Andray's Baptism Weekend

Hello everyone - Baptism was absolutely beautiful this weekend and Andray was so good in church! We are just so blessed to have such a handsome little boy. We love you all and enjoy the photos, it was quite the weekend! By the way, Andray is 2 1/2 months old today....ah, he's growing so fast!

Love, Jake, Celest and Andray Paul

Andray was very excited to get baptised and he really was such a good baby in church.

Jake's aunt, Sister Perpetua, made this blanket that Andray is laying on for all her great nieces and nephews to be baptised with...VERY SPECIAL.

Andray's baptismal gown was the gown that I wore for my baptism almost 27 years ago. My Grandma Catherine made that gown for me. The blanket that he's laying on is the blanket that my Grandma Catherine made for him...so special. Gram was unable to make it for the baptism because she got sick the Friday before. We were very sad that she wasn't there, but we knew she was there in spirit, along with Gpa Shorty!

Our family, Andray was so handsome in all white....

Andray's cross on his gown is the cross that I wore on my wedding dress...pretty special.

Our church's steeple in St. Augusta...

The mass was beautiful and it was so special to be up on the altar to watch Andray get baptised. He didn't even cry when they poured the water over his head.

Andray's so lucky to have Jacob and Sarah has his Godparents...

The "Godfadda" Jacob is soooooooooooooooo proud!

Andray is so lucky to have his Auntie Sarah as his Godmother, he loves her so much!

The Stang's

Papa Steve and Grandma Sandy are so proud too....Andray is so lucky to have such great grandparents!

Papa Larry and Grandma Carol are so proud of Andray...

Andray Paul with his great grandparents, Andy and Edith Stang. It was very special for them to be there to witness Andray's baptism.

The Frank's....

The Frank's with Andray...

Auntie Rhonda just loves Dray to pieces!

Here's the Frank and Henn girls (and Andray of course)...Mom, me, Andray, Isa, Megan, her sister Abby and her mom Lynn. Thanks for coming up for the baptism Lynn and Abby, so great for you both to finally meet Andray!

Andray's cake was beautiful and everyone enjoyed the chocolate marble cake from the Cold Spring bakery.

Even though Andray didn't get to try his cake, he still loved it! Canyou tell that Andray is a little tired from his big day? Needless to say, he went to bed about 2 minutes after this photo.

Jake and I got individual cupcakes for our four nieces to eat...Mya loved it and tried to eat the cupcake whole...it was hillarious!
Mya loved the cake!

Isa liked the cake, but not quite as much as Mya....

FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN AARON AND MEGAN ARRIVED TO OUR PLACE...

Andray loved sporting his Illinois apparel, especially when Uncle Aaron and Auntie Megan were in town.

Andray sure does love his Auntie Megan....

Andray and Aaron are Fighting Illini fans together! Uncle Aaron was so pumped when he showed up at our house and Andray was sporting the Illinois outfit!

Aaron and Megan and Isa arrived on Friday afternoon, so we tipped back a few beers getting ready for the big day on Saturday. Andray even got to catch a few sun rays on Friday afternoon while we were setting up the garage...

Aaron gave Isa his Coors Light can...she just wanted to drink out of it so bad!

...and since she wanted to drink it so bad, Aaron let her! How hillarious is this!

Isa was walking in our backyard with Aaron and I. She was starting to get restless, so I told her to come over and smell our ONE tulip that we have in our backyard. Before we knew it, Isa had pulled the bloom off the stem and was smelling it, it was soooooooooooooooooooooooo funny and cute!

On Friday, Isa kept taking off Andray's socks and would point to his feet, saying,"TOES"...it was so cute!

Andray can't wait for Papa Larry to teach him how to fish!

Isa loves to play with basketballs...Aaron was trying to teach her to dribble. Hate to say it, but I think she's going to be a "lefty"!!!!


ON MONDAY MORNING BEFORE ANDRAY AND I DROVE MEGAN AND ISA DOWN TO THE CITIES...

Andray loves his cousin Isa, but he didn't want to take anymore photos...it was so funny to just watch Isa look at him while he was crying. Megan and I could just see the wheels turning in her head....like, "seriously Andray, stop crying!" hahahahahaha....

Isa put Andray's nuk in and it worked...no more crying!


Andray is smiling more and more now....we love it! Last Friday when I picked Andray up from daycare he smiled the biggest smile when I walked downstairs to get him...it brought tears to my eyes! Andray is now 2 1/2 months old...it's been quite an amazing 10 weeks for Jake and I. Couldn't imagine life without him.

Andray's an Illinois Fan!

Hello All - Andray is so excited for this weekend! He's going to be baptised, and all of his family members are coming to celebrate the BIG DAY with him. Andray was so excited this morning that he had to wear his "Fighting Illini" shirt for his Uncle Aaron....who just loves the University of Illinois. Andray also had fun celebrating him turning 2 months old last Sunday on Monther's Day...he likes his "Andre" champagne...have a great weekend everyone. I'm sure we'll take plenty of photos at the baptism this weekend.


