Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Price of Children

This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive
for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child,
but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and

came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock!
That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.
It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour..

Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you

want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how

your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.
You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets

and collect spray painted noodlewreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in
clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to

be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and

* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice
cream regardless.


You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if

you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,
communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power

to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart,
police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one
day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the
price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren !!!!!!!

It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!! !


This totally made me cry. It just hit me all of a sudden with the handprints on mother's day thing that I am going to be the person he brings it home to. I'm going to be a mother. I will hold him and love him and help him to grow. I guess it just never full-on hit me until now. It seems a little weird to be in that role but, that said, I cannot wait!

Juno's 1st Birthday!





Our little baby is finally a year old! She has gotten so big since we first got her last June. It's amazing how fast time flies and how much has changed! Who knew when we got her that she would be a big sister soon...

Sunny weather!



Juno loves playing in her pool - she goes nuts whenever we get it out!

Maternity Photos






Here are some of the maternity photos we had taken at the end of March. We are really pleased with the results, especially considering they were free! The photographers, Brighter Image Photography, are out of Ottumwa, Iowa, and they are going to be our wedding photographers (they also did our engagement photos). Their website is www.abrightimage.com in case you would like more info. See the link to Our Shutterfly Site to view the rest of the photos (on the left side of this page).

Friday, April 10, 2009

Softball

Ryan had his first softball practice Wednesday night. It went really well and he is excited for his first game Monday (04/13/09) at 9:00 p.m. in Ankeny. We'll see if I can stay awake through it! And hopefully the weather will cooperate (forecast says 40% chance of rain).

He will also be playing in another softball team that will play on Friday nights in Des Moines. Those games will be starting in May. I will post that schedule as well when I receive it.

Be sure to look for pictures from the games!

Ankeny Softball - Hawkeye Park Field #1 - Go A-Roids!

Mon 04/13 - 9:00 p.m.

Mon 04/20 - 9:00 p.m.

Mon 04/27 - 9:00 p.m.

Mon 05/04 - 6:00 p.m.

Mon 05/11 - 8:00 p.m.

Mon 05/18 - 6:00 p.m.

Mon 06/01 - 9:00 p.m.

Mon 06/08 - 7:00 p.m.

Mon 06/15 - 9:00 p.m.

Mon 06/22 - 6:00 p.m.