I haven't had many specific pregnancy cravings this time around. This is why when I woke up one morning and felt the need for some loaded frozen yogurt, we planned it right into our afternoon. I'd say this is one of the sweet perks of having a pregnant mom!
That's right...my toppings included crunchy nutella, cap'n crunch and even some chocolate covered pretzels. Yum!
A trip to Walmart complete with all my grandkids. Can we just note how big and realistic Ella's baby is? Now imagine all the looks I got walking through the store hugely pregnant, with a "real" baby in the front of my cart and two kids in the bucket of the cart. Can't forget to mention that within minutes of getting everyone into the cart, someone needed to use the bathroom.
pool date with our buddy Carter
Ella and Oliver.
I shared in an earlier post how Ella's pa-pa (pacifier) disappeared the night before her third birthday. After trying everything to console my soon-to-be three year old (including inventing a story about a Pa-pa Fairy who comes and takes pacifiers from big girls to give them to new babies), you can imagine my stress over never finding the lost pa-pa. I just kept praying that Ella wouldn't find it before we did. Thankfully, when all of the furniture was being moved around for painting I happened to go in and see this on the floor before Ella went back in to get her toys! Too close for comfort, but definitely glad I found the pacifier before Ella had a chance to regress. I sent this picture to Joe and we both sighed in relief.
When I came out from getting the girls to sleep and found this, it was safe to say it was going to be a VERY relaxed Friday night. Cat ladies get all the credit. I introduce to you...Dog man.
Abby spent a week at dance camp playing with friends, crafting and practicing ballet and tap with her favorite teachers. After the first day, she couldn't stop talking about how she wished she could spend the whole day at camp rather than half the day. That's always a good sign of time well spent! :) The girls are already excitedly talking about the start of fall dance in just a few weeks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WmOTl7_9sA
It's really fun when Daddy wakes up on a Saturday morning and loads everyone up for a trip to the park/Farmer's Market. The only bummer is that I had to stay home and rest because my body needed a break. Ollie kept me company, as we relaxed in a quiet house. I loved the pictures I got throughout the morning of the girls and Joe having a blast and exploring. They played for a while, visited the ducks, had their faces painted and ate lunch. They even came home with a loaf of fresh bread and blueberries for mommy! :)
For as long as I can remember, summers were always full of birthday celebrations beginning with mine at the start of June. Growing up, we celebrated my birthday in June, then my dad in July and then my mom and brother five days apart in August. Now, with both sides of the family, we have six family birthdays in July alone.
With all of our travels this summer, we planned a belated birthday celebration for my dad when we got back home. We love any excuse to meet up for a family dinner. This cute little kid turned 62 this year!
I wish we could express even a glimpse of how much we love and appreciate him.
I love watching my girls run ahead and insist on holding Papa's hand.
Uncle Cory turned 23 and Grandma turned 55 within days of each other, so the girls and I spontaneously hopped in the car and met them halfway for a birthday lunch on my mom's birthday. We had spent the afternoon laughing our heads off and eating seafood. Yum!
Look at that little five year old guy all grown up!
I think that picture of me in my mom's arms look a lot like Ella.
These girls love their Grandma so much!
What's that Grandma? You need help with your birthday dessert?
These two together are peas in a pod. Abby spent most of lunch chatting with Grandma, taking selfies together and making silly helium videos on the phone.
The silliness abounds...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kk7Aznld_M
So thankful for your life, Mom! :)
If Ella's personality could be captured in a picture, I'd say this one does it!
We took our last trip of the summer (and our last trip as a family of four) to Lake Bluff. We spent lots of time on the water, boating and tubing. Ollie kept a really pregnant mommy company on the dock while the gang kayaked, swam and had fun on the paddle board. He also kept his watchdog eye on Joe the whole time.
Ella tried tubing for the first time. She wasn't afraid of the water at all, but made sure G-Diddy understood that she did not want to go any faster than "very slow". Speed is NOT Ella's thing. Unfortunately, she went so slow and weighed so little that the tube tipped right over. We got her right back on the horse with Daddy, but she was done for the weekend. There's always next year!
We spent time lots of time with Uncle Brad and Aunt Alex.
with my girl
Ella hopped right in the lake and started swimming in it just like it was a pool. My favorite memory was hearing her talk, completely unaffected, to the seaweed like she was the boss.
"Go away seaweed. Leave me alone." She handles it much better than me. Seaweed wrapping around my ankles totally freaks me out.
I was impressed by Lauren's kayaking skills. She took Abby out all by herself. Look at these big girls!
cousins: Abby, Ella and Lauren
The girls set up a lemonade and snack stand and spent the morning giving away eating their product. It was a lot of fun to watch them develop an idea they had and use their imaginations to play together.
These two kept us on our toes. They loved to chat and play with each other.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo_psu87HFk
Sunny days call for sunny shades!
We went on a boat ride for lunch and ice cream.
The Iamaio's don't live far from Lake Bluff, so we were thankful for a chance to visit and have dinner with them before picking Nana up and bringing her back with us. We love love love spending time with them. If only we lived a few hours closer...
Morning story times with Grammy and G-Diddy are the best. I think G-Diddy read Hansel and Gretal multiple times this weekend.
I woke up and came downstairs to find the girls curled up with Grammy and her kindle listening to Charlotte's Web. I love the way both girls are watching Grammy and listening intently.
And then there's "jump all over Uncle Brad and make sure he doesn't have a chance to fall back to sleep" time...
Nana is Oliver's favorite. He finds lots of comfort in her lap, as everyone comes and goes from the cottage throughout the day.
These two are the sweetest together. Ella considers herself Nana's best helper and she takes the role very seriously. If she sees Nana getting up from her chair, Ella runs over to get Nana's purse/knitting bag/pillow to carry and bring where they are going. If Nana sits down for a meal, Ella runs to get her drink. Then, they spend meal time helping each other eat. Ella offers Nana a bite of everything on her plate and Nana has a magical way of getting Ella to finish her lunch. Ella spent the weekend singing, "I have the best Nana in the world..."
The girls were excited to help G-Diddy cook on pancake morning.
By the end of the day, we are always pretty wiped. Bedtime looked like this.
We enjoyed some beautiful sunsets. The girls love joining everyone gathered at the top of the Bluff. I love sitting in the cottage with Nana and watching the sunset together from the porch, while Nana tells me all kind of fun stories about her life.
On our last morning, we had a mini photo shoot on top of the Bluff. The girls insisted on using my phone to take pictures of their kids too. Of course, Glitter, Amelia, Lily and Greeley had to go first.
Abby's kids
Two sisters and their babies
Lily and Greeley
"Daddy, get in there with my kids."
Ella and her kids
Abby and her girls
Then, it was my turn to take pictures of my babies.
Ella (3) and Abby (5)
I think they look so much alike in this pic.
Uncle Brad, Aunt Alex and Jax
G-Diddy's quality time with Oliver a.k.a. G-Diddy's attempt to get Oliver to stop crying and shrieking for Joe
Abby wanted to take a selfie with G-Diddy and her kids
We took one last boat ride out on the lake before we headed home.
our family 2015
The view of the Grammy and G-Diddy's cottage from the boat
Ella took a nap on the boat.
I love thinking that our next picture here will be complete with Baby "J".
Only 8 weeks to go...
We're thankful for a fun trip with lots of memories.
