New Family Members

This past Sunday, Me and Mike, Julie and Paul, and Laura, Kevin and Bella walked over to the park near our house. I wanted to take some pictures of Julie and Paul with the bun in the oven. The weather was nice, and the leaves this time of year are so pretty!

Julie is absolutely glowing, and so is Paul. I hope I was able to capture that a little! :) I was also able to snap a few of the newest little Koke, Bella. She is so precious.

It is so fun to see our family grow. I am glad we all have each other (even if it is from Japan) as we experience life changes! Love you all!

- Auntie Katie

Belly Progression

So, because this is the first week of my third trimester, I decided it would be fun to take a look back at the photos of my belly's progression thus far. It is crazy to me how fast this pregnancy has gone so far and just how much my body has changed. I am loving every step of the way, and already feel so bonded to this little boy that is in my belly... hope you guys enjoy!!

16 weeks 4 days

18 weeks 3 days

19 weeks 4 days

22 weeks 3 days

26 weeks 2 days

This is one of my favorites... it was also at 26 weeks 2 days.

Today I am 27 weeks and 3 days and I feel like I am growning bigger by the day... I feel Tiny moving in there all the time now, and it makes me so excited for the day when I finally get to meet him and cuddle with him in my arms!! :-)

Bella

Meet Bella Koke!!

Paul and I got to stop by and visit Laura and Kevin last weekend on the first night they brought home their newest family member - their puppy, Bella! She is oh-so-adorable, and it is obvious that both Laura and Kevin are quite smitten with her... Kokes - Thanks for letting us visit with your new little gal. She is awesome!

In loving memory...

Of Our Gramps

I am a little late on this... but I just needed to write a little something to commemorate Gramps in my own way.

Gramps taught me to fish and to golf, neither of which I am any good at but not for a lack of trying on his part. Gramps taught me who's the boss: "Lynn says Gramps is the Boss!" "I'm Gramps and I'm the boss!" Gramps showed me how to start a camp fire and how to enjoy a hammock on a hot summers day. He taught me how to row a boat and how to tell a true Irish tale.

I will really miss Gramps. I will miss his guttural laugh; the way he could completely express his enjoyment or approval with a few hearty "Ha ha ha"'s that came from somewhere between his belly and his heart. I will miss the way he would suck his teeth when he was thinking.

I will miss his swishy walk: jacket slung over one shoulder, other hand on hip, and sashes across the room. I will miss the way he could come up with a nickname for any waitress, nurse, or sales associate within 30 seconds of meeting her.

I will miss the way he and Marion would talk back and forth together. They would have made a better sitcom than Lucy and Ricky. You could see how much they love each other and how much fun they have together.

I will miss the way he would put his hand on my shoulder and give me a two second deep tissue message followed by a few pats on the back before telling me how much he loved me.

I love you too, Gramps. I will miss you!!

Grand Rapids Marathon

He's all ready to go!

This is Kevin at Mile 4!

If you look closely, you can see Kevin's blue head band in this picture :) This is around mile 17.5 :)

Kevin finished the Grand Rapids Marathon 143rd out of 1,654 finishers! He finished 26.2 miles in 3:14:33 just three minutes and some change short of his goal! I couldn't be more proud of his hard work, dedication, and motivation that he has had to work toward his goal to make it to Boston! I know without a doubt that he will do it, and I will be there when he does!

Turn the volume down, I am cheering pretty loudly in this video! This is Kevin at Mile 9!

Reds Game!

Kevin, Jason, Kiley and I went to the only home Reds playoff game! It didn't turn out the way we wanted, but it was still a blast!
This is us three hours prior to game time... yes we were really excited! We caught three balls at "bp" which I later found out is code for batting practice :)

Kevin and J's balls they get at "bp"...

In our seats and ready for the game!

Kiley and Jason waving their rally towels!

Rally Caps didn't seem to do the trick...

Us before the game! Mike, we wanted to post these for you as well! I know you are taking the loss as bad as Kevin!

Jack "Gramps" Flanagan

We will miss Gramps more than words can say... I wanted to add a few pictures as well as a video from the weekend. We love you Gramps.