Chase - 6 Month Photos

If anyone in the Chicagoland area needs a photographer we have found the best. Her name is Heather and she owns Landon Leigh Photography. She did an outstanding job and we plan to use her again in the future. Take a look at the pictures at the link below (remember to turn up your sound so you can enjoy the music):

www.yellowbrickdreams.com/l2p/photo-gallery/photography

Well its Official -- IT'S A BOY!!!

Well it looks as if Melissa was indeed pregnant over these last 9 months and wasn't preparing for an audition for "The Biggest Gainer" (just kidding...she is the cutest pregnant girl around). At 2:30pm on 4/27/09 we welcomed in to our world and hearts the newest member of our family...Chase Matthew.

His stats are as follows:
7 lbs 2 oz
19 inches
full head of hair

For those that would like to see pictures follow the following steps:

1. Go to www.bellababyphotography.com

2. Click on "Website"

3. Click on "New Client" (will open a new window)

4. Enter '0427melissagarden' as both the USER NAME and PASSWORD

5. Under Galleries click on the link that says '0427melissagarden'

Overall the delivery went great and we are thankful for such wonderful doctors and nurses in the delivery room. Mom and baby are doing great. Enjoy the pictures!

Derek

Work/Life Balance -- Out of Whack???

One day this past week I worked from home and was able to pick Delaney up from school which unfortunately happens not that often. When she saw me walk though the door of her school she got the biggest smile on her face and came running toward me and jumped into my arms. When we got home she sat at the kitchen table and ate a snack....it was during this that she randomly looked over and said.. "Daddy, did you work from home today?" I answered "YES". She then replied, " I knew it! Because you never come pick me up from school".

Its little comments like that that make you realize that getting home at 7pm every night from work and leaving for work at 7am doesn't go unnoticed by the kids. Hate to say it but its true...she is growing up so fast that I need to slow down and take in all these memories of her now before she starts asking me for the keys to the car.

Another Day Another Photo

When Melissa went to pick Delaney up from after school care today, one of the workers asked if they could hang the picture of Delaney that appeared in the paper. Melissa said sure and was quietly wondering how they would have ever found out that a picture of her was in the Salem News approx. one week ago when they were visiting Melissa's parents on Spring Break. See link to Salem picture below (might need to use Mozilla to open):

http://salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/512017.html?nav=5007

But after some more discussion with the after school worker, Melissa realized that she wasn't talking about the Salem photo but instead another photo that appeared today in the Chicago Daily Herald. See below:

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=282772

This photo was taken last year at the Easter Egg Hunt.

Both of these came after she started off the Spring Season appearing in the Park District Activities guide. See link below and go to page 50:

http://www.dtpd.org/media/Spring09.pdf

Delaney was super excited when I got home today to tell me and show me that she was in the Daily Herald. She jumped around and yelled look daddy look!

I need to check the mailbox for royalty payments....