What, no pink?

For those of you that haven't heard, we are expecting a little boy in early May. The girls are very excited about having a little brother, and Jeff and I are very anxious to meet him. He is constantly moving around in my belly and loves to kick in response to anyone pushing on him...especially Ella. I have one more sonogram with my doctor in 2 weeks, and then we are going to have a 3-D one done right after that (cool Christmas gift from Jeff). So with any luck we'll get a good look at him and be able to make a decision once and for all on a name. :) He will be here in no time!!

Blizzard 2011

Disney World 2011

As you might imagine, these are just a few of the many, many pictures we took on our recent trip to Disney World. We had the most perfect vacation and are already planning our return for when our little boy will be about 3. The girls can't wait, and neither can we. We made such special memories that we'll never forget!

Happy Birthday, Lily!

As you can tell, we had a Disney-themed birthday this year in preparation for our upcoming Disney World trip. It is hard having a birthday right after Christmas, but there was still one thing on her list that she really wanted...Eugene. Flynn Rider (Eugene) is the doll from the girls' favorite movie, Tangled. Thankfully, Aunt Molly was able to find two of them, one for each of our girls. Eugene is actually Ella's most prized possession now and doesn't leave her side, and he is among Lily's plastic menagerie of toys that generally cycles in and out of her bed for naps and bedtime. All in all, we had a really nice time celebrating Lily's fourth birthday with our family, and Lily had fun sharing cupcakes at school with her friends.

School Girl?

Ella has been excited about going to school ever since her older sister started in the fall. While there is a 2-year-old program at the school, I wasn't sure she was ready to start--or maybe I wasn't ready for her to start. :) Either way, she has been more than eager to go to school and has been asking often when it would be her turn. There happened to be an opening right after Christmas in the 2-year-old, 2-day-a-week program, and we decided to try it out. Needless to say, she loves it! On the first day I walked her in to meet her teacher and see her classroom. She seemed a bit unsure, but not scared. I watched with a tear in my eye as she walked down the long hall and around the corner with her classmates. She had a great first day, and on the second day I asked if she wanted me to walk her in again or if she just wanted to jump out of the car with her sister. She promptly replied with "Oh, I jump out with Lily, mom! " She is such a big girl now! Just in time for her little brother to arrive.

Sugar and Spice...

and FROSTING and SPRINKLES...that's what our girls are made of. Ella pretty much will eat anything, and Lily is more our salty snack and picky eater, however when it comes to cookies with frosting and sprinkles that is a totally different story. Not the cookie part so much as the frosting. That kid will lick a cookie, cake, cupcake, or anything in frosting completely clean and not indulge in any other part. So needless to say holiday cookie decorating is one of my girls' most favorite and asked for activities.

Halloween 2010

We sure had a fun Halloween this year. Hello Kitty didn't really want to get her full costume on (face paint), but she sure enjoyed knocking on doors and collecting candy. Batgirl loved her special costume complete with Uncle Packie's "Batman" boots from when he was a little boy and custom cape made by her Mimi and Aunt Margaret. She stomped around the house in those boots for days :) We were invited to a little party in her classroom for Halloween, and it was our first chance to see her interact with her friends and teacher. They were all so cute in their costumes and had fun singing us a few songs they had learned. If you look closely you can see Lily's "brother" Keaton in the background in his fireman costume.

Brothers and Boyfriends

The only part of the IWU homecoming we could attend this year was the landing of the Blackhawk chopper. Jeff was , of course, there for all the events, but I had a wedding to attend later that day. Lily and Ella loved getting to see the chopper up close and even better they enjoyed the experience with some of their favorite buddies or as they call them their brothers. Lily and Keaton have known each other since birth and she refers to him, as well as Dalton and Calem, as her brother. Ella refers to Eoin as her boyfriend though :)

Ella Days

Ella and I have a lot of fun on the days that Lily is at preschool. Sometimes we go out to breakfast or visit friends. Other days we enjoy strolling through Meijer and picking out fun treats. She talks non-stop and always has something funny to say. No matter what we end up doing each day, this is time I will always cherish :)

Back Blog

I just found these pictures from a family brunch we had in August to celebrate Mimi and Papa's 30th wedding anniversary. Not only did we enjoy the company and the delicious food we also enjoyed a private room so that the girls could run around :) Congratulations Mimi and Papa on 30 years!!

First Day!

Lily had her first day of preschool this past week. She has been talking about this day since March, and it finally came. I wasn't worried in the least that she wouldn't love it. She was so excited and couldn't wait for her classroom door to open and for me to leave. Jeff, Ella, and I dropped her off--and Ella wasn't very happy to leave her sister. However, Ella is happy to report to anyone that asks that mommy wasn't either. "Mommy cried," she says.

Ella is 2!

What a fun second birthday Ella had!! Not only were all her favorite people at our house, she also had a special guest. Aaron from Funbelievable Balloons came and made all the kids (and adults) special balloons to take home. He was definitely a hit. We had such a beautiful day, and the birthday girl loved every minute of it!

My BIG Little Girl

Our second child is now 2! I can't believe it. She has grown up so much in the last couple months and really has quite the personality packed into that little body. Jeff likes to say she packs a punch. It's hard to believe all the things that come out of such a tiny person's mouth. She loves to push her older sister's buttons on a daily basis, but at the same time loves to come and snuggle on the couch. Don't be fooled by that angelic face either because she knows exactly what she is doing :) She makes us laugh all the time, and I am so thankful she is a part of our lives. I love that she is a stinker, and I wouldn't have it any other way.