Ruari's First X-Mas!

Ruari enjoyed his first Christmas with both sets of grandparents and lot's of other family members who got to cuddle with him too. Mom and Dad were a little worried that the boy was already getting spoiled as he was resisting the thought of not being held on the day after Christmas. This was just a temporary growth spurt though and he is back to being just the best little angel ever!

Ruari O Connell has arrived!

Ruari O Connell entered the world on 12/09/08 at 11:54 pm. He weighed 6lbs11oz and was 20 inches long. After two hard days of labor, it was decided that he come out via cesarean. Mama Connell was actually relieved by that time as she thought Ruari would never come. Despite how much he liked it on the inside, Ruari is very accepting of his new existance in the world. He is a calm and mild mannered baby. He is almost already sleeping through the night. He is gaining weight and eating very well. We are all very proud of him and all he does is just eat, poop and sleep!

Getting Ready...

In the last few weeks we've been trying to get projects done as we know our life is going to change dramatically very soon. We got our garlic planted, brewed another batch (much better this time), and casted mama Connell's enlarging frame. We also walked Pilot Butte but that didn't start labor, it just made us both sore. Mama Connell has also been gettin' her groove on as evidenced by the photo but even that hasn't gotten labor going!

We are expecting a baby next week. All the signs are saying we're ready...so send us good thoughts and prayers as we undertake the marathon of LABOR & DELIVERY. Stay alert...next posting will include our new addition!

Baby Shower...almost due!

The countdown is really on now. We had a baby shower at Grandma and Grandpa Connell's house and it was astounding. Our baby is sooooo spoiled already! I think it's something we will have to contend with once he's out. Everyone gave us such nice gifts and stuff we really needed too. We feel so blessed that our baby is so loved and not even here yet!

Scary...almost Halloween!

Another miracle of our garden (at least in Central Oregon) is that we managed to grow two whole pumpkins. We had to harvest them before they were completely ripe but they got pretty big as demonstrated next to Mama Connell's ripening belly.

We're also excited that Emerson has decided to hang around and wait on his plans until his little brother arrives. He's been fighting fires and staying busy helping his fire boss do some construction.

Beer!

Even though Mama Connell can't partake in the fun, she gladly assisted in making our first batch of home brew. As a result of so many hops that Kevin harvested, we HAD to make this a new hobby. While it took us half a day, along with some sweat and a little fear, it actually turned out pretty darn good. We're excited to make our next batch...this time it'll be even better.

Baby Nursery Finally Complete!

We finally completed the babies room too! It took a while but it's done and it's very fun. We think it's very stimulating so we bought a real nice wooden shade to keep the stimulation at bay for nap times. We don't quite know how it's all happened but we also have more than everything we need to care for our new little squeezer. People have been VERY generous & we literally have not bought one thing! We feel very blessed and fortunate that so many people besides ourselves are excited to meet our new addition!

Harvest Time

We've been busy as we reap the benefits of our garden this year. We canned 14 quarts of marinara sauce with 30 lbs of tomatoes and then made another 8 quarts of tomato soup! We still have tomatoes to eat everyday too! We'll miss them when they are gone. Store bought tomatoes shouldn't even be considered the same fruit! We are proud to say that all the ingredients in our sauce came from our garden (herbs, garlic and tomatoes) except for the onions! What a sense of accomplishment!

Cousin's Wedding

Kevin's cousin Eric got married on Sept. 12th. The first Storjohann boy to be married. As you can see it was a fun affair that took place in Sisters, Oregon. All the cousin's and family were there.

The most photographed Connell

We wanted to give you a preview of what to expect. We won't give too much away although as you can tell there's a real cute little babe on the way. This baby has had alot of pictures taken of it already. Mostly because our doctor is real cautious and making sure all the development is going ok. Everything is looking good. We will keep you posted...

The 2008 Garden

Gardening season is almost over! The frost hit the south part of town on 9/2 but we're still in business. We had quite a hop harvest this year. Kevin spent much of his time over the last week picking hops. Our tomatoes are still coming on...hopefully we'll get enough warmth to ripen them. It's a jungle out there right now!

Recent Events

Our Annual Camp Trip to Crescent was glorious. The weather could not have been better. The water was glass almost every day and the food was great (thanks to our wonderful chefs ;)). Everyone had fun in the sun playing baseball, hooping, boating and frisbee. Life couldn't be better. The key to survival during pregnancy was the "therafoam" mattress over the air mattress. I didn't miss my bed at all!

The Connell Dynasty Begins...

It may be a little early but we thought it would be a grand idea to get everyone "abreast" of our current situation prior to the BIG 'sha bang' that will be happening in just shy of 13 weeks. We are going to have a new addition to our wonderful family around December 10th. Since our family is so extended, we figured this would be a great way to share the events of this special time with all of you and that way no one is neglected! Hopefully this site will serve it's purpose well.