St. Louis Trip (April 2011)

last spring we had an awesome 36 hour vacation as a family.  one last hurrah before jake joined our family.   i mentioned it here.

we:
attended the st. louis temple while some friends watched the girls at a nearby chapel
explored forest park
treated ourselves to Ted Drewes - twice
stayed at a hotel overlooking the arch and mississippi river
and swam in the pool
met up with friends from college
stayed up half the night watching william and kate's royal wedding
dinner at zia's at the hill (best italian i've ever had)
day at the city museum - the girls LOVED it.  at 35 weeks pregnant i was mostly an observer so dan got quite a workout

we loved every minute that we spent together and can't wait to do it again!  

the girls tried out their cute new swim suits from aunt lindsay.  we forgot a swim diaper :)

just looking at these pictures make me claustrophobic.  they climbed in and out of these re-bar tunnels, stories above the ground.

so, so pregnant.

Piano (Feb 2011)

what do you get when you combine birthday money from your parents, in-laws, grandparents, and grandparents in-law?  

enough for a piano on craiglist!!  

do i play? 

barely.  

but i love it.  

so do the girls. :)

Madi Turns 4 (Feb 2011)

madison's 4th birthday party:

preschool friends- hallie, jackson, brylee, cohen, lauren, and parker

pin the the gold coin in the pot under the rainbow

duck, duck, goose

lunch

pinata

spin the bottle (to choose who gives their present to the birthday girl next :)

and rainbow cake, same as the year before

Lindsay's Visit (Feb 2011)

we LOVE getting visitors!  lindsay came out and we did all our favorites - cosmo park, the carousel at the mall, the MKT trail, and bonkers.  it happened to be madison's birthday and she was a huge help with that too.  we miss you lindsay!

The Blizzard (Feb 2011)

we survived and even enjoyed our first and only blizzard last winter.  we stocked up on food and water, bought a camping stove in case the power went out, and weathered the storm at home.  after it snowed 18 inches or so, Dan's clinic was canceled and we enjoyed time as a family for a couple days.  dan spent hours and hours shoveling our driveway and helped the neighbors afterwards as well.  it was an adventure!

Firsts (Feb 2011)

first snowball to the face.

first walk in the snow with boots and pants.

first snow angel.

first time sledding.

love the homemade sleds!

and first snowman!

Alive and Well

October 2011

remember us?  its been a little while - two months!!  

excuses and updates are being saved for later (moles, mice, flooding, birthdays, a baby...).  

we've been busy.  

for now, enjoy our picture perfect fall afternoon a couple weeks ago.  

78 degrees

me and the kiddos

5 minutes from home

the MKT trail

twin lakes 

skipping rocks

and bright fall leaves

a spur of the moment decision turned into hours of fun.  

one of my favorite days as a mom so far.

Can't Get Enough

this kid is addicting.  

cheeks. chub. eyes. smile. and laugh.

i just snuggle and smooch him all day long.

if having kids gets this much more fun every time... 

we might end up with a lot. :)

Girl's Got Spunk

this girl only has one volume and that's loud.

she bounces on two feet like a kangaroo, everywhere she goes.

she knows exactly how to push her sister's buttons and does it often and well.

she'd give anything to go to be a big girl and go to school.

she's feisty, stubborn, full of energy

and pays attention to jake in 7 second intervals.

long enough for a quick hug, kiss, and picture.

works out perfectly.

{jake at 6 weeks or so}