Stoop'n in the Pleasant Mountains

Well, it has been quite a year for our family. I'll start at the beginning and work our way through...We started the year out with Regan's second round of thyroid cancer surgery -it had moved to his lymph nodes. The surgery went great and after a radioactive iodine treatment in August, he is now cancer free! We are thankful for wonderful doctors and surgeons at the University of Iowa Hospitals, and we feel he is very well looked after and taken care of. The rest of winter was filled with trips to Iowa City for check ups and healing for Regan.
Springtime was a much welcomed change from the cold and filled with many, many hours spent in the backyard playing baseball with the boys, walking downtown, and going to parks with friends!! Our biggest news during the Spring was the arrival of our new puppy Chloe!! We really enjoy having a puppy and she quickly became a member of our family.
Our biggest summer news would have to be a big trip to Wichita for Regan's brother Ryan's wedding! It was a beautiful day, great to see family and friends, and probably to everyone's surprise...seeing Carson and Jack (the cutest ring bearers ever!) actually walk/run down the isle!! It was a special day and we love our new sister-in-law!!
I guess August is technically summer, so maybe this is our biggest summer news...we found out we were expecting another baby in April, another baby boy (I am living that old show "My Three Sons"), but we are very excited and thankful for this baby! I have been feeling really, really great!! I have been so thankful for how I have been feeling since I have two little guys keeping me pretty busy!! The end of our August was pretty fun too - to celebrate Carson's 4th birthday we took a special friend and his family on a train trip to Burlington - he (and Jack) loved it!!!
In the Fall our first baby boy started preschool...where has the time gone?! He loves school and we could not ask for a better preschool for him to be a part of. He goes three afternoons a week (which pregnant mommy is thankful for because that means she gets a nap after she lays Jack down!). We just attended his Holiday Program, which he would not perform in (he sat on my lap), but we are patiently waiting for him to break through his shell. Until then we will let him do what he needs to do to be comfortable!! As you can tell, Carson is a little shy, but he is also very thoughtful, creative, intelligent, a great big brother, and can hold his own on any field or court!! We are very proud of him and love watching him grow and change everyday!!
Also, in October Jack turned 2!!! He is almost as big as his big brother, now sleeps in the bottom of the bunk beds, and thinks he's 4 most of the time. He has really started talking, definitely has a personality all his own, wants to be with and do everything his big brother is doing, and he is starting to figure out this whole "new baby" thing!! He loves to kiss my tummy and say "my baby" - he's going to be a great big brother! He is such a sweetheart and we are so thankful to have Jack keeping us on our toes!!!!
Well, I guess that about sums up our year in a few (maybe more than a few!) words!! We have been blessed beyond belief this year and thank God everyday for all He does for us! We look forward to a new year, a new baby, and the new adventures it will hold!!!! We'll do our best to keep up the blog and keep you updated on our lives!!