Love, Jake, Celest and Andray Paul

Andray was thinking about putting his arm around the champagne bottle...hillarious!

Is it bad parenting to take a photo of your son next to a bottle of champagne? oh well, it's so cool that they share the same name! Only different spelling of course....

Andray was so happy this morning after I put his Illinois t-shirt on...he can't wait to see his Uncle Aaron and Auntie Megan and cousin Isa tonight! Along with the rest of his family members this weekend of course! (It almost looks like Andray's doing the "one million dollars" from Austin Powers with his pinkie...so funny)

Andray even has orange basketball socks to wear with his Illini shirt!

Andray loves his "rattle" buddy....look at his precious smile! We love it!

Andray Is Already a Jokester

Well, Andray was just fooling us for a night as he was awake at 3 a.m. this morning (Wednesday) to eat...at least Jake and I got one good night of sleep Monday night after he slept through that night (11 p.m. - 6:30 a.m.). Oh well, Monday night was a start and there's at least HOPE of getting a good night sleep around the corner. Hope you all have a great week, just can't believe Andray is 2 months old already. Sadly to say, I had to pack away his 0-3 month sleepers and put all his 3-6 month sleepers into his drawers! They just grow so fast....

Have a great week,

Jake, Celest and Dray

Little Man is starting to smile more and make more and more eye contact...wow, does he look like his daddy, it's unreal!

Little Man is 9 Weeks Old Today!

Hi everyone - hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend...we had so much fun and were able to see a lot of family and friends. On Saturday, I had a great birthday as my mom and I went to Jolene's bridal shower in Morgan. There we got to see a lot of good friends, and Andray got passed around like a little football, it was great! He did so good too and slept through the entire Pampered Chef presentation at the shower....Andray thoroughly enjoyed the day, especially as he sported his DUKE JERSEY from Jen and Jay! Thanks so much for giving him his first Duke Jersey! Before the shower we got to see where Ann and Chad and Andrew live in Redwood, and got to hang out with Andrew our Godson...he's so sweet. He didn't say a word, but he was so proud to show us his big bedroom! After church on Saturday we stopped to visit Emily and Jesse Berg at the Van Hee's house so that we could meet their new little girl...Finnley Jo...she's beautiful and so little! She was a whole pound bigger than Andray at birth, and she felt like a feather compared to Andray now. It's just crazy how fast the kids grow! But congrats to Em and Jesse on their new addition.

My first Mother's Day was very special too...got to spend the morning with my "boys" and my parents and my brother Jacob in Redwood, and then the afternoon with the Stang side in Holdingford...nice day, lots of driving, and Andray was a great sport in the car. Pretty much slept most of the time in the car (which is smart!).

Last night, Andray gave me the best birthday present ever! Jake fed him at 11 p.m. and he slept until 6:30 this morning! Yep, that's right...Little Man slept through the night for the first time! It was amazing to get almost six straight hours of sleep, I feel like a whole new person. So, I'm sure he won't sleep through the night every night, but at least it's a start.

We love you all and it's hard to believe Andray is already 9 weeks old. This Saturday he will be baptised and we are very excited to see all the family again and have him go through this blessed sacrament. It will be a special weekend for Little Man.

Enjoy the photos....

Love, Jake Celest and Andray Paul

My first Mother's Day with my boys...Andray wore his "I Love Mommy" bib all day!

My and my boy on my birthday...it was the best birthday ever to have Andray here with me!

The three of us read Saturday morning at Papa Larry and Grandma Carol's house after eating breakfast...Andray's attention span isn't too long though! ha!

Andray's eyes continue to stay bright blue...we just love it...Here he's resting with Jody at Jolene's shower on Saturday.

Jenny and Jay Steffensmeier gave Andray this Duke jersey when he was born. Thanks so much, it fits perfect now!

We ordered these Duke socks before Andray was born and they're almost too small already! He's growing so fast!

Andray had a good time hanging out with all the "Madsen Girls" on Saturday. Thanks so much Jenny and Jody for throwing a great shower! Everyone always says the four of us could be sisters just by looking at us...I'd have to agree!

Andray was sleeping after church in his car seat when we stopped to visit Em and Jesse...Em is holding little Finnley...she's so precious and has the darkest black hair! Love it!

Jake couldn't believe how light Finnley was either! She made Andray seem so big already!

Andray wore a polo shirt and blue carpenter pants on Sunday for Mother's Day. Here he's hanging out with his blue bear from Great Grandma Rausch before we had to take a bath that night. He's such a good baby, hard to believe how fast the time is going and how big he's getting! We love him soooooooooooooooooooooooo much.

Happy Mother's Day to You All....

