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A Few of My Favorite Things

My chair.

Looking out the window.

My rattle socks.

Helping Daddy pull the blinds up.

My mobile.

My squeaky book.

Kisses from Grandma.

Tickles from Mommy.

First Sunday at our New Church Building

"D's" Tuesday Night Friends

On Tuesdays, Marc and I host a married couples' Bible study in our home. These friends have been an amazing blessing in our life in the city, and have served us in so many ways before and after Dylan's birth. Dylan (or "D" as the group calls him) gets excited to see them every week.

"D" likes to flirt with the girls in the group.

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day with Marc's parents in Orland Park.

Dylan exploring the balloon he got for his daddy.

This was our Father's Day gift for Marc.
The image was put on a t-shirt.

Satisfied Town and Country Customer

Let's Party

At cousin Carter Campise's first birthday.

Mollie Vanderlaan's Baby Shower.

Fourth of July party.

Henry Sohn's third birthday party (with Wes and Annabelle).

Aunt Nicole's Visit

My sister from Seattle flew in for a week in June to meet Dylan and provide us with some much-needed help in getting caught up with things. It was soooooo nice to have her here!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend was packed with lots of family time! My brother Ryan, his wife Bridget, and their three oldest kids stayed with us for an overnight. Then we hosted the Caifano family for a
holiday BBQ.

Kalli, Trey and Tyce made some art projects for Dylan.

Getting introduced to Uncle Ryan.

Hangin' with Cousin Donn at the BBQ.

Noah and Gavyn kept Dylan entertained.

Uncle Lenny and Aunt Laura.

Baby Dedication/Mother's Day Weekend

Dylan was dedicated at church on Mother's Day. It was a very special occasion, as his great-grandparents (my grandparents) were the prayer sponsors who stood up with us at the service. Great Grandpa and Grandma Ortman got to meet him for the first time, and my parents also flew in for the occasion.

Meeting his great grandparents.

Seeing Grandpa and Grandma Ortman again.

Thirty babies were dedicated that day.

At the Baby Dedication, Marc and I formally presented Dylan to God and declared our commitment to raising him in accordance with the Word of God. My grandparents stood up with us as the prayer sponsors, who have committed to praying for Dylan, Marc and me

over the course of the next year.

Celebrating Mother's Day.

Four generations.

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

Or in our case - bed bugs and burglars and shipwrecks...oh my!

I hesitate to "advertise" some of this, but if we are going to offer an honest look at our "Days with Dylan", we must include the following events, which dramatically affected our lives this past spring!

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Little did we know that children's rhyme above would become a reality for us! In early April, we discovered we had bed bugs. (Thank goodness Dylan's room was not affected.) The event managed to turn our lives upside down for many, many weeks!

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Thursday, June 19, early morning: robber breaks in through window, steals DVD player, wallet, cell phone, and roast beef sandwich from the fridge.

Saturday, June 21, late morning: Marc signs contract with ADT to install alarm system.

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Sandwiched in between the above 2 events, Marc's brother Marty got lost at sea for 22 hours. On a trip to Acapulco, he and 2 other men went deep-sea fishing, and a combination of a wind storm, and the boat's pump and 2-way radios malfunctioning, led to the boat capsizing and the men stranded at sea. They fought 10-30 foot waves until the Mexican navy found them the next morning. It is an incredible story of God's amazing provision and protection, and we'd love to tell you more if you're interested. The above picture is of the two brothers being "reunited" when Marc went to visit Marty in Orlando in late June.

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And last but not least, our computer crashed in the midst of it all. We are now huge fans of Carbonite online back-up. (See link on right.)

Firsts

Rolling on his side - late March

Getting ready for outside stroller ride - early April