Recharging

I'm sitting here at the end of the day, and I'm beat.  Andy is out of town, so the girls and I have been left to fend for ourselves.  I'm proud to say that I've managed to keep everyone clean, fed, cuddled, read to, diapered, and (mostly) happy, but I think we're all ready for Daddy to come home.  I'm not really sure where he's going to sleep though, since Ava has unapologetically taken over his side of the bed.  Oops.

Now, I'd better get back to our Summer In Review while I'm still awake.  I should have turned into a pumpkin over an hour ago...

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For the last 2 summers, we've rented a house in Breckenridge with 2 other families for a long weekend.   The kids play, and the grownups stay up too late talking.  The food is good, the wine is plentiful, and the company  - and the view - are lovely.   The moms even managed to sneak away for an afternoon at the spa, and the dad's took a day to climb a mountain.  Not a bad way to spend a few days.  Since I was extremely pregnant, and was busy taking advantage of the fact that everyone thought I should take it easy, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked.  But here's a small sampling of the few I did get.

We spent an afternoon with the kids at the local children's museum. 

And everyone spent relaxed days just hanging out. 

We came home recharged, happy, and ready to meet the newest member of our family. 

Next stop: July!

And then there were 4...

I know it's been a while, but I'm discovering how difficult it is to manage two little ones and still fit in indulgences like, well, blogging.  So here I am, slowly working my way back in.  Be patient with me - I'm living on caffeine and a prayer.

We'll start with a few things you may have missed from our summer.  This could (and might) take several posts to get through, depending on how long I can stay awake.  Wish me luck.

June
June brought visitors all the way from Waverly, IA.  This gorgeous little guy is Ava's cousin Elijah.

 

Ava was still a big sister-in-training at that point, so I had a lovely time watching her practice her skills on Eli.  He didn't seem to mind either.

 

 

 

He was sweet enough to bring his parents, Ben and Alicia, and grandparents with him too.

 

Eli loved The Gardens.





We really enjoyed having them all here, and hope they'll make the journey back our way again soon.

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As always, summer also brings a bevy of birthdays. We start with one of Ava's besties, Brady.  He had his party at this super-cool ranch (farm?  Whatever.  It was awesome.) where the kids got to do sweet stuff like ride around in one of these:

 

 

And do art projects led by a real-life cowboy.  (At least that's what he said he was.  Who was I to doubt.)

 

 

Then it was back to Brady's house to play with all his new loot.

 

A little hug before we headed home.





That was just the beginning of June, so stay tuned.  Hopefully I'll get us to August before Christmas.

Loving Lila

There's someone very special I'd like to introduce you to.  Lila Michelle Lundstrom made her debut in our lives at 6:54am on July 8, 2012, weighing an impressive 7lbs 15 1/2 oz at 19 1/2 inches long. 

And just in case you were wondering, she is absolutely perfect.

There are a million wonderful little moments to experience when a new baby arrives in your life, but absolutely nothing can top the moment your children meet each other for the first time. 

Though we're dealing with a little of the inevitable jealousy over mom and dad's attention, Ava adores her new baby sister.  She holds and kisses her while softly stroking her little baby cheeks, and leaves everyone in the room completely smitten.  What a joy its going to be to watch these two lovely girls grow up together.

Here are a few highlights from Lila's first few days on earth:

First snuggles, first bath, and first family photo:

 

 

Meeting some of the people that love her for the first time:

First big girl bath at home:

And here are a couple more pictures, just because I know you can't get enough of these sweet faces.

Much more to come, but I have some snuggling to get to. 



Lovin' Summer

I don't think I've ever made a secret of the fact that I love summer, and I'm completely delighted that Ava shares that love.  So here are a few quick pics of my girl taking advantage of some gorgeous weather.  Enjoy!

Enjoying the awesome new elephant exhibit at the zoo.

When the Lundstroms came to town.

I love the chaos of a full house.  Loved ones chatting, the refrigerator door opening and closing when someone's looking for a snack, and the delightful sounds of family loving our girl - and her loving them back.  And who better to be the instigators of those wonderful sounds than grandparents?  In the span of only a few weeks, we were lucky enough to host Grandma Sally, then Papa and Grandma Pat.  Needless to say, Ava was in heaven.

Here are a few highlights from the long weekend with the Lundstroms:

First, we headed up to the mountains for a short hike.

Ava had to borrow Grandma's sunglasses and hat.  It was bright up there!

Sometimes you just gotta dig.

Then followed that up with an afternoon at Heritage Village.

They didn't want to let her ride the horse unless she held onto the saddle horn.  As you are probably well aware, Sister is not so keen on being told what to do, so after "politely" refusing to do what they asked she decided to walk away without a ride.  This was attempt number 2, and she managed to skirt the rules just enough to feel like she won.  That's my girl.

The next day was just as beautiful as the one before, so we spent it at Belleview Park. 

Despite a rather disturbing cough, this little guy was a favorite.  I had no idea a goat could even get a cough.

"I got this, Grandma."

Then there was this moment:

And sometimes you just gotta run half-naked through the yard carrying a purse and wearing someone else's hat.

But I think the best part of the whole weekend was watching Ava fly a kite all by herself. 

Thanks for a wonderful weekend, guys!  Can't wait to see you again soon!

First Day of School

I (as usual) have lots to catch up on, but a very important milestone was reached here yesterday, so I wanted to make sure I gave you an update.  Ava started preschool!  Now, since all of you know me, I'm sure it will come as no surprise to any of you that this was a source of great stress to me.  Late at night my brain would conjure up helpful thoughts such as, "What if she doesn't make friends?  What if she's scared?  What if her teachers are distant cousins of that creepy witch from Oz that they dropped the house on?" 

See what I mean?  Helpful.

You will be pleased to know that my neurosis was completely unwarranted.  Our brave girl walked right in like she owned the place, grabbed some toys, and proceeded to play.  Here are some pictures of her completely ignoring me.  Since that's what she did until I kissed her goodbye, these are the only pics I have to show you.

No need to drop any houses on these teachers.  They're pretty nice.

Today was Day 2, and once again I was so proud of my sweet girl.  She walked in, laid claim to a bin full of animals, and turned to confidently ask three little girls if they wanted to play.  Ava and I were both pleased to hear them say that they did. 

On days like this, I love being wrong.