Michigan Road Trip

We drove to northern Michigan to visit with my parent's friends for a long weekend, this was the first time my daughter got to spend time with them at their house. Being with them is great because they know that sharing their stories of my mom & dad is important for my daughter to hear about her grandparents. We are so blessed to have them in our lives, I just wish they lived closer!

"Reading" books she took off the shelf 

I was praying -- please don't rip them! (she didn't)

We visited a small farm nearby

Hee Haw

 They had chickens too

 One afternoon she just crawled up into the chair 

and started reading!
All those hours of reading to her are paying off!

I LOVE IT!!!

Playing with Ann

Sadie, their sweet 8 year old Lab

She traveled way better than I expected or could have hoped for.  On the way to Michigan we stopped halfway and stayed overnight at a hotel, and played in the indoor pool. But on the way back, I really wanted to just drive the entire 7+ hours home, but wasn't sure I should/could because we all know that driving with a two year old is unpredictable. I timed our departure right at nap time. She surprised me and slept the first 3 hrs of the drive, so we stopped for snacks when she woke up, and then I decided to just keep going. A few hours later we stopped for a quick dinner, but the whole time she watched Little Einsteins on the new DVD player I got her. We tried other DVDs but she screamed and only wanted to watch Little Einsteins. I could not believe how one DVD captured her interest for nearly 4 straight hours!!!

Unfortunately, I had to cut our trip short two days, but for a good reason, I have a job interview scheduled for tomorrow! As much as our friends wanted us to stay, they are going through a lot with her ailing father who lives with them so it was for the best, and we will see them again soon.

23 Months

Tomorrow my baby will be 23 months old! Her baby days are slipping away and while it's really exciting to watch her grow and tackle new milestones it's also sad knowing that she's my last baby. My heart isn't ready to say that my family is complete. I'm closing the baby door but I'm not locking it to growing my family in other ways. As she is outgrowing things they are leaving the house, tiny clothes and baby gear is not being put away for another baby.

Although it's not always smooth sailing everyday, I feel so blessed. I just want to squeeze and kiss her all day but she’s got better things to do — she’s very busy.

I keep forgetting to write about how her nickname she gave to herself. Her first name is Serena but she has trouble saying it so and when I ask her now what her name is, she says Nina. I say no, your name is Serena but she just smiles and laughs and says Nina! So, I guess 'Nina' is now her official nickname.

Weight: 26 lbs

Clothing size: 24m/2t shirts, 24m pants

Diaper size: 4

Shoe size: Toddler 6.5

Having fun playing trains at the Children's Museum

I would describe this look as: 

'I like you but I'm not happy about sharing my toys'

I would describe this look as: 

'I like you too but I'm not happy about you not wanting to share your toys with me'

Hugs

Angel in great-grandma's yard

My angel

Serena & her great-grandma

Memorial Day Weekend

On Memorial Day we honor the people who fought for our country and gave their lives so that we could live the way we do, like my Grandpa Lawrence who fought in WWII (he died at age 86 in 2000).

My sweet girl has 6 teeth coming in all at once! Ouch! Nap time and bed time have been difficult to say the least, but who can blame her, that's a lot of new teeth! I feel awful that she's in such pain, but I'm grateful to be at the receiving end of lots of hugs and her sweet head resting on my shoulder as she falls asleep. Even with all that pain going on we spent plenty of time outside and shared a lot of laughs.

 Shirtless ballerina with her monkey backpack

 Having fun taking silly photos of ourselves

 She loves brushing her teeth

 I bought a used playhouse on craigslist & surprised her!

Double Stroller

Taking a walk at the end of a chilly day

RIP Bennett (2000-2013)

My beloved cat Bennett died last night at home. He was 13 years old and had been in declining health for weeks but I still had hopes that he would improve. He was the sweetest cat, he did not have a mean bone in his body. He was completely deaf since birth and he had an extremely loud meow. He loved to howl in the middle of the night for no reason. Imagine me, home alone with a newborn yelling at him in a loud whisper "For the love of all that is holy, shut the f**k up, you're gonna wake the baby!" (Then I would laugh at myself because he couldn't hear me).  He was so happy when I was pregnant and on bed rest, he would sleep next to me or on me the entire time. All cats sleep a lot but he was what I would describe as a "master sleeper" since he didn't hear anything, he could sleep through anything. I got him and his brother Ed when they were six weeks old (Ed died in 2011). It's weird, after 13 years, we now have no animals in the house. We will probably get a dog in the future but definitely no more cats because so many of our family members are allergic.

He was amazingly tolerant

Hmmm, I don't know about this tiny human

Sleeping buddies

Always there to share in the love

Looking regal

I'm laying on the kitchen counter, so what?

 Snuggling while on bedrest

Helping me on the computer

 Laying on my pregnant belly & feeling the baby move

During the last weeks of his life

We love you kitty