A Different Anniversary

(Engagement Photo)

Rusty and I went to high school together for a few years, but didn't know each other. It wasn't until the day he got home from his mission (fresh off the plane at the airport, no less) that we officially met, and then started dating and hanging out-- which we did off and on for a little over 3 years before he finally convinced me to marry him. (At least that's my version...!) He got home from his mission in May of 2000, so it's always fun for us to celebrate those memories and "anniversaries" during this month-- our first meeting, first date, first kiss, and all we've experienced in life since then. We can't believe it's been 9 years!

(dating days)

(the day I received my endowments- a week before our wedding)

(our wedding day- July 12, 2003)

Walking home from church-- G-pa Bob and Cole

Birth Announcement

3 Rabans and a Fishing Hole

With the sunny weather, Rusty took Cole and went with his dad out fishing on Saturday. Rusty likes to fish, but doesn't get the chance to very often- never mind the fact that he grew up allergic to fish and still doesn't eat any seafood to this day. Still, there's something relaxing about fishing that he loves. We even went fishing when we were dating 10 years ago-- me, Rusty, and his dad. Talk about bonding! Rusty later told me that I won his dad over because I was the only one to really catch anything or even have a bite, being the novice with the 2 seasoned fishermen. Pure luck, I was told. Well, I didn't think enough ahead to send the camera with them the other day. I would have liked to see those 3 crazy Raban boys rocking back and forth in the aluminum boat, trying to balance their body weight so they didn't tip the wobbling boat and go swimming too. Fortunately, they didn't this time, but I'm not sure they'll always be so lucky.

1 Month Old

Hunter is now 1 month old and about 10 lbs and 22 inches long, so he's growing tons. The days are passing quickly for the most part and life with 3 little boys hasn't been too crazy on my mind... Oh wait, except for days like these ones when making messes is just way too much fun for Cole and Mason! I am definitely kept on my toes by these busy bodies....



Ahhh, to have the life of a baby! And those cute yawns; I still love them.

More baby yawns that I love...

And Kali has added more photos to her site of my little Hunter man. Check 'em out, and help me pick a favorite to use for his announcements!

Hunter's First Photo Session

My friend Kali Leenstra is a very talented photographer. She did my little sister Janni's wedding last fall and does awesome work! We'd been wanting to get our kids together for a while now (we were pregnant with our first children together, and she just had her 2nd a few weeks before Hunter was born). So we scheduled a play date/photo session and it was lots of fun. Hunter was so mellow and relaxed; we took advantage and posed him in all of the embarrassingly naked ways that mothers of newborns think are cute. Here are a few photos of Hunter to share from Kali's web-site! More to come soon...

10 Days Old

Can't believe that this little guy is 10 days old already! While I know he's fresh from heaven, it also feels like he's been here forever. He eats and sleeps well and seems to have a mellow personality. And so far-- I've survived the transition to 3 kids, (I dreaded the idea of 3 boys- 3 yrs old and under and all in diapers!). But I'm happy to report that I'm still alive and mostly sane, I think, though I find that I stay close to home for the most part! We're doing well-- while Mason still seems disinterested in Hunter, Cole has been a big helper and is always asking to hold his brother and trying to look out for him and be involved. It's sweet and melts my heart. What a blessing it is to be a mom and to share these moments with my kids!



I just LOVE baby yawns!

Baby Hunter

We are so very blessed...
Hunter Christopher Raban is now a part of our family.
Born: April 4, 2009 @ 8:30 pm
Weighing: 8 lbs, 8 oz. (He is my smallest baby so far!)
Labor and delivery went well, and we are all home and doing great.
So far-- Cole is very interested in Hunter and wants to love and help,

and Mason seems content to ignore and carry on with life as he was.

Aren't babies fun?

We all have a desire to CREATE!

I loved these words when I first heard them, and I was happy to find this video as a reminder! What an inspired "pick me up" for all of us, no matter where we are in our lives!! HERE

Still Pregnant...

And here's proof:

I am due in about a week, but sure won't object for sooner than that (ummm, like today!). As for now, I'm still hanging in there and feeling ready to have this little guy any day.

Best Friends/Worst Enemies

As brothers, I think Cole and Mason are doomed to constantly be in this cycle of being friends and then enemies, and often this changes from one minute to the next. I'm sure all siblings are this way to some extent. Well, they are only 17 months apart and one blessing of having them close in age is that they are growing up together. Usually, they get along well and keep one another entertained. But there are other days.... Let's just say that these days/episodes can drive me crazy! Often Cole will bug Mason to the point of tears or be aggressive with him and then when he wants to apologize and give Mason a "love", it is not well-received (for obvious reasons; can't blame Mason for not wanting him close). Cole gets offended that "he's not letting me love him", and then we usually have 2 criers on our hands. Yikes! Well more recently, I think it's funny that when Mason gets hurt and is looking for me to whine to, Cole tries to console him and will say: "It's okay Mason, I'm right here". Ummm yeah, that is the problem!! (As if Mason is turning to Cole for consolation after the abuse he's just received.) I've been trying to explain (uneffectively, I'm afraid) to Cole that he can't hurt Mason one minute and then think that Mason will turn to him for support or be open to his affection right away. I guess it's good that Cole is not adverse to a quick make-up, but Mason appears to be more of my grudge-holder (though I guess I can't blame him at this point). They sure have distinct personalities already! Wonder how baby boy #3 will add a new twist this this scene....??

Birthday Moms

This last week was both mine and Rusty's mom's birthdays. My mom, Cherie Ann turned the big 60 on March 11th and Rusty's mom, Gena turned 55 on March 14th. It was fun to celebrate with them! We feel so blessed to have come from goodly parents and to live near both sets so that our boys have plenty of opportunities for grandparent time. We are grateful for them and love them tons!

Lynnea's parents: Cherie Ann and Jack Christensen

Rusty's parents: Gena and Bob Raban

Loving my boys today!

Out-smarted by my 3 year old!

Cole uses words to rationalize and reason what he is asked to do/not do and sometimes it just amazes me how his mind works this way. He's always out-smarting the situation and thinking literally. If you know him, you've seen or heard him do this. For example if he's holding something in his hand and I ask him to help me pick up some toys, he can be heard to say that he can't help because his hands are already full of something else. Well yes, they are (technically)-- Another example is when I once threatened to spank his bum and he said "Mom, you can't, I'm sitting down". Well, I guess he's right, I couldn't do it until he stood up and I could then reach his back end. One frequent example of twisting my words is how he likes to wear his boots around the house, but my rule is no shoes on the carpet. Well, obviously "they aren't shoes". And if I catch him walking around, he will quickly drop to his knees and show that he's "crawling" and not walking. We recently went thru this and when I knew he was headed towards the tiled entry to find his boots, I reminded him that I didn't want him walking on the carpet with his boots. Obviously, he found a way around that by not walking on them the conventional way...

I guess I need to choose my words more carefully so that my 3 year old does not continue to out-smart me!! It's starting to get embarrassing, but thank goodness for the humor in the situations; he keeps me entertained!!