Welcome Mitchell Dean!

I'll post more about our Thanksgiving weekend soon, but here is an introduction to our new nephew Mitchell Dean! Mitchell was born Tuesday evening. He was about 2.5 weeks early, but is healthy and doing well! Leslie and Philip are adopting this precious baby boy, and we are so excited to welcome him into our family along with his "first" family. This is an open adoption, so Mitchell's first mom, Andrea, will become part of our extended family. It has been a hard journey for all involved with a mixture of joy and sorrow, but this adorable little boy has filled everyone's hearts with love and thanksgiving.

Mitchell is being named after a dear family member, Dick Mitchell, who is currently battling cancer. Dick has played a very special role in all of our lives, and he has been there for Leslie and Philip through some very tough times. He is an amazing man who loves with all he has, which is exactly the type of man we want both Jackson and Mitchell to be.

Here are a few pictures of baby Mitchell. Jackson already loves his cousin!

Quasny's Boat Reception

The celebration of Todd and Heather's wedding took place this afternoon on a beautiful boat. Our baby sitter had to cancel at the last minute, so Ross ended up having to stay home with Jackson. It was a beautiful day, so they enjoyed some time playing outside and at the park.

I got to be part of the festivities and take more pictures for the happy couple. They had a great turn out, which just shows how much they are cared about and appreciated!

They had all of the traditional wedding reception moments. They cut the cake, which was both beautiful and delicious! It was made by a Flight Director we work with, Ginger.

They toasted, which was unique because they decided to toast their guests instead of having the guests toast them.

They had their first dance and also danced with their parents.

Here are a few pics of my friends from work enjoying the party, and as always, there are more in the album.

1st Trip to the Zoo!

Since Ross and I both had Veteran's Day off and it was such a gorgeous day, we decided to take Jackson to the zoo for the very first time. He now knows lots of animals and the noises they make, so he had a blast! The monkeys were probably his favorite, and the Houston Zoo has quite a few of them. Here are some pictures from the day. There are more in the album.

Quasny Wedding

I finally got all of our pictures posted from the last couple of weeks. The pictures of Jackson waddling around as a penguin are in the 12-18 months album, and the pictures from my cousin, John's, wedding are in the Rainwater Wedding Album.

After my cousin's wedding in Arkansas, Ross and I made our way to St. Lucia for another wedding. We spent several days relaxing on the beach before our friends, Todd and Heather, got hitched! They let me and another friend, Kathy, document the event, so there are lots of pics in the album. Here are my favorites from the day of the big event.

The morning of the wedding, Kathy and Ryan and Ross and I took a short hike to Fort Rodney.

Then the girls got together for a little relaxation, fun, and pedicures. Here are Heather and her mom enjoying their pedis.

The guys spent their morning relaxing in their own way, but we managed to catch a glimpse of them at lunch.

After lunch the girls got busy getting ready for the big event!

Here comes the bride.

Getting hitched!

The happily married couple at their reception.

A couple of posed shots.

A walk on the beach before wrecking the dress...

Skipping away to change for dinner.

The whole group after dinner.

It was a beautiful wedding and a great week! We can't thank Ross' mom enough for watching Jackson so we could be a part of these events. She had her hands full with a sick, teething baby and a broken down car. Fortunately, everyone is doing better this week!