Hello everyone - Andray's first week of daycare is almost over, and we're pretty excited about that. Or maybe I'm just excited that my first week back to work is almost over! I had to bring Andray in to the clinic this morning because his left eye was really matty this morning, and we now have to put ointment in his eye four times a day for a week. Kind of stinks, apparently our daycare provider's daughter had pink eye last week and she never mentioned that to us, so the doctor thinks he may be starting to get pink eye. Just stinks! I hate the fact that Little Man has to go to daycare and be will all those other kids. But it is what it is...I'm just so thankful for our baby boy and can't wait to spend my first Mother's Day weekend with him!

Also, I have to mention that I have the best husband ever in the world. He surprised me with my Mother's Day gift early, and it's a frame of three professional photos we had taken, enjoy them, they are precious and I started balling when I opened it last night!

Hope you all have a great weekend, and for all of you that are mothers, have a WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND...you deserve it!

Love,

Jake, Celest and Andray Paul

This is my most favorite photo of his feet...they are smaller than Jake's pointer finger, and how precious with our wedding bands on his big toes...just love it, it melts my heart.

I seriously can't get enough of my "two men"...I love them both so very much...

I want to cry every time Andray looks into my eyes...they are so expressive and I always wonder what that Little Man is thinking...he's the best!

Our "DRAY" of Sunshine...

Hello everyone....Andray Paul is 8 weeks already, and even though it's just Wednesday, he's had quite the week. I had to return to work on Monday morning, so he's been to Daycare for the first time in his life. He's doing great at daycare though, but Mom is having a tough time with it. I cried all Monday morning, and the first person that said hi to me at work I just started balling. But by the afternoon I was much better...and Tuesday I didn't cry at all! So that was great! Today though I had to bring Andray in for his 8 week appointment...and he had his shots today. It was tough to see him cry so hard when they gave him the shots, but he's been a trooper and has been eating well/sleeping well since the shots this afternoon (knock on wood).

Andray is also growing...he's 12 lbs., 3 oz. already and not quite 23 inches long. He's 75 percentile in weight and 50 percentile in height...so not bad at all!

We love every minute with this little guy and now that I'm back to work too, both Jake and I can't wait to get home at night to pick him up from daycare and hang out with him!

Love to you all,

Jake, Celest and Andray Paul

Andray Paul at 6 weeks old. We are so thankful that Heather, Adam, Matt, Laura and Bethany bought us a gift package to Country Gallery Photography south of Kimball. We bought a few extra poses too...enjoy!

We just can't get enough of our precious little boy....

Andray the morning of his first day at daycare...he was so good for me while I was getting ready! But you can tell in his eyes he knew "something was up!" He was right, there was going to be a "change" this day, but he did great at daycare! We're thinking he had a good first day at daycare because we dressed him up in his Duke apparel!

Just minutes before heading to daycare on Monday...mom was definitely fighting back the tears, but the tears fell when I left him in his daycare house and had to get in my car without him! It's so hard...but we love our daycare provider, and she's just three houses down from us in our neighborhood, so very convenient.

Andray today after we got home from getting his shots...he's such a trooper...no pain no gain, right Andray?! ha!

Six of Andray's 12 pounds might be in his thighs...ha! In all honesty, we are so thankful Andray is growing well and eating well...we truly are blessed!

Andray loves being a Husky...much better than a Gopher! ha!

Andray just loves bath time and we love how curly his hair gets!

Love the curls!

Andray wore this John Deere outfit to his cousin Mya's 1st birthday party last Saturday. His Papa Steve loves "Red" tractors, NOT "Green" tractors, so it was more of a joke than anything for Andray to wear this outfit! Thanks to Ann and Andrew...they let us borrow this outfit!

Papa Steve was still proud to hold Andray...even in his "Green" outfit...people just can't get enough of Andray...he's so much fun!

Andray's eyes are still a bright blue...we love it!

Auntie Sarah with her Godchildren...Mya and Andray

Mya is Jake's Goddaughter and he got her a game to play outside this summer and also her first baseball mit! He also added money to her college account for DUKE! Skyler is smiling off to Jake's right, she is such a good big sister and cousin...love her dearly!

Mya had a great time eating at her birthday party...she loved her cake!

Mya's pigtails were taken out before she took a bath after eating...her hair was sticking straight up, it was hilarious!

We stayed overnight at Papa and Grandma Stang's last Saturday...Andray's first night there and he woke up smiling bright and early Sunday morning...it was precious!

Greg and Kris Koetter came to visit Andray last Saturday and brought him his diaper genie! We are so grateful, hopefully his room won't continue to stink! ha! It was great to see you Kris and Greg again...

This photo is for Jake's Uncle Jamie...the Nebraska Huskers fan...Jake just wanted to make sure we had a photo of Andray crying by his Huskers blanket! Good stuff!