Almost 2 Years Ago...

As we prepare to leave for Colorado in less than 2 weeks (yikes) I was looking back on the photos that I took the last time we were there (I didn't find many, probably because

we were sleep deprived new parents). But I did find these pictures taken just after we got back from that trip to Colorado and since I didn't have a blog then I thought I would share now. Her expressions in these two pictures are just cracking me up! Where did the two years go?!

Our Little Tree Hugger

Okay, maybe she's not a tree hugger in the true sense, but our little Lily loves being outside! Lately her favorite things to do include hiking, going for walks around the block (she really likes walking the dog), swinging, and ANYTHING that involves water (sprinklers, watering plants, dumping buckets of water in her sand box, etc...). It doesn't matter how cold it is outisde or how cold she is- this little girl would play in the water until she's blue (she absolutly gets this from her father)! This warm afternoon I caught her climbing the tree in our front yard (okay, Joe put her in the tree and was standing right next to her the whole time)- but I'm sure it won't be long before she's climbing trees on her own!

Baby Jeremiah

Last week I took some pictures for my friend Melissa. At 6 weeks old baby Jeremiah is the youngest of 5 and he really is a sweet little baby. Although I made a little mistake on my camera setting (which means the pictures aren't quite as crisp as they could have been)- it was great practice for me (for photography in general and for taking pictures of our little one in the future)! Thanks Melissa for sharing Jeremiah with me!

Canoe Trip

Lily spent most of the time doing this: dragging her hands in the water- she just loved it!

She also wanted to try to paddle!
And below we tried to get a picture of her and I, but as you can see here she really just wanted to get past the dog and back to her own little seat- oh well- at least there is some proof that I was actually on this trip!:)

These aren't the best shots as I didn't dare bring my new camera in a canoe with a toddler and a dog (these are with my old camera)- but they are still fun so I thought I would share!
Last Saturday we spent a beautiful Maine morning canoeing on a local pond. The weather was beautiful, Lily loved it, and there was not a single other person on the water! Last summer we attempted to take Lily in the canoe once and it was awful- she just cried the entire time. But now things seem to be working in our favor- she's a year older, she finally has a life jacket that fits and doesn't ride up half way around her face, and Joe got her her own little canoe seat that she loves! I'm already looking forward to more canoe trips!

So Long First Trimester!

That's right- so long first trimester! I would say it's been nice knowing you, but that wouldn't really be true! Today starts the first day of my 14th week and no matter which way you count it I am excited and relieved to be finished with my first trimester of pregnancy. So, am I one of those people who start feeling better as soon as the 2nd trimester begins? Ummm- no. I wish. I've been feeling even worse this pregnancy than I did with Lily (you know the all day morning sickness, total exhaustion, sciatic nerve pain, etc...). Some days I really have to remind myself that it is all worth it (because I do believe it is). I started feeling better around the 5th month of pregnancy with Lily, so I guess that's what I'm anticipating this time around too. Please pray for that- or that I might even start feeling better sooner!

Library Time!

I do believe the kids are "jumping in the puddles"- this is one of Lily's favorite songs!

Watching the other kids

Story Time

Picking out a book

I haven't been taking many "everyday" pictures lately so I thought I would bring my camera with me to our library!

We live in a little Maine town, but we have a wonderful library and Lily and I love to go there. Every Thursday morning Ms. Cindy (the children's librarian) hosts Toddler Time and it is one of my favorite things to do with Lily every week! Ms. Cindy is amazing with the children and Lily really loves the silly songs we sing (usually complete with hand or full body motions), reading books, and the coloring time at the end! Sometimes it's just a handful or two of kids and sometimes the room is just packed (especially in the winter). When we first started going Lily was really shy and just wanted to sit in my lap and watch, but slowly each week she started participating more and more. I think it's been really good for her to watch and interact with all of the other children and now she gets really excited to go to the library! After Toddler Time we always spend some extra time in the children's part of our library and I let Lily pick out (or help pick out) a few books to take home for the week (mommy gets a few magazines too)!

I am so thankful for such a great library and a wonderful program for little ones!

First Pigtails!

I've been waiting for two years to put pigtails in my little girl's hair. Today it finally happened! Okay, they aren't really full pigtails (still not enough hair for that)- but this was just too adorable to pass up!

Engagement Photo Shoot!

A few weeks ago I did my first engagement photo shoot! Michaela and Nate are both students at U-Maine that we have known for a few years- and they were willing and excited to be my first guinea pigs!:) I had so much fun with them (even though I have to admit that I was quite nervous). It absolutly makes me want to do more! I am quite happy with how these turned out (especially for my first go at it). I also just got Photoshop for my birthday so I am especially excited to learn that program so that I can actually edit my photos and make them look even better! I haven't been taking many pictures the last few months now that my class is over and the baby has me feeling pretty sick most of the time, but I'm looking forward to a few photography opportunities this summer!

