Knitting

My first complete knitting projects! I started knitting these before we found out we're having a baby boy, and I have one purple baby bootie knitted, but I'll complete the pair in case we find out we know anyone expecting a baby girl. Once I got the basic stitiches down, I felt it was actually pretty easy. I've really taken a break from sewing for some reason, but I'll probably get back into it at least after the holidays. I have a few things I want to make:

• Baby doll quilt for Julia (part of her "big sister" gift)


• Pants, maybe 2 pairs for baby boy


• Minky blanket for baby boy (like the one I did for Julia)


• Crib skirt for baby boy (with, hopefully, leftover fabric from the quilt my mom is making him!)


• Simple burp cloths


• Knit another hat and another pair of booties (probably to match what I already made...)

Catch Up

I've decided to continue blogging (after taking a rest for quite a few months), not just to keep everyone up to date, but I also really enjoy looking back and seeing how much our family is growing and changing. Here are some highlights from the summer and fall...

• Took a family mini-vacation to Branson, MO

• Gramma and Papa came out for a visit!

• We found out we're expecting a baby boy around March 20th of next year!


• We celebrated Tom's 27th birthday!

• We've decided that I'll separate from the Air Force right after the baby is born, so I can be a stay at home mom. This has been something Tom and I have been discussing over the last couple of years, and it feels like the right time now. The only reason for me to stay in is money, which we've decided is not important enough to sacrifice the quality of family life that we truly desire. We have many family goals that are just not possible with both of us being in the military. I'm looking forward to being able to stay home and enjoy our children, and am so thankful for Tom being so supportive of this for us!!

Helping Daddy Make a Bean Bag Toss (or "Corn Hole" if you're from the midwest...)

Princess

I can never resist taking pictures of Julia when she is sound asleep...I think because she is SO active during the day, it just melts my heart to see her so peaceful. She's been growing up so fast lately! Here are some of her recent doings:

• Potty training is going very well! She can stay in underwear most of the day, except for long car rides and Mass, and nighttime. We've had few accidents, so I think she's just been waiting until she was really ready.



• She's learning how to ride her tricycle - we're still working on pedaling, but she is eager to learn!



• She asks lots of questions: "What are you doing?" What's that?" "You ok?"



• She can dress herself, but we're still working on matching clothes, and next shoe tying :)



• Her vocabularly has grown so much, I can't even type out a full list of all her new words!



• She's very compassionate - whenever she sees or hears anyone else crying she wants to know why they're upset and if they are ok.



• She goes to a gymnastics class once a week, and really loves do all the rolls and hanging from the bars!



• She loves to sing! She can sing the Happy Birthday song, part of the ABC song, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (and she makes her own songs up as well...).

Recent Projects

Pillowcase to match Julia's quilt

Curtain for our front door

Lunch bag and cloth napkins for Mom

Henny Penny and Six Chicks for Julia

Baby booties for a friend's soon-to-be-here baby!

Memorial Weekend Camping

Making s'mores with Daddy

Lunch time!

Julia in her very own chair :)

For Memorial Day weekend this year, we decided to go on our first camping trip with Julia! Tom and I have both been camping since we were very young, but we weren't sure how Julia would handle it. She LOVES being outside, so of course, she had a blast! She was very entertained by all the insects (at the same time, I was spraying her down constantly with bug spray!), and we had fun just relaxing together. We only stayed for one night, and I'm glad we did. Julia didn't sleep very well, so I think we need to use an air matress next time. She has always been very sensitive to the sleeping surface she is on, even when she was a newborn. We really had a blast though, and hopefully we'll get in a few more trips this summer!

Oregon - Playtime!

Sweet Hannah Joy :)

Two toddlers and only one foot on the ground...yikes!

Playing "ring around the rosie!"

Going crazy on Gramma's piano

Hannah and Papa

Oregon - Tim's Birthday!!

Tim was super sweet and let the kids help! :)

Hannah and me - I think that's a "help me!" look ;)


Gramma reading to the grandbabies

Papa and Tom playing with Julia and Hannah!

Sweet cousins!

