for you, to hold you and love you and tell you how perfect you are. Happy number two, big boy!
Love, Mama
PS Today we had so much fun at the pumpkin patch, celebrating your birthday! Tomorrow is your party- yay!

Wanting to remember

I always find myself hoping that I'll never forget. I want to remember every single second of my kids' lives. I wish that I could record every special (although possibly uneventful) moment. I would have video camera running every waking moment, so that I could go back and relive it all. Samuel will be 6 months on the 30th, Judah will be 2 on the 20th. I love them both more everyday, but I wish time would just SLOW.DOWN! Every day is so precious. Every laugh. Every smile. Every new word or milestone. I can't believe my boys are getting so big. They're not those tiny little, helpless things anymore. Judah is growing into a little man and Samuel's personality is showing more and more everyday. I love them.

Things I'm Enjoying/Have Recently Enjoyed

1. It's Christmas card time again. So, we'd love it if you would post a link on your blog and tell your friends. Also, email us if you'd like to order some and we'll give you a great deal! Visit us at http://www.announcingyours.com


2. I took the babies to the gym childcare on Monday. And, they did GREAT! Judah cried for a few minutes when I dropped him off, but then was fine playing with the toys. One of the girls held Samuel the whole time and he just laughed and smiled. I love that they have video monitors, so you can see your kids as you work out.

3. Trader Joe's fake oreos. Or, Trader Joe's in general. Just like Costco I find more and more stuff I like everytime I go in there. And, they have samples! Samples keep Judah happy. I went there without Eric, and with the boys, for my first time today.

4. Butts & Guts class at the gym. And, then ice cream afterwards with Mark & Laura. I had cake batter with brownie from Coldstone.

5. Our busy schedule in the upcoming weeks: lots of birthday parties (including Judah's!), a bridal shower, wedding, dinner with friends, visits to the pumpkin patch, etc..

Being a stay at home mom!

Cute brothers


Sammy is such a happy boy! And, he's discovered his feet.


Trying to get Judah to smile for the camera at lunch.



I had coffee with my friend, Brooke, on Saturday and she said she wondered what I do all day. I thought all of you might, too. Here's a typical day:
9:00 Samuel wakes up to be fed, then goes back to sleep.
9:15 Get Judah up. Change his diaper.Eat breakfast with him. Check weather.com. Get Judah and I all ready.
10:00 Samuel wakes up for the day. Get him ready.
10:25 Go to Barnes & Noble, a friend's house, have a friend come over, shopping, errands, etc...
12:30 Eat lunch here or go out with family/friends
1:30 Read Judah a book & change his diaper. He goes down for a nap
2:00 Samuel goes down for a nap. Read my Bible. Read blogs, post blog entries, straighten up, read, etc... Have some quiet time.
3:00 Samuel wakes up to be fed. Feed him & sometimes take a nap with him.
4:00 Judah wakes up. Change his diaper. Give him a snack. Have some mommy/Judah time.
4:30 Eric gets home.
5:00 Samuel wakes up
5:30 or 6:00 Eat dinner
6:30 Go for a walk, run errands, or stay home
8:30 Judah & Samuel take a bath. Eric gets them dressed in pjs while I take a shower. Judah eats a mimi (banana). Eric reads Judah & book and brushes his teeth. I feed Samuel
9:00 Boys go to bed. Eric does dishes. I read and comment on blogs.

Mondays: Ellie (my mother in law)'s been watching Judah, so I do major cleaning/errand running. Eric & I both lead cell groups at 7pm.
Thursdays: Judah goes to Ellie & Robb's after his nap. Eric, Samuel, & I go out to dinner, then Eric and I go to separate cell groups.

Friday & Saturday

The other day I made Judah & I sandwiches for lunch. I put mustard on mine and got a little on his plate. After eating his sandwich for a few minutes he pointed to the mustard and said, "Poop!" Too funny! He's definitely intersted in Samuel's diaper changes.

We've had a fun weekend so far...and, it's not even over yet!

Friday I put both boys in the stroller and started walking, not knowing where I was going. I considered stopping by Laura's, but I didn't want to wake her up. So instead, we went to storytime at the library. Judah's not really into it because they have computers there and he's much more interested in them. It's super cute, because they sing songs and have a puppet, but he'd much rather be on the computer (like his Papa). While at the library we got a call from my dad, who decided to take a few days off work (he's an ironworker). So, we stopped by his apartment on our walk home and told him what we wanted for lunch. Then, he brought us over some sandwiches.

Friday night we had dinner with 3 other couples. Our pastors, some friends who are married, and some other friends who are engaged and are getting married 4 weeks from today. It was funny talking about all kinds of "married stuff." Judah and Samuel both did so good! Judah is so obedient and is learning the meaning of "no touch" and other instructions.

This morning Eric went golfing, then rushed home so I could meet a friend for coffee. (Well, actually I had caramel apple cider). Tonight we had dinner with Judah's friend Sam and his parents. It's fun having another Sam around, but we still call our cute little guy Samuel. We all went out to pizza, but Judah mostly played with the video games. Sam and Judah were getting adventrous and decided to check out the ladies bathroom. It was hilarious seeing Sam's dad go in after them. After a little shopping at Old Navy we all went and got ice cream at Coldstone's. Yum!

Household Chores

When Eric and I first got married I was messy (like disgustingly, pig-sty dirty) and Eric was clean (incredibly, analy clean), so in the past 3 and a half years of marriage we are learning to compromise. I'm getting better at keeping the house tidy and Eric (although he hasn't gotten any messier) does nag me less.

After having Judah, taking care of a baby and keeping the house clean was difficult. It was very, very difficult after I got pregnant with Samuel, was exhausted, and then still had to take care of Judah. That's when we decided to start the "special duty" method. Basically, we each have assigned jobs and everything else we share. Eric's job is the dishes. He washes them and puts them away. Since moving Eric's job has gotten much easier and only involves rinsing off dishes and loading/unloading the dishwasher. Oh yeah, he also keeps the kitchen clean- the floors and wiping down the oven and counters.

I have two special duties: laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Cleaning the bathroom is a fairly easy job, as long as I have time to do it. The actual cleaning is easy, but it's hard to find time when everyone is alseep and/or out of my way. Since Ellie has been watching Judah on Mondays it's the perfect day to do it. My other job, laundry, is the extremely difficult job. Since we have to do it in the laundry room I have to either do it when they're both asleep or carry 1 or 2 babies with me. Or, I can do it at night when Eric is home. Then I have to fold it and put it away. I also have to make sure we have a stock of quarters. The difficult part? It is neverending. Seriously. Never freaking ending. Samuel and I have to wear at least 2 outfits a day due to spit-up, Eric has work clothes and regular clothes, burp cloths, blankets, pajamas, towels. If anyone would like to pay for a laundry service I would gladly take it.

Other than the laundry, we're doing great. We are busy with all of the stuff we do in life: work, play dates, Barnes & Noble, cell group, friends, etc.. Samuel is a roly-poly. He rolls all over the livingroom, can get to a toy he wants, he is so strong and doing things a lot earlier than Judah. Probably because he has a big brother to keep up with. Judah is talking more and more everyday. I can pretty much understand what is is saying 99% of the time. He's so smart- he remembers people's names and is not shy to go up and say "hi" or "good day." We have some men working on the apartment above us, so he loves to talk to them and look at their work vans. They are both adorable, perfect boys...but, you already know that!