a year of goodness

drew turned 28 today and I am so thankful and overwhelmed by what a blessing year 27 was!

obviously becoming a dad is the biggest blessing about year 27!

and quickly using learning how to incorporate Keadryn into all sorts of fun

....still incorporating...

what a blessing to be close enough to family...

watch some football- and enjoy the next year!

happy birthday drew!

kead's photo shoot

I am not huge into posed pictures of baby, or studio portraits in general- BUT our friend brittany strebeck is an awesome photographer and she is amazing at candid and artsy photography so to celebrate kead's first birthday (may 20th) we did a little afternoon around town with brittany. The whole session won't be ready for a couple of weeks...but she gave us a little sneak peek on her blog!!! Go check em out- they are AMAZING! I can't wait for the rest.

the blog:

brittany strebeck

her website for any lubbock folk who need some pics! :

brittany strebeck photography

brittany and kead after the afternoon together

hats off to kristen and kelli

Every time Drew goes out of town, (even for a couple days) I go crazy. Lately I have been thinking/ praying a lot for my friends whose husbands are overseas with the militray and as Drew is out of town at a conference today and tomorrow I will think about both of them and the super human amazing strength God has given them to love their kiddos while the daddies are gone. Kelli wrote a blog a couple days ago about how the Lord has continued to grow her and strengthen her and cause her to rely more on Him while her husband is away and it was so challenging and encouraging to me. You girls are amazing. I will continue to pray for you (and your hubbies) that He gives to strength and encouragement!

sweet drew

I'm sure drew loves it when I post pictures of him using my hot pink polka-dot punch all over the internet, but he is so amazing at helping out around here! Everything from taking Kead with him to run errands (or meetings at the coffee shop) so I can take a little nap, to doing dishes and even helping me with my invites when he has a free minute. He is such a sweet ( and also very manly- he would want me to say) husband!

sisters

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

If your sister is in a tearing hurry to go out and cannot catch your eye, she's wearing your best sweater. ~Pam Brown

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty


How do people make it through life without a sister? ~Sara Corpening


I know some sisters who only see each other on Mother's Day and some who will never speak again. But most are like my sister and me... linked by volatile love, best friends who make other best friends ever so slightly less best. ~Patricia Volk


All that to say: We found out today that Keadryn will have a LITTLE SISTER and I am ecstatic that she will have someone to share this special bond of sisterhood with!

first baby dedicated at redeemer!

for those of you who don't know, since we moved back from the middle east we have been part of redeemer church, a church plant in the acts 29 network out of Seattle. Drew has been working as an assistant pastor (really called the executive pastor, or XP- but who even knows what that is??) and the church has been an incredible blessing to us! Keadryn was the first baby dedicated at the church last Sunday- so we got to all pray for her as a church and we got a really cool resource to use with her!

Dusty (our pastor) praying for little k

This is The Family Worship Book a great resource for family devotions. We are excited to start using it with Keadryn! If you have kiddos this is a great book to help them get gospel-centered truth in a kid friendly yet non-cheesy way!

craftin it up!

my table a couple hours into crafting (finishing britt's wedding invites!)

five hours later...a lot more invites in the box and a lot more mess!!! look for a post about these (as soon as I finish them!) at the kojo blog



I also finished sample wedding invitations for a friend and they will be on the etsy shop soon! (little ad: any wedding invite can be changed to suit, got showers coming up soon anyone?)

for mama

Check out these fun ideas for care packages to send mama at martha stewart! I absolutely love the bowlful of love care package and the family tree photo card...even if I don't end up using one of them, it has got my creative juices flowing and I find myself thinking of fun things to send my mama that I know will bless her!

hours of fun

Poor Keadryn and Hays on Wednesday mornings. I usually gate them into whatever room I am picking up or cleaning with some toys and by nap time they are both a little stir crazy.

This morning I was unpacking from our little Dallas trip and they both LOVED climbing in and out of the empty suit case. Add a basket of plastic food to the mix- and it is hours of fun! They play so well together, we will miss Hays when he starts going to school next week!

"mmm plastic chicken leg and bologna slice"

Hays found a paci that Keadryn doesn't even use and kept trying to give it to her...she would suck on it for a couple seconds and then spit it out. Hays just kept picking it back up and giving it to her again and again- so helpful!

11 months!

Keadryn turned 11 months old yesterday and I totally missed it until I got a baby-weekly update this morning saying her one year birthday is only 4 weeks away! I know everyone says this- but it has gone by so fast!

Things Keadryn learned this month:

• to walk across the living room
• a dog says: "ff-ff"
• to sign "please"
• that she doesn't have to let Hays take her toys
• how to throw fits when Hays takes her toys
• mastery of the fake laugh

can't wait to see what next month has in store!

the big-d

We figured out that it will be quite a long time before we can make it to Dallas again to see Drew's family, so we made a quick trip down this weekend. We had a great time with friends and family, and even though it was quick- it was relaxing and a lot of fun!

Keadryn does such a good job in the car...she sleeps, then plays with toys, then sleeps a bit more... We are so blessed with a good traveler!

lovin on aunt kate

Saturday afternoon we went downtown Fort Worth for the art festival. The weather was great, there were lots of fun booths to look at and Keadryn enjoyed watching all the people!

the belly

The other day a random girl in the grocery store asked me when my baby is due...so I figured it was time to take some pics of the growing belly.

belly at 20 weeks- half way there!

Drew wanted a a clarification picture, so that twenty years from now we remember which baby this was. smart guy that drew.

happiness IS lemons

We decided to give keadryn a lemon at a restaurant awhile ago just to see her reaction (you know, the cute pucker face kids get when they eat something sour) BUT unlike most kids, keadryn just ate the whole lemon wedge like it was a piece of candy. I love lemons and my sisters love lemons- maybe it is a family trait? SO in honor of this special bond we share Keje made Keadryn a onesie that simply states: Happiness is lemons. :)

Keadryn going to town on a lemon


the happiness is lemons shirt
(pardon the water- Kead is learning how to hold her own cup!)

loving being a ludwig girl!

all the ludwig girls (minus soon to be sister trish!) at spring break

Keadryn, Kirst and the adorable belly, maybe another Ludwig girl?? (I think so, but I am the only one, everyone else thinks its a boy)

Kedron and Keadryn snuggling. Kead loved playing with aunt keje over the break. They have a special bond- maybe its the name.

Keadryn and Lita saying goodbye at the airport. Wish we lived closer so we could all hang out more often!

snow days

Keadryn playing on the 5 foot mound of snow at the cabin in Durango over Spring Break. She loved sliding off, but wasn't too sure about the taste of snow, which is weird cause she loves ice...who knows what goes through a baby's head. :)