We went to Oregon in April to see family, and also so Tom could go on the snake hunt he's missed out on for so many years! We had a great time, and although it snowed at the snake hunt, Tom had lots of fun spending time with his family. Julia really bonded with everyone, and is still asking about everyone. She found a thing of Gerber baby juice the other day and asked for it, but I said, "no, that's baby juice." She sweetly asked, "Hannah juice?". When she's upset with me she'll ask for Papa and Gramma, and she's always asking "where'd Isaac go?". It's really neat to see that she's remembering people and making those connections. We're already excited to see my parents when thye come out in the summer!!

Drinking milk, mmm...

Being a super sweetheart, as usual :)

Bubbles

Marathon - 26.2 miles!

Right before the start...

The start line

Running through the finish!

SO happy to be DONE!!

This past weekend I ran, and completed, the St. Louis Marathon! It was super exciting to look back and realize what I had done, but in the moment was not so glamorous. I was feeling great until about 13 miles, and then the course got very hilly and very hot and humid. Afterwards, people were saying it was in the 80's, and I believe them! I was drinking a cup of water and a cup of Gatorade at every aid station, and it didn't feel like enough. My hips also started cramping badly around 20 miles, so it was all I could do to run a mile. I walked quite a bit in the last bit, but promised myself I would run the last mile, and I did! That day, and even the next, I swore I would never ever do this again, because I was in so much pain, but now I think I might, just to get my time down. I'm really not sore and just have a sore big toe, so for my first marathon, I think it turned out alright! I might try to do some half marathons over the summer just to stay in shape, but we'll see...

Peaceful Moment

Last week, Tom was out of town all week, so on the morning that I had to go into work really early this is how Julia was in our bed when I went to wake her up! She was sleeping so peacefully, it was heartbreaking to have to wake her up before she was ready. Her resemblance to Tom in the mornings is quite uncanny - they both have the burrow into the blankets act down pat! Sometimes I hate being the early riser of all of us, but other times it's precious because I get to see all these little moments of peace :).

Painting!

For daycare, Julia had "homework" to do a painting over the weekend, so her and I sat and did a bit on Saturday. This inspired me to get a couple of cheap canvases for her to play with, and she really enjoyed it! I think this will have to become a more regular activity. I'm also looking forward to displaying her art :).

Breadmaker :)

1st loaf - French Bread

2nd loaf - Cinnamon Raisin bread!

3rd loaf - caved in Whole Wheat bread :(

Although it looks hideous, it doesn't taste too terrible!

For Christmas, Mom and Dad gave us a bread machine (thank you! thank you! thank you!). We received in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I've testing out a few recipes, and I LOVE using this thing. I've always been a much better baker than cook, but bread was one thing (unless it was quick bread) that I've never been able to have turn out quite right. I'm going to try to stop buying bread and just make all of ours, since it's super easy, and I can start a loaf right as I'm making dinner and have it done by the time I go to bed.

Look who's 2!!

Classic Julia "excited" expression!

Opening gifts from Gramma and Papa, thank you!

Taking a bite of cake, yum...

Mama's birthday girl

Daddy's princess ;)

Homemade carrot cake!

She loved blowing out her own candles :)

Her best friend, Cookie

Playing with her new kitchen!

What's cooking?

For Julia's 2nd birthday, we did our usual low-key celebration with cake and gifts at home. We actually spread out our celebrating over a few days, since the birthday girl was sick over the weekend. We had plans to go to the zoo, but just stayed in, and then took her to an indoor bouncy gym place the next weekend (more photos to follow...). We decided to get Julia a play kitchen, since she pretending to cook, so this was perfect for her :). It's so incredible how fast the last couple years have gone by. I remember so vividly the moment she was born - hearing her before I even saw her! Our lives changed in an instant, but it's difficult to imagine what in the world we ever wasted our time and energy on before Julia! We seem to move through seasons of her growing so quickly - one minute we're up all night with her and sleeping in the recliner with her on our chests, the next we're bolting upright in bed, worried because she's slept the whole night without making a peep! We used to have conversations that consisted of coos and winks and soft kisses, now we're having conversations about what she did at daycare, how we should behave and treat others, and how big girls use the potty! In some ways I feel like I wish I could go back to the days when she was an infant, but at the same time it's so exciting to see what she's going to learn next :).