michigan

A little bit last minute we decided to go to Michigan for R's week off. We had heard a couple people refer to the beaches up there, so we decided we needed to go check it out! We stayed at a little vacation rental which had its ups and downs, but grew on us by the time we left. It was a wonderful trip, besides the fact that we only saw the sun on Tuesday and then had overcast, rainy, and windy days the rest of the week! Thank goodness we went to the beach that day!

We played hard!! The beach was perfect in every way. We played in the heat, jumped over the waves, built a sand fort we dutifully named Fort L, chased the water, dug holes in the sand, ate a picnic, enjoyed the wind, chased away seagulls, body-surfed, closed our eyes and listened to the wonderful beach sounds, and swam to our hearts content. So refreshing and exhausting! It was perfect! LE hung out in her own little hide-a-way under our beach umbrella on a camping chair with lots of towels blocking out the wind and sand. And I think L was in heaven with the playtime! The waves scared him a little, and he never fully got in the water to swim, but he fell often enough to get completely wet over and over again. Love it! 

We spent the evening visiting a nearby city, Holland, walking through its cute parks and little downtown area. The next day was basically our recovery day! It was rainy, so we worked on R's applications and played at our little home for the week. We ventured into the small town for an evening picnic and had fun walking along the water talking about all the boats and looking out at the water. It was a really cute artsy town and a fun downtown area. 

On Thursday we tried to do things in spite of the rain, and finally got lucky in the afternoon. We did a short hike through a nearby state park which lead to a secluded beach. Although we weren't dressed for the water, nothing can stop L! So we played for a long time and enjoyed having so much open space to ourselves! LE loved being held close - it was pretty windy and loud! 

Jumping over waves was a BIG hit all week long! 

Oh this little boy is my favorite! 

Our last day there we started by climbing steps to see the view from Mt. Baldhead. The view was beautiful, but the thing that impressed me most was that L climbed all those steps by himself! And if you look closely, you'll see that he's concentrating really hard to say "cheese" for the camera. Cutie!

I LOVED the long grasses along the shoreline. It was so peaceful looking and gorgeous! 
Then we tried to go to the beach, thinking that it was a little warmer but boy we were wrong! This picture doesn't do it justice at all - it was gale-force winds and crazy! I stayed in the car nursing LE while R took L down to get things set up. By the time I was done and walking down to meet them, they were on their way back up and L's lips were totally blue. It was freezing with that wind! So we decided to head back up to Holland and see their lighthouse. 

So windy but yet so fun! There was this big jetty going out from the lighthouse that was getting drenched with big waves crashing up on the rocks, but we bundled up and ran across it anyway to grab a couple pictures and see the water up close. People looked at us like we were crazy but it was so much fun!

And we completely fell in love with the city of Holland. Such a cute town with beautiful water fronts! We will definitely live by the water someday. It's a must.

All in all, a great vacation. Although we learned quite a bit about ourselves and what we want/expect out of future family vacations. We definitely want to go back and see more beaches and some other cool things in MI that we either didn't have time for or didn't even know about until our week was over.
Maybe next year? :) 

randomness

We just got back from a fun vacation up to the great state of Michigan, but I've been meaning to post these pictures for a while now - mostly for grandparents to enjoy. These are all almost a month old already, but better late than never, right Mom? :)

Playing at the park with a picnic lunch. Doesn't get much better.

We got all this kid paint for free, so we went on a walk to collect rocks (a favorite hobby anyway) and decided to get to work. L loved using paint brushes and LE was a good supervisor. 

Now onto the vacation! :) 

sunday afternoon

I finally caught her smile on camera. And a few other faces to enjoy.

moments

A couple nights ago, after we put L down for bed, I sat down on the couch with little LE asleep in my arms. The sun was setting, and through our back window the last few glimmers of daylight were coming through right onto her face. The light was a beautiful, soft glow and it honestly created this perfect moment in time. It was a moment when I didn't think about anything else except this precious little baby and all the possibilities that lay before her.

I asked Ry to bring the camera to me, and I tried valiantly to capture that moment. I thought that if I could catch it on the camera, then this picture would include all of my hopes and dreams and wishes for her. Perhaps this "perfect picture" would somehow be able to tell of all the love I feel for her, how my heart is hers forever, how there is nothing I would want more than to see her live a happy and full life. This picture would show how I want to be there every step of the way for her, help her when she falls, teach her how to be strong, show her how to laugh and be happy. Somehow within that frame I could teach her the life lessons I have learned, and the testimony that I have gained over the years that has shaped who I am. Maybe this picture could even help her understand that while being a mom is hard, it is by far the best decision I ever made in my life and I have felt pure joy because of it.  Not the surface-level pleasure you get when life is easy; but the deep, eternal joy you feel when the challenges make you grow and progress in a way you never thought possible.  Pure joy that results from putting every single bit of energy and life into one purpose, and knowing that by doing so you are doing the best you can. If I could find just the right angle, then this picture could possibly tell her what real love is, and how that love is never ending.

