Strawberries, Pumpkins & Lady Bugs

Lots of pics to post - of Hadley in the cutest little knit hat that looks like a strawberry (thanks to Chris' Uncle Jeff's sister-in-law, Robin!), of our time at the pumpkin patch, and Hadley in her lady bug Halloween costume! We aren't huge fans of Halloween and will actually be in Spokane for the PLU/Whitworth football game on Halloween, but I had to get a cute costume for her to wear at least for some pictures!

I got her hair in her first fountain-top/pebbles hair-do!

Daddy is always kissing Haddy

Picking out Hadley's 1st pumpkin....so many to choose from!

Daddy's Girl...

Not so sure about the pumpkin patch!

Just 2 lady bugs hangin' out!

4 Month Stats

Hadley had her 4 month check-up on Thursday so I wanted to share her latest stats!

Height: 25.5" ~ 85-90th percentile
Weight: 14lbs 5 oz ~60-70th percentile

She is perfectly healthy and only cried a little for her shots. Looks like she is turning out to be long and lean!:)

Doggies are a Girl's Best Friend

Hadley discovered Koda for the first time the other day and we discovered what a good dog we have. She has been great with Hadley so far, but we didn't know how she would respond when Hadley started bugging her. Koda is such a friendly dog, so we know she would never hurt Hadley (maybe just cover her with licks), but we were interested to see how she responded when Hadley started the discovery process. Koda just sat there so calm letting Hadley pull her ear, hair, and whiskers. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

4 Months Old!

Hadley is officially 4 months old - I can't believe it! It definitely seems like she's graduating into the "infant" stage instead of the "newborn." We are so thankful for her in our lives...she brings us so much joy. She is jabbering all the time, giggling and smiling (at her crazy parents always trying to make her giggle and smile), rolling from stomach to back (hasn't quite mastered back to stomach yet), playing with her hands and sucking on them all the time, and has such a strong neck now....seems like she is growing every day! Here are some fun pics we took about a month ago on a little photoshoot we did for ourselves down by the Columbia River just a few minutes from our house. Isn't that hat adorable?! Thanks Grandma Holly! She has her 4 month check-up on Thursday, so I'll let you know her latest stats after that...

Tatum's Photoshoot

I had another photo shoot this week of a cutie-pie named Tatum. She is almost 9 months old and did so great! She had the cutest outfits (including her octopus Halloween costume) and I absolutely loved that her mom, Hailey, wore her ballet slippers for some pictures with Tatum in her tutu. I think dancing is in her future! :)

Kathy

I am deeply sad and heartbroken to share that on September 26, 2009, Chris' mom (my dear mother-in-law "MIL"), Kathy, lost her battle to cancer. While she fought for 6 long years, her passing came very suddenly as a result of a brain hemorrhage from a growing tumor. We were able to be by her side when she passed, along with many family and friends. As you can imagine, it has been a complete whirlwind since the 26th and we are absolutely exhausted on every level.

Kathy was such a strong woman and an amazing mom. She raised Chris and his brother, Ross, and sister, Amy, as a single mother while she worked full time to provide for their family. She most recently was a librarian at Skyline High School and had a deep passion for books and learning.

We are so grateful for all the time we had with her, and that she was able to be here for Hadley's birth (her first and only grandchild). Kathy loved being a grandma and completely glowed everytime she was with Hadley.

We miss her so very deeply and are taking it day by day. As Kathy often said about tough situations, "There's no way through it, but through it!" Thank you to all who have reached out to support us in this time. Chris lost his father, Rob, to cancer 3 years ago at the same hospital that Kathy passed away, which only adds to the difficulty of this time. It is one of those things that just doesn't seem real...and is another tough lesson that life is so fragile and that we truly need to live each day to the fullest.

Kathy's full obituary can be found here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/obituary.aspx?n=kathy-lynn-sechrist-linderman&pid=133779824

At our wedding June 3, 2005

Holding Hadley - 1 day old

A special moment right after Hadley was born

4 Generations