In Washington DC

So I (Todd) am in a technology conference in Washington DC. Here are some of the pictures I took the first night. Below are the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the US Treasury.

PS. I miss my honey Jennifer and my little boy Tucker.

Todd

Tucker Weighs In...

I just had to blog this because I was amazed when I went into our hospital's lactation specialist today. I just wanted to get Tucker weighed because people ask me how much he weighs, and I don't know. His last appointment was 3 weeks ago, and the next one is scheduled in 2 more weeks, so, I couldn't stand not knowing!

When the specialist came in, she took one look at him and said, "You're not having any problems are you??" with a smile. We had just told her he was 6 1/2 weeks old.

Well, three weeks ago, he weighed 9.12 pounds, and today, he's up to 12.02 pounds! The specialist said he is doing great, and he's gaining a little over an ounce a day. Whew! That's a quickly growing boy!

Happy & Healthy,

Jennifer & Tucker

A couple more photos...

Rhoda holds Tucker at graduation. He loved being in her arms and looking at her.
Rhoda meets Tucker for the first time!


Shelby holds Tucker at Brit's graduation!

Brittany Graduates!

This past Thursday, June 4th, Brittany Kinard graduated from Gull Lake Schools! Tucker felt the occasion warranted a tie and some shoes (given to him by Brittany)! The tie is nearly as long as he is, but...it was cute.

It was amazing to be there and to be a part of this event in her life and in her family's life. Fifteen years (I met the Kinards when she was three) went by REALLY fast! It seems like yesterday I was pushing her on the swing, singing silly songs, and playing make believe. Now, she's a great sister to her brother and sister, making plans to get her nursing degree, and an active member of the youth activities/group at her church.

She has grown up to be a young woman that any parent would be proud of at her age. I can see her love for Jesus through the compassion she has for others. I'm confident that someday, she'll be a great nurse, a lovely wife, and a fabulous mom because she's already practiced being a good sister, a reliable daughter, and a trusted friend. She has some maturity that others her age don't have, and she has practiced personal integrity and resolve in situations that lead many down the wrong path. I'm excited to see what doors the Lord will open up for her and inside her.

I won't forget watching her walk onto Miller Auditorium's stage when the announcer said her name, and scrambling to get the camera on since it only had about 6 minutes left in battery life. Todd got a great video of her accepting her diploma. We have to put that on here, so keep watching. Rhoda and I chatted throughout the program, and Shelby and Rhoda took turns holding Tucker. Rhoda jokingly said that she feels like he's something like a grandson to her...if Tucker calls Shelby, Austin and Brittany "Aunts and Uncles", does that make Rhoda and Kevin grandparents?? LOL. I told her she doesn't have to be called Grandma quite yet!!

This is such a picture to me of the family of God...what DO we call each other? Some of our words don't quite fit...are they friends? Well, it seems like more than that...are they family? Well...not biologically. Do you have someone in your life like that? They are just an authentic blessing, but you don't have a name for the place/position they hold in your life. We've cared for each other through some stuff - I remember moments that I was really thankful to be in their home, and that I felt accepted for who I was at that moment. Nobody's got it all together, especially in their early 20's. Wait...do we ever get it all together? Hmm...probably not. Thank God for His grace! Anyway, their home was a safe place for me, and I'm glad I didn't go to Cambodia as originally planned after graduation. I'm thankful I "ended up" staying in Kalamazoo to make a life here.

Congratulations, Brittany! I'm proud of you and enjoy who you are and who you're becoming! I love you guys. Enjoy the photos.

Jennifer, Todd and Tucker

Especially for Aunt Marie (and all my other fans)...

Dear Aunt Marie (and Fans!),

Mommy and Daddy heard from Grandma Doris that you were watching our blog to see any updated photos of me. Unfortunately, I've been keeping Mommy and Daddy sooooo busy that they haven't had time to do this. Mommy took photos of me about 4 - 5 days ago and meant to write on this blog for you, but didn't get a chance. I gave Daddy a break tonight and he had a chance to put this photo on! Look at ME! Our friend Becky Carlson dropped off this new little onesie and Mommy liked it so much she wanted a photo taken right away. I think this is a good color on me...Mommy can't wait for my hair to grow in, so she tuffs it up instead of combing it straight down. Aren't I cute??

Well, I turned ONE MONTH OLD on May 22, just before Mommy's birthday. Now I'm 5 1/2 weeks old. My eyes are still gray, but some days they look blue. We still don't know what color my eyes will be though. We'll let ya know.

I've been pretty busy myself...growing is hard work! And I have so many visitors...Our friend Mary comes over sometimes just to hold me so Mommy can get some housework done. We need to get a photo of that...and then, I see my Nanna and Papa J every Sunday and Nanna likes to hold me during church...then, Brittany, Austin and Shelby Kinard came over last week. I let Austin hold me again, but this time, instead of just tooting while he held me, I blew a big one in my diapers!! It was a lot of fun! Mommy was going to let Shelby change me, but then when Mommy saw the mess I made, she told Shelby to stand back. They all laughed...it was a big orange mess, and Mommy said it looked like a pumpkin blew up in my butt!! LOL.

We also had our friends the Taylors over last night and we made s'mores in the backyard over the fireplace outside! That was fun! Here is a photo of Max and Annie roasting their marshmallows. I'm too little for marshmallows, and I was too busy anyway, letting Mr. Paul and Miss Melissa hold me.

HoneyBear, our shih tzu, recently had surgery. I don't know what surgery is...they say she had gall stones, and I don't know what those are either. But HoneyBear was gone overnight one night, then she came back and she sleeps a lot now. Mommy gives her pills in her food to make her feel better, and both Mommy and Daddy seem glad when HoneyBear does her "business" outside. She has to get her stitches out next week.

We thought you guys were going to come up in June, but we heard that it might be later in the summer. I can't wait to meet you and Uncle Mike, and my cousins!! I'll be 3-4 months old by then!

That's all for now...hope to meet you all soon.

Love,

Tucker