One Two Three DUNK!

We've been taking Linkan out to our hot tub since she was a tiny baby. I can't remember when we started immersing her but we've been doing it for awhile so that it never would be a big deal for her. She is our water baby and loves her hot tub time!

One Year Out-takes

Everyone knows that it's nearly impossible to get a one-year-old who can walk, to hold still for a few little pictures. My daughter is no exception... :)

Linkan's One Year Pics

I'm about two months late in posting these. Oops. :)

Fun at the park

Whenever we're concentrating on something, the tongue comes out!

We bundled up and walked to the park across the street the other day. The girl loves to be outside. It was 35-40 out but really didn't feel very cold with the warm Colorado sunshine. She enjoyed trying to walk UP the slide and carried a stick around with her the whole time. :)

Linkan's Big Announcement!

We are delighted to announce that Baby Post #2 is well under way! I am 3 months along and we will welcome our second child on or around August 6th of this year. Keeping with tradition, we are not finding out the sex of #2. Not "knowing" made Linkan's birth even more amazing than we could have imagined. We know we're a bit on the crazy side to invite the idea of two babies under 2 years old at the same time...but this is how we dreamed it would be (two kids, close in age) and are so full of gratitude at how God has blessed us!

First OB Visit for Baby Post #2

Yesterday, January 18th, was our first OB appointment for our new little one. You know, it wasn't that long ago that I was pregnant with Linkan, so I was surprised about how quickly amnesia had set in. I wasn't prepared to pee in a cup or give blood or the long physical exam. haha :) I think I had just focused on the fact that I would hear his/her little heart beat...and we were able to hear it loud and clear. Yay! 155 bpm. I'll be 12 weeks along in just a few short days. I have been quite sick with constant nausea and heartburn so I am praying that once the 2nd trimester is under way, I will start to have some relief. Hard to believe that I have already been pregnant for 3 months...and in just 6 short months, we will be a family of 4!

Here are our first ultrasound pics of #2. I nursed Linkan for 13 months (until Jan. 1, 2011) so we had to do the ultrasound to find out how far along I was. Doc said 10 weeks! Pretty amazing how much was formed already. You can see feet and hands in the first picture.

Oh My!

Not sure that I should waste my time with an explanation...hehe :)

Meow!

Linkan, playing with her daddy and making cat sounds. :)

The Postlethwait's Top 10 of 2010

Here is our "Christmas Card" for 2010. Enjoy!

The Postlethwait's Top 10 of 2010

1. We started the year as new parents to our sweet little love, Linkan Samantha Postlethwait

Our little Colorado native stole our hearts on November 17, 2009 at 4:16 a.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 20 inches long. Our solitary wish for our daughter is that she comes to know Jesus as her Savior. The rest is just gravy! Of course, we still have our original “babies”, Boss (8 yr. old Great Dane) and Stella (4 yr. old English Mastiff) who are doing great and getting along with Linkan.

2. Kacy quit her day job to stay at home full-time with Linkan

After 3 months of maternity leave, I went back to work for 2 months as an HR Manager and then called it quits. Although it was a challenging transition at first, I have absolutely no regrets. Recently, I've taken on a few HR consulting projects in Colorado and Kansas and am enjoying the flexibility of working from home.

3. Kacy turned the big 3-0 AND 4. We climbed our first sandstone tower

We celebrated with a weekend camping trip in Moab, Utah with friends. My birthday present from Ben was a surprise rock climbing trip up Ancient Art, a 4-pitch 500 foot tower with a corkscrew summit. What a way kick off my thirties!

5. Ben became an ordained minister and performed marriage ceremonies for his two best friends

He became a "minister" (and I use that term very loosely) online to officiate the Hopkins wedding in June in Kansas City and Thompson wedding in July in Breckinridge. Both weddings were amazing and beautiful and we had a wonderful time celebrating with friends!

6. Another successful memorial tournament

June marked the 3rd Annual Sam Ellis Classic, an American Legion baseball tournament in memoriam of my little brother. He would be so proud of all the amazing people that come together one weekend every year to volunteer their time to honor his memory and raise money to help local (Emporia, Kansas) boys play ball. We feel such gratitude to the Markowitz families for everything that they do to make the tournament happen every year. I hope you'll join us at the 2011 tournament!

7. Family vacation to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary AND 8. Scuba diving with sharks

September marked 10 amazing years of marriage together so we packed up the kid and headed south to soak up some rays. We spent the first half of our trip in Orlando with my sister (Jessica), BIL (Bryan) and nephew (Brody) from Atlanta. Our two families had such a wonderful time together, seeing some sights (Sea World) and making some precious memories. It was the first time that we met Brody and that the "cousins" got to hang out. And by hang out, I mean mainly Linkan licking Brody. :) The second half of the trip, Ben, Link and I flew to the Bahamas. Linkan had a blast crawling on the beach and into the surf. She is our water baby! We enjoyed lazy days, yummy Bahamanian food (we recommend the conch salad!) and some nurse and reef shark infested scuba dives. While training in the Bahamas for his upcoming triathlon, Ben unwittingly swam for about an hour and a half with a shark. He's pretty sure that the shark was sizing him up for breakfast but ultimately decided that he looked quite unsavory in his wetsuit and speedo! Of course, no one on the beach bothered to tell Ben that he was swimming laps with a shark until he was out of the water.

9. Ben completed his first Ironman distance triathlon

He competed in the Redman Triathlon in Oklahoma City in late September. Ben started around 7am with a 2.4 mile swim in the lake, followed by 112 miles on his bike, FOLLOWED by a marathon (26.2 miles). He did it all in 13 hours and 23 minutes. We were overwhelmed by the big group of athletic supporters (hehe) that came to cheer him on. "Team Post" (we all had matching shirts) comprised friends and family (parents, sister, aunt, cousins) who traveled from Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas to be his personal cheerleaders for the weekend! Ben placed first in his "Clydesdale" (quit snickering) division which is males over 200 lbs (dood, it's not funny...he's big boned).

10. Linkan turned ONE year old

We celebrated her birthday early when both sets of grandparents, aunts and cousin visited in November. We were in Chicago for her actual birthday where we turned Ben's work trip (he does environmental work for a power company) into a vacation. We stayed at a fantastic hotel in the BEST location (thanks to Priceline!) right in downtown Chicago. We saw the sights and a fireworks show over the river and had her picture taken with Santa at Macy's. She stared to walk a few weeks before her birthday which is notable because our "baby" is now a "toddler".

As we reflect on 2010, it was enriched by the blessing of relationships with our dear friends and family. We look forward to many more years of creating happy memories with all of our loved ones and look forward to bigger and better adventures to come! We pray that you are blessed and inspired by our Creator in 2011. We wish you a very Merry Christmas!

The God who spoke is speaking still. The God who came still comes. The miracle that happened still happens in the heart that will believe and receive the miracle of Christmas. –Steven Curtis Chapman

Love,

Ben, Kacy, Linkan, Stella and Boss