Life, lately

Life has been busy for us the last couple of weeks. We've enjoyed nice weather, fun outings, and projects around the house.

 I decided to take the kids strawberry picking, even though Will hasn't been much of a fan lately and Amelia doesn't seem to like them at all.
  

Thanks to an episode of 'Caillou goes strawberry picking' on YouTube, Will was schooled on the activity beforehand.  He did a good job of picking the ones that looked just right.  Even Amelia enjoyed picking them and putting them in our bucket.


We've enjoyed strawberries plain, strawberry shortcake, strawberry muffins.  And I'm pretty sure I'll be making a strawberry cheesecake with the ones that remain in our freezer.  Yum.


I bought a season pass so there will be plenty of fun on the farm this summer.


As Will said yesterday, "We're having a fun summer day!"  Hot days beg for water play and we happily oblige.


Some fun at the neighborhood sprayground (or splash pad or sprinklers - whatever you want to call them since everyone always seems so confused when I refer to them as a 'sprayground').


You can tell Amelia's done when she climbs into her stroller and refuses to get out.


The other day, we had fun feeding our neighborhood pets: two ducks...


and Amelia!


Will had his last day of school and Amelia and I participated in the end of  year celebration.  Amelia felt pretty special sitting in the big kid chair.  I'm pretty sure Will was happy to have her there.


Will loved this lady.


Despite the face he's making, he loved this one too.


I think Amelia's excited to go to school herself someday.


In closing, we have a new addition to the family. My craigslist dresser turned dining room buffet. Painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint with dark and clear wax, and new hardware. Oh my. Me loves.

The day she turned one

The night before Amelia's birthday, she was up twice. We met up at 12:30 and 4:30. If I was feeling sad about no longer having my little baby, she certainly did an adequate job of reminding me why it's fun to have a bigger girl. Hopefully we will be sleeping through the night with consistency soon.

 Because of her late night antics, Amelia slept in until 9 AM. Crazy.

Amelia's birthday gift from Mommy and Daddy was this cute little trike. Mike was excited to take her for her first ride.

For Will's first birthday I had all the time in the world to plan an elaborate football themed party. It was fun, sure, but I felt like I ran around the whole day and didn't get to fully enjoy it. So when it was Amelia's turn, we opted to skip the large affair. Instead we had a family day at the zoo. It was perfect.

Will's favorite part of the day was riding the new carousel.  Amelia liked it too.


Watching the orangutans on the O-line.  Mike and Will were warned to steer clear of the poop zone directly under them.


Speaking of poop, Will complained about smelling it all day long.  "It stinks!  Can we get out of here?"


Will asked if this panda statue was real.

This kid's going places.  Not college.  But places.

Amelia really enjoyed all the animals she saw.


The otters were a favorite.  So cute and fun to watch.


Will checked out the map so we could go see my favorite exhibit: the seals and sea lions.


After the zoo it was off to Grandma's for cake and presents.


Will picked out this baby and a stroller for Amelia.  She loves them both.

Giving kisses!

Can't believe she's one.  Sigh.


Grandma stayed up late the night before to make this cake for her favorite baby girl.  While it sometimes makes me sad that our kids only have one grandparent that chooses to be present in their lives, I also realize how tremendously lucky they are.  Grandma loves her babies.


Amelia was so exhausted from her day, the cake was a no-go.  Ah, well, there's always next year.

One

Today we celebrated our sweet baby girl as she turned one year old.

It was a beautiful day. A full day of fun and activity. Of course, I spent a great deal of time reflecting on the events of one year ago. When Mike and I kissed Will goodbye on that rainy Monday morning, walked into the hospital, and our lives were forever changed.

We are so incredibly lucky to have this little girl. She is more than I ever could've imagined.

She waves 'hi' and 'bye.'  She blows kisses and gives high fives.  She points and says 'dat!' when something interests her.  She knows Will by name and turns to look at him when I ask, "Where's Will?"  She loves her babies, making music, reading books, and walking EVERYWHERE.  She's feisty and has quite a large personality.


And, while I may be biased, I think she is the cutest baby girl to ever exist.


Happy, happy birthday to our Amelia Jane!  We love you!