September and October

Another full couple of months have whizzed by. In September my family came to visit and we did some fun things, mostly Carli's favorite activities. Some highlights were:
* visiting the American Girl doll store
* picking out the girliest big girl bike imaginable
* shopping with my sister
* visiting Bass Pro Shop aka "The Animal Store"

We were able to bless Janie with family here, which made us really happy.

Our first family of four picture.

So grateful for our family who traveled a long way to be part of the special day.

Janie (like Carli) wore a dress I made from the job I had while I was pregnant with Carli.

Logan's parents came the week after the blessing. Some highlights were similar, but here are some others:
* a ride on the trolley downtown
* a visit to the trains
After they left, my brother and his family came to visit. Our highlights with them included:
* Cousins!
* Trip to the museum
* The state fair
* Six Flags (in which I did not partake, but enjoyed time with the kids much more.)
Wish I'd gotten pictures, hopefully I can get some from my sister in-law.
Last week we went to the pumpkin patch with playgroup. Carli so thoroughly enjoyed it that she begged daily to go back with Daddy. I mean, who wouldn't love finding The Little Einsteins and Strawberry Shortcake just your size?!

 Carli was afraid of the bounce houses when I went with her, but her Daddy brings out the fearlessness in her, so here she is going down the slide

 Daddy and Carli on the hayride.

 Carli so thrilled to have all of us on the hayride together. (That's her new thing, we have to do EVERYTHING together.

Me and my girls. Do you know how fun it is to say that?!

Even though life is busy, we love it!

In the mind of an almost-3-year-old

A few things Carli has said lately. I love that I'm getting such fun glimpses into her thoughts and personality.

* I was talking to my brother on the phone when he was visiting, trying to make plans to get together. I had given Carli a chocolate chip cookie before I called. I guess I wasn't saying the things she wanted me to say, because she shoved the last bite of cookie in front of my eyes and said, "Here, you have the cookie, I'll talk to Uncle Jason."

* At dinner we were telling Carli that Janie will make sounds before she can talk. For example, babababa, mamamama, dadadada, etc. I was teasing with Logan and asked Carli, "Do you think Janie will say mamamama or dadadada first?" Without skipping a beat she said, "I think she'll say Carli Carli Carli."

* Today I was changing Janie's diaper on my bed, and as always, Carli was helping. Carli was looking at a pencil drawing of Logan and me from a picture that was taken when we'd been married about a year. In this distant, matter-of-fact voice she said, "That picture was when Mommy and Daddy were vivacious." (I always tell her that she's vivacious, but I can only imagine how she put that thought together.)

Do they look alike?

We're Back

Wow, where do I even begin?! It's been quite a month. I'm finally feeling like things are becoming "normal" for us again. So, I decided it was time for everyone to see some more pictures.

We were so sad to see Auntie Aubrey go. :( We miss her and Carli asks "Is Auntie Aubrey coming back?" on most days. I found Carli like this a couple of days after everyone left. Let me just point out that this was the first time I can remember (since she was a tiny baby) that she fell asleep somewhere other than her bed. She hardly even falls asleep in the car! I guess she was just as exhausted as the rest of us from all our adjustments.
Apparently Janie's seat was not quite comfortable enough, so in true Goldilocks fashion, she practically sleep-walked and opted for a more comfy position.
We went kite-flying for FHE on a night that was quite pleasant, surprisingly enough. Daddy and Carli enjoyed it. . .

and I think Janie did too.

And, of course I had to include some bath pictures.

This one is my favorite. Maybe her nickname should be Betty Boop?

I love the amusement in her eyes. I can't wait to get to know her personality!

Speaking of personality, if it is possible, this little girl has it flowing out of every pore. Lately I'm not really sure if I want to hug her or throw my hands up in frustration. She is so fun, spunky, bright, and vivacious. But a personality like that calls for plenty of tantrums (during one of which, this picture was taken), fights with friends and attitude. She is a force to be reckoned with, and I'm willing to do it, not only because I love her so stinkin' much, but also because she's so darn cute!

And one thing I am incredibly grateful for is her love for her sister. Carli is more than willing to help with any task involving Janie, and is constantly saying things like, "I love my baby sister SO MUCH!" Amazingly enough, she shows no aggression towards her, and I am so relieved by that. I love looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing her staring at Janie with a grin, then giggling with delight at her every movement, sneeze and smile. She could stare at her for hours and loves to get her to coo. What a joy to have these girls!

Janie Lois

Yes, she is here, and we can't contain our excitement!

This is Janie and me the morning of her big debut. Can you tell I can't wait to have her in my arms?

7 hours and 4 pushes later, she joins us in this wonderful world!

7 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long

One thrilled mama!

Look at those juicy red lips! And she has her daddy's chin, just like her sister. Red hair was quite a surprise to us!
Meeting big sister for the first time. Carli was enthralled, "She's so beautiful!" She loves to touch her hands and give her kisses on the head. She's always talking about her baby sister and is very protective and sweet with her.
Baby Janie brought Carli a present (the purple bean bag chair) and Carli asks most mornings if Janie can come sit next to her in their chairs.

So happy to be a big sister! "I love you, Baby Janie!"

Tired Daddy and Janie Lou.

Daddy and his two girls.

Pretty baby photo shoot.

Things here are happy and hectic for now. We are really grateful to have my sister Shanna here to help for the week. She has been a life saver, has kept us fed and kept Carli busy, and given her a run for her money, while we are getting used to two. We are also so glad Aubrey has been here and has been such a big help too. We are definitely blessed with wonderful families who are willing to do so much for us. We are grateful for the blessings of health and wellness as well. What a beautiful life we have!

July

I figure I better record that this month existed before this baby gets here and life is never the same. July has been a very fun month so far, and hopefully will end with a bang! (Here's crossing my fingers.)

My good friend Alissa and I are due the same week, so our good friends had a "Tea Party" in honor of our soon-to-arrive little girls. It was beautifully put together and so much fun.


This was the table full of dainty and delicious treats. It was all amazing - blueberry scones, lemon curd, fruit preserves, cake balls, cupcakes, pink lemonade, strawberries, and all varieties of pink!In true tea party fashion, we had a "princess" competition, which included a fashion section. This was the lovely gown my team designed for me. Below is a picture of Alissa and I showing off our teams' creations. These are the cute outfits my sister-in-law Aubrey got for our little girls. I can't wait to dress her in it!Logan and I decided we'd better celebrate our anniversary early if we wanted to celebrate it at all, so we got away for part of a weekend to a cute bed and breakfast not far from where we live. It was a really fun 19th century mansion that has been renovated and is absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Our room used to be the second story porch, so it was mostly windows and was designed to feel like you were sleeping in a tree (as you can probably see in the picture, which sadly looks like something you'd see in a creepy story on Dateline.) It was a nice chance to get away. It's hard to believe it's been 5 years! And what a wonderful 5 years it's been, with plenty of adventures and blessings. Can't imagine what our future holds, but judging by our past together, it only gets more wonderful every year! (Call me cheesy, but the cheese is the truth!) Luckily Carli has been keeping busy having fun with friends. I've tried to overcome my laziness and overwhelming desire to recline at home in the air conditioning and at least do something fun with her everyday. On this particular day it was her little friend's idea to have a tea party. I tried to get a good picture after they dressed themselves in ALL of their princess attire, but that all just got in the way and was not-so-carefully stripped away before they could truly enjoy their lemonade and cookies. Funny girls.

We've had a few fun outings to this splash park. What a cute girl she is!

We have also enjoyed the free petting zoo a couple of times this month (when it hasn't been too awfully hot). Carli has absolutely no fear when it comes to animals. It makes me a little nervous at times, especially when it comes to dogs and the biting pony at the petting zoo. (Why would you have a pony that bites at a petting zoo???) Anyway, she is convinced all the animals there love to eat sticks, so she insists on feeding them.
We've had a few other excursions, including the children's museum and plenty of shopping. She has been such a good girl lately. She is so sweet with her friends, shares and talks so nicely. She definitely still has her 2-year-old moments, but she seems to be on her way to 3 quicker than I thought. We (I) lost her glasses last week and have an eye appointment this week, so hopefully we can get that taken care of. My favorite things she's talked about lately:

*Aunt Aubrey was trying to help her get her hands washed before dinner, which she didn't want to do, so she turned to me and said, "Mom! I can't work under these conditions!"

* I brought home some long stem roses that came with our breakfast at the bed and breakfast and Carli knew just what to do with them. She smelled them and said how beautiful they were, then said, "Are we allowed to have fresh flowers in the house?" Apparently a story she'd just read about a clean-freak mom who doesn't allow fresh flowers in the house because they make such a mess had influenced her.

* Sunday night Logan told Carli he was going to a Young Men's fireside. Several times that night she informed me that "Dad's at a firetruck." I corrected her after a couple of times and after that she told me he was at a fire station instead.

* Carli and I were talking about how excited we are to have a new baby sister coming to our house so soon. She exclaimed, "She's going to sit on my lap and I'll read her stories!!" I'm excited to see my little bookworm share her love of books with her little sister.

My weeks have been full of gathering, washing, making and shopping for baby supplies. Carli took me off guard when she came and I felt almost completely unprepared, so I did not want that to happen this time. I think pretty much everything is ready for this little girl to join our family. I have to play the organ on Sunday and play for the choir, and my sister gets here next Wednesday, so hopefully little "Gus" can wait until then, but hopefully not much (or any) longer than that.

Well, next time you visit this blog, you will be hearing the exciting news of birthday, name and the entering the world story (don't worry, I'm not too much into sharing the gory details here)! We can't wait!