a few more birthday pics

Have you ever seen a child so upset about being "forced" to play in the water table? HA! Just kidding, what you don't see if that Chris just made her put that smock on which she didn't like.
Kathy "milking" the cow!
Blowing out the birthday candles!
Sam didn't have much interest in her birthday crown so I made Chris put it on...can you tell that he was thrilled with me when I grabbed the camera!?
And here is the BEST picture...OUR NEW HOUSE! When we did the inspection my dad took this shot of the front. The sellers were in the middle of packing so the inside doesn't look so great...you'll have to wait to see more pictures.

We have the final walk through on Wednesday night and then close on the house Thursday afternoon. I CANNOT WAIT! We will get started right away on the cleaning and painting so that it is all ready to go before we move our stuff in! SO exciting!

reading time

Sam told me she was going to read to Avery. So sweet I thought. A few moments later I poked my head out of the kitchen and reading TO Avery had become reading ON Avery!! HA!

Avery's look is priceless in the second photo! I love it!!

a week already!

Where has this week gone? We've been busy!

This little lady turned TWO YEAS OLD!

It is so hard for me to believe that my first little baby is already two years old. She is my big girl now. She is smart, creative, loving, stubborn, strong and funny. She has an amazing big girl laugh and horrible big girl tantrums. She loves building towers, racing cars and being creative with stickers. She is a typical two year old.

We went down to Bloomington for a visit last weekend with Nana and Grandpa. Here are just a few of the pics from the weekend. Sam got her first set of skiis and her first doll house for her birthday. She was a little hesitant about the skiis (which I am sure she will love next winter) but LOVED the doll house. Her favorite part was the toilet that made a flushing noise!







Then my parents came up here on Sunday to help us with the house inspection that we had Monday afternoon on the house that we are trying to buy in Waunakee. Dad was a huge help in finding all the flaws/defects about the house and then giving us estimates of what it would cost to fix them. We found more than I think Chris and I were hoping but we still love the house so hopefully in the next couple of days it will be a done deal! Mom and I talked about where furniture could go, what colors to paint and how to organize things. They also brought presents for Sam for her birthday and the biggest hits were the little purse that Grandma and Pawpaw gave her and the new doll from Aunt Jojo. The purse is now filled with all her doll accessories and the new doll has joined the other dolls in sleeping with her every night (that makes five dolls in bed now!). The camera died on me, of course, so no pictures of her opening those gifts.

Thank you all for the great gifts, phone calls and birthday cards! She had a great birthday!

More to share and pictures of the house but my peace and quiet is over for now so I better go back to being mom!

fun pics

her first day outside

Yes she has been outside before but today it got nice enough that I could lay a blanket down on the little patch of grass that we have right outside our door and let her soak up some sun! She loved it (although her faces don't really make it look that way!). The pictures turned out horrible but it was a blast!




Sam had fun too! She is loving going to parks everyday, blowing bubbles and doing sidewalk chalk. Thank you spring for coming early for us up here!!

saying goodbye

We said goodbye to our first home this weekend. We have signed the papers, packed and waved as the truck pulled out of the driveway. We officially no longer live at 3232 Clifford St. in Stevens Point, WI. Someone else calls that address home.

Since we moved to Madison I have fallen in love with this new town and thought that besides some great friends I wasn't going to miss anything else in Stevens Point. But as we packed up on Friday and signed the title over I started to get a little sad. That house was our first home. We have a lot of great memories in those rooms and in that yard. Before we left Chris and I walked around talking about the memories that we had, the things that we loved and would miss about the house, the things that we would have/could have changed about the house and the things we were excited to have newer/different in a new house. I didn't realize how hard it would be to pull out of the driveway that last time. It is weird to me that Avery never lived there and even stranger that Sam will not remember having lived there. She won't remember chasing the ducks or playing in puddles. She won't remember the snow mounds in the driveway or playing in the big bay window. I know it is just a building but it was a great home for almost six years I will miss it.
It is great news that the house has finally sold and we can move on. We are excited about plans that we are making in Madison and anxiously awaiting news on a house here. I just wasn't expecting to be as sad as I was yesterday.

I already love raising sisters!

They are just so darn cute!
Sam's attempts to tickle Avery.

Sam is very into singing right now AND laying down the way that Avery lays.