Spring flowers

Pictures never do justice to the hours of labor and love that goes into gardening, but we were happy with the results. It now officially feels like spring!

Only one garden area was ready for photographing. We ran out of mulch for the other three areas, so this project won't be complete until later in the week. It doesn't seem to matter how many bags of mulch we buy, we always always need more. This area has a beautiful rose bush given to us by my Aunt Loretta that is already beginning to bud! Some of the other flowers in this area include dahlias, impatiens, geraniums, and primrose.

Lily was a fantastic little helper. She really gets into it! Here, she is taking a break and enjoying some of the simple pleasures of life.

Outdoor fun

The weather has been beautiful lately, so we have been able to get out and have some fun in the sun.

Lily is getting really good at pedaling her bike and riding on her own!

Bringing the easel outdoors for some inspiration from nature

Our little gardener

Watering the rose bush

We are getting ready for our big planting day today so stay tuned for some more pictures a little later.

Cause it's ladies' night

Last Friday, our good friend Kitty came to visit from Denver. I was able to partake in an adults-only dinner which was great. I think more ladies' nights are in order in the future! From left to right: Kelly, Kitty, Molly, me and Janie.

St. Louis Gym

I rarely get so behind in posting, but I've just been so sick lately. Finally, at about 13 weeks, the nausea and vomiting started subsiding. I can't believe how good it feels to not be sick ALL day! Here are some pictures from last Friday when we went to the St L Gym.

I could not figure out why my flash wasn't going off until midway through our visit when I realized the camera was on the wrong setting. So, most of the pictures came out very dark. Here, Lily is going across a beam over the sponge block pit.

Ah...the difference a little flash makes! Here, Lily is going through the hula hoop tunnel.

Cheese! All smiles as she goes across the bars.

Some details

Today is exactly 2 months from the day we found out that we were pregnant. I think Carl would agree that the news was the best Valentine's Day present we could have asked for! We are 12 weeks along and due October 27th. For those keeping track, you may remember that my sister's wedding is October 23rd. So, we are very anxious to see how this all plays out.

Lily is overcome with excitement. We have to read her big sister book every night before she goes to bed. She tells pretty much everyone she meets that mommy has a baby in her tummy and that she is going to be a big sister. One Saturday morning when I was unable to make it to her dance class, she announced to everyone there that mommy could not come today because she has a baby in her tummy, and it makes her sick.

Speaking of being sick, yes, I am very sick. I'm nauseous all day, but I only throw up about twice a day. It could be worse, but it could be better too. :) Working actually is a great distraction for the sickness, so I am thankful for that. With Lily, I was sick until about week 20. I'm really hoping that it ends sooner this time around. I'm not really all that tired right now, probably because I sleep about 10 hours every night.

The "big" ultrasound is scheduled for June 5th when we will find out the gender (and we will share the news with everyone). So far, I get the feeling that it's a boy, and I think Carl does too. We have so, so many girls in our families that it just seems inevitable that one of these times it has to be a boy! If it is a boy, we have a name picked out. Girls' names are always harder for us to decide on, but we'll cross that bridge when we need to. Like last time, we are not going to share the name before the baby is born (sorry mom!), but we may give some clues along the way just for fun.

We'll update with more information/details when there's more to share, but that's all for now!

Easter at Grandpa's house

Grandpa is a big fan of lawn ornaments. The deer are especially popular with the younger crew.

Another Easter egg hunt! We can't get enough egg hunting!


Nick helps Lily scope out some eggs.

Another successful hunt

Courtney, Nick, Abby and Lily

Lily loves her new doll. Thanks Grammy and Papa!

Easter morning

Score!! Thank you Easter Bunny!

The Easter Bunny left eggs hidden all around the house, and Lily loved finding every last one.

A very exciting morning filled with lots of smiles and running through the house giggling and clapping....we can't wait for next Easter!

Easter fun at New Town

Lily was so excited to see the Easter Bunny. She went right up to him, waved and hugged him, then posed for the picture.

More Easter egg decorating fun! (And she even chose colors that matched her outfit - that's my girl!)

Lily can't get enough arts & crafts. At this station, she got to paint her very own flowerpot.

The big Easter egg hunt

Collecting lots of goodie-filled eggs

Wow, look at all my eggs!!

Happy National Sibling Day!

My siblings Jeff, Suzanne, and Angela and me with mom & dad

I love you guys!

Have you heard the buzz?
Lily's going to "bee" a sibling too!

Easter eggs...finally!

Dying Easter eggs this year turned into a three-day saga, but we are finally done with all....count 'em....nine eggs. On Sunday night, we boiled our eggs. Last night, we dyed them, as seen below.



And then, a little paint, stickers, and glitter added tonight....and we have our eggs!



I just thought I'd mention that after this adorable picture was taken, Lily decided to bang the two eggs together that she was holding like she was playing the cymbals. Special. I should have seen it coming by the look in her eyes....And then there were 7.

Mission Organization

A couple of Fridays ago, I woke up and decided that one of our hallway closets needed to become more functional. I knew that to achieve this, I would have to put in more shelves. So, I consulted my parents to get some advice. When I called my mom, she said that she would talk to my dad and then call me right back. When mom called back, she said that they were on their way to check it out. A few hours later, I had brand new shelves and a very functional closet. As my parents always say, they are available 24/7 for whatever we may need, and they aren't kidding! Thanks mom and dad!!!

My new functional closet

Loaded up
This should be called Lily's closet because its sole purpose is to have ready access to her games and crafting materials. It is perfect, and I finally feel like we have some organization in this department.

*I forgot to mention in my original post that this project made me realize how lame I have become since being a home owner. Tasks like this one really get me excited to the point where I sat down on my stairs with a snack and stared into my newly organized closet like I was watching a movie. Sad really.