Adelie LOVES her new ride!!!

Adelie LOVES her new ride (even though these photos don't really show her excitement). She was loving it. She loves being outside & this new ride will boost her excitement for exploring the outdoors! We are really looking forward to family hikes with this new addition!!

We miss you already, Emily!

We loved having Emily in town this week. We had a wonderful time with her here. I wish time didn't pass so quickly. It seems like she just arrived, and now she's headed home. 

I love living in MN, but I truly miss my siblings. Each of you makes my life richer, and each of you are so, so, so special to me. I admire each of you & look up to you in so many ways.  I could not be more grateful for the friendships we share, and the memories we've had together. I feel so blessed to be your sister. 

We miss you already, Emily. Come back soon.

Also, how cute is the picture of Adelie & my dad swinging together? This is one of my all time favorites!

bringing home baby kc!

loving baby kennedi.

We are loving life with baby Kennedi. She is a darling little girl and we are loving watching her grow and develop each day. I am so grateful for our two daughters and the love that they fill each day with. I feel so blessed to be their mom and I cherish all the tender moments we have shared as a family of four.

Here are a few photos from Kennedi's birth. It was such a special experience and I feel lucky that it was as peaceful and calm as it was. Nate was a wonderful support through it all. He made the experience so enjoyable and memorable. I am so lucky to be married to such a great husband who is such a constant support to me. He calms me. He comforts me. He looks out for me. He helps me smile more than I could smile on my own, and I am so grateful for his love. I'm so, so grateful that our daughters are blessed with his love as well. We are three lucky girls!! I love seeing how much Adelie adores Nate. They have become best buds in the past couple of weeks. It's precious.

It makes me a little teary to look at all of these photos. It really is such a special experience to be pregnant and then experience labor & delivery. Amazing. Simply amazing. Those first moments as a family together are so tender and magical. I cannot express how grateful I am for the happiness we are blessed with in this life. I am so lucky to have the love of Nate, Adelie, and Kennedi. 

playing the waiting game...

Tomorrow's the big day! May 1, 2011!!! Baby girl's due date....and so we wait!

We made a trip to the hospital on Monday, thinking maybe my water broke...but no luck. Sent home without a baby!! I think it'd be great if she was born on Mother's Day, but I'm not sure I want to wait another week for her arrival. I'm feeling pretty good - lots of contractions & a decent amount of pain, but happily waiting...I can't wait to see her sweet face. Adelie is going to love having a little sister.

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

A few more photos from Easter Sunday. Adelie LOVED her Easter basket! She has enjoyed it all week. She gets so excited to open up the eggs...and she carries them around with her...and hides them...and stores them in the basket of her tricycle! It's hilarious.

Nate picked out the funny bumblebee hat. I was not a huge fan at first (of course I wanted to keep her basket sweet & feminine....) but she loves that silly thing!! We all took turns wearing it. Pretty silly. I have a feeling that goofy hat will keep us laughing for a long time.

GO TWINS!!!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Twins baseball games! We got lucky last weekend with some awesome tickets behind home plate....Twins v Indians (Nate's fave team). Mom & Dad joined us and we had a wonderful time enjoying outdoor baseball in a gorgeous ballpark on a perfect, sunny spring (Easter) day! Adelie dressed the part with her 'Twins' Easter egg shirt (which she got that morning from the Easter bunny!). It was so much fun. I absolutely LOVE Twins games...so exciting! The game was action-packed & the Twins won...YAY!

many beautiful moments ahead!!

We're 8 days from our due date, and I could not be more excited for this baby girl's arrival. I can't wait to see her sweet face!!! I remember vividly the first moments with Adelie, and I can't wait to experience it all again with our new little darling. Those first hours (and days...and weeks...and year...) are the most beautiful moments I've ever experienced in life.

Being a mom is definitely the most amazing blessing in life. I cannot express how grateful I am to be Adelie's mom. And I can't wait to meet this little sweetheart and feel even more gratitude. My heart is completely full as I think of the joy that is yet to come. I am so excited to meet her...and I can't wait for that first moment when we are all together as a family...Nate, Adelie, baby, and me!!

I am so thankful for my friends and family who have been such a great support to me in this exciting journey! We will let you know when she is on her way!!!! Please keep us in your prayers. I will need all the strength possible! Love you all.

sprinklybaby!

When I got pregnant with Adelie, I was always thinking of fun, girly things I could make for her. I loved making her mobile and her stuffed animal (giraffe) before she was born. I've since fallen in love with making playful onesies and cute barrettes for her & as gifts for others. I decided (after receiving lots of compliments on her hair barrettes whenever we're out & about...and people constantly asking where I buy them for her) I'm going to start selling them. I've been pretty shy about this endeavor, simply because it's a little intimidating showing people my crafty side & hoping they'll like it (a little). But I really love making these little cheerful projects, so I'm giving it a shot! I will open up a little shop once baby girl #2 arrives. My shop's name is going to be sprinklybaby! I'm still working on the logo, but I think it'll be a really great concept. I am super excited to get this going and am hoping I'll have at least a little success at it. If you know of anyone who wants to order any barrettes or baby gifts (onesies, stuffed animals, etc.), they can email me at sprinklybaby@gmail.com - I'm happy to do custom work and look forward to the projects ahead!

I felt so happy on Thursday afternoon when I officially sold my first barrettes to some friends & friends-of-friends! I sold 9 barrettes in one afternoon! The girls that bought them were so sweet. They absolutely loved them. It made me feel so good. I always think Adelie looks cute with hers, but I'm her mom, so I always think she's cute! It was so rewarding for me to see these girls so excited for their new barrettes. I know it's only a silly little barrette, but I really do try to make them cheerful and girly & to see the girls happy with them made me so happy!

My upcoming project is a stuffed animal for the baby girl that is soon to arrive (she is due in 2 weeks...can you believe it?!!). I ordered the fabric and am anxiously awaiting for it to arrive in the mail so I can get going on it!
 
Any suggestions on what I should make her? An elephant? A mouse? A hedgehog? I'm still not sure. I want to make something comparable to Adelie's giraffe (see in header photo at top of blog)...but I'm not sure yet what that will be! Any cute ideas? Here's the fabric I ordered:

 

And here are the latest barrettes I've made:

I can't wait to get my 'sprinklybaby!' shop going! Should be fun!!

waiting for my sister...when will she be here???