The Big Surprise (Sort Of)!

Joe and I found out that I am pregnant on March 17th (St. Patricks Day). We decided almost right away that this time around we would wait and surprise all of our family and friends at once. It just so happened that Lily's birthday party was about 5 weeks later and that my parents were flying in from Wisconsin to celebrate with us! Joe agreed to let me tell just a few good friends in the area (so that I wouldn't burst with our secret), but we did our best to keep it a surprise for everyone else until Lily's birthday party.

To surprise our family we bought this cute little t-shirt that says, "Big Sister" and wrapped it up as one of Lily's birthday presents. It was the last one she opened and at the time my mom was helping her open gifts so that I could "take pictures." The look on my mom's face when they opened it was well worth the wait!

So, were they surprised? Ummm- not so much! As soon as I picked my parents up from the airport they immediately asked me if I was pregnant (they claim they had a feeling on the plane). Of course I said no and Joe and I continued to deny everything the whole 5 days they were with us before Lily's party! So, yes, my parents were surprised, but only because we had convinced them just days earlier that I wasn't pregnant!:) And while I had a strong feeling that Joe's mom knew our little secret I had no idea that Joe's whole family was pretty convinced as well that I was pregnant! So apparently we weren't as good at hiding our secret as we thought! Our staff team was very surprised, so that was something! I think it was still worth the wait just to be able to share the news with all of them at once!

Potty Training!

So I took the advice of all the people who filled out my last poll and we decided to go for it on the potty training front! So I read the book "How To Potty Train Your Child In One Day" and on Wedn we went for it! Now I probably only followed half of the plan in the book (basically because I just didn't have the money or the energy to pull off the entire "potty party" as they instruct in the book)- but we still had our own little potty training party and it went great! We started off the day with Lily potty training her bear (which she loved)- this was a great technique. After a couple of hours we transitioned her to her "big girl underpants." I really thought she was going to be excited about this, but everytime I asked her about it she said, "no." I thought that this was going to be the end of potty party, but I persisted and she eventually got quite excited about her new underwear (I mean really who wouldn't after being stuck in diapers for 2 years)! There have been a few accidents (mainly yesterday at our friend's house when she was very busy playing)- but today she was totally accident free (except for nap time and bedtime when she's in pull-ups)!!!! Amazing! I totally expect there to be many more accidents in the future, but hey, that's how we learn. I'm so proud of my big girl! Above is Lily during potty training day (we skipped the pants all day just to make the process easier)- and as you can see we made rice krispie treats!

Oh Baby!

...and baby makes four! That's right, I'm pregnant!!!! We found out on St. Patricks Day (a very lucky day for us indeed) and we've been waiting to share the exciting news until we were able to suprise our families at Lily's birthday party (I'll share more in another post)! I'm about 3 months along and baby #2 is due November 22nd! We are thrilled and also a little nervous too!:) Here is the ultrasound picture from about a month ago- I know it just sort of looks like a little blob- but if you look close you can see the little hands and feet- amazing! Lily and I got to hear the heartbeat today at the doctor's office- our newest little miracle!

Balloon Fort!

Here's the balloon fort we made for Lily's birthday party! Fun times!

Lily's 2nd Birthday Party!

We had the most beautiful day for Lily's 2nd birthday party! Unlike last year the weather was just perfect (sunny in the high 70's)- and as a result most of the birthday party was outside! We could have done nothing at all and I think people would still have been so happy just to be out in the sun after such a long winter! This year's party was a little smaller than last year, but with 35 adults and children it was still a small crowd! We were so happy that all of our immediate family (including my parents who flew from Wisconsin to be at Lily's party), our staff team, and a few friends were able to join us. Lily had so much fun running around outside with her little friends. We also served a pretty tasty (if I do say so myself) pasta lunch (Lily's favorite) followed by opening presents (which Lily was quite interested in this year), and of course cake! Overall it was a wonderful afternoon filled with family and friends that we and Lily love dearly. I can't think of a better way to celebrate our little girl!

Owl Cupcakes!

My mom and I made these adorable owl cupcakes for Lily's birthday party! In case you are wondering, Lily happens to love owls- which is why we chose them. We got the idea from a cupcake book my mom has- and while we both worked on them together my mom was the creative driving force (I'm not sure I would have attempted them on my own)! They turned out perfect- and even though I sort of thought they were too cute to eat it seems that nobody else had that problem!:)