June with the Rife's

Next month we will be in Seattle and Sun River, Oregon.  I thought I would share a few of the videos of our life together here in Chicago.  They are rather uneventful, but full of joy, laughter and blessings.

We miss you all.

Jackson Turned 1!

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back on the blog, but my life pretty much stops from late May to early June as I wait for the end of the school year.  Now I am officially a "stay-at-home-mommy" for the next six weeks before I go back to work in August.  I am loving each day with my sweet Boo, but I'm also seeing WHY this is considered a full-time job of it's own! 

On May 9th we had Jackson's first birthday party.  It was a monumental event and Jackson loved the chance to play with some of the other kids.  We were so touched by the outpouring and love that everyone showed.  Mom and Dad made the trip out from Seattle, but even if they hadn't, we would have known how loved we are from all of our "Chicago Family".  Here are a couple of short videos of Jackson's first birthday.  One is of him eating his gluten-free eclaire, but he wasn't all that fond of it so we just gave him watermelon instead.  The other one is of Jackson opening some of his gifts and his friend Olivia giving him a hand.  Enjoy!

Visiting Seattle

Hello All! I have been extremely busy lately and haven't had time to sit down and update the blog since coming back from our visit to Seattle last month. Jackson and I traveled alone for the first time and it was quite an experience. We were blessed to have met Kathie on our flight to Seattle- she is truly our United Airlines Angel. She sat next to J and I and helped me tremendously with a fussy baby on the long flight. I was almost in tears but she helped calm everyone (including me) down. Here is a picture of J on Kathie's lap (unfortunately Kathie didn't get in the picture herself).
Jackson and I did the best we could to see everyone, but as always it seemed like the time was too short. I was able to surprise Bethus at her bridal shower- that was a treat!


Jackson really enjoyed his time with his new cousin, Boe. He was laughing and crawling all over the place at G-ma and G-pa's house. Boe is so gentle with Jackson and truly loves him. We visited Picnic Point to see some of my friends. It was so nice! Jackson got to read a story with Joy and of course he cuddled with Fiona. We visited with Matt's family as well and then left in as big a hurry as we had arrived. Jackson has been very sick this week with some sort of a virus. High fever, vomiting, a horrible cough and of all things... pink eye! :( It's been a long week. I hope to have a little more free time next week and hopefully a healthy baby. All our love,
Nicole, Matt & Jackson

Happy Easter! :)

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Ultimate Gift

This is the first Easter Sunday since I became a mother last May.  I see the holiday in a different light this year.  While I have always been emotionally touched by God the Father's gift of His son for our salvation, I now see the price that Jesus' mother Mary gave as well.  I look at my sweet Jackson and I cannot believe that some day he will be a man.  I cannot imagine the pain Mary felt as she watched her beloved boy go through his persecution and death.  I pray that you have a wonderful Easter and reflect on the ultimate gift we were given.  God bless.

Love,

Nicole

First Visit to the Park!

Today we took Jackson to the park for the first time! It was so much fun watching him giggle (and cry) with all of the new adventures experienced. We tried the swing and the slide. Jackson was talking and looking at everything on the way to the park. He used to sleep, but he is a little man now, and not an infant any longer.

Update from the Rife's

We've been very busy this past month at the Rife household. I'm getting ready to take Jackson home (Seattle) with me on March 21st for a week. It's my spring break from school and the airline tickets were too cheap to pass up. Then the two of us will be back in April for Bethany's wedding. Can't wait for that! Jackson is eating everything in sight (while still avoiding dairy, wheat and sugar) and he's eager to play with all of the toys that are quickly becoming our new home decor. We are loving being parents and can't wait for G-Ma and G-Pa Dime to come visit in May to see our life now. It has changed a lot in a year.

Jackson's Tantrum

Some people think that Jackson is always happy and never fussy- this is clearly not the case. Enjoy :)

Chad and Rian are visiting!

Our Lives Have Changed

This time two years ago I was posting pictures of a St. Patrick's Day party at an Irish pub here in Chicago. Now we are cheering and jumping up and down because Jackson is taking those first crawls (inching more like). Our lives have changed, and our reasons for joy have changed, but we are loving every second of it.
Here are two new videos of our life. The first one is Jackson crawling for the first time! We were so excited that I think we scared him- screaming and jumping up and down. The second one is just our life. Sitting around, playing and laughing. I love our life. It's also a peek at Matt's amazing filming skills.
Love to all of you!