I snapped dozens of pictures that evening, and yet not a single one turned out. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I've never been good with words. That might be why I love to take pictures. But the emotions and feelings I had that night staring at this perfect, beautiful baby were so intricate and profound that there is no way for words or pictures to adequately portray them.

Accepting the fact that these emotions were too strong to confine to a camera lens, I put the camera down and simply held her. My memory will have to suffice for this time, as it did for a similar experience I had with L when he was a newborn. It seems the newness and purity we feel from them as infants rubs off and sparks these eternal thoughts and longings. And it's not something that can be explained through one picture, or one conversation. It's something that needs to be taught over their entire lifetime; pictures and words just catch segments along the way. I love those smaller moments, but it's nice every once in a while to catch a panoramic view of it all.

days of summer

Summer is almost over and we are still alive and going strong. Life has been a little slow yet fast, quiet yet loud, and mundane yet fun. A little bit of everything! Here are some pictures of what we've been up to lately.

L continues to be in full swing with the toddler tantrums, but yet is SO incredibly fun to play with. I'll take the bad as long as I get the good! He is a constant riot who loves to be tickled, chased, thrown around, and loved. He is a great big brother and insists very firmly to hold little LE and give her hugs and kisses multiple times a day. Whenever she cries he runs over and hugs her - why? Duh! Because you need hugs when you're sad! It's so tender it melts my heart! He's talking a ton, although still requires an interpreter when we're out in public. But he has a good heart, is sensitive to others, and is full of energy.

Here he is reading a book to his animals. He loves to read and has memorized enough to be able to turn each page and say exactly what is on each one in multiple different books (Pajama Time and Barnyard Dance are his current favorites - currently his deal is to read one out loud while Mom/Dad reads the other one out loud, then we switch).

We've watched Daddy play some sports lately in the park, and we always make time to play ourselves. This kid has some serious skills when it comes to soccer, football, volleyball, and frisbee. Honestly. Skillz.

Making some of our favorite cookies and eating them up way too fast. L is getting really good at stirring and helping mom. I'm always too paranoid to leave him and go grab the camera for the 'action' shots - maybe next time!

We "share the road" here. Don't you worry - there's plenty of room for all of us. 

This is what we did last Friday when Ryan was 'post-call' but yet was sent home at 7pm the night before because nothing was going on. Full night's sleep AND the next day off. WOW! We love Anesthesia! :)
I must say that there is nothing better than watching Ry and L have so much fun playing together. It makes life so rewarding and fulfilling to have those wonderful family moments. The top right picture of them walking down to the water together is so sweet to me - they really are best buds together and I couldn't be happier! 

Playing in the pool at a friend's apartment complex. He hated those floaty-things and we took them off promptly after we got these cute pictures. 

You can always win a girl's heart with a big truck, right?
Especially if you take her over to the swings afterwards ... 

one month!

LE is one month old! Hooray! 

LE stats:

9 lbs. 4 oz. (50%)

21 in. (45%)

She's growing, but not near as fast as L did at this age, so it's still surprising to fit her into newborn size diapers and to not have any clothes that she's outgrown yet! But I love her tiny-ness and want to hold onto it as long as possible. 

A few favorites:

~She loves to watch us and follow us with her eyes

~As of today {8.11.10} she smiled for the first time!!

~L loves to give her lots of hugs and kisses

~She's a decent sleeper but still struggles with the initial going-to-sleep time

~I can't wait to hear her voice when she babbles - we've caught glimpses of it and it is to die for cute! 

~Loves the swing and yet does fairly well at laying down on her own so I can do other things

~Still gets fussy and screams, but isn't near as colicky as L was at this age

~She's holding onto her hair!! I think it still might disappear a little bit, but since she had so much to begin with there's still a lot there

~While on the subject of hair, the color is turning this beautiful auburn-red. I absolutely love it.

~Her skin has finally stopped peeling! L's skin didn't peal hardly at all, so this was a new experience for me

~Sadly she has a lot of baby acne which is also new to me as a mom, but I still think she's beautiful. :)

~I'm definitely biased in my affection and adoration for this little girl. She's perfect.

Mommy and LE after a quick bath before church

This is typically how she spends the afternoon/early evening. She hates to have her neck straight and will only sleep when it's all crooked and bent like that. Weirdo. 

lets get physical

This past weekend we really got in some exercise (well, everyone but me - I'm not cleared for physical activity just yet)!

She may look scared, but I just love the fact that we had a swim suit for her to wear!! Look how tiny those arms are! We went to a nearby apartment complex pool and had a grand ol' time. Dad and a good friend loved throwing L back and forth in the water - that kid is fearless! LE and I watched from the side lines of course ...

We had our annual stake softball activity on Saturday and loved it. I've been on the planning committee the past couple years and LOVED being able to just watch and enjoy the day rather than stressing out about it! :) L was so good and watched Daddy play the entire time - and we were not disappointed. R did a couple of amazing plays including the team's only home run all day and a diving catch near the end! Go Dad! 

And this is how we share at home. We played soccer inside for a little bit, and then went to a park to watch Daddy play some sand volleyball. L is definitely getting the hang of hitting it back and forth! It is so stinkin' fun to watch. And I am amazed at how much L loves to watch Daddy play sports - he talks to me the whole time about what he sees and what's happening and is so observant!

I cannot wait for the 6-week mark when I can stop being a spectator and start being a participant again! Family play time here we come! 

two weeks worth!

So LE is two weeks old today! (err ... yesterday)

I was glancing through our photos and wanted to capture some memories on our blog of what our lives have been like these past two weeks. Lots of stuff has happened! I am so thankful that my recovery has been better than it was the first time around. By just one week post-partum I was already feeling as good as I did when I was 5-6 weeks post-partum with L. That is a HUGE difference! We have, of course, had a few set-backs and it hasn't been smooth-sailing the entire time; but I am grateful for our health and strength. Here's to another great two weeks! 

Okay, this was technically before I had LE - but I love L's face looking up at his cousin. K-lady sure knows how to make someone feel special! 7.7.10 (day before induction)

{skipping Thursday-Saturday since I already posted hospital/coming home pictures}

Cousins watching a movie downstairs after big family dinner together. 7.11.10

Dining out at Bonefish Grill - celebrating J's birthday. LE not pictured (on the ground in carseat). 7.12.10

 My parents took a trip up to Kirtland, OH. I survived my first day at home with two kids! Gave L a haircut and bath all before naptime! Felt really good only to be super exhausted by the end of the day. I guess LE was exhausted too! 7.13.10

Playing with L consists of rolling ALL his cars at once. Go big or go home, right? Like the new haircut? 7.14.10

Helping Grandpa B hang a frame and mirror in our front room. We also had a big night out! The whole gang went to see Toy Story 3 in the theaters - first time for BOTH our kids! L totally loved it and LE slept thankfully! 7.15.10

I couldn't resist and did another photo shoot. I have some serious issues! 7.15.10

Another birthday celebration! In addition to J, we also celebrated LE's 1st week, and Baby A's birthday the next week. Yummy dinner and cake! And we had leftover sparklers to continue to celebration! Lots of fun with poppers as well. 7.16.10

Sister's family finished loading the truck. My parents were able to help a lot since they were in town helping me, which was good because any time I even saw the "For Rent" sign in front of her house I would start crying - not to mention the time I walked into the house and saw it all packed up. I wasn't much help! R's parents flew in and we had a big picnic in the park catered by City BBQ! Yum. Kids loved playing around and LE was definitely adored all over again. 7.17.10

Blessing day in church! Beautiful blessing given by her Dad with both grandfathers, uncle, and close friends in the circle. We had a great lunch with the whole gang, said goodbye to brother-in-law and nephew as they started the drive to KS, and had a delicious dinner with everyone. Stayed up late putting off the inevitable {goodbyes}only to decide to say them in the morning! 7.18.10

What would any special occasion be without yet ANOTHER photo shoot? This time it included L running and jumping on me! Gotta love it! 7.18.10

Said goodbye to my parents, sister, and her kids - moving to KS. Went out to brunch with R's parents. Visited the zoo later in the day and got Rita's as a treat after a yummy dinner. 7.19.10

Said goodbye to Ry's parents. came home and officially started life as just the four of us. Life sure seems a little more lonely now that everyone's gone! But we have each other and that's the best there is! 7.20.10

Sleeping well and living the good life. We are grateful for the help we have had! 7.21.10

Two weeks old! Starting the 'watch me grow' pictures. LE's not sold on 'em just yet. We celebrated her two-week birthday by letting big brother play in the sprinklers with some friends. Love it! Life is good. 7.22.10

many admirers

 

This is one